The Posuk says ויקח קרח; that Korach took.
Rashi says that he took 250 great men and dressed them each in a Talis that was completely תכלת. Then they went & stood in front of Moshe & asked if a talis that's made of all תכלת needs tzitzis. Moshe said yes, and they all laughed at him, saying if one strand of תכלת is enough to exempt a whole garment made of other material, then if the garment is all תכלת shouldn't it be able to exempt itself?
What was Korach's reason for disputing Moshe? Moshe had appointed אליצפן בן עוזיאל as the נשיא, and Korach felt that he should have been appointed instead.
In reality, with his argument alone, he showed that he was not worthy of being the נשיא. The Steipler says, one who wants the נשיאות is not worthy, for he only wants the power & honor that it brings, while the one who deserves it is the one who doesn't want it. There's a story told of a great גאון who went to the חוזה מלובלין & asked him, why do all the people flock to you to learn, when I am even greater than you in knowledge of Torah, & they don't come to me? The Choze said, I often wonder the same thing, but maybe that's the reason. I wonder why they come to me, so they come, whereas you wonder why they don't, so therefore they don't.
R' Nosson Adler says, what was Korach really asking? Just like a complete garment of תכלת doesn't need tzitzis, so too with us; we don't need a leader since כל העדה כלם קדשים; we are all holy. Moshe answered that the garment does need tzitis. So too the nation, even though they're all holy, still needs a leader. The question is, if Korach feels that we're all holy & don't need a leader, then why is he vying to take Aaron's place? He just said we don't need a leader. R' Lieff says that you see from here how when it comes to your own personal gain, there's no rational thinking involved.
The posuk says,מי האיש החפץ חיים אהב ימים לראות טוב; who is the man who desires life, and loves days that he may see good? נצר לשונך מרע ושפתיך מדבר מרמה; guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceitfully. Normally we would punctuate this posuk as, who is the man who desires life and love days that he may see good? Guard your tongue from evil. Says R' Nissim Alpert, that's not how to read it. Rather, who is the man who desires life? Love your days & only see good, then your tongue will be guarded from evil. If we only look for the good in people & situations, we will always be happy. And if we're happy with ourselves, then we won't talk bad about others. We also won't want what's not coming to us, so we won't end up like korach, who let his jealousy cloud his judgment. In his own words he contradicted himself, leading to his downfall & the deaths of thousands of people. We have to only look at the good in everything, which will in turn give us happiness & good days for the rest of our lives!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
shelach
The posuk says ויקריבו אתו המצאים אתו מקשש עצים; those who found him gathering wood brought him.
By the מקשש it says ויקריבו, by the one who cursed it says ויביאו. Why the difference? The שער בת רבים explains, the mekallel was forcefully brought so it says ויביאו - that they had to force him, but the מקשש went on his own, because he did this לשם שמים. He wanted the people to see that for sinning he got killed & not take the mitzvos lightly. There is an interesting dialog that the תדב"א brings down between Moshe & 'ה. Hashem says to Moshe "that one was mechallel shabbos". Moshe says all week the people wear tefillin so they are reminded not to sin, but on shabbos where there's no teffilin, he sinned. 'ה says I'll give you a mitzva to remind you on shabbos too, & he gives the mitzva of tzitzis. However, according to what we just said, the mikoshaish knew what he was doing was wrong & he did it on purpose so that people would learn from him what not to do. How would the tzitzis help here?
Let's think for a moment about the self sacrifice & purity of spirit of the mekoshaish. He was willing to give up his life in order to strengthen the mitzvos of 'ה so that they shouldn't be taken lightly. He gave up his honor too, as he's always known as the rasha & a mechallel shabbos. Is there a greater mesiros nefesh than that?
Chazal say, had the jewish people kept 2 shabbosim then we would have been redeemed. This was the second shabbos, so had the mekoshesh kept that shabbos, we would have been redeemed; no one would have been able to hurt us - no inquisition, no pogroms , no holocaust. But alas, he knew better. He was going to help 'ה by going against him. If we do something that's not in the way of the torah, even though we think we know better, we have no idea how destructive our actions can be. R' Yisrael Salanter gives a mashal to a king who told his officer who was going to the next town not to make a bet with anyone on the way now matter what. The officer agreed. On his way, a group of people met up with him & were antagonizing him saying that he had blemishes all over his body. They bet him 1,000,000 that he had these blemishes. Knowing he had no blemishes, he opened his shirt to prove it. He wanted to get this money for the king, so how could he go wrong? When he got back & told the king what happened, that he made him all that money, the king said, you fool! I had a bet with that same guy for 10,000,000 that he couldn't get you to take off your shirt!
So too people who try to put their own logic into the mitzvos of the Torah. They have no idea how much they're really losing.
Maybe that's why 'ה said that the mitzva of tzitzis could prevent even this kind of sin, for as the S'forno says that when we look at the tzitzis we should remember that we are slaves to 'ה. If we remember that, then just as a slave has no say in what he's told to do, we too will realize that we have no say & will just do the mitzvos as they're given without trying to fix or improve them!
By the מקשש it says ויקריבו, by the one who cursed it says ויביאו. Why the difference? The שער בת רבים explains, the mekallel was forcefully brought so it says ויביאו - that they had to force him, but the מקשש went on his own, because he did this לשם שמים. He wanted the people to see that for sinning he got killed & not take the mitzvos lightly. There is an interesting dialog that the תדב"א brings down between Moshe & 'ה. Hashem says to Moshe "that one was mechallel shabbos". Moshe says all week the people wear tefillin so they are reminded not to sin, but on shabbos where there's no teffilin, he sinned. 'ה says I'll give you a mitzva to remind you on shabbos too, & he gives the mitzva of tzitzis. However, according to what we just said, the mikoshaish knew what he was doing was wrong & he did it on purpose so that people would learn from him what not to do. How would the tzitzis help here?
Let's think for a moment about the self sacrifice & purity of spirit of the mekoshaish. He was willing to give up his life in order to strengthen the mitzvos of 'ה so that they shouldn't be taken lightly. He gave up his honor too, as he's always known as the rasha & a mechallel shabbos. Is there a greater mesiros nefesh than that?
Chazal say, had the jewish people kept 2 shabbosim then we would have been redeemed. This was the second shabbos, so had the mekoshesh kept that shabbos, we would have been redeemed; no one would have been able to hurt us - no inquisition, no pogroms , no holocaust. But alas, he knew better. He was going to help 'ה by going against him. If we do something that's not in the way of the torah, even though we think we know better, we have no idea how destructive our actions can be. R' Yisrael Salanter gives a mashal to a king who told his officer who was going to the next town not to make a bet with anyone on the way now matter what. The officer agreed. On his way, a group of people met up with him & were antagonizing him saying that he had blemishes all over his body. They bet him 1,000,000 that he had these blemishes. Knowing he had no blemishes, he opened his shirt to prove it. He wanted to get this money for the king, so how could he go wrong? When he got back & told the king what happened, that he made him all that money, the king said, you fool! I had a bet with that same guy for 10,000,000 that he couldn't get you to take off your shirt!
So too people who try to put their own logic into the mitzvos of the Torah. They have no idea how much they're really losing.
Maybe that's why 'ה said that the mitzva of tzitzis could prevent even this kind of sin, for as the S'forno says that when we look at the tzitzis we should remember that we are slaves to 'ה. If we remember that, then just as a slave has no say in what he's told to do, we too will realize that we have no say & will just do the mitzvos as they're given without trying to fix or improve them!
Friday, June 10, 2011
beha'alosicha
The posuk says ויעש כן אהרן אל מול פני המנורה העלה נרתיה כאשר צוה ה את משה, and Aaron did so toward the face of the menorah, he lit the neiros like 'ה commanded Moshe.
Why does the Torah write an entire posuk to tell us that Aaron did as he was commanded? Would we think otherwise?
When it was time to bring the korban pesach the people that were tamai came to moshe & said למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב, why should we be held back from bringing the korban pesach?
What were they thinking by even asking that? They knew that one couldn't bring the korban in a state of tumah, so what would they gain by even asking? Why wouldn't they just give up on it?
R' Chaim Shmulevits says that from here we see that even when it looks like there is no hope, you can still ask 'ה & He can help. Just like He made a pesach shainie for them because He saw they wanted it so much, if one has strong will then nothing can stand in his way. Even if a person knows that according to his abilities & strengths there is no normal way that he'd succeed, still one should never give up hope. So too says הגרש"ז מקלם, by Aaron, the neiros were the simplest mitzva that he had to do. Any Kohen could have done it; lighting them took almost no effort, whereas an avodah like the ketores, which was done only by Aaron and was done in the Kodesh Hakedoshim, was much more complicated & important. We might think that the neiros would be insignificant to him compared to other more important ones. Yet he did the hatovos hanairos with the same enthusiasm & care as he did the more complicated avodos. That's why the torah had to stress that he did what 'ה commanded. Showing us that we don't know what's considered a big mitzva or a small one. And we don't know what we are supposed to accomplish, whether we think we can or not, teaching us that we have to treat each opportunity to do the mitzvos with the utmost care no matter how impossible, or how small it seems to us!
Why does the Torah write an entire posuk to tell us that Aaron did as he was commanded? Would we think otherwise?
When it was time to bring the korban pesach the people that were tamai came to moshe & said למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב, why should we be held back from bringing the korban pesach?
What were they thinking by even asking that? They knew that one couldn't bring the korban in a state of tumah, so what would they gain by even asking? Why wouldn't they just give up on it?
R' Chaim Shmulevits says that from here we see that even when it looks like there is no hope, you can still ask 'ה & He can help. Just like He made a pesach shainie for them because He saw they wanted it so much, if one has strong will then nothing can stand in his way. Even if a person knows that according to his abilities & strengths there is no normal way that he'd succeed, still one should never give up hope. So too says הגרש"ז מקלם, by Aaron, the neiros were the simplest mitzva that he had to do. Any Kohen could have done it; lighting them took almost no effort, whereas an avodah like the ketores, which was done only by Aaron and was done in the Kodesh Hakedoshim, was much more complicated & important. We might think that the neiros would be insignificant to him compared to other more important ones. Yet he did the hatovos hanairos with the same enthusiasm & care as he did the more complicated avodos. That's why the torah had to stress that he did what 'ה commanded. Showing us that we don't know what's considered a big mitzva or a small one. And we don't know what we are supposed to accomplish, whether we think we can or not, teaching us that we have to treat each opportunity to do the mitzvos with the utmost care no matter how impossible, or how small it seems to us!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Shavuos
The Posuk says that the Jews traveled from רפידים & came to מדבר סיני.
Rashi says the reason it tells us they were coming from רפידים, even though we know that, is to tell us that just like when they came to הר סיני, they came in a state of repentance. As it says, they came כאיש אחד בלב אחד; they were all single minded in their readiness to accept the Torah. So too when they left רפידים.
The Netziv asks, why does it have to tell us what state they were in when they left?
In the Haggada we say that had 'ה brought us to הר סיני but not given us the Torah, דיינו; it would have been enough. How could that be enough? What good would it have done us just to be brought to הר סיני?
Says ר ירוחם ממיר, we are trained to think that the main point of something is the outcome, and the preparation is just the means to get to the end. The Torah here is teaching us that the opposite is true. The main thing in a דבר שבקדושה is the work you put in. So had we only been brought to הר סיני & been prepared to accept the Torah, that would have been enough.
The gemara tells a story about ר חייא who when there was a fear that the Torah was going to be forgotten, he went and planted flax seed, grew the flax, turned the flax into nets, trapped animals, fed their meat to orphans, & used the skins for parchment to write the Torah on to teach it to the children.
The gemara asks, why did he go through all that effort when he could have just bought parchment? He wanted to make sure that the Torah would be remembered, and by putting in all that effort he would be ensured that what was learned from them would be retained & passed on.
Similarly says the Netziv, by any דבר שבקדושה the more one prepares & puts in effort, the more קדושה will come to him. So by telling us that they were already on the level of כאיש אחד בלב אחד when they left רפידים, it's teaching us that what's important & what matters is the preparation & the work that we put in, not just the end result!
Rashi says the reason it tells us they were coming from רפידים, even though we know that, is to tell us that just like when they came to הר סיני, they came in a state of repentance. As it says, they came כאיש אחד בלב אחד; they were all single minded in their readiness to accept the Torah. So too when they left רפידים.
The Netziv asks, why does it have to tell us what state they were in when they left?
In the Haggada we say that had 'ה brought us to הר סיני but not given us the Torah, דיינו; it would have been enough. How could that be enough? What good would it have done us just to be brought to הר סיני?
Says ר ירוחם ממיר, we are trained to think that the main point of something is the outcome, and the preparation is just the means to get to the end. The Torah here is teaching us that the opposite is true. The main thing in a דבר שבקדושה is the work you put in. So had we only been brought to הר סיני & been prepared to accept the Torah, that would have been enough.
The gemara tells a story about ר חייא who when there was a fear that the Torah was going to be forgotten, he went and planted flax seed, grew the flax, turned the flax into nets, trapped animals, fed their meat to orphans, & used the skins for parchment to write the Torah on to teach it to the children.
The gemara asks, why did he go through all that effort when he could have just bought parchment? He wanted to make sure that the Torah would be remembered, and by putting in all that effort he would be ensured that what was learned from them would be retained & passed on.
Similarly says the Netziv, by any דבר שבקדושה the more one prepares & puts in effort, the more קדושה will come to him. So by telling us that they were already on the level of כאיש אחד בלב אחד when they left רפידים, it's teaching us that what's important & what matters is the preparation & the work that we put in, not just the end result!
Friday, June 3, 2011
nasso
The Posuk says that 'ה tells Moshe to tell Aaron כה תברכו את בני ישראל; so shall you bless the בני ישראל.
The Medrish says the people said to Hashem אין אנו צריכים אלא לברכתך "we don't need anything, only Your beracha & to be blessed by You. 'ה answers them, even though I told the Kohanim to bless you, I will stand with them & bless you.
The כתב סופר asks about the לשון they used. It doesn't make sense to say we don't need anything except your beracha. That implies that they're settling for His beracha, when in reality, the beracha of 'ה is far greater & more prestigious than the beracha of the Kohen. They should have said אין אנו רוצים we only want your beracha.
Someone once came to the Chafetz Chaim complaining bitterly about his lot. It came out in the conversation that the man had been able to provide for his family but with great struggle & that's not what he wanted. He wanted to be wealthy, so he bought a lottery ticket & prayed day & night that he should win. 'ה answered his prayer & he won. A short time later he lost it all & couldn't even provide food for his family. The Chafetz Chaim said, what can I do for you? He quoted the sefer chesed l'avraham that brings down a chazal that says there's an announcement about each person saying whether he'll be wealthy or poor, & also how much he will make each week to support his family. The Chafetz Chaim continued, if you had parnassa, even if it was tough, why would you trouble 'ה to make you win? Now you got years & years of your money up front, so how could I help you?
Similarly says the כתב סופר, when a person blesses his friend, he blesses him with wealth, long life, honor etc. In truth, he has no idea if what he's blessing him with is what's good for him. Even the person himself doesn't know what's good for him, which is why the Chafetz Chaim says when one asks 'ה for things he should always add "only if it's for my benefit".
This is what the בני ישראל were saying to 'ה. You commanded the Kohanim to bless us but they're going to bless us the way one blesses his friend; not knowing if what they're wishing on him is good or bad. We only need what you know to be a beracha. That's all we want - no more. That's why 'ה said He'll be standing there & blessing along with them, to ensure that the beracha that each person gets is what he needs and what is right for him!
The Medrish says the people said to Hashem אין אנו צריכים אלא לברכתך "we don't need anything, only Your beracha & to be blessed by You. 'ה answers them, even though I told the Kohanim to bless you, I will stand with them & bless you.
The כתב סופר asks about the לשון they used. It doesn't make sense to say we don't need anything except your beracha. That implies that they're settling for His beracha, when in reality, the beracha of 'ה is far greater & more prestigious than the beracha of the Kohen. They should have said אין אנו רוצים we only want your beracha.
Someone once came to the Chafetz Chaim complaining bitterly about his lot. It came out in the conversation that the man had been able to provide for his family but with great struggle & that's not what he wanted. He wanted to be wealthy, so he bought a lottery ticket & prayed day & night that he should win. 'ה answered his prayer & he won. A short time later he lost it all & couldn't even provide food for his family. The Chafetz Chaim said, what can I do for you? He quoted the sefer chesed l'avraham that brings down a chazal that says there's an announcement about each person saying whether he'll be wealthy or poor, & also how much he will make each week to support his family. The Chafetz Chaim continued, if you had parnassa, even if it was tough, why would you trouble 'ה to make you win? Now you got years & years of your money up front, so how could I help you?
Similarly says the כתב סופר, when a person blesses his friend, he blesses him with wealth, long life, honor etc. In truth, he has no idea if what he's blessing him with is what's good for him. Even the person himself doesn't know what's good for him, which is why the Chafetz Chaim says when one asks 'ה for things he should always add "only if it's for my benefit".
This is what the בני ישראל were saying to 'ה. You commanded the Kohanim to bless us but they're going to bless us the way one blesses his friend; not knowing if what they're wishing on him is good or bad. We only need what you know to be a beracha. That's all we want - no more. That's why 'ה said He'll be standing there & blessing along with them, to ensure that the beracha that each person gets is what he needs and what is right for him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)