Positive Influences

There is a Pasuk related to the holiness of the Temple service. It is written, כל אשר יגע בהם יקדש, that the Kedusha is so strong that anything that touches it will become holy.

This is an interesting concept in that it shows how whatever one comes in contact with, is affected directly by that contact. If one is in connection with sanctity, some of that sanctity will rub off on him. And conversely, if one allows himself to be surrounded by negative influences, he will be affected negatively.

This is why we need to distance ourselves from such negative influences and surround ourselves with good, upbeat people, trying to serve Hashem.

Rabbi Twerski wrote that this is especially true in how we raise our children. We must try to shelter them in every way we can. There is so much out there that can lure our young people away from the path of Torah. We must see to it that whatever they touch will be holiness, so that they will become holy as well.

No Place for Negativity

There is an important Pasuk in פרשת צו that has a double meaning. The Torah says, והאש על המזבח לא תכבה, that the fire on the altar must never be extinguished.

The first interpretation was more functional in nature. When the Beit Hamikdash was standing, it was necessary for the fire to be burning every day of the year. There had to be an ample amount of wood stored in a section of the Temple, known as, לשכת העצים, the office of the wood.

The second explanation is more on the level of Chassidut. The idea of the fire constantly burning is a command to stay away from negativity. A Jew must work on himself to always remain positive and upbeat.

It is clearly a challenge, but one must work at driving away negative thoughts and negative thinking. We are meant to serve Hashem with joy, and there is no place for sadness and being down in the dumps.

What we must learn from this Chassidic viewpoint is that they even looked at difficulties in a positive light. If someone was going through a hard time, it was only a sign that something good was just around the corner.

The Torah is teaching that the fire of enthusiasm and positive thinking, must never be extinguished.

Avoid Embarrassment

There is a simple Pasuk mentioned in the Torah, that carries with it, an important message. The Torah gives instructions detailing the חטאת, sin offering.

We are told that the חטאת should be offered in the same place as the עולה, the burnt offering. This was to be in the northern part of the מזבח, altar.

It may seem like a procedural instruction, but there is much more behind it. The reason why there is such a command, is to save the one offering the חטאת, embarrassment.

If everyone knew that he was offering a חטאת, they might look down on him as a sinner. But because this sacrifice is offered in the same place as the עולה, people might just think he was offering an עולה, and he will be able to save face.

There are numerous stories related to many great rabbis, who went to great lengths to be certain they would not cause others embarrassment. One such example involved Rav Yisrael Salant, the founder of the Mussar movement. When he was given a rabbinical position at a young age, numerous students flocked to him to hear his Torah. But when he saw that the number of students was greater than that of the veteran rabbis, he resigned from his position.

We must develop that sensitivity to be certain that we are not causing others shame. This is taught from the instructions related to the חטאת.

Never Enough

It is unusual for a Parsha to begin with the word, “צו,” meaning, to command. The usual language is דבר, or speak to the Children of Israel.

We are taught that the word צו is a language of זריזות, or alacrity. We are to serve Hashem with enthusiasm, without hesitation.

The question is why in this case was such a command given. The Torah is speaking about the קרבן עולה which was burned completely on the altar. The Kohanim were being reminded to treat the עולה as they would any other sacrifice. There could be a tendency to be lax with this Temple service, since there was nothing in it for the Kohanim. They were entitled to eat portions of other sacrifices, but not this one.

There is a strong message here about human nature. This should not even have been a consideration that the Kohanim would treat the עולה different from the חטאת or אשם. The Kohanim received an overabundance of meat from the other sacrifices, but somehow, there remained this feeling that there’s never enough.

Rabbi Twerski pointed out that this insecurity even exists in billionaires. J.P. Getty was once asked why he continued to work when he was so wealthy. He said he would quit when he made a little more.

We must overcome this insecurity that there won’t be enough left for us. This acquisitive drive is not subject to logic. But it can be overcome if we observe the Mitzvot with the alacrity implied by the word, “צו.”

Purim Messages

We are now in Purim mode as this happy Chag is being celebrated all over the world. There are many messages connected with Purim. There is the idea of ונהפוך הוא, showing how things can change dramatically in an instant, when things look so hopeless.

We recognize that the Megilla does not have Hashem’s name in it. This is meant to teach us that He acts in natural, quiet ways. We only need to seek Him out, to realize how Hashem watches over us.

Probably the most important idea is how קימו וקיבלו, they accepted and fulfilled the Torah out of love. On הר סיני, when the mountain shook, and there was thunder and lightening, and the entire nation heard G-d speak, they accepted the Torah out of fear.

On Purim, the Jewish people embraced the Torah out of love. This was a greater leap of faith, as each individual needed to do serious soul searching, to come to the understanding of the truth of Judaism and the G-d of Israel.

We must never lose faith and we must remember that ישועת ה׳ כהרף עין, that the salvation from Hashem can come like the blink of an eye. פורים שמח

Humility and Sincerity

There is a very clear message in terms of the offering of sacrifices. It is so much more important HOW the קרבן is offered, rather than the sacrifice itself.

We learned from the story of King Saul that Hashem would rather not receive our sacrifices if we do not listen to His voice. The Torah uses the words, אדם כי יקריב, when an אדם, a man, will offer. The Torah did not say איש, but אדם. The name אדם is close to the word, אדמה, meaning, “the earth.” This is to emphasize the importance of humility in how we approach Hashem, and ask for atonement for our sins. We cannot fool G-d, and not only can He recognize if we are truly remorseful, but He can also tell if the humility we demonstrate is genuine.

Rabbi Twerski wrote about those who feign humility, and try to portray themselves in a manner that is only meant to impress others, but is not sincere. This also applies to those who try to demonstrate a fake type of piety.

The message related to the offering of sacrifices, is that we need to take a good look at ourselves. We must not try to do things just to make an impression. Everything must be done with true sincerity and humility.

Evil Plays a Role

The numerical value of ארור המן, cursed is Haman, and ברוך מרדכי, blessed is Mordechai, are both 502. This is coming to teach that good and evil May both be serving a purpose.

Ideally, we would always like to see good prevail. Mordechai, being the leader of his generation, and a great Tzaddik, should have been able to use his goodness to prevail among the people, the importance of doing what was right in the eyes of G-d.

Instead, the Gemara tells us that the placement of the ring of Achashveirosh on Haman’s finger, did more to get the people to repent, than all forty-eight male prophets, and seven female prophetesses.

There are times when the difficulties we go through in life, become the greatest motivators to get us to change.

Too often people think they have all the answers and refuse to seek the advice of those older and wiser. It is only after making mistakes, do they realize what they should have done.

Good is meant to prevail in this world, but this happens when we allow it to prevail. Evil also has its role to play. It, too, is capable of motivating. However, the lessons learned from Evil, are far more painful, than that which is learned from Good. This is one of the important lessons of Purim.

No חיה Sacrifice

There is a Pasuk that is found several times in the Torah. It is written, כצבי וכאייל תאכלנה, that it shall be eaten like the deer and the hart (a species of deer). From here we learn that the undomesticated animals known as חיה, may not be offered as a sacrifice. Only the domesticated animals, the בהמה, are allowed to be offered.

The Midrashim explain the reason for this law, in three ways. The בהמה, being domesticated, are easy to capture. The חיה, lives in the forest and distant places, and takes a great deal of effort to capture.

Secondly, the disposition of the חיה is negative. They display arrogance, as opposed to the בהמה, who lowers his head, and is more docile.

And thirdly, the בהמה is constantly being chased by predators, and Hashem has compassion for the נרדף, the one being chased.

The subject of sacrifices is very difficult to understand. There are some commentaries that help us make some sense of the Divine wisdom behind these laws.

Silence is not Always Golden

Towards the end of פרשת ויקרא , the Torah tells us that when one sees a crime being committed, he has an obligation to testify about what he saw. If he doesn’t testify, ונשא עונו, he will carry a sin.

The חפץ חיים, Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, was famous for his writings on לשון הרע, and how we must guard our tongues. Nevertheless, there were instances where he felt that, “Silence is not golden.” These were situations where one knew that his friend was about to get involved in a business deal with a shady character. He must warn his friend to protect him from getting cheated.

Rabbi Twerski felt that this was especially true with Shidduchim. If one knows that one side is withholding information, that if revealed after the marriage, could be devastating, he must speak up. We know how difficult matchmaking is these days, but there are times when one must speak up. Concealing genetic diseases or mental health disorders, should not be swept under the carpet.

There is a Halacha regarding the nullification of vows, where we might release the individual of his vow, if he claims, “ Had I known that this was the situation, I never would have made that vow.”

We must be fair and honest. We must know when not to speak, but we must also know that there are times when we have an obligation to speak up.

שאור and דבש

The קרבן מנחה was generally considered a meal offering. The Torah tells us that it was forbidden to have שאור, a leavening agent, (similarly forbidden on Pesach), as well as דבש, honey.

The בעל הטורים comments on this and said that both the שאור and דבש, represent the יצר הרע, the evil inclination.

Rav Shlomo Mann explained what the connection was to the יצר הרע. The שאור represents how a person inflated his problems and situation. He makes things out to be much worse than they are, and the Yeitzer Hara causes to become a very bitter, negative, person.

The דבש, on the other hand, is sweet. The Yeitzer convinces the individual that his lack of diligence in observing Mitzvot, is justified. It also convinces him that his sins, “feel so right” and sees them as sweet.

When we offer a sacrifice to Hashem, it has to be done in a pure way, and it is part of a process where we clean ourselves of bitterness and justifying negative behaviors. This is reflected in the שאור and דבש.

Observant Jews as Ambassadors

This week we begin the Book of ויקרא, that deals mainly with the laws connected to sacrifices and the Kohanim. It also teaches a great deal about proper ethical behavior.

The Parsha begins with the words, “ויקרא אל משה,” that Hashem called to Moshe. This was teaching a simple rule about proper manners. Even though Moshe spoke to Hashem פנים אל פנים, face to face, he waited until he was called. He was showing that we always must behave courteously and respectfully.

This is especially true of the תלמיד חכם, the Torah scholar, who must be particularly careful to possess exemplary manners. The Midrash makes a strong statement by saying that a Talmid Chacham who does not act respectfully, is worse than a נבילה, a carcass of an animal.

The נבילה leaves a bad odor, and people are repulsed by the scholar who shows bad character. Rabbi Twerski adds that observant Jews, in particular, must realize that we are ambassadors of Torah. We must be so careful to act in a proper way, so that we will gain the respect of the secular world. If we succeed, it is a great Kiddush Hashem. If we do not, we are like the repulsive תלמיד חכם, and are no better than a נבילה.

Tragic Story of King Saul

The Haftarah for פרשת זכור tells of the tragic story of King Saul that led to his losing his kingdom. The incident that led to his demise, was his inability to fulfill the commandment to utterly destroy Amalek, including men, women, children and cattle.

King Saul’s fear of the people, that we might call today, “public opinion,” did not allow him to fulfill his G-d given task. He was unable to comprehend that erasing evil in this world, is merciful and not cruel. The benefits to the world are enormous when evil is eradicated.

Sadly, Shaul Hamelech showed weakness and not strength. He rationalized this weakness by trying to argue that he was more compassionate than Hashem, Himself.

Now there would be an abundance of cattle that could be used for sacrifices. The Peophet Samuel, gave the king a powerful reprimand. Hashem is not interested in the cattle. He only wants us to follow His word faithfully.

It is not always an easy thing to do, especially when people allow themselves to think that their own value system is superior to Hashem’s. When this happens, it leads to tragedy. In this case, not only did King Saul lose his kingdom, but his poor choices created Haman and further suffering in Shushan, many years later. The Haftarah for פרשת זכור is a tragic story, indeed.

Evil Amalek

We are now getting closer to Purim, as this Shabbat, we will read פרשת זכור. Most opinions are that it is a Torah obligation to hear this reading concerning Amalek, and remembering their evil ways.

The obvious connection to Purim is that Haman was a descendant of Agag, the King of Amalek. We must never forget that in every generation, the Jewish people have enemies seeking our destruction.

I believe that the message for today is that we must not be fooled by the influence of the “woke” culture. They would like us to believe that everyone is inherently good, and if people violate the law, it is only out of frustration.

It might be that their desperate economic situation led them off the path, but everyone is well meaning and good.

The obligation to read פרשת זכור is a blunt reminder that evil definitely exists. We must not be naive and live in a fantasy world. People make choices in this world, and some choose evil to the extent that their essence becomes evil.

This is Amalek. It is pure evil that must be recognized and blotted out. They are the obstacle preventing the Mashiach from coming. We say in our Friday night prayers, אהבי ה׳ שנאו רע, “Those who love Hashem, hate evil.”

The Talmud says that the יצר הרע, evil inclination, עין הרע, the evil eye, and Satan, are all reflections of evil that are part of Amalek. When we destroy Amalek, the Good will reign, and the world will be a better place.

Do Our Best

Regarding the completion of the construction of the Mishkan, there is a Midrash that says that Moshe Rabbeinu had trouble actually getting the thing to stand. In actuality, the Mishkan stood because Hashem wanted it to stand.

There is a very important message here. We must remember that in many ways, we are just going through the motions in what we do. Everything depends on Hashem making things happen.

It is not up to us to complete a given task. But it is our responsibility to do everything in our power to achieve our goals. We can only hope that we realize the outcome we are hoping to accomplish.

Rabbi Twerski adds that this is also true of parenting. We have a responsibility to do our best to give the best to our children. We must put them in the best environment possible so that they grow up as proud, religious Jews. But there are no guarantees.

It is not necessarily the fault of the parents, if the children go off the Derech. Avraham had Yishmael and Yitzchak had Eisav. There are no simple formulas in life. We just need to do the best that we can. The results might be the creation of our own holy sanctuary that will stand as proudly as the Mishkan.

משכן העדות

It interesting to note that the משכן is referred to as the משכן העדות, the Mishkan of Testimony. We also find that the Holy Ark is referred to as ארון העדות, the Ark of testimony.

Both the Mishkan as a whole, and the ארון, as an example of one of the holy vessels, testify to the truth of Hashem’s existence.

The connection between the two, also emphasizes the role that Torah is meant to play in our lives. It is only by way of intense study of the Torah, that we are able to see and experience, what is precious and sacred in this world.

When one immerses himself in Torah, he is given a clear picture of the holy and mundane. He better understands the weakness of human character. He realizes that the Torah protects him from the temptations and seductions of the secular world.

The Talmud in מסכת קידושין, speaks of our lifelong battle with the יצר הרע. The Gemara suggests that if the Evil Inclination tries to turn us away from the Torah, we should drag that מנוול, disgusting one, into the בית מדרש, the study hall. The Gemara continues, בראתי יצר הרע בראתי תורה תבלין, “I created the יצר הרע. I created Torah as its antidote.”

This is the ultimate purpose of the Mishkan. It is עדות, testimony, of the truth of Hashem, that is manifested when we embrace His holy Torah.

The נשיאים

Many commentators point out that the Torah has left out the letter, Yud, in the word נשיאים, which is written, נשיאם. This refers to the heads of the tribes and the reprimand they received in their role in the construction of the Mishkan.

These so called leaders had the wrong attitude in their roles as leaders of their respective tribes. They made it clear that their own contribution would come at the end, and they would supplement whatever was missing in materials needed to complete the Mishkan.

This did not look good, because there could have been a scenario where they would not have to contribute at all. They should have taken the initiative of giving first, and setting the example of generosity and enthusiasm in this sacred project.

Perhaps the method of “matching funds” as a method of raising funds, is not the ideal. On the one hand, their contribution will be as large or small as the amount that others give. But it is possible that this mentality is a good motivator to get people to give. I am not saying which method is preferred, but it is certain that much can be learned from the wrongful attitude of the נשיאים in building the Mishkan.

Betzalel

Rabbi Twerski has an interesting take on the special character of Betzalel, the one given credit as the major artisan of the Mishkan.

The Torah goes to the trouble of telling us that his full name was בצלאל בן אורי בן חור. We also learn that his great grandmother was Miriam, sister of Moshe. His grandfather, חור, was murdered by the angry mob who worshipped the Golden Calf. חור tried to prevent this horrible event from taking place, and lost his life, in the process.

The greatness of Betzalel is that he showed no resentment towards the people, when he was asked a few months later, to build the Mishkan. He is referred to as one who possessed רוח אלוקים, the spirit of G-d. He would not have achieved such status if he was an angry, bitter man.

It was his self mastery that allowed him to be given this holy task.

This whole incident teaches that a prerequisite for achieving greatness is to eliminate anger and resentment, and act wholeheartedly with love for the Jewish people.

Stoking the Coals

There is a principle related to the laws of Shabbat called, שמא יחתה בגחלים, lest he stoke the coals.

This applied largely to the ovens during Talmudic times. They were heated with coals and when food was not fully cooked, a person might inadvertently stoke the coals to increase the heat. This is a serious Shabbat violation of a מלאכה.

The aspect of this law that is applicable today, would be making a bonfire before Shabbat, to use to keep warm on Shabbat. The bonfire must be an already strong flame as Shabbat commences, for otherwise, one may come to stoke the coals, שמא יחתה בגחלים.

There are exceptions to this rule in situations where there is no worry of stoking the coals. One example was a fire burned in בית המוקד, the dormitory like structure for Kohanim while they served in the Beit Hamikdash. They made a bonfire to keep warm that did not have to be such a strong flame.

Because Kohanim are זריזים, and act with alacrity, they will remind one another not to stoke the coals.

Similarly, when the קרבן פסח was placed on the spit to roast over the coals, when Pesach fell on Friday night, there was also no fear of a Shabbat violation, because all of the members of the group sharing in the קרבן פסח, would remind one another not to stoke the coals.

דרכי שלום

There is an interesting Shabbat Halacha that is not so commonly known. This applies to our responsibility of not only feeding Jewish poor, but we are also obligated to feed non-Jews.

The principle here is דרכי שלום, that we are to maintain a peaceful relationship with the non-Jews living among us. We are allowed to waive an איסור דרבנן, Rabbinic law, of telling someone to deliver food to the non-Jewish poor, as it is our responsibility to help them as we help our own poor.

There was an incident where a non-Jew became ill, and asked for food from his Jewish friend for his survival. The Jew was permitted to send the food via a non-Jewish messenger to bring this food.

This was a violation of the Rabbinic command of שבות, Shabbat rest. Nevertheless, the principle of דרכי שלום took precedence over this Rabbinic enactment.

Similarly, the principle of כבוד הבריות, showing respect for creation, can sometimes override a Rabbinic law. It is important to understand how our compassionate Halachic system works.

Moshe’s Accounting

The question was asked why it was necessary for Moshe Rabbeinu to give an accounting down to the last detail, as to how all of the contributions to the Mishkan were spent. It seems ludicrous that the man who spent forty days and forty nights with Hashem on three occasions, and without bread and water, that he would have to answer to the people.

We are also taught that Moshe, himself, was a very wealthy man. He received the shavings of the tablets that were worth a great deal.

He had no motivation to take anything that didn’t belong to him. And where would he spend his new found assets. They didn’t exactly have lavish shopping malls in the desert.

This entire episode shows the power of קנאה and שנאה. Jealousy and hatred. Even the greatest man that ever lived was subject to it. Moshe was aware that he had constant detractors who questioned his every move. Rather than stir up a potential controversy or scandal, he preempted this by painstakingly disclosing every expenditure. This is a sad commentary on human nature, but it is a reality that we must live with.