Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Shemini Volume 21, No. 25 26 Nissan 5767 April 14, 2007 Sponsored by Shlomo and Sharona Katz in honor of the engagement of Hillel Broder to Eva Fenton Today's Learning: Gittin 7:1-3 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Chagigah 7 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Pesachim 6 A significant part of this week's parashah is devoted to listing or describing the animals, birds and fish which are or are not kosher. The parashah concludes: "To distinguish between the contaminated and the pure, and between the living thing that is consumed and the living thing that is not consumed." R' Moshe Yehoshua Hager shlita (the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Bnei Brak) asks: For the sake of parallelism, should not the second half of the verse have been reversed -- "the living thing that may not be consumed" paralleling the "contaminated" and "the living thing that may be consumed" paralleling the "pure"? [In other words, as written, the pasuk seems to have the pattern A-B- B-A instead of A-B-A-B.] He explains: In addition to its literal, halachic meaning, the verse may be interpreted as follows [giving it an A-B-A-B pattern]. Who is contaminated? One whose life force is derived from consumable belongings. Who is pure? One whose life force is not derived from consumable belongings, but rather from spiritual acquisitions. In this light as well, one can understand the mishnah (Avot ch. 4): "Against your will, you are alive." Who is truly alive? One who approaches material pleasures unwillingly. R' Hager added (in the name of R' Mordechai Chune Fuchs, a famous chassid of R' Hager's grandfather): Some people are alive, while other seemingly living people merely exist. An example of the latter is one who is most alert when sitting in front of a plate of food, but who consistently nods off during prayers. A truly living person is one who has his priorities in order. (Kuntreis Sichot U'maamarei Kodesh 5732-5734, p.64) ******** "Aharon raised his hands toward the people and blessed them." (9:22) R' Moshe David Valle z"l (1697-1777; Italian kabbalist) writes: Do not ask, "Do not the priestly blessings appear only later, in the book of Bemidbar?" He explains: First, we have been taught a rule that the Torah is not written in chronological order. Second -- R' Valle's preferred answer -- when Aharon wanted to bless Bnei Yisrael, he attained ruach hakodesh / Divine inspiration and he recited with his own lips exactly the same blessing that would later be established for future generations. R' Valle adds: The word in our verse which means "his hands" (plural) is written as if it were "his hand" (singular). Our Sages have already derived a halachah from this [see below], which is of course true. The secret meaning, however, is that the root of a man's soul is called "his hand." The reason is that a man's soul defines his "reach," i.e., his capabilities. When one wishes to bless his friend, he cannot bless him with more than he (the one giving the blessing) has. Likewise, here, Aharon blessed Bnei Yisrael from the very root of his soul, to the greatest extent of his ability. That is why the verse says "his hand." (Avodat Hakodesh) What halachah is derived from the use of the singular form "his hand" instead of the plural "his hands"? R' Meir ben Yekutiel Hakohen z"l hy"d (Germany; murdered in the "Rindfleisch massacres" in 1298) writes: This teaches that the kohen should elevate one hand, i.e, the right hand, slightly above the other. (Hagahot Maimoniot: Hilchot Tefilah 14:3) ******** "Moshe said to Aharon and to his sons Elazar and Itamar, `. . . your brethren the entire House of Yisrael shall bewail the conflagration that Hashem ignited'." (10:6) R' Yitzchak ben R' Moshe Nunes Belmonte z"l (Izmir, Turkey; 18th century) asks: Was it necessary for Hashem to command Bnei Yisrael, a people known for their compassion, to mourn over the sudden deaths of two righteous men, Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon? He explains: The Gemara (Moed Kattan 8a) prohibits holding eulogies within 30 days before one of the three pilgrimage festivals - Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. When did Nadav and Avihu die? On the first of Nissan, only two weeks before Pesach. One might therefore have thought that Nadav and Avihu should not be eulogized. However, Tosafot write that only hiring a professional eulogist is prohibited. In contrast, the mourner himself may deliver a eulogy during this period. This is why Hashem said, in effect, "Today, all of Bnei Yisrael are as mourners." (Derach Ha'shaar: Drush 13) ******** From the Haftarah . . . "David answered Michal, `Before Hashem who chose me over your father and over his entire household to appoint me as ruler over the people of Hashem, of Yisrael - before Hashem did I rejoice. Had I held myself even more lightly than this and had I been lowly in my own eyes -- and with the maidservants of whom you spoke, among them will I be honored'!" (Shmuel II 6:22) These verses record King David's response to his wife, Michal, daughter of King Shaul, when she criticized King David for dancing publicly in front of the Aron Kodesh as it was brought to Yerushalayim for the first time. Consistent with her own father's reserved nature, Michal felt that such behavior was beneath the dignity of the king. R' Moshe Yechiel Epstein z"l (the Ozhorover Rebbe; died 1971) observes: G- d forbid that King David was glorifying himself. To the contrary, the words, "Hashem chose me over your father," were an expression of humility. How so? He meant to say, "I do not consider myself worthy of this position, but I occupy it because Hashem has so ordained." In addition, King David's words can be understood to mean, "Because Hashem chose me, I must demean and humble myself." This is in keeping with the halachah that, unlike a regular person who bows only four times during Shemoneh Esrei, a Kohen Gadol must bow 18 times and a king, 36 times. We read in Divrei Hayamim I (28:9-10) that King David charged his successor before his death, "And you, my son Shlomo: Know the G-d of your father and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul, for Hashem searches all hearts and discerns every product of one's thoughts; if you seek Him, He will let Himself be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever. See now that Hashem has chosen you to erect a building for the Holy [i.e., the Bet Hamikdash]; be strong and act." R' Epstein observes that the commentary attributed to Rashi [but now believed to not have been written by him] explains: "He did not choose you because you are more praiseworthy than others, rather for His sake and because of His mercy. Therefore, be strong and act." This must be the attitude that a king of Yisrael has. R' Epstein adds: King David's humility can be seen in another phrase in his retort to Michal. He said, "With the amahot / maidservants of whom you spoke, among them will I be honored!" The word "amahot" can be read "imahot," meaning "mothers" or "foremost ones." King David was saying, according to Midrash Rabbah, "Would that I will be so fortunate as to share in the honor that the simplest Jewish woman will receive in the World-to-Come." (Be'er Moshe) ******** Diaries R' Yaakov Emden (1697-1776) is well-known for his notes on the Talmud, his halachic writings, and his siddur commentary. (R' Emden's 231st yahrzeit falls this coming week, and a short biography of him appeared in the first issue of Hamaayan 20 years ago this week.) One of R' Emden's lesser known works is his autobiography, Megilat Sefer, from which we present an excerpt this week. In this selection, from the beginning of chapter 2 of his work, R' Emden explains what impelled him to write an autobiography. Before I begin to tell the story of what happened to me, I will declare truthfully that I have not done this to publicize myself and my praises, for I know that I am lacking good deeds -- devoid of Torah, devoid of wisdom, devoid of greatness with which to glorify myself. Would that my writing not reveal my shortcomings! However, those who know me know that I have chosen the path of humility for, since the day that I have attained understanding, I have recognized my own worth and blemishes. Therefore, it does not matter to me [if my writing does reveal my shortcomings], for I love only the truth. There are three reasons why I have arrived at this point, i.e., to write an autobiography. [First,] I do not want to refrain from informing my descendants all of my affairs to the extent possible (and, if I cannot tell all, then at least what I remember at the moment). [Second,] the strongest reason that led me to this is to reveal Hashem's kindness to me since my youth. Although many have persecuted me, they have been unable to defeat me. If it could all be described, it would not be believed that a person could suffer one-thousandth of what I have undergone . . . From all of them, Hashem saved me . . . The numerous wonders that He did for me, the lowly among the thousands of Israel, I wish to reveal to later generations. Third, [my intention is] so that the light of my guiltlessness will shine like the sun and I will not remain under a cloud [in the face of] "the lawless who have robbed me; they now surround me as my enemies in their very souls" [paraphrasing Tehilim 17:9], slandering me to humiliate me in the eyes of the inhabitants of the land. They wish to destroy me with the curses in their hands, with their lies that have been disseminated in every corner. There is no doubt that the publications containing their attacks will remain in the world for some time. [Ed. note: Such pamphlets still exist.] Therefore, of necessity, I must clarify my deeds before G-d and man.