Today's Learning Eruvin 6:4-5 O.C. 9:1-3 Sponsored by Bava Kama 108 Irving and Arline Katz Yerushalmi-- and family Pesachim 4 in memory of mother & grandmother Sarah bat Yitzchak haKohen Katz A"H The Meth family in honor of the 23rd wedding anniversary of Sheldon & Marcia PARASHAT KORACH Vol. VIII, No. 35 (365), 2 Tamuz 5754, June 11, 1994 In this week's parasha, as well as in the parashot which precede it and follow it, we read of some of the occasions on which the Jewish people tested Hashem during the forty years in the desert. Many ask: How is it possible that a generation which was on such a high spiritual level, a generation which witnessed all the miracles that this generation saw, could falter so many times? Rav Yaakov Weinberg shlita (Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel) explains that it was precisely the Jews' high level which caused these problems. They reached such a lofty level that they could not maintain it all of the time. And when they slipped, the fall was so much greater. We find a similar idea in Chazal's teaching, "The best of doctors is destined to Gehinom." Why? Because when a person is constantly on the high plane brought about by constantly serving others through truly dedicated medical practice, he is on a level which cannot be maintained all of the time. He is therefore at a greater risk of falling and needs to exercise extra care. (Heard from Rav Weinberg, 12 Sivan 5754) ************************************ "They and all that was theirs descended alive to the pit; the earth covered them over and they were lost from among the congregation." (16:33) If "the earth covered them over," don't I know that "they were lost from among the congregation"? asks Rav Yoel Teitelbaum (the Satmar Rav). The answer is as follows: The midrash states that every piece of property that Korach and his followers owned was swallowed by the ground. Even if another Jew had previously borrowed a needle from Korach, the opening in the ground reached out to swallow that needle. Why was this necessary? The Rambam explains that the reason that Bnei Yisrael were commanded to have no benefit from anything associated with idolatry is because there are some people who, if they have benefit from an object, tend to view the object itself and its properties as a cause of their success. For example, if a person was healed by herbs that had formerly belonged to avodah zarah, he might associate special powers with the herbs and thus give credence to idolatry. So, says the Satmar Rav, Hashem did not want Bnei Yisrael to retain any of Korach's property so that no one would say, "I used the money that I borrowed from Korach and I succeeded in business," or, "Look how beautiful this garment is; I made it with a needle that I borrowed from Korach." Therefore, "the earth covered them over," in order that they would be completely "lost from among the congregation." (Divrei Yoel: Parashat Naso) ************************************ ". . . and Aharon's staff was in the midst of their staffs." (17:21) Hashem said that the leader of each tribe should give his staff to be placed in the mishkan and the staff of the one who was chosen by Hashem as kohen would blossom. Why, asks Rav Yonatan Eyebschutz, did Moshe put Aharon's staff in the center of the group? Chazal teach that Eretz Yisrael is the point from which the whole world was created. Therefore, each type of soil that exists in the world exists in Eretz Yisrael also and a vein connects each soil deposit in Eretz Yisrael to that of other lands. King Shlomo recognized the location of these veins and deposits and therefore was able to plant every type of produce that grows in the world in Eretz Yisrael. Moshe was afraid that when Aharon's staff blossomed the cynics among Bnei Yisrael would maintain that Moshe had merely found one of these soil veins and placed Aharon's staff in it. Therefore, Moshe clustered the other tribes' staffs around Aharon's so that at least one other staff would be over that same soil vein as was Aharon's. (Tiferet Yehonatan) ************************************ ". . . In the morning Hashem will reveal who is His own and the holy one. . . ." (16:5) Chazal say that tzaddikim had mahn fall at their front doors while others had to walk some distance to gather their food. Therefore, says Rav Aharon Hacohen (son-in-law of the Chafetz Chaim), it would be obvious in the morning who was the righteous one and who was not. (Pirchei Aharon) ************************************ ". . . and you shall give G-d's terumah from it to Aharon the kohen." (18:28) This is the mitzvah of terumah--giving a portion of each harvest to the kohen. The gemara notes, however, that this mitzvah did not become obligatory until Eretz Yisrael was conquered, some 14 years after Aharon's death. How then can terumah be given to Aharon? Here, says the gemara, we find an allusion in the Torah to the resurrection of the dead. It is after that event that we will give terumah to Aharon. This presents a problem, writes Rav Yehuda Rosannes. The reason that terumah and ma'aser (tithes) are given to the kohanim and levi'im is that they did not receive a portion of the Land. However, there are those who hold that, when mashiach comes, even the kohanim and levi'im will be given portions in Eretz Yisrael. Why then should they continue to receive these gifts? The answer, explains Rav Rosannes, is that when Yehoshua, and later Ezra, conquered and settled Eretz Yisrael, the Land became sanctified. That event made the produce of the Land subject to the laws of terumah and ma'aser. And although we were expelled from the Land, the original sanctity of the Land never ceased. Accordingly, the obligation to separate terumah and ma'aser must continue, for where else will the sanctity go (in the phraseology of the gemara)?! It is, however, true that should mashiach conquer new lands and annex them to Eretz Yisrael, the laws of terumah and ma'aser will not apply there. (Parashat Derachim: Derech haKodeshVI) ******************************** Rav Simcha Bunim Alter 24 Nissan 5658 (1898) - 7 Tamuz 5752 (1992) Rav Simcha Bunim Alter, the fifth Gerrer Rebbe, was a son of the third Rebbe, Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, and a grandson of the Sefat Emet. For many years, he was considered to be his father's right- hand man, and when he father passed away in 1948--at the height of the siege of Yerushalayim--many chassidim expected Rav Simcha Bunim to become the Rebbe. Wanting to avoid controversy, Rav Simcha Bunim, a successful businessman, took his family and left for an extended stay in France and Belgium. Only in 1977, at the age of 79, did Rav Simcha Bunim succeed his brother as Rebbe. (Rav Simcha Bunim's only son, Rav Yaakov Aryeh Alter, showed similar grace in stepping aside so that his uncle, the famed Rav Pinchas Menachem Alter, could become Rebbe in 1992.) In his humility, Rav Simcha Bunim did not wear the traditional garb of a chassidic rebbe. On one occasion, he was refused admission to see another prominent rebbe because the latter was "waiting" for a visit from the Gerrer Rebbe. On another occasion, Rav Simcha Bunim sensed that someone was standing outside his house, but was not entering because he did not have a black hat. Immediately, Rav Simcha Bunim took off his own hat and invited the man in. Like all Rebbes of Ger, Rav Simcha Bunim placed great emphasis on Torah study as the primary service of Hashem, and his own erudition was immense. It is related that the Rebbe was once walking with two other Jews when one of them stated a halachah that appeared to the third member of the party to be contrary to a teaching of Tosfot (a major Talmud commentary). The man started, "But Tosfot. . ." Rav Simcha Bunim immediately whispered, "But there is another answer in that Tosfot!" Rav Simcha Bunim is particularly known for his efforts to reduce exorbitant expenditures among his chassidim, even those who could afford it. To that end, newlyweds were strongly encouraged to settle outside of Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak, and today there are thriving Gerrer communities is Israeli towns such as Ashdod and Arad. Rav Simcha Bunim also restricted his followers' expenditures on weddings. When one chassid complained that he could afford a lavish affair, Rav Simcha Bunim retorted, "Then you can afford to buy a new Rebbe." It was Rav Simcha Bunim who introduced the concept of Daf Yomi in the Talmud Yerushalmi. (Sources: Meorot me'Olam haKabbalah v'haChassidut, pp. 572-574; Jewish Observer, October 1992) ************************************ DONATIONS TO HAMAAYAN ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE