Category: Weekly Parsha

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם אשר נתן לי אלקים (פרק מח פסוק ט)

When Yaakov is approaching his final day on this world, he calls to Yosef to bless his children. Yosef comes with Menashe and Efraim and Yaakov asks him, “who are these people.” Although Yaakov knew who his grandsons were, the אור החיים explains that he wanted to bless them with intense אהבה and so he prompted Yosef, his ever-beloved son, to say, “these are my children.” This would endear them even more to Yaakov and his ברכה would be even more effective. Yosef responds as expected, “these are my children”, but adds on, “that Hashem has given to me.” The אור החיים explains further that the way of צדיקים is that whenever they mention their good fortune, they mention Hashem and give honor to Him. This always reminds them that He is the source of all the good in a person’s life. We can emulate צדיקים in this way by always reminding ourselves where all our gifts are from and by constantly mentioning Him whenever discussing all that He has given us.

אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי (פרק מח פסוק כב)

Yaakov promises Yosef the portion of Shechem which he describes as having conquered with his sword and his bow. תרגום says that this does not refer to physical weapons but rather to תפלה, the prayers of Yaakov. The Brisker Rav explains that תפלה is referenced in two terms, as a sword and as a bow, because there are two different types of תפלה each with their own potential. The difference between a sword and a bow is that the sword can damage and injure with its own power, while a bow can only inflict pain using the force of the one who shoots the arrow. A sword is sharp enough to damage without a strong force, while the injury achieved by a bow is solely dependent on the force and aim of the one shooting it. Similarly, there is a difference between the תפלה of שמונה עשרה, with its text as established by the אנשי כנסת הגדולה, and every individual’s personal תפלה, composed as per the persons needs and wants. The תפלה of שמונה עשרה is like a sword, with its own potential by value of its holy text, and therefore this form of תפלה can achieve results when said by anyone. It is intrinsically powerful. A personal prayer, however, is like an arrow. It has tremendous potential, but firmly depends on the one praying. This is the source of the custom that people ask צדיקים to pray for them (see בבא בתרא קטז), because by individual prayers you need a powerful “archer” to achieve the desired results. This is why Yaakov referred to תפלה in two terms, a sword and a bow, as a hint to the two possible forms of prayer.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

יעקב אבינו, our patriarch Jacob, before his death, blessed his sons. To ראובן he said, “Reuven, you were to have superior positions, that of kingship and priesthood. But due to water-like impetuosity, you forfeited both of them.” Though Reuven had thought he was acting virtuously in justifying his mother’s honor and had subsequently sincerely repented, nevertheless a leader can not ever be impetuous.

This idea was the core teaching of the אלטר מקלם, the Kelm Yeshiva – not to have בהלה , impulsiveness, rather one must be deliberate at all times. HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel זצ“ל related that the first time he entered the Kelm Yeshiva for מעריב , when the חזן said a ברכה , he immediately shouted אמן! Whereupon, the whole yeshiva turned around, looked at him, and then after 1 or 2 seconds, all said Amen, in perfect harmony. The lesson, he learned, was to relax, think, contemplate, and patiently react in unison with others.

The Medrash teaches; “וילך ראובן בימי קציר חטים”. (in מדרש רבה ע“ב:א) And Reuven went out in the time of the harvest ( בראשית ס“ל:י“ד ) and he found “dudaim”… This is to teach us the noble character of Reuven: he was so determined to only take something that he was positive that it was ownerless, not to possess an item that there was the slightest chance of dishonesty.

The Medrash continues with the verse in Proverbs,משלי כ“ב:י,n“ חנוך לנער על פי דרכו , Train a child according to his natural tendency, if so, even when he ages, it will not leave him.” Leah recognized that even in Reuven’s earliest, formative years that he possessed a relentless disposition to acute honesty and trained him accordingly. Therefore, all his life’s actions would be predicated on this innate gift endowed by Hashem.

Continues the Medrash; at the end of the 40 years in the desert, the tribe of Reuven (and גד ), beseeched משה רבינו , Moshe Rabeinu, “Please give us this land, that was conquered in the Eastern side of the Jordan River as our place of dwelling due to our abundance of cattle. They needed a place where they could be certain that their animals would not graze in another’s field. Due to the expansive amount of pasture that was on that side of the Jordan, their needs would be satisfied.

Though for forty years all of Klal Yisroel had been studying Torah, and had anticipated to enter the land of Israel where the Divine Presence was at its peak; they accepted that their manner of “sanctifying Hashem’s name”, their responsibility to do so required them to choose this land. Reuven from his earliest years was creating the paradigm of integrity; this was his task, to be the tribe that would engender honesty throughout KlalYisroel by example. (see (מכתב מאליהו ב‘ פ‘ מטות

Moshe Rabeinu didn’t argue with their conviction. Rather, he remonstrated them for not offering to join the rest of Klal Yisroel in the conquest of the land of Canaan and furthermore for mentioning their cattle before their families. It’s true that they were selflessly dedicating themselves to do Hashem’s will, but their approach was not perfect; it wasn’t deliberate enough with an understanding of the total scope of the situation. Despite their total spiritual, enthusiastic commitment to their designated role, they were still slightly impulsive.

What is the connection between Reuven being gifted with the hallmark of honesty and the negative trait of impetuosity that had to be overridden?

Impulsiveness is a reaction to a situation where one allows their emotions to dictate their behavior, essentially robbing one of the ability to intellectually view a situation from every angle and possibility. His challenge was to overcome his inherent tendency to ‘quickly’ do what is ‘correct’. If Reuven was to be the leader of Klal Yisroel, being impulsive would disallow the correct evaluation of situations and preclude patient, deliberate decisions. This in effect is a direct contradiction to unequivocal integrity. He was therefore relieved of his eminent position by Yaakov Avinu. Yehuda, on the other hand, when challenged by Tamar to recognize that he was the one who impregnated her, immediately, intellectually understood that he absolutely must acknowledge that it’s him. He was therefore chosen to be the monarch of Klal Yisroel.

This same idea applies to the halacha that if one drinks a certain measure of wine, one is disqualified from rendering a complex decision or to adjudicate a case. One is required to have intellectual acuity, coupled with thoughtful emotional sensitivity which is compromised by a slight amount of alcohol.

A pure intellectual process has to be balanced with emotional observation as we are taught that a judge who is childless cannot adjudicate a case of “capital punishment” due to his lack of acquired sensitivity, that is gained through child-raising.

In our daily lives our actions are often predicated on needs of desires, jealousy, and aggrandizement. , הקנאה והתאוה, והכבוד מוציאין אדם מן העולם . They can totally ruin a life of relentless accomplishment and true, steady intellectual focus. Yaakov Avinu taught us how extremely careful one must be to examine the true source of one’s thoughts and actions.

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By Rabbi Shloime Lindenbaum

כי כל העדה כלם קדושים (פרק טז פסוק ג)
Our Parsha begins with the legendary argument between Moshe and Korach. Korach claims that Moshe took too much honor for himself and that he isn’t driven by truth but rather by selfishness. Specifically, Korach argues that all Jews are holy and therefore how could Moshe elevate himself to a higher status. R’ Moshe Feinstein tells us that truthfully this logic was the source for Korach’s faulty views. Korach believed that because every Jew is holy, they should be able to determine for themselves how to properly follow the Torah. He felt that a person’s obligation to Hashem should only go as far as they can understand by themselves. R’ Moshe says that this is totally false. Everyone needs a rebbi, someone not just learned in Torah, but someone who received the Torah tradition from earlier generation as it was passed down from teacher to student. Without a clear מסורה, tradition, on what the Torah wants of us, each individual will definitely err. Many times, we find רשעים and heretics who base their opinions on פסוקים or words of חז”ל. The secret to discerning the true will of Hashem is by following the true Torah scholars who are continuing the age-old tradition of our Torah from Sinai.

ויצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמל שקדים (פרק יז פסוק כג)
To prove that Hashem Himself chose Aharon as the Hight Priest, Moshe performs a test. He takes staffs that correspond to each tribe and their leader and places them in the משכן. The next day the staff of Levi and Aharon blossoms and almonds burst forth. Rashi says that Hashem specifically had almonds sprout because they grow the fastest of any fruit and this symbolizes that anyone who challenges the priesthood will be punished hastily. The Or Hachaim explains that the proof to Aharon’s position was through the miraculous growth of fruit. If so, it would have been a much bigger miracle if something that naturally requires a long time to grow, like carobs, had sprouted the next day. This is why Rashi explains that although it was a somewhat minimized miracle, Hashem chose almonds so that everyone internalizes that there is quick retribution for attacking the priesthood.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

Superficially it seems that Korach was a terrible person, a distinguished individual who envied Moshe Rabbeinu’s exalted status. How is it possible that someone who witnessed the miracles that Moshe Rabbeinu brought, experienced his selfless dedication and above all knew that the Almighty had chosen him to be His agent to transmit the Torah to Klal Yisroel, doubted the authenticity of his actions?

HaRav Yeruchim Levovitz זצ”ל explains that initially Korach’s intentions were completely legitimate, totally selfless and solely dedicated to Hashem. Korach had a relentless, passionate quest, to attain the highest level of spiritual attachment to Hashem. He couldn’t fathom why his cousin, the son of the youngest of four brothers, should be chosen to be the “administrator” of the Levites, why wouldn’t he be given the opportunity to develop his spirituality through responsibility to Klal Yisroel? He then convinced the first-born males who originally were to be those who would serve in the Holy Temple (or Tabernacle) and the tribe of Reuvein to demand to be returned to their original significant status. The Ramban explains that they argued that everyone should be able to serve in the Tabernacle just as beforehand, everyone could bring a sacrifice on a במת יחיד, a personal altar.

It began as an unequivocal pure desire to regain the ability to aspire, obligate, and challenge themselves for their greatest self development.

But with all the sincere aspirations there is a hidden element that all humans have to contend with. Is it totally about Hashem’s world or is it even minimally about oneself? Am I upset that another has more stature than me? Is it due to one’s need for attention and acclaim? On the surface it seemed he was demanding equal opportunity for all, but משה רבינו revealed that his motivating factor was to be personally bestowed with “priesthood”, כהונה. This is Korach who the Arizal said will rise as a צדיק, a righteous tzaddik in the “end of days”, באחרית הימים. Korach’s intentions were pure! He sincerely believed that Moshe Rabeinu was Hashem’s chosen one. The “problem” was that one shouldn’t allow oneself to be overwhelmed with a selfish emotional drive, even if it is to attain complete negation of oneself to Hashem.

The שפת אמת teaches us that the cause of קרח’s mistake was the lack of focus at that juncture of an elemental concept of Torah.

In 16:11 the Torah states, “ואהרן מה הוא כי תלינו עליו… And what is Aharon that you rail against him?” The wording seems peculiar, it should just say why are you confronting Aharon; the expression “what is Aharon” is confusing.

The שפת אמת explains that ultimately Korach enlisted all of Klal Yisroel with an argument that, (verse 3) “The entire congregation is holy and Hashem is in our midst, and why are you leading us?” “We are living at a time when we all witnessed מתן תורה, Hashem speaking to all of us, we are lovingly being taken care of by Hashem in the desert, we are studying Torah all day—each one of us is a קדוש, a person completely, unequivocally connected to Hashem. We have no aspiration other than to develop our spiritual potential. Let each and every one of us personally develop one’s relationship without interference from Moshe and Aharon!” Korach felt that Klal Yisroel were not being credited with their inherent greatness, that he could attain great heights through his responsibility of being an example to others.

“ואהרן מה הוא”, Moshe Rabbeinu retorted, “You are missing the concept that all of Klal Yisroel is one unit, one נשמה, and every person has to dedicate, consecrate their unique talents to the community. Aharon, ‘what is he?’ — He is a person who has absolutely no self-interests, a humble, selfless being, whose every action is solely inspired by relentless altruism, not feeling the sense of “he”, but rather the “whole picture”.

Those who are chosen to be leaders epitomize the consummate, selfless drive and desire to personally understand another’s potential and to enable them to actualize it. Moshe and Aharon were exemplars of this dynamic and were therefore chosen to be ones who would connect all of Klal Yisroel by enabling all to gift to the community their uniqueness, for they absorbed intellectually and emotionally every individual.

Klal Yisroel needs one another and requires leaders. Our leaders are those who selflessly bind us together as one complete unit of an “infinite” amount of pieces, glued together to follow the dictates of Hashem as one נשמה, Neshoma, never taking credit for their magnanimous dedication. Rather, they thank Hashem for the opportunity to emulate His essence of חסד, chesed.

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By Rabbi Shoime Lindenbaum

שלח לך אנשים ויתרו את ארץ כנען (פרק יג פסוק ב)
Our Parsha begins with the מרגלים (spies) scouting out ארץ ישראל (Israel) before the Jews entered to conquer it. They came back with a terrible report about the land which resulted in the Jews’ losing faith that Hashem will give them the land and ended with the infamous decree that the Jews will stay in the desert for the next 40 years. Rashi tells us that this story comes immediately after the story of Miriam speaking לשון הרע (slander) about her brother because the מרגלים should have learned a lesson from her not to speak badly. Many ask that there is a big difference between Miriam’s sin and that of the מרגלים? She spoke badly about another person whereas they were speaking about a land. How should they have known to draw a parallel from her? R’ Aharon Leib Shteinman answers that the lesson to be learned from Miriam is that one should always view things in a positive way. When someone speaks לשון הרע it begins with them viewing others in a bad light. Only by focusing on the faults of others and highlighting the negatives can someone end up speaking לשון הרע. The מרגלים should have learned from Miriam how to stop the sin at it’s root by focusing only on the positive and then they never would have developed a negative report about ארץ ישראל.

וימצאו איש מקושש עצים ביום השבת (פרק טו פסוק לב)
Towards the end of the Parsha the Torah relates how someone desecrated Shabbos and afterwards was killed for it. Tosfos in מסכת בבא בתרא קיט: quotes a מדרש that he had totally pure intentions. The מדרש explains that after the Jews were informed that their generation would not enter ארץ ישראל they assumed that they were no longer obligated in the מצוות. To prove that the severity of the מצוות is still alive and well this individual violated Shabbos and got killed for it. The מהרש”א asks, how could he violate Shabbos just to prove that it still exists? He answers that we have a rule by Shabbos that one who does a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה (Shabbos violation for a purpose other than the normally intended one) is פטור (exempt from punishment). Therefore, because the man did not intend to violate Shabbos for the regular purpose, but rather for the atypical purpose of proving it’s severity to the Jews, he was legally exempt from punishment. Although he was killed, that was because it’s impossible for a human court to ascertain his true intentions in the violation, but as far as his obligation to Hashem, he was exempt.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

Why does the Torah juxtapose the story of the מקושש, the person (צלפחד) who violated the Shabbos with the mitzvah of wearing ציצית; the requirement to place “strings” on any four cornered garment?

The answer is, “that at that juncture of time, Moshe Rabeinu said to Hashem, ‘It states relevant to the mitzvah of Tefillin, למען תהיה תורת ה’ בפיך – wear the Tefillin in order that the Torah – it’s instructions will be an integral part of your everyday living and You commanded us not to wear them on Shabbos. If the violator had been ‘reminded’ with constancy of one’s need to follow Hashem, he would never have violated the Shabbos!” Hashem answered, “I will endow Klal Yisroel with a mitzvah which for all seven days of the week will provide the constant focus of adhering to all My commandments – it being the mitzvah of tzitzis.”

Why wasn’t the day of Shabbos itself a reminder? They were aware of the metaphysical nature of Shabbos; the מן, manna, that descended on Friday, when brought into the home miraculously became two portions. On Shabbos we are gifted with the idea of the נשמה יתרה, a transcendence from the physical drive component of a person.

Why did Hashem just command us that if one wears a four-cornered garment to place ציצית, tzitzis on it; if it has the metaphysical impact of inspiring one to “constantly” remember all the mitzvos of Hashem due to וראיתם אותו, by seeing it… and be saved from following one’s baser drives for fame, desires, and glory, קנאה, תאוה, וכבוד – then let it be obligatory for all to wear ציצית, tzitzis?

The בעלי מוסר teach that there are two components; the intellectual idea and the ability, with clarity and exactitude to inculcate the core, quintessence as part of one’s emotional and intellectual essence. One can be defined as מוח (mind) and one as לב (heart). Very often one can intellectually perceive the consequences of one’s actions, thoughts, or words, but in practice they aren’t focused. At that moment one is lacking the indelible imprint of one’s perception.

This idea is expressed in the verse, “רק השמר לך… Guard yourself exceedingly lest you forget the words your eyes witnessed [intellectual] and lest they are removed from ‘your heart’ – your mind, all the days of your life.” (דברים ד:ט)

In chapter 8:14 ibid, it states, “And your pride increases and you forget Hashem who took you out from Egypt…” Intellectually, one is always aware of this; but one’s haughtiness at any given moment, one’s rationalization can obscure reality and allow one to feel comfortable to do what they desire.

Even the greatest of people – ten of the twelve scouts sent by Moshe Rabbeinu, some who were greater than Yehoshua ben Nun, caused eternal damage to Klal Yisroel. How is it possible?
At that juncture of history, they were blinded in a manner that they – even they – though intellectually understanding that Hashem could protect us, violated their essential perception and let themselves to be misguided.

The antidote to this common human behavior is illustrated with the following episode. The Talmud Brachos 28b relates that when ר’ יוחנן בן זכאי was on his deathbed, his disciples asked him to bless them. He replied, “Let it be that your fear/awe of Hashem be commensurate to your fear of a human.”

His students asked, “That’s all?”

He replied, “It would be sufficient for one to say when they are about to do a misdeed, to exclaim, ‘Someone might see me!’”

It takes tremendous effort to be focused at all times on the truths of life without any interruption or rationalization. On one hand, one can say that until the story of the מקושש, everyone was incredibly, unmitigatedly focused. The Torah then gave us a vehicle to use if needed not to lose this spiritual height – the tzitzis.

Another approach could be that if one has to ensure that one’s intellectual appreciation doesn’t become habitual and loses its imprint on a person, then one has to constantly focus with renewed conviction; to create a design that is new and in turn captures one’s attention.

Being that the ציצית is only required if one chooses to wear a four-cornered garment enables the person to perceive that one has dedicated oneself to constantly aspire for renewed emotional and intellectual clarity – יראת שמים, awe of Hashem’s benefaction at all times, in turn protecting oneself from מצוות ה’ מלומדה, that actions become robotic.

One may ask, why then don’t women have the mitzvah of tzitzis?

To quote Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch, Genesis 17:15:
“She is Sarah, the moderating, tone-setting influence, who bears within her heart the most delicate feeling, the most sensitive measure for all that is right and good, all that is becoming and decent and holy. She applies to her own life this standard of justice and mo­rality, of true Divine decency; she knows what befits a man of purity at all times and in all circumstances; and with sensitive judgment she evaluates everything by this standard. Sarah does not need to become such a person; she already is one.

A woman of purity, does not need an external sign of the covenant; on her own she remembers the covenant with קל שקי, Who sets limits and allots measure to all things. The warning די! resounds in her heart of its own accord, through the at­tribute of צניעות which pervades a Jewish woman of purity. She bears within her the tendency to subordinate herself to all pure and godly values, and she demands such submission from all who come in contact with her. Wherever a Sarah is wife and mother, vulgarity dares not show its face; she is the embodiment of purity and morality.”
Yes, a woman by nature has an impregnable wall that surrounds her: if she protects it, she doesn’t need the protection of mitzvos.

The Torah stresses, “וראיתם אותו, And you will see it” – for one has to always recognize anew what are our obligations. Consistency is the segue to constancy!

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By Rabbi Shloime Lindenbaum

למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ה’ במועדו (פרק ט פסוק ז)

When the Jewish nation was preparing to bring the קרבן פסח in the desert, a group approached Moshe and explained that because they were טמא (impure) they weren’t allowed to participate. They felt this was unfair and asked, “Why should we lose out by not bringing the קרבן”? R’ Moshe Feinstein says that that even if a טמא person were to bring a קרבן פסח they would not fulfill the מצוה and the קרבן is invalid if it is brought solely for them. If so, why did they want to bring the קרבן? This wouldn’t result in fulfilling the מצוה? R’ Moshe answers that they loved the מצוה so much that they wanted to have some connection to it. Even though they knew that it was impossible for them to truly fulfill it, they were overcome with a desire to tap into the מצוה in some way. R’ Moshe learns from here that the same applies for us- even if it is difficult or impossible for us to fulfill a מצוה in it’s true form, out of our love for Hashem and His מצוות we should try to connect to it somehow.

ויצאו שניהם (פרק יב פסוק ה)

Hashem rebuked Miriam and Aharon for speaking negatively about Moshe and explained to them the various advantages and superiority that Moshe had over other נביאים (prophets). The פסוק tells us that Aharon and Miriam could not be standing with Moshe at the time that Hashem was praising him, and Rashi explains that this is because of the rule that we do not say all a person’s praises when they are present. R’ Yeruchem Levovitz deduces from here that the reason why we shouldn’t completely praise a person in front of them is not because this will cause the listener to become haughty. After all, Moshe was going to be aware of these praises regardless, when he wrote them in the תורה! Rather, it must be that we do not want it to look as though we are flattering the listener (חניפה). Although this doesn’t apply to Hashem, He did it in this way to teach us how we have to avoid appearing as though we are overly flattering someone else.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

Prior to the giving of the Torah to Klal Yisroel at Mt. Sinai, all those that had an infirmity, i.e. lame, deaf, blind, were miraculously healed by the Creator. There is a discussion at what point was the gift taken away; was it at the incident of the Golden Calf or was it at the time of the מתאוננים, those who “complained”. (במדבר יא:א, Numbers 11:1)

HaRav Shneur Kotler זצ”ל, late Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood Yeshiva, would comment many times, “We are being taught that it is more detrimental to be unhappy than to create the Golden Calf.” Despite that the making of the Golden Calf and its subsequent worship was a rejection of Hashem’s Torah being absolute, a lack of sincere, unmitigated enthusiasm deprives one of the most essential “building block” of achievement.

The Torah teaches us that all the terrible, unimaginable calamities that will befall the Jewish people is due to “תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה’ אלוקיך בשמחה, that you didn’t serve Hashem with ‘simcha’, enthusiasm.” (דברים כח:מז, Deuteronomy 28:47) Rabbeinu Bachya in the Kad HaKemach teaches that this idea of “simcha” is a mitzva dictated by the Toah. In effect, it represents an עבודה, subservience to Hashem, more important than an actual mitzvah. (דף רע”א)

Enthusiasm is the inner essence of a person. Therefore, it is the critical element that will be the precursor of all of one’s actions- either for positive or negative actions.

In פרקי אבות ב, Ethics of Our Fathers chapter 2, we are introduced to the five greatest disciples of רבן יוחנן בן זכאי, each receiving a different accolade. One had an infallible memory (בור סוד), another was constantly productive (מעיין), the character trait that enabled them to achieve was a “good eye” and a “ good heart”, respectively.

The תפארת ישראל explains that they basically both represent ideas of enthusiasm. When one is calm and relentlessly enthusiastic, due to being appreciative of all, always seeing the good of another, never jealous, angry, or worried; they have the innate ability to be intellectually productive in an unusual manner. This in turn enables one to gain friends, to honestly perceive the ramification of their actions and to dedicate oneself to love/embrace Hashem.

How does one cultivate the trait of enthusiasm? עין טוב is the idea that all peope are born with an innate enthusiasm; observe a child who has an expansive outlook, always asking questions and remembering the minutest detail. לב טוב is the higher level, it is a consequence of constant appreciation of all the gifts of life granted by Hashem. When one consistently, incessantly and not perfunctorily absorbs and appreciates the positivity of life, they have developed inner joy, energy, and a relentless, enthusistic drive to strive for the greatest plateaus of achievement.

This idea is articulated in the רמב”ן, Nachmanides. He explains that when the people entered the desert, they were sorrowful and anxious and asked how can we survive, what will we eat and drink, when will we leave this inhospitable environment? But this feeling was incorrect in Hashem’s “eyes”. How was it possible that after being the recipients of Hashem’s largesse, His loving attention and beneficience that they possibly didn’t develop the inner essence to follow Hashem into the desert with unbridled enthusiasm and equanimity?

Yes, when a person truly perceives all of the benefactions of life, one invariably develops an inherent trait of enthusiam! The ספר עיקרים, authored by Rav Yosef Albo זצ”ל b(14th century) teaches us a profound life lesson. “Appreciation is intuitive to every human.” When קין, Cain, brought a sacrifice that was deficient in quality, despite the fact that he initiated the idea of sacrifice to Hashem, he was humiliated by Hashem for he didn’t express his appreciation fully and correctly!

Those who are truly thankful and truly appreciative are enthusuastic and happy; happiness doesn’t bring one to thankfulness. To be truly thankful necessitates that one selflessly absorb all the time, effort, and thought that Hashem or another has expended. Unfortunately, saying thank you is usually perfunctory; thereby robbing one of true enthusiasm. This is why every person is gifted by Hashem with an intuitive reaction to being the recipient of “gifts”; that is to be incontestably grateful, for otherwise we would not have the segue to enthusiasm, the inner engine for true accomplishment.

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ועשה הכהן אחד לחטאת…מאשר חטא על הנפש (פרק ו פסוק יא)

When a person decides to be a נזיר they are not allowed to drink wine, cut their hair, or become impure by coming into contact with a dead person. If there is an uncontrollable situation in which they become impure then they must bring a sin-offering because of their sin. Rashi quotes an opinion that the sin that the sacrifice is atoning for is “ציער עצמו מן היין”- he pained himself [by restraining] from wine. The Kli Yakar asks, if that is the sin, then why only bring an offering after becoming impure? Every נזיר commits this crime? He answers that the sin is not merely that the נזיר didn’t drink wine, rather that he pained himself in the process. Once he was serving Hashem in this way of abstinence he should have done it happily. Had he been happy and satisfied with his way of life as a נזיר, he certainly would have been more careful and not allowed himself to become impure. Therefore, only after becoming impure do we see that he wasn’t observing his נזירות with total happiness and excitement and his paining himself is considered sinful. Only now he must bring a sin offering for not serving Hashem with joy.

פר אחד בן בקר איל אחד כבש אחד בן שנתו לעולה (פרק ז פסוק כא)

The Torah describes at length how the נשיא of every שבט brought קרבנות as a way of initiating the משכן. They each brought one bull, one ram, and one lamb. Rashi explains that the bull corresponds to Avraham who slaughtered a calf in serving the angels who came to his tent and the ram represents Yitzchak who had a ram brought in his place by the עקידה. Yaakov is signified by the lamb because he separated lambs when serving Lavan and tending to his flocks. The bull and ram are understandable, because Avraham’s serving guests with a calf was the prime example of his מדת החסד which was his overriding מדה, and Yitzchak’s willingness to sacrifice himself was a monumental moment in our history. The lamb, however, is strange- why is Yaakov signified by his service to Lavan as a shepherd? R’ Elya Boruch Finkel says that we see from here that Yaakov attained his ultimate level as a צדיק by being honest with Lavan’s money. Although he had opportunities to justify crooked behavior, he did not veer from the path of absolute truth. This מדה brought him to his perfection, as is implied by the רמב”ם who only refers to Yaakov as Yaakov the צדיק in reference to his serving Lavan honestly. This is why the נשיאים brought lambs to signify Yaakov at his highest level.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

In this week’s portion, we are introduced to the נזיר, Nazirite, a person who dedicates themselves to elevating their spiritual sensitivity and steadfastness. Chazal teach us that the Torah equates this period of one’s life to the lofty status of the כהן גדול, the High Priest!

The גמרא נדרים ט, the Talmud Nedarim 9b relates to us a fascinating story. “One time a Nazir came to the בית המקדש, Holy Temple, and I (Shimon HaTzaddik) saw that he had beautiful eyes, was handsome and beautiful hair arranged in curls. I asked him, ‘Why did you become a Nazir? After all, at the close of your cycle of being a Nazir, you must shave off all of your hair. Why would you destroy it?’

“The shepherd answered me, ‘I was drawing water from a well and I looked at my reflection and immediately (due to my extraordinary handsomeness) my evil inclination quickly overcame me and sought to expel me from a spiritual lifestyle into a hedonistic, lustful world!

“‘I said to myself: Wicked one, why pride yourself in a world that is not yours? One day you (physical body) will be food for the worms and maggots in your grave. I immediately vowed to become a Nazir, thereby making it imperative that I shave my hair!’

“Rav Shimon HaTzaddik immediately arose, kissed him and exclaimed, ‘My son, may there be many more like you, you being the exemplar of a true nazir.’”

There are questions:
1. If the man was worried about his beautiful hair, why didn’t he immediately shave it; why wait another thirty days, the smallest period of Nazir?
2. Why did he speak to himself in second person?

A Nazir has to observe three conditions: 1) not to eat or drink any product of a grape, 2) not to take a haircut, 3) not to become טמא, a state of spiritual imperfection, by coming in contact with any corpse, even one’s closest relatives.

What draws a person away from intellectual acuity and on the contrary arouses one’s desires is wine; therefore to instill a new focus on life’s goals, the Torah instructs the Nazir to abstain from all grape products. in this maner one’s focus is completely changed. One’s need for defining oneself by physical appearance is mitigated by letting one’s hair grow “wildly”. Lastly, by not coming in contact with a corpse, according to the משך חכמה one protects oneself from being in a state of melancholy; according to others, it prevents one for losing the expansive spiritual stature they just acquired due to coming in contact with their mortality, thereby causing one to focus on one’s physical limitations.

The question one can ask: isn’t the person going to either way be despondent due to the loss of a beloved relative, so why preclude the nazir from coming in contact with the deceased?
In life one can be motivated by either the awesome responsibility to follow Hashem’s rules, in order to benefit from Hashem’s beneficience or to subjugate their entire being to the will of Hashem. I don’t do it because I have to, but rather I do it for that is “me”, my essence, my reason for existence – it’s my inner drive from within! (פנימיות)

This idea is the fundamental underpinning of spiritual growth. Just by cutting off one’s hair at a time of great inspiration will not define the person’s essence; on the contrary, it could be but a fleeting moment of impulsive emotional stimulation. To create a reality of change necessitates time, thought, and active dedication to effect true change.

In order to truly galvanize oneself to enable for this process to be actualized one has to objectively view what one can aspire for, despite all of one’s biased opinions regarding their abilities. Yes, one has to declare in second person, “you” can accomplish great strides, you can dedicate yourself to an honest, selfless journey of spiritual development. Transcend your self-absorption and declare this world, my life, isn’t about me, it’s about totally forming a dynamic that “I only exist as an essential part of Hashem’s universe.”

Only by creating this dynamic, will one be gifted that Hashem will become a silent partner in actualizing this potential, for when one declares, I am for Him, He therefore will be there for me! This is why the nazir is equated with the status of the כהן גדול, the High Priest, having attained a lofty level of unequivocal commitment. In a state of invigorated spirituality, one can focus totally on their objective.