Thursday, July 19, 2012
Rewards
10:02 PM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
just reward
The midrash
says: "Hashem said: Pinchos legitimately obtained his reward [of kehuno]”.
How are we to understand this in the light of another Chazal which tells us
that there is no reward in this world?
Since
Torah and mitzvos have an eternal effect on the neshomo and on the upper worlds,
it would not be appropriate to limit the reward for our deeds to this ephemeral
world, and, therefore, in principle, our actions are rewarded only in the
eternal World to Come. However, someone who goes beyond the strict letter of
the halocho and performs actions, which he is not obligated to perform
merely out of his great love of Hashem, is rewarded mido keneged mido (measure
for measure), beyond the letter of the law, in this world too.
Pinchos
was not obligated to kill Zimri and in the specific situation in which Pinchos
found himself he was certainly not obligated to risk his life (the gemoro
in Sanhedrin relates various miracles that took place which saved him).
Hence, it was only fitting that Pinchos, who went far beyond the call of duty,
should receive his reward also in this world. So too are we rewarded in this
world whenever our actions are performed with extra love, devotion and dedication.
Compromise for the sake of Peace?
"I hereby give him My covenant of peace (25:12)
The vov in the
word sholom (peace) is cut short (ketuo), so that it reads shalem
(complete, whole). Since “the ways of the Torah are pleasant and all its paths
lead to peace”, observing the Torah must perforce also lead to peace. However,
sometimes we must abandon the ways of peace in order to preserve the
completeness of the Torah and the Jewish nation. Our secular and
quasi-religious brethren often preach that we should be more lenient, to make
life easier for them. If only we would be more flexible, they say, they would
be more amenable towards leading a religious lifestyle, or at least towards
meeting our requirements.
Our
response is that the Torah is not a man-made system of legislation, which is
ours to dispense with based on the whims of any particular generation. Genuine
peace cannot be achieved by cutting short even one letter of the Torah. When
the sheleimus (completeness) of the Torah is at stake, preserving it
takes precedence over preserving peace. For example, if our erring brethren
suggest "compromises" in the form of "only" so and so many
boys that must be drafted to the army, it is not within our power to agree to
such proposals.
Zealotry WITH LOVE
“Because
he was zealous for his G-d and atoned for the bnei Yisroel” (25:13)
The conventional
picture of a zealot is of someone who is cruel by nature and persecutes anyone
with views that do not take his fancy or merely as an act of personal vengeance
disguised as some holy endeavor. The genuine Torah zealot, by contrast, has no
personal score to settle with anybody. In fact, he should have no personal
interest whatsoever in the outcome of his actions. His sole desire is to increase
peace in the world.
Pinchos
risked his life in order to prevent a desecration of the Divine name. He was
overflowing with love for his fellow Jews, and the possuk here is emphasizing that his seemingly cruel
act aroused Divine mercy and atonement for the whole nation. Since he made peace
between Hashem and his holy Nation, he was rewarded with a covenant of peace.
It says
“his G-d” and not just “G-d”, because a person's closeness to Hashem depends on
his level of avodas Hashem. The closer he wants to be to Hashem, the
closer he actually becomes to Him. Thus, Pinchos attained his level of
zealousness by virtue of his personal closeness to Hashem.
Hidden enemies
“Harass
the Midianites, and smite them” (25:17)
Chazal
tell us that that we were not commanded to take vengeance on the Moabites, even
though they also submitted their daughters to immorality, because they did so
out of fear of the Jews, as opposed to the Midianites, who got involved in a
quarrel in which they had no personal interest, and also for the sake of Ruth
and Naama who were destined to issue from Moav.
However,
although this explains why we were forbidden to wage war against Moav, it still
seems surprising that we were not commanded to harass or hate them. Perhaps
this was because the daughters of Moav did not commit their actions in secret,
and did not conceal their intention to cause the Jews to sin, as opposed to the
Midianites, who furtively advised the Moabites from a distance to lead the Jews
astray through immorality. A hidden enemy who pretends to mean us no harm is
far more dangerous than a declared enemy, who we know to keep a distance from, and
that is why we were commanded to harass and smite the Midianites without mercy.
Feeling responsibility for the entire nation
“Korach's
sons did not die” (26:11)
Rashi: “They were originally involved in the conspiracy, but during the
dispute they contemplated repentance; therefore, an elevated area was set apart
for them in Gehinnom, and they stayed there”.
After
having been involved in the dispute and contemplating repentance, they should
have attempted to influence others to desist from the dispute. Instead, they
made do with saving their own skin and avoiding punishment by breaking away
from their previous sinful behavior. Since they did not feel a responsibility
for the welfare and fate of all their fellow Jews, they did not merit to enter gan
eden
If we feel
mutual responsibility for the interests of all yiden when there is a rebellion against Hashem or
His Torah, even in situations where our own interests are not
endangered, we will obtain the commensurate recompense awarded to the entire
nation, but if we are not concerned for the souls of our erring brethren, not
only will we not share in such a reward, but we will also be forced to witness
the punishment of the wicked, due to our failure to attempt to get them to desist
from their wicked deeds.
On the
other hand, not only were the sons of Korach spared from having to actually
endure gehinnom due to their
thoughts of repentance, but Shmuel, whose stature was equivalent to that
of Moshe and Aharon, issued from them, and their songs for the honor of Heaven are
also to be found in Tehilim. Clearly, then, their repentance was
accepted by Hashem. This shows how precious even thoughts of repentance are in
the eyes of Hashem, and the eternal rewards that await those who have them.
Spiritual heirs
If a
man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter (27:8)
The gemoro
(Masseches Bovo Basro 116a) derives from this possuk that whoever
does not leave a son behind to inherit him Hashem becomes angry with him. If
someone has not been fortunate enough to leave behind a son, what sin has he
committed?
The
inheritance referred to here is not a monetary or physical bequest, but rather that
of a son who continues in the path of his father after his demise. If a person
does not make the financial and emotional investments in the education of his
children required to ensure the future transmission of the Torah and the values
of our forefathers, he is held responsible for this failure.
In
addition to physical sons, a person leaves his mark through students, or anyone
on whom he has had a positive influence during his lifetime. Any time they
continue on the path set out by the deceased they bring about the everlasting
elevation of his neshomo so that he is amply rewarded for his efforts in
this world.
Moshe Rabbeinu’s VISION
“And when you have seen
it, you too will be gathered to your people” (27:13)
Moshe
Rabbeinu had no desire to see Eretz Yisroel like a tourist. By this
stage of his life he had become so pure and holy that his spiritual essence
dominated his physical senses, and his sense of sight was no exception. Hashem
was telling him that when he would ascend Mount Abarim he would perceive the
spiritual characteristics and advantages of the holy country, which he was not
permitted to enter in a way that no other flesh and blood could perceive, and
even Moshe Rabbeinu was only in a position to perceive this at the time that he
was about to depart from this world.
Jewish leaders
“And he
took Yehoshua” (28:22).
Rashi: He took him [by encouraging him] with words, and informed him of the
reward in store for the leaders of Israel
A Rebbe
once noted that the rewards awaiting Jewish leaders are limited to the World to
Come, since in this world they often endure only suffering for their actions. Yehoshua
had witnessed how the nation had treated Moshe Rabbeinu since he took them out
of Egypt
Lay
leaders of the community and askonim too should not expect any gratitude
or rewards for their actions in this world, but they will amply rewarded in the
World to Come for all their deeds.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Ask the Raavad
QUESTIONS
and ANSWERS
QA Responses to your halachic questions
from senior posek
RAV
MOSHE STERNBUCH
Raavad of Yerushalayim
QA Your questions in hashkafah and machshavah
By Rabbi Daniel
Travis based on divrei halacha heard from Rav Moshe Sternbuch, rosh av bais din
of Yerushalayim. Questions may be sent to editor@yated. com and selected
answers will be printed in this column. The answers given here are the general rule,
but each case has its merits and drawbacks and must be referred
to a posek.
Question: I understand that any food
that can be eaten raw does not present a problem of bishul akum. Today,
many people enjoy raw fish in the form of
sushi. Does this mean that the prohibition of bishul akum does not apply to fish?
Another question I have is regarding the halacha of nechal al shulchan
melachim,
i.e., bishul akum only
applies to a food that is served at a stately banquet. What if a food is cooked
in a place where a food is in this category and then brought to a place where
the food does not fit in this category? Does this remove the prohibition of bishul akum?
Thanks.
Asher Sebbag
Answer: In regard to your first
question about cooking fish, the vast majority of fish is not used for
this purpose, so the fact that fish is used
today for sushi does not remove the prohibition of bishul akum. If there is a fish whose
majority use is for sushi, then the prohibition of bishul akum would not apply to it.
As far as your second question is concerned,
if food is cooked by a non-Jew in a place where it is fit to be served at a
stately banquet, then it is considered bishul akum and is prohibited. However,
if that food is taken to a place where it
is not fit to be served at such an affair,
since it is no longer considered to be oleh al shulchan melachim, it is permitted to be
eaten.
The reason for this is that the prohibition of
bishul akum is
eating it, not cooking it, so it is permitted as long as one does not eat it in
a place where it is oleh al Shulchan melachim.
Question: I am a working mother and have
non-Jewish help in our home. I leave the house early in the morning and only
return later in the afternoon, and I would like my non-Jewish help to cook
lunch for my children. Is there anything I can do to avoid the problem of bishul akum?
Very grateful,
Lynn G.
Answer: The Rama (Yoreh Deah 113:7) mentions a number of
ways that Ashkenazim can
avoid the problem
of bishul akum. One way is for a Jew to participate in
making the fire. In this vein, Rav Yisroel Salanter would go to the non- Jewish
bakery and throw a cigarette into the fire.
Another option the Rama mentions is for the non-Jew
to take from a fire started by a Jew. If you have a gas stove with a pilot light
that a Jew lit, then every time you light the fire of the stove, it is as if
you are taking from the
fire lit by the Jew. This makes it as if a
Jew lit the fire. Some factories rely on a heter of putting the equipment on a timer that
turns it on every day.
While this leniency is acceptable for a
one-time use of an appliance, it cannot be relied upon on a daily basis, but
rather one must reset the timer every day that he wishes to use it, and this
way it is as if a Jew turned it on every day.
Some rabbonim, like Rav Eliyahu Falk, do not permit this
method, for they do not consider this to be as if the Jew lit the fire.
Some factories have the mashgiach light the machinery every day
via a cell phone. Since the mashgiach is restarting the equipment every day, this
is an acceptable way to avoid the prohibition of bishul akum. Therefore, this is
considered an acceptable way to avoid bishul akum. The Rama mentions another heter of throwing a small piece
of
wood into the oven. In this vein, some
factories have a light bulb in the oven that adds a minute amount of heat to
the oven. This is not an acceptable way to permit bishul akum, since a new action is not
being performed each day.
Question: Does the prohibition of bishul akum apply to cooking or heating
up food in a microwave oven?
Thank you.
Avraham Dovid
Michael Salasnik
Answer: The halacha of a microwave depends on
whether we consider it to be like kavush, pickling,
which is not considered cooking, or like
regular cooking. Since a microwave can cook food in a
similar and at times equal way as cooking on
a fire, the prohibition of bishul akum applies.
Hashem takes care of the yeshivos
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Political success
Bolok
the son of Zippor saw… Bolok the son of Zippor was king of Moav at that time (22:2-4)
Why
does it not say straight away that Bolok was the king of Moav? He was not the
king initially, but only became a monarch after he had started spreading
propaganda about the danger posed by the Jews to his nation. Throughout history
any anti-Jewish platform has been a sure recipe for political success.
Similarly, today in Eretz
Yisroel politicians vie with
each other as to who can come up with the most venomous anti-chareidi policy.
Bilom’S Blessing
Whomever
you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed (22:6)
If Billom had the power to bless, why did
Bolok not ask him to bless him for success in his attempts to wage war against
the Jews, instead of asking him to take the circuitous path of cursing the
nation so that they could not succeed?
The urge of anti-Semites
throughout history to witness the downfall and suffering of their (real or
imagined) enemies was stronger than their concern for their own welfare. That
was why Bolok preferred Bilom to curse the Jews rather than bless him.
Alternatively, by
natural standards, Moav had nothing to worry about, since they were situated in
their own territory with a mighty army, as opposed to the Jews who were
isolated in the wilderness, and Bolok’s only fear was from the Might of Hashem,
who in His love for His nation would fight for them supernaturally. Hence, any
blessings by Bilom for Bolok to succeed in his battles with the Jews would be
totally futile, because Hashem was with them. Only by cursing them with his
evil eye, and bringing out some defect in them, was there any chance that Bilom
could succeed in his efforts for Hashem to take away His divine protection from
His nation.
Avoiding blessings from the wicked
You
shall not go with them! You shall not curse the people because they are blessed
(22:12).
Rashi: He said to Him, “If so, I will curse them in my place.” He replied to
him, “You shall not curse the people.” He said, “If so, I will bless them.” He
replied, “They do not need your blessing, ‘for they are blessed.’” As the
saying goes, “We say to the wasp, ‘Neither your honey, nor your sting.’”
Why would Bilom, who
hated the Jews so much, want to bless them?
The so-called blessings
of the wicked are no less detrimental to us than their manifest curses, and no
good can come from them. Bilom’s request from Hashem was that all the blessings
of the Jews should come from him, because that would effectively ruin them as
much as an outright curse from him. Hashem responded that he had no permission
to bless the Jews, because they were themselves the source of all blessings,
and had no need for any of his.
During the Second World War, Rav Moshe
Schneider’s yeshiva suffered terrible financial straits, but even when there
was no bread to feed the boys, Rav Schneider refused offers from mechalalei
Shabbos to come to the yeshiva’s rescue, arguing that in order to ensure
its continued success, the funds supporting the yeshiva had to come only from
pure sources. In a similar vein, Rav Chaim Brisker zt”l , said that the Volozhiner Yeshiva eventually closed down,
because the people responsible for collecting funds for it had not been particular
about the character of the donors, and this had affected the kedusha of
the Yeshiva.
Faith
What
have I done to you that you have struck me these three times (22:28). Rashi: He
hinted to him, “You seek to uproot a nation which celebrates three festivals in
a year”?
Why did Hashem
praise the Jews specifically for this mitzvah?
When the
Jews performed the mitzvah of aliyo loregel three times a year, leaving
their homes exposed to thieves and plunderers in reliance on the divine promise
that "no one shall covet your country", that was the ultimate demonstration of faith
in Hashem. It is this superior quality of faith which has sustained us each and
every generation, and continues to sustain us, whenever anyone seeks to harm or
destroy us.
Hashem was
rebuking Bilom for attempting to uproot a nation with such steadfast faith, and
telling him that no curse by any mortal could have an effect on a nation which
placed its faith in Hashem so fearlessly.
Eternal
Torah
It is a
people (am) that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations
(goyim) (23:9)
Rav Elchonon
Wasserman zt”l hy“d was once in London
Bilom was
saying that the Jewish nation shall dwell alone, it does not need to be an “am”,
because it differs from the rest of the world population in its religion and
customs, and is therefore distinguished as a nation in its own right without
having its own territory. Nor shall it be reckoned as a “goy”, because
territory is not required in order to make it into a nation, and the reason we
yearn to live in Eretz Yisroel is on account of its sanctity and the mitzvos
which can only be observed there, but our national essence is not dependent on
living there.
He
continued to expand on this theme, even though his audience was becoming
sparser by the minute, as the majority consisted of Zionists who walked out in
protest. Rav Sternbuch recalls that by the time he had finished there was
barely a minyan left. Rav Elchonon, who knew from experience about the
likely response to his words of rebuke, and the consequent loss of donors,
explained to his amazed questioners who remained behind that he felt it to be his
duty to increase kvod shomayim (the Honor of Heaven) regardless of the
consequences. Hashem has guaranteed the eternity of Torah and Torah learners,
and He would surely find a way to support his yeshiva.
Here in Eretz
Yisroel, not only our spiritual but our physical existence is dependent on
the undisturbed functioning of the yeshivas and kolelim. Rav
Sternbuch noted at a demonstration two weeks ago that as servants of Hashem, we
have no authority to agree to any “compromises" regarding the issue of
drafting yeshiva or kollel students, who make up the soldiers of
Hashem’s army, and that their task at this time is to reinforce their Torah and
yiroh.
the
Segulo of Kerias Shma
And they were weeping at
the entrance of the Ohel Moed (25:6)
The Targum
Yonoson comments that the bnei Yisroel were saying Kriyas Shma. This
teaches us about the great power of Kriyas Shma recited with devotion.
At a time when the powers of tumoh represented by Bilom achieved some
success in making inroads into the sanctity of the Jewish nation and lowering
their superior level when the nosi of a tribe committed such a serious
transgression, the nation decided to reinforce their kedusha by reciting
Kriyas Shma.
When we
recite Kriyas Shma properly in the mornings or evenings we inject
holiness into all our limbs and destroy the mazikin (evil spirits),
which have been created as a result of our sins. For this reason the gemoro
(Masseches Berochos 12b) says that if it would not have been too much of
a burden on the public, Chazal would
have instituted the recital of parshas
Bolok together with Kriyas Shma
in order to remind us of the power of Kriyas Shma and the
necessity of reciting it with the
appropriate level of concentration. When we are meyached shmo properly
the forces of kedusha are increased and the forces of tumo
disappear on their own.
Tapping into previous generation
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Educational advice
Have
them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid (19:2)
A
perfectly red unblemished cow is very difficult to come by, and can only be
located after much effort. Clearly, obtaining tahara (purification) from
tumas mes (the impurity of a dead body) was not meant to be an easy
task. Similarly, anyone seeking to purify himself from his evil ways must
realize that his goal can only be achieved after expending a lot of effort.
A cow,
which had a yoke laid on it, was not qualified to serve as a poro adumo.
(the red heifer) This teaches us that if the holy is intermingled with the
secular this diminishes from the potency of the tahara, which is inherent in the holy component.
From the outset all the objects and the actions surrounding the poro adumo
had to be infused with complete kedusho.
If we want
our children to grow up dedicated to serving Hashem and His Torah, we have to
make a point of inculcating unadulterated Torah and yiras shomayim (fear
of heaven) from the outset, without any secular components at all. That way our
efforts to ensure that they acquire a love of Torah and mitzvos are
likely to be crowned with success.
Why we wear yarmulkes
Any
open vessel which has no seal fastened around it becomes unclean (19:15)
This possuk
may be taken as a general instruction to "fasten" our openings. We
must endeavor to maintain control over our mouths and thoughts, and make sure
that we do not speak or even think things contrary to the Will of Hashem. In
the absence of such control tumah will become embedded in our neshomos.
It is
clear from the gemoro (Masseches Shabbos 156b) that the purpose of
covering our heads is to increase yiras shomayim. Rav Shimon Sofer zt”l¸ the Rav of Krakow adds that head
coverings on a Jewish boy or man teach him the lesson that he has to rein in
his thoughts and control his imagination.
Interestingly,
one of the first actions undertaken by the first generations of anti-religious maskilim,
who rebelled against their religious upbringing, was to take off their
yarmulkes. By doing so they demonstrated that their thoughts were no longer
subjugated to any higher purpose, and certainly not to daas Torah and chazal.
Jewish mother
The
congregation had no water (20:2) Rashi: From here we learn that all the
forty years they had the well in Miriam’s merit.
The mon
came down in the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu¸ and the anonei
hakovod hovered above them in the merit of Aharon. Why did they require the
merit of Miriam specifically for water, the most basic commodity of human
existence?
The ideal
Jewish mother is an akeres bayis, a housewife, the mainstay of the whole
household, who is always next to her children, and raises them from the very
first day. She lays the foundations for the continued existence of the Jewish
home, be it in matters of tznius, kashrus, chesed¸
hospitality, and so on. It is within her power to maintain the purity of the
home and to prevent foreign influences from infiltrating into it.
This is the lesson of Miriam’s well. The righteous women of each
generation are the cornerstones of the nation, and they preserve the kedusha and tahara
of their households. Miriam was the role model for Jewish women from her day to
our own times, and the water which the whole nation enjoyed in her merit
symbolized the basic and essential role of the Jewish mother.
Significance of each individual
The
Canaanite king of Arad
They were obligated to wage war for the sake of saving even one
maidservant from the danger of assimilation. Every individual is indispensable,
because all the upper worlds derive their sustenance from the avoda of each and every one of us in
this world, and we cannot imagine the importance and preciousness of each yiddishe neshomo. This should inspire
us not only to improve our own avodas Hashem,
but also to do more to draw even one person closer to his Maker. Anyone who
succeeds in doing so is to be envied.
Wells of TOrah and Yiroh
A well
dug by princes, carved out by nobles of the people (21:18)
Targum Yonoson
writes: “the well which was dug by the forefathers
Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov… was dug by the heads of the nation Moshe and
Aharon”. In other words, the leadership and avodo of Moshe and Aharon
was based on the avodo of our holy forefathers, and without their
preparation and efforts, the Jewish nation would not have merited what they did
in the generation of Moshe and Aharon.
We mentioned above that that is not easy for a person to purify himself from his
evil ways. On the other hand, we must it that if we
persevere we can easily reach extremely high levels, since the generations
preceding us have already dug wells consisting of water filled with Torah and yiras
shomayim from which we can
benefit. All we have to do is to tap into those potential treasure
troves by means of our own avodo.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Respecting talmidei chachomim
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
pride and humility
The medrash says
"What motivated Korach to make a dispute with Moshe Rabenu? He saw
the section dealing with para adumo”. The commentators have difficulties
understanding this medrash.
In the mitzvah of para adumo
we are commanded to use the cedar tree, which symbolizes pride, and, by
contrast, the hyssop, which symbolizes humility. The para adumo was metaher
teme’im and metame tehorim. (it made those who were impure pure and
made impure the ones that were pure) Pride is one of the most severe sins, but
sometimes it is essential to utilize it. If a person, when first embarking on
his avodas Hashem, tells himself that he is nothing, then that can
become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, he must initially use the qualities
of the cedar tree and strive for greatness. For example, Rav Moshe Schneider zt”l
would point out to each of his students that they had great potential and inherent
greatness. Only once a person has managed to realize some of his potential,
should he start using the qualities of the hyssop, and remind himself of how
far he still has to go to completely fulfill his potential.
Korach learnt from parshas
para adumo that even someone
who has not yet attained the superior levels of holy people should endeavor to
attain them. Although the Rambam does say that everyone is obligated to strive
to attain the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, Korach in his great desire to emulate
Moshe and Aharon, thought that if he would only obtain a position similar to
theirs, he would also be able to reach their high levels. His mistake lay in
assuming that obtaining a high position is a prerequisite for greatness (see
more on this below), and in failing to accept Hashem’s decree regarding the
appointments of Moshe and Aharon.
Alternatively,
Korach was hinting at the fact that the para adumo came to atone for the
chet hoegel, (sin of the Golden Calf) and his argument was that since Aharon had
still not achieved complete atonement for that sin, there was no reason why he
should be more suitable for the kehuna than Korach.
Good intentions not enough
“And Doson and Avirom” (16:1). Rashi: He dressed them with cloaks made
entirely of blue wool. They came and stood before Moshe and asked him, “Does a
cloak made entirely of blue wool require tzizis, or is it exempt?” He replied,
“It does require tzizis.” They began laughing at him saying, "Is it
possible that by a cloak of another material, one string of blue wool exempts
it, and this one, which is made entirely of blue wool, should not exempt itself?”
The talis made entirely of
techeles was an allusion to the argument that since the entire congregation
was holy they did not need a leader. Although not every member of the nation
might be on the level of Moshe and Aharon, their intentions were good, and Moshe
and Aharon had no right to lord it over their coreligionists. Surely, they
concluded, Moshe Rabenu was only
interested in leadership for his own purposes. Moshe replied that even a tallis
is made only of techeiles it was still not exempt from the mitzvah of tzitzis. In other words, good
intentions are not enough, and the nation does need a leader.
The early Christians lehavdil
also argued that a good heart and a person's intentions were the main qualities
which Hashem is interested in, and therefore most of the divine commandments
could and should be dispensed with. Similarly, one still comes across some
not-yet observant Jews who defend their way of life by claiming that they have
a "Jewish heart” and that is the main thing. In reality, of course, the
Torah expects us to combine physical mitzvos with pure intentions, and
both are indispensable.
The art of forgiveness
“Moshe heard and fell on his face
(16:4). Rashi: because of the
rebellion, for this was already their fourth offense. When they sinned with the
calf, “Moshe pleaded”; in the episode of the complainers, “Moshe prayed”; with
the spies, “Moshe said to Hashem, ‘But the Egyptians will hear…” , but now, at
Korah’s rebellion, he became disheartened”.
The gemoro in Masseches
Yomo (87a) relates the
following episode. There was a butcher who offended Rav. On erev yom kippur that butcher did not come to Rav to ask his
forgiveness, and so Rav decided to go to him to give him the opportunity to
appease Rav. However, instead, the butcher told that him that he had nothing to
say to him. After that he suffered a work accident and was killed.
This gemoro teaches us a big chiddush: someone who has
offended another person must degrade himself and beg forgiveness from his
victim. Rav surely forgave the butcher in his heart, but that was not enough. For
that reason he went out of his way to give his "enemy" a chance to
obtain forgiveness, but he lost that chance.
Here too, Moshe made himself available and
waited for Korach to seek his forgiveness. When he saw that this was not happening,
he realized that this was a very problematic situation as far as Korach was
concerned. Although he could ask Hashem once again to forgive Korach’s
rebellion against Hashem, as he had done on three previous occasions, and he
could also forgive Korach in his heart for the offence against himself, he knew
that that would be not be enough until Korach himself would ask Moshe Rabbeinu
for forgiveness. That was why Moshe fell on his face, not knowing what to do.
“Careers" in the TORAH world
“Is it but a small thing for you
that Hashem has separated you from the congregation of Yisroel to draw you
close to Him…” (16:9)
Rav Yecheskel Abramsky zt”l used to apply this possuk
to a ben Torah who dedicates his
entire life to Torah. He said that someone who sits in the Beis Hamedrash and sanctifies himself
through Torah, should not think in terms of obtaining a position in the Torah
world. The best "position" a person can attain is to be a ben Torah and thereby cleave to
Hashem. Accordingly, the possuk is saying the following: “Is the “position”
of being a member of shevet levi, or a ben Torah, through which Hashem
draws you close to Him, such a small thing, that you now also seek the kehuno. Why are you looking for a more important position than to be a member of shevet levi, or to be a ben Torah? You
will not find any better position than that.”
Hashem separated shevet levi, and every ben torah, from the rest of the
congregation, and He has great expectations from them than from the rest of the nation. This position comes with responsibilities
attached to it. Hashem wants a
ben Torah to maintain sacrosanct learning schedules, get up on time, and
not whenever he feels like it etc. If he accepts the yoke of Torah, Hashem will
remove the yoke of making a living from him.
Disgracing talmidei
chachomim
“If one man sins, shall You be
angry with the whole congregation” (16:22)
If only Korach himself sinned,
why was Hashem in fact angry with the whole congregation?
Their sin consisted in not
protesting, or not protesting enough, the way Korach had publicly disgraced
Moshe Rabbeinu with his accusations. Someone who witnesses the disgrace
of a talmid
chachom, and
does not protest it, is considered an accomplice in the very severe sin of bisuy
talmid chachom, which Hashem is very particular about.
Spicing our wealth
“It is like an eternal covenant
of salt before the Lord” (18:19)
Just like salt spices food, so
too do the matnos kehuno and all types of charity spice our possessions.
When we give charity we prove that there is a purpose to our wealth. On the
other hand, the assets of wealthy people who spend all their time aimlessly accumulating
more and more possessions serve no purpose whatsoever. Only someone who observes
the mitzvah of tzedoko properly, and dedicates a tenth of his
assets to needy talmidei
chachomim
or other designations set out in the hilchos maaser kesofim, will be
blessed and can live secure with the knowledge that his assets are serving a
useful purpose.
We cannot know better than Hashem
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Submitting to the will of Hashem
Send
men that that they may spy out the land of Canaan
The medrash
quoted by Rashi seems difficult to understand, since the spies spoke
slanderously about a country, not about a person.
In fact,
the main thrust of their argument was that although Eretz Yisroel was a
wonderful country, the nation was not on a high enough level to live there in a
natural fashion, and, as for living miraculously, it would be difficult to
maintain a consistently high level of conduct that would make the nation worthy
of direct constant divine protection. They therefore concluded that it would
not be worthwhile to conquer the country, notwithstanding its superior
qualities.
Similarly,
Miriam had the highest respect and was in awe of Moshe Rabbeinu, but she felt
that even though her brother had come as close as possible to becoming an angelic
being, since he was after all human, and the ultimate greatness of a human
being is to sanctify his physical aspects rather than negate them, he should
not have separated altogether from his wife.
The
mistake made both by Miriam and the meraglim was that they should have
submitted themselves totally to the will of Hashem, and disregarded any
theories of their own that contradicted that express Will, however reasonable they
might seem.
Fighting for our principles
And Moshe
called Hoshea the son of Nun Yehoshua (13:16). Rashi: He prayed on his behalf, “May
Hashem save you from the counsel of the spies”.
The Targum
Yonoson says that it was
when Moshe saw his modesty that he called Hoshea Yehoshua. What is the
connection between Yehoshua’s modesty and Moshe Rabbeinu’s prayers stemming
from his fear that Yehoshua would be influenced by the counsel of the spies?
Moshe
Rabbeinu realized that someone with excessive modesty is likely to reach a compromise
with those who seek to go against the Will of Hashem. He therefore changed Hoshea’s
name to Yehoshua in the hope that
this would grant him the required fortitude to fight the majority view of the meragalim.
This teaches us that even though we must be aware that the results of
our actions depend on Hashem, it is His desire that we should do whatever is
within our power to stand up for Torah principles, and when we have to fight
for such principles, we have to shed any inappropriate modesty.
Relying on Hashem
And the
people wept on that night (14:1)
This
episode is difficult to understand. How could the entire congregation have said,
"If only we had died in the land
of Egypt
Although they were gedolei yisroel the meraglim
did not trust in
Hashem's promises and wanted to live a natural existence. When we distance
ourselves from Hashem, he distances Himself from us, leaving us to our own
devices. The more we trust Hashem, the more does He protect us: “He who trusts
in Hashem is surrounded by mercy”.
On the
national level, if we live with the realization that Hashem rules the world
down to the last detail, we will merit siyata dishmaya, but if we think
that everything is dependent on natural causes, that siyata dishmaya
will be removed. On the personal level, chazal tell us that were it not
for Hashem's assistance, we would not be able to withstand our daily struggles
with the evil inclination. It is only when our fortitude is coupled with an
awareness of the indispensability of divine assistance that we can vanquish the
yetzer horo.
Miraculous bread
But you
shall not rebel against Hashem, and you should not fear the people of that land
for they are [as] our bread (14:9)
Why did
Yehoshua and Kolev choose to use the simile of bread?
The “bread”
in the wilderness was mon, and Yehoshua and Kolev were telling the
nation that just as their basic sustenance came in the form of a miracle, so
too Hashem would surely allow them to enter Eretz Yisroel with miracles,
and they must not be disheartened by the statements made by the meraglim.
Palace of the King
They
arose early in the morning and ascended to the mountain top, saying, "We
are ready to go up to the place of which Hashem spoke, for we have sinned” (14:40)
On the
face of it, the ma’apilim who tried to forcibly enter Eretz Yisroel
merely intended to rectify the sin of the mergalim. Why, then, were they
killed by the amoleikim and the Canaanites who came down and smote them?
Their
mistake lay in thinking that Hashem had given us Eretz Yisroel for the
sake of ruling over it, whereas in reality Hashem wanted us to enter the
country which enjoys special divine providence only if we would be imbued with
complete faith and emuno. The ma’apilim felt that the overriding
priority was for us to have our own country at all costs. Moshe warned them: "Why
do you transgress the word of Hashem? It will not succeed”, but they would not
listen. We had to spend another forty years in the desert before reaching the
level required to live in the Palace of the King.
Those of
us fortunate enough to live here must never lose sight of the elevated behavior
which we are expected to maintain in this country, which Hashem cares for, and
Whose eyes are always upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of
the year.
Heretical thoughts
And if
you should err and not fulfill all these commandments (15:22)
Rashi
brings that the transgression involved is that of idolatry. The parsha
goes on to enumerate that first a korbon olo has to be brought, followed
by a korbon chatos. Normally a chatos precedes an olo. Why
is the order different here?
A korbon
olo atones for sinful thoughts, and the general rule is that a thought is
not considered a sinful act requiring atonement. Idolatry, however, is
different. It is considered so severe that even an idolatrous thought is deemed
to be the equivalent of a punishable act (see Maseches Kiddushin 39b).
Therefore, for all other aveiros a chatos is brought before an olo, since a chatos atones for actions, but in the case of avodo zoro since sinful thoughts are already sins in and of themselves so that an
olo has to be brought first to atone for them, and only then a chatos to atone for the additional sin of physical acts of avodo zoro.
This teaches us how careful we have to be to avoid any material containing
heretical ideas, which are so prevalent nowadays.
Sinning for the sake of heaven
They
found a man gathering sticks on Shabbos (15:32)
Chazal
tell us that Zlofchod’s motives were leshem shomayim. He was willing to
die in order to demonstrate to the rest of the nation that even though they
were due to die in the desert anyway following the sin of the meraglim,
they still had to keep the whole Torah. Due to his worthy motive, his name is
omitted from the parasha, unlike the megadef. However, Zlofchod
did not consult with Moshe Rabbeinu, and was punishable by death like any other
mechalel Shabbos. So-called zealousness that goes against the halocho
or daas Torah is sinful, irrespective of any worthy motives.
Holiness not a prerequisite for commencing observance
You shall remember all the commandments of Hashem and perform
them, and you shall not go after your hearts and after your eyes after which
you are going astray… and you shall be holy to Hashem (15:39-40)
On the
personal level, the possuk tells us not to go after our hearts and eyes,
and only then to be "holy to Hashem". Holiness cannot be attained
unless we first divest ourselves of heretical thoughts and immoral behavior and
thoughts.
On the
other hand, for those engaging in outreach the correct approach is to first
encourage the not-yet observant to observe practical mitzvos, even if
they still suffer from a lack of emuno and kedusho, and then
instruct them to improve in those areas until they eventually become
"holy". For this reason, the Torah first says "and you shall
remember the commandments of Hashem, and perform them”, and only then "and
you shall not go after your hearts and your eyes", and finally: “and you
shall be holy to Hashem”.
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