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Parsha Perspectives

by OZER ALPORT

ויאמר משה אל אהרן הוא אשר דבר ה’ לאמר בקרבי אקדש
ועל פני כל העם אכבד וידם אהרן

“Moses said to Aaron: Of this (the death of Nadav and Avihu) did Hashem speak, saying: ‘I will be sanctified through those who are nearest Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people.’” (Leviticus 10:3)

Parshas Tzav concluded by describing the service which Moses performed for seven days to inaugurate the Tabernacle. Parshas Shemini begins with the climax of this period, which was reached on the eighth day, at which time Aaron and his sons were consecrated to serve as Priests in the Tabernacle, which was finally erected on that day to serve on a permanent basis. Tragically, just at the peak of the joy of the inauguration ritual, Aaron’s two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu performed a service in the Tabernacle which they weren’t commanded to do, and they paid for it with their lives.

Reacting to this terrible loss, Rashi writes that Moses told Aaron that he had known that the Tabernacle would be sanctified through the death of somebody close to Hashem, but he had assumed that it would be either himself or Aaron. In light of what had transpired, Moses said that he now recognized that Nadav and Avihu were even greater than them. This comment from Moses is difficult to understand. How could Moses, whom the Torah testifies (Numbers 12:3) was the most humble man to ever walk the earth, presume to be the most beloved by Hashem in his entire generation?

Rabbi Leib Chasman explains that this question is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the nature of humility. People are accustomed to thinking of a humble person as one who views himself as low and unworthy. The Torah, however, doesn’t equate humility with low self-esteem! On the contrary, a humble person may be well aware of his tremendous talents and skills.

Nevertheless, he doesn’t view himself as worthy of praise and respect for them. In his humility he attributes his talents to Divine gifts. Moses was well aware of his lofty spiritual status and naturally assumed that Hashem would choose to take him to consecrate the Tabernacle, yet this in no way detracted from his humility.

This understanding of genuine humility can be contrasted with the misguided demonstration of it in the following amusing story. There was once a yeshiva in Europe which emphasized to its students the importance of acquiring the trait of humility and minimizing one’s view of his worth and value. To that end, there were students who would repeat to themselves over and over the Yiddish expression, “Ich bin a gornisht” – I am nothing – in an attempt to internalize this understanding. One day a new student arrived in the yeshiva. Upon entering the study hall, he encountered a number of students describing themselves as worthless. Assuming that this was the practice of the yeshiva and wanting to fit in, the new student sat down and joined in, repeating loudly and with great fervor this expression, “I am nothing.”

One of the older students approached him and rebuked him, “You just arrived here, and you already think you are nothing?!” Suffice it to say that although we have learned that a person should strive toward a humble and modest view of himself, this isn’t the “humility” that the Torah had in mind!

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Parsha Talking Points

by RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. I DO

“Moses said, ‘This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do; then the glory of Hashem will appear to you.’” 9:6

This Is The Thing…Commanded You To Do – The verse however, does not tell us what the nation was told to do? It must refer to that which it says in the next verse about how Aharon and his sons performed the inaugural Tabernacle service. – Rashi

The people were instructed to remove any foreign or impure motive from their hearts and resolve to perform the inaugural service purely for the sake of fulfilling the command of the Almighty. If they did so, they would merit seeing the glory of Hashem appear before them. – Medrash

They were asked to be satisfied with performing the mitzvos of Hashem and not to seek to add additional mitzvos which He did not require of them. – Chiddushei HaRim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Rothenberg Alter, 1799-1866)

People often mistakenly believe that all G-d wants from us is a pure heart, regardless of whether we perform His mitzvos or not. This erroneous belief leads them to dismiss mitzvah observance as an unnecessary and fruitless endeavor. To this, Moses insisted, “This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you – to do!” It is not enough to have a good heart full of good intentions. One must translate all that goodwill into positive action and only then will, “the glory of Hashem appear to you”.

2. BLESS YOU

“Aharon raised his hands toward the people and he blessed them…” 9:22

His Hands - The word “Yadav” [his hands] is spelled without the letter “yud” and can also be read as “Yado” [his hand]. What it the symbolism of this singular form? This may be the source of the custom for the Kohanim (Priests) to join their hands together as one when blessing the people. – Tosafos Brachah

This teaches us that blessing comes the Jewish people only when there is unity among us. – Nefesh Yonasan – Rabbi Yonasan Eibshutz zt”l

The Kohanim’s ability to bless the people is limited to the congregation, not individuals, because blessing only manifests when peace and unity reigns among the Jewish people. This is why, of all the nations, the Kohanim were endowed with this power, since it was their job to promote peace among the people, as the Mishnah [Avos 1:12] teaches us, “Be among the disciples of Aharon – love peace and pursue peace…”

3. LOOKS OKAY TO ME

“Do not make your souls abominable by [eating] any creeping creature that crawls, and do not contaminate yourselves with them, lest you will become unclean because of them.”11:43

You will become unclean because of them – If you contaminate yourselves a little [by eating forbidden foods], I will contaminate you a lot. If you contaminate yourselves here on earth, I’ll contaminate you in heaven. – Talmud, Tractate Yoma 39a

I’ll Contaminate You In Heaven – The Almighty, the essence of purity and sanctity, is so repelled by non-kosher foods, that He will distance Himself from those who consume them. – Mizrachi Al HaTorah

I’ll Contaminate You In Heaven – This does not mean that Hashem will actually add to the persons’ contamination. Rather, the message is that although on this world the contamination appears to be minimal; in heaven it’s rather considerable. – Maharal (Rabbi Judah Loew, The Maharal of Prague, 1525-1609)

Although we’re conditioned to think of deadly menaces as large and imposing creatures, in reality, some of the deadliest agents in the world such as bacteria and germs, are thoroughly invisible to the human eye. The message behind this is that not everything that is bad for you is obviously so. Danger exists even when it’s not readily apparent. Although we can hardly discern the difference between kosher and non-kosher food, the Torah tells us that whereas one is spiritually healthy, the other is absolutely deadly and must be avoided at all costs. Our inability to recognize the hazard is not an excuse for ignoring it.

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Partner Talk

SPREAD THE WEALTH

by RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

Dear Rabbi,

I don’t know if you’re the person I should be asking this question to, but I’m not sure who else to direct it to, so I’m writing to you. It’s not a question of Halakha, but as it pertains to your program, maybe you’ll be able to help me. I am a longtime student [on my second study partner because my first one moved to Israel] and I’ve gained so much from Partners in Torah and grown in so many ways. My question is how to get some of my family members involved as well? I know that if my sis gave it a shot, she’d love it and I think my brother would as well. But I don’t know how to go about suggesting it to them being that they’ve known about my involvement and never once commented about being interested themselves. Any suggestions? Would your office call them if I gave you their names and numbers?

Meg L.

Meg,

I’m not sure if I’m the right person to answer this either, but since you asked, I’ll do my best to answer you. Furthermore, since I’m sure many other partners wonder about this as well, I’ll take the liberty of sharing my response with our broad readership in the hopes that they’ll find it useful and possibly share with us how they recruited their friends and relatives to join the program. Before I begin however, I think it’s important to stress that there’s no “trick” to this because we’re not out to trick anyone into signing up to study. Our only objective is to make Jewish learning accessible to all Jews, and once someone joins, offer them a great opportunity to discover their Judaism.

Gotta Make the Ask

In sales there’s a rule known as “You gotta make the ask”, which loosely translated means that the fact that they’ve never expressed interest in joining doesn’t necessarily mean that given the option, they wouldn’t be interested. That’s something you won’t know until you actually try. Often, people assume that a program like Partners in Torah is only for certain people and never dream that we offer our service free of charge to each and every Jew! They can’t imagine that there are sincere, dedicated people willing to devote an hour each week to a fellow Jew. Thankfully, many such outstanding people exist and therefore, the first thing you should do is ask them if they’d have any interest in trying out a program which you’ve benefited so greatly from. Explain to them that there’s no long-term commitment and that if they’re not satisfied with their study partner, we’ll strive to find them someone who will be more suitable. If they answer in the affirmative, have them call us [1-800-study-4-2] or visit www.study42.com where they can register.

Address Their Fears

If you think they’re likely to resist your offer, then share with them the reasons why you think they might enjoy it and ask them why they’re hesitant. For instance, if they’re worried that they won’t be understood, you can explain how we strive to match people with partners who will give it their all, and work with them at whatever level they’re currently on. Explain that our goal is to inform, not judge. Let them know that they’ll be free to ask any and all questions and that they’ll never be made to feel inadequate for not knowing something. Share with them the vast array of study topics available. Even if they just want to learn how to read Hebrew, we’ll match them with someone who will patiently guide them in this area.

TelePartners not Telemarketers

Although Partners in Torah is conducted by phone, we do not engage in telemarketing and we do not call someone without their expressed prior permission. This is in keeping with our mission to offer all Jews the opportunity to study Judaism in a no-pressure and non-judgmental environment. If they call us, we’ll be happy to offer them multiple options to ensure their satisfaction, but the decision will be theirs.

Show Them What They’re Missing

You can also email them a sample of our weekly Parsha Partner, which is sure to arouse their curiosity. Did you know that anyone can sign up to receive it, even those not currently participating in Partners in Torah? Offer to sign them up and let them know that they too, can join Partners in Torah.

Eavesdropping Isn’t All Bad

I’m not sure what the Feds think of this, but another option is to offer them to listen in on a study session [with your partners’ permission of course!] and get a taste of what it’s all about. Perhaps when they hear how relaxed and informative the conversation is, they’ll begin thinking about getting their own questions answered.

Our sages tell us that deep in every Jews’ heart lays a spark of kedushah [holiness] that’s just waiting to be ignited into a fiery blaze. Sometimes it’s difficult to know precisely what will ignite that spark, but as long as your motivation is pure and you don’t pressure others to do something that they’re uncomfortable with, you’ll stand a good chance of succeeding.

I’m also going to solicit our dear readers for their ideas on how to introduce a friend or relative to Partners in Torah. If anyone out there has successfully encouraged others to join, please email me and tell me how it went so that others can benefit from your positive experience. Remember – a Jewish soul is a terrible thing to overlook!

Regards,
Elazar Meisels

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Soul Talk

In the book titled Mesillas Yesharim (Path of the Just), Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato outlines the path of true avodas Hashem (service of Hashem). It consists of nine steps, each one leading to the next and each one a higher level of avodah (service). The last of these steps is kedushah (holiness or sanctity). Here, we present a brief summary of some of the ideas explained in Chapter 26 of that work — On the Elucidation of the Trait of Kedushah:

Kedushah differs from all of the previously explained steps, in that its actual acquisition is ultimately out of the reach of a person’s efforts. The process of achieving kedushah is thus twofold. It begins with one’s efforts, but culminates with bestowal; it begins with one’s own exertions, but is finally achieved only by one being graced with this trait from Heaven. Why is attaining kedushah independently not within our ability to accomplish? To understand this, we must first understand what kedushah is.

The person who is kadosh (holy) does not live an earthly life, yet he is not disconnected from the world. He lives with a constant attachment to Hashem, using all physical things for holy purposes. His eating thus reaches the level of that of the Kohanim (Priests) in the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), whose eating of the korbanos (offerings) had the power to atone for the sin of the owner of the offering. So too with all of his physical activities. Through his constant attachment to the spiritual world, even his commonplace activities become holy and spiritual.

The only way to reach this level is to cut oneself off from any connection with that which is physical. It demands that one be in a constant state of bonding with Hashem, in all of one’s thoughts and feelings. No action can be undertaken for a physical purpose only. However, since a person is but flesh, in a physical body with physical needs, it is impossible for him to accomplish such a task on his own.

Therefore, one who wishes to attain kedushah must know that it is in his hands only to begin the job, not to complete it. When Hashem sees his honest efforts in the direction of kedushah, He will bestow upon him that which is withheld from him by his nature, and lead him to reach the destination of the journey that he began.

With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose

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Table Talk

FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

א) The Talmud (Pesachim 3a) derives that a person should always speak in “clean” language from the Torah’s usage (Genesis 7:8) of eight extra Hebrew letters to refer to the non-kosher animals entering Noah’s ark as “not pure” instead of “impure.” Why in Parshas Shemini does the Torah repeatedly refer (e.g. 11: 4) to non-kosher animals as “impure?” (Taam V’Daas by Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch)

ב) In listing the four non-kosher animals which have one of the two signs required for kosher animals (chewing cud and split hooves) but not the other (11:4-7), why does the Torah mention the sign that they do have, which is seemingly irrelevant to its legal status, instead of simply listing the one that they are missing and which renders them non-kosher? (Kli Yakar by Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Lunshitz)

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Hey I Never Knew That

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha

by OZER ALPORT

1) Q: Rashi quotes (10:2) the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael, who maintains that Nadav and Avihu were punished for entering the Tabernacle and attempting to bring a sacrifice while drunk. How could they be held responsible for violating a prohibition which was only taught after their deaths (10:9)?

A: The Mishmeres Ariel by Rabbi Shmaryahu Arieli answer that we see from here that even if he wasn’t commanded not to do so, a person is held responsible for sins which he “should have known better” than to commit. Although there wasn’t yet a commandment forbidding a person to offer a sacrifice while under the influence of alcohol, the concept that a person shouldn’t serve Hashem with light- headedness and frivolity is self-evident.

2) Q: One of the species of birds ruled non-kosher by the Torah is the “Chasidah” (11:19). Rashi explains that its name is derived from the fact that it displays kindness (“chesed”) by sharing its food with its friends. If it is so merciful and compassionate, why does the Torah forbid its consumption?

A: Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, known as the Chiddushei HaRim, answers that although this species appears to be kind and giving, Rashi subtly answers our question by explaining that it does chesed only with its friends. Although it would seem commendable, the Torah teaches that being kind and giving only to those who are close to us without a sense of unity and concern for the greater whole is a non-kosher attitude!

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Parsha Summary

Parsha Summaries are coming soon!