Today's Learning Bava Metzia 10:1-2 Sponsored by O.C. 308:28-30 Professor & Mrs. Gilbert Ginsburg Zevachim 49 on the yahrzeit of Herzl Rosenson A"H Yerushalmi-- and the shloshim of Lottie Rosenson A"H Gittin 15 Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Terumah Vol. X, No. 19 (456), 4 Adar 5756, February 24, 1996 Siddur Avodat Yisrael writes that there is a chapter of Tehilim which corresponds to each parashah--this week Psalm 26. In verse 8, we are reminded of this week's parashah, which sets out the design of the Mishkan (Tabernacle): "Hashem, I love the house in which You dwell and the place in which Your glory resides." The midrash interprets the above verse: "Hashem, I love the house in which You dwell," i.e., the Bet Hamikdash because it parallels "the place in which Your glory resides." This refers to the teaching that there is a mishkan above which parallels the one in this world. The midrash also brings many verses to support another interpretation: The design of "the house" in which Hashem dwells -- i.e., the mishkan -- parallels the earth itself. The earth is the place in which Hashem's glory resides as a result of man's recognizing his creator and sanctifying Him. (Midrash Tanchuma: Parashat Pekudei) In verse 6, King David writes: "I wash my hands in purity, and I encircle Your altar, Hashem." Rav Samson R. Hirsch þ"þ explains, "A striving for purity, for blamelessness in one's dealings with one's fellow men, is a prerequisite if one is to approach the Sanctuary and to join that group which is united around G-d's altar." ************************************ The verses and commentaries on this page relate to the chapter of Tehilim associated with our parashah (see page 1). "For Your kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth." (26:3) Your kindness, which is true kindness, carried out with no hope of pay -- for how can one repay Hashem? -- is before my eyes, and it inspires me to walk in Your truthful ways and to perform kindness with no expectation of reward. (Rav Reuven Halevi Horowitz zatz'l: Dudaim Basadeh) ************************************ "I despised the congregation of merry makers, and with the wicked let me not sit." (26:5) The verse opens in past tense and concludes in the future. Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad zatz'l explains this as follows: Chazal teach that those who receive their reward in the World-to- Come will sit side-by-side with those who have not earned a reward. They will "eat and drink" the same thing, but the former group will appreciate it because they have prepared themselves, while the latter group will have no appreciation for what they are experiencing. David did not wish to share his Olam Haba with such company and he said, "I have always despised the congregation of merry makers in this world. Therefore, let the wicked let not sit near me in the World-to-Come." (Chaim Vehashalom) ************************************ "My foot is set on the straight path, in assemblies I will bless Hashem." (26:12) Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook zatz'l writes: There are some tzaddikim who consider sincere repentance to be necessary, not only if they fail for a moment to cleave to Hashem, but also if their attachment to Hashem is one-dimensional, i.e., based only on yir'ah (awe, but not love) or ahavah (love, but not awe). This is the meaning of David's statement, "My foot is set on the straight path," i.e., "My service of Hashem is balanced, and I do not limp on only one leg (i.e., yir'ah or ahavah)." (Orot Hateshuvah) ************************************ "And they shall make for Me a mikdash--holy place." (25:8) Rav Moshe Feinstein zatz'l asks: Doesn't the holiness come only from the fact that G-d's glory rests there? Shouldn't He have said, "And they shall make for Me a house, and I shall make it into a mikdash"? The Torah is teaching us that bringing G-d into the world is in man's hands. How? This question is answered by the following: Why did Hashem first tell Bnei Yisrael to donate gold and other finery, and only then tell them to build a mishkan? The answer is that holiness comes from recognizing G-d's ownership of creation. If He takes your money, don't ask why; accept it. Moshe did not tell Bnei Yisrael what the donations were for because only if Bnei Yisrael gave their money in the proper spirit could it turn into a holy place. (Darash Moshe) ************************************ When Adar Arrives We are instructed to drink on Purim until we cannot tell the difference between "Blessed is Mordechai" and Cursed is Haman." Many poskim (halachic authorities) say that it is sufficient to drink slightly more than usual so that one falls asleep. When one is asleep, one cannot tell the difference between "Blessed is Mordechai" and "Cursed is Haman," they explain. Not so Rav Naftali Amsterdam zatz'l! He would say: If Mordechai also had looked for a way out of his obligations, he could have found a halachic loophole that would allow him to bow down to Haman. Then we wouldn't even have a holiday of Purim. [Chazal teach that a person's true nature comes out when he drinks. The biographers of Rav Naftali Amsterdam and other ba'alei mussar relate that when these spiritual giants became drunk, their true nature came out. All of the holiness and piety when they concealed so well they were in control of their faculties was revealed when they were drunk.] ************************************ Rav Naftali Amsterdam zatz'l born 5592 (1832) - died 6 Adar 5676 (1916) Along with Rav Simcha Zissel of Kelm and Rav Yitzchak Blazer (aka Rav Itzele Petersburger), Rav Naftali was one of the three leading disciples of Rav Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the mussar movement. Because of Rav Naftali's humility, relatively little is known about him. He preferred not to serve in the rabbinate -- although he was well-qualified for it -- and he did so only when he could no longer make ends meet. From 1867 to 1875, he served as rabbi of Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland. Afterwards he served for two years as the assistant to Rav Blazer, then rabbi of St. Petersburg. When Rav Naftali lived in Kovno, he would occasionally lecture at the yeshiva in neighboring Slobodka. In general, Rav Naftali preferred to serve Hashem in solitude, but on Shabbat he would study with a young man from the neighborhood in order to fulfill Chazal's instruction that a person should not study only by himself. This young study partner first had to agree to several rules--for example, that he would never stand up for Rav Naftali, that he would not serve Rav Naftali or carry his books, and that if Rav Naftali would remain silent for some time ("because of my slow comprehension," Rav Naftali said) the young man would not waste the time but would continue to study. Rav Naftali devoted great energy to perfecting his character, and his diary which reveals his plan-of-action still exists. He used to work on one trait a week, paying careful attention to that trait and constantly reviewing "slogans" (perhaps sayings of Chazal) related to that trait. The first trait which he attacked, according to his diary, was haughtiness. Rav Naftali refused to wear rabbinic garb until Rav Yisrael Salanter told him that it would bring pleasure to his wife. In 1906 Rav Naftali settled in Yerushalayim, where he continue his low-key ways of disseminating of Torah and mussar. ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible.