An installment in the series
From the Waters of the Shiloah: Plumbing the Depths of the Izhbitzer School
For series introduction click here.
By Rabbi Dovid Schwartz

All of the historical tragedies associated with the 9th of Av are rooted in the sin of the Spies, a sin of Lashon Hara. Anyone wanting to be “part of the solution” that will transform the 9th of Av into a Moed should use all available ways and means to be metaken Lashon Hara i.e. to heal and repair their damaged faculty for speech.

The Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of our Parsha states: HaKadosh Baruch hu declared “Come see how treasured the power of the Torahs tongue is; in that it cures the human tongue….Rebbe Levy said the proof is from our own Parsha. Before Moshe acquired Torah he acknowledged ‘I am not a man of words…rather, I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue’ (Shemos 4:10) but once he acquired Torah, his “heavy tongue” was cured and he began to speak. As our pasuk says ‘These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel in Transjordan’

Rav Leibeleh Eiger sheds light on this Midrash based on the Gemara in Sanhedrin 99B.

There, the Gemara explains the Psukim in Iyov 5:6 “For Man is born to labor” and in Mishlei 16:26 “The laboring mans soul exerts itself for him; for his mouth compels him.” as follows: Rebee Elazar said: the pasuk in Iyov is ambiguous as to whether man was born to labor physically or verbally. The second pasuk ‘for his mouth compels him’ proves that man was born for verbal labor. Yet, there is still some vagueness as to whether man was born to labor verbally in Torah or in everyday conversation. We gain clarity from the Pasuk in Yehoshua 1:8 “This Sefer Torah shall not budge from your mouth; you should put it into words day and night.”

The upshot of this Gemara is that the human faculty for speech was created exclusively for Divrei Torah. When one wants to utilize their power of speech for words devoid of Torah but catches himself and reflects “Why should I speak? My mouth was not created for this kind of speech! “and when, as a result of this rumination, he changes the subject matter of the conversation to Torah topics, he edifies and “heals” his mouth through Divrei Torah.

This provides us with a deeper insight into Moshe Rabenus assessment that “I am not a man of words…” It is not that he was not being self-deprecatory. Instead he was expressing his profound awareness of the true raison d’etre of human speech. In essence he was acknowledging that, absent Torah, why should a human labor verbally? Why should one speak at all? Of all speech-endowed human beings Moshe Rabenu deserved to receive the Torah and speak its word because of his unique awareness that any speech is impossible without HaShems consent and assistance. But once he did receive the Torah then “These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel!” That is to say that only these (i.e.)Torah words which Moshe spoke are capable of being spoken.

We too can achieve the Torahs therapeutic effect on our speech if we come to comprehend, as Moshe Rabenu did, that unless it is in harmony with HaShems will and unless He facilitates it, that no human verbal communication is even possible.

In order to avoid Lashon Hara it’s essential to master the Halachos of Shmiras HaLashon. But to actually cure our sickly tongues, to achieve spiritual oral health and to be metaken the sin of the spies we need to follow Rav Leibeleh Eigers advice and comprehend that; absent Torah, why bother laboring verbally?

As his Rebbes Rebbe , the Kotzker, might have put it “ I don’t want Chasidim who are too frum to speak Lashon Hara. I want Chasidim so engrossed in speaking Divrei Torah that they are too busy to speak Lashon Hara!”

Adapted from Imrei Emes Devarim D.H. B’Midrash Rabbah

From the Waters of the Shiloah-Plumbing the Depths of the Izhbitzer School

Imagine if you could live your life over again with total recall of all of your mistakes and missed opportunities AND with the accumulated wisdom, experiences and skills to seize all the missed opportunities and to avoid all the mistakes! Such a life would be truly deathless. RavTzadok – The Kohen of Lublin tells us how to live this dream:

When a person resolves to be Moser Nefesh-to die a martyrs death to sanctify HaShems Name with absolute sincerity and unconditional decisiveness (i.e. that if is G-d’s will that it is better for him to die than to live, heaven forfend, then he is gladly willing to die) he is, paradoxically, saved from a decree of death. G-d considers his thoughts and kabolos= resolutions that he takes upon himself as though they’ve already been done.. As such, someone sincerely resolved to die, has died! Afterwards, it is as though he were reincarnated and reentered this temporal world a second time cognizant of what he ruined (was mekalkel) in his first incarnation and capable of repairing (being metaken) all of the damage in his new incarnation. Every imaginable sin can be repaired this way as death atones for all.

Pinchos is identified by our sages as the literally immortal Eliyahu Ha Navee. The formula described above was the one employed by Pinchos. He was fully prepared to die when attacking Zimri, who would’ve had the law on his side had he overwhelmed Pinchos. As the Tamud in Sanhedrin82A teaches:“Had Zimri turned around and slain Pinchos he’d be exempted from the death penalty on the grounds of self-defense. ”So while Pinchos did, in fact, survive he was fully prepared to die Ahl Kidush HaShem= to sanctify HaShem’s Name. Thus, he merited the Covenant of Peace and, as Eliyahu, lived forever.

Adapted from Tzidkas HaTzadik 158

An elaboration of remarks made this week at the l’chaim for my son Yaakov and his kallah, Amanda:

It’s especially fitting to celebrate an engagement this week, when we will observe Shabbos Shira. It’s difficult for us to imagine what it was like for the Jews of Egypt when, after watching the systematic and miraculous obliteration of the empire that had oppressed them for generations, after witnessing the death of four-fifths of their brethren who refused to trust in the hand of heaven, after setting forth into the forbidding desert with great wealth and fanfare, after finding themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s advancing chariots and the unyielding sea – after all that, to launch themselves forward between towering walls of water may have been the only option available to them but was by no means a simple act of self-preservation.

Panic, desperation, terror, relief, and disbelief – all these emotions caromed back and forth through their collective consciousness as they raced forward into uncertainty. And, as they came out soundly on the other side, the cacophony of thoughts and feelings coalesced into a divinely inspired harmony we call the Shir Shel Yam – the Song of the Sea.

For all that, the commentaries all question the syntax of the opening phrase, Oz yoshir Moshe u’vnei Yisroel – contextually translated as, “Then, Moshe and the Children of Israel sang,” but curiously rendered in the future tense rather than the past. Explains the Sfas Emes: although the people were inspired to sing as they passed through the sea, their preoccupation with the practical business of fleeing for their lives demanded that their lyrical expression of elation would have to wait until their salvation was completed.

And so we learn that Hashem is closest to us not during those times when we have already connected with Him, but rather when we are seeking Him with the sense that revelation is nearly within reach. Naturally, we express our deepest gratitude after we have been saved. But our most intimate connection with the Almighty comes during those moments when salvation is imminent but not yet complete. Only then can we experience the spiritual intensity of absolute dependence upon divine intervention even as we see our redemption unfolding before our eyes.

Indeed, the Zohar tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu felt humbled when he beheld prophetically the generation before the coming of Moshiach. For Moshe, who lived in an era of open miracles and divine revelation, it seemed a simple matter to trust in Hashem and His providence. But to live in a generation of such spiritual darkness that even the faintest glimmer of divine light seemed to have vanished, and to retain nevertheless even the smallest shred of faithfulness to Hashem and His Torah – that was something the Moshe himself could not fathom; that was the source of his profound humility.

We find ourselves in such a generation, so much so that it’s easy for us to reckon ourselves like King Louis XV of France who said, “Things may last my time, but after me – le deluge.”

It’s terrifying to contemplate the world in which our grandchildren will grow up and the storms our children will have to navigate. But on the occasion of this l’chaim, I’m filled with hope.

The Gemara says in Brachos(8a – 8b) says:

“A person should always complete his [study of the parsha] with the congregation – [by studying] shnayim mikra v’echad targum. Anyone who does this will have long days and years.”

This obligation is codified in the halacha (Rambam Hilchos Tefilla 13,25; Shulchan Aruch O.C. 285,1).

The Ramchal in Derech Hashem writes that just reading the Chumash has tremendous spiritual ramifications. In addition, the more we understand it, the higher the spiritual influence.

As we know, Vayikra is probably the hardest book of the Chumash to relate to in the absence of sacrifices in our day.

Take a look at Rabbi Ari Kahn on The Mystery of Sacrifices or Rabbi Noson Weisz on Right to Life vs. Right Life for some deeper understandings.

Then pull out a Chumash, a Metsudah or an Artscroll and go through the parsha with Onkeleles, Rashi or the Art Scroll commentary. We need to make Torah a central component of our lives and learning the parsha regularly is an essential step.

As a final resource here is Rabbi Rietti’s outline of Vayikra. (You can purchase the entire outline of the Chumash here).

Vayikra
# 1 Korban Olah
# 2 Korban Mincha
# 3 Korban Shelamim
# 4 Korban Chatat
# 5 Korban Asham & Me’ila

# 1 Korban Olah
* Olat Nedava, individual free-will offering
* Ox / Sheep or Goat / Birds: Mature Doves or Young Doves
* Male
* Without blemish
* Completely burned on Mizbayach

# 2 Korban Mincha
5 Types:
1 Solet: Fine Flour Offering
2 Me’Afar Tanur: Challa & Rekikim
3 Machvat: Shallow Pan Offering
4 Marcheshet: Deep-Fry Offering
5 Shtey HaLechem: Double-Loaf Offering
* First four above are all Matza, the fifth is bread

1 Minchat Solet:
* Matza from Olive Oil, Flour & water, oil, mix, oil, Incense (levona), Kemitza, baked, oil, Salt.
* Kometz & Incense burned together on Altar
* Remainder of Mincha eaten entirely by Kohanim (Kemitza removed from raw dough, all other Mincha offerings, Kemitza removed after baking)

2 Minchat Me’Afar Tanur:2 types: Challa & Rekikim (wafers)
* Challa: Matza, baked on oven floor, no pan.
* Rekikim: Thin Matza wafers with oil smeared on in X shape. Made of Oil, flour & water, mixed, more oil, baked, Petita (folded several times till breaks into pieces) Incense added, Kemitza taken, salted and Kemitza burned on Altar, then remaining Matzot eaten entirely by Kohanim.

3 Minchat Mahvat: Shallow Pan Offering
* Preparation same as deep fry offering, but no oil was poured after baking.
* Matza baked on oven floor without a pan, was thus more brittle.

4 Minchat Marcheshet: Deep-Fry Offering.
* Oil mixed with flour and water, again mixed with oil and baked in a deep mould, so dough was soft. After frying, they were folded till they were broken into pieces the size of one kezayit each. One Kemitza-full was burned on Altar, remaining Matzot were entirely eaten by the Kohanim.
* Don’t allow any Mincha to become Chametz
* Don’t add yeast or honey to any Mincha.
* Every Mincha must have salt added to it.
* No Mincha can be offered without salt.

5 Shtey-HaLechem: The Double-Loaf Offering
* Also known as ‘Korban Reishit.’
* Made with yeast and thus rose as Chametz and not Matzah.
* No Kemitza
* Not burned on Altar
* Each of the two doughs were prepared individually
* Accompanied the two lambs of the Korban Shelamim on Shavuot
* Each loaf measured 7 X 4 Tefachim. Corners projected vertically to height of 4 finger breadths.
* Every offering must be sprinkled with salt, no offering was permitted without being salted prior to being burned on the altar.

Minchat Bikkurim
* Also known as ‘The Omer.’
* It was the first offering of the new barley grain crop just grown.
* A communal offering, not individual, no new produce was allowed to be eaten till the Omer was cut on second night of Pesach
* The Omer was burned on the Altar
* Same preparation as other Mincha offerings except it was made from barley and not wheat.
* Its kernels of barley were roasted and then ground
* The Kohen waved the Omer N-S-E-W, then up & down.

# 3 Korban Shelamim
* Ox – Sheep – Goat
* Male or Female
* Without blemish
* Selected fats were burned on Altar
* Don’t eat any blood or fat. (acc. to Chinuch, these 2 are in Lev. 7:26)

# 4 Korban Chatat
Four Types of Sin Offerings: Kohen Gadol-Bet Din-Nassi-Yachid
1) Kohen Gadol:
* Semicha done by Kohen Gadol who sinned inadvertently
* Bull, blood sprinkled 7 times toward inner curtain & 7 times on corners of Inside altar, remaining blood spilled on curb of outside altar.
* Selected fats, the skin, innards, burned on outside alter, remainder burned outside Yerushalayim.
2) Bet Din:
* Brought if Sanhedrin of 71 erred in a ruling that carries Karet.
* One bull was brought for each tribe.
* Semicha done by three members of Sanhedrin.
* Bull brought by entire community that sinned based on incorrect legal decision of The Sanhedrin.
* Blood of bull sprinkled 7 times toward inner curtain & 7 times on corners of inner altar, remaining blood spilled on curb of outside altar.
* Selected fats, the skin, innards, burned on outside alter, remainder burned outside Yerushalayim.
3) The President – King
* Brought if the King or Nasi (head of Sanhedrin) violated a Mitzva that carries Karet.
* Male Goat
4) Individual
* She goat or lamb.
* Brought for sins committed unknowingly and punishable by Karet (43 types of violations, mostly forbidden relations).
* Offered in same location as Korban Olah.
* Blood sprinkled on outer Altar 4 times.

# 5 Korban Asham & Me’ila
The Korban Asham is brought for 3 reasons:
1. Lied in court under oath denying knowledge of a monetary case, then admitted he did bear witness to the case.
2. He forgot his status as Tameh or Tameh Met or Tameh from contact
with a zav, zava, nidda or Maga and ate Kodshim or he entered the Temple in any of the above states.
3. He made a Shavuah, oath to do or avoid something and then forgot his oath and violated his oath.
* The type of animal he brought as an Asham depended on his financial status. Thus, it was also termed an ‘adjustable offering.’
* A wealthy person brings a female lamb or goat on outer Altar.
* A poor person brings 2 mature doves or 2 young doves. One dove for an Olah, the other for a Chatat. The Olah is completely burned on the Altar. The Chatat bird was spread out, not allowed to split it. & completely eaten by the Kohanim of that shift. Only its blood is smeared on the Altar.
* A destitute pauper who cannot even afford 2 doves, brings a grain
offering called the Mincha Chata. No oil or levona is added The Kometz was burned on the altar, all the remaining Mincha is eaten by the officiating Kohanim of that shift.
Korban Me’ila (Also known as an Asham)
* Brought for the unintentional misuse of Kodshim, (property, food or utensils belonging to Bedek Habayit).
* Misuse to the amount of a Pruta worth is liable for a Korban Me’ila.
* An additional 20% tax called a is also paid.
* Then he brings a male ram worth at least 2 Sela.
Asham Taluy
* Brought if one is uncertain whether he committed a crime liable for Karet.
If certain that he committed a violation, he must bring a fixed Chatos.
* Male ram worth at least 2 Sela.
Asham Vadai
* Adds 20% tax.
Asham Gezelot
* One who knowingly denies under oath that he has an outstanding debt or property in his possession and later confesses, must pay back the money owed plus a 20% tax as a fine as well as bring a Korban Asham- Gezelot, a ram worth at least 2 Sela.

Here’s Rabbi Rietti’s outline of Mishpatim. You can purchase the entire outline of the Chumash here.

Mishpatim
# 21 13 Mitzvot
# 22 19 Mitzvot
# 23 21 Mitzvot
# 24 “We shall do and then understand”

# 21 13 Mitzvot
Laws of a Jewish Servant:
* Works 6 years & is freed in the 7th
* If he was single when he began working, he leaves single
* If he was married, his wife leaves with him
* If his master gives him a gentile maidservant and she then has children, she and the children remain with the master after the Jewish Servant leaves.
* If he refuses to leave his master after six years saying he loves his master, wife & children, he is brought to court where his ear is pierced and he remains in servitude till Jubilee year.

Laws of a Jewish Maidservant:
* Destitute father sells daughter into servitude, her master must marry her, if he refuses, he must help her be redeemed by her family.
* After she was sold once, she cannot be sold ever again, neither by her father or her first master.
* If the master gives her to his son in marriage, she has all equal rights as any other Jewish wife: Food, clothing & relations
* If neither of the three above options are exercised, (redemption, marriage, or marriage to a son) she is automatically released when she reaches puberty.

Laws of Murder & Manslaughter:
* Premeditated murder is punishable by death.
* If he did not plan to kill, G-d brought it about, he runs to a city of refuge
* Hitting a parent is punishable by death.
* Kidnapping and then selling is punishable by death.
* Cursing parents is punishable be death. (sefer HaChinuch does not count cursing parents here)

Laws of Personal Injury, harming slaves:
* If one knocks another out with a stone or fist but he does not die, he must pay for his loss of work & medical bills.
* If one kills his male or female servant, he is punishable by death.
* Two men fighting accidentally hit a pregnant woman causing her to miscarry, her husband sues in court. Full monetary compensation is paid for losing an eye, tooth, hand or foot.
* If a master blinds his slave or knocks out a tooth, the slave is set free.

Laws of a Killer Ox:
* Ox kills a man or woman, ox is stoned, no benefit from it.
* If the ox killed twice after the owner was warned & now it killed a third time, the ox is stoned & the owner is liable to death by the hands of heaven.
* The owner pays a monetary penalty fixed by the courts as an atonement
* If the ox kills a child, boy or girl, the ox is stoned
* If the ox kills a male or female slave, ox is stoned & its owner pays 30 shekel of silver to the master of the victim.

Laws of a Pit:
* One digs a pit or uncovers it, an ox or donkey falls in, the one who made the pit pays full cost of damage, dead animal belongs to its owner.

Laws of a Damaging Ox:
* An ox gores another ox, later it dies from the injury, the live ox is sold & the money is divided, they also divide the money from the dead animal.
* If the goring ox gored before and the owner did not protect it after being warned, then the owner pays the full value of the dead ox.

Laws of Stealing:
* One steals an ox or sheep, slaughters it and sells it, pays 5 oxen for the ox and 4 sheep for the sheep.

# 22 19 Mitzvot
Laws of Stealing continued
* A burgler is hit and killed while in the act of breaking into a house, this is
not murder.
* If he was killed in daylight (it is clear he did not intend to kill) it is murder
* A thief pays in full for what he stole. If he does not have the money, he is
sold as a servant.
* If the stolen item is found in his possession, whether an ox, donkey or
sheep, the thief has to pay double its price.

Damage caused by your animal grazing:
* If an animal grazes on private property, the owner of the animal must pay
from the best of his field & vineyard.

Damage by Fire:
* A fire gets out of control and burns crops, the one who began the fire pays in full.

The Unpaid Guard:
* Items placed with an unpaid guard and stolen, the guard swears he did not touch the missing item.
* All claims of liability, negligence or denied guilt, where one side says it was stolen and the other claims it was lost, both parties come to Bet Din for litigation. The party found guilty by witnesses pays double
(This law is one of the 7 Mitzvot instructed to all mankind: )

The Paid Guard:
* A paid guard swears he did not make use of the item that was killed, maimed or raided without witnesses, the owner must accept the oath and the paid guard is not penalized.
* If the guarded item was stolen, then the guard must pay the owner.
* If the guarded animal was killed by a wild beast and the guard can prove it, he does not pay for the attacked animal.

Borrowing & Rentals:
* If a borrowed item is broken or stolen, & the owner was not around at the time, the borrower pays in full.
* If the owner was there at the time the item was broken or stolen, then the borrower is exempt.
* If one hires an item that is then lost or stolen, the loss is covered by the rental price. (a renter has same status as a paid guard, so he is responsible for losses unless it was beyond his control). (HaChinuch does not count Sachir here)

Laws of Seduction:
* If a man seduces an unbetrothed virgin, he must pay a dowry & marry her.
* If she or her father refuses to marry her to him, he must pay the father 50 Silver Shekel.
* Don’t allow a witch to live.
* One who sleeps with an animal is punishable by death.
* Bringing offerings to other gods other than HaShem is punishable by death.

Laws of Oppression:
* Don’t hurt the feelings of a Ger, righteous convert.
* Don’t oppress a Ger in monetary matters.
* Don’t hurt the feelings of a widow or orphan.
* If you mistreat a widow or orphan & they cry to me, My anger will be focused on you till your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

Laws of Lending:
* Lend money to the poor.
* Don’t pressure him to repay you if he does not have the money.
* Don’t charge or participate in charging interest.
* If you take his garment as security against the loan, return it to him before sunset, it might be his only covering he sleeps in. *
* Don’t curse judges.
* Don’t curse a leader / King.
* Don’t give agricultural taxes out of sequence.

Laws of First born:
* Give Me your first born sons, oxen, sheep.
* Every first born animal remains with its mother for 7 days
* On its eighth day, you shall dedicate the first born animal to Me.
* Don’t eat flesh torn from a living animal, give it to the dog.

# 23 21 Mitzvot
Laws of Justice:
* Don’t believe Lashon Hara, derogatory speech.
* Don’t accept testimony if the opposing party is not present.*
* Don’t join a wicked person to be a witness with him.
* Don’t accept a wicked person’s testimony.
* Don’t follow a majority of one to impose the death penalty.
* Don’t switch from a favorable verdict to one of guilty.
* All cases are decided on a majority opinion.
* Don’t favor a poor person in court because he is poor.
* If you see your enemy’s ox or donkey astray, return him.
* If you see the donkey of someone you hate collapsing under its load, & you would rather refrain from assisting, you must help unload it.
* When a wicked person appears in court, judge the case on its merits, don’t pervert justice because he is wicked.
* Keep yourself distant from anything false.*
* Do not kill one who is not proven guilty or one who has already been acquitted. I will not let anyone guilty escape punishment.
* Don’t accept a bribe to pervert justice.
* A Judge must not oppress a Ger, foreigner / convert. * sefer HaChinuch does not count this here
* Every seventh year, leave your produce alone.
* Stop working on Shabbos.
* Don’t say the name of Avoda Zara or swear in its name.*
* Don’t try to persuade others to follow other gods.
* Celebrate three festivals each year with Korban Chagiga.
* Observe the Passover festival
* Don’t slaughter the Pascal Lamb while you still own Chametz.
* Don’t leave over till the morning any fat of the Korban Pesach meant for burning on the altar.
* Bring your first-fruits to the Temple.
* Don’t eat Milk and Meat together.
* Sefer HaChinuch does not count not saying names of Avoda Zara here

Warning of obedience:
* I Am sending an angel to guide you, listen to him & don’t disobey him.
* Destroy the idols in the land you occupy
* Only serve Me!, then I will bless your bread & water & banish sickness from you. (sefer HaChinuch does not count Tefila here)
* I will send a deadly hornet to drive out your enemies from the land.
* I will drive them out gradually
* Don’t make any treaty with the seven nations.
* Don’t let them settle in your land.

# 24 “We shall do and then understand”
* G-d tells Moshe to ascend Mt. Sinai with Aron, Arons’ sons & 70 elders.
* Only Moshe ascended to the top.
* Moshe descended and shared all G-ds’ instructions, we answered in one voice, we will do everything HaShem spoke.
* Moshe wrote everything.
* Moshe awoke early and built an altar at bottom of Mt. Sinai & 12 pillars.
* Moshe sent first born lads to offer offerings.
* Moshe put half the blood in basins, the other half he sprinkled on the Altar.
* Moshe read out loud the Sefer HaBrit and they replied: “We shall do & then understand.”
* The blood in the basins, Moshe now sprinkled on the people.
* “With this blood you have entered a contract with all these words of G-d.
* Moshe, Aron & sons with 70 elders ascend the mountain.
* They had a vision of HaShem nourishing them like food.
* G-d tells Moshe to ascend & receive the Tablets, The Torah & the Mitzva.
* Moshe on Mt. Sinai 40 days and 40 nights

And Moshe said so to the children of Israel, and they did not listen to Moshe because of “shortness of breath” and the difficulty of the work. (Shemos 6:9)

Because of shortness of breath and the difficulty of the work: not because they didn’t believe in HASHEM and his prophecy, but they just couldn’t pay attention to his words because of the pressure from the hard work. (Ramban)

Now Moshe had just given over the news – the prophecy of the redemption. That should have excited the hearts of the people but they remained numb. It should have been cause for celebration but it turned out to be a point of frustration for Moshe. The Torah does not tell us that they did not believe in Moshe or his prophecy, but only that they could not hear it because of the pressure. It is explicitly stated earlier that they believed in Moshe but now they were just unable to process the promise. Since “we are believers and the children of believers”, it’s therefore, not natural for a Jew not to believe. Not everyone is fully aware of the presence of this “believing-self” though, for multiple reasons.

My own personal experience interacting with many types of people for a few decades plus- tells me the same. An anecdotal- case in point: A young man I know very well who is, how shall I say, married to a situation that closes his mind to an authentic search for meaning in Torah and Mitzvos; He was out of work for some time and was very excited to tell me when he finally landed a new job. He explained in detail how the event unfolded. He had gone for a job interview on a late Friday afternoon in midtown Manhattan and then proceeded to Grand Central Station for the train ride home. He got the call first thing Monday morning. He realized then retroactively that they must have been discussing which candidate was most worthy for the job just at that time when he was going through Grand Central Terminal on his way to the train.

He explained with the conviction of a “true believer” that as he entered the train station that frigid evening he confronted a cold and hungry man begging for help. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of money including a load of loose change and while pouring into the fellow’s cup he implored him not to spend the money on a drink or drugs but rather on a warm meal.

This secular minded mechanist was convincing me that it was exactly at the same time that he was exercising compassion for this poor stranger that they were making the decision about the fate of his employment status. He then looked to me for approval but I was too stunned with amazement.

Foolishly I fed him his very own words and asked him if he is telling me that that act of charity had somehow catalyzed and caused the committee to select his resume above the others?! Upon hearing my understanding of his account, he recoiled with incredulity and immediately began to re-explain the dynamics at play. “Oh no- they saw the quality of kindliness in me when I was there and they realized that this job requires a people-person not just a number-cruncher. That’s why I got the job!”

Only when confronted consciously with his own chronicle, which was unmistakably filled with a naturally deep faith and trust in the Divine Providence of a living G-d, did he feel the need to revise his-story! He just couldn’t hear of it because of certain external circumstances.

Recently a young lady called me stressed out with news that a cousin of hers had declared that he does not believe in HASHEM. After a lengthy discussion about how she might approach him, I told her that I don’t believe that he doesn’t believe in HASHEM. He might speak brazenly with bold words and loads of bravado to make some shocking proclamations, but deep down inside, I strongly suspect, there beats a knowing heart.

Check out Steve Brizel’s Parsha Round Up.

–The Ramban on Vayishlach (Translation From Parsha Parts)

This Parsha was written to make known that HaKodosh Boruch Hu saved his servant Yaakov and redeemed him from a power mighter than he. Hashem sent an angel and saved him. We also learn from this Parsha that Yaakov did not rely on his own righteousness to save himself. He tried to save himself with all his abilities. Furthermore, this Parsha hints to us that everything that happened with our forefather and Aisav his brother will always happen to us with the children of Aisav. It is fitting for us to take hold of this Tzaddik’s ways and prepare ourselves in the three manners that Yaakov prepared himself: prayer, appeasement through a gift, and saving ourselves by means of a war to flee and be saved.

Here’s Rabbi Rietti’s outline of Vayishlach. You can purchase the entire outline of the Chumash here.

Vayetze
# 28 Yaakov’s Dream
# 29 Yaakov Marries 4 Wives
# 30 Birth of Tribes & Yosef
# 31 Yaakov Flees from Lavan
# 32 Yaakov Enters Erets Yisrael

# 28 Yaakov’s Dream
* Yaakov goes to Haran
* Dream – Ladder
* Yaakov Builds an Altar
* Yaakov’s Promise

# 29 Yaakov Marries 4 Wives
* Yaakov removes stone from well
* Yaakov Marries Leah and Rachel
* Leah childs: Reuven-Shimon-Levi-Yehuda

# 30 Birth of Tribes & Yosef
* Yaakov angry with Rachel
* Bilha childs: Dan-Naftali
* Zilpa childs: Gad-Asher
* Doodayim
* Leah childs: Yisachar-Zevulun-Dina
* Rachel childs Yosef
* Yaakov wants to leave
* The Maklot
* Yaakov’s vast wealth

# 31 Yaakov Flees from Lavan
* HaShem tells Yaakov to return to the land of his fathers
* Yaakov confers with Rachel and Leah in the field
* Yaakov escapes
* Rachel stole Lavan’s idols
* Lavan in hot pursuit
* HaShem warns Lavan not to harm Yaakov
* Lavan rebukes Yaakov
* Yaakov’s response
* Lavan “everything you have is mine!”
* Treaty of Gal Eid between Yaakov and Lavan

# 32 Yaakov Enters Erets Yisrael
* Lavan returns home
* Yaakov enters Eretz Yisrael

#28 Yaakov’s Dream With the Ladder
In Chapter 28 it says
20) And Yaakov made a vow, saying: ‘If G-d (Elokim) will be with me, and will guard me on this path that I am going, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to wear,
21) and if I return in peace to my father’s house and Hashem will be my G-d (Elokim),
22) and this stone, which I have set up for a monument, will become a house of G-d and all that You give me, I will surely give the tenth to You.’

The commentators ask are the words in pasuk 21) “and Hashem will be my G-d (Elokim)” a part of Yaakov’s request or are they a promise by him?
If this is a request, what does it mean?
If it is a promise, why should he make a promise conditional on the request he made in 21-22?

#29 Yaakov Marries 4 Wives
In Chapter 29 it says
25) And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Lavan: ‘What have you done to me? did I not work with you for Rachel? Why did you deceive me?’
26) And Lavan said: ‘It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.’

Points on this chapter include:
Why did Yaakov choose the younger Rachel over the older Leah?
Lavan’s statement of not giving the younger before the first-born is brought down as the basis for halacha by a number of rishonim and achronim?
What the exact trickery of Lavan was is a discussed among the commentators.

#30 Birth of Tribes & Yosef

#31 Yaakov Flees from Lavan
In Chapter 31 Yaakov says:
6) You know I served your father with all my strength.

The Rambam, the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch learn directly from this Pasuk and not from a Chazal in the Gemora that one has an obligation to work for his employer will all his might.

In Chapter 31 it says:
19) Now Lavan was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
20) And Yaakov stole the heart of Lavan the Aramean, by not telling him that he had fled.

The commentators question why Rachel stole the teraphim and what they were.
The commentators are also bothered by the use of the term “stole the heart. Should Yaakov have told Lavan he was fleeing? And if he didn’t tell him, was that “stealing the heart”?

(See Studies in the Weekly Parsha by Yehuda Nachsoni for more discussion of these points.)

Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg has been quoted saying that a person can fulfill the Targum (translation) portion of Shnayim Mikra V’Echad Targum by reading the Art Scroll translation. (I’m assuming that a Metsudah translation would also suffice.) In addition the Mishna Berurah says one can fulfill one of the Shnayim Mikras (two readings) by following along in Shul on Shabbos during the leining.

Chazal want us to be conversant with the entire Torah so they instituted Shnayim Mikra. We can work towards that goal by reading the parsha once at home and once in the Shul and learning the Art Scroll or Metsudah.

It’s an important relatively easy Mitzvah to fulfill so why not embrace it.

If you want some additional English commentary on the parsha Torah.org has compiled quite a collection over the years. Why not check it out.

When you go out to war against your enemy…(Devarim 21:10)

The Torah only speaks versus the yetzer hara- the negative inclination(Rashi)

While still an unmarried yeshiva man I started learning with a friend the classic ethical work Mesilas Yesharim- The Path of the Just by Moshe Chaim Luzzato. Right before the semester was to end we reached a line in the book that baffled us. We closed the cover for the summer break with a big question mark hovering overhead. Describing the human condition, he writes, In truth a man is placed in the midst of a raging battle, since all things in this world whether good or not are tests for the man. We wondered aloud, What war? If we would ask the man in the street if hes aware of the raging battle he might accuse us of being paranoid fools.

A few days later four of us were in the Delaware River in two canoes. After passing the rough rapids, the river became wide and seemingly still, so we decided to treat ourselves. We pulled the canoes onto a flat gray slab of rock and jumped into the now calm lake like waters for a swim.

There I was floating on my back, soaking up the warm rays of the sun, and reveling in the experience. I shouted to the others, Hey guys, this is great! We gotta come back here again! I waited for some response. I soon realized that they were gone. Where were the canoes? Wheres that flat gray rock that was there moments ago? That could not have moved. I began to realize, as I was treading water, that the current had pulled me far down stream.

So, I started to swim back. It was not easy at all. The subtle imperceptible force of the river that had carried me so far so fast was now weighing heavily against me. It took a Herculean effort and it left me drained just to get back to where I had once been.

Weeks later, when we reopened the books, the lesson became clear. Why does that raging war seem to be the stuff of fiction? Perhaps, the reason is because so many are so often floating blissfully unaware going with the flow down stream. However, when we make any simple effort to improve, to change our direction, the weight of the river, the inertia of a lifetime of habits and attitudes are bearing down dissuading and discouraging us. Only with a determined will and great effort can we recover old ideals and then hope to move swimmingly beyond.

The Chovos HaLevavos-Duties of the Heart tells an apocryphal story about a certain pious man that confronted some soldiers returning with the spoils of war after vanquishing their enemy in a fierce battle. He told them, Now that you are returning victorious from the small battle, get ready for the big battle. They asked him in great wonderment, Which big battle? He answered them, The battle with your self!

As we prepare to weigh in for another new year it would be nice to think that all the effort and striving we have invested in the last many months have left us somewhat improved. We hope we have not yielded sacred ground in what we may to realize is nothing less than the battle of our lives.

Have a good Shabbos

An excerpt from Judgment or Feeling: Will the Real You Please Stand Up:

Our existential situation as in-betweeners subjects us to the insistent call of two different voices that hammer away at us. The Yetzer Tov, one of our appointed judges, speaks to us with his voice – the voice of spirituality. The locus of spirituality in the human being is the mind, not the heart. Spirituality does not communicate its message in the language of feelings and sensations; it does not send a rush of adrenalin through the blood or release endorphins in the brain. The soul expresses itself in words, concepts and ideas. The Yetzer Tov can only express itself in the language of the heart if it manages to drive the Yetzer Hara out of there and becomes our sole judge. In the case of us in-betweeners this never happens.

The voice of the Yetzer Hara is the voice of sensation and feeling. The locus of the Yetzer Hara in the human being is the heart; it knows how to stimulate us with the rush of adrenalin and endorphins that breed excitement. As long as the Yetzer Tov retains a foothold in our consciousness, the mind and the heart will continue to send us contrary messages, each in its own language. If the Yetzer Hara ever manages to become our sole judge, the voice of reason will cease its opposition and reason itself will broadcast the wishes of the heart. In the case of us in-betweeners this will also never happen.

The difference in the quality of these voices causes much difficulty and confusion. We live in a materialistic world, and we tend to invest a greater degree of trust in our feelings than in our thoughts. We tend to think of thoughts as being artificial and feelings as being reflective of our true selves. This predisposes us to give greater weight to the voice of the Yetzer Hara than to the voice of the Yetzer Tov. We need to experience some religious feeling in order not to dismiss our thoughts concerning the need to attach ourselves to God as irrelevant on the grounds that they do not truly reflect the real “me”.

Read the whole thing here.

Here’s Rabbi Rietti’s outline of Va’eschanan. You can purchase the entire outline of the Chumash here.

Va’eschanan

# 3 Moshe Pleads to Enter Promised Land
# 4 Fundamentals of Emuna
# 5 Review of Ten Commandments
# 6 The Shema
# 7 Warning Against Assimilation With The 7 Nations

# 3 Moshe Pleads to Enter Promised Land
* Moshe Pleads to enter the Promised Land.
* “Don’t say another word!”
* Moshe sees Promised Land.
* Yehoshua is charged to lead Beney Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael.

# 4 Fundamentals of Emuna
* Warning to Practise all the Mitzvot.
* Which Nation has An All Powerful G-d close to them like you?
* Don’t ever forget National Revelation at Sinai!
* Warning against turning to another god, it will only be self-destruction.
* Warning of Exile, remain few, scattered.
* Prophecy: We will return to HaShem.
* The unescapable Truth: There will never be another Divine Revelation.
* Know in your thoughts and emotions: There is no other Power.
* Practise the Mitzvot & you will have long days.
* Moshe designated 3 Cities of Refuge on E. side of Jordan river.

# 5 Review of Ten Commandments
* Review of National Revelation: “We all stood at Sinai.”
* “HaShem spoke to you face to face, you heard HaShem speak to you.”
* The Ten Commandments reviewed.
* Don’t desire anything belonging to another.
* Your leaders begged me to be G-d’s agent instead of hearing directly from G-d.
* “G-d said: If only you would always have this awe of Me!”
* HaShem told me to remain on Mt. Sinai to learn all the Oral Law.

# 6 The Shema
* The Purpose of the Mitzvot: To learn fear of HaShem and obedience to all His Mitzvot.
* The Mission Statement of the Jewish People: The Shema:
* He is Our Power, He is The Only Power, The Only One.
* Love HaShem with all your thoughts, your life, your talents, your money and still love Him even when you suffer!
* Learn & teach Torah.
* 5 Point plan of Jewish Parenting:
1) Talk with your Children
2) Be a role model Jew in the home
3) Be a role model Jew outside the home
4) Be a role model Jew when you go to sleep
5) Be a role model Jew when you awake
* Wear Tefilin on arms and head.
* Place this paragraph on the doorpost of your homes and gates.
* You are arriving in Eretz Yisrael into fully furnished homes!
* Warning: Affluence could be harmful to your soul!
* Don’t test HaShem (or His Prophet).
* How to answer you son (Chacham), recall the Exodus and its purpose.

# 7 Warning Against Assimilation With The 7 Nations
How to deal with the seven nations in Canaan:
* Destroy them.
* Don’t make a treaty with them.
* Don’t favor them.
* Don’t marry with them
* Warning against intermarriage.
* HaShem lovingly chose us to be His precious nation .
* ‘Know well that HaShem rewards and sets consequences for disobedience”

Internet Parsha Sheet

YU Torah

Aish Parsha

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Shema Yisroel Parsha

Torah.org Parsha

Please add any other favorites in the comments.

We know learning Torah is one of the most important activities we can do, yet there are probably many weeks when we don’t look at the Parsha till late in the week or on Shabbos.

We might use lack of time as our alibi, but we probably had time for some Internet reading or other non-essential activities.

It’s important for us to be very familiar with every Parsha and the prescription for that is Shnayim Mikra Ve-Echad Targum.

As we mentioned previously, there are prominent Poskim who hold you can fulfill the requirement by reading the Hebrew once during the week, reading the second time along with the laining on Shabbos and using an English translation such as Art Scroll for the Targum/translation component. If you’re not already accomplishing Shnayim Mikra weekly, then please try this method.

Rabbi Noson Weisz has a must read piece on this week’s parsha which gives a clear understanding on the different paths of spirituality for Jews and Non-Jews.

In a nutshell:
– Bilaam was the prophet for non-Jews who’s role is to teach non-Jews how to serve G-d.
– Bilaam knew the precise moment each day that G-d was anger which is the time when the Midas HaDin is strongest which results in G-d distancing Himself from the world.
– Moses was told not to connect to G-d when He was angry.
– The path of the Bilaam and the nations of the world is to serve G-d through the road of anger which results in withdrawal and self denial.
– The path of serving G-d for Jews is to connect to G-d via love which involves inserting spirituality and closeness to G-d in every aspect of everyday life through the mitzvos.
– Bilaam was the nation’s potential Moses but his unwillingness to accept the Jewish path of service as legitimate caused him to try and harm the Jews, ultimately bringing about the incident at Ba’al Peor.

Please take the time to read Rabbi Weisz article.

This is one of the few years Bamidbar is not read right before Shavuos.

Wikipedia on Bamidbar

OU Parashat Bamidbar Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary

Chabad Parasha Bamidbar Summary

Torah.Org Bamidbar Summary

YU Torah Online free mp3s on Bamidbar

Aish on Bamidbar

By: Rabbi Yehuda Horowitz,
Mashgiach Ruchani, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov

In last week’s parsha we are taught the halachos of a metzorah. The tzoraas was a skin disease which wasn’t due to the physical deficiency of the body, rather it was a heaven sent message of the spiritual shortcomings of the one who was tamei. He would have to leave the entire camp of Bnei Yisroel and remain alone until he was purified. Our Chazal relate that tzaraas was due to the aveirah of lashon harah and that since this person separated people through his behavior, he must now remain isolated.

Rav Avraham Pam zt’l would comment that Baruch Hashem our generation has made great strides in shemiras hadibur. The campaign against lashon harah has educated us to be careful of speaking improperly. However, we should actually focus more on the root of this aveirah. The person who speaks lashon harah is perceiving things in a negative fashion and his heart is filled with bad feelings. We must train our eyes and heart to see the good in everyone we come into contact with, so that the battlefield will never come to our lips.

The Nesivos Sholom explains that a metzorah sees things in a negative manner, as the word metzorah implies “ERWCM,” everything is found to be bad. Therefore, the metzorah can’t go to just any rabbi to determine his status. Only a Kohen can rule on the tzoraas. The tendency of Aharon HaKohen was to love peace and harmony, and to see the goodness in every Jew. He can teach the metzorah how to be an optimistic, positive person who radiates joy and encouragement to others.

Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt’l would say that our face is actually for others and therefore without a mirror we cannot even see our face. It has enormous potential to bring cheer to everyone else. HoRav Binyomin Kamenetzky shlit”a adds that it’s interesting to note that the main thrust of our heart’s ability to pump life and warmth into our bodies is on the left side of a person. Being that our right side is always considered to be more vital, this seems surprising. He explains that we must utilize our hearts to warm and encourage others and therefore our heart is situated facing the right side of those that we encounter.

The ability to have a positive effect on others depends very much on being optimistic and joyful. Rav Yonasan Rosenblum shlit”a relates that at his Shabbos table in Eretz Yisroel he had a couple who were Baalei Teshuvah. The husband was very prominent in the world of Hollywood shows and Rabbi Rosenblum asked him how he was inspired to be chozer biteshuvah.

He responded that on a Shabbos morning in Hollywood he and two Jewish friends were sitting in a restaurant when they noticed a couple and their children walking home with remarkable togetherness and happiness. One of the young men asked, “What’s their secret?” Another one answered that they’re Orthodox and are returning from Synagogue. This really touched him and that night he contacted an organization that offers learning partners on the telephone. Eventually, all three became religious and are raising beautiful families. One is in Yerushalayim spending time in Mir Yeshiva, another is in Baltimore near Ner Yisroel, and the third one returned to L.A. after having studied in Mir Yeshiva. The remarkable thing is that the family that is responsible for generations to come doesn’t even know how much they accomplished by just being so joyful and united!

Let us truly find the good in everyone, and use that as a foundation for friendship and inspiration against the terrible effects of tzoraas. May we be zoche to use this friendship as a path towards the geulah shleimah, bimheirah biyameinu.

Originally Published in Ateres HaShavua, a Weekly Torah Publication from the Students of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov

Rabbi Shaya Greenwald – Ohr Yerushalim
Read the entire article here.

In Parshas Vayikra we are taught about the Mitzvah of Korbanos (sacrifices). The Rambam, in the Sefer Moreh Nevuchim (3:46), suggests that the reason for the Mitzvah of Korbanos is that a person has a drive to worship Avodah Zarah. The nations in whose midst the Jewish people had dwelled actually worshipped sheep, goats and cattle, and the Jews also exhibited such leanings (Moreh Nevuchim 3:32). The Torah commands us to negate those tendencies by showing that we can slaughter these animals with impunity, for they are not deities, and by channeling this desire for sacrifice toward service of Hashem and not idols.

The Ramban on this week’s Parsha vehemently disputes this idea. He argues that the Rambam has taken an important mitzvah and relegated it as a mere sop to the Yetzer Hora. The Torah says that the Korban provides a Reiyach Nichoach, a sweet fragrance, implying that the Korban evokes a favorable response from Hashem. In addition, the Ramban argues that offering these animals to Hashem may actually not negate the reverence that the aforementioned nations had for the sheep goats and cattle; rather this Mitzvah enhances the status of those animals in the eyes of those who commit Avodah Zarah.
…
In summary, according to the Rambam, the idea of Korbanos is merely to negate the concept of Avoda Zara, and to channel to Avodas Hashem our desire for sacrifice. In contrast, according to the Ramban, a Korban has an intrinsic value, bringing one closer to Hashem.
…
The Meshech Chochma offers a compromise between the opinions of the Rambam and Ramban. We must first define a Bama which is a Mizbeach located outside the Beis Hamikdash location, and permitted to be used only during the time prior to the first Beis Hamikdash when there is no Mishkan or Mikdash (such as Shilo) standing. Rav Meir Simcha ( Meshech Chochma) suggests that the opinion of the Rambam is correct when one brings a Korban on a Bama, as the Mishna (Zvachim 113) records “ayn Reach nichoach B’Bamah Ktana” which can be interpreted to mean that the unique positive attributes of a Korban are only found in a Korban that is brought in the Beis Hamikdash, but on a Bama one merely accomplishes a Harchaka (distancing) from Avoda Zara. In the Beis Hamikdash itself, however, the Meshech Chochma assumes the approach of the Ramban.