HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Beha'alotecha Volume V, Number 32 (218) 19 Sivan 5751/June 1, 1991 Parasha Overview This Parasha contains approximately eight - apparently unrelated - sections, but in truth, writes R' Asher Ben-Zion Buchman, each teaches us about one aspect of the Torah concept of leadership. The Parasha begins with a command to Aharon regarding the kindling of the Menorah. According to Chazal, the Menorah represents the light of the Torah, and it is the obligation of the leaders, and particularly, of the Kohanim, to spread this light and to raise Bnei Yisrael to a higher level. This is one reason why the Torah uses the word "Beha'alotcha" - "When you raise" - instead of "Behadlakatcha" - "When you light" in its command to Aharon. Having learned the purpose of leadership, we must now discover the way to lead. This is a message of the "Pesach Sheni" story (see inside). Moshe's response to the Jews' request was the proper one: "Let me see what G-d and His Torah have to say about this." (For further application of this theme to the Parasha, see Bedibur Echod, pages 89-92). *********************************** "And those people said to [Moshe], 'We have been defiled by a corpse. Why should we be deprived of the opportunity to bring G- d's sacrifice in its proper time, together with Bnei Yisrael'." (Badmidbar 9:7) At the end of Bnei Yisrael's first year in the desert, Moshe told them to prepare to bring the "Korban Pesach" - the pascal sacrifice. However, knowing that those who have come into contact with a corpse are enjoined from bringing sacrifices until a period of purification has passed, several Jews complained to Moshe that they would be "cheated" of the right to bring this Korban. Hashem's response was to grant them the holiday of Pesach Sheni, an opportunity, 30 days after Erev Pesach, to bring the Korban Pesach. According to the sages of the Mishnah, these men had not simply come into contact with a corpse, but had intentionally become defiled in performance of a Mitzvah. Some say that these were the pallbearers of Yosef's coffin (which the Jews had taken with them >from Egypt); others say that these were Moshe's cousins who had been assigned to bury Aharon's sons, Nadav and Avihu. Why then, asks R' Gedaliah Schorr, should these people feel that they were being deprived of the opportunity to perform a Mitzvah? Didn't they know that "One who is occupied by the performance of a Mitzvah is exempt from performing another Mitzvah," and "If one has no choice, the Torah excuses him."?! We read at the end of Megilat Esther that Mordechai was "admired by most of his brethren," implying "'most' but not 'all'." Chazal explain that when Mordechai ascended to power in the king's court, he necessarily reduced the number of hours that he spent studying Torah each day. Several of Mordechai's colleagues on the Sanhedrin did not approve of this action, and their opinion of him was lowered. This is difficult to understand. Surely Mordechai's intention was only for the benefit of the Jewish people! Why should this cause his colleagues to lessen their opinion of him? The answer is that whatever a person's reason for not performing even one Mitzvah, that course of action has an effect on his spiritual well- being. As righteous as Mordechai was, his lower level of Torah study took its toll on his soul, albeit to a minute degree that only the greatest members of the Sanhedrin could discern. The same was true of those people who were unable to bring the Korban Pesach in the desert. True, it was through no fault of their own, but they knew that it was in their best interests to find some way to bring the sacrifice. Chazal note that G-d could have taught the Mitzvah of Pesach Sheni to Moshe before the need for it arose - just as He did with most of the Torah's laws - but He waited because the Jews who are quoted in the above Pasuk were deserving of being forever associated with this Mitzvah. How so? Based on what we have explained above, the answer is clear. Most people in the position of these men would say, "I would have liked to perform this Mitzvah, but I can't. Thank G-d that 'If one has no choice, the Torah excuses him'." However, the men in our Parasha did not resign themselves to this fate, for they understood the lesson which Chazal learned from Mordechai's experience. It was precisely in the merit of these Jews' great desire not to miss a single opportunity to perform a Mitzvah that Hashem chose them as the vehicle for bringing this Mitzvah to Bnei Yisrael. (Ohr Gedalyahu, "Pesach Sheni" section 1) *********************************** "And Yehoshua bin Nun - the servant of Moshe, one of the young men - answered saying, 'My master, Moshe, arrest them'." (Badmidbar 11:28; see Rashi) Among the signs of respect that one owes his "Rebbe" (teacher of Torah) is to not address or refer to him by his proper name. However, writes R' Moshe Isserless ("Rema"), one may say, "My teacher, Rabbi so-and-so," if, adds R' Shabtai HaKohen (the "Shach"), one is speaking about his teacher. Nevertheless, concludes the "Shach", when addressing one's teacher one may not mention the Rabbi's name. Many "Poskim" (Halachic decisors) disagree with "Shach's" interpretation of "Rema's" words and hold that even in the presence of one's teacher one may mention the teacher's name so long as it is prefaced with a title of respect such as "Rabbi" or "Master." These Poskim derive their opinion from our verse wherein Yehoshua addresses his teacher as "My master, Moshe." One can say in "Shach's" defense that our verse represents a unique case. R' Baruch HaLevi Epstein suggests in his Torah commentary Torah Temimah that the reason one must address his teacher simply as "Rabbi" and not as "Rabbi So-and-so", is that the latter is disrespectful to the teacher in that it implies that the speaker has another teacher as well. If he did not, why would he find it necessary to clarify to which Rabbi he was speaking?! Based on this rationale, there would be nothing wrong with Yehoshua's saying, "My master, Moshe." Everybody knew that Yehoshua had no teacher but Moshe, for not only was Moshe the teacher of the entire generation, the Torah itself testifies that Yehoshua maintained constant contact with Moshe. Even when Moshe ascended Har Sinai, Yehoshua sat at the base of the mountain for forty days so that when Moshe came down, Yehoshua might immediately resume his studies. (Perhaps it is for this very reason that our verse reminds us of Yehoshua's subservience to Moshe even though we have already learned of it from other verses, as if to say, "Do not mistakenly think that Yehoshua implied any disrespect for his teacher.") R' Moshe Feinstein, Zatzal, offers another defense of "Shach", writing that Yehoshua had not mention Moshe's name in order to emphasize that "Even you, Moshe, the humblest of all men, must now defend your honor and punish Eldad and Medad." (Igrot Moshe, Y.D. I,133) [Note: As always, nothing in HaMaayan should be relied upon in practice. All Halachic questions should be referred to a competent Rabbi.] *********************************** Rashi and his Talmud commentary represent a turning point in Ashkenazic Torah scholarship. We saw last week how the students of the Ashkenazic Yeshivot composed "Kuntreism" (notebooks) which began as classroom notes, but eventually became "textbooks" which later students used as aids in the study of the Gemara. The generations before Rashi exerted great efforts to make every student completely at home in the Talmud Bavli. Rashi's Talmud commentary represents the last climactic step in that process. As we will see in future weeks, Torah study in the generations after Rashi would take on a new form that was not concerned only with elucidating the Talmud page that was then being studied, but had a broader focus. This was no coincidence, but is rather a testament to Rashi's success as a teacher of the plain meaning ("P'shat") of the Talmud. No wonder that the 14th century Talmud commentator, R' Menachem Meiri, saw fit to refer to Rashi as "Gedolei HaRabanim" - "The greatest of teachers." It was apparently the practice that when a scholar was appointed to a teaching position he would give away the notebooks of his student-days, and thereafter teach the Talmud to his own students by heart. Rashi, however, adopted a different approach, and rather than abandon his "Kuntreism", he kept them and further endeavored to collect the Kuntreism of his predecessors. These, together with his own notes, formed the basis for his published commentary and presumably, for his lectures. One can see as he studies page after page of Rashi's Talmud commentary, that Rashi had before him the interpretations of his teachers: R' Yaakov ben Yakar ("Mori HaZaken" - "My elder teacher"), R' Yitzchak ben Yehuda, and R' Yitzchak HaLevi ("Rabbenu HaLevi"), as well as those of R' Gershom and other scholars. Furthermore, one finds in Rashi's commentary statements that are likely those of his "classmates", for he often writes, "So I have heard, but my heart is unsure about this." The Mishnah commentary Tosfot Yom Tov compares the styles of the commentaries of Rashi and Rambam. Whereas Rambam presents only a broad overview of the principles enunciated by each Mishnah, Rashi's way is generally to explain only the details, and to allow the student to construct the principles out of these. The beauty of this method, explains one commentator, is that it allows Rashi to speak simultaneously to students of all levels. To a beginner, Rashi's commentary is little more than a dictionary; to the advanced scholar, it is a source of brilliant and intricate insights into the meaning of the Talmud and the minds of its authors. As R' Yosef Chaim David Azulai wrote, " One word in Rashi's commentary may answer baskets-full of questions." By the time of Rashi's death, the work of explaining the "P'shat" of the Gemara was finished. With Rashi's students and grandsons begins the era of the "Ba'alei Tosfot". ************************************** The learning schedule for this Shabbos is: Daily Mishnah Chulin 4:6-7 (Learn two Mishnayot every day) Daily Halacha Orach Chaim (Mishnah Berura) 271:2-4 (Learn three paragraphs each day) Daf Yomi Pesachim 78 (Learn two sides of a page each day) Pirkei Avot Chapter 2 (Learn one chapter each Shabbat afternoon during the summer) **************************************** TThe hard copy distribution of this week's HaMaayan is sponsored by: Loretta and Manny Sadwin and family in honor of Rivka Yonina's Bat Mitzvah ******************** Posted by Alan Broder, ajb@grebyn.com (uunet!grebyn!ajb), who should be contacted to request back issues of HaMaayan or to get on or off the direct email mailing list. Shlomo Katz can not receive EMAIL, however I will pass on any comment forwarded to me, or alternately, send your comments care of yehuda@gwuvm.bitnet