Today's Learning: Me'ilah 1:2-3 Sponsored by O.C. 538:3-5 the Siegman family Kereitot 23 in memory of Avraham Eliyahu ben Shalom Zelig Perel z"l Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Bemidbar Vol. XI, No. 34 (517) 2 Sivan 5757, June 7, 1997 Parashat Bemidbar is virtually always read on the Shabbat immediately preceding Shavuot. Rav Chaim Elazar Shapira z"l (see page 4) writes that this alludes to the humility that one must feel in order to receive the Torah. ["Bemidbar" means "in the desert." A desert is a humble place.] Indeed, the gematria of the word "Sinai" (130) is equal to the gematria of "anavah"/"humility" (131). [A difference of one is ignored in gematria -- see Ba'al Haturim to Bereishit 48:5.] Another reason why Bemidbar is read before Shavuot is found in the following midrash: At the time of Matan Torah/The Giving of the Torah, the nations became jealous of Bnei Yisrael. Hashem said to them, "Bring me your family trees just as the Jews have done (in this week's parashah)." What is the connection between family trees and receiving the Torah? Rav Chaim Elazar Shapira explains that our ancestors' ability to accept the Torah unconditionally ("na'aseh venishmah") derived from the fact that the Patriarchs had already observed the Torah before it was given. The second day of Sivan (today) is known as "Yom Hameyuchas"/"The pedigreed day." Some say that it is because the preceding day is Rosh Chodesh and the following day begins the three days when the Jews prepared to receive the Torah. No, says Rav Chaim Elazar Shapira. It is the Yom Hameyuchas because on this day, Hashem spoke the words (Shemot 19:6), "And you will be for Me a kingdom of priests." This promise was possible because of our ancestry.(Sha'ar Yissaschar) ****************** "You shall present the Levi'im to Aharon and his sons - presented, presented they are to him - from Bnei Yisrael." (3:9) Why is the word "presented" repeated? Rav Eliezer David Gruenwald z"l (whose yahrzeit is today) explains as follows: At the end of next week's parashah, the Torah records that the wagons donated by the Nesi'im/Princes were given to the Levi'im to use in their service in the mishkan. This implies that at the time of the Princes' gift, the Levi'im were already consecrated. In fact, however, the wagons were donated (in next week's parashah) one month before the Levi'im were consecrated (in this week's parashah). In fact, the Levi'im were always recognized as distinct from the other tribes. Even Pharaoh recognized this, and therefore did not enslave the Levi'im. Thus, even before G-d formally chose the Levi'im as His representatives, the Jewish people singled out the Levi'im as their representatives. This is alluded to by the repetition of the word "presented" in our verse: "You shall present to Aharon today the very same Levi'im who already were presented in the past." (Keren L'Dovid) ****************** "Count the sons of Levi . . . every male from one month of age and up shall you count them." (3:15) Why were the Levi'im counted from such a young age, while other Jews were counted from age 20? Rav Isaac Sher z"l (Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka) explains that this was in recognition of the fact that the Levi'im willingly performed many dangerous tasks in the mishkan. [The work was dangerous because failure to treat the mishkan and its vessels with proper respect could cause the Levi's death at the hands of G-d or man.] Such mesirut nefesh/self sacrifice does not come to a person unless he is trained in it from his infancy. (Lekket Sichot Mussar) ****************** Parashat Bemidbar in Halachah The Sefer Hachinuch writes that Parashat Bemidbar contains no mitzvot "according to our reckoning." Minchat Chinuch explains that according to reckoning of the Halachot Gedolot [a very early work of uncertain authorship], there is a mitzvah in this week's parashah. Specifically, the mitzvah not to steal the vessels of the Bet Hamikdash, and it is found in the verse (4:20), "But they shall not come and look as the Holy is covered, lest they die." Minchat Chinuch adds: Whether or not one counts this as one of the 613 mitzvot, everyone agrees that stealing from the Temple is forbidden (as is any theft). ****************** "They shall place upon it a tachash-hide covering and spread a cloth made entirely of turquoise wool over it, and place its poles." (4:6) Tosfot (Yoma 72a) asks: What is the meaning of the instruction that the kohanim should place the poles on the Ark? The Torah commands (Shemot 25:15) that the poles never be removed from the Ark! Tosfot quotes Rav Yaakov of Orleans, who answers that "place its poles" means ". . . on the shoulders of the levi'im." "Were I not afraid of what my friends would say," says Tosfot, "I would say that the Ark had two sets of poles. One set was permanently installed on the Ark. The other set was installed when Bnei Yisrael traveled." Chag Sameach ****************** From the Humor of Our Sages . . . "They established their genealogy . . ." (1:2) In a certain assemblage of chassidic rebbes, each one shared a dvar Torah from one of his illustrious ancestors. For his part, Rav Yechiel Michel of Ostrovtza had simple parents, and his father was a baker. "My father," he said, "taught that fresh bread is better than stale bread." Then Rav Yechiel Michel said a dvar Torah of his own. ****************** Rav Chaim Elazar Shapira z"l (The "Minchat Elazar") born 5631 (1871) - died 2 Sivan 5637 (1937) Unlike most chassidic rebbes, several generations of the rebbes of Munkatch (Mukachevo, Ukraine, near the Slovakian border) combined their leadership of a major chassidic group with attainment of widespread recognition as halachic authorities. Our subject's father, for example, is remembered as the author of the important halachic work, Darchei Teshuvah. Rav Chaim Elazar himself authored numerous works on a variety of subjects, but he too is known for posterity by the name of his primary halachic work, She'eilot U'teshuvot Minchat Elazar. Rav Chaim Elazar succeeded his father in 1913, continuing a line of rebbes that began with Rav Zvi Elimelech, the "Bnei Yissaschar." The title of one of Rav Chaim Elazar's works, Sha'ar Yissaschar (consisting of chassidic insights on the holidays -- see front page)alludes to this connection. (The name derives from the time that Rav Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin told Rav Zvi Elimelech that the latter was from the tribe of Yissaschar.) Other works by Rav Chaim Elazar in the chassidic style include the nine volumes entitled Divrei Torah as well as Chaim Veshalom Al Hatorah. Like his father, Rav Chaim Elazar also served as rabbi and head of the rabbinical court of Munkatch. Besides Minchat Elazar, his halachic works include: Ot Chaim Veshalom and Nimukei Orach Chaim. He also completed his father's Darchei Teshuvah. Rav Chaim Elazar was a fierce opponent of both Zionism and Agudat Yisrael. He opposed as well the Daf Yomi program of study as being an artificial division of the Talmud without regard to the flow of the subject matter (see Divrei Torah Vol. 6, No. 82). Rav Chaim Elazar's customs are collected in Darchei Chaim Veshalom. Rav Chaim Elazar's only child was his daughter Frimet. Today, the Munkatcher dynasty is continued in Brooklyn by her son, Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib Rabinowitz shlita. ****************** Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible