Four Sons

A central part of the Passover Seder, is the discussion related to the “four sons.” These four individuals represent the various types of Jews and how they view Judaism. The Wise son shows his enthusiasm to observe all aspects of Judaism. The Wicked son is a scoffer. The Simple son is indifferent. And the One Who Doesn’t Know How To Ask, is highly ignorant.

The Rambam in הלכות ממרים speaks of those who rebel against the Rabbis and the Torah. Although there does exist certain individuals who are beyond hope, we must try to bring back all Jews. (The Rambam was alluding to the אפיקורס, the heretic, who has distanced himself to such an extent, and has mocked Judaism to the point that there is no way to bring him back.)

The Four Sons are not viewed in this light. Aside from the Wise son, who is already on the right track, the others can be brought back. The purpose of the Seder is to reach out and present Judaism in a positive light.

We must not write people off at all today. There is a prevalent view that there are no אפיקורסים today, and the distant or rebellious Jews are all תינוק שנשבה, babies taken captive. Therefore, it is our duty to reach out this Pesach and do our best to portray Judaism in a positive light.

גילוי שכינה

An important idea mentioned in the Haggadah is the concept of גילוי שכינה, the revealing of the Divine Presence.

This is the essence of what makes telling the Pesach story so significant. Egypt was the place where the Jewish people began as a nation. Because of this, our beginnings as a nation had to come in a way that would leave no doubts in the minds of every Jew who was present.

The Ten Plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea were incredible miracles where Hashem revealed His awesome power. No religion began in such a way that left no doubt to the imagination. And this is why Judaism is the one and only true religion.

We are also taught that ever since the exodus from Egypt, 2448 years after creation, it was G-d’s will that He not be seen in such an outward manner. He would always be available to whoever reached out to Him, but He would be hidden. He would act בדרך הטבע, in a more natural manner.

Only during critical times where Jewish survival was at stake, would He reveal Himself in an outward manner like Egypt. One such example was the showdown on Mount Carmel, between the prophets of Baal and Eliyahu Hanavi. There was a need at that time for an outward miracle to save the Jewish people.

Perhaps the Six Day War was another example of גילוי שכינה, as Israel accomplished in six days, that which Joshua took seven years! I would say that we are living in a period of גילוי שכינה, as we have seen the rebuilding of the State of Israel in such a short time.

Even in Egypt there were many Jews who lived through the miracles but were too blind to appreciate the greatness of the Hand of G-d. They did not merit being able to be redeemed. It certainly seems that we have the same problem today, that many are too blind to appreciate the amazing times in which we live. May Hashem open the eyes of all of the Jewish people that they be able to see our present day גילוי השכינה. If they do, it will certainly hasten the Final Redemption, speedily in our days.

Children at the Seder

As we prepare for Pesach and the Seder, we must not forget the most important people attending this great annual event. These are the children, who must be the primary focus.

There are two Torah laws that we fulfill on this night. The first is, בערב תאכלו מצות, that on that night we must eat Matza. And the second Torah law is והגדת לבנך, and you shall tell it to your son.

Many interpret this second law as the obligation to recite the Haggada and tell the Pesach story. But the real interpretation is that the children must be told the Pesach story.

We need to find ways to keep the children involved in the Seder. This is why the stealing of the Afikomen was instituted, in order to keep them awake and excited. If we can come up with games or ideas to keep the children at the table, that would be ideal. They should be encouraged to ask questions as the leader of the Seder tries to come up with tricks, games, and even bribes, to keep them awake.

The point is that we want our children to have positive memories, and to look forward to this special day of the year. It is meant to allow our children to feel that they are a part of the history that is evolving. Their Passover experience might be the difference in keeping them connected to Judaism as they reach adulthood and need to overcome all that might tempt them to lose their connection to the Jewish people.

We must focus on the children, as they are the most important people at the Seder.

The Diagnosis of the Kohein

A final thought about the case of leprosy. Rabbi Twerski, who was also a psychiatrist, pointed out the unique role of the Kohein in giving diagnosis of the leprous spot.

Normally, when one has a malignant growth, the medical doctor will identify the existing growth as malignant. In the case of the diagnosis of a Kohein, he is the one who decided whether the growth is leprosy. If he says it’s leprosy, it is leprosy. If he says it is not, then it isn’t leprosy.

This is truly an amazing set of circumstances, that defies the rules of nature. This is the only situation in the Torah where there is a direct cause and effect. The cause is the sin of לשון הרע, and the effect is the disease of leprosy. And it is the Kohein who is given a kind of supernatural power to decide the gravity of the sin, as evidenced by what he sees before him.

He may decide that although there is, in fact, a growth, it may either be ignored, or determined that it is the disease known as צרעת that could involve a prolonged period of quarantine. The Kohanim were truly spiritual doctors.

Shulchan Aruch and Lashon Hara

Many scholars asked the question as to why there isn’t a section in the Shulchan Aruch dedicated to the laws of לשון הרע. The Chafetz Chaim, in his book, שמירת הלשון,later delineated the rules regarding improper speech, but it was not a section of the שלחן ערוך.

This question was posed to Rav Chaim Kaniyevski, זצ״ל, who recently passed away. He said that the command in the Torah of לא תלך רכיל בעמך, that one should not peddle gossip, is an all encompassing Mitzva. He cited one source that mentioned how one needed to be careful with his speech, so that everything he says will be for the purpose of worshipping G-d. Rav Kaniyevski also pointed out another case where a messenger of the court, when fulfilling his mission, needed to be careful with his words, lest he come to speak Lashon Hara.

This answer is similar to the Rambam’s explanation as to why living in Israel was not one of the 613 commandments. Like לשון הרע, it is an all encompassing Mitzva that everyone realizes is important. It is a given that every Jew should live in Israel. And it is a given that people need to guard their tongue. This is why there was no section of the שלחן ערוך devoted to לשון הרע.

Dealing With Suffering

Parshat מצורע seems to dwell on the suffering and rehabilitation of the leper. Although it appears that he is paying for the sin of Lashon Hara, the question of why people suffer in this world, continues to be addressed.

The key to dealing with life’s challenges comes from our ability to achieve הכנעה, complete surrender to Hashem. If we are able to accept that He is running the world, and everything He does is just, even if we don’t understand why, we will be better off in the long run.

There is a Midrash that points this out where Hashem is thinking how Yakov Avinu is reading things wrong. He says to Himself, “ Why is he crying for his son, Yosef? If he understood that I am busy making him the viceroy of Egypt, he wouldn’t be crying.”

Suffering is often a wake up call. When we suffer, our focus on life and what is truly important, may change.

A psychoanalyst once said, “Out of suffering come the strongest souls.” Suffering will always remain a mystery. But faith in G-d is the cure.

The leper may go through a long period of soul searching during his quarantine, but he is likely to come out a better man, because of his experience.

Dental Message of Pesach

While sitting in my dentist’s chair, getting my teeth cleaned for Pesach, I was asked to come up with a good explanation as to what is special about the upcoming holiday. I had about thirty minutes to come up with an answer to my dentist friend.

I said that Pesach represented the beginning of the Jewish nation. It is our proof that Judaism is the one and only true religion.

When we celebrate שבת הגדול this week, we are commemorating the beginning of our redemption from Egypt. We took lambs, the symbol of idol worship of Egypt, that was the superpower of the world, and tied it to our bed posts, and they were silent.

This was the culmination of the devastation of this once great nation. There was more to come with the splitting of the Red Sea, and the revelation on הר סיני.

If we consider how our religion began as opposed to the other great religions of the world, that did not have much in the way of miraculous events, Judaism clearly has so much more validation.

This is the message of Pesach. It reinforces the truth of Judaism, and makes us appreciate how lucky we are to be Jewish.

I think my dentist was as satisfied as I was, with my shiny teeth all ready for Pesach!

Why is There Suffering in the World

Rabbi Twerski took the subject of צרעת, leprosy, as an opportunity to discuss why there is suffering in the world.

It is known that when Moshe Rabbeinu was asking Hashem to reveal His ways, he asked for an explanation of why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. This is expressed in Hebrew as צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו. Hashem said that He would not reveal that to Moshe.

In essence, the Torah is asking us to have the faith to accept that all of G-d’s ways are just. They are simply beyond our comprehension.

Foolish and perhaps arrogant people believe so much in their own intellect that if something happens in the world that they don’t understand, it is a sign that we have a cruel G-d, Heaven forbid.

The basic realization must be that His ways are not like our ways. This is why the great Tzaddikim always accepted terrible tragedies without even the slightest amount of questioning.

What we do know is that this is an imperfect world, and עולם הבא, the World to Come, is known as עולם האמת, the world of truth.

We are faced with many tests in life, and it is our unshakable faith in Hashem that allows us to pass these tests with flying colors.

קרבן פסח

The punitive system of the Torah, never punishes for the non-observance of a positive commandment. It is only when one violates a negative commandment, is one punished. There are 248 positive commandments and 365 negative. There are 207 cases of lashes as well as transgressions involving the death penalty, or monetary compensation as a fine.

There are two exceptions to this rule, where the punishment of כרת, being cut off from the Jewish people, is given for not fulfilling a positive commandment. This applies to an adult male who does not perform the Mitzva of circumcision. It also applies to the annual obligation to offer the קרבן פסח, the one year old male lamb offered as the Passover sacrifice.

This obligation of eating at least the size of an olive’s worth of meat of the קרבן פסח was so important, that the Torah provided a make up date of פסח שני, one month later.

This meant that both men and women needed to be in Jerusalem for Pesach, to eat from this sacrifice. It also meant that by this time of year, if one was traveling and reached the ancient city of Modiin, and then saw a wandering lamb, he had to assume it was a lost קרבן פסח. This animal needed to be treated with the sanctity of קדשים, that which is designated as belonging to Hashem.

The real joy of the Pesach Seder at the time of the Beit Hamikdash, was partaking of this קרבן פסח. May that time come speedily in our time.

Circumcision on Eighth Day

The beginning of פרשת תזריע discusses the impurity of a woman that gives birth. It is a seven day separation for the birth of a male and fourteen days for a female.

After being told about these seven days, the Torah tells us that on the eighth day, this baby boy should be circumcised. Many laws are learned from what apparently should be obvious.

From here it is learned that ברית מילה is דוחה שבת, that even if the eighth day falls on Shabbat, and even though there could be certain violations of Shabbat the Brit Milah takes priority.

From the word, “וביום,” we learn that the circumcision must be in the day and not the night. The ceremony only takes place if it is definitely the eighth day. If a baby was born during בין השמשות, twilight time on Friday evening, since there is doubt if it was Friday or Shabbat, the Brit would not take place on Shabbat.

From the grammatical language of the Torah, ימול, “he shall circumcise,” we learn that the Mitzva of Brit Milah, is placed on the father and not the mother.

It is interesting how so much can be learned from one seemingly unnecessary Pasuk.

Feeling the Pain of Others

There is a Pasuk in פרשת תזריע that is really kind of sad. It is regarding the diagnosed leper, that he is supposed to call out “טמא טמא.” The Torah is telling us that whenever someone gets near to him, he must shout out twice, “Unclean, unclean!”

The Talmud in מועד קטן discusses why the word, “טמא” is said twice. The first time is to warn people not to get too close as he is not allowed to have any physical contact with anyone.

He also lets others know of the pain that he’s in, being quarantined, and he’s also asking for others to ask for mercy and pray for the leper.

Many are unaware that this status of leprosy can last for a long time. This separation from society lasts as long as the disease lasts. It could even last for years.

Rav Aryeh Levin, known as a great Tzaddik, was very sympathetic to the lepers that were in Jerusalem. He visited the suffering lepers every Friday. There were twelve Jews and 300 Arabs suffering from this condition. He came encouragement to both the Jews and Arabs. His wife cooked food for them, and he made sure there was someone to blow the Shofar for them on Rosh Hashanah.

We are to always feel compassion for the suffering of others. This is especially true for those who are otherwise forgotten. This is the trait that characterizes the nature of the Jews. They are ביישנים, רחמנים, גומלי חסדים, shy, merciful, and are involved in acts of kindness.

The Power of Words

A major topic of פרשת תזריע is the subject of leprosy, known as צרעת or מצורע. Some say the word מצורע is an acronym for מוציא שם רע, bringing a bad name on someone.

The only instance in the Torah where there is a direct punishment for a sin, namely, Lashon Hara, and there is a definite consequence for that sin. This would be the disease of leprosy.

The חפץ חיים is famous for his book, שמירת הלשון, or Guard Your Tongue. He saw how detrimental negative speech could be. It was the Chafetz Chaim who said that one needs to be more careful about what comes out of his mouth than that which goes in.

This is an area that is one of the most difficult Mitzvot to observe. It is so easy to stumble in this area and not be careful about what we say or hear.

This Parsha is a good reminder of the power of words, and how damaging they can be. There are things that can be said that leave a permanent wound on a person that never heals.

The remedy in the Torah is to quarantine the transgressor. Somehow, miraculously when he does Teshuva and realizes the gravity of his sin, he is cured. We must never minimize the power of speech and we must all work extra hard to avoid speaking Lashon Hara.

Animal or Angel

This week we read פרשת תזריע that deals with the subject of human impurities. This follows the subject of non-kosher animals.

There is a definite connection between animal טומאה and human טומאה. This shows the extremes in terms of human potential. If one applies himself and tries to reach his spiritual potential, he is capable of reaching the levels of angels.

On the other hand, man can sink to the level of animals, who act strictly according to their instincts. It is expected that man will use his intellect to rise higher and not give in to such instincts.

The various impurities mentioned in the Torah were designed to create a wake up call to give the individual a kind of “time out” to reflect on his priorities.

It is important to pause and reflect on the direction we are taking in life. It is never too late in life to take the steps necessary that we achieve our human potential of reaching the level of angels.

This is a special Shabbat as it is Rosh Chodesh, and Parshat החודש, and we have the unique situation of taking out three Torahs.

Truth at All Costs

As great as Moshe Rabbeinu was, there were a few instances when he let his anger get the better of him. One such example was when he was upset with Elazar and Itamar, the surviving sons of Aharon. He felt that it was their duty to eat the remaining meat of the חטאת sacrifice. Aharon gave an explanation that being that they were in a certain state of mourning, it would not have been appropriate to eat of that sacrifice.

Moshe showed his humility and greatness by accepting this explanation, and admitting he was wrong. This is the sign of a true leader that when he makes a mistake, he owns up to it.

Moshe could have been concerned that such an admission would diminish his authority, and people might start second guessing him. This was not his concern as it was more important to him that he set the record straight and tell the truth. He wanted to show that truth must never be compromised. People must be honest to the end. This is true to such an extent that one should not even tell a “white” lie, or utter falsehoods even in jest.

The stories mentioned in the Torah are meant to teach us important life’s lessons. Admitting when one is wrong and being absolutely truthful are two such lessons.

Accepting G-D’s Will

One of the very dramatic and moving parts of פרשת שמיני, comes from the words, וידם אהרון, that Aharon kept silent. This is referring to the way he accepted the news of the loss of his two beloved sons.

He demonstrated incredible faith in accepting the Divine decree without any questioning or doubt in the justice of his painful fate. This is why the Torah says, בקרובי אקדש, through those who are near to me, I will be sanctified.

Rabbi Twerski points out that people foolishly believe that their faith in G-d depends on their ability to make sense out of His actions. Such ideas mean that those individuals have as much faith in their own intellect, as in their belief in G-d.

Aharon’s behavior made a very resounding statement. It was an absolute understanding that man is not capable of understanding how Hashem runs the world. Such an understanding allows a person to accept that G-d’s ways are perfect and just. The limited human mind is not meant to understand how this works. But it is up to us to accept in silence the difficulties and pain, just as Aharon did.

Artificial Spiritual High

Rabbi Twerski has a novel interpretation of the sin of Nadav and Avihu, and what caused them to lose their lives.

While most are aware that the primary reason given for their punishment, is that they entered the holy Sanctuary, as שתויי יין, in a somewhat drunken state. The reason for this is that this episode is followed by the commandment not to serve in the Temple under the influence of wine.

Because of Rabbi Twerski’s experience with drug and alcohol addiction, he gave the following explanation. People use drugs or alcohol, to achieve a quick, artificial high. It is a substitute for the years that a true Tzaddik invests in serving Hashem, when he achieves a genuine, unaided, spiritual high.

Nadav and Avihu should have had the confidence that they could feel Hashem’s Presence, without the aid of the influence of the alcohol in wine. This greatly tainted the dedication of the Mishkan, and for this they paid with their lives.

Aharon’s Empathy

We read in פרשת שמיני how Aharon was hesitant to begin acting as Kohein Gadol. He was embarrassed for his part in the sin of the Golden Calf. He did not see himself as being worthy of such a high position.

Moshe Rabbeinu needed to explain to him that it was specifically because of that reason, that he would be most effective as the High Priest of Israel.

His job was to bring atonement for the Jewish people. Now that he personally felt the shame of not meeting up to his own expectations, he would better be able to help guide those coming to him for assistance in achieving atonement for their sins.

Rabbi Twerski spoke of how empathy is a much higher level than sympathy. It is so much more meaningful and comforting, when one is able to feel the pain of his friend. That individual does not feel alone and knowing that he is understood, and others have managed to overcome similar challenges, will give him that determination to fix things and move forward.

This was what Moshe understood about his brother, and it is a great lesson for us all.

Mark Twain and פרשת פרה

There is a well known story of the great American author, Mark Twain’s visit to Israel at the end of the nineteenth century. He commented that he was surprised at how the country was so empty of population. He traveled the length and breadth of the country and did not see very many people.

This observation is alluded to in today’s Haftarah. At the end of פרשת פרה it says the following: והארץ הנשמה תעבד תחת אשר היתה שממה לעיני כל עובר, “The desolate land will be tilled, instead of having been desolate in the eyes of every passerby.”

Could one of the passers by have been Mark Twain? It seems that it definitely could have been him, among others. This is a subtle indication of the fulfillment of numerous prophecies that we have been witnessing in our lifetimes. We are living in remarkable times. The Haftarah of פרשת פרה points all of this out. Not only is Israel a Kiddush Hashem, but Yechezkel in 36:20 points out that the presence of a Jew in Chutz L’Aretz is a Chillul Hashem. It is written, באמור להם עם ה׳ אלה ומארצו יצאו, “When the nations of the world will say that if you are G-D’s chosen people, what are you doing outside of His land?”

It is time that all Jews experience the Kiddush Hashem of coming home to Israel. And never will a Mark Twain witness desolation of this Holy Land.

Shavua Tov.

Joy and Sadness

This week we פרשת שמיני that begins with the word, “ויהי.” We are told that the word ויהי, translated as. “ It came to pass,” is generally a sign that something negative is about to take place. (We just saw this when the Megilla began with the word, ויהי.)

In this case, we learn of the tragedy of the death of the two sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu. They were killed as they offered an אש זרה, a strange fire, on the day the Mishkan was dedicated.

Despite their death, the dedication of the Mishkan was bittersweet. The people knew that this was meant to be an atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, but they also realized the gravity of that sin.

To this day, we are still feeling the pain connected to that sin.

There is an important life lesson here. Joy and sadness can coexist. We celebrate family Simchas, but often feel some sadness because a loved one had passed away and could not be there.

We cannot expect things to be perfect, but we need to appreciate all the good within life’s imperfections.

When we go to Shule to pray, we should feel the joy of being able to reach out to G-d. But we should also feel the loss of what could have been had there not been the sin of the Golden Calf.

Death would have been eliminated and the Jewish nation could have remained on the level of Adam and Eve before their sin. We pray and believe that those days will return speedily in our time.

Israel is Kiddush Hashem

This coming Shabbat we read פרשת פרה, that describes how the Red Heifer was needed to purify an individual who was defiled by coming in contact with the dead. It is read before Pesach as everyone needed to be purified in order to partake of the Pesach sacrifice.

It is the Haftarah that really draws our attention. It is from the Book of Yechezkel and speaks of the ultimate purification of the Jewish people when they return to Israel.

This is the most Zionistic Haftarah of the year. It speaks of how there will come a time when Hashem will decide that it’s time to end the desecration of His holy name. He will rebuild the House of Israel, not because we deserve it but because He will no longer tolerate seeing how the world do not esteem Him.

Therefore, He will gather His children, from the four corners of the world, and re-establish Israel as the home of the Jewish people. Once again, the Prophet says, “You will be my people, and I will be your G-d.” The desolate cities will be rebuilt, and the Land will produce abundance.

In short, the State of Israel is קידוש ה׳, a sanctification of the Name of G-d. It is clear proof that Hashem never abandoned His people. The prophecies of over two thousand years, are being fulfilled right before our eyes. And the State of Israel proves without a doubt, that Judaism is the one and only true religion.