Zugger613

Devarim: Always Applicable*

One of the last things that Moshe did before his death was to translate the Torah into all seventy languages for nation that he was about to leave. Why did he do this now?

The Ksav Sofer explains that until now, Moshe was able to speak directly to Hashem whenever an issue arose. But from now on, the Jews would be on their own, and they had to learn how to lead themselves.

By translating the Torah, Moshe was trying to emphasize that the ideals and laws of the Torah are not limited to one time period or location. Wherever you find yourself, the Torah is translatable and applicable to your situation. The Torah has all of the answers in it; you just have to look hard enough.

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

Pinchas: Consistency is Key 🔑

The Korban Tamid, which literally translated means “the constant Korban”, was brought twice every day in the Beis Hamikdosh. Any other Korbanos had to be brought in between the Tamid of the morning and the Tamid of the afternoon. We see how integral the role of our constant, everyday actions is. It is often easier to be excited about a rare mitzva, like a Korban Musaf. But תדיר ושאינו תדיר, תדיר קודם – the everyday mitzvos must come first.

We all know the story of Rabbi Akiva, who was inspired to begin learning at the age of 40 by seeing a hole that had been worn into a rock by the constant dripping of water. He realized there was no magic moment that suddenly changes a person. Only by consistently doing the same thing, day in and day out, can a person change for the better.

The Sefer HaChinuch famously tells us that אדם נפעל כפי פעולותיו, a person is changed by his actions. Even somebody who is rotten to the core – if he begins to constantly and consistently do what is right – can become great.

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

Chukas: Just Part of the Plan

Moshe Rabbeinu had spent the last forty years trying to lead Bnei Yisroel into Eretz Yisroel. He tried to direct them to do what was right, and was the one who dealt with the fallout when they didn’t listen. But in this parsha, Moshe gets the bad news. He will not be entering Eretz Yisroel. He will die in the desert like the rest of his generation did.

But Moshe didn’t focus on his own disappointment at his life’s dream slipping away. The very next pasuk has Moshe back in action, trying to convince Edom to let Bnei Yisroel pass through so they could get to Eretz Yisroel without him. The plan must go on, with me or without me. My job is to do what Hashem says; what part I have to play is up to Him, not me.

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

Bahaloscha: Souls on Fire

We know that when Ahron HaKohen lit the menorah, he had to light each flame until it was עולה מעלה, strong enough to rise on its own.

R’ Moshe Feinstein points out that Kohanim were the teachers of the nation, as it says יורו משפטך ליעקב, and Ahron was the leader of the Kohanim. He suggests that we therefore learn a lesson about how to inspire the next generation from this particular halacha.

It is not enough to educate our children to just do what they are told; one day, nobody will telling them what to do. We must inspire our children to the point that they want to what is right by themselves. We need to instill in them a passion for yiddishkeit that will continue to burn within them for their entire lives. Only when that flame is burning on its own can it continue on without us.

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

Bechukosai: Just Do It

In the middle of the frightening
קללות that we are told will befall us if we stray from the path of Torah and mitzvos, the Parsha tells us of a positive development: וְהִתְוַדּ֤וּ אֶת־עֲוֺנָם֙, Klal Yisroel will admit to their sins. And yet, the קללות continue on after that pasuk. If we admit to the mistakes we’ve made, why don’t our troubles end there?

The Vilna Gaon explains that admitting what you’re doing is wrong is only half the battle. Realizing your mistakes is only helpful if you correct them afterwards. It is not enough to find where we’ve fallen short of living up to our ideals; we must fix the issue if we want anything to change.

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

Acharei Mos: Tainted Ideals*

On יום הכיפורים the Kohen Gadol brings three different korbanos: one for his own personal sins, one for the sins of the entire nation, and one specifically for the sin of טומאת מקדש, allowing the בית המקדש to become impure, a sin which is attributed to the Kohanim. What is it that makes this particular sin so severe that it needs its own special atonement on יום הכיפורים?

R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that the בית המקדש is symbolic of the highest ideals of the Jewish people, of perfection itself. And so by having a מקדש in their midst, the Jewish nation proclaimed both its loyalty to pure Jewish ideals and its desire to draw closer to perfection. Despite whatever shortcomings we may have had, the ideals remained intact.

However, once we allow the בית המקדש to become defiled, we show that we do not cherish and look up to the Jewish ideals in their purest form. We have allowed the actual way that we live our lives to water down our ideals. And once that happens, we have no ideals left to guide us and urge us to be better. We have nothing left to go back to. This is is why such a dramatic rectification is required specifically for this sin.

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

Thanks choosid. And thanks Reb Eliezer for all your additions.

Tzav: Take Out The Garbage

One of the most intriguing types of עבודה that a כהן did was the תרומת הדשן, which was essentially the cleaning up of the ashes of all the Korbanos that had been brought that day. The Torah even emphasizes that this must be done in the full dress uniform of the בגדי כהונה. Why is this necessary?

The Abarbanel explains that there is a danger in doing the עבודה. A כהן can easily fall into the trap of focusing only on his own honor in this very public role, instead of on increasing כבוד שמים as he should.

The כהן is therefore instructed to put on his special בגדי כהונה, and essentially mop the floor. This will teach him not to focus on his own honor, but rather on the importance of the job that he is doing – carrying out Hashem’s will.

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

Vayakhel/Pekudei: Use of Resources

The 224 pesukim of Vayakhel and Pekudei are essentially a list of who did what for the Mishkan, and how much of each material was donated.

R’ Moshe Feinstein suggests we can learn from here that just like Betzalel and the builders of the Mishkan, we need to keep a cheshbon of all of the resources that Hashem has granted us, and make sure that we are making the most out of our time and talents.

Somebody who has been given a good head, the ability to influence others, or more money than they need for their personal lives has a responsibility to try to help others and increase כבוד שמים. There is something out there that only you are perfectly equipped to accomplish – don’t squander the resources that Hashem has entrusted you with.

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

Tezaveh: In Control

The Gemora tells us that the מעיל, the outer robe of the Kohen Gadol, was מכפר on murder. But how does that work?

The Akeidas Yitzchak, a late Rishon, explains that the lesson of the מעיל, when properly internalized, will fix the underlying issues that bring one to murder (which is the highest level of כפרה). A person can only come to murder another if they have become so angry that they have completely lost control of themselves, and their actions are no longer rational.

The מעיל, a narrow robe that went down to the ankles, is the exact opposite of this. The מעיל made sure every step of its wearer would be measured, deliberate, and thought out; no move was to be made impetuously.

From the מעיל we learn that every step and decision that a person makes in their lives should not be made in haste, but must be deliberate and thought out.

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

*Mishpatim: Constant Connection*

The first Rashi in the Parsha asks why the appointment of judges is placed right next to פסוקים dealing with the מזבח. Quoting Chazal, Rashi answers that this teaches us that the Sanhedrin should sit next to the מזבח in the בית המקדש.

Perhaps we can suggest that this juxtaposition teaches us how we are supposed to view all Mishpatim. These mitzvos do not exist merely to ensure that society functions fairly. Like the מזבח, they exist primarily to connect us to Hashem.

The multitudes of mishpatim ensure that we never forget Hashem. Wherever we go and whatever we do, there is a rule in Hashem’s Torah instructing us how to behave. The fact that the Torah is so ingrained in every part of our lives is supposed to serve as a constant reminder that we are Hashem’s chosen people, and serve as a way of constantly connecting to Him.

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

Bo: Constant Renewal

R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch points out that the core identity of the Jewish people was forged in a situation which would have caused most nations to completely forget who they are; in the darkness and difficultly of slavery and genocide. He opines that overcoming this near-death experience in the infancy of our nation is what allowed us to survive thousands of years of hardship without abandoning our identity as Hashem’s chosen people.

Perhaps we can suggest that this message is hinted to in the very first mitzva that Bnei Yisroel received. One of the messages of קידוש החודש is even when what little light we have to guide us through the night seems to have disappeared, we are certain it will return. And no matter how much the light of Klal Yisroel may be dimmed by the darkness of Galus, we know that we will be able to shine brightly once again.

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

Vayigash: Touch Base

After Yosef reveals himself to his brothers, he has a special reunion with Binyomin; they cry on each other’s shoulders, and Yosef gives Binyomin five sets of clothing. Rashi quotes Medrashim that they they were crying over the churban, and the clothes were a hint to the story of Purim. But what do these other stories of galus have to do with Yosef?

At the age of 17, Yosef was left alone in a decadent culture that was the opposite of everything he’d learned in his father’s house. But he never forgot who he was: a son of Yaakov, and a son of Hashem. When he was about to sin in Mitzrayim, he saws his fathers face in the window, and he asked himself “how can I betray my loyalty to Hashem”?

Just like Yosef, the only way that the Jews were able to survive all of our exiles was by never forgetting who we are. We are Jews, the children of the Avos and Imahos, the chosen people of Hashem.

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

Vayeishev: Peeking Through the Cracks

Rashi cites a Medrash that although Arabs usually transport foul smelling merchandise, Hashem orchestrated that the Arabs who brought Yosef into slavery had pleasant smelling spices instead.

R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that this small and seemingly unhelpful miracle was a reminder that Hashem is always running the show. No matter what was happening to Yosef, Hashem was still with him.

In a similar vein, R’ Moshe Feinstein asks why the one טהור flask of oil miraculously lasted for eight days, despite the fact that טומאה הותרה בצבור. He answers that Hashem performed a small and seemingly unnecessary miracle to show us that He is always here, and He is always the true source of everything good that happens to us.

No matter how good or bad of a situation a person may find themselves in, Hashem is really the one running the show.

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

Vayishlach: It Never Ends

When Avram’s name was changed to Avraham, he is never referred to as Avram again. When Yaakov’s name is changed to Yisrael, he is refers to as Yaakov in the very next פסוק. Why is that?

The name Yaakov is symbolic of struggle. Yaakov is always holding on to the heel of his evil brother, holding on to existence through the bitter Galus. Yisrael is symbolic of victory; כי שרית אם אלקים ואנשים ותוכל; for you have struggled… and won.

Perhaps we can suggest that this is why the name Yaakov was never shelved. For as much as Yaakov Avinu had accomplished, there still remained more to be done.

We are usually referred to as בני ישראל, symbolic of all that we have accomplished and all that we are. But we are also still בני יעקב; constantly struggling to do things better.

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

Toldos: Blind to the Best

The Medrash tells us that Yitzchok was blinded by the tears the Malachim cried during the Akeidah. What exactly is that supposed to mean?

Rav Shach explains that although the Malachim serve Hashem far better than we do, they never struggle to do what is right like us. This is why the Malachim were so amazed by seeing Avraham and Yitzchok overcome the Akeida, the most difficult of tests – they couldn’t relate to that kind of struggle.

But Yitzchok was blinded by this very concept. He so valued the struggle to make the right choices that he wanted to give the Brachos to Esav, because Esav had a more difficult time doing what was right.

However, this was missing an important point: Yaakov would put the Brachos to far better use than Esav. True, Yaakov was the brother who doing the right thing came more naturally to; but even the best can always get better.

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

Lech Lecha: Hard Won Habits

When Hashem informed Avrom that he would have children, the Torah tells והאמין בה׳ ויחשבה לו צדקה, the fact that Avrom believed Hashem was considered a zechus. The Ramban finds this puzzling – why wouldn’t Avrom believe the word of Hashem?

R’ Elya Lopian gives a fascinating explanation. We know that לפום צערא אגרא – the amount of reward that a person receives for their actions is dependent on how hard it was for them to do what was right.

We might think that once a person has accustomed themselves to doing what is right, they would no longer receive the same credit that they did when it was a struggle. This is why the Torah tells us that Hashem counted it as a zechus that Avrom believed – he received the same amount of reward now as he did when he first recognized and believed in Hashem. The fact that his original accomplishment had now become second nature did not lessen the amount of reward he received for each subsequent action.

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

Sukkos: What’s the Shake all About?

Although m’ikkar ha’din one can fulfill the mitzva of lulav and esrog by merely picking them up, the משנה tells us to shake them during הלל when saying הודו לה׳ כי טוב and אנא ה׳ הושיעה נא.

Based on medrashim, the תפארת ישראל explains that shaking the four species symbolizes shaking of every part of our body and soul in fervent prayer to Hashem, to both thank Him for all He’s given us and to request that His kindness continue to surround us.

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 גוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Shoftim: Full Control 👨‍⚖️👮‍♀️

The very first Rashi in this weeks Parsha explains what the difference is between שופטים & שוטרים; shoftim are the judges who decide what should be done, and shotrim are the police who make sure that the judges decisions are carried out. In order for society to function, there needs to be both an effective system of laws and a way of making sure that the laws are actually followed.

R’ Yerucham Levovitz of Mir points out that this idea is not limited to large societies. Every one of us also needs act as our own judge, setting aside time to think about what we should be doing with our lives. And after those decisions are made we must police them, making sure we live up to our ideals in our day to day lives. Without both a plan of what we hope to accomplish and constantly checking to make sure we’re on the right path to get there, a person is in danger of just wasting away their life.

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

Veschanan: Guided Good

On the Passuk of ואהבת את ה׳ אלוקיך בכל לבבך, Rashi quotes the famous Maamar Chazal that one is supposed to serve Hashem with both the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara. Much ink has been spilled explaining how one can serve Hashem with their Yetzer Hara, but R’ Moshe Feinstein asks a more basic question: why do we need to be instructed to serve Hashem with our Yetzer Tov, what else would we be doing with it?

R’ Moshe explains that even good intentions, if not properly channeled, can lead to bad actions. As the Chazal taught us, those who are kind to the cruel will eventually be cruel to the kind. It is not enough just to mean well; one’s good intentions must be channeled into actions explicitly endorsed by the Torah, as interpreted by Chazal and Halacha.

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

Massei: 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 שלום

Shelach: Implicit Bias

One of the biggest mistakes in Jewish history was made by the Meraglim. The Meraglim tried to convince the people not to enter Eretz Yisroel, eventually even denying Hashem’s ability to conquer the land in their efforts. Thanks to this, the entire generation died in the desert and the Churban of Tisha b’Av was decreed. How did they sink so low?

The Shelah explains, based on the Zohar, that the Meraglim were concerned that when the nation would enter Eretz Yisroel, they would lose their position of authority that they currently held. Therefore, they had their own personal interest in trying to convince the people to stay in the desert, despite the disastrous results that this would have.

The Baalei Mussar point out that each of has our own personal נגיעות that may cause us to make illogical decisions. But often we aren’t even aware of this conflict of interest. Only by searching out what is truly driving us to make our choices can we manage to improve them.

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

Naso: It’s Personal

Parshas Naso is the longest single parsha in the Torah, due in no small part to the fact that it spells out the details of the Korban of each Nasi, despite them all being exactly the same. If each letter in the Torah is there to teach us something, approximately 50 extra פסוקים must be really trying to drive home a point. What is this lesson that the Torah considers so important?

It is easy to feel like our actions don’t really matter. What are, the six millionth and some odd person to keep Torah and mitzvos?

This parsha teaches is that that’s not the way Hashem sees it. To Him, each Nasi wasn’t just one of twelve people bringing an identical Korban. It was his beloved son נחשון bringing a special Korban. The next day it was His beloved son נתנאל, bringing a special Korban.

Hashem doesn’t see it as numbers, He sees each individual person; His beloved child coming to develop a relationship with Him. Never think your actions don’t personally matter to Hashem.

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