Judges

When Moshe Rabbeinu recounted events that took place in the desert, he told of the need to get help from others who would act as judges. He then focused on the proper conduct of a judge in Israel. The responsibility of judging was enormous. They were commanded not to take bribes or show favoritism to the rich or poor. They were told that it was their job to settle disputes between a man and his brother, and between the convert. The Gemara in יבמות learns from the fact that the convert is mentioned together with the subject of judges, that the only acceptable conversion, would be in front of a Beit Din of three judges. A declaration בינו ובין עצמו, done by himself, alone, is not considered a valid conversion. The Rabbis tell us that when a judge judges fairly, he becomes a partner with HaShem, who is the One and only true judge.

Forces of Evil

The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu gathered the nation אחרי הכותו את סיחון, after he smote Sichon, the king of אמורי and Og, king of בשן. The Netivot Shalom said that these verses were necessary as a prerequisite to Moshe’s final address. They represented his ability to smash the negative forces in the world. These forces are sometimes referred to as the סיטרא אחרא, or the כח הקליפה, the force of the shell. There was then, and still exists today, two very powerful forces; those of good, and those of evil. When we do Mitzvot, we become attached to Good. When we sin, we distance ourselves and are in danger of being pulled to the negative side. The Sefer Hachinuch goes further when it goes into details about witchcraft. When speaking about sorcery and demons, the חינוך says that one of their main characteristics is that they are totally destructive. They tear down and do not rebuild. They disrupt the balance in the world between the higher and lower worlds. (Kind of sounds like Leftists, doesn’t it?) Moshe Rabbeinu realized all of this, and needed to be certain that these forces of evil were put to rest, so that he could elevate the nation, spiritually.

Moshe’s Leadership

Shavua Tov. The very first Pasuk of פרשת דברים, has a double meaning. On the one hand, there is a subtle reference by Moshe Rabbeinu to the various locations where the Jewish people had sinned. He refers to a place called, “די זהב.” There is no such place but it is a reference to the sin of the Golden Calf, where there was די זהב, enough gold. Moshe wants the people to know that despite the fact that they turned away from Hashem, they were not forsaken. They should also feel remorse for such a transgression. But, on the other hand, the Gemara in Berachot said that when Moshe spoke to G-d, he tried to reduce the gravity of the sin, by even sounding a bit disrespectful to HaShem. He says that the nation was not so much to blame, because it was not their idea to ask for gold from the Egyptians. If they didn’t have any gold, they would not have had the means to sin. This shows the kind of leader Moshe was. He motivated the people to go higher, but he also defended them at all times. He had the qualities to emulate in a true leader.

Shabbat Chazon

This coming Shabbat is called שבת חזון. It is the third Haftarah of פורענותא, punishment and rebuke. We read from the Book of Isaiah, where the prophet gives strong rebuke for turning away from Hashem. Shabbat Chazon is always read with פרשת דברים. This Parsha is also one of rebuke. The Netivot Shalom says that really פרשת ואתחנן is the לב התורה. It is the heart of the Torah because it contains the first paragraph of שמע as well as the Ten Commandments. It was not read as the first Parsha in דברים, because first needed to prepare the nation by teaching them that in order to receive the Torah as well as ארץ ישראל, it could only come about through הכנעה and ענווה, surrender and humility. Another reason why דברים is read during the Nine Days is that there is the reminder that HaShem will never forsake us. Just as He was with us in Egypt and our Exile, He will never forsake us. This is a time for soul searching and reflection. It is a time that we should try to reach higher levels of holiness, to prepare us for the גאולה, redemption that is knocking on the door. We need to prove our worthiness for this blessed time. Shabbat Chazon is meant for making such preparations.

Cities of Refuge

The case of the ערי מקלט was mentioned in last week’s Parsha. There was a commandment to set up cities of refuge for the accidental killer. The specifics of the law are that we are referring to one who had no intention to kill, but did display a certain degree of negligence. The Torah gives the example of the blade of an ax flying off accidentally, killing an innocent victim. The negligence was that the ax should have been examined and tightened before use. There is a strange Halacha associated with this. If the victim was known to be an enemy of the ax holder, the killer would not be allowed the safety of the עיר מקלט. Somehow, because it is someone that he dislikes and is not speaking to, the “accident” is no longer viewed as an accident. This is difficult to understand but we must assume that the Torah’s wisdom is far greater than our own.

Forty Two Journeys

Regarding פרשת מסעי, we are given an accounting of forty two different locations that בני ישראל traveled during their forty years in the desert. It is interesting to note that most of the traveling was done during the first and last year of their forty year journey. Likewise, the sins took place during the first and last year of their stay. We are told that they camped in a place called Kadesh for nineteen of those middle thirty eight years, that were relatively quiet. The Netivot Shalom says that every person goes through forty two journeys in his lifetime. Sometimes there are many journeys bunched together. At others, there may be several years of calm and tranquility. We are to be aware that every journey is meant to be a stepping stone for further growth and self improvement. Regardless of our age, we are in this world to constantly work on ourselves. We are to keep a distance from those who stagnate and are complacent. The ultimate journey is the one that if we merit it, will bring us to Mashiach and עולם הבא. We must not falter in our mission as part of עם ישראל.

Holy War

The war waged against Midian was not an ordinary war. It was a battle between the forces of holiness and the forces of impurity. For this reason, Moshe Rabbeinu selected 1000 holy men from each of the twelve tribes. In addition, Pinchas went out to battle, to finish what he had started. They also brought the Holy Ark to battle along with the ציץ, the headband of the Kohein Gadol. Moshe used all the spiritual ammunition at his disposal. The Netivot Shalom adds that these soldiers fought with their תפילין on, and they were all very learned. None of them put on their של ראש before their של יד. They were victorious to the point that there were no casualties. And they were able to kill Bilaam, who was in the neighborhood waiting to be paid for the damage he inflicted on the Jews. We must never minimize the power that comes when we maintain our level of holiness. Cleaving to G-d, helps us to win all the battles that life sends our way.

Being Clean

Moshe Rabbeinu made a deal with the two and a half tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe. They would be given land on the east side of the Jordan, if they would first help fight to conquer the land. Moshe uses the words, והייתם נקיים, and you will be clean, if their part of the bargain was fulfilled. The Gemara spoke of two families that were given important positions in the time of the Beit Hamikdash. They both took great care to be “clean” in their honored roles. The Beit Garmoo Family were charged with the task of baking the לחם הפנים, the showbread, in the Temple. They were very gifted in knowing how to prepare this bread. In their effort to be “clean”, no such bread was ever seen in their home. The same was true of the Beit Avtinus Family. They knew the secrets as to how to prepare the קטורת for Temple service. They, too, were “clean” in not having such קטורת in their home. This was a lesson for all people in high positions to make sure that they would not take what didn’t belong to them.

Keep Your Word

Shavua Tov. The reason given for our first Parsha today, being called מטות, is to teach that the ראשי המטות, the heads of the tribes, were qualified to nullify vows. The idea here was to give an option to get out of vows that a person regretted making. This is also why we have the ceremony called התרת נדרים on Erev Rosh Hashanah to exempt us from vows made that were unfulfilled. According to the ספר החינוך, Parshat מטות has only two laws. One is the positive commandment to nullify unwanted vows, and the other is a negative commandment not to leave vows and promises unfulfilled. This means that we are to keep our word and anything we promise or verbally commit ourselves to do, we must do. The punishment for transgressing this commandment and not doing what we promised, is listed as a לאו- a violation of a negative commandment. It falls under the category of a לאו שאין בו מעשה, a negative commandment for which there is no action, (speech is not considered an action.) Therefore, no lashes are given but the violation of a negative commandment is added to our record in שמים.

Power of Speech

This week we complete the Book of Bamidbar with the reading of מטות-מסעי. We are in the second week of ג׳ דפורענותא, the three Shabbats of rebuke in the Haftarah. Parshat מטות begins with the subject of making vows and fulfilling them. The Netivot Shalom has an interesting take on the words, לא יחל דברו, that one should not make his words profane, and he should fulfill all that comes out of his mouth. We learn from here the power of speech. Words that come out of our mouths can be holy when used for making blessings, or reciting our prayers. Discussing Torah thoughts is also a positive use of speech. The Torah is warning us not to make our speech profane. We can do this by speaking Lashon Hara, or using vulgar language. This might also explain why Kol Nidrei is considered one of the most sacred prayers of the year. We cannot enter the Fast of Yom Kippur with the knowledge that we did not fulfill all that we said we would. The goal is never to even conduct שיחת חולין, mundane conversation. The great Torah giants were careful with their words. We must emulate their example and use the power of speech for good.

Loyalty

We learn about another aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu’s deep concern for the Jewish people, in Parshat Pinchas. When he is told that he will not be entering Eretz Yisrael, Moshe was concerned that the appropriate leader would succeed him. He wanted to be certain that the new leader would set a good example by leading the nation into battle. He needed to be one who understood the different personalities of the people. It seemed that Hashem added to the list of qualifications by looking for the one individual that showed unwavering loyalty to Moshe. The Midrash says that Yehoshua got the job because he served Moshe faithfully. He was the one who set up the benches and mats in preparation for Moshe’s lectures. The other elders were ashamed to lower themselves to do such menial tasks. Later, they realized that there is no substitute for such loyalty, and Yehoshua was the correct choice to lead the nation. There is a direct connection between הכרת הטוב, recognizing the good people do for us and loyalty. Our loyalty to Hashem and עם ישראל, must never be compromised.

בנות צלפחד

The Midrash says in the Sifrei that the Daughters of צלפחד gathered together to seek advice from one another. They felt that an injustice was done in their not being given a portion of land because they were female. They came to the conclusion that they would get justice if they would bring their case before Hashem. They thought that if matters were left to a human court, they would show favoritism to men. But Hashem’s mercy is on everyone. We say this in אשרי three times a day that רחמיו על כל מעשיו, that His mercy is on all creations. This may be the very reason why they were considered, חכמניות, clever women. They saw that priority was given to men because they had more Mitzvot to observe than women. They realized that only Divine wisdom could solve the problem at hand in a fair way. We also need to remember that we never lose by putting our trust in Hashem.

ובני קרח לא מתו

A census was taken after the tragedy of the sinning with the daughters of Midian. Most of the 24,000 who perished in the plague, were from the Tribe of Shimon. When the census began, the Tribe of Reuven was counted first. In this instance, the incident with Korach is mentioned, as דתן ואבירם, who participated in that rebellion, were from Reuven. We are then told that although the ground swallowed up Korach and his congregation of 250, his sons did not die. The Pasuk clearly says, ובני קרח לא מתו. We are also familiar with several chapters of תהילים that begin with the words, למנצח לבני קרח, a song to the sons of Korach. The Gemara in סנהדרין says that the sons of Korach did Teshuva before the earth swallowed them up, and a special place in גיהנום was established for them from where they sang praises to Hashem. There are two explanations to these Psalms being attributed to the sons of Korach. One is that David found ancient manuscripts singing praises to G-d. David incorporated them into תהילים and gave בני קרח credit for them. A second explanation is that the Prophet Shmuel descended from Korach and his grandsons were Levites that performed in the Temple after David’s time. They were great musicians and David turned to them to accompany his psalms with their music. He, therefore, gave the sons of Korach credit for some of his psalms. Admittedly, all of this is very puzzling and difficult to understand.

Difficult Being Pinchas

The actions of Pinchas were met with a great deal of controversy. The Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin said that there were those who wished to excommunicate Pinchas for his actions. If not for Hashem letting everyone know that he was granted כהונת עולם, priesthood forever, they may have acted incorrectly. Until that point, he was not officially a Kohein. The sons of Aharon were given priesthood when Pinchas was alive and he was not included until he did his heroic act. Despite the fact that Pinchas goes down in history as a great hero, it should be understood that he was on a very high level. One cannot take the law into his hands as Pinchas did, unless he is on that level of sanctity. It is highly unlikely that there exists anyone in this world like that. After all, Pinchas and אליהו הנביא were one and the same.

Act in a Way that is Pleasing to G-d

Shavua Tov. The Netivot Shalom uses Parshat Pinchas to create a theme that we must act in a way that is pleasing to Hashem. He quotes the Zohar who says that nothing is more abhorrent in the eyes of G-d than one who has relations with an ארמית ( non-Jewish woman). Apparently, Pinchas understood this and put an end to this desecration. What also seems to be unpleasing to Hashem, is when there is no unity among the Jewish people and there is causeless hatred, שנאת חינם. It’s as if He is saying, “I can tolerate it when you sin against Me, but I cannot tolerate when you harm one another.” King David in Tehillim describes another behavior not tolerated by G-d. This comes from the words, וימאסו בארץ חמדה, and they despised the pleasant land. Those who speak negatively about Israel, as the spies did, are not tolerated by Hashem. Aharon Hakohen taught us this principle, when he said, הייטב בעיני ה׳, will this ( his eating of the Sin Offering after his sons died,) would this be pleasing in the eyes of G-d. The lesson here is to always act in a way that is pleasing to G-d.

Hating Evil

The Netivot Shalom discusses the evil of the Midianites and how they were prepared to defile their daughters in order to weaken the Jewish people. There were two stages in dealing with them. In this week’s Parsha, the commandment was צרור את המדינים, despise the Midianim. And in next week’s Parsha, נקום את המדינים, take revenge against the Midianim, by waging war against them. We are taught that we must identify evil and its perpetrators. And then we must hate the evil, and distance ourselves from it. As long as we have any condoning or connection to those who do evil, that negative force will still be capable of attaching itself to us. This is necessary in order that we have true דבקות, cleaving to Hashem. Any evil that attaches to us, will prove to be a hindrance towards achieving this דבקות.

Jewish Unity

The Netivot Shalom makes an interesting observation regarding the destruction of the בית המקדש. He notes that the First Temple was destroyed because of גילוי עריות, שפיכות דמים, and עבודה זרה, immorality, murder, and idol worship. The exile that followed lasted seventy years. The Second Temple was destroyed because of שנאת חינם, causeless hatred. The exile that followed has now lasted 1950 years and has not yet ended. The conclusion to be made from this is how important אחדות, or Jewish unity is. If we would like to see the גאולה, redemption, there must be a much stronger effort to create this unity. This is a wake up call telling us that we must learn to work together. All of the factionalizing into all kinds of groups, is really bad for the Jewish people. The period of the Three Weeks should also be a time of reflection as to how we can unite religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, and Chareidi and Dati Leumi. This will clearly help to bring Mashiach.

Longing for the Temple

The period of בין המצרים, “the three weeks”, begins this Thursday with the Fast of שבעה עשר בתמוז. The Netivot Shalom has a fascinating interpretation of the significance of this period. He begins by expressing the need to feel the loss at not having a functioning Temple. The mourning we are to particularly feel at this time is that a Jew should not feel שלם, complete without our beloved בית המקדש. There is a story told of a Chassidic Rebbe who listened to a disciple complain of all of his troubles that he was suffering. The Rebbe was a little annoyed with his incessant complaining. The Rebbe asked him if he thought for one moment the pain that was felt by going another day without sacrificing the daily קרבן תמיד. Therefore, the first stage at preparing for this difficult period ahead, is to first focus at the great loss of not having a Temple functioning in Jerusalem. More to follow.

A Most Troublesome Time

The Netivot Shalom describes the incident of Bilaam’s curse, as the most troublesome period during the entire time the Jews were in the desert. This was even more serious than the sin of the Golden Calf. Bilaam had almost succeeded in creating a complete disconnect between Hashem and the nation. When Jews are not connected to their source, the Al-mighty, they are vulnerable and are able to be weakened. There was a certain paralysis among the people. Moshe, himself, was frozen as they challenged him and said that the taking of Midianite actually began with him, when he took Tzippora. ( That incident occurred before the giving of the Torah.) It was only Pinchas and his total מסירות נפש, giving of himself, that saved the day. The lesson to be learned here is that we must never allow ourselves to be disconnected from Hashem. This דבקות is essential for our very survival.

24,000

A very strange commentary by the Netivot Shalom is that the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva were a גילגול, reincarnation of the 24,000 men who died in the plague mentioned in פרשת בלק. This is very puzzling, as the students of Rabbi Akiva were immersed in Torah, and the 24,000 in Moshe Rabbeinu’s time had committed the double sin of idolatry and having relations with Midianite women. The explanation as to the connection between the two incidents is that they both represent a disconnection with עם ישראל. It is obvious that when one gives in to his passions and commits serious offenses, he forgets that he is part of the Jewish nation. He now becomes a separate entity and all that matters are his needs being satisfied. In the case of Rabbi Akiva’s students, their sin was שנאת חינם, causeless hatred. They did not show respect to one another, and they lost their sense of being part of עם ישראל. Disconnecting from the Jewish people is a very serious offense. This was what was in common to the 24,000 both in Moshe Rabbeinu’s time as well as Rabbi Akiva’s.