Parshas Vaykhel

7 Is My Lucky Number!

“…These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do”. (Shmos 35:1)

Rabbi Yaakov Kranz zt”l, the Dubno Maggid, said a beautiful parable. Shmuel had to move far from home. He was always anxious to hear the latest happenings from his home and his family who he had to leave behind. Whenever a stranger came to his town, Shmuel asked if he happened to have come from his old hometown. After many months, Shmuel finally found such a person. When he started asking the stranger questions, the stranger said that he did not have the time to answer them since he had to spend the entire day begging for money. Shmuel offered to pay the beggar a full day’s wages, in advance, if he would spend the day with him and tell him about all the happenings in his former hometown. The beggar agreed. He started talking but fell asleep in the middle. When he awoke, he said that he did not have the strength to answer questions because he was so hungry. Shmuel gave him a hearty meal. The beggar then said that he had such a heavy meal that he needed to take a nap before answering any questions. Shmuel lost patience with the beggar. The day was almost over. Shmuel told him that he had paid him for the day and had even given him a sumptuous meal. All that Shmuel wanted was news from his hometown. Yet, all the beggar did was eat, drink, and sleep on a day that should have been totally devoted to Shmuel. (The Maggid of Dubno and his parables by Benno Heinemann)

Hashem gave us the day of Shabbos as an opportunity to devote ourselves to Torah learning and to our families. The physical rest on Shabbos is not a means into itself. It is to give us the strength to use this day as we should. If all we do is eat, drink, and sleep then we have wasted-away the purpose of the day.

At the end of last week’s Parsha, Moshe descended Har Sinai, on the day after Yom Kippur, holding the new set of Luchos. That action signified Hashem’s forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. This week’s Parsha begins with Moshe gathering all the Jewish People. Moshe said to them, “These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do” (Shmos 35:1). In the very next pasuk, Moshe tells the Jewish People to observe Shabbos on the seventh day of the week. Then Moshe discusses the materials that the Jews were asked to donate to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) as well as the request for volunteers to help make the different parts of the Mishkan.

The Ramban asks why Moshe preceded the discussion of the Mishkan with the law of Shabbos. The Ramban answers that it was to teach the Jews that they should work on the Mishkan during the six days, but not on the seventh day which is holy to Hashem.

The Ohr HaChaim has a different approach as to why the laws of Shabbos are repeated at this point. The Talmud (Horayot 8A) says that one who serves idols is considered as if he had violated all the mitzvos. By serving idols he is implying that he denies the authority of Hashem and His Torah. The Jewish People had been guilty of this sin because they had served the Golden Calf. They needed to rectify this sin and compensate for all the 613 commandments which they had violated. This would have been very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, Hashem offered them an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves by means of the observance of Shabbos. How would observing the Shabbos properly help them to achieve this forgiveness? The Talmud (Shabbos 118) says that even a person who had been guilty of idolatry is forgiven for his sins when he observes Shabbos according to its laws. The Ben Yehoyada explains that this refers to one who is happy to observe Shabbos, feeling that Shabbos is special and not a burden.   

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l quotes the Talmud (Shabbos 10B):  Hashem told Moshe, I have a special gift in my treasure house called Shabbos and I want to give it to the Jews. Please tell them about it. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l says that If a bride returns the gifts given to her by her groom it indicates she no longer wants him and the shidduch is off. Similarly, if we don’t keep Shabbos, it is as if we are returning the gift of Shabbos that Hashem had given us. We are showing that we no longer want to have that connection with Hashem.

The Zera Shimshon (Zera Shimshon by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer) adds that observing Shabbos is very powerful and serves to protect us against our enemies.

Hashem gave us a gift that He treasures, the gift of Shabbos. Let us make the most of this gift by using the day of Shabbos to study Torah and devote ourselves to our families, fostering their spiritual and religious growth.

Parshas Tetzaveh

My Locker Number is 147!

“This is the matter that you shall do for them [the kohanim] to make them holy in order to serve Me” (Shmos 29:1)

One year, there was a class of students who were so unruly that two different teachers got burned-out from teaching them.  One teacher took early retirement and the other decided to permanently stop teaching.  This class was so bad that substitute teachers refused to teach them.  The district administrator called a teacher who had previously applied for a teaching job.  She eagerly accepted. The principal decided not to warn the teacher about the class, afraid that she would be scared off if she heard what she was up against.  After the new teacher had been on the job for a month, the principal sat in on a class.  To his amazement, the students were well-behaved and enthusiastic.  After the students had filed out of the classroom, the principal stayed behind to congratulate the teacher on a job well done.  She thanked him but insisted that he deserved the thanks for giving her such a special class for her first assignment.  The principal hemmed and hawed and told her that he really didn’t deserve any thanks. She laughed and told him, “You see, I discovered your little secret on my first day.  I looked in the desk drawer and found the list of the students’ IQ scores. “I knew I had a group of exceedingly bright children. I realized that I would really have to work to make school interesting for them.”  She slid the drawer open, and the principal saw the list with the students’ names and the numbers 136, 145, 127, 128, and so on written next to the names. He exclaimed, “Those aren’t their IQ scores–those are their locker numbers!”  Too late.  The teacher had already expected the students to be bright and gifted–and they had responded positively to her positive view and her positive handling of them. (Positive Expectancy by Bill O’Hanlon)

The Midrash Rabbah (Shmos 38:2) discusses the prophet Chabakuk’s complaint against Hashem. The prophet said, “[Hashem], You said that we [the Jewish People] should be holy to You (Vayikra 19:2)”. Furthermore, You [Hashem] said, “This is the matter that you shall do for them [the kohanim] to make them holy in order to serve Me (Shmos 29:1)”. Chabakuk said that no Jew should ever die! It would not be fitting that someone who is holy should ever die and be removed from the world. Hashem should remove death from the Jewish People who are so holy. Hashem answered that the Jews had to die since that was already the way of the World. The decree of death had been placed upon the world due to the sin of Adam, the first man.

This discussion is eye-opening! The prophet Chabakuk felt the Jews are so holy that they should never die. Hashem agreed!! Hashem said that there was no recourse since death had already been decreed on Mankind. Had death not already been decreed, Hashem agreed that a Jew should never die. This is even more amazing when we realize the time-period when Chabakuk lived. He lived in the era, right before the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash (Temple). He saw the multitude of sins done by the Jews. They committed so many sins that they were destined to be exiled by Nevuchadnetzar, the King of Babylonia. At this very “low-point” for the Jewish People, Chabkuk still questioned Hashem, since the Jews are holy, they should never die. Even when we sin terribly, our essence is very holy! Hashem concurred, that even at our “low-point”, our essence is so holy that, technically, we should never be removed from this World by dying!

If we can appreciate the powerful holiness of every Jew, we will be more motivated to grow spiritually and come closer to Hashem. One who knows and values his true potential will strive harder to reach that wonderful potential.

Based on a dvar Torah by Rabbi Henach Leibowitz zt”l

Parshas Mishpatim

Hang-In There- The Reinforcements Are On The Way!

“Behold, I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way….” (Shmos 23:20)

Hashem orchestrates certain events to provide us with the opportunity to be rewarded for doing a specific mitzvah. That reward will then protect us from a future calamity.

In the early 1800’s, the Jews of Poland were harassed by the military, abused by the nobility, and killed by the peasants during frequent pogroms. Once, the local governor summoned the head of the Jewish community, telling him that the Polish army was planning to train in their area. By the king’s orders, every member of the Jewish community would be obligated to house one or more Polish soldiers in their homes, providing them with food and lodging. The people of the town were devastated when they heard the decree. Their houses were not large, and food was not plentiful. Where would they find space in their homes for the soldiers to sleep? How would they be able to feed another person? A worse problem was their concern about the influence that these non-Jewish soldiers would have on their families. The leaders of the town convened a meeting but were unable to find a solution to this problem. One of the leaders suggested that they ask for a blessing from a rebbe who was known as a miracle worker. They decided that this was their only solution, so they sent a delegation to the rebbe. When they arrived, the rebbe was very busy. He was involved in the mitzvah of pidyon shvuyim (redeeming Jews). It was the common practice of Polish landowners to charge their Jewish tenants large sums of money. If the money wasn’t paid on time, they would often throw the entire family into dungeons, providing little or no food. The rebbe felt that time was of the essence. He had to save the Jewish family before they died in the dungeon.  After some discussion, the rebbe told the delegation that he needed a large sum of money to free the Jewish family. If they would provide him with that money, he would pray for them and in the merit of their fulfilling this special mitzvah of pidyon shvuim, their town would be spared from the King’s decree. They returned to their town and raised the money to save the Jewish family. Some of the townspeople had been hesitant to donate such a large sum of money because they were skeptical that the rebbe’s prayers would help. The town leaders told them that they would return the money if the decree was not lifted.

Time passed and the soldiers did not come to their town. They found out from the local governor that the king had sent him a letter stating that there was a change of plans, and the soldiers wouldn’t be coming to their town after all. The townspeople rejoiced! It seems as if the rebbe’s prayers had helped them. However, when they saw the letter of reprieve, they noticed that it was dated two weeks before they had gone to see the rebbe! If that was the case, then they had not needed the rebbe’s help! Those townspeople who had initially balked about paying so much money wanted the town leaders to return their money. They decided to bring their case to a din Torah (Jewish court of law). They brought their question to Rabbi Shlomo Kluger zt”l, the chief dayan and rav. Although a din Torah often tries to bring about a compromise, the people told Rabbi Kluger that they wanted the din Torah to be adjudicated without any compromise. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger told them to return the following morning. The following morning, Rabbi Kluger gave his ruling, based on an episode in Tanach.

The Book of Shmuel II (perek 6 psukim 1-9) discusses the following episode: King David had hand-picked 30,000 men who joined him to escort the Holy Aron (Holy Ark which contained the 10 commandments) from the house of Aminadav to bring it to Yerushalayim. King David and the men danced in front of the Aron, displaying honor to Hashem. Many various instruments were played. An accident occurred, and Uzza, one of Aminadav’s sons died at the hands of Hashem. (The story is further elaborated upon in the Navi. Some commentators explain that although Uzza was killed, he went straight to Gan Eden). King David was very distressed at this turn of events and decided it best not to bring the Aron to Yerushalayim, at this time.

The Ohr Hachaim says (Devorim 28:1-6) that after seeing what had happened to Uzza, the people were afraid to house the Holy Aron. Oved Edom Hagitti (from the tribe of Levi) agreed to house the Aron.  As a result of his graciousness, Hashem blessed his entire family. The Talmud (Brachos 63B-64A) tells us the blessing. Oved Edom’s wife and his eight daughters-in-law each gave birth to six children. This occurred during the time that the Holy Aron was in the house of Oved Edom, which was only three months!

Based on this story from the Neviim and the Talmud, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger ruled that the money did NOT have to be returned. If the nine women all gave birth during the three months that the Aron was in Oved Edom’s home, then obviously, the pregnancy of these women began months before. 

Hashem had prepared the reward for Oved Edom, even before he had performed his good deed. Hashem had set events into motion so that if Oved Edom would perform the good deed and house the Holy Aron, he would merit the reward that was coming to him. Similarly, although the army’s change of plans had occurred two weeks before they had approached the rebbe, it was possible that it was due to the mitzvah of pidyon shvuim that they had performed as well as the prayers of the rebbe. Hashem, who knows the future, sets the process of the salvation in motion, in advance, waiting for us to act.

If we are facing challenges, we should not be discouraged or depressed. Salvation may already be on the way.

Hashem is just waiting for us to daven and/or do some good deed, to bring the salvation to fruition.

This dvar Torah is based on Torah Wellsprings, Vayeshev, from Rabbi Elimelech Biderman shlita, compiled by Rabbi Boruch Twersky

Parshas Yisro

My Dear Watson, Your Logic Is Not So Logical!

“…The name of the first was Gershom, because he said, ‘I was a stranger in a strange land’”. (Shmos 18:3)

When I was an elementary school student in yeshiva, some of my classmates used to find amusing a sign that was posted just outside the bathroom. It was an ancient Jewish blessing, commonly referred to as asher yatzar. It was supposed to be recited after one relieved oneself. For some grade school children, there could be nothing more strange or ridiculous than to link acts of urination and defecation with holy words that mentioned G-d’s name. Blessings were reserved for prayers, for holy days, or for thanking G-d for food or for some act of deliverance, but surely not for a bodily function that evoked smirks and giggles. In my second year of medical school, I began to understand the appropriateness of this short prayer. I began to no longer take for granted the normalcy of my trips to the bathroom. Instead, I started to realize how many things had to operate just right for these minor interruptions of my daily routine to run smoothly. After seeing patients whose lives revolved around their dialysis machines, and others with colostomies and urinary catheters, I realized how wise the rabbi had been to institute this blessing… There was one unforgettable patient whose story reinforced the truth and beauty of the asher yatzar for me forever. Josh was a 20-year-old student who was in a motor vehicle crash. He nearly died from his injuries. He was initially totally quadriplegic. A long and difficult period of stabilization and rehabilitation followed. But Josh continued to require intermittent catheterization. I know only too well the problems and perils this young man would face for the rest of his life because of a neurogenic bladder. The urologists were very pessimistic about his chances for not requiring catheterization. They had not seen this occur after a spinal cord injury of this severity. Then the impossible happened. I was there the day Josh no longer required a urinary catheter. I thought of the asher yatzar prayer. Pointing out that I could not imagine a more meaningful scenario for its recitation, I suggested to Josh, who was also a yeshiva graduate, that he say the prayer. He agreed. As he recited the ancient bracha, tears welled in my eyes. Josh is my son.

Article by Kenneth M. Prager, M.D.  of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York

Moshe’s father-in-law, Yisro, brought Moshe’s wife and two sons from Midian to the desert, to meet Moshe. The Torah repeats the names of Moshe’s two sons. Moshe named his first-born Gershom, which means that I was a stranger there. He did so “because he said, ‘I was a stranger in a strange land’”. Moshe named his second son Eliezer which means, My G-D helped me, by saving me from Pharoah. He did so “because the G-D of my fathers rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword”.  The Bal Haturim questions why the Torah added the extra words, “he said” when he named Gershom. Those words were not used when describing the naming of Moshe’s second son. The Bal Haturim explains that these words refer to the Midrash in Parshas Shmos (2:22). Moshe had arrived in Midian after escaping from Egypt with his life. Yisro permitted Moshe to marry his daughter Tziporah on the condition that Moshe permit his first-born son to become an idolatrous priest. Moshe agreed for two reasons. He was a stranger in a strange land and could not refuse Yisro. Furthermore, Moshe was confident that he could convince Yisro of the truth of Judaism and persuade him to convert. The Bal HaTurim says that the words “because he said” refer to Yisro. Yisro had told Moshe that he was a stranger in a land that was not his, and that he did not have the option to refuse Yisro’s demand to send Gershom to learn to become an idolatrous priest.

When Moshe first came to Midian, after escaping from Egypt, Moshe had rescued Yisro’s seven daughters (Shmos 2:16-17). As shepherds of their father’s sheep, they drew water in the troughs to water their flock. The other shepherds drove them away until Moshe interceded.  Firstly, why were Yisro’s daughters the shepherds of his flock? Couldn’t Yisro have hired men to be in charge? Furthermore, why did the shepherds drive Yisro’s daughters away? According to the Ramban, Yisro’s daughters even went to the effort of drawing water and filling-up the water trough. Yet, before their sheep had a chance to drink, the other shepherds came and drove them away. Why? The Midrash Rabba (Shmos 1:32) explains that Yisro had been the head of the idolatrous priests. He came to the realization that all idols are false. He told the townspeople that he was too old to be the priest. They understood that his intent was to renounce the idols.  Consequently, the townspeople excommunicated Yisro and his family. That was why he was unable to get anyone to shepherd his flock and that is why his daughters were driven away from the well.

The question is, if Yisro was no longer an idolatrous priest, why did he demand that Moshe send his first-born son to become an idolatrous priest? It doesn’t make sense!

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l, Rosh HaYeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, offers an insightful answer. Yisro first learned about the different types of idolatry and rejected them all, before arriving at understanding that the Torah was unquestionably the truth. (According to the Maharshal quoted in the Sifsei Chachamim in Shmos 2:16, Yisro did not yet espouse Judaism until he heard about the miracles that Hashem had performed.) Yisro wanted his grandson to follow his path by first learning about all the idols, then rejecting them after realizing that the Torah was the truth. However, Yisro’s idea was flawed. We don’t follow the laws of the Torah because we feel that it is the truth. Rather, we fulfill the mitzvos because Hashem commanded us to do them, and we are Hashem’s servants. As Rabbi Frand says, “When the prohibition is Divine, it is absolute.” 

One can totally misconstrue the Torah when he ignores the divinity of the mitzvos and fulfills them solely because he feels that they are the true and logical path in life. For example, the Torah prohibition against murder is very logical. However, there is a danger if one would accept the Torah’s laws only due to logic. One might erroneously decide that it is not considered murder to permit assisted suicide and to allow the elderly to die to save medical resources for those who are younger. In fact, according to the Torah, each moment of life is so precious, and we do all we can to preserve life. (Certain medical issues do come up, such as discussions about end-of-life, issuing a DNR or DNI directive, or palliative care and/or hospice services. There are different considerations depending upon specific circumstances. To find out the proper course to follow according to the Torah, one should contact their orthodox rabbi or the rabbis from the organization Chayim Aruchim [718-278-2446, 24 hours]).

We do not fulfill the mitzvos because they make sense to us.

We do so to follow the will of Hashem!

This dvar Torah was based on Rabbi Frand on the Parashah

Parshas Bo

There is a Sheep in My Bed!

“You shall keep watch over it [the sheep] until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Jews shall slaughter it at twilight” (Shmos 12:6).

Yaakov visited a spice shop and remained there for a few hours. When he left, his clothes retained the aromatic smell of the spices.

Yosef’s jacket was left in a room that was destroyed by fire. Although his jacket wasn’t burned, the smell of smoke was so intense that it lasted for weeks.

A family arrived in New York from the Soviet Union. JEP offered to enroll the children in yeshiva. The parents were disinclined. They felt that their children would learn English better in a public school, ESL setting. Meanwhile, JEP enrolled the children in a Jewish summer camp. The children had a very positive experience in the atmosphere of the Jewish camp. They felt welcomed by the religious children and comfortable in the Jewish surroundings. To their parent’s delight, they learned English by spending time in the English-speaking environment. As a result, the parents were excited to enroll their children into yeshiva. That decision started a chain-reaction. When this family’s relatives emigrated from the Soviet Union, they allowed JEP to place their children in a yeshiva. This story took place about 25 years ago. The children are married and have religious homes. They send their own children to yeshivos.

Hashem instructed Moshe to tell Bnei Yisroel to slaughter an animal as a Pesach offering. Hashem gave Moshe a long list of instructions of what to do and how to do it. Rabbi Levi ben Gershon, the Ralbag, (Shmos 12:1), explains that there was a significance to all these instructions. The Jewish People had been influenced by their environment, being amongst the Egyptians. The Jews were steeped in idol worship. Therefore, they had to perform many actions to remove their belief in idols and in the power of idols. Hashem told them to take a sheep to sacrifice, to agitate the Egyptians who considered a sheep as a god. Other actions that they were instructed to do to the sheep showed the Jews that it had no real power as an idol. They took a male sheep which was considered a choice animal. It was slaughtered publicly, in front of all the Jews. It was slaughtered in the middle of the day when the zodiac of the sheep was at its “full power”. It was publicly roasted, whole. Its blood was placed on the doorposts. It was eaten by groups of Jews. The sheep-god was thought to punish by fire. Therefore, it was roasted by fire, to show that it was powerless to respond. Each sheep had to be taken by a Jew and tied to his bed for four days before slaughtering it. This caused the Jewish People to contemplate and realize that the sheep, the Egyptian god, was totally powerless.

The Jews had been profoundly affected by their environment. The alleged power of idols had seeped into their systems. Every single action that Hashem required them to do with the sheep, was needed to remove this deep-rooted influence. Had they left out any one of these actions, they would have been left with a trace of belief in this false idol.

We see how much a person can be influenced by one’s environment.

Every small, positive action that one does, can remove a portion of that negative influence.

Based on a dvar Torah by Rabbi Alter Henach Leibowitz zt”l