Tzav / Shabbat Hagadol Volume XV, No. 24 14 Nissan 5761 April 7, 2001 The next issue of Hamaayan will be Parashat Shemini 28 Nissan 5761 / April 21, 2001 Sponsored by Aaron and Rona Lerner in memory of their fathers Avraham ben Yaakov Hakohen a"h and Yaakov Yonah ben Yisroel a"h Today's Learning: Nedarim 8:7-9:1 Orach Chaim 409:7-9 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Gittin 59 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Sanhedrin 50 This week's parashah continues with the laws of the sacrifices. It opens: "Command Aharon and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the olah / burnt offering'." Rashi comments that the law of the korban olah is introduced with emphatic language "Tzav" / "Command!" instead of the more common "Say" or "Speak," because there is a greater need to encourage people -- in this case, the kohanim -- to do a mitzvah which involves financial "loss" as does the olah. (Unlike other sacrifices, no part of the olah offering was eaten by the kohanim.) Are the kohanim really suspected of neglecting the korban olah because they do not profit from it? To the contrary, the gemara emphasizes in many places that kohanim are "zerizim," they perform their duties with alacrity and care! R' Yehuda Zev Segal z"l (1910-1993; rosh yeshiva in Manchester, England) explains: The Torah does not suspect that the kohanim would neglect the korban olah. However, just as there are signs posted along highways to warn of falling rocks - even though one rarely sees rocks fall -- so the Torah warns us of potential hazards, even far-fetched ones. Indeed, there really is no telling how money may affect a person. (Yir'ah Va'daat) ******** "This is the law of the chatat / sin offering . . ." (6:18) Because we are no longer able to bring sacrifices to the Bet Hamikdash to atone for our sins, we have the custom of reading the verses and laws of the korbanot / sacrifices every morning before shacharit. However, there is a dispute among the poskim / halachic authorities whether one should recite the chapter of the korban chatat / sin offering before the chapter of the korban olah / burnt offering, or vice versa. The Shulchan Aruch holds that the olah should be mentioned first, while the Magen Avraham holds that the chatat is first. The Magen Avraham supports his view from the gemara's statement (Zevachim 7) that before a person can bring a gift to the king (i.e. an olah), he must appease the king (through a chatat / sin offering). In the face of the gemara's apparent agreement with Magen Avraham's view, the opposing opinion requires explanation. R' Meir Leibush Malbim z"l (1808-1879) observes that, notwithstanding the gemara's statement, there is one context in which a korban olah is brought before, rather than after, a korban chatat. This case is the chatat and olah brought for the sin of idolatry. Unlike a chatat, which serves only one purpose - atoning for sins - an olah can serve two functions. As alluded to by the above gemara, an olah can be brought as a gift, merely because one desires to dedicate a part of himself to G-d. However, an olah also atones for one specific sin - the transgression of harboring improper thoughts. Ordinarily, G-d judges man for his actions alone; we are not punished for the thoughts that lead us to sin. However, one exception to this rule is the case of sinful thoughts that lead us to rebel against Hashem and transgress the sin of avodah zarah / idolatry. For such thoughts, one is punished. It follows therefore, that while repentance for most sins requires the sinner to regret his actions alone, but not his thoughts, this is not so in the case of idolatry. Since Hashem punishes man for idolatrous thoughts as well as actions, he must repent from his thoughts as well. Furthermore, he must repent for his thoughts first, for they came first in the process of sinning. This is why in the case of idolatry, unlike all other sins, the olah, which atones for sinful thoughts, is brought before the chatat, which atones for sinful actions. This allows us to understand, as well, the view of the Shulchan Aruch that the chapter of the olah should be recited before the chapter of the chatat, as follows: Although we read the chapters of the korbanot in place of bringing sacrifices to the Bet Hamikdash (which we are unfortunately unable to do), these readings do not achieve complete atonement for us to the extent that an actual sacrifice could. By reading about the sacrifices, we say to G-d, "Please accept our thoughts as if we had actually brought the sacrifices that we are describing." We are, in effect, sacrificing our thoughts before G-d. Could we do so if our thoughts are not pure?! (Artzot HaChaim: Eretz Yehuda, ch.1, section 5) ******** Shabbat Hagadol The well-known explanation for today's special name, "Shabbat Hagadol" / the "Great Shabbat," is that a great miracle happened on the Shabbat before the Exodus. On that day, the Jews set aside lambs to be sacrificed for the Korban Pesach, and the Egyptians, who worshipped the lamb, did not challenge the Jews or even object. Why is this miracle worthy of a day commemorating it? Surely, many more incredible miracles have taken place in our history! R' Zalman Sorotzkin z"l (1881-1966; the "Lutzker Rav") explains: The typical person is much more moved by an open miracle, i.e., one which is difficult to explain in natural terms, than he is by a miracle which can be rationally explained. In fact, however, the opposite should be true. G-d's using nature to accomplish His ends should be much more impressive than a sudden change in the course of nature. Why? Because the latter is temporary -- how can it compare to G-d's creation of all of heaven and earth, so long ago, yet in a way which continuously serves His purpose?! The miracle which happened on the first Shabbat Hagadol is so memorable because there, in the midst of the open miracles of the plagues, Hashem performed this low-key and "natural" miracle, a miracle which can easily be explained rationally. In all likelihood, this miracle actually went unnoticed by the masses. Chazal, however, recognized its greatness, and they therefore called this day "Shabbat Hagadol." (Quoted in Birkat Chaim p.103) ******** Introductions . . . This week, we present excerpts from the Hakdamah Sheniyah / "Second Introduction" to Gevurot Hashem by R' Yehuda Loewe z"l, the "Maharal of Prague" (1526-1612). Maharal was a profound expositor of Jewish thought and a prolific author. His work, Gevurot Hashem, is devoted to the story of the Exodus. It is worthwhile to understand the wonders, signs and miracles that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, did in His world and by which He informed the human race of His strength, in order that one will understand G-d's deeds. In fact, the Jewish people, who are believers and who do not investigate [G-d] by means of their own intellect and thoughts [in an attempt] to know hidden things, do not need this - for they are wholesome in their ways, the way of Hashem's Torah, and they believe all the words of the Torah and the Prophets. To them, it is understood that Hashem does great things and wonders, and that He can do anything He wants in His world - destroying and building - like clay in the hands of a potter, if He wishes, He widens it and if He wishes, He shortens its. However, people have come along people who investigate using their own intellect and understanding, who philosophize regarding Hashem, who wish to become wise with regard to things that are hidden, and some of them say, "This way," and some say, "That way." All of them lack substance, for what can man, who is made of chomer / earthly matter, know?! Although Hashem has given man knowledge and wisdom, nevertheless, his knowledge and wisdom are rooted in his earthly being, and how can he know that which is nivdal / completely separated from earthliness? Just as man cannot join the nivdalim [i.e., G-d and the angels], so he cannot grasp their nature unless G-d gives him special abilities, as He did for Moshe and the prophets. Our Sages then received traditions from them [Moshe and the prophets] and revealed them to us through midrashim. Of these people who philosophize and investigate Hashem's deeds using their own intellect, some have set out on paths that are completely foreign. There is no purpose in mentioning them or their words except in fulfillment of the Sages' dictum [Avot 2:14]: Be diligent in your studies in order to know what to answer a heretic. There are those, however, who are believing Jews, who have analyzed certain wonders and miracles with their intellect and understanding, and who have concluded that these miracles are not consistent with their understanding of existence. Accordingly, they have searched for some other explanation of these miracles. [Maharal refers in particular to the explanation given by the 14th century commentator, Ralbag, for Yehoshua's "making the sun stand still." Ralbag argues that the sun did not stand still; rather, the miracle was merely that Yehoshua correctly predicted that the battle would end before sunset.] Nevertheless, yaish lilmod alaihem zechut / one can speak up in their defense, for they have not entered into this area in order to call into doubt the occurrence of miracles - it is not so at all. Rather, they have concluded based on their intellect that it would not be right for Hashem to alter the order of things which He created with truth and rectitude. They have argued, "If He would act thus, it would mean that His original creation was lacking." . . . [The answer to this is:] If one were to claim that miracles that come from Hashem have no order of their own, he would be mistaken. Rather, just as the natural world has an orderly arrangement and it behaves according to the laws of nature, so, too, miracles have their own order. . . When Hashem created everything, He did not make everything fixed. Rather, He arranged for the occurrence of miracles which are outside of the laws of nature. . . Because man is a part of nature, he can only grasp that which is natural. Therefore, anything which is not natural is hidden from him. And, therefore, man's ability to understand [miracles] cannot serve as a proof [as to whether and how miracles occur]. All miracles are impossible according to the laws of nature, but in the world which is nivdal / completely separated from this world, they are possible.