Today's Learning Yevamot 9:6-7:1 O.C. 153:18-20 Bava Batra 152 Yerushalmi-- Chagigah 6 Tzav Vol. IX, No. 25 (409), 16 Adar II 5755, March 18, 1995 This week's parashah begins with the mitzvah of terumat hadeshen-- taking a handful of ashes off of the altar each morning. The verse says: "The kohen shall don his fitted linen [garment], and he shall don linen pants on his flesh [Rashi: with nothing between the pants and his flesh], and he shall remove the ash" Rav Yaakov Yosef Hakohen zatz'l (a leading student of the Ba'al Shem Tov, author of the first chassidic work, and ancestor of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatz'l--see back page) offers the following homiletic interpretation: The "kohen" is the Torah scholar. The "garment" is the community of simple Jews who he is "assigned" by Heaven to elevate. The garment must be "fitted," i.e., he must not be so haughty that he cannot relate to them and they to him. There shall be nothing, such as jealousy or hatred, separating him from them. If these conditions are met, the kohen can remove the ash. "The ash"-"hadeshen"-has the same gematria as "hashanah"-"the year." (A difference of one is disregarded.) "Hadeshen" also has the same gematria as "Satan." This means that this Torah scholar will be able to use all of his allotted years productively, uprooting the satan from his constituency. (Toldot Yaakov Yosef) ************************************ Rav Shimon Schwab zatz'l Rav Schwab was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1908. His father, Rav Yehuda Schwab, was among the first in Germany to send his sons to study in the yeshivot of Eastern Europe, and he was richly rewarded. (In addition to Rav Shimon, the Schwab boys included Rav Moshe of Gateshead, England, and Rav Mordechai, of Monsey.) Young Shimon studied in Mir, and also visited Radin, where he was a guest of the Chafetz Chaim himself for one Shabbat. This latter experience left a profound impression on him. Rav Schwab came to America in 1936, serving first as a rabbi in Baltimore. In 1957 he was called to Washington Heights in New York to serve as the assistant to the aging Rabbi Dr. Yosef Breuer. (The Washington Heights community, "Khal Adath Jeshurun," centers around expatriates from Frankfurt, and is devoted to the legacy of Frankfurt's great rabbi, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch.) When Rav Breuer passed away in 1980 (at age 98), Rav Schwab succeeded him. Rav Schwab's books included Selected Essays, Selected Speeches, and Selected Writings (all in English). Recently he published a Torah commentary, Me'ayen Bet Hasho'eivah (in Hebrew). Rav Schwab was an active leader in Agudath Israel of America. ************************************ Rashi makes the following comment at the beginning of this parashah: "The word 'command' is used to encourage the present generation and future generations. Such encouragement is especially necessary when financial loss is involved." What is different about the "future generations" that they are singled out in connection with the mitzvot of this parashah? Rav Schwab þþþþ explains that, historically, the attitude of the Jews towards the sacrificial service changed from the first Temple period to the second. We see throughout Tanach that during the era of the first bet hamikdash, the Jews brought sacrifices, but without an understanding that action must be accompanied by proper thoughts. In contrast, as we see in Malachi 1:7-8, the Jews of the second bet hamikdash brought only low quality sacrifices. They felt that if man's thoughts were primary, why "waste" money on sacrifices?! Thus we see that the future generations needed particular encouragement regarding the sacrifices when "financial loss" was involved. Both of these attitudes exist today, concludes Rav Schwab, and they are both wrong. (Me'ayen Bet Hasho'eivah) ************************************ Rav Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht zatz'l As the founder of the first "overseas student program" to bring American and European students to an Israeli yeshiva for one year, Rav Goldvicht changed the way two generations of Orthodox students have been educated. Rav Goldvicht similarly revolutionized the post- high school education of Israeli yeshiva students by introducing the hesder concept, with students alternating years in the yeshiva with years of service in the Israeli Defense Forces. Today there are approximately 14 such yeshivot. Rav Goldvicht was a native of Yerushalayim. He studied in Yerushalayim's Etz Chaim Yeshiva under Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer , and also was close to Rav Velvel Brisker. Later, Rav Goldvicht studied in Bnei Brak under the Chazon Ish. In 1954, Rav Goldvicht established Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, which he headed for 40 years. Rav Goldvicht left behind a number of works and collections of his lectures. ************************************ Chazal teach: "Just as when the month of Av enters we decrease our joy, so when Adar enters we increase our joy." In what way is our increased joy in Adar tied to our decreased joy in Av? Rav Goldvicht asks. The bet hamikdash was destroyed on the ninth of Av because on that date the spies returned from Eretz Yisrael with their bad report. Why didn't the spies want to settle in the Land of Israel? Chazal say that they preferred staying in the desert, where serving Hashem came naturally, to leading mundane lives in Eretz Yisrael, where they would face many spiritual challenges. The Jews of the Purim story did the opposite. Chazal teach that until the time of Mordechai and Esther, Torah observance was not completely binding. However, the Jews of that period not only accepted the Torah as a binding obligation, they added the new mitzvot of Purim. Thus, they mitigated somewhat the sorrow of Av. Rashi writes that Adar is joyous because it ushers in Purim and Pesach. But Pesach existed long before Purim, notes Rav Goldvicht. Why should it be mentioned here? The answer is that before the Purim miracle, Pesach itself was less joyous, indeed it was slightly embarrassing. The Jews did not deserve to be taken out of Egypt; Hashem took them out only because they were destined to accept the Torah. Thus, only after the Purim miracle, when the Jews had fully accepted the Torah could they truly rejoice on Pesach. (Arba'ah Ma'amarim B'aggadah) As this issue was being prepared (about four weeks ago), the Torah world was saddened by the passing of three of its leading teachers. Two of them were almost household names, and the third had a profound impact on Torah education both in the United States and in Israel. This week we remember all three of them briefly, one on this page, and two inside this issue. ************************************ Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatz'l Rav Shlomo Zalman was among the foremost halachic authorities in Israel and the world in the last several decades. To many he is associated with expertise in the laws of Shabbat, although there were few major issues on which his opinion was not sought. In recent years he issued a number of rulings on the treatment of the terminally ill, the time of death, and related subjects. (To date, however, only a handful of his responsa have been published.) Rav Shlomo Zalman was born in Yerushalayim and studied under Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer . Rav Shlomo Zalman's father, Rav Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach, was the founder and head of Yeshivat Sha'ar Hashamayim, an advanced academy which emphasizes the study of kabbalah alongside a traditional Talmudic curriculum. A sister of Rav Shlomo Zalman married Rav Shalom Mordechai Schwadron þþþþþþ (the "Maggid" of the Artscroll Maggid series). Rav Shlomo Zalman published a number of works over a sixty year period, including a commentary on the classic work Shev Shemateta (published in the early 1930's), Meorei Esh on the halachic status of electricity ( 1935), Ma'adanei Eretz on agricultural laws, and Minchat Shlomo, a collection of responsa and articles (1986). He is quoted hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of times in the popular work Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah, and in 1993 an additional volume of his comments on that work was published. Rav Shlomo Zalman was rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Kol Torah and was president of Sha'ar Hashamayim (where his brother was rosh yeshiva until passing away a few years ago). Rav Shlomo Zalman was among the few Israeli gedolim who was not actively involved in politics, and he was universally respected. His funeral was attended by an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people. ************************************ Chazal say that Purim will always be celebrated, even after mashiach comes. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman zatz'l said, the mitzvah of drinking will be abolished. Only in this world is it necessary for man to drown out his sorrows in order to experience the joy of Purim. In the future, Hashem's light will shine so brightly that the darkness of sorrow will be washed away, and joy will come naturally. (Quoted by Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl shlita in Sichot L'sefer Shmot) May we merit to see that day in the near future. ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax deductible