Close To Torah

ויקח יתרו חתן משה עולה וזבחים לאלקים ויבא אהרן וכל זקני ישראל לאכול לחם עם חתן משה לפני האלקים (יח:יב).

“Yisro offered sacrifices to Hashem; Aharon and the Elders came to eat with Yisro in front of Hashem ” (18:12).

Two questions. What does the beginning of the verse have to do with the end? There should be two separate verses, one describing Yisro’s offerings and the second about the meal they ate “before Hashem”?

Rashi states that this meal was considered sacred because “one who joins a meal which includes Talmidei Chachomim is considered to have beheld the Divine Presence (Berachos 64a). What does this mean and why is it taught specifically here?

The answer to all of these quandaries is one. The Maharal explains that only Jews are allowed to bring a Korban Shalomim offering. The gentiles can only bring an Olah. Why? The gentile sees spirituality and physicality in the world as two separate entities; they cannot fathom the ability to bring them together. Hence, when they come to the Temple to offer a sacrifice to God, they are only allowed to bring an Olah which is slaughtered and then totally given over to God, by its complete burning upon the altar. To them, the Shalomim is unfathomable. How could humans (the owner and Priest) eat part of a sacrifice, while only part is burned for God?!

The Torah does not command us to negate the human body, only to control it and to elevate the physical experience. This is the foundation of Torah. So much of Judaism revolves around the actions of the body. Our Shabbos and Yom Tov is celebrated with wine, bread and an abundance of delicious food!

We take in the physical enjoyment and use it to sing heartfelt praises to Hashem. We enjoy this world as a means to elevate it and give thanks to its Creator! That is the foundation of the entire Torah.

The eating process is sacred and holy. This is why it is stressed in our Parsha specifically. We find the giving of the Torah described here. It is thus important to precede it with this message.

Indeed, the first (בראשית) and last (ישראל) letters of the Torah itself, together spell the word לב, heart. The heart represents human passions and desire. The Torah is found surrounded by these to letters in order to express that the goal of Torah is not to negate the physical world, rather it is to utilize it properly for the service of Hashem. (Why the letters appear backwards is beyond the scope of this essay.)

It is thus most appropriate that our Parsha which contains the awesome event of the giving of the Torah, is named after Yisro. He was a convert and thus brought with him an appreciation of the outside world. He was an example in using the physical world and channeling it to Hashem. Hence, it comes as no surprise that Rashi tells us that he also brought a Korban Shalomim!

Our verse ends by expressing that he ate a meal before Hashem. This is the exact theme of the Parsha, elevating the physical. The beginning and end of the verse is the same. Just as the Chachomim elevated their meals to serve Hashem, so too Yisro brought a Korban which stood for making holy the mundane.

May we all merit to enjoy life to its magnificent fullest!

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Parshas Yisro

Yisro suggested that judges should be appointed in order to relieve the people and Moshe from waiting all day for judgement. Hashem agreed to the idea and commanded Moshe to establish it. What is strange is the order in which it was both suggested and implemented.

1- “The hard questions go to Moshe”,

2- “and the small things will be decided by the judges”.

Logic dictates that it should have been phrased in the opposite order? It should have first said that the minor judges should decide the cases which are fit for them and then go on to say that the hard things which are beyond their abilities should be brought to Moshe. Why is Moshe’s department mentioned first?

I believe that a most important lesson is being taught here. The judges must know that they don’t know everything! This is a vital introduction to Torah law. One who thinks he knows it all, will be a terrible judge and will decide incorrectly because of his ego preventing him from asking his superiors.

Hence, the introduction given to the new judges stressed the fact that the hard matters should be brought to Moshe. Only after recognizing their own limitations were they then ready to judge matters fit for them.

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Parshas Yisro

ויראו בני ישראל ויאמרו איש אל אחיו מן הוא כי לא ידעו מה הוא… (טז:טו)

“The Jews saw it (Heaven-sent food) and they called it “Monn” for they didn’t know what it was…” (16:15).

It always perplexed me to understand what the lesson of this verse is. Why do we have to know that the Jews did not know what the Manna was? Also, why did the name, “Monn, what is it?!” remain? Once they figured out what it was, the name should have been changed appropriately?

I believe that understanding what is being taught here will prove very relevant to us all. Hashem took the Jews out of Egypt with great miracles and fanfare. Now they were in the dessert and needed food to eat. Hashem wanted the Jews to dedicate themselves to the undisturbed study of His Torah. This is precisely what they did.

This practice of dedication to Hashem’s Torah and the study and fulfillment of its beautiful and life-altering lesson, relates to every one of us.

It can be quite expensive following the Torah laws! Not working on Saturday incurs a great financial loss for us. Sending our children to private religious schools costs thousands more that the free public system. Giving up time from work to learn Torah with a study partner takes much effort and dedication. Buying only Kosher food is a price to pay as well.

We may take these things for granted, but this is something worth contemplating. Certainly those that commit themselves to the Kollel and teaching lifestyle are well aware of the trials of making ends meet. Yet, they all do. They have their needs met! In fact, the Jews are one of the most prosperous races on planet earth. Not everyone is middle or upper class, but even those in need are generously cared for by the warm community members. No one is hungry and most people have the clothes, food and medical care that they need. Hashem has promised to care for those that turn to Him and to never let them down (Tehillim 37:25, 145:14)!

The Manna represents Hashem’s care for the Jew’s wellbeing in the desert. Hashem made sure that everyone had enough food for their daily needs. More so, the Midrash states that every morning the Jews found two thousand years worth of food that had fallen from the sky! However, every person was only allowed to collect one Omer, his daily need, no more and no less! After everyone took, the sun came out and all the leftovers melted away, only to repeat itself again the next morning. What was the purpose of this strange occurrence?

The Gemara (Yuma) explains that Hashem wanted the Jews to always feel that they needed Him to provide for them. If they were to have a large silo stored up, they would stop relying on Him.

So why did 2000 years worth fall daily? Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt”l explains that this fortified the concept. We must see that Hashem is all capable, He is unlimited in the amount of bounty which He can bestow upon us! This is the first perspective. The second idea expressed is that we should pray to Him and ask Him personally to fill our needs!

Indeed, our livelihood is often a mystery, we don’t know how it worked out or how things came together. The struggle is for the purpose of us recognizing how much Hashem does for us. The solution is brought about in a way that we can only credit Hashem!

The name that the jews gave to the Monn was most appropriate and on-target. “What is it!?” Indeed, our livelihood is miraculous and often unexplainable.

This is a most relevant and timely lesson of the Monn.

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Parshas Beshalach

We all know that we are celebrating the “Tree’s Birthday”. What must be understood is: why now? The trees are at their lowest point!? Would it not be more appropriate to celebrate the fruit trees when they are blossomed and full, rather that frozen, shriveled and almost dead in the ground?!

The answer is that often in life, we look at ourselves and think that we have not grown or changed. However, just as children constantly grow in height, so too people are working to grow in spirituality. Just as the child cannot notice his own growth from day to day, so too, we often are disheartened and think that we have not grown. This is certainly not the case.

Tu B’Shevat comes to draw our attention to two points.

1- The frozen hardship of life which growth comes from.

2- The miniscule yet ever important  growth which deserves celebration.

The winter is dark and cold, but the germination process of the tree depends on this. The growth is happening, but it won’t be seen or appreciated right away!

We strive to see the light at the end of the tunnel which will help inspire and carry us through!

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Tu B'Shevat

והיה לך לאות על ידך ולזכרון בין עיניך… (יג:ט).

“They (the Tefillin) shall be a sign on your hand and head….” (13:9).

This week’s Parsha discusses the Mitzvah of Tefillin. By wearing Tefillin we are affirming our belief in Hashem and the fact that He runs the world and took us out of Egypt.

We place the Tefillin on our arm and head, to connote that we dedicate our heart and mind to Hashem.

We place them on our head to state that we will use our head to work on gaining knowledge and understanding of Hashem. We place the Tefillin on the arm, slanted towards the heart, in order to connote that we dedicate our heart, our passions and desires, for the service of Hashem.

One of my 7th grade students asked me during class, that according to this, why don’t we wrap the arm Tefillin around our torso and thus place it directly on our heart, instead of just slanting it on our arm?!

I was very impressed by the question and gave him much acknowledgment for listening so well and striving to understand.

This is how I then explained it to the class. Imagine if all the adults that you knew got together and decided that from now on, whenever you do something good which deserves recognition and reward, they will only do so by means of verbal expression. You will never receive prizes, rewards, money, toys, candy or tickets, only a sincere statement of “job well done”. Imagine a world like that! The classroom filled with moans of disapproval! “No, that would be terrible”, they stated in unison.

The kids then explained to me that it is insufficient to just say, “I am proud of you”! Though that is the main point, us physical human beings need to have a physical expression of recognition as well. We need tangible messages.

“So let me get this straight,” I asked them, “you need me to act in order to fully show my approval and recognition towards you?” “Yes!!”, they all said, as I walked around the room dispensing prizes as a reward for what they just taught me.

Great, now we have answered the original question. We don’t just put the Tefillin on our hearts, for that would only focus on the idea of having feelings towards Hashem. Rather, we put them on our arm. The hand represents action! We will express our love and dedication towards Hashem by actively following His commandments.

This is what Chazal (Makkos 10a) meant by, “one learns the most from his students!” I thank you from the depth of my heart!

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Parshas Bo

The first Rashi in all of Chumash states that the Torah should have really began with a verse in our Parsha. “החודש הזה לכם, this month is for the Jews”. This should have been the beginning of the Torah.

The question is, what is so special about this Mitzvah that it should have came first?

I heard from my dear Rebbe, Reb Asher Zelig Rubenstien shlit”a the following idea. “HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem” signifies that the month is specifically for the Jewish people. It connotes that we are separate from the other nations. The defining factor of the Jews and the merit which helped them exit Egypt was precisely their recognition of the their separateness and specialness as Hashem’s Nation! This is the foundation of the entire Torah.

This is why the Torah should have started with this Mitzvah. The lesson of our special mission is the theme of the entire Torah!

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Parshas Bo

ושרץ היאור צפרדעים ועלו ובאו בביתך… (ז:כח).

“…the frogs will intrude your homes….” (7:28).

The second plague which Hashem smote the Egyptians with was frogs. Let us explore a fascinating observation which I believe you will find quite enlightening!

The Gemara Pesachim (53b) tells us that Chananya, Misha’el and Azaryah (in Bavel) refused to comply with the king’s decree of defiance towards Hashem. They deduced logically that they should allow themselves to be thrown into the furnace to stand up for Hashem’s honor. They said that, “the frogs in Egypt were not commanded to die for Kiddush Hashem, God’s sake, yet they chose to jump into the ovens of the Egyptians for the sake of Hashem, kal v’chomer, certainly, we who are commanded in Kiddush Hashem must do the same! With this, they fell into the furnace, only to be miraculously saved by Hashem.

The Shages Aryeh posed a bomb question on this famous Gemara. Our verse (Shemos 7:28) describes the plague of frogs and states explicitly that the frogs were commanded to jump into the ovens, thus indeed they had an order to do so, and the logic of the three sages is not understood!? How could they learn from the frogs based on the fact that the frogs “chose to die without a commandment”, when in fact they were clearly commanded to enter the stoves and die?!

The Vilna Goan (Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer [1720-97]), was seven years old at the time when this question was posed. He modestly approached the Shages Aryeh to offer his answer. The verse states that Hashem commanded the frogs to invade Egypt, they were to go everywhere. The list of targets included: houses, beds, mixing bowls and ovens. This being the case, each frog had a choice as to whether he should sacrifice his life or not. Many frogs just allowed their friends to go into the ovens while they simply infested a house or bed. Hence, only certain frogs took the responsibly upon themselves to give up their lives to fulfill Hashem’s command regarding the ovens. It was with this in mind that the three sages made their perfectly logical extension to themselves! Upon hearing this, the Shages Aryeh bent down and gave little Eliyahu a kiss on his cheek while exclaiming, “you will be a great sage of Israel one day!”

This is the perspective of our great men in Klal Yisrael. They see what has to be done and do not look around to see if anyone else is responding. Rather, they immediately take the job upon themselves and make sure that it gets done. They are proactive and extremely productive. They know what “responsibility” means. This is a true sign of greatness!

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Parshas Va'eira

The Midrash states that in the merit of Avraham’s passing the ten trials, the Egyptians were smitten with ten plagues! This comparison is hard to understand, the two appear to share nothing in common other than the same number?

I suggest that there is an underlying theme which greatly unites them. The ten trials were a means by which Avraham gained a better understanding and closeness to Hashem. Through his struggles, he grew in appreciation and relationship with Him.

So too, the ten plagues taught the Jews and the world that Hashem is in control of everything! The plagues demonstrated all aspects of Hashem’s control of the world, the earth, sky, water and wind.

In the merit of Avraham’s dedication to Hashem, the Egyptians were smitten with ten plagues. The lesson of Hashem’s power was further expressed in the world.

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Parshas Va'eira

וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה בחומר ובלבנים ובכל עבודה בשדה את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך (א:יד).

“and they made the Jew’s lives bitter, with hard work, mortar and bricks….” (1:14).

The verse describes the backbreaking labor which the Egyptian tormentors subjected the Jews to. The Zohar (I:27a) makes a famous perplexing comment upon this verse. It states that each of the descriptions refers to Torah.

“They made their lives bitter with “עבודה קשה” (rough work)”, this refers to kasha (questions in the Gemara).”בחומר” , (with mortar), this is kal v’chomer (a logical deduction frequently employed throughout Gemara). “בלבנים”, (bricks) this is libun halacha (working hard to clarify the proper law). The other words refer to understanding a Breisah and Mishna (other sources frequently analyzed in the Gemara).

What is being said, and more so, what does it have to do with the work being described? Many answers have been given. I believe that a powerful message is being illustrated.

The Midrash (Beraishis Rabbah 92:1) states, “there is no one whose life is exempt from suffering; praiseworthy is one whose suffering comes from Torah!”

The Steipler Goan explains (Birchas Peretz, Meiketz) that everyone’s life has a determined amount of pain and trouble which Hashem feels is best to bestow upon him in order for his growth and development. However, this pain and suffering can be bypassed and redirected. When one learns Torah or works to control his desires and wants, his exertion can be painfully difficult. Hashem counts this “self-inflicted pain” as a fulfillment of the suffering that he would have otherwise been doomed to experience in a more mundane manner. Hence, one whose suffering comes from Torah, receives his mandatory suffering and becomes a Talmid Chochom in the process!

Rabbeinu Yonah writes (Yesod HaTeshuva), “when one forces himself to learn Torah or perform Mitzvos against his inclination not to act properly, this is called, “Yesurim Shel Ahava, suffering from love to Hashem!” Amazing words!

The tribe of Levi was exempt from the work in Egypt. They refused to come work for Pharaoh in the first place and thus remained free from work and were permitted to study and practice the Torah throughout the subjugation in Egypt. This is not entirely true! They weren’t exempt from toil! Rather, they were fulfilling that obligation through their effort and work in their daily regiment of Torah study and application!

This now beautifully explains the Zohar’s comments upon our verse! In life, one can chose, do I want to just have regular suffering and pain? Or do I want to learn Torah and do Mitzvos and have the difficult efforts count and wipe away from my time of suffering! The study and performance of the Torah has the power to remove our other troubles!

May we all merit to toil in Torah and Mitzvos and find joy and fulfillment in our daily service of Hashem!

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Parshas Shemos Ameilus, Toil in Torah

The Seform note some fascinating parallels in the relationship between Moshe and Yisro. We know that the concept of Gilgul, reincarnation, refers to the soul returning again to earth in a different body in order to complete its perfection.

The first two brothers ever were Kayin and Hevel. According to the Midrash, Kayin killed Hevel in an attempt to steal Hevel’s wife. Thus, Kayin was guilty and needed forgiveness for murder and adultery.

Moshe was a Gilgul of Hevel. Hevel’s sin had been that he had looked at the Shechina when Hashem came down to accept his offering. Moshe thus got forgiveness for this by turning away from viewing Hashem at the burning bush.

Yisro was a Gilgul of Kayin. Just as Kayin was a sinner, so too Yisro started off with a tendency towards evil and served all types of Avoda Zarah. However, Yisro resolved this conflict and repented by converting to Judaism!

Interestingly, because Kayin (Yisro) had killed Hevel (Moshe), the daughters of Yisro were thrown into the well to die (as a punishment for Kayin’s murder of Hevel and for adultery [which is punished with strangulation]) and Moshe himself saved them! Also, Yisro (Kayin) finally gave Moshe (Hevel) a wife (Tzippora his daughter) after stealing Hevel’s wife! This is why Yisro brought Tzippora back to Moshe and was very interested to see that they stayed married.

This is just a brief start of all that was going on…

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Parshas Shemos