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Zugger613Participant
Vayeira: We’ll Show Them
After Avraham’s bris milah, Hashem made sure the weather was extra hot so that no guests would bother Avraham. Yet not only did Avraham not find the lack of passerby in need to be a relief, but it actually bothered him so much that Hashem had to send Malachim to serve as Avraham’s “guests”.
But why did it bother Avraham that he had no guests? If there is nobody in need, shouldn’t that be celebrated rather than mourned?
R’ Shlomo Heiman, the first Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas, offers an incredible explanation. Avraham was born into a world where helping others was not valued, and his goal was to change that. It bothered Avraham that he had no chessed to engage in, since he sought to set an example for the world about the importance of chessed.
Said R’ Shlomo Heiman, in our own lives we should always seek to do Mitzvos loudly and proudly, with a particular emphasis on those Mitzvos that many people may not be aware of or sufficiently value.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantLech Lecha: Weighed Down
The Torah uses an interesting phrase to describe Avram’s journey from Mitzrayim:
ואברם כבד מאד במקנה בכסף ובזהב, וילך למסעיו – “Avram was very heavy with livestock, silver, and gold; a he went on his journey.”The Chida explains that Avram did not revel in his newly acquired riches. Instead, he saw all of the materiality of this world as nothing but a burden – כי כל עניני העולם הזה היו עליו לטורח.
Instead of getting distracted by his possessions, Avram “went on his journey.” He continued on his voyage of intellectual discovery; of coming to know Hashem, and figuring out what He wants us to be doing in this world.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantNoach: Building Upward
Noach was the first person that the Torah tells us made a מזבח. But what is the point of a מזבח? Why can’t a Korban be brought on bare ground?
R’ Shamshon Rafael Hirsh has a fascinating explanation. Some people think that God can only be found in nature, and that they must retreat from society to connect to the divine.
But that is not what we believe. We believe that the best way to connect to Hashem is by building a society that reflects His will, by incorporating the divine into every aspect of our lives.
That idea, explains R’ Hirsh, is symbolized by a מזבח. A מזבח must be attached to the ground, but we need to make it by putting stones together. This represents using human activity to elevate the earth towards the divine.
After the world was destroyed in the Mabul, Noach built the first מזבח. This was an attempt to rededicate the world to its original mission – to be a place where people are constantly striving to build higher, to create an elevated society that connects us to our Creator.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantYom Kippur: A Fresh Start
We begin the Yom Kipur Davening in a seemingly puzzling way: by reciting the passuk אור זרוע לצדיק, light is planted for the Tzaddik. What does this have to do with Yom Kippur?
R’ Moshe Feinstein explains that in truth, this reminds us what the point of Yom Kippur is supposed to be. We do not fast and cry on Yom Kippur to mourn what was. Rather, we are planting for the future.
Just as a seed must disintegrate in the ground before it can produce new life, so too must we go through a process of undoing what has been before we can start anew. But the point of this process is not destruction, it is creation.
On Yom Kippur, we access a spiritual light that is not available to us the rest of the year. But we should not let that light just pass us by. Rather, we should try to internalize as much of the spirituality of the day as we are able to, and let that guide us in our future development.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantNitzavim: Wake Up Call
The Torah tells us that כי יבואו עליך… הברכה והקללה, after we have experienced both the blessings that come as a result of doing what we should and the punishments that result from the opposite, Klal Yisroel will ultimately do Teshuva.
And yet, points out the נודע ביהודה, the Gemora indicates that the Parsha is referring to תשובה מאהבה, Teshuva that is done out of love for Hashem. If the impetus for the Teshuva was the punishments, how can this be תשובה מאהבה?
The נודע ביהודה explains that there are two ways suffering can cause a person to return to Hashem. The first is comparable to a servant who is beaten for disobeying his master – going forward, he will do what he has to do going forward to avoid further punishment.
The other is like a son who is castigated by his father. If the son apologies to his father, he doesn’t do so only to make the “punishment” stop. Rather, the pain he experiences serves as a wake-up call which makes him realize that he’s hurt his father. The decision to make things right may have been sparked by the pain of separation, but it is really the product of a genuine desire to reconnect.
Writes the נודע ביהודה, this should be our reaction to misfortune. We should not do Teshuva merely to make the troubles stop. Rather, it ought to make us think:
הלא כי אין אלקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות האלה, is it not because my G-d is not with me that these troubles have befallen me? The suffering should make us realize that we have disappointed Hashem, and make us genuinely want to reconnect and bring Him back into our lives.לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantKi Savo: תורת חסד
After the Parsha finishes instructing us about the mitzva of Bikkurim, the passuk writes ושמחת בכל הטוב, you shall rejoice in all the good. The Medrash tells us that this refers to the Torah; אין טוב אלא תורה. What does giving Bikkurim to the Kohanim have to do with Torah?
The Chida explains that this teaches us העוסק בתורה ובגמילות חסדים, זוכה לכוין אל האמת ומסיק שעתתא אליבא דהלכתא, one who toils in both Torah and helping others merits to find the truth and correct Halacha.
Too often, we tend to think of Avodas Hashem as being a checklist of unrelated items: daven, learn, help others, etc. However, the truth is that all of Avodas Hashem is one. If we do what Hashem wants in one area, He will help us improve in other areas as well. The more we connect to Hashem through any mitzva, the more He elevates us in every aspect of our lives.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantKi Seitzei: Build Back Better
כי תבנה בית חדש, ועשית מעקה לגגך, ולא תשים דמים בביתך כי יפול הנופל ממנו –
“When you build a new house, make a guardrail for your roof, so that there will not be bloodshed when the person who falls will fall from it.”The Chida sees an allusion in this passuk how to properly do Teshuva. כי תבנה בית חדש alludes to when we set out to rebuild ourselves anew after we’ve fallen, to reestablish our innermost self.
The passuk hints to us that when rebuilding, there is an important addition we must make. ועשית מעקה לגגך, we must put up our own סייג לתורה specifically in the area that we have previously fallen in.
If we’ve succumbed once, we need to be extra careful in that area going forward. The best way of going about that is to establish Gedarim for ourselves to keep us from reaching the place that previously caused us to fall. Otherwise, יפול הנופל ממנו – he who has fallen is in danger of falling again.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantShoftim: אחת שאלתי
The Gemora tells us that the Kohanim began their speech to soldiers going out to war with the words שמע ישראל to allude to the fact that even if the only mitzva they have kept was reciting Shema twice a day, they will be victorious.
Yet, the same Gemora tells us that anybody who was ירא מעבירות שבידו, concerned that he had done any aveira, should not serve in the army. Which one was it – was just saying Shema enough, or did the soldiers need to be spiritually perfect?
R’ Aryeh Finkel explains that the mitzva of Shema is to be מקבל עול מלכות שמים, which means dedicating the entirety of one’s life to Hashem’s will. If a person keeps this mitzva correctly, he can go out to war even if he has aveiros he still struggles with – once one’s life as a whole is dedicated to what is right, fixing the individual aveiros is just a matter of time.
During Elul, we take stock of our year and of our lives. But we shouldn’t just think about our Mitzvos and Aveiros. Rather, we ought to ask ourselves: what have I dedicated my life to? What should I spend my days trying to accomplish? Once our life is dedicated to its proper mission, taking care of the details gets a lot easier.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציוו שלוםZugger613ParticipantRe’ah: Moving Forward Like the Fish
The Torah tells us that to be Kosher, a fish must have fins and scales. R’ Chaim Mintz sees in this Halacha a beautiful allusion to how an אדם הכשר ought to conduct their life.
Fish use their fins to propel themselves through the water, teaching us the importance of always moving forward and striving for self-improvement. Just as a kosher fish is always in motion, we must never become complacent with where we are in life.
The fish’s scales serve as a protective armor, shielding it from harm. This teaches us the importance of safeguarding any spiritual progress that we make. By surrounding ourselves with positive influences, we can ensure that we move forward and not backwards.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantEikev: Making Do
The Gemora tells us that the מלאכים asked Hashem: How can you favor the Jews if you’ve written about Yourself (in this week’s Parsha) אשר לא ישא פנים ולא יקח שוחד? Hashem answers them: How can I not favor the Jews, I wrote in my Torah (also in this week’s Parsha) that they should say ברכת המזון when they are full, and they go so far as to say it even if they only eat a כזית.
R’ Shimon Schwab explains that it is relatively easy to be thankful to Hashem when we are full and have everything that we need. But it is far more impressive to be thanking Hashem when all we have is the bare minimum, only a כזית of bread. The fact that the Jewish people are still thankful to Hashem even when things are tough is what makes us find favor in His eyes.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantV’eschanan: Infinity, Condensed
The Torah refers to the עשרת הדברות as being קול גדול, ולא יסף. Targum Onkelos translates this as “a great voice, which did not stop” (simply understood, this means there was no pause in the עשרת הדברות). Rashi, however, translates לא יסף as ״it did not continue״ – the Jewish people never again heard Torah straight from Hashem.
Perhaps we can suggest that both are true. The voice of Hashem ended; there will never be a new Torah. Yet on the other hand, לא פסק, the voice of Hashem never ends. Within the finite Torah that has been given, an infinite amount of guidance can be gleaned. כל יום בת קול יצאת מהר חורב – Hashem continues to speak to us, through the Torah that has already been given.
The way that the עשרת הדברות themselves were given is indicative of this idea. Rashi cites the Medrash that at first, Hashem said all of the עשרות הדברות at once in a single word; only afterwards did He say each one separately. The same is true with all of Torah; each word contains an infinite amount of messages. Hashem is speaking to us, in our situation, every time we read from the Torah – we need only to listen to hear what He says.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613Participantהיום, אם בקולו תשמעו
On Tisha B’Av, we do not put on Tefillin in the morning; instead, we wait until Mincha.
R’ Moshe Wolfson suggests a beautiful interpretation for this practice. We know that when Moshiach will come, Tisha B’Av will become a Yom Tov – קרא עלי מעוד. And on a Yom Tov, we do not wear Tefillin.
Perhaps one of the reasons that we do not wear Tefillin on the morning of Tisha B’Ab is that we are still hoping Moshiach will come today, and today will become a Yom Tov on which we do not wear Tefillin.
לרפ״ש זאב בן גאלדא
Zugger613ParticipantHow can we cry, they ask – it’s been so long.
How can we not cry – it’s been so long! So long since we were where we’re supposed to be. But more than that; so long since we were who we are supposed to be.
We are supposed to be not just in Yerushalayim; we are supposed to be of Yerushalayim. We are supposed to spend every second of every day improving ourselves and improving our connection to Hashem. We are supposed to be constantly in a state of being מתענג מזיו השכינה. Instead, we spend the vast majority of our lives doing things that are at best mundane, and often far worse.
What we cry about isn’t a building from thousands of years ago. What cry about is ourselves, and how far we’ve fallen. We’ve fallen so far that we barely know who we are supposed to be.
על אלה אני בוכיה, עיני עיני ירדה מים…
Zugger613ParticipantDevorim: Recovery & Eternity
Rashi points out that Moshe only chose to rebuke Klal Yisroel for all that they did wrong at the end of his life, as did Yaakov before him. But in the lifecycle of the Jewish people, why was it appropriate for them to be reminded of their mistakes specifically as they were preparing to enter Eretz Yisroel under Yehoshua?
Based upon the Ramban & Maharal, R’ Ahron Lopiansky has a wonderful explanation. Moshe rebuked Klal Yisroel not only to remind them of the mistakes that they still needed to fix, but also to remind them that they were capable of fixing those same mistakes.
Moshe knew that Klal Yisroel would only stay in Eretz Yisroel so long as Hashem deemed them worthy of remaining there. But Moshe sought to reinforce to the nation that even when we made mistakes and were exiled, all would not be lost.
What makes our nation eternal is the ability to do Teshuva, to correct course after we’ve strayed. Our ability to recover and regain our exalted status is what ensures that we will eventually be worthy of returning to Eretz Yisroel, despite whatever Aveiros or Galus temporarily entangle us. No matter how low we’ve fallen, we can always recover.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
לרפ״ש זאב בן גאלדאZugger613ParticipantMassei: Moving On
R’ Asher Areilli expressed a beautiful thought on the passuk וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵרְפִידִ֑ם וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי
We know that רפידים is so named because it was there that the Jews were רפו ידיהם מן התורה, weakened their commitment to the Torah. And yet, pointed out R’ Asher, they were still able to move on to Har Sinai.Everybody has bad days. But you can’t let the inevitable bumps in the road make you forget your goal. Yes, you fell short. But you can still pick yourself up and keep going. Don’t let your failures define you.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantPinchas: Seeking a Shepherd
Moshe requested that Hashem choose an appropriate successor for the Jewish people after Moshe’s death, ולא תהיה עדת ה׳ כצאן אשר אין להם רועה, and that the nation of Hashem should not be left like sheep without a shepherd.
The Malbim explains the message behind this poetic phrase. He points out that a herd of sheep with no shepherd aimlessly follow the sheep in front of them. What the shepherd brings is not leadership, but vision; he guides the sheep towards something. So too, Moshe requested a leader with the vision to see what Klal Yisroel could become, and to guide them toward that goal.
The Rambam (הל׳ תשובה) writes that reason that we yearn for Moshiach is so that we should be able to study Torah and keep the Mitzvos properly, without the problems of Galus getting in the way.
The Rambam continues that Moshiach will be בעל חכמה יותר משלמה ונביא קרוב למשה, wiser than Shlomo and almost on the same level of Nevuah as Moshe. Moshiach will use these incredible abilities to guide the Jewish people, and the entire world, towards its ultimate goal: כי מלאה הארץ דעה את השם.
לרפ״ש זאב בן גולדה
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantFull מראה מקומות, with additional explanations:
זוהר (ויחי ס’):
וּמַה דְּאָמַר עָנִי, וְכִי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא עָנִי אִקְרֵי. אֶלָּא הָכִי אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, בְּגִין דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִדִּילֵיהּ וְקָרִינָן לֵיהּ מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ. דָּא הוּא סִיהֲרָא קַדִּישָׁא לְעֵילָא, דְּלֵית לָהּ נְהוֹרָא אֶלָּא מִשִּׁמְשָׁא.
פי’ האור החמה: בגין דלית ליה מדיליה כדפי’ לעיל: המלך המשיח שהיא משוחה משמן החכמה אמנם בעל שמן לא הוי אלא משיח מלמעלה כדפי’:בעל הטורים (במדבר כה, יב):
את בריתי שלום שלים כתיב והוא וי”ו קטיעא בפ”ג דקידושין כשהוא שלם. ד”א מתנה שלמה אני נותן לו י’ מתנות במקדש י’ במדינה (כי יו”ד במילוי גי’ כ’). ד”א ו’ קטיעא כי פנחס הוא אליהו וכן אליה כתיב חסר וי”ו ויעקוב מלא ו’ שנטל ו’ מאליהו למשכון עד שיבא עם המשיח ויגאל את בניו וזהו יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל ישמח אותיות משיח שישמח לימות המשיח ויחזור הוי”ו ויהא אליהו שלם:צרור המור (שמות כה, כג):
שמן למאור זה מלך המשיח. שנקרא זית רענן זית זך. לפי שעתיד להאיר לישראל מתוך החשך. דכתיב לאמר לאסורים צאו וגו’ וכתיב והלכו גוים לאורך.מהר”ל (נצח ישראל מ’):
נקרא ‘משיח’ כי קדושתו ביותר, ועל כן נקרא ‘משיח’. כי פלגא דקיסר יהיה קדוש, והקיסר שיהיה עליו הוא קודש קדשים, כי כל דבר שנמשח הוא קדוש לגמרי. ומפני מעלתו וקדושתו יהיה תחתיו אחר, והוא* כמו פלגא דקיסר, כי אין ראוי שיהיה הוא עצמו למנהיג, למעלת קדושתו שנקרא ‘משיח’. רק שיהיה תחתיו נשיא, והוא יהיה מנהיג, רק כי המשיח יהיה מנהיג בדברים האלקיים לגמרי.
וע”ע בגבורת ה’ ע’: ובפרק ד’ דנדרים (ל”ט ע”ב) תניא ז’ דברים נבראו קודם שנברא העולם… מה שאמר שמו של משיח ר”ל עצם מעלת המשיח מה שהוא מיוחד מבין שאר הנבראים מעלתו המיוחדת לו נקרא שמו, כי השם הוא מורה על דבר המיוחד בו מבין שאר הנמצאים, ולפיכך אף כי המשיח בעצמו לא נברא קודם שנברא העולם…, אבל שמו דהיינו מה שהוא מיוחד בו נברא קודם שנברא העולם שגזר השם יתברך קודם שנברא העולם על המעלה שלו המיוחדת לו וגזירתו יתברך היא הבריאה בעצמו.בן יהוידע (סנהדרין צח.):
כי בשם משיח באיזה זכות יבא כי מ”ם דמשיח משמשת במקום ‘מן’ ונמצא אותיות משיח הם ‘מן שיח’ והתורה נקראת שיחתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ונקראת שיחתן של צדיקים כמו שאמר דוד המלך ע”ה מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי (תהלים קיט, צז) וזו היא תשובתו של משיח שאמר לרבי יהושע בן לוי ‘הַיּוֹם אִם בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָעוּ’ (תהלים צה, ז) קֹלוֹ זו התורה שהיא שיחתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא…ליקויט מוהר”ן (תנינא א, יב):
וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה נִקְרָא מָשִׁיחַ, כִּי הוּא יוֹנֵק וּמְקַבֵּל מִשִּׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה, דְּהַיְנוּ כָּל הָרֵיחוֹת שֶׁבָּאִים בְּתוֹךְ הַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת חֹטֶם, בְּחִינַת: וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם וְכוּ’; וּמָשִׁיחַ מְקַבֵּל אוֹתָם בִּבְחִינַת: רוּחַ אַפֵּינוּ מְשִׁיחַ ה’, כַּנַּ”ל:Zugger613ParticipantShiva Assur b’Tammuz: Moshiach
Why do we constantly refer to to Moshiach by the title Moshiach, the anointed one? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call him the גאול, the redeemer?
The Baal HaTurim in this weeks Parsha (במדבר כה, יב) writes that we refer to משיח by that name because it is the letters of ישמח, since only his coming will gladden us.
The Zohar in Parshas Vayechi explains why we refer to Moshiach as the anointed one (following the pirush of the אור החמה). Just as one who is anointed with oil must be anointed from an external source, so too will Moshiach be channeling all his wisdom and vision from above. We will see Moshiach not just as a brilliant leader, but as one who channels the infinite wisdom of Hashem.
The צרור המור writes that we refer to Moshiach, one anointed with oil, since he will be the light that takes us out of the darkness, similar to an oil lamp.
לרפ״ש זאב בן גולדא
Zugger613ParticipantChukas: Speak Softly & Drop the Stick
We know that when Moshe hit the rock, instead of talking to it as Hashem had instructed, he was no longer allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel. But the reason given seems somewhat puzzling: “יען לא האמנתם בי”, because you did not cause Bnei Yisroel to believe in Me. What exactly was the lesson that the Jewish people was supposed to have learnt from witnessing Moshe talk to the rock that they didn’t see from him hitting the rock?
The Mahral explains that if the rock would have given water simply by request, Klal Yisroel would have seen a model image of Avodas Hashem: you should do what Hashem wants, because you want to do what Hashem wants you to do.
Instead, by seeing Moshe angrily hitting the rock, they were shown a very different image: of doing what Hashem said because you feel you have no choice, due to either threats or rewards that you just can’t ignore.
This difference in attitudes is so critical, writes the Mahral, that it is part of the very definition of Emunah. כי אין אמונה רק שיהיה” דרך רצון ושמחה” – the only way of serving Hashem with Emunah, is do so voluntarily and joyfully.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantKorach: Swallowed Up
Of all ways that Hashem could have punished Korach and his followers, why did He choose to have the ground swallow them up?
The Kli Yakar explains that this is an allusion to what Chazal tell us: אלמלא מוראה של מלכיות, איש את רעהו חיים בלעו – if not for the fear of authority, people would swallow each other alive.
Korach with his complaint of כל העדה כולם קדושם sought to eliminate the role of the leader of the Jewish people. However, all of society will break down if there is no authority keeping things firmly in place. The ground opening up and swallowing Korach was a perfect illustration of what was wrong with Korach’s approach, and what following Korach’s ideals would lead to.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantBamidbar: דגל התורה
The של״ה writes that the first three shevatim that traveled together, Yehuda, Yissachar, and Zevulun, represented the Torah.
Perhaps we can suggest that the names of the נשיאם of each Shevet give us a clue as to their unique contribution to the study and the spread of Torah.
The נשיא of Yehuda was נחשון בן עמינדב. Perhaps this shows that Nachshon and his shevet excelled in being שונה בנחת, teaching gently, the עם of Hashem (see שה״ש ז,ב where בנ״י are called בת נדיב). This can be seen in how Nachshon led by example, jumping into the ים סוף first.
The נשיא of Yissachar was נתנאל בן צוער. Perhaps this shows that the shevet of Yissachar would always toil in the Torah that Hashem gave (נתן קל) even when doing so entailed great sacrifice (צער).
The נשיא of Zevulun was אליאב בן חילון. Perhaps this shows that the shevet of Zevulun would always be focused on doing the will their Father in Heaven (אלי אב), even when they were doing things that were חול, seemingly mundane. Zevulun used their financial expertise to both support the Torah of Yissachar, and to show the nations of the world the beauty of Yiddishkeit.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantBehar: Embracing Uncertainty
The Kli Yakar has a fascinating explanation for the prohibition against Ribis, against charging another Jew interest for a loan.
The Kli Yakar writes that charging interest will take away a person’s bitachon. Every other business venture has some element of risk in it. Since a person does not know how much he will gain or lose in his business, this uncertainty will drive him to daven to Hashem. But someone who charges interest will think of themselves as having a steady, secure, and predictable income. This person will find it much harder to feel Hashem’s presence.
We all crave certainty and stability. But that sense of security can be stupefying, robbing us of one of the primary ways in which we connect to Hashem.
When a crack in the veneer of stability comes, as it always does, we should not waste it. We ought to use every crisis as an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Hashem, to turn to Him for help.
כי הוא קלי, וחי גאלי, וצור חבלי בעת צרהלע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantEmor: Secret of the Omer
We know from the Sefer HaChinuch that we count ספירה to show how much we look forward to receiving the Torah on Shavous. And yet, the Sefira is tied specifically to the Omer, a Korban we bring on Pesach. What is the connection between the Omer and accepting the Torah?
R’ Matisyahu Salomon suggested the following idea: The measurement of the Omer comes up in another place in the Torah. By the מן, each person ended up with exactly one Omer worth of מן, regardless of how much or how little they worked on collecting. From here we see that parnassa is in the hands of Hashem, and only He decides how much we ultimately take home, regardless of how much or how little we work.
One of the prerequisites for being mekabel the Torah is simply putting in the time necessary to learn. But somebody who thinks that how much they make depends on how hard they work may simply be too busy to learn. However, somebody who internalizes the idea of the Omer, that his material well-being is ultimately only up to Hashem, will be able to find time to learn the Torah.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantAcharei Mos: Two Mistakes
The Torah names two nations as the paradigm of the immorality that the Jewish people are to avoid: כמעשה ארץ מצרים… וכמעשה ארץ כנען… לא תעשו; do not copy the actions of Mitzrayim and Canaan. But why does the Torah need to give us two examples of what not to do?
R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that there can be two very different weaknesses that people have towards immorality:
The first is when a person gives up on themselves. When a person thinks of themselves as a lost cause, they lose the will to fight their temptations. When we were in Mitzrayim, we were denied the ability to become anything more than slaves. Instead of thinking too little of ourselves, we should realize that we have it within us to overcome our challenges.
The second mistake is the exact opposite. If a person thinks too highly of themselves, they will chafe at any restrictions that are placed on them. When something is forbidden to them, it only makes them want it more. This was the yetzer hara of כנען. We cannot think too little of ourselves, but we cannot think too much of ourselves either.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantPesach: Broken
R’ Shmuel Dovid Walkin was once asked the following question by his grandson: We know that the top Matza represents the Kohen, the middle Matza the Levi, and the bottom Matza the Yisroel. If so, why do we break the middle Matza to represent the pain of slavery? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to break the bottom Matza, since it represents those who actually went through the slavery?
R’ Walkin succinctly answered: “Who says you can only be broken by your own troubles?”
Indeed, this is one of the central themes of Pesach. Moshe was raised in the house oh Pharoh, yet he went out and felt the pain of his brothers – ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלותם. A key element of the Geulah was feeling the pain of another Jew and being broken at the thought of what they are going through.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantMetzora: Humility vs Control
Somebody who has had צרעת must bring a korban containing elements of both a high and mighty cedar tree and a lowly bush. Rashi explains that this is a message to the מצורע that the צרעת came about due to haughtiness, and that this person must work to lower himself.
R’ Zev Leff has a beautiful and succinct explanation of גאוה vs ענוה.
Gayvah is to believe that I made myself great, and that that give me rights. Anavah is to realize that Hashem made me great, and that that gives me responsibilities.Perhaps this is one of the lessons of צרעת itself. צרעת shows a person that he does not truly control his possessions (such as his house & clothes), his social life, or even his own body. Hashem can take any of these away in a heartbeat if they aren’t being used correctly, through צרעת or some other affliction. This is a reminder that our possessions and abilities should not be viewed as being our own, but rather as gifts from Hashem that create responsibilities to do for others.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantTazriah: עת לקרב ועת לרחק
The Torah tells about the tumah that affects people immediately after telling us which animal are tahor and which are not. Chazal explain that just as the creation of man only took place after the creation of the animals, so too is the תורת האדם only taught after the Torah first teaches us about the תורת הבהמה. But why would this seemingly tangential idea be called the תורת האדם, what does this tell us about the very nature of people?
R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that the nature of person is that there are times they go through stages of taharah, where they are particularly holy and close to Hashem. But every person also goes through times of tumah, where they are removed from Hashem. This is not just an accident. This is the very nature of man.
The avodah of person in their time of taharah is obvious – to relish being close to Hashem. But there is also an avodah to be accomplished in times of tumah, in times of disconnection. During those times of disconnection a person should recognize that they are distant from Hashem, and should internalize just how empty that disconnection is. By doing so, even the time of tumah will serve to accentuate the importance of קרבת ה׳.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantTzav: Serving Whom?
The Parsha opens with the Mitzva of תרומת הדשן, which simply understood means to clean off the מזבח from the ashes of yesterday’s Korbanos. Yet this seemingly lowly act is given as a mitzva, and the Kohen must perform it while wearing his special בגדי עבודה.
Based upon Rabbeinu Bachya, we can offset eh following explanation. It is very easy for a Kohen, or for anybody who is engaging in avodah Hashem in the public eye, to make a massive mistake. Our Avodah can easily stop being about Hashem, and become only about ourselves. “Look at me and all that I have accomplished” is a terrible attitude to go through life with, and that doesn’t change if the accomplishments that feed one’s ego happen to be spiritual in nature.
Therefore, the Kohen is commanded to put on his best בגדי כהונה, and take out the garbage. Nobody would pride themselves on cleaning ashes. The only motivation the Kohen has to do this Avodah, and to wear the בגדי כהונה to emphasize that it is an Avodah, is because they want to do what Hashem wants them to do. This drives home the point that the Avodah is for Hashem, not for the glory of the one performing it.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayikra: Living Like A Korban
Chazal refer to one who goes to their death rather than betray Hashem to as a Korban. This comparison is fairly simple to understand: both of them die for Hashem.
But there is a far more intriguing comparison which is brought down in Halacha. The Rema (או״ח קס״ז ה׳) and the Mishnah Berurah write that if one eats lishmah, for the sake of having strength to serve Hashem, the food they eat is like a Korban to Hashem. How are we to understand this?
The answer is that the Korban represents total dedication of every aspect of our lives to Hashem. Just as the Korban is slaughtered and burnt, so too must we be willing to give up our physical selves to serve Hashem. But the atonement of the Korban is not effectuated until the blood is sprinkled on the מזבח. This represents our heart and passion being focused solely on coming close to Hashem.
One way of proving one’s complete dedication to Hashem is to die for Him. But a far more impressive way of doing that is to live for Hashem. Somebody who dedicates every aspect of their lives, even such mundane things as eating, towards this noble goal can be said to be living the life of a Korban.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר ׳חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantPekudei: Mishkan vs Mikdash
There is no mitzva that the Torah gives as much detail to as the Mishkan. There are entire Parshiyos dedicated to spelling out the smallest detail of how we are to make the Mishkan. Yet when it comes to building the Beis HaMikdosh, the Torah is strangely silent. It wasn’t until Dovid HaMelech was moved on his own to build a Beis HaMikdosh that any Nevuah about it was given. Why is the approach to these two very similar Mitzvos so different?
The Mishkan was something that Hashem instructed us to create. But since the impetus came from Hashem, not from us, the Mishkan couldn’t last. The only things that stay with a person are what they themselves. Since Dovid HaMelech, the quintessential Jewish king, was the impetus for the Beis HaMikdosh, it was far more permanent in nature, and it will therefore be rebuilt.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVaykhel: Fire 🔥
Of all the 39 melachos, only one is specified in the Torah: lighting a fire. To add another layer of mystery as to why this particular melacha was chosen, the Zohar adds the prohibition against lighting a fire includes getting angry (igniting the the fire of anger) on Shabbos.
R’ Aron Lopiansky explains this by looking at the root of anger. Anger almost always comes from a place of frustration. Somebody who feels that they could be accomplishing something, but that they are being held from doing so, gets angry.
But Shabbos is supposed to be the antithesis of that very mindset. On Shabbos, we acknowledge that we do not run the world. Hashem made the world, and only He continues to control it.
A person only feels frustration and anger at a perceived loss of control, if they believe they were in control in the first place. Hence כל הכועס, כאילו עובד ע״ז.
One who truly appreciates Shabbos and acknowledges that Hashem alone controls the world, will not feel the fire of anger.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantKi Sisa: Remember What Counts
The Parsha opens with a warning: if you count Bnei Yisroel, there will be a plague. And indeed the Gemora tells us that in the times of דוד המלך Bnei Yisroel were counted, and a deadly plague began to spread which killed exactly 100 people a day. So to stop the plague, דוד decreed that everybody should make 100 brachos every day. But how does counting brachos counteract counting people?
Why would a king want to count his people? Simple: he wants to assess the might of his kingdom. But that is based on a false worldview. The security and prosperity of a nation is not determined by its population, but rather by Hashem. Counting the people shows a false sense of security, as if we determine our destiny and not the Almighty.
Brachos are the exact opposite. A bracha is an affirmation that this is Hashem’s world, and He controls everything. We acknowledge that all that we have comes only from Hashem.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantTezaveh: Looking Inside
The Gemara tells us that the מעיל of the Kohen Gadol atones for lashon hara. Presumably, that means there is some lesson that we can learn from the מעיל that will help us avoid the pitfall of lashon hara. But what is that lesson?
Based on the Vilna Goan, R’ Lopiansky explains that the message lies in the fact that the מעיל is tucked into itself. The passuk stresses that the hem of the מעיל must be tucked back within itself: והיה פי ראשו בתוכו. This sense of internality, of looking inside oneself, is key to avoiding lashon hara.
All too often, we evaluate ourselves by comparing ourself to those around us. This is often why we are tempted to put others down; by speaking badly about others, we feel better about ourselves.
The message of the מעיל is to look inside one’s own self. Don’t try to see how you measure up to others. Our sense of success ought to be based on to what extent we are living up to our own potential. One who lives with that attitude will not feel the need to put down others to feel better about themselves.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantTerumah: Actualizing the Ephemeral
There is an interesting tension in the collection of materials collecting for the Mishkan. On the one hand, there is a strong emphasis on the נדבת לב, the giving of the heart. On the other hand, there is no mitzva that the Torah that the Torah gives as specific instructions for as building of the Mishkan. How are we to understand the relationship between doing the mitzva because we want to, while doing it exactly the way that Hashem wants it done?
R’ Lopiansky answers that the Mishkan has to start with what’s in our hearts. We need to feel that yearning to connect with Hashem.
But a feeling that is never put into practice will never amount to anything. If a feeling is not acted on, it will wither away and die.
The Mishkan is where we pour our feelings into to make sure they stay with us. All the precise details of the Mishkan are meant to be applications of what we feel in our hearts. By making them real to ourselves, we will be able to incorporate these feelings into the way we live our lives.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantMishpatim: Serving A Greater Cause
Of all the ways to begin Mishpatim, the Torah chose to start with the halachos of עבד עברי. What does this reveal to us about how we are to approach Mishpatim, the laws of the Torah that we can understand with our own intellect?
R’ Lopiansky explains that an עבד is somebody who is considered only an extension of his master. That is why anything that an עבד acquires becomes property of his master. A proper עבד does not have a will of his own; he lives to carry out the will of somebody else.
This is how we are to approach all of mishpatim. גדול המצווה ועושה יותר ממי שאינו מצוה ועושה – it is better to do a mitzva because Hashem has commanded it than to do a mitzva voluntarily. If we do a mitzva because its moral lesson resonate with us, we are attaching ourselves to that sense of morality. But when we do a mitzva because Hashem has commanded that we do it, we are connecting ourselves to Hashem Himslef. By making His will into our will, we have made ourselves an extension of Him.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantYisro: Your Turn
Hashem tells us in this week’s Parsha: וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי,
I brought you on eagle’s wings to Me. What is this referring to?R’ Dovid Soloveitchik explains that Bnei Yisroel were on the 49th level of impurity in Mitzrayim, and yet 49 days later they were hearing Hashem at Har Sinai. How could they have changed so quickly?
This Passuk is the answer. Hashem lifted them up miraculously, not just physically, but spiritually as well. By showing us so many miracles in Mitzrayim and Yam Sof, Hashem left us with no choice but to believe in Him.
But as the next Passuk makes clear, after Kabbalas HaTorah the opposite is true. Now it’s all up to you: וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙
Hashem lifted us to the heights of ruchniyus, so that we could see what it’s like. But now our job is to climb to those elevated heights ourselves.
From now on, only our choices and our actions will determine how close we are to Hashem.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantBishalach: Seeing Double
We know that the reason we have לחם משנה on Shabbos is to remember that a double portion of Mun fell on Friday in preparation for Shabbos. The Medrash cites many other examples of doubling having to do with Shabbos, from זכור ושמור to the Shabbos Korban of two sheep.
What does it say about Shabbos that everything about is doubled?
R’ Lopiansky explains that this goes to the heart of what it means when we say that Shabbos is מעין עולם הבא. In עולם הבא, the reward that we get is not like a salary, which is entirely independent of the work that we did. Rather, the pleasure we receive is built upon the satisfaction of our accomplishments in this world. In the next world, we are able to truly appreciate all that we have already done.
That is why Shabbos is marked by the double portion that fell on Friday. On Shabbos, we are able to appreciate the ruchniyus in all the work that we have done during the six days of the week.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantBo: It Wasn’t Me
The של״ה writes that the mitzva of matza teaches us humility. From the simple tasting and and lowly matza, we learn to not be full of ourselves.
Asked R’ Mattisyahu Solomon, doesn’t the Torah explicitly write the reason we eat matza: to remember that we left Mitzrayim so quickly that the dough didn’t have time to rise? How does the של״ה fit with what is says in the פסוקים?
R’ Mattisyahu answers this based on a מהר״ל. The מהר״ל asks: why it that of the things that happened when we left Mitzrayim, why do we have a mitzva to commemorate that we left before the dough could rise?
The מהר״ל answers that there is danger that when future generations tell the story of leaving Mitzrayim, they will make the story about themselves. They will forgot what Hashem did, and claim that our ancestors broke free on their own.
By remembering that we left when it was inconvenient for us, when we were unprepared to go, we remember that Hashem is the one rescued us.
Explains R’ Mattisyahu, this is what the של״ה means when he says matza teaches us humility. It teaches us that Hashem is responsible for our successes, and we shouldn’t attribute them to ourselves.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantThe Necessity of Destruction
Moshe had previously complained to Hashem; למה הרעותה לעם הזה, למה זה שלחתני – why did you send me to Pharoh, he only made things worse for the people?
Hashem answers by saying that now He will reveal His true middos. But why was it necessary for the situation to get worse before it could get better?
Based on the מהר״ל, R’ Lopainsky explains that to make something truly new, a fresh start is required.
If Klal Yisroel had attempted to become the עם ה׳ without first shaking off the dust they had accumulated in Mitzrayim, they couldn’t have succeeded. Any Egyptian identity and outlook that Klal Yisroel had picked up in the past two hundred and ten years needed to be destroyed.
This phase of destruction that Moshe was aghast about was wiping the slate clean, getting the nation ready for a new beginning. As is so often the case, the destruction was setting up an opportunity to create something even better.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantShemos: The Advantage of the Bitterness
The Parsha tells us that the Egyptians made our lives miserable: וימררו את חייהם. But what is interesting is that from this Passuk, we learn out the mitzva of having Marror. What lesson is there to learned from remembering how bitter Galus was after it’s already ended?
R’ Matisyahu Salomon has a beautiful explanation, based on writings of R’ Yisroel Salanter. We know that how much reward a person gets for doing a mitzva depends on how much effort they put in to it – לפום צרעא, אגרא. Therefore, those few Mitzvos that one manages to accomplish when things are very difficult can count for many times more than Mitzvos that came to one easily.
The fact that life was so difficult in Mitzrayim gave every action that Klal Yisroel did special meaning. Every word of Tefillah that they uttered in those trying times pierced the heavens – ותעל שועתם אל אלקים מן העבודה. The very bitterness of the exile was what gave Klal Yisroel’s Teffilos the power to set them free.
This lesson is important for all generations. When things seem so difficult, we must remember that every Mitzva we do and every Teffilah we utter is now all the more precious to Hashem. We can never know just how much our “small” things can accomplish precisely when the going gets tough.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayechi: Stay Thirsty
In the Bracha of המלאך, Yaakov says וידגו לרוב בקרב הארץ, may they multiply manyfold in the midst of the land. The Gemara sees in the word וידגו a hint to fish (דג), which multiply quickly. What are we supposed to learn from this?
The Chidushei HaRim explains this based on another Gemora. Despite the fact that fish are surrounded by water, they always come to the surface to taste the “fresh”drops of rain. So too, says the Gemora, תלמידי חכמים who “live” with the Torah are still excited to hear something new.
And yet, points out the Chidushei HaRim, the Passuk says we should be like fish בקרב הארץ, when we are on dry land. We should never stop seeking inspiration from the Torah, both when we are immersed in its depths, and when life keeps us busy with the mundane tasks of this world.
This Bracha is particularly appropriate for Menashe and Ephraim. Menashe and Ephraim grew up alone in Mitzrayim. They could not spend their days only in the Beis Medrash; they worked for their father, who ran the country. And yet even so, they never stopped thirsting for Torah and a connection to Hashem.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayigash: Seeing the Hidden
The Parsha tells us that seventy members of Yaakov’s family went down to Mitzrayim. But as Rashi famously points out, only 69 names are mentioned. Quoting the Medrash, Rashi writes that the missing name is Yocheved, who was born “between the walls” en route to Mitzrayim.
R’ Aaron Lopainsky explains that this hints to an important role that Yocheved played in bridging two worlds. Yocheved grew up seeing Yaakov and the Shevatim, seeing the Jewish nation at its best. She then lived through Galus Mitzrayim, seeing the nation at its darkest and most difficult moments.
But as bad as things got, Yocheved never let go of that vision of what the Jewish people could be. That is why Yocheved is the one to compete the count, even though her name is hidden; she was the one who could see the complete picture of her people, even when nobody else could.
Since Yocheved retained that vision of what was possible, she was able to raise a son that made that vision a reality.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantMikeitz: Who’s Serving Who?
The Medrash in this week’s Parsha makes a fascinating comparison. In Paroh’s dream, he saw himself standing over his god – ופרעה חולם והמה עומד על היאור. But when Yaakov dreamed, he saw God standing over him – והנה ה׳ נצב עליו. What is this Medrash trying to tell us?
R’ Simcha Wasserman explains that these dreams show how each person saw themselves in relationship to what they considered to be Divine.
Paroh worshiped the Nile in an attempt to get it to irrigate his crops. He saw himself standing over his god, because he wanted it to serve his needs.
This is also why Paroh practiced polytheism. He would “worship” any power that he thought might be able to help him. In reality, all he cared about was himself.
Yaakov was the opposite. He saw God standing over him. He viewed religion as being about us serving God, rather than God serving us. Everything he did was to come closer to and to develop a relationship with the one and only God.
In Judaism, we serve God, not the other way around. We do not keep the Torah and Mitzvos as a way of trying to get Hashem to do what we want Him to do. We do it because it is what He wants, and it is how we develop a relationship with Him.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayeishev: Cover-Up
When the brothers decided to kill Yosef, Yehudah tried to talk them out of it. He asked his brothers: מה בצע כי נהרג את אחינו, what do we gain by killing our brother, וכסינו את דמו, and by covering up his blood? But what was the added message of Yehudah referring to the covering up of the blood, after he already tried to talk them out of killing Yosef?
R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz is said to have had a fascinating explanation. The brothers ddi have a justification for why they wanted to kill Yosef. They held he was מוריד במלכות; that he was plotting to usurp the rightful place of the other brothers, or even that he wanted to entirely push them out of the being a part of the Jewish nation.
Yehudah chose not to directly address this charge. Instead he asked them: then why are you hiding? If you thought killing Yosef is the right thing to so, you would do so openly. Instead, you want to kill him in secret, and tell the world a wild animal got to him. The fact that you are not willing to publicly stand by what you claim to believe shows that you are lying to yourselves, and that deep down you know that.
We all have our internal justifications for why we do what we do. But if we’re embarrassed to admit them out loud, it’s a good sign that we don’t truly believe them.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayishlach: Till Dawn
A famous passuk in this week’s Parsha tells us: ויותר יעקב לבדו ויאבק איש עמו עד עלות השחר, Yaakov was left alone, and an individual struggled with him till dawn. Chazal see this as being symbolic of the the Jewish people, left all alone, having to fight the nations of the world through the dark and terrifying “night” of Galus.
But R’ Shamshon Raphael Hirsch points out that Yaakov does not win this war at the end. Instead, at dawn, the struggle just stops. Why is that?
R’ Hirsch explains that the purpose of history will not be accomplished by the descendants of Yaakov forcing the nations of the world to do what is right. Rather, at the end of time, the truth will dawn on them. They will suddenly see the light, and realize that the very Jewish ideals and principles that they have fought so hard against are what will bring happiness, security, and fulfillment to all of the nations of the world.
The nations of the world will not give up their fight against us because we beat them. Rather, they will eventually come to the realization that we were right all along.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantToldos: Don’t Denigrate
Chazal tell us that Eisav was quite busy on the day of his Bar Mitzva. He committed murder, adultery, and was כופר בעיקר. And yet, the Torah explicitly tells us only one thing that Eisav did wrong: ויבז עשו את הבכורה, Eisav denigrated his original position as the Bechor. Of all things to focus on, why does the Torah pick that?
Based on the writings of R’ Shimon Schwab, this becomes clear. No matter what one does wrong, Teshuva is always an option – it’s never too late to come back. However, somebody who denigrates their very connection to Hashem, who constantly reinforces to themselves that religion is something they want to stay away from, will be extremely unlikely to ever come back.
After Eisav gave away his birthright to bring Korbanos for nothing but a bowl of soup, he doubled down on his decision. He went around actively denigrating his connection to Hashem as being worthless, as being something he had no interest in. Once he crossed that line, it would be very unlikely for him to come back.
We all make mistakes. But at the very least, we should make sure not to burn our bridges back home.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayeitzei: Out Of Many, One
The Medrash Rabbah tells us that Yaakov knew that the Jewish nation was going to be comprised of twelve Shevatim. He knew that Avraham and Yitzchak had not been chosen to raise those twelve Shevatim, and he hoped to be the one to do so.
When he lay down at Har HaMoriah, he placed twelve stones around his head. When he woke up and saw that the twelve stones had merged into one, he knew he had been chosen.
Asks R’ Betzalel Rudinsky, isn’t this symbolism backwards? Shouldn’t the obvious sign of having twelve Shevatim be one rock splitting into twelve?
Based on the Pirkei D’ Rebbi Eliezer, the answer becomes obvious. Raising twelve tribes is great, but that wasn’t Yaakov’s entire goal. Yaakov’s goal was to raise twelve Shevatim that would still consider themselves one people. Each Shevet would have its own characteristics, its unique strengths and weaknesses. But each would work for the good of the nation as a whole, not for their personal gain.
Yaakov was not looking to be split into twelve. He wanted to have twelve very different Shevatim, who would all come together to form Klal Yisroel.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantChayei Sarah: יפה שיחתן
The Torah is usually very sparing with its words; there are entire Mitzvos described only in a few short Pesukim. And yet, the Parsha repeats the instructions Avraham gave Eliezer on how to find Rivka once when Avraham told them to Eliezer, and then gives another equally detailed account of Eliezer repeating his instructions to Lavan and Besual. What is this supposed to teach us?
Perhaps we can explain this with a mashal. Imagine somebody attempting to explain the power of a nuclear bomb:
One way to try to explain it could be by pointing out that the core of the explosion is about a hundred million degrees Celsius. But that’s very hard for anybody to relate to – nobody can possibly imagine how hot that it.
A far more accessible explanation is that an atom bomb can immediately vaporize a person standing miles away from the epicenter. By describing things that we can relate to that happen at the periphery of the blast zone, we can get some appreciation for how powerful the explosion must be at its core.
It’s very difficult for us to relate to the strength of Abraham’s convictions. So instead, we focus on the conversation that Eliezer has with Lavan. At the end of that conversation, Lavan responds: מה׳ יצא הדבר, לא נוכל דבר עליו רע או טוב.
Just having a conversation with Eliezer made such an impact on Lavan that his only response was “Everything is up to Hashem, I have no power to affect anything”. From the fact that Avraham’s servant’s convictions were strong enough to have such an effect on the wicked Lavan , we can have some appreciation for the strength of Avraham’s convictions.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613Participant*Vayeira: A Shining Example*
How did Yerushalayim get its name? Rashi quotes a Medrash that Shem called the city שלם, while Avraham called it יראה immediately after the Akeida when he said בהר ה׳ יראה. Hashem combined both of these names into ירושלם.
Based on the writing of the Gra, R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains the meaning of this. Shem brought שלימות into the world – he was the last remaining link to Noach and Adam, and he bore the idea that there is one Hashem.
But Avraham was more than that. Avraham made the world see what it could be. At the time of the Akeida, Avraham’s actions showed the world what Avodas Hashem looks like in its most pristine form, how a human being could reach the level where all he cares about is doing what Hashem wants him to do.
R’ Aaron Lopiansky compares this to a mirror. The first thing you want in a mirror is for it to be complete – if it is broken or cracked, it will not function. But a mirror’s purpose is not just to be whole. It exists to reflect light – if it cannot do that, it is useless.
This is what Yerushalyim stands for: we must have not only a complete set of beliefs, but also shining ideals that guide us in all that we do.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantLech Lecha: Inspired by the Emptiness
The Parsha begins with Hashem’s first command to Avram: לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך, go from your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house, אל הארץ אשר אראך, to the land that I will show you.
R’ Aaron Lopiansky asks, why do we need the whole first half of the command? Wouldn’t it be enough to tell Avram where to go to? Why did Hashem go into so much detail about the place Avram was leaving from?
He answers that the place Avram was leaving was actually the impetus for his journey. Avram grew up under Nimrod, in a land of idolatry. But because he grew up with it, he appreciated just how empty it was. His exposure to an ideology that he knew to be false was what inspired him to seek the truth.
Sometimes, we are drawn to do the right thing by an appreciation for what is good. But sometimes, we are drawn to what is right because we are repulsed by the evil of what is wrong. The very emptiness of the world around us can be what inspires us to seek out something more.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום -
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