Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Acharei Mot - Kedoshim Volume 21, No. 27 10 Iyar 5767 April 28, 2007 Sponsored by The Marwick family in memory of Morris Bervin a"h The Rutstein family in memory of mother Bessie Rutstein (Pesha Batya bat R' Zemach a"h) Today's Learning: Gittin 9:10 -- Kiddushin 1:1 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Chagigah 21 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Pesachim 20 In this parashah, as in many others in the Torah, we find mitzvot which are said to be "a remembrance of the Exodus." Why are there so many mitzvot which remind us of the Exodus? asks Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski shlita. It is perfectly reasonable to have an independence day rite, such as the just-ended holiday of Pesach, but do we need so many reminders the year round? The liberation from Egypt was not merely a nationalistic event, explains Rabbi Twerski, but was the creation of a nation with a mission. The entire nation was to be priestly (see Shmot 19:6), and each individual a holy person. Every incident in the saga of the Exodus can serve as a prototype for the development of spirituality, says Rabbi Twerski. The teachings that can be derived from each event have their application in our strivings toward spirituality thousands of years later. The mission of the Jew today is no different than that of his ancestors who left Egypt: to become priestly and sacred, or in other words, spiritual. Inasmuch as the forces that deter one from spirituality are powerful, ubiquitous, and constant, so must our efforts to vanquish these forces be constantly renewed and reinforced. It is for this reason that we continually refer back to the Exodus as the source for our "arms" in the struggle to achieve spirituality. (From Bondage to Freedom: The Passover Haggadah, p.12) ******** From the Parashah . . . "You shall be holy . . ." (Vayikra 19:2) Ramban and others write that the mitzvah recorded in this verse is: "Sanctify yourself through that which is permitted to you." This means that even that which is permitted, e.g., eating, drinking, and marital relations, should be done with sanctity and not to excess. R' Avraham Weinberg z"l (the Slonimer Rebbe) adds the following interpretation: "Sanctify yourself through that which is permitted to you" - i.e., it is only to you that it appears that certain actions are "permitted," i.e., neither mitzvot nor sins. In fact, however, there is nothing in the world which is optional; everything is either a mitzvah or a sin, depending on how it is done. (Quoted in Netivot Shalom) ******** "You shall not be a gossip-monger among your people, you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed -- I am Hashem. You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him." (19:16-17) R' Yaakov Abuchatzeira z"l (1790-1879; Morocco) writes: This is a warning to tzaddikim not to speak ill of other Jews. Even Moshe Rabbeinu was punished when he spoke badly about Bnei Yisrael. Do not stand idly by while the blood of other Jews is shed because of their sins. Rather, pray that they will repent. Also, rebuke them as necessary, in order to help them repent. (Pituchei Chotam) ******** "You shall love your fellow as yourself." (Vayikra 19:18) How does one accomplish this? R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi z"l (1745-1813; the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) explains: "Putting into practice the suggestion mentioned above [i.e., previously in the same work] - to view one's body as lowly and to find joy only in the joy of the soul - is a direct and easy way to attain fulfillment of the commandment, "You shall love your fellow as yourself" toward every soul of Yisrael, both great and small." R' Shneur Zalman goes on to explain that whereas we all view ourselves as separate entities when we focus on our bodies, we recognize that we are one when we focus on our souls, for they all come from the same Father. This is what Hillel the Elder meant when he said, "This is the whole Torah and the rest is commentary." Elevating the soul above the body is the essence and purpose of the whole Torah. (Likkutei Amarim Tanya, ch.32) ******** From the Haftarah . . . "On that day I will raise up the fallen sukkah of David . . ." (Amos 9:11) Why is the Bet Hamikdash referred to as a sukkah? R' Yehonatan Eyebschutz z"l (German rabbi and prolific author in all areas of Torah scholarship; died 1764) explains: Halachah requires a sukkah to have a larger shaded area than sunny area. This is a metaphor for the Jewish People. On the one hand, they are under the protection of G-d, as the verse says (Tehilim 121:5), "Hashem is your protective shade." At the same time, man has a mazal, i.e., he is under the influence of the stars. Which affects the Jewish people more? As in a sukkah, the Bet Hamikdash reminds us that the shade is greater than the sun. (Ahavat Yehonatan) ******** Diaries R' Yaakov Emden (1697-1776) is well-known for his notes on the Talmud, his halachic writings, and his siddur commentary. One of R' Emden's lesser known works is his autobiography, Megilat Sefer, from which we present another excerpt this week. In last week's selection, R' Emden described how he attempted unsuccessfully to collect money owed to his late father. Another way in which R' Emden attempted to raise money for the specific purpose of marrying-off his younger siblings was by selling copies of his father's now-classic work She'eilot U'teshuvot Chacham Zvi. In this week's selection, R' Emden describes his experiences. I did not send copies of the book to rich and honorable men as is the custom of authors and publishers in this era, who send [unsolicited] books to wealthy men with the expectation of receiving a generous gift in return. Even though Germany was at the height of its wealth and I could have become wealthy through the books of my father and teacher z"l if I had followed this custom, I avoided this in order not to place a burden on any individual. [I only sold the book] if someone wanted it of his own desire. For this reason, I sold very few. Even in Hamburg [where the Chacham Zvi had been rabbi] I could not sell many books. [I would also have sold more copies] if I had not been concerned for the honor of the Torah that it not enter a home where it did not belong. . . . From Hamburg, I traveled to Hanover, and I took with me some volumes of the She'eilot U'teshuvot of my father and teacher z"l. I stayed in the home of Gimpel Hanover; he and his brother, R' Ephraim, were still men of [financial] stature and honor in those days to all appearances. However, that very week while I was there, they went bankrupt and had to flee in the middle of the night [perhaps to avoid debtors prison]. If I had not escaped quickly from the house before the servants of the court came to seize all of their property, all of my belongings and my trunk would have been seized as well. From there I traveled on the mail wagon to the holy community of Frankfurt, which was at the time at the height of its glory, the crown of the communities of Germany in terms of its wealth and honor. However, before I arrived there, I learned that there had been a great fire and most of the Jewish neighborhood lay in ashes. Accordingly, I accomplished nothing there, especially because I still refused to send the book as a gift to wealthy men [who could still afford the book]. My relative by marriage, R' Yaakov Katz, who was the head of the bet din there at that time, was angry at me for this, since he had my best interests at heart. As for the community of Frankfurt, they apologized that they could not purchase any books at a time such as this in order not to burden the members of the community. . . . The above-mentioned rabbi tried very hard to persuade me to act like any other bookseller, but I could not be swayed. He asked me how I could expect wealthy men to come to me or send their servants to me, which is not the custom in these times (especially considering that I asked a high price for the books, which was the price my father and teacher z"l had set himself). . . . Nevertheless, some men of stature from among the wealthy and Torah scholars did send messengers to me to buy the book at the full price of 15 coins.