Tzav

‎This past week was a very trying one for the Jewish people. All who heard about a family in our neighborhood that was struck with an unimaginable tragedy were shaken to their core.  Seven children, members of one family, were taken from us in a tragic fire. Speaking at the funeral, the father said that his children were taken as a Korban Olah , for the posuk states that on Rosh Chodesh one brings as the Olah offering פרים בני בקר referring to him & his wife; ואיל אחד, referring to his one daughter that was saved and כבשים בני שנה שבעה תמימים , referring to his seven young children that were taken. Trying to take a lesson from the tragedy, Rabbi Joey Haber, one of the rabbis who spoke, mentioned the words of the Shela that the only ‎melacha actually stated in the Torah in relation to Shabbos is לא תבערו אש, not to light a fire. This is not just saying don't literally light a fire; rather it's saying not to let the fire of anger & strife enter your home.

Our parsha begins with the laws of the Korban Olah. The posuk states צו את אהרן ןאת בניו , command Aaron & his sons. Rashi says that from the fact that the Torah uses the word‎ צו, command, rather than אמר , say, or דבר , speak,  implies a charge of alacrity for now & for future generations. ‎There is something about the Olah offering that requires us to do something with alacrity that's a lesson through the ages. 

One quality that requires great strengthening, says רב יצחק זילברשטיין , is peace in the home. A question he received from a doctor indicates how significant this concept is. There was a fellow who would come home late from work every day & then tell his wife he had to go to Maariv.  Instead of coming home twenty minutes later when Maariv was over, he would stay out a long time. This was the most difficult time in the home when the wife was putting the kids to sleep & he wouldn't be there to help. When she asked him why it took so long to come home from shul,  he admitted that his friends sat around talking & he got caught up with them. She asked him not to stay out late & instead come home to help her. He agreed but when he went out & all the boys were there, he got caught up again. 

One night, his mother in law was there to see how difficult it was for her daughter. She asked where her husband was. When she told her mother what he did every night, she sat him down & had a talk with him. Once again, he promised to come right home. However, the same thing happened again. He got caught up in conversation, forgetting to go home to help.  However, this time he realized that he had promised that he would come home & was afraid to go home late. So he had an idea. He went to the hospital & asked the doctor to put his arm in a splint so he could say that he got hurt & that's why he was late. The doctor called Reb Zilberstein to see if he was allowed to help this man avoid a fight with his wife. 

This story shows just how far some people will go to avoid helping at home, which is the total opposite of what one should do. רב אביגדור מילר used to say that when one goes back to his home after a day of work, he should rush back to be there as early as possible to help his wife. Also, before he even knocks on the door, he should think to himself how he could help his wife & what things he could do to ease her burden. Third, he should think to himself how he will deal with his children & how, no matter what happens, he won't allow anger to overcome him. 

Rav Miller held that this was the way everyone should act, although we know that that's not how most people think ‎& act. However, given what happened this week & the message we were given which seems to be a continuing message in this parsha, we must become more attuned to this shortcoming.  Maybe, for a zechus for the children that were taken from us & a zechus for a refuah for the mother & remaining daughter, let's all try to accept upon ourselves the need to be a little more cognizant of our spouse's feelings & a little more patient with our kids. Perhaps, in that Zechus tragedy will no longer strike Klal Yisroel!

Vayikra

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‎The words ויקרא אל משה at the beginning of our parsha have the word ויקרא written with a small letter Alef. The Baal HaTurim explains that Hashem had instructed Moshe to write ויקרא , which means that Hashem called out to Moshe.  Moshe, in his humility, wanted to write ויקר which implies a chance meeting. However left with no choice because Hashem told him to write it out in full, he made the Alef small, displaying for us the great humility of Moshe, the greatest of men who wanted no recognition. 

Chazal demonstrate how great the humble ones are to Hashem.  During the time of the Beis Hamikdash, if a person brought a Korban Olah, he received the merit of an Olah; if he brought a Shelamim, he received the merit of a Shelamim.  However, one who is humble has the merit of all the Korbanos. Therefore, says the Shaar Yashuv the beginning of Vayikra, the sefer of instruction for all the korbanos, starts with the small Alef to teach us that one who is humble, is considered to have brought all the korbanos. 

What is the key to being humble? Maybe we can get an insight from the following story. 

An engaged couple came to Reb Chaim Kanievsky with the following dilemma.  The wedding was set to take place in three weeks & the groom was just diagnosed with a life threatening tumor. The groom did not want his bride to be stuck with him for a lifetime of suffering. He felt, “if I have to suffer, why should she?” Therefore, he wanted to break the engagement. She, on the other hand said “this is a test to see if I will remain loyal. Since he has to suffer with an illness, should I make him suffer more by leaving? I will remain at his side.” Each one was more concerned for the other & was adamant about it. 

Reb Chaim, after listening to both sides, said they should stay together & blessed them warmly. 
Later, someone who was there asked Reb Chaim why he advised them to stay together. He answered that he based his decision on a Midrash. The Midrash related the story of Alexander of Macedonia visiting the king of Kezia. He saw two people come in front of the king with a court case. One had sold a field to the other in which the buyer had found a treasure. Their arguments in front of the king were the exact opposite of what one would expect. The seller said he sold the field with all its contents so the treasure belonged to the buyer whereas the buyer said he only bought the field, so the treasure was the seller’s. 

The king turned to one of them asking if he had a son. He asked the other if he had a daughter. When both answered yes, the king said, “my advice to you is to marry them to each other & give them the treasure.” 

Reb Chaim explained that this Midrash teaches us that if one thinks about another & puts the other person’s needs before his own, he will not lose out. One who steps on someone else's toes to get ahead is a loser. One who sacrifices for someone else will always emerge a winner. 
Just as neither the buyer nor the seller lost out in the story in the Midrash, so, too, this bride & groom, who were only concerned about each other wouldn't lose out either. 

The humility of Moshe is testified to be the Torah. Moshe always put everyone else's needs above his own. When Hashem wanted to destroy Klal Yisroel & make a new nation originating from Moshe, Moshe said that he’d rather be erased from Hashem’s book; he wasn't going to be the last man standing.  He wanted everyone else to be with him. Perhaps, if we put the needs of others before our own & demonstrate concern for others, we will be able to gain greater humility & the merits that come from all the Korbanos!‎

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Vayakhel / Pikudei

‎Moshe gathers the entire nation to teach them the laws of the building of the Mishkan, but prefaces it with some of the laws of Shabbos.  Rav Soloveitchik notes that no less than four times the Torah combines Shabbos & Mikdash, which he explains as teaching us that Shabbos is a sanctuary in the same way the Mishkan was a sanctuary. What does that mean? How does Shabbos compare to the Mishkan?

The first words of the parsha state ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל , that Moshe gathered the whole assembly of the Jewish people. The Chasam Sofer explains that the reason Moshe gathered everyone together was to show that the only way the Mishkan could be built, was with the complete unity of the Jewish people. 

The prerequisite for the building of the Mishkan was the achdus of the Bnei Yisroel. We know that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of hatred & strife. Perhaps an investigation of the Shabbos laws would help elucidate this principal.

There is only one melacha which the Torah specifies that you can't do on Shabbos. לא תבערו אש בכל משבתיכם ביום השבת‏ , you shall not kindle fire in any of your‎ dwellings on the Shabbos. Why is this the only Melacha that is specifically mentioned? The Shelah explains that the Torah is telling us not to let the fire of anger & strife enter your home on the Shabbos. 

For, as the עקדת יצחק explains, Shabbos is the time when everyone is home; people get together; so it's only natural that there's a greater chance of fighting & arguments. Therefore, the Torah ‎explicitly cautions us to avoid arguments & getting angry on Shabbos. 

It's so important not to show anger on Shabbos that once, רבי עקיבא איגר was walking in the street on Shabbos when he saw a Jewish man standing & smoking a cigarette. Then, another Jewish man came over to the smoker & asked for a cigarette. Displaying great self-control to keep from getting angry, Rebbe Akiva stated a well-known maxim: our rabbis teach us עשה שבתך חול ואל תצטרך לבריות, rather make your Shabbos like weekday but don't come on to other people, don’t ask others for support. Rebbe Akiva then turned to the second man & said, "The first part you keep but the second part you don't? The first part making Shabbos into a weekday that you do but the second part not coming onto other people you don't do? Rather than get angry he rebuked with humor.  We see how  important it is to maintain calm and avoid anger on Shabbos.

Perhaps this is the connection between the Mishkan & Shabbos. Both require perfect harmony & peace, the Mishkan required us all to be there together to be of like mind to start the building & Shabbos requires us to keep calm & peaceful. If we all could make sure to avoid getting angry or fighting on Shabbos, we will be one step closer to the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash in our time!



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Purim / Ki Sisa

‎The Halacha of Purim requires everyone to give at least two gifts to two poor people. The Mishnah Berurah qualifies this by saying that that's only the letter of the law.  In reality, of the various requirements of Purim,  one should increase in giving gifts to the poor rather than spending one’s own seudah & more than the money one spends on Mishloch Manos to one's friends. He continues by stating the reasoning for this law that there is no rejoicing as grand & glorious as rejoicing the hearts of the poor, the orphans & the widows. 
 
‎What is so special about the day of Purim that we have to give so much more charity than is normally required?

‎Our Parsha starts off with Hashem telling Moshe to take a census of the Jewish people with specific instructions. ונתנו איש כפר נפשו לה בפקד אתם , every man shall give Hashem an atonement for his soul when counting them. 

Rashi explains that when one wishes to count the people, he should do it by taking a half shekel from each person; then you will count the shekalim & know how many people there are. 

The Midrash tells us tha‎t Moshe asked Hashem how are the Jews going to atone for the golden calf?  Hashem said to him בכי תשא. , by doing the Mitzva of machazits Hashekel. 
Reb Chaim Volo‎zhin explains, Chazal tell us that אין צדקה משתלמת אלא לפי חסד שבה , charity is not only ‎qualified by the chesed that's in it.  If, with one’s charity, he saves  a poor person from death,‎ then he, too, can be saved from death that was decreed against him. 

Until now, the Jews in the desert had no opportunity to give charity, for all their needs were taken care of by Hashem. The Maan fed them; the clouds housed them; etc. Only now when the command to give the Machtzis Hashekel was given, did the Jews have an opportunity to give charity for those that were lacking were helped out by those that gave. For had they not have had the funds to donate & then they would be counted by head instead of the coin then plauge would affect them. As happened when דוד המלך counted them by head.  This is the meaning of Hashem telling Moshe that the forgiveness for the eigel will come when the Jews start giving charity to one another. Even though the sin of the eigel was punishable by death, when they give charity & save another person, they will be forgiven from death. 

On Purim, we have the mitzva to go above & beyond when giving charity since, on Purim, we were saved from death by the whole nation fasting & praying together. Then, they rose up & fought together. We rejoiced in the victory; all the Jews were connected & helping each other out to gain that victory. To keep that feeling of unity, we give gifts to one another & gifts to the poor so that they, too, will feel part of the nation. By doing so, we also eradicate any harsh decree against us. Therefore, on the day of Purim, we give as much as we can to the poor so that they will be happy assuring that we will have any harsh decrees annulled & we will be blessed with a great year!
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