Today's Learning: Tamid 4:1-2 Sponsored by O.C. 554:24-555:1 Michael Singer Nidah 9 in honor of his wife Beth's birthday Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Pinchas Vol. XI, No. 41 (524) 21 Tamuz 5757, July 26, 1997 We read in this week's parashah that a man named Tzelofchad had no sons. His daughters therefore approached Moshe and asked that they be allowed to inherit his portion of Eretz Yisrael. Rashi writes that just as Yosef loved Eretz Yisrael and asked to be buried there, so his great-granddaughters loved the Land and wanted a portion of it. Where do we see that Tzelofchad's daughters loved Eretz Yisrael? asks Rav Elya Meir Bloch z"l. Perhaps they just wanted to be land-owners. When Moshe brought the daughters' request before Hashem, He answered (27:7), "The daughters of Tzelofchad speak properly." The literal translation of Hashem's answer is "Thus have the daughters of Tzelofchad spoken," and the midrash interprets, "Thus it is written before Me." In other words, the Torah itself testifies that the daughters of Tzelofchad spoke precisely what G-d himself had intended to teach. This is the proof that their intentions were proper, for otherwise no person could "read Hashem's mind," so-to-speak. Chazal say, "Fortunate is a person with whom Hashem agrees." Unless a person has worked on his character, even the simplest things he says and does will be improper in some respect. (Peninei Da'at) ****************** Parashat Pinchas in Halachah * Six of the Torah's 613 mitzvot appear in this parashah. (Sefer Hachinuch) * "Pinchas . . . zealously avenged Me among them." (25:11) We learn from Pinchas that there is a time when a talmid chacham must become angry, writes Rav Moshe Feinstein z"l (in the name of Rabbenu Yonah). But what is the proper place of anger in a talmid chacham's character? Chazal tell us, "A chassid is hard to anger and easy to placate." Yet Chazal also say, "Any talmid chacham who is not hard (i.e., stubborn) as iron is not a talmid chacham." How can these apparently contradictory statements be reconciled? Rav Feinstein explains as follows: When a talmid chacham holds that a certain position is halachically correct, but others refuse to accept his view, he must be stubborn about it. If he becomes angry at those who do not listen to him and afterwards is placated easily, people will say that he was placated easily because he did not truly believe in his position. As a result, people will give less credence to his future halachic rulings. On the other hand, when a talmid chacham has been wronged personally or when it is obvious to all that a wrong has been committed, then he should be hard to anger and easy to placate. Chazal do not say that he should not become angry at all, just that he should not be angry for long. This will cause a kiddush Hashem, for people will see the good character traits of this talmid chacham. And, there is no danger that people will not take his rulings seriously, for it will be obvious to all who was right and who was wrong (just as in Pinchas' case it was obvious that he was right). Rav Feinstein continues: This distinction is what Rambam means by two apparently contradictory statements in his Code. On the one hand he writes (Hil. De'ot, 1:4): "A person should not become angry except over a great matter that is worthy of anger." On the other hand he writes (ibid 2:3), "Anger is a terrible trait and a person should distance himself from it. One should teach himself not to become angry even over a matter that is worthy of anger." There is no contradiction, as explained above. (Igrot Moshe, Orach Chaim I, No. 54) A similar explanation is given by Rav Yitzchak Attiah z"l. He notes that in one place Rambam refers to "a great matter that is worthy of anger," and in the other place only to "a matter that is worthy of anger." The former refers to spiritual matters and the latter to the talmid chacham's personal affairs. In the former, anger is permitted; in that latter it is not. (Mesharet Moshe, quoted in Otzrot Chachmei Aram Tzovah) ****************** "Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael . . . and I did not consume Bnei Yisrael in My vengeance." (25:10) The midrash comments: "It is only fitting that Pinchas should be rewarded." What does this mean? Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apta z"l explains: It is one of our fundamental beliefs that the reward for mitzvot is not paid in This World, but in the World-to-Come. Surely Pinchas too was richly rewarded in Olam Haba for his deed. Nevertheless, it was only fitting that Pinchas be rewarded in This World as well. Why? Because Pinchas saved the entire Jewish people from destruction--those who sinned with the daughters of Moav because of that sin, and the rest because all Jews are responsible for one another. Pinchas' reward was that his descendants became kohanim. Thanks to Pinchas, there is still a Jewish people in the world, and therefore it is fitting that Pinchas' descendants should stand out among that people. (Ohev Yisrael) ****************** From the Humor of Our Sages . . . "You shall afflict your souls." (29:7) At the end of Yom Kippur, Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik (the "Bet Halevi") used to daven ma'ariv at the earliest halachically permitted time. He was asked: "Doesn't the Shulchan Aruch say that one should wait until all doubt [regarding nightfall] has left his mind?" "Yes," replied Rav Yosef Dov. "One should wait until all doubt has left his mind, but not until he goes out of his mind from doubt." ****************** Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel z"l (The "Kapischnitzer Rebbe") born 4 Iyar 5648 (1888) - died 16 Tamuz 5727 (1967) Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was named for his illustrious ancestor of the same name, known as the "Ohev Yisrael"/"The one who loves Jews" of Apta. (A dvar Torah from the Ohev Yisrael appears above.) The father of the younger Rav Avraham Yehoshua. was the first rebbe of Kapischnitz, having moved there in 1894. With the outbreak of World War I, Rav Avraham Yehoshua's family, like thousands of others, fled the front and resettled in Vienna. Rav Avraham Yehoshua himself could be seen every day at the Vienna train station, carrying the luggage of broken refugees and helping them to their accommodations. Later, he would secretly deliver money and food to many of these families. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5697 (1936), Rav Avraham Yehoshua succeeded his father as the rebbe of the Kapischnitzer chassidim. However, despite his new responsibilities, his performance of acts of charity and chessed did not wane. Often there were two long lines outside of his door--one made up of those waiting to seek his blessing and give him a pidyon (the monetary gift traditionally given a rebbe); the other made up of those waiting to receive charity. With the Nazi takeover of Austria, Rav Avraham Yehoshua, like many other rebbes, was forced to sweep streets. However, when the Nazis saw that the rebbe was not humiliated, they released him. Rav Avraham Yehoshua later explained his feelings at that time as follows: What was the nature of the test with which G-d tried Avraham at the akeidah/binding of Yitzchak? Who would not listen to a direct command of G-d? The answer is that Avraham would gladly have sacrificed his own life at G-d's command. However, to see the suffering of another (i.e., Yitzchak), even when one knows that it is G-d's will, that is a difficult test. In 1939, Rav Avraham Yehoshua arrived in New York, settled on the Lower East Side, and immediately threw himself into rescue work. After the Holocaust also, he devoted himself to caring for orphans and other refugees, including establishing an orphanage in Petach Tikvah. Because of these and other deeds, Rav Aharon Kotler used to say of him, "He is the gadol hador in tzedakah and chessed." Another admirer was the Ponovezher Rav, who said that since the Chafetz Chaim died, there was no one whom he (the Ponovezher Rav) considered to be his rebbe until he met Rav Avraham Yehoshua. Rav Avraham Yehoshua welcomed all types of people, no matter how strange their behavior. For example, when one of his frequent guests said that it was not right that the rebbe was always served first, Rav Avraham Yehoshua placed the man's chair next to his own at the head of the table and asked that they be served simultaneously. (The Golden Dynasty pp.279-296)