Hate the Glory

The more I study, the more I marvel at the wisdom of the Rabbis. In פרקי אבות it is written, אהוב את המלאכה ושנא את הרבנות. A loose translation would be, "Love the work, but hate the glory."

The Mishna points out that Yosef lived a shorter life than his brothers (only 110 years old ) because he was in the public eye and held a position of authority. The Mishna is also hinting to the fact that power corrupts.

When one is in a position of power, it is a huge challenge to remain humble and honest. This is the reason why we hear so many cases of either misuse of funds at the disposal of such a powerful person, or sexual improprieties because everything is coming to him.

The Mishna is emphasizing that working for the benefit of the community is a noble task. But we should focus on the work alone and hate the fact that certain notoriety and power may come with such work. And that could be dangerous and lead to the downfall of that person. Brilliant advice from our very wise sages.

Prophecy

Another theme of last week's Parsha, was the concept of נבואה, or prophecy. One of the Thirteen Principles of Faith of the Rambam is that G-d communicates with man by way of prophecy. And included is the belief that Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest of all the prophets.

The Torah itself describes the nature of Moshe's prophecy in comparison with the other prophets. He was fully awake and could speak with Hashem פנים אל פנים, face to face just as two people carry on a conversation. Other prophets received their prophecy in a dream or went into what looked like an epileptic fit as they received the word of G-d.

Although prophecy ended forty years into the second Temple era, we have merited seeing the fulfillment of prophecy in our lifetimes in Israel. It saddens me that I was not able to get this idea across to the Jews of the Galut that I spoke to in LA. Somehow, they are unable to fully grasp the special times that we are living in.

Happy are we whose eyes are open that allow us to perceive Hashem's abundant blessings as He rebuilds the Third Commonwealth right before our eyes. Open prophecy will return to man with the coming of Mashiach. May he come speedily in our day.

Anti-Semitism

This past week's Parsha also had the verses related to the Holy Ark and how it traveled in the desert. This is the prayer we say when we take out the Torah in Shule.

Moshe Rabbeinu said a prayer that included the words, וינוסו משנאיך מפניך, "May Your enemies be scattered from before You." Rashi asks the question as to whom did Moshe mean when he described G-d's enemies.

Rashi answers the question by making a very strong statement. He says that anyone who hates a Jew, hates G-d. It's as if he is saying, "Jew, you are nothing and your G-d is also nothing!" It is a novel description of what is anti-semitism.

Today there are those that try to claim that they are ONLY anti-Zionist and that does not make them anti-semites. This makes no sense as I see it as a pathetic attempt to smooth over very strong anti Jewish sentiments. I rely on Rashi. One who hates a Jew, hates the G-d of Israel.

הצר הצורר אתכם

There is an expression used in yesterday's Parsha, in connection with the trumpets, the חצוצרות. When the Torah alludes to a future war, it is referred to an enemy called הצר הצורר אתכם. This is translated as "an enemy that is oppressing you. This is the only time the Torah uses such an expression in describing our enemies.

The Rambam in Hilchot Melachim defines what is a מלחמת מצוה, or an obligatory war. He says that this applies to our war with Amalek, the war with the Seven Nations, and הצר הצורר אתכם. Here we are given a clearer description of this term.

Any nation that lives among you and wishes to drive you out of the land, falls under the category of הצר הצורר אתכם. Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, the chief rabbi of Tel Aviv, once said that there is no doubt that our Arab enemies are today's הצר הצורר אתכם. All of the rules of מלחמת מצוה apply in our war with them, except one.

Unlike Amalek and the Seven Nations, where the Torah commands to kill them all including women and children, this does not apply to הצר הצורר אתכם. We are commanded to defeat them in order to remove any threat to our security in our land.

Key to Success

Shavua Tov. The של״ה הקודש makes an interesting connection from the words, על פי ה׳ יחנו. על פי ה׳ יסעו, according to Hashem, they camped, and according to Hashem, they traveled. He says that this is a life lesson for whatever endeavor we might undertake.

The של״ה הקודש says that we should not make a move in life without prefacing it with a remark that indicates the following: We hope that what we are about to do meets with Hashem's approval. Our awareness of G-d must be constant, while we are involved in this project and when we have completed it.

This is such an important life lesson for success. We must never forget for one minute that no matter how good an idea looks, it will only succeed with Hashem's blessings and a constant awareness of this fact. This may seem obvious to some, but it needs to be said and emphasized emphatically.

Temple Trumpets

In this week's Parsha, we have the commandment to build two חצוצרות, or trumpets. These trumpets had many functions. Most see them as instruments to call the desert camp to order. The people learned that based on the blows of the trumpet, they would know that it was time to get organized for travel. Each of the tribes knew how to follow these trumpet sounds and they would take their place in line.

Many are not aware that these חצוצרות were used daily in the Beit Hamikdash. They were blown in the morning and evening at the time of the offering of the תמיד sacrifice. They were also blown during the Chagim and even blown together with the Shofar on Rosh Hashana.

The של״ה הקודש says that the חצוצרות were meant to combat the forces of the Kelipot, another name for evil. It was also a device to fight the יצר הרע and negative influences rampant in the world. Just as we say that the Shofar was blown to confuse the Satan, the חצוצרות were a daily call to order. When the trumpets were heard, they served as a reminder to behave and return to sanctity and holiness and distance ourselves from the impurities of the world. Shabbat Shalom

Moshe's Humility

This week's Parsha, בהעלותך, describes the humility of Moshe. I have often quoted that there is a direct correlation between greatness and humility. The more humble a person is, the greater he is. And conversely, the more arrogant a person is, the smaller he is.

The Maharal expresses this idea in a beautiful fashion. Hashem in His abundant wisdom created man in such a way that he would strive towards perfection. The soul placed in man, would long for an attachment to his Creator. He would achieve great spiritual joy by gaining more of an understanding of G-d's essence.

As he continues in this spiritual quest, the more he learns about Hashem, the more he realizes that whatever he has learned is only a drop in the bucket of Hashem's awesomeness.

This was Moshe Rabbeinu. He knew Hashem in the most intimate way known to man. Yet, the more he understood, the more he knew how limited man was in terms of G-d. This knowledge only made him more humble. This humility is what made Moshe Rabbeinu the greatest man who ever lived.

Responsibilities of the Torah Scholar

The Talmud in Yoma continues to explain the responsibility involved with becoming a תלמיד חכם, Torah scholar. First, he must be certain not to be a hypocrite. He must not be אחד בפה ואחד בלב, one thing in his heart, and the other in his mouth. He cannot be fake.

The תלמיד חכם must have strong יראת שמים, fear of Heaven. He should be able to inspire people with his unshakable faith. He must set an example as to how to deal with adversity. He accepts with love, whatever Hashem sends his way.

When we lift the Torah, we say, וזאת התורה אשר שם משה, "This is the Torah that Moshe placed before the Jewish people." The emphasis is on the word, שם which could also be spelled סם, which could mean a drug or poison. If one succeeds in his Torah study it is a סם החיים, an elixir of life. If not, it could become a סם המות, a drug of death.

Because of the power of Torah, one must use his scholarship in the best way possible.

Three Crowns

The Talmud in יומא page 72b, discusses the specialness of Torah study provided that it comes with יראת שמים, fear of Heaven. The Gemara notes that in the Beit Hamikdash, there were three vessels that had gold lattice type work on them. They looked like golden crowns on each of these vessels.

The golden crown was placed on the שלחן, the table of the showbread, as a symbol of wealth attributed to the Jewish king. This was the כתר מלוכה, the crown of the kingdom. (There is a wedding hall in Jerusalem called שלחן דוד.)

The second crown was on the small altar known as מזבח הקטורת. This symbolized the work of the Kohanim in the Temple, and the כתר כהונה. It also alluded to the twenty four gifts that the Kohein received as he performed his special role.

The third crown was on the ארון קדש, symbolizing the Torah and the כתר תורה. The Rabbis said that the כתר מלכות was reserved for kings of Davidic descent. The כתר כהונה was reserved for the descendants of Aaron. But the כתר תורה is available to all who wish to partake of it with diligence and sincerity.

It is also worth noting that in פרקי אבות it's written that the כתר שם טוב, the crown of a good name, rises above all three.

Priestly Blessing

Parshat נשא also included the ברכת כהנים. The priestly blessing begins with the words, אמור להם, "Say to them." Because the word להם is written in the plural, we only call out the word, "כהנים" if there are a minimum of two Kohanim. If there is only one Kohein present, he recites the blessing with the completion of the Bracha הטוב שמך ולך נאה להודות.

Rav Nachman Kahane once wrote that in Israel, the Kohanim bless the people about 450 times a year. And outside of Israel, around ten times.

There is something magical about ברכת כהנים. The שכינה, Divine Presence, passes through the fingers of the Kohein as he blesses the Jewish nation. For this reason, there is a prayer recited during ברכת כהנים, to nullify a very frightening dream. We should pay closer attention to the specialness of the Priestly blessing.

The Nazir

Shavua Tov. Today's פרשת נשא, discussed the Nazir, who abstains from drinking wine and cutting his hair. At the end of his period of Nazir, he offers a sin offering. Most commentators say that this is because he took too many laws upon himself.

Shimon Hatzadik was Kohein Gadol for forty years and only offered one Nazir sacrifice.

A story is told that a very handsome man saw his reflection in the water and realized for the first time how good looking he was. He became frightened that he would sin because of this. He decided to become a Nazir and was praised by Shimon Hatzaddik for his sincere efforts to stay away from sin.

We must also try to protect ourselves from sin in every situation.

Three Levels of Impurity

Greetings from Los Angeles. This week we read Parshat Nasso, which is the longest Parsha of the year. One of the subjects discussed is that there were three different degrees of טומאה, in the Beit Hamikdash.

Just like there were three camps in the desert, there were also three camps in Jerusalem. One was the Temple itself, the second was the Temple Mount, and the third was Jerusalem itself within the city walls.

The first type of טומאה or impurity, was called טומאת מת, coming in contact with the dead. Such an individual had to remain outside only one of the camps. The של״ה הקודש says that the reason for this was that it was not really that person's fault for coming in contact with the dead.

The second type of טומאה was זב, that refers to a man who has an unwanted flow, which could either be a seminal flow or puss from an infection. This person stays out of two camps because had he remained on a high spiritual level, this טומאה would not have happened.

The most severe impurity is צרעת, or leprosy, that comes with evil gossip that certainly could have been prevented. This person causes great damage with his tongue. He must remain outside all three camps until his impurity passes due to the severity of his sin. Shabbat Shalom

The Torah is Perfection

Moadim Lesimcha. Today we celebrated the greatest day in the history of mankind with the Revelation at Mount Sinai. Every Jew stood in a prophetic state as they heard the first two of the Ten Commandments.

The Rambam describes how the Torah was written during Moshe's forty days on הר סיני. Moshe was elevated to the level of angel where he did not eat or drink during those forty days.

Many imagine that Hashem dictated the Torah like a boss to his secretary. The Rambam says that the writing was telepathic as he received every word from Hashem on the highest level.

No book was ever written this way as we view the Torah as absolute perfection. The Torah was for all generations and it is absurd for anyone  to even think that this perfection could ever be outdated.

This is the celebration of Shavuot. We rejoice and give thanks to Hashem for this incredible gift called "the Torah." It is truly Divine.

חג הביכורים

One of the names of Shavuot is חג הביכורים, the holiday of the first fruits. Most of the Jewish population at the time of the Temple were farmers. They were to place close attention to the new growth of the fruits of the Seven Species. When they noticed the first signs of growth, they tied a ribbon around it to designate it as ביכורים.

When the fruits ripened, they were placed in the most expensive basket they could afford, and they brought it to the Beit Hamikdash on Shavuot.

It was an extremely happy and exciting moment, when the basket was placed before the Kohein and the special declaration was made. There was a confirmation of how fortunate every Jew was who merited living in Israel and was able to literally eat the fruit of his labor.

The end of this section in the Torah, closes with the words, ושמחת בכל הטוב, that we are to rejoice with all of the good Hashem has bestowed upon us. Happy are we who are in Israel for חג הביכורים and חג השבועות.

Chag Sameach

Tonight is the last night of ספירת העומר.

We are not allowed to start the holiday early tomorrow night as there must be seven complete weeks,

Jewish Destiny

Many are familiar with the term נעשה ונשמע, we will do and we will hear, in connection with the acceptance of the Mitzvot given on Mount Sinai. However, it is also written only the word, נעשה, we will do, without the נשמע.

The ספר התודעה, the Book of our Heritage explains this נעשה in connection with the word, יעוד, or destiny. The explanation is that Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to clarify the unique role set aside for עם ישראל BEFORE beginning to observe the commandments.

This יעוד carries with it enormous responsibility. The Jewish people were meant to be the conscious of the world. We were to be a "light unto the nations.״ We are to set the example of what is moral and just.

Moshe also wanted to make it clear that we were also likely to be hated and persecuted because of this special destiny or יעוד. This did not dissuade the עם and to this they also responded with נעשה, we accept this responsibility.

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Special Bond

Shavua Torah. In today's Haftarah from the book of הושע, there is a reference to the special bond between Hashem and the Jewish people. The analogy is that we are like a husband and wife and "married" to Hashem.

The prophet speaks of a time that we will be so close to Hashem that it is like a woman who feels so close to her husband that she does not refer to him as בעלי, my husband, but אישי, my man.

Such a moment of closeness was on Mount Sinai, where our bond with G-d reached tremendous heights of spirituality and holiness. We were on a level where we were capable of the Revelation where we heard G-d speak the first two of the Ten Commandments. The Kabbalists explain that we were on a level of Adam before the sin. At that moment, death was abolished.

Unfortunately, this was erased with sin of the Golden Calf. Nevertheless, these three days before the holiday, known as שלושת ימי הגבלה, are meant for us to try to elevate ourselves anew for the giving of the Torah. We are each to try to recreate that bond and connection of holiness once again.

Yesterday was 46 with ספירת העומר.

Parshat Bamidbar

Parshat Bamidbar discusses life in the desert for the Jewish people. This fourth book of the Torah is also referred to as חומש הפקודים, the book of numbers.

In this Parsha, we have a census of the males between the ages of twenty and sixty. The initial total was 603,550 which decreased a bit after various sins and punishments.

The Levites (Netanyahu announced last night at Mercaz Harav that he is a Levi) were counted separately according to their three families of Gershon, Kehat, and Merari. The של״ה הקודש pointed out that the Kohanim were counted together with the Kehat family. The connection was that both the Kohanim and Kehat were chosen to carry the Holy Ark in the desert.

This explains more clearly why Korach felt that the Priesthood should be shared. He was more closely related to Moshe and Aharon than the other families of Levi.

There is a great deal of symbolism to the struggles of our ancestors in the desert. We are to learn from their mistakes and realize that staying close to Hashem and putting our absolute trust in Him, is the path towards happiness and success. Shabbat Shalom.

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Yom Yerushalayim

In Judaism, the matter of הכרת הטוב, appreciating the good, is of great importance. To be a כפוי טובה, an ingrate, is considered to be a very negative character trait.

With this in mind, I am surrounded by the singing and celebrations of Yom Yerushalayim, literally right outside my door. Thousands are on their way to the Kotel proudly waving their Israeli flags with singing and great joy and enthusiasm.

Some of us remember the miracle of the Six Day War. This was probably the greatest open demonstration of the "Hand of G-d" since the splitting of the Red Sea. What took Joshua seven years to do, the IDF with Hashem's help, did in six days!

There is an expression that when one is standing next to a mountain, he does not realize how high it is. We are still living through numerous mountainous events every single day.

As we mark fifty years since the reunification of Jerusalem, we must never take it for granted. We must express abundant gratitude to Hashem for this miracle and all of the daily miracles He sends our way.

יום ירושלים שמח

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תפקיד

In Parshat Bamidbar, we are acquainted with the term תפקיד. The three families of the Levites, each had his special assignment, or תפקיד. The Kehat family was given the task of carrying the sacred vessels during the travels in the desert.

The Gershon and Merari families dealt with carrying the curtains and beams used in the Mishkan.

Every person has his תפקיד in life. The philosophy of Mussar is that each person has to one day answer if he achieved his ultimate purpose in this world. Every individual is given certain G-d given abilities that he is meant to use to the fullest.

We are not in competition with anyone except ourselves. As is written in the Book of Job, אדם לעמל יולד, meaning that man was meant to struggle. He is to attempt to achieve all that he is capable of.

On a Kabbalistic level, it's written that if man is lazy and shirks his responsibility and does not fulfill his תפקיד, he may have to come back in another גילגול, incarnation, until he gets it right.

Especially with Shavuot coming where we receive the Torah anew, it is a good time to do some serious soul searching to see if we are truly fulfilling Hashem's reason for putting us here in this world.

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On Giving Charity

Being charitable, is a top priority in Judaism. We are always expected to open our hearts to the less fortunate and try to ease their burden. Particularly, Hashem has no patience for one who is cruel to the orphans and widows. The Torah says that such a person will have his own sons become orphans and his wife will become a widow.

Nowadays the situation with charity has gotten out of control. No longer is there shame in asking for charity. The Talmud speaks of knocking on doors for help as the last resort for one in a desperate situation. It was never meant to become a profession as it is today.

For this reason the late Rav Elyashiv זצ״ל paskened that the rules of the game have changed. He said that there are three levels of Tzedaka and each entitles us to a different response.

The first has to do with the beggar on the street. We do not have to give as they assume we are likely to say no. The second group is the Beit Knesset or Beit Midrash. For these people, we have the option of giving or not. But for the third group who knock on the door of our homes, we must respond with at least a small gift.

All of this came about when asking for charity became so common and has been abused. May we always open our hearts to the truly needy.

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