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Terumah: Satisfied?

The Kli Yakar has interesting observation about the measurements of the כלים of the משכן listed in the Parsha: the dimensions of the ארון (2.5 Amos long, 1.5 wide, 1.5 tall) end exclusively in half-measurements, while the most of the measurements of the שולחן (2 Amos long, 1 wide, 1.5 tall) end in whole numbers. Why the difference in measurements?

The Kli Yakar suggests that the message here is that by ruchniyos, we should never be satisfied with what we have. We should view our current accomplishments as being incomplete, and always be looking for opportunities for further growth.

But when it comes to our material belongings, the opposite is true. We should focus on being satisfied with what we have, on being מתפק במעוט and שמח בחלקו. (As for the half measurement of the height of the שולחן, the Kli Yakar interprets it to be a warning not to be haughty due to one’s material success.)

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bo: Emunah Always

The Ramban at the end of this weeks parsha asks, why are so many of the mitzvos זכר ליציאת מצרים?

He explains that some believe that Hashem created the world, but think that He no longer controlled it. Through the ten makkos, Hashem proved not only that He exists, but that He controls everything that happens, and nobody else does.

But the makkos were a long time ago. With time, people might forget that everything that happens is from Hashem. That is why we need so many mitzvos, to remind us that Hashem runs the world.

The Ramban then takes this a step further. He writes that the purpose of the נסים המופרסמים, the obvious miracles, is that we should recognize that what we think of as “nature” is in fact נסים נסתרים, no less miraculous just because it happens more often.

Water to turning blood is obviously the hand of Hashem; but that ought to remind us that Hashem gives us water every day. Why should we consider one to be more miraculous than the other?

The Ramban goes so far as to write:
‎אין לאדם חלק בתורת משה רבינו עד שנאמין בכל דברינו ומקרינו שכולם נסים אין בהם טבע ומנהגו של עולם.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayishlach: Legs of Eternity

The Torah tells us that when the Malach of Eisav struggled with Yaakov, וירא כי לא יכול לו, ויגע בכף ירכו. But how can we say that he saw he could not win if the very next words inform us that he did inflict damage on Yaakov’s hip?

R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that the influence of Eisav can never succeed in changing the essence of Yaakov and his children. We are simply too committed to our cause and to our God to be swayed. Therefore all that the nations can do is to physically stop us from carrying out our plans.

The Malach saw that he could not win; he could not change the essence of who Yaakov and his children are. He saw he could only try to affect Yaakov’s “legs”, which symbolize our ability to bring our ideals to fruition. He tries to make the world into a goal of its own, instead of being a means to a greater end. And conversely, it is our job to try to fix this world, to turn it into a place where we can all connect to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayeira: Never Say Never

When Sarah overheard what seemed to be three simple Arabs bless her to have a child, she laughed. After all, she was almost 90, and having a child seemed physically impossible.

However, Hashem rebukes Sarah for this laughter. R’ Moshe Feinstein explains that we must believe that Hashem can do anything, and to dismiss anything as being impossible is at odds with that belief.

R’ Moshe goes on to explain Sarah’s response, ותכחש שרה לאמר לא צחקתי כי יראה not as a false denial motivated by fear, but rather as Sarah’s explanation of her actions. Sarah told Avraham that she laughed כי יראה, “because I saw” that this wish simply isn’t possible. To which Avraham answers: “No”, nothing is impossible.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bereishis: An Unfinished Work

Almost all of creation came into existence by the word of Hashem – He declared each thing should be, and it was. But man was created differently: by the hand, not the word, of Hashem.

Once spoken, a word can not be changed. However a hand can always continue to create. All of creation is set and fixed in its role, with one exception. The role and nature of a person is not predestined; each person decides, by their own choice, exactly what they will accomplish.

We know that man is created בצלם אלוקים. Obviously this can’t be referring to a physical similarity, because Hashem has no physical form. Rather it means that just like Hashem is a creator, man too can create. No other part of creation can act of its own free volition, deciding its own destiny.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayelech: Reconnecting

Hashem tells Moshe some bad news in this weeks Parsha: after Moshe dies, the people will stray from the path, no longer doing what they are supposed to do and being who they are supposed to be. The consequences will be dire, mostly along the theme of: והסתרתי פני מהם, I will hide my face from them. If they turn their backs on me, I will turn my back them. There is no greater punishment than this. If you don’t want to develop a relationship with your Father in heaven, then you just won’t have one.

The מבי״ט writes in בית אלוקים that although חרטה and עזיבת החטא are necessary components of Teshuva, they are not the actual essence of Teshuva. Teshuva literally means to return. If someone gets into a fight with a loved one, it is not enough to merely say sorry; they have to rebuild the relationship in order for it to go back to being what it used to be. Teshuva is that process of making it up to Hashem, of fixing what we broke, of coming back to once again be with Him.

‎לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
‎לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Ki Savo: Work Hard

The Meforshim are bothered by several questions on the Pasuk of אֲרַמִּי֙ אֹבֵ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַיֵּ֣רֶד מִצְרַ֔יְמָה: First of all, what does Lavan bothering Yaakov have to do with going down to Mitrayim? Secondly, why does the Pasuk seem to imply that Lavan did destroy Yaakov if he was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so?

The Kli Yakar has a fascinating explanation. He writes that on some level, Lavan did destroy Yaakov. From the time they spent together, Yaakov was affected by Lavan’s attitude towards this world. This why Yaakov was ביקש לישב בשלוה, slightly too concerned with his comfort in this world. And that is why Klal Yisroel had to go down to Mitzrayim; by experiencing being forced into backbreaking labor, they were able to internalize that אדם לעמל יולד.

‎לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
‎לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Shoftim: Monkey See, Monkey Do

There is a mitzva in this weeks parsha to appoint a Jewish King. And yet, when Bnei Yisroel approached Shmuel HaNavi about doing just that, they were rebuked for it. How can that be?

The Ohr HaChaim explains that although the Jews of that generation were trying to do the right thing, they were doing it for the wrong reason. They didn’t want a king to fulfill the mitzva of Hashem: they just wanted to be like the nations around them, which all had kings. (This is supported by the observation of the Tur that Bnei Yisroel only asked for king in days of Shmuel, since that is when the Pilishtim began to have kings.)

Don’t live your life as a copy of somebody else, even if that person is doing everything right. You have to figure out what’s right for you, and do it for the right reasons.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Eikev: Do It Right

Rashi famously writes that the Brachos in this week’s parsha are destined for those who keep מצוות קלות אשר דש בעקביו, the mitzvos that a person step on with his heel. This is generally understood to be referring to “small” mitzvos that some people ignore.

However, R’ Moshe Feinstein writes that this is referring to the big mitzvos as well. He points out that Klal Yisroel were praised for accepting the Torah and mitzvos unconditionally when they said נעשה ונשמע, since they were willing to put aside their own opinions about right and wrong and completely obey Hashem’s Torah and mitzvos.

And yet, says R’ Moshe, when it comes to the biggest mitzvos, such as learning Torah and giving Tzedaka, many people just do whatever they feel is right, without ever asking a shayla about what they should be doing or how they should be doing it.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

V’eschanan: See Who You Can Be

Before his death, Moshe sought to recap all that had happened to Klal Yisroel in his lifetime, putting special emphasis on the things that needed improvement. Moshe did not hold back, letting the nation know exactly what their mistakes were.

Yet constantly interspersed with this rebuke is a tremendous amount of praise. Moshe constantly emphasizes how special Klal Yisroel is, the chosen nation of Hashem. כי מי גוי גדול אשר לו אלוקים קרובים אליו

The Ran explains that these two elements are both necessary and complimentary. As long as a person has not acknowledged his mistakes and shortcomings, he has no chance of fixing them. But it is not enough to just point these things out. A person also has to believe that he is capable of being better than he is now, that he can rise above his shortcomings, that he has the potential within him to be great. Only when a person sees both where they are and where they can reach can they excel.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Mattos: Learn From All

When Bnei Gad and Reuven asked Moshe if they could live on the other side of the Yarden, outside of Eretz Yisroel proper, Moshe wasn’t very happy. How can you abandon your brothers, he asked them? Bnei Gad and Reuven answered that they would stay with the rest of the nation until the entire Eretz Yisroel was conquered, and each Shevet settled their specific portion of it. We can easily understand why they were needed during the war, but what was the point of watching everyone else split up the land?

Perhaps we can suggest that Moshe was not only worried whether the Shevatim would not help each other during war and hardship. He wanted them to be together as one people in times of peace as well. Each Shevet is a piece of the greater whole, and each has a lesson to teach the others. Only when we spend time seeing how others go about living their lives can we learn from them what we might be able to do better.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Balak: אין הדבר תלי אלא בי

Rashi on this week’s parsha asks the obvious question: if Bilaam was such a rasha, how did he have nevuah? Rashi answers that the reason Hashem spoke to Bilaam was just so that the nations of the world would not be able to complain that they did not have Neviim to guide them like Klal Yisroel did. So Hashem gave them a Navi, and he only made things worse.

However, this answer is quite puzzling. The nations still seem to have a valid complaint: if we had had a Navi who wasn’t a rasha, maybe we could have been better.

Perhaps we can suggest that the message here is a bit deeper. The nations believed that if only they had somebody with nevuah to guide them, they’d behave. But Bilaam was living proof that if somebody does not want to do what is right, not only won’t having a Navi change them, but even being a Navi won’t help them. All the guidance and heavenly intervention in the world will do nothing for somebody who does not want to be better.

God given gifts will not change a person or a people. The only one who can change you is you.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Korach: Keeping the Balance

When discussing the Terumah that must always be given to the Kohanim, the Torah refers to it as ברית מלח עולם. Why is salt used as a metaphor for the everlasting?

Rabeinu Bachya has a fascinating explanation. He says that since salt is produced by cooking water, salt is a mixture of water and fire. So too, Hashem’s promises are eternal because they are composed of both מידת הרחמים (represented by water) and מידת הדין (fire).

R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that if Hashem only gave us exactly what we deserve (דין), we couldn’t survive. But if Hashem gave us everything without our deserving it, we would become spoiled instead of productive. The balance is crucial.

A similar idea applies in our own lives. If we do what is right only out of a sense of obligation, we will eventually run out of willpower. If we do it only out of idealism and inspiration, we will eventually get disheartened. There needs to be a balance of different motivations, יראה and אהבה, for us to keep at it.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bamidbar: Free For All

The Medrash tells us that Torah is compared to a desert; just as a desert is הפקר לכל, free to all, so too the Torah is only given to one who makes themselves available to all, מי שמפקיר עצמו לכל.

Perhaps we can suggest that this why our Parsha, which is focused on counting all of the Jews, begins with mentioning the midbar. Just like the desert is accessible to all, only somebody who is there for every single Jew can become a teacher and leader of the people.

The Torah is not given to any one individual; Hashem promised it to the nation as a whole. The best way to ensure that Hashem gives you access to the light of the Torah is to approach learning Torah not for your individual satisfaction, but as a representative of the people.

וכמש״כ המהר״ל באבות: ולפיכך אמר “מי שלמד על מנת ללמד, מספיקין בידו ללמוד וללמד”. כי כאשר כונתו שתהיה התורה בעולם, כאשר ראוי לפי האמת שתהיה התורה בעולם, מספיקין בידו ללמוד וללמד כפי כונתו שרצה.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Emor: Live Life

We know that a Kohen may not become טמא by coming into contact with a dead body. But why is that?

R’ Shamshon Rephael Hirsch explains that in many other religions, a priest’s job only relates to death. These religions think that religion is only an explanation for where we go when we die, but not a set of instructions for how we should live our lives while we’re here.

We believe just the opposite. Once somebody has died, it’s too late for them to change. Our religion is all about improving ourselves while we still can. The Kohanim are forbidden from dealing with the dead in order to emphasize that our religion is about life, not death.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

*Tazria-Metzora: Get the Hint*

Chazal tell us that צרעת would afflict those who spoke lashon hara. The meforshim point out that the treatment of a one who has צרעת seems to emphasize this message: just as lashon hara causes people to turn away from one another, so too a מצורע is sent away from society.

The Sefer HaChinuch suggests that the takeaway message from all this is that nothing happens to us for no reason. If we find ourselves suffering from some sort of sickness or trouble, it is important for us to realize that Hashem is trying to tell us something. By examining Hashem is doing to us, we can attempt to see what messages He is trying to tell us.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Shemini: Get Ready

R’ Dovid Feinstein asks why the Torah refers to the day the Mishkan was erected as the eighth day of the Mishkans preparations; why wasn’t it referred to as the first day of the Mishkan’s completion?

He suggests that this is to teach us the importance of preparing to do a mitzva. The time we spend getting ready for Pesach and the like should not be viewed merely as a necessary chore; they are an integral part of the process of the mitzva.

The time and effort we spend preparing for a mitzva do more than ensure that the mitzva is done properly. The more time and effort we spend preparing, the more we will view mitzva as being important. And the more we view the mitzva as being important, the more of an effect it will have on how we conduct the rest of our lives.

This idea is also integral to ספירת העומר – if we want the Torah to change who we are, we must prepare ourselves first.

לע״נ דוד חיים בו ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בו ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayikra: What Lasts

We know that somebody who does one of various aveiros is supposed to bring a Korban. But how does killing an animal fix what he has done wrong?

The Sefer HaChinuch explains that a Korban is supposed to drive home the idea that nothing physical lasts forever. Just as this animal graphically met its end, one day our bodies will cease to exist. Our bodies and physical needs therefore should not be the main focus of our lives.

This is supposed to inspire us to think about the parts of ourselves that will last past the day of death, the attributes that an animal does not have: our intellect and our neshama. One who focuses their life on the needs of their spiritual selves is on track to lead a productive and meaningful life.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכנן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bump

*Teruma: Spokespeople*

Inside the ארון were some of the most consequential items in all of history: the pieces of the first luchos, the second luchos, and the original Sefer Torah that Moshe wrote. And yet, when Hashem spoke to Moshe, his voice did not emanate from inside the ארון. Instead, the voice came from in between the כרובים on the top of the ארון. Why was that?

Perhaps we can suggest that this goes to show that the Torah is not supposed to exist as an interesting intellectual book on a shelf. Hashem’s Presence is only felt when people, symbolized by the כרובים, live their lives based on the Torah.

The Mishkan, the Beis HaMikdosh, and the Torah itself are only there to teach us how to live our lives in accordance with Hashem’s will. But it is up to us to live up to these ideals in our own lives, and only through our actions can Hashem’s Presence be felt.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Yisro: ‘Cuz I Said So

R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch has a beautiful explanation of what Bnei Yisroel meant when they said נעשה ונשמע:

First comes the נעשה; we keep the mitzvos because Hashem told us to, for only by obeying Him can we develop a relationship with Him.

Then comes the נשמע. This is when we try to listen to the messages behind the mitzvos, to figure out from the mitzvos how to lead the rest of our lives.

But the נשמע, the lessons we take from the mitzvos, are themselves a part of the נעשה, obeying Hashem. We don’t keep the moral lessons of the mitzvos because we happen to like them. We accept them as correct because they are God given, a part of Hashem’s mitzvos.

Morals that human beings make up change every decade, because they are based on nothing more than passing feelings and fads. Only a morality based on the eternal word of Hashem can last forever.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vaeira: Equality For All

Rashi points out that when the Torah refers to Moshe and Ahron, sometimes Moshe’s name is listed first and sometimes Ahron’s is listed first. Rashi says this goes to show that the two were equal. But we know that Moshe was the greatest Navi of all time – how can they be equal?

R’ Moshe Feinstein explains this based on a Gemora which states that Olam Haba is the opposite of this world – some of those who seem great here are not viewed as being great there, while some who don’t seem special in this world are considered extraordinary in the next world. In Olam Haba, one is not ranked by how much they did, but by how they could have done. Somebody who accomplished everything they could have is great, even if those accomplishments may seem meager. Somebody who has not all that they could is not great, even if they seem to have done impressive things. Moshe and Ahron were equal not in their accomplishments, but in that both of them did everything they could to live up to their potential.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בו ר׳ בןציון שלום

Mikeitz: The Cause is really the Effect

The Parsha begins with ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים ופרעה חולם, and at the end of two years Pharaoh dreamed. The פסוק implies this dream had been waiting to happen for 2 years.

The Beis HaLevi explains that we might have thought that Yosef freedom was a result of Pharaoh’s dreams. But in reality, the opposite is true. Since Hashem decided that now is when Yosef should go free, He sent these dreams to Pharaoh to make it happen.

When Yosef finally reveals himself to his brothers, he says a similar thing: Don’t be upset that you sold me, for Hashem sent me here to help you survive. Me helping you is not an incidental effect; it is the reason Hashem orchestrated my coming down to Mitzrayim.

We sometimes look at current events as if they determine what happens to us. But really, that’s backwards. Hashem brings about events based on what He has decided should happen.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Reb Eliezer, thanks for the tip about the Targum Yonasan. And I apologize for never responding to your comments; I usually just post my dvar Torah and log out. But it’s good to know that at least one person reads my vort every time.

Vayeitzei: God Always Wins

The Gemora tells us that after Yaakov asked Rochel to marry him, she gave him a warning: my father is a trickster, and he will not let you marry me before my sister gets married. Yaakov cryptically answers: אחיו אני ברמאות, I am his brother in trickery. Yet, we do not find that Yaakov ever tried to trick Lavan. What was he trying to say?

Perhaps we can suggest that Yaakov was referencing a deeper truth. In reality, nothing any person does can change the divine plan. Man plans and God laughs, for at the end of the day עצת ה׳ היא תקום.

Based on this, when Yaakov said “I am his brother in trickery” he may have meant “I don’t care if Lavan tricks me”. It wasn’t relevant to him whether Lavan seemed to have gotten away with his plans. He knew that what Hashem decided would happen, no matter what.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום