Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch


Limits of human comprehension

“He shall take out the ashes beyond the encampment” (6:4).

At the end of hilchos me’ilah, the Rambam discusses an important principle. He
notes that even inanimate objects such as wood, stone, dust and ashes can acquire sanctity, in which case someone who misappropriates them for some secular use commits a transgression. This teaches us not to assess the significance of mitzvos or aveiros on the basis of our own limited understanding. All positive and negative commandments
were decreed by the Creator and their true value and significance derives from this very fact alone. That is why sanctity can attach to even seemingly valueless objects and be subject to special mitzvos, even if our imperfect human comprehension finds this difficult to grasp.

Sharing TORAH

“A continual fire shall be lit on the altar…” (6:6).


Rashi cites the Gemara that this same light was the one that was used to light the
menorah. The light of the menorah symbolizes the light of Torah. The Torah of a talmid chochom is primarily located in his heart and mind, since he is meant to conceal his knowledge from others as much as possible. For this reason, the appropriate location to house the menorah was the innermost part of the Mishkon and Bais Hamikdosh, the Heichol.

However, Hashem clearly wants the talmid chochom to disseminate his knowledge
to others and let them benefit from the light of his Torah, and when he does so he enjoys special siyata diShmaya, (heavenly help) which, in turn, illuminates the Torah that he has internalized even more. The halacha cited by Rashi may be taken as a reference to this interplay between the talmid chochom’s own knowledge and its dissemination to others.

Importance of continuity

“…it shall not go out” (ibid.).

Chazal (Yerushalmi Yomo 4:6) tell us that even when the Bnei Yisroel were traveling,
the light of the mizbeiach was not extinguished. The fire’s existence was dependent
on complete continuity. Some people lower their moral or kashrus standards when traveling, and this posuk admonishes us to avoid such behavior.

Continuity and consistency are essential components for success in all areas of our
lives. For example, during bein hazemanim, yeshiva bochurim must be very careful not to slacken their study schedules any more than necessary to rejuvenate themselves for the following zeman. When the Chazon Ish zt”l was asked how much an avreich should learn during bein hazemanim, the response was that he should learn no less than eight hours a day, which is the amount of time a baal habayis (someone who works) is supposed to dedicate to Torah study each day according to the Rambam!

Eating as an Avodah

“Whatever remains from it shall be eaten by Aharon and his sons” (6:9).


The korban minchah did not have to be eaten by any specific kohein. By contrast, in
the case of a korban olah, the Torah specifically requires “the kohein who offers it as a sin offering” to eat it (6:19). How do we explain this difference between the two types of korbanos?

The Meshech Chochmah explains that the minim (early Christians) claimed that
animal sacrifices were cruel. Why should an animal have to be slaughtered just because a person sinned? In reality, the animal is fulfilling its purpose in this world and achieving a tikkun (purification), but in order to demonstrate that the kohein who slaughtered the animal is not guilty of sharing such heretical views, the Torah commanded that he specifically should be the one to eat it, whereas the korban minchah, which did not involve the danger of such theories, could be eaten by
any kohein.

Alternatively, the commentators (see Ramban at the beginning of Vayikra) explain
that a person should actually be shedding his own blood because of his sin, and by bringing a sacrifice he demonstrates that he is willing to give up his own soul for the sake of Hashem’s honor, with the blood of the animal serving as a substitute for his own. We know that the kohein eats the korban and the owner achieves atonement as a result.

This act of eating is no less an act of avodah than the previous acts constituting the avodos hakorbanos. By eating the flesh, the kohein is sublimating his physical desires for the sake of Hashem. It is therefore only appropriate that the same kohein who performs the zerikah, which, as the Ramban explains, symbolizes mesirus nefesh, should also eat that korban, since the act of eating represents a continuation of the same principle of dedicating everything we have, including our desires, to serve Hashem.

Habitual Mitzvos

“This is the offering of Aharon and his sons” (6:13).


Every kohein had to offer this minchas chinuch on the day of his inauguration, but
the kohein godol also had to offer a minchas chavitin every day. When a person is appointed to an important position, he initially feels great excitement and a sense of responsibility, but these feelings usually dissipate with time, as he becomes used to the new situation and it becomes routine. The kohein godol has to bring an offering every day in order to counteract this aspect of human nature. Each
day he must consider himself to have been reappointed to his position and to strengthen and dedicate himself completely to avodas Hashem.

Similarly, we tend to become more enthusiastic about mitzvos that occur at irregular
intervals, such as shofar or Arba Minim, than we do about those that occur on a daily
basis, such as tefillah and tefillin. We have to find techniques to maintain the same level of excitement and dedication that we felt when we first performed these mitzvos.

Remembering the past BUT focusing on the present

“He shall bring along with his thanksgiving offering unleavened loaves…with loaves of
leavened bread (7:12-13).

Each korban todah was accompanied by 30 loaves of matzoh and 10 loaves of chometz. The matzoh loaves symbolize the freedom from the misfortune endured by the person obligated to bring this offering and the chometz loaves symbolize the misfortune itself. Since it is no longer present, and a person tends to forget the extent of the danger he was in once the misfortune has passed, these ten loaves serve to remind
him of the extent of Hashem’s kindness.

However, the majority of the loaves are matzoh, because once the person has appropriately thanked Hashem in full cognizance of his past misfortune, and he has also drawn the necessary conclusions by changing his ways for the better, he should focus on his current positive situation and continue to improve his avodas Hashem.

CHUMROS

“You shall…keep the charge (mishmeres) of Hashem and you will not die” (8:35).

Mishmeres is a preventive measure, and all the gezeiros of Chazal serve as hedges to
protect the Torah. If we observe them, we “will not die,” because anyone who transgresses the words of the sages, who have set up these fences in order to increase Torah observance, deserves to die.

Similarly, chumros, when they do not stem from ignorance, and do not come at the expense of anyone else, are to be encouraged. In fact, it has been said that thanks to those of our ancestors who were stringent beyond the letter of the Shulchan Aruch, we have managed to observe the regulations of the Ahulchan Aruch itself. This applies with particular force on Pesach. The Zohar states that every chumrah that is adopted for the purpose of avoiding the severe prohibition of chometz may be compared
to an additional piece of jewelry that is added to a kallah on the day of her wedding.

Sacrificial substitutes

“This is the law for the burnt-offering, the meal-offering…” (7:37).



The Gemara in Maseches Menachos (110a) quotes a drashah by Reish Lokish on
this posuk that if one delves into the Torah, it is as if he has offered up a burnt-offering, a meal-offering, a sin-offering and a guilt-offering. Rava takes this a step further and says that anyone who delves into the Torah does not need any of these offerings at all.

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l explains that according to Reish Lokish, the avodah of the korbanos is the best and preferred option, whereas the possibility of studying their laws is only second-best. Rava, on the other hand, argues that delving into Torah is more important lechatchilah than the act of bringing the sacrifices and makes them entirely superfluous.

In a similar vein, the Zohar praises those who toil in Torah, stating that their place is in tiferes and they are therefore more important than prophets, who only reach the levels of netzach and hod. He concludes that someone who toils in Torah does not need to bring sacrifices, because the Torah itself is the main tool for acquiring faith.

Bogus talmidei chachomim

“And He called to Moshe” (1:1).


Chazal comment that we learn from here that “any talmid chochom who does not have intelligence (daas), an animal’s carcass is superior to him.” The Medrash elaborates: “Look at Moshe, the wisest of sages, the father of all the prophets, who took the Jewish nation out of Egypt, and through whom many miracles took place and wondrous events on the Red Sea, and he went up to heaven and brought down the Torah from heaven and dealt with the work of the Mishkon, and yet he did not enter the innermost Tent of Meeting until Hashem called him, as it is written, ‘And He called out to him.’”

The talmid chochom referred to in this Medrash does not possess the humbleness
which characterized Moshe Rabbeinu. Chazal are teaching us that even someone
who has amassed a vast amount of Torah knowledge and acquired the reputation of a
talmid chochom in the eyes of others is not worthy of that title unless that knowledge is accompanied by appropriate humility. The greater a genuine talmid chochom is, the greater his awareness of his shortcomings. As he delves the unfathomable depths of the Torah, he becomes ever more aware of how much he does not know.

The stench emanating from a carcass testifies to its severe shortcomings and
warns others to keep a distance from it. By contrast, the arrogant talmid chochom does not possess the intelligence to realize that because of his Torah, the masses learn from his ways, and any deficiency in his character traits, the first and foremost one being arrogance, has a terrible impact on people who come into contact with him, thus desecrating the honor of the Torah and those who study it. For this reason, a carcass is superior to him, because its stench at least serves to deter others from acquiring its pernicious characteristics.

Who is a man?


“If a man among you will bring an offering” (1:2).

The Gemara comments on this: “You are called man (adam), but idol worshippers are
not called man” (Yevamos 61a). Rav Meir Schapiro zt”l explained that when one Jew
commits a crime, all his co-religionists are held collectively responsible for that individual’s sin, whereas when a non-Jew commits a crime, it does not occur to anybody to hold all the members of his nation responsible for his actions. For that reason, it says, “You are called man (adam, one man, in the singular)”: you are all like one unified body, as opposed to the nations, who are anoshim, many disparate people.

Rav Sternbuch suggested another explanation of this Gemara. When he was in
South Africa, he spoke to a large group of distinguished non-observant scientists and, at one stage, he spoke about the untenable and even absurd nature of the theory of evolution. The audience expressed disbelief that any intelligent, educated person could deny the validity of this theory. Rav Sternbuch responded by citing the above Gemara and observing that since non-Jewish scientists claim to be descendants of apes, they, by their own confession, cannot be considered “man,” but we claim to be the descendants of Adam Harishon, who was created by Hashem, and of Avrohom Avinu, and we are therefore worthy of the appellation “adam.”

SALT

“You shall salt all your meal-offerings with salt” (2:13).


The Torah commanded us to salt offerings. Since salt possesses the quality of extracting blood from flesh, and since prayers replace offerings, this teaches us that a person praying to Hashem must purify his mind and concentrate on excluding extraneous thoughts in order for his prayers to be acceptable.

Moreover, just like salt adds taste to meat, and only such meat is fit to be served
as a royal dish, so must mitzvos be performed with taste and fragrance, with enthusiasm and devotion, and not half-heartedly as if we were discharging some heavy
burden imposed on us.

Rulings of gedolei yisroel

“He shall put some of the blood on the corners of the altar which is before Hashem,
inside the Tent of Meeting” (4:18).

The Gemara ( Arachin 16a) says that the ketores, which was offered up in secret
inside the Heichal, atoned for the sin of lashon hara, which is spoken in secret.
Similarly, when the elders of the congregation err in a ruling, the blood of the offering must be offered inside the Heichal, because lay people are likely to start defaming the ziknei ha’eidah by unjustifiably finding fault with all their other rulings too. Following along the lines of the ketores, which atoned for lashon hara, this lashon hara, too, must be atoned for in secret by having blood sprinkled on the Paroches and on the internal Mizbei’ach.

This serves as a warning against vilifying the gedolei Yisroel of any generation
by criticizing or impugning their rulings. Those guilty of this type of lashon hara are committing an especially severe sin requiring special atonement in the Heichal.

Positive commandments

“If a person sins and transgresses one of the commandments (mitzvos) of Hashem that should not be done” (5:17).

The word mitzvos usually refers to positive commandments, but here the commandments
in question seem to be referring to negative commandments, since the posuk
is referring to acts which should not be done. How can we understand this?

The Gemara (Kiddushin 39b) says that someone who “sits and refrains from sinning
receives the same reward as someone who has performed a positive commandment.”
In other words, withstanding the temptation to commit a negative commandment
in and of itself constitutes a positive commandment equivalent to the performance
of a standard positive commandment and is therefore worthy of the same reward.
The greater the test and the discomfort suffered in overcoming the temptation, the
greater the reward and significance of the mitzvah performed.

In the same vein, the Rambam (Yesodei HaTorah 5:10) writes that someone who
refrains from sinning not out of fear, or to receive honor, but because of the Creator, sanctifies the Divine Name. For this reason, the Torah uses the word “mitzvos” even when referring to prohibitions, because when we refrain from committing them, we are in fact performing a positive commandment.

According to another approach, the posuk is referring to people who sin on the
mistaken assumption that they are actually performing a mitzvah. This phenomenon
is very common in the area of lashon hara and machlokes, all supposedly for the sake
of Heaven. These imaginary “mitzvos” are of course nothing other than pure transgressions, but by referring to them as mitzvos, the Torah is alluding to the misconceptions entertained by these transgressors.

Repentance

“Based on the valuation as a guilt-offering” (5:18).

The Torah is more stringent with the offering for a certain sin, which only required
a female sheep or goat, than it is with that of a doubtful sin, which requires a more expensive ram to be offered.

The Rama in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah explains this apparent paradox with the
theory that a person feels greater regret for a certain sin he has committed than he does for one which he may not have committed at all. Recognizing the severity of a sin is the prerequisite for repentance, since in the absence of such recognition, not only will a person not be motivated to repent, but such repentance will not be commensurate with the severity of the sin, and therefore a person who is in doubt as to whether he has sinned is required to bring an offering worth two selo’im so that he will feel the severity of the sin and thereby defer the punishment of any suffering he would otherwise have had to endure.

Anyone who wishes to repent must contemplate the severity of each specific sin
which he has committed. The greater the sin, the greater the remorse he should feel.
If he acts in this way, his repentance will be accepted by the Creator.

Human input

“The sons of Aharon the kohein shall place a fire on the altar and they shall arrange
logs on the fire” (1:7). Rashi: “Even though the fire descends from Heaven, it is
a mitzvah to bring [some fire] by human efforts.”

The fire from heaven would not come down until a fire had been ignited by a
person. This teaches us a general principle that unless we do our bit, we cannot rely on Hashem to do His.

Rav Sternbuch was once in the presence of the Brisker Rov zt”l when a visitor from
America came into the room and bemoaned the terrible situation of the Jews. He concluded with confidence that surely Moshiach’s coming was very imminent and surely
the time had come for Hashem to redeem us. The Brisker Rov responded by asking
the visitor whether he had done everything he could to hasten the coming of Moshiach.
Had he intensified his Torah and prayer? Had he worked on his character traits?
It is all very well talking and speculating, but actions speak louder than words.
Hashem, in His kindness, lets us “pull the strings” in Heaven, and it is up to us to use our immense power to influence the course of events both in the public and the private sphere to the utmost. That is what Hashem desires and expects from us.

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch

Earning a Living

"Work may be done six days" (35:2)


It does not say "you shall perform work," because the amount of money a person earns is predetermined and does not depend on the effort expended to acquire it. A person is not an active agent, but merely performs the will of Hashem Who decreed that that we have to toil to make a living. For this reason, the Maggid of Kelm suggested that instead of saying "with the help of Hashem" ("be'ezras Hashem"), we should say "birtzos Hashem" ("if Hashem wills it") since the former phrase implies that although we need Hashem's assistance, we also have some influence regarding the results of our actions, whereas in reality they are solely dependent on the will of Hashem.

Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt"l told Rav Sternbuch's mother that having bitachon included the conviction that it is not possible to "snatch" anything in this world, and a person who exerts himself too much in his efforts to make a living, even if he gains money in the short term, is likely to lose it in the future on items such as medical expenses, which will "balance out" his previous "gains." Hashem wants us to earn a living in a way that allows us to set aside fixed times for Torah and tefillah, and to refrain from anything that even remotely resembles dishonesty. That way, He will shower as with all the material benefits we require to fulfill our purpose in this world.

Sanctity of Each Yid

"But the seventh day must be holy to you" (ibid). Rashi: "He just admonished them concerning Shabbos before commanding them about the works of the Mishkon, saying in effect, that it does not supersede the Shabbos"

The sanctity of Shabbos is even greater than that of Yom Kippur, because in many ways it is easier to serve Hashem when we refrain from eating and drinking, whereas on Shabbos we must sanctify ourselves specifically by elevating and sanctifying material pleasures. If we are successful in this endeavor, the sanctity that is attained is of the highest degree.

It is because of this awesome sanctity of Shabbos, which resembles that of the World to Come, that it supersedes even the work of the Mishkan, which houses the Shechinah. The Shechinah could not dwell in a place where chillul Shabbos (breaking Shabbos) has been committed. Moreover, chillul Shabbos is such a severe aveirah (transgression) that it is the only one which accords the transgressor the status of a non-Jew when it is committed in public.

On the other hand, saving the life of even one Jew, or even prolonging the life of a dying Jew, supersedes the sanctity of Shabbos. If necessary, hundreds or thousands of Jews are obliged to perform melachos on Shabbos to save the life of one fellow Jew such as to look for someone who has gone missing. Hashem waives the requirement to observe a fundamental commandment of the Torah for the sake of preserving or even just prolonging the life of a Yid. This teaches us how precious the life of each Jew is in the eyes of Hashem, and it should inspire us to use our time here to the utmost and not waste parts of our precious life on nonsense.

The Chiddush of Rav Chaim Volozhiner's Mother

"And they came, both men and women, all who were generous of heart brought bracelets, nose rings, finger rings, and buckles" (35:22)

The simple explanation of this event is that the men accompanied the women to demonstrate that the donations of the jewelry were made with their consent, because it is forbidden to receive large amounts of donations from women without their husbands' consent (see Bava Kama 119a)

However, the mother of Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt"l noted that the reason why a wife's earnings belong to the husband is because he is responsible for her sustenance. In the generation of the wilderness, the women ate monn in their own merit and the husbands did not support them, so it was only appropriate that their handiwork belonged to them. For that reason, the women's donations were received even without their husbands' permission because they belonged to the women.

It may be objected that the husband received the monn based on the number people in his household, in which case it belonged to him, and since he sustained his wife, her handiwork must belong to him. However, in defense of Rav Chaim's wife, it could be argued that even though a husband, under normal circumstances, has the right to refuse to sustain his wife he does not acquire the fruit of her labor, the husband in the midbar was obliged to pass on the portion of monn which he had received from her, and was not entitled to deny her this, even if he did not acquire her handiwork.

Giving Charity in Difficult Financial Times

"And the people stopped bringing" (36:6)

The Baal HaTurim cites a tradition linking this posuk to another posuk after the Mabul which uses the identical vaykol. "And the downpour from the heavens was withheld" (Berishis 8:2. This may be taken as a hint to people who refrain from giving charity when they are not the beneficiaries of material abundance symbolized by rain).

Rav Sternbuch once knew a diamond merchant who admitted that during certain periods, he earned almost one million dollars a month, but when Rav Sternbuch asked him for a donation, he said that he was not earning so much at the moment because of an economic slump and he refused to give anything. Rav Sternbuch responded that Hashem had paid him in advance on account and instead of providing him with a living in dribs and drabs. He has paid him huge amounts during a short period from which he could live comfortably in the future and he was now obligated to pay Hashem back by giving charity out of the fund he had received in advance.

The posuk here is telling us that the people only stopped making donations when there was no longer any need for them, unlike a flood, where in a period of material abundance you pay a lot and when the good times stop you give nothing, because someone acting in this way shows disrespect and lack of gratitude for Hashem's kindness to him.

A Home for the Aron

"Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah, made all that Hashem commanded Moshe" (38:22) Rashi: "Moshe had instructed Betzalel to first produce the vessels, and afterward the Mishkan, whereupon Betzalel said to him: "It is customary in the world to first construct a house and afterwards put furnishings in it. Moshe responded to him: '[You are right]' That is indeed what I heard from Hashem, Moshe [then also] said to him. 'You must have been in the shadow of Hashem, for certainly, so did Hashem command me.' And so [Betzalel] did it - first the Mishkan and afterwards he made the vessels"

Why did Moshe Rabbeinu initially tell Betzalel to make the vessels before the Mishkan?

Before the sin of the Eigel Hazohav (the Golden Calf) they were indeed commanded to make the Aron even though no special place had yet been designated for it, because they had not yet been commanded to construct a Mishkan. Due to the elevated state of the nation in which the Shechinah dwelt inside the tent of each individual, and the whole camp was holy, there was no need to limit the Aron to one special place in the Kodesh Hakodoshim. That only became necessary after the sin of the Eigel Hazohav, when the nation was no longer worthy of having the Aron dwell in its midst, and the Aron required a place of its own. Therefore, the Mishkan had to be constructed first. That is why in Parshas Termuah, the commandment was for the Aron to be constructed first, and after the sin of the Eigel we were told to construct the Mishkan first.

Moshe Rabbeinu's heart was overflowing with love for the nation, and he thought that since the nation had now received atonement for their sin, they were once again worthy of having the Aron dwell in their midst. He therefore told Betzalel to construct it first, but Betzalel realized that notwithstanding the atonement they had achieved, the nation was no longer able to revert to its previous spiritual level and required a Mishkan to constructed first house the Aron.

Bein Hazemanim

"Place the laver between the Tent o f Meeting and the altar, and put water into it." (40:7)

When a sinner wishes to repent and purify himself, he can only do so if he no longer has the crookedness which made him sin in first place and he is "straight" like water (see Targum Yonosan on the above pasuk). It is not sufficient for him to be purified from his tumah. The main test is whether all his future conduct will be without crookedness. Just like water which has no color, so too will he be careful not to become haughty because of his positive qualities, and all his actions will be characterized by simplicity, humidity and straightness, just like a flowing stream of water.

The halachah is that someone who has dipped himself into a mikvah only becomes tahor once he has stepped out of the water and not while he is still inside it. Similarly, with regard to Torah, which is compared to water, to determine the degree of a person's taharah, it is not sufficient to see how he learns when immersed in the mikvah of a yeshiva or kollel, but rather what he does at times such as Erev Shabbos and bein hazemanim. If he remains totally immersed in Torah during those periods, and the Torah he has absorbed is reflected in all his conduct and prayers then he is genuinely tahor.

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch

KABBOLAS HATORAH WHILE EXPERIENCING HESTER
PONIM

Har Sinai was accompanied by kollos uverokim, miraculous thunder and lightning.
The heavens opened up and we were privileged to see the greatest revelation of Hashem’s Yet, despite the obvious benefit of such an open display of Divine glory to elevate our faith in the Almighty, there is also a disadvantage.

Chazal tell us, “Modah rabba le’oraisa. We seemingly have an excuse to free ourselves
from our acceptance of Torah.” Klal Yisroel can say that we only accepted the Torah because we were privileged to these open displays of glory. There were no kabbolas
haTorah for future generations when the Almighty’s Presence would be hidden by the
guise of teva, nature.

Purim is characterized by nissim nistarim, hidden miracles. Hashem’s Name is deliberately not mentioned once in the entire story, for He wished to show us His interaction in the world through the vise of hester ponim. As a result, the Megillah tells us, “Kimu vekiblu haYehudim.” After the hidden miracles of Purim, we reaccepted the Torah even during a time when the Almighty’s Presence was hidden from us.

THE SIMCHA OF PURIM

The Vilna Gaon adds another dimension to the simcha of Purim. He explains that on Yom
Kippur, when we received the second set of Luchos, we should have celebrated with great joy. However, since Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and repentance, that was not possible. How did Hashem make this up? He gave us a second opportunity for Kabbolas HaTorah on Purim. On Purim, we can express our great joy that we were given the Torah.

Chazal tell us, “Chayov inish levesumei bePuria ad delo yoda bein arur Haman
uboruch Mordechai - A person has to celebrate on Purim until he can no longer recognize the difference between the fact that Haman is cursed and Mordechai is blessed.” On a simple level, Chazal meant to express a very high level of joy.

However, we can understand this halachah on a deeper level as well. The Zohar writes
that the festival of Yom Kippurim is Yom K’Purim, a day like Purim. In fact, it is the mitzvah of drinking on Purim that makes it like Yom Kippur.

When a person gets drunk, his real essence comes out. This true display of self is the same level of truthfulness that we are meant to reach on Yom Kippur, when we admit our sins in front of Hashem and accept that we will not commit them again. Once we have reached this level of clarity on Purim, we can understand the level of truth we are meant to achieve on Yom Kippur.

UNITY

Drinking wine is one of the mitzvos of Purim Matanos la’evyonim and mishloach manos
play important roles in creating the nature of the day. How do these mitzvos contribute to the Kabbolas HaTorah of Purim?

When we received the Torah, the Jewish people were in a state of complete unity,
ke’ish echad beleiv echad, like one person with one heart. In order to accept the Torah again, we need to return to that state. The mitzvos of matanos la’evyonim and mishloach manos help create this state of perfect unity on Purim day.

AMALEIK

Amaleik’s basic assumption is the opposite of what we have described. Only teva,
nature, has true existence. Anything that does not fit into this framework is discounted. The Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvos 188) writes that the mitzvah of destroying Amaleik is to eradicate their descendants from the world.

The Targum Yonason (at the end of Parshas Beshalach) tells us that during Acharis
Hayomim, at the End of Days, the strength of Amaleik will approach world domination.
Their power will grow almost overwhelmingly, until, suddenly, Moshiach arrives and they will disappear entirely. This is comparable to a flame, which blazes brighter with a final spark just before it is extinguished.

Today, we are witnessing the fulfillment of this vision of Acharis Hayomim. The flame of Amaleik blazes stronger daily, and it appears as if their ascendancy is all but unstoppable. Hashem’s Presence seems to be increasingly shrouded and hidden, and those who doubt His existence seem to be gaining greater influence.

AN END TO ALL HOLIDAYS

Chazal tell us that all chagim will come to an end with the exception of Purim (Medrash Shachor Tov 9:2). We know that even after Moshiach comes, the commandments of the Torah will not change at all. How are we to understand this statement of Chazal? In truth, all of the festivals will remain intact as they are now. However, there will be a significant change vis-a-vis the way we celebrate Purim and the other chagim. This difference once again revolves around the nature of the festival of Purim.

Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos are all based on Yetzias Mitzrayim, the exodus from Egypt.
Miracles that will accompany the messianic era will dwarf the revelations of leaving
Egypt. Thus, while we will still celebrate these festivals, it ill not be with the same excitement as now.Purim, however, celebrates the nissim nistarim, the hidden miracles that Hashem has performed throughout the ages. When Moshiach comes, we will be shown why everything had to happen - the destruction of the first and second Botei Mikdosh, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and all of the other seeming tragedies that we have experienced throughout the ages. Understanding the good behind these outwardly tragic events will be a reason for great joy.

The Ramban at the end of Parshas Bo writes, “A person does not have a portion in
Toras Moshe until he recognizes that everything is miraculous, that there is no such thing as nature in the world.” These words of the Ramban set the tone for the Yom Tov of Purim. Purim is about looking for the Almighty when He does not seem to be there and recognizing that He alone is behind the scenes, setting the stage for the grand finale, the final revelation in the days of Moshiach.

By Rav Moshe sternbuch

AFTER THE DIBROS


Receiving the Aseres Hadibros was seemingly the climax of Kabbolas HaTorah. What could possible follow such a powerfully charged event as hearing Hashem speak to us at Har Sinai? Yet, the Torah continues with “Aileh hamishpatim,” describing numerous mitzvos bein adam lachaveiro. (between man and man)

What is the deeper message of the juxtaposition of these two parshiyos? While the Aseres Hadibros were clearly of Divine origin, one might question whether these laws of proper business conduct, damages and other interpersonal regulations are also from the Almighty. This is the reason why the parsha starts with the letter Vov, to show that all of these mitzvos were also given on Har Sinai.

While human nature is to get upset about damages that happen to us, the Zohar reveals the deeper meaning of these incidents. The Zohar writes: “These are the laws of gilgul, things that Hashem causes as retribution.”
When we are meant to be punished nfor a certain transgression, Hashem may be megalgel on us a different type of punishment in order to cleanse us of this sin.

Hearing these words of the Zohar should help us change our outlook when we suffer damages. If we keep in mind that this is meant to help take away punishment for our transgressions, we should have an easier time not feeling upset about what happened. While we have a right to collect any money that is coming to us, we should try and free ourselves of negative feelings that these incidents may foster within our hearts.

REHABILITATING CRIMINALS

In most parts of the world, the penal system has shown itself to be a complete failure. Sitting in jail with other convicts often has a negative impact on prisoners. After serving time, criminals come out with an even greater anger, and many return to a life of crime.

The Torah’s approach to criminal rehabilitation reveals the great sensitivity to others, even after they have fallen to great depths. Instead of being thrown in jail, convicts are placed into a Jewish home and taught how a Jew is meant to live an upright life. Such an experience changes their outlook
on life and will almost inevitably bring them to complete repentance.

The Torah directs us to display a heightened level of sensitivity to these criminals. If a person has only one pillow or bed, he must give it to these slaves rather than use it for himself or his family. Day after day in such a benevolent environment helps him see the beautiful ways of the Torah and will inspire him to choose such a lifestyle for himself.

TEMPERED SENSITIVITY

While adopting a heightened attitude of sensitivity towards eved ivri, we simultaneously want him to remember the reason for his punishment. If he is already married, we make him live with a shifcha Canaanis.

Forcing him to live together with a non- Jewish salve should infuse within his heart the base nature of his transgression. So too, if an eved ivri decides to stay with his master after his service is complete, we put an awl in his ear. What is the reason for this unusual punishment? Chazal want him to realize that he did not properly hear what Hashem said at Har Sinai: “You should be slaves to Me” and not accept other masters upon yourself.

The hole in his ear serves as a constant reminder that one is only meant to have one Master, Hashem. In today’s complex world, one’s occupation can become so much a part of his life that he might find that he is a slave to his work. We must try and hear the message that the Torah tells us regarding the nirtzah and guard ourselves from taking on masters other than Hashem.


CONVERTS, WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

When referring to the oppression of converts, the Torah adds, “Lo tilachtzeinu.” Rashi explains that this means that one should not steal from him. However, the Gemara in Maseches Bava Metzia (59b) implies that one should not try and collect from him if he does not have money.

If someone owes us money, we are allowed to ask him for it, and if he does not want to pay, we can take him to bais din. Even if there is only a doubt if one is obligated to pay us, we may summon the person to a din Torah to clarify the situation. This is all part of proper mishpat.

Lo tilachtzeinu comes to teach us that in the same set of circumstances, if we have a doubt whether a ger owes us money, we should not summon him to bais din. The Torah expects us to reach an elevated level of sensitivity and recognize the social and economic difficulties that converts face.

This heightened awareness is meant to translate itself in all forms of interaction with them. We must display a similar level of sensitivity
when relating to widows and orphans. In many cases, all of the individuals have no one to turn to for financial and emotional help and are very susceptible to the pain. We must recognize their vulnerability and exhibit a heightened level of sensitivity when dealing with them.

PROVIDING FOR THE POOR

The Torah directs us to lend money to the Jewish people and to provide for the poor of my nation. “Lending money to My nation” hints to dealing with public affairs of Klal Yisroel. Even whilst engaged in such activities, one should be sensitive to the needs of the impoverished and not forget to provide for the “poor of My nation.”

Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky once went to speak with the rov of a certain town. Rav Chaim asked him what he felt the responsibilities of a Jewish leader were. The rov replied that he had to teach Torah, make sure that the Talmud Torah functioned properly, and ensure that the kashrus, taharas hamishpacha and mikvaos were kept up to standard.

Rav Chaim Ozer was very happy to hear the response of this rov, yet he added that the rov should make sure that while he was busy with all of these important tasks, he should not forget one more: A rov must make sure that the impoverished of his city are provided for.

FOLLOWING THE MAJORITY

“You should follow the majority.”

The Torah is sensitive to the fact that one person is not always privy to the whole truth. For this reason, bais din and the Sanhedrin represent more than one opinion. The Yaavetz, Rav Yonason Eibshitz, was once asked that if the Torah tells us to follow the majority, then we should follow the religion of the other nations of the world who outnumber the Jewish people. Rav Eibshitz replied that while it is true that we follow the majority opinion, this is only when a situation of doubt exists. We are sure that the Torah is the only truth, so there is no significance to the majority opinion in that regard.

We follow a similar policy when it comes to daas Torah. Although many people in a community may have their own ideas of how things should be done, this should not be the deciding factor. The majority opinion should fall to the wayside in the face of the ruling of a rov.

FULL DAYS

“I will fill up the number of your days.”

The Torah promises a Jew who sticks to its elevated ways a full life. While there are those who are granted arichas yomim for clinging to the ways of the Torah, the Torah comes to deliver a deeper message. “A full life” means that a person uses every one of his days prudently to reach the highest level of Divine service that he can. In this vein, the Zohar writes that there is a special place in Shomayim for mara dechusbana, someone who takes an accounting of his deeds each day. Every morning, Rav Chaim Brisker would plan out what he had to do that day, and in the evening he would make an accounting of whether he accomplished what he had set out to do.

“Living a full life” has many implications. Each person must look into his own life and see what the Almighty asks of him. Adhering to the elevated level of sensitivity that the Torah shows us is definitely an important part of accomplishing this.

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch


MOSHE’S DISTRESS

“When (Vayehi) Paroh sent the people away” (13:17).

The Medrash states that vayehi is an expression of distress, and here Moshe was upset that he was taking the Jews out of the Egypt, but would not take them into Eretz Yisroel. However, Moshe had already been told before the onset of the plagues that he would witness what would be done to Paroh, and not that which will be inflicted on the kings of the seven nations (Sanhedrin 11a cited by Rashi at the end of Parshas Shemos). Why, then, did Moshe wait until now to express his distress?

The real reason why Moshe did not enter Eretz Yisroel was because Hashem makes greater demands there, and if Moshe would have had the merit of leading us into the country and subsequently would not have observed the mitzvos properly, we would not have been able to withstand the indictment against us. Hashem therefore saw to it that Moshe Rabbeinu would not lead us into the country.

Now that he had led the nation out of Egypt with open miracles, Moshe thought that they had become worthy of entering Eretz Yisroel under his leadership, but when he saw that Hashem wanted them to take the long way lest the people change their minds if they encountered war, Moshe realized that the Divine decree preventing him from entering Eretz Yisroel was final: the nation was not worthy of entering at this stage and he would indeed not have the opportunity of leading them into the country.

EFFORT-BASED REWARD

“Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him” (13:19).

The Gemara says in Maseches Sotah (12a): “Look how dear the mitzvos are for Moshe Rabbeinu, for while the whole nation was busy taking spoils [from the Egyptians], he was dealing with a mitzvah.” Why does the Gemara place such emphasis on Moshe’s set of priorities? This may be understood in light of the Zohar which says that the significance of a mitzvah and the reward for it increase manifold when we invest financial resources or forego financial reward for the sake of the mitzvah. Moshe gave up the opportunity of becoming rich easily and quickly for the sake of an important mitzvah.

In addition to being a famous gaon, the Bais Efraim, Rav Efraim Zalman Margulies zt”l, was also a very wealthy businessman. He told his wife that until 1 p.m. every day, he did not want to be disturbed by any business or other mundane matter. One morning, a merchant came to his house and told his wife that he needed to speak to her husband urgently for just a few moments in return for which her husband could make an easy profit of 10,000 rubles. The rov’s wife was under strict orders to make no exceptions to his learning routine in the mornings, and so she had to turn the person away. When the Bais Efraim heard about what had happened, he was delighted and he told his wife that a few minutes’ worth of Torah learning was surely worth at least 10,000 rubles, and he had now been granted the opportunity to demonstrate that.

Anyone who wants to succeed in his learning and receive all the myriad benefits associated with being koveia ittim laTorah must set aside fixed hours which are sacrosanct and not just spend time learning when he has nothing else to do, and those who are in full-time learning must be koveia ittim during times when they are not obliged to do so by their kollel.

THE DOWNFALL OF THE WICKED

“The camps did not approach each other that whole night” (14:20).

The Gemara says in Maseches Megillah (10b) that when the Jews crossed the sea and the angels came to sing before Hashem, Hashem complained to them that they were singing when His handiwork was drowning in the sea. If that is how we should be relating to wicked people such as the Egyptians, who persecuted us, why does the posuk state (Mishlei 11:10), "When the wicked perish, there is joy," and why does the Rambam (Avel 1:10) rule that we do not mourn the death of wicked people who harm the Jewish nation?

Objectively speaking, the mandatory joy at the downfall of the wicked must be accompanied by sorrow about a pure soul which has become so terribly sullied in this world, and that is what Hashem Himself, kevayachol, feels, and it is the level which Hashem expected from the angels when he interrupted their singing. Some exceptional gedolim also attain this level, but most of us are not expected to feel anything other than joy and relief when wicked people who cause us harm perish.

TANGIBLE FAITH

“The people believed in Hashem” (14:31).

The Zohar asks what this means, since the posuk already stated, "The people believed” (4:31), when they were still in Egypt. The answer given is that now they stood firm and saw the deliverance of Hashem (14:13). Who does this mean?

The Gemara (Maseches Chullin 11b) mentions a presumption that a person's legal father is also his biological father, because the majority of mothers are faithful. Rav Chaim Rabinowitz zt”l, the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, noted that, in practice, a person’s conviction that his father is indeed his father is based on deep feelings and instinct and not merely on this majority.

Similarly, there are many intellectual proofs of Hashem's existence, and Avrohom Avinu attained his faith (emunah sichlis) through such proofs, but not until Krias Yam Suf did we attain emunah chushis, faith based on the same kind of emotional conviction with which a son recognizes his father. This type of emunah became potentially entrenched in the soul of every Yid for all future generations and can be accessed by anyone who makes an effort to do so.

PRAY FOR HEALTH

“If you vigilantly obey the voice of Hashem, your G-d, and do what is upright in His eyes, hearken to His commandments, and preserve all His statutes, then every sickness that I brought upon Egypt I will not bring upon you, for I am Hashem Who heals you” (15:26)

If Hashem is promising us that there will be no disease, why does He need to add that He will heal us?

One explanation is that physical diseases have a spiritual source, and here we are being promised that if we obey Hashem, we will not suffer the same physical diseases as the Egyptians did, because Hashem heals us in advance by taking away the spiritual sources of those diseases.

Alternatively, Hashem is telling us that if we fulfill His will, He will not impose punitive plagues on us as he did on the Egyptians, so that even when he smites us, the disease itself will heal us, because when a sick person realizes that the disease itself comes from Hashem, this strengthens him and makes him repent.

Rav Sternbuch’s rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Schneider zt”l, told Rav Sternbuch that he still remembered how when he was young (some 130 years ago), the students of the students of the Vilna Gaon zt”l would visit the hospital every Friday to see how people were suffering from various diseases in order to increase their gratitude to Hashem for their health and to strengthen their desire to pray fervently to Hashem to be spared such suffering in the future.

ARROGANT ANAVAH

“What are we” (16:7).

Some people are considered to be humble because they do not run after honor, but if the reason they do not do so is because they denigrate others in their mind and do not feel any interest in being honored by them, then they are, in reality, guilty of gross arrogance. A genuine anav feels that he has no superior quality whatsoever. This was the trait possessed by Moshe Rabbeinu, who told Hashem in Parshas Shemos that whoever He decided to appoint as leader of the nation would be more qualified than him.

PEACE AND ZEALOTRY

“Aharon and Chur supported his hands, one of them on one side and one on the other side” (17:12)

Aharon, who pursued peace and increased harmony between people, is the symbol of ahavas Yisroel. Chur, on the other hand, who was stoned to death for his attempt to stop the sin of the Eigel, symbolizes the zealot. Just like the first battle against the physical Amaleik, the battle against the forces of the spiritual Amaleik, who deny Hashem's existence and claim that everything is nature, can only be won through a combination of prayer, ahavas Yisroel, and zealotry. Irrespective of who the opponent is, genuine zealotry is accompanied by prayer, love of peace and our fellow Jews, and complete subservience to halacha and to the gedolim.

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch


RESPONDING TO WAKE-UP CALLS

“And so that you may relate in the ears of your son and grandson how I made a mockery of the Egyptians” (10:2)

Paroh made himself into a laughingstock amongst the members of his own nation by shouting "Hashem is the righteous one and I and the nation are wicked” one moment, and then, as soon as the plague stopped declaring: "Who is Hashem that I should listen to him?"

Similarly, in times of distress we are quick to pray with great sincerity to Hashem making all sorts of vows if we are saved from our woes, and then, once they disappear, forgetting about the vows, or diluting them with various rationalizations. Even if we stick to our promises, we tend to go back to our daily routine as if nothing has happened, until the next misfortune strikes rachmono litzlon, (G-d forbid) and so on and so forth in a never-ending cycle.

The Torah tells us that we have a duty to tell our children about this fickleness on the part of Paroh and to stress to them the importance of making fundamental and lasting changes in our lives following divine wake-up calls, lest we become guilty of the same pattern of behavior as Paroh.

SONEI MATONOS YICHYE

“Speak, please [‘no’], in the ears of the people, and let each man borrow from his friend” (11:2). Rashi: “’no’ can only indicate pleading”.

Why did the yiden have to be implored to take gold and silver for free?

The Egyptians were actually keen for the Jews to take as much as they wanted, as long as they left them alone and put an end to their troubles, and after so many decades of unpaid for slavery they were more than entitled to take anything that took their fancy. However, as the wording of the possuk indicates, Hashem specifically wanted us to receive loans and not presents. Even though these loans were de facto gifts, since in the circumstances it was obvious that they would not be returned, had they taken the form of an outright gift some merit would have accrued to the Egyptians for having paid the Jews a salary for the slavery services, and Hashem wanted to prevent that and therefore begged Moshe that each man should borrow from his Egyptian neighbor.

DISCREDITING TORAH JEWRY - THEN AND NOW

“About the time of midnight” (11:4). Rashi: “About midnight, either [slightly] before or after, and he did not say ‘at midnight’ lest Paroh's stargazers make a mistake and say, ‘Moshe is a liar’!"

By this stage Moshe Rabbeinu had already overturned nature no less than nine times by means of the plagues throughout Egypt, and yet Moshe was still concerned that if the plague of the firstborn would appear to commence one moment before or after the designated time, Paroh would say triumphantly that Moshe was a liar and all the previous miracles were one big hoax. In the middle of all their anguish and the death of the firstborns, Moshe was worried that they would still not lose the opportunity of "discrediting" him and Hashem.

Deep inside, the wicked recognize the truth and the vacuousness of their idol worship and materialism. However, in order to grant legitimacy to their way of life, when faced with a holy righteous personality whose entire life is devoted to Hashem, they endeavor to find even a miniscule alleged defect in order to magnify it and declare that person and everything he stands for to be a lie.

It was the same with Homon. The possuk says “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordechai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate". Given that all the other king's servants were bowing down to him, one would think that Homon would be totally unconcerned about the actions of an insignificant Jew, so what is the meaning of this possuk? Homon knew that all the obsequiousness demonstrated by the others was completely false, and that the only man of truth was Mordechai. Hence he was afraid of him, and felt that all the"honor" accorded to him was completely valueless as long as there was someone representing the truth. That was the cause of his fury, which led him to attempt to destroy the whole nation to whom Mordechai belonged. Following nine plagues, the Egyptians too had no doubts that Hashem controlled the world, and that all their idol worship was false. They were therefore likely to go out of their way to attempt to prove that Moshe was a liar.

Not much has changed since then. One person spits at a girl in Beit Shemesh, and thanks to an anti-religious journalist, this “sensational” news item becomes a top news story in the national and international media. Overnight all religious Jews become discredited. Anything of value that religious Jewry or the Torah has to offer suddenly become irrelevant because of this “earth shattering” event.

However, the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu felt the need to minimize the Egyptians’ ability to engage even in such completely irrational behavior, does demonstrate how vital it is for us to conduct ourselves as behooves the am hanivchar (chosen nation) in all areas of life and create a Kiddush Hashem in our dealings with Gentiles or not-yet-religious Jews lest we become the cause of rational criticism. No one in their right mind would spit at a young girl or engage in violence or other anti-Torah activity, but we must always remember that business ethics and other aspects of our interpersonal behavior are at least as important as mitzvos bein odom lamokom, (mitzvos between man and G-d) especially in an age of instant and worldwide communication.

TORAS ERETZ YISROEL

“This month shall be reckoned to you as the beginning of months” (12:2)

The Ramban says that the names of our months originated in the Babylonian exile, and we continued using them upon our return to Eretz Yisroel. Why did we continue using these non-Jewish names?

Zionists argued that the observance of the Torah was restricted to chutz looretz serving as a bulwark against assimilation, whereas here in our homeland we should forget our “galuti” past, and simply adopt nationalism. By contrast, the holy chachomim (rabbis) at the end of the Babylonian exile knew that the period of the second Bais Hamikdosh did not yet constitute the final redemption, and we would still have to undergo a further period of exile.

They therefore wanted to create a link between the period of exile and the period of our return to Eretz Yisroel, so that the masses should not think that now that we had returned to our homeland, anything had changed in terms of our connection to Torah, and all the takonos (decrees) enacted in Bovel, and, of course, subsequently, the Babylonian Talmud, are of central importance for all generations both in chutz lo’oretz and in Eretz Yisroel.

PRIVATE ACTS OF KIDDUSH HASHEM

“The blood will be for you as a sign on the houses” (12:13). Rashi: “’As a sign to you’ but not as a sign to others.

Blood signifies mesirus nefesh (dedication and self-sacrifice). This may be taken as an injunction to perform private acts of Kiddush Hashem within the confines of our own homes, to which no one is witness, which the Rambam talks about (Yesodei Hatorah 5:10). This takes place every time we overcome our evil inclination by refraining from sin, performing a mitzvah, or performing it with fervor, and when we set aside regular times for learning Torah and educating our children properly. In other words, the sign, which is situated outside as it were, should always be before us inside too, serving as a constant reminder of our duty to serve Hashem with dedication and to refrain from sinning.


RESPONDING TO THE ROSHO IN THE HAGODO

“When your children will ask you, ‘What is this service of yours’? You shall say, ‘It is the Pesach-offering to Hashem’” (12:26-27)

This is the question asked by the rosho in the hagodo. The rosho cannot grasp that divine worship can consist in eating and enjoying meat. He thinks that closeness to Hashem can only be attained by living the life of a monk and abstaining from all material pleasures.

We answer him that when we perform actions which give us material pressure in order to fulfill the will of Hashem they indeed constitute a lofty form of avodo. For us there is no dichotomy between serving Hashem and material pleasures.

The Hagodo concludes with a directive to "sharpen" the teeth of the rosho. With him eating is for his own personal pressure, and he only needs teeth in order to chew, whereas the chochom contemplates the wonders of Hashem when he is eating, so that his teeth are tools for elevating himself in his avodas Hashem. “And for this sake Hashem took us out of Egypt”: so that each movement of ours should be done for the sake of serving Him.


BECOMING WORTHY OF REDEMPTION

“There was total darkness in the entire land of Egypt” (10:22)

Rashi at the beginning of parashas Beshalach (13:18) says that 4/5 of the Jews died during the three days of darkness. Since 600,000 men left Egypt, this means that 2 million died during the plague of darkness, and this figure does not include women and children, so that an estimated 10 million people died altogether. The medrash says that Hashem saw that these people enjoyed wealth and honor and did not want to leave Egypt, and were therefore not worthy of being redeemed together with their brethren. They were killed during this plague in order to prevent a situation where the Egyptians would witness the majority of the nation they hated suffering the same fate as them.

However, how could so many yidden have failed to reach the required spiritual levels after having witnessed eight unprecedented supernatural plagues during which the wicked Egyptians received so much retribution? We would have thought that these must have made a profound impression on them.

As noted last week, it is a fundamental principle that in order to maintain our free choice the forces of kedusho have to be counterbalanced by a corresponding yetzer horo. In this case the evil inclination took the form of natural explanations that were produced to account for all the plagues, allowing people to be deluded into believing that people died "from natural causes" and not by way of divine punishment on account of their sins.

Chazal tell us that in the future and final redemption, we will experience miracles surpassing even those we experienced in Egypt. Hence, people assume that even completely wicked people will repent during that time. However, the Brisker Rov zt”l told Rav Sternbuch this is not the case, and only those who constantly contemplate the wonders of Hashem will be able to recognize that He is the Creator, because the evil inclination acts in tandem with the miracles, and it requires effort on our part to overcome it.

Since the end of the churbon in Europe, we have witnessed a long succession of miracles here in Eretz Yisroel. Our task is to constantly contemplate the greatness of Hashem and the kindness with which He showers us constantly both on the national and the personal level. If we do so, we will successfully resist any attempts to produce natural explanations and will perceive miracles for what they are. We will not require any wake-up calls from any of the seventy wolves that wish to destroy us or personal tragedies chas vesholom, and be deemed worthy of experiencing unprecedented miracles and redemption.