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April 26, 2009 7:34 am at 7:34 am #1124206JaxMember
JayMatt19: great peice there!
April 26, 2009 8:09 am at 8:09 am #1124207JaxMembermod72: time to clear the board & please keep me for Tuesday tentative(perm)! thank you!
April 27, 2009 2:51 am at 2:51 am #1124208YW Moderator-72Participantfrom the OU website:
Parshat Acharei Mot
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer
This week’s parshah commences with the prohibition of entry to the Kodesh Ha-Kodoshim (Holy of Holies) without authorization; such sanction is granted exclusively on Yom Kippur and only to the Kohen Gadol. This rule is introduced by the phrase, “And Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they approached before Hashem and died.” (16:1) Rashi (ibid.) quotes Toras Kohanim which explains that the Torah invokes the demise of Nadav and Avihu in order to strengthen its warning about entry to the Kodesh Ha-Kodoshim, for they died as a result of illegal passage.
The parshah continues with the details of the Yom Kippur avodah (service) and observances, followed by the issur (prohibition) of slaughtering animals for korbonos outside of the Azarah (Court) of the Beis Ha-Mikdash. Subsequently, the parshah features the issur of consuming blood and the mitzvah of covering blood upon slaughter of livestock and fowl (Kissui Ha-Dam), and it concludes with a lengthy segment concerning Arayos (illicit relations), in which the prohibition of offering to Molech is interwoven.
Do the various themes of the parshah relate to each other?
The Torah’s mention of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu is quite perplexing. Although the incident surely reinforces the severity of the issur of unauthorized entry to the Kodesh Ha-Kodoshim, we should perhaps ask why other issurim are not similarly introduced by recalling events which depict the fate of those who violate them. Is some larger message being conveyed by recounting the deaths of Aharon’s sons?
The Gemara in Sanhedrin provides various interpretations of the precise act committed by Nadav and Avihu. One opinion states that they entered the Mishkan while intoxicated; another explains that they rendered an halachic decision in the presence of Moshe Rabbeinu. According to all, Nadav and Avihu had the best of intentions, and their actions were focused on serving God. However, Aharon’s sons did not confine their motivations to the bounds of halacha; rather, their impulse to act upon their love of Hashem caused them to breach halachic fences.
This notion is extremely telling, for it forms the basis of Parshas Acharei Mos. The various topics of the parshah revolve around the theme of restricting our avodas Hashem (Divine service) according to specific parameters. Yom Kippur is the quintessential day of restriction. Its Mikdash routine is by far the most difficult and detailed, and the individual’s observance of Yom Kippur is understandably defined by the Torah as “Inuy” – Affliction, for the restrictions upon each person are extremely tight. Yet, Yom Kippur is also the day when we come closest to God. This very closeness engenders restrictions in how we serve and approach Hashem.
Similarly, the Torah limits sacrificial sacrifice to the Mikdash as a parameter in the manner that God can be served; rather than allowing free, spontaneous sacrificial service wherever one wishes, one is bound to a specific location. The same holds true for the mitzvah of covering blood and the issur of consuming it, as blood is reserved for use on the Mizbayach (Altar) and is therefore off limits to man (see Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim quoted by Ramban on 17:11), and blood represents the nefesh (soul) of another being which is exclusive to God (Ramban ibid.). These ideas all reflect that avodah must be limited to the boundaries set by Hashem.
The parshah concludes with Arayos (and the issur of Molech). Arayos – representative of the most extreme human passion – are understandably linked with the theme of self-restraint, and as such they appear at the end of the pashah. However, is there any greater connection between Arayos and the balance of Acharei Mos?
The Torah introduces Arayos with a warning not to behave like the heathens of Canaan (who were morally corrupt – see Rashi on 18:3 from Toras Kohanim). Why is this introduction necessary?
The haftarah begins by comparing Bnei Yisroel to other nations, insomuch as the Jews, too, were physically redeemed but did not live up to the purpose of their redemption. Thus, they are depicted as no better than the Kushites, Arameans and others, whom God salvaged from physical destruction. (The Navi [prophet] continues with the future re-selection of Bnei Yisroel from among the nations.)
The haftarah’s comparison of us to other ancient tribes is not just pointed mussar. The words of Amos reveal something at the base of Bnei Yisroel’s uniqueness. Unlike other nations, whose passions are either unbridled and unrelated to their religious codes and societal norms (or – in some cases – immoral acts of passion are themselves religious rituals) – Bnei Yisroel are different, as inherent in their observances are restraint of passion and submission to Hashem. It is for this reason that the Arayos prohibitions are central to the parshah and bear an introduction which contrasts Bnei Yisroel’s desired behavior with that of Canaan, for the Arayos restrictions identify and set us aside as a people, such that our existence on all levels is unique. This concept is an expansion on the uniqueness of our avodah, which comprises the first part of the parshah. It is for this reason that the issur of Molech is placed in the midst of the Arayos. Molech is an abominable act of heathen avodah, and its mention as part of the section of Arayos indicates that immoral, nonrestrictive norms which corrupt avodah also contaminate society as a whole.
May our service of Hashem be pure and our machaneh (camp) holy.
April 27, 2009 5:41 am at 5:41 am #1124209JaxMember72: great peice! & i really enjoy this wonderful thread!
April 27, 2009 3:44 pm at 3:44 pm #1124210YW Moderator-72ParticipantUPDATED: ok… nobody volunteered, so here is the line-up
Kapusta – Monday
jax – Tuesday
Just Smile – Wednesday
mdlevine – Thursday
chofetzchaim -Friday
the front page has been updated.
… (everybody is eligible to submit, not just the selection that I listed).
Thanks
April 27, 2009 11:48 pm at 11:48 pm #1124211kapustaParticipanta present for mod 72.
Achrei Mos
By: Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum
In order to understand why it was necessary for the posuk to add the words “after the death of the two children of Aharon,” Rashi gives us a beautiful example in the name of Rabbi Elozer.
April 28, 2009 2:14 am at 2:14 am #1124212JaxMemberkapusta: nice d’var torah! i liked it a lot!
April 28, 2009 2:54 am at 2:54 am #1124213anonymisssParticipantkapusta, nice DT! Great lesson, thanks!
mod72, is it possible someone (ahem) was mistakenly left off the list? I think his name starts with ‘m’?
~a~
April 28, 2009 7:55 am at 7:55 am #1124214JaxMember**D’Var Torah – Parshas Kedoshim*** this week is Parshas Acharai Mos & Kedoshim
What would you do in the following scene? You are a Dayan-Judge in a Bais Din . A wealthy man and a poor man come before with a dispute involving $1500. That sum is a huge amount of money for the poor man and an insignificant amount for the wealthy man. As you listen to the facts of the case, you realize that the law is on the side of the wealthy man. Do you rule in favor of the wealthy man because that is the correct ruling; or, do you rule in favor of the poor man since he desperately needs the money to live and feed his family, while the wealthy man will barely feel the loss of a thousand dollars, and the wealthy man is obligated to give tzedaka to the poor man any way? You are the judge. The power is in your hand. What is the right thing to do? From a purely humanistic point of view one would seem almost compelled to find for the poor man. The Torah teaches us otherwise. The Torah says that the dayan must render the accurate ruling without any outside considerations, even to the detriment of this poor soul. This doesn’t seem right! You know and I know, but the Torah knows better. If we give false decisions, we will be destroying the truth. Once we lose our perception of the truth, we lose our perception of reality and when that happens we lose everything. With our limited human judgment it may seem greater to help the poor man; but, the Torah is teaching us that maintaining and protecting the truth is the greatest good, even for the poor man who is ruled against in this case.
have a wonderful day everyone!
April 28, 2009 10:47 pm at 10:47 pm #1124215JaxMembernote to all: my DT was posted for tuesday!
April 28, 2009 10:59 pm at 10:59 pm #1124216April 29, 2009 12:34 am at 12:34 am #1124217JaxMemberkapusta: thank you! funny!
April 29, 2009 1:03 am at 1:03 am #1124218YW Moderator-72Participantthanks Jax
April 29, 2009 1:08 am at 1:08 am #1124219JaxMember72: glad to be of service!
April 29, 2009 4:15 am at 4:15 am #1124220anonymisssParticipantJax, nice DT, thanks!
mod72, moish?
~a~
April 29, 2009 5:49 am at 5:49 am #1124221JaxMemberanonymisss: thank you! seems like you got an exemption this week!
April 30, 2009 12:33 am at 12:33 am #1124222JaxMember72: maybe inform Just Smile of his Wednesday DT?!?
April 30, 2009 12:55 am at 12:55 am #1124223mdlevineMemberI see that I have been volunteered for Thursday night. I am going to be away until around 9:30/10:00, so it might be a little late.
April 30, 2009 12:56 am at 12:56 am #1124224Just SmileParticipantSorry guys – here you go – I’m actually still at work
The three aveiros that one must give up his life for are giloy arayos, shfichas damim, and avodah zarah. If one comes up to you and says do one of these three aveiros or I will kill you one must give up his life.
Molech is a form of avodah zarah, because the parent is bringing their child as a sacrifice. It also encompasses the aviera of shfichas damim, because according to some the parent would actually drop the child into the fire. Molech is also the aveira of giloy arayos, because it is a form of wasting seed. Because when you kill your child, you are in affect killing seed that you used to create him.
Just Smile asked me to edit this and let everyone know that it is not his d’var Torah – so when it says “my father” – it’s not Rabbi/Mr. Smile
—
YW Moderator-99
April 30, 2009 1:39 am at 1:39 am #1124225JaxMemberJust Smile: that was great!
April 30, 2009 1:41 pm at 1:41 pm #1124226anonymisssParticipantjax, i posted one recently.
~a~
April 30, 2009 4:36 pm at 4:36 pm #1124227YW Moderator-72Participantok, folks… never too soon to volunteer for next week (hopefully JayMatt19 will be back, he didn’t email me any advance copies).
If I don’t get volunteers, I will have to assign nights again.
Jax, you on for Tuesday?
April 30, 2009 10:47 pm at 10:47 pm #1124228JaxMember72: sure thing!
May 1, 2009 12:00 am at 12:00 am #1124229JayMatt19ParticipantLooks like mdlevine is a no go for tonight, so here goes:
This is being given b’zchus Yosef ben Ita Rivka, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava and Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel, may Hashem immediately send them their yeshua.
In Shmoneh Esrei, in the tfilla of ????????? we say the words ???? ???????????? ??????. R’ Y. Abramsky asks why this is exclusive here to Refuah, as it is applicable in each of the bakashos in Shmoneh Esrei?
He replies that it is so very easy to be fooled into thinking that the doctor cured you. Therefore we go out of our way in our tfillos to tell Hashem that we know where the refuah is coming from.
As the world is in its current economic mess, there are many yidden without the means to support their family. We need to strengthen out Bitachon and apply this message towards parnassa as well. Just like it is not the doctor who provides the cure it also isn’t the working which provides the money.
May HaKadosh Baruch Hu send every yid their respective yeshua in order to successfully thrive in this difficult time.
Good Shabbos to All
Note to Mod-72: Not sure I’ll be able to post Motzei Shabbos. Bli neder I’ll try to e-mail you a dvar torah (before licht) for you to post after Shabbos.
May 1, 2009 12:13 am at 12:13 am #1124230JaxMemberJayMatt19: welcome back! mdlevine said he’ll post later tonight one! nicely done!
May 1, 2009 12:28 am at 12:28 am #1124231an open bookParticipantwelcome back, jaymatt19! & thank you
May 1, 2009 12:30 am at 12:30 am #1124232May 1, 2009 1:15 am at 1:15 am #1124233mdlevineMemberJayMatt19 thanks for posting your D’Var Torah.
This is also being given b’zchus Yosef ben Ita Rivka, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava and Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel, may Hashem immediately send them their yeshua.
The Shulchan Aruch says:
?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??”? ???? ?????.
??? ??, ??? ????, ????? ???? ?????, ??????? ??!
It is forbidden to engage in frivolous conversation during the reader’s repitition of the prayer.
And if one does talk, he is a transgressor, and his sin is too great to bear, and we must rebuke him!
(Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 124:7)
______________________________
There is a posuk in the Torah where similar language is used
????? ??? ?? ?’ ???? ???? ?????
And Cayin said to HaShem My sin is too great to bear
(Bereishis 4:13)
______________________________
Perhaps this is why the Shulchan Aruch states that the sin of talking in Shul is a sin too great to bear when the Torah uses that language for murder.
Something to think about.
May 1, 2009 1:36 am at 1:36 am #1124234JaxMembermdlevine: wow that was great! thanx for posting it!
May 1, 2009 2:09 am at 2:09 am #1124235May 1, 2009 2:17 am at 2:17 am #1124236Bais Yaakov maydelParticipantshort and to the point thanks mdl
May 1, 2009 2:18 am at 2:18 am #1124237anonymisssParticipantwow, so many in one night! Thanks
~a~
May 1, 2009 2:35 am at 2:35 am #1124238YW Moderator-72ParticipantBais Yaakov maydel,
what night next week are you posting a D’Var Torah?
May 1, 2009 2:39 am at 2:39 am #1124239Bais Yaakov maydelParticipant…i can do tuesday night iyH
May 1, 2009 2:49 am at 2:49 am #1124240kapustaParticipanttuesday seems like a big night. any particular reason? should I get on line?
May 1, 2009 2:50 am at 2:50 am #1124241JaxMemberBYM: tuesday is my permanent night! would you like to take a different night! great to have you back btw!
May 1, 2009 3:06 am at 3:06 am #1124243Bais Yaakov maydelParticipantso we have permanent nights now huh?
lol i really havent been here in a while…
ok is thursday good for e/o? I put you down for Thursday. YW Moderator-72
thanks Jax i feel great being here again too!
May 1, 2009 3:11 am at 3:11 am #1124244JaxMemberBais Yaakov maydel: just i have a permanent night these days actually! the other permanents are gone-ok there are others too mod! thursdays great!
what about JayMatt19 and M’Shabbos (along with most other nights) and ChofetzChaim on E’Shabbos. YW Moderator-72
May 1, 2009 3:14 am at 3:14 am #1124245Bais Yaakov maydelParticipantgreat thanks mod.
ok then thursday it is.
my comeback dvar Torah 🙂
May 1, 2009 4:26 am at 4:26 am #1124246anonymisssParticipantwow, can’t wait, bym!
~a~
May 1, 2009 7:58 pm at 7:58 pm #1124247chofetzchaimMemberMay 3, 2009 2:14 am at 2:14 am #1124248YW Moderator-72Participantthis is the 6th of now 6 submissions via email from JayMatt19 while he may not have access to post.
????? ???? ????: ???, ???-?
Why the need to say here ???, ???-??
Two Pshatim (Seen in the Mayana Shel Torah)
1. It is easy to love your friend, but the mitzva is ????? ???? ????,
love the person WHO IS LIKE YOU. If you are a plumber, it would be
natural for you to consider another plumber as a rival, therefore the
Torah tells us ????? ???? ????, love the Jew who is like you ???,
???-?, I Hashem give Parnassa to both of you, you are not competing
against each other.
2. ????? ????, The way you treat your friend, ???? ???, ???-?, in that
manner, I, Hashem, will treat you. Hashem is using this passuk to show
us Midda K’negged Midda
May 3, 2009 4:42 pm at 4:42 pm #1124249YW Moderator-72Participantwho is on for tonight? we need a volunteer.
May 3, 2009 5:06 pm at 5:06 pm #1124250JaxMemberchofetz chaim: great peice! shakoyach!
jaymatt: superb as always!
May 3, 2009 8:30 pm at 8:30 pm #1124251May 3, 2009 9:51 pm at 9:51 pm #1124252YW Moderator-39MemberNobody is listed, so I’ll post something so that nobody needs to be volunteered.
Rabbi Yissocher Frand
There Is Capital Punishment, But Only After We Learn To Appreciate Human Life
The end of Parshas Emor contains the parsha of the Blasphemer (Megadef). The son of an Egyptian father and a Jewish mother got into a fight and uttered a blasphemy against the Name of Almighty. The people did not know what to do with such a person. His case was brought before Moshe. In the meantime, the blasphemer was placed under guard. At this point, Hashem taught Moshe that the punishment for blasphemy is stoning (s’kila) by the entire congregation. [Vayikra 24:10-16].
In order for the narrative to continue smoothly, at this point it should say, “Moshe spoke to the children of Israel and they brought the blasphemer outside the camp and they all stoned him. And the children of Israel did as Moshe commanded.” [Vayikra 24:23]
The Torah does indeed teach this, but only after a six verse tangent that seems to interrupt the narration of the blasphemer. The “tangent” reads as follows:
“And a man — if he strikes mortally any human life, he shall be put to death. And a man who strikes mortally an animal life shall make restitution, a life for a life. And if a man inflicts a wound in his fellow, as he did, so shall be done to him: A break for a break, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; just as he will have inflicted a wound on a person, so shall be inflicted upon him. One who strikes an animal shall make restitution, and one who strikes a person shall be put to death. There shall be one law for you, it shall be for convert and native alike, for I, Hashem, am your G-d.” [Vayikra 24:17-22]
How are we to understand this strange interruption in the narrative? Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, explained that this section marks the first time in Jewish history that capital punishment was being carried out. This was a very significant event.
Taking a life is not a small matter. We do not execute the blasphemer because life is cheap. The Almighty wanted to emphasize to people that they were about to kill another human being. “But you should know that killing another human being under other circumstances (when it is not because he is being executed by the Court for committing a capital offense) is a terrible thing. Under normal circumstances, one who kills another person shall himself be put to death. Not only that, but if a person even wounds his fellow man then he deserves to pay with an ‘eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.”
We know that this expression is not to be interpreted literally. Rabbinic exegesis teaches that this means that one has to pay the value of an eye or the value of a tooth. But there is a very interesting Rashbam in Parshas Mishpatim. The Rashbam asks, why is the Almighty making life difficult for us? If the Torah wanted to teach that one is obligated to make monetary restitution for such cases, why didn’t it say so explicitly? Why do we need to hear, up until today, that the Torah is barbaric because it demands “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”?
The Rashbam explains by emphasizing there is a difference between peshuto shel mikra [the literal meaning of a text] and Rabbinic exegesis. Even though we practice halacha according to Rabbinic exegesis, we do not disregard “peshuto shel mikra” entirely. The literal meaning teaches important lessons. There is a message in peshuto shel mikra. The message in this case is that technically speaking, this is what should happen to a person: if he knocks out someone’s eye, he should have his own eye put out. So severe a sin is it to damage another person that it really should require ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’.
Were it not for the fact that there was an Oral Law (to temper the literal meaning), Hashem could never have recorded the Written Law in this fashion. People would be misled. Given the fact however that we do have an Oral Law, the literal meaning of the verse gives us another dimension of understanding in terms of what the law should morall y really be.
Once the Torah has clearly spelled out the important lesson of the value of life and the value of property in this “tangent”, then and only then can it proceed to conclude the narrative. Once the children of Israel have integrated the teaching of the importance of human life and property into their personalities, then and only then, were they allowed to go out and proceed with an execution of the blasphemer, the first execution in Jewish history.
May 3, 2009 10:46 pm at 10:46 pm #1124253JaxMember39: great one! thanx for sharing!
May 4, 2009 12:59 am at 12:59 am #1124254YW Moderator-72Participantames, how about you posting a DT? Monday and Wednesday are open – which night do you want?
May 4, 2009 1:55 am at 1:55 am #1124255aussieboyParticipantWhere do you all get these divrei torah from?
May 4, 2009 2:00 am at 2:00 am #1124256YW Moderator-72Participantthanks
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