Parshas Sh'lach 5765

As the nation prepared to leave the desert and enter into the land, they began to lose heart. They demanded that Moshe send spies to scout the land before they would conquer it. This portrayed a serious flaw in their faith in G-d, Who had promised that He would assist them in conquering the land. After witnessing all the miracles G-d had performed for the nation when they left Egypt there should have been no room for any lingering doubts. Although G-d reluctantly agreed to their request to send spies, it was without His blessings, and would therefore come at a heavy price.

Moshe tried to minimize the potential damage by appointing men of stature to serve as scouts. Unfortunately, it did not help. The person who puts his trust in natural means will become much more disillusioned than the one who puts his trust in G-d. The spies saw a land, that although beautiful, seemed insurmountable. They found huge people and fortified cities. Ten of the twelve spies began to feel insecure and insignificant in front of the inhabitants of the land. They saw no natural way that they could conquer it and they came back with a very demoralizing report.

The people listened to their report, despite the protests of Joshua and Caleb, and were so frightened that they cried to Moshe that they didn't want to enter the Promised Land. They rebuffed the wonderful gift that G-d had planned as their ultimate destination. Although Moshe prayed on behalf of the nation, the punishment for this sin would be even more severe than the punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf. The nation would have to wander through the desert for forty years, and all men who were twenty years and older would die before the nation could enter the land.

Although the generation was told they could not enter into the Promised Land, G-d wanted to reassure them that their children would indeed enter the land. For this reason, immediately after the sin of the spies the people were instructed in the mitzvos of tithing the dough and the wine libations that were offered with the sacrifices. Although these mitzvos would not apply until they entered the land, they served as a guarantee that the next generation would indeed enter it.

At the end of the portion the Torah discusses the mitzvah of tzitzis. Fringes are placed on the four corners of a garment to serve as a visual reminder of G-d and His mitzvos. Blue woolen fringes of techeiles, a dye extracted from a marine animal, is also tied, to serve as a reminder of the heavens and G-d's commandments. The tzitzis are meant to prevent a person from straying after the desires of his eyes and heart.

"... long in patience..." (Num.14:18)

Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz had a deep love of Eretz Yisrael. Once he received a bolt of wool from the Holy Land and he excitedly gave it to a tailor to sew a pair of tzitzis for him. The tailor accidentally folded the cloth before cutting the hole for the neck, thus making two large holes and effectively ruining the cloth. He was embarrassed to face Rav Mordechai, knowing how much he had looked forward to wearing the garment from Eretz Yisrael.

Rav Mordechai consoled the tailor saying, "It is good that it has two holes. One hole is like every other pair of tzitzis, and the other is to test my patience to see if I get angry. Thankfully, I passed!"

Did You Know ...

A person should first wrap himself in the tallis before laying tefillin. The tallis is used more frequently than tefillin, as it is worn on Shabbos too.

If, however, a person touched his tefillin before touching the tallis, some say that he should first lay the tefillin before he puts on the tallis, as there is a principle that one may not bypass a mitzvah that comes to his hand. Other authorities say that one always dons the tallis first, regardless of what was touched first.

One who wears a tallis need not recite any blessing on his tzitzis, as the blessing covers both garments. If a person changes his pair of tzitzis later in the day, or if he removed his tzitzis for an extended period of time, he must recite a new blessing.

Parshas Beha'alos'cha 5765

This portion covers a variety of events. Aharon was instructed in the kindling of the menorah. Each light was to be lit until the flame rose by itself. The menorah had seven branches, and each light was to face the center branch of the menorah.

After the nation's second Passover in the desert, there were some people who had not been able to bring the Pesach offering. They had been in contact with a corpse rendering them ritually impure and unable to offer the sacrifice. These individuals complained to Moshe, asking why they should lose this great mitzvah, and they requested another opportunity to bring the offering. Moshe brought their request before G-d, and G-d revealed the mitzvah of Pesach Sheni, the second Pesach, for people who could not offer the Pesach on the fourteenth day of the first month to offer it on the fourteenth day of the second month.

According to Jewish law, a person who is exempt from a mitzvah has no obligation to make it up. However, these individuals had such a longing to fulfill the will of G-d, that they looked for new opportunities to be able to fulfill the mitzvah. G-d, as it were, could not turn down such a request and presented a new mitzvah through these individuals.

Although complaining to improve one's spiritual lot may have merit, this is not so regarding complaints to improve one's physical and material situation. This is also portrayed in our portion.

The people ate manna in the desert. This miraculous food fell at their door each morning, with exactly enough for each family member's daily needs. The manna had a sweet taste, and could be used in all types of cooking and baking.

Yet the people complained. They dreamed about the fish and vegetables they had eaten in Egypt, and they demanded meat. G-d had taken care of all the nation's needs, and in an effortless and miraculous manner--yet the people were dissatisfied. G-d sent a plague that took the lives of these perpetual complainers.

Moshe felt the need to separate from his wife, to be able to be in a constant state of purity to communicate with G-d. Miriam, Moshe's sister, spoke somewhat disparagingly about Moshe's separation. G-d told Miriam that Moshe was different from any other person. He had achieved a level of prophecy that no other prophet did, or ever will. Although no other prophet would have to follow Moshe's example, his decision was deemed proper.

Miriam was punished with leprosy on account of her maligning her brother. However, because of her righteousness the entire camp waited for her to recover before they traveled onward.

"Speak to Aharon and say to him, 'When you kindle the lamps...' "
And Aharon did so ... (Num. 8:2-3)

Rav Levi Yitzchak Berditchever showed tremendous enthusiasm in his performance of mitzvos, swaying and jumping every which way.

Rav Baruch of Medziboz cited the Rashi on our passage, that the Torah is teaching us that Aharon "did so", meaning he did not change. Why would we think otherwise? Rav Baruch explained that had Aharon showed too much external excitement when he lit the menorah, he would have spilled all the oil and not performed it properly. Rather, Rashi explains, Aharon did not change externally, meaning he kept his passion for mitzvos within and maintained a tranquil demeanor on the surface.

Did You Know...

The Talmud says that when one is sick, he should ask a wise man to pray on his behalf. Since Judaism does not require a medium between G-d and man, why is this blessing necessary, or even permitted? Some explain that the wise man can teach the ill person how to pray with the proper protocol, etc. Others explain that the righteous person is pained by another's distress, and thus stands a better chance of having his prayers answered.

There is a dispute among the authorities whether one may desecrate the Shabbos to ask a righteous man to pray for a deathly ill patient. Although most authorities prohibit it, it is nonetheless telling to see the faith the authorities have in the righteous person's prayers.

Parshas Naso 5765

The camp of the Israelites had to be fit at all times for G-d's Divine Presence to dwell in its midst. For this reason any person who was impure was sent outside of the camp. There were actually three camps among the Jews; innermost was the Camp of the Shechina, the Divine Presence, where the Tabernacle was housed. Outside of that was the Camp of the Levites, and outside of that was the Camp of the Israelites. Depending on the severity of the impurity it wa s determined outside of which camp the person had to remain.

The Jewish people are also held to a high moral standard. The Torah elaborates on the procedure of dealing with suspected adulterers. A mixture was given to the suspected woman to drink, and if she was guilty she would die. If she was indeed innocent, she would be blessed. G-d created miracles with this procedure just in order to restore mutual trust in an otherwise damaged relationship.

The Nazirite was a person who accepted a temporary oath of abstinence from wine, haircuts, and contact with a corpse. Although this is not the Torah's norm, under certain circumstances it was necessary to abstain for therapeutic purposes. For this reason, although the Nazirite is referred to as a holy person, he must nonetheless bring a sin offering upon completion of his oath to atone for his abstinence.

At the dedication of the Tabernacle, each of the nesi'im, the princes of the tribes, brought gifts in honor of the dedication. These gifts were brought out of their own pockets, to make amends for their lack of participation in the actual construction of the Tabernacle.

Each prince brought the same gift, comprising of: a silver plate and silver bowl filled with flour and oil, a gold spoon filled with incense, and a variety of twenty one animals for different sacrifices. The Torah repeats the same six passages describing these gifts twelve times, once for each prince. The Midrash explains that although each prince brought the same gift, they were actually each motivated by different considerations. The same gift may have had a different representation to different people. The Torah therefore repeats all the details of the gifts for each prince, to emphasize that although the gifts were the same items, they were really different gifts.

Many mitzvos in the Torah seem to be so regimented, that they leave little room for creativity and self-expression. The reality however, is quite the opposite. The mitzvos were meant to provide a framework of guidance, within which there is plenty of room for self-expression. The details can--and should--take on very different meanings to different people.

...The time of the Giving of our Torah (Shavuos liturgy)

During World War ll, the Germans bombed London frequently, and people took refuge in the city's bomb shelters. Rav Yechezkel Abramsky would descend one flight from his apartment to the steel vault of a bank. People noticed that he would always mumble while he was in the vault. One of the bank workers asked him what he was saying and the Rav explained, "When I come here, I am reminded of King David's words 'Torah is better to me than thousands in silver and gold' (Psalms 119:72). All the millions of pounds in the vault I see here remind me how valuable the Torah is, and that I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world."

Did You Know..

Although it is permitted to cook on Yom Tov, one may only do so for eating or other necessary activities. Thus, one may turn on the hot water to wash his hands and face, which is called a necessity. However, the Rabbis did not consider daily bathing a necessity, but rather a luxury, and thus one may not take a hot shower on Yom Tov.

Preferably, one should not bathe one's whole body or shower at all on Yom Tov, even with cold water. If, however, one is very uncomfortable, as on an extremely hot day, it is permitted to take a cold shower. Using bar soap or shampoo is prohibited. One must also be careful not to squeeze the water from his hair.

Parshas Bamidbar 5765

The second year after the exodus from Egypt, G-d commanded Moshe to take a census of all the Jewish men eligible for the army, between twenty and sixty years old.

Rashi explains that this census was to portray G-d's intense love and concern for the Jewish people. A person counts and spends time with something that he loves and cherishes. This was especially important after the sin of the Golden Calf, when the nation had fallen in disgrace before G-d, and He wanted to show the people He had forgiven them for the sin. For this reason the Levites were not counted. Since they did not sin with the Calf, they never needed that reassurance that the rest of the nation needed. (Although the Levites too would be counted later, it was for a different reason, to be able to redeem the firstborn Israelites. Each firstborn needed one Levite to redeem him.)

The sum total of the census was around six hundred thousand people. Considering the fact that this number was approximately the same as the number of Jews that had first left Egypt, it was a comfort to them. Despite G-d's anger and His punishment, they were not in any danger of being decimated.

Another reason for the census was to give each Jew the opportunity to spend a few moments with Moshe, to see a role model to emulate. The census reminded them that each Jew has a unique mission to fulfill, and that he must strive to achieve his best. The people were counted from age twenty, since that was when they were mature enough to fulfill their mission. (The tribe of Levi was counted from thirty days old, since their mission was different than the rest of the nation. Their mere presence as a family of priests was reason enough to be counted.)

The camp was arranged in a quadrilateral shape, with the Levites and the Mishkan in the center. A group of three tribes camped on each side, with one of the tribes serving as a leader for each grouping.

Just as each tribe was counted by itself, each tribe also had its own place to camp. These specific positions were maintained throughout the forty years in the desert for various reasons. Certain tribes were placed next to others because they shared complementary missions. Each of the tribes was equidistant from the Tabernacle in the middle. This showed that no tribe was more important than another, and that only in conjunction with one another could they accomplish their mission as a whole unit together.

"...G-d spoke to Moshe in the wilderness..." (Num. 1:1)

The Midrash comments that Torah is only given to those who are humble like a wilderness. Rav Aharon Kotler once commented that the although the Chafetz Chaim's piety and righteousness are so well known, his genius was even greater than his piety. When asked why this was so he responded that the Chafetz Chaim, in his great humility, prayed that his scholarship remain hidden, and his desire was fulfilled.

If so, Rav Aharon was asked, why didn't the Chafetz Chaim also pray that his righteousness be hidden? Rav Aharon smiled and said, "The Chafetz Chaim knew that he was a great scholar. However, regarding his piety, it never entered the Chafetz Chaim's mind that should have to pray that it remain hidden, since he didn't consider himself righteous!"

Did You Know...

The obligation to honor Yom Tov is greater than that of Shabbos, thus one's Yom Tov clothing should be nicer than Shabbos clothing. A man is obligated to buy his wife new clothing or jewelry for Yom Tov. He should also buy his children special treats.

There is a special mitzvah to eat meat and drink wine on Yom Tov. If one does not enjoy meat, he may eat chicken, and if one does not enjoy wine he may drink grape juice or other beverages. Some authorities say the primary mitzvah of meat and wine must be fulfilled during Yom Tov day, and not in the evening; thus those people who eat dairy on Shavuos day should try to eat some meat some time during the day.