***** Please note new address for getting on/off the email mailing list: ***** ***** majordomo@pobox.com ***** ***** send a one line message saying either: ***** ***** subscribe hamaayan ***** ***** OR ***** ***** unsubscribe hamaayan ***** ***** ********************************************************* ********************************************************* ***** ***** ***** ALL BACK ISSUES SINCE 1990 ARE NOW AT ***** ***** http://www.acoast.com/~sehc/hamaayan/ ***** ***** ***** ********************************************************* ********************************************************* [ HaMaayan is published weekly for the edification and enjoyment of the reader who is lacking the time or ability to study the weekly Parasha on his own. HaMaayan's goal is to acquaint the reader with the broadest spectrum of traditional Torah commentary, from the "rationalism" of Rambam (Maimonides) and Abarbanel to the "mysticism" of Alshich and the Chassidic Masters. While the editors hope these brief "snippets" will engender further discussion of Torah topics ("L'Hagdil Torah U'L'Ha'adirah"), they unfortunately lack the time to respond to lengthy questions. Shabbat Shalom. ] Today's Learning: Tamid 2:1-2 Sponsored by O.C. 554:3-5 Martin and Michelle Swartz Nidah 2 in memory of grandfather John Hofmann a"h Balak Vol. XI, No. 40 (523) 14 Tamuz 5757, July 19, 1997 At the end of this week's parashah we read that Bnei Yisrael became attached to the idolatry known as Ba'al Peor. As a result, a plague killed 24,000 Jews. The service of this idol, Chazal tell us, was for the worshipper to relieve himself on the idol. What was the attraction for Bnei Yisrael of this revolting practice? asks Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz z"l. Also, we read (Devarim 4:2-3), "Do not add to the word which I have commanded you and do not subtract from it . . . Your eyes have seen what G-d did to Ba'al Peor, for every man who followed Ba'al Peor, G-d destroyed him from among you." What is the connection between this idolatry and the prohibition on adding to or subtracting from the Torah? The essence of the service of Ba'al Peor, explains Rav Shmuelevitz, is throwing off all restraints. To serve this idol is to show that one holds absolutely nothing sacred; indeed, the more debasing the manner of service, the better (see the story in Sanhedrin 64a). In this light, the attraction of this idol becomes apparent. Even today, when man is not drawn to worship idols per se, he is still drawn to the belief that nothing is sacred and the world exists for his pleasure alone. Thus, we can also understand the connection between this idolatry and the prohibition on adding to or subtracting from the Torah--the first step in throwing off G-d's yoke and seeking total freedom from restraints is to modify the mitzvot. The philosophy of Ba'al Pe'or originates from the belief that man is too important to be subjugated to G-d, says Rav Shmuelevitz. Yet do not Chazal say that man should feel important and should tell himself, "The world was created for me"? Yes, there is a fine line between right and wrong; of this the prophet said, "Hashem's ways are just; the righteous will walk in them and sinners will stumble over them." (Sichot Mussar 5732:34) ****************** Parashat Balak in Halachah * None of the Torah's 613 mitzvot appears in this parashah. (Sefer Hachinuch) * "Bilam said to Balak, 'Build for me seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams'." (23:1) The gemara (Sanhedrin 105b) states: "One should always engage in Torah and mitzvot, even without the proper intention, because from doing so without the proper intention, one comes to do so with the proper intentions. Even Balak was rewarded for the sacrifices which he brought by having Ruth descend from him." Rambam writes: "Whoever engages in Torah in order to receive a reward or in order to be protected from harm is considered to be doing so without the proper intention. Whoever engages in Torah not out of fear and not for reward but because he loves the Master of the world who commanded it is doing so with the proper intentions. The Sages said, 'One should always engage in Torah, even without the proper intention, because from [study] without the proper intention, one comes to [study] with the proper intentions.' Therefore, when we teach children . . . and the unlearned, we teach them to serve G-d out of fear and to get a reward, until such time as the gain knowledge and become wiser, and then we tell them the secret little by little [that their service until now has not been in the ideal fashion]." (Rambam Hil. Teshuvah 10:5) Yet doesn't the gemara (Berachot 17a) say that if one studies Torah with the wrong intentions, he is better off not having been created? This refers to someone who studies Torah in order to harass others with his knowledge. The statements above refer to someone who studies Torah for honor or other reward. (Tosfot) What is the proper intention when studying Torah? Rav Chaim of Volozhin writes that it is not in order to become close to G-d, for if that were the purpose, one could just say Tehilim all day. Rather, it is to know the Torah. (Nefesh Hachaim IV Ch. 2-3) [For an opposing view see Rav Avraham (the first) of Slonim, Yesod Ha'avodah Part I.] ****************** "If Balak will give me a house full of silver and gold I cannot transgress G-d's word." (22:18) We see from this statement of Bilam, Rashi writes, that Bilam's thoughts revolved around money. How so? asks Rav Baruch Epstein z"l. Do we not learn in Pirkei Avot (Chapter 6) that Rabbi Yose ben Kisma said, "Even if you would give me all of the money in the world, I would not live anywhere but a place of Torah"? Why is Bilam judged unfavorably while Rabbi Yose ben Kisma is not? The answer is that Rabbi Yose ben Kisma was responding to a monetary offer: "If you will live among us, we will give you 1,000,000 gold dinarim." Bilam was not; Balak's offer had been, "Come to me and I will honor you." It was Bilam who first broached the subject of money. (Torah Temimah) ****************** "Reishit goyim Amalek"/"Amalek is the first among nations, but his end will be eternal destruction." (24:20) Rav Aharon Roth ("Reb Ahrele") z"l writes: We are taught that Amalek represents anger. This is alluded to in our verse; the initial letters of "Reishit goyim Amalek" spell "rega"/"a moment," as in Tehilim 30:6, "His anger is but a moment." Our verse teaches that anger is "first among nations," i.e., first and foremost among bad character traits. How can one destroy anger? By delaying it, as it is written, "But his end [i.e., if you postpone your anger] will be eternal destruction [i.e., your anger will be destroyed]." (Shulchan Hatahor; quoted in Imrei Aharon) ****************** Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel z"l born 5639 (1879) - died 19 Tamuz 5725 (1965) Rav Eliezer Yehuda's father was Rav Natan Zvi Finkel (the "Alter of Slobodka"). His father-in-law was Rav Elya Baruch, Kamai, Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva. (The latter's biography appeared here last week.) It was Rav Elya Baruch who in 1907 appointed Rav Eliezer Yehuda to the faculty of the Mir Yeshiva. With his father- in-law's death in 1916, Rav Lazer Yudel, as he was known, became the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, a position which he held until his own passing almost 50 years later. Under Rav Lazer Yudel, the yeshiva's traditional focus on lomdus/analytical study was supplemented by a demand for bekius/wide-ranging knowledge. In 1929, he offered a small fortune of $50 to anyone who studied the tractates of Bava Kama, Bava Metzia, Bava Batra and Ketubot with Tosfot. Twenty students accepted the challenge, but only nine completed it. The yeshiva's traditional method of learning also was supplemented by sending four students per year to study in Brisk under Rav Velvel Soloveitchik. (These students continued to receive the same stipends that they would have received had they remained in Mir.) During the war years, Rav Lazer Yudel was separated from the yeshiva as they traveled across Siberia and sojourned in Shanghai, while Rav Lazer Yudel was one of the select few who received a visa to emigrate directly from Lithuania to Eretz Yisrael. (During that period, the yeshiva was headed by his son-in-law, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz.) After the war, he reestablished the yeshiva in Yerushalayim. Rav Lazer Yudel was succeeded in the leadership of the yeshiva by his sons Rav Chaim Ze'ev Finkel and Rav Beinish Finkel and by Rav Shmuelevitz. Some of Rav Lazer Yudel's teachings were published as Divrei Eliezer. ****************** From the Humor of Our Sages . . . "I have sinned, for I did not know." (22:34) The brother of the chassidic rebbe Rav Naftali of Ropshitz z"l was not a chassid. Once, when he was ill, a long time passed before Rav Naftali came to visit him. "Why did you not come sooner?" his brother asked when Rav Naftali finally arrived. "Believe me, my brother, I did not know that you were ill. I just found out yesterday," Rav Naftali answered. Said his brother: "We read in Bilam's words, 'I have sinned for I did not know.' If he did not know, wherein did he sin? The answer is that a person who claims to be a seer should know." ************************************ Posted by Alan Broder, ajb@acm.org. Shlomo Katz, the editor of Hamaayan, can now receive EMAIL at hamaayan_editor@juno.com