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Friday, May 27, 2011

bamidbar

The Posuk says מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה כל יצא צבא.. תפקדו אתם
The Ramban says the reason it says a Loshon of פקידה is because the Jews weren't supposed to be counted by head, but rather by each person giving a half shekel. In that way, we'll know how many people there are. In the time of Dovid Hamelech, 70,000 people died from a magaifa even though he also counted them by taking something.
The Ramban says that happened because he counted them for no reason.
R' Ruderman asks, if Dovid Hamelech sinned why are the people being punished?
The posuk says that the Levi'im were not counted with the rest of the people.
Rashi says one of the reasons was that there was going to be a gezaira on all those that were counted from 20 years & up, that they were going to die in the midbar. Hashem said "I don't want this shevet included in the decree for they're mine, they didn't sin with the eigle". It's apparent from the medrash that had the bnei levi been counted with the rest of the people, they too would have been punished, even though they didn't sin.
R' Chaim Shmulevitz says that from here we see the way Hashem runs the world. If there is a decree on the public, even people who are undeserving of any punishment will still get punished for they're part of the כלל. Therefore, the Torah said not to count them together with everyone else for once they're in the כלל then there's no escaping punishment. R' Chaim continues, if this is how it is for something bad, how much more so for something good. If you're part of the כלל when Hashem's giving beracha, then even if you're not deserving you'll still merit the beracha. But if you separate yourself from the כלל, then you'll lose out on the berochos. We saw this when the Mir yeshiva was saved from the Nazis. Whoever wasn't there at those vital moments wasn't saved together with the yeshiva.
Similarly says Rav Ruderman, when Dovid counted the people he took them out of the כלל & each person was on his own to be judged separately. When one is judged on his own, it's next to impossible to come out unscathed, hence the magaifa. Rabbainu Bichaya says when we're all judged together, we're saved because of the zechus of the כלל, teaching us that we have to always be part of the כלל. We shouldn't think we know better & do our own thing but always to be a part of כלל ישראל!

Friday, May 20, 2011

bechukosai

The Posuk tells us that if we study the Torah in order to know how to do the Mitzvos, then we will have plenty of rain in the proper times, & the storehouses of food will be overflowing with plenty.
ואכלתם לחמכם לשבע וישבתם לבטח בארצכם
You will eat your bread, be satisfied, and live content on the land. Then the posuk says ונתתי שלום בארץ - I will put peace on the land. The Ramban asks, the posuk just said we will live content on the land; what's added by this extra promise of peace? It seems redundant.
The גן יוסף brings down an interesting story that happened in a small town in Lita. Two men came early to shul one day & found the courtyard entrance flooded. Sholom, the first man, said to his friend Yisroel, why should we both get soaked? One of us should go on the other's shoulders. Whoever finds a posuk first to show why it should be him on top, will go on the other ones shoulders.
Almost immediately, Sholom said שלום על ישראל.Left with no choice, Yisroel put him on his shoulders. Halfway through he throws him down & says, ונתתי שלום בארץ, & they both walk in to shul dirty.
So too by us. What one builds the other knocks down, & we all have a posuk to show that what we're doing is right & the others are wrong. Meanwhile, we're all getting dirty.
The gemara tells us that the students of R' Akiva died because they didn't respect one another. The Maharal says, from here we see that treating one's friend with respect is the essence of life. Those that didn't, had their lives taken away. Like the gemara in Berochos says, when R' Eliezer got sick, his students went to visit, they said "Rabainu teach us the way of life that will ensure us olam habba". He answered, be careful with your friends' honor.
Similarly says the Ramban, this is what the second bracha is; that we should have peace from within & there will be peace amongst all the different factions of klal yisroel. Everyone will get along & treat each other with the respect and honor that we all deserve!

Friday, May 13, 2011

behar

The Posuk says, וכי תאמרו מה נאכל; and if you say what are we going to eat, we didn't plant or gather our grain, וצויתי את ברכתי; I will give my Beracha in the sixth year and you will have produce for the next three years.
The אוצרות התורה asks that the beginning of the posuk seems like it's extra. It should have just said וצויתי את ברכתי. What's the difference if we say what are we going to eat? Even more puzzling is that it seems from the posuk that only if you ask you get the beracha. One who doesn't ask & just does with absolute faith doesn't get the beracha??
The ספורנו says that if one would have total faith in 'ה & doesn't ask what am I going to eat, then the posuk before comes to him - ונתנה הארץ פריה, the land will give its normal crop. The posuk continues, ואכלתם לשבע, which Rashi says means that you will be satisfied with little. For him a regular crop on the 6th year will last him for 3 years, but for the one who asks "what are we going to eat?", there will be the beracha that he will have 3 years produce in one. However, the amount of work that will have to be put into that one year will be tremendous. Yes, he will get the beracha, but he'll have to work very hard for it, whereas the one who didn't ask will have enough for the same 3 years with no extra effort.
From here says ר אליהו לאפיאן, we learn how 'ה acts towards us all the time. The way He treats us is commensurate with our trust in Him. As it says, ה' צלך על יד ימינך and chazal say that just like a shadow that lifts one finger if you do, & if you lift 2 so will the shadow, so too 'ה. As much as a person relies on Him and puts his trust in Him, that's how much 'ה will help him. We have to have total reliance on 'ה, for the more we rely on Him the more He will make sure we succeed. One shouldn't think, who am I to rely on 'ה, I'm not worthy, for ר' ירמיה says that even a רשע ובוטח בה' חסד יסובבנו. It doesn't matter who you are, as long as you have total trust in 'ה, you will lack nothing!

Friday, May 6, 2011

emor

The posuk says אמר אל הכהנם ואמרת - say to the Kohanim & say to them.
Rashi says it uses the double lashon to warn the adults about their children.
Asks ר' משה פינשטיין, how do we understand this for the ואמרת isn't only talking about kids, it's directed to adults too?
The posuk says והקרבתם מנחה חדשה לה; The Torah commands us to bring a korban mincha from the new crop.
The כלי יקר says that here the Torah hints that חג השבועות is the day of the giving of the Torah, for the Torah has to be like new for you just like it was the day we received it from Har Sinai.
He goes on to explain the reason it doesn't. say straight out what day the Torah was given, for 'ה wanted a person to think that every day is the day that we got the Torah & to find something new in it each day to keep it exciting & not just the same old thing over & over.
Like the בעל החינוך says, the reason we count up to Shavuos & not start from 50 & count down like one would normally do, is to show our anticipation to get to the day of קבלת התורה. Therefore, we don't want to put a big number up front for that would dampen our spirits, so we start from one and work our way up.
Similarly says R' Moshe, when we want to teach our children, it's not enough to tell them to do the mitzvos even if we do them ourselves. The only way to teach them to do the mitzvos is if we instill in them a love for torah & mitzvos, teaching them that it's our lifeline. When there's a love for torah it will be easy for the children to carry on the tradition & do the mitzvos, so that's why we need the double lashon. Once for the actual command, & once to give them the love for mitzvos.
From here we see how important it is not to do mitzvos by rote, & to treat each time we do a mitzva like it's the first time, to have a contagious excitement in our avodas 'ה that our children will feel & want to emulate!