G-d’s Laws-Not Man’s Laws

Shavua Tov. Parshat משפטים is a continuation of Parshat יתרו in that we are given over fifty Mitzvot that mostly deal with running a society in a civil manner.

Rabbi Elie Munk in קול התורה emphasizes the point that only laws given by G-d are able to endure. History has proven that man made laws do not last over time.

Rabbi Munk explains that we cannot depend on man’s heart over Divine guidance. Man has limited understanding of himself and others. There is a real difficulty in man’s objective ability.

It is important to emphasize that Judaism is both a democracy and theocracy. Majority rule needs to be monitored so that it does not cross the line of what is morally right and wrong.

This clearly explains why the world is in such turmoil where there is so much confusion as to what is right and wrong, and what is good and evil.

Only G-d’s laws as expressed in the Torah, give the world stability and balance. Man made laws never meet society’s challenges. It’s time for the world and the Jewish people to accept this as absolute truth.

Shekalim-Three Torahs

This Shabbat is very unusual in that we read from three Torahs. The first is for the weekly Parsha, משפטים, the second for Rosh Chodesh, and the third for פרשת שקלים. This can only happen on Chanuka or on פרשת החודש for the month of Nissan.

Shekalim describes the annual obligation to participate in pay dues of a half shekel, that was used for Temple maintenance and the payment for public sacrifices.

This was always done in the month of Adar, where tables were set up all over Israel by Temple representatives to collect this מחצית השקל.

The גזבר, or Temple treasurer, played a major role in seeing that all בית המקדש activities run smoothly. He took care of repairs, donations, and payments to the staff.

He also needed to make sure that all Shekalim from the previous year were used up by Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

Parshat Shekalim is the symbol of the upcoming joyous holidays of Purim and Pesach. G-d willing, it should represent for us an end to the dark winter and an end to sickness and suffering. It is a sign that the Redemption is coming!

Don’t Waste Time

In connection with the Mitzva of observing Shabbat, there is an additional Mitzva of, “Six days shall you labor.”

There are those who count this as one on the 613 commandments. Chazal go as far as to say that בטלה מביא לידי מיתה, that idleness can bring one to death. The Rabbis in Pirkei Avot say יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ. The study of Torah is meant to be accompanied by working. When one has nothing to do with himself, he is likely to get into trouble.

A huge problem in the Western world, is too much money and too much leisure time. This boredom leads one to sin.

In addition to boredom and wasting time, it can even be dangerous not to stimulate one’s mind. It is extremely important to study subjects where we need to use our minds. The study of Talmud is ideal for this purpose.

During Corona, one must make an extra effort to find positive activities that are productive and stimulate the mind. This can also be a fulfillment of “six days shall you labor.”

Honest Judges

Yitro is known for his advice to Moshe regarding the appointment of judges. He felt that his son in-law was overworked, and needed to learn how to delegate work.

In all, 78,600 men were appointed to be judges in one capacity or another.

The description of the judges was that they were to be of the highest moral standards. They were to be men of truth, and men of valor. They were also meant to be שונאי בצע, those who hated bribes. Rashi adds that they were to be שונאים ממונם בדין, that they hated their own money, when it calm to judgement. They were to be people who were not influenced by money.

It appears that this is the most important character trait a judge or public figure should have. Ideally, one should already be a person of means, before taking on such positions.

Too often, politicians in particular, use their position as a means to gain wealth. If this is the case, their objectivity is deeply hampered. It is interesting that Yitro realized these obstacles. It would be wise, if this advise would be adhered to today.

Honoring Parents

Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל discussed the Mitzva of כיבוד אב ואם, honoring parents. Despite the explanation of the ספר החינוך, that we fulfill this Mitzva by showing הכרת הטוב, gratitude, to our parents for all they have done for us, there is more to be said.

Rav Joseph Soloveitchik further endorsed this explanation of the חינוך, by saying that the mourning period for parents is a full year, rather than thirty days, because of הכרת הטוב.

Nevertheless, Rav Elazar felt that the key words mentioned in the Pasuk about honoring parents, was, כאשר צוך, “as I commanded you.” We must never lose sight of the fact that all Mitzvot are גזירת המלך, a decree of the King.

If we honor our parents solely because of הכרת הטוב, we will not receive the reward of long life. It will only come when we also acknowledge the כאשר צוך aspect of the Mitzva.

Whether we agree with a given Mitzva or not, the כאשר צוך aspect, shows complete הכנעה, surrender, to the decrees of the King. For that sacrifice and commitment, we receive the greatest rewards.

Neglected Children

Rabbi Elie Munk in קול התורה, writes a pretty surprising commentary about Moshe Rabbeinu. He claims that Moshe’s two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, were somewhat neglected by their father.

Aharon insisted that their mother, Tzippora, take them back to Midian before Egypt was smitten with the Ten Plagues.

A further proof of this assumption comes from Rashi’s comment on the words, מן ההר אל העם, that Moshe went directly from the mountain to the people. His devotion to the people was so great, that he didn’t worry about his personal affairs, but went directly to serve the Jewish people.

It does seem plausible that when one holds an important public position, that his family is often neglected. But I’m not sure that such an accusation can be made against the greatest man that ever lived. On the one hand, he was human. But it is difficult to imagine that his sons were not influenced and inspired by their father.

Yitro’s Truth

Shavua Tov. Parshat Yitro tells us how Moshe’s father in-law came to be convinced of the truth of Judaism, and eventually converted.

Yitro uses the words, עתה ידעתי, “now I know.” We are told that he investigated every possible worship or religion that existed in those days, and was absolutely convinced that Judaism was the one and only true religion.

Throughout history, numerous individuals have followed this path, seeking truth. When one is on this journey, he will end up embracing Judaism.

The same has been true of religious debates that have taken place over the years. Jews were always victorious over such debates. The only problem was that when they won, they were often put to death for showing up the prevalent beliefs of that time.

What must be made abundantly clear is that truth is not relative. There is only one truth in this world. And that is Hashem and the Torah.

Greatest Day Ever

This week we read פרשת יתרו. In it, we have a description of the greatest day ever witnessed by mankind. The Revelation at Mount Sinai, where every Jew heard G-d speak, and each individual was elevated to the level of an Angel.

The Jewish people as a whole, were on the same level as Adam before the sin in Gan Eden.

Had they not fallen by worshipping the Golden Calf, death would have been abolished forever.

Judaism is the one and only true religion because it began with this great miracle of speaking with G-d. We are to remember this day all the days of our lives. We are to see ourselves as though we also stood at Sinai.

This event, coupled with the open miracles in Egypt, were designed to eliminate all doubt as to how we are to believe, and what our purpose is in this world.

And the greatest gift of all, was our receiving the Torah, that was to be the beacon of light to help guide the Jew, and all of mankind, to act in a positive upright manner. Indeed, this was the greatest day ever witnessed by mankind.

Honesty in Business

After the splitting of the Red Sea, Moshe Rabbeinu assures עם ישראל that if they observe the Mitzvot and והישר בעיניו תעשה, and you do that which is upright in the eyes of Hashem, you will not experience all of the sickness of Egypt, for Hashem is the true healer.

The מכילתא comments on the words, והישר בעיניו, and said that one who does business in an honest fashion, it’s as if he observed the entire Torah.

Being honest in business allows one to observe the entire Torah, because an honest individual is confronted with major challenges both between man and man, and man and G-d.

If he meets these challenges, he will, inevitably end up observing all of the Torah. We must never minimize the importance of dealing honestly with our fellow man, in matters of business.

No Amalekite Converts

Regarding Amalek, there is a somewhat surprising commentary from the מכילתא. In the name of רבי אליעזר it is said, that Hashem swore in the name of His כסא הכבוד, throne of glory, that if any Gentile comes from any part of the world, we are to accept them as part of עם ישראל. However, if that individual is a descendant of Amalek, we reject his intention to convert.

I often use our openness to accept anyone to become part of the Jewish people, as proof that Judaism is not racist. All we need to do is verify that his intentions are sincere, and he becomes a Jew. His shape, size, and color, is irrelevant to us.

Nevertheless, when it comes to an Amalekite, he is not welcome and is turned away.

We must be aware that there exists real evil in this world. The essence of Amalek was pure evil. Unlike others who yearn to become part of the holiness of the Torah and the Jewish people, the Amalekite is not capable of achieving this holiness.

Perhaps we can find some comfort in the fact that there are no longer Amalekites in the world. But the awareness of the concept of Amalek must be realized, so that we are still able to blot out even the memory of Amalek.

צדיק גוזר

The Midrash Rabbah points out that the Red Sea was reluctant to split. It was only after Moshe was commanded to raise his staff over the sea, did the sea actually split.

The point of the Midrash is to show the power of the צדיק. Chazal say, צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים, that a righteous person decrees, and Hashem fulfills.

A true Tzaddik is even able to change the laws of nature. This is why the Gemara in בבא בתרא tells us that if one has a loved one who is sick, he should seek a Tzaddik to pray for him.

Men like Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל, were capable of shaking up the very heavens. Numerous stories have been told of great holy people, whose prayers shocked the doctors, who had given up on their patients.

The splitting of the Red Sea had this important message of צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים.

Angels and Mercy

We are all familiar with the words of קדושה, when we say, וקרא זה אל זה. This refers to the angels giving praise to G-d where they added קדוש קדוש קדוש, Holy, Holy, Holy.

What many may not know is what is learned from the words in the Pasuk, ולא קרב זה אל זה, that they did not come near to one another the whole night. This refers to the separation between the Egyptians and Jews by the pillar of fire.

This is the source according to קול התורה, of Hashem’s reprimand to the angels, when they wanted to celebrate the punishment of the Egyptians. He reminded them that they were also His children and they were not to celebrate too much.

Left to Right

Shavua Tov. It is interesting that over the years שבת שירה always seems to have an election hovering around it. When Ariel Sharon ran for prime minister, some said that the word, שירה, meant שרון יהיה ראש הממשלה, a hint that Sharon will be prime minister.

In אז ישיר, there is a Pasuk that says, ימינך ה׳ נאדרי בכח, ימינך ה׳ תרעץ אויב, where twice we refer metaphorically to Hashem’s right hand. Rashi makes what sounds like a political statement. כשעושים רצונו של מקום השמאל נעשה ימין, that when we fulfill the will of G-d, the Left becomes the Right.

Obviously, this is not a political statement. Rabbi Elie Munk explains this further by saying that Hashem’s Left, refers to דין, harsh judgement. His Right refers to רחמים, G-d’s mercy.

The message is that when we fulfill G-d’s will, He will return in kind, from harsh judgement to mercy.

Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat and פרשת בשלח always come together. Also seems appropriate that this Shabbat is known as שבת שירה, because אז ישיר is read in the Torah. There is joy and song in celebrating Tu B’Shvat.

The joy comes in acknowledging the fruits of ארץ ישראל. It is not only a happy time when we are able to partake of the fruit of the Land. But it represents a return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland.

The prophets tell us and it has been proven by history, that this land would not produce for any other nation than the Jewish people. There was a special bond between the people and the land. A clear Messianic sign is that the desolate, abandoned land will again flourish, when עם ישראל comes home.

This little holiday of Tu B’Shvat, celebrates the coming home of our people. We are again observing the laws of תרומות and מעשרות. Those trees that have budded by this day are labeled as fruits of the sixth year. And those that have not yet budded as of טו בשבט, will already be considered the fruits of the seventh sabbatical year, known as שמיטה.

It is nice to have a little pause of celebration during this dark winter. And what it also means, is that Purim is only a month away, and Pesach is two months away. We have to hang in there as better times are ahead.

Four Sections of Tefillin

Parshat בא has two of the four sections that are placed in the Tefillin. They are והיה כי יביאך, and קדש לי כל בכור. The other two sections are the first two paragraphs of שמע.

In all four of these sections, we are told to make these as “signs upon our hands, and frontlets between our eyes.” These sections are placed as one piece of parchment on the של יד, and four pieces of parchment on the של ראש.

Rabbi Elie Munk, in קול התורה, explains the significance of each of these sections.

The first paragraph of שמע emphasizes Israel’s monotheistic faith with words, ה׳ אחד, G-d is One.

The paragraph of והיה עם שמוע is a doctrine of Hashem’s Providence. There is a cause and effect situation. If we observe the Mitzvot, it will be good. If we violate them, Hashem will turn away from us.

The קדש לי כל בכור, serves to show Israel’s commitment to the G-d of Israel, by way of sanctification. We become elevated by observing the Mitzvot.

And the final section of והיה כי יביאך, shows how Hashem protects us when we show unwavering devotion to Him.

These four Parshiot serve to show the special bond between a Jew and his Maker. It is clear why these chapters are in the Tefillin that we wrap and bind ourselves to Hashem.

Good News-Bad News

At the end of פרשת בא, we have the verses that we use at the Pesach Seder. The Midrash describes a particular Pasuk as good news-bad news.

The Pasuk says, כי ישאלך בנך, when your son will ask you in the future. The bad news is that we are told that our children will become so distant from religion, that they will one day ask, what is this religion all about.

It’s painful to have to face the reality that a nation that was so close to Hashem at Mount Sinai, will one day ask what the religion is all about.

The good news is that the Pasuk also teaches that the Jewish people will survive a long and bitter exile. We may end the Galut limping our way to the finish line, but we are promised that we will make it to the finish line.

It is truly remarkable that a people who suffered every difficulty imaginable, will witness a rebirth.

It appears that it’s much more productive to focus on the good news, and continue to get stronger, than dwell on the negative. As a former president recently said, “the best is yet to come!”

With Great Wealth

During the plague of Darkness, the Jewish people were able to see all of the Egyptian utensils that they would ultimately take with them, when they left Egypt.

Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ׳ל, asked why it was so important that they leave with great wealth. Even in the דיינו prayer, we say that it would have been enough to have left Egypt, even without the רכוש גדול, great wealth.

Hashem explains to the nation, that He made a promise to Avraham Avinu about this, and it was essential that He keep His promise. So the real question is why was this so important to Avraham Avinu. Rav Elazar explains that Avraham realized that Egypt would prove to be a most decadent place. He wanted to be certain that when the time came for his children to leave, there would be an absolute and permanent break with Egypt. In order to prevent a possible situation, where they might come back and ask for reparations for their years of slavery, they would take what was justifiably theirs for good. They would be finished with Egypt forever. This was to be our attitude for all times. Once we realize we were in a place with negative influences, we must be sure to permanently distance ourselves from such טומאה and negativity.

נבילה-טריפה

The reward for the silence of the dogs in Egypt, was that the Torah told us that in the event that an animal became a טריפה, we are told, לכלב תשליכון אותו, to throw it to the dog.

One might mistakenly assume that one is forbidden to get benefit from the טריפה. (This refers to a kosher animal that had a good שחיטה but was found to be diseased.) And Hashem is giving a special reward to the dog, and this is the only use for a טריפה.

Actually, the נבילה (a kosher animal that died of a bad שחיטה or natural causes), is more strict than the טריפה. If one touches a נבילה, he becomes טמא, which is not the case by a טריפה.

The point I wanted to clarify that may not be so well known, is that both are מותר בהנאה, that one can get benefit from them.

Even by the נבילה, the Torah says in פרשת ראה that it can be given to לגר אשר בשעריך, to the resident stranger, the גר תושב who observes the Seven Noachide Laws.

This is meant to clarify some uncertainty about נבילה and טריפה.

In Israeli slang, when describing two crooks, (politicians?) one might say they are both bad with the words, זו נבילה וזו טריפה, meaning, they are both not kosher!

Dreaming of Dogs

Shavua Tov. Dogs are a subject of today’s Parsha. The Gemara in ברכות says that if one sees a dog in a dream, it will turn out to be a good omen.

This is provided that he immediately recites the Pasuk, לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, that the dogs in Egypt, did not bark during the Tenth Plague. The dream then becomes one of redemption.

The reason why it was somewhat miraculous that the dogs remained silent, was, according to the Midrash, that dogs always know when the מלאך המות, the Angel of Death, is lurking. They always cry and whimper when they feel its presence.

This was the miracle in Egypt that despite the presence of the Angel of Death, the dogs remained silent and were rewarded. Hence, dreaming of dogs and its subsequent Pasuk, is a positive sign.

קידוש החודש במצרים

Parshat בא is the Parsha where we begin to receive numerous Mitzvot of the Torah. The entire Book of Bereishit had only three commandments: פרו ורבו and ברית מילה and גיד הנשה, the prohibition of eating the sciatic vein of an animal.

We are first instructed in the Mitzva of קידוש החודש, the sanctification of the new moon each month. This is followed by a number of laws related to Pesach and the preparation of the קרבן פסח.

What is striking about the קידוש החודש is that Moshe received the details of the sanctification of the New Moon, in Egypt. It should seem somewhat surprising that a Divine commandment can come in such an unholy place. We are told that Moshe did need to go to the outskirts of the city to hear from Hashem. The impurities within the city were too great to warrant such a message.

These details serve to reinforce the idea that one cannot grow spiritually in a negative environment. No matter how great one’s intentions might be, he will not be able to flourish when all around him is materialism and vanity.

This point always makes me feel extremely impressed with the outreach of Chabad. They manage to touch Jews all over the world in the most remote places. Yet, for the most part, they do their holy work without being affected by their surroundings.

We must recognize our own vulnerabilities, and place ourselves in the best situation where we can grow in our service of Hashem.