Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Nasso True Happiness Volume 23, No. 31 14 Sivan 5769 June 6, 2009 Today's Learning: Keilim 26:7-8 O.C. 310:7-9 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Metzia 42 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Bava Metzia 32 King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (21:15), "When justice is performed, it is a simcha / joy to the righteous, and destruction to workers of iniquity." R' Bachya z"l (Spain; 14th century) explain: King Shlomo is telling us that justice, which preserves the existence of the world, inspires terror in the wicked, but simcha in the righteous. Simcha, he continues, is a greater joy than the related feelings: gilah, rinah and masos. Thus we read (Mishlei 23:24), "The father of a righteous person will have gilah; one who begets a wise child will have simcha with him." A righteous person has only one positive attribute, while a wise child has two: wisdom and righteousness. (Obviously, says R' Bachya, King Shlomo would not be extolling a wise child who is wicked!) Thus, the father of the righteous person experiences only gilah, while the father of the wise child experiences the greater feeling of simcha. R' Bachya continues: From the fact that King Shlomo wrote, "When justice is performed," and not "When he performs justice." we learn that a righteous person should rejoice whenever he sees the right thing being done, whether by him or by others. Likewise, he should rejoice when he sees others performing mitzvot. Indeed, rejoicing at the fact that a mitzvah was performed is a separate avodah / service to G-d from the mitzvah itself. This is why the Temple service was accompanied by music, writes R' Bachya. We read in our parashah (4:47) that the Levi'im should perform the "avodat avodah" / "service to the service." Our Sages explain: What service serves the service? This is the singing in the Temple. (Be'ur Al Ha'Torah) ******** "Take a census [literally, `Lift the heads'] of the sons of Gershon, also . . ." (4:22) R' Meir Yechiel Halstock z"l (1857-1928; the Ostrovtza Rebbe) writes: There are two ways that one can come to recognize and accept Hashem. One is to seek logical proof of His existence and His dominion, while the other is to receive a tradition from one's parents. The primary difference between a person who discovers Hashem and one who believes in Him because of a tradition is that the belief of the former is dependent on reason, while the latter's belief is not. A conclusion that was arrived at through logic is relatively weak because if the investigator later thinks of a reason to not believe in Hashem, he will lose his belief. R' Halstock continues: The names of Moshe's two sons allude to these two types of belief. The older son was Gershom (not to be confused with his great-uncle Gershon, who is mentioned in our pasuk). His name alludes to Moshe's being alone in the world - a "ger" / "convert," i.e., a person who arrives in a belief in Hashem on his own. By definition, a convert has no Jewish tradition from his parents. Moshe's second son was Eliezer, whose name connotes that "the G-d of my father came to my aid" (Shmot 18:4). In this light, R' Halstock explains our verse as follows: "`Lift the heads of the sons of Gershon, also." Gershon's name also alludes to a "ger," a person who discovers Hashem through his own reasoning. Says the Torah, "Lift his head, i.e., his thoughts, also." He should not rely on his reasoning alone, but also on tradition. Based on this, concludes R' Halstock, we can explain why the family of Gershon was responsible for transporting the tachash-skin cover of the mishkan. The tachash was a, now-extinct, one-horned animal. This was meant to convey to the Gershonites that there is only one sure path to belief in Hashem, i.e., the path of tradition. (Meir Einei Chachamim: Mahadura Telitai) ******** "The kohen shall make one as a sin-offering and one as an elevation-offering, and he shall provide him atonement for having sinned regarding the person." (6:11) Why is a nazir / a person who because of a vow abstains from grape products, does not cut his hair and avoids corpse-impurity called a sinner? R' Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook z"l (1865-1935; first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael) explains: Man was created with body and spirit, and perfection is attained by continually developing each one in harmony with the other. Our Sages teach that there is no human who never sins. However, the greatest sin is committed when one tries to ignore the fact that he is human. This is the sin that the nazir commits. R' Kook adds: The correct approach (unlike the nazir's mistaken belief) is to realize that the fact that a person is susceptible to occasional sin does not detract from his perfection. This is because the foundation of perfection is not to be perfect (which is impossible, for every man, by virtue of his material nature, must falter), but to truly desire to come as close to perfection as possible. (Orot Ha'teshuvah ch.5) ******** "All the days of his nazirite vow . . . holy `yihyeh' / he shall be . . ." (6:5) The Gemara (Nazir 5a) states that if one takes a vow to be a nazir and does not specify a duration for his nezirut, the default term is 30 days. The gemara derives this from the gematria of "yihyeh" which equals 30. In an unrelated context, R' Moshe ben Nachman z"l (the Ramban; 1194- 1270) writes: Let nobody mock the fact that I rely on the values of the letters, which is called gematria. Let no one think that it is nothingness and emptiness, [arguing that] one can derive all types of corrupt ideas from the verses using the values of the letters. The truth is that one is not permitted to judge based on the values of the letters using his own intellect alone; rather, Moshe Rabbeinu was given certain gematriot at Har Sinai to serve as a mnemonic for certain things, some in the realm of aggadah and some in the realm of halachah, for example in the case of the nazir. This is similar to that which we call a gezeirah shavah [a tool for deriving halachot based on similar words in different verses]. Many gufei Torah / essential laws are based on a gezeirah shavah, but it also has destructive potential. One is not permitted to formulate a gezeirah shavah on his own, but only where he has a tradition. [Ramban goes on to state that one is permitted to use gematria to attempt to derive from the Torah when mashiach will come because we have received a tradition that that mystery is answered in the Torah. However, he observes, one will never know for sure that he has performed the correct calculation and unraveled the mystery until mashiach actually comes.] (Derashat Torat Hashem Temimah) We read in Pirkei Avot (end of chapter 3): "Gematriot are a parperet to wisdom." R' Shmuel de Ozeda z"l (Tzefat; approximately 1540-1605) offers several interpretations of "parperet": (1) Parperet means "dessert." The word is used in this sense in Tractate Berachot, which refers to "parperet ha'pat" as the last course in a meal. (2) Parperet is related to the word "perurin" / "crumbs." Gematriot are the crumbs of wisdom, i.e., the little bits of wisdom to be gathered and picked-up. (3) Parperet is a type of ornament, as if to say: Although gematriot are not the essence of wisdom--that title is reserved for halachah-- nevertheless, it is a mitzvah to calculate gematriot because they demonstrate our wisdom and sharpness. (Midrash Shmuel) ******** This Week in History, Halachah, and Minhag 12 Sivan: In the time of the Bet Hamikdash, the mitzvah of aliyah la'regel / making a pilgrimage to the Temple three times a year included, not just traveling to Yerushalayim, but also bringing a korban olah. If one came for Shavuot, but failed to offer his korban, today was the last day for "making-up" the missed offering. Because of the opportunity to bring this offering through today, many communities do not recite tachanun from Shavuot through today. (Some do not recite tachanun tomorrow either.) 13 Sivan: In the time of the Bet Hamikdash, one who found a lost object (anywhere in Eretz Yisrael) was required to announce his find in Yerushalayim at the next three pilgrimage festivals, and for seven days after the third festival. If one had found a lost object before Sukkot, today would have been the final day for announcing his find. The Gemara (Bava Metzia 28b) states that now that there is no Bet Hamikdash, may it be rebuilt in our days, one who finds an object should announce it in shul. The Aruch Hashulchan (267:3) writes that the announcement should be made after Shacharit or between Minchah and Ma'ariv. If necessary, it may be made in the morning before Ashrei, but not between Ashrei and U'va le'tzion. On this date in 5759 (1999), the remains of the Israeli submarine Dakar, which was lost at sea in 1968, were identified. Shabbat, 14 Sivan: When this date falls on Shabbat, Parashat Be'haalotecha is read in Israel, while Parashat Naso is read in the diaspora. This happens because the diaspora observed last Shabbat as the second day of Shavuot, while Israel did not. This disparity will continue until 12 Tamuz / July 4, when diaspora communities will read a double- parashah. 15 Sivan: Birthday and yahrzeit of Yehuda, son of Yaakov and Leah. (Seder Ha'dorot) On this date, in the time of the second Bet Hamikdash, the Chashmonaim defeated and expelled the people of Bet Shean, a group that had been a thorn in the side of the Jewish People ever since Yehoshua bin Nun had failed to defeat them more than 1,000 years earlier. Subsequently, this date was observed as a yom tov. (Megillat Ta'anit) 17 Sivan: On this date, Noach's ark rested on the mountains of Ararat, according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer in Rosh Hashanah 11b.