The Bechor Shor connects the concluding pasuk of the Book of Shemos in this week’s Torah portion of Pekudei, with the beginning pasuk of the next book of Vayikra. It concludes, “For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day and fire would be on it by night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel throughout their journeys” (Shemos 40:38).
The Bechor Shor begins by pointing out that the pasuk says “and the Honor of Hashem filled the Mishkan” to emphasize the fact that Hashem’s honor is greater than the Mishkan that fits into it, rather than stating it the more grammatically correct way, and saying ‘The Mishkan was filled with the Honor of Hashem,’ which sounds like the Mishkan is bigger and holding within it the Honor of Hashem. The Bechor Shor goes on to say that that is why the Torah states the following pasuk, which is the beginning of Vayikra, “And He called onto Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying” (Vayikra 1:1). As long as the Cloud of Glory was hovering within the Mishkan no one was allowed to enter it without being called upon, which granted them permission to enter. We see similarly by the giving of the Torah it states, “And Har Sinai was inundated with smoke” (Shemos 19:18), and it says in the next pasuk, “And Hashem called to Moshe to the top of the mountain, and Moshe went up.”
The Bechor Shor concludes, which I want to focus on, and says, “Our Rabbis (in the beginning of the Sifra) have explained that in fact for every speech Hashem first called out. This is because it is derech eretz, proper manners, to first call on the person you are speaking to before starting a conversation, so that he will know he is being talked to.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What kind of derech eretz, proper manners, is needed here? If you are in a big group of people and want to talk to someone specifically, then it has nothing to do with proper manners. A person can get someone’s attention so that he will know that he wants to talk with him. And if there is no one else in the room, or, as in Moshe’s case, Rashi on the first pasuk of Vayikra says that no one else was able to hear G-D and Hashem’s voice went directly and only into Moshe’s ear, then why would it be proper manners to first call him to get his attention; there was no one else He was speaking to?
We must say that even when it is obvious who you are speaking to, either because there is no else around or because you are focusing on the person you want to speak to in a group, it is still proper manners, basic decency, to first call to him in order to focus him, draw him into your conversation, and not rely on the fact that it seems obvious in your mind that he should know that you are speaking to him.
It is basic derech eretz to get the attention of someone before you start a conversation with them to ensure they are ready and focused on listening to your conversation.
Good Shabbos HaChodesh,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Vayakhel -A Tricky Evil Inclination
This week’s Torah portion of Vayakhel singles out one of the thirty-nine melachos, [prohibitions of Shabbos], of mav’ir [burning]; “You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day” (Shemos 35:3). Rabboseinu Baalei Tosfos (Daas Zekeinim) suggests why this specific prohibition was singled out: “The Torah warns us about kindling a fire more than all the other melachos because it doesn’t really look like work (melacha). And perhaps they will say I am not doing a melacha but I will light a fire and prepare everything so I can do things with gold and silver immediately after Shabbos, (for the building of the Mishkan) therefore it says ‘You shall not kindle’. And in Maseches Shabbos 70a, Chaza”l argue if this melacha is singled out to teach us that just as if one does this alone he transgresses Shabbos, so to if one does any other melacha by themselves he transgresses Shabbos and he does not need to transgress all 39 melachos at once to be liable. The other opinion holds this was singled out to teach us that only this melacha is liable for lashes but all others are a punishment of kares and stoning.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What does the Daas Zekeinim mean when he says that kindling a fire doesn’t really look like a melacha, because it’s too easy to do so people will say it’s not really a thing and do it? What about the melacha of borer [separating what you don’t want from what you do want]; that’s pretty easy, it doesn’t take too much effort, and might even be easier than what is permissible, the act of taking what’s good from the bad with your hand for immediate use?
Rather, it must be that kindling a fire is the only melacha that does not look like a job. Think about it; if you go through the different kinds of melachos, they can each be attached to job categories like planting, cooking, sewing, hunting, etc. Even borer, one can choose things by separating merchandise to sell. But kindling a fire is just turning on a light, giving light to a room, or warming it up, heating up an oven; the molding of the silver and gold is many steps later. It could have nothing to do with any job or work, so one might misconstrue it as not a melacha and come to easily do it on Shabbos. But why is that true? If it’s listed as one of the thirty-nine melachos, then it is clearly forbidden, like any other melacha, with the severe consequence of either being cut off from the nation (kares) and potentially stoning, or even, according to the other opinion, getting up to thirty-nine lashes. So why would anyone misconstrue this melacha in particular as something permissible, if it’s clear that it’s forbidden like any other melacha? Why also would the person only light a fire towards the end of Shabbos and not beforehand if it’s not a real melacha?
Therefore, we must say that any knowledgeable, G-D fearing Jew would never think you can transgress anymelacha on purpose, no matter what it is. But, Hashem who created the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination, with His infinite knowledge emphasizes, out of all the melachos, the prohibition of kindling a fire, in His Holy Torah, because He knows how the Yetzer Hara works. One of the ways the Yetzer Hara gets a person to sin is to make excuses, to confuse a person and in their state of confusion they will rationalize that it is no big deal to do. It might take a whole Shabbos to make a person rationalize away reality, but the evil inclination can get it done.
Excuses, excuses, excuses, the Torah warns us don’t fall for them, be on guard and ready to battle the weaponized Yetzer Hara!
Good Shabbos Para,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Ki Sisa-Shabbos: A Testimony of Self-Sacrifice
We say the paragraph of Vishamru every Shabbos eve before Shemone Esray, and during the Shabbos daytime kiddush. The paragraph comes from this week’s Torah portion of Ki Sisa. It states, “The Children of Israel shall observe the Shabbos, to make the Shabbos an eternal covenant for their generations. Between Me and the Children of Israel it is a sign forever that in a six-day period Hashem made heaven and earth and on the seventh day He rest and was refreshed” (Shemos 31:16, 17).
The Mechilta points out that “”it’s a sign between Me and you” and not between Me and the other nations of the world.” The Markeves HaMishna explains that this is alluding to the conclusion of the gemara in Beitza 16a, which states that non-Jews were not informed about the reward given for keeping Shabbos, and were not given an extra soul (neshama yeseira) on Shabbos, as Jews have. It also alludes to the gemara in Sanhedrin 58b that any gentile who rests on Shabbos is deserving of the death penalty.
The Vilna Gaon transposes a piece from a couple of paragraphs later on, into this line of the Mechilta, to read: “For it is a sign between Me and you and not between Me and the nations of the world. Just as so-and-so closed his store to observe Shabbos, and just as so-and-so stopped working to observe Shabbos, they testify about the One Who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. And so it says, ‘You are my witnesses -the word of Hashem- and I am G-D’ (Yeshayahu 43:12).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
According to the flow of the pesukim, the simple understanding of why the Jews are a testimony to Hashem’s existence is because just as Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, we give testimony to that by working six days and resting on the seventh. One might think that a clear testimony of Hashem’s existence and how He runs the world is proclaimed when we say kiddush, sanctifying Hashem’s name. Or even through the festive meals we have every week in honor of Shabbos. Or even from us restraining from turning on lights, cooking, or writing. All these are verbal or active testimonies of dedication to Hashem and His will. But the medrish says the ultimate testimony is the person who closes his store or stops doing his job; which in a vacuum makes sense, as said earlier, because it’s just like Hashem who stopped working on the seventh day. Indeed, that would be enough if we would just keep this paragraph where it was, where it was talking about how Shabbos adds holiness to the Jews, which is done by just working; that would be a testimony to Hashem. However, the Vilna Gaon moved this line about people who close their shop and stop working as testimony, to where the Mechilta states that Shabbos is a sign between G-D and the Jews and not between the gentiles and the Jews. What indication is there that closing shop and stopping working is a testimony that only Jews make? Why wouldn’t it also be a testimony if non-Jews would close up shop and not work on Shabbos; in fact many are off or closed on the weekends?
I humbly propose that the reason why the Mechilta emphasizes closing up shop and stopping to work as the difference between a Jew a non-Jew is because when a Jew closes his business or decides not to work on Shabbos he is moser nefesh., it is an incredible self-sacrifice on his part, and that dedication is a testimony to his belief in an Almighty who created and runs the world. Whereas for any gentile it’s not self-sacrifice; rather it’s just a choice to take time off and get a break from his busy week to unwind.
Being moser nefesh for Shabbos, like many Jews did in America in the early part of the 20th century, where many of them lost their jobs for the sake of Shabbos, or even today, the self-sacrifice (mesiras nefesh) the hostages who decided to take on Shabbos observance and their parents who did the same is the best testimony and sign between Hashem and His people of their belief and dedication in Hashem.
Have a restful (מנוחה) and delightful (עונג) Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Tetzave -The Responsibility of Leadership
A major topic in this week’s Torah portion of Tetzave is the design of the bigdei kehuna, the priestly garments; in particular the garments of the high priest. Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu, “You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon your brother, for honor and glory” (Shemos 28:2). Rabbeinu Bachye in his simple explanation of the last two words of the pasuk, “for honor and glory,” explains that Aharon “should be honored and glorified through them. And because the kohen gadol (high priest) is an ‘angel’ of the G-D of Legions by individuals in regards to The Service, he was commanded now to be dressed in royal vestments and to be a glorified and splendid king for the populace, and then he will be complete in everything because these garments were royal garments. The robe, as it writes ‘for such robes were worn by the maidens among the king’s daughters’ (Shmuel Beis 13:18). The tunic of box-like knit is similar to the striped tunic Yosef wore, as it says, ‘and he made for him a striped tunic’ (Breishis 37:3). The Turban is a custom for the rulers and kings in the Arab world to adorn around their neck and head. According to kabbalah ‘for the honor and glory’ refers to ‘and you shall make holy vestments for Aharon your brother’ that he should serve in them for honor and glory, meaning the honor of Hashem who rests among them and the glory of the Jews.”
Rabbeinu Bachye says that the simple explanation for why the Kohen Gadol dressed in such fancy clothes “for his honor and glory” is referring to his own honor and glory. However, the Kabbalistic explanation is that it is referring to being dressed up for the honor of Hashem and the glory of the Jewish People. But how does the simple understanding make sense? Doesn’t it say in Orchos Tzadikim, in the gate of haughtiness, that a person should dress elegantly conservative and not too fancily, in order not to become too haughty? The Kohen Gadol wasn’t even the king; so why should he wear royal vestments for his own sake, at the risk of becoming haughty?
We must say that the Kohen Gadol would not have become haughty by wearing these royal vestments. We therefore learn from here that when a person acknowledges the responsibility he has, and the role he plays, then that will serve to humble him and allow him to act with humility, even if he is wearing clothing that would normally illicit haughtiness.
The Kohen Gadol was the spiritual leader of the Jewish People and represented all of humankind in this world before Hashem. Therefore he had to dress optimally, for his own sake, to emphasize what this position actually represented. In that way he would realize his responsibility and the subjugating job he has to represent everyone in front of the Power Of All Powers, the Almighty Hashem, and that would keep him humble.
Teruma – How Sages Make a Living
The Torah describes the architecture of the building of the Aron Hakodesh [the Ark in the Mishkan] in this week’s Torah portion of Teruma: “They shall make an Ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits it’s length; a cubit and a half its height. You shall cover it with pure gold, from within and from without you shall cover it, and you shall make a gold crown all around” (Shemos 25:10, 11).
The Daas Zekeinim observes that by all other vessels of the mishkan it writes “and you shall make” (referring to Moshe, as it says in Yoma 72b), while here it says “They shall make.” This is because everyone must be involved in toiling to make the Aron Hakodesh, out of kavod haTorah, the honor of the Torah, which was placed inside of it. Kal vachomer [all the more so] should a city’s community take care of the work and needs of talmidei chachamim [sages] that live in their city, in order to give them honor. This is based on a gemara in Yoma 72b; it says there in the name of Rava that any talmid chacham whose inside isn’t like his outside isn’t a talmid chacham; just like the Aron Kodesh was covered inside and outside with gold. Furthermore, Hashem commanded every Jew to be involved with the building of the Ark, so that everyone would share in the reward of the Torah which was placed inside. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Daas Zekeinim, based on the gemara in Yoma 72b, is making a kal vachomer [a fortiori], that if everyone was obligated to participate in the building of the Aron, and was rewarded for the honor of the Torah they showed in their participation, then all the more so to help and support a sage. He is a living, breathing, and walking Torah scholar, who lives in their hometown. Supporting him with whatever he needs is an obligation and by supporting the Torah he learns and teaches they will get great reward. But why should this be an obligation that should be taken for granted? It makes sense in terms of building the ark that everyone should contribute for the honor of the Torah, because how else would it get done; it can’t be built by itself. But why should everyone feel obligated to work for the Torah scholar in their town; he is a free-thinking human being that has the ability and definitely the brain power to get a job and support himself and his family? Shouldn’t he at least take a minimal job while spending most his time learning, and not need to rely on others for support?
The answer is that while he can indeed do what he wants, the community should feel an obligation to support him because of the Torah that he represents. Furthermore, in fact, it is implicit in the Daas Zekeinim that he earns the right to be supported by others, as it is expected of him to work on himself so that his thinking and behaviors are consistent with his values and teachings; that his insides are the same as his outside. As the gemara in Yoma explains, that he is expected to have a high level of yiras Shamayim [fear of Hashem], in order that people see the amount of his learning and teaching from the outside. It has to be consistent, which takes a lot of hard work!
No one really knows what is in someone else’s heart; so how can they know who really is a talmid chacham? Yet people can sense and feel if a certain person really is a sage, deserving of him and his family being supported by the community, and will feel obligated to help them out. When that happens, everyone will get great reward for kavod haTorah, being a partner in allowing him to learn and teach Torah in the most optimal way to the masses, which is a tremendous honor to Hashem and His Torah.
A gutten Chodesh Adar marbim b’simcha and Shabbos Shekalim,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Mishpatim – Organized as a Set Table
The Mechilta calls this week’s Torah portion of Mishpatim, Maseches Nezikin, the Tractate on damages. It begins, “And these are the ordinances that you shall place before them” (Shemos21:1). This is the foundation for the laws of damages, mainly discussed in Maseches Bava Kamma, which are in turn the basis for our practical laws and ordinances regarding damages and people getting along with each other.
The Mechilta, in the name of Rebbe Akiva, discusses why this portion begins with the connecting word “and;” “And these are the ordinances etc.” “Because it says, ‘Speak to the Children of Israel and you should say to them’ (Vayikra 1:2), I would only know it should be taught once. How do you know it should be taught again, or even a third or even a fourth time, until they learn it? Therefore, it says, ‘And teach it to the Children of Israel’ (Devarim 31:19). I might think you only have to teach it [once] but don’t have to repeat it, therefore the pasuk there continues, ‘place it in their mouth’. I might think you have to teach it a second time (as the Zayis Raanan explains) but don’t have to make it known (the Zayis Raanan explains which means that you don’t have to teach it to the point it’s understood well), therefore it says ‘And these are the ordinances etc.’ Set them up in front of them like a set table (shulchan aruch) as it says, ‘You have been shown in order to know [that Hashem, He is the G-D! There is none beside Him!’ (Devarim 4:35).”
The Netziv explains that the connection of “and” these are the ordinances is to tell us that the portion of Mishpatim is different than the other Torah portions. For it should be placed before them like a set table (shulchan aruch), through digging deep into the depths (iyun) and analyzing each case in comparison with each of the others. It should be as stressed and clear as the first of the Ten Commandments, knowing and believing in Hashem without any doubts and with complete clarity. So too Hashem warned Moshe about these laws and ordinances, that they should be placed in front of them like a set table; meaning that they should learn them over and over again, and that they should understand the reasoning behind them well, without any doubts. That is the “and;” just as the first thing, emuna in Hashem, has to be known so strongly and clearly, so too these laws and ordinances (mishpatim) should be known the same. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Without a doubt this Mechilta is the reason why the Bavas (Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, Bava Basra), as well as the tractates in Nashim, are the mainstream gemaras learned in yeshivas throughout the world. But why does Hashem stress the laws governing man and his fellow man, including those that deal with slaves, damages, loans, etc., over the mitzvos of tefillin, tallis, kashrus, shofar, and all other mitzvos between man and his Creator? In a nutshell, why are mitzvos between man and his fellow man stressed to be learned with such depth and profundity, that it should be so clear as one’s emuna [belief in Hashem], but the mitzvos between man and Hashem aren’t stressed to be learned to that level of clarity and understanding?
It must be that the laws of how to interact with our fellow human being is as important as having faith in the existence of Hashem and more important than the mitzvos between man and Hashem. Even though one might think that the learning of the mitzvos between man and Hashem would bring us to a greater relationship with Hashem. However, perhaps one can say that emulating Hashem through the way we are careful with interacting with the people around us is more important, a means to get even closer to Hashem, and therefore emphasized on a greater scale than the mitzvos between man and His Creator, such as Shabbos, tallis, tefillin, mezuzah, etc.
Chaza”l say in gemara Shabbos 133b that the way to exalt Hashem is by emulating Him. And just as He is merciful, you too should be merciful; just as He is gracious, you should be gracious, etc. The Mechilta is saying that this is so important that it is on par with the very fundamental belief and faith in Hashem, “I am the Hashem your G-D” (Shemos 20:2).
Yisro – Breaking One’s Ear
There is an expression often heard in yeshiva, לשבר את האוזן, which literally means ‘to break the ear.’ This illustration is used when someone wants to make something that he is saying more palpable for the ear to hear by giving an example or parable.
Rabbeinu Bachye uses this expression to explain how the Torah describes the sight of Ma’amad Har Sinai and the giving of the Torah in this week’s Torah portion of Yisro. The Torah states, “All of Mount Sinai was smoking because Hashem had descended upon it in the fire; it’s smoke ascended like the smoke of the furnace, and the entire mountain shuddered exceedingly” (Shemos 19:18).
Rabbeinu Bachye clarifies the meaning of the pasuk; “The smoke filled the mountain, but did not come from the fire, for the fire that exists before the Honor of Hashem does not have any smoke. When the Torah says it was like ‘the smoke of a furnace’ it’s known that the parable(mashal) isn’t exactly the same as the application (nimshal). But because we are physical beings, we can’t comprehend the intellectual esoteric unless it’s expressed in physical terms which we can relate to. To that end we find the pesukim describing the beauty of the sun and it’s raze with the beauty of man, and the pace it seems to move is compared to the flight of a warrior, as it says,'[in their midst he has set up a tent for the sun.] Which is like a groom emerging from his bridal chamber, it rejoices like a powerful warrior to run the course’ (Tehillim 19:5,6). Everyone knows there is nothing like the sun whose power is hundreds of thousands of times more than any other energy around. There is also a pasuk that compares Hashem to a lion, as it says, ‘A lion has roared; who will not fear? The L-rd Hashem has spoken; who will not prophesy’ (Amos 3:8)? The reason for this comparison is because there is no other beast as powerful as a lion. In order (lishaber es ha’ozen,) to make it more palpable to understand, to make it easier to hear. This is also why Chaza”l say (Brachos31b) ‘the words of Torah are written like the way humans speak.'”
Why would the Torah talk the way humans talk; shouldn’t the Torah be loftier? Isn’t it a lack of respect and honor to Hashem to compare Him to physical beings? Wouldn’t it be better to just keep everything esoteric, with the consideration that understanding the concept of Hashem is so beyond our capabilities that we should just accept it with blind faith? On the contrary, by giving physical properties to Hashem, even if one has in mind that it is just an example and is not anything close to what Hashem really is and does, still in all it is possible that people might perceive and misconstrue Hashem as being less than what He really is?
It must therefore be that giving examples which make it more understandable to people, and speaking in ways that are easier to comprehend, is more of an honor to Hashem than leaving the concept of Him vague and aloof. This is because our whole purpose of existence is to know Hashem, and the better understanding we have, and the closer we get to Him, the greater respect and honor that is to Hashem. The more we grasp on our level the closer we get to Him, and the more we strive to gain higher heights of understanding of Hashem and His ways, the greater the relationship we have with Him. This, in turn, creates a greater level of Kovod Shamayim [honor of Hashem in the world].
Granted, all the tools we use to understand Hashem and His ways must keep in mind His loftiness, awesomeness, and eternal reality. But with that incredible scope in mind, using our physical understanding of Him, with the approach of getting closer to Him and understand Him better, this is the greatest respect and honor to Hashem. As it says in the beginning of Mesilas Yesharim, “The foundation of saintliness, and the root of the pure service is for every person to clarify and make truthful what his obligation in this world is and what does one have to focus on during all his toil in his lifetime.”
Bishalach – Breaking the Silence with Song
The reality is that when there is a war not everyone will be fighting. If you have a population of 18 million people, for example, not all 18 million will be soldiers fighting for the army. But Torah Judaism still expects everyone to be participating to some degree. Yet the correct attitude for any war, even if physically the Jews are putting in their efforts to fight, is that it is really Hashem fighting the war for them, and the soldiers on the front line are the messengers of Hashem, going through the motions of battling the enemy. And Hashem ultimately is producing the results. There are even other times when Hashem, with open miracles, fights the fight alone without any human intervention, as we see in this week’s Torah portion of Bishalach with the splitting of the sea and the drowning of the Egyptian army. There is a mysterious and obscure pasuk in which the Mechilta brings an argument, which ultimately boils down to a question of what punctuation should be put at the end of the pasuk to understand its meaning: “ד’ ילחם לכם ואתם תחרשון” The simple translation of the pasuk is “Hashem shall make war for you and you shall remain silent” (Shemos 14:14).
The Mechilta says on this pasuk, “that not only at that time will He fight for you, rather He will always fight against your enemy.” The Malbim adds “that Hashem will fight for you and what you feel is a war that is needed Hashem will fight for you because they are fighting with you, and this is really a war of Hashem, not your war, you shall be quiet.”
The Mechilta goes on to record an argument between Rebbe Meir and Rebbe Yehuda Hanasi (known as Rebbe) on how to read the pasuk. “Rebbe Meir says ‘Hashem will fight for you’ when you are standing there quietly, Hashem will still fight for you, but all the more so when you give Him praise! Rebbe says ‘Hashem will fight for you’ He will do miracles and powerful things and you will just stand around and stay quiet? The Jews said to Moshe Rabbeinu, ‘Moshe, what should we do?’ He said back to them, ‘You should glorify, exalt, give song and praise, greatness and glory to Whom the wars are His.’ As it says ‘The lofty praises of G-D are in their throats’ (Tehillim 149:6). It also says, ‘Be exalted above the heavens, O G-D, above all the earth be Your glory’ (Tehillim 57:6). It also says, ‘Hashem, You are my G-D; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name, for You have done wondrously; Your plan from distant past we kept with firm faithfulness (Yeshayahu 25:1). At that moment the Jews opened their mouth, and they said Shira (song), ‘I shall sing to Hashem for He is exalted above the arrogant’ (Shemos 15:1).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Merkavas HaMishna, a commentary on the Mechilta, says that according to Rebbe Meir the pasuk is making an exciting exclamation, a kal vachomer, fortiori, which was a hint to the times of King Chizkiya. As it says in Eichah Rabba 4:15, that when Sancheriv came with his army to attack Yerushalayim, King Chizkiya was so overwhelmed that he said I don’t have the strength to sing songs of praise to Hashem . And he told Hashem I will sleep in my bed and you can wage war against the enemy. That night an angel of Hashem came and wiped-out hundreds of thousands of soldiers of Sancheriv’s army. Hashem took care of the war when there was silence, no songs of praise were sung, and all the more so, kal vachomer, in this circumstance where the Jews will be singing Shira by the sea, praising Hashem, did Hashem wage war and defeat the Egyptians by Himself. According to Rebbe the pasuk is asking a question in wonderment. Hashem is doing for you all these miracles and you are just sitting here quiet as a deaf mute?! The Jews response, according to Rebbe was, ‘what are we supposed to do,’ which the Merkavas HaMishna had two options as to what that means. Either, based on a Maharsha in Erechin 10a, we aren’t supposed to sing praises to Hashem for a miracle done outside of Israel because they are done through a messenger and not directly by Hashem. Which to that the response was Hashem is the One personally and directly involved in these miracles, and at that point they started singing Shiras HaYam. Or, based on a gemara in Megilla 10b, Rebbe Yochanan says that the ministering angels wanted to sing praises to Hashem by the drowning of the Egyptians and Hashem responded, ‘My creatures are drowning in the sea and you want to sing before Me?’ So the Jews were hesitant to sing praises to Hashem also for that reason, whereas Moshe is responding that Hashem Himself did this all for you, so how can’t you thank Him and praise Him through song for what He did?! And they started singing.
Emotionally, why wouldn’t a person automatically start singing Hashem’s praise without even thinking, according to both opinions? For example, obviously King Chizkiya had a tremendous level of belief and trust in Hashem as we see from the fact he went to sleep and told Hashem I’ll rely on you to take care of all the problems. But why didn’t he go through his grandfather’s Tehillim that night, which praises Hashem? And why did the Jews have this mental hesitation and thought process according to Rebbe, whether they should even sing to Hashem or not? Knowing and living through all the miracles of the plagues and redemption from Egypt and now seeing the pillar of fire, a forcefield against the Egyptians before they entered the split sea, and then all the miracles that happened during the splitting of the sea should have created an automatic response to sing and dance over their freedom and salvation; why the hesitation? Especially since the Jews must have hated the Egyptians for the cruel bondage they had to live through. So to see the submission and crippling of their bondsmen should have naturally inspired spontaneous cheering, dance and song!?
We must say that we see from here that emotions aren’t spontaneous, there is an intellectual component that is always there to weigh things. It could be that emotions might get the better of a person and will outweigh and control the intellect. And vice-versa, a person can have a good and strong sense of control over his emotions if he works on his intellectual control over his emotions. But both are always there, one never absent from the other. Therefore, it took a thought process for the Jews to wonder what to do before they started singing shira/song to Hashem, and it wasn’t just a gut reaction. So too Chizkiya chose to go to sleep and not sing Tehillim or the like all night, still believing and knowing Hashem would take care of the enemy army.
The emotion and intellect are constantly working with each other in one’s body, we have to make sure to work on the healthy balance of using them consistently and properly.
Good Shabbos Shira,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Bo – A Good New Month
Chodesh Tov Chevra,
What is so special about the head of the month (Rosh Chodesh) in the Jewish calendar? What is so important about the month of Nissan, that it is considered the first month of the year? Isn’t the month of Tishrei the beginning of the New Year? Why is the calendar so important in Torah Judaism to the extent that the first Rashi in the Torah says the Torah would have started with the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, the new month, which is in this week’s Torah portion of Bo?
“This month shall be for you the beginning of the months; it shall be for you the first of the month” (Shemos 12:2). The medrish Mechilta (8) on this pasuk first suggests that the Torah say “this month is yours” whereas Adam HaRishon did not start counting from this month [of Nissan]. However, the Mechilta clarifies: Is the “you” referring to you and not Adam HaRishon or you and not the gentiles? The Mechilta answers that because the pasuk reiterated “it’s the first for you” that sounds like it’s for you and not the gentiles, therefore the first “for you” was as opposed to Adam HaRishon. We learn from here that the Jews count the calendar by way of the moon and gentiles by the sun. Wouldn’t it be enough that once every 30 days [the Jews] would raise their eyes to their Father In Heaven!
The Netziv sees a profound insight from this medrish. The Jews have a mitzva to count months and not the gentiles in order that a Jew can acknowledge that the main thing is the “unique form,” and not the physical form, of every human being. The month of Tishrei is the choicest in terms of the needs of the world, because it was then that the world was created. It’s an important rule that the day that something was created, that day has good fortune for future generations to strengthen the matter of that thing even more. For that reason, the nature of fire is to boil quicker on Motzie Shabbos because that was when [fire] was created (this is what the Rashba in his responsa writes in chapter 413). Also, for this reason, the month of Tishrei is the main judgment of a person for the year to come, because on that day Adam HaRishon was judged, as the Ra”n says in masechta Rosh Hashanah. That month also contains the holiday of Sukkos because it is the main blessing for grain, as in that month the world was created (as the Netziv writes in HaEmek Davar Vayikra 23:34, and Bamidbar 29:12). All this is in regard to nature. So too the month of Nissan is good fortune for the Jewish nation of Hashem, as we were originally created when going out of Egypt. Therefore that month is geared for strengthening our service of Hashem through discussing Yetzias Mitzraim, the exit from Egypt, which triggers trust and faith in Hashem. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Malbim has his own unique insight into this medrish. He says that the phrase “to you” always infers ‘and not to someone else;’ here, in this pasuk, the phrase is mentioned twice, because the Egyptians didn’t have months based on the moon at all. Their calculations were solely based on the sun, which they worshipped. According to the Jews there was a custom to count months based on the moon dating all the way back to Adam HaRishon, as we find by the calculations of Noach and the Flood. However up until this point they thought that Tishrei was the first month, for it was then that the world was created and it’s Rosh Hashanah. But the Jews were commanded to count from the month of Nissan in remembrance of their redemption from Egypt, for from then it was integrated into them a higher status than the way of nature. Nature is dependent on the creation of the world, for from that point there was personal Divine intervention by Hashem into our lives. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The reason the month of Nissan is considered the first month on the Jewish calendar is because within that month the Jews became a nation, just as throughout history many kings calculated years from the point in time that they or the monarchy of their royal family first became king. It is a time of beginning, renewal, and uniqueness that should be celebrated and recognized. So too, we find that the very essence of a month, its concept, sets us apart from the rest of the world since it shows we have a higher or different judgement of time than they do. But why is it so important to make a holiday over it, to celebrate and commemorate it as we do every Rosh Chodesh?
We see from this Mechilta that because of how we calculate the months, and because we became a nation in Nissan, it is therefore considered the first month for the Jews. This is even though Tishrei was in fact when the world was created, as the purpose of it all is to instill in ourselves new levels of emuna (faith) and bitachon (trust) in Hashem. It’s to be used to raise our eyes to Hashem and realize He took us in as His children, to be princes and princesses of the King of All Kings, and to appreciate that lofty status.
Rosh Chodesh is the opportunity to thank and praise Hashem for that realization, just as the month of Nissan with the Yom Tov of Pesach is the chance to gain new heights and express an appreciation and understanding of what it means to be Hashem’s people, who He took out of Egypt and made His nation. In this way these times of the year are powerful tools to strengthen our belief, faith, and trust in Hashem, a reason to sing Hallel!
A gutten chodesh!
Vaera – Shooting for Honoring Hashem
One of the most fundamental beliefs in Hashem and His Ways is discussed in this week’s Torah portion of Vaera by Rabbeinu Bachye, regarding the bondage in Egypt, the prelude to the ten plagues, and the ultimate salvation from Egyptian servitude. It is worthwhile to go through the majority of the piece in the Rabbeinu Bachye, but I am planning on elaborating on a point towards the end.
Hashem warns Moshe, “And I will harden Pharoah’s heart” (Shemos 7:3). Rabbeinu Bachye submits, “Many have asked at this juncture that if Hashem hardened his heart so that he would not send them, then why did He pile upon them these great plagues for no reason? Isn’t this an act of violence at first glance, and the Blessed Hashem who is righteous would not do such a terrible thing?! If the hardening of his heart was for him to refuse to send them away, then how could he be punished for hardening his heart with all these plagues? The answer to this is that Pharaoh on the one hand was wicked and had already sinned. If his sin would have been preventing the Jews from being sent out and Hashem then hardened his heart about that prevention and punished him for that then that would have been violence [on Hashem’s part]. However the sin for Pharaoh was mentioned earlier (Shemos 1:9-10), ‘Behold the nation of the Children of Israel are many and mightier than us, come and let’s outsmart them’. So since [Pharaoh] was wicked and a denier of Hashem of his own volition, and he and his nation purposely spited them, they were liable to be prevented from the paths of repentance, in that Hashem put into his heart that he would not send them away. For if they had repented, it would have been impossible to punish them. The proof is the people of Nineveh; in the times of Yonah, they repented and were saved from punishment (and in fact some medrashim say Pharaoh was their king, who had survived the splitting of the sea and fled to Nineveh). Therefore, Hashem needed to prevent them from walking the paths of repentance. Not that they didn’t have the ability to repent, but the ways to realize, to get to such an idea, were blocked. As He [told Moshe] ‘I will harden Pharoah’s heart;’ this is what the Ramban zt”l wrote.
There is a medrish (Shemos Rabba 13:4) that relates ‘And I will harden Pharoah’s heart;’ ‘Rebbe Yochanan said, this is an excuse for non-believers to say that he had no chance to repent. Reish Lakish said back, close up the mouths of the non-believers, they will scoff if they want. They can be rebuked, one, two, three times and still not change. He (Hashem) closed the door from repentance in order to punish him (Pharaoh) for his sins. So, the evil Pharaoh, after Hashem made it clear to him 5 times (5 plagues) and he did not heed to His word, Hashem said to him you made yourself stubborn, and hardened your own heart, I will add tuma (spiritual uncleanliness) onto your tuma.’ According to this medrish, it explains that when Hashem said, ‘I will harden Pharoah’s heart’ it was in the end, for during the first five plagues, it only says, ‘Pharoah’s heart strengthened’ and ‘Pharaoh made his heart heavy’. Behold he did not want to send the Jews away out of honor to Hashem, (כבוד שמים), it was only when the plagues became too overwhelming, he would become weary from dealing with them and he would soften his heart, and change his mind to rather set them free because of the burden of the plagues and not to do the will of his Creator. But during the last five plagues it says that Hashem hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and Hashem did this in order that His name will be talked about throughout the land as it’s written, ‘and I will make Myself exalted and Myself holy etc.’ (Yechezkel 35:23).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
It’s implicit from Rabbeinu Bachye that if Pharaoh would have focused and been motivated to free the Jewish People out of honoring Hashem and doing His will, then at some point during the first five plagues Pharoah would have followed through with this plan. Only because his motivation for freeing the Jews was to take off the burden of the plagues that in between plagues when the burden was lightened did he change his mind, ultimately keeping them in Egypt each time. But why would even a proper motivation like Honoring Hashem and doing His will make such an impact on such a wicked person as Pharaoh, who put in much thought to outsmarting the Jews and enslaving them? Even if he came to realize that it was worthwhile to give honor to Hashem, why was it guaranteed that he would not change his mind, just like he ultimately did not change his mind out of the pure pressure from the plagues? The reason why he would have set them free for the sake of doing Hashem’s will would be because he would be inspired and focused by the plagues to follow Hashem’s directive; but isn’t inspiration fleeting, especially for the wicked?
We must nevertheless say, based on this Rabbeinu Bachye, that if Pharaoh would have in fact decided to free the Jews to honor Hashem, and had he realized what he was doing, he would never have changed his mind.
There’s an incredible lesson that can be learned from here. If one focuses on and has a really honest attitude that when he is doing the right thing it is for the Will of Hashem, and to give Him honor, then that realization will be the impetus to never regret and change his mind from his positive actions.