Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Matot Volume XVII, No. 42 23 Tammuz 5765 July 30, 2005 Today's Learning: Orlah 2:3-4 O.C. 382:15-17 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Shabbat 89 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Avodah Zarah 6 Our parashah opens: "Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of Bnei Yisrael, saying, `Zeh ha'davar / This is the word that Hashem has commanded'." Rashi observes that many prophets (including Moshe) introduced their messages with the phrase "Ko amar Hashem / So said Hashem," but only Moshe introduced some of his messages with "Zeh ha'davar / This is the word." R' Yaakov Kaminetsky z"l (Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaath; died 1986) elaborates: Our Sages teach that all of the prophets saw their prophecies with an "unclear vision," while Moshe saw with a "clear vision." In other words, all prophets (besides Moshe) had to interpret the visions they saw, a process that could be affected by the prophets' own personalities and predilections. Moshe's prophecy was different; he understood exactly what G-d meant and transmitted it literally and perfectly. He could say, "This is the word that Hashem commanded." Why is this message alluded to in our parashah? R' Kaminetsky explains: The first section of Parashat Matot presents the laws of vows and oaths. These laws demonstrate man's special status in that, through a vow or oath, a person can, in effect, create new mitzvah obligations. For example, if a person says, "I swear that I will eat this loaf of bread," it becomes a mitzvah to eat that loaf of bread. If a person says, "Apples are forbidden to me like a sacrifice," it becomes a mitzvah to refrain from having any benefit from apples. This ability of man to enact new laws might lead one to question the Divine origin of the Torah. Accordingly, the Torah chooses this context to inform us that Moshe's prophecy was a literal transmission of Hashem's words. (Emet L'Yaakov) ******** "He shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do." (30:3) R' Yehoshua Leib Diskin z"l (1817-1898; rabbi of Brisk, Poland; later in Yerushalayim) was once present at a hesped / eulogy for one his students. Following the hesped, a "Kail Malai" was recited, and the assembled crowd dispersed. R' Diskin then approached the gabbai and handed him a coin. He said, "I am giving this coin to charity in memory of the deceased on behalf of everyone who was present today." He explained: When the gabbai recites a Kail Malai, he often says the phrase, "in the merit that all the congregation promises to give charity on behalf of the elevation of the soul (of the departed)." I, said R' Diskin, am afraid that people will forget to fulfill this vow that was made on their behalf, so I am acting as their representative. [Ed. note: Perhaps R' Diskin held that the "Amen" recited after the Kail Malai effects acceptance of the vow.] (Quoted in Ve'karata La'Shabbat Oneg) From the same work: "Moshe was angry with the commanders of the army . . ." (31:14) R' Simcha Zissel Ziv z"l (the "Alter of Kelm"; died 1898) developed a strategy to never to lose his temper. He had a special jacket that he had set aside to wear when he was angry. He said, "When I feel anger coming on, I know that I have to get my special jacket. But, by the time I do, I am no longer angry." ******** "You shall wash your garments on the seventh day and become purified; afterward you may enter the camp." (31:24) R' Moshe Feinstein z"l comments: Ordinarily, when a verse speaks of washing clothes, the Torah means that the clothes should be immersed in a mikvah. In contrast, it is apparent from the Targum (Aramaic translation) and from Rashi (to Vayikra 13:58) that this verse is commanding the Jewish soldiers launder their garments. Why? R' Feinstein explains: The Torah did not need to teach us that returning soldiers must immerse their clothes. We already know that if clothes became impure from coming in contact with the dead that they must be immersed. Rather, the Torah is teaching us a new law. One who wishes to ascend to a higher level of kedushah / sanctity must wear clean clothes. Thus, when these soldiers returned from the battle field and wished to reenter the Camp of the Shechinah, they had to launder their garments. This, adds R' Feinstein, is a source in the Torah for wearing finer clothes on Shabbat and Yom Tov. (Quoted in Haggadah Shel Pesach Arzei Ha'levanon Vol. I, p.75) ******** "Moshe said to them, `If the children of Gad and children of Reuven will cross the Jordan with you -- everyone armed for battle before Hashem, and the Land is conquered before you -- you shall give them the land of Gilad as a heritage . . .' "The children of Gad and the children of Reuven spoke up, saying, `As Hashem has spoken to your servants, so shall we do. We shall cross over, armed, before Hashem to the land of Canaan, and with us shall be the heritage of our inheritance across the Jordan.' "So Moshe gave to them . . . the kingdom of Sichon king of the Emori, and the kingdom of Og king of the Bashan . . ." (32:29-33) R' Ovadiah Seforno z"l (Bologna, Italy; 1470-1550) explains this dialogue as follows: In the first verse quoted above, Moshe agreed to the demand by the tribes of Reuven and Gad that they be allowed to settle on the east Bank of the Jordan River. However, Moshe stipulated that that land would become theirs only after they fulfilled their commitment to fight the Canaanites. However, the tribes of Reuven and Gad responded, "No! We shall cross over the Jordan with our inheritance!" They demanded that Moshe give them the land immediately. In the final verse quoted above, Moshe gave in to their demand. He did this, R' Seforno writes, in order to avoid a protracted machloket / dispute. (Beur Ha'Seforno Al Ha'Torah) Commenting on the above Seforno, R' Shmuel Halevi Wosner shlita (rabbi of the Zichron Meir section of Bnei Brak and a noted posek / halachic authority) writes that, in the end, the obstinance of the tribes of Gad and Reuven brought about their premature exile from Eretz Yisrael. Had they received their land as part of the general division of Eretz Yisrael after the Canaanites had been defeated, their land on the eastern bank of the Jordan would have had the same kedushah / sanctity as the rest of Eretz Yisrael on the western bank of the river. Then, not only would the eastern bank have had kedushah such that the agricultural mitzvot would have applied there, it also would have had the Shechinah residing there, just as the Shechinah resided on the western bank. However, because the tribes of Reuven and Gad caused the land to be given to them prematurely, the Shechinah did not rest on their portion (though it did have halachic sanctity vis-a-vis the agricultural laws). This was the consequence of their being more concerned with their property than with matters of kedushah. The ultimate result was that, centuries later, the tribes of Reuven and Gad were exiled to Assyria several years before any other tribes. In the words of Mishlei (20:21), "If an inheritance is seized hastily in the beginning, its end will not be blessed." (Quoted in Pardes Yosef p.1255) ******** R' Ben Zion Abba Shaul z"l R' Ben Zion Abba Shaul was born in Yerushalayim in 1924 to R' Eliyahu, an immigrant from Persia, and Benaya. Although a shoemaker by trade, R' Eliyahu was also a dedicated scholar. Benaya, too, valued Torah study; when she was pregnant with the future R' Ben Zion, she asked every scholar she met to bless her that her son should grow up to be a talmid chacham. At age 11, young Ben Zion entered Yeshivat Porat Yosef. His first teacher was R' Yehuda Sadkah, who taught a class of young prodigies that also included the future Chief Rabbi and renowned posek R' Ovadiah Yosef. R' Ben Zion continued to progress to the highest class taught by R' Ezra Attiah. Eventually, R' Ben Zion himself became rosh yeshiva. When R' Ben Zion was about 20 years old, one of the leading American sages, R' Eliezer Silver, came to Yeshivat Porat Yosef in the company of a wealthy American who was investigating which yeshiva was most worthy of his sizable donation. R' Ben Zion was chosen as the student to be tested by R' Silver, who asked the young scholar a question in the obscure area of Taharot (laws of ritual purity). When R' Ben Zion gave his answer, R' Silver said that he had asked the same question 40 years earlier to R' Meir Simcha Hakohen of Dvinsk (author of Ohr Sameach and Meshech Chochmah) and had received the same answer. R' Ben Zion later told R' Attiah that he had a second answer to the question as well, but since the first answer sufficed to secure the donation, offering a second answer might have been considered showing-off. R' Ben Zion was recognized by Ashkenazic and Sephardic scholars alike for his "amelut" (inadequately translated "effort" or "toil") at Torah study. It is said that when he finished delivering a Torah lecture, he would inevitably be soaked with perspiration. His hatmadah / diligence also was legendary. As a young married man, he lived next door to R' Ovadiah Yosef and even their walks to and from yeshiva together would be occupied with reviewing pages of Talmud by heart. R' Ben Zion encouraged the study of kabbalah, but only for those who had purified their character traits. He used to say, "If a man doesn't know how to get along with his wife, how can he learn kabbalah and be called a mekubal?" Besides his scholarship, R' Ben Zion was known for giving blessings that were fulfilled. When asked why he had this ability, he responded humbly, "Hashem promised Avraham that anyone who blesses Avraham's descendants will be blessed. When people come to me for blessings, they kiss my hand, which is a form of blessing to me. Thus, they themselves are blessed." R' Ben Zion passed away on 19 Tammuz 5758 (1998). (Source: Aleppo: City of Scholars p.83)