Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Shelach Vol. XI, No. 37 (520) 23 Sivan 5757, June 28, 1997 In this week's parashah we read of the incident of the spies. As a result of the spies' negative report regarding Eretz Yisrael, and the fact that the Jews accepted that report, the generation of the Exodus was sentenced to die in the desert and not enter Eretz Yisrael. Yet it appears that Bnei Yisrael repented (see 14:39-40). Why did G-d not accept their repentance? The Dubno Maggid explained with a parable: A matchmaker proposed two prospective grooms for a certain girl-- one boy, rich but ignorant, the other, poor but a ben Torah/budding Torah scholar. The girl's father said, "I'm willing to accept the poor ben Torah, but only if he will give my daughter jewelry and a large diamond engagement ring. Otherwise, I prefer the rich ignoramous." The ben Torah's father said that he could not meet this condition. However, the girl's relatives implored her father to accept the boy anyway, and the father relented. Upon hearing this, the father of the ben Torah indicated that he was no longer interested. "If someone could prefer an ignoramous over a ben Torah, his family and mine are not compatible," he explained. Similarly, said the Dubno Maggid, a generation that could say that it was better off in Egypt simply was not compatible with Eretz Yisrael. (Quoted in Chiyuchah Shel Torah) ****************** "Ad matai/Until when will this people provoke Me . . ." (14:11) Rabbenu Maimon z"l (father of the Ramban) writes that the connection between our sins and our many exiles is demonstrated by the fact that various forms of the phrase "Until when!" appear repeatedly in connection with both. Examples include: "Until when will you refuse to obey My commandments?"(Shmot 16:28); "Until when for this evil assembly?" (Bemidbar 14:27); "Return Hashem! Until when!" (Tehilim 90:13); "Until when [will] the wicked [continue], O' Hashem, until when will the wicked exult?" (Tehilim 94:3) In particular, the four exiles in our history are alluded to in the verses (Tehilim 13:2-3): "Until when, Hashem, will You endlessly forget me? Until when will You hide Your face from me? Until when must I devise schemes within myself [to extricate myself from my distress]? My heart is melancholy even by day. Until when will my enemy triumph over me?" (Iggeret Hanechamah) ****************** "So that you may remember and perform all My commandments." (15:40) This verse demonstrates that the mitzvah of tzitzit is equivalent to all other mitzvot combined. Rashi writes that the story of the Shabbat-violator was placed in our parashah right next to the mitzvah of tzitzit because Shabbat too is equivalent to all other mitzvot combined. The Vilna Gaon observes that there are 39 categories of labor which are prohibited on Shabbat. So, too, it is customary [among Ashkenazim] to wind one string of the tzitzit around the others 39 times. Specifically, the winding consists of seven revolutions, then a knot, eight revolutions, another knot, 11 revolutions, a knot, and 13 revolutions. Similarly, the 39 prohibited labors may be divided into four groups consisting of: 13 (relating to agriculture), 11 (relating to producing clothing), eight (relating to construction), and seven (relating to other activities). (Kol Eliyahu) ****************** Parashat Shelach in Halachah - This parashah contains three of the Torah's 613 mitzvot. (Sefer Hachinuch) ------- - "They ascended in the south and he came to Chevron." (13:22) Regarding the change in mid-verse from plural to singular, Rashi explains that Calev went to Chevron alone to pray at the graves of the Patriarchs that he not be lured into the other spies' plans. Rabbi Yehuda Hechassid z"l writes: It is beneficial for the deceased when their loved ones pray at their graves and request that good be done for the souls of the deceased. Also, when the deceased are asked to, they pray for the living, and thus Calev prayed at the graves of the Patriarchs. (Sefer Hachassidim No. 450) Why is this not a violation of the prohibition on "consulting the dead" (Devarim 18:11)? Rav Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini z"l explains that that prohibition relates to using the body of the deceased, but it does not prohibit communicating with the soul of the deceased. (Sdei Chemed: Asefat Dinim, Ma'arechet Rosh Hashanah 1:6) The Chayei Adam writes that when one goes to the cemetery, he should not make requests of the deceased, but rather should pray to G-d that G-d answer him in the merit of the deceased. (137:5) ------- - "It shall constitute tzitzit for you, that you may see it . . ." (15:39) Rav Natronai Gaon z"l (8th century) is quoted as saying: "If one holds his tzitzit in his hand when he recites Shema, it is unnecessary. Once a person looked at the tzitzit before putting them on, why should he look at them again? When he recites the verse, 'And you shall tie them . . . ,' does he hold his tefilin in his hand? And, when he recites the verse, 'And you shall write them . . . ,' does he hold his mezuzah in his hand? Rather, if you see a person holding his tzitzit, you must teach him and make him swear never to do so again." Why should we force a person to swear that he will not hold his tzitzit during Shema? asks Rav Moshe Stern shlita. Indeed, the midrash states that King David held his tzitzit during Shema! Rav Stern explains that we find a statement in early works that if one does not eat chulent on Shabbat, we must question whether he is a heretic. Why? Because the whole reason for eating a slow- cooking chulent is to counter the heretical view of the Karaites and similar sects, based on the literal translation of Shemot 35:3, that it is forbidden to leave fires burning on Shabbat (from before Shabbat). Similarly, in Rav Natronai's time there were those who claimed that the verse, "It shall constitute tzitzit for you, that you may see it," obligates us to hang our tzitzit on the wall like an art object. Rav Natronai feared that even a person who merely looked at his tzitzit during Shema might subscribe to this heretical view, and thus Rav Natronai recommended a strong response to such action. (Be'er Moshe Vol. I, No. 1) ****************** From the Humor of Our Sages . . . "I am Hashem, your G-d, Who removed you from the land of Egypt to be your G-d, I am Hashem, your G-d." (15:41) When Rav Shneur Zalman (the "Ba'al Hatanya") was a child, he was asked where in the Torah there is a verse whose beginning and end are the same. He responded, "Where Moshe did not say emet (the truth)." To his shocked listeners he explained, "When we recite the above verse in our prayers (at the end of Shema), we add the word 'emet' at the end. However, that word does not appear there in the Torah; when Moshe taught this verse, he did not say the word 'emet'." ****************** Rav Mordechai Meltzer z"l born 5557 (1797) - died 27 Sivan 5643 (1883) Born Mordechai Kletzky, our subject took his father-in-law's last name (Meltzer) and he was known to Lithuanian Jewry of his time as Rav Mordechai Meltzer. He was born in Vilna and was educated there. In his teenage years, he also spent six months each year in the Volozhin yeshiva under the tutelage of its founder, Rav Chaim Volozhiner. At a relatively young age, Rav Mordechai was requested to lead a group of young married men who studied in the kloiz/study hall of R' David Strashun in Vilna. (R' David was the father-in-law of the Rashash, whose commentary appears in the standard Vilna Talmud.) In 1827, Rav Mordechai was invited to head the yeshiva which had been founded three years earlier by the wealthy Vilna resident, Rabbi Maila, and which over time became known as the "Ramailes Yeshiva." This appointment was encouraged by the head of the Vilna bet din, Rav Abbale Posvaler, a noted posek who highly respected the 30-year old scholar (Rav Mordechai) and consulted with him on halachic questions which came to him from near and far. Rav Mordechai told his students that when he parted from Rav Chaim of Volozhin and requested his blessing, the latter said, "Do not be surprised that I make myself available to answer any question presented to me, no matter how illogical, for regarding this the Sages said, 'I have learned most of all from my students'." In relating this episode, Rav Mordechai added, "Our master, Rav Chaim, in effect prophesied that I would one day be a rosh yeshiva, and he taught me that an impatient teacher cannot teach." As a result, Rav Mordechai repeatedly urged his students never to be ashamed to ask questions as they saw fit. In 1852, Rav Mordechai became rabbi of Kalawaria, Lithuania, where he also headed a yeshiva. In 1865, he assumed the rabbinate of Lida, and at that time he began to devote himself to the study of kabbalah. On his deathbed, Rav Mordechai said to his son, "I have just developed a novel thought on which I can base my derashah in the World-of-Truth." Shortly thereafter, he passed away. (Rabbotenu She'bagolah pp. 57-59) ****************** Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible ******************