Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Shemini Volume XV, No. 23 28 Nissan 5761 April 21, 2001 Today's Learning: Nedarim 11:10-11 Orach Chaim 423:2-4 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Gittin 73 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Avodah Zarah 7 The Molad for the month of Iyar will take place on Monday, at 25 minutes and 11 chalakim after 6 AM. This week's parashah opens with the dedication of the mishkan and the death of Aharon's two eldest sons. Following that tragedy, Moshe and Aharon enter into a discussion regarding the propriety of Aharon's remaining sons, who are mourners, eating from one of the sacrifices. The Torah records that Aharon won the day in this debate by arguing, "Were I to eat this day's sin- offering, would Hashem approve?" R' Shalom Noach Brazovsky z"l (the "Slonimer Rebbe"; died 2000) observes that the Torah does not quote Aharon as arguing: "Does the Torah permit this?" [Rashi does, however, explain the legal argument that Aharon used.] Rather, Aharon said simply, "Would Hashem approve?" This, explains R' Brazovsky, is a fundamental rule of Torah-living. In the words of Devarim (6:18), "You shall do what is fair and good in the eyes of Hashem." It is insufficient to base one's actions on the letter of the halachah. One must go a step further and ask: "What would please Hashem?" It is said in the name of the early chassidic rebbe, R' Yaakov Yitzchak z"l, the "Chozeh of Lublin," that at the instant that the yetzer hara entices a person, Heaven tests him by causing him to forget the halachah that applies to his test. However, the sense of right and wrong that a person has developed through his own toil, and a person's desire to please Hashem, are his, and these are never taken from him. These pillars alone support a person when the yetzer hara entices him. (Netivot Shalom) ******** "Moshe said, 'This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do; then the glory of Hashem will appear to you'." (9:6) The midrash comments: "Remove the yetzer hara / evil inclination from your hearts and the glory of Hashem will appear to you." The question must be asked, however: where did the midrash see such a statement alluded to in our verse? R' Avraham Bornstein z"l (the "Avnei Nezer"; 1839-1910) explains: The midrash was bothered by the phrase, "This is the thing," which suggests something significant and long-lasting. In contrast, the specific sacrificial service discussed in our verse was a one-time event. The teaching of the midrash is as follows: Hashem commanded Bnei Yisrael to remove the yetzer hara from their hearts. This is a constant, permanent task. The sacrifices that were offered were merely a way to concretize the "work" that was being done, for repentance that is only in the heart and is not coupled with action is not long-lasting. (Ne'ot Desheh) ******** "Moshe darosh darash / inquired insistently about the he- goat of the sin-offering, for behold it had been burned! - and he was angry with Elazar and Itamar, Aharon's remaining sons . . . Aharon spoke to Moshe . . . Moshe heard, and he approved." (10:16-20) Rashi writes: "Moshe admitted the truth and was not embarrassed to say, 'I never learned that law'." R' Elazar M. Shach shlita (the Ponovezh Rosh Yeshiva) elaborates: When Aharon explained to Moshe why the goat had been burned instead of being eaten (as sin-offerings usually are), Moshe did not say to Aharon, "You are right! That is what I learned, but I momentarily forgot it." Rather, Moshe was not embarrassed to admit that Aharon had taught him something new. R' Shach asks: What is the Torah's message? It is that the yetzer hara challenges even a person such as Moshe Rabbenu. Moreover, we learn that the yetzer hara's challenges extend even to the most trivial issues; otherwise, the Torah would not "trouble" itself to point out that Moshe said, "I had not learned this," rather than, "I learned and I forgot." (Mai'rosh Amanah) The gemara (Kiddushin 30a) states that the words "darosh darash " are the middle words of the Torah, and many chumashim reprint this statement. Were we to count the Torah's words, however, we would discover that this is not true. Why? R' Moshe Tzuriel shlita (former mashgiach of Yeshivat Sha'alvim) writes in the name of a certain R' Yitzchak Zilber: The gemara's statement does not mean that the words "darosh darash " are the middle words of all the words in the Torah. Rather, they comprise the middle instance of all instances of doubled words in the Torah. There are 77 such pairs in all, and "darosh darash " is the 39th of them. Similarly, the gemara comments about a verse (11:42) later in our parashah that the enlarged "vav" of the word "gachon" is the middle letter of the Torah. In fact, it is not, but it is the middle instance of the 17 unusually-sized (i.e., enlarged or reduced) letters in the Torah. (Massoret Seyag La'Torah p. 1007) ******** Pirkei Avot "Do not be like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a pras / reward. Instead, be like servants who serve their master not for the sake of receiving a pras / reward, and let the yirah / fear (or awe) of Heaven be upon you." (Chapter 1, mishnah 2) R' Moshe Sofer z"l (the "Chatam Sofer"; 1763-1839) writes: The sage of the mishnah is telling his students to serve Hashem without any ulterior motive, being motivated only by a powerful love of G-d. It goes without saying that they are not to serve Him out of fear of punishment, which is a lower level than love of G-d. Why then does the sage conclude the mishnah with the statement, "Let the yirah / fear (or awe) of Heaven be upon you"? (It is self evident that one who loves G-d fears Him as well!) The answer is as follows: Our Patriarch Avraham loved G-d completely, and Hashem called him (Yishayah 41:8), Avraham, my beloved." He therefore merited that the "Four Kings" feared him and fled from him. Similarly, Moshe's face shone with rays of light, and people feared to approach him. We, too, have been promised in the Torah (Devarim 28:10), "Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is proclaimed over you, and they will be in awe of you." In other words, the sage of the mishnah is not telling us to fear Hashem. He is teaching that if we serve Hashem out of love, others will be in awe of us. (Quoted in Massechet Avot Im Peirush Chatam Sofer Ha'shalem p. 7) Why is the reward mentioned in the mishnah called a "pras," which literally means "a slice" or "half"? R' Pinchas Horowitz z"l (1730-1805; noted Talmud commentator and teacher of the Chatam Sofer) explains: The reward for even one mitzvah is immeasurable. Sometimes, however, a person sets the reward for his own mitzvot. How so? If a person decides that he will not perform a certain mitzvah because it will cost him the chance to earn a certain amount of money, he has, in effect, determined that the reward for that mitzvah is worth less to him than that amount of money. He has thus reduced, or sliced, the reward for that mitzvah; he has made it a "pras" of its true worth. (Ibid., p. 8, note 2) ******** Introductions . . . This week, we present the introduction to Sefer Hamaggid, a commentary on the haftarot and on Pirkei Avot by R' Yosef Teomim z"l (1727 - 4 Iyar 1792). R' Teomim authored approximately ten works, best known among them Pri Megadim, an essential commentary on the Shulchan Aruch. (The reader will note the repeated references to R' Moshe Alshich z"l (1508-1593). R' Teomim wrote in the introduction to Pri Megadim that every person should study the commentaries of R' Alshich while still in his youth.) King Shlomo a"h wrote in Kohelet (4:2), "I consider more fortunate the dead who have already died than the living who are still alive." The word, "already," appears to be meaningless. Likewise, the phrase, "who are still alive," is entirely redundant. R' Moshe Alshich explains this, and I will add a little bit of my own: Some people are truly dead, for the wicked are called "dead" even while they are alive [Berachot18b]. When one sins, the nefesh ha'maskellet (literally, the "understanding soul") leaves him, for holiness cannot reside with impurity. Only the nefesh ha'behaimiut ("animal soul") remains with him, as it is with any animal. A tzaddik, even in death, is called a living man, for there [in death] his light shines, as it is written [Kohelet 1:5], "Then to its place it [the sun or light] rushes; there it rises again." (This means the soul is without a container [i.e., body] - see R' M. Alshich.) The body which is asleep in the grave has holiness too, as is explained in the [kabbalistic] books, except that it is not recognizable as much as the holiness of a sleeping person, who has also the spirit of life. . . Some people die only temporarily and then return several times in new incarnations, as the Sages said [Chagigah 3b]: "Who is an imbecile? One who sleeps in the cemetery." In other words, one who sleeps in the cemetery only briefly and returns repeatedly, suffering great pain - since he has returned once already, and he knows how painful it is, and nevertheless, he behaves improperly, surely he is considered an imbecile. This is why the verse says, "I consider more fortunate the dead who have already died" - i.e., those who have achieved permanent rest - "than the living who are still alive" - i.e., perfect tzaddikim, who can be called "alive." [Why are the dead better off?] Because one's primary rest and attainment of intellect are achieved when he does not have coarse garments [i.e., a material body]. [R' Teomim then discusses the greatness of his late father, calling himself, "vinegar the son of wine." He continues:] I am a simpleton who does not have the understanding of a man, and I do not have in my hand, neither Torah nor wisdom. Even from the Gemara, Rashi, Tosfot and Poskim [halachic works] that I studied, I have only a little, and certainly the work in which we are now engaged, which is the work of Heaven to a greater degree, i.e., books of mussar and fear [of G-d], I know nothing about this. However, I am required to teach on Mondays and Thursdays and on Shabbat, Yom Tov and fast days; therefore, I said that I would write this down in a book so that it will last for many days [paraphrasing Yirmiyah 32:14], perhaps I will merit [to teach something worthwhile].