Hamaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Tetzaveh Volume VII/Number 20 (307) 13 Adar 5753/March 6, 1993 The two most prominent of the Kohen Gadol's garments (all of which are described in this week's Parasha) were the "Tzitz" and the "Choshen", notes R' Joseph B. Soloveitchik, shlita. The Tzitz was the golden band worn on the Kohen Gadol's forehead; the Choshen was the breastplate full of gemstones. The Tzitz was opposite the Kohen Gadol's mind; the Choshen was opposite his heart. The Tzitz represented the wisdom with which the Kohen Gadol decided questions of Halacha: of ritual purity, of Kashrut, of business relationships, etc. The Choshen was the vehicle by which the Kohen Gadol answered political questions: should we go to war, shall I rebuke the king, etc. For millennia, there was no doubt that the same Kohen Gadol who wore the Tzitz, should wear the Choshen. Political leadership and Halachic leadership were inseparable. The same Kohen Gadol whose mind was saturated with the wisdom of the holy Torah of R' Akiva and R' Elazar, of Abaye and Rava, of the Rambam and the Ra'avad, of the Bet Yosef and the Rema, he was divinely inspired to see the solutions to the political and social questions of the day. Only recently, says R' Soloveitchik, has a new way emerged among us: a distinction between the "Gaon" (sage) of the generation and the "Manhig" (leader) of the generation. This view says that the sage who busies himself with the most complex Halachic questions is not sophisticated enough to deal with the "real" problems which we face. In truth, though, Chazal have said, "If a Kohen is not divinely inspired, do not ask anything of him." No so-called leader can love his fellow Jews if his mind is not permeated with the holiness of the Jewish Torah. There is no Choshen without the Tzitz. (Divrei Hagut v'Ha'arachah p.191) ************************************ "And you shall command ('Tetzaveh')..." (27:20) According to the rules of Hebrew grammar, says R' Yaakov Kamenecki, zatzal (died 1986), when the word "Atah" ("you") appears before a verb which begins with the letter "Tav" (e.g. "Tetzaveh"), it means, "You do this, as opposed to another person who will do something else." In Parashat Terumah the Torah describes how Bnei Yisrael built the physical structure of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Now Moshe is commanded to invest it with its spiritual content. Moshe's names does not appear in this Parasha; however says the Vilna Gaon, it is alluded to. The "Gemartria Nistar" of Moshe's name is 101 (i.e. if the letters of his name are spelled out, the additional letters which are now revealed total that sum.) The number of verses in this Parasha is also 101. Even when Moshe's influence is not seen externally, it is nevertheless hidden within. (Emet l'Yaakov) ************************************ "And you shall dress Aharon and his sons in [the clothes which were made for them]" (28:41) Why did Moshe have to personally dress Aharon, an activity more suited to a valet? asks R' Moshe Feinstein, zatzal (who died on this day in 1986). Because with Aharon's ascension to the "Kehunah" (priesthood), a new type of holiness was being introduced to the world. To introduce Kedushah where there was none before requires the Sanhedrin. [For example, only the Sanhedrin can expand the Halachic boundaries of Yerushalayim.] At that time, Moshe was the Sanhedrin. (Darash Moshe) ************************************ The Gemara (Me'ilah 14a) teaches that the Mishkan or Bet haMikdash should be built first and sanctified when it is completed. Why? "Because the Torah was not given to angels." It is impossible to ask of construction workers that they not, even for a moment, enjoy the shade of the structure they are building, but to derive such enjoyment from the Bet haMikdash is forbidden. So, says R' Zvi Yehuda Kook, zatzal (who died on this day in 1982), will the redemption occur. The majority of those who are rebuilding Eretz Yisrael are constructing a profane structure. Only later, when the redemption is complete, will that structure be sanctified. (quoted in Tal Chermon p.389) ************************************ P U R I M The Gemara wonders why Esther, who was married to Mordechai, was allowed to live with Achashveirosh -- after all, the Halacha states that one must give his life rather than publicly commit adultery! R' Shlomo Goren, shlita, suggests that this was the reason that Mordechai ordered Esther to hide her identity. Rambam states that if the one who tells a Jew to commit adultery is not motivated by anti-semitism, the Jew may yield unless ten Jews are present. One might argue, says R' Goren, that even if ten Jews are present (or, as here, know that the king and queen are living together), the Jew may still yield if the ten Jews do not know that he is Jewish. As long as Esther kept her identity a secret, she was not required to give up her life rather than live with Achashveirosh. Based on this, continues R' Goren, we may understand the verse in the Megilah: "As I am lost, I am lost." "Now that my secret will come out, " Esther feared, "for I must go to plead for my people, perhaps my life will be forfeited, for I will have to end my relationship with Achashveirosh." (Torat haShabbat v'haMo'ed p.414) ************************************ R' Yechezkel Abramsky, zatzal (1886-1976) related: One year, when we were living in London, I read the Megilah for my wife at one o'clock in the morning. She had had a toothache all day, but at that hour she felt better and asked me to read the Megilah. When I finished, I asked her, "Raizil, do you know what Mordechai was thinking when he was riding on the horse, being led through the streets while Haman called out, 'So shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor'?" "I'll tell you! He was thinking, 'The honor given by these drunkards is no honor at all. I'd rather be learning Torah'." (P'ninei Rabbenu Yechezkel I p.22) ************************************ In 1954, the "Klausenberger Rebbe" (R' Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam, shlita) visited Israel for the first time. Late one afternoon, while traveling in the Galil, the Rebbe stopped by the side of the road at the grave of the "Tanna" (sage of the Mishnah) R' Yehuda bar Ilai. The sun had already set, and there the Rebbe recited Mincha. (See Mishnah Berurah 233:14 and 261:23). Then the Rebbe continued on to Tzefat. That evening, his mood seemed to change; for no apparent reason he seemed disturbed and upset. Early the next afternoon, the Rebbe returned to the grave of R' Yehuda, and with unusual fervor, he recited Mincha, crying the whole while. Finished, he appeared relaxed and content. One of the Chassidim asked the Rebbe what was behind his mood changes and his return to recite Mincha in the same place as the day before. The Rebbe explained, "Last night, when I took an accounting of my day's activities, I suddenly remembered the Mishnah (Berachot 62a) in which R' Yehuda states that one must complete Mincha one-and-a-half hours before sunset. I had recited Mincha at the grave of that Tanna at a time which he ruled was prohibited. How could I be so insensitive?! "It was as though I was as audacious as Haman, whom Achashveirosh reprimanded by saying, 'Would he actually capture the queen while I am in the house?' Today, therefore, I returned to the grave, recited Mincha earlier, and begged R' Yehuda to forgive me. Now I feel that I have been forgiven." (In the Footsteps of the Maggid p.126) ************************************ The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Zavim 5:7-8 O.C. 562:4-6 Nedarim 19 Yerushalmi - Pe'ah 26 Rambam Ch/Day: Hilchot Kidush Hachodesh - Chapter 5 3 Ch/Day-Hilchot Chagigah:Chs.2-3, Hilchot Bechorot:Ch. 1 Sefer Hamitzvot Sh:P54,N156,N229,P16,P79; Su:N144,N108; M:P78; Tu:N109,P69 W:P70; Th:P70; F:P71 ************************************ The distribution of this weeks Hamaayan is sponsored by: Mark Dreyfuss in honor of his wife Joyce's birthday Yehuda, Moshe, Eliezer and Ze'ev Katz on their "Abba's" birthday Leah Lando in honor of the birthday of Elyokim Lando who was born on Moshe Rabbenu's Yahrzeit ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax deductible