Author: Kollel of Greater Boston

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

The Medrash Rus, רות רבה ב:טו , says, “ ,אמר רב זעירא (this מגילה scroll has no mention of what is prohibited, what is permitted…) it is written to teach us the ‘great reward for those who are involved in kindness.’”
Another Medrash, ילקוט רות תקצ”ד , teaches: we read מגילת רות on Shavuos, the time of the giving of the Torah to teach that one can only acquire Torah though pain, poverty… and adversity.”
“The beginning of the Torah is chesed, the middle and the end”; the foundation and essence of all of Torah is chesed. The רמב”ם , Maimonides, explains that there are three distinct ideas: צדקה ,צדק , and חסד .b צדק (Tzedek) is repaying another according to the accepted norm; צדקה is not what is demanded from one, but rather what a person views as obligatory (ex: when seing a person suffering, one’s emotions evoke one to help, placating one’s “pain”). חסד , Chesed, transcends one’s emotions and intellect of obligation; but rather is the essence of an exemplary person… “I am here to constantly, altruistically benefit others.”
True spirituality, true human greatness is attained only when one transcends all of one’s personal interest; this being the true definition of חסד , chesed.
When we read the story of Rus, we are struck by the initial hardships of hunger, the death of Naomi’s husband and two sons; the poverty that Naomi and her former daughter-in-law Rus suffered and the startling sequence of events of how בועז , Boaz, a revered, respected leader of Klal Yisroel marries Rus, a convert. From this union came the Davidic dynasty and eventually Moshiach, who will possess superior qualities that will enable him to bring humanity to the unequivocal truth of the existence of Hashem and the type of life we have to lead.
Adversity. Pain. Death. Embarrassment. The precursors of human nobility, morality, and royalty. One develops an acute sense of other people’s trials and tribulations when they endure the same. One recognizes the need to always be ready to selflessly absorb another’s needs and to accordingly assist them or elevate their spirits.
The daughters of לוט , Lot, who thought the world was destroyed when they witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gemorah, impregnated themselves from their father despite the emotional distress involved. Why? To ensure the existence of G-d‘s world.
This trait of unadulterated selflessness for others was genetically part of Rus. In order for its development, she endured much, developing remarkable empathy, leaving hehind her royal family, to protect and inspire her destitute, broken-hearted former mother-in-law; despite the fact that she would be a foreigner in a new land. Of all the women living in Eretz Yisroel, she is chosen by Hashem to be the progenitor of the royal family!
Her husband, בועז , Boaz, is an exemplar of chesed who established a paradigm of enabling all to develop an internal sense of importance and dignity. In chapter 2:4, Boaz greets the workers on his farm, “ ה’ עמכם , Hashem should be with you.” Until that point, due to the holiness of the name of Hashem, no one would contemplate using it in a greeting, degrading it by articulating it in mundane conversation. Boaz, who recognized at that time, that a sense of true human dignity had been greatly diminished, instituted a dynamic wherein everyone would be aware of their inner connection to Hashem, thereby feeling the responsibility to emulate Hashem by treating all with respect no matter who they are.
This sense of being constantly cognizant of the dignity of every person is what motivated Boaz to initially recognize the superior qualities of Rus. On the eventful night when she went to his dwelling, he didn’t become angry but rather escorted her home in order to protect her – at the expense of his stature – and even took the time to prepare a meal for Naomi. Chesed! When Rus gave birth, she magnanimously allowed Naomi to nurse him! Chesed!
Rav Akiva in his youth declared, “If I meet a Torah scholar I would bite him like a donkey.” רבינו תם explains that in his earlier youth when he wasn’t proficient in Torah knowledge, he felt that those who were, condescendingly looked down upon those who were lacking. He couldn’t process how it is possible that every human is not treated with utmost dignity, no matter who they are! Chesed has no bounds! Everyone human is to be treated as if they are the whole purpose of creation. Tragically, 24,000 of Rav Akiva’s students passed away due to not absorbing their teacher’s mode of behavior, the essence of Torah and the essence of the story of Rus.
In these difficult times, may we gain Hashem’s mercy by recognizing the nobility of all His people.

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

אך את מטה לוי לא תפקד וגו’ בתוך בני ישראל (פרק א פסוק מט)

Hashem commands Moshe to count the entire Jewish nation but specifies that Levi should have their own separate counting. This is reiterated two more times, emphasizing that the Levites should not be included in the general census. Rashi explains that the reason for their separation is because there would be a decree in the future that everyone above 20 who was included in the count would need to die in the desert and Hashem did not want Levi to be included in that. The Medrash clarifies that even though Levi would not sin together with the rest of the Jews, had they been counted with them, they would have died with them. R’ Chaim Shmulevitz sees from here that there is a unique power to a כלל, a group. When one is part of a group, they are included with them for good or for bad, even if they did not act in the same way as the rest of the group. He explains this concept; a group is considered a new entity unto itself, not just many people together. Therefore, decisions about the group apply to the entire entity. By the Leviim we find that their inclusion would have been detrimental, but we find this concept in a positive way as well. Before we received the Torah it says, “And he, Yisroel, camped opposite the mountain”. Rashi comments that the singular description of Yisroel is because at that point we were as “one man with one heart”. The Ohr Hachaim explains that this was a necessary step before receiving the Torah. We needed to unite as one nation, with complete solidarity, to turn into one entity of Yisroel, to receive the Torah. Only through that total unity were we able to accept the yoke of Torah on ourselves, and only with that unity can we continue to keep it.

מגילת רות

Many reasons are given as to why Megillas Rus is read on Shavuos. The שערי תשובה says it is because Dovid was born and died on Shavuos, and Megillas Rus details his lineage. The מגן אברהם says that it is to teach us that the way in which to truly acquire Torah is through difficulty. R’ Elya Boruch Finkel expounds on the מגן אברהם; we see that Rus had a very difficult life. She left her royal life in Moav to live in poverty amongst a foreign nation. She had little hope for getting married again, because the law that permitted her to convert was mostly unknown. All these difficulties, however, ended up fading away, she married Boaz, a great Torah scholar, and eventually lived to see her descendants reign as kings over the Jewish nation. This reminds us that while the beginning of observing and learning the Torah may be difficult, through persevering we can merit true greatness and closeness to Hashem.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

The Torah in this week’s portion details at great length the census of the Jewish people; how many were in each tribe. In the second chapter, the Torah commands how the Jewish people encamped around the משכן, Tabernacle. There were four divisions in each direction, comprising of three tribes.

There is extensive commentary on the significance of where each tribe was placed and the reason for these interrelationships between the three. Both in Chapter 1:46 and Chapter 2:32, the Torah tells us the sum total of the twelve tribes. Why the repetition? Why in Chapter 2 does the Torah find it necessary to once again report the population of each tribe- we know it already? Secondly, we can add the numbers of each camp ourselves; why does the Torah need to?

The Ramban teaches that משה רבינו and אהרן הכהן met every one of the 603,550 members; asking their name – a person’s name was divinely inspired as the instruction of what they have to accomplish – and blessing them. They were in effect demonstrating to every person their unique individuality as part of Klal Yisroel. First, each tribe was counted to inculcate in each member the special mission of their group. When the camps were assigned, a new dynamic was created, one where the three tribes were merged into a singular unit, thereby gaining a new purpose.

This is a profound lesson. In order for a person to truly actualize their potential, one is required to comprehend their purpose; what they have to accomplish for the greater good of all. This idea is at the same time both ennobling and creates a dynamic where one can be successful.

When a person is sincerely aware of their purpose and relentlessly devotes oneself to its fruition; it in effect creates self-control in a person. We are all created with innate positive traits and traits that we have to develop for the good of all. This is one of the most difficult exercises of life. It is almost impossible to succeed unless one has control of one’s everyday living experience. When one embarks on a life journey of complete awareness and dedication, one has the tools to transpose. On the first night of Pesach, when we try to ascend into a world of spirituality, the “exercise” is called סדר, order. For one must be completely focused, methodically taking step by step to reach the goal.

Success demands order… timeliness, sequence, tidiness, and organization. Timeliness is the fundamental entity that is the manifestation of one’s complete dedication to not only one’s aspirations, but to society as a whole. By obligating oneself to judiciously and timely use the talents benefacted by Hashem, one in turn will respect another’s time. Moreso, the responsibility engendered by a sense of timeliness creates an overview of how one’s actions affect another’s “precious time”.

Tidiness: if one is to develop a constant sensitivity to one’s mission and environment, then it would be an oxymoron if one didn’t treat everything with respect. The Alter of Kelm זצ“ל once lambasted his pupils for placing his chair two inches away from its proper place! While it seems so insignificant to us, to him it was a major flaw of one of life’s fundamentals.

Sequence: in life one has to proceed one step at a time, never straining oneself to achieve a level in its improper time. The Torah prohibits a Levite to take the chore of another Levite different than his appointed task with the punishment of death. Why? For every person has to abide by their given task! Very often, dissension and divisiveness are caused by people involving themselves in the domain of others. Everything has its proper time and place

Organization: Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, זצ“ל whose dedication to Torah study was legendary, was once observed how he ate a large radish. He initially cut the radish into many small pieces, poured salt on it, and then placed a plate above the plate of radish pieces and shook it. Yes, he could have just bitten out of the radish piece by piece, but that’s a detriment to being in perfect control of one’s daily living.

As we prepare for מתן תורה, the celebration of receiving the Torah, we remember the Torah’s admonition to the Jewish people. In פ‘ יתרו יט:יב , it states “And you shall make a boundary…” Moshe Rabeinu, Aharon HaKohen, the כהנים , priests, and the Jewish people all had to stay in their specific place, to receive the Torah one has to know their “place” in life. Orderliness!

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם (פרק כו פסוק ד)

The פרשה begins by telling us that if we follow Hashem’s מצוות then He will bestow all physical blessings upon us. The פסוק first begins, “I will give your rain in their proper times”. The מדרש comments that there is an emphasis on “I”- that is, Hashem will send the rain Himself, not through His angels, and that the “proper times” refer to שבת- specifically Friday night. R’ Yehonason Eibschutz explains the correlation between these two comments of the מדרש based on a different מדרש found in בראשית. The מדרש there quotes a story about Turnusrufus, a Roman, asked R’ Akiva, “If it is true that Hashem observes שבת, how could it rain on שבת, isn’t He transferring from one domain to another?” R’ Akiva answered him, “One cannot transfer objects from his personal domain to someone else’s, but one can move within their own personal domain as much as they like.” Meaning, the whole world belongs to Hashem as His personal domain, therefore He can send rain from the heavens to the earth even on שבת. With this, R’ Eibschutz explains the first מדרש: Because Hashem is the One sending the rain, therefore He can send it on שבת as well. Had the rain been directed through a messenger, they would have been prohibited from transferring domains on שבת.

העשירי יהיה קדש לה’ (פרק כז פסוק לב)

The תורה tells us that every year one must tithe their animals and designate the מעשר as holy, a sacrifice to Hashem. The owner must pass their animals through a narrow opening, and every tenth one is to be set aside as מעשר. R’ Moshe Feinstein quotes the גמרא in בכורות that even though the holiness comes automatically to every tenth animal, the owner is supposed to vocally declare that it is holy. R’ Moshe sees in this an important lesson, that even things that we take for granted as being elevated and holy, still need constant reinforcement and encouragement to remain as such. Even though we are all endowed with beautiful and lofty נשמות, souls, we must constantly strengthen our thoughts, actions, and interpersonal relationships to ensure that they are in line with what Hashem wants of us.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

We are startled by today’s world order. We are shocked what Hamas has done, their complete lack of dignity, their hatred of Klal Yisrael and their disdain for any meaning. We are appalled and stupefied by the countless people worldwide who with detestation of civility have bonded together to vilify the Jewish people. What is the core issue that needs to be addressed? It’s the value of human life! It’s the significance of human nobility! It’s the sincere, wholehearted appreciation one has for all the gits Hashem bestows upon us and that all others do for us. Thats the fundamental basis for all of enthusiastic subservience. When we don’t recognize Hashem’s constant benefactions, we stop it from happening!

The Torah, Leviticus 26:14, states, “ואם לא תשמעו לי ולא תעשו כל המצוות האלו ״, “If you will not listen to Me and will not perform all the Commandments.” Rashi quotes the תורת כהנים that asks what is the significance of the word, “Me”; it’s understood that Hashem is the one we are not listening to; after all it is He who commanded us to perform all the mitzvos?

The profound answer is that it refers to one who recognizes with acuity and clarity that there is a Creator, and deliberately rebels against Him. In history, we are taught in the Torah that נמרוד, Nimrod, recognized unequivocally G-d‘s presence and relentlessly pursued a path of distancing the world from him. In the same manner, the population of Sodom engineered a revolution against G-d, to distance themselves from all obligation to Him.

The lesson we are being taught is that the core reason, true basis of all of disregarding one’s obligations to constantly learn Torah and perform mitzvos is an inner sense of rebelling against authority. While one may argue that one is overcome by a passionate desire for hedonism, materialism or fame; it is but a manifestation or a result of one’s inner desire to reject governance from Hashem. The יצר הרע, the evil or negative force that one has to always overcome is the natural tendency to absolve oneself from obligation and responsibility dictated by an outer force.

The Torah continues that there is a chain reaction of seven steps as a consequence of this innate desire (see Rashi 26, 15):

1) Lack of dedication to Torah study

2) Eventually to stop performing commandments

3) To be nauseated by those who are committed to Torah

4) To detest those who teach Torah

5) To preclude others from being observant

6) Deny that the Torah is totally from G-d but rather is man-made.

7) To reject the existence of G-d

Initially one would think that if one has desires for the aforementioned… it has no bearing on one’s association with Hashem and Torah sages. The Torah is emphatically instructing us the opposite. If the essence, the pivot, of all action is the rejection of governance, authority, submission, obedience, subservience, or conformity, then invariably one has embarked on a path of negation of true responsibility to Hashem and others.

In פרשת נצבים, Deuteronomy 30:7, it states: “and Hashem your G-d will place all of these imprecations on your ‘אויביך’, your enemies and your ‘שונאיך’, your haters.”

Rabbeinu Bachya, explains the difference between these two in the following manner: איוביך refers to the descendants of ישמעאל, Ishmael – the nation of Islam and שונאיך refers to the descendants of עשו, Esau. At the time of משיח they will both convert and become part of כלל ישראל. “שונא” is one though he inflicts pain and death, tempers it with a degree of mercy; while אויב is unrelenting in its hatred (even sacrificing their own as suicide bombers to kill Jews) with no sense of self dignity whatsoever. The renowned Tzaddik, the Klausenberger Rebbe זצ״ל, despite his wife and eleven children being murdered by the Nazis ימח שמם וזכרם, and being in the concentration camps, remarked after the Six-Day war, “I’m more afraid of the Arabs.”

Before the advent of Moshiach, we are taught that the attitude of the descendants of ישמעאל will dominate.

Today we live in a society that has rebelled against G-d, rejecting governance of a Higher Being, has continued by rejecting “law and order” – police and recently rejected governance of nature; one can choose if one is male or female. In an environment of rejection, the worth of human life is no different than taking a stone and throwing it into a body of water to enjoy the momentary ripples it causes. Without G-d one has to feel empty, purposeless and insignificant. The result, the person can feel “I just abused and shot mannequins.”

The Torah immediately after describing the calamities that will befall the Jewish people teaches us the mitzvah of ערכין, donating one’s spiritual worth to the בית המקדש, the Holy Temple. Every male/female has the same spiritual value… to inculcate in us the importance of every individual – we are all creations of Hashem and by dedicating our value we are declaring; “Hashem, thank you for making us feel special, I hereby dedicate my life to You.” To ensure this to be a truthful, successful path requires one to subjugate oneself to full governance.

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

 

כי לי בני ישראל עבדים עבדי הם אשר הוצאתי אותם מארץ מצרים (פרק כה פסוק נה)

At the end of the laws describing the freedom of a Jewish slave, the Torah makes the point that the Jews are Hashem’s servants that he redeemed from Egypt. The Torah seems to be contrasting the slave’s existence under his master to his current freedom, whereas before he was subjugated to his human master, now he is free to be a true servant of Hashem. The question is, why is his service of Hashem at all impeded by having a human master? A Jewish slave is obligated in all the mitzvos as much as any other Jew? R’ Matisyahu Solomon quoted the Alter of Kelm who explained that although the Jewish slave keeps all the mitzvos, he is lacking in the complete subjugation of his mind and heart to Hashem’s Will. An essential part in our service of Hashem is that we are totally involved in serving Him without any other obligations taking precedence in our minds or actions. When someone has a mortal boss, they will certainly have other tasks that they must do, and they must be sure to please their boss. Only by being free of his slavery can the Jewish slave devote all his faculties, all the time, to his one true Master.

ל”ג בעומר

Lag Baomer is two thirds of the way through the counting of the omer, with only seventeen days left until Shavuos, the day on which we received the Torah. R’ Gedaliah Schorr says that from Lag Baomer we must begin our primary efforts in preparation for receiving the Torah. We find this by the Jews in the desert as well. R’ Schorr quotes the Chasam Sofer who said that the bread that the Jews brought with them out of Egypt lasted a month, then they went three days without food, until they merited the manna on the 18^th of Iyar, the day of Lag Baomer. Chazal tell us that the Torah could only have been given to those eating the manna, because through this miraculous food their bodies were cleansed and prepared for the Torah. We see that even at the original giving of the Torah, the main preparation began on the day of Lag Baomer. We also must begin our preparations for our rendezvous with the Divine by involving ourselves in Torah and mitzvos and strengthening our connection and commitment to Hashem.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

In פ‘ בהר , Leviticus 25:47-55, the Torah teaches us the case where a Jew contracts himself to be an indentured servant for a non-Jew. It is the manifestation of a Jew who has slowly lost their sensitivity to the uniqueness of being gifted with a way of life that elevates, invigorates and creates one into a צלם אלוקים, a selfless, spiritual being. This transformation doesn’t happen suddenly, but it is due to a process of one allowing oneself to become desensitized to one’s real self – נשמה – soul and to become enamored with the non-Jewish culture. (see Rashi 26:1 who quotes Tractate Kiddushin 20a).

But the Torah prescribes an antidote for the “servant”. Though he is now sheltered in a home that is suffused with idolatry, hedonism, materialism and the lack of Shabbos observance, Hashem never deems a person hopeless; every Jew has a special inherent, intuitive connection to Hashem and the yearning for a truly fulfilling life of Torah, due to one’s special נשמה.

The Torah 26:12 admonishes him, “Don’t become involved with your master’s ‘idols’, … don’t desecrate the Shabbos and respect holy places with awe…”.

The Sforno teaches that this portion is also a metaphor for us all; we the Jewish people who live in a society antithetical to all that is holy, logical, dignified, and moral.

How can we maintain our connection to our Torah, to our system of values, to our inherent desire to feel the nobility and dignity of a Jew?

The Torah emphatically instructs us to enter into a “sphere of time” – Shabbos, and a “sphere of place” – a sanctuary, thereby enabling one to transcend the mundane, godless world. When one accesses the metaphysical time sphere of Shabbos, when one sets foot into a synagogue or place of Torah study, a transformation takes place. One is infused with a true, clear ascent into a world of eternity and meaning.

In a similar fashion, the רמב “ן, Nachmanides, explains that while living in ארץ ישראל , during the time of the ,בית המקדש the Holy Temple, one must travel to the Temple for all three festivals, thereby sustaining and invigorating oneself with the needed awe of our Creator.

We live in one of the most difficult eras of history. Every day, we are inundated, distressed, and engulfed by a world that wants to disconnect from the idea of a Creator, to vilify the Jewish people who represent G-d and His formula for living, the Torah, and to worship themselves and their wealth. What was moral only recently is considered absolute nonsense; what was absolute depravity and decadence is considered laudable. How do we survive?

The Torah’s message is resounding. Enter every day into a synagogue to pray! The Talmud ברכות ו:ו teaches us that our Creator who cares and loves us is waiting to embrace us at the time we designate for our prayers. If we all enter in a unified, timely manner, exhibiting our appreciation for Him and for all of our fellow מתפללים, co-parishioners, if we don’t speak idly, if we make the effort to ensure the cleanliness and dignity of “His palace”; then our lives are metaphysically elevated, edified, and we can transcend the world we reside in.

In Ethics of Our Father 4, 2 it states: Ben Azzai said: ‘Run to perform even a ‘minor’ mitzvah and flee from sin…”

One can run to do a mitzvah and one can do it with calm and leisure. The impact on oneself is incomparable! The energy borne from one’s enthusiasm is what defines one’s action! When one with relentless desire decides to come to converse with Hashem with unadulterated enthusiasm, completely negating all of one’s personal needs and desires , to be completely subservient to one’s Creator, one is creating an inseparable bond with Hashem! In this manner one’s actions are not robotic, but rather, executed with total focus and dedication. By entering into these two spheres, Shabbos and Holy places, with anticipation, energy and enthusiasm, we are securing for ourselves a genuine connection to Hashem. In turn it elevates our בטחון, trust that all he does and will do is for our greatest benefit.

Shabbos is akin to a degree of the World to Come, a world of complete negation of self-worship, but rather a place where we are embraced by the Almighty, gifted with the ultimate pleasure of experiencing the truths of life; thereby gaining true serenity and tranquility. We cease from all creativity, thereby surrendering ourselves to the Almighty, declaring emphatically that we are not the rulers/owners of the world. By insulating ourselves from the ideology of mankind, we thereby enter into a vibrant environment of sincere contemplation of the true meaning of life. On Shabbos, we are gifted with a נשמה יתרה, which the שפת אמת explains, that our נשמה, is dominant over the physical self. Every Shabbos we have the golden opportunity to embrace who we really are!

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן ואמרת אלהם (פרק כא פסוק א)

The Parsha begins with an instruction to Moshe to tell the Kohanim the laws that pertain to them, “tell the Kohanim and you should say to them.” Rashi tells us that the doubled command of telling the Kohanim is an implied instruction that the older Kohanim take responsibility that the younger, minor Kohanim follow the laws as well. R’ Moshe Feinstein asks, how do you see that they are responsible for the younger Kohanim, the pasuk merely reiterated the command to the elders twice? R’ Moshe explains that to properly influence children it is not enough to simply tell them what to do. Many times, adults can tell children how difficult it is to keep Torah and mitzvos and that we must persevere and keep them anyway. This gives the children a negative attitude towards Torah and mitzvos and if they don’t feel as ambitious as their instructors they will give up before they start. Rather, to direct children properly, the adults must show how precious and beloved Torah and mitzvos are to them. When we feel that the Torah is our life and therefore it is not challenging to keep, that will influence our children to follow in the Torah way. This explains the two statements to the older Kohanim. One was to do the mitzvos, and the second was to love the mitzvos and do them in a way that shows their love for them. Through this, the younger Kohanim will want to follow in those footsteps, and they will, of their own accord, perform the mitzvos properly.

איש…אשר יהיה בו מום לא יקרב…כי כל איש אשר בו מום לא יקרב (פרק כא פסוק יז-יח)

The Torah says, “any man that will have a blemish cannot come near to offer the food of Hashem [sacrifices] because any man who has a blemish shall not approach.” The pasuk is trying to give a reason for the law, but seemingly just repeats itself. How are we to understand this as a reason? The Meshech Chochma explains that the service of sacrifices is something that our intellect cannot fully grasp. It is a group of laws that contains tremendous significance, which can only be truly understood by Hashem. Therefore, there may have been Kohanim who did the service but were not convinced of it. Perhaps they questioned its significance and its reality at all as a service of Hashem. This would be a big problem because it would be improper to achieve atonement through someone who is skeptical of the process. Hashem, who does know each Kohen’s innermost thoughts, would not reveal the sinners, because that is considered Lashon Hara (gossip) by publicly declaring their guilt. Rather, Hashem arranges that those Kohanim develop a blemish, which disqualifies their service for other reasons. This is the true reason for the Torah dismissing blemished Kohanim, but to cover up for the sinners, the Torah disqualifies any Kohen that has a blemish, even if they were born with it. This is the explanation of our pasuk, “any man that will have a blemish”, that they develop one later because of their evil thoughts, “cannot come near…because any man that has a blemish…”, even a natural one from birth, and thereby the identity of the sinners will remain confidential.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier, Rosh Kollel

A world-renowned scientist has discovered many medicines that have helped many; but he hasn’t actualized his complete potential. There is a sanitation worker who is well-known to judiciously ensure that not one piece of litter is left on the street. Who should one admire?

The Torah teaches us that if one brings a ,קרבן sacrifice to Hashem, thereby dedicating his life to the Almighty, if there is a specified blemish it would render the sacrifice as unacceptable. This despite the fact that one owns an ox that is corpulent, healthy, and worth a thousand dollars compared to the perfect ox whose value is half.

If a כהן , priest who is the paragon of spiritual development but unfortunately has a physical blemish, he is prohibited from being the agent to engage in the sacrificial process.

Why? I want to express my love and subservience by dedicating my most valuable object! I want the priest who is a spiritual “giant” to bring me closer to Hashem!

HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel זצ“ל , former Mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha, quoted the פסוק , verse in האזינו , Deuteronomy 32:4, “ הצור תמים פעלו ”, “The Rock (Hashem) – His work is perfect.” The fundamental quality of the Creator is perfection. Consequently, we humans who are created with the gift to emulate Him, our life focus is to recognize that one has to aspire to attain perfection. This idea is indoctrinated by the Torah by requiring the central dynamic of perfection in our service to Hashem.

The profound lesson is that every human is unique and invaluable, some have more intelligence, health, strength, innate sensitivity… our goal is to utilize our G-d given potential. Once we start comparing, once we seek adulation for being the best; we have abrogated our G-d given mission. Yes, “our” sanitation worker deserves more accolades than the scientist! The Jew who strives to learn as much as they can is greater than a wise, intellectual Torah scholar who doesn’t use their abilities to the maximum.

The משנה, Chapter of Our Fathers (4:1) teaches us, “Who is wise, one who learns from all.. who is wealthy, one who is appreciative of what they have…” Ben Zoma is teaching; define oneself by your internal self, not by external comparison.

How does one achieve this? 4:2 בן עזאי taught, “One should run to perform a minor ‘mitzvah’ as a major one…” Why the word “run”, why not say, “dedicate” oneself equally to all mitzvos?

Ben Zoma is teaching us that the fundamental that ensures a person’s success in עבודת ה‘ב is one’s initial attitude and conduct. If one enthusiastically, relentlessly pursues the objective, it is considered as if the action is completed; for it’s this attitude that defines and ensures its success. (הרב ירוחים לבוביץ זצ“ל)

The רא“ש in אורחות חיים paragraph 49 writes, אל תאחר לרוץ אל בית התפלה“ ”, “Do not tarry to run to the House of Worship”. We are emphatically being taught that there are two components to one’s spiritual development, to bringing oneself close to Hashem. One we must with the greatest energy “run” to fulfill our obligations; secondly, we must do it at the earliest possible time without any delay. The first is a behavioral component (מצוה גוררת מצוה), the latter an intellectual, emotional commitment (שכר מצוה מצוה ). (ע‘ רבינו יונה)

רבינו יונה explains that the ideas of 1) מצוה גוררת מצוה, and 2) שכר מצוה, מצוה are two distinct approaches to develop a spiritual personality.

Firstly, it states, to be diligent and vigilant in the same manner when performing any Mitzvah, no matter their level of importance, when one does a mitzvah, one’s focus should be that one is following Hashem’s directions, inconsequential of the degree of magnitude. When one conducts oneself with complete subservience to Hashem; due to repetitive action, one will naturally strive to diligently and enthusiastically serve Hashem, even if the Mitzvah is difficult to perform. One’s essential, innate drive is to do His will!

What is meant by “the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah”, is a gift from Hashem. If one truly, enthusiastically, unequivocally, and relentlessly commits oneself to carry out Hashem’s will, one is gifted by Hashem that He will facilitate its actualization. Rabbeinu Yonah teaches that one’s בחירה, free will, is not a moment-to-moment decision making process, but rather the only choice one is granted is to, with full unadulterated clarity and emotion, declare one’s desire to embark on a specific journey.

By acting in such a manner, one in effect negates one’s self-absorption and self-interests, thereby imbuing in oneself a life of subservience to Hashem, where one strives to be the “perfect” person one has been empowered to be.

Timeliness, vibrancy, selfless dedication, the disallowance of self-aggrandizement are all the foundation of a true ‘.עבד ה

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה’ (פרק יט פסוק יח)

The תורה tells us to love our fellow Jews the way we love ourselves and ends off “I am Hashem.” Why does the תורה have to remind us of Hashem’s existence after this מצוה? R’ Shimon Schwab explains that really this מצוה is easily understandable and can be viewed as a pleasant social suggestion. In fact, in many societies people already practice loving and being fair to one another. However, this can be for many different reasons. Some people are naturally generous and loving, others are afraid of retribution if they don’t show their friends the proper love, and others will do it with the hope of reward. These reasons may exist, but they are not guaranteed. Often, one may rise to a position where they no longer need other people or are powerful enough to not be afraid of revenge. In those instances, their love for society can vanish. Only by understanding that Hashem created all of us and that He commanded us to love one another just by virtue of being His creation, will we have an everlasting love of all Jews. That is why the תורה reminds us to love each other “I am Hashem.”

את שבתתי תשמרו ומקדשי תיראו אני ה’ (פרק יט פסוק ל)

Parshas Kedoshim lists off countless מצוות and עבירות in a seemingly sporadic order. The Netziv shows how the תורה is grouping together different מצוות that relate to a specific theme. For example, he says that beginning with the third Aliyah (פסוק כג) the תורה is commanding us how to go about earning a livelihood, which professions to engage in, and which to avoid, which business strategies to pursue, and which to flee from. The odd פסוק out is פסוק ל which says that we should guard Shabbos and fear the Mikdash. What do these have to do with פרנסה? The Netziv explains that the תורה is advising us how to merit the ברכה of פרנסה. The מדרש says that there is a connection between Shabbos and the six weekdays in that one who properly rests on Shabbos will be successful in their work the rest of the week. The Mikdash, as well, is the source for all blessings in livelihood, and through the sacrifices we merit that the land is blessed to produce. We must therefore treat it with proper awe and respect to receive its special gifts. That is why the תורה specifically commands us about Shabbos and the Mikdash in the middle of describing how we are to earn a living.