Eldad and Meidad

The incident with Eldad and Meidad, does not get much recognition. Moshe Rabbeinu asks for help in leading the nation. Hashem tells Moshe to gather seventy wise men who will form a Sanhedrin. Six were taken from each of the twelve tribes.

The odd men out were Eldad and Meidad, who were given the gift of prophecy together with the other seventy. However, the Gemara tells us that they were extremely humbled by receiving such a gift. As a result of this humility, their prophecy never stopped, while the spirit of prophecy was temporary for the other seventy.

Yehoshua is disturbed by Eldad and Meidad’s prophecy that Moshe would die and lead the nation into Israel. He tells Moshe, כלאם, which could mean to put them in a כלא, prison.

Moshe, in his own humility, yells Yehoshua that it’s great that there are two more prophets. Wouldn’t it be nice if the entire nation could be prophets!

The Gemara is סנהדרין has a humorous take on this incident. If Eldad and Meidad would have been given a position of צרכי ציבור, tending to the needs of the public, they would have put themselves in jail, because power corrupts. In any case, hopefully, this brings a little more clarity to Eldad and Meidad.

Hashem’s Enemies

Shavua Tov.

It is always interesting how we are always able to find something in the Parsha that relates to current events.

Lately, we have been hearing about a great increase in anti-semitism in America and all over the world. I believe it is directly related to the fact that the majority of nations have turned away from G-d, and foolishly believe that they are better capable to make laws that will make society run smoothly.

When Moshe Rabbeinu sings praises to the Holy Ark as it traveled in the desert, and cleared a safe path, he said, “וינוסו משנאיך מפניך”, that all of Hashem’s enemies should scatter. Rashi asks who are the enemies of Hashem? He answers that anyone who hates a Jew, hates the Jewish G-d. It’s as if he is saying, “Jew, you are nothing, and your G-d is nothing.”

Such arrogance and blasphemy will come with great punishment in its proper time.

It does seem pretty obvious that a Master Plan is in motion. Great things are ahead, if we will only cleave to Hashem, and all Jews will come home to Eretz Yisrael.

Maintaining a State of Joy

The story of Miriam’s leprosy teaches us a great deal about the concept of נבואה, prophecy. We learn how Moshe’s prophecy was on a higher level than that of any other prophet.

The Rambam explained that a prerequisite to receiving prophecy was maintaining a high level of joy. Some prophets would play music to lift their spirits before receiving the word of G-d. Yitzchak asked Eisav to prepare a meal for him to place him in the right frame of mind to give a blessing.

From here we learn how important it is for all of us to maintain a high level of Simcha in serving Hashem. It shows that our Mitzva observance is not a burden. The ארחות צדיקים says that we get a much greater reward when we fulfill the words of the Torah happily.

The חובת הלבבות writes that when one observes Mitzvot with joy, it is an indication that they have true אהבת ה׳, love of G-d.

There is also the story in the Gemara of two men who did not appear to be particularly learned. Yet, they merited a place in עולם הבא. Upon investigation, their special merit was that they made people laugh. This is a reminder that a major part of our worship of Hashem, is to do it in a state of joy.

Pay More Attention to Prayers

This past Sunday, I gave a class related to the morning prayers to my beginner’s students at Machon Meir. It was a bit of an eye opener, as I realized how neglectful we are in paying attention to exactly what we are saying.

We give a serious acknowledgement to the soul that Hashem has planted within us. It is completely pure and we pledge that as long as this soul is part of us, we will give gratitude for it.

We ask Hashem that we be able to cleave to Him and that we be separated from sin. We should not be influenced by the יצר הרע, the evil inclination. We should be able to distance ourselves from bad people and bad friends. And we should only be guided by our יצר הטוב, good inclination.

After reading the Akeida, we pray that we will have יראת שמים, fear of Heaven, in private and in public. We realize how small we are and how our very existence is thoroughly dependent on Hashem. All of the mighty men who ever lived, are as nothing compared to G-d.

All of these basic prayers are part of our daily service. If we paid more attention to understanding what we are saying, we would be all the more strengthened and uplifted. This is good Mussar for all of us.

ברכת כהנים

The special role of the Kohanim comes into play with the ברכת כהנים, the priestly blessing. Hashem uses the individual Kohein as his messenger to bless the nation of Israel.

It is said that the reason we are not allowed to look at the hands of the כהנים when they give their blessing, is because the שכינה, Divine Presence, passes through the fingers of the כהן.

There are three specific blessings in the ברכת כהנים. The first speaks about Hashem’s protection. Rashi says this refers to protection from demons. This is represented by the word, וישמרך, protection.

The second blessing of ויחנך, refers to Hashem showing favor and kindness to every Jew. There is a hint here that ברכת כהנים nullifies bad dreams.

And the final blessing of ישא, that Hashem should lift His face towards us. This is an indication that when Hashem is able to look at us, it is an indication that He is happy with us. When someone is unhappy with someone else, he is not able to look at him in the eye. Our third Bracha is a blessing that Hashem should be pleased with us.

If we live in Israel, ברכת כהנים is said 450 times a year. Outside of Israel, it is recited about ten times. This is another benefit of living in Israel.

Spirit of Wisdom

Another point learned from our סוטה story is the motivation to sin. The Rabbis say that a person only sins if a spirit of folly overtakes him. He is temporarily in a state of foolishness where he loses all sense of right and wrong.

On the other hand, the Rabbis say that a person will decide to do a Mitzva when a רוח חכמה, a spirit of wisdom overtakes him and he realizes the merits of doing Mitzvot.

It is no coincidence that later in פרשת נשא we are told that when one does a transgression, despite the fact that he may have made retribution by returning what he stole, he must also verbalize his sin with וידוי, confession.

In general, it is difficult for people to verbally admit when they are wrong. But perhaps the necessity of confession will allow a person to come to his senses, and always let his spirit of wisdom guide him, and not the spirit of folly.

Shalom Bayit

The case of the סוטה has an important message regarding שלום בית, peace in the home. The goal of the entire process of the suspected woman to the Beit Hamikdash, is to achieve clarity.

The hope is that this woman will be found innocent, and she will be careful in the future to avoid acting in a way that will cause her husband to be suspicious of her. After finding her innocent, they continue living together peacefully, as husband and wife.

This process is so important of ultimately achieving שלום בית, that Hashem allows His holy name to be erased and its ink is mixed with the holy waters. Normally, erasing Hashem’s name is a חילול ה׳ , desecration of His name.

This demonstrates how treasured שלום בית really is. A happy home gives security to the children, as they see their parents living a harmonious life. So much strife and grief could be avoided, if couples would swallow their pride, and focus on the huge damage caused when Shalom Bayit is jeopardized. This is probably the most important message of the סוטה ordeal.

Don’t Be Stingy

Shavua Tov-

The Gemara in מסכת ברכות asks why the section dealing with תרומות ומעשרות, the taking of tithes, is positioned next to the case of the סוטה, the woman suspected of being unfaithful to her husband.

The answer is given by רבי יוחנן who says that if a person is stingy and doesn’t give the Kohein, he will end up bringing his wife to the Kohein as a suspected unfaithful wife.

The message here is very clear. If one does not fulfill his financial religious obligations to give as required by Jewish law, he will pay in other ways.

One very devoted Tzaddik, who dedicated his life to help the poor, said it best. If you don’t give to Yaakov, you will end up giving to Eisav. He was implying that such a person will lose his protection, and will suddenly get entangled with the tax authorities (Eisav).

We need to have the faith to do the right thing even when it affects our wallet. When we do this, we will blessed and receive Divine protection.

טעם כעיקר

Parshat נשא is the longest Parsha in the Torah. It is repetitive in that the gift of the heads of each tribe is repeated.

The main subjects of the Parsha are the סוטה, the unfaithful wife, the Priestly blessing and the נזיר.

The נזיר takes upon himself three prohibitions. He does not cut his hair, he does not come in contact with the dead, and he does not consume anything that comes from grapes.

Regarding the grape consumption, we learn a very basic law of Kashrut. This is known as טעם כעיקר, that the taste of something is like the principle. This is learned from the words, וכל משרת ענבים, referring to anything soaked in grapes.

From here we learn that in a situation where the forbidden object is removed and only a taste remains, it is still forbidden. For example, if a piece of meat, falls into something dairy, and that piece of meat is removed, the dairy dish will be forbidden if the taste of meat remains. This is טעם כעיקר learned from נזיר. Shabbat Shalom

תפקיד

A theme of the Parshiot of במדבר and נשא, is the idea of תפקיד. This refers to knowing what our purpose is in this world.

This is learned from the various jobs the three families of the Leviim were given in transporting the Mishkan. The family of קהת had the most important תפקיד, as they were charged with carrying the holy vessels of the Mishkan. This included the Holy Ark, the altars, the Menorah, and Shulchan.

The family of מררי had the task of carrying the pillars or the frame of the Mishkan. And the family of גרשון were in charge of the curtains and coverings of the Mishkan.

Each individual is expected to do some serious soul searching to figure out what his strengths are, and how he can best use them in serving Hashem and the Jewish people. This is not easy but this is something we will need to answer to when we reach 120. Each of us has special talents and abilities that we should see as gifts from G-d. We are to do our best to fulfill our specific תפקיד in this world.

Be Like a Kohein or Levi

There is a well known Rambam from משנה תורה in the laws related to שמיטה and יובל, the special role of the Leviim. The Rambam praises their incredible devotion and untiring service on behalf of the Jewish people.

He continues by saying that this type of service is not limited to the Leviim. But any person who gives generously of himself, and separates himself from the mundane world, and devotes himself in knowing Hashem, and walking in His path, he is following the path of the Levi.

Such a person throws off the yoke of materialism, and G-d becomes his portion. He becomes elevated with the highest levels of sanctity.

He will merit all of the contentment and joy merited by the Kohanim and Leviim in their sacred work in the בית המקדש. This is an appropriate goal for all of us to attain, now that Shavuot is behind us and we have been raised up by its sanctity.

מסורת סייג לתורה

Moadim Lesimcha-

There is a Mishna in Pirkei Avot in the name of Rabbi Akiva that says, מסורת סייג לתורה. We generally translate מסורת as “tradition.” The statement would then be that tradition is a fence or protection for the Torah.

There is a very important lesson to be learned from this teaching of Rabbi Akiva. When one studies a book of Torah, he should not see it as merely trying to fulfill the Mitzva of learning Torah.

He should see himself as connecting to this chain that began on Mount Sinai with Moshe Rabbeinu, and continued with the prophets and judges, to the Tannaim and Amoraim, to the Rishonim and Acharonim.

When one sees his own Torah study in the context of this chain, it has a definite impact on his study. He realizes that he cannot stray too far, and he must do his part to continue that chain through his children and grandchildren.

This also explains why Rabbi Akiva and the other nine martyrs were able to give their lives for the sanctification of Hashem’s name, with the confidence that future generations will carry on their teachings, and keep the chain of tradition going. This is now clear why the Mishna says, מסורת סייג לתורה.

Creating a Desert to Receive the Torah

Shavua Tov. The Jewish calendar is set up so that פרשת במדבר always comes before Shavuot. Rav Shlomo Mann, זצ״ל gives an interesting reason why this is the case.

A מדבר, desert, is a desolate place. There is very little growth there. Weather conditions don’t make it so conducive to habitation.

This idea of a מדבר is connected to how we are meant to receive the Torah. We are to make ourselves like a מדבר, in the sense that we are to clear ourselves of all kinds of obstacles that might prevent us from accepting the holiness of the Torah.

We are to rid ourselves of our obsession with materialism and pettiness. We are to also clear ourselves of unwanted baggage that blocks us from being able to trust and have faith.

We then become like a desert in the sense that we are now able to become a כלי, a vessel to receive the precious gift of the Torah.

When we rid ourselves of haughtiness and other negativity, our ״מדבר״ that we have now cleared, has left space for the Torah to penetrate our lives.

This is the reason why פרשת במדבר is meant to prepare us for celebrating the great day of the Revelation at Mount Sinai, and the giving of the Torah.

Stand Up and Be Counted

This Shabbat we begin the Book of במדבר, which is also known as חומש הפקודים, the Bible of Counting. This is why במדבר is called, “Numbers” in English.

Several times after the exodus from Egypt, are the Jewish people counted. The reason why Hashem asks for this counting, is because of His deep affection for the Jewish people.

Generally, we count things that are of value, as each unit is significant. There is even a section in יורה דעה that deals with Kashrut laws, that puts דבר שבמניין in a special category.

Normally the rule regarding a sixty to one ratio is enough to nullify that which is forbidden. However, it is something of such importance that it is counted, it is not nullified even if it is at a ratio of a thousand to one.

We are to see ourselves as significant enough to stand up and be counted. As Shavuot approaches, we are to reflect on how we can contribute our utmost on behalf of the Jewish people.

Stages of Decline in Faith

The תוכחה, rebuke, in פרשת בחוקותי, speaks of how the decline in faith comes in stages. It begins gradually, and gets progressively worse.

The קול התורה of Rabbi Elie Munk, speaks of seven stages.

The decline begins first with an abandonment of the study of Torah. This is followed by a cessation in the observance of Mitzvot. The next stage is rejecting others who do observe Mitzvot. This is followed by hating rabbinic leaders. Stage five involves preventing others from observing Mitzvot. This is followed by a denial of the relevance of the commandments. And the final stage involves denying the principle of Hashem’s Divinity.

I am not sure when this list was compiled, but it sounds painfully familiar as we hear of many who foolishly leave Torah observance.

Shavuot is meant to be a renewal and reinforcement of Torah principles and that which we hold dear.

Man Was Meant to Struggle

Parshat בחוקותי begins with the words, אם בחוקותי תלכו, “If you listen to my statutes.” Rashi’s comment is that we need to be עמלים בתורה, struggle for the study and observance of Torah.

Because Torah is such a precious gift, it is not meant to come so easy. We have to be diligent and work hard to acquire it.

Pirkei Avot suggests פת במלח תאכל, that we should be satisfied with bread and salt and refrain from focusing on materialism. The focus should be on spirituality and involvement with Torah.

There is a Pasuk in the Book of Iyov that says, אדם לעמל יולד, that man was meant to struggle. This could mean that this is the nature of this world, that to attain anything of value, it comes only with hard work.

Rav Ovadia Yosef said that the word לעמל reflected another lesson. It represented a mnemonic saying ללמוד על מנת ללמד, that we study in order to teach.

Perhaps the knowledge that we live in a generation where there is so much ignorance of Torah, it should motivate us to study more. This way we will be able to do our share in educating those who know so little about the beauty of our religion.

It’s time to get into Shavuot mode, where we show our appreciation for Torah.

אונאה

Parshat בהר contains many practical laws related to settling Eretz Yisrael. Not only are there laws connected to Shmitta, the Sabbatical year, and יובל, the Jubilee year, there are also rules connected to acquisitions.

The Talmud establishes these rules into the categories of land, קרקע, and מיטלטלין, movable items. The act of acquisition, as קנין, is different for קרקע and מטלטלים.

We are also introduced to the concept of אונאה, which represents price gouging, or overcharging for sales that have been made.

The definition of אונאה, means that one is not permitted to profit more than a שתות, which equals one sixth or around sixteen per cent above the going rate for movable objects.

Regarding קרקע, the Rabbis established that אין אונאה בקרקעות, there is no overcharging regarding land deals. There could be numerous factors why one might be willing to pay a hefty price for a simple piece of land. He might own an adjacent piece of land, or simply that the location of a particular property is worth a great deal to that person.

Regarding every day movable items such as food and basic goods, there needs to be more of a standardized price for the consumer. This is not the case by land.

This is how the laws of אונאה were established by our Sages as reflected by פרשת בהר.

Messianic Animals

There is a fascinating disagreement between the Rambam and Ramban related to the status of animals in Messianic times. The subject is related to a Pasuk in yesterday’s Parsha, that says, והשבתי חיה רעה מן הארץ, that Hashem is promising that evil animals will be “rested” in the land.

The Rambam felt that when Isaiah said that the wolf will lie down with the lamb, it is only a metaphor for a peaceful time, but animals of prey, will remain.

The Ramban disagrees and wrote that animals were never meant to attack other animals. Their consuming other animals was directly related to Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. At that time, nature changed. The prediction for the future is that animals will return to their original nature before Adam’s sin. We will never need to worry about the threat of dangerous animals.

Two very different takes on what will happen in the future.

Produce and Redemption

Shavua Tov-

This week’s Parsha speaks about the תוכחה, the rebuke, with it’s numerous curses. Among them, is the promise that the land will refuse to produce as long as the people continue to turn away from Hashem.

The Gemara at the end of מסכת סנהדרין, gives us an amazing promise of hope. The prediction that in the time of Redemption, is not anything small at all.

The connection between the Jewish people and the land, is very powerful. Not only would the land refuse to produce for the Jewish people, it would also not produce for the nations of the world.

The Gemara says that one of the strongest signs that the Galut is coming to an end and the Redemption is near.

The fact that we are living in a time when we are privileged to enjoy the produce of Eretz Yisrael, should encourage us each day of how the שכינה, the Divine Presence has returned to Israel and Mashiach. From the curse, there is hope!

Absolute Faith

This Shabbat we complete the Book of ויקרא with the double Parsha of בהר-בחוקותי. The first Parsha begins with the laws of שמיטה, the Sabbatical year.

The classic question is why is שמיטה given as an example of a Mitzva given on Mount Sinai. Aren’t all Mitzvot given on הר סיני?

Shmitta is unique in that its laws were not repeated in the Book of דברים. It becomes a Torah law when the majority of the Jews in the world live in Israel. This could explain why we will experience certain leniences when Shmitta begins this Rosh Hashana as the laws are rabbinical.

Most commentators felt that Shmitta stands out above all Mitzvot because of the complete reliance on Hashem that is expected of the Jew. Imagine an entire year where work is not done and we are not supposed to worry about Parnassa during that entire time. We are to have the faith that Hashem will provide. This is a big נסיון, test, to have such faith.

This is why Shmitta is so unique and it is a reminder that we should always place our faith in G-d and never worry about Parnassa.