OU Israel Center Torah Tidbits - Parshat Matot-Masei
United We Stand
The First Tisha B’Av
MIDEI CHODESH
BY
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin
Page 20
B'CHODSHO
Special Speech
Is This Any Way to Introduce a Hero?
Rebbetzin Shira Smiles
Page 30
With the month of Nissan upon us, we return to the story of our nation’s birth, as Moshe rises to leadership and the exodus again unfolds.
Moshe’s yearly introduction in the text, however, is cause for pause. For some reason, the Torah chooses to introduce the birth of the greatest leader we have ever knownin the most innocuous way possible.
“And a man went from the House of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son.”
Questions abound:
Why does the Torah depart from its usual mode of describing an individual’s birth?
What does the seemingly superfluous phrase “and a man went…” indicate?
Why does the Torah omit any mention of Moshe’s lineage- to the point where even the names of his parents are deliberately omitted?
Above all, is this any way to introduce a hero?
Compounding these questions is the fact that the omitted information concerning Moshe’s lineage is ultimately included in the
Parsha that follows given at that particular of another article).
If the information eage is eventually shared, the first place?
Numerous commentaries sues before us…
Working within Ibn Ezra suggests that, birth, the Israelites Egypt. Through the went,” the Torah is Amram “went” from other in order to marry
Perhaps the Ibn Ezra that Yosef’s plan for Egypt has, by this point, inally meant to remain Egyptians in the land ites are assimilating
The Ramban, however, Ibn Ezra’s interpretation, rah would have no cerning a journey taken city to another.
Instead, maintains lalachet, “to go,” is when a new and be taken. By stating, man went,” the Torah ram’s courageous spite of Pharaoh’s
The Ramban’s approach
RABBI Faculty, OU Israel Rabbi Emeritus, Torah, Englewood
Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman
See TorahTidbits.com > Individual Articles
Photographed by Rabbi Dr. David Mescheloff
Rabbi Dr. David Mescheloff and his wife Irene came on aliyah in August 1973 (
’ב), two months before the Yom Kippur War. Irene is originally from St. Louis, and Rabbi Dr. David Mescheloff is originally from Chicago. They spent a year in Peoria, Illinois preparing for aliya and then made aliya after 6 years of marriage. They currently reside in Moshav Hemed. Thisi photograph is from the field behind their house! “We are elated to be blessed by G-d with our own share in the Land that He promised our ancestors!”–Rabbi Dr. David Mescheloff
Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av is on Monday August 5
Kiddush Levana: [Many wait until after 9 Av]
Earliest Kiddush Levana 3 Days After Molad: 5 Av/ Thurs. night Aug, 8
7 Days After Molad: 10 Av/ Tues. night Aug. 13
Last Opportunity to Say Kiddush Levana until: 16 Av /Mon. night Aug.
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DEAR TORAH TIDBITS FAMILY
DEAR TORAH TIDBITS FAMILY
Rabbi
Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel aberman@ouisrael.org
How many chapters of Tehillim do you think have been recited for the success of our nation during this challenging time? The vast, vast majority of minyanim in the Jewish world have added Avinu Malkeinu, chapters of Tehillim, or both to their davening since Simchat Torah. Only God knows how many chapters we have offered in prayer to Him for the success and redemption of Klal Yisrael over the course of this war, but the number is certainly very high. Hopefully all of them said with the necessary kavanah.
One of the greatest aspects of the technological age is that within moments of a person becoming sick, friends and family can instantly begin to create Tehillim links and WhatsApp groups. These incredible apps and groups know when you’ve finished a chapter and can automatically take you to the next one, and everyone can see how many times the entire book of Psalms was recited. There are two general causes for which we say Tehillim. One is specific to an individual or family – for example when a person is sick, or, lehavdil, recently passed away. The other is a more general one, for the overall success of the Jewish People, the State of Israel and its safety. The first is often easier to track than the second. It is encouraging and inspirational
To a special Mother and Savta, Happy birthday!
Rabbi
Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel
for a sick person to know that hundreds of chapters of Tehillim were said for them. How heartwarming it is to feel that their family and friends expressed their concern and love for them in this impactful way.
Yet, perhaps when praying for the welfare of the Jewish People the mystery of the count is preferable. Do we really want to count the number of chapters in that case? If it turns out the answer is that a billion chapters have been recited these nine months, would we say that is a lot or a little? Would that be impressive or disappointing? Just knowing that any shul we walk into anywhere in the world will likely be adding Tehillim is heartwarming.
We know that these recitations are giving us tremendous heavenly help. This is especially important as we enter the Three Weeks and the Nine Days, knowing how terrible these times have been for the Jewish People. To know that more and more chapters of Tehillim are being said, perhaps more than any Three Weeks before for a long time, that is something that should really comfort us.
Last week, a friend shared with me that her loved one was going through open heart surgery. (Please continue davening for his full and speedy recovery b’toch shaar cholei Yisrael, Eliezer Shalom ben Miriam.) She sent me a link to one of these sites for saying Tehillim. Of course, I stopped everything I was doing and I said a number of chapters of Tehillim. I noticed the counter at the bottom, telling everyone how many were said overall, and that’s when I began to wonder about the
amount of Tehillim said for all of Klal Yisrael.
As I was considering this, Rav Ezra Friedman (Director of OU Israel’s Gustave & Carol Jacobs Center for Kashrut Education) and I received an invitation to check out a new winery in Kedumim that inquired about OU Kosher certification. Kedumim is near and dear to my heart, as that yishuv is where my family made Aliyah to directly from New York when I was nine years old. The few hours I spent there were very nice, and I appreciated seeing both the winery and the general growth in the community.
As we arrived in Kedumim, we saw a woman and her child get out of their car, and we stopped to ask her what was around this way. She showed us a beautiful complex called Bein Haprachim – Tzimmer Camping v’Iruim which includes Mishtelet Meira hothouses, tzimmers, and space for family fun days and events. It was lovely to meet Meira and her husband Yossi Evron who together with their family built this remarkable place. Since it was Wednesday I was able to hand deliver a hot off the press Torah Tidbits which she of course appreciated.
As we walked in, I saw a familiar face but could not immediately place a name to the face. He asked if he could help us, and I told him we were just looking around. He asked where I’m from, to which I responded that I currently live in Givat Ze’ev but originally came from Kedumim - the Berman family. Right away, his face lit up. “The Americans?”, he asked me. When I said yes, he told me how clearly he could remember us. “Are you the older brother or younger brother?” I said, “I’m the older brother, why do you ask?” He told me, “I want you to know that I’m still fulfilling the mission that you gave me.” I hadn’t a clue
what he meant.
He explained, “When you moved here from New York, and then the following year you moved to a different neighborhood within Kedumim, Givat Shalem, you told the rabbi of Kedumim at the time, Rabbi Meir Haytan, about your difficulties moving to a new neighborhood and how you missed the old one. When the rabbi asked why you missed it so much, you told him that every Shabbat afternoon in your old shul, there is a group that says Tehillim together with all the kids from the neighborhood. You had asked yourself, how could you be in a place where they don’t say Tehillim on Shabbat afternoon? To this, Rabbi Haytan told you to go over to Yaakov Pinchasi, and request he start a group in Givat Shalem so that you would have a group there for Shabbat afternoons. Well, that was me. I accepted your request, and the group still meets every Shabbat for the past 38 years!”
As it all came back to me and I realized who I was talking to, I couldn’t hide how touched I was to meet him again after 36 years and to hear about all the great work he has been doing that started from that unique, special moment. He told me that for the holidays, they give out gifts to the kids of Kedumim who say Tehillim in this group, and it’s a big to-do. He told me that this past Pesach, the number of
gifts he bought for the members of the group, children who say Tehillim every Shabbat and chag, was a record 160! He said, “This is all because of your conversation with Rav Haytan so many years ago. Because of your desire, and the great leadership of Rav Haytan zt”l this is where we are today.”
My considerations of counting Tehillim suddenly swirled in my mind. Is this the Tehillim one can count, or the one we can’t count? I began to do the math. 160 kids, 52 Shabbatot in a year, some number of chagim, 38 years. How many kids every year? How many adults came with them? I decided - it’s not countable. The amount is only known to God.
I also considered something else. The hashgacha that brought me to that conversation was tremendous. What were the chances I would stop, take a look inside a complex, have a conversation with a person who happens to be in charge of the children’s Tehillim group that I helped start 38 years ago?
How many times do we do something, but we don’t see how much of a positive impact it has on others? Or, chas veshalom, the opposite, where we don’t know how far a bad deed went? It was clear to me that HaKadosh Baruch Hu arranged this meeting so I could gain a glimpse into the positive impact of uncountable Tehillim.
Whether we are saying Tehillim for a sick person, Tehillim we’ve been saying for 38 years, or Tehillim we’ve been saying since Simchat Torah, our prayers have an impact. The month of Av is known to be a month when we minimize joy. May it be Hashem’s will that as we enter the month of Av this year, rather than minimizing joy, we will be adding joy with the final redemption. I am looking forward to bezrat Hashem dancing with everyone in a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash speedily in our days.
Wishing you all an uplifting and inspiring Shabbat, Rabbi Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel aberman@ouisrael.org
Keren Malki
Honoring the memory of Malka Chana Roth ד”יה 1985-2001, killed in the Sbarro bombing.
FROM THE DESK OF RABBI MOSHE HAUER
OU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Good Impressions
Do impressions matter? Is it our sole concern that we do the right thing, or should we care about what others think about our choices?
Our Parsha says that we should.
“V’h’yitem n’kiyim mei’Hashem umi’Yisrael, You will be clear before G-d and before Israel.” This verse (Bamidbar 32:22) is understood by the Talmud (Pesachim 13a, Yoma 38a) as implying an obligation to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.
The verse’s context is the appeal of the tribes of Gad and Reuvein to be given their allotment of land on the already conquered eastern bank of the Jordan river. After some give and take with Moshe about the inappropriateness of them sitting out the battle for conquest of the rest of the land, it was agreed that were they to participate in that battle until its successful conclusion they could then return and claim the eastern bank as their portion and they “will (then) be clear before G-d and before Israel.” Simply, Moshe was saying that they will then have fulfilled their moral obligation to their brethren by joining them in battle, but the Talmud takes it further, seeing it as an obligation to be clear and innocent in the eyes of other people. This is especially ironic as it is in this
particular issue that there is much misunderstanding and misjudgment. Initially, Moshe reacted very strongly to their proposal that they settle on the east bank, equating them to the spies who rejected the land of Israel out of fear of the inhabitants. According to Ramban (Bamidbar 32:2), Moshe’s reaction was built on a mistaken suspicion that they too were motivated by fear of the Canaanites, when in fact they were not fearful at all: they were able, ready, and planning to lead the battle against the Canaanites.
This issue of misunderstanding arises again when, after the actual conquest, the tribes of Reuven and Gad return to the eastern bank and build a prominent altar near the river border, raising suspicions in Yehoshua and the Jewish people that they were building their own Temple on the east bank (see Yehoshua 22). These suspicions moved the leadership to send a fighting force led by Pinchas that confronted them, to which they responded, “G-d knows and the Jewish people must know” that the altar was not built as an act of rebellion or secession but rather as a monument to their connection with their brethren and to the altar on the west side of the river. Once again, their actions were almost catastrophically misunderstood by other people.
While our Sages (Avos 1:6) instruct the observer to give the other the benefit of the doubt, based on these stories they also place the onus on the actor to behave in a way that does not even generate potential misunderstanding (see Yerushalmi Shekalim 3:2). And
while this may appear abstract, one last look at this story can bring it very directly home. When the initial proposal was made to stay on the eastern bank, troubling language is used (Bamidbar 32:16): “We will build corrals for our sheep and cities for our children.” Our Sages took them to task for this, noting how they had apparently prioritized their material goods over their families. The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni Mattos) traces this emphasis on materialism to a story that Reuvein had witnessed as a child. When Reuvein brought flowers to his mother Leah, they were obtained by Rachel in exchange for her giving away the opportunity to be with Yaakov an additional night (Bereishis 30:14). To this innocent child, what he thought he saw was Rachel valuing material goods over family. This perception, suggests the Midrash, led to his descendants’ eventual misplaced priorities.
Clearly, we are always being watched and everything we do is learned from by others. It is worth our realizing this, making sure that “we find favor and good understanding in the eyes of both G-d and man,” V’nimtzah chein v’sechel tov b’einei Elokim v’adam (Mishlei 3:4; Birkat Hamazon).
Think of how much you will enjoying your family holiday, in your OWN apar tment of in hotels. save seaview beach-side instead
and our next step will be to plant a fruit tree. I never thought of myself as being the agricultural type, but the feeling of settling and planting a portion of Eretz Yisrael, has been truly euphoric. Iy”H, when we plant our tree, and eat the fruits that will grow one day, I think we will be able to truly appreciate that unique Kedusha found in the fruit of Eretz Yisrael!
To conclude, when you buy your Tu B'shvat fruit this year, don’t search for those dried apricots and banana chips imported from Turkey. Rather, head over to the fresh produce and buy yourself some nice juicy Kedusha-filled Jaffa oranges and thank Hashem for bringing you to this land in order to be able to הבוטמ
, imbibing that Kedusha in every bite that you take!!
A community lecture in English featuring Rabbi Saul J. Berman
Sunday, August 4th, 8:15pm
22 Pinsker Street, Jerusalem
Preceded by Mincha at 7:20pm & Maariv at 7:55pm
Introduction by: Rabbi Barry Eisenberg
Rabbi Berman will discuss: Chodesh Menachem Av: A Different Way To Hear Our Own Tefillot!
Rabbi Saul J. Berman is Professor of Jewish Studies at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University and Adjunct Professor and Rotter Fellow of Talmudic Law, Columbia University Law School. Migdal HaShoshanim is the proud sponsor of this event in preparation of the "nine days" prior to Tisha'B'av. Street parking only
ALIYA-BY-ALIYA SEDRA SUMMARY
Rabbi Reuven Tradburks RCA Israel Region
PARSHAT MATOT-MASEI
1ST
ALIYA (BAMIDBAR 30:2-31:12)
Vows: A commitment must be kept. A young woman’s vow may be nullified by her father on the day it is taken; if not nullified, it need be observed. A married woman’s vow may be nullified by her husband; if not nullified, it need be observed. Conduct a battle of retribution on Midian, after which Moshe shall die. 100 soldiers per tribe are led by Pinchas accompanied by the holy vessels and trumpets. The leaders of Midian are killed, the cities destroyed. All the booty is brought to Moshe and Elazar at the plains of Moav opposite Jericho.
The book of Bamidbar is preoccupied with the march to the Land of Israel, albeit in fits and starts. But interspersed are various mitzvot. The timing and placement of these mitzvot invites explanation.
Why is the narrative of the march interrupted here with the mitzvah of honoring vows and how vows may be voided? What has just happened and what is about to happen which prompts placing the subject of vows right here?
It could be following on the tails of Bilaam. Look at how powerful words are; his curse would have damaged us. Similarly, there is power in our words to obligate us. Be careful with words.
Additionally, this foreshadows what is about to happen in this parsha. The tribes of Reuven,
Gad and half of Menashe want to remain on the east bank of the Jordan. Moshe requires them to join in the battle for the Land and only afterwards to return to their families and possessions on the east bank. They give their word. Is their word sufficient; after all it is only their word? People lie and exaggerate. Therefore, the Torah demands of us to keep our word. And once having done so, Moshe too can rely on the word of these tribes. We may doubt the word of man; but the Torah does not. In the eyes of the Torah, a promise is a promise. And can be relied upon.
2ND ALIYA (31:13-54)
Moshe is angry that the women have been spared, as they were the snares in the illicit affairs of Baal Peor. He orders their death. Elazar teaches to pass the Midianite utensils through fire and through water before use (kashering and immersing). The vast booty is divided. The soldiers receive half, the people half. The soldiers shall give 1/500th of their booty to the Kohanim; the people 1/50th to the Leviim. The booty was: 67500 sheep, 7200 cattle, 6100 donkeys and 3200 young people. The tithes were given. The leaders of the war approach Moshe: no soldier fell in the battle. We shall give all the gold and silver booty as an atonement; it numbered 1650 shekel.
The detail of the booty and its division must be for a reason, for some lesson. The booty is divided equally between the soldiers and the rest of the population. There were 100 soldiers per tribe, 1200 in total. The census last week
yielded a total population of 60100. That’s not fair: 1200 soldiers get the same as 58900? The soldier is getting 50 times the share of the non-soldiers. What a powerful statement: we value the soldiers so much we reward them with a 50 fold share of the booty. This expresses the profound appreciation we have for our soldiers. The benefits that our modern Israeli society grants to soldiers who serve our country is rooted in our Torah. And while a tithe does go to the Kohanim and Leviim who provide spiritual strength, it is miniscule compared to that given to the soldiers. The Kohanim receive 1/500th of the soldier’s half. The Leviim 1/50th of the general population’s half. We appreciate the contribution of the religious leaders while appreciating more the contribution of the soldiers.
3RD ALIYA (32:1-19)
The tribes of Reuven and Gad have extensive flocks, while the region just conquered has lush grazing land. They requested of Moshe to settle in this spot. Moshe asked rhetorically: your brothers go to war and you sit here? You will demoralize the people as did the spies into not wanting to enter the Land. You saw G-d’s reaction in not allowing that generation to enter the Land. The tribes of Reuven and Gad offered to house their flocks and families in place while joining the rest of the people in the battles in the Land.
The war with Midian yielded a vast booty of animals. The Bnei Reuven and Gad figure “if this land could yield such success, why not stay here?” Makes perfect sense. After all, this is economically secure and stable. It is not the same as the spies. The spies were fearful of taking the land; which in essence was a repudiation of G-d’s promise to champion our settling the Land. These people are merely
comfortable in chutz laaretz. The grass is greener on this side; why venture to the other, the unknown? They don’t question whether the land can be taken; they question why give up the good life.
4TH ALIYA (32:20-33:49)
Moshe agreed to the offer of the tribes of Reuven and Gad: they would join the battle for the Land and upon its conclusion would return to the east bank of the Jordan. Moshe informed Yehoshua and Elazar of this, instructing them to ensure that all that was agreed upon be fulfilled. The lands of Og and Sichon were divided amongst Gad and Reuven, while the region of Gilad was given to half of the tribe of Menashe. (Parshat Masei) Moshe recorded all the travels until here, listing them all in great detail including that upon arrival at Hor Hahar Aharon died at age 123 on the first of the fifth month (1 Av). The travels concluded at the plains of Moav opposite Jericho.
The acquiescence to the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad is surprising. Why allow them to stay outside of the Land of Israel, settling in the lands of Og and Sichon? It could be that the Jewish people are conveying a message of what could be called a Newtonian law of national justice; every opposition to us, will be met with an opposition to you.
Sichon and Og fought the Jewish people. And were conquered. These lands now can unequivocally be claimed as ours. Justice for nations demands that opposition not be easily forgiven. Were all the Jews to have entered the Land, this area would be resettled by the adversary. And that would be unjust. So too with the war with Midian. The national effort at seduction cannot be left unopposed. And so, the offer to settle these lands is accepted by Moshe.
5TH ALIYA (33:50-34:15)
On the banks of the Jordan, the people are commanded: take the Land of Israel and settle it for it is given to you. You must supplant the people of the Land for if not, they will be a thorn in your side; and inevitably, what I am commanding of you to supplant them, will be done by them to you. The borders of the Land: in the south from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, the western border is the Mediterranean Sea north into Lebanon, the North into Syria, the east along the Jordan.
The delineation of the borders of the Land is tricky because some of the landmarks it describes are not familiar to us. Nonetheless it is clear that the southern border does not extend all the way down to Eilat. The northern border extends well into Lebanon of today. And the eastern border includes much of Syria of today.
6TH ALIYA (34:16-35:8)
The leaders of the tribes shall apportion the Land. The Leviim shall be given cities amongst the tribes. Each city shall have open area and grazing area surrounding it, 200 amot in total area outside the city. The Leviim may settle in the cities of refuge or in 48 designated cities. These cities are provided by the tribes, according to the size of the tribe and their allotted area.
The description of the open and grazing area around the city is one of the ecological passages of the Torah. Green lung around the
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city. 200 amot is about a kilometer. As the cities were small (no need for wide roads for cars in the ancient world), this amounts to a healthy greenbelt around the city.
7TH ALIYA (35:9-35:13)
Cities of Refuge are to be allocated, 3 on the west side of the Jordan, 3 on the east. One who kills accidentally may flee there. It is not accidental but rather murder if one attacks with a lethal weapon, or the assault is premeditated. The murderer shall be put to death; he may not flee to these cities. The relatives of the daughters of Zelophchad pointed out to Moshe that their family inheritance will be damaged. For the daughters will marry men of another tribe; the integrity of their family allotment will be damaged. It will not even return in Yovel, for it will begin with another tribe. Moshe instructed that these women marry men from their family so as to maintain the integrity of the family allotment.
In the description of the cities of refuge, any illusion that the Jewish society in the Land will be perfect is dispelled. There will be murders; accidental and pre-meditated. And earlier in this parsha, we fought a battle due to the failing of sexual impropriety with the women of Midian. And earlier in the Torah, the Golden Calf and idol worship. So there you have it: the Jews of the desert have covered the big 3, idolatry, adultery and murder. We aren’t, nor do we have illusions that we will be a perfect society. But, with that full knowledge, G-d is promising us that we will enter the Land imminently. Some Jews will err, will sin, will fail. But not the Jewish people. The covenant with the people endures. Rocky at times, but enduring. The book of Bamidbar ends on the banks of the Jordan, poised to enter the Land.
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BY RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB OU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EMERITUS
Honesty and Integrity
Every so often, I come across a sentence of another person’s writing which expresses one of my own thoughts in a language far superior to my own. Over the years, I have contemplated and written about the concepts of “honesty” and “integrity” and the difference between the two.
But never was I able to articulate their precise definitions and the difference between them as cogently and as concisely as in the following passage from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: “Integrity includes but goes beyond honesty. Honesty is…conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our words—in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. This requires an integrated character, a oneness, primarily with self but also with life.”
Honesty for Covey, and I for one heartily agree, is the virtue of describing reality exactly as it is, of telling the truth. In this day and age, when there is so much confusion as to whether or not there even is such a thing as truth, it is refreshing to see the place of honesty restored to the list of important human virtues.
For Judaism, truth, emet, is more than just a virtue. It is one of the three fundamental principles, along with justice and peace, upon which the world stands. In the words of the
Talmud, “The signature of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is truth.”
So rare is the man of truth that legend has the aged Diogenes searching for him with lanterns. But as rare as the trait of honesty is, the trait of integrity is even more difficult to find.
Integrity is the ability not only to say what you mean, but to mean what you say. Following Covey, it is the quality of conforming one’s actions to one’s words, of reliably following through on one’s commitment. It is more than the ability to make things happen. It is making your own promises happen!
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Matot (Numbers 30:1-32:42), opens with a lengthy and intricate discussion of the concepts of “the vow.” Biblical teachings insist that the words we express must be taken very seriously; indeed, we are taught that our words are sacred. Once a person, man or woman, young or old, simpleton or scholar, utters a commitment, he or she is duty-bound to honor that commitment. “Motza sefatecha tishmor ve’asita, that which your lips express must be honored and performed.”
As helpful as is Covey’s succinct definition of “integrity,” it is also deceptively simple. There is so much more that we need to know about integrity. And about “honesty,” for that matter.
For one thing, honesty and integrity are not just descriptors of individual persons’ characters. Rather, they are social values, which ideally should define the essence of human communities and entire societies. From a
Jewish perspective, “honesty” and “integrity” cannot be restricted to individual paragons of virtue, saints and holy men, but must become universal cultural norms.
This is why the laws of vows, unlike all the other laws of the Torah, are explicitly given to rashei hamatot, the chieftains of the tribes. It is to emphasize that the sanctity of speech is not just a goal for a few spiritually-gifted individuals. It must be enunciated as one of the essential mores of the entire tribe.
The Talmud relates the story of an immortal community, a legendary village that knew not death. This was because no one there ever lied. This idyllic existence came to an abrupt end, however, when a young person, eager to protect the privacy of his parent, told an inquiring visitor that his parent was not home. A harmless and well-intentioned remark, common to us all. A white lie, perhaps, but a lie nevertheless, and one which ruined forever the eternal life of that fabled village.
Yet another lesson about keeping our word is taught in the opening verses of this week’s Torah portion (Numbers 30:1-17). Sometimes, we overextend ourselves and make promises that we cannot possibly keep. In moments of extreme urgency, or sublime inspiration, we are wont to express commitments that are beyond our capacity to fulfill.
Can a vow thus expressed be annulled?
The Torah, ever practical, answers “yes,” and describes some of the procedures designed to release a person from his or her vows. The Talmud, in an entire tractate devoted to this topic, specifies the circumstances and conditions under which such a release can be obtained.
Most well-known among the “ceremonies” releasing us from our personal vows
and promises is the Kol Nidrei prayer which ushers in our most hallowed day, Yom Kippur. Not really a prayer in the ordinary sense, Kol Nidrei is a statement in which we declare our past vows null and void. This custom is experienced by many as strange and as an offense to the value of integrity. But I personally have always found that it reinforces the role of integrity in my life and in the lives of all of us who live in the “real world.”
During the entire year, you and I make many commitments and resolutions. With the noblest of motives, we promise things to our loved ones, verbally establish objectives to improve the world around us, or simply vow to lose weight, stop smoking, or start exercising.
As the year wears on, situations change, priorities shift, and we ourselves become different. At least one time each year, on Yom Kippur, we realize how unrealistic we were and that we erred in our assessment of what we could accomplish. And so, we ask that the Almighty release us from these impossible and often no longer relevant commitments, and begin with Divine help a new slate, hoping that the next time we make a promise, it will be one that we will be able to keep.
Judaism teaches us the primary importance of keeping our word. But it does not lose sight of our human frailties and limitations and recognizes that often it is not moral failure that explains our lack of integrity, but simple human weakness, hopefully rare and surely forgiven by God.
Integrity is a cherished value for the society at large. The acknowledgement of human limitations in maintaining integrity must be accepted. These are two important and timely lessons from this week’s Torah portion.
Living the Good Life in Jerusalem
The perfect community to enjoy your golden years!
By Roz Lyons
Interview with Beit Tovei Ha'ir Resident Mrs. Varda Butcher
Arranging to interview Varda Butcher was more challenging than one might imagine, since her diary is packed with social and cultural events. At age 75, she lives in apartment within the Beit Tovei Ha’ir Senior Residence with a panoramic view of North Jerusalem, but she’s not often home.
“There’s swimming every morning, plus exercise classes, Tai Chi, Feldenkrais, hydrotherapy and bridge classes, plus a choice of excellent Torah classes every morning and evening. There are concerts every week - inside in the winter, and on the terrace in the summer. I love the music lectures by maestro Paul Salter, and I recently started painting. You’re lucky to catch me!”
Varda was born in Tel Aviv to Holocaust survivors, served in the Israeli Air Force, and moved to New York in her 20s to study English Literature, so she is fluent in Yiddish, Hebrew and English. She and her husband Howard moved back to Israel in 1995, but her husband passed away within 18 months, leaving her to create a new life for herself at the age of 47. She worked as a psychologist and lived in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Today she has two married children – a son in Modi’in and a daughter in California - and as an only child, she has very little family.
would not have to worry so much about me!”
“I quickly made friends, and today I have a group of girlfriends who like to go out together. On Fridays, since we don't have to prepare for Shabbat, I take them out in my car to have fun. Because I have my own apartment, I really value my independence and enjoy cooking for myself and my friends. Despite my busy schedule, I also try to visit some of my neighbors who are less mobile and active."
I’m very grateful that I made the decision to move here before I got too old to enjoy all the facilities. Now I’m really living the good life.
During the COVID-19 lock-down, Varda really appreciated the assistance of the medical staff and their caring support of all the residents. Since October, with Israel in a state of war, the residents have come together to organize care packages and bake challot for the soldiers, to say Tehillim for Israel’s soldiers, and to meet up with a group of evacuated seniors from
Kiryat Shemona who are living in a nearby hotel.
“At times like this, I really appreciate being part of a supportive community instead of living alone.
After a medical procedure when she was 69, Varda booked into Beit Tovei Ha’ir for a month of rehabilitation, after finding out that most of the other respite facilities in the Jerusalem area were not kosher. She was impressed by the wonderful staff and she felt very comfortable with the other residents, who welcomed her warmly. After the month was over, her son encouraged her to stay on instead of returning to her empty apartment. “He said that it would be better for me, and that he
During her four years at Beit Tovei Ha’ir, Varda has been involved with the residents’ committee and appreciates the management for being open to listening to their suggestions and making changes. “The food committee met with the chef and helped him to modify the lunch menu to include healthier choices. For example, I enjoy the refreshing vegetable buffet every day, but I can also indulge in coffee and cake at tea time. In the evenings, I sit with my friends in the lobby to listen to the pianists who come to play for us.”
“I’m very grateful that I made the decision to move here before I got too old to enjoy all the facilities. Now I’m really living the good life!” ■
MIDEI CHODESH B'CHODSHO
MIDEI CHODESH
B'CHODSHO
RABBI SHMUEL GOLDIN FACULTY, OU ISRAEL RABBI EMERITUS, CONGREGATION AHAVATH TORAH, ENGLEWOOD NJ
BY RABBI SHMUEL GOLDIN Faculty, OU Israel Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Ahavath Torah, Englewood NJ
Is This Any Way to Introduce a Hero?
The First Tisha B’Av
Why is this sin different from other sins?
The Rabbis insist that the first Tisha B’Av preceded the destruction of the Temples by centuries. The 9th day of the month of Av is marked for sorrow, they maintain, at the dawn of Jewish national history.
With the month of Nissan upon us, we return to the story of our nation’s birth, as Moshe rises to leadership and the exodus again unfolds.
Moshe’s yearly introduction in the text, however, is cause for pause. For some reason, the Torah chooses to introduce the birth of the greatest leader we have ever knownin the most innocuous way possible.
“And a man went from the House of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son.”
After experiencing the miraculous Exodus from Egypt; and after participating in the Divine Revelation at Mount Sinai; the Israelites find themselves at the border of the promised Land. Twelve spies are chosen to enter and inspect the Land and its inhabitants. Upon their return, ten of the twelve scouts render a pessimistic report. The Land is indeed beautiful, they argue, but the current population is simply too strong to be defeated by the Israelites in battle.
Questions abound:
Why does the Torah depart from its usual mode of describing an individual’s birth?
What does the seemingly superfluous phrase “and a man went…” indicate?
Why does the Torah omit any mention of Moshe’s lineage- to the point where even the names of his parents are deliberately omitted?
Above all, is this any way to introduce a hero?
Compounding these questions is the fact that the omitted information concerning Moshe’s lineage is ultimately included in the
Parsha that follows (why the information is given at that particular point is the subject of another article).
Centuries later, based on calendric computation, the Talmudic authorities declare:
If the information concerning Moshe’s lineage is eventually shared, why is it left out in the first place?
Numerous commentaries address the issues before us…
“That very night [of the Israelites’ rebellion] was the eve of Tisha B’Av. The Holy One Blessed Be He said to them, ‘You have wept for naught and I will therefore establish for you weeping across the generations [on this day].’ “
Working within the realm of pshat, the Ibn Ezra suggests that, at the time of Moshe’s birth, the Israelites lived in many cities in Egypt. Through the phrase, “And a man went,” the Torah is simply informing us that Amram “went” from one Egyptian city to another in order to marry Yocheved.
And thus, the ninth day of the month of Av, Tisha B’Av, is marked across time as a day of repeated tragedies and deep sorrow.
One could well ask, however- why is this sin, the Sin of the Spies, the tragic turning point for the Exodus Generation? And why do the rabbis see this event as the antecedent for tragedy across the ages? Other sins were committed by the Israelites of the day; including the Sin of the Golden Calf and Kivrot Ha’ta’ava. Why is it that the Sin of the Spies, and no other, gives rise to the saddest day on the Jewish calendar?
Perhaps the Ibn Ezra intends to emphasize that Yosef’s plan for his family’s descent into Egypt has, by this point, broken down. Originally meant to remain separate from the Egyptians in the land of Goshen, the Israelites are assimilating into their surroundings.
The Ramban, however, takes issue with the Ibn Ezra’s interpretation, arguing that the Torah would have no reason to inform us concerning a journey taken by Amram from one city to another.
While many answers might be proposed to these questions, I would argue that the final words of the spies’ report provide the clearest approach. Commenting on their encounter with the towering giants populating the land, the spies declare: “Va’nihi b’eineinu k’chagavim v’chein ha’yinu b’eineihem. We were in our own eyes as insects, and so were we in theirs’.”
Instead, maintains the Ramban, the verb lalachet, “to go,” is often used in the text when a new and difficult step is about to be taken. By stating, Veyeilech ish, “And a man went,” the Torah underscores Amram’s courageous willingness to marry in spite of Pharaoh’s harsh decrees.
The Ramban’s approach connects to a
In response to this report, the nation despairs, “crying throughout the night.” Converging on Moshe and Aharon, they rebel, arguing that they would have been better off had they never left Egypt. God reacts, threatening the nation with immediate destruction. Acquiescing to Moshe’s pleas, however, He spares the people from instant annihilation. Severe ramifications, however, will result from their rebellion. This generation will not inherit the Land. Over a forty-year period they will wander and ultimately perish in the wilderness. Only their children will merit entry into the Land.
How telling! A Freudian slip, centuries before Freud! First the spies saw themselves as insignificant, and only then were they seen
that way by others.
Fundamentally, the Sin of the Spies evidenced a loss of faith in themselves. How devastating, therefore, their report must have been to the people: It is all a lie, everything that God promised you during the Exodus, at Sinai and beyond. Do you think that we have been transformed into a powerful nation? Absolutely not. We are still the same worthless slaves that we were in Egypt, no better than insects. We have not changed at all.
The ensuing rebellion indicates that the Israelites accepted the spies’ report as fact; causing them to join the spies and experience a nationwide loss of faith in themselves.
God could forgive other transgressions. Once the Israelites lost their sense of selfworth, however, there could be no complete forgiveness. Only a people aware of their own value, and confident in their own abilities, could successfully enter and conquer the Land. This generation could not make the leap from slavery to freedom. A new generation would have to emerge; shaped, not by the crucible of Egyptian servitude, but by God’s loving protection in the wilderness.
The first Tisha B’Av thus sets the stage for all subsequent observances of this mournful day. We are reminded, over and over again, of the tragic consequences that result when we lose sight of our own value and self-worth.
This year’s Tisha B’Av will be unique, emerging against the backdrop of wrenching events continuing to unfold in Israel and throughout the world. The consistent, fundamental, message of this fast day, however, has never been more important.
No matter the challenges; no matter the circumstances; we must never lose sight of our own value and abilities. We must never
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lose faith in ourselves.
The relentless drumbeat of Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic vitriol emerging from so many quarters across the globe must be actively countered, if only to ensure that we never lose sight of the truth. And, internally, we must find ways to pull together; airing our differences with respect; admitting mistakes when they inevitably occur; and finding the common ground on which we can all agree.
God’s chosen people, we have endured and overcome innumerable challenges across the centuries. With God’s help, we will rise to meet the challenges of our day, as well.
COVENANT & CONVERSATION
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKLY PARSHA
RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS ZT"L
FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
May the learning of these Divrei Torah be
HaRav Ya'akov Zvi ben David Arieh zt"l
Natural or Supernatural?
The book of Bamidbar draws to a close with an account of the cities of refuge, the six cities – three on each side of the Jordan – set apart as places to which people found innocent of murder, but guilty of manslaughter, were temporarily exiled.
In early societies, especially non-urban ones that lacked an extensive police force, there was a concern that people would take the law into their own hands, in particular when a member of their family or tribe had been killed. Thus would begin a cycle of vengeance and retaliation that had no natural end, one revenge-killing leading to another and another, until the community had been decimated. This is a phenomenon familiar to us from literature, from the Montagues and Capulets ofRomeo and Juliet, to the Sharks and Jets ofWest Side Story, to the Corleones and Tattaglias ofThe Godfather.
The only viable solution is the effective and impartial rule of law. There is, though, one persisting danger. If Reuben killed Shimon and is deemed innocent of murder by the
court – it was an accident, there was no malice aforethought, the victim and perpetrator were not enemies – then there is still the danger that the family of the victim may feel that justice has not been done. Their close relative lies dead and no one has been punished.
It was to prevent such situations of “blood vengeance” that the cities of refuge were established. Those who had committed manslaughter were sent there, and so long as they were within the city limits, they were protected by law. There they had to stay until – according to our parsha – “the death of the High Priest”(Num. 35:25).
The obvious question ishat does the death of the High Priest have to do with it?There seems no connection whatsoever between manslaughter, blood vengeance, and the High Priest, let alone his death.
Let us look at two quite different interpretations. They are interesting in their own right, but more generally they show us the range of thought that exists within Judaism. The first is given by the Babylonian Talmud:
A venerable old scholar said, ‘I heard an explanation at one of the sessional lectures of Rava, thatthe High Priest should have prayed to God for mercy for his generation, which he failed to do. (Makkot 11a)
According to this, the High Priest had a share, however small, in the guilt for the fact that someone died, albeit by accident. Murder is not something that could have been averted by the High Priest’s prayer. The murderer was guilty of the crime, having chosen to do what he did, and no one else can be blamed. But manslaughter, precisely because it happens without anyone intending that it should, is the kind of event that might have been averted by the prayers of the High Priest. Therefore it is not fully atoned for until the High Priest dies. Only then can the manslaughterer go free.
Maimonides offers a completely different explanation inThe Guide for the Perplexed: A person who killed another person unknowingly must go into exile because the anger of “the avenger of the blood” cools down while the cause of the mischief is out of sight. The chance of returning from the exile depends on the death of the High Priest, the most honoured of men, and the friend of all Israel. By his death the relative of the slain person becomes reconciled (ibid. ver. 25); for it is a natural phenomenon that we find consolation in our misfortune when the same misfortune or a greater one has befallen another person. Amongst us no death causes more grief than that of the High Priest.
(The Guide for the Perplexed III:40)
According to Maimonides, the death of the High Priest has nothing to do with guilt or atonement, but simply with the fact that it causes a collective grief so great that it causes people to forget their own misfortunes in the face of a larger national loss. That is when people let go of their individual sense of injustice and desire for revenge. It then becomes safe for the person found guilty of
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manslaughter to return home.
What is at stake between these two profoundly different interpretations of the law? The first has to do with whether exile to a city of refuge is a kind of punishment or not. According to the Babylonian Talmud it seems as if it was. There may have been no intent. No one was legally to blame. But a tragedy has happened at the hands of X, the person guilty of manslaughter, and even the High Priest shared, if only negatively and passively, in the guilt. Only when both have undergone some suffering, one by way of exile, the other by way of (natural, not judicial) death, has the moral balance been restored. The family of the victim feel that some sort of justice has been done.
Maimonides however does not understand the law of the cities of refuge in terms of guilt
or punishment whatsoever. The only relevant consideration is safety. The person guilty of manslaughter goes into exile, not because it is a form of expiation, but simply because it is safer for him to be a long way from those who might be seeking vengeance. He stays there until the death of the High Priest because only after national tragedy can you assume that people have given up thoughts of taking revenge for their own dead family member. This is a fundamental difference in the way we conceptualise the cities of refuge.
However, there is a more fundamental difference between them. The Babylonian Talmud assumes a certain level of supernatural reality. It takes it as self-understood that had the High Priest prayed hard and devotedly enough, there would have been no accidental deaths. Maimonides’ explanation is non-supernatural. It belongs broadly to what we would call social psychology. People are more able to come to terms with the past when they are not reminded daily of it by seeing the person who, perhaps, was driving the car that killed their son as he was crossing the road on a dark night, in heavy rainfall, on a sharp bend in the road.
There are deaths – like those of Princess Diana and of the Queen Mother in Britain
– that evoke widespread and deep national grief. There are times – after 9/11, for example, or the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 – when our personal grievances seem simply too small to worry about. This, as Maimonides says, is “a natural phenomenon.”
This fundamental difference between a natural and supernatural understanding of Judaism runs through many eras of Jewish history: Sages as against Priests, philosophers as against mystics, Rabbi Ishmael as against Rabbi Akiva, Maimonides in contradistinction to Judah Halevi, and so on to today.
It is important to realise that not every approach to religious faith in Judaism presupposes supernatural events – events, that is to say, that cannot be explained within the parameters of science, broadly conceived. God is beyond the universe, but His actions within the universe may nonetheless be in accordance with natural law and causation.1
In this view, prayer changes the world because it changes us. Torah has the power to transform society, not by way of miracles,
1. For a further study of the contrasting approaches to events as either natural or supernatural, please refer to the essay Rabbi Sacks wrote on parshat Beshallach, reshared earlier this year: https://rabbisacksrg/ covenant-conversation/beshallach/ the-power-of-ruach/
These weekly teachings from Rabbi Sacks zt”l are part of his ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah teaching. With thanks to the Schimmel Family for their generous sponsorship, dedicated in loving memory of Harry (Chaim) Schimmel. Visit www.RabbiSacks.org for more.
RABBI SHALOM
ROSNER
ROSNER
Chalutzim –Pioneering
Rav Kehilla, Nofei HaShemesh
Rav Kehilla, Nofei HaShemesh
Maggid Shiur, Daf Yomi, OU.org
Maggid Shiur, Daf Yomi, OU.org
Senior Ra"M, Kerem B'Yavneh
Rosh Bais Medrash English Speaking Program Machon Lev
revenge against the nation of Midyan for having caused Bnei Yisrael to transgress he states:
In this week’s parsha we encounter the nation engaging in battle with Midyan, followed by the story of Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven requesting to settle in Ever Hayarden. Is there any connection between these two events? There is one word that is repeated in both segments from which the Siman L’banim derives an insightful lesson.
MIDYAN
As Moshe instructs Bnei Yisrael to take
NEAR BAKA
Pioneers from among you men join the army, that they can be against Midyan, and carry out the revenge of Hashem against Midyan.
Later it repeats:
From the thousands of Israel one thousand was given over for each tribe, twelve thousand pioneer soldiers for battle.
The word ץולח - “pioneer” is used twice to describe the soldiers that gathered to partake in the battle with Midyan.
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In the description of the conversation between Moshe and Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven the term ץולח appears at least seven times!
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CHALUTZ – PIONEER
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What is a ץולח? It may be interpreted as a first mover or a pioneer. Typically, when one reaches a crossroad or unchartered waters, either on a personal or national level, it can be frightening. Uncertainty causes people to become uneasy. It is simpler to be “number two” and a follower rather than a leader. A pioneer has the courage to conquer the uncertain and to garner others to follow after them.
been memorialized
be in loving memory and נ"
our dear parents whose yahrtzeits are in Kislev
Doris Weinberger a"h
Max Weinberger z”l
Greatly missed by their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren
Rav Aryeh and Dvora Weinberger
Bernie and Leah Weinberger
Menachem and Hannah Katten
"An
Throughout history, it is the chalutzim that made the tough decisions that changed the course of history. Often these were the women. For example, when Amram decided to separate from his wife it was his daughter Miriam who convinced him to resume relations with his wife. We are told םישנ תוכֶזב לארשי ולאגנ תוינקדצ. It is Tamar who stands up to Yehuda, who tries to avoid his obligation of carrying on a name for his sons who perished. The Jewish women need to counter the Midianite women who caused the men (אבצ יצולח) to transgress.
Patience is necessary for those who follow Isaac's way. But a wise woman taught us that patience is but another name for hope. That woman was Jane Austen, who put these words into the mouth of one of the characters in her great novel, Sense and Sensibility: "Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience—or give it a more fascinating name: call it hope."
In observance of the Shloshim of our friend Yehuda Leib Berren z"l
NAVIGATING UNCHARTED WATERS
Rav Menachem Weinberg will give a shiur in his memory "Heroic Joy"
In the Haftorah, we read a pasuk that is included in the tefilla for the Yamim Noraim.
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Hashem said as follows: I remember the affection of your youth, the love and support; how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. (Yirmiyahu 2:2).
This is a depiction of a bride relying on her groom unconditionally. It is an act of a chalutz – someone willing to take a leap of faith in the wilderness.
When fighting Midyan, we stood as chalutzim. When the twelve tribes first conquered Eretz Yisrael, they fought as chalutzim. As we face challenging times, we need to be able to gain the courage to overcome the uncertainty and to act as chalutzim. In addition, as we did in the desert, we need to strengthen our faith and belief that by following in the path of Hashem, we will eventually achieve salvation. May we always serve as pioneers, leading by example and may we succeed in the current battle as we have in the past and be successful in all of our endeavors.
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Special Speech
Parashat Matot opens with the laws of nedarim, vows. The details are numerous; when, how, and with whom one makes a vow, the stipulations and consequences in any given scenario. What is the significance of these laws? Further, what connections can we draw between this week’s Torah reading and the time period during which it is read, namely, the Three Weeks?
Rav Moshe Scheinerman, in Ohel Moshe notes that one’s speech reflects two of his primary features, his middot, i. the way he interacts with his surrounding environment, and his holiness, his inner sense of his Divine source. Keeping one’s word exercises emet, truth and honesty, the mainstay or bedrock of all middot. Similarly, upholding a neder, a vow, extends one’s inner kedushah into the arena of speech and elevates that dimension. A Jew’s manner of speech differs radically from that of a non-Jew. In our Yom Tov
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tefillah we speak of Hashem choosing the Jewish people, and desiring us from among all the other nations, “Atah bachartanu mikol ha’amim ahavta otanu ve’ratzita banu ve’romamtanu mikol haleshonot – You have chosen us from among all peoples. You have loved us and favored us. You have raised us above all tongues (languages of all other nations). Rav Wolbe zt”l in Da’at Shlomo explains that lashon hakodesh, the language of the Torah, is itself an elevated language, and hence, the Jew’s discourse is more exalted. Therefore, the laws pertaining to vows are unique to the Jewish people, since it reflects our inherent holiness. When we recognize that we possess this tremendous power, it will inspire us to use our speech properly to elevate the world around us.
Reb Tzadok HaKohen shares the idea that the first time any concept is introduced in the Torah, it reflects the core essence of that concept. Thus, teaches Rav Gedalyah Schorr zt”l in Ohr Gedalyahu, the first time we find a vow is when Yaakov Avinu leaves his father’s house fleeing from the wrath of his brother Eisav. He has a vision in a dream wherein Hashem reveals Himself and promises Yaakov the blessings of his fathers. Yaakov awakens, takes a stone and consecrates it. He makes a vow, promising that if he returns in peace, he will make this stone a holy place and set aside a tenth of his possessions to Hashem. (Bereisheet 28:10-22) Dovid Hamelech echoes this in a beautiful Song of Ascents, “Asher
nishba laHashem nadar la’avir Yaakov … Im etein shenat le’einai le’afapai tenumah. Ad emtza makom la’Hashem mishkanot le’avir Yaakov – How he swore to Hashem and vowed to the Strong One of Jacob…If I allow sleep
narrow, difficult places, meaning between the two fasts of the Seventeenth of Tamuz and the Ninth of Av, commemorating the terrible tragedies that befell the Jewish People. Chasidic sources expound on the verse “kol rodfehah
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Author of Baderech: Along the Path of Teshuva (Mosaica 2021)
Executive Director, Camp HASC
MISCHEL
Author of Baderech: Along the Path of Teshuva (Mosaica 2021)
Next Stop… ?
The gaon Rav Yehonoson Eibshitz, zt’l, was a darshan (Torah commentator) dayan (halachic judge) and one of the most accomplished Torah personalities of the Eighteenth Century. A prolific author who published extensive writings on Chumash, halacha and kabbalah, he also served in leadership positions of Metz, Prague and the “Three Communities” of Altona, Hamburg, and Wandsbek.
One day while on his way to the Beis Medrash, Rav Yehonoson passed a local government official who was accompanied by a couple high ranking police officers. The official had a cordial relationship with the Rav and was aware of his influence and respectful of his spiritual standing. However, to the policemen, the Rav was just another ‘Jewish rabbi’. After exchanging pleasantries, the official casually inquired as to where Rav Yehonasan was going. “I don’t know, I’m not sure,” he admitted.
In front of his peers, the official began to feel uncomfortable. “Rabbi, this is a straightforward question, would you just tell me please where are you going?”Again, Rav Yehonasan answered, “I do not know where I am going.” The official grew more self-conscious and frustrated — the police officers were surely thinking that the Rav was suspicious and even mocking him. After repeated inquiries, at his wit’s end, the official threw up his hands and
told the officers to take Rav Yehonasan to jail. There, the noble sage spent the night among common criminals.
Early the next morning, the official appeared at the door of Rav Yehonasan’s cell. Sighing deeply, he expressed his confusion and remorse. “Rabbi, we have known each other for years. I don’t understand! I know you to be an honest, wise and upstanding person; I’m certain that you were not involved in illegal activity. Why would you make a laughingstock out of me in front of my officers and have yourself sent to jail, rather than just telling me where you were going?”
Rav Yehonasan smiled. “Yesterday morning I set out to spend the day studying in my usual spot in the synagogue. But, my friend, don’t you see? I wasn’t going there — I ended up in this jail cell instead. Had you asked me where I was intending to go, and hoped to go, I would have gladly told you that. But as to where I am actually going, only God knows... Apparently He had other plans for me!”
“These are the journeys of the children of Israel who left the land of Egypt in their legions… Moshe recorded their starting points for their journeys according to the word of Hashem….” (33:1-2)
In addition to recording each of the locations we traveled through, the Torah enumerated the forty-two encampments at which they
stopped during the four decades in midbar Sinai while on our path from Egypt to the Holy Land. Over the course of this week’s sedra, the Torah repeats the refrain, “They journeyed from... and they camped at…” While the Torah has already described these travels in Sefer Shemos and earlier in Bamidbar, this week they are reviewed in order, once again.
Rashi understands the repetition of the resting spots that have already been documented as a meaningful lesson and message of chizuk for Klal Yisrael. While the consequence of the Cheit haMeraglim was a decree that we would have to travel in the wilderness for forty years, our journeys there were not without menucha, rest. Each location is therefore mentioned in order to םוקמ לש וידסח עידוהל, ‘to inform us of God’s kindness’ in granting us respite in between journeys, even while the decree was playing out.
In this way, each of the encampments were not merely layovers and rest stops along the highway. Each encampment served as an end unto itself; it provided an opportunity to pause, reflect and consider Hashem’s hashgacha, the Divine guidance which directed us on our circuitous journeys. The Lubavitcher Rebbe referred to these starting and stopping points along our masa’os as national stepping-stones in the larger journey of the Jewish People toward self actualization. This is why the stops themselves are referred to as ‘journeys’: they were inherently meaningful steps in our communal process.
To further explain the repetition of the locations and stops along our journey, Rashi shares a moving derasha in the name of Rebbi Tanchuma: “It is analogous to a king whose son became sick, so he took him to a far away place to have him healed. On the way
back, the father began citing all the stages of their journey, saying to him, “This is where we sat, there we were cold, there you had a headache...”
Reaching the end of Sefer Bamidbar, now that Am Yisrael have almost completed the tikun of traveling through the Desert and are preparing to enter Eretz Yisrael, we look back at each place we had camped and at all that we had experienced. With the hindsight and reflection provided by menuchah, we are able to catch a glimpse of how each challenge and hardship was an essential part of our process. And so it goes on our journey through life. We have hopes, plans, direction and intentions. Our sedra reminds us that “life happens” and we don’t really know where we are going to end up today. We are often redirected, forced to pivot and reroute our travels in this world. Yet every movement is punctuated with Divine kindness, and moments to reflect on the wisdom of our ever-present Guide.
May we merit to see that it is specifically through perceived ‘interruptions’ and twists in our path that our truly intended destination is revealed. Above all, in all of our unplanned journeys and stopping places, may we sense Hashem’s constant presence, care and love, baderech, on the way to the Geulah Sheleima.
Hachnassat Kalla -
OU KASHRUT
PAGE BY RABBI EZRA FRIEDMAN Director, The Gustave & Carol Jacobs Center for Kashrut Education Director, The Gustave & Carol Jacobs Center for Kashrut Education
Introduction to Bishul Akum
Intent in Bishul Akum, Part 1
The prohibition
Our Sages decreed that certain foods cooked by non-Jews are prohibited to consume, even when the food is otherwise entirely kosher. This decree is called bishul akum. According to most early authorities (see Tosafot, Avodah Zara 38a), the reason for this decree is to discourage excessive socializing with non-Jews that could lead to intermarriage, although based on this logic there are certain
According to Biblical law, food that is completely kosher and cooked by a nonJew is permitted. However, our Sages decreed that such food, even when cooked in kosher utensils, is prohibited for consumption. This prohibition is known as bishul akum. In the coming weeks we will discuss the parameters of this rabbinic prohibition, including the reasons behind the decree, when it applies, and the practical halacha for modern industrial kashrut.
Food is a very connecting element in every society. That is the basis behind the decree of bishul akum. Our Sages were very concerned about close relationships with non-Jews since intermarriage is a very severe transgression. The prohibition effectively limits Jews and gentiles dining with each other, although there is no specific prohibition against dining with a non-Jew per se. (See Rashi on Avodah Zara 31:b.)
Forbidding the non-Jew’s cooking would be enough to create an emotional distance such that families wouldn’t marry into each other.
Rabbeinu Tam (Tosfot Avodah Zara 38:a) and Rambam (Ma’achalot Asurot 17:9)
exceptions. The Gemara describes specific examples in which a non-Jew who does not have intent to cook does not prohibit the food being cooked. Although previous articles have explained that rabbinic decrees are generally blanket laws that don’t allow room for exceptions, that principle seems to relate, in the case of bishul akum, to the identity of the non-Jew; that is, the decree essentially applies to all non-Jews. However, as we will see, the Talmud itself states that not all food or all types of cooking are included in the decree. The same is true with intent, which is the subject of this article.
THE SOURCE
maintain that the decree is based on this issue of closeness to non-Jews that could lead to intermarriage; this is the opinion of most early authorities. However, Rashi and others attribute a different reasoning to the prohibition of bishul akum, which is that non-Jews might mix non-kosher ingredients into the kosher food. In future articles we will discuss whether the parameters of bishul akum are based on both of these reasons or just one. However, it is clear from numerous sources that the danger of intermarriage is the main reason behind the prohibition (See Torat Habayit 3:7).
The decree is binding regardless of the reason
Since the transgression of intermarriage was the primary concern behind our Sages’ decree, their goal was to powerfully discourage the possibility of developing emotional connections to non-Jews that could lead to intermarriage either in that generation or the next. Accordingly, early authorities discuss whether the prohibition of bishul akum still applies even in situations where intermarriage is not technically possible. For example, Rashba, in his responsa (1:248), examines the case of food cooked by a priest. Being that Catholic priests do not marry nor do they have children with whom to intermarry, is it permitted to eat food cooked by a priest even though the reason for bishul akum seemingly does not apply to
The Gemara in Avodah Zara (38:a) relates the opinion of R. Yochanan that when a nonJew cooks without intent, the food is not prohibited under the decree of bishul akum. The Gemara lists three examples, of which we will focus on the first two and their applications. The first case is a gentile lighting a fire in his meadow in order to burn weeds so he can begin cultivating the land. The Gemara relates that even though there were locusts (kosher ones) that were cooked by the fire, they are permitted for consumption since the non-Jew had no intent to cook them. The second case in the Talmud is scalding the head of a slaughtered lamb with hot water in order to remove remaining hairs. Although a non-Jew used hot water and as a result cooked part of the lamb’s head, there is no halachic prohibition of bishul akum since his intent was simply to remove the hairs. Re’ah (Bedek Habayit
3:7) explains that the reason our Sages were lenient is because when the non-Jew has absolutely no intent, there is no concern for closeness which would lead to intermarriage.
HALACHIC RULING AND APPLICATIONS
The OU Israel Gustave & Carol Jacobs Center for Kashrut Education was created to raise awareness and educate the public in all areas of kashrut. Rabbi Ezra Friedman, Deputy Rabbinic Administrator for OU Kosher Israel is the Center's director. him? Rashba answers that we have a rule regarding rabbinic decrees: even when the reason does not apply, the prohibition still stands. This is a necessary element in every rabbinic prohibition. Otherwise, Rashba explains, people could rationalize and find reasons why any decree should not apply in their particular situation. Accordingly, Rashba concludes that even food cooked by a Catholic priest has the prohibition of bishul akum. A similar ruling is made by Ramban (Avodah Zara 35:a) regarding non-Jewish royalty who, because of their stature, are prohibited from marrying Jews. He maintains that the fact that the non-Jews are royalty is irrelevant, and that the decree of bishul akum stands regardless of the reason behind it. Taz (YD 112:1) , Shach (YD 112:4) and Pri Megadim (YD 112:1) cite these rulings as axioms of the laws of bishul akum.
Other examples
All early authorities, as well as Tur (YD 113) and Shulchan Aruch (YD 113:5), quote this ruling that a lack of intent by the non-Jew would permit food cooked by him. Later authorities offer numerous modern applications for this halacha. For example, if power goes out in someone’s home when food had just been placed in the oven, and a non-Jewish electrician then fixes the electric board thereby turning the oven back on, there is no concern about the food cooking inside since the electrician had no intent to cook but only to fix the fuse. The same is true regarding non-Jews who maintain power plants or electric towers (Pesakim U’teshuvot 113:14). Another example of this ruling is if a non-Jew lights a fire in a fireplace and unbeknownst to him there was uncooked meat inside. A more common application, based on the words of Levush (see Otzar Hilchot Bishulei Akum, p49) is a case where a non-Jew thinks he is only heating up food for a Jew but actually and unknowingly cooks something raw. Such food is permitted because the non-Jew’s intent was not to cook but only to reheat (see Levushei Oz 113:5).
IN SUMMARY:
Later authorities discuss similar cases where the logic behind bishul akum may not apply. Responsa Shevet Kehati (6:273) rules that even food cooked by a non-Jewish child is considered bishul akum, despite the fact that the chances of marriage seem remote. The same is true for food cooked in a faraway country where Jews cannot travel -- bishul akum still applies.
• If a non-Jew unwittingly cooks without intent to do so, that food is not prohibited by the decree of bishul akum.
In summary:
Our Sages prohibited food cooked by
• A non-Jewish electrician fixing a fuse has
enumerated. Yishmael dies. His descendants dwell from Egypt to Assyria. Yishmael’s story is brief. He has numerous and powerful offspring. The brevity his icant the
A SHORT VORT
BY RABBI
R av, Beit Knesset
no effect on food in the oven that was cooked as a result.
gentiles, even if the ingredients and utensils are kosher.
When Avraham addresses the people of Cheit, trying to “Ger V’Toshav Anochi Eimachem” (23:4) “A Stranger and This seems to be a contradiction. If one is a stranger than is no longer a stranger. What did Avraham mean?
The reason cited by most authorities is the risk of intermarriage.
• If a non-Jew meant to heat up food and unknowingly cooked raw food, the food is permitted for consumption.
The Magid of Dubno (Jacob ben Wolf Kranz 1741-1804) this tense situation in order to, both, state his truth and be said, on the one hand, “I am a Resident’ due to G-d’s promise need your agreement to purchase a plot. In other words, Avraham “strangers”, while they understood him as saying that “they”
Even in cases with virtually no risk of intermarriage, the food is still prohibited, including non-Jewish royalty, priests, young children, and non-Jews from distant lands.
The peace was kept, and Avraham remained true to his Shabbat Shalom
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Nestled in between Yerushalayim, Tel-Aviv and Beer Sheva – CarmayHaNadiv, a new neighborhood in Kiriat-Malachi, is developing an exciting new Anglo community.
In Carmay-HaNadiv, we don’t have only high-quality buildings, but offer a full package of a rich communal life, with many excellent educational institutions nearby and close links to job opportunities. Apart from building apartments, we are in charge of all the communal aspects of the neighborhood.
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In the next two months, we are due to complete and hand over four buildings, with over 200 apartments, including to many Americans and olim in Israel – who will join over 800 families already established in Carmay-Hanadiv. Beautiful four-room apartments and penthouses are still available.
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SIMCHAT SHMUEL
BY RABBI SAM SHOR Program Director, OU Israel Center
This Shabbat we bless the new month of Chodesh Av, or as our tradition refers to this month, the month of Menachem Av.
Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, zy’a, wrote that in addition to the tragedies that have befallen Am Yisrael during these three weeks, that there are actually two great events which are said to occur during these days. Rav Wolfson suggests that it is on the 17th of Tamuz, when Boaz marries Rut, hence setting into motion the birth of David Hamelech, from whom Mashiach will be descended.
So too, our tradition teaches us that Mashiach will be born on Tisha B’Av. Rav
Wolfsonuggests therefore, that these three weeks are in their essence days of great joy and anticipation. However those great lights of hope have been covered over and clouded by the darkness and tragedies which have subsequently come to be associated with these days. The work of these three weeks is to strive to uncover those great lights. In the words of the great Reb Tzadok HaKohen M’Lublin zy’a, “Ein Lecha Shum Or Mitgaleh, eleh mitoch hachoshech hekdom lo – no light can be revealed, unless it emerges from the darkness which precedes it...” (Resisei Laila 24).
Similarly, HaRav Shlomo Aviner shlita teaches that if we look out at the world we live in and we see dark images and painful shadows, we must not forget that a shadow is merely a reflection of light that is waiting to be fully revealed.
The second of our two parshiyot this week, Parshat Maasei recalls for a second time the passing of Aharon HaKohennd tells us that the date of his passing is Rosh Chodesh Av. And Aharon died there, during the fortieth year after Bnai Yisrael went forth from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month on the first of the month.
Why does the Torah specify the exact date of Aharon’s passing, a detail that is not elaborated upon for any of the Avot or Imahot, or for Moshe Rabbeinu? Why is the date of Aharon’s passing mentioned here in this second account, and not in the earlier account of his passing which we read of a
few weeks ago in Parshat Chukat? Why is the date of his passing specified now, in the midst of describing the journeys of the Jewish people in the wilderness?
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz, the Patiker Rav zy’a, suggests that there is an eternal message to be gleaned from the date of Aharon’s passing being both revealed during the verses which describe the extended wanderings of the Jewish people in the wilderness, as well as the actual date of Rosh Chodesh Av.
Aharon, as we know, represents the ultimate Ish Shalom, the great peace-maker and unifier of the Jewish people. The Jewish people, as we know, will experience an extended reality of wandering that will occur following the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, which of course we commemorate, during the nine days, beginning with Rosh Chodesh Av. As we begin these days of reflection of the destruction and absence of the Beit HaMikdash, we also recall the life and legacy of Aharon HaKohein, whose legacy we must work to emulate, which will form the foundation to re-building the Beit HaMikdash.
The work of these three weeks is the work of repairing the world, one kind deed, one friendship, one mitzvah, one tefila at a time.
Yehi Ratzon, may we be blessed to use these days wisely, to do much good, to reveal, uncover and bring forth those great lights of hope, consolation, and promise, and merit to transform our sorrow to celebration. Chodesh Tov.
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GEULAS YISRAEL
BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN R am, Yeshivat Har Etzion YISRAEL
Long Tunnels & Short Tunnels
The names have no meaning. Forty-two unknown and historically insignificant desert locations. Forty-two sand dunes along our winding journey to the promised Land. Who knows where these sandbanks are, and quite frankly, who cares? The sooner we forget about these doomed deserts the better. Each stop on our trail of misery evokes painful memories of a depressing forty-year odyssey. Our national death sentence had already been decided upon and was irrevocable. During those long and dreary years, prophecy was suspended, and Hashem seemed distant. These desert stops possess meaning only for historians and archaeologists. The pit stops of the desert are cursed regions of Jewish history. Astonishingly though, the Torah provides an extensive list of each desert location. Moreover, instead of just cataloging them, the Torah describes the departure from each location and the arrival at the next location
Jewish future. The 40 years in the desert were a template for future moments of hester panim during which Hashem’s presence would be difficult to discern.
MERCY ON THE MARGINS
Rashi claims that the list of 42 desert stops showcases divine mercy. During the first and last years of the 40-year trek we traveled intensely – 14 stops the first year and 8 the final year. These two bookend years were transformative and required frequent travel. By subtraction, during the intervening 38 years we only traveled 20 additional times, averaging one journey every two years. Though we roamed the desert, we weren’t nomadic, but enjoyed relative stability. We set down roots for a year or two and enjoyed a routine and a rhythm. Despite facing certain death, life wasn’t meaningless. We weren’t scattered by the wind. It could have been much worse. We could have aimlessly drifted through empty dunes, slowly fading away. Instead, Hashem afforded the doomed generation stability and tranquility as they traversed their final stages of life.
CALM IN BETWEEN THE STORMS
Typically, the Torah economizes its words, rarely “wasting words” on meaningless lists. Evidently, this elaborate archive of desert locations possesses deeper meaning. This unhappy list of desolate badlands provides guidance for navigating dark periods in the
During the past 2000 years of galut we endured hatred, discrimination and violence. Yet despite our suffering and the surrounding chaos, we still enjoyed intervening periods of relative calm and prosperity. In between our misfortunes we fashioned robust and flourishing Jewish communities and we built a rich religious and cultural experience. Of course, our achievements and our successes were always abruptly and violently interrupted
by violence and expulsion. However, as was true for the desert generation, in between our suffering we enjoyed success.
Hester panim makes it difficult to discern Hashem in the larger trajectory of history. However, we can still uncover Him and His mercy along the margins. He isn’t completely invisible. It is just more difficult to unveil Him, and we must look more closely.
HESTER PANIM OF OCTOBER 7TH
The same is true about our most recent hester panim. On October 7th we suffered 12 hours of extreme hester panim. Hashem’s decisions that day continue to confuse us. It was, and remains difficult, to understand His motives that day our people suffered a ruthless pogrom in our homeland, on Shabbat of Simchat Torah.
However, despite the tragedy and despite our inability to grasp how He could allow this to occur, it is still possible to find Hashem in the events of this dark tragedy. Hamas-yimach shemo – had planned a devastating attack, hoping to strike at the center of Israel. They aimed to incite violence in the West Bank and to spur an uprising amidst Arab Israelis. Once our country was ablaze, they assumed that Hezbollah would join, creating an apocalyptic multi-front war. We were ill-prepared for this doomsday scenario on October 7th.
B”H, and without, in any way, minimizing the tragedy, we avoided this worse catastrophe. With Hashem’s help our heroic first responders including security teams, police, soldiers, and ordinary citizens thwarted this disaster.
TOO LATE FOR UNITY?
Our quick response and our military success in the ensuing war was enabled by a resurgence of national unity. After a year of prolonged social strife and civil discord, our national unity
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should not be taken for granted. Suffering from a terrible year of public discontent, we were quickly hurtling into the abyss of civil war. Had the attack on our people occurred a few months later would we have been too badly divided to rally to the defense of our Land? Would warring factions in Israel have become so alienated from one another that we would have been incapable of defending our country?
October 7th left us with many questions. Hopefully, in time, we will decipher the overall meaning of this horrible day. However, we thank Hashem for the minor miracles. We thank Him that our enemies weren’t able to achieve all of their homicidal designs and we thank Him that we were still united enough to rise in defense of our people and of our Land.
HOLDING OUR HAND ON OCTOBER 7TH
Rashi provides a second reason for the detailed roster of desert locations. He cites a
Midrash which describes a father and his sick child traveling to receive medical care. During their return journey they nostalgically recall each stop along the route of their original journey to visit the doctor. Though they were worried and frightened, they faced adversity side-by-side, and upon the return journey they looked back and relished their togetherness. They can only properly appreciate their togetherness once the child has been medically healed and they no longer face risk of death. During the initial journey they were too anxious and too frazzled to relish their closeness. Only once they are “out of the woods” can they look back and savor the bonds they built and the closeness they felt.
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us. Though Hashem suspended overt prophecy, during those 38 years He still delivered daily manna from heaven, supernatural protection from the harsh desert conditions, and daily water rations.
For this reason, the list of desert camps doesn’t appear in earlier parshiyot but only in Masei, toward the end of the 40 years, as we were about to enter the Land of Israel. Only after exiting the dark tunnel were we capable of looking back and of appreciating the companionship with Hashem we enjoyed during the trying journey.
HE WAS IN AUSCHWITZ
By listing the 42 stops in the desert Hashem reminds us that He stood by us as a Father during our bleakest moments. If we had to suffer at least we suffered with Him alongside
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Now that we have emerged from the long and dark tunnel of Jewish history, and we are inching to the final stages of redemption we can look back at our past differently. We can look back at exile and appreciate that Hashem never abandoned us. Otherwise, we would not have survived. My Rebbe, Harav Amital (whose yahrzeit was this week) was once asked where G-d was in Auschwitz. He responded that He was with us in the camps. We may not have understood Him, but He was with us.
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The same is true about October 7th. Though we have emerged from the long tunnel of Jewish history, for those 12 hours we walked through a mini-tunnel of hester panim. How could this happen? We don’t know. Where was Hashem on October 7th? He was with us in the kibbutzim and along the roadways clutching our hands in the same manner that the father held his son’s hand as they jointly faced death. We don’t currently know why Hashem didn’t prevent this disaster. However, we do know that He was with us on that dark day and has stood by our side ever since.
HAFTORAH
BY REBBETZIN DR. ADINA SHMIDMAN INSIGHTS
Divine Relationships: A Journey of Faith and Forgiveness
In our Haftorah, Yirmiyahu uses several metaphors to describe the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. These include bride and groom, husband and wife, and parent and child. The shifting relationship dynamics presented by the Navi beg the question: why? Why continuously switch from bride-groom to husband-wife to parent-child? While each of these relationships has its unique dynamic, the transitions suggest a profound message, particularly poignant during the Three Weeks.
Mrs. Racheli Luftglass, in her presentation several years ago for the OU Women’s Initiative ALIT Beit Midrash program, suggested that the different human relationships Yirmiyahu describes indicate the multifaceted nature of the relationship between Hashem and His people. Beyond using these various relationships to persuade the people to return to Hashem, the Navi communicates
a subtle but powerful message.
Faithfulness, commitment, and unfortunately, betrayal have been part of our history. How can one return, both in terms of trust and halachically, when one has been unfaithful? To assure the people that Hashem will accept them no matter what they’ve done to undermine and reject His love, He introduces the parent-child dynamic. While a husband and wife relationship is one of choice, the parent and child relationship is not; it is of one’s own flesh and blood. No matter how betrayed the parent feels, there is a bond that transcends—it represents a level of commitment that cannot be undone. Our commitment to Hashem is ultimately like that of parent and child. While perhaps damaged, it will withstand betrayal and abandonment.
The Three Weeks is a period when we are charged with undoing the wanton hatred that destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. We are told that any generation that does not see the Beit HaMikdash rebuilt in its time is as if it was destroyed in its days. We should seize the opportunity to see the potential for human connection, the goodness in people, and the ability to repair relationships. In this way, we will ultimately experience the redemption, may it be speedily in our day.
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RABBI AARON GOLDSCHEIDER
RABBI AARON GOLDSCHEIDER
Editor, Torah Tidbits
Editor, Torah Tidbits
Rav, the Jerusalem Shul
Baka, Jerusalem
Love With No Strings Attached
The death of Aharon is first reported in Parashat Chukat (Numbers 20:23-29), yet it reappears here in Parashat Masei: “Aharon ascended Mount Hor by God’s command, and he died there, in the fortieth year since the Children of Israel left the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month. Aharon was 123 years old at his death on Mount Hor” (Numbers 33:38-39). Why does Aharon’s death merit repeating? Additionally, why does the Torah go to the trouble of providing a date, which we do not usually find in biblical accounts of death?
Rabbi Shimshon David Pincus suggested that Aharon’s passing received special emphasis because it was particularly traumatic. Aharon embodied peace and its pursuit in this life. This Kohen was a role model for the people who are to be a “kingdom of Kohanim” (Exodus 19:6). The world should mark the passing of such a man, for it is the lesser without him.
The Mishnah advises, “Be a disciple of Aharon: Loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and drawing them nearer to the Torah.”1 How does one try to live up to the legacy of Aharon? Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook held up as a template a prayer 1. Pirkei Avot, 1:12.
recited regularly by the Sages of Yavneh: I am a creation, and my fellow is a creation. My work is in the city, and his is in the field. I rise early for my work, and he rises early for his. Just as he does not lay claim to my work, so I do not lay claim to his. If you say that I do much and he little, we learn: one who does much and one who does little are the same, so long as one directs the heart to Heaven.2
Rav Kook parsed this passage and distilled from it ethical principles on which a person should meditate, in order to genuinely love one’s fellow.
(1) “I am a creation, and my fellow is a creation.” We are to cherish our fellow because they are God’s creation the same way we are. The very fact that the Almighty has brought this soul into the world means that he or she has immeasurable worth. This is the true meaning of ahavat ha-beriyot, love of our fellow man, who is God’s creation (beriyah).
(2) “My work is in the city, and his is in the field.” A person’s abilities and talents do not pertain to their essence, they are external accidents in the philosophical sense. Is one’s work, professional success, really material? This is a poor measure of a person’s value.
(3) “I rise early for my work, and he rises early for his.” Everyone has a unique array of skills, some of which are only expressed or useful in certain situations. Every person has their place in the world.
(4) “Just as he does not lay claim to my work, so I do not lay claim to his.” Since 2. Berachot 17a.
different people are good at different things, one should not focus on what the other person lacks, but on the good qualities they have. For example, if they are less intellectual, perhaps they are more charitable.
(5) “If you say that I do much and he little, we learn: one who does much and one who does little are the same, so long as one directs the heart to Heaven.” And if one thinks that they are better than their fellow because they are more righteous, perform more mitzvot, learn more Torah, that person is horribly mistaken. Only God knows a person’s true intentions and capabilities and judges them accordingly. Our eyes immediately measure up others, and our brains instantly make comparisons that are unjust. To be like Aharon, we need to train ourselves to see and conceive of others as no different, or even better than, ourselves.3
As a Kohen, Rav Kook lived by the code of his ancestor Aharon. He framed the words of the above Mishnah on his wall, and considered himself “of the stock of Aharon.”
Rav Kook’s emulation of Aharon was a resounding success, as one can see from the impressions he made on others, even at a relatively young age.
In the 1880s, the Chafetz Chayim, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, visited Ponovezh, Lithuania to gather a group of elite Torah scholars who were Kohanim so that they would learn the Order of Kodoshim, which is about sacrifices and other Temple-related topics. He felt that the time of the rebuilding of the Temple was drawing near, and with it the need to know the practical laws. Rav Kook was invited to join, and he acquiesced. A short while later, once the Chafetz Chayim 3. Ein Ayah, Berachot, 2:59.
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had come to know Rav Kook better, he said:
“I have a request to make of you. I would like you to promise me that you will fulfill it.”
“Since I know that you will not ask something unrealistic of me, I promise to fulfill it.”
“If so, I request that when you are offered a rabbinic position you accept it.” 4
Rav Kook did not want a rabbinic post with all of the hardship it entails, and so he tried to wiggle out of it by saying that he had just promised the Chafetz Chayim to learn Kodoshim. The Chafetz Chayim would not let him slip away so easily: “I release you from your prior commitment. Serving as a rabbi, for you, is more important.”5 The Chafetz Chayim saw the “kohen” qualities of this young man and knew that he would make a compassionate and inspirational leader. 4. Kempinski, Bein Shnei Kohanim Gedolim, 32. 5. Ibid.
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number is 157,600. The total count of the army age men is 603,550 without the tribe of Levi.
Not long after, he became the rabbi of Zeimel. Nearly forty years later, when Rav Kook was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandate Palestine, the Israeli novelist (and in time Nobel Prize laureate) S. Y. Agnon brought Marc Chagall to meet him. Chagall was very impressed by Rav Kook’s character and radiant countenance, and requested to paint his portrait. Rav Kook demurred, saying, “In what way would it help the Jewish people?”6 In an etching made in 1931 of Moshe meeting Aharon in the desert, Aharon’s countenance bears an uncanny resemblance to Rav Kook.7
The people travel and camp with the Mishkan in their midst. Physically and metaphorically. We travel our history with G-d in our midst. While the distinct feeling you get in the detailed description of where each tribe encamped is the feeling of an army encampment, there is another layer of meaning. Yes, regimented. Specific. Detailed. Organized. But an army for which purpose? To fight the anticipated foes in the Land of Israel? Or to be the army of Hashem? A fighting army with its G-d in its midst? Or both?
In Chagall’s mind’s eye, the “high priest,” as it were, of the Jewish state-in-the-making melded with the high priest of old. One could not have chosen a better descendant to represent the ancestor.
Perhaps the Torah recognizes Aaron’s day of death because he modeled for the entire nation an ideal way to lead one’s life, for how to become a kingdom of Kohanim. May we all merit becoming disciples of Aharon, by loving peace and pursuing it, and loving people and drawing them nearer to the Torah.
4th aliya (3:1-13) Aharon’s sons’ names were Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar. Nadav and Avihu died without children. Elazar and Itamar serve as Kohanim with Aharon. Take the Leviim: they are to serve Aharon. The Leviim are responsible for the Mishkan: to support the Kohanim and the people, to facilitate the running of the Mishkan. The Leviim shall take the place of the first-born, who became obligated to me when saved in Egypt.
7. https://wwwstdibsom/art/more-art/marcchagall-moses-meets-his-brother-aaron-desertoriginal-etching-m-chagall/id-a_4184261/ (accessed October 28, 2021).
Rabbi Goldscheider is the author of the newly published book ‘Torah United’ (OU Press), featuring divrei Torah on the weekly parasha from Rav Kook, Rabbi Solovetichik, and the Chassidic Masters.
There are 2 groups mentioned here: Kohanim and Leviim. The lineage of the Kohanim is given. It just doesn’t take much room. Because Aharon is a Kohen and his sons. But he only has 2. So the entire lineage of the Kohanim is 3 people. The Leviim, on the other hand, are an entire tribe,
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descendants lineage, next households the and from camp was curtains 8,600, responsible Table, camping structure ports Levi the ilies had 3 of the The on Gershon, responsibility fell furniture. care the And replace
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RAV DANIEL MANN
The Laining of a Reading Challenged Boy
Question: A boy in our shul with moderate learning disabilities has an upcoming bar mitzvah. He wants to lain like his friends. His parents believe he can do a reasonable job but cannot promise to what extent he will be reading, as opposed to reciting by heart with some prompting from familiar letters.
Answer: The child’s feelings are very important. After fleshing out the problem, we will search for halachic justification for leniency.
The gemara (Yoma 70a) relates to an instance when it is permitted to read a Torah passage by heart (see Rishonim’s explanations, ad loc.). The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 139:3) rules that one may not lain even one letter by heart. For this reason, he disallows giving an aliya to a blind person, who cannot read the letters of the sefer Torah. The Rama (ibid.) accepts the minhag to let a blind person have an aliya, but that is based on the thesis that the ba’al korei’s reading is the critical one (Mishna Berura 139:12). When necessary, it is possible to read from a Megillat Esther scroll missing a large
RAV DANIEL MANN
minority of text (Shulchan Aruch, OC 690:3). However, this is a leniency regarding Megilla, which is called an iggeret (see Mishna Berura 690:10), and probably not concerning laining from a sefer Torah.
Still, we can allow the boy to read for a combination of reasons. We will start with mitigating opinions. The Rambam (Shut 294) posits that a shul without a kosher sefer Torah can read with berachot from a pasul one. In that discussion, he says that one can read with a beracha even by heart. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 143:3) does not rule this way, but “it is still a Rambam,” and the Rama (ad loc. 4) cites both opinions.
In fact, the Rambam’s general thesis is accepted in a related case. If a p’sul in the sefer Torah was discovered in the midst of laining, the Shulchan Aruch (ibid. 4) says that after taking out a kosher sefer Torah, b’dieved we rely on what was read. In that context, the Mordechai (Megilla 392) writes that if one encounters missing words before he has read three p’sukim, he should read those words by heart and continue until a place one may stop. He argues that the problem with reading by heart is the prohibition (ed. note – see Orach Chayim 49; we tend to be very lenient on this) on reciting the Written Torah not from a text and that this does not apply here because the intention had been to read from a kosher sefer Torah. This bar mitzvah boy also intends to read from the text, and we are just nervous about his success. It is a good question to what extent we accept the
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Mordechai (see Living the Halachic Process III, A-14), but it is not a dismissed opinion. Another mitigating opinion is admittedly a less accepted one. The Kolbo (cited in Beit Yosef, OC 142) states that if a ba’al korei makes a mistake in reading, we can rely on the oleh’s correct reading of the text. The above opinions along with significant embarrassment of a child whose disabilities disallow him doing what his peers do (see Rama, OC 139:3; Beit Yosef, OC 142), might suffice to be lenient. Now to fundamentals. As one who thinks a lot about Kri’at Hatorah, I assure you that if there were an absolute need for ba’alei kri’ah to fully read every letter, we would often not be yotzei. Experts will tell you that we standardly look at a word and recognize it based on key letters and context, without always actually processing every letter (that is why proofreading is difficult). Since we have the ability to read every letter (see Menachot 18b) and process the word by looking at it in a manner everyone calls reading, that reading relates to every letter. An expert on the reading of children with challenges confirmed that this child will, in all likelihood, not read by heart. Rather, his high familiarity with the text will help him read. While it may be somewhat different than the average person, it is considered reading from the sefer Torah.
Therefore, this boy may lain. His teacher should train him, like all bar mitzvah boys, to read from the text. If he can move the yad along properly, he is reading!!
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