The torah tells us ועשית ציץ זהב טהור ופתחת עליו פיתוחי חותם קודש לה, you shall make a headplate of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it, engraved like a signet ring, Holy to Hashem.
We know that all the בגדי כהונה were mechaper for certain sins. The gemara says that the ציץ was mechaper for the sin of brazenness.
The Jewish people are known as the most brazen of the nations; a trait that is naturally ingrained in us, for in order for us to persevere despite those who try to ridicule us, we need to be brazen. Although that seems like it would be a good trait, the Mishnah says עז פנים לגיהנם that the brazen go to גיהנם, implying that it's a bad trait. What is it, good or bad?
We see an interesting anomaly about purim, says Rabbi Shlomo Diamond. Normally we're told not to drink & do things that impair our judgment, so much so that were a kohen to do the avodah or a rabbi to paskin a halacha while drunk, the death penalty applies. Yet on purim we're told to get drunk to a state where we don't know the difference between right & wrong. How does the bad suddenly become good?
There's a parable told by ר' גדליהו סילברסטון that could shed light on these inconsistencies. There was a wealthy man who summoned his chariots and went on a three day journey, finally stopping at one store. After a short while he comes out with a small cage with a little bird inside. He tells the driver to head back home. Three days to get there, three days to get back, all for a little bird? The driver can't understand it. He asks the wealthy man about it & he answers, this small bird's name is the זמיר, as if that would answer everything. The driver, not understanding, continues to ask how much did it cost? The wealthy man responds five hundred coins, a small fortune.
When the driver got home he told his wife about this bird that must taste like heaven itself if his master traveled six days & spent a small fortune to acquire it. Then he told her " you know we deserve it too. We work hard & deserve to at least once experience the taste of the rich". She agreed. They had three hundred coins saved up, they borrowed two hundred, and took the three day trip to buy the bird, & traveled three days back. They were elated with their purchase.
The next day his wife prepared a lavish meal, cooked half of the bird & saved the other half for the next day. Let them feel rich for two days, she reasoned. They sat down to eat, waiting for their senses to be ignited, but alas they tasted nothing. There was no overwhelming goodness , no intoxicating pleasure. Figuring that they might have cooked it with too many other foods in the pot, the next day they cooked it alone. Again they sat down expecting to be swept away with pleasure, & once again the taste was bland. Not knowing what was going on, he ran to the house of the wealthy man, told him all that happened & asked, what did I do wrong?
The rich man laughed & said you fool that bird is not for eating, that bird is called the זמיר because it has the most magnificent voice & sings like no other. That's why it cost so much. If you wanted a bird to eat there are much tastier, cheaper birds for eating.
The chasam sofer says that the reason the ציץ says 'קודש לה on it is to teach us that even though we are supposed to be brazen, it's only when we're doing it for Hashem. We have to know what do with the middos & use them for the right purpose. Otherwise we're just like the wagon driver who used a rare bird for the wrong purpose & got nothing out of it. Same thing with drinking on purim. Even though normally we shouldn't, on purim when we're focused on the love of every Jew, the drinking is a good thing to help us overcome our natural reserve and express our love for one another, being the way it should be כאיש אחד בלב אחד !
Friday, February 22, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Terumah
Our parsha begins with ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו את תרומתי , and they shall take to me a portion, from every man whose heart will motivate him you shall take My portion.
The Ben Ish Chai relates that many of the commentators have asked regarding the double lashon of the posuk. Why is it saying twice to take the teruma? He continues that in analyzing these words, we notice that besides being extra they're slightly different. In the beginning, the posuk says תרומה while at the end it switches to תרומתי that it's Hashem's teruma. Why the change?
To answer the first question of the double lashon, Rav Yonasan Eibshits says that we know that in order to build the mishkan, more pure gold was needed than existed in the world. Additionally, there was a need for other precious metals & stones that were not readily available. So how was it possible that the Jewish people brought more of these items than were actually needed? As the posuk states, "the work was enough & even more than was needed."
The only explanation could be that Hashem blessed their donations so that the little that they gave became a lot, equivalent to the desire of the one who was donating. That's how much bracha went into the donation. For instance, if someone only had a small piece of gold & he brought it with a heavy heart wishing he could have given double or triple that amount. If he sincerely meant it, then his donation would miraculously increase to what his heart wanted to give.
In essence, therefore, there were two kinds of teruma. One was what the Jewish people actually gave & one was what Hashem added onto their donations.
The words ויקחו לי תרומה refer to what the regular people actually gave; then, there's another teruma for those that were ידבנו לבו. Those are the ones that gave תרומתי, the second teruma.
In a similar vein, the Ben Ish Chai answers the second question by quoting the Dubner Maggid on why later on it says והבדילה הפרוכת לכם בין הקודש ובן קודש הקדשים , and the paroches shall separate for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. Why did Hashem want to split the Mishkan into two separate levels of holiness? Why wouldn't He want the whole Mishkan to be Holy of Holies?
The Dubner Maggid answers, we need a paroches to separate & to make two levels of kedusha in the Mishkan because of the way the donations come into the Mishkan. There are those who give with all their heart because they want to glorify Hashem’s name. Their donation goes straight to the Kodesh Hakadashim. Then, there are those who just donate because they feel they have to & do it without heart. Those donations can't go to the holiest of places so there has to be a division.
When רב' חיים ולוז'ין started his yeshiva he sent out people to collect. On one of his meshulachim's route there was one man who gave him fifty ruble every year, a large sum in those days.
Years later, this meshulach got his own horse & wagon so as not to have to travel with the caravan & waste time. He also got a nice suit to look respectable to prospective donors. When he came to this regular, the man said I'm not giving you anything. Not only that, I regret ever giving you.
The next year, Rav Chaim came with his meshulach to this man's house to ask why he stopped giving.
He answered, I saw the meshulach coming to me with a fancy suit, a horse & carriage, so I said I don't want my monies to be wasted on those things; I wanted to give to the people learning.
Rav Chaim responded: by the Mishkan, too, all the people wanted their money to go to the holiest of places. That's what was so special about Bezalel. He was able to tell what each person’s intention was; the ones who gave with their heart went into the holiest places. You, too, if you’re giving with your heart, your money will go to the ones learning; if you’re giving for honor, too, then it'll go to the carriage & if you’re giving only for honor, then it will go to feed the horses.
Here, too, says the Ben Ish Chai we can apply this logic. ויקחו לי תרומה refers to donations from anyone which went to the standard items of the mishkan. The words תקחו את תרומתי is talking about the one who gives with his heart; that's Hashem’s teruma. It goes straight to the holiest of places, teaching us that it’s how we give & not what we give that counts!
The Ben Ish Chai relates that many of the commentators have asked regarding the double lashon of the posuk. Why is it saying twice to take the teruma? He continues that in analyzing these words, we notice that besides being extra they're slightly different. In the beginning, the posuk says תרומה while at the end it switches to תרומתי that it's Hashem's teruma. Why the change?
To answer the first question of the double lashon, Rav Yonasan Eibshits says that we know that in order to build the mishkan, more pure gold was needed than existed in the world. Additionally, there was a need for other precious metals & stones that were not readily available. So how was it possible that the Jewish people brought more of these items than were actually needed? As the posuk states, "the work was enough & even more than was needed."
The only explanation could be that Hashem blessed their donations so that the little that they gave became a lot, equivalent to the desire of the one who was donating. That's how much bracha went into the donation. For instance, if someone only had a small piece of gold & he brought it with a heavy heart wishing he could have given double or triple that amount. If he sincerely meant it, then his donation would miraculously increase to what his heart wanted to give.
In essence, therefore, there were two kinds of teruma. One was what the Jewish people actually gave & one was what Hashem added onto their donations.
The words ויקחו לי תרומה refer to what the regular people actually gave; then, there's another teruma for those that were ידבנו לבו. Those are the ones that gave תרומתי, the second teruma.
In a similar vein, the Ben Ish Chai answers the second question by quoting the Dubner Maggid on why later on it says והבדילה הפרוכת לכם בין הקודש ובן קודש הקדשים , and the paroches shall separate for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. Why did Hashem want to split the Mishkan into two separate levels of holiness? Why wouldn't He want the whole Mishkan to be Holy of Holies?
The Dubner Maggid answers, we need a paroches to separate & to make two levels of kedusha in the Mishkan because of the way the donations come into the Mishkan. There are those who give with all their heart because they want to glorify Hashem’s name. Their donation goes straight to the Kodesh Hakadashim. Then, there are those who just donate because they feel they have to & do it without heart. Those donations can't go to the holiest of places so there has to be a division.
When רב' חיים ולוז'ין started his yeshiva he sent out people to collect. On one of his meshulachim's route there was one man who gave him fifty ruble every year, a large sum in those days.
Years later, this meshulach got his own horse & wagon so as not to have to travel with the caravan & waste time. He also got a nice suit to look respectable to prospective donors. When he came to this regular, the man said I'm not giving you anything. Not only that, I regret ever giving you.
The next year, Rav Chaim came with his meshulach to this man's house to ask why he stopped giving.
He answered, I saw the meshulach coming to me with a fancy suit, a horse & carriage, so I said I don't want my monies to be wasted on those things; I wanted to give to the people learning.
Rav Chaim responded: by the Mishkan, too, all the people wanted their money to go to the holiest of places. That's what was so special about Bezalel. He was able to tell what each person’s intention was; the ones who gave with their heart went into the holiest places. You, too, if you’re giving with your heart, your money will go to the ones learning; if you’re giving for honor, too, then it'll go to the carriage & if you’re giving only for honor, then it will go to feed the horses.
Here, too, says the Ben Ish Chai we can apply this logic. ויקחו לי תרומה refers to donations from anyone which went to the standard items of the mishkan. The words תקחו את תרומתי is talking about the one who gives with his heart; that's Hashem’s teruma. It goes straight to the holiest of places, teaching us that it’s how we give & not what we give that counts!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Mishpatim
כי יגנב איש שור או שה וטבחו או מכרו חמשה בקר ישלם תחת השור וארבע צאן תחת השה.
If a man will steal an ox , or a sheep or goat, and slaughter it or sell it, he shall pay five cattle in place of the ox, and four sheep in place of the sheep.
While the Torah tells us the fines one is obligated to pay for stealing, this posuk presents the unique case of stealing & then slaughtering or selling an ox or sheep. Where normally for all other types of robbery the robber has to pay double, here it depends if the animal you stole was an ox or a sheep. One has to pay five cattle in place of the ox whereas if one stole a sheep, he only has to pay four sheep in place of the sheep he stole.
Rashi quotes the gemara which explains the reason for the difference. The Torah had pity on people’s dignity: an ox that walks on its own feet one has to pay five whereas a sheep for which the thief is humiliated by having to carry it on his shoulders, he only pays four.
Rav Elyah Lopian is fascinated by this concept. He says: here's a person who broke into his friend's property, stole his sheep & then slaughtered it or sold it. At the time of his theft, he wants to run away as fast as possible not to get caught, throws the sheep over his shoulder & makes a quick getaway. Do you really think the thief was even cognizant of any embarrassment that people might be looking at him carrying the sheep? He just wanted to get away quickly, yet the Torah still feels for the honor of this thief. Even though for the sin itself, he will be punished as deserved, for his embarrassment his fine is reduced from five to four.
There's a story told by Rav Sholom Schwadron that exemplifies this trait. He once went to a yeshiva where the Mashgiach had been away for a long time. The boys asked him to deliver a mussar sermon but he was torn. On the one hand, the boys were losing out spiritually by not listening to mussar. On the other hand, if he were to deliver the sermon, the boys would gain from him but the Mashgiach might feel bad that he wasn't able to inspire them himself. Therefore, he went & asked Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, who told him that we have a ruling that even if we would have an opportunity to build the Beis Hamikdash but there's a chance that you will hurt someone's feelings, then you don't build. So much does the Torah care about hurting someone's feelings.
Continues Reb Elyah, we know that Hashem rewards five hundred times more then He punishes. How much more so is the reward of a respectable person who sees a sheep lost on the road. In order to return it to the owner, he would pick it up & put it on his shoulder. By so doing he gets a little embarrassed in front of the passersby, but how great must his reward be?
The question that arises, though, is the ruling by the Mitzva of returning a lost object. If the person who finds it is dignified & the object isn't something that's respectable for him to carry, he's doesn't have to go return it. How, then, can we infer that one should put the sheep on his shoulder to return it if he will be ridiculed for doing so?
Maybe Reb Elyah really meant a different kind of sheep. We know the Jewish people are referred to as the flock of Hashem. So what he meant was, that if we see one of the sheep, one of our people, who is lost, be it spiritually, financially, or emotionally, then even if one will be ridiculed or embarrassed for trying to help bring him/her back, imagine how great the reward will be for bringing the sheep back to its flock!
If a man will steal an ox , or a sheep or goat, and slaughter it or sell it, he shall pay five cattle in place of the ox, and four sheep in place of the sheep.
While the Torah tells us the fines one is obligated to pay for stealing, this posuk presents the unique case of stealing & then slaughtering or selling an ox or sheep. Where normally for all other types of robbery the robber has to pay double, here it depends if the animal you stole was an ox or a sheep. One has to pay five cattle in place of the ox whereas if one stole a sheep, he only has to pay four sheep in place of the sheep he stole.
Rashi quotes the gemara which explains the reason for the difference. The Torah had pity on people’s dignity: an ox that walks on its own feet one has to pay five whereas a sheep for which the thief is humiliated by having to carry it on his shoulders, he only pays four.
Rav Elyah Lopian is fascinated by this concept. He says: here's a person who broke into his friend's property, stole his sheep & then slaughtered it or sold it. At the time of his theft, he wants to run away as fast as possible not to get caught, throws the sheep over his shoulder & makes a quick getaway. Do you really think the thief was even cognizant of any embarrassment that people might be looking at him carrying the sheep? He just wanted to get away quickly, yet the Torah still feels for the honor of this thief. Even though for the sin itself, he will be punished as deserved, for his embarrassment his fine is reduced from five to four.
There's a story told by Rav Sholom Schwadron that exemplifies this trait. He once went to a yeshiva where the Mashgiach had been away for a long time. The boys asked him to deliver a mussar sermon but he was torn. On the one hand, the boys were losing out spiritually by not listening to mussar. On the other hand, if he were to deliver the sermon, the boys would gain from him but the Mashgiach might feel bad that he wasn't able to inspire them himself. Therefore, he went & asked Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, who told him that we have a ruling that even if we would have an opportunity to build the Beis Hamikdash but there's a chance that you will hurt someone's feelings, then you don't build. So much does the Torah care about hurting someone's feelings.
Continues Reb Elyah, we know that Hashem rewards five hundred times more then He punishes. How much more so is the reward of a respectable person who sees a sheep lost on the road. In order to return it to the owner, he would pick it up & put it on his shoulder. By so doing he gets a little embarrassed in front of the passersby, but how great must his reward be?
The question that arises, though, is the ruling by the Mitzva of returning a lost object. If the person who finds it is dignified & the object isn't something that's respectable for him to carry, he's doesn't have to go return it. How, then, can we infer that one should put the sheep on his shoulder to return it if he will be ridiculed for doing so?
Maybe Reb Elyah really meant a different kind of sheep. We know the Jewish people are referred to as the flock of Hashem. So what he meant was, that if we see one of the sheep, one of our people, who is lost, be it spiritually, financially, or emotionally, then even if one will be ridiculed or embarrassed for trying to help bring him/her back, imagine how great the reward will be for bringing the sheep back to its flock!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Yisro
The רמב"ן writes that after the Torah tells us to believe in no one other than 'ה, that He's the creator, the all knowing & all able, we are commanded to honor His name. We are commanded to make a sign, a remembrance to constantly remember that He created everything & that reminder is the Mitzva of Shabbos.
The gemara says אמר רב יהודה אמר רב כל המענג את השבת נותנין לו משאלות לבו Rav Yehuda says in the name of Rav, whoever delights in the Shabbos is granted his heart’s wishes. Then the gemara asks what it means to delight in the Shabbos & goes on to enumerate delicacies that one should eat in order to honor the Shabbos.
The posuk says זכר את השבת לקדשו , remember the Shabbos & sanctify it; the gemara asks how do we sanctify the Shabbos? It answers that we sanctify it with wine.
It’s apparent from the gemara that the way to sanctify & honor the Shabbos is through food & drink. The gemara even tells us that anything spent on Shabbos is not included in the total income decreed for him that year & is repaid for whatever one spent above & beyond his expenditures.
The gemara also tells us how Hillel & Shamai would honor the Shabbos: Shamai would buy a choice piece of meat on Sunday & say this is for Shabbos. Then he would find something better, buy that for Shabbos & eat the one he had previously bought. He did that every day, so it came out that he ate the whole week for Shabbos
Hillel had a different approach. He would buy food for each day as he needed it & wait until Friday to buy for Shabbos saying that we take each day as it comes & don't worry about tomorrow today.
The בן איש חי says that each one was focusing on a different aspect. Shamai was showing the ultimate way to honor Shabbos while Hillel was showing the ultimate way to have Bitachon.
Perhaps the reason he chose to show bitachon when it came to honoring Shabbos since Shabbos itself is the ultimate showing of bitachon. The very essence of Shabbos is that we put life on hold for a day without worry because 'ה told us to & is taking care of us.
Now, if Shabbos is the sign for us to remember creation & for us to focus on the fact that 'ה controls the world, wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to be required to focus on more lofty pursuits than food & drink? Shouldn't we be sitting & learning instead of feasting on delicacies & drinking wine?
The בש"ט explains with a parable. There was a prince who was captured & taken to a faraway land where he was forced to do menial work for his captors. One day he received word that his father had discovered where he is & was preparing to come get him. He was overjoyed & wanted to celebrate, yet didn't want his captors to figure out what was going on. He got them all drunk & while they were rejoicing in their drunkenness, he was rejoicing, knowing that he would soon be released without them having a clue as to the real reason for his rejoicing.
So, too, we are told to indulge our bodies on Shabbos so that it will be free of sadness & depression, not thinking about weekday business or any other hardships. This would allow the soul inside us, the prince inside every Jew, to reconnect with 'ה enabling us to soak in the message of Shabbos, which is total reliance on 'ה. Only when we can free our minds from the mundane by way of wine & delicacies, will our soul be able to connect to 'ה & instill in us the ultimate trust!
The gemara says אמר רב יהודה אמר רב כל המענג את השבת נותנין לו משאלות לבו Rav Yehuda says in the name of Rav, whoever delights in the Shabbos is granted his heart’s wishes. Then the gemara asks what it means to delight in the Shabbos & goes on to enumerate delicacies that one should eat in order to honor the Shabbos.
The posuk says זכר את השבת לקדשו , remember the Shabbos & sanctify it; the gemara asks how do we sanctify the Shabbos? It answers that we sanctify it with wine.
It’s apparent from the gemara that the way to sanctify & honor the Shabbos is through food & drink. The gemara even tells us that anything spent on Shabbos is not included in the total income decreed for him that year & is repaid for whatever one spent above & beyond his expenditures.
The gemara also tells us how Hillel & Shamai would honor the Shabbos: Shamai would buy a choice piece of meat on Sunday & say this is for Shabbos. Then he would find something better, buy that for Shabbos & eat the one he had previously bought. He did that every day, so it came out that he ate the whole week for Shabbos
Hillel had a different approach. He would buy food for each day as he needed it & wait until Friday to buy for Shabbos saying that we take each day as it comes & don't worry about tomorrow today.
The בן איש חי says that each one was focusing on a different aspect. Shamai was showing the ultimate way to honor Shabbos while Hillel was showing the ultimate way to have Bitachon.
Perhaps the reason he chose to show bitachon when it came to honoring Shabbos since Shabbos itself is the ultimate showing of bitachon. The very essence of Shabbos is that we put life on hold for a day without worry because 'ה told us to & is taking care of us.
Now, if Shabbos is the sign for us to remember creation & for us to focus on the fact that 'ה controls the world, wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to be required to focus on more lofty pursuits than food & drink? Shouldn't we be sitting & learning instead of feasting on delicacies & drinking wine?
The בש"ט explains with a parable. There was a prince who was captured & taken to a faraway land where he was forced to do menial work for his captors. One day he received word that his father had discovered where he is & was preparing to come get him. He was overjoyed & wanted to celebrate, yet didn't want his captors to figure out what was going on. He got them all drunk & while they were rejoicing in their drunkenness, he was rejoicing, knowing that he would soon be released without them having a clue as to the real reason for his rejoicing.
So, too, we are told to indulge our bodies on Shabbos so that it will be free of sadness & depression, not thinking about weekday business or any other hardships. This would allow the soul inside us, the prince inside every Jew, to reconnect with 'ה enabling us to soak in the message of Shabbos, which is total reliance on 'ה. Only when we can free our minds from the mundane by way of wine & delicacies, will our soul be able to connect to 'ה & instill in us the ultimate trust!
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