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Zugger613Participant
Bamidbar: Different Parts of the Same Whole
The Shelah writes in the name of the Arizal that just as there were four different groups of Shevatim in the midbar, each under their own flag, so to there are four different groups of Jews each with their own Minhagim. (He lists the groups of his day as Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Catalonians, and Italians.) There have always been different paths in עבודת השם, and this diversity is clearly by design. No one group can do everything perfectly.
R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky points out that the Jews were not given their different flags when they first left Mitzrayim as an independent people. Instead, Hashem waited until after they had received the Torah and built the Mishkan. He explains that only once we had the ultimate unifier, a Torah and a Mishkan at the center of our lives, could we focus on our individual strengths. Once we had this shared sense of mission, we could focus on our individual part of the plan without risking tearing the nation apart.
לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613ParticipantAcharei Mos: Fork in the Road
At the height of the עבודה של יום הכיפורים, the Kohen Gadol takes two goats that are almost exactly alike and randomly selects one to be a Korban whose blood is sprinkled in the קודש הקדשים, and one to “bear the aveiros of the people” to the desert.
R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch writes that this is symbolic of the overarching life choice we all make. Standing in front of the Torah, represented by the קודש הקדשים, there are two paths to choose from. Will we sacrifice our personal desires (represented by שחיטה) in order to be able to enter into Hashem’s Presence? Or will we remain in our raw and unrefined state (יעמד חי), and let our desires lead us into the wilderness, to eventually tear us apart?
By so graphically illustrating the difference between the two choices, hopefully we can incentivize ourselves to take the right path.
לע״נ דוד חיים בו ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בו ר׳ בןציון שלוםZugger613Participant*Metzora: 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.
גאוה is to believe that I made myself great, and that that give me rights. ענוה 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 שלוםZugger613ParticipantVayakhel/Pikudei: Just Do It
Most of the Parsha can be summed up in three words: they did it. After giving us a detailed list of what had to be done to build the Mishkan, the Torah repeats it all when Bnei Yisroel followed the instructions. Why is there such a focus on people just following instructions?
Much of our learning focuses on ideals and theories. But all that learning is useless if we fail when it comes time to bring it into practice. Don’t just ponder your ideals – live them.
Nobody will deny the value of life. But now it’s time to put that ideal into practice by sacrificing some of our comforts (and sanity) in order to avoid putting others in danger.
It’s easy to talk about the beauty of teffilah. But with the Shuls closed, will we still use some of the extra time we have on our hands to Daven more instead of less?
Family is always a priority. But now that we’re all cooped up together, will we make sure to use the time to grow closer instead of just getting on each other’s nerves?
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
לרפ״ש דוד חיים בן עטלZugger613ParticipantPertinent to the above discussion, I absolutely must quote what the ב״ח writes in או״ח סי׳ מ״ו אות ט׳:
שהשיב רב נטרונאי וכו’ להורות שיהיו נזהרין לברך אותם ולא יסמכו על עניית אמן כי איכא סכנת מיתת ק’ ישראל בכל יום כמו שהיה קודם שתקן דוד ק’ ברכות אלו דלא מהני עניית אמן אלא לע”ה
Translation: “Rav Natrunai (one of the Geonim) wrote in a Teshuva that one should not rely on answering Amen for the count of 100 brachos, because the same danger of 100 Jews dying each day still exists just like it did when David HaMelech instituted that each person should say 100 brachos and answering Amen only words for people who do not know how to read.”
Zugger613ParticipantShemos: Pick Your Struggle
We know that Shevet Levi were not forced into back-breaking slavery in Mitzrayim like the rest of the Shevatim. But this requires explanation; aren’t they also descendants of Avraham, who was told כי גר יהיה זרעך בארץ לא להם? Why were they let off the hook?
R’ Avigdor Nebanzhal addresses this question, based on the Zohar that writes on the words בחומר ובלבנים that Klal Yisroel could have accomplished their galus through קל וחומר וליבון הלכה, learning Torah. R’ Nebanzhal explains that anybody could have chosen to toil in Torah, and if they worked hard enough at it, that would have been sufficient. But only Shevet Levi got to that level of dedication and עמילות; all the other Shevatim had to do physical work to meet their quota.
Nobody came to this world to just sit around; we are here to work. But to some extent, we can pick what field we work in. The more effort we expend on meaningful religious pursuits, the less effort we will have to spend on meaningless toil.
לעילוי נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
Zugger613ParticipantVayeitzei: Unseen Beauty
In describing Rachel and Leah, the Torah tells us עיני לאה רכות, ורחל היתה יפת תאר. The Zohar cryptically comments that the Torah tells us only Leah had eyes, and not Rachel. The Zohar goes on to label Rachel “beautiful, but without eyes”.
R’ Akiva Tatz explains that Leah is the mother of the nobility of Klal Yisroel, such as the כהנים and the מלכים. But Rachel is the mother of the common Jew, who may not view him or herself as being anything special.
But in truth, every Jew brings something unique and amazing to the world, whether they know it or not. If anything, the unassuming actions of someone who doesn’t consider themselves to be anything major have an extra special charm. Therefore Rachel (and by extension, her descendants) is referred to as being beautiful, but without eyes to see her own beautiful actions with – she didn’t think of herself as being anything special.
לעילו נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
Zugger613ParticipantChayei Sarah: Look Behind & Look Ahead
The acceptable methods of קנין that can begin a marriage are learnt from a surprising place; from Avraham buying a plot to bury his wife. Why does the Torah teach us how to start a marriage from such a morbid place?
On a philosophical note, R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that in order to go into the future, one needs to first look back into the past. To be successful, every Jewish home must view itself as a continuation of the mission of our ancestors, as a link in the chain going back to this cave in Chevron where the Avos and Imahos lie.
On a psychological note, we can suggest that this is meant to remind us that nothing lasts forever, and we should never take our most cherished relationships for granted.
לעילו נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
Zugger613ParticipantNoach: The Beauty of the Rainbow 🌈
We know that seeing a rainbow is considered a bad sign: it means that Hashem is so angry that he would destroy the world, if not for the fact that He promised not to.
And yet, this can be hard to internalize. Rainbows are just so beautiful and so nice to look at. Why is it that this sign of wrath is so pleasant?
Perhaps the beauty of the rainbow is supposed to remind us of the second half of Hashem’s statement. True, He is angry enough that He would destroy the world. But why doesn’t He? Because He loves us so much that He simply can’t do it, no matter how much we may deserve it.
The rainbow is the sign of Hashem’s promise never to turn His back on us. No matter how low we may sink, Hashem’s love for us is always there. And that’s beautiful indeed.
לעילוי נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום
Zugger613ParticipantKi Savo: Don’t Deny It
When one brings his ביכורים to the Beis HaMikdosh, one is required to recite a long list of all the good that Hashem has done for us as a nation. Rashi explains that this is so we shouldn’t be כפוי טובה, deniers of the good that Hashem has given us. But why does Rashi say this as a double negative, don’t deny, instead of just saying the simpler phrase הכרת הטוב, recognize the good?
Many suggest that in truth, we can never fully acknowledge everything Hashem has done for us. Literally everything we have is a gift from Hashem: we could never make a list of His gifts that is close to complete. All we can do is not deny how much Hashem has given us.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we should be careful not to think only of the all the things that we’d like to ask of Hashem. We must also recognize, or at least not deny, how much Hashem has given to us, and how much we really owe Him.
לעילוי נשמת ר׳ חיים דוב בן בןציון שלום
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