Hamayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Bemidbar Volume 23, No. 30 29 Iyar 5769 May 23, 2009 Sponsored by the Katz family on the yahrzeits of Avigdor Moshe ben Avraham Abba Hakohen Katz a"h and the other kedoshim of Oyber Visheve, Hungary Today's Learning: Keilim 24:5-6 O.C. 308:22-24 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Metzia 28 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Bava Metzia 18 The next issue of Hamaayan will appear in two weeks for Parashat Naso. King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (16:11), "A peles / scale and moznai mishpat / just balances are Hashem's; His deeds are like even kis / weights in a pouch." Rabbeinu Bachya z"l (Spain; 14th century) explains: King Shlomo intends to teach us that all of man's deeds are weighed, and that Hashem has all sizes of weights. A peles is a large scale, moznaim are somewhat smaller, and weights that can fit in a pouch represent the smallest units of measurement. This is all a metaphor to teach that G-d weighs and punishes for the smallest sins for major sins; He forgets nothing. This idea is conveyed as well in the verse (Yirmiyah 16:16), "Behold, I shall send many fishermen - so says Hashem - and they will fish them out, and afterwards I will send many trappers and they will trap them from atop every mountain and every hill and from the crevices in the rocks." This is like a person who empties a room and then goes back to make sure he left nothing behind. So, too, Hashem forgets nothing. [Ed. note: R' Bachya does not mean to discount the possibility of teshuvah. Rather, he is warning a person not to think that "small" sins don't matter.] Perhaps, R' Bachya continues, the small weights are said to be kept in a pouch to allude to the mystery that is inherent in Hashem's judgment. In reality, we often don't know what He considers to be a "big" sin or a "small" sin. This is alluded to in the verse (Tehilim 36:7), "Your charity is like the mighty mountains; Your judgment is like the deep waters." R' Bachya notes that, according to the just-quoted verse, unlike Hashem's judgment which is concealed like the depths, His charity is in the open like the mountains. For example, in the Book of Yechezkel, the date of the destruction of the Temple, a manifestation of Hashem's judgment, is hidden in confusing terms. In contrast, in our parashah, all of the details of the census, which demonstrates Hashem's love for us (i.e., His charity) are spelled out. (Beur Al Ha'Torah) ******** "Take a census of the entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael according to their families, according to their fathers' household, by number of the names, every male according to their head count." (Bemidbar 1:2) R' Amram Zvi Gruenwald z"l (dayan / rabbinical court judge in Oyber Visheve; later rabbi in the Fernwald Displaced Persons camp) observes: At the end of last week's parashah we read (Vayikra 27:33-34), "He shall not distinguish between good and bad and he should not substitute for it . . . These are the commandments that Hashem commanded Moshe to Bnei Yisrael on Har Sinai." Verse 33 teaches that when one sets aside Ma'aser Beheimah / a tithe from his animals, he must give each tenth animal regardless of its quality. By placing, "These are the commandments . . . ," right after the just-mentioned halachah, verse 34 teaches us to have the same attitude toward all mitzvot. This alludes to the Mishnah (Avot ch.2), "Be as careful with a seemingly light mitzvah as with a seemingly strict mitzvah, for you do not know the reward associated with each mitzvah." Finally, our verse, by being placed next to the preceding two verses, teaches us to practice a similar attitude towards all people. (Zichron Amram Zvi) Parashat Bemidbar, which is devoted in part to the genealogy of the Jewish People, is always read shortly before the holiday of Shavuot. A number of midrashim observe that this is not coincidental. One midrash states, for example, that the Torah was given to Bnei Yisrael because of their genealogy. R' Shmuel Guntzler z"l (1834-1911; rabbi of Oyber Visheve, Hungary) explains in light of another midrash which states: When Yisrael stood at Har Sinai, Hashem asked them, "Who will guarantee your observance of Torah?" Bnei Yisrael answered, "Our forefathers," but Hashem responded that those were not adequate guarantors. "Our children," Bnei Yisrael then said, and Hashem responded, "Your children are certainly good guarantors." This, the midrash concludes, is the meaning of the verse (Tehilim 8:3), "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have established ohz / strength." ["Ohz" referrs to the Torah, as is written (Tehilim 29:11), "Hashem will give ohz to His nation."] And, this, writes R' Guntzler, is the meaning of the midrash that the Torah was given because of our genealogy, i.e., our children. However, this itself requires explanation. How do our children serve as guarantors of our mitzvah observance? R' Guntzler explains further: Another midrash teaches that Hashem sent His Torah into this world only on the condition that He could reside near it, so-to-speak. This is why the Mishkan and, later, the Bet Hamikdash, were built. But what about when there is no Bet Hamikdash? The Gemara (Shabbat 119b) teaches that the world exists in the merit of the Torah study of young children. They are the "mishkan." Why is the Torah study of young children so precious? After all, a seasoned adult scholar studies on a far deeper and more meaningful level! Nevertheless, the Torah uttered by the mouths of children - mouths not yet sullied by sins such as lashon hara (because the sins of minors do not "count") - is very dear to Hashem. (Meishiv Nefesh) ******** "And with you shall be one ish / man from each tribe; ish / a man who is a leader of his father's household." (Bemidbar 1:4) The word "ish" commonly denotes a person of spiritual stature. Why? R' Chaim Yehuda Meir Hager z"l (the Vishever Rebbe in Tel Aviv; died 1968) explains: The Mishnah (end of Masechet Uktzin) teaches, "Hashem is destined to reward each tzaddik with 310 worlds." Our Sages also teach that: "One hour of Torah and good deeds in this world is worth more than an entire lifetime of Olam Haba." The gematria of ish equals 311, one more than the number of worlds in the tzaddik's reward. This signifies the Torah and good deeds -- more valuable than Olam Haba -- that the man of stature performs. (Zecher Chaim) ******** "These were the kru'ai / ones summoned by the assembly, the leaders of their fathers' tribes, they are the heads of Israel's thousands." (Bemidbar 1:16) The word kru'ai, which should be spelled "kuf-raish-vav-aleph-yud," is in fact spelled with an extra yud instead of the vav, as if it said kree'ai. Why? R' Eliezer David Gruenwald z"l (rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Oyber Visheve and other Hungarian towns; died 1928) explains: The greatest Jewish leaders have also been the most humble. The most obvious example is Moshe Rabbeinu, about whom we read (Bemidbar 12:3), "Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth." Likewise, King David was very humble and said about himself (Tehilim 22:7), "I am a worm and not a man." At the beginning of the Book of Vaykira, the word "Vayikra" ("He called [to Moshe]") is written with a small letter aleph, as if the word really was "Vayikar" ("He happened [upon Moshe]"). Hashem allowed Moshe to write the Torah this way in deference to Moshe's humility. Similarly, here, writes R' Gruenwald, writing that the leaders of the tribes were "kree'ai" rather than "kru'ai" implies a certain degree of happenstance, in deference to their humility. (Keren L'David) ******** "Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem when they offered an alien fire before Hashem in the Wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children." (Bemidbar 3:4) This verse mentions two of the reasons that our Sages give for why Nadav and Avihu died: (1) they introduced an "alien" fire onto the altar in the Mishkan, and (2) they never married. R' Mendel Hager z"l (rabbi, rosh yeshiva, and chassidic rebbe of Oyber Visheve; died 1941) explains that these are really two sides of one coin. Why did Nadav and Avihu never marry? Because they thought that earthly matters such as marriage have no place in the lives of people dedicated to holiness, such as themselves. Of course, they were wrong, as that is not the Torah's attitude. Indeed, their error may be seen in the halachah that even though G-d sends a fire from heaven to burn on the altar, man is obligated to light a fire there as well. The Torah expects earthly matters to be elevated to spirituality, not to be shunned entirely. Given Nadav and Avihu's attitude, however, it was inconsistent for them to introduce an earthly fire onto the altar. That is why they were punished. (She'airit Menachem) ******** This Week in History, Halachah, and Minhag 28 Sivan: Yahrzeit of the prophet Shmuel. Some observe a fast on this day. (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 580:2) According to one report, on this date, R' Moshe ben Maimon z"l (Rambam) discovered a Sefer Torah written by Ezra Ha'sofer, and he established this day as a festival for all of his descendants. (Shem Ha'gedolim: Erech Ayin no. 2) This day is Yom Yerushalayim, marking the reunification of Yerushalayim in 5627 (1967). Shabbat Erev Rosh Chodesh: When Rosh Chodesh falls on Motzai Shabbat, one whose seudah shlishit extends past the end of Shabbat will find himself in a paradoxical situation in which he must recite Retzeh in Birkat Hamazon because the meal began on Shabbat, and also Ya'aleh Ve'yavo, because it is now Motzai Shabbat, which is Rosh Chodesh. Therefore, some authorities recommend that one take care not to eat bread after dark on such an occasion. Then, even if he ate other foods, he can recite only Retzeh. Rosh Chodesh Sivan 4856 (1096): Massacres in Worms (Vermiza) during the First Crusade. (Luach Davar B'ito p.1025) 2 Sivan: This day is called "Yom Ha'meyuchas" / "The pedigreed day." Some say it is because, on this day, Hashem told Moshe that He had chosen the Jewish People as the chosen nation. Others say it is because the day before and after are special days-Rosh Chodesh before, and the first of the Shloshet Yemei Hagbalah / Three Days of Separation before the Giving of the Torah after. In Amsterdam, this day was called, "The Day with No Reason," because Tachanun is omitted today for no apparent reason. (Luach Davar B'ito p.1027) 3 Sivan 4856 (1096): Massacres in Mainz (Magenza) during the First Crusade. (Luach Davar B'ito p.1032)