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Turnabout – The True Meaning Of Purim

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Posted by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
March 13th, 2011
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by Rabbi Shlomo Price

A certain teacher, Mr. Schlatter tells of an experience he had early in his career.

He had a student, who was very troublesome. He was a bully, a thief and always getting suspended. Everyday, Mr. Schlatter would have the class memorize some famous inspirational sayings and repeat them at roll call. Among them were, “If you can see the obstacles, you’ve taken your eyes of the goal.”, “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” This troublesome student complained the most about this routine until he was expelled from the school. They lost touch for five years when all of a sudden the student called Mr. Schlatter.

He was at a special program at one of the neighboring colleges and had just finished parole.

He told Mr. Schlatter, that after being sent to different prisons for his antics he had become so disgusted with himself that he had taken a razor blade and cut his wrists.

To see the amazing ending of this story continue reading:                       

One of the Torah thoughts that I like to say about Purim is from the sefer “Drash Moshe” in Hebrew, p. 67, by Hagaon Rabbi Moishe Feinstien, z.t.l. (also cited in Artscroll Megillah on this verse from “Bastion of Faith”)

He discusses the name of the holiday “Purim” because of the pur-the lot that Haman drew in order to decide which month to annihilate the Jews (Esther 9:26).

He asks, “…the name (of a Holiday) teaches us the main concept of the Holiday, and this concept of the lots is not a major theme of Purim, (so why is the name Purim)?

Evidently, the lesson from this is, that a person shouldn’t think that when Hashem has already given him good fortune and blessing that it’s already in his hand (guaranteed) and there is no longer any need to seek Hashem’s salvation.

Rather he should feel that just as he must pray to Hashem before he gets it, so too must he pray even after Hashem has given it to him, for one does not know what his lot is. We see this from Haman. Even though his lot (in the beginning) was for his benefit, later it was for his detriment and for the benefit of the Jews. This is a very important principle in Belief of Hashem that we should learn from this Holiday. That is why this name (Purim) is the most befitting of all.”

Of course we see this lesson in everyday life how very wealthy people can overnight lose their fortune to the whims of the stock market (which of course is just one of the messengers of Hashem to give or take away sustenance)

We also see the other side of the coin in Purim, how a situation that looks so bleak and desperate can all of a sudden, make a “turnabout” and be a tremendous benefit for its recipient. As it says in the Megillah (Esther 9:1) “… and there was a turnabout that the Jews dominated over their enemies.”

A few years ago I was privileged to attend a Bar Mitzvah in St Louis that brought this point home. It was of a boy who came to live with his uncle in St. Louis, at the age of 11 1/2 and didn’t even know Aleph Beit. Yet here he was, a mere year and a half later, a true Ben Torah who lained the Torah and Haftorah and spoke beautifully about his yearnings to be a true Ben Torah.

Before I left to St. Louis from Israel, I was informed by the guys in the Yeshivah (Neveh Zion) that the St Louis Rams had just won the Super Bowl. This was news to me on two accounts. First of all, I thought the Rams were in Los Angeles. Second of all, I didn’t know that the Super Bowl had been played. See what you miss by moving to Israel.

Anyway when I arrived in New York before going to St. Louis I visited the Yeshiva “Shaar Yoshuv” in Far Rockaway to see some of the Neveh Alumni. Over there, as Hashgocho would have it, I was told by one of our alumni, Gershom Paretzky, the amazing dismal history of the St Louis Rams of yesteryear and their miraculous turnabout this year. Of course, he also briefed me on the no less amazing biography of their quarterback, Kurt Warner.

Armed with my new vital information, when I spoke at the Bar Mitzvah I made use of it. I mentioned how “… St. Louis is a land of miracles and heroes as we see from the Rams, Kurt Warner, and of course, who can forget Mark McGwire? In case you did, he hit 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998.

But all of these so-called “miracles and heroism” pale in the light of the real hero that is with us tonight in St. Louis, the Bar-Mitzvah boy. In fact, as much as we all came here to inspire the Bar Mitzvah boy, there is no doubt that more than we could have inspired the Bar mitzvah boy, he has inspired us.”

A person must learn never to lose hope or give up.

In fact, I saw some beautiful stories in the book, “Chicken Soup of the Soul” which stress this point.

One is about Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb. He had tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, “I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000 -step process.”

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, “That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

Another story from the same book is really a story within a story. It is called “The Magic Pebbles” by John Wayne Schlatter.

This schoolteacher, Mr. Schlatter, tells how he would handle one of the most frequently uttered questions in his teaching career, “Why do we have to learn all this dumb stuff?”

He would answer by recounting the legend of “The Magic Pebbles.”

One evening a group of nomads were suddenly surrounded by a Heavenly light which gave them a special message, “Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day’s journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad.”

The nomads, who were expecting some profound message and advice, were disappointed with such a menial task that made no sense to them. However, they were so inspired by the great light that they each picked up a few pebbles and put them in their saddle bags.

They traveled a day’s journey and at night while making camp they looked into their bags and discovered that every pebble had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad that they didn’t get more pebbles.

Mr. Schlatter then tells of an experience he had that illustrated the truth of that legend to him.

He had a student, early in his career, who was very troublesome. He was a bully, a thief and always getting suspended. Everyday, Mr. Schlatter would have the class memorize some famous inspirational sayings and repeat them at roll call. Among them were, “If you can see the obstacles, you’ve taken your eyes of the goal.”, “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” This troublesome student complained the most about this routine until he was expelled from the school. They lost touch for five years when all of a sudden the student called Mr. Schlatter.

He was at a special program at one of the neighboring colleges and had just finished parole.

He told Mr. Schlatter, that after being sent to different prisons for his antics he had become so disgusted with himself that he had taken a razor blade and cut his wrists.

“You know what , Mr. Schlatter, as I lay there with my life running out of my body, I suddenly remembered that dumb quote you made me write 20 times one day. ‘There is no failure except in no longer trying.’ Then it suddenly made sense to me. As long as I was alive, I wasn’t a failure, but if I allowed myself to die, I would most certainly die a failure. So with my remaining strength, I called for help and started a new life.”

At the time that he heard the quotation it was just a pebble. When he needed guidance in a moment of crisis, it had become a diamond. And so it is with all of us we should gather all the pebbles we can and we can count on a future full of diamonds. Till here is the story.

Of course, all of this may be true concerning secular wisdom, but Lehavdil elef havdolos, the words of Torah are more precious than diamonds the very moment we learn them. And if secular wisdom can help in the future, then certainly Torah wisdom will inspire and help us immediately if we only internalize them.

I will further this point with part of an article from Aish.Com about Purim from Rabbi Benjamin Bleich, called, “Modern Miracles.”

“There is a Hebrew word in the book of Esther central to the story of Purim, V’nahafoch – it was turned around. Everything that seemed like a misfortune at first was in retrospect recognized as a Divine miracle. Because there are miracles, unlike those in the Bible, that come camouflaged as seeming coincidences, as natural events, as incidents that “just happened,” but that in reality are the products of heavenly intervention in the affairs of mankind.

The very name Purim comes from the word meaning “lottery.” Some call that a game of pure luck, the winner determined by random inexplicable forces that have no rational basis. Faith however allows us to understand that in a world governed by an All-seeing God there cannot be room for blind chance. A lottery is far more than luck; it is allowing the Director of the universe to decide the outcome while hiding in the background.

Purim is the holiday that harps on what people call coincidence. It reminds us, as the proverb has it, that “coincidence is God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous.”

Purim has many miracles in its story. Not the kind of miracles that override the rules of nature. Rather the miracles that happen so much more frequently in our own lives. The miracles that we so often discount because God chooses not to shout but rather to whisper. It is His still small voice that we have to attune ourselves to hear as He turns tragedies into blessings. And that is why the festival of Purim, with its message of miracles camouflaged as coincidence, will outlast every other holiday on the Jewish calendar.

A personal story will shed some light on the matter. Thirty years ago in the middle of giving a lecture to my class at Yeshiva University I was suddenly called out due to “a life-and-death emergency.” One of my students was threatening to commit suicide in his dormitory room and desperately needed some counseling.

I rushed over and found the young man wailing and moaning. “This is the worst day of my life!” he screamed, “I don’t want to go on living anymore.” Slowly the story poured out of him. His girlfriend had just broken up with him and he was inconsolable. “You don’t understand, Rabbi. I’ll never ever find anyone like her. I’ll never meet someone as perfect as she is. I can’t go on, I just want to die.”

I stayed with my student all day, as well as the following night. I tried to reassure him that his life was not over. By morning I finally got him to promise me not to give up on his future. He agreed that suicide is a sin and that he’d struggle to go on, even though it pained him to lose what he was certain was his only possibility for happiness.

A little over 20 years later I was teaching in my very same classroom when there was a knock on the door. A young man asked permission to enter and then, with a smile, asked, “Rabbi, do you remember me?”

It took but a moment for me to realize who it was. “Of course I recognize you,” I told him, “and you still owe me a night’s sleep.”

The young man returned to tell me the end of the story. “You know that day when I wanted to commit suicide and I told you it was the worst day of my life? In retrospect I now realize that day was really the luckiest day of my life. The girl I thought I couldn’t live without — she’s been involved in drugs and a series of scandals that even hit the newspapers. My life would have been a horror had we stayed together. I came back to thank you Rabbi, because today I am married to a woman who is truly the best in the world and we have four amazing children who give me joy every single day. I guess what you taught us is true. There are times in life when we mistake blessings for tragedies.”

But that’s not the end of the story.

Just one year after this moving experience I was invited to serve as scholar in residence at a synagogue in Los Angeles. For my Sabbath sermon I chose a theme based on a verse in Exodus in response to Moses’ request to see God. God told Moses, “You cannot see My face, for man cannot see My face and live… you will see My back, but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:20). Of course God has no body. It was not His physical appearance that was being discussed. Moses wanted to “see” — to comprehend — God’s ways and His interaction with His creations. What he was told is that with our finite intelligence we can’t understand events as they unfold; it is only retroactively that “You will see My back” and grasp God’s infinite wisdom. I quoted Kierkegaard who expressed the same idea when he said, “The greatest tragedy of life is that it must be lived forward and can only be understood backwards.” And then, as I was speaking, the story of the suicidal student suddenly popped into my head and I told it as an illustration.

The following Sunday night, one of the congregants told me that my speech had unwittingly saved a life. It seems that in the audience on the previous day for the Sabbath service was a young man just 24 hours before his wedding. He was scheduled to fly out to New York late Saturday night to join his bride for the wedding ceremony they had been happily anticipating for the last six months. No sooner was the Sabbath over when he received the phone call that shattered his dreams. His fianc?e at the last moment decided she couldn’t go through with it. She called to regretfully inform him that it was all over.

The almost-to-be-groom later described to his friends what happened next. For a moment he felt suicidal. He wanted to rage, to vent his anger, to scream. But one thought kept repeating itself in his mind. Why was it that on that very morning he heard a sermon describing an almost similar event? He had not intended to go to that particular synagogue. It was a last-minute decision that brought him to a place where, almost as a Divine message, he could hear words that in the aftermath of his own tragedy might offer him some solace.

Little did he know that my inserting that particular illustration was also totally unplanned. A higher source put into my mind and my mouth — a gift from God to allow someone to survive incredible pain just a few hours later.

And this story, too, has a happy ending. This past July my wife and I were strapping ourselves into our El Al seats on the way to Israel. Passengers were still filing by on the aisles when one of them began to stare at me and suddenly shouted, “Aren’t you Rabbi Blech?” When I responded that indeed I was, he identified himself. Five years before, he told me, he was sitting in a synagogue in Los Angeles on the day before he was supposed to get married. He proceeded to share the part of the story I already knew.

With tears in his eyes he asked me to come with him so he could introduce his wife and three children. “I’m just like that student in the story you told us that unforgettable Shabbat. Today I’m the happiest man in the world. I can honestly say that the curse of that Saturday night has turned out to be my greatest blessing.” [Till here is from Rabbi Bleich]

In the Sefer Chumash HaMagiddim on Parshas VaYetze [p.242…] there is a very inspirational lecture from Rabbi Yaacov Galinsky, shlita which also teaches us this lesson, that one must have patience and then he may see later on how a seeming “tragedy,” was really for his best.

We find that after Leah had six sons, she was pregnant with the seventh son. Since she knew that there would only be 12 tribes she calculated that since the two maidservants had 4 [2 each], if she would have 7 that would leave only 1 for her sister Rachel. This would be disgraceful as Rachel would have less than the maidservants. So she prayed and it changed to a female and she was named Dinah. [Bereishis 30:21in Rashi from Berachos 60a].

This was a tremendous sacrifice that Leah had done for her sister Rachel, to give up the merit of having another holy Tribe. As much as we understand their holiness, the Matriarchs knew better.

At least she merited a daughter from Yaacov which is also fine and good. One would imagine that such a daughter that was born as a result of Leah’s self sacrifice should merit great blessings and a tremendous Choson-groom.

But what happened?

She gets taken by Shechem a Gentile!!

One can ask at this point a very poignant question. Is this Leah’s reward for her sacrifice? Is this the Nachas-the pleasure Leah is supposed to get from Dinah for her self sacrifice? This is truly a hard question to answer.

However, if we look in “Pirkei DRabi Eliezer,” Chapter 38 it will be revealed to us an amazing thing.

A daughter was born from the union of Shechem and Dinah. Her name was Osnat. She was considered Jewish as her mother was Jewish. Nevertheless, the brothers wanted to kill her so people shouldn’t say there was immorality in the “House of Yaacov.”

Yaacov wrote the Holy Name of Hashem on something and hung it around Osnat’s neck and sent her away. Hashem, who sees everything, sent the  Angel Michoel to take her and bring her down to Mitzrayim-Egypt to the house of Potiphar and his wife. The wife of Potiphar was barren and brought up Osnat as her own daughter. Eventually she married Yoseph.

Yoseph and Osnat had two children, Menashe and Ephraim. They were counted among the 12 tribes. [Bereishis 48:5-see Rashi].

So now we have the amazing answer to our question.

Leah gave up one tribe and gained two tribes Menashe and Ephraim, her great grand children!!

In the beginning, when Leah sacrificed, we don’t see immediate beneficial results. In fact, we see as if she was given a slap. Only much later do we see the final benefit that she merited double.

We learn from all of this that we have to have patience. We won’t always see immediate results for our sacrifices. But if we have patience we may see it at the end. With this future outlook we can make peace with the difficult present.

Sometimes, we have to take into consideration things that happened to our Neshamos-Souls in a different lifetime to get the whole picture.

 The Chofetz Chaim (On Torah. p.284), brings the verse in Tehilim 19:10 “…The Judgements of Hashem are true, they are all together righteous.” The simple understanding by many commentaries [Ibn Ezra,Metzudas Dovid] is that they don’t contradict each other, but the Chofetz Chaim explains it in a very novel way.

 We know that for sins bein odom l’chaveiro-between man and man Yom Kippur alone will not forgive us. We require personal forgiveness from the one we have wronged. If someone hits his friend and he doesn’t make amends in this world then the soul must return again in a different gilgul-reincarnation to this world to rectify this sin.

 Imagine, the Chofetz Chaim says, the pain and anguish that the soul has when it is sentenced to come back down here again [the soul yearns to be next to Hashem, and just when it finally thinks it’s reaching its goal, it is sent down here again. This is tremendous suffering for the soul].

 The soul complains to Hashem why He made him rich. The soul blames the haughtiness and chutzpah that accompany wealth as the reason why he hit his friend, and begs not to have to be sent down again.

 Finally, when the soul realizes that inevitably it must come down to rectify the sin of hitting his friend, it pleads for special consideration. It begs to be sent down as a poor person with a broken spirit, or to be born without a hand, so that it will prevent him from hitting his friend again.

This causes a great upheaval in the Heavenly Court. The Prosecutor does not agree. He claims that in order to make amends properly, the neshomo has to come down in the exact same situation it had before. It has to be rich and with two arms in order to go through the same test again. Finally, after much praying, pleading, beseeching, and a number of advocates who spoke on the soul’s behalf, its request was granted. It was sent down as a poor man or without an arm.

 Yet, when the soul gets here, it remembers nothing of the previous episode. When it is born poor or handicapped, instead of thanking Hashem for listening to its request, it complains to Hashem about the unfairness of its situation. It forgot completely how hard it worked till it “persuaded” Hashem to create it with this situation, to insure that he wouldn’t hit his friend.

 This is what the posuk in Tehillim means, that in order to see the truth in Hashem’s judgments, one must see the whole story all together. When one knows what occurred before he was sent down, how he begged Hashem to create him in this situation, then it will be obvious to him that Hashem’s judgments are true and his poverty or handicap were a tremendous merit for him.

 One of the beautiful thoughts that Rabbi Bleich mentioned, I had seen before from  Rabbi Yissochor Frand, in the name of the Chasam Sofer.

The posuk in Ki Sisa (Shmos 33: 23) says, that Hashem told Moshe, “. . . . And you will see “Achorai“- My back, “Upanai” – My front you will not see”. The Chasam Sofer points out that there are many events that look quite bad when they actually occur. We wonder why Hashem is doing this. Only much later do we sometimes see how this event led to a whole chain of events that ultimately led to a tremendous good for Klal Yisroel. Then we realize in retrospect that the first event was really good.

This, he said, can be alluded to in the posuk “Upanai – My front”, – before that final event (that clarifies the first event) occurs then “we will not see” – we will not understand its goodness. However “Achorai” – My back”, – when you see much later the great event that it led to, “you will see. . . “, you will then understand in retrospect why the first event was necessary.

When I looked up the Chasam Sofer I saw that he uses the story of Purim as an example.

He points out that when we look at the death of Vashti which caused the taking of Esther as Queen, it raises the obvious question. Why did Hashem cause Esther to be taken as Queen to this Goyishe King where she will be defiled? [Or as a Jewish Comedian would say, “What’s a nice Jewish girl doing in a place like this?!”]

Years later we discover that it was very necessary. It put Esther into a key position to help bring salvation to Klal Yisroel.

May Hashem help us to learn the lessons of Purim and internalize them so that we can live them throughout the rest of the year and so we will truly live a happier life in this world and the next.

 Have a Happy Purim!

 —————————————

Rabbi Shlomo Price, a renowned lecturer and educator, is also a senior Rebbe at Neve Tzion. To receive his weekly Priceless Torah – please contact him at RabbiShlomo.Price@gmail.com.

Shnayim Mikra Ve-Echad Targum – Parshas Shemos

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Posted by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
December 23rd, 2010
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 There is a well  known Gemara (Brachos 8a-b) that states: “A person should always complete his [study of the] parsha with the congregation – [by studying] shnayim mikra ve-echad targum – Anyone who does this will have long days and years.” Learning the text of the parsha twice with the targum is a segula for long life. What many do not know is that this ma’amar Chazal is actually codified in Halacha (Rambam Hilchos Tefilla 13,25; Shulchan Aruch O.C. 285,1) . The Ba’al HaTurim (Shemos 1,1) famously comments that this halacha can be gleaned from the first passuk in Parshas Shmos: The Parsha begins `V’aileh Shmos Bnei Yisrael’ – `And These Are The Names Of Bnei Yisrael`. The Ba’al HaTurim States that this stands for (Roshei Teivos) -V’adam Asher Lomed HaSeder Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum B’Kol Na’im Yashir, Yichyeh Shanim Rabos Aruchim L’Olam - or `And the person who learns the weekly Parsha shnayim mikra ve-echad targum in  a sweet straight voice, will live many long years (have an extremely long life).

In this vein, I would like to present to the Close To Torah audience a dvar Torah from my close friend, Rabbi Yosef Radner, from his newest project, to bring lomdus out of the bais medrash to those who do not have the time to plumb the depths of a sugya and are thus deprived the enjoyment of lomdus.

Shnayim Mikra Ve-Echad Targum

by Rabbi Yosef Radner

The gemara (Brachos 8a-b) writes: “A person should always complete his [study of the] parsha with the congregation – [by studying] shnayim mikra ve-echad targum – including [the words] ‘Ataros ve-Divon.’ Anyone who does this will have long days and years.” Learning the text of the parsha twice with the targum is a segula for long life.

Why does the gemara say that this applies to the words “Ataros ve-Divon” as well? These are names of cities listed in Parshas Chukas. Rashi explains that these words have no Targum Onkelos. You might think that you are therefore exempt from learning that pasuk with the targum. The gemara is thus telling us that even when there is no Targum on a text, the words must be repeated in Hebrew yet a third time.

Tosfos notes that if the gemara was trying to give an example of words in the Torah that do not have Targum, they should have made a different choice – the Targum Yerushalmi does, in fact, translate the words “Ataros ve-Divon.” (These words are translated in our texts of the Targum Onkelos as well, but it is clear from the discussion in the Rishonim that this translation was taken from the Targum Yerushalmi and did not appear in the original Targum Onkelos.) A better example to prove such a point would have been a pasuk like “Reuven ve-Shimon.” There is no targum in the world for these names.

Tosfos argues that the gemara brings “Ataros ve-Divon” as its example precisely because there is only a Targum Yerushalmi on those words. The gemara is telling us that it is better to recite a targum of some sort rather than repeat the words in Hebrew a third time, as Rashi argued.

How can we explain Rashi’s interpretation? If the entire point of the targum is to translate the Hebrew words, what have you accomplished by reciting the Hebrew words again? How can Rashi respond to Tosfos’ question?

 The Purpose of Targum

 Tosfos notes that some hold that the targum can be in any language. After all, the entire purpose of the translation is to help the “amei ha-aretz” who don’t understand the original. Most people don’t speak Aramaic nowadays, so using an English translation would seem to be much more logical. Tosfos, however, rejects this possibility because the Targum is not simply a translation – it is an interpretation. The gemara says in Megillah that without the Targum, we wouldn’t even know how to read the words. A translation wouldn’t help; there are some words in the Torah that we can’t understand without the Targum. Tosfos concludes that the chiyuv of targum should thus be fulfilled by learning Targum Onkelos over any other translation.

 But an explanation is only helpful if you understand it. Since we are no longer fluent in Aramaic, perhaps studying Targum Onkelos is a waste of time!

The Rosh argues that if one learns the Chumash with the explanation of Rashi, he has fulfilled the mitzva just like if he had studied it with the Targum, since Rashi explains every word. The Rosh understands the obligation in the same way as Tosfos. The purpose of targum is not translation, but explanation, and Rashi’s commentary serves that purpose as well as the Targum Onkelos – and perhaps better!

Elsewhere (Megillah, third perek, se’if 6), the Rosh proves that even in the time of the gemara, there were communities who no longer used a meturgaman to simultaneously translate the Torah reading into Aramaic. That being the case, and given the fact that we no longer understand the Targum anyway, there is no need to use the Targum specifically.

Rashi clearly views the obligation of targum as that of translation and not of interpretation. That is why he insists that the words “Ataros ve-Divon” be repeated a third time in Hebrew. The point of repeating it is not to aid our understanding.

The Tur records (siman 285) the mitzva of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, citing both the opinions of Rashi and Tosfos but concluding that the minhag is to be machmir like Rashi and recite “Ataros ve-Divon” three times. The point is translation, not explanation.

 Understanding Rashi’s Approach

Tosfos (Bava Kamma) writes that Aramaic should not be taken lightly, because the Torah was given in Aramaic. There is a famous machlokes between the Rama and Rav Shmuel Yosef Katzenellenbogen regarding what Tosfos means. Rav Shmuel Yosef Katzenellenbogen argues that Aramaic is Lashon Ha-Kodesh that became corrupted. In fact, the grammar of the two languages is similar. It must therefore be treated respectfully. The Rama argues, on the other hand, that Hashem gave us the Torah in two languages – once in Hebrew, again in Hebrew, and a third time in Aramaic.

The Pri Megadim explains the reason for the obligation of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum – it parallels the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai and the Ohel Moed and the Mishna Torah, which was “be’er heitiv.” Moshe’s repetition of the Torah was accompanied by explanation – this is targum. Through shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, we are recreating Matan Torah. It makes no difference if we understand Aramaic or not, just as it makes no difference if you understand Lashon Ha-Kodesh when you read the Torah. The language has importance in and of itself because that is how the Torah was given. Torah she-ba’al peh is not like that – if you don’t understand an interpretation, you have done nothing by reciting it. But reading targum has significance even if you have no idea what it means.

The perspective of the Rama and Pri Megadim sheds light on why Rashi was so insistent in viewing targum as a translation and not an explanation. We must read the Torah in Aramaic the same way that it was originally given in that language. The obligation is shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, not shnayim mikra ve-echad perush.

Tosfos, the Rosh, and other Rishonim understand that the point of the obligation is not to recreate Matan Torah, but rather to learn it in a way in which we understand it. Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael the Torah in a way that they understood it, and we should therefore learn a perush that we understand. That perush, according to the Rosh, is that of Rashi.

The result of this machlokes is that Rashi holds that Targum is better and the Rosh holds that Rashi is better!

Practical Applications

What should a person do if he doesn’t even understand Rashi’s explanations? How should he fulfill the obligation of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum? The answer is dependent on this machlokes between Rashi and the other Rishonim. According to Rashi, Targum is better whether you understand it or not. According to the others, the whole point is to understand the text. If someone understands an English explanation better, he should certainly use that over Rashi’s commentary. The Taz writes that one can rely on other explanations as well.

Practically speaking, what are we to do? The Smag suggests that logically, Rashi’s commentary is preferable to the Targum, but he notes that many Rishonim insist on the preference of Targum over other options; the Targum was “zocheh” because it was given at Har Sinai, and shnayim mikra is a recreation of that experience.  The Beis Yosef concludes that a “yarei Shamayim” would fulfill both opinions – reading both the Targum Onkelos and Rashi’s commentary!!

Clearly, no matter what a person chooses to do, there are Rishonim who support him. Why is the Beis Yosef concerned with a “yarei Shamayim”? And why should he fulfill both opinions? We are dealing with a safek de-Rabbanan, about which we are usually lenient.

At the conclusion of the drama of Yosef and his brothers – after they had decided that he was a rodef and sold him, after the shevatim had come down to Egypt, after Yosef had given them so much trouble, and after Yehuda had threatened to take down the world superpower if Binyamin was not returned – Yosef finally revealed himself. “I am Yosef – is my father still alive?” The brothers were so overwhelmed that they couldn’t respond. The famous midrash relates, “Oy lanu mei-yom ha-din, oy lanu mei-yom ha-tochecha!” Woe is to us from the Day of Judgment and Rebuke! When Hashem shows each person who he really is, our reaction will be similar to that of the brothers. If the brothers couldn’t look their little brother in the face, how are we going to face Hashem?

The Beis HaLevi explains that Yosef accused his brothers of hypocrisy. You told me again and again that you need to bring Binyamin back home because otherwise his father would die because he loves his son so much. Well, I’m Yosef – is my father still alive? When you sold me, your father’s pain didn’t seem to bother you! You had no problem trying to kill me or sending me down to Egypt, even though you knew it would kill your father! This is exactly what Hashem will one day say to us – your own actions overrule your defense!

Take a man who has been successful in business; he gives tzedaka and has some spare money to take vacations and redo his house and go to Eretz Yisrael for Sukkos. He’s living the good life. Then he hits a snag. I can’t give tzedaka anymore, he argues. What will Hashem tell him on the yom ha-din? What about Sukkos in Israel? You still have enough money for that. Why did you renew your lease? Why do you have enough money for those things and not enough for tzedaka? (I heard a great explanation relating to this point: “Ani rishon ve-ani acharon” – when the economy is bad, Hashem is the first to get cut, and when things are good, He’s the last to be paid!)

A yarei Shamayim fulfills both options because he is afraid that when he gets up to Shamayim, they will ask him how he fulfilled shnayim mikra. If he answers that he read Chumash with Rashi, they will respond that Rashi himself holds that you are not yotzei with Rashi! If you like Rashi so much, you should have listened to Rashi!

Parallel Machloksim

The Magen Avraham asks if you should read each pasuk independently with its Targum or if you should read a whole section followed by its Targum. This is dependent on our same machlokes. If the point is to recreate Matan Torah, it would be best to read three complete sections, while if the point is to understand the psukim, it would be better to understand each pasuk independently with its explanation.

The obligation is “im ha-tzibur” – it applies to the Shabbos on which the parsha is read. It is best to finish before the meal, but one can do it by mincha as well. After that, there is a machlokes Rishonim if you have lost your chance. The Tur says that time is up after mincha. The Beis Yosef cites Rabbenu Simcha, who argues that you can be yotzei bedieved until Simchas Torah, when we finish all of the parshios. Bedieved, we pasken like Rabbenu Simcha. This machlokes also parallels our original dispute –  Whether the mitzva is to conclude reading the whole Torah shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, like it was given at Har Sinai –  in which case you can fulfill it up until Simchas Torah, or whether it is an  independent obligation every single week, as the point is to understand the text.

——————————————————————————————

 Rabbi Yosef Radner, a popular Rebbe in Yeshiva Gedola of Waterbury, has earned a reputation as an engaging and inspirational Maggid Shiur with the unique ability of conveying complex ideas culled from an encyclopedic knowledge of Torah Literature  in clear and simple terms. He shares his ideas with an infectious enthusiasm and a passion that excites and inspires his talmidim; imparting a wealth of information in a thoroughly enjoyable style, making the sugya come alive. He is the author of the three volume set of Nachalas Mayim on sugyos haShas, and makes an annual siyum haShas. In addition, he gives a weekly shiur at the Monsey Night Seder Bais Medrash, presenting an original approach to a sugya in Shas which generally relates to the weekly Parasha in a lucid and articulate manner, enabling participants to reconnect with the geshmak of lomdus that they experienced in yeshiva.        

To sign up for Rabbi Radner’s weekly lomdus/Parsha Dvar Torah, or for any questions or comments, please contact him at  ryradner@gmail.com.

Priceless Torah – The Power of Diminutive Deeds

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Posted by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
October 14th, 2010
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 Parshas Lech Lecho

 by Rabbi Shlomo Price

In Bereshis-Genesis 14:13 [see Rashi there], it says that Og came and told Avraham about the capture of Lot, Avraham’s nephew, which consequently led to Lot’s rescue by Avraham.

 Rav Zeidel Epstein ,ztl, in his sefer-book, Haoros on Chumash-Bamidbar-p.126, brings Rashi [Bamidbar 21:34]  who explains that Moshe was afraid of  fighting with Og the King of Bashan because of this “merit” that Og had. Moshe was afraid that this merit was so great that it would outweigh the merits of Moshe and all the Jews.

 Rav Epstein, ztl., points out that if we scrutinize Og’s “merit’ we will uncover a startling revelation.

 Rashi in Bereshis, [ibid.] brings the Midrash which explains that Og really had ulterior motives. He wasn’t interested in saving Lot’s life. Rather Og was hoping that Avraham would go out to war to save Lot, and ultimately Avraham would be killed at the battle. This would enable Og to take Sarah, Avraham’s wife, to be his wife.

 So we see that rather than being a praiseworthy merit of saving Lot’ life, it was a deed with the vilest intentions of murder, immorality and stealing. Why does he deserve any reward, and even if he does, would it be so much that Moshe was afraid of it?

 Even more than this, if we examine further we will see that Og seemingly received plenty of reward already. He was saved from the Mabul-Flood on credit because Hashem knew what Og would do later. Og also lived a long life to about five hundred years. So it’s a wonder why Moshe was so afraid of this “merit?”

 In truth, what we see here is a confirmation of the Gemoro-Talmud Shabbos 32a. The Gemoro quotes the verse in Iyov-Job 33:23 that says, “If there be for him an angel, one interceding angel among a thousand, to vouch for man’s uprightness; then [G-D] is gracious to him and says: “Redeem him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom for him.” [We say this verse in Kaparos before Yom Kippur].

 The Gemoro expounds on this verse that even if 999 angels speak against him and only 1 speaks for him [that is 1/1000 or .001 of all the angels] it is possible that he will be saved.

 Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yosi Haglili says that even if that 1 defending angel himself is not completely for him, but 999 parts of that angel are against him and only 1/1000 part is for him [that is 1/1,000,000  (one millionth) or .000001 of all the testimony of the angels] it is still possible that he will be saved, “I have found a ransom for him.”

 It is possible that the whole action is thoroughly evil and the epitome of utter villainy, none the less, if there is a fraction of a fraction of some good in it he will get reward and be saved by it.

 We see from here that not only do our good actions carry a lot of weight but even the minutest part of an action can have a lot of power and value. This applies even if the main intention of the action was not for good purposes.

 Rabbi Epstein, ztl., concludes, “One who reflects on this will see the wonder of wonders of how much power and value there is to a person’s action. Through such a small fraction of good, one receives such a great reward. How great is Hashem’s favor and mercy on His creations.”

 Rabbi Paysach Krohn, in his book, “In the Footsteps of the Maggid”, p. 160 brings a beautiful story about the Rosh Hayeshiva of Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, ztl. (1904-1980), which also shows us the value of even one small gesture of a mitzvah.

A taxi was arranged to take the Rosh Hayeshiva and one of his students to a bris-circumcision. When they saw the taxi driver’s identity plate with his Jewish sounding name on it, they realized that he must be Jewish. Meanwhile, in the front seat, the cab driver realized that one of his passengers was a prominent rabbi. He reached over to his right and put on his cap over his bare head as an act of respect for the Rosh Hayeshiva.

Rav Hutner turned to his student and said in Hebrew, so the driver shouldn’t understand, “Mi yodea kama olom habo yesh lo al tenua zu-Who knows how much merit in the World to Come he will get for this act?”

The talmid didn’t think that this small sign of respect was so significant so he asked Rav Hutner, “Does it merit Olom Habo-the World to Come?” Thereupon Rav Hutner related the following story.

The Chidushei Harim, Rabbi Yitzchak Mayer Alter (1789-1866), one of the previous Rebbes of Gur, had a custom to go to the mikvah-ritual bath every day. His attendant noticed that he always took the longer route to the mikvah rather than the shorter one, but he never asked why. Finally, one day his curiosity overcame him and he asked the Rebbe why he purposely seemed to go the long way to get to the mikvah.

The Chidushei Harim answered, “When we go this way, we pass the station where Jewish porters unload the heavy packages for travelers. These porters are very simple non-religious people. They do not pray, nor do they learn Torah. However, when they see me, they stop what they are doing, straighten up and call to each other, ‘Reb Itcha Myer is coming! The Rebbe, Reb Itcha Myer, is coming!’

As I pass by they nod their heads respectfully and acknowledge my presence. For this (display of kavod HaTorah-honor for the Torah) they will get Olom Habo. I know they have no other way of earning it, so I walk this way every day to give them that opportunity.”

Of course we learn from this the great ahavas Yisroel -love and sensitivity for fellow Jews (even non-observant ones) that the Rebbe had, but we can also see another important point. We must not underestimate the small acts that we do, nor the seemingly simple acts that others do.

I will conclude with an amazing story from the sefer “Tuvicha Yabiu,” Vol I, p.240.

 There was a kashrut supervisor in a certain hotel who used to have a special minyan-quorum of ten for Mincha at the hotel. One day he was short one person, so he approached a gardener who was working there. The gardener, who was a simple person, had no idea what Mincha  or a minyan were, but after the supervisor explained to him the importance of the mitzvah he agreed to join the minyan. Before they started to pray a different person joined, so the gardener, who wasn’t needed, left.

 About ten years later, when the supervisor had already changed his job, this gardener appeared to him in a dream. His face was beaming and he informed the supervisor that he passed away about a month ago and you have no idea how much reward he is getting just for agreeing to join the minyan. He added that in merit of that mitzvah he was granted permission to appear to the supervisor to request from him to approach the gardener’s only son in Yerushalaim. His son wasn’t religious, but maybe the supervisor could persuade him to say Kaddish for his father. The gardener gave the supervisor the exact address and he succeeded in persuading the gardener’s son.

 Let us consider, what did that gardener actually do? All he did was to agree to join the minyan, nothing more. Look how much reward he got-the privilege of appearing to the supervisor in a dream.

 All these stories should teach us the value of every small deed and step that we take to serve Hashem.

 We also have to realize that this great bargain is ONLY as long as we are ALIVE. One moment later and it’s too late. Imagine our terrible regret when we realize, in the World of Truth, that we literally squandered so many opportunities to get tremendous merit for the World to Come.

 Let us take this to heart and do our utmost to utilize these wonderful opportunities and we will live a happier life in this world and the next.

 ————————————————————-

Rabbi Shlomo Price, a renowned lecturer and educator, is also a senior Rebbe at Neve Tzion. To receive his weekly Priceless Torah – please contact him at RabbiShlomo.Price@gmail.com.

New Beginnings – Divrei Chizuk for Shabbos Bereishis

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October 3rd, 2010
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New Beginnings – Divrei Chizuk for Shabbos Bereishis

 By Rabbi Yehuda Spitz

Transcribed from a shmuze given in Yeshivas Ohr Somayach – Yerushalayim on Shabbos Bereishis 5771

As is customary in many shuls and yeshivos around the world, Ohr Somayach makes a special kiddush on Shabbos Bereishis. The question is – Why? Why is this – making a special kiddush on this particular Shabbos – such an almost-universal custom?

Those readily partaking in the kugel and cholent might just say “Why not?!”, but there must be more to it than just indulging in gastronomical pleasures.

Some might say “Well, it must have something to do with Simchas Torah, or the ending and restarting of the Torah cycle”, but others might contend that we already celebrated that yesterday, on Simchas Torah itself. If so, what is the deeper meaning of celebrating b’davka on Shabbos Bereishis?

I would like to preface the answer with a story I recently heard from Rabbi Yaakov Minkus, a rebbe in Yeshivas Beis Yisrael:

Once during the Simchas Torah hakafos, the Rav of a certain shul noticed two congregants just standing in the back schmoozing away the time. Concerned, he approached them and asked them to come join in the traditional dancing. Politely, they refused. “Rabbi”, they told him, “This dancing is not for us. For you as the Rabbi to dance with the Torah, it makes perfect sense, but not for us! You see, to tell you the truth, we didn’t learn anything this past year, nor did we set aside any specific time to learn at all. Any time we had the chance to learn, we spent the time schmoozing and wasting time. So on Simchas Torah we are doing the same. We have no right to dance with the Torah.”

 The Rabbi replied “You are right and you are wrong. As you know, there are two different kibbudim that are given out on Simchas Torah: that of the Chassan Torah and that of the Chassan Bereishis. The Chassan Torah is the aliyah where we celebrate the concluding of the Torah. This is customarily given to the Rabbi or another Talmid Chacham who has made great strides in his Torah learning over the past year. According to your own admission you are correct, you do not have much to dance for.

But there is another aspect to our dancing on Simchas Torah, and that is of the Chassan Bereishis. This is the aliyah where we celebrate the starting anew of the Torah. Anyone can receive this kibbud. So for this aspect of Simchas Torah, you should also join in! It’s a new cycle, a new starting point. So even if last year you fell short, now is the time to pick yourselves up and get dancing – for all the Torah you will iy”H learn over the next year!”

This starting point, this new beginning is now – Shabbos Bereishis.

We see it clearly in this week’s parsha – Bereishis. Aside from reading about the actual creation of the world from nothingness, (which if not a terrific example of a new start I don’t know what is,) there is also the story of Kayin and Hevel (Cain and Abel). After Kayin murders Hevel in cold-blood, G-d confronts him about his crime. After first denying any wrongdoing or even knowledge of the murder, (“Am I my brother’s keeper?”) G-d then pronounces sentencing and Kayin finally admits to the crime. He says just three words: (Gen. 4:13) “Gadol Avoni M’niso” – meaning that “this sin is too great for me to bear”.

We then find something astounding – G-d reduces his sentence in half! In pasuk 12, Kayin’s sentence is that of “Na v’Nad” – wandering and exile in seclusion. Yet, after his admittance, in pasuk 16 it states that Kayin settled in the land of Nod – meaning exile and seclusion. What happened to the decree of constant wandering?

Chazal explain (Sanhedrin 37b – see also Torah Temimah to pasuk 13) that we see that his teshuvah – even though it was half-hearted, and even though is was only said when confronted, and even though he at first denied any wrongdoing, and even though he committed such a despicable act and the potential for all mankind for all time was halved, even so  – it caused his punishment to be halved! Not only that, he merited to see seven generations of his own offspring! (One of whom, Na’ama, was a tzaddekes – the wife of Noach, through whom mankind propagated after the Flood.) All because of those three words he said.

 This is an unbelievable lesson to take from parshas Bereishis – the power of renewal and new beginnings. This is the message we need to take from this kiddush on Shabbos Bereishis.

Even if last year we didn’t accomplish as much in learning as we could have or even should have.

Even if Elul zman didn’t work out as well as we would have wanted.

Hashem is giving us now a chance for a new start, potential for zman anew.

That is the reason klal Yisrael celebrates on Shabbos Breishis. May everyone be zoche to utilize this message for the upcoming zman, and Iy”H next year on Simchas Torah everyone here will be able to say, that “the reason I am dancing is because due to the aliyah I had in learning, I could be the Chassan Torah!”

Judgement Day – The Meaning of It All

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Posted by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
September 16th, 2010
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by R’ Binyomin Radner

The Gemara in Rosh Hashana 16B states that three books are open on Rosh Hashana . That of the completely righteous, the completely evil, and the half- and-half. The completely righteous are written and sealed immediately in the book of life. The completely wicked are written and sealed immediately in the book of death. The half- and- half are undecided until Yom Kippur. If they are found to be worthy at that time, they are sealed for life. If not, they are sealed for death.

Rashi and Tosfos both understand “completely righteous” to refer to one who has a majority of merits and “completely wicked” to refer to one who has a majority of sins. The obvious problem that many of the commentators deal with is that very many times, as we see, righteous people suffer and wicked people prosper. How are we to practically understand the Gemara telling us that on Rosh Hashana it is decreed that the righteous people live and that the wicked people die??

Tosfos answer that the Talmud’s mention of the “death of the wicked” and the “life of the righteous” actually refers to the afterlife in the world-to-come. The judgement on Rosh Hashana effects the world-to-come and not this world.

Of course this begs explanation as well: How are we to understand that the judgment of Rosh Hashana is actually a judgment on the world-to-come?

The Ran argues on Tosfos (according to the Gra’s understanding of the Ran) that the judgment of Rosh Hashana is, in fact, a judgment on “this world”. And the term “completely righteous” does not mean completely righteous in reality. Rather, in this specific judgment they are labeled “completely righteous”. Meaning, Hashem wishes to reward the wicked in this world for the little bit of good they have done in order that He may exact retribution from them in the world-to-come. In this regard, Hashem treats the wicked like they are righteous, specifically in this world. And so it is in the reverse. The truly righteous get treated as if they are wicked in this world, in order that they may be punished for the little bit of bad that they did so that they will get their full reward in the world-to-come.

The Ramban writes a similar approach to the Ran in the Sefer Shaar Hagmul that the judgement of Rosh Hashana is definitely on this world, and not on the world-to-come. He is adamant about this and brings many proofs as such.

The Chinuch has a different approach from the Ran and from Tosfos. In Mitzvah #311 the Chinuch writes that the Talmud is to be understood literally: “Completely righteous” and “completely evil” is as it sounds and is not referring to a majority of mitzvos or a majority of aveiros. This could possibly explain why it happens that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. They are not completely righteous nor completely evil, but somewhere in the middle. Thus, it is implicit in the Chinuch that one who does not fall into one of these two categories would fall into the other category of “beinunim” . His status remains undecided until Yom Kippur.

We could possibly take this one step further and say that according to the understanding of the Chinuch, most people would fall under the category of “beinunim” since most people are neither completely righteous nor completely evil. However, according to the understanding of Rashi and Tosfos, one who has a majority of mitzvos is labeled completely righteous and one with a majority of aveiros is labeled completely wicked.

The Sefer Sifsai Chayim page 102 points out that the Talmud writes even before this passage on the previous page (16A) a blanket statement that all people are judged on Rosh Hashana and their judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur. There, the Talmud does not differentiate between the different categories. This would seem to contradict the above-quoted passage that people are divided into three categories.

The Sifsai Chayim answers that on Rosh Hashana there are actually two judgments: One is on this world and one is on the world-to-come. He explains with a mashal. In the courts of the world, first it is decided whether one is innocent or guilty. Afterwards, if he is guilty, his punishment is meted out in the sentencing. So it is with the judgment of Rosh Hashana. The first judgment is on which category one will be placed in: Righteous, wicked, or middle. This is the judgment of the next world. Meaning, a person is being labeled and placed according to his spiritual status. For example, the Talmud in many places discusses what a “ben olam haba” is. This does not mean that he is living in olam haba right now. Rather, he is labeled a ben olam haba based on his actions, decisions, fear of G-d etc. This is the first part of judgment. Is the person a ben olam haba, a ben olam hazeh, or somewhere in the middle? Then, based on the spiritual status of a person (or lack thereof,) it is decided what will happen to him. Thus, all of the olam-hazeh-related matters are decided and “sentenced” based on one’s olam-haba-related status.

With this insight of the Sifsai Chayim, perhaps these two passages in the Gemara no longer seem contradictory, since there are actually 2 judgements taking place on Rosh Hashana. Furthermore, we can understand what Tosfos mean when they mention olam-haba-related judgment and how it very much effects olam-hazeh.

The Mishnas Reb Ahron Page 181 sheds more light upon this: He writes that the status of a person in olam-haba will be practically reflective in the amount of siyata dishmaya one will receive throughout the year to protect and further his spiritual state. As we find, Chazal say מלגלין זכות על ידי זכאי וחובה על ידי חייב”". Heaven arranges that good things “happen to come” through deserving people and bad things “happens to come” through liable people. On Rosh Hashana, first it is decided whether a person is meritorious or liable. Then, based on his meritorious or liable status, it is then decided whether good things will be done through him or bad things will be done through him. This could also be a practical example of how judgment on spiritual status affects a person’s everyday life and all of the seemingly coincidental events that transpire in a person’s life throughout the year.

May we all merit to be written and sealed in the book of life for all judgements.

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The author can be reached at  benradner@gmail.com.

Dip the Apple (and the Challah) in The Honey

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September 12th, 2010
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By Rabbi Richard Jacobs

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are full of customs
which on the surface seem pretty strange; for example,
casting our sins into the water on Rosh
Hashana (Tashlich) and the atonement ritual of
Kaparot on the day preceding Yom Kippur.
Dipping an apple in honey is so well known it is now
synonymous with Rosh Hashana greetings cards and it is
no less strange than either Tashlich or Kaparot. An apple
dipped in honey is one of the symbolic foods that we eat
on the first night of Rosh Hashana. We return from our
evening prayers to find the Yom Tov table not yet laden
with a sumptuous Yom Tov meal. Instead it is covered with
“delectable delights”, including apples and honey, fenugreek,
leek, beets, dates, gourd, pomegranate, fish and in
pride of place the head of a fish (or if you are really lucky
a head of lamb).
After Kiddush and Challah (also honey dipped), yet before
the meal proper, we embark on what can only be described
as a tantalizing taste sensation, eating a morsel
from each dish preceded by a short (and equally puzzling)
prayer. For example: on eating the apple in honey we say
“May it be Your will …that You renew us for a good and
sweet New Year”; on eating the pomegranate we sat “May
it be Your will…that our merits increase as (the seeds of) a
pomegranate”; and on eating the fish we state “May it be
Your will … that we be fruitful and multiply like fish”1.
What is the point of this exercise? Do we really think
that eating an apple in honey will cause us to have a sweet
new year? That eating pomegranate will cause our merits
to increase? Or that eating fish will cause us to have more
children?
Yet our Sages tell us that “Simanim milsa he”2 – these
symbols are significant. To understand we need to look a
bit deeper.
The Rema in the laws of Rosh Hashana3 tells us that
there are those that are careful not to eat nuts on RoshHashana3. One of the reasons he gives is that the Hebrew
word for nut (egoz) has the same numerical value (gematria4)
as the Hebrew word of sin (chet)5. From this we can
see how far we are supposed to distance ourselves from
even the hint of sin on Rosh Hashana. The Kotsker Rebbe,
with his customary wit, points out not to forget that sin
also has the numerical value as the word sin — for sure it
is more important for us to distance ourselves from committing
a sin rather than just refraining from eating nuts.
These symbols are significant when they come to stir us
to strengthen our emunah, our faith. By eating these foods
and, more importantly, by saying these short prayers, we
fill ourselves with positive will and inspire ourselves to improve
our deeds. It is our responsibility not to only keep
the bathwater, but also to ensure that we do not lose the
deeper meaning of this curious custom.
Each symbol also has its own deeper meaning. One of
my favorite explanations of the custom to dip the apple in
honey is that of the Bnei Yissasschar.
A highlight of the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services
is the prayer of “Unesaneh Tokef”. At the climax of the
prayer the congregation call out in unison, “U’teshuva (and
repentance), u’tefillah (and prayer), u’tzedakeh (and charity)
ma’avirin et roa hagzeira” (remove the evil of the decree!).
Above the words “U’teshuva u’tefillah u’tzedakeh” are written
another three words Tsom (fast), Kol (voice) and Mamon
(money). These three words indicate the means with
which we can achieve repentance, prayer and charity.
The Bnei Yissasschar points out that each of these words
has the numerical value of 136, in total 408 6. Apple, tapuach
in Hebrew is spelt taf + peh + vav + chet. The outer letters
have the numerical value of 408 7 while the inner two
letters have the value of 86, which is the equivalent of the
name of G-d that represents Judgement8. Rosh Hashana
is the Day of Judgement when we are judged for our actions.
The word for honey in Hebrew is D’vash, which has
the same numerical value as Av Harachamim – Merciful Father9.
Dipping the apple in the honey hints to us the way
which we can successful turn this Day of Judgment into a
merciful one – by repenting, praying and giving charity.
Wishing you a sweet New Year.

—————-
1. The full text can be found in the ArtScroll Rosh Hashana Machzor
page 96
2. Horayos 12a, Kerisus 6a
3. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 584:2
4. Each of the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet has an equivalent numerical
value. A Gematria is the sum of the values of all the letters in each
word. On occasion an additional 1 is added for the word as a whole.
Our Sages often link and draw connections between words and phrases
with the same numerical value.
5. Aleph (1) + gimmel (3) + vav (6) + zayin (7) + 1 (for the word) = 18
= chet (8) + tet (9) + aleph (1)
6. Tzadi (90) + vav (6) + mem (40) = 136
Kuf (100) +vav (6) + lamed (30) = 136
Mem (40) + mem (40) + vav (6) + nun (50) = 136
The sum total is 408
7. Taf (400) + chet (8) = 408
8. Peh (80) + vav (6) = 86 = aleph (1) + lamed (30) + heh (5) + yud (10)
+ mem (40)
9. Daled (4) + beit (2) + shin (300) = 306 = aleph (1) + beit (2) + heh (5)
+ resh (200) + chet (8) + mem (40) + yud (10) + mem (40)

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Rabbi Jacobs is the Executive Director of the Ohr Lagolah Hertz Institute for International Teacher Training, an affiliate of Ohr Somayach Institutions. He can be reached at r.jacobs@ohr.edu.
This article was copied with permission from the Ohr Somayach Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur Handbook, which is still available online at http://ohr.edu/roshbook/.

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[Editor's note: by Rabbi Y. Spitz - While this is an excellent explanation for why we dip apples in honey, it still leaves room to explain why it's also customary to dip challah in honey. I recently saw an outstanding pshat in Rabbi Shmuel Brazil's new sefer, "Bishvili Nivra HaOlam" - page 43 -44:

He cites the famous Rabbenu Yona in Brachos (36) quoting Rabbenu Meir HaLevi that if a piece of non-kosher food falls into a batch of honey, then over time the honey will dissolve the non-kosher substance until absolutely nothing remains of it, not even a trace , and eventually it will be permissable to eat of it. The Chofetz Chaim in his preface to Lekutai Halachos also quotes this as proof that just as honey has the ability to transform the natural state of another, so too The Torah has the strength to change a person's natural state from Rasha to Tzaddik

Rabbi Brazil continues that the gematria of the word  devash (honey) is equal to that of the word Isha (woman) -ד+ב+ש=4+2+300=306.א+ש+ה+1+300+5. This is as Chazal tell us (Bereishis Rabbah 17,7)  that the wife has the ability to change the natural state of her husband - for the better or for the worse. [This is also why, according to some commentaries why Yaakov was punished for hiding Dina from Eisav]. He then brings several more proofs to this idea - about the power of honey to affect change in other items.

He then refers to the idea of Challah symbolizing  Man – for the mitzvah of taking challah – especially on Erev Shabbos – is counted as  a woman’s personal mitzvah – to help rectify Chava’s sin of enticing Adam to sin (on Erev Shabbos) -and thereby ruining Man’s potential – for Adam was called “Challaso shel Olam“.

Utilizing these concepts helps clarify our minhag – For every Jew’s goal during the period of Yomim Nora’im is to try to show Hashem that we are trying to change our wayward ways, as well as ourselves to be proper Ovdei Hashem. Therefore, by dipping the Challah in the honey we are symbolizing our heart’s request – that we take ourselves (symbolized by the challah) and try to change (symbolized by the honey’s inherent abilities) for the better.

Wishing everyone a Kesiva v’chasima Tova!]

From The Heart To The Ear – Rosh HaShana 5771

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Posted by Rabbi Dovid Boruch Kopel
September 7th, 2010
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The Ramban poses a puzzling question in his drosha on Rosh HaShana. The Torah writes that we should make Rosh HaShana holy and refrain from labor, just like the other Yomim Tovim. Unlike the other Yomim Tovim, however, the Torah does not specify why we should make the day holy or what this day is all about. For example, the Torah commands us to keep Pesach, calling it Chag HaMatzos, and then explains the significance behind the chag – remembering our exodus from Egypt. I don’t believe the Ramban addresses an answer to this puzzling question, and I cannot say I am certain of one, but I would like to suggest a thought on this matter.

In the short description of Rosh HaShana the Torah specifies that there is an obligation to have a Yom Teruah and a Zichron Teruah. These verses reference the obligation to sound the shofar on Rosh HaShana. Why doesn’t the Torah explicitly state the commandment such as “Sit in the Sukkah” or “Eat Matzah” or “Take the four species”.   Instead, the Torah says that the day should be a day of the Teruah and a Zichron Teruah.

Another essential piece to the puzzle is our focus on making Hashem our king on this awesome day. It is  well known that this is an integral part of the Yom Tov, as seen in the laws of saying HaMelech HaKadosh, whereas the rest of the year we do not refer to Hashem as HaMelech in this context. Why is this major theme absent from the Written Torah?

In my opinion, the reason that the Torah does not explain the aforementioned must be to teach us something more significant by not telling us rather than telling us. With every additional word the Torah uses to further explain the mitzvah it becomes clearer to us. The less we understand a mitzvah the more likely that we can do the mitzvah for the reason that we are obligated to do it[1]. In other words, when we put on Tefillin there is nothing else to think of other than we are doing a mitzvah. When we do a mitzvah like Maakeh (to build a fence on a roof) the mitzvah may be performed in a way that is not totally due to the Torah’s obligation, i.e. safety. Generally, the mitzvos where we lack understanding can be more difficult to fulfill since we cannot grasp what we are doing except for the fact that we are fulfilling the will of Hashem.

It is possible that the acceptance of the yoke of Hashem must be entirely from the heart of a person. In other words, the Torah wanted for a person to approach Rosh HaShana from his heart not only his mind. Perhaps that is the reason for the teruos since they alert one’s heart to remember that Hashem is the King of this world. The whole year our eyes are covered from His glory and splendor. Had our eyes not been covered where would our free will be[2]? Rather, Rosh HaShana is a time set aside for alerting the heart of the People of Israel, but what for? To remember. Not to remember our sins[3] but that Hashem is our master. This thought is my interpretation of the foundation to understanding the essence of Rosh HaShana and the vague nature of the verses in the Torah.

From the day of Rosh HaShana we make Hashem our King once again[4]. We proceed from Rosh HaShana for the next ten days ascending to levels of holiness and purity until we reach the final day, Yom HaKippurim which represents the kesser or crown of the glory of Hashem. The concept of Malchus, or the kingship of Hashem, is a revelation of our actions. This means that the greater our actions, the greater the revelation of Hashem‘s Kingship.

It is said in the Seforim HaKadoshim that Yitzchak Avinu represents the Yom Tov of Shavuos. Yitzchak Avinu represents the attribute of din or judgment. We customary use a shofar made of the horn of a ram to remind us of Akaidas Yitzchak (The Binding of Isaac). There is also a connection between the shofar used on Rosh HaShana and the shofar used on Matan Torah[5] (The Receiving of the Torah). Because the verses regarding Shavuos and Rosh Hashana are juxtaposed, we also see a connection between these two holidays.  We also see the connection of Shavuos and Rosh Hashana when the gemara attempts to learn the three components of Rosh Hashanah dovening, Malchius, Zichronos, and Shofros, from the verse regarding Shavuos.

Even though I have already stated that the focus of the form of service on Rosh HaShana is through the heart, the Torah set a method of how to establish His Kingship. In other words, “Zichron Teruah”, “Yom Teruah” are the ways that we a establish The Almighty’s Kingship[6].  As we have already seen, Rosh HaShana is hidden, and what we have revealed to us in the Written Torah must be essential.  The way to achieve “teruah,” as in Yom Teruah and Zichron Teruah, is through blowing the shofar. We have already mentioned that the shofar is made from the ram’s horn which is connected to Akaidas Yitzchok. There is a concept of din and chessed regarding Akaidas Yitzchok that I now wish to explain.

It is well known that Avraham Avinu personifies the attribute of chessed as well as his son Yitzchak Avinu personifies the attribute of din. From this we can realize a very important fundamental idea. All din in the world is rooted in chessed. Just as Yitzchak Avinu is the son of Avraham Avinu so too din comes from chessed. All dinim from Hashem are completely rooted in chessed. That is a very deep idea, how the world could not stand on pure din and needed din and chessed.[7] As the verse says “Olam Chessed Yibaneh”, chessed is the foundation of everything. Now we can understand the connection between Yitzchak Avinu and shofar.

Due to Hashem‘s commandment, Avraham Avinu was prepared to sacrifice his only son as the verse says “Kach Na Es Bincha”. He listened to the decree of the King without question or doubt at all. Yitzchak Avinu stood upon that mountain prepared to sacrifice himself like a perfect korban in order to fulfill the will of Hashem. All of a sudden a Malach came and stopped the sacrifice from happening. This is a parable to Rosh HaShana. The whole year we are obligated to keep the six hundred-thirteen mitzvos of the Torah without doubt or question at all. However, we sin. In reality, one who disregards the decree of a king of flesh and blood would be killed instantly, however the King of Kings has chessed that has no limit and absolves us of our sins. Avraham Avinu listened to the decree of the King and was prepared to sacrifice his son who he loved more than himself. Yitzchak Avinu was prepared to sacrifice himself in order to fulfill the decree of the King since that was his purpose. For that reason we can understand why we blow the shofar with the horn of a ram[8], since on Rosh HaShana we recognize the glory of the King. The Avos were willing to actually give up their lives in order to fulfill the decree of the King, and with His endless chessed Yizchak Avinu’s life was spared. In other words Akaidas Yitzchak was an example of how his life was on the line and due to the glory of the King his life was spared[9]. I believe this that this explanation is also what the Shlah HaKadosh says in Mesechta Sukkah perek Ner Mitzvah ose 45.

This is a very fundamental idea as we want to have long lives with parnasah and success and everything that we need gashmius and ruchnius, for what? The purpose of it all is for the glory of the King! That is simple, if one has the ability to actually give up their lives and fulfill a mitzvah with all six hundred-thirteen parts of our bodies, what is greater than that? The Avos felt that their lives were only for the glory of the King, and nothing else.

I already wrote that Yitzchak Avinu is connected to Shavuos and Rosh HaShana. Regarding the order of the year, after Shavuos there is a personification of the attribute of din is from the beginning of Tamuz through Av until Elul. Those days are mesugal to the attribute of din.

The connection between shofar by Matan Torah and Rosh HaShana needs to be explained. I want to say a comment based off of the famous concept of the Bnei Yissaschar. He says that within the four letters of the holy name of Hashem there are twenty-four possibilities which are two sets of twelve. There is an understanding that there are two heads of the year one beginning with the attribute of chessed (Nissan) and the other with din (Tishrei). The whole year can be expressed differently when looking from the perspective of chessed or din. The ends of each year are Adar and Elul. Just as it is written that the Jews accepted the Torah during the time of Purim[10] through ahavah so too during the month of Elul there must also be an acceptance of the Torah, however it will be through yirah. The acceptance of the Torah in Elul is obviously linked to the month of Tishrei and this is another connection between Rosh HaShana and Torah.

I would like to suggest a nuance on something that I have heard many times from my great Rebbi, HaRav Nochum Lansky Shlita who said this idea in the name of the Gr”a z”l. In the first verse of the Shema there are six words. In the second verse of the Shema (Boruch Shaim) has five words. Says the Gr”a z”l that the word echad is the connection between the two verses. It is a well-known idea from the Arizal that Rebbi Akiva is considered the father of Torah Sh’Baal Peh (The Oral Law). The gemara in Berachos says that Rebbi Akiva passed on while uttering the word echad. Therefore, says the Arizal that Rebbi Akiva connects the two parts of Torah together. On that idea I would like to suggest that Krias Shema is the acceptance of the yoke of His Kingship and we learn from the Arizal that Krias Shema hints to the entire Torah therefore we see a great bond between Rosh HaShana and Shavuos as well as Yitzchak Avinu with Torah and Malchus.

Finally, I want to explain that there is a connection between Rosh HaShana and Shavuos. Rosh HaShana is in the seventh month of the year, and the number seven has very deep significance such as Shabbos, Shmittah, Yovel, Niddah, Shavuos. A commonality all of these have is they deal with tachlis or purpose. That is to say that just as Shabbos is called the tachlis maaseh breishis so too shmitah is end of the seven year cycle as well as Yovel. A Niddah becomes permitted to her husband on the seventh day. The seventh month is the beginning of the year and that is the foundation of Adam HaRishon, as he was created on the sixth day in order to fulfill the mitzvos of the garden and that of Shabbos which is the tachlis of the world. Generally, Rosh HaShana is a revelation of the attribute that we are able to purify ourselves (like niddah) and on Yom HaKippurim which is also in the seventh month, then we can obtain that level of observance of Torah and Mitzvah.

The Chazal write that we do not blow a regular horn because it hints to malchus and the attribute of din. However, shofar of the ram hints to the attribute of Rachamim. The strength of the shofar of the ram is to flip the attribute of din to rachamim.

I would like to conclude with a general thought. The Yomim Noraim are days of slichah and kaparah a time where the King sits on the kisai din. I want to mention the famous Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah who states “what is teshuvah gemuarah”. He says someone who had sadly fallen to temptation and committed a sin against the decree of the King. Later this individual finds himself in the situation where he is tempted to sin again but stops himself from sinning. Why, says the Rambam? Because of the teshuvah. What does that mean? The teshuvah raises a person to a place above where he had been prior to his sin. On that subject even though he still has a Yetzer HaRa his Yetzer Tov is stronger! It is more than difficult to destroy and purge his Yetzer HaRa entirely, rather strengthen his Yetzer Tov.

On Rosh HaShana we are all merited to experience how the Rambam describes the blowing of the shofar. He says “Ooroo Ooroo Yishainim M’Shinaschem” (Wake up, wake up the sleeping from their slumber). However, the Chazal say that in reality regarding the mitzvah of the shofar there is a flip of the attribute of din to rachamim and then Hashem will rise from the kisai din and sit down upon the kisai rachamim. The implication from the words of the Chazal is seemingly opposite from that of the Rambam. The Rambam seems to imply that the mitzvah of shofar causes us to wake up and do teshuva. I believe that the two are not contradictions. Through the blowing of the shofar there is a possibility for Hashem to sit upon the kisai rachamim. In other words, through our merit that we establish the Kingship and realize the Hashem is the King of Kings we will become careful with all the mitzvos of the Torah. Once we realize the Kingship of Hashem and the great yoke that we have upon us the tears will follow, the embarrassment of what we have done will be apparent. Says the Mabit that our nishamos are unable to become dirty with our sins, it is only our perception that we feel dirty and impure. However, we feel and cry for each and every sin that we do…but it is the klipos that quiet us down for the whole year. Through the inspiration of the shofar we wake up and make it possible to perceive the glory of the King and the utter embarrassments that we have for not following his decrees. After that the King will arise and sit upon the kisai harachamim and absolve our past. Meaning that regardless of the fact that we “wake up” or not we still have past history.

I wish to give a berachah to all those who read this (and to those who don’t as well) that b’ezras Hashem Yisborach we should all be merited to be written in the book of life for the year ahead. Not for ourselves, rather for Him, for Hashem. In order to serve Hashem with all our might, in all areas of life, at all times, and in all situations. This year to come we will be merited to rise to the holy land and build our Avinu Malkainu his house and then and only then will His true glory be clear to the whole world.


[1] I am not talking about the difference between l’shma and lo l’shma, rather I am talking about if a mitzvah should be performed because it is understood logically, or because you want to do it because that is the will of Hashem. I heard once from Rav Gifter zt”l, that we have something called “Taamei HaMitzvah”. From the language of tam, to taste.  Says Rav Gifter that the reason we eat a fruit is for nourishment, the taste is only secondary. The reason we do mitzvos is because that is the will of Hashem, however the “tam” is what does it taste like when we perform it. That is what I am referring to, the more that we know about a mitzvah the more difficult it becomes to do it only because that is the will of Hashem as opposed to all the tamei haMitzvah.

[2] The basis of free will is that the will of Hashem is not overwhelming to the extent that you cannot act against it.

[3] There are no selichos there is no viduy on Rosh HaShana, it may not be agreed upon if it is a day of simchah, but it surely is not a sad day. All the tefillos are focused on being mamlich Hashem not on the fact there is a din on our future.

[4] Hashem is always our Melech as mentioned earlier we cannot have free will if we always feel that the Melech is looking over our shoulders.

[5] Shla”h Hakadosh in many places.

[6] The shofar brings us to be mikabel Hashem as the Melech.

[7] Even though din comes from chessed it by itself was still too potent that pure chessed was needed as well.

[8] The ram was brought as an olah in place of the sacrifice of Yitzchak Avinu.

[9] Meaning if you do mitzvos with every fiber of potential that you possess then you are living your life to serve Hashem. A person who is not put in the Sefer HaChaim doesn’t just mean they were rishaim rather, that for whatever reason their death will provide more Kavod Shemaim, i.e. m’siras nefesh for Kiddush Hashem.

[10] Kimu V’Kiblu Ha’Yehudim

Categories: Machshuvah, Mussar, Rosh Hashana, Shavuos Tags:

Torah, Will You Marry Me? – Shavuos 5770

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May 14th, 2010
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Many things in this world exist as pairs. There is Man and Woman; there are the Heavens and the land, and so on. Our world is built upon a foundation of these relationships. There is only one true existence which is without a pair, which is Hashem. Everything else not only has a pair but must have a pair. Torah is also two, Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh. With all of these pairs there are parallels in which one pair will personify the other as well. Man and Woman are parallel to Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh. This is because the nature of Man is to transmit and nourish, whereas Woman is to take in and develop. The Torah ShBichsav is composed of pasukim. Torah ShBaal Peh conveys the meaning of the pasukim.

I recently heard an incredible explanation of a cryptic statement of the Chazal (T.Z 21) from my great Rebbi, Rav Nochum Lansky Shlita. He explained that when Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking with it, serious repercussions followed. The relationship between Torah ShBaal Peh and Torah ShBichsav was deeply disturbed. The level of understanding of Torah ShBaal Peh was hindered; no longer would there be clarity among all. Now there will be questions, difficulties, and even disagreements. The concept of a Rebbi or teacher of Torah became essential. This is hinted by the word מריבה , since it contains the letters רבי .

While my Rebbi didn’t explain why this punishment was a consequence of this particular sin, I would like to suggest a possibility. It is specifically through dibur that Moshe Rabbeinu was instructed. It is well known that the both speech and hearing were used in the chayte of the Etz HaDaas. The Nachash spoke lashon harah about Hashem and gave an aitzah raah as well. Speech is known to be one of the main differences between animals and man. We have bechirah and speech; they have neither. Speech is so special because of its refinement. Through careful adjustments of our mouth and tongue, we are able to make precise sounds that communicate specific messages. A person who is angry, instead of speaking may bang his hand on the table to convey his point, when he really is just trying to get your attention.

It is well beyond me to convict Moshe Rabbeinu of any wrong doing. Rather I am simply trying to understand the reason as to why Moshe Rabbeinu deserved punishment. I would like to clarify that it may not have been as much as a punishment as it was an affect. Meaning that Moshe Rabbeinu was the one who transmitted the Torah from Hashem to Bnei Yisroel. It could be that due to his favoring his staff over his words, he created a shift in the World that made the Torah that he said over more unclear. That means that his ability to teach Torah to

Bnei Yisroel is the same as the ability to cause water to flow. When he was unable to utilize this strength properly it weakened it entirely.

The other understanding could have been that due to the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu used his staff instead of his words, Hashem punished Bnei Yisroel by making it that they would need to work harder to understand what they are being told.

The damage that was done by the hitting of the rock has been instilled in our relationship to the Torah. In reality the Torah was never created as one, but rather as a pair that functioned in unison. The perfect model of a relationship is where one gives and the other takes in and utilizes. Where one side takes or gives too much, there is a lack of balance.

It is well known that there are several parables associated with the relationship of Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh. The bond between Man and Woman is by far the most recognized. It is the Man who represents the Torah ShBichsav and the Woman who represents the Torah ShBaal Peh. The Man is the one who gives and provides whereas the Woman receives and utilizes.

Torah ShBichsav is the source of Torah ShBaal Peh as Torah ShBichsav is the basis of what Torah ShBaal Peh explains. Torah ShBaal Peh interprets Torah ShBichsav and gives meaning to the text that would have been unable to be comprehended otherwise.

Chazal teach us that there is a dispute in regards to the berachos for a new married couple, whether two berachos are made in regards to the forming of Man or just one. First the gemara (Kesubos 8a) questions if there were two formations. The gemara rejects the possibility that there were more than one formation and suggests that the question is if the berachos are determined by the thought or the action that was carried out. There is one pasuk that suggests that there was a thought to create two, but the action that was carried out was only one.

The Maharsha says on that gemara, that just as there was a thought to create the World with the attribute of din and saw that the World would not stand, similarly, there was a thought to create Man and Woman separately like all the other creatures. It was apparent that Man would

be unbalanced and saddened so Man was created as one with the potential to bring themselves together as one body.

Man was created as one and not as two. The Torah states shortly after the creation of Man:

“ויאמר ה’ אלקים לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו” (בראשית ב, יח)

Even within the creation of Man as one, there was a need for Woman. The World could not stand if they were created separately. However once they were created as one, it was described as “לא טוב “, not good for Man to be by himself.

It is without a question that this was the intention. There was no mistake or that Hashem changed his mind, chas v’shalom. It was essential that Man and Woman be created as one. It is my understanding that Man and Woman had to be created in a single formation to the extent that they were one body, as that would truly bind them as one.

Through the parallel of Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh being Man and Woman respectively, there must be continuity to this thought. Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh were to be created as two. It was understood that the World could not stand that way, and so the Torah in its entirety was created through one.

Torah ShBichsav was created just as Man was created, and then Hashem said, it was not good by himself. Man personifies the concept of one who gives. Without the ability to give, Man is unable to exercise his will. Similarly, Torah ShBichsav is to be interpreted by Torah ShBaal Peh.

The separation of Man and Woman as well as Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh is a state to enable unity in a way that closest resembles the only true one, Hashem. While nothing can be one as Hashem, it is evidently clear that Torah and Man were created in a way that they should mimic closely.

Through the hitting of the rock Moshe Rabbeinu further separated the relationship between Torah ShBichsav and Torah ShBaal Peh. A major role in our lives is to unite the two, Man and Woman which is the two parts of Torah.

There is a wonderful Dvar Torah in the Tashbetz Katan (465) that explains many connections between the receiving of the Torah and marriage. To name a few:

  • · Just as Bnei Yisroel fasted before Matan Torah so too the Chassan and Kallah fast
  • · There are ten times that Bnei Yisroel is called Kallah, (seven times in  שה”ש and three times in other seforim. There must be a connection between the seven and three)
  • · Those ten times are keneged the Aseres HaDibros
  • · As well as the ten people needed to make the shevah berachos which we learn from Boaz.
  • · Just as the even of the Aseres HaDibros were handed over, so too a Chassan gives his Kallah her kesubah
  • · “חתן על כלה” בגימטריא “התורה”
  • · “חתן על כלה” בגימטריא “תרי”ג” וגימטריא “משה רבינו”

The marriage between Man and Woman is to bring these two separate individuals together. To unify themselves, to be as close to one body as possible. On the chag of Shavuos, there is also a marriage between Torah Sh’Bichsav and Torah Sh’Baal Peh, just as there is by Man and Woman.

We saw from the Tashbetz and originally from Chazal, that we learn the law that the Shevah Berachos must be with ten men from Boaz. Boaz became the husband of Rus who was the great grandfather of Dovid HaMelech. On Shavuos we read Sefer Rus because she was m’gayer just as Bnei Yisroel did. We know that Mashiach is called Mashiach Ben Dovid. Rus represents the potential to bring the geulah. There is an obvious connection between the Shevah Berachos and Boaz. As we saw the Tashbetz notes that seven of the ten times that Bnei Yisroel are called Kallah are in Shir HaShirrim. He is making a connection between the number seven which personifies the attribute of Malchus which is Shlomo HaMelech, who wrote Shir HaShirrim. The Tashbetz is directly making a connection between the ten people needed for the Shevah Berachos and the Asres HaDibros.

Rebbi Akiva is called the Av of Torah ShBaal Peh, he was the son of a ger. Dovid HaMelech comes from Rus who was a geuris and from Yehuda and Tamar. Rus was a Moavis who came from the Lot and his daughter. Dovid HaMelech had Shlomo HaMelech through Bat Shevah. We see a theme that Torah ShBaal Peh comes from outside of the norm of Bnei Yisroel. Coming from gerim and from prohibited relations. This is because Torah ShBaal Peh is the choshech and that which is lacking and imperfect. This is how Torah Sh’Baal Peh binds with Torah Sh’Bichsav.

I want to suggest that the Shevah Berachos are the Torah Sh’Baal Peh as they are learned from Boaz, and the Aseres HaDibros is the essence of Torah Sh’Bichsav. In this relationship we see how they can become one. Therefore it is understood that the geulah will come through the yichud of Torah Sh’Bichsav and Torah Sh’Baal Peh.

The whole world stands on these principles. The bond between Man and Woman is connected to the bond between Torah Sh’Bichsav and Torah Sh’Baal Peh. This model extends to Klal Yisroel as well. In this relationship, Hashem is the Chassan giving to Bnei Yisroel. If we are lacking unity, we are not a vessel that is capable of receiving the Torah. That is why at the time of Matan Torah, all of Bnei Yisroel were m’gayer. They all became new people…without any blemish…nothing between them.

In the other relationship between Torah Sh’Bichsav and Torah Sh’Baal Peh, if the Torah Sh’Baal Peh doesn’t properly interpret the Torah and complete the relationship, there will be a lacking, a distancing. The sfaykos that came from the hitting of the rock caused more difficulty in understanding Torah Sh’Baal Peh. There is a great need to understand it and then apply it to the Torah Sh’Bichsav. Without this, the balance of giving and receiving is off.

On Shavuos we are in a way “renewing our vows”. We accept the Torah as we did the first time. Had we accepted the Torah fully and did everything we could do, in regards to unity as Klal Yisroel and in our learning of Torah, making it shalaim, we would have had the geulah. This year we should go and m’gayer ourselves! Remove the sinas chinum and truly embrace all of Bnei Yisroel. Make Klal Yisroel a kli kibbul that can properly accept the Torah HaKedoshah. Then take the beautiful Torah, the holy of holies. Learn it and treasure it. Unite the Torah Sh’Bichsav with the Torah Sh’Baal Peh. Let the true will of Hashem Yisborach be “מלא הארץ דעה “, and the World will see clearly the Torah for what it is.

Chanukah – Now, Then, and Forever – 5770

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Posted by Rabbi Dovid Boruch Kopel
December 11th, 2009
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The great Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore Rav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg zt”l said on several occasions that the Moadim that we experience annually are not anniversaries. They are reliving that initial experience once again. I heard from the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshvia in Cleveland Rav Mordechai Gifter zt”l that Moed comes from the word vaad, a meeting or commencement. That means that every Moed that we have is a chance to have a meeting with the Ribono Shel Olam in a way that we cannot have the rest of the year. That means that through a Moed we come to embrace something that we cannot gain the rest of the year. We then take that newly found treasure and incorporate it in to our lives. Just as we must breath constantly so too we must go through the year with these breaths of closeness constantly. We are both physical and very much spiritual. That means that just as we need physical nourishment so too we need spiritual nourishment. That nourishment is found through the toil of Mitzvos and the learning of Torah. The Mitzvos exist in several manifestations, i.e. in a location, in a time or through a physical action. Those are the three different natures of Mitzvos that we find. Some are capable of being observed throughout the year, while some are limited to certain time periods. On the other hand, some are all year long but are only in certain locations. The last group being to only certain people and certain aspects of the person. The Moadim incorporate these three natures of Mitzvos and utilize all of them in combination with the Holy Shabbos to give sustenance to Man and allow him to do his duties of this World.

These meetings with us and the Almighty are our opportunity to grasp the essential nutrients that we need for the year and this moment itself. That means that each Moed of the year has its own special aspects to give us. Therefore, it is logical to say that each one of these aspects must come in a certain order. As we said in the previous article the revelation of the aspects of each Moed are very particular and unique to each one. Therefore each Moed must come the same time every year to allow us to grab those nutrients at the right time.

The Rabbinical Moadim are slightly different. The Biblical Moadim were commanded at the same time. That means that they were all essential to us at the time of their commandment. The Rabbinical Moadim (Purim and Chanukah) were enacted after each other with due time in between them. If that is the case then the aspect that we need to grab by the later one must have not been necessary by the first one. In fact the Moed of Purim occurred several hunded of years prior to Chanukah. That being true whatever had been needed for the Moed of Chanukah to occur it was not needed at the time of Purim. With that said we have a deeper question. Within the order of the Moadim the Moed of Chanukah comes prior to the Moed of Purim. As per what we said before that whatever aspect we needed to grab by Chanukah it was not needed by the time of Purim. If that is true why is it needed for us to relive the experience of Chanukah prior to Purim!?

I believe that this question can become much clearer by looking at another question. It is clear that Yitzchak Avinu is written of the least out of the three Avos. Why is that? Perhaps we can suggest the following reality for this question. Generally speaking, Mankind has a desire to see his accomplishments immediately. Waiting to see the results of your hard work is a very difficult task for many as it requires great belief that you are doing that which is necessary to produce the result you want. When you see the results immediately you get the satisfaction of knowing your work paid off. To our dismay, this shortcoming is something every one of us deals with daily. This is found both in our physical and spiritual lives.[1] It is the Mesiras Nefesh that we put in to all of our lives that defines who we are. Such emphasis on one point for one’s entire existence is a great deal. That is as I have said in the past the act of giving up your chance to continue to do that task that is greater than all of them. The greatest possible benefit we can have is through the observance of Mitzvos. Those Mitzvos provide us with Life and purpose. To give up that benefit by giving up your Life for its greater cause is surely greater than all that you could have been granted in this world. You are cutting yourself off from further benefit by performing the greatest act of glorification of the name of the Almighty possible. You are giving up your chance to exist for yourself, to rise to an existence past Life itself! That is the reason why Yitzchak Avinu need not be written in the Torah at length. His Life personifies the midah of Din. The ultimate din is through purging your existence from this world. The other Avos represent much more complex midos that require a greater precedent. Giving up your life for Kiddush Hashem is the top of the levels that you have reach in your observance.

Now we can take this understanding and apply it to our question about Chanukah and Purim. The chag of Purim deals with the genocide of the entire people of Yisroel, regardless of there beliefs. The chag of Chanukah has nothing to do with a nation, rather it is purely against the culture of Yisroel. The Greeks wanted to assimilate the People of Yisroel not destroy them. Thus killing the definition of the Jewish People, as we are a chosen nation that is not among the other nations. Purim came prior to Chanukah because there lives at stake were first put into question. It is much easier to be willing to give up your lives for the sake of something as great as Torah but its even easier when it is for yourself. The Jewish people were given the miracle of Purim to appreciate the lives that they have for being a separate nation from the rest of the world. That led to a new acceptance of the yolk of the Torah and its Mitzvos on the chag of Purim. The chag of Chanukah is the miracle that we withstood the force of the nations to assimilate to be one people. We won the battles against the Greeks, but above all the kedushah of the Holy Temple remained. That pure oil started the flame of Torah that exists on Chanukah. It is much easier to give up your life by Purim than keep your standards of living by Chanukah. Though it was below the People of Yisroel as the time of Purim to assimilate among the nations as they only needed inspiration in the mitzvos. The People of Yisroel at the time of Chanukah were battling the pressures of the Greek Culture which was much more difficult to keep, as they are more deeply rooted in minus.

On this Chanukah may we all take in the bright lights that lay before us. May we grasp the great ohr that is revealed to us that had been reserved for the righteous. May we internalize that light and allow it to shine through our actions from this year to the next. Through this Chanukah we can light the dark path that lay before us, the path that is so evident. Let that light direct us to the new mikdash, to fill it with a new light of Torah and Avodah.

  1. I really don’t like to split that as the goal is to make them one. Though whenever I mention physical and spiritual it doesn’t mean that everything should be done for the sake of the spiritual. I am emphasizing that the activities that we do in there raw form exist in both platforms. []

The Gilded Hallway

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Posted by Rabbi Dovid Boruch Kopel
November 11th, 2009
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Our existence is compared to a narrow hallway outside of a grand room. There is absolutely no purpose to the hallway as an entity by itself, it is only as important as its ability to allow you to travel through it. If one were to build a home with lavish hallways that were designed with such intricacies that it made walking through it nearly impossible that would be pointless. Imagine a palace with beautiful golden doors and decor through out the entrance, then you enter into the main room and it is bare. There are some people that would nearly sell their souls to drive an expensive foreign car, while their actual home is in shambles. The exterior of our lives is only here to protect and glorify our true essence, not for its own glorification. This idea is a very fundamental idea that is crucial to our progress as servants of the Almighty.

The hallways of our life are numerous, from the clothes we wear to the food we eat and the beds we sleep on. All we have is a vehicle to attain greatness in a realm well beyond this one. The dirt of the earth and fruits of the trees all share a common bond, as they provide us with the facilities to observe the will of the Almighty. There is nothing extra or lacking in this world, everything was meticulously created with a function and purpose. It is well known that Dovid HaMelech knew the purpose to all creatures except for a spider, and then he understood that as well. Nothing is by rote, without great depth behind it. It is apparent that every creature is created and deserves to be treated with great respect. The order of creation was exactly what was needed for man to live. Sefer Bereishis details this order: water and earth led to vegetation, vegetation led to animals, and animals led to man. The being of man is the reason why this world was created. To walk through that narrow hallway is only the responsibility of man, no other. This world is a mere veneer of the true essence, and the other creatures of this existence are the floor of the hallway. A part of what makes up this existence are the creatures and all the wildlife that fills this world. It by itself is worthless even though it is created with great respect and purpose, that is only to be utilized to get through the hallway.

A hallway has three components to it. It must have an entrance, an exit and the space in between. If any of the three are lacking it is lacking in its functionality. If the floor is gutted out of the hallway then the fact that there is an entrance and exit is rather pointless. What if you have a very fragile hallway that will be destroyed if you go through it? If its purpose is to allow you to go from the entrance to the exit, not back. The engineer and contractor built a hallway that is able handle different capacities such as size and weight. If someone drives a large truck on a road that was not built to support that vehicle it may in fact damage the road. If you drive a truck down your own private hallway its your problem! If you drive a bulldozer through your neighbor’s home, he may be less than pleased with you.

We don’t own this world, we have a very simple contract. We use what we need in order to do our work, that’s all. It is part of our work to ensure that our friends and family are capable to do their work as well. We all have the same Boss, and we are all working the same job. We are all employees working through the narrow hallway. Every employee has their own task that they do daily that only they may be able to do. They have their own skills and needs. Some employees may need nothing of his fellow and some may need ten times what the other needs. Depending on what their task is their needs will change. Only the Boss can decide what task and resources His employees should use and not. The Boss doesn’t want anything wasted, as it may be used for another employee’s task if not his own. Conservation is only proper if it is best for the overall goal in addition to each individual task. That means that conserving a single resource may result in a weaker foundation that is essential for something that you didn’t account for. At the same point of time wasting can inhibit someone else’s task. One must use what they need to ensure that they can be efficient and effective. For a worker to put in many additional hours to try to complete his task quicker he may result in work that is of a lower grade workmanship than had he worked less. There are times that more is less and times that more is more, there is no rule that everything fits in.

This factory has a facility that holds all of the garbage the is made from the work done. There is a limited space that is guaranteed to suffice until the factory will close its doors after a certain amount of years. There is no reason to worry about what will be with the garbage after the factory closes because the Boss says there will be no more garbage.

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