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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport

(דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם איש כי יפלא נדר בערכך נפשת לד' (27:2

“You shall take for yourselves on the first day (of Sukkos) the fruit of a citron tree, the branches of date palms, twigs of a plaited tree, and brook willows. You shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d for seven days.”

Parshas Bechukosai is commonly referred to as the parsha of “tochacha” – rebuke. It is full of frightening threats of unimaginable punishment to be meted out to those who brazenly refuse to observe the Torah’s laws. However, it is interesting to note that after the rebuke concludes, the parsha ends by abruptly switching to a section dealing with the laws of “Arachin” – the dedication of the value of oneself or another person to the Temple – a section which seems to be completely misplaced. What is the relevance of this section to the rebuke which dominates the rest of the parsha?

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky recounts a story which will shed some light on our question. During the Holocaust, the Germans took a particularly sadistic pleasure in torturing and tormenting the great Rabbis. The suffering endured by our most righteous leaders is unfathomable.

In one particularly gruesome incident, a number of merciless Nazi officers beat the Klausenberger Rebbe (1904-1994) to the brink of death. After enduring seemingly endless blows, the officers asked the bleeding and only semi-conscious Rebbe if after all of this suffering he still believed that the Jews are Hashem’s chosen people. The Rebbe responded unequivocally in the affirmative.

Amazed at his seemingly naïve faith, they pressed him for an explanation. The Rebbe replied, “As long as I am not the cruel oppressor of innocent victims, and as long as I am the one down here on the ground maintaining my unwavering faith in my principles and traditions, I am still able to raise my head proudly and know that Hashem chose our people.”

Applying the lesson of this story to our original question, Rav Menachem Mendel Morgenstern, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe (1787-1859), and Rav Meir Shapiro (1887-1933) explain that after reading the terrifying curses contained earlier in the parsha and seeing how they have sadly been fulfilled throughout Jewish history, Jews may begin to lose belief in their value and self-worth. As a nation, we have been persecuted more than any other people throughout the ages. Such intense national suffering could easily cause a person to give up hope.

In order to counter this mistaken conclusion, the section outlining the painful times which will befall the Jewish people is immediately followed by the section dealing with the laws of “Arachin.” This section details how much a person is required to donate to the Temple if he chooses to dedicate his “value” or that of another Jew to the Temple. This juxtaposition comes to remind us that even in the darkest times, after enduring the most inhumane suffering fathomable, although we may not be accorded respect by our non-Jewish oppressors, our intrinsic worth in Hashem’s eyes is eternal and unchanging. return to top

Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org

talking points - parshas BEHAR-BECHUKOSAI
Rabbi Elazar Meisels

1. Full Disclosure

“Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come to the land which I give to you, the land shall observe a Shabbos rest for Hashem.’” 25:1,2

• What is the connection between the Sabbatical year and Mount Sinai? Were not all the mitzvos said at Sinai? Rather, this comes to teach us that just as the general rules, details, and specifications of the Sabbatical year were all said at Sinai, so too, the general rules, details, and specifications of all the Mitzvos were said at Sinai… - Rashi, Torah Kohanim
• Perhaps the reason that the mitzvah of Shmittah/ The Sabbatical Year was selected as the model for all the Mitzvos is because it is similar in nature and rationale to the mitzvah of Shabbos, which was heard at Sinai from the mouth of Hashem, and is an extension of that mitzvah. Based on this similarity, one might have mistakenly thought that it wasn’t necessary to have a full discussion of Shmittah at Sinai. Therefore, the Torah highlights the fact that Shmittah too was taught to the people in all-inclusive detail at Mt. Sinai.- Rabbeinu Bechaya

In addition to the numerous elucidations on this idea, I would add that perhaps the reason this mitzvah was chosen as an example of the extensive detail with which each mitzvah was presented on Mt. Sinai, is because of its great difficulty in observing. The laws of Shmittah demand great self-sacrifice and an abundance of faith in order to properly comply with. Perhaps, one may claim that on Sinai, only the “easy” Mitzvos were on display, thus misleading the people into believing that Judaism wasn’t that demanding after all. To disabuse us of this notion, the Torah goes out of its way to specify that even the laws of the Shmittah, with all their attendant detail and difficulty, were expounded upon at Sinai, and nevertheless, the Jewish people still insisted on entering the Covenant with Hashem.

2. Is It Really OUR Land?

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine, for you are foreigners and residents with Me.” 25:23

• The land could not be sold eternally. Rather it was sold for the crops it would produce until the Jubilee year, at which time it would revert to its original owner.

This injunction against selling the land for eternity, unheard of in modern times, is eloquent testimony to the idea that although Hashem presented us with the land, He maintained possession of it throughout. We were invited to dwell in the Land, but at no point did it become ours to do as we pleased with it. This accords nicely with Hashem’s insistence that we refrain from idol worship when occupying the land, lest we be exiled from it. We were invited to live in Israel, but only so long as we were willing to abide by G-d’s terms. We were only owners in the sense that other nations would no longer be permitted to assume permanent possession of the land, and it would be ours for the taking, once we agree to the terms and conditions. History bears witness to the sentiments expressed in this verse.

 3. Know Your Place

“You shall observe My Sabbaths and you shall revere My Sanctuary, I am Hashem” 26:2

• Following the destruction of the Temple, this injunction applies to the synagogues and study halls, which have taken the Temple’s place while we are in exile. - Sforno

A person must conduct himself with reverence toward a house of study or worship as these places are repositories of the Divine Presence in Exile. This includes refraining from idle chatter, conducting business, and socializing, all of which are inappropriate in the presence of the Divine. Chafetz Chaim [M”B 151:1] quotes the SMA”K who alleges that one of the negative consequences of irreverent behavior in a synagogue, is that it eventually will be sold for use as a house of idol worship, the ultimate indignity.

4. The Perks of the Job

“If you will follow My decrees and observe My commandments and fulfill them; then I will provide your rains in their time and the land will give forth its produce and the tree of the field will bring forth its fruit.” 26:3,4

• Antignos Ish Socho repeated in the name of Rabbi Shimon, “Be not like a servant who serves his master for the sake of receiving a reward. Rather, be like a servant who serves his master not for the sake of receiving a reward…” – Pirkei Avos 1:3
• Material blessings are not the primary reward one receives for his efforts to serve Hashem, for those can only be adequately bestowed in World to Come. Rather, the blessing that one enjoys on this earth is solely for the purpose of enabling him to continue to serve Hashem with greater ease and effectiveness. This in turn, will allow him to further attain eternal reward in the World to Come. – Maimonides Hil. Teshuvah 9:1

Dovid HaMelech observed that our life on earth is but a few short years when he wrote, “The days of our years; among them are seventy years…” [Tehillim 90:10] Consequently, whatever reward we were to receive for our actions, would be limited by virtue of our limited endurance on earth. Furthermore, if we had but an inkling of the value of a mitzvah, there’s no way we’d consider the possibility that the material blessings promised in this Parshah could possibly satisfy that criteria. To that end, Maimonides reassures us that what’s being promised in this Parshah is not the reward, but rather, they are the perks that make it possible to earn even greater reward in the world of eternity.

5. All of These Commandments

“However, if you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments.” 26:14

• All of these commandments – Instead of considering yourself obligated to perform all of these commandments; you’ll perform only those of your choosing. - Sforno

Although at times we all stumble in the area of mitzvah observance, our desire and intent must be to observe all of the mitzvos. This is a far cry from the attitude described in this verse, which speaks of one who willingly discards those mitzvos whose significance he fails to grasp, or finds inapplicable to modern times. The 613 mitzvos can be compared to a body whose function is greatly compromised when one or more limbs are absent or dysfunctional. While Hashem is very understanding of the challenge in observing Mitzvos and allows us plenty of time to grow into full observance, there is little that stokes His wrath as forcefully as the wholesale dismissal of Mitzvos deemed outdated and irrelevant.  

6. The Silver Lining

“All of this not withstanding, even when they are in the land of their enemies I will not despise them and I will not loathe them to annihilate them, to break My covenant with them, for I am Hashem, their G-d.” 26:44

• To break My covenant with them – even though they have violated their covenant with Me, I shall still not violate My covenant with them for I am Hashem. – Ibn Ezra
• All of “this” not withstanding – “ This” refers to the Torah, and guarantees that at no time will the Torah be completely forgotten by the Jewish people. Our persecutors have stripped us of all of the gifts we received from Hashem as a nation, but the Torah still remains in our possession. – Medrash
• This verse refers to four tragic events in Jewish history:
• I will not despise them – In the days of Vespasian
• And I will not loathe them – In the days of Greek rule
• To annihilate them, to break My covenant with them – During the time of Haman
• For I am Hashem – During the wars of Gog and Magog – Rabbenu Bachya

This Parshah remains one of the most difficult to understand and absorb, as it speaks of the many harsh consequences the Jewish nation would face for its disloyalty to Hashem. Yet, beneath it all lays a very powerful message of hope for us, as well. It contains a promise that we will never face these challenges alone, and that although we will endure much suffering along the way, we will ultimately prevail.. Jewish history bears eloquent testimony to the reliability of this assurance. return to top

Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

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CHOLENT By: Rabbi Elazar Meisels

Dear Rabbi,
I recently went to my study partner’s home for Shabbat and it was such a great experience. The thing about it I liked most, was spending time with her children and the amazing foods that were served. There was one food in particular that I have never eaten before called “cholent,” and I was hoping you could help me understand why this is a traditional Shabbat food. Is there something especially significant about it?
Debbie S.

Debbie,
As one who has introduced many people to the wonders of cholent, I have no doubt that you enjoyed it immensely. It is indeed a popular food, saturated with both tradition and calories. For our readers who haven’t yet had the opportunity to partake of this wonderful dish, it is basically a mixture of beans, barley, potatoes, meat, and spices that is left to cook on a low flame for an extended period of time. It is traditionally served piping hot at the morning Shabbos meal. Although every Jewish community has its own special blend of spices, the custom and the basic ingredients are common in virtually all Jewish communities.

This custom evolved as a solution to a potential conflict between the law prohibiting any form of cooking on Shabbos, and an obligation to honor the Shabbos by partaking of hot dishes at the Shabbos meals [See Rem”a O”C 257:8]. In light of the prohibition against cooking, how could one fulfill the mandate to enjoy hot dishes at the morning meal, when food cooked before Shabbos would have long since cooled by morning?

To address this problem, a special dish was concocted that required a lengthy period of time to cook and would actually improve in taste the longer it sat on the fire. This dish is known as “cholent,” and it became the hot dish of choice for all who cared to honor the Shabbos to the fullest extent. It is prepared and placed on a low flame before the onset of the Shabbos, and removed just prior to serving at the morning meal. Although it remains cooking on the flame during Shabbos, that is not a violation of the prohibition to cook on the Shabbos since it was placed there beforehand.

MishnahBrurah [O”C 257:11] writes that one who truly dislikes partaking of a hot dish at the meal, need not do so, as for him this dish diminishes the honor he seeks to demonstrate toward Shabbos. However, many of the Halachic authorities insist that one who does enjoy it, but refrains from partaking because he suspects that the rabbis who permitted this form of cooking were in error, is sorely mistaken. This attitude was prevalent among the Karaites who maintained that the Scriptural verse [Shmos 35:3] forbidding lighting a fire on Shabbos included even merely having a fire that was lit before Shabbos, as well. If that were the case, it would be impossible to partake of the hot Cholent on Shabbos. Our sages disputed the Karaites interpretation of the verse, and they use a number of uncomplimentary terms to describe those who maintain this attitude by refusing to partake of Cholent [see M”B and Rem”a ibid, Eliyahu Rabbah 257].

I’ve often wondered where the name “Cholent” originated, and I have not yet found a definitive source for it. It has been suggested that perhaps the root of this word is “Lon” which means, “to rest,” and is often used to connote the idea of resting overnight. An example of this is the word “malon,” which means a hotel where one spends the evening. Thus, the word “Cholent” should really be pronounced “Shelan” – “that which rested,” a clear allusion to the uniqueness of this dish in that it cooked overnight, in contrast to most foods that cook for a limited number of hours.

Bon Appetit!

Rabbi M. return to top

Parshas behar-bechukosai

Parsahs Bechukosai opens with a promise by Hashem to bless the people of Israel if they are loyal to the Torah. Rain will fall in the proper time, the earth will produce abundantly, and peace will prevail. Enemies who threaten Jewish security will be pursued successfully by small numbers of Bnai Yisroel. Hashem will maintain His covenant with us. He will increase our population greatly. He will reside among us.

However, if we will not obey His commandments, and we refuse to see His hand in the events of history, then we will be pursued by fearful sickness, by enemies who will frighten and persecute us, by a natural world which will refuse to yield to our efforts. If we do not learn from initial troubles, they will multiply sevenfold. War, plague, famine, desolation, exile, fear and persecution will follow us. Eventually, the remnant of the Jewish people will return to Hashem. It is Hashem’s promise that despite our defections, He will never abrogate the covenant He made with our ancestors, and will eternally maintain His closeness with us.

The parsha explains the procedure for assigning values to persons, animals, and property for those who vow to donate the value of these to the Sanctuary. return to top

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Soul Talk

Those who, by the kindness of Hashem, are not familiar with the circumstances of poverty and its many hardships and degradations, can at times be lacking in the proper level of sensitivity that must be displayed to the poor. The Chofetz Chaim, in his sefer Ahavas Chesed (2:10), describes an imaginary scenario to demonstrate the great care that must be taken in dealing with the poor:

A man departs the world and his soul ascends to Heaven to face judgment on his life’s deeds. There, he is given a Sefer Torah; then the questions, asking him about each mitzvah separately, begin. When they reach the mitzvah —
ךמע יחו בשותו...וב תקזחהו...ךיחא ךומי יכו, If your brother becomes impoverished . . . you shall strengthen him . . . so that he can live with you (Vayikra 25:35) — he is asked: Did you observe this mitzvah as well?” And when he answers that he surely did, they will remind him of an incident, which when it occurred many years earlier, was to his mind insignificant.

"You were sitting at home one night, comfortable and content, when a poor man from your town approached you with a request for a loan and offered collateral. Your response was quick and to the point: 'I cannot lend the money now!’ He left your house and the incident left your mind.

"But what for you was merely a brief conversation was to that man a part of a much longer episode. You only saw him during the few moments when he approached you. You did not see the months of self-deliberation, and the discussions with his wife, trying to decide if he should lower his pride and ask for a loan, something he was trying with all his heart to avoid. When he did decide that it was necessary, he spent time trying to choose a collateral that would find favor in your eyes, something that would not be too cheap, but that he could afford to live without until the loan was paid off.

And then he deliberated on the opportune time to approach you, when you would be in a good mood and inclined
to receive him. And did you notice that he came to you only at night because he was too embarrassed to be seen approaching you during the day?

After he left your house empty-handed, you promptly forgot about him. But he had to go home and face an expectant family, waiting for some relief from their difficult situation. He had to deal with their disappointment and cries, and with the subsequent results of simply not being able to feed his family. The results of your callous lack of mercy was the total dissolution of his home; a man who was once a respected homeowner was turned by your cruelty into a wandering beggar.

As your actions were bereft of mercy, you do not qualify for a plea of mercy from this court. And now stand and accept judgment for your actions and their disastrous effects!”

The Chofetz Chaim concludes by writing that one who does develop within himself the quality of always having mercy on others will be graced with mercy from Above.return to top

Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha   

Q: The Torah commands ושבתה הארץ שבת לד' – the land shall observe a Sabbath rest for Hashem (25:2). A number of commentators are bothered by the seemingly redundant twofold use of the word שבת – rest – in reference to the Shemittah year. Why is this word repeated and emphasized?

A: A most novel explanation is offered by the Mateh Moshe (473), who suggests that in a regular year, even though the farmer refrains from working the field on Shabbos, nevertheless the laws of nature are such that the crop which he planted during the week continues to grow on Shabbos, thereby denying the ground the ability to rest on Shabbos along with the rest of Creation. During the course of a year, there are 52 such Shabbosim on which the land is unable to rest, and over a period of 7 years, the total number of such days which accrue for which the ground must be compensated comes to 364. As a result, the Torah decreed that once every 7 years, the land shall lie completely fallow in order to “pay it back” for all of the Shabbos days during which it was unable to rest, and it is for this reason that the Torah stresses that in the Shemittah year, the ground should rest a שבת to Hashem!

Q: One of the blessings Hashem promises us if we perform His will is that He will cause dangerous animals to cease from the land (26:6). The Toras Kohanim records a dispute between two sages as to the nature of this blessing. The opinion of Rav Yehuda is that these animals will simply cease to exist, while Rav Shimon maintains that they will continue to exist but that their natures will change so that they are no longer dangerous. As the simple understanding of the verse seems to indicate that they will indeed become extinct, why does Rav Shimon interpret it as suggesting that Hashem will change the laws of nature?

A: The Meshech Chochmah suggests that the opinion of Rav Shimon emanates from his opinions in other places. The Gemora (Berachos (35b) quotes Rav Yishmoel as maintaining that a person should both study Torah and work at a profession, while Rav Shimon argues that the ideal approach is to spend one’s every waking moment engaged in the study of Torah, while relying that Hashem will provide him with his earthly needs. The Gemora (Shabbos 11a) relates that Rav Shimon didn’t interrupt his learning even to recite the daily prayers, as he had no earthly needs and relied on his Torah study to protect him. We find that when a Jew serves Hashem with all of his energy, Hashem in turn protects him from the natural dangers posed by wild animals. The Gemora in Berachos (33a) relates that Rav Chanina ben Dosa’s neighbors approached him in fear of a poisonous serpent in the area. He placed his foot on top of the serpent’s hole, inciting it to bite him, at which time the snake immediately died, with Rav Chanina explaining that “the snake doesn’t kill; sin kills.” However, this level of supernatural protection is provided only to a person who spends his entire day engrossed in the study of Torah, but one who leaves his studies to tend to his business affairs is left vulnerable. The blessings of our parsha speak to those on the highest spiritual level, and because Rav Shimon maintains that this refers to individuals who spend their entire day studying, only he can interpret the verse to mean that the wild animals will still exist but will no longer be able to cause any harm!  return to top

Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org

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