Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Acharei Volume XIV, No. 29 24 Nissan 5760 April 29, 2000 Sponsored by Rachel, Adina, Elisheva and Devorah Katz in honor of Menashe's and Leora's birthdays Today's Learning: Pesachim 7:11-12 Orach Chaim 285:3-5 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Ketubot 30 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Nazir 26 Much of this week's parashah is devoted to describing the sacrificial service that the Kohen Gadol was required to perform whenever he entered the Kodesh Ha'kodashim/The Holy of Holies. The Torah says (Vayikra 16:2), "He shall not come at all times into the Sanctuary . . ." Why not? Rashi explains: "Because My Shechinah is revealed there, Aharon should be careful not to enter regularly." R' Chaim Shmuelevitz z"l (1902-1979; Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva in Shanghai and Yerushalayim) elaborates, saying: "Habit is the greatest enemy of one who wishes to feel holy and uplifted. When one stands opposite that which is sublime and exalted, and in his soul burn sparks of a holy fire, habit sneaks in and douses the embers one by one until the entire fire is extinguished." R' Shmuelevitz continues: The prophet Yechezkel writes (46:9), "When the populace comes before Hashem on the appointed days, whoever comes in by way of the northern gate [of the Temple] to prostrate himself shall go out by way of the southern gate, and whoever comes in by way of the southern gate shall go out by way of the northern gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came in; rather, he shall go out opposite it." R' Yosef Yaavetz z"l (died 1507) explains that Hashem does not want a person to see one of the gates twice lest he equate it in his mind with the gate of his own house. Likewise, one should not see the same wall of the Bet Hamikdash twice lest he equate it with the walls of his own house. In fact, writes R' Yaavetz, this is what caused the sin of the Golden Calf, for they took the Ohel Mo'ed/Tent of Meeting for granted and began to despise it. Therefore, after the sin, we read (Shemot 33:7) that Moshe dismantled the Tent and rebuilt it outside of the camp. (Sichot Mussar 5731, No. 16) ******** "You shall safeguard My charge . . ." (18:30) The gemara (Yevamot 21a) interprets this verse to mean that the Sages should enact decrees to "protect" the laws of the Torah and to distance people from sin. Thus, the Sages decreed, for example, that the nighttime Shema should be recited before midnight, even though the Torah permits Shema to be recited all night. Other examples of rabbinic decrees based on this verse include those Shabbat prohibitions which are of rabbinic origin and whose purpose is to lessen the chance that one will violate a Torah prohibition. We read in Bereishit (3:3) that Chava said, "Of the fruit of the tree which is in the center of the garden G-d has said, 'You shall neither eat of it _nor_touch_it_, lest you die'." In fact, Hashem had never said that. He did say that if Adam and Chava _ate_ of the Tree of Knowledge they would die, but He never said that they would die if they _touched_ the Tree! Why did Chava "misquote" G-d? The midrash Avot De'Rabbi Natan (Chapter 1) teaches that Adam made the type of decree to which this verse refers. Adam was trying to distance Chava from sinning by extending the prohibition farther than the Torah required. Unfortunately, the plan backfired when the snake pushed Chava against the tree and said, "You see? You did not die! Similarly, you will not die if you eat from the tree." [Apparently, Chava did not know what Hashem had really said. If she did, the snake's ploy would not have worked. (See Binyan Yehoshua to Avot De'Rabbi Natan, Ch. 1.)] R' Yisrael Yaakov Lubchansky z"l (mashgiach ruchani of the Ohel Torah Yeshiva in Baranovitch, Poland) asks: Why is making decrees that extend the Torah's prohibitions good for us if it was bad for our ancestor Chava? He explains: In Parashat Naso, the laws of Sotah and the laws of Nazir are adjacent to each other. Why? This teaches, the gemara explains, that one who sees the humiliation of a Sotah should be inspired to recognize the danger of excessive drinking and should take the vow of a Nazir. On the other hand, we are taught that one who takes the vow of a Nazir without having such a reason is considered to be a sinner. In general, one should not refrain from enjoying the good things that Hashem created unless one has a good reason for doing so. Adam and Chava were made by G-d's Hands and had no yetzer hara. They had no reason to make decrees in addition to the Torah's prohibition. About Adam's decree, one can say (in the words of the Sages), "Whoever adds, detracts." But for us, who are under constant attack from the yetzer hara, additional decrees are good and are necessary. (Quoted in Haggadah Shel Peach Baranovitch p. 3) ******** Pirkei Avot "Make a fence for the Torah." (1:1) R' Chaim of Volozhin z"l (died 1821) writes: The fence for the Torah is Yirat Shamayim/Fear of Heaven. However, just as there is no need for a fence around an empty field, so Yirah without Torah knowledge is worthless. In the Sages' words (Shabbat 31b), "It's a pity when one builds a door for an apartment, but has no apartment." (Ruach Chaim) R' Yaakov Chaim z"l of Baghdad (1854-1920; son of R' Yosef Chaim, the "Ben Ish Chai") offers several interpretations for the injunction: "Make a fence for the Torah." (1) Although the previous phrase in the Mishnah says, "Develop many disciples," nevertheless, make a fence and do not accept a student who clearly is morally unfit. (2) Make a fence to hold your words in, i.e., sometimes you should keep your words to yourself. The Sages have taught, "Just as it is a mitzvah to give reproof that will be listened to, so it is a mitzvah not to give reproof that will not be listened to." (3) Make a fence to keep what you have learned from escaping from you, i.e., use mnemonic devices to remember what you have learned. (4) Make a fence that will separate your learning into sections to fulfill the instruction if the Sages (Kiddushin 30a), "One should always divide his learning in thirds: one-third Bible, one-third Mishnah, and one-third Gemara." (5) Make a fence to ensure that you teach your students on a level that is appropriate to them. (6) Protect your Torah study by dividing your time between study and work, as we are taught (Avot 2:2), "All Torah study that is not joined with work will cease in the end and leads to sin." (Zechut Avot) ******** R' Menachem Mendel z"l of Shklov R' Menachem Mendel ben R' Baruch Bendet was one of the leading students of the Vilna Gaon and the publisher of many of the Gaon's works. R' M.M. was born in approximately 5510/1750 and he died on Rosh Chodesh Adar 5587/1827. He wrote of himself in the introduction to his work Sha'ar Ha'tzimtzum: I am an ignoramus among men; what is man that You should acknowledge him? However, Elokim saw my lowliness and my suffering, and He brought me to the house of "Admor"/our master, our teacher and our rabbi, the Gaon/genius and Chassid/pious one, the rabbi of all the sons of the diaspora, in Vilna. Hashem gave me favor in his eyes and I served him with all my strength. For all of the two years minus one third that I was with him, I did not move from him, I held him and did not let go, and I did not leave his tent day or night. Where he went, I went; where he slept, I slept; and my hand did not leave his at all. He opened for me the door to wisdom [apparently referring to Kabbalah], and he told me several things which serve as valuable doorways; also what he said to others, I heard and understood . . . His merit and the merit of my righteous ancestors stood by me to bring me to the Holy Land to make my home in the holy city of Tzefat, may she be built and established speedily in our days, and there, with G-d's help, I established study halls full of books for Torah study and prayer. However, this was a small matter in His eyes, and He brought me to Yerushalayim, the city of our holy Elokim, and there, too, the Holy One Blessed Is He and those who fear Him aided me, and with G-d's help, I established a study hall and a shul for Torah study and prayer. R' M.M. continues, explaining that he has the opportunity to rebuild one of the old Ashkenazi shuls of Yerushalayim and that he is publishing a sefer to raise money for that effort. In the above excerpt from R' M.M.'s writings, he alludes to his settling in Eretz Yisrael in 1807 at the head of a sizeable contingent of the Vilna Gaon's students and their families. A non-Jewish traveler who visited Eretz Yisrael in 1824 refers to R' M.M. as the Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazic Jews and writes, "We must praise his great love for G-d, even though he does not share our beliefs." This traveler also describes how, during his stay, Arabs jailed and tortured R' M.M. and other Jews until they Jewish community paid a ransom of 4-1/2 bags of silver. (Gedolei Hadorot p. 494) ******** What controversy surrounds the haftarah for Acharei Mot? Find out in Chapter 35 of the forthcoming book, The Haftarah: Laws, Customs and History.