Today's Learning Bava Batra 6:3-4 O.C. 315:5-7 Zevachim 77 Yerushalmi-- Gittin 84 Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Vayikra Vol. X, No. 23 (459), 3 Nisan 5756, March 23, 1996 Siddur Avodat Yisrael writes that there is a chapter of Tehilim which corresponds to each parashah--this week Psalm 50. From this psalm, the Tosefta (a compilation of teachings contemporary with the Mishnah) derives G-d's attitude towards sacrifices. Verse 12 says: "Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for Mine is the world and everything in it." Comments the Tosefta (Menachot 7:4), as if in G-d's words, "Do I get hungry? And if I were hungry, would I tell you, seeing that everything is mine? And if I did want you to feed Me, would a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening suffice?" Why then does G-d desire our sacrifices? asks the Tosefta. Verse 14 explains: "Offer G-d todah/confession--then redeem to the Most High your vows." Bringing a sacrifice to the Temple gives man a chance to acknowledge G-d and to establish a connection to G-d by making and fulfilling vows. (See inside.) There is a well-known debate between Rambam (Maimonides) and Ramban whether animal sacrifice is an ideal or a concession. Ramban writes that the introductory phrase, "Almighty G-d, Hashem, spoke. . .," (including as it does G-d's "Full Name") in a psalm discussing the sacrifices is proof that sacrifices are an integral part of serving G-d. (Ramban: Vayikra 1:9) ************************************ The verses and commentaries on this page relate to the chapter of Tehilim associated with our parashah (see page 1). "Offer G-d todah--then redeem to the Most High your vows." (50:14) Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin ("Netziv") writes: Most sacrifices are introduced with the word "when" (e.g., Vayikra 1:2--"When a man among you brings an offering;" Vayikra 2:1--"When a person brings a meal offering..."), but the korban todah (thanksgiving offering) is introduced with, "If he shall offer" (Vayikra 7:12). This is because the korban todah is a voluntary expression of gratitude to G-d. Why then does our verse command, "Offer G-d todah"? Netziv explains: When a person is suffering, he often promises himself that when he is cured or saved he will praise G-d and thank Him. When he is relieved of his suffering, however, he forgets. This is why the prophet commands, "[T]hen redeem to the Most High your vows"-- i.e., the vows that people take that they will thank Hashem. Bringing the korban todah to the Temple is a sure way to publicize Hashem's kindness. However, says Netziv, were it to happen that a person did remember his vow, actually bringing the sacrifice would be voluntary, as the Torah implies. (quoted in Devar Ha'emek) ************************************ Pesach In the Shabbat Hagadol derashah which he delivered in 5683/1923, Rav Yitzchak Yosef Zylberberg (see page 4) explained that the Four Questions of the Haggadah parallel the Four Sons. Thus, for example, the second question (Why do we eat maror?) parallels the rasha/wicked son. How so? The rasha asks, "What is this service to you?" Why do you focus on the bitterness of Egypt and not on the delicacies which we ate there for free (see Bamidbar 11:5)? To this son we say in the Haggadah, "If he had been there, he would not have been redeemed." If a person allows creature comforts to obscure the fact that we are indeed in exile, that person has no hope of redemption. (Atzei Zayit) ************************************ "He shall lean his hand upon the head of the olah-offering . . . He shall slaughter the bull before Hashem; the sons of Aharon, the Kohanim, shall bring the blood." (1:4-5) It is accepted that sacrifices in the Temple can be slaughtered by a person who is not a kohen; only the services which followed shechitah require a kohen. However, there is a disagreement in the gemara (Menachot 19a) as to how we know this. Rabbi Shimon learns it from the juxtaposition of "He shall lean / He shall slaughter"-- just as placing the hands on the animal (known as "semichah") is the owner's responsibility, and not the kohen's, so slaughtering the animal is not the kohen's responsibility. The Sages, however, learn this from the second part of the verse: "The sons of Aharon, the Kohanim, shall bring the blood." This implies that a kohen is required to carry the blood to the altar, but not for what comes before that, i.e., shechitah. Based on this, Rav Meir Dan Plotzky explains the following passage in the gemara (Berachot 31b): The prophet Shmuel was guilty of deciding halachah in the presence of his teacher Eli, as it says (Shmuel I 1:25), "They slaughtered the bull and they brought the child [Shmuel] to Eli." What does the first half of this verse have to do with the second half? The gemara explains that Shmuel saw the people looking for a kohen to slaughter the animal and he said, "No kohen is required for this." Because he spoke out without the permission of his teacher, Eli, he was brought to Eli for judgment. Eli asked him, "What is your source?" Shmuel responded with the position of the Sages explained above, and Eli said, "You are right, and you are guilty of speaking out in the presence of your teacher." [Until here from the gemara.] Rav Meir Dan asks: It appears that only because Shmuel gave the Sages' reason was he guilty. Why was this so? The halachah is that one is permitted to speak before his teacher if it is necessary to prevent a sin from being done. According to the opinion of the Sages, above, says Rav Meir Dan, shechitah is part of the Temple service, except that a special rule applies that no kohen is required. However, according to Rabbi Shimon, shechitah is not part of the service. It follows, therefore, that according to the Sages, the priestly garments may be worn during shechitah, while according to Rabbi Shimon they may not be. Thus, if Shmuel held like Rabbi Shimon, he would be permitted to speak before Eli in order to prevent the priestly garments from being worn when it was prohibited to do so. However, once he revealed that he held like the Sages, he had no right to speak out without Eli's permission. (Kli Chemdah) ************************************ Rav Meir Dan Plotzky z"l 5626 (1866) - 6 Nisan 5688 (1928) Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzenski called him, "The singularly unique one of the great people of this country." Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook kept Rav Meir Dan's work Kli Chemdah on his desk at all times. Such was the esteem in which the greatest sages of the era held the prolific genius who is the subject of this biography. Rav Meir Dan, as he was affectionately known, was born into a family of Gerrer chassidim in the Polish town of Kutna. After he recovered from a childhood illness, his parents dedicated him entirely to Torah study, such that by the age of nine he had outgrown his tutors. He was then sent to study with the Socatchover Rebbe, the noted posek (halachic authority), and author of Eglei Tal and Avnei Nezer. It was he who Rav Meir Dan considered to be his primary teacher. Rav Meir Dan began his rabbinic career in Dwor, where he served for 27 years, and also served in Ostrow Mazowiecka. Towards the end of his life, he left the rabbinate to head a yeshiva in Warsaw. Rav Meir Dan is best known, however, for his written works: Chemdat Yisrael, on the 613 commandments, and Kli Chemdah, on the Torah. The latter work concentrates on halachic aspects of the weekly parashah, and is written in a complex pilpul style. (An excerpt from his writings on this week's parashah appears on page 3.) In 1910, Rav Meir Dan published Sha'alu Shelom Yerushalayim to refute the claims of a forger who had published a newly "discovered" manuscript of portions of the Talmud Yerushalmi. At first, many sages--Rav Meir Dan among them--endorsed this publication and even bought copies. Rav Meir Dan quickly realized the illegitimacy of the work, but before exposing it publicly he tried to discuss the matter with the publisher/author. However, the latter's hostile manner merely confirmed that he was a fraud. Rav Meir Dan visited England and America in 1921, and was well received. Wherever he went, he spoke passionately about the importance of keeping mitzvot, especially Shabbat. A dvar Torah from Rav Meir Dan's son-in-law, Rav Yitzchak Yosef Zylberberg, appears on page 2. ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible.