The posuk says that Moshe told Aaron to bring an עגל for a קרבן חטאת. The next Posuk says to tell the בני ישראל to bring an עגל for a קרבן עלה.
Rashi says the reason Aaron brought an עגל was to show that he was forgiven for the sin of the golden calf.
The das zekainim says the reason the people brought an עגל was to show that 'ה forgave them for the sin of the golden calf.
Now if both of these קרבנות were coming to show that 'ה forgave them for the same sin, why the difference? Shouldn't the עגל have been for the same קרבן for both?
We have to understand how a קרבן works. 'ה had sworn that He was going to run the world with justice, so if one sins & should really be sentenced to death, how does bringing a קרבן help?
The Ohr Ha'chaim explains that chazal say that no one sins unless a רוח שטות enters him, meaning that the whole essence of man leaves him at the time of sin & he's no better than an animal.
Then when he has feelings of repentance & wants to get close to 'ה again, he ascends from lowly animal back to the realms of man.
So if we would punish man for something he did when he wasn't in the realm of men that wouldn't be just!
Therefore he has to bring an animal to remind him of what he was at the time of sin, & when he feels the pain in his mind that this should have really happened to him, he will then get a kapara.
The Kelai Yakar says, that's why they brought different קרבנות. Aaron's intent was pure, & he did it only לשם שמים; his sin was only in the action, so he brings a chatas like anyone who sins unintentionally. Conversely, the sin of the people was the opposite; it was in the intent, so they brought it in the ola which is מכפר for improper thoughts. With this the Torah shows us that no matter how you sinned, either just in action with no intent, or even with intent, as long as your heart wants to turn back to 'ה there's always forgiveness!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tzav / Purim
אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה (ו,ו)
A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out.
The בעל החינוך says that even though a heavenly fire came down it was still a mitzva to bring a regular fire, for it's always better to do things in a normal way than to rely on a נס.
The Mishna in Avos says that there were 10 ניסים that happened in the bais hamikdash. One of them was that even though the מזבח was outside in the open, rain never put out the fire.
Now we need to understand why 'ה made an open miracle like that when he could have just simply not made it rain over the bais hamikdash. While still a miracle, it wouldn't be as obvious.
ביום ההוא נתן המלך אחשורוש לאסתר המלכה את בית המן
The yalkut says that haman's money was split 3 ways - mordechai & esther, the talmidai chachamim & the bais hamikdash.
In theme with the rest of the story of purim, B'derech H'ateva, 'ה took all of Haman's money that he spent a lifetime amassing & gave it to talmidai chachamim who spent their days amassing the wealth of Torah.
Similarly explains הגר"ח מוולאז"ין, all that happens by the Mikdash is symbolic & a lesson to teach us how to live.
The Torah is showing us that if one commits oneself to 'עבודת ה , even though there are situations that might make one want to waiver, you must stay steadfast in your service of 'ה, just like the fire on the מזבח that never went out.
For if one says he doesn't have time to learn because he has to work, the fire on the מזבח is teaching us that if one trusts in 'ה, then even if you take time to learn, you will still have parnasa. We can't let the rain, which is a symbol of parnasa, put out the fire of our Torah. As we see from Haman who worked his whole life to amass a fortune, & then it went to Mordechai & the talmidai chachamim that sat & learned all day. So we see no matter how much wealth you amass, it's still not in our control & it's going to end up going to whomever 'ה wants it to!
A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out.
The בעל החינוך says that even though a heavenly fire came down it was still a mitzva to bring a regular fire, for it's always better to do things in a normal way than to rely on a נס.
The Mishna in Avos says that there were 10 ניסים that happened in the bais hamikdash. One of them was that even though the מזבח was outside in the open, rain never put out the fire.
Now we need to understand why 'ה made an open miracle like that when he could have just simply not made it rain over the bais hamikdash. While still a miracle, it wouldn't be as obvious.
ביום ההוא נתן המלך אחשורוש לאסתר המלכה את בית המן
The yalkut says that haman's money was split 3 ways - mordechai & esther, the talmidai chachamim & the bais hamikdash.
In theme with the rest of the story of purim, B'derech H'ateva, 'ה took all of Haman's money that he spent a lifetime amassing & gave it to talmidai chachamim who spent their days amassing the wealth of Torah.
Similarly explains הגר"ח מוולאז"ין, all that happens by the Mikdash is symbolic & a lesson to teach us how to live.
The Torah is showing us that if one commits oneself to 'עבודת ה , even though there are situations that might make one want to waiver, you must stay steadfast in your service of 'ה, just like the fire on the מזבח that never went out.
For if one says he doesn't have time to learn because he has to work, the fire on the מזבח is teaching us that if one trusts in 'ה, then even if you take time to learn, you will still have parnasa. We can't let the rain, which is a symbol of parnasa, put out the fire of our Torah. As we see from Haman who worked his whole life to amass a fortune, & then it went to Mordechai & the talmidai chachamim that sat & learned all day. So we see no matter how much wealth you amass, it's still not in our control & it's going to end up going to whomever 'ה wants it to!
Friday, March 11, 2011
vayikra
ונפש כי תקריב קרבן מנחה (ב,א)
When a soul will bring a meal offering.
Rashi says, who normally brings a mincha? The poor man.
The Gemara in (מנחות (קיsays that it says ריח ניחח by a korban of an animal, a bird & the mincha to teach us that no matter what kind of korban you're able to afford, as long as your intention is for 'ה, they're all equal to 'ה.
The Chafetz Chaim says that there are people who know that they don't keep the Torah properly. Nevertheless, they take solace in knowing that there are other people who are worse than them.
Alas says the Chafetz Chaim, how foolish that is, for we see by the Korbunos that each person brings what is right for him & if a rich man would bring a poor man's korban it would be worthless. So too each person is judged by his intellect & capabilities, & what's right for one person isn't always right for someone else.
אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ,ובלבד שיכוון ליבו לשמים
The בן איש חי says that we can also learn from here that there is equal שכר for a person who adds holiness to the world by doing mitzvos as by a person who holds himself back from sinning & thereby lessening the level of טומאה in the world.
As long as your intention is לשם שמים, then even by not doing something that you would want to do, but don't because 'ה doesn't want you to, then you get the same שכר as if you did the biggest mitzva.
Maybe what the Torah is teaching us here is that we have to try to find our own place & not look at what other people are doing. We have to know that we have to elevate ourselves by either doing good or just not doing bad & taking the steps needed to make sure that whatever we do
שיכוון ליבו לשמים!
When a soul will bring a meal offering.
Rashi says, who normally brings a mincha? The poor man.
The Gemara in (מנחות (קיsays that it says ריח ניחח by a korban of an animal, a bird & the mincha to teach us that no matter what kind of korban you're able to afford, as long as your intention is for 'ה, they're all equal to 'ה.
The Chafetz Chaim says that there are people who know that they don't keep the Torah properly. Nevertheless, they take solace in knowing that there are other people who are worse than them.
Alas says the Chafetz Chaim, how foolish that is, for we see by the Korbunos that each person brings what is right for him & if a rich man would bring a poor man's korban it would be worthless. So too each person is judged by his intellect & capabilities, & what's right for one person isn't always right for someone else.
אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ,ובלבד שיכוון ליבו לשמים
The בן איש חי says that we can also learn from here that there is equal שכר for a person who adds holiness to the world by doing mitzvos as by a person who holds himself back from sinning & thereby lessening the level of טומאה in the world.
As long as your intention is לשם שמים, then even by not doing something that you would want to do, but don't because 'ה doesn't want you to, then you get the same שכר as if you did the biggest mitzva.
Maybe what the Torah is teaching us here is that we have to try to find our own place & not look at what other people are doing. We have to know that we have to elevate ourselves by either doing good or just not doing bad & taking the steps needed to make sure that whatever we do
שיכוון ליבו לשמים!
Friday, March 4, 2011
pikudei
אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדת
These are the accountings of the mishkan,the mishkan of the testimony.
Rashi says that it says mishkan twice to allude to the fact that the bais hamikdash would be taken from us as a משכון-collateral - two times because of our sins. The Maharal asks why would the Torah tell us this now when we're just summarizing what went into the mishkan, & not before when we talked about the building of the mishkan?
He answers that here the Torah is also alluding to what made it possible for it to be destroyed; the fact that Moshe counted everything that was given, gave the mishkan an עין הרע, which in turn enabled it to be destroyed. The same way the first luchos were destroyed because they were given in a grandiose manner that gave them an עין הרע, here too, by counting, he gave the mishkan an עין הרע.
Why would Moshe count it when he knew what could happen?
The Medrash Tanchuma says the rabble rousers were saying that moshe got rich off the donation money to the mishkan, so he counted it to prove he didn't take anything.
The posuk says ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר צוה ה' את משה that the entire B'nai Yisroel did all that 'ה commanded Moshe.
The Ohr Hachaim says that even though only Betzalel & the chachmai lev did the construction on the mishkan, since everyone agreed that they should do it for them, its considered like everyone did it.- כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה. From here we also see that the Torah is a group effort. Everyone has to do his part, & in doing so, it's as if he did all the mitzvos.
The Ohr Hachaim proves it by saying that the only way the 613 mitzvos (which correspond to the 613 parts of a person's body) can be fulfilled is by one doing for the other, for there are some mitzvos that can only be done by kohanim or leviem or women, so the only way 613 mitzvos can be performed is if we're all connected & responsible for one another. Maybe this is also what the Torah is alluding to when it says Mishkan twice; that just like at the completion we were all together and unified, the way to get back the משכון is by being unified.
Just like עין הרע & שנאת חנם caused the destruction & started the problems, if we do the opposite & love one another, & work together like we did at the start, we can get back the bais hamikdash bimhaira b'yameinu!
These are the accountings of the mishkan,the mishkan of the testimony.
Rashi says that it says mishkan twice to allude to the fact that the bais hamikdash would be taken from us as a משכון-collateral - two times because of our sins. The Maharal asks why would the Torah tell us this now when we're just summarizing what went into the mishkan, & not before when we talked about the building of the mishkan?
He answers that here the Torah is also alluding to what made it possible for it to be destroyed; the fact that Moshe counted everything that was given, gave the mishkan an עין הרע, which in turn enabled it to be destroyed. The same way the first luchos were destroyed because they were given in a grandiose manner that gave them an עין הרע, here too, by counting, he gave the mishkan an עין הרע.
Why would Moshe count it when he knew what could happen?
The Medrash Tanchuma says the rabble rousers were saying that moshe got rich off the donation money to the mishkan, so he counted it to prove he didn't take anything.
The posuk says ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר צוה ה' את משה that the entire B'nai Yisroel did all that 'ה commanded Moshe.
The Ohr Hachaim says that even though only Betzalel & the chachmai lev did the construction on the mishkan, since everyone agreed that they should do it for them, its considered like everyone did it.- כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה. From here we also see that the Torah is a group effort. Everyone has to do his part, & in doing so, it's as if he did all the mitzvos.
The Ohr Hachaim proves it by saying that the only way the 613 mitzvos (which correspond to the 613 parts of a person's body) can be fulfilled is by one doing for the other, for there are some mitzvos that can only be done by kohanim or leviem or women, so the only way 613 mitzvos can be performed is if we're all connected & responsible for one another. Maybe this is also what the Torah is alluding to when it says Mishkan twice; that just like at the completion we were all together and unified, the way to get back the משכון is by being unified.
Just like עין הרע & שנאת חנם caused the destruction & started the problems, if we do the opposite & love one another, & work together like we did at the start, we can get back the bais hamikdash bimhaira b'yameinu!
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