Thorns In Your Eyes

Rabbi Meir Kahane was a controversial figure, who loved the Jewish people. I had the privilege of knowing him personally. He spent Shabbat with me two years in a row, when I was a pulpit rabbi in Los Angeles.

He was criticized greatly, and even accused of being a racist, in his attitude towards our Arab neighbors. He wrote a book titled, “They must go,” that suggested just what the title said.

The original title of the book, was simply, “Numbers 33:55.” Everything Rav Kahane preached, was based on Torah teachings. Unfortunately, he did not pass on these teachings, in a very diplomatic manner. He did say, but perhaps not often enough, that he would welcome anyone to convert and become part of the Jewish people. They only needed to show their sincere intentions, and they would be accepted.

Contrast this to real racists, like the KKK. Would they accept a Black Jew that wanted to join their organization.

The verse of Numbers 33:55, warns that if we do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, they will be as “ thorns in your eyes, and a pain in your sides.” This warning did not apply to any non-Jew who accepted the Seven Noachide Laws, and accepted Israel’s sovereignty.

Rav Kahane was annoyed when he would hear an argument between a Jew and a Palestinian. Inevitably, the Jew would offer some territory for the sake of peace. The Palestinian would be more adamant, and say that all of the land belonged to him.

An onlooker would watch the argument and might easily conclude that if one side says that all is mine, and the other offers to share some land, the first argument would seem stronger.

We must not be afraid to declare that all of the Land of Israel belongs to Hashem. He made it abundantly clear that he gave this land exclusively to the Jewish people. No apologies, and no thorns in our eyes, and pains in our sides.

Clean With Hashem

We learn of a deal that was worked out between the two and a half tribes, and Moshe Rabbeinu. They could not settle the other side of the Jordan River, before they helped conquer the Land of Israel. Ultimately, they kept their side of the deal.

It is interesting to note Moshe’s wording, when he spoke to Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe. He said that if you fulfill your obligation, you will be, נקיים מה׳ ומישראל, “You will be clean from Hashem and Israel.”

There is a great deal implied by these words. There is a responsibility placed on every Jew, to act in a way that is “clean” in the eyes of G-d, and the rest of the Jewish people.

We must conduct our lives in an exemplary fashion, so that we bring honor to G-d and the rest of the Jewish people.

The Rambam in Hilchot Deot, gives a long description of the specifics of how we are to conduct ourselves. This applies to how we eat, sleep, do business and interact with society. The goal is to be a person that Hashem can say, “Through him, I am glorified.” We must constantly remember to be “clean” with Hashem and the rest of the Jewish people.

Always Have a Purpose

We learn a great deal from the actions of Moshe Rabbeinu. He was the greatest person who ever lived, and achieved more than any person who ever lived.

He reached such a high level of holiness that was on the level of angels. He defied the rules of nature when he went forty days without eating bread and drinking water.

It was made clear to him that after completing his final task, he would leave this world. Perhaps someone else would have hesitated to buy more time. But Moshe did not hesitate and took vengeance on Midyan, as he was commanded.

We learn another lesson from Moshe as to how we are to interact with this world. We must have a reason for living. Without a purpose and clearly defined goals, it is even possible that one may shorten his life.

Moshe had achieved all that was humanly possible to achieve. Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira said that if one has completed one goal in his lifetime, he must immediately make another goal. Typically, this applies when one retires from a job he has been working at for many years. He must plan for his next task, as soon as he completes the previous one.

When one goes from one task to another, he acquires a reason for living. It literally can add years to a person’s life. And this certainly true if the task is spiritual and helps the Jewish people.

Canceling Vows

There is a ceremony done before Rosh Hashana, called “Hatarat Nedarim.” The text is found in most Siddurim. Three men act as judges, and they agree to nullify any possible unfulfilled vows, that may have been made.

This procedure is not limited to the High Holiday season, but could apply all year. This nullification of vows, can either be done by a court of three learned Jews, or a woman’s husband.

Once I was confronted by a very distraught individual, who pleaded for my help. He had been involved in a heated argument with his brother. He vowed that he wanted no part of his brother, to the extent that he would not attend his son’s wedding. The day that he approached me, was his nephew’s wedding.

I asked two of my esteemed students to join me in forming a Beit Din. My question to the regretful vower, was simple. “Had you known that you would one day feel such remorse for your vow, would you have made it?” His regret allowed me to declare that he could now attend the wedding that evening.

On another occasion, a woman was conned into commuting to a very large contribution that was way above the family’s means. Her understanding husband, later that day, used his veto power of her pledge, and declared, מופר לך, that your vow is canceled. The wife was greatly relieved, and appreciated the wisdom of the Torah.

Jewish Sensitivity

It is always fascinating to see how the Torah emphasizes the importance of sensitivity we are supposed to have, in our interaction with others.

We see this by closely examining the text of the Torah. Moshe Rabbeinu is given his last command, before leaving this world. He is told to take revenge against Midyan, for their role in causing a deadly plague against Israel.

Moshe is to gather one thousand warriors from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wording of the text is the use of the word, וימסרו, “they were handed over.” The Baal Haturim pointed out that it should have written, that the heads of each tribe helped Moshe gather his army.

The reason the word וימסרו was used, was to show sensitivity to the Tribe of Shimon. Their leader, Zimri, who was also known as Shlumiel Ben Tzurishadai, was put to death in disgrace by Pinchas. And the 24,000 that died in the plague, were all from Shimon.

By using the words, “that they were handed over,” it was clearly with the intent of not adding insult to injury. The Tribe of Shimon, had suffered enough. The Torah is teaching compassion and sensitivity, that is a clear sign of the true nature of a Jew.

Keep Your Word

The Baal Haturim noted that last week’s Parsha spoke of the נדרים ונדבות, the free will offerings. They were not offered on Yom Tov.

The connection is that this week’s Parsha, מטות-מסעי, begins with making vows and their potential cancellation. If we look at the subject following this, the Torah speaks of taking revenge against Midyan, for their role in creating a plague that killed 24,000 people.

The connection between subjects, is that the Rabbis made an exception regarding vows. Normally, we say that it is far better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not fulfill it. However, they also say, נודרים בעת צרה, that it is appropriate to make a vow in times of trouble, like a war.

It is fascinating to see the סמיכות הפרשיות, the connection between sections of the Torah. In this case, the common thread is that vows must be taken seriously. We must never go back on our word. If we say we are going to do something, we must do it.

The Rabbis emphasize this point by saying that for the sin of unfulfilled vows, one may be forced to bury his children.

And this explains why the Kol Nidrei prayer of Yom Kippur has such great significance. How is it possible for us to ask for atonement for our sins, if we did not fulfill our vows, or keep our word.

It is so wrong to make promises to others that we do not fulfill. But, on the other hand, it is invaluable to gain a reputation of trustworthiness. It sets a great example to our children, when they see how well their parents are respected because of their honesty and integrity. Perhaps this is why the Torah gives so much emphasis on vows and keeping our word.

Temple Water Libations

One of the highlights of the Succot holiday in the Beit Hamikdash, was ניסוך המים. This refers to the water libation from the altar.

This ceremony brought roars from the crowd when wine and water was poured as part of the holiday festivities of Succot. People were exhilarated with joy, when they saw this taking place.

The question is that if this was such a special time, why wasn’t it mentioned explicitly in the Torah. Aside from it falling under the category of Halacha L’Moshe Misinai, there was a discreet mention of this in the Torah.

We might be familiar with the redundant nature of the Torah reading during Succot. The sacrifices mentioned each day, were almost identical. The only difference was a diminishing number of bulls offered each day. There needed to be a total of seventy bulls, corresponding to the seventy nations.

There was another slight difference in the ending of the description of each holiday sacrifice. On most days, it ended with the word, ונסכה, meaning it’s libation. This format changed three times.

On the second day, the paragraph ended with the word, ונסכיהם, and their libations. On the sixth day it ended with ונסכיה, and their libations. And on the seventh day, we have the word, כמשפטם, according to their laws, instead of the word, כמשפט, its laws, as was used on all other days.

The Gemara in תענית suggests that these discrepancies are not random. The extra “מ” on the second day is available to teach something new. The extra “י” on the sixth day of ונסכיה instead of ונסכה, is also available for a new teaching. And the extra “מ” on the seventh day of כמשפטם, instead of כמשפט, is also available.

Our three available letters, spell the word, “מים.” Here is our hint to the ceremony of ניסוך המים that was an integral part of Succot festivities.

Make Up Possibility

There is a term used in Jewish Law, called תשלומים. This refers to being able to make up for a missed opportunity in Halacha.

An example of תשלומים that is relevant today, applies to prayers. If for some reason, someone neglected to pray one of the services of the day, he could make it up during the next service.

For example if one went to sleep without praying the evening service, Arvit, he makes it up by saying two Shmone Esreys, in the Shacharit service.

There was also תשלומים in the Beit Hamikdash. There were certain holiday sacrifices that needed to be offered on Yom Tov, such as the עולת ראיה and חגיגה. The days of Chol Hamoed, were the make up days for that missed opportunity.

In the case of Shavuot, there was no חול מועד. However, six days following this holiday were granted as תשלומים for late sacrifices. This is why we do not say the תחנון prayer for six days following Shavuot.

It certainly is important to know that there are opportunities to fix mistakes made, or missed opportunities. One must not despair if he made a mistake. There is usually a way to make things right.

Holiness of Shabbat

There are many laws that are hinted to, by the instructions related to the various sacrifices. One such example comes from the wording of Tamid sacrifice offered each day, including Shabbat.

The Torah uses what are considered extra words when it writes, עולת שבת בשבתו, the Olah of Shabbat on its Shabbat. The Tamid is also referred to as an עולה, as it was completely burned on the altar. Since it is obvious that the Shabbat sacrifice should be offered on Shabbat, it must be coming to teach something else.

The reference here is that the holiness of Shabbat is greater than the holiness of any other day in the Jewish calendar. Therefore there is a big difference when Shabbat follows a Yom Tov, or Yom Tov follows Shabbat. This applies specifically to the recitation of Havdalah.

When we speak of Hallel in this case, we are speaking of the insertion of a special paragraph in the Kiddush of the day. If Shabbat is followed by a Yom Tov, there is no Havdalah paragraph in the Shabbat Kiddush.

But when Yom Tov follows Shabbat, there is a reference of Havdalah in the Kiddush. We are separating between the holiness of Shabbat, to the holiness of Yom Tov, as we are going down in holiness from Shabbat.

When we increase the holiness in the reverse situation, there is no separation, but an increase in holiness.

All of this is learned from the words, עולת שבת בשבתו. This teaches that Shabbat is in its own category, unparalleled by any other day if the year.

Responsa

The incident of the daughters of Tzlofchat, is very interesting on many levels. The first point of note is that these five sisters had a great love of Israel.

Some say that the women, in general, loved the land more than the men. They did not believe the evil report of the spies, as the men did.

Another point of interest is that the laws of inheritance were clarified after the protest of the daughters of Tzlofchat. They saw the land being divided among the men, and they felt short changed, as there were no male heirs in their family.

Following their questioning of Moshe, Hashem laid out the order of inheritance if there is no son or daughter. This is the basis for all of the questions raised in יש נוחלין, a chapter in Baba Batra.

It is also interesting to note that this incident became the example of how later responsa would work. In this case, a problem was raised that had not been addressed previously in the text. And because of the direct line to G-d, they were given an answer by the Al-mighty Himself.

Throughout history, many questions arose that were not addressed specifically in the Torah. The Rabbis were granted the authority to use their knowledge of Torah to answer all types of questions.

For example, when the synagogue became the focal point of Jewish life, it brought with it many precedent setting cases. Was a criminal allowed to receive honors during prayers? What about individuals whose credentials validating their Jewishness was in question. Should prayers be said for the welfare of their country of residence? The new reality, posed new questions.

In modern times, leading rabbi’s had to deal with questions of science and technology. Could artificial insemination be permitted according to Halacha? When the internet was discovered, the question arose as to whether we were allowed to delete an e-mail that contained G-d’s holy Name. Weren’t we commanded not to erase the Name?

The daughters of Tzlofchat and their query, began this process that allows us to rely on the wisdom of our Torah scholars. This is why we emphasize that both the Written Law and Oral Law were given by G-d on Sinai. We must respect and follow both teachings equally, and this is what makes Torah study so fascinating.

The Kohein Atones

After the confusion related to the act of zealotry of Pinchas was settled, his role was clarified. Pinchas was given the promise of eternal priesthood.

He was told that his descendants would survive forever and fulfill their eternal role. They were to bring atonement to the Jewish people.

This atonement was achieved in the Beit Hamikdash and continues to be the role of the Kohein to this very day.

In the Temple, they offered the sin offering to bring atonement to the one offering it. Not only was there a specific Kohein that cared for that individual, but the atonement was not complete until that Kohein finished eating his portion of that sacrifice. The one offering could feel satisfied that he had achieved full atonement, when his Kohein finished eating his Korban.

Today in Israel, the Kohein blesses the nation 450 times a year. Each time he blesses, the Shechina, Divine Presence, magically passes through his fingers. The role of the Kohein is to bless, and these blessings have power.

This blessing is also capable of helping to bring atonement and all kinds of good things to the recipient. Pinchas began this process of atonement, that continues until today.

Zealots Can’t Lead

It is often mentioned that there is a great similarity between Pinchas and Eliyahu Hanavi. There are even opinions that Pinchas was Eliyahu, as they shared the same soul.

The common feature between these two great men, is that they acted zealously on behalf of Hashem. They both demonstrated that they did not care what others thought of them. They only cared about defending Hashem’s honor.

Pinchas killed Zimri and Kozbi, who openly desecrated the Name of G-d. Eliyahu challenged the false prophets of Baal, single-handedly.

Despite their great enthusiasm and courage, they were not put in positions of extended leadership of the Jewish people.

Pinchas needed confirmation from G-d that he acted correctly. Eliyahu Hanavi was told to hand over the reigns of leadership to Elisha.

The lesson here is that there is certainly place for Jewish zealots. The acts of Pinchas and Eliyahu saved the Jewish people from catastrophe. But their actions were difficult for the masses to comprehend. They could not relate to such individuals that were on such a high level. Therefore, Elisha replaced Eliyahu and Pinchas was, at first, shunned by his people.

We see from later in the Parsha how careful Moshe was, in describing the character traits of his successor. He needed to be someone with understanding, and the ability to relate to all of the people. How we long for such leaders today!

The Synagogue

The attempt of Bilaam to curse the Jewish people, was not successful. All of his curses turned into blessings. The Talmud clarifies this by telling us that the curses did not come true at that time, but they did come true at a later time. He intended for the Divine Presence to leave Israel, and it eventually left Israel. His curse that the land should not produce, and that Jewish kings should not reign, all came true, later on in history.

The only curse that never came true was the one that wished that there would no longer be functioning synagogues, among the Jewish people. Thankfully, the synagogue always played an important role in Jewish life, throughout our history.

Rabbi Berel Wein spoke of our survival during our long and painful exile. When Jews needed to relocate to a new location, their success in their new dwelling, depended on their priorities. If the first thing they did was establish a synagogue as the central point, they would survive, and even flourish. When the priority was the material first, and spirituality later, it did not always end well.

The synagogue continues to play many roles in Jewish life. Aside from being a house of prayer, it is also a house of study. Torah study always needs to be maintained, and the “Shule,” is the place where this is done.

The synagogue also serves as a place of gathering. The community meets there to discuss the needs of that community. And it is also the place where the happy moments in life are celebrated. Bar and Bat Mitzvas take place there, as well as a Brit.

The synagogue gives Jews a sense of belonging and unity. It is clear how important it has been for us throughout history, and why Hashem did not allow Bilaam’s curse to apply to our sacred synagogues.

Just Do It

The Gemara in Masechet Sota teaches that it is even okay for an individual to be involved with Torah not for the sake of Heaven. For even if he does this with the wrong intent, it will lead to the correct intent.

This idea is learned from Balak. He offered forty-two sacrifices with the intent of finding favor with G-d, so that he could curse the Jewish people. You can’t have any worse intent than this.

Nevertheless, he was blessed to have Ruth the Moabitess, descend from him. King David and King Solomon descended from her, and the Mashiach, will also descend from this line.

Shlomo Hamelech rectified the insincere nature of Balak’s sacrifices, by offering one thousand sacrifices. He did this on the day of the dedication of the Temple that he built. There is even a Midrash that says that Ruth was still alive when Shlomo reigned. He even had a throne set up for her, near his own throne.

Sometimes people have difficulties in motivating themselves to do Mitzvot. Their Yeitzer Hara may play tricks on them, that takes away their enthusiasm. We need to push ourselves to go to Shule to pray with a Minyan. We need to get ourselves involved with Torah study and classes. Even if it does not start out for the right reasons, it eventually will lead to the right reasons.

Surprisingly, we learn this from Balak. He was far from sincere and was still rewarded. This is what is meant by the saying:

מתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה.

That which began not for the sake of Heaven, will be for the sake of Heaven.

Uniqueness of the Jewish People

Among the numerous blessings that Bilaam ended up giving the Jewish people, there was one that stood out. This is where he praised Israel as being, “A nation that dwells alone.” He is acknowledging the uniqueness of Am Yisrael, and how they stand alone among the nations.

The Rabbis explain this further by saying that when Israel rejoices, the nations of the world are sad. And when Israel mourns, they rejoice.

The Rabbis enacted certain decrees to be certain that the Jewish people not lose their special character. They must not assimilate among the nations. They wanted to prevent social interaction between Jews and non-Jews.

They were allowed to interact economically and politically, but not socially.

For this reason, there were prohibitions against drinking wine handled by Gentiles. There were similar edicts involving their bread, milk and cheese, as well as food cooked by a non-Jew, even if all the ingredients are kosher.

We must appreciate the uniqueness of the Jewish people. We have a special role to play in the world. We must teach the world morality, and all that is good. We do this by being, “a nation that dwells apart.”

Make Correct Choices

There is a lesson learned by Bilaam’s persistence to go against Hashem’s wishes, and attempt to curse the Jewish people. It seems crazy that someone would have the audacity to go against the King of the Universe!

The Talmud in Masechet Makot, comments on this phenomenon. We are told that the path that a person chooses to take, is where he will be led.

If one chooses the path of righteousness, he will be helped from Above, to achieve this goal. He will have holy people become part of his life, to help in his quest to get closer to G-d.

On the other hand, if one seeks wealth and fame, as Bilaam did, he will also be led in that direction. If his motivation is selfish, this will not end well. Either he will hit insurmountable snags on the way, or he will be given the wealth that he seeks. However, this wealth will torment him, and give him no rest. He will be suspicious of everyone that they are after his money, and he will learn that money does not buy happiness.

This is the main explanation of free will. We make the choice as to the direction we wish to take in life. We will be led in the direction of that decision, good or bad. In Bilaam’s case, it certainly did not end well for him.

Balak- Not Fake

The question was asked as to why we would name a Parsha of the Torah after a רשע, evil person. Balak, the King of Moav, was clearly an enemy of the Jewish people. He wanted to destroy Am Yisrael, and he somehow merits having a Parsha in his name.

The מעינה של תורה, also known as, “ Wellsprings of Torah,” brings a very important and practical explanation. Balak deserves some credit for making his feelings known. He did not try to cover up his animosity for the Jewish people, and we appreciate that.

One of life’s biggest challenges is learning to be able to see through people. We get hurt the most by those who pretend to love us, but later stab us in the back.

This is particularly difficult for children, who are innocent and trusting. Having manipulative and controlling parents, who claim to be doing everything because of their love for their child, can be very confusing. It may take a long time to realize that it isn’t true love they are getting, but a desire to dominate and dictate how to live, when the child’s true desire for happiness is put down.

The word “love” can be a highly dangerous word. If we assume the person using this word, means what he says, we might fall into a trap. Eventually, it becomes clear if this love is true. We see this by a person’s actions, not by his words, if this really is love. But it is so hard to know, because people are so good at being fake.

This is why we give Balak a little recognition. At least we knew where we stood with this guy. This is not something small. How much better life would be if we knew the truth about everyone with whom we come in contact.

Then and Now

The story of Balak and Bilaam is fascinating from the aspect that it is prophetic of the future. Much of what took place then, is occurring in our times.

The Baal Haturim wrote of how envious the nations of the world were of Israel. It was not only the miracles that took place, with the sun standing still for Moshe Rabbeinu, and his conquering the giants, Sichon and Og, and taking their territories.

They saw how Israel saw great success in all of its endeavors. They saw that Israel possessed men of great wisdom, and they clearly saw how the G-d of Israel was with them.

This filled these nations with great fear and awe of Israel. It even led to two archenemies, Moav and Midyan, to make peace. Perhaps they would be able to neutralize Israel’s power, if they worked together.

We are witnessing similar phenomena today. Israel is both respected and hated for its incredible success. It is known that there are outstanding minds leading the world in science and technology. And more importantly, leading in Torah, and in teaching morality, to an upside down world.

Despite the dominance of a secular, leftist media, Israel is growing by leaps and bounds, in spirituality. Only blind scoffers are unable to see the guidance of the Al-mighty. He neither sleeps nor slumbers, in His protection of His chosen people.

This script that played before in Bilaam’s time, is happening again in our time. It did not end well for Bilaam. The world must never forget his own words, when he realized too late, that “Those who bless us will be blessed. And those who curse us, will be cursed.”

Fences

The Orchot Hatziddikim makes a very important point about human nature and knowing oneself.

The Torah gives many restrictions as to how one should conduct oneself. The Rabbis often include such safeguards, as they have a good understanding of basic human weaknesses.

We are speaking here of another aspect needing emphasis. That is, there are people who have stronger than average lusts in certain areas. These people might need to take upon themselves additional fences, to keep themselves in check.

Typically, one might have a stronger than average drive when it comes to sexual urges. There could be a problem controlling anger, or the pursuit of money.

In situations such as these, one must go beyond the letter of the law, and add additional restrictions upon himself, even more than is laid down in the Torah and the Rabbis.

This involves a constant awareness of such weaknesses, and a serious desire to overcome them.

This is another example of how studying books of Mussar, can help us in so many ways. Self improvement never end. We can all use help in getting there.

Ingratitude

After the death of Aharon, the people began complaining again. This time, their focus was on being tired of eating the Manna, and they called it, “לחם הקלוקל,” that is loosely translated as “miserable food.”

This particular complaint was incredibly ridiculous. This “food from Heaven,” that was sustaining them throughout their years in the desert, was magical. It could taste like anything they thought of, and it was fully absorbed by all 248 limbs of the body. There was not even a need to eliminate wastes, as there was no waste.

The Talmud in Masechet Avoda Zara, tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu reprimanded the people as כפויי טובה, ingrates. How dare they speak badly about such a generous gift? It’s Bracha was, המוציא לחם מן השמים, that Hashem drew out bread from the Heaven.

Ingratitude, is a horrible personality trait. It represents an attitude that everything I have, I deserve. Such an individual only sees himself and cannot get over that feeling of entitlement.

The Orchot Tzaddikim reminds us that we must remember that we deserve nothing. Everything we possess, is a gift from Hashem. We are owed nothing.

It is so important that we be able to appreciate and cherish what we have, rather than what we don’t have. This attitude allows us to be positive, upbeat people, rather than bitter, negative people. The bread was not miserable. It was miraculous and wonderful.