Subterfuge

The Rabbis were given a great deal of leeway in protecting the Halachic system. It seems that most of these safeguards translate into stringencies and decrees as the need arises. However, there are a number of cases that border on subterfuge when one looks at how far the Rabbis will go to care for the needs of the people. The selling of Chametz to a gentile is one example of a situation devised by the Rabbis that was meant to prevent a great loss of money. It was originally enacted to benefit Jews that sold alcoholic beverages. It was unreasonable to expect them to discard their valuable merchandise as Pesach approached. Hillel’s Prozbul was a sort of guarantee to lenders that the Sabbatical year would not be used to avoid paying back loans. Hillel realized that a society must be able to encourage the distribution of loans. Individuals could not be expected to lend money, if they knew they would not be paid back. The Heter Iska that is mentioned in the Talmud, was a means of avoiding the taking of interest. Israeli banks are supposed to have this document available for their clients to see. This agreement was constructed as a device to share profits rather than charge interest. And this year a new problem arose because of the Corona Virus. Jews were unable to dip their new utensils in a Mikva, because of the lockdown. The solution the Rabbis proposed was either to set up a quasi Beit Din making all new utensils “Hefker”, or ownerless, or, making some kind of stipulation to be included in the selling of Chametz. We see from all of this the sensitivities of the Rabbis to make life more manageable. But we must also remember that this is a situation of, “Don’t try this at home.” This means that only qualified, G-d fearing Rabbis are able to make such adjustments, and they may not be done randomly.

Passover in the Temple

During the time of the Beit Hamikdash, Pesach was the most fascinating of the pilgrimage festivals, mainly because of the קרבן פסח. Unlike Succot and Shavuot, where only the males had to make an appearance at the Temple, Pesach required that the women also be present in Jerusalem. Everyone was obligated to partake of the Korban Pesach. The meat of this sacrifice needed to be eaten within the walls of Jerusalem. The penalty for not taking part in the Pesach sacrifice was כרת, being cut off from the Jewish people. Brit Milah and קרבן פסח are the only two positive commandments that have a punishment for its non observance. And both of these Mitzvot saved the Jewish people when they were in lockdown in Egypt. It always amazed me how the logistics of the קרבן פסח were handled at the time of the Temple. Perhaps thirty people were able to eat from one lamb. And when we consider that there could have been millions of Jews in Jerusalem for Passover, that’s a lot of lamb! And parts of each lamb, needed to be offered on the altar. Everything was well calculated and synchronized, to service the festival pilgrims. As we are confined to our homes, we should long for a return of the excitement and holiness of Pesach in the Beit Hamikdash.

שיר השירים

Shavua Tov. We read שיר השירים today. The reason for reading it on שבת חול המועד, is that there are hints to Israel’s future redemption. This book was problematic when it was considered to be included as part of the Tanach. Some saw it as a simple love story between two lovers. It was Rabbi Akiva who said that if all of the other twenty-three books of the Tanach were holy, שיר השירים was holy of holies. The other sages accepted Rabbi Akiva’s view. There is actually a plot to this book, according to some opinions. Our two lovers believe that their love for one another is the one true love. Others mock them for their claim, and force them to be separated from one another. During this separation, they write love letters to one another, and believe that the day will come when they will again be reunited. The reference here is to the special relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. The separation refers to the exile. The love letters refer to prayer and Torah study. And the reuniting of the two lovers refers to the redemption when all of the world will acknowledge that Hashem and His Torah are true. This is why we read שיר השערים on Pesach.

ונצעק

Moadim Lesimcha. After having experienced an unusual but meaningful Seder night, there seems to be one major theme this year. The word to be emphasized this year is ״ונצעק״, “and they cried out.” Among the various messages, jokes, and Divrei Torah, I was impressed by a Dvar Torah sent in Yiddish. The rabbi was discussing the power that comes from ונצעק. He told various stories about people in hopeless situations, and how they saw great salvation from sincerely crying out to Hashem with all their hearts. This was an important reminder that we must never feel a sense of hopelessness and that Hashem hears our prayers. Just as the Jews in Egypt who did not have merits, as they were influenced by the decadent society, and yet, Hashem heard their, ונצעק. So, too, if we reach out in sincerity, our prayers will be answered.

ליל שמרים

This evening, ליל הסדר, the night of the Seder, is referred in the Torah as ליל שמרים, a night of protection. There are two opinions in מסכת ראש השנה as to what שמרים means. Rabbi Yehoshua is of the opinion that this date was designated from the six days of creation as a time of redemption, both in Egypt and in the future. Rabbi Eliezer held that this is a night where we are protected from מזיקין, generally translated as demons. There is a Gemara in מסכת פסחים that asks how the Rabbis were able to decree the drinking of four cups of wine at the Seder, when such a large consumption of wine could be a סכנה, danger. The answer is that because tonight is ליל שמרים, we are protected from such a danger. The important point to realize is that tonight is a special night of protection. We do not say a complete קריאת שמע על המיטה. And it is also a night of hope of good things to come. (Tonight is the fifteenth of the month, and this year, a “pink moon”, which may be another sign גאולה.”

Home on Pesach

It is fascinating that this year we are fulfilling the same command that the Jews in Egypt received, regarding Pesach night. The Torah says in שמות 12:22: “And as for you, no man shall leave the entrance of his house until morning.” And the next Pasuk continues, “And Hashem will pass over the entrance and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your homes to smite.” Something very big is going on in the world this Pesach. We have to believe that this will bode well for the Jewish people. If we were in the month of Av, there could be reason for concern. But this is Nissan, the month of redemption. It is important to maintain a sense of optimism. The Rabbis say, בניסן נגאלו ובניסן עתידים להיגאל, that we were redeemed in Nissan and we will be redeemed in Nissan in the future. Tomorrow is the Fast of the First Born. Usually, the fast is avoided by attending a Siyum. This can be fulfilled by connecting with a Zoom Siyum. It is important to emphasize that one must eat a כזית, olive sized amount of מזונות, in addition to participating in the Siyum. May this year be a Pesach of salvation and redemption for all of כלל ישראל.

קרבן שלמים

A further discussion of the קרבנות points to the sacrifice that is most beloved in the eyes of Hashem. This is the קרבן של שלמים, that is known as a Peace Offering. It is called a Peace Offering as it brings peace between Hashem and the one offering it. The sacrifice also brings peace between the מזבח, the כהנים, and ישראל. The owners of the קרבן are also able to partake of it as well. It is the most חביב, beloved, of all sacrifices, because of Shalom. The words, ריח ניחוח לה׳, that it is a sweet fragrance to Hashem, is said in reference to the שלמים. And what is most unique about this sacrifice, is that it is brought voluntarily. It is a spontaneous expression of gratitude to Hashem for all of the Chessed and kindness that He does for us. On Shabbat we say the chapter from Psalms, that says, טוב להודות לה׳, that it is good to give thanks to Hashem. This is the meaning behind the קרבן שלמים.

Fire Purifies

When discussing the sacrifices, a common factor related to all of them, is the הקטר אברים וחלבים, the burning of limbs and fats. This usually took place during the night following the offering of a particular קרבן. The Gemara in מסכת ברכות mentions that תפילת ערבית, Davening Maariv, is connected to the burning of these limbs and fats, as they were done at night. Shacharit and Mincha are in place of the daily קרבן תמיד that was offered in the morning and evening. What is also learned from הקטר אברים וחלבים, is the idea that fire has the potential to cleanse. We apply a similar principle when we Kasher our utensils. We say that אש משאב שאיב, that fire has the ability to draw out. We are taught to use a higher degree of heat in order to Kasher, than our normal use. We refer to normal use as רוב תשמישו, how the utensil is used most of the time. And a final use of fire is to symbolically burn away evil. In the שבת הגדול Haftarah, the Prophet Malachi predicted that the day will come when evil will be like straw, and the power of purity will easily burn it all away. As with many things, fire can be damaging, but it also has the aspect of being the vehicle to achieve purity.

קרבן עולה

Shavua Tov. Today we were supposed to read פרשת צו. The Parsha begins with the commandment to offer the קרבן עולה, that was burnt entirely on the altar. The עולה might be considered the most intense of all the sacrifices. It was the only one not eaten by either the Kohein, or the one offering the sacrifice. Our Rabbis teach us that the עולה is an atonement for הרהורי עבירה, thinking about doing an עבירה. The Gemara in מסכת יומא says that הרהורי עבירה קשו מעבירה, that thinking about sinning is greater than sinning itself. This is very puzzling as the individual never put his thoughts into action. The Rabbis explain this by saying that one may not take his sinful thoughts so seriously. But in actuality, sin first begins with the thought. Sin develops in three stages: העין רואה, והלב חומד, והגוף עושה, the eye sees, the heart desires, and the body acts. The purpose of the עולה is to nip the sin in the bud. One should not take sinful thoughts too lightly, and he should begin working on correcting these thoughts as soon as they come into one’s head. The offering of the עולה, takes care of all of this.

Haggaddah on Shabbat Hagadol

This coming Shabbat is שבת הגדול. It is customary on this Shabbat to hear a motivating talk by the leading rabbi of the community. He is meant to speak about certain Halachic matters as well as uplifting matters of holiness. A second custom is to familiarize ourselves with the Haggaddah on Shabbat afternoon. Since the Seder has only two Torah commandment, eating Matza and telling the Pesach story, reading a section of the Hagaddah, helps us with this latter Mitzva. The section we are told to read is actually the main section of מגיד, telling the Pesach story. We begin with עבדים היינו that follows מה נשתנה. And we continue reading until the words, לכפר על עוונותינו, which follows the famous דיינו. Although we will not be hearing the שבת הגדול דרשה this year, because of the lockdown, we can use Shabbat afternoon to make proper preparations for the Seder.

Seven Sins of Quarantine

There is a Gemara in מסכת ערכין on 15a that lists those sinners who need to go into quarantine, due to the gravity of their sins. Generally, we assume that the Torah speaks of separating individuals who have contracted various types of impurity. For example, coming in contact with the dead, is a type of quarantined טומאה. The same applies to a נידה or זב, whose medical conditions force them to remain separated until they are cured. The third category of צרעת, known as leprosy, is connected to one’s bad behavior. Such a person’s quarantine could last for an indefinite period, as it is dependent on repentance, that will cause the physical manifestation to disappear. The Gemara in ערכין says that in addition to the one who habitually speaks לשון הרע, there are six other sins that caused צרעת and quarantine. Murder, a false oath, promiscuous behavior, acting in a brazen manner (גסות הרוח), theft, and צרות עין, not being happy with other people’s success, are all connected with צרעת and quarantine. Perhaps this is something to consider during this world wide quarantine and evaluate if these sins listed might be relevant for worldwide Teshuva. The Gemara has all the answers to every situation.

Shabbat Hagadol

Perhaps a bit of information can give us a bit of hope. This year, Pesach falls on Thursday, as it did in Egypt. We know this because the שה, the lamb, was taken on the tenth of Nissan. (In spoken Hebrew, the lamb is called, טלה.) A גדי, a baby goat known as “kid,” could also be used as קרבן פסח. The animal needed to be taken,had to be less than a year old. On the tenth of Nissan, a lamb was taken and tied to the bed posts. It was a great miracle that the Egyptians saw this and did not object, despite the fact that they worshipped these animals. In addition, we read in the Haftarah this Shabbat, from the Book of מלאכי. The Haftarah mentions, הנה היום הגדול בא, “Behold, a great day is coming.” This refers to the coming of Mashiach. For these two reasons of the taking of the lamb and the Haftarah, this coming Shabbat is called, שבת הגדול.

Only Judaism is True

There is a Pasuk in the Hagaddah that is very powerful and proves the truth of Judaism as opposed to other religions. Moshe Rabbeinu tells the nation, “או הניסה אלוקים לבוא לקחת לו גוי מקרב גוי באותות ומופתים.” “Has G-d ever attempted to take one nation from the midst of another nation, with signs and wonders?” Moshe is pointing out that no religion ever began in such a spectacular manner as did the Jewish religion. With Hashem’s help, Israel decimated the superpower of the world. All other religions began in a far more modest way. Perhaps it was with a handful of disciples witnessing an alleged miracle, that a specific religion began. Compare this with Judaism and its beginning. This is what Moshe is telling the nation. Truth is not relative. The only truth when it comes to religion, is Hashem and Israel. Everything else is simply false.

בדיקה, ביעור, ביטול, ומכירת חמץ

Regarding חמץ, there are four different types. The first is בדיקת חמץ, where we search for חמץ, the night before Pesach. The Bracha we make while searching, is על ביעור חמץ, on burning Chametz. This is the second type of Chametz and the blessing is on the burning, which completes the searching. So that ביעור refers to the actual destroying of the Chametz the following morning. The third type is ביטול חמץ, the nullification of the Chametz. Actually, according to the Torah, this declaration of ביטול, is all that is necessary to get rid of our Chametz. We are declaring that we no longer own the Chametz and consider it like the dust of the earth. The Rabbis required that we thoroughly clean our homes. And the fourth category of Chametz, is מכירת חמץ, the selling of Chametz. This was instituted by the Rabbis to avoid a great loss of money. Originally, it was designed to help Jews who were in the alcohol business. They were unable to sell their whiskey and beer, and were allowed to temporarily sell their wares to a non-Jew in order to save money. These are the four categories of Chametz that we are to be focused on between now and Pesach.

Good Intentions

Shavua Tov. Regarding קרבנות, unlike Christianity, that assumes that now that we no longer have sacrifices, we need another means of atonement. And they think they have the answer as to how to achieve atonement. Judaism, on the other hand, believes that even when we did offer sacrifices, if they were offered with bad intent, they do not achieve their intended goal. We see this in the story of King Shaul and Shmuel, where Shmuel clearly tells Shaul that Hashem doesn’t care about sacrifices, if the one offering them does not listen to His voice. The Prophet Isaiah begins his book with the words, למה לי רוב זבחכם, “Why do I need your abundant sacrifices?” Hashem sees the intent that the one offering the sacrifices has. This is why the poor man’s meal offering, that comes with good intentions, carries with it more importance than the bull offered with bad intentions by the wealthy person. In general we learn that one’s כוונה, good intentions, are what is necessary for Mitzvot to bear fruit. This is the message learned from the קרבנות.

קרבנות

We begin the third book of the Torah this week. Vayikra focuses mainly on the offering of sacrifices. The Netivot Shalom says that there was a custom to teach children ויקרא before learning any of the other books of the Torah. The reason for this is that children are pure and innocent, and the קרבנות also purify. The fact that so many chapters deal with sacrifices, shows it’s importance. In פרקי אבות we are told that the world is based on תורה, עבודה, וגמילות חסדים. Torah refers to its study. גמילות חסדים refers to doing acts of kindness. And עבודה refers to the קרבנות. The offering of sacrifices carries with it a unique responsibility. Unlike other laws that we can pressure one to observe, such as by ציצית, Beit Din could force one to observe. קרבנות had to be offered לרצונו, with good will and good intent. The proper intent carries with it great importance. Without such intent, the קרבן is not accepted by Hashem. We should have proper intent, or כוונה, in all that we do. But the principle is learned from the offering of קרבנות.

מעות חיטים

As Pesach approaches, we are meant to fulfill the Mitzva of מעות חיטים, literally, money for wheat. It is also referred to as קמחא דפסחא, which is Aramaic, and means, flour for Pesach. This was a special Mitzva instituted to help the poor prepare for Pesach. It is considered a Mitzva that is separate from our obligation to give Tzedaka. The money is used to purchase flour, wine, meat, and fish. The idea of מעות חיטים was very much connected with the concept of freedom. We were to be aware that we could not truly enjoy our Pesach Seder, knowing that we haven’t done our share to help the poor. This is very much in line with the prayer that we say before the מה נשתנה at our Seder, titled, הא לחמא עניא, this is the bread of affliction. Therefore, מעות חיטים is not only a commandment to give money, but it is teaching us to be considerate of others.

Adar-Nissan

We begin tonight the month of Nissan. This is the month of redemption. The Rabbis say that just as we were redeemed in Egypt in this month, so, too, will our future redemption take place in Nissan. It is understandable that what the world is going through is beyond our comprehension. There are many theories and much “G-d playing” is going on around us. What should give us hope is that we are going through this during the months of אדר, referred to as אני ה׳ רופאיך, “I am Hashem, your healer.” It is a happy month as we say that when Adar enters, Simcha comes with it. Adar rolls right into the joyous month of Nissan. The first twelve days of the month celebrates the dedication of the Mishkan. Each day, a different tribe offered his own special sacrifice. The fourteenth was the day the קרבן פסח was prepared. We have the seven days of Pesach, followed by אסרו חג. The Rabbis predicted that in the future, there will be seven days of happiness when Mashiach comes. Therefore, the entire month of Nissan is a special month. All of this, should give us hope that we will soon be passed all of this, and again, the days of joy will return.

Forty-Two Challenges

The last Pasuk of ספר שמות, ends with the words, כי ענן ה׳ על המזבח בכל מסעיהם, that the cloud of Hashem rested on the Mishkan in all of the travels of the Jewish people. The Netivot Shalom points out that there is significance to the last two words, “בכל מסעיהם,” in all of their travels. He says that there is a hint to the journey that every Jew goes through during his lifetime. Just like the Jewish people visited forty two locations during their forty years in the desert. Similarly, each one of us goes through forty two journeys during his lifetime. These represent forty two challenges or difficulties that we may need to overcome. These challenges may be large or small, but we are required to rise to each occasion to make the right decisions in doing what is right in the eyes of G-d. It could be that the current situation may be one of our biggest tests that we need to pass. (Perhaps the Coronavirus counts as more than one journey!) Nevertheless, the Torah ends ספר שמות by reminding us that Hashem was always with us to help us through. There was the Cloud of Glory by day, and a fire by night. A total reliance and dependence on Hashem, will allow us to succeed in every challenge.

ויקהל-מקוה

The Netivot Shalom observed that the Gematria, numerical value of the word, “ויקהל” is equal to the word, “מקוה.” Just as a Mikva purifies, so, too, does Jewish unity as reflected in the word, ויקהל, also purifies. When there is collective, unified prayer, there is great strength. Just like all contributed generously to the Mishkan, and there was a collective feeling of a common goal being fulfilled, the same applies when all join together in prayer to remove a difficult decree facing the Jewish people. The Netivot Shalom adds that within the word, מקוה, there is also the word “קוה” meaning “hope.” When one feels that he is not alone, and he is part of a whole, he has hope. Losing hope can be devastating. The combination of ויקהל and מקוה, remind us to keep ourselves purified and to always remain part of the greater whole.