Parshas Bereishis.
Questions:
One answer to all these questions:
Our sages describe in the Talmud (Chagiga 12b) that there are 7 types of Rakia (seven skies). Another opinion there is that there are only two skies – Shamayim and Shmey Hashamyim. As usual (and this is especially true regarding Agada – homiletic parts of the Talmud) the two opinions do not contradict each other. The GR”A (Vilna Gaon) writes that the seven skies are divided into two groups – the lower two skies are called Shamayim, while the higher five are called Shmey Hashayim. The word Shamayim comes from the word “Sham” – “over there” since they are always at a distance. The higher five skies are even further away, that’s why they are called Shmey Hashamayim. (This answers the second question.)
In truth, the lower two skies correspond to the lower two Sefiros – Yesod and Malchus, while the Shmey Hashayim correspond to the five Sefiros above them[1]. Discussing the concept of Sefiros in detail goes beyond the purpose of this short article, but we will need to say a few words about them, especially since this concept will be essential throughout our commentary on the following parshios as well. In general, Sefiros can be viewed as parts of Divine will or as ways of Hanhaga – Hashem’s rule over the universe. There are ten such ways. Everything in the spiritual and physical realms is a result and projection of some combination of the ten Sefiros. Just as all physical materials, with their great variety, are composed of just a little more that one hundred elements, so too, everything spiritual is a combination of these ten general spiritual roots. The names of the Sefiros are:
Keser – Crown, Chochma – Wisdom, Bina – Understanding, Chesed – Kindness, Gevurah – Strength, Tiferes – Harmony, Netzach – Perseverance, Hod – Splendor, Yesod – Foundation, Malchus – Royalty.
The Sefiros are divided into two
general groups – the first three have to do with thought, while the lower seven
have to do with action. Similarly, in their projection to human body, the
higher three Sefiros correspond to the head, while the lower seven correspond
to the body. The lower Sefiros are themselves divided into two subgroups – the
five Sefiros from Chesed to Hod a viewed separately, while the lowest two –
separately. As we mentioned the seven skies are divided into 2 groups: the last
two, corresponding to “Yesod” and “Malhus” and the first five, corresponding to
higher Sefiros. Similarly, the GR”A writes (in his commentary on Agada,
Brochos), that the seven species, for which the
Now, the GR”A explains (in his commentary to Bereishis) that the word Shamayim mentioned in the first verse in the Torah is hinting to all the spiritual worlds, while the word Aretz (Earth) hints to the entire physical universe. Later in the tenth verse, the word Eretz (spelled with a different vowel – segol) means just the land, that we call earth. Similarly, the shamayim mentioned in the eight verse means the physical sky, and in general the Torah does not dwell on the spiritual Shamayim from now on. Only the first verse of the Torah talks about the spiritual creation, from now on, the Torah will discuss the physical world while the spiritual can only be deduced. (This also relates to a known question of why the Torah nowhere openly talks about the Olam Haba – the World to Come. It certainly hints many times that there is reward after death, even wicked Bilaam prayed that after death he should have a portion with the righteous, but the Torah does not discuss it openly. It rather mentions as a punishment that certain sinners will have the soul cut off, from which we can learn that everyone else will have a portion in the eternity, see Ramban on Vayikra 18:29. However the rewards in this world are mentioned many times but they apply only when our entire nation deserves it collectively. In the end of days our nation is also promised a tremendous closeness to Hashem, which is of course the biggest reward there could be.) We not got answers to questions 1, 3 and 4.
According to the description the Talmud gives to the “seven skies”, the two lowest skies seem to be physical, while the other five are described as completely spiritual, thus belonging to a separate group. The lowest sky is called “Vilon” (curtain). It has nothing of its’ own. It only comes out during the day and gathers in at night[2]. According to the description, it seems that Vilon is the Earth’s atmosphere. It is known, that we see the blue sky due to the refraction of sun’s rays[3]. It is thus proper to say that “it has nothing of its’ own”, since the air is really transparent. Similarly its’ corresponding Sefira: Malchus is described in Kaballah as having nothing of its’ own (Zohar 2:233b, see also Etz Chaim 43:2).
The next Rakia is described as having all the planets, stars and galaxies, and thus includes the rest of our physical universe[4]. The description of the other five skies is completely spiritual, and they therefore belong to a separate group. This answers the last question. Note also that the GR”A[5] mentions in his commentary to the prayer “Yaale Veyavo”, that the eight synonyms in the beginning of this prayer correspond to the seven skies, (the last two relating to Aravos – the seventh level). We are beseeching Hashem to let our prayers come close and reach Him and be accepted!
Parshas Noach.
Question:
After the Great Flood, new life started. The Torah carefully describes the descendants on the one surviving family – Noach and his three children – Shem, Cham and Yafes. Our sages received a tradition that core seventy nations came out from Noach and thus all of the people of the Earth are descendants of these families. Do we know where the various families settled and can we know what contemporary nation belongs to which of these families?
Answer.
The GR”A has a very interesting explanation regarding the various nations that came out of Noach and it will be interesting to publicize it here. He writes in a similar vein in at least two different places – in his commentary to Divrey Hayamim (the book of Chronicles – the last book of the Bible, 1:1:4), in his commentary to the Mishna (tractate Negaim 2:1). We will start by quoting some of his words on the Mishna. Negaim is a tractate which deals with the laws of Tzaraas (a variation of leprosy). If a person had white discolorations on his skin, he had to show them to a kohen (a priest, descendant of Aharon) and depending on the conditions sometimes had to live outside the walled Jewish cities until the mark disappears. In general, these laws were designed at the time the Hashgacha (Divine Rule) was much more open, and this particular sickness was a punishment for gossipers and other sinners, so that they will spend some time alone and repent before being admitted back to the camp (Talmud, Arachim 16a). One of the conditions required in order to check the whiteness of discoloration is that the rest of the skin is normal (average) color. The Mishna mentions that by a “Germoni” the leprous mark seems not as white since his skin is very white, while by a “Kushi” (a black man, an Ethiopian), the opposite is true. The Aruch (a very early medieval commentator quoted by Rashi and other Rishonim) writes that the word “Germani” means a German, whose skin is very white. The Rambam and other commentators also point out that the word “Germani” comes from the word “GAREM” – a bone which is very white.
The GR”A goes further explaining
that the Germans (as well as the rest of Northern Europeans) are descendants of
the first son of Yafes – Gomer. We thus find that Gomer’s own first son is
called Ashkenaz which is the Hebrew name for
As we mentioned, one of the
proofs is that the first son and the first grandson of Yafes (Gomer and
Ashkenaz) were ancestors of the Northern European nations. The fourth son of
Yafes is named Yavan which means
Regarding the sons of Cham, we
can easily identify three out of four. Kush – the first son is Hebrew for
At last, regarding the
descendants of Shem, his first son – Eilam is generally identified with
What we wrote so far applied
during the original settlement of the seventy nations. Obviously, after more
than four thousand years, there was a lot of migration; some of them are
mentioned by the Torah itself (see Devarim 2:19-23). Our sages describe that at
a later time the kings of
However, there is one other
important principle regarding the descendants of seventy nations we would like
to discuss. A verse in Parshas Haazinu (Devarim 32:8) states: “He (Hashem) set
up the borders of nations to parallel the number of children of
It is known that with passage of centuries, Eisav’s descendants accepted Christianity, while Ishmael’s – Islam. Both religions learned from ours and based themselves on the revelations our nation witnessed (after all they could not claim that their entire nations witnessed Divine revelation, for such a claim would be impossible and moreover the Torah predicts that nobody else will be able to make such a claim, see Devarim 4:33). The two religions spread far and wide conquering multitudes of nations who threw away their old convictions and accepted the new beliefs. The Rambam writes (uncensored edition of the laws of kings 11:7) that in truth these religions were a step forward, a kind of preparation of the world to accept the ultimate truth when Moshiach comes. And this is what we are waiting for, when Hashem will turn all the nations to a purer language, that they may all call upon Him and serve him with one consent (Tzefania 3:9)!
Parshas Lech Lecha.
Questions:
In this weekly portion we read about the “covenant between the pieces”. Avraham was told that his descendants will be suffering in an exile in a foreign land for 400 hundred years. The Torah also mentions that the fourth generation will come back. Later, the Torah will state (Shemos 12:40) that the Jewish people spent 430 years in exile. The Rashi in his commentary to this verse mentions the words of our sages that our nation was in Egyptian exile for only 210 years, while the 400 years are counted from the birth of Yitzchak. How are all these numbers reconciled? If indeed the Torah meant to count 400 years from an earlier date, why did it not say so and left the prediction so ambiguous? Why are there two predictions – regarding the number of years as well as the number of generations?
Answers.
We have to understand that in
general many prophesies are revealed in such a manner, that their fulfillment
depends on the future actions of people. For example, Yona was told that the
city of
This principle is especially true
in regards to prophesies regarding the length of our exile and the date of our
redemption (see the GR”A to Pesach Hagadah, starting with words “Chishav Es
Haketz”). Two statements were made to Avraham regarding our first exile: we
will be subjugated for 400 years, and that the fourth generation will return to
the
As we know now (Seder Olam, chapter 3), the actual exile to Egypt was 210 years (as is Gematria – numerical value of the word “Rdu” – go down), the other 190 years were years of wanderings of Yitzchak, Yakov and his family. The total of four hundred years is thus counted from the birth of Yitzchak. The 430 years mentioned in the Torah (Shemos 12:41) is either counted from the beginning of Avraham’s wanderings (GR”A to the 1st chapter of Seder Olam) or from the Bris Bein Habesarim (covenant of pieces).
The Pesach Hagadah mentions that Hashem “Chishav Es Haketz” calculated the end of exile. The Gematria of the word Ketz – end is 190, hinting to the 190 years skipped from the actual Egyptian bondage. (The book Avodas Hagershuni by the Vilna Gaon’s nephew – Rav Gershon, describes that the 190 “skipped” years are in fact hinted by the Gematria of the word “Pakod” in the phrase “Pakod Yifkod Elokim Es-chem” (Hashem will surely redeem you). This wording was a password given away by Yosef before dying, which was later used to identify the true redeemer Moshe Rabeynu, see Pirkey DeRabbi Eliezer, 47. The word “Yifkod” can mean reckoning and the phrase would then be translated “190 Hashem will calculate”. The word “Elokim” in the verse hints to the 86 years of the bitter part of exile as we will later discuss.)
Out of the 210 years of exile,
only a part included prosecutions. Our sages mention (Talmud, Sotah 11a) that
after Yosef died, Pharaoh, who was afraid of the rapid increase in Jewish
numbers, invited his three wisest counselors: Bilaam, Iyov and Yisro. Bilaam
suggested to oppress the Jewish people, Iyov kept quiet, while Yisro ran away[6].
Each one was paid accordingly. Yisro’s daughter ultimately married Moshe, and
he himself later converted together with his family. Iyov who kept quiet[7]
was punished by the suffering described in the book of Iyov (this book was
written down prophetically by Moshe Rabeynu, see the Talmud, Bava Basra 14b).
Bilaam was later killed by the Jewish people. According to this opinion, Iyov
was born when our people entered
Our sages teach us that the position of the Jewish people did not change instantly from honored citizens to slaves (see Shemos Raba 1:10-14, Ramban, Shemos 1:10-11). It took time until the exile turned from sweet to bitter. (For this reason, the preferred maror – bitter herb that we eat on Pesach is romaine lettuce, since it is first sweet, but as it stays longer in the earth, it turns bitter.) The first years of discrimination are described as “BEFE RACH” – with soft mouth. Than the true bitterness of exile started “BEFARECH” – with hard labor (see Talmud, Sotah 11b). Miriam was named after the same word “maror” – bitter, since when she was born, the exile became very bitter. Since Miriam was 86 during the time of the Exodus, we can thus know that final 86 years of exile were very bitter, while the previous 117-86=31 years were soft. The GR”A (on Zohar in likutim at the end of Yahel Ohr) mentions that the two periods of 31 years and 86 years correspond to two Divine names “Alef Lamed”[10] – Gematria 31, and “ELOKIM” – Gematria 86. It is known in the writings of Kabala that the first name corresponds to the attribute of kindness (Chesed), while the second – to judgment (Gevurah).
The Raavad (in his commentary to Mishan Ediyos, 2:9) and Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh on Bereishis 15:16) write that the reason the redemption is promised according to the number of years as well as the number of generations is because the fourth generation is the one to actually enter the Holy Land. After all, a period of time passed between the redemption and the coming into the land. The Raavad continues that so too in the end of days there will pass a time between the end of exile and the full redemption.
Interestingly, regarding the
other two exiles of our nation, a similar uncertainty existed regarding their
ending. It is known (Ramban, Vayikra 26:16; Zohar Chadash, beginning of Parshas
Ki Savo; GR”A on Tikuney Zohar Chadash 84c) that our exile to
In the prophesies of Yermiyahu
(25:11, 29:10), the exact duration of this exile is predicted to be seventy
years. However, it does not clearly state how to count these years. In fact,
Daniel (9:2-27) thought that the years already passed and was praying to
understand why the redemption is not coming. According to the Talmud (Megillah
11b), two other people (non-Jewish kings) who were aware of the “Jewish”
prophesy miscalculated the seventy years and thought that therefore the Jewish
people will never be redeemed. In the end, it turned out that the two
prophesies in Yermiyahu were predicting two different seventy year periods. One
was the period between the Babylonian conquest of
Daniel was shown the time of the
coming redemption (just a year later than his prophesy[13]),
as well as the 420 years that the Second Temple will be standing and what will
happen afterwards (see further Talmud, Nazir 32b, see Ramban, Sefer Hageula,
Shaar Hashlishi. See also Malbim on Daniel 9:24 for an interesting explanation
that the entire
Parshas Vayerah.
Question:
Our sages (Talmud, Brochos 26b)
learn from this Parsha, that Avraham established the Morning Prayer –
Shacharis, as it says: (Bereishis 19:27) “And Avraham came in the early morning
to the place where he [had] stood before Hashem”. According to the
Talmud (ibid) the word “stood” here refers to prayer. There are similar
statements in the Talmud (ibid) regarding the afternoon and evening prayers
(Mincha and Aravis). Mincha was instituted by Yitzchak and is hinted to in the
verse: (Bereishis 24:63) “And Yitzchak went out to walk[14]
(Lasuach) in the field towards evening time”. The evening prayer was instituted
by Yakov as it says: (Bereishis 28:11) “And [Yakov] came upon the place [of the
future
Answer.
It is known that there were three special people, who stood at the root of our nation: Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov. They are the only ones, called “forefathers” (Talmud, Brochos 16b). Each of them had a special mission, and our nation had to come out of all of them. According to the Zohar (Tikuney Zohar, 69th Tikun, 105a, in GR”A’s edition 118b), their souls had to do with the soul of Adam and they actually rectified different parts of Adam’s sin. It took three generations, till the purification finished, and Yakov’s family fully belonged to the Jewish people[16]. We learn that the three forefathers instituted the three main prayers, and we will later discuss how each one corresponds to the prayer he founded, and what rectification this prayer accomplishes.
There is however another individual, whose soul was also collective and whose rectification was unique – King Dovid[17]. In fact the Talmud tells us (Sanhedrin 107a), that Dovid prayed that just as Hashem is called G-d of Avraham, G-d of Yitzchak, and G-d of Yakov, He should associate His name with Dovid as well. Dovid also instituted a prayer (Talmud, Brochos 3b), though it is not obligatory. It is called Tikun Chatzos (rectification of midnight) and can be pronounced after midnight till early dawn and it is recited while sitting.
We thus have a correspondence between four people, four prayers, four times and four actions, from which these prayers are learned (see the GR”A in Imrey Noam to the Talmud, Brochos, 8a and 26b, and in his commentary to Agada on the same pages, GR”A to Mishley 3:23 and 6:22, GR”A to the Zohar, Yahel Ohr 3:156b)[18]:
|
Person |
Prayer |
Time |
Action |
|
Avraham |
Shacharis |
first half of the day |
standing |
|
Yitzchak |
Mincha |
second half of the day |
walking |
|
Yakov |
Aravis |
first half of the night |
laying down |
|
Dovid |
Tikun Chatzos |
second half of the night |
Sitting |
Let us first discuss the spiritual root of the forefathers and Dovid, so we can better understand these parallels. As we discussed on Parshas Bereishis, the Divine rule over the universe includes ten different channels. However, even more generally, the 10 Sefiros can be divided into just four groups. They are the so called “right” side of Hanhaga (Divine rule), consisting of three Sefiros; the “left” side, that also includes three Sefiros; the “middle” with another three Sefiros; and Malchus – Kingship. The last Sefira shows our readiness to receive the Good coming from Hashem. The collective combination of all Jewish souls is rooted in this Sefira. In general, the right side of Hanhaga has to do with kindness, the left – with judgment, and the middle – is a harmony between the two, a type of balance that includes both previous sides[19]. To summarize, even though there are ten particular types of Hanhaga, the four general ones include the entire spectrum (see our article in appendix 2 where we further discuss these concepts).
Our forefathers and Dovid in fact represented these four types of Hanhaga. Avraham’s soul was rooted in Chesed (kindness). The Torah describes how he would try to help everyone, his house was always open to visitors and even the lowest travelers were served by Avraham himself. The only thing he asked in return was recognition of the rule of Hashem. In Avraham’s time, many people joined his household and accepted monotheism. Yitzchak’s soul was rooted in Gevurah (strength, judgment). He was ready to give up his own life during the Akeyda; he would spend long times meditating alone. Yakov included the qualities of his fathers and clung to Tiferes. At last, King Dovid was attached to Malchus (kingship). The four forefathers thus included a full rectification[20].
Now we can better understand what should be accomplished by the four prayers. The first half of the day is the time of kindness. The fact that the sunlight is increasing throughout this time is also an indication of the time of Chesed. When the Hanhaga is through Chesed, the people’s deeds are less important; during this Hanhaga, even the unworthy may receive the Divine Good. The longest of all prayers, Shacharis was instituted to rectify at this time, when many great rectifications are possible. Each day, we start serving Hashem anew, (sleeping is considered 1/60 of death, and we are recreated each morning, see Mishna Berura 4:3). Therefore the greatest rectification is need during this prayer (see Ramchal, Derech Hashem, 4:6; Kisvey Arizal in Shaar Hakavonos also discusses the great difference between the Tikun of Shacharis versus the other prayers).
After midday the time of judgment is starting, while the world experiences diminishing of sun light. Two types of light are discussed in Kabala: Ohr Yashar (direct light) and Ohr Chozer (reflected light). The reflected light in this case is the readiness of people to receive the Divine Good. During the time of judgment, one can still receive from Above, but only if he is worthy. This is one of the reasons why the Talmud (Brochos 6b) tells us to be especially careful regarding Mincha prayer.
Aravis is instituted at night time. This prayer is less obligatory than the others (see Talmud, Brochos 27b; in fact, according to the Mishna Berura, 106:4, women are exempt from this prayer, see however Aruch Hashulchan 106:7). Since the main active Hanhaga is during the day, the Shacharis and Mincha make active rectifications, while Aravis is instituted during a more passive time of absorbing the day’s changes. At last, Tikun Chatzos is a totally nonobligatory prayer, but midnight is in general “Es Ratzon” (time of Divine favor, see Talmud, Evamos 72a), when the light of Chesed gets aroused before daybreak.
Note, that the three main prayers
instituted by the forefathers, are preferably recited in a synagogue, while
Tikun Chatzos was instituted primarily for home. There are also four articles
that were prepared for the prophet Elisha as it says (Melachim 2:4:9): “… let
us put there a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp”. The GR”A (in his commentary
Imrey Noam to the Talmud, Brochos, 8a) writes that these four articles also
correspond to the four prayers. The lamp has to do with the right side, just as
it stood in the Holy Temple; the table – to the left just as it stood in the
Temple; the chair is in the middle (like the mizbeach in the Temple), and the
bed has to do with Malchus. The first letters of the above four articles (Mita,
Shulchan, Kise and Ner) for the word “M-SH-K-N” spelling Mishkan – sanctuary.
The last three letters of this word (corresponding to the three prayers
instituted by the forefathers) spell shochen – neighbor. This is how the GR”A
explains the statement of the Talmud (Brochos, 8a) that the one who does not
visit the synagogue in his city is called a bad neighbor. Since he does
not come to pray the three main prayers in the Shul, he is missing the
rectification of these three letters! May we soon merit that our prayers will
be accepted in the “Miniature Temples” – our synagogues, and that we see the
coming of Moshiach, when all Kosher Synagogues will be moved to the
Parshas Chayei Sara.
Question:
From the earliest
times, it was customary that the bride was blessed before marriage, as we learn
in this week’s Parsha (Bereishis 24:60) “… and they blesses Rivka …” In fact
the Talmud (beginning of Maseches Kala) mentions that the blessings of the
bride are hinted in this verse, (see Tosafos and other Rishonim to Kesuvos 7b,
as to why the Talmud also learns these blessing from a different verse in the
book of Rus). What is the significance of the seven blessings that we say on
our weddings?
Answer.
Our sages established
seven special blessings for newlyweds. These blessings are said during the
wedding (under the chuppah), and after benching (Birkas Hamazon) of each meal
during the following seven days, if there is a minyan, and some of the present
have not heard the blessing for this couple yet.
According to the Zohar and another Kabbalistic
books, the general meaning of these blessings is that each woman, when she
marries, is a projection of all the Jewish people and their spiritual root.
This is another reason why the bride is referred to as a "kallah" –
from a word “Kol” – all. Thus, she is blessed with the blessings that
correspond to the seven Sefiros used by the Creator to rule the world. In
general, Sefiros can be viewed as parts of Divine will or as ways of Hanhaga –
Hashem’s rule over the universe, see our words on Parshas Bereishis for further
explanation.
According to the Zohar, (Terumah, page 169) the
Seven Brochos correspond to the following Seven Sefiros:
|
Blessing |
Sefirah |
Translation |
1 |
Who Creates the fruit of the Vine |
Gevurah |
Strength |
2 |
Who Created everything for His glory |
Chesed |
Kindness |
3 |
Who Created Adam |
Tiferes |
Harmony |
4 |
Who Created the first couple |
Netzach |
Eternity |
5 |
Who makes |
Hod |
Splendor |
6 |
Who makes the groom and bride happy |
Yesod |
Foundation |
7 |
Who makes the groom happy with the bride |
Bina |
Understanding (mother) |
The bride herself is a
projection of Malchus – Royalty. Thus, in the upper worlds, the Malchus receives the spiritual flow from the Sefiros
above, and in our world the bride is blessed with the seven blessings. In this
small article we will try to explain a little bit the order of blessings and
their correspondence to the Sefiros. Certainly, our comments should be regarded
only as a drop in the sea, in comparison with the vast depth of each word of these Brochos.
Some the general
words about the order of blessings:
It is easy to notice,
that seven blessings correspond to only seven Sefiros. Why were no blessings
established corresponding to the other three Sefiros?
Regarding the last
Sefirah – Malchus – it receives the blessings and consequently no Brocha is
needed to correspond to it. This Sefirah is considered passive – it shows our
readiness to accept Hashem’s rule and His blessings. Our nation is compared to
the wife, and the Creator – to its husband. The giving of the Torah was the marriage
union and when our people made the Golden Calf Moshe had to break the Tablets
and this union was terminated. Later, the Creator accepted the entreaty of
Moshe and restored our union through the second Tablets. In general, many
elements of the Jewish wedding are similar to the giving of the Torah on
The souls of people
come from different spiritual roots and also correspond to various Sefiros. The
main soul corresponding Malchus is the soul of Dovid Hamelech. Dovid managed to
rule justly over our people and during his time we have properly acccepted the
Divine Malchus. His descendant – Moshiach will cause all people to accept the
yoke of the Creator. (It is interesting, that Dovid's dynasty is also compared
to the period of the moon. Dovid was in the fourteenth generation after
Avraham, as is the Gematria (numerical value) of the name Dovid, just as the
visible part of the moon continues to increase for fourteen days. Then, for the
fifteenth day the moon shines it’s brightest, but by the end of day it starts
to decrease. So too during the rule of Shlomo, the son Dovid, the peak was
reached. However, by the end of his life
he sinned, and the prophets began to criticize him. Later, after another
fourteen generations, the
As why there are no
blessings corresponding first two Sefiros, the matter is that Binah includes
also the two Sefiros above it. We find similarly, that there are seven
spiritual heavens, and the seventh "sky" – Aravos corresponds to Bina
and includes also two Sefiros above it. There are also seven levels of the
land, seven deserts which our people passed after Exodus from
It is possible to ask
one more general question: why does Gevurah precede Chesed in the order of
these blessings?
The matter is that the
union between the man and the woman begins with the left side (the side of
power and judgment). This is hinted by a verse in the Song of Songs: “His left
hand is under my head, and the right one embraces me”. Similarly in the Mishkan
(a portable temple in desert) gold corresponding to Gevurah is mentioned before
silver which corresponds to Chesed.
After these general
comments, we have brief specific comments on the seven blessings.
1... G-d created
the fruit of the grapevine. Wine is used
in many Jewish precepts, such as Kiddush on Shabbos and holidays, in Havdalah
after their end, during circumcision etc. According to the simple meaning, our
sages compare the position of the soul and the body with a lame man sitting on
the shoulders of a deaf person. When the lame heared pleasant music, and he
wanted to dance, he gave the deaf person some wine and he started to hop. Thus,
a little drink gives enjoyment to the body and then it takes pleasure together
with the soul. It is interesting to note that among people, Gevurah corresponds
to Yitzchak. The Torah describes how before blessing his son, he asks to have a
drink of wine. In general, wine, is connected with the left side of judgment, and
can be used both positively and negatively. The Torah describes the negative
effect of wine on the righteous Noach ... Only wine of all drinks demands extra
care – if it was touched by a non-Jew, it is forbidden to use it.
2... Created all in the
glory. This blessing is connected with Chesed – kindness of the Creator. He
Himself does not require anything; the creation of the world was totally
altruistic. Among people, Chesed corresponds to Avraham. He was the first who
has openly declared, that only the Creator of the world rules over everything
and began to spread the knowledge of Hashem everywhere.
3:...Formed Adam. This
blessing corresponds to Tiferes – harmony. Both this and following blessings
end in the same way, but there is a great difference – this brocha speaks about
the general formation of Man, one – in two persons. The following blessing
mentions the split of the first person into two – the formation of the man and
the woman. According to Kaballah, if we start with Netzach, the remaining Sefiros
are directly connected to the last Sefirah – Malchus. Therefore, the first
three blessings are general, and starting with the fourth, the bride is
mentioned openly. Among people, Tiferes corresponds to Yakov who rectified the
failures of Adam– the first man. In fact, according to many Kabbalistic
sources, Yakov actually was a gilgul (rebirth) of Adam.
4... Formed the first
couple. This blessing corresponds to Netzach – eternity. It is interesting that
"eternity" is mentioned openly in this blessing. According to many
Kabbalistic sources Dovid became attached to this Sefirah. (Even though Dovid's
dynasty is connected to Malchus as we have already mentioned, nevertheless it
receives its main energy from Netzach, see Zohar 1:21, 3:243; GR”A to the first
chapter of Sifra Detzniusa. It is also mentioned in Kabbalistic literature that
Dovid also continued the rectification that was not completed by Adam, and that
he too was a gilgul of Adam. It is interesting to note that our sages tell us that after his sin,
Adam should have lived for one thousand years, but he give 70 of them to
Dovid.)
5. … making
6: … Making happy the
groom and the bride. This blessing is connected with Yesod: foundation. Rashi
explains that this blessing, unlike the following, is not on the union of the
groom and the bride. Rather here they receive their blessings separately.
Therefore, it also ends with words "Who makes happy the groom and the
bride". In the following brocha they are blessed together, the blessing
thus ends: "Who makes happy the groom with the bride!" In general,
Yesod combines the light of Sefiros above and brings it down to Malchus. For
example, among people Yoseph corresponds to Yesod, and he supported
7: … Who makes happy
the groom with the bride. This blessing is connected with Bina – understanding.
In Kaballah, Bina is often referred to as mother – this Sefirah is considered
to be giving birth to the Sefiros below it. There are 50 words in this
blessing, just as there are 50 Shaarey Bina – gates of understanding (see the
Talmud, Nedarim, 38). Often this Sefirah is associated with the soul of Moshe.
It is thus mentioned in the Talmud that 49 of 50 gates of wisdom were opened to
him. Only after the bride has received blessings from the lower six Sefiros,
does the influence of Bina come down, for in fact this blessing includes the
others. In this blessing 10 different words are used to describe happiness,
peace, and friendship. These words are almost synonyms, for all of them lead to
joy. These ten words correspond to all ten Sefiros, and also to the ten sayings
with which the world was created and to the Ten Commandments given at
Sosson and Simcha – two
kinds of happiness. The GR”A explains, that Sosson is gladness in the heart
when the desired good has already been reached, while Simcha is the delight of
aspiration to achieve the good. This joy is noticeable to the outsiders as well
(GR”A to Megillas Ester, 8:17).
Gil – This is constant
happiness, unlike Simcha – spontaneous joy (GR”A to Mishley 2:14, 23:24, and to
Divrei Hayamim, 1:16:31).
Rina – literally –
song. This word can have negative connotation (see for example Eichah 2:19, and
Ibn Ezra there). We mention during the Mincha prayer on Shabbos "Avraham
Yagel (from the word “Gil”), Yitzchak Yeranain (from the word “Rina”). The
matter is that Gil it is connected with Chesed, and Rina – with Gevurah.
Therefore the word Rina is used also in relation to happiness when evildoers
are destroyed (Mishley 11:10).
Ditza – this word is
mentioned in Tanach only once, in the book of Iyov 41:14. According to the
commentators, this word is used when even frustration turns to fun and dancing.
Chedva – Spiritual
pleasure (see the Malbim’s commentary to the book of Nechemia 8:9). Thus, for
example, this word is used for the description of pleasure after the
construction of the
Ahava and Achva, Shalom
and
Note that the voices of happiness are mentioned five times in this
blessing, corresponding to the five voices heard by our nation at
Parshas Toldos.
Questions:
In this week’s Parsha
we learn how Yitzchak wanted to give his blessings to the wicked Eisav. Rivka
advises Yakov how to trick Yitzchak in order that he (Yakov) should receive the
blessings. Yakov successfully pretends to be his brother and Yitzchak blesses
him, but later discovers the trick. In the end Yitzchak gives a different
blessing to Eisav as well. There are a few obvious questions usually asked
regarding this entire episode. Why was it necessary for Yakov to pretend to be
his brother? If Eisav was so wicked, why did Yitzchak want to bless him in the
first place? Why was Yakov permitted to lie? How did the blessing take effect
if it was given to the wrong person? Why did not Yitzchak curse the “usurper”
as soon as he found out about the trick? Last but not least: what’s the
difference between the two blessing anyway? Was not the beginning of Eisav’s
blessing actually quite similar to Yakov’s[21]? So
why then did he then hate his brother so much for tricking him?
Answers:
To better understand
this obscure passage in the Torah we have to go back and remember two important
pieces of information: the prediction Rivka received when she was still
pregnant with the two brothers, and the selling of the birthright, described in
this week’s Parsha. Our sages tell us that in many ways our matriachs had a
greater understanding and even deeper prophetic vision than their husbands (see
Midrash Tanchuma, Shemos 1:1, Rashi on Bereishis 21:12). For instance, Sarah
discerned the danger of leaving Yishmael in the household, while Avraham was
biased and did not want to send away his son. In the case of our Parsha, Rivka
understood the nature of Eisav better than Yitzchak did. Moreover, since she
was already prophetically told, that her two children will be the different
from one another, with the older serving the younger, she realized that Eisav
is a wicked son[22]. Rivka
received this prophesy when she went to the
It is known in the
writings of Kabala (and we discussed this in our commentary to Parshas Noach
and Parshas Vayera) that Yitzchak’s soul had to do with the Sefirah of
“Gevurah” (strength and judgment). Eisav inherited this characteristic from his
father, and this is one of the reasons why Yitzchak always felt a special
closeness to his firstborn son. In general, from Yitzchak’s point of view,
Eisav’s qualities could have been used for good, there would a division of
responsibility: Yakov – learning the Torah, while Eisav (and his descendants) –
protecting them from the nations as well as serving in the future
In general, Hashem
tells His prophets about what He is planning to do (see Amos 3:7), but at
times, when the need arises, some information is hidden from them. Normally, a
person of Yitzchak’s caliber, deserving of having the Divine Presence
constantly in his home, should have known that Eisav was wicked. However, for
the time being even Yitzchak did not perceive the true nature of his firstborn
son[24]. In
this case the whole rectification was prepared in the manner that Yakov should
get his blessings in a roundabout way[25]. One
of the reasons for this was that Yakov was rectifying the sin of Adam (see or
commentary to Parshas Vayera). Eisav, however, got attached to the spiritual
root of the original serpent (and Satan himself – Eisav’s guardian angel). To
reverse the effects of Adam’s sin, the tikun had to be that just as the serpent
deceived Adam, now “Adam” had to deceive the “serpent”. Yakov had to act in
this awkward manner, posing as Eisav[26].
Another reason for this is the famous concept “Maasey Avos Siman Lebonim[27]” –
the deeds of the forefathers are a harbinger of what will happen to their
descendants. (Ramban, in his Torah commentary brings many examples of the
events that happened to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov and how they correspond to
the future history of the Jewish people.) In the future our nation would
frequently have to resort to all sorts of tricks in order to survive in the
hostile environment among the nations of the world, the descendants of Eisav.
Even though we can now
understand the underlying factors behind Yakov’s trickery, we still have to
comprehend why it was permitted? For one thing, Rivka received a prophecy, that
Yakov should get this blessing even using such tricky methods (see Targum Onkelus
Bereishis 27:13); so the permission to lie was based on a general principle,
that a prophet can temporarily permit any prohibition except idol worship (see
Talmud, Yevamos 90b; Sanhedrin 89b).
We can understand
Yakov’s behavior even better if we will remind ourselves of the second piece of
information: Eisav had already sold the birthright to Yakov. According to
Rashi, this birthright primarily consisted of the right to serve in the future
Once Yitzchak blessed Yakov, he prophetically felt that the blessing took effect and was successful for the one for whom it was intended. This is why, even after Yitzchak’s beloved son came back, he did not curse Yakov “the usurper” but on the contrary said: “let him be blessed” (Ramban 27:33). Moreover, our sages teach us (Bereishis Raba 65:22) that Yitzchak felt the Gehinom open before him as soon as Eisav entered. From now on, there was no longer any reason for Hashem to continue hiding the true nature of Eisav from his father. The prophet could now tell the wickedness of his son right away. He did not even want to give him any blessings at all. In the end he did give him a brocha.
At fist glance, the blessings of Eisav seem to be so similar to Yakov’s brochos. However, there are major distinctions between them (see Zohar 1:143b, and the GR”A’s commentary there). The blessing of Yakov starts with the name of Hashem, while Eisav’s blessings plainly states what he will get without any Divine Name mentioned. The blessings of Yakov start with the dew of Heaven, and then the fatness of the earth is mentioned, for Yakov receives everything from Above. However, Eisav’s blessing first mentions the fatness of the earth and then the dew of Heaven. After all, Eisav is “attached” just below, and it is only through his guardian angel’s “accusations” (of our nation not keeping the commandments) that Eisav can rise higher and receive any dominion (see below).
The blessings of Yakov are ten in number, they correspond to ten Sefiros, and they rectify the ten curses of Adam (Zohar ibid). Eisav, however, got a total of three blessings. The GR”A (on the Zohar ibid) explains that they correspond to the three types of Satan: Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), angel of death and the Satan himself (see Talmud, Bava Basra 16a). These three correspond in our bodies to the liver, spleen and the gallbladder[29].
Eisav is supposed to be
subordinate to Yakov. However, Eisav is promised that if the descendants of
Yakov misbehave, he will have a possibility to break off Yakov’s yoke and have
his own dominion. For the time our nation was righteous,
And so we have been in the Roman
exile for almost 2000 years, and because of our sins
Parshas Vayeitze.
Question:
In this Parsha we read a detailed account of how Yakov worked for Lavan in return for a payment of certain kinds of sheep and goats. The exact types of animals are described (31:10) as Akudim, Nekudim and Berudim (ringed, spotted and flecked)[32], as well as the ways Yakov used to prepare some of the flocks for himself. It even mentions Yakov’s vision of an angel (31:11) in which the separation of the flocks is seen. What is the need for the Torah to spend so much time on these descriptions, while many important laws are often only hinted to with just one extra letter?
Answer.
It is known in the Zohar and other Kabalistic writings that often the most unassuming passages of Torah actually contain the deepest hints. In fact, the more simple and uninformative the passage seems to be, the more likely it is to contain profound Sodos - secrets of Kabala[33]. The Zohar states (3:149b) “Woe is to the one who thinks that the Torah is just telling us stories … Even for an earthly king it’s not honorable to tell meaningless stories, how much more so to write them down. Certainly even more so, when the King of kings, Hashem would just collect various tales like the account of Hagar, of Lavan with Yakov, of the Bilaam’s donkey, of Bilaam and Balak and of Zimri. If this is what Torah is why is it called the Torah of Truth, whose words are more desirable than precious gold? Rather the Holy Torah is infinitely deep, all of its stories contain hints, allusions, and profound inner meaning …[34]”
One of the most known examples is
the description (in the next Parsha) of the “eight kings of
Similarly, in this Parsha, the details of Yakov’s pasturing of Lavan’s sheep form the nucleus of many Kabalistic writings. For example, in the main work based on Arizal – “Etz Chaim”, one of 50 Shaarim (gates) is devoted to the world of “Akudim” (ringed)[35]. Describing the details of what is involved in this episode goes far beyond the scope of this work. However, we will give a brief explanation of one of the aspects of Yakov’s pasturing and separating certain animals from Lavan’s flock (for further details, see Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Pischei Shaarim, Netiv Partzufei Leah VeRachel, 6; Beis Olamim commentary to Idra Raba to pages 129 and 134-136)[36].
It is known in Kabalistic writings[37] that Adam’s soul in a way included all the souls of people, and after his sin, many different souls descended into Klipos (unclean spiritual worlds). For the time being[38] Hashem made a system of spiritual equilibrium between the “Good” and the “Evil”[39]. This is generally compared to a strong warrior fighting against a weak one, while using only a part of his strength, in order for the battle to be fair. The key element in this war is the human being. This is the creature that can tip the scales in either direction[40]. Meanwhile, the “Evil” is allowed to act as a prosecutor, to “demand” retribution[41], or to claim “lack of fairness”. In particular, each time a great soul is released from the worlds of “Sitra Achara”, the Satan is given permission to “speak up” and make demands.
Obviously, the greatest rectification in history started when the soul of Avraham[42] was sent to this world. Indeed, the Satan claimed that such a person will throw the scales off balance. As such, he demanded that this soul will only be released to a family of idol manufacturer – Terach. Moreover, only when Terach was having relations with his wife (Amtelai Bas Karnevo) during her menstrual period, did the Satan agree to let go the soul of Avraham. He was hoping that being born under such conditions and in such a family, Avraham will fail his task, and indeed his soul will descend even lower, thus giving the spiritual energy to Klipos. However, the Satan was wrong. Avraham not only rose above his predisposition, but even rectified his father[43]. Terach’s third gilgul was Iyov, who was now suffering for his sins from before[44] (all of this is taken from Kisvei Arizal, Shaar Hapsukim, beginning of Sefer Iyov).
Once Avraham started changing the world, his unique family had to select the other souls trapped in the Klipos. This was the Sod of pasturing the flocks. Lavan represented the unclean worlds and Yakov was trying to choose out the good souls trapped there. First Yakov took out Leah and Rachel and then he started working on the future Jewish souls. All the details described in our Parsha are hinting both to the rectifications of the Olamos (worlds) and that of Neshamos (souls), (see Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Pischai Shaarim, Netiv Partzufei Leah VeRachel, 6; Beis Olamim to pages 129 and 134-136). This also explains the reasons why Yakov had to act slyly again, (see our commentary to Parshas Toldos). The only way to be successful against the Sitra Achara is to use its’ own methods of cunning (see Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Beis Olamim, page 129), as it says (Shmuel 2:22:27): “… with the perverse, you should be cunning”.
As we mentioned above, it would be far too complicated to describe the details of these hints; we just tried to give the reader an idea of what is involved. We will just finish by quoting the end of the words of Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Beis Olamim, page 129): “You now see the depth of our Holy Torah and the wonderful things hinted here regarding the sheep and the rods. At first glance they look as unimportant things but in truth they hint the depth of the war between the Kedusha and the Sitra Achara.” May we soon merit that all the needed rectifications will be finished, all the souls that need to come down[45] will finish their work, and we will then merit the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days!
Parshas Vayishlach.
Questions:
This weekly parsha begins with Yakov's meeting with Eisav. Yakov, on his
way back to eretz Yisroel (the
It is necessary to ask a few questions. First, why was Yakov so frightened?
In fact he was an extremely strong man, as we saw in the previous chapter. He
was able to move alone a stone which was heavy enough to require the combined
efforts of all the shepherds together to push it. His sons also possessed
enormous power. Later in this parsha we learn that just two of them alone (Shimon
and Levi) were successful in fighting against the entire city of
Answers
It is known that "Maasei Avos – Siman Lebanim" – what occurred to
the patriarchs is a sign to their descendents. There are many parallels between
the lives of our forefathers and the events that later happened to our people.
(Ramban in the commentary on Bereishis brings many examples of this, see for
example Ramban on Bereishis 12:6; the GR”A on Tikuney Zohar Chadash, 80c). One
of the reasons for this is that our forefathers were like roots of a tree,
while we are like branches of this same tree[46].
Another reason is so that the future events will become firmly fixed. Even
though some prophesies are conditional, those prophesies that had a sign given
will definitely be fulfilled[47].
Similarly, the lives of our fathers were a sign for their children, and they
firmly established what will happen to the later generations[48].
Similarly the beginning of this week’s parsha serves as a guide for the
behavior of a Jew in Golus (exile)[49]. Our
sages used to study this Parsha before they went to meet with representatives
of the Roman government (see Ramban 33:15, Bereishis Raba 78:15).
At first glance, Yakov's reaction to Eisav’s threat seems exaggerated. The
Maggid of Dubno explains what had occurred by means of the following parable. A
king had a close friend in a remote city. In this city there was no doctor but
if the king’s friend fell ill, the king would send to him the court doctor.
Once, many people became very ill in that city. Though the close friend only
sneezed a little, but did not really feel bad, he began to groan, as though he
had strong pain. His family who knew, that he is not sick were surprised. He
told them: "Do you think that I suffer strongly? I suffer for others, so
that a doctor is sent who will cure the other patients."
Similarly, writes the Maggid of Dubno, Yakov knew that his meeting with
Eisav will set a precedent in history for the meetings of our people with the
descendants Eisav. He knew that in the subsequent history, our people will not
always deserve help from Hashem. Therefore he prepared the salvation back then,
through his prayers and his merits. Moreover, during our journey thru history
we will not always deserve open miracles, but there is a reliable way to be
rescued from the anger of the nations - bribes. As we see, Yakov did not even
send Eisav so much[50].
However, he made a big pomp, with many envoys, one after another, at a distance
from each other. This is a part of human nature - many small actions have a
greater effect than one big one[51].
In reality, Yakov did not wish to give the wicked Eisav too much. Righteous
people value their property, which they earn honestly. All their possessions
are sanctified and very dear to them[52]. For
this reason, Yakov sent Eisav only the minimum gift needed to flatter him.
Initially, when Yakov sent his message, he hoped that Eisav would leave him
alone, when he saw how Hashem had blessed him. The Maggid of Dubno explains
this by the following parable. A poor man once went to other country to earn
some money. His business was not going too well, and he already decided to go
back home with empty hands. Then, all of the sudden a huge opportunity suddenly
turned up, and he earned a million dollars! When he returned everybody thought
that he is an ingenious businessman. But when he told them how he made this
money, they all recognized that the Creator has made a miracle for him!
Similarly Yakov did not earn even a penny during the first 14 years of work.
Only in the last years he suddenly grew fabulously rich. According to the
Maggid, Yakov was telling Eisav: "Do not be angry at me. I have earned
nothing. Only in the end, the Creator has suddenly sent me his blessing."
Rashi (32:5) writes another very interesting explanation regarding the
message that Yakov sent to Eisav. He said: “Even though I lived (garti) with
the wicked Lavan, I kept 613 commandments[53]. I
did not learn from Lavan’s evil ways.” Rav Elchonan Wasserman quotes the
Chofetz Chaim that Yakov was actually admitting his lack of accomplishment: “I
did not learn how to serve Hashem with the same diligence as Lavan commits his
sins!” We should learn from the sinners! We should imitate their tremendous
industriousness when they conduct dishonest businesses. Look at how much energy
they put into seeking entertainment; in pursuing the forbidden? They often give
up on their sleep for the sake of night pleasures! How far could we progress if
we would only try to imitate them in their energetic ways, if we put as much
vigor and strength into serving Hashem? We would then certainly deserve a
speedy redemption and the coming of Moshiach!
Parshas Vayeshev.
Question:
In this Parsha we read the account of Yehuda and Tamar. At first glance, this story is quite peculiar and begs some questions. Why did Yehuda tell his second son to marry Tamar? When his second son died, what were Yehuda’s plans now? Why did Yehuda have relations with Tamar if she appeared to be a prostitute? What was the reason Tamar was judged to be killed? What is the significance of the two children born to her?
Answer.
As we already mentioned in parshas Vayetze, the most obscure passages of Torah usually contain the most fundamental information. This is especially true in regards to the development of the Jewish souls, and in particular the primary souls, whose rectification comprises a Tikun for the entire nation. One of the main souls, that is a composite of all of our people, is that of King Dovid. The Moshiach, his descendant will finish the rectification started by him. Special care had to be taken to prepare the appearance of King Dovid in this world[54], starting many generations before his birth.
As we discussed in parshas
Vayetze, the great souls are not released so easily. The more unobtrusive their
appearance will be, the greater is their chance of succeeding. Back in the
times of Yehuda[55], the
events, guided by the Divine hand, were already taking place to make way for
Dovid. The continuation of King Dovid’s ancestral chain is further described in
the book of Rus[56]. During
the years of famine, in the era of the Shoftim, a family from Yehuda goes to
sojourn in the
It would seem that the stories of Tamar, Rus, and Dovid’s mother are just shameful episodes in our history. Indeed they were an object of laughter among many jesters[58] who would say: “Look at the founders of the Jewish royalty! Their forefather (Yehuda) impregnated their foremother thinking she is a prostitute. What good can come out from such a union? Another one of their foremothers (Rus) came from the despised nation of Moav, who are specifically forbidden to mix in with our people. At last, Dovid’s own father Yishai claims that this is not his son!” In truth, only through such an unattractive family tree[59] could the great soul of Dovid originate. We can now get into the depth of what is hinted here.
It is known that when a man dies without children, his wife is subject to the law of Yibum, i.e. she gets married to a brother of the deceased. If none of the brothers want to marry her, the procedure of Chalitza is performed. The main reason behind this is that in most cases, a person who did not have children needs to come back to this world. Since a married man leaves some of his spirit in his wife, she has the potential to bring him back, especially if her new husband is a close relative of the deceased[60]. In the case of a Yibum, the new couple can restore the entire structure of the soul (Neshama, Ruach and Nefesh) of the departed brother exactly the way it was in this world. The Torah hints this by saying that the child born will be named after the dead. This passage is not taken literally[61], but rather is a hint that the child born will have the souls of the deceased. If however none of the brothers want to do Yibum, the Chalitza severs any remaining connection between the deceased and the widow, and the soul of the departed will need other rectifications. That is why the main part of Chalitza is the removal of the shoe from the foot of the brother, symbolizing the release of the spiritual from the physical[62]. The widow also spits out to symbolize her release of any spiritual connection to her late husband. In the ancient times, our people practiced a procedure similar to Yibum and Chalitza even with other relatives, not just the brother. This is exactly what happened in the cases of Yehuda with Tamar, as well as Boaz with Rus.
When the first husband of Tamar died, Yehuda told his second son to do Yibum. Even though the Torah was not given yet, we see from here that our ancestors understood the great tikunim that can be done by fulfilling the commandments and practiced them voluntarily. The second son did not try to fulfill the command of Yibum, but rather did everything to prevent Tamar from getting pregnant. He also died in his young age. This event was quite unusual for Yakov’s family that generally enjoyed special blessings of longevity. Yehuda was afraid to give Tamar to his third son[63] and meanwhile Tamar was quite eager to have a child from this special family. Since her intentions were pure[64], Hashem made “special arrangements” that she should be successful. She sat on the road pretending to be a prostitute. Obviously, Yehuda was not a man to go to these kinds of women[65] but in this case Tamar’s prayers were answered and a special miracle was performed. Yehuda all of a sudden had tremendous sexual desire[66] (Bereishis Raba 85:8). He approached the woman, verified that she is not married and that she practices monotheism[67] and then had relations with her[68]. Another miracle occurred and she got pregnant right away. In her womb, she was carrying the gilgulim of her two late husbands. The tremendous tikun that was waiting to be produced by these people caused a very strong reaction from the forces of evil (see our commentary to parshas Vayetze). Everything on the unclean side (Sitra Achara) was aroused to stop this pregnancy[69] but the end result ultimately depended on Yehuda’s freedom of choice. Indeed, he passed the test and admitted to what happened. The next generations of King Dovid’s ancestors came to this world!
A few hundred years later, a new
ingredient in the lineage of King Dovid was being prepared. Moav – the nation
of exceptional cruelty[70]
and moral degradation possessed certain sparks of holiness carried all the way
from
Boaz’s grandson Yishai was one of the leaders of the generation. At the end of his life he started doubting the halachic decision of his grandfather. What if Boaz was wrong? Then the entire family would be considered “Psulei Kahal” – those unfit to marry regular Jewish people. There is one way to purify such families (Talmud, Kidushin 69a). The man can take a servant woman and her children are halachically like herself. If they are freed, they can marry anyone! But what if Boaz was right? Then Yishai is regular Jew and can’t have relations with a servant woman. So Yishai came up with an ingenious solution[74]. He separated from his wife, and freed his servant woman on condition that he is a kosher Jew. This way, if Yishai is kosher, his relations with the servant woman are permitted since she was freed, and has become Jewish. But if Yishai is not kosher, then he is having relations with a servant woman, whose children will not bear a stigma of “Psulei Kahal”. This way Yishai could purify his seed and have kosher descendants no matter what.
When Yishai’s wife found out about this, she did not accept such a decision. She was confident that Boaz, the leader of his generation, could not be mistaken. Her husband was a kosher Jew. She therefore pretended to be the servant woman, and went to her husband in the dark[75]. When his wife was noticeably pregnant, Yishai, of course, assumed that this is an illegitimate child[76]. Later, when Shmuel came to anoint one of Yishai’s children, it did not even occur to Yishai to bring Dovid. It was only when Shmuel received a message from Hashem that neither of the men standing before him is the chosen one, was Dovid called in. And here the TRUTH came out at last[77]. The man that was most despised is the true anointed of Hashem. It’s the broken heart that Hashem desires (Tehilim 51:19).
Dovid was the in fourteenth
generation after Avraham, so is the Gematria of the word Dovid. His kingdom is
compared to the moon[78].
The moon shines its’ brightest on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, but by
the end of the day its’ light to us begins to wane. So too Shlomo, Dovid’s son,
reached the highest point of the dynasty, but at the end of his life things
started to deteriorate (see Melachim 1:11:4). In another fifteen generations
the
Parshas Miketz.
Question:
In this parsha we read about the encounter of Yosef and his brothers. A few questions are asked about it. First of all, why did Yosef not reveal who he is right away? Even if he wanted to punish his brothers for selling him, why did his father have to suffer? In truth there seems to be no reason why Yosef did not send a message to his father right after he became second to the king, and spare Yakov the anguish of nine extra years. Why did Yosef accuse his brothers of being spies? He had to at least have some pretext for this. Why did Yosef demand that the brothers bring Binyamin? Why did Yosef choose Shimon to be taken as a hostage while the brothers are absent? Why did not Yosef’s brothers recognize him, especially during the second visit, when he turned out to know so much about them?
Answers
Before we start answering the
questions, let’s discuss a very important principle regarding prophesy[79].
The prophetic message was usually given not just as a prediction for the
future. In truth, it was a kind of “road map” for what is recipients are
supposed to do. It gave us guidelines regarding the future history of our
people, and it was certainly expected that the prophet himself would follow
these guiding principles. An example
could be brought from the coronation of Shlomo, son of Dovid. The prophet Noson
foretold that Shlomo will be the next king of
One could think that all of this was unnecessary. After all, if Hashem wants Shlomo to be the next king, He will certainly find ways to bring this about. However, as we mentioned, Noson knew that this prophesy was revealed to him for a reason, not just to foretell the future. He therefore did everything in his power to bring about the fulfillment of his own prophesy[80].
Regarding our parsha, the Ramban
(42:9) and the GR”A (in Aderes Eliyahu 42:9) explain that Yosef also behaved
according to his own prophesy[81].
He certainly knew that Yakov’s family is supposed to be in exile in a foreign
land[82].
When he was sold to
According to Yosef’s own
prophetic dreams, the sequence of events was supposed to be: that first the
eleven brothers come and bow down before him, and then the entire family of
Yakov will come. When Yosef recognized his brothers he realized that even the
first prophesy was not yet fulfilled,[83]
since Benyamin was not with them. Yosef started looking for an excuse in order
to get the brothers to bring Benyamin. Our sages (Bereishis Raba, 91:6) teach
us that the ten brothers had entered
Yosef, acting according to his prophetic dreams, now had an excuse to demand the bringing of Benyamin. This way their words could be verified. To make sure this happens quickly, he kept Shimon with him. He had other reasons for detaining Shimon. According to our sages (Bereishis Raba 84, 16) Shimon was the one who pushed him into the pit before he was sold. Moreover, Shimon and Levi were the two brothers who were very strong and cunning when acting in concert, and Yosef was afraid to let them stay together[85]. Throughout all this time and even after the brothers came back, it did not occur to them that the viceroy they spoke to is Yosef. The reason was that they he changed over time, and he also grew a beard[86]. The brothers also changed but some of them had beards before they parted from Yosef. Besides, Yosef expected them to come, and so he had no problems recognizing them, while they did not even think that their brother, sold into slavery, could become the second to the king[87].
Once the brothers brought Binyamin, Yosef had just one last test in store for them[88]. Do they hate Binyamin the same way they hated Yosef, or are they going to protect him? The dialogue between Yosef and Yehuda, described in the beginning of the next parsha, proved that the brothers loved Binyamin and were ready to protect him. Yehuda was willing to become a slave to enable Binyamin to return to Yakov! Now that the time has come to reveal himself, Yosef could not hold on any longer, and told them who he is[89].
Ultimately, the whole story of Yosef and his brothers was also a sign to the later generations[90]. The separation of Yosef, the verbal fight between Yosef and Yehuda, and the unification that followed were a prelude to the future split between the kingdoms of Yehuda and Yosef and their reuniting in the end of days. In the future the Jewish people will again be united with their lost brother Yosef – the ten tribes. Two Moshiachs will come to redeem our nation, Moshiach ben Ephraim from Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid from Yehuda. The two nations will combine into one and “Ephraim will not envy Yehuda and Yehuda will not fight Ephraim” (Yeshiyahu 11:13). “And I will make them into one nation and one king will rule over them” (Yehezkel 37:22)!
Parshas Vayigash.
Questions:
In the beginning of this parsha, the Torah describes a long monologue where Yehuda is persuading the viceroy (Yosef) to accept himself as a slave instead of Binyamin. The Ramban (44:19) questions the purpose of all this long speech[91]; what Yehuda said was already known to Yosef. Moreover, if Binyamin’s deserves the punishment what’s Yehuda’s whole appeal? Yosef had treated them very kindly until Binyamin stole his goblet, and even now Yosef extended his kindness as far as not punishing the entire group and not sentencing Binyamin to death.
Answer.
This meeting of Yehuda and Yosef is a continuation of events described at the end of the last parsha. When pursued, the brothers declared themselves to be innocent and said that if the goblet is found in their possession, they will all be slaves and the one in whose bag it is found will die. The answer they received was that it will be like they said, only the one in whose bag the goblet is found will be a slave. The Ramban (44:10) explains their conversation. In general, when many people are found stealing, they are either all guilty, or just one of them committed the crime without the others knowing. According to their words, the only one who stole is the one in whose possession the goblet is found. This means that they claimed they did not know of the stealing, otherwise the judgment they passed on themselves should be the same, either they all should die or all become slaves. This is why they were told: “it will be like you said”. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that only one of you is at fault. However I will soften the judgment as compared to what you yourselves offered. The thief will be a slave while you will not be punished.
Later, when the goblet was found and the brothers came to Yosef, they said they will all be slaves. Yosef again stated that only Binyamin will be his slave and they should all go home in peace. After Yosef soften the judgment considerably, Yehuda prepared to beseech for even further mitigation of the verdict.
The Malbim (44:18) writes that in general, there are two types of judgments. A regular judge has to follow the rules and laws that were set up. There is however a second way of judging, where the judge may act with extra compassion or take into account the factors that are usually not considered[92]. For example, if the one being judged is a father of a poor family and they have no other means of support, locking him in prison will affect those who are not at fault. A kind judge may take this factor into account and replace the imprisonment by a lighter punishment[93]. This second kind of judgment can not be used by just anybody. Only a king or a very important official is granted special powers to use his own discretion and include various considerations and feelings in his judgment.
Yehuda realized that he won’t be able to win the argument if he asked to be judged according to the letter of the law. Since such circumstantial evidence as finding the goblet in Binyamin’s sack was considered overwhelming, the judges assembled with Yosef would only consider it proper to punish Binyamin. Yehuda therefore approached Yosef alone, trying to persuade him to use the second type of judgment. He started by saying that he is speaking only to Yosef (not to the other judges) for Yosef is like Pharaoh himself, i.e. he has the authority to judge not according to the letter of the law. He asked Yosef not to get angry, for his request is not to twist judgment but rather to exercise the unique privilege of judging according to principles of kindness.
The Malbim now quotes sefer Akeidas Yitzchak (30:23) that Yehuda was asking Yosef to pass a lenient sentence for three reasons. First of all, according to the principles of kindness, a weaker person should not be judged the same way as a strong one. For example, if the penalty for a certain violation is 20 lashes, a weak person might simply die if the punishment is administered. Secondly, if the punishment of the transgressor can cause somebody else’s death, the principles of kindness dictate that the sentence should be altered. At last, if the one who was affected by the crime is the judge himself, it’s in his power to partially forgive and change the punishment.
Thus Yehuda started by saying that Binyamin is a weak child, the youngest one, who is accustomed to special love and care. He is the only living child of his mother, for his maternal brother died, and his father loves him more than anybody else. He is not a kind of child that can bear the yoke of slavery and can easily die under such conditions! Yehuda mentioned that Binyamin’s father will die if he finds out what happened to his favorite son. According to the principles of mercy, their father does not deserve such a cruel punishment for he did not do anything wrong.
Now Yehuda was explaining how
Binyamin was only brought to
Since it is through Yosef that
Binyamin was brought to
At last, Yehuda asked Yosef to change the verdict since the crime committed only affected himself. Moreover, he would not even loose anything. Since Yehuda is stronger and better equipped to handle slavery, he will be a better replacement for Binyamin. And if Yosef asks why he is volunteering for this, Yehuda explained that he is the guarantor for Binyamin’s safety. Had the guarantee been given to Binyamin himself, Yosef could claim that he had forfeited his rights when he committed theft. However the guarantee was to their father and therefore it still holds true. Rather than being a sinner before his father forever, Yehuda would prefer to be Yosef’s slave.
At this point time came for Yosef
to reveal himself. After explaining who he is, he immediately jumped into
action. He instantly sent his brothers to bring his father and the rest of the
family to
Yakov knew that a difficult exile
lies ahead of his children. He realized that by coming to Egypt he will be
preparing a path for successive exiles, (this is why he sent Yehuda ahead to
prepare the first Yeshiva, see Rashi 46:28 in the name of Midrash Tanchuma,
Vayigash, 11). The Ramban and Rabeinu Bachye (47:28) write that Yakov’s exile to
Parshas Vayechi.
Questions:
In this parsha, the blessings of
Yakov to his children are described. Judging from the long commentaries to
these verses, these prophetic blessings were quite obscure, but still a lot of
information can be drawn from them. In the blessing to Dan, Yakov said: “Dan
will judge his people[100]
like one of the tribes of
Answer.
According to our sages[102],
the prophesy of Yakov applied to Shimshon, a judge of
The most important condition in Shimshon’s struggle had to be that the Plishtim will not think that he is fighting for the Jewish people. After all, they could kill ten Jews for every one of their men killed. Had they suspected that Shimshon loves the Jewish people and cares for them, they could tie his hands by keeping some Jews hostage as “collateral”[105]. The only solution to the problem was to severe all ties with the Jewish people and to become a close friend of the Plishtim themselves. Shimshon had to show in the most obvious way that he had broken any connection to the Jewish nation. Then any fighting that he will do will become a personal matter rather than the Jewish revenge.
The clearest way for Shimshon to show that he has nothing to do with the Jews was to marry one of the Plishti women! According to our sages[106] Shimshon actually got his first wife converted. However, under normal circumstances a conversion for the sake of marriage is forbidden. Shimshon was following a very dangerous path: a sin Leshem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven). Under certain circumstances, as such a sin is deemed by our sages to be even greater than a mitzvah[107]. However, one of the conditions is that the person acting is not trying to derive any enjoyment from this act. This way, his act is considered to be under duress[108].
In general, our sages (Talmud, Sotah 9b) criticize Shimshon for going after his eyes. The reason[109] is that Shimshon’s acts were not just dedicated for the sake of delivering the Jewish people but had an element of personal pleasure[110]. In the end he got so accustomed to forming relationships with non-Jewish women that he even gave himself away to one of them[111]. He told her the secret of his strength: that his hair is never cut. As soon as she shaved of his hair, Shimshon’s tremendous strength vanished and he became an ordinary individual.
The Plishtim captured Shimshon,
put out his eyes and brought him into their
Rabeynu Bachye (49:17) and
Bereishis Raba (98:14) explain some of the hints of Yakov’s prophesy that were
fulfilled by Shimshon. Shimshon waged guerilla warfare alone against the
Plishtim, just as a snake coming quietly and unexpectedly and fighting against
larger enemies. Just as a snake can be pacified using a charm, so too Shimshon
was pacified by a charming woman. Just as a snake’s poisonous bite burns
inside, so too Shimshon burned the fields of the Plishtim. Just as a snake has
its whole strength in its head, so too Shimshon’s strength came from the hair
of his head. Just as a snake’s poison can continue killing even after its
death, so to Shimshon killed thousands as he died. Just as a snake bites at the
very bottom but affects the entire body, so too Shimshon pulled the beams
holding the
The last point to discuss regarding this story is that of freedom of choice. This is a very old question asked by many thinkers: if everything is predicted, where is our freedom of choice? Moreover, since Hashem knows the future, how could he punish the sinners and reward the righteous? This ancient question is discussed in the Mishna in Pirkey Avos 3:15[113] (see Tosafos Yom Tov there); in Tikuney Zohar Chadash 89c, in the GR”A’s edition it’s on page 49, see GR”A’s commentary there; in Rambam (Laws of Repentance 5:5, see also Raavad and Ohr Sameach there)[114]; Yerushalmi Rosh Hashana 7b; Teshuvos HaRivash, 118; Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh, Bereishis 6:5; Bereishis Raba 2:5 and Yafes Toar there. We will only slightly begin to understand this, if we consider that Hashem’s knowledge is not similar to the knowledge of a human being. Hashem is outside of, or above time. He created time, and for Him the future already happened. Even though the future to a large extent depends on our actions based on free choices, Hashem can look at the end of history and then predict the historical events to those at the beginning of history[115]. The prophecies are stated in such a manner that they can be fulfilled in different ways[116]. In general, the opposite of freedom of choice is not “knowledge” but “coercion”[117]. Hashem’s own knowledge does not force the future; the sinner is not forced to sin, nor is the righteous to do the commandments[118].
In the case of Shimshon, he was supposed to lead partisan warfare, but he did not have to sin. If he needed to marry a Plishti woman, he could have found one that was interested in Judaism and willing to convert “Leshem Shamayim”. Even if this was impossible, and he was forced to do a sin “Leshem Shamayim”, he had to work very hard not to be tempted and to realize all his life that this type of living is a “horaas shaa” – a special permission given for the time being[119]. The danger of sins “Leshem Shamayim” is that one gets accustomed to living not according to the law, which can usually lead to sins for their own sake[120]. As we mentioned, the first wife of Shimshon converted to Judaism. Later however he took non-Jewish women without even converting them[121]. In the end, he got so attached to his non-Jewish wife that he gave over his most treasured secret, she betrayed him and he lost his life. Our sages teach[122] that when Yakov foresaw Shimshon, he thought that he is the Moshiach. However when he realized his mistake, he prayed for Divine salvation: “For your deliverance I hoped, O Hashem”, just as we are still waiting for the true Moshiach!
Parshas Shemos.
Question:
In this Parsha we read about the
encounter of Moshe and two Jews striving together. While Moshe tries to stop
their fight he only gets himself endangered and has to run away from
Answer:
It is well known that the various mitzvos of Torah are generally divided into two categories: those that are between us and Hashem and those that apply to other people. In some ways, the second group of commandments is even more important than the first. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, even the commandments that guard our relationship with others are commandments between us and Hashem as well. The one who broke one of the prohibitions against a fellow is not only guilty before him and needs to make amends and seek forgiveness, but also has to repent for sinning before the Creator. On the other hand, if he only repents before Hashem this is not sufficient and he does not get forgiven until he makes restoration and asks for forgiveness from the one he had hurt (see Talmud, Yoma 85b).
Moreover, the one who commits transgressions against other people often profanes the Divine Name. The more careful he is with regards to the mitzvos that apply only to Hashem, the greater is the damage he causes when not treating others according to the Torah’s principles. The reason for such a tremendous damage is that the more “religious” a person is, the more is he expected to be a decent human being[123]. His unjust behavior causes others to think that Hashem’s Torah can tolerate mistreating others. In fact at times we do hear that such and such “religious Jew” did this and that. The immediate reaction of listeners is: “They are all like this …” The damage caused by people who look religious and behave improperly towards others can not be overestimated.
Besides what we mentioned above
there is yet another fundamental reason why certain sins between people cause
enormous damage to all of us. This is based on a type of spiritual Hanhaga
(Divine Rule) that we can not notice but which we know about by tradition. The
way the world was set up is through fair judgment. In fact, there exists a
Now the prosecution is headed by the Satan and consists of many angels that are at his disposal. Some angles were actually created by the sin itself. Just like each mitzvah creates a holy angel, so too each transgression brings into being an extra prosecutor!
However, there is one other
condition for the prosecuting angels to be able to open their mouths. It is
known that the world is judged “measure for measure[124]”.
Generally, accusations in the
At other times, the accusations may be specific against the gossiper. All his previous transgressions are “remembered” and he is judged for all of them. Now, obviously nothing gets “forgotten” even in case of a person who is careful with his mouth. However, since Hashem is merciful, the punishment for other sins may be delayed. Meanwhile this person may atone for his transgressions through Teshuvah (repentance) and good deeds. However, if the person speaks badly, the punishment swiftly comes to this world. The GR”A thus writes in his commentary to Mishley 26:20 “When there is no wood the fire stops, [and so too] when there is no talebearer, strife comes to an end”, that the Gehinom burns through transgressions of wicked in this world. And similarly, when there are not talebearers, there are no accusations on high[128].
Similarly the Chofetz Chaim in the very beginning of Sefer Shmiras Haloshon (starting with the second chapter of Shaar Hazechira) describes in great detail this special Divine Hanhaga. He quotes the Zohar (2:264b) where various levels (spiritual chambers) of Gehinom are described. When the third chamber is described, the Zohar mentions a special ruach (spirit) that gets aroused only when Loshon Hara is spoken in this world. He then immediately starts bringing accusations and demands the worst retributions including catastrophes and deaths[129].
Now we can better understand the various statements of our sages regarding the damage of Loshon Hara. Even during the best times the Jewish people were loosing war because of this sin. On the other hand, the generation of idol worshippers was successful in war since they were united and loved each other[130]. Since there was no “accusation” against them, their sins were “overlooked” for the time being.
All of what we mentioned above regarding the effects of gossip is besides the fact that Loshon Hara is in general a terrible transgression. The reason is that Loshon Hara is exactly the opposite of learning Torah. Just as Torah is equivalent to all other mitzvos[131], so too Loshon Hara includes the worst sins[132]. There are two organs in human body where the word covenant is used: the organ which gets sanctified in a male on the eighth day and the mouth[133]. The first organ is used to produce physical children, while the second – for teaching the students, spiritual children. Hence the great number of mitzvos and prohibitions applicable to these two organs. The first is used to fulfill one of the greatest commands: to be fruitful and multiply. One the other hand, half of the prohibitions punishable by Kares (spiritual incision – cutoff of the soul from its’ spiritual root) are for various forbidden relations[134].
Similarly, the mouth is used for the mitzvah of learning and teaching Torah, prayer, consoling, giving good advice or rebuke etc. It can also be used for gossiping, false and vain oaths, lying, cursing, jesting, hypocrisy and breaking many other sever prohibitions. If we can sanctify the two key organs in our body, we can saves ourselves and the entire world from punishments and disasters. We will then deserve a full redemption, when even the nations of the world will serve Hashem with (Tzfania 3:9) “Safa Verura” (with rectified lips)!
Parshas Vaera.
Question.
In this week’s Parsha as well as in the previous one we read a lot about the Divine Names. In the previous Parsha Hashem revealed to Moshe His names Alef-Hei-Yud-Hei and the Main Name Yud-Hei with Vav-Hei (which we usually call Hashem – “the name”). This week’s Parsha, starts with another mysterious statement regarding Hashem’s Names. Hashem says that He showed Himself to the forefathers by His Name Shin-Dalet-Yud, but not through the Main Name “Hashem”. What is the significance of all these Names? Moreover, why are there many Names of Hashem in general?
Answers.
We should first mention that the general subject of the Divine Names is deeply rooted in the most mystical parts of Kabala. The Names have to do with Hanhagah – the Divine Rule over the physical and spiritual worlds. In fact the Midrash (Shemos Raba 3:6) says that when Moshe asked Hashem: “What is Your Name?” he was told: “I have many Names, and I am called according to My actions”.
There are altogether seven inerasable Names[135] that form 10 main combinations corresponding to the ten Sefiros and forming the following arrangement[136] (please note that it’s forbidden to pronounce any of these names except during prayer and Torah study, and the Main Name is not pronounced at all):
|
Divine Name |
Sefira |
Translation |
|
Alef-Yud-Hei-Yud |
Keser |
Crown |
|
Yud-Hei |
Chochma |
Wisdom |
|
Yud-Hei with Vav-Hei with vowels of E-lohim |
Bina |
Understanding |
|
Alef-Lamed |
Chesed |
Kindness |
|
E-lohim |
Gevurah |
Strength |
|
Yud-Hei with Vav-Hei (Hashem) |
Tiferes |
Harmony |
|
(Hashem) Tzeva-ot |
Netzach |
Perseverance |
|
(E-lohim) Tzeva-ot |
Hod |
Splendor |
|
Sha-day |
Yesod |
Foundation |
|
A-donoy |
Malchus |
Royalty |
The reasons for these arrangements are discussed in the books of Kabala. Besides these Names there are also many mystical Names[137], for example, the 12-letter Name, the 22-letter Name, the 42-letter Name, the 72 three-letter Names, etc[138]. A detailed discussion of the meaning of these names is far beyond the scope of our commentary[139]. However we will mention some general points.
The study of Kabala today is generally theoretical. The Zohar and other holy books can discuss various Sefiros and the ways of Divine Hanhagah. On the other hand, the prophets were actually able to see[140] through the Sefiros and this is where the levels of prophets differed from each other. Even the forefathers – Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov turned to Hashem either through His other Names or through the Main Name together with a different Name[141]. There visions thus were passing through various worlds and are considered to be through unclear lenses[142]. Moshe’s prophesy was from the highest level attainable during lifetime of a human being[143]. We thus don’t find the expression: “Vayidaber Hashem El” (and Hashem spoke to) except with regards to Moshe[144]. The Torah (Devarim 34:10) thus predicts that there will never be any prophet like Moshe. The Rambam[145] thus tells us that even Moshiach will not reach the prophetic level of Moshe, though he will be greater than all other prophets. Our sages promise[146] that Moshe will come back after coming of Moshiach and we will continue to wait for them every day!
Parshas Bo.
Questions:
In this Parsha the Torah mentions Tefillin[147] for the first time. In fact it is mentioned twice in two consecutive passages. Tefillin is also mentioned in Parshiyos Vaeschanan and Ekev in the book of Devarim. Our sages thus teach that these four passages are put into Tefillin. What is the general purpose of Tefillin and why does the head Tefillin have four separate compartments while the hand one only has one?
Answers.
We should first realize that any of our discussion regarding Tefillin are like a drop in the sea compared to the whole meaning of this mitzvah. Besides the fact that all mitzvos of Hashem are infinitely deep and have many layers of meaning, the positive commandments that apply every day are usually discussed in Kabalistic sources more than any other mitzvos. For instance, the Zohar does not say a lot about the laws of forbidden foods but the commandments like reading Shma, putting on Tefillin and Tzitzis and praying take very central part in Zoharic and other Kabalistic literature[148]. We will be discussing only some general ideas about Tefillin and answering the questions we posed.
There are many kinds of
commandments in our Torah. There are some mitzvos that maintain law and order
in the society. Many of them have to do with our dealings with others. Some in
particular deal with resolving financial disputes. Others make sure we deal
with one another in the most beneficial manner, helping each other, avoiding
quarrels, taking care of those who need special help. Then there are various
prohibitions in the Torah. Some of them are for purely spiritual reasons: the
particular actions may have a negative effect on our pure souls. Others have
some physical base as well. In particular, dietary laws bring many benefits to
our bodies. The circumcision is the only justified surgical procedure on a
healthy body[149]. The
prohibitions of intimate relations for seven days after the woman’s period
bring many health and psychological benefits to herself and her husband. Then
there are commandments that help us achieve our intellectual potential, to be
able to better serve our Creator. These include such mitzvos as learning Torah,
writing the Torah scrolls, respecting scholars and clinging to them. The
mitzvah of going thrice a year to the
There is one particular group of
commandments that serves us as a reminder of Hashem! Such commandments as
tzitzis, Tefillin and reading Shma reiterates our faith on daily basis. In
particular, three types of commandments in the Torah are called signs[150].
They are Shabbos and Holidays, Tefillin and circumcision[151].
The Ramban (Shemos 13:16) writes that without this group of commandments, there
is a danger of forgetting the Exodus from
Imagine for instance that a group of Holocaust survivors decided to make sure the memory of what happened needs to be preserved[152]. The only way to guarantee this would be to accept on themselves and their descendants a way of life full of constant reminders of what they went through. They would write down an accepted version of their experience and make sure many exact copies are made and exist in their possessions, wherever they live. They would institute a public reading of this book on certain occasions. They could take the main passages of this book, affix it to their doors and put them on their arms and heads pronouncing: “We will not forget!” They might want to make sure their descendants will have a similar tattoo mark on their arm, like the one the Nazis made on theirs. They may also dedicate one day a week for remembrance of what happened, and some days a year as holidays: commemorating the day the allies released them, the day they traveled on ships to the Western countries and the day their special book was written and sealed[153].
It is easy to guess that the
above ideas underline the simple reason for many of our commandments. We have
the special book – our Torah that is copied letter by letter and any inconsistency
will make the entire scroll invalid. We have the crucial parts of our Torah
written on small parchments and affixed to our door posts as mezuzahs. We also
wear the Tefillin with four Torah passages testifying that Hashem is One and He
took us out of
Now one should not make a mistake
thinking that the entire purpose of these commandments is to remember Hashem.
We already mentioned that every mitzvah is infinitely deep and brings untold
benefits. However, the simple reason for these mitzvos becomes clear. This is
our way of showing that our religion is true. There could not be a generation
when all these mitzvos were simply invented by a group of Jewish leaders. The
people would never accept on themselves to wear Tefillin every day had they not
known that their fathers also did this[154].
They would have asked: “Why are you telling us that our entire nation
experienced all these miracles? We have never heard anything like this except
from you. Did the Exodus from
In fact this is the reason that the other religions start from a person who supposedly experienced a revelation. There is no religion in the world that claims a national experience similar to ours, as the Torah says (Devarim 4:33): “Did a nation ever hear the voice of G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard …” In particular the two large religions that spread over the world: Christianity and Islam both claim that the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai! Why wouldn’t these religions also claim that they began with a Divine Revelation witnessed by millions? The reason is simple: nobody can invent such a thing, and no nation would accept such belief system and its’ commandments had they not experienced these events personally.
Now the simple purpose of Tefillin is to subjugate our thoughts and actions to Hashem’s service. The head Tefillin is placed above our brain to dominate our thought. The hand Tefillin is positioned next to our heart – the central organ that controls proper body functions – distributes the vital blood everywhere and collects it back[155]. The GR”A explains[156] why head Tefillin have four separate compartments while the hand one only has one. The head has four different senses: seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting. The body has just one sense of touching, but four types of organs can be used to touch: hands, body, legs and the fundamental[157] organ that is sanctified on the eight day. Thus the Tefillin that’s put on the body has the four parchments, but they are all placed in the same box. When we will deserve to sanctify our minds and our bodies, the following verse will be fulfilled (Devarim 28:10): “And all people of the earth will see that the name of Hashem is upon you[158] and they will fear you”, and we will deserve the final redemption.
Parshas Beshalach.
Questions.
In this Parsha we learn about the first war that the Jewish nation had to fight. The entire episode is very enigmatic and mysterious. The Torah describes how suddenly some people called Amalek “came” and started a war against the Jewish people. No prior episode is described that gives us any hints as to how this war started and what this nation tried to accomplish. The Jewish strategy also seems very strange. Moshe tells his student Yehoshua to choose some people and fight against Amalek, while Moshe himself stands on top of a hill with hands raised in prayer. In the end the Jewish people “weaken” Amalek. Hashem then tells Moshe write the episode down and tell Yehoshua: Amalek will eventually be destroyed. In the book of Devarim special unique commandments are given to destroy Amalek, to keep remembering what Amalek did to us, and to never forget it. How can we explain the encounter with Amalekites, and what is the significance of this nation and our continuous battle against it?
Answer.
In general the topic of Amalek is very deep[159] and would require an entire book to just scratch the surface. However we will try to cover some of the major points and give a general answer to the questions raised.
We should first realize that Amalek is the main spiritual opponent our nation has had throughout history[160]. Its’ ideology is deemed the exact opposite of Torah and the constant battle against it represents the general battle between the holy and the impure. The Torah does not give us any prelude to the appearance of Amalek on the scene. However the juxtaposition of events written in the Torah can always give us an idea of what happened[161]. Right before the sudden coming of Amalek, the Torah tells about the Jewish complaint due to the lack of water: “Is Hashem in our midst or not?” When the Jewish people doubted the Divine Hashgacha, a nation came whose very purpose is to put a doubt of Hashem in people’s minds. Our sages[162] add that the lack of “water” also symbolizes the lack of Torah learning. Amalek appeared when the Jewish people were not learning Torah.
In general the war with Amalek
was different from all other wars our nations had to fight. Amalek did not come
to fight us for political or economic reasons that normally cause wars to break
out. They actually came out of their way to the desert with the specific reason
to fight against the Jewish people. What was their purpose? Our sages are very
clear about it. Amalek is representative of world view that everything is due
to chance and there is no Divine Rule over the universe[163].
The very fact that there existed a nation that claimed the opposite angered
Amalek. They needed to prove that the Jewish people are also vulnerable just as
everyone else. The nations that heard about the Exodus from
The war against Amalek was fought on both physical and spiritual fronts. Yehoshua did not draft the entire nation but rather chose the righteous people whose merits will protect them in this war[165]. At the same time Moshe was leading the battle on the spiritual plane. The power of Amalek was not meant to be destroyed just then. Its’ full obliteration will only come at the end of days with the total rectification of the universe. While the other nations can be rectified at least partially and the righteous among them will have a share in the eternity, Amalek will have no rectification. Only Hashem can know this, no human being would be able to make such a statement. The entire spiritual root of Amalek is so bad, that it can only be used for in this world for enticement and punishment but will never have anything positive coming out of it[166].
The power of Amalek is not limited to the biological descendants of that nation. The spiritual root of Amalek can exist even in the Jewish people. The Zohar (1:25) describes five kinds of erev rav (mixed multitude) that exist in our nation. The worst of them is the Amalekites. Those are the ones that hate the Torah sages and promote anti-Torah views and attitudes. The Chofetz Chaim in his time mentioned that “Jewish Section[167]” is with certainty a group of Amalekites[168]. The battle against Amalek can thus include the spiritual battles between those who support the Torah and those who stand against it[169].
The most significant weapon in this battle is the study of Torah. Just as in any war, the side that knows where the power of the opponent is puts the greatest effort to destroy it. The spiritual power behind Amalek (which is the Satan himself) realizes that our greatest strength is the Torah. It therefore does its’ outmost to stop the Torah learning, its’ teaching and its’ financial support[170]. On the other hand, each Jew that is learning Torah is in some way contributing in the war effort against Amalek.
Even though the general war against Amalek is continuous throughout history, there are certain times when we encounter this nation for the decisive battles. This happens every time our nation is on the rise, ready for great rectifications. Of course this is the general rule of every battle: when one opponent prepares to make significant progress the other gathers the entire remaining strength to stop him.
The first time we met Amalek was
after the Exodus from
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97b) tells us that in the end of days, if we don’t return to the Creator voluntarily, a ruler like Haman will again try to destroy all of us. This will remind the Jewish people who they are and cause us to come back to the Creator. As it is known, Hitler demonstrated all the qualities of Amalek. Even though Hitler was not an extremely wise or educated man, somehow he did understand a number of significant points. It is known from his writings and from his conversations with his subordinates, that he considered the Jewish people his archenemy. The rest of WWII was “just a show” while the main battle was between him and the Jews. Hitler considered his main goal to destroy what the Jewish people brought to the world[173].
The Baaley Teshuvah movement to return to Torah observance started after WWII. Each year hundreds of Jews throughout the world join the ranks of the Torah observant Jewry. According to the statisticians and demographers in another 20 years the vast majority of the Jews throughout the world will be Orthodox. It is our hope that we will soon deserve to greet the righteous Moshiach and to see the final destruction of Amalek and its’ philosophy.
Parshas Yisro.
Question.
In this week’s Parsha we learn about the “Ten Commandments[174]”. Certainly a detailed discussion about them will require many volumes of books, but can we at least know the general significance of these particular commands of the Torah and their overall structure?
Answer.
Obviously every letter of the Torah is holy and infinitely deep[175]. There are lessons to be learned on various levels of interpretation from any sentence in our Torah. Even on the simplest level of understanding (Pshat) we can learn lessons in life from seemingly unimportant passages[176]. We can thus find tens of thousands of commandments in our Torah most of which have applications to every day life[177]. Our sages had a tradition that all the mitzvos of our Torah are grouped into 613 general commandments[178], and that the Ten Commandments have a central significance[179]. As far as any practical law is concerned there is no real difference which of the thousands of Torah’s commands are considered part of the 613[180], and so too there is no real practical difference between the Ten Commandments and the remaining 603[181].
The structure of Torah’s commands can be compared to a tree with trunk, big branches and smaller branches. All commandments of the Torah are of crucial importance, but some are in a way inclusive compared to others. Some commandments of the Torah are like the trunk itself, others are like the main branches, yet others are the thinner branches that spread out. In this analogy, the most fundamental commandment is the belief in Hashem - the trunk of the whole tree. The main branches are the rest of the Ten Commandments. The remaining 603 of the commandments spread out from these branches. In truth there is even further spreading since each of the 613 commandments can be divided into the various details and applications. Thus the Torah actually contains thousands of various directives as we mentioned. Which 613 of them are the main ones is actually subject to dispute, and there is no practical application to this dispute.
In general the Ten Commandments
are divided into two groups of five. When Moshe later came down from
Now, the first two commandments on the right Tablet are the mitzvah to believe in Hashem and the prohibition of idol worship. The first two commandments on the left Tablet are the prohibitions of murder and adultery. Thus the first two commandments on each Tablet are in a way the most fundamental[185]. They include the mitzvah to believe in Hashem and the prohibitions of three cardinal sins for which one is supposed to give up his life in order not to transgress.
Now we will mention briefly the overall structure of these Ten Commandments. According to the Zohar (2:276b; 3:12a; Zohar Chadash, Ki Sisa), the Ten Commandments correspond to the ten statements made during the creation of the world and to the ten[186] Sefiros[187]:
|
I am Hashem you G-d |
Creation of light |
Chesed |
|
You shell not worship idols |
Creation of the sky |
Gevurah |
|
Don’t swear falsely |
Gathering of the waters |
Tiferes |
|
Remember Shabbos |
Creation of trees and plants |
Yesod |
|
Respect your parents |
Creation of luminaries |
Netzach |
|
Don’t kill |
Creation of fish |
Hod |
|
Do not commit adultery |
Creation of animals |
Malchus |
|
Don’t steal |
Giving food to the people |
Binah |
|
Don’t witness falsely |
Creation of Adam |
Chochma |
|
Don’t covet |
Creation of Chava |
Keser |
It is certainly beyond the scope of this article to discuss the reasons for this correspondence. We will mention however one interesting point. The commandment not to covet corresponds to Keser which is the highest Sefirah that includes the ones below it. The commandment not to commit adultery corresponds to Malchus – the lowest Sefirah which also in a way includes and combines the Sefiras above it. The interesting point here is the fact that indeed our sages teach that these two commandments include all others[188].
The one who covets can end up breaking the other commandments and similarly the one who commits adultery can end up breaking the remaining nine commandments[189]. Indeed, the desire for opposite gender is far greater than other types of Yetzer Hara[190]. Once we can work on our qualities, so that we don’t have desires for what does not belong to us, we will learn to be satisfied with what we have. By subduing our desires and carefully observing these two commandments it will be easier to keep all the mitzvos of the Torah. We will then serve our Creator in righteousness, and deserve the long awaited redemption.
Parshas Mishpatim.
Question:
In this Parsha we learn about many different commandments. Most of the laws are not explained in detail and in fact the plain understanding of the verses seems to contradict the actual laws as they are described in the Talmud. How are we to understand what the written Torah is telling us in the light of the teachings of our sages?
Answer.
It is well known that the Written
Torah is given in the manner that virtually nothing can be understood without
the Oral Tradition, which was later recorded in the Talmud and other works of
our sages. There is actually a very deep and mystical relationship between the
Written Torah and the Oral Torah[191].
The two are not just connected, but the Oral Law is actually a kind of
projection and a reflection of the Written Torah. The Written Torah is compared
to the sky, while the Oral Torah is like the earth[192].
Just as the rain and sunrays come from the sky and give the land the power to
make its’ produce, so too the Written Torah gives the needed energy to let the
Oral Torah bring out its’ fruits. Just as the sky is unchanging, while the land
is worked on to make the plants grow, so too the Written Torah is copied letter
by letter, while the Oral Law includes further and further discussions,
elaborations and rabbinical ordinances. The Written Torah influenced all of
mankind, while the Oral Torah is linked specifically to the Jewish people like,
the main land – the
In truth everything in the Oral Law is hinted to in the Written Torah but the hints are not at all obvious and may at first sight seem to contradict the plain meaning of the verses. The GR”A[193] writes that in fact most of the laws of this Parsha as well as in the rest of the Torah are not according to the simple meaning of the verses. There are various reasons for this, and this system is deeply rooted in the spiritual connection between the Written and the Oral Torahs[194]. However there is at least one simple reason for this, brought in Talmud Yerushalmi (Chagiga 7b), based on a verse in Hoshea (8:12). If the Written Torah contained the entire Oral Torah in an unambiguous form, then any nation or religion could claim that they are “the true Jews”. In practice the main Christian denominations did try to claim that they are the new Israel, but since they did not have access to the Oral Torah, they had to get rid of the Torah’s laws, whose keeping is impossible without the knowledge of the Talmud.
As we mentioned most of the commandments can be misunderstood without the knowledge of the Talmud, yet careful reading of the verses and their analysis shows that the understanding we received in our Oral Tradition is indeed hinted in the Written Torah. In our commentary we will show two famous examples of this. One is the verse (21:24) “An eye for and eye” and the other is the verse (23:19) “Don’t cook a kid in its’ mother’s milk”. As we all know the two verses are not taken literally and we will discuss where this is hinted.
The Torah tells us about the prohibition of “cooking” a baby goat in the milk of its’ mother. We all know that the Jewish Tradition states that any domestic kosher animal can not be cooked in the milk of another kosher domestic animal. In this case we are dealing with the Torah’s way of phrasing the laws using just a common example[195]. We similarly find in this Parsha (21:33) the law regarding a person who dug a hole and “a bull or a donkey” fell inside. Obviously this law applies not only to the bull or donkey but to any animal. Similarly, the prohibition of plowing on a bull and a donkey together (Devarim 22:10) applies to other pairs of animals as well. In the case of cooking a kid in its’ mother milk, there are good reasons for this particular example to be chosen. The goats often give birth to twins[196]. It is therefore quite common to slaughter one of children and cook it in the milk of the mother goat. Moreover, since the meat of a newborn kid is very soft, it comes out very tasty when cooked in milk. The meat of older animal is hard and needs a lot of cooking while milk gets cooked a lot faster, so the two are almost never combined.
The prohibition of “cooking a kid
in its’ mother’s milk” is stated here after the mitzvah of coming of bringing
the first fruits to the
There is an additional explanation of this verse in the Torah. We often find that the Torah takes the most extreme example and other cases are learned from it. For instance the Torah says (Vayikra 19:14): “Don’t curse the death”. Meaning it’s forbidden to curse even someone who is death and does not hear the cursing. Similarly, the prohibition of cooking milk and meat together applies even if the milk is from the same source as the meat. We might have thought that it’s only forbidden to cook milk and meat if they are from different animals, just as many other mixtures are forbidden by the Torah: clothing of linen and wool, crossbreeding animals, planting different seeds together etc (Vayikra 19:19). So too we might have said that mixing the milk of one animal and the meat of another is forbidden. However when we cook the kid in its’ mother’s milk, since both the milk and the meat come from the same source, we could have thought that this is permitted. The Torah therefore says: “Don’t cook a kid [even] in its’ mother’s milk”.
Another famous verse in this Parsha is the requirement for the one who inflicts damage on someone else has to pay measure for measure. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot. Now, logically speaking the Torah can not possibly imply that if a person puts out an eye of his fellow, his eye should be put out. This would simply be impractical[198]. How can we possibly put out an eye exactly the same way he did to his victim? How can we make sure his pain is similar, not greater or smaller? How can we guarantee that the damage is appropriate? Maybe the victim was a blind man or someone who can barely see, while the attacker has good vision. Sometimes the attacker is blind and his loss of an eye will not be a fair compensation.
Indeed both Talmuds[199] and all the Jewish commentators explain that this verse is not to be taken literally. Rather it implies a payment of the exact damage done. In addition to paying for the damage, the assaulter has to pay the medical bills and also for the pain, for the embarrassment and for the time the victim could not work. This law is hinted in the Written Torah in two places. One is the nineteenth verse in this chapter. There the Torah clearly says that for any physical damage the assaulter only has to pay. The other place is in Bemidbar 35:31, where the Torah tells us that a murderer can not pay in order to escape the death penalty. The emphasis of the verse is that this law applies to the murderer only; any other assaulter pays to compensate the damage[200].
The obvious remaining question is why then does the Torah say: “An eye for an eye”? One of the answers to this is that indeed if the assaulter does not repent of his sin and gets forgiveness from his victim, Hashem will ultimately bring him in another gilgul and this time he will lose his eye[201]. No crime ever goes unpunished, and everything is accounted for in the infinitely deep system of Divine Hanhaga. As we know it is really for our benefit that the various punishments in our many lives rectify the misdeeds and purify us. And when all damages will be repaired and we will deserve the final redemption!
Parshas Trumah.
Question.
In this Parsha we read a detailed description of the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). What is the general structure and purpose of it?
Answer.
We should first realize that the structure of the Tabernacle includes deepest secrets and allusions. Covering this topic even partially would require multiple volumes of books. The Zohar alone takes almost a hundred pages to describe some of the secrets of the Mishkan and the Priestly Clothing. The very fact that the Torah spends four Parshios[202] on these issues can give us an understanding that the details described are of great importance. In our commentary we will only scratch the surface[203].
One of the primary goals of the
Tabernacle was to administer the
The Tabernacle was a miniature projection of the entire world just as each person is a small world. A careful study of the articles in the Tabernacle can show that indeed they corresponded to human organs and to the ten Sefiros[206]. Our body is generally divided into three parts: the top part (the head), the middle part (up to the diaphragm) and the lower part. The head is the most sensitive part of our body. The right hemisphere and the left hemisphere are two types of brain in our head corresponding to wisdom and understanding[207]. The middle part contains the heart and the breathing organs. The heart is the main organ of our body and corresponds to Tiferes – the main Sefirah of the lower seven. Two pipes come through the neck: windpipe and food pipe (esophagus). The wind pipe is on the right and brings the air into the lungs thus corresponding to Chesed. The food pipe is on the left and corresponds to Gevurah.
The lower part of the body contains the digestive system and the system for disposal of unused substances. The central organ there is the liver. Thus the three central organs of our bodies on the three levels are: the brain (moach), the heart (lev) and the liver (kaved)[208]. The general rule is: the higher parts of our bodies are more spiritually elevated, and the lower parts are more physical.
Similarly the Mishkan had three
levels of holiness[209]:
The Holy of Holies, where the High Priest entered once a year on Yom Kippur;
the Heichal (sanctuary), where only kohanim could enter for special services
and the outside part, where the korbonos were slaughtered and burned. The Holy
of Holies corresponded to the brain. It also had three main parts: the Aron
(Arc), Kapores (its’ cover) and Keruvim (angels). The Heichal had a small
altar, on which only beautifully smelling incense was burned. The Torah
specifically forbids burning anything else on it. This corresponded to the
middle part of the body, where the oxygen is processed. The Heichal also had a
golden Menorah on the right and a table with twelve breads on the left. At
last, the outside part had the big altar on which blood was sprinkled and fats
were burned. This corresponded to the digestive tract. There was also a special
washstand (Kiyor) and its’ base (
Thus each of these three parts of Tabernacle contained three main items. The GR”A explains[210] that the nine items correspond to nine Sefiros, while the whole Tabernacle corresponds to the last Sefirah – Malchus. We thus have the following arrangement:
|
Keruvim (golden angels) |
Keser |
Crown |
The scalp |
|
|
Chochma |
Wisdom |
Right brain |
|
|
Binah |
Understanding |
Left brain |
|
Menorah |
Chesed |
Kindness |
Windpipe |
|
Table |
Gevurah |
Strength |
Food pipe |
|
Small Altar |
Tiferes |
Harmony |
Heart |
|
Washstand |
Netzach |
Perseverance |
Right kidney |
|
Washstand’s base |
Hod |
Splendor |
Left kidney |
|
Big Altar |
Yesod |
Foundation |
Liver |
|
The entire Tabernacle with its’ enclosure |
Malchus |
Kingship |
The entire body |
An elaborate discussion of the
Parshas Tetzaveh.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about the special clothing made for a regular kohen the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest). Altogether eight articles of clothing are described. What is the significance of these types of clothes and why are these details important.
Answer.
As we mentioned in the previous
Parsha, the details described in these weekly portions are extremely important.
The exact clothing of Kohanim was designed very carefully according to the
Divine command and if any smallest detail was not kept it could not be used to
perform the great rectifications in the
A regular Kohen had four articles of clothing: a head covering (turban), a belt, a body covering (tunic) and pants[212]. These are referred to as four white clothes[213]. The High Priest wore four additional articles of clothes, referred to a four golden clothes. They were a golden plate on his head (Tzitz), a robe, a breast plate (Choshen Mishpat) with precious stones and letters of tribes engraved on them[214] and a long garment warn from the back like an apron primarily covering the legs (Ephod). As you can see, in a way, there is a correspondence between each article of golden clothing and white clothes.
|
White Clothes |
Golden Clothes |
Part of the body the garment was covering |
|
Turban |
Tzitz |
head |
|
Belt |
Robe |
body |
|
Tunic |
Choshen Mishpat |
body |
|
Pants |
Ephod |
legs |
Indeed the Zohar (3:227a) explains the correspondence further. It states that the four white clothes correspond to the four letters of the Main Divine Name – Y-H-V-H[215] while the four golden clothes correspond to the four letters of A-D-N-Y – the name we pronounce in our prayers instead of the Main Name. It is known that the four letters of each name correspond to each other and to the four Partzufim (collections of Sefiros that are used in joint Hanhaga[216]).
The Talmud (Arachim 16a) says that these eight articles of clothing were used as atonement. Each one was atoning for a particular sin. The tunic atoned for bloodshed[217]. The pants atoned for the sin of forbidden relations[218]. The turban brought atonement for the sin of pride. The belt atoned for indecent and evil thoughts. The “Breastplate of Judgment” (Choshen Mishpat) atoned for judgment that was passed incorrectly. The Ephod atoned for idol worship. The robe atoned for speaking badly about others[219]. The forehead plate (Tzitz) was atoning for insolence and impudence.
The Shl”a Hakodesh[220] based on this Gemorah explains the correspondence of the eight clothes as follows:
Four white clothes and the Sefiros of Hanhagah:
|
Article of clothing |
Letter in Divine Name |
Corresponding Parztuf |
Atoned for: |
|
Turban |
Yud |
Chochma – Wisdom |
pride |
|
Belt |
Hei |
Binah – Understanding |
bad thoughts |
|
Tunic |
Vav |
Z”A – Sefiros from Chesed to Yesod |
bloodshed |
|
Pants |
Hei |
Malchus |
adultery |
Four golden clothes and the Sefiros in receiving the Hanhagah[221]:
|
Tzitz |
Alef |
Chochma – Wisdom |
audacity |
|
Robe |
Dalet |
Binah – Understanding |
gossip |
|
Choshen Mishpat |
Nun |
Z”A – Sefiros from Chesed to Yesod |
wrong judgment |
|
Ephod |
Yud |
Malchus |
idolworship |
For those who have some
background in Kabala understanding some of these correspondences will be
easier. We will not dwell on many details in our commentary, but in Parshas
Pekudey we will discuss the relationship of Choshen Mishpat and the Ephod in
detail. We are waiting for the day when the
Parshas Ki Sisa.
Question.
In this week’s Parsha we learn
how our nation built the Golden Calf. This sin was considered very great; we
lost the high level we had achieved. That generation received a great
punishment and our nation paid for this sin it throughout all our history[222].
About 500 years later the Jewish people split into two countries: the Northern
Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Yehudah. The first king of
Answer.
Before we even start discussing this topic, it’s important to realize that no matter what reasons we come up with to explain Yeroveam’s actions, these explanations will be just a small portion of all the arguments that he offered to defend his position. We don’t have in our hands “Questions and Answers of HaRav[223] Yeroveam”. If we would see such a book nobody in our generation would be able to reject the arguments. The mistake of Yeroveam was quite subtle while the reasons for his Halachic decisions were rather compelling. This is why he was able to convince all the sages of his kingdom, the elders of Sanhedrins of each tribe and even the great prophet Achia Hashiloni. We can really have no grasp today of all the deep Halachik and Kabalistic reasons that Yeroveam must have used. We will only try to offer some of his possible arguments to the best of our limited understanding.
In the end of his life King Shlomo was severely criticized by prophets for not stopping his numerous wives[224] from worshipping idols. As Shlomo grew older and weaker many of his wives who were themselves daughters of gentile kings returned back to idol worship. This does not mean that they fully renounced their conversion to Judaism. Most likely these women carefully observed most mitzvos. However the desire for idol worship was very strong at the time especially for people who were brought up with it. Many worshiped the idols out of superstition or simply for good luck. At times they did not feel that they are rejecting Hashem by doing so.
Because of Shlomo’s failure to
stop his wives’ idolatry, he was foretold that after his death ten of the
Jewish tribes will break of from his kingdom and form a country of their own.
One of the greatest sages of the time, Yeroveam ben Nevat was anointed by Achia
Hashiloni to become the king of
Everything went as predicted by
the prophet. The ten tribes rejected the rule of Shlomo’s son Rechaveam because
they felt they were paying exuberant taxes to Shlomo’s house. Yeroveam became
the king over the Northern tribes. The prophet (Melachim 2:12:26-33) now describes
that Yeroveam was afraid that if the people of kingdom will continue coming to Jerusalem three times a year, he
will loose his power. His very first action was therefore to build two new
temples in his kingdom and institute apparent idol worship! A number of other
sins of Yeroveam are mentioned by the prophet. Besides introducing the new
temples with golden calves, he forbade the people to go to the
Most commentators[225] agree that the golden calves made by Yeroveam were not meant to actually be worshiped. They were rather symbolic just as we find two lions in many synagogues today[226]. The reason the lions are chosen is because most of us come from Yehudah who is likened to a lion. Similarly Yeroveam chose the image of bull that symbolizes his tribe - Yosef. Since Yosef actually consists of two different tribes - Menashe and Ephraim, two temples were built. There is actually a much deeper significance in this. In the vision of the Merkava (the "Chariot" of Hashem) certain types of angels are described as having four faces. The face on the right is that of a lion, and the one on the left is that of the bull. Indeed, the North is associated with the left side of Hanhaga and therefore it was appropriate image[227] for the Northern tribes. Yehudah was in the South and this is why the image of a lion is appropriate to it.
Now all the sages and elders of
the Northern Kingdom knew that Hashem has turned His face away from
"sinful"
Now, when bring offerings outside
the
Once the issue of bringing
offerings outside the
The reason Sukkos in particular was chosen maybe has to do with the very nature of the Northern tribes. The summer months come from Chesed (kindness) and are associated with South, while the winter months come from Gevurah (the Sefirah of Judgment), associated with the cold of the North[229]. Therefore the Northern tribes may have felt special connection to the Sukkos Holiday which is celebrated in the first of the winter months. Indeed choosing the second of the winter for celebration they were emphasizing their connection to Gevurah[230]. Another reason why Cheshvan was chosen for this new holiday may be because this was the month when Yeroveam built the golden calves[231].
Now that we seem to have
partially justified Yeroveam’s “innovations” one question still remains. The
Jewish people knew that the first Gold Calf caused a great Divine anger. Why
then did they not realize that Yeroveam is plainly wrong? The answer is that
indeed the opposite was true. The very fact that the holy man Aharon had
allowed to build the calf in the desert was the biggest proof that there is a
permitted way to make the golden calves. Yeroveam may have claimed that the
reasons for Divine wrath were the fact that some people actually worshipped the
calf as an idol[232].
Even though Aharon only wanted to make a (Shemos 32:5) “
The opinion of Yeroveam and the
sages of his generation was so established that throughout most of the history
of the
Now the prophet testifies that the intentions of Yeroveam were not pure. Had he not been biased, he would have realized that with his “Rabbinical decrees” whose goal was to separate from “wicked” Yehudah, he actually uprooted the most basic laws of Torah. Using the power of Rabbinical laws he came out with almost a new religion with different temple service and new holidays. However Yeroveam was biased, whether he realized it or not. So his decrees seemed logical to him and he remained a leading sage in the eyes of people for many generations[237].
Yeroveam was a very great man who
had a potential to be one of the two redeemers of our nation – Moshiach ben
Yosef[238]. A
great man is judged by the Creator according to his level. Yeroveam is
considered a prime example of a sinner who caused
Parshas Vayakhel.
Question.
This Parsha starts with Moshe
teaching the Jewish people about Shabbos. Among all the forbidden types of work
he mentioned one: “Don’t burn fire”. Why was this first mitzvah that Moshe
explained to our nation when he came down from
Answer.
In general most of the types of work forbidden on Shabbos are not mentioned directly by the Torah. They are however hinted by the juxtaposition of the mitzvah to build the Sanctuary and the prohibition of doing work on Shabbos[243]. Any of the types of labor that were involved in building of the Tabernacle had to be stopped during Shabbos. There were altogether 39 types of such work and we thus learn from this Parsha the 39 prohibited actions on Shabbos[244].
Now the one work our Parsha mentions explicitly is the prohibition to kindle the fire. The Ramban[245] writes, that indeed until now we would not know if the laws of Shabbos are the same as of Yom Tov (holidays) or more strict. On holidays we are permitted to kindle fire from already existing fire and use it for cooking. This Parsha starts by explaining that on Shabbos even that is forbidden[246].
Another interesting explanation may be as follows. It is known that in our day the main cause of Shabbos violation is “kindling fire”. Driving a car, lighting the lights[247] and using most electric devices falls into this category one way or another[248]. Most Shabbos violators find it hardest to avoid this particular prohibited work[249]. This may be the reason why the Torah emphasizes here this particular category of labor.
There is actually a halachik application in this. The Shulchan Aruch[250] says that if we are certain we can’t stop someone’s accidental violation of a mitzvah, we should not rebuke this person. It is better that he will be doing his transgressions by mistake. Exclusion is the law that is mentioned directly in the Written Torah. In our case, since the Torah mentions the prohibition of burning fire on Shabbos, we are supposed to rebuke even a person who will not listen[251].
Our sages teach us that when our nation will keep two consecutive Shabbosim properly, we will be redeemed[252]. May we all deserve to see this fulfilled.
Parshas Pekudey.
Question.
In this Parsha learn about the making of the priestly clothing. The two most perplexing articles of clothes are called Choshen Mishpat (breastplate of judgment) and Ephod. Besides the great detail used in the description of these two clothes, there is a special mitzvah mentioned, that they should be attached together through certain belts with special stones. Indeed this is counted as one of 613 commandments of our Torah: not to detach Choshen and Ephod[253]. The Torah describes twelve precious stones used for Choshen Mishpat. The stones had engravings of the names of the twelve tribes and certain other words. At last, the Torah mentions inserting obscure “Urim” and “Tumim” into the breast plate. What is the significance of these two articles of clothing, why do they have to be attached and what are Urim and Tumim?
Answer.
As we mentioned in the previous
Parsha, the details described in the priestly clothing are extremely important.
We will now discuss two of the articles of clothes of High Priest: the Choshen
and the Ephod. The Choshen was a small (9 inch) square cloth made from wool and
linen[254]. It
contained 12 different precious stones in three columns, four gems in each
column. The stones had the names of twelve tribes engraved on them[255]
as well as the names of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov and the words “Shivtey
Yeshurun[256]”
(Tribes of Yeshurun[257]).
There were altogether 72 letters on these stones, corresponding to the seventy
souls that came to
Ephod was a long garment also made from multicolored wool and white linen. It was like an apron but warn from the back. It had two shoulder straps with a precious stone in each. These stones also had the names of the twelve tribes, six names on one stone and six on the other[259]. The Choshen was worn on the breast and connected from the top to the Ephod through the shoulder straps. The bottom of the Choshen also connected with straps going below elbows to the Ephod in the back.
As we mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh, the Choshen corresponded to Zer Anpin[260] and the Ephod – to Malchus. This explains the unique relationship between these two articles of clothes[261] and the mitzvah to keep them connected.
Now one of the purposes of the Choshen with Ephod is to gain a certain prophetic inspiration[262]. There were specific rules, according to which the stones could be used to ask Hashem[263]. The Urim and Tumim were special Divine Names inserted into the Choshen[264]. The GR”A[265] says that Urim were the 42-letter Name and Tumim – the 72-letter Name[266].
When a question was asked, the
Kohen Gadol was concentrating on the first Divine Name and some letters on the
stones shown with spiritual light. This was still not enough to understand the
message, since the same letters could compose different words. The kohen now
concentrated on the second Name and was able to put the letters together to form
words and sentences. The word Urim thus comes from the word “light” and Tumim
from “perfection” – composition of the words. In general the usage of Urim and
Tumim required time and great concentration[267]
and not every time the Kohen Gadol deserved to get an answer[268].
Since the mystery of Urim and Tumim was known to the head of the generation,
they sometimes used a similar technique to receive Divine answers to their
questions. This explains why there were many Ephods in ancient time in
Even though during the
Parshas Vayikra.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about
various types of Korbonos (
Answer.
The topic of Korbonos just as the topic of the Tabernacle is extremely deep and contains some of the most important fundamentals of the Divine Hanhaga and the rectifications we have to perform[273]. However this topic seems very strange for us living in the sixth millennia, almost two thousand years after the last Korbonos were brought by our nation. Indeed the concept of Korbonos is very lofty and pure but we are just too removed from it to even partially appreciate it[274]. The first “real” contact with Korbonos can be felt by reading the books for Neviim (Shoftim, Shmuel, Melachim and the late prophets). One can easily feel that bringing Korbonos for our ancestors was almost like praying for us[275]. This was especially true during the intermediate periods when there was no Mishkan in Shilo and private altars were permitted.
So the Korbonos were used like prayer and together with prayer. (Every Korban was accompanied by prayers as well.) The sin offerings were preceded by a confession; other Korbonos were preceded by praises and thanks to Hashem[276]. Korbonos were also used to attain prophetic inspiration[277]. This is why our forefathers built numerous altars and each time we find that Hashem revealed Himslef to them. In the books of Neviim we also find prophets coming and going to the Bama. In certain cases Korbonos were used to achieve atonement for certain sins, primarily for the ones committed by mistake. Besides the Korbonos brought by individuals there were many Korbonos brought on behalf of our entire nation. We will now discuss some of the foundations behind the Korbonos.
It is very important to first establish the meaning of the word Korban. As we mentioned in our commentary to Parshas Truma, the root of the word Korban is the same as of the word “closeness”. This gives us immediate help in understanding this concept and saves us from making the mistake that the other nations made regarding their “sacrifices”. The whole concept of Korban is the opposite of what the idolaters understood their sacrifices to be. They “sacrificed”, meaning they gave away something in order to “please” their idols and get something back in return. We (lehavdil) brought a Korbon to achieve closeness to Hashem. In this, Korbonos are not any different from the other mitzvos. All commandments are given for this purpose.
The Torah calls Korbonos literarily “the bread of Hashem”. To understand this, we must first ask what the bread is for a human being. Obviously without food we would die. But what is death? It’s separation between the soul and the body. The soul continues to live while the body is buried in the ground. So the food makes sure the soul stays connected to the body and does not leave it. This is exactly what the Korbonos were. In many ways the relationship between Hashem and the world is similar to the relationship between the soul and the body[278]. When mitzvos are not performed, Hashem’s Presence abandons the world. The one difference is that in His kindness He makes sure that the world is sustained on some low level of Divine Hashgacha even when the people are totally sinful. The world does not get totally destroyed when Korobonos or other mitzvos are not performed. Yet the world does fall to a much lower level and in a way this is also a partial death[279].
When the
Olah was a wholly burned offering. It was brought voluntarily but our sages had a tradition that it was commonly brought to achieve atonement for the sin of evil or indecent thoughts[281]. Just as the thought is only known to Hashem, so too this Korban was fully burned. There were also types of obligatory Olah brought by individuals on holidays and they are described in Parshas Mishpatim. There was also community Olah brought twice daily and on Shabboses, holidays and other occasions (most of them are described in Parshas Pinchas).
Shlamim was the “Peaceful
offering”. It was brought voluntarily and most of it was eaten by the owner,
his family and friends and whoever else was invited. Bringing Shlamim was an
opportunity to get together with the family near in the
Chatas and Asham were Korbonos for various sins. These Korbonos were eaten only by Kohanim. Chatas was generally brought when a person accidentally broke a commandment, which has a penalty of Kares (spiritual incision) when broken on purpose. For example, the one that accidentally turned the light switch on Shabbos would bring have to bring a Chatas. Asham was brought only for six types of violations some of which are described in this Parsha and others later on.
The simple reason behind these Korbonos was to “slaughter” the “animal” within the man[282]. After all, it’s our animal nature that makes us do sins, even accidental ones. A sin can include thought[283], speech and action. The sinner thus has compensate by action, speech and thought. He had to press his hands on the head of the animal, confess his sin and think that he deserves to be punished. However Hashem in his mercy required that instead of his organs and blood, the internal organs of the animal is burned and the animal’s blood is sprinkled on the altar. The Kohanim who were generally the Torah scholars of the generation would then eat their portions and pray for the sinner to achieve forgiveness[284].
The Minachos were brought as
voluntary offerings in their own right as well as obligatory offering in
certain cases. There are also a few particular sins for which if the sinner is
poor he would bring a Mincha, but if he is richer he would bring birds or
animal Korbonos. In addition many animal Korbonos also required a Mincha to be
brought together with it. May we deserve to soon greet the righteous Moshiach
and see the
Parshas Tzav.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about the Korban Toda – a thanksgiving offering. This Korban is a type of Shlamim which is brought together with 40 breads – four types of bread, ten loafs each. Three of the kinds of breads are different types of matzos, and the last kind is chametz. Yet the amount of dough taken for chametz is the same as for all of matzo breads since each loaf of chametz is three times as big as a matzo. What is the significance of this unusual Korban and when was it brought?
Answer.
As we mentioned more than once[285]
the number “four” that appears in various laws of mitzvos is very significant.
It corresponds to four general types of Divine Hanhagah and ultimately to the
four letters of the Main Name of Hashem. This topic is very deep and we will
just scratch the surface when describing the thanksgiving offering. The Talmud
(Brochos 54b) tells us that four types of please have to thank Hashem: the ones
that traveled in the sea, the ones that crossed deserts, the ones that were
sick and got better and the ones that were imprisoned and released. These four
are all described in the 107th Psalm and in the
The GR”A[288] comments on the four people who were released from these four dangerous situations. The sea and the desert correspond to Eisav and Yishmoel[289]. Thus the first two kinds of people hint to the danger of the main two nations that include the others[290]. The remaining two people were imprisoned or sick. They did not travel far, one may have remained in the same city but was imprisoned, while the other was “imprisoned” in his own house – sick in bed. These two correspond to the two remaining bad influences: the erev rav (the mixed multitude among us who sway us away from Hashem) and the personal yetzer hara (evil inclination).
Throughout our history we were
influenced by these four types of temptations. Three our external and one is
internal[291]. Most of
the Jews are exiled in two types of nations: the Christians and the Muslims.
The Christians represent Eisav while the Muslims represent Yishmoel[292].
Also throughout history we had “bad converts” – the ones that did not accept
Judaism for the right reasons and ultimately influenced our nation by their
corrupt ways[293]. This
started when Moshe accepted the erev rav hoping they were sincere after
witnessing all the miracles Hashem did in
At last there are some Jews themselves that become imprisoned by their own desires and yetzer hara rules over them. They also have influence on the rest of our people. The Talmud[296] thus describes a prayer of one of the sages: “Master of the universe! It is well known before You that our wish is to do Your will! What stops us then? The leaven in the dough and the subjugations by hands of other nations”. The two types of yetzer hara are described here in this concise and exact manner: the external rule of the nations and the internal leaven that makes our dough chametz. And this is also the four types of bread in Korban Todah – three that are matzah and one that is chametz[297]. And may it be the Will of Hashem that we break our internal yetzer hara to serve Him in purity and then we will deserve the final redemption from the subjugation by hands of the nations!
Parshas Shmini.
Question.
This Parsha teaches us about the species that are permitted or forbidden for consumption. As usually, we are not going to ask for a lengthy commentary but rather we would like to know some general rules and reasons why particular animals are forbidden?
Answer.
In this Parsha, the Torah describes to us the forbidden mammals, birds, fish and other species. It’s impossible to dwell on all of these in our short commentary but we will concentrate only on the mammals. Obviously we can discuss the dietary laws on various levels of interpretation. We could mention the health benefits, the zoological analysis, the spiritual reasons, or how these laws hint to other ideas. Since it’s impossible to cover all these topics we will primarily stop at the last two. We will discuss the general nature of the forbidden species as well as some of the hints related to the topic.
Regarding the mammals, the Torah gives us two signs to distinguish the kosher ones from the ones that are forbidden. The mammal has to have hooves that are split and it has to chew its’ cud. The explanation of these two signs is as follows. A hoof is a kind of hard surface covering the bottom of the foot. Most of the mammals don’t have any hoof at all. Some have a hoof but it is not split. The Torah requires that a mammal have a hoof and that it is split. Chewing the cud means chewing the food more than once. Such animals are generally called “ruminating”. After eating some grass they pass it to one of their stomachs and let it stay there for a while. Then they bring it up again in a form of a lump, chew it a second time and then swallow it again[298].
In Parshas Ree (Devarim 14:5), the Torah mentions ten species of kosher mammals[299]. Four of the non-kosher mammals are mentioned explicitly in this Parsha because they have one kosher signs each[300]. Three of these animals (camel[301], rabbit and hyrax[302]) have the “external” sign of kashrus. They chew their cud but don’t have a fully split hoof. One animal – the pig has a split hoof and does not chew its’ cud. The GR”A[303] explains that two signs of kashrus hint to the control over two main bad qualities: anger and desire[304]. The opposite of these two qualities is calmness and satisfaction[305].
The ruminating animals are an
example of being satisfied with one’s lot. Always busy chewing what they
already swallowed they are thus happy with what they have[306].
Our sages teach that there is a
great significance in regards to these four animals. They correspond to the
four nations that ruled over the civilized world throughout the history:
Parshas Sazria.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about various types of tzaraas (leprosy[313]). What is the significance and purpose of this disease?
Answer.
It is easy to notice that tzaraas is the only specific disease described by the Chumash[314]. This illness plays a significant role and a large portion of the Written Torah and the Oral Law is dedicated to it. As usual, the laws of tzaraas have many levels of understanding: the simple meaning, the practical application, the hints and the Kabbalistic secrets. We will only describe briefly some of the subjects involved. Some of the ideas will be described in our commentary to this Parsha and some – to the next one.
It is well known that physical sicknesses ruin our bodies and can often be contagious. In such a case, people try to stay away from the sick individual in order not to catch his disease. However, spiritual illnesses are not readily distinguishable and even though they can also be contagious, people often don’t take the necessary precautions to stay away from those who are spiritually sick. Hashem, in His infinite mercy wanted to purify His people of spiritual diseases and to quarantine those individuals whose spiritual sickness is infectious.
The general idea of tzaraas was a unique physical projection of a spiritual deficiency. In most cases this sickness was sent for sins towards other people and for bad qualities[315]. In particular, gossipers, stingy and proud people were affected by it. When the Jewish people were on a higher level, their spiritual faults would be visible on their very skin. In reality this showed that they were greater than us. In our day, we are too thick-skinned and even though our sins do cause our souls to get tzaraas, this does not get projected onto our skins. However, when a person dies, the tzaraas that affects his soul is visible to all and he is quarantined from everyone else[316]!
Our sages describe[317] that usually Hashem does not want to immediately punish the person’s body. He first sends a reminder to the sinner through sending tzaraas to his house. As part of the procedure, the stingy man now has to take out all his utensils from his house into the street. Now everybody can see his possessions that he had pretended not to have in order to refuse lending anything to his neighbors[318]. If he does not repent, then Hashem sends tzaraas to his clothes. If this does not help, only then does Hashem punish the sinner by sending leprosy to his skin. He has to stay outside the city until he learns his lesson and leprosy disappears. After purifications[319] he is able to come back to live with the rest of society.
May we deserve to rectify our bad
qualities, our speech and even our thoughts and then our people will live in
unity and friendship and merit a great blessing from Above. The
Parshas Metzorah.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about the discolorations that can appear on the walls of houses and render them unclean. At times the house would have to be completely demolished. What is the significance of these laws and what do they hint to?
Answer.
The Torah states that when we
would enter the
The Talmud[323] describes how Rabbi Chiya wanted to teach Torah to children. He made nets, caught deer, slaughtered them and gave meat to the poor. He then made parchments out the skins and wrote the five books of the Torah on them and taught them to five children. The question is asked: why did not Rabbi Chiya simply buy the Torah scrolls or at least the parchments? The answer[324] is that he wanted these scrolls to be as holy as possible and for that he needed the intent (kavonah) to be pure from the very beginning. Even the parchments themselves had to be made Leshem Shamayim and through the mitzvah of feeding the poor. Then the effects of the scrolls would be immense[325]!
As we mentioned in our commentary to the previous Parsha, besides the simple meaning the laws of tzaraas also have hints and secrets. We will only mention one important allusion regarding these laws. In general, when tzaraas appears on the walls of a house, its’ situation remains uncertain for up to three weeks. The house is given “another chance” for three weeks in a row until it has to be completely demolished[326]. The Tikuney Zohar[327] states that the “house” hints to a person. The stones, the wood and the earth hint to the three levels of souls (Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama). The three seven day periods hint to three additional gilgulim of an individual, since our lives are about seventy years (Tehillim 90:10). Thus even the worst sinner is given at least three more chances. This is hinted to in a verse in Iyov (33:29) “This is what Hashem does twice and three times with a person[328]”. Each next time extra changes are being made to his structure of souls. The first time additional Neshama is used to help him do Tshuvah. Since the Neshama of an individual is above his body the change is relative minor, like the change of the house after one week[329]. In the second and third gilgulim the changes affect the Ruach and Nefesh which are the very core structure of the person, just like the laws of the house in the last two weeks. If the person starts rectifying his sins, he will be sent back again numerous times, but if he does not, he won’t be given any further chances[330]. If it is still possible to rectify his soul through suffering, then he spend the needed time in Gehinom and other places intended for atonement and purification. Whatever remains of his soul afterwards may merit the Eternity. If this soul can not get rectified, it will eventually be destroyed, this however happens rarely to a Jewish person[331].
May we deserve that our dwellings be sanctified so that Hashem’s Presence will be in our houses. May we all deserve to purify our intents and actions so that our mitzvos will have a great effect and our religious articles will possess a great holiness. May we speedily rectify all our misdeeds from other gilgulim and finally merit the redemption!
Parshas Achare Mos.
Question:
In this Parsha as well as in the next one we learn about the prohibitions of forbidden relations[332]. While some of them seem to quite intuitive, many are difficult to understand. What are the known reasons behind these laws?
Answer:
In the most general sense we can divide all the prohibited relations described in this Parsha into two categories. One includes all relations forbidden between relatives[333] and the other includes all other prohibited relations. The second group of prohibitions is a lot easier to understand. The prohibition to have relations with another man’s wife is natural to every normal individual. Besides the terrible consequences of breaking this prohibition, the children are born without knowing who their father is. As we mentioned in Parshas Yisro, the one doing adultery ultimately breaks all the Ten Commandments. The prohibitions of such abominations as relations with animals and homosexual relations are also understandable by most unbiased people.
The prohibition to have relations with a Nidah[334] is also not too hard to explain. It is known in contemporary medical research that such relations can bring various deceases including cancer to the couple. The children conceived through such relations can also have various child diseases[335]. Besides this, the spiritual makeup of these children suffers greatly. Another benefit of keeping the laws of family purity is that the couple waits for the next time the wife goes to the mikva, like the engaged await their marriage and honeymoon. Thus the rates of divorces and dissatisfaction among those who observe these laws are much lower than among those that don’t.
However the prohibition of relations between relatives is much more difficult to understand. These laws are called Chukim – statues of Torah that are not intuitive and have only deep mystical explanations[336]. In particular, the Mishna (Chagiga 2:1) puts the secrets of these laws together with the deepest secrets of Maase Merkava and Maase Bereyshis. It is therefore beyond the scope of our commentary to dwell on these ideas, we will only mention a few short words on this subject.
One must realize that certain actions prohibited by the Torah are not because they are totally unclean. In a way, the situation is the opposite. Certain actions are able to release a very powerful flow of spiritual energy, which can be rectified under specific circumstances. However, if the rectification can not be performed, they will lead to tremendous destruction. One example of this is the prohibition of wearing clothes made of wool and linen together. This can actually serve a great rectification and this is why it’s permitted in the case of wearing woolen blue tzitzis on linen garment[337]. Also most of the clothes of the High Priest was made from wool and linen[338]. However, the rectification of wool and linen is only performed under these specific circumstances, otherwise a spiritual destruction is achieved.
Now, one of the reasons behind the prohibition of relations with close relatives is that this could in theory bring a tremendous light from Above into this world. Indeed, Avraham kept calling his wife “my sister” and so too in Shir Hashirim, our nation is called by Hashem “Achosi Kala” – my sister, my bride. However, in this world now it’s impossible to hold such great light and instead it mixes with unclean forces[339]. This may also be a reason why children born from relations of close relatives are often not normal. Their situation can be described as a great soul caught in the unclean[340]. Indeed, the Mekubalim write that if not for the sin of Adam, the close relatives would not be prohibited[341].
The one case where the Torah does permit forbidden relations is to perform the mitzvah of Yibum[342]. Interesting, even regarding this mitzvah, the Talmud[343] says that in our day that it’s not done for the right reasons, doing Yibum is considered like having forbidden relations and it’s better to perform Chalitzah[344]. Using this idea another interesting paradox can be explained. According to the Talmud[345], marrying one’s niece is a praiseworthy act. However, Rabbi Yehudah Hachasid[346] wrote in his will not to do it. The reason[347] is the same as the reason Yibum was advised against in the later generations. Indeed this is clear from the words of Rabbi Yehudah Hachasid himself[348], for he writes that for a very righteous person it’s a mitzvah to marry a daughter of his sister, so that his children will be righteous like himself. Indeed, in the families of great Rabbis, marrying those close relatives that are not forbidden by the Torah is practiced even today. However, for the general public who are not doing it Lishma (for the sake of Heaven), this is considered dangerous, and often sick children are born, as indeed fortold by the doctors[349].
Just as the way of doing sins “Leshem Shamayim” is very dangerous[350], so too certain rectifications are quite risky and can not be performed just by anybody. Intimate relations can bring new souls into the world and can therefore perform the greatest rectifications. Therefore the yetzer hara holds strongly to them and so many Torah’s prohibitions safeguard them. In the future, when Moshiach will come, there will be no yetzer hara in relations between husband and wife. They will be as natural as a relationship between two friends or a teacher and a student[351]. Very great souls will be then brought into this world without being afraid that the “unclean side” will have any connection to them.
Parshas Kedoshim.
Question:
This Parsha starts with an obscure command: to be holy. In the middle of the Parsha (20:7) it states that if we will try to be holy we will be holy. The Parsha ends again by saying that we should be holy because Hashem is Holy. What does this commandment require from us and what is the meaning of the last statements?
Answer:
In general, Parshas Kedoshim follows the prohibitions of forbidden relations in the previous Parsha. Hence our sages[352] teach us that sanctifying oneself in regards to these prohibition leads to holiness. This is so since the desires of forbidden relations are some of the most powerful drives that can lead a person to many different transgressions[353].
The Ramban (19:2) discusses the question of what exactly is meant by being “kedoshim” (holy). Apparently there is not particular commandment added by these words. He answers that the Torah is telling us here that not everything permitted by the letter of the law should actually be practiced. There are many ways through halachik “loopholes” to create a situation where no particular law is being transgressed, yet a person is leading a very immoral and corrupt lifestyle.
Take for example the above prohibitions of forbidden relations[354]. There would be possibilities for an immoral person to find ways to gratify his pleasures without breaking any specific laws. Thus, for example, he could keep marrying various women for just one night on condition that he would divorce them the following morning, paying them their Kesubah each time for “services[355]”. This would be equivalent of prostitution, yet no “letter” of the law is broken[356].
Similar examples can be given regarding any other indulgence. In today’s pleasure-seeking society this can be understood better than ever. There is no shortage of “Glatt-Kosher” entertainments that give an opportunity to follow a way of life opposing the spirit of the Torah. Certainly the author is not trying to propose that everyone should live a life of poverty and deprivation. It is hard to know where to draw a line between “reasonable” amount of comfort and excess pleasures[357]. Our sages indeed teach us that the world is given to us[358] and Hashem wants us to enjoy the beautiful world He created[359]. However, the enjoyment has to be limited so that it doesn’t hinder our striving for spiritual[360]. Our sages[361] thus teach: “If one did not deserve to learn much Torah, let him pray that too much food does not enter his stomach”.
Our Parsha states that if we will try to be holy we will be holy and ends commanding us to be holy because Hashem is Holy. Our sages teach us[362] that if we only put some effort to be sanctified, we will become very pure. If we strive to be holy “from below”, Hashem will sanctify us “from Above”. May we deserve to fulfill this verse and speedily greet the righteous Moshiach!
Parshas Emor.
Question:
In this Parsha we learn about all holidays of the Torah: Pesach, Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos and Shmini Atzeres[363]. Even though it’s impossible to discuss these holidays in detail, what is their general structure?
Answer:
In general the six holidays
mentioned above can be divided in two groups. Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos with
Shmini Atzeres are called “regalim”. On these holidays, the Jewish people had
to come to the
The GR”A writes[364], that the four holidays in the first group, just like the other “fours” correspond to the four letters if the Main Divine Name[365] in the opposite order.
|
Letter of the Name: |
|
|
Yod |
Shmini Atzeres |
|
Hey |
Sukkos |
|
Vav |
Shavuos |
|
Hey |
Pesach |
In general, the Name of Hashem consists of two halves that are somewhat symmetric. So too, these holidays are split into two groups: Pesach with Shavuos and Sukkos with Shmini Atzeres. Each group has two holidays – the first of seven days and the second of just one day. Thus Pesach has seven days, followed by Shavuos that is one day[366]. Similarly Sukkos is a seven day holiday, while Shmini Atzeres is one day. Thus the holidays that correspond to the letter “hei” are both seven days. Note another similarity: the two seven day holidays have additional mitzvos. On Pesach, we are eating matzah and on Sukkos we are sitting in the Sukkah and picking up the four plants[367]. Shavous and Shmini Atzeres don’t have any additional mitzvos.
Now, Pesach and Shavous are
related in a sense that Shavous is always fifty days after Pesach. Indeed,
there is a special mitzvah to count the days between the two holidays. Thus
Shavuos does not fall on a particular day of the month of Sivan, but only
depends on when Pesach was. It is known that the days between Pesach and Shavuos
are a period of preparation. On Pesach our nation left
Now we can try to draw the general picture of all holidays. Note that half of the year starting with spring and ending with fall is the time of activity and can be compared to the daytime, when most mitzvos are performed[369]. This is why all the Biblical[370] holidays are during this period. Just as the day can have two natural beginnings – the sundown and the sunrise, so too the months of Nisan and Tishrey are two beginnings (both are called Rosh Hashanah[371] – literally “the head of the year”).
Pesach starts the “big day” and is equivalent to sunrise. Shavuos follows not long afterwards. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos finish the “big day”. Just as at the end of the daytime we must summarize our activity[372], so too at the end of the year we account for what we did throughout the year. However, Hashem did not want to end the year with judgment days and gave us the holiday of Sukkos with Shmini Atzeres – time of greatest happiness that ends with the Simchas Torah[373].
May we deserve to serve Hashem in righteousness during the holidays that He gave us and be worthy of the final redemption speedily in our days.
Parshas Behar.
Question:
In this Parsha we learn primarily
about the Shmita laws. The
Answer:
In general the Shmita cycle is similar to the weekly cycle and hints to the seven days of creation. The seven days of the week correspond to seven lower Sefiros and to the seven thousand years the world was created to exist in its’ current state[374].
|
Day |
Created |
Sefirah |
Events of the millennium |
|
1 |
light |
Chesed |
life of Adam |
|
2 |
separation |
Gevurah |
the Great Flood and
|
|
3 |
land and trees |
Tiferes |
giving of the Torah
and building of the first |
|
4 |
luminaries |
Netzach |
two |
|
5 |
sea animals |
Hod |
long exile |
|
6 |
animals and then Adam |
Yesod |
continuation of exile, then coming of Moshiach |
|
7 |
rest |
Malchus |
eternal rest |
On the first day the light was
created. The corresponding millennium is full of light, for Adam was still
alive and people did not practice idolatry yet. On the second day of creation
it does not say “ki tov” (it was good). This day corresponds to Gevurah
(judgment). During the corresponding one thousand years the people deserved
their annihilation by the Great Flood. The later generations did not learn
their lesson and they built the
On the third day of creation, the
Torah says “ki tov” twice. During the third millennium corresponding to
Tiferes, Avraham and his family started changing the world. During this
millennium our nation received the Torah, entered the
On the fifth day the fish were created and the people in the corresponding millennium became like the fish eating each other[375]. Historically this period is generally called “The Dark Ages”. This millennium is the time of our exile. The corresponding Sefirah “Hod” is also from the left side and has the same letters as “Dava[376]” (sick). The exile continues into the beginning of the sixth millennium, like the roaring animals created then. The creation of Adam corresponds to coming of Moshiach[377].
Notice the parallel of the first three days of creation to the next three.
|
1 |
light |
4 |
Luminaries |
|
2 |
water |
5 |
sea animals |
|
3 |
trees on earth |
6 |
animals and people on earth |
On the first and the fourth days corresponding to Sefiros of the right side of Hanhagah, light was created. On the second and fifth days – the left side of Hanhagah and water and its’ contents were created. The third and the sixth days correspond to the middle and on these days land was worked upon.
According to Ramban (25:2), Rabeynu Bachye (25:8) and other early Mekubalim, the fifty year cycle of Yovelos (jubilee year) also hints to 50 thousand years. These sages had a tradition that the seven thousand year periods of history of the world are also repeated seven times[378]. Obviously we have very limited understanding as to how exactly the rectifications of these seven thousand year cycles affect each other and what will happen in the future. We will wait for Moshiach and Eliyahu who will explain this question together with elucidating all other uncertainties.
Parshas Bechukosai.
Question:
In this Parsha we learn about the punishments and the predicted exile of our nation. When and how exactly did these predictions come true and what were the events that caused them?
Answer:
In our commentary to Parshas Lech
Lecha we started discussing the two exiles of our nation predicted by the
rebukes: the one in this Parsha and the one in Parshas Ki Savo. We will now
discuss this topic in greater detail. As we mentioned, our sages[379]
teach us that the exile to
The Ramban (26:16) discusses the
specific prophesies fulfilled during the two exiles. The characteristics of the
two exiles are different in every aspect. The sins of the generations that lead
two these exiles are also different[381].
The main cause of the first exile was idol worship[382].
Indeed our Parsha describes this transgression numerous times. It also
foretells the destruction of both the
The exile described here is a
total exile with the
On the other hand regarding the generation of the second exile there is no
specific sin mentioned and certainly idolatry is totally missing in the entire
Parshas Ki Savo. Indeed the Jewish people were not guilty of idolatry at that
time[385]. At
the same time the destruction of the
The people who would conquer our nation during the
The exile described in Parshas Ki Savo is not a one time event affecting
the entire nation, but rather the slow process of the “foreigner among us
rising higher and higher while we would be getting lower and lower”. This is
indeed what happened when Herod was appointed by the Romans to be the king over
our nation. Being an Edomite, he and most of his descendants practiced the
policy of sucking the blood of our nation and using the money to build Greek
cities. The Parsha predicts a gradual process of our nation being robbed of
everything and even our children sold to slavery. In the end we are foretold
that our people will be taken to
The second exile is not predicted to last for a particular time period. The
redemption from it will come after a long period of time[388]
after we are dispersed from one end of the world to the other (Devarim 28:64;
30:4). We will only be redeemed after full repentance, but this time the
restoration will be complete and final. Hashem will fully renew His covenant
with us and His Presense will dwell among us. As we all know the process of
Teshuvah movement has already started. Every day more and more Jews become
observant and we will be waiting every day for the promised redemption!
Parshas Bemidbar:
Question:
In this week’s parsha the Torah discusses the order of an establishment of camps of the twelve tribes. What is the purpose of the details described here?
Answer.
As is known, the Jewish people are called "Tzivos Hashem". All Jews together deserve that presence of the Creator lives among them[389]. Thus, the unity of Jews connects their souls under the general spiritual root and Shechinah lives among us[390]. The revelation of Hashem was the greatest if the exact order of an arrangement of twelve tribes was kept. This order is discussed in many books[391]. It is impossible to describe everything in details, we will just mention a few general words.
As a whole, twelve tribes were divided into four groups and situated in four directions of the world[392]. As we mentioned before[393], the number four has a great significance, and is related to the four letters of the Name of the Creator and four kinds of Hanhagah of the world. In his vision, prophet Yechezkel[394] saw angels with four faces: of a lion, a bull, an eagle and a person. As you will see in the table below, symbols of the main tribes located in each direction (Yehudah, Reuben, Yoseph and Dan) correspond to these four faces. It’s also brought in Midrash[395] that the four main angels (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael) correspond to these four directions of the Jewish camps[396].
In general, the twelve tribes[397] correspond to 12 months of the year, 12 signs on the zodiac, 12 kinds of key actions; each tribe had a flag of a specific color with a picture. Detailed discussion this is beyond the limits of our commentary, we will only describe in brief, being based on the GR”A to Sefer Yetzirah (The book of creation, 5:3-9) and Rabeynu Bachye (Bemidbar 2:2).
|
Tribe |
Month |
The Sign of zodiac |
Action |
Color of the flag |
Picture on the flag: |
|
Yehudah |
Nisan |
Aries |
To speak |
Blue |
lion |
|
Issachar |
Iyar |
Bull |
To think |
Black |
The sun and the moon |
|
Reuben |
Sivan |
Gemini |
To look |
Red |
A person[398] |
|
Naftali |
Tamuz |
Cancer |
To go |
Violet |
deer |
|
Shimon |
Av |
Lion |
To listen |
Green |
City of |
|
Gad |
Elul |
Maiden |
To do by hands |
Black with white |
Camp |
|
Yoseph |
Tishre |
Scales |
To have relations |
Brightly black |
Bull[399] |
|
Levi |
Cheshvan |
Scorpion |
To smell |
White, black and red |
Urim and Tumim |
|
Binyamin |
Kislev |
Archer |
To sleep |
The mixture of all colors |
Wolf |
|
Dan |
Teves |
Capricorn |
To be angry |
Black as ink |
Eagle[400] |
|
Asher |
Shevat |
Aquarius |
To eat |
Light yellow |
olive tree |
|
Zevulun |
Adar |
Fishes |
To laugh |
White |
Ship |
For those who read our comments to the previous parshios, much in this table will be quite clear. You can also try to explain the correspondence between spiritual roots of each tribe, actions corresponding to them, their flags and months, when you read carefully Yakov's blessings to the children and Moshe’s blessing to the 12 tribes, but the detailed explanation is beyond our comments.
Parshas Naso.
Question.
In this Parsha we learn about the Birkas Kohanim – the Priestly blessing. Even though it has only 60 letters, numerous commentaries on various levels of interpretation were written to it. Can we understand at least the general structure of this brocha?
Answer:
As usual we will be brief just
touching upon the most fundamental concepts. We will first discuss the general
pattern of the blessings and then some of the concepts hinted by the letters
themselves. There are three verses in the Birkas Kohanim and each one contains
two blessings. Thus there are six general blessings: Yevarechecho – may Hashem
bless you; Viyishmirecho – and safeguard you; Yaer – May He shine His
countenance on you; Vichuneko – and be gracious to you; Yiso – may Hashem turn
to you; Shalom – and give you piece. They correspond to the Sefiros[401]
from Chesed to Yesod. The Birkas Kohanim finishes with: “They shell put My Name
on the children of
Thus, the six blessings of Kohanim together with the last statement correspond to the seven lower Sefiros, and appear in our many prayers in various ways. For example, we mention the same blessings in the last Brocha of Shmone Esre. We ask for Shalom, Tova, Brocha[402], Chen, Chesed and Rachamim. We also ask for the same brochos in the prayer Yale Vayavo recited on Rosh Chodesh and all holidays: Zachreinu Letova (Tova), Ufakdenu Livrocha (Brocha), Vehoshieinu Lechaim (Chaim), Chus (Chesed), Chanenu (Chen), Rachem Aleynu (Rachamim).
These blessings are also mentioned in a different way in the fourth chapter of Sefer Yetzurah (The book of Creation) and they are: Chochma (Wisdom); Chaim (Life); Osher (Richness); Memshala (Authority, Power); Zera (Seed, Children) and Shalom (Piece). They correspond to those letters of our alphabet that accept a “weak dagesh”[403]. We thus have the following arrangement[404]:
|
Birkas Kohanim: |
Last Brocha of Shmone Esre: |
Sefirah: |
Blessing in Sefer Yetzirah: |
|
Yevarechecho |
Brocha (blessing) |
Chesed |
Chochma (Wisdom) |
|
Viyishmirecho |
Chesed (kindness) |
Netzach |
Chaim (Life) |
|
Yaer |
Tova (goodness) |
Gevurah |
Osher (Richness) |
|
Vichuneko |
Chen (graciousness) |
Hod |
Memshala (Authority) |
|
Yiso |
Rachamim (compation) |
Tiferes |
Zera (Children) |
|
Shalom |
Shalom (piece) |
Yesod |
Shalom (Piece) |
Thus the first verse of Birkas Kohanim corresponds to the “right” side of Hanhaga (Sefiros Chesed and Netzach), the second – corresponds to the left (Gevurah and Hod), and the third – to the middle (Tiferes and Yesod). Indeed, Zohar Chadash (to this parsha) mentions that the Cohen should turn to the right when pronouncing the end of the first verse, and to the left when pronouncing the second verse. When the chazzan gets to Birkas Kohanim during the repetition of the Shmone Esre many people have a custom to answer: “for the merits of Avraham our forefather” on the first blessing, “for the merits of Yitzchak our forefather” – on the second anf “for the merits of Yakov our forefather” on the third[405]. This is also consistent with what we wrote above, for Avraham is indeed from the “right” side of Hanhaga, Yitzchak – from the “left” and Yakov – from the “middle”[406].
Now, the total number of letters
in Birkas Kohanim is 60[407].
The Mekubalim[408] write
that these letters corresponds to the “expansions[409]”
of the letters of our alphabet. The 22 letter alphabet “expands” to a sequence
of 60 letters. There are three Divine Names in the blessing of Kohanim, one in
each verse. Together with the three names containing 12 letters, there are 72[410]
letters. This corresponds to the remaining 5 letters of the alphabet that are
written differently in the end of a word (“Mem”, “Nun”, Tzadi”, “
In our longtime exile, the
prevalent custom of Ashkenazic Jews to only recite the Birkas Kohanim on
holidays. Various reasons were offered to explain this custom, but none of them
are fully satisfactory. Many great Rabbis wanted to change this custom and to
institute in their synagogues the recitation of this blessing every day.
However, they were not successful[414].
It seems that for some reason Hashem did not want to give us His full blessing
every day in our prolonged exile[415].
However, in the
Parshas Behaaloscha.
Question:
In this week’s Parsha we find a unique case when
passage of Torah is separated from the rest of it by unusual signs: two
inverted letters "Nun". What do these signs mean?
Answer.
In a sense, by means of
two overturned “Nuns”, the Torah divides the book Bemidbar into three parts -
up to this passage, the passage itself[417],
and what’s after it. Thus, all books of a Torah become not five but seven[418]!
This concept is hinted to in the book of Mishley (9:1). To make sense of such a
division we have to understand the general structure of the entire Torah.
The Vilna Gaon[419]
explains that the books of the Torah in general correspond seven lower Sefiros:
|
The book: |
Sefira: |
Translation of
Sefira: |
|
Bereyshis |
Chesed |
Kindness |
|
Shemos |
Gevurah |
Strength,
judgment |
|
Vayikra |
Tiferes |
Harmony |
|
3 parts Bemidbar |
Netzach -
Hod- Yesod |
Perseverance –
Splendor – Foundation |
|
Devarim |
Malchus |
Royalty |
In truth, Bereyshis is
a book of kindness of the Creator. The entire creation of the world was an altruistic
act. This book describes the lives of ours ancestors who enjoyed the Olam Haba
(Future World) while being in this world[420].
Shemos - the book of
our exile, sufferings, sins and punishments. In this book, the torment of
Egyptian slavery, the war with Amalek, the sin of the golden calf and the
punishment for it are described. Thus, this book corresponds to the Sefira of
judgment.
Vayikra - the book
mainly dealing with the precepts of Torah - it corresponds to Tiferes[421].
Bemidbar includes the
Sefiros Netzach, Hod and Yesod. These Sefiros function together. We discussed
more than once that in a human body, Sefiros Netzach and Hod correspond to the
two legs, and Yesod - the Foundation – corresponds to the organ circumcised on
the eighth day. The middle sentences (Vayehi Binsoa Haaron Vayomer Moshe …) -
has 85 letters, the Gematria (numerical value) of the word "Mila"
(circumcision).
At last, Devarim is a
projection of the entire Torah. Moshe summarizes our history till his time,
repeats the commandments of the Torah, predicts the history of our people till
the end of days, and at last blesses us. This book had begun at Moshe’s own
initiative but later Hashem commanded to include it in the Torah as a separate
book of Devarim[422].
Interestingly, the book
"Eicha" (Lamentations) has the same structure. It too consists of
five chapters, but the third chapter can be divided into three parts[423].
|
The chapter of
the book: |
Sefira: |
Translation of
the Sefira: |
|
1 |
Chesed |
Kindness |
|
2 |
Gevurah |
Strength,
judgment |
|
4 |
Tiferes |
Harmony |
|
3 parts of the
third chapter[424] |
Netzach - Hod-
Yesod |
Perseverance –
Splendor – Foundation |
|
5 |
Malchus |
Royalty |
The first chapter
corresponds to the destruction of the
The second chapter of
Eicha corresponds to the destruction of the
Three parts of the
third chapter correspond to the loss of three parts of Torah (written, oral and
secrets of the Torah - the Kabala). The fourth chapter corresponds to the end
of days and the war of Gog and Magog. At last, the fifth chapter corresponds to
the exile of Shechina (the Divine Presence). The Creator is also with us in our
exile. This last chapter, like Devarim – is a projection of the entire book.
Our sages teach, that
the passage "Vayehi Binsoa Haaron Vayomer Moshe …" is written here to
separate one punishment from another. Indeed, Sefiros Netzach and Hod are
related to punishment[428].
May we deserve to return to Hashem voluntarily and not through punishments, and
to soon see the long-awaited redemption!
Parshas Shelach.
Question
In this sad Parsha we learn about
the sin of the spies. The whole episode seems to be very unclear. Why did the
ten spies bring a bad report? What exactly was the lack of belief that caused
most of the nation to not want to enter the
Answer.
The sin of the spies might be one of the saddest episodes in our history[429]. This sin was never fully forgiven. The day after which the nation accepted the bad report, crying the entire night, became the saddest day in our calendar: the Ninth of Av. It is very important to understand the exact nature of the sin of the spies in order not to repeat it. It is certainly hard to imagine that their sin was simple lack of trust and belief. As usual in regards to the sins of the ancients[430], there had to be some element of “Leshem Shamaim” – “for the sake of heaven”[431] in them.
To gain a better understanding of what happened, we need to realize that Hashem’s Hanhaga (rule over the universe) also operates according to certain principles. In a way, there is a structure even for the way miracles are performed. Just like there physical laws, though not binding at all to the Creator Himself, but rather these are the rules that He Himself choose to operate through, so too there are spiritual laws. Even though Hashem could have ruled in a manner of no pattern, He willed instead to regulate the world according to a set of laws that He Himself created. One of the reasons for this decision is for us to be able to have at least some grasp to the spiritual Hanhaga. If this would not be done, then Hashem’s Will would be totally beyond our understanding. In truth, the Infinite Will of the Creator is indeed beyond our grasp, but He allows us to talk about finite parts of His Will which makes the connection possible between us, finite creatures and Himself – the Infinite Being[432]. Indeed the entire discussion in Kabala regarding Sefiros, Partzufim and Olamos has to do with learning about parts of Hashem’s Will[433]. The famous concept of “Tzimztum” – (constriction) has to do with Hashem “limiting” his infinite abilities and using only finite Will Power to create the universe in the way it was created.
Using these principles we can
begin to understand the mistake of the ten spies as well. Certainly the spies
had no doubt about what Hashem can do. However the question was not what
Hashem is able to do, but rather what He will actually do
according to the spiritual laws of Hanhaga. Is our nation on the correct
spiritual level to be able to wage battle on the spiritual front with the
Canaanite nations rooted very deeply in spiritual worlds[434]?
Are there righteous enough people to protect the inhabitants of
What these highly spiritually
sensitive people saw in the
Indeed the spies were making a
horrible mistake. Had we only entered the
As we all know the ten spies were punished with the attribute of strict justice. As we mentioned in Parshas Ki Sisa, Hashem’s judgment of great people is stricter, according to their level[443]. As for our nation, it suffered catastrophic consequences. Even Moshe was not able to secure for us a full forgiveness, but only softened the Divine decree. However our people accepted their punishment righteously. For the next 39 years they would voluntarily dig their own graves every Ninth of Av and went to sleep in them. The next morning some would not wake up.
Did our nation learn its’ lesson?
To answer this question we have to realize that for everything good there is an
opposite force as well. This force, the yetzer hara often uses the most logical
arguments and even presents a sin as a mitzvah. At times, even the episode of
this Parsha is used by it. When we study what our sages have to say about the
mitzvah of living in the
Our sages teach us that there is
a time when it’s a mitzvah for the Jewish people as a whole to reside in the
In the past century, the Zionist
movement tried to get all the Jewish people to immigrate to
Parshas Korach.
Question.
In this parsha we learn about the Korach's rebellion. Until this parsha Korach was only mentioned when genealogies of Leviim were described. In this parsha the Torah starts with: "And Korach took ...", and does not tell us a lot about Korach except for describing his ancestry. The Torah says very little about the causes of his rebellion and the claims Korach made. Who was Korach, what did he take, what were his motives and what was he trying to accomplish?
Answer.
As we described in the previous parsha and in other places in our commentary, when we read the Torah's descriptions of the sins of the people in those generations, we should assume that the sin was much milder, than it seems at first sight, and that the people involved thought they were acting for the sake of Heaven. The subject of Korach is particularly very complicated, and even with all our attempts we will only gain a slight understanding into the deep reasons for the actions of this great man.
Before we try to understand the background of Korach's dispute, we need to try to understand who Korach was. It is known that generally the people, whose descendants are very great, have themselves a very high potential, though it does not always get materialized. Regarding Korach, his children were some of the coauthors of the book of Psalms[456]. A later descendant of Korach was prophet Shmuel, who in some ways was compared to Moshe and Aharon! Knowing who the descendants of Korach are, we can start forming a picture of who he was. He was a very righteous[457] and learned man, respected by the leader of the people[458] and standing on a very high spiritual level, knowledgeable in Torah and in the secret wisdom of Kabala. He was a highly sensitive individual who had seen all the suffering that was decreed on the Jewish people after the episode of the spies. As it often happens, when our nation is being punished, the true cause of punishment can get misinterpreted[459]. Often the righteous leaders are blamed for not leading the nation properly and being responsible for the failures of the people[460].
It is quite logical that many people including Korach thought that one of the causes of our punishment was due to Moshe's unsuccessful leadership[461]. Maybe he should not have sent the spies[462], or possibly he chose the wrong people to be the spies[463]. So the ability of Moshe's choice of leaders must be lacking. We see that at least in the case of the spies he failed. How can we then know that the Nasiim (princes) were chosen by Moshe according to the Divine command? Just before the episode of the spies, the Nasi of sons of Kehat was chosen to be Elitzafan ben Uziel a cousin of Korach (Bemidbar 3:30). At that time Korach was very much surprised. How could Moshe choose Elitzafan, the son of the fourth son of Kehat rather than himself, the son of the second son? Korach knew that he was very talented and knowledgeable and just could not come in peace with himself that he would not be a Nasi[464]. But he kept his thoughts to himself[465]. Now however, after it seemed Moshe made a clear mistake in choosing the spies, Korach came back to his thoughts.
According to Midrash[466], Korach actually foresaw his great potential but made a mistake thinking it will be used by himself, while in truth it only came out in his descendant Shmuel. Korach’s spiritual root was from Gevurah, the left side of Hanhagah[467] and his soul was connected to Cain, son of Adam. In certain cases the “left” has an advantage over the “right” and indeed in the end of days Hashem’s Rule over the universe will be through the left side of Hahagah. At that time the Leviim coming from Gevurah will have advantage over the Cohanim that come from Chesed (kindness). Leviim would then switch roles with Cohanim and they will serve Hashem[468]. The full potential of Cain’s soul would then be revealed. However at the time Korach started his dispute Cohanim this was a tremendous destruction. This world can not withstand Hashem’s Hanhagah through judgment and the Gevurah has to be subservient to Chesed[469]. Now Korach “acquired” for himself the bad sparks of Cain’s soul and this is why the parsha starts with the words: “And Korach took[470]”.
As it often happens, once a
person starts falling, he can fall very low. Our sages state (Shabbos 104a):
“The one that wants to become unclean, a path is opened for him”. Once Korach
started proposing that some of Moshe’s actions are not done according to
Hashem’s command, a possibility opened to doubt everything Moshe does. This
could lead the people into accepting only those of the commandments that they
heard directory at
We often hear arguments similar to Korach’s today as well. However as opposed to today, during Hashem’s Hanhagah in the wilderness the punishment was swift in coming. Korach was swallowed by the Earth. The story of Korach teaches us how much we have to trust our righteous leaders, “the eyes of the congregation[473]”. There is a dispute in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 109b) regarding whether Korach will have a share in the World to Come. According to the majority opinion[474] he will. He is eagerly waiting for Moshiach’s coming more that almost anybody else, since this will end his suffering. And we will also hope and wait for the final redemption to come speedily in our day.
Parshas Chukas.
Question:
In this parsha we learn about
Moshe’s mistake and the tragic evens that followed. Moshe was told he would
have to die in the wilderness and would not be able to enter the
Answer:
As we discussed before, in general we can never understand to a full extent the mistakes and sins of the early generations. This is especially true regarding the error Moshe and Aharon made. As usual, the Torah uses a simple language to discuss very lofty concepts, while the exact nature of Moshe’s mistake remains purposefully hidden by the Torah. However, since Hashem did give us the Torah we are permitted to talk about what happened at least on the simplest level of understanding.
Many interpretations exist regarding the exact nature of the mistake Moshe made[475], but it is certainly true that he was punished so harshly only because of the Divine Rule of being very strict with the righteous. We can only begin to grasp what happened when we view the episode of this parsha in the context of what happened until now. The GR”A writes[476] that throughout his life Moshe made four mistakes. The first one that in a way led to all others was Moshe’s acceptance of the erev rav[477]. These people, numbering millions[478] and coming from the best of Egyptians, who witnessed together with the Jewish people Hashem’s great miracles, seemed to be ready to convert and join our nation. Moshe did not want to reject them, and since then Hashem held him responsible for everything they did.
As we previously mentioned the
Golden Calf was primarily an initiative of the erev rav. However, as it usually happens some of the
Jewish people got influenced as well[479].
Even though our nation achieved forgiveness after the episode of the Golden
Calf, we never regained our previous lofty spiritual level. The second mistake
Moshe made was in sending the spies to the
The mistake Moshe made was by not
telling the spies the words he would later say to the next generation about to
enter the
According to the GR"A, by
the time the fate of the generation was sealed to die in the wilderness, Moshe
would also not be able to enter the
Most of the Agados in the Talmud are hinting to Kabalistic ideas, but are written in this childish manner and become objects of scorn in the mouths of jesters in every generation. This brings tremendous suffering to Moshe and to Moshiach. About this Yeshiyahu was saying (53:5) "He is profaned because of our sins". The Chochmas Haemes, the true Torah of Moshe, is being hidden and despised while the Torah sages are detested and made fun of by the “leaders” coming from the erev rav[487]. We are promised that in the future the secrets of Torah will be revealed, but this will happen only in the end of days. And we will wait every day to see the fulfillment of the verse (Yeshiyahu 11:9): "The Earth will be full of knowledge of Hashem, as water covers the sea bed".
Parshas Balak.
Question:
In this parsha we learn about one of the wisest non-Jews of antiquity - Bilam, son of Beor. One the one hand this man seems to be described as one possessing prophetic talents, on the other hand he seems to be acting without any common sense, trying to "deceive" the Almighty! What was Bilam’s world view and how did it fit into his actions?
Answer:
Understanding the views of Bilam can actually help us in understanding the views of Lavan, Pharaoh, Sanheriv, Nebuchadnezzar and many other leaders and wise men of the nations of the world. Even though there were some differences between the beliefs of all these people, there was one common detail which all of them believed in. The axiom most of the ancients agreed upon[488] is that the Creator Himself is unapproachable and removed too far from this world[489]. This is why Pharaoh could not agree when Moshe said that Hashem Himself spoke to him. It was a very basic and accepted concept that it is only possible to communicate or worship lower powers like angels in charge of various forces of nature, or angels in charge of various nations. The Jewish people claimed that Hashem Himself is the only One to be worshiped, and the nations rejected this claim.
It is for this reason, that the
concept of “Elokey
In this respect it seems that Bilam was not different than the rest of the sages of antiquity[492]. Bilam's words can only be understood assuming he did not think that he had contact or that it is possible to have contact with the Creator of the universe. Even though he keeps mentioning Hashem’s Name, something that Pharaoh did not do, still had Bilam believed his prophesies[493] actually come from Hashem, there would be no way to explain his behavior.
When the first messengers were sent he told them to wait. This was not in order to get permission from Hashem to curse the Jewish people, but in order to see if G-d considers these messengers important enough to accompany Bilam[494]. This explains why Bilam kept asking Hashem a second time after new messengers were sent for him. Had Bilam known he is dealing with the Creator of the universe Himself there would be no point of asking a second time after getting a clear answer. As it usually happens, “the one that wants to become unclean, a path is opened for him[495]”. Hashem acted with Bilam in a manner that only strengthened his beliefs that He does not know everything and may actually change His mind[496]. Bilam did not think he is having a vision from the Creator Himself, and moreover he could not possibly imagine that the Hashem Himself can have a "chosen nation" that He loves and does not want to be cursed[497]. This explains why Bilam insisted on trying to curse the Jewish people and never gave up hoping until the very end.
Bilam realized the force guarding the Jewish nation is very powerful, but he thought that at certain times or under certain circumstances he may still be successful in bringing a curse on them[498]. He kept trying to find the faults of the Jewish people, “remind” Hashem of their sins, hoping this would arouse His wrath[499]. Even when leaving he gave an advise to Balak to try enticing the Jewish people into immorality, so that they will lose their special protection.
Many great visions were revealed through Bilam[500]. Bilam saw the Jewish nation conquering its’ enemies, the Jewish kings rising to power and as far into history as the coming of Moshiach in the end of days. Indeed our sages say that visions of Bilam are compared to only Moshe's[501]. Despite the fact that Bilam was given such a great prophetic spirit, and temporarily rose to such a high spiritual level, he did not use the opportunity. His hatred to the Jewish people did not diminish[502] and his fate was sealed. He was killed later by Pinchas and our sages teach us that he has no share in the World to Come[503]. More than three thousand years passed since that time, many of Bilam’s prophesies were fulfilled, and we will still wait every day for his last words to come true and for righteous Moshiach to appear[504]!
Parshas Pinchas.
Question.
In this parsha we learn about the reward of Pinchas. Hashem promises him a special covenant of piece. It is also known in many sources[505] that Pinchas is the same person as Eliyahu, a prophet mentioned in the book of Melachim. What was the covenant Pinchas earned and what does the statement “Pinchas is Eliyahu” mean?
Answer:
In the end of the last week's parsha we learned about the last advice of Bilam of how to entice the Jewish people[506]. One of the wisest men of antiquity gave an advice that was unheard of, in order to corrupt the Jewish people. Possibly for the first time in history, women were deliberately (and forcefully[507]) used in order to "fight" the enemy[508]. Unfortunately many Jewish men fell into their trap. At a later time, our sages would make many Rabbinical decrees to avoid closeness between Jews and non-Jews that may lead to assimilation[509]. At this time however, even the wine of non-Jews was still permitted, and therefore the Jewish people were easily caught.
The Jewish men would come to the market place in order to purchase materials at discounted prices, and when entering the tents of the women they had nothing but commerce in mind. However, after offering strong Moabite wine the lady showed closeness and started behaving indecently, and they would not be able to control themselves any longer[510]. Besides the sin of forbidden relations, the women were able to get the Jewish men to actually worship their idol - the Baal Peor. Its’ worship consisted of going to the bathroom in front of it, which most people did not consider it forbidden and thus ended up transgressing the prohibition of idolatry without fully realizing the impact of it[511].
Now, as it usually happens when the Jewish people sin, there are some misguided leaders who think of ways to "explain" their transgressions and even find a halachik base for it. Even though at times it may be justified, many times it causes even greater damage: now people think they are not doing anything forbidden and are will not try to repent. In the generation of the wilderness, Zimri, a leader from the tribe of Shimon decided to be the one to find an excuse for the people of his tribe who were more that anyone else affected by the Moabite trap. In a way his actions were "Leshem Shamaim[512]", and he even argued with Moshe publicly regarding the possible permission of formerly converting and marrying the Moabite and Midianite women. In order to show the validity of his halachik decision, he himself publicly took a Midianite princess into a tent.
At a time like this it was very difficult to know how to act. We were dealing with a unique situation when it’s a mitzvah to stop the transgression even at the cost of life of the sinner, but it is "Halacha, but we don't teach it[513]". The meaning of this statement is that a person who is jealous for Hashem's honor is allowed to kill the one who is publicly having relations with a non-Jewish woman, but if this person would come to the Rabbis and ask if he should do it, they do not suggest it. Indeed it's a very dangerous task, since in this case he is considered an attacker and the sinner can kill him to save his own life!
Even Moshe himself did not try to kill Zimri[514]. Pinchas was the one to take this task. Many miracles happened to him until he was able to complete the task successfully[515]. Even though his act seemed destructive[516], it actually saved the Jewish people. Pinchas became a very special person in our history. He is the example of a "kanai" the one who is jealous for the Divine Honor. As a reward Hashem established an eternal covenant with him.
One of the changes that happened to Pinchas himself was the change in his soul structure. It is known[517] that the soul of a person is not one entity, but rather is a composition of different parts. Throughout lifetime, the soul composition can actually change depending on a person's mitzvos or sins. At certain times a person may have "extra" souls attached only temporarily, while at other times they may permanently join him. According to Kabala, after his act Pinchas acquired the souls of Nadav and Avihu[518] (Aharon's sons that died when bringing Ketores, see Vayikra, 10) He also acquired two other souls[519] called Eliyahu. At a later time in his life, one of these souls became dominant and that's why he was referred to as Eliyahu from then on.
Eliyahu appears in the book of
Melachim (1:17:1) without any warning. Nothing is described regarding who this
man was, he is viewed as a semi-mystical figure living in a distant place and
only at times appearing among people. In that generation Eliyahu did almost the
same rectification as in the time of Moshe. This time the people of the
As we know Eliyahu never died but ascended to heaven alive[522]. What he does now is similar to what he was doing when he was still in this world. He appears in various situations and helps rectify the Jewish people. We are promised (Malachi 3:23) that he will announce the coming of Moshiach[523]. And we will wait for his announcement every day.
Parshas Matos.
Question.
In the beginning[524]
of this week's parsha two types of oaths are discussed: Shvuos and Nedarim.
Nedarim are actually types of special prohibitions or commitments based on the
idea of making something similar to a korban or
Answer:
Even though swearing existed in
all time periods in various cultures, Nedarim is a uniquely Jewish concept[525].
The concept of making a Neder is directly related to the laws of
Hashem gave us a way to make
other objects similar to
One of the main differences between regular swearing called Shvuah and a Neder is that Shvuos can not apply to something already permitted or forbidden by the Torah. For example, if one says: “I swear that during the coming Pesach Seder I will not eat matzah”, or “I swear that on the first day of Sukkos I will not pick up the four species (Lulav, Esrog, etc)” this is considered a vain oath and he still has fulfill those mitzvos he swore not to perform. Similarly, of he swears to eat a piece of pork, his oath is in vain, and he is still forbidden to eat it. Even if he does eat it, he did not rectify his vain oath, for he swore in vain immediately and it can not be rectified[527]. However, a Neder does apply to mitzvos as well. If he had made a Neder, by saying for instance: “Let matzah be for me like a korban”, the Neder applies and unless there will be a way to cancel it, he is not allowed to eat matzah on Pesach[528].
The books of Kabala discuss the spiritual reason behind this difference[529]. The word Shvuah in the Holy Tongue comes from the word “Seven” because it has to do with the seven lower Sefiros, and in particular with Malchus that receives the Spiritual Flow from the other Six. All our mitzvos in this world generally have to do with Tikunim (rectifications) in these Sefiros. However Neder[530] comes from Binah – the Sefirah above the lower Seven. This Sefirah (also called Teshuvah – repentance by early Mekubalim) can override the lower Seven. Indeed, this is the reason for the possibility of repenting and rectifying the already brought damage[531].
This explains the difference between the Neder and the Shvuah. Since the Shvuah is in the lower Seven Sefiros it can not override the mitzvos that are also there. The Neder however comes from higher worlds. This is why it can override the mitzvos in the same way the Teshuvah can override violation of mitzvos. May we deserve to return to Hashem in full repentance and speedily see the coming of Moshiach.
Parshas Massey.
Question:
In this parsha we learn about an incredible mitzvah: a Jew who accidentally killed another Jew has to run away to one of the cities of refuge and stay there until the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) dies. What is the significance of this commandment and what does it have to do with the Kohen Gadol?
Answer:
In this parsha we learn about the
command of separating six special "arei miklat" (cities of refuge) to
which an unintentional murderer must run away. The law of the inadvertent
murderer who has to go into exile was already mentioned very briefly in parshas
Mishpatim, but nothing was then said about the place to which he has to flee.
Later on, in parshas Vaeschanan, the Torah tells us that Moshe separated three
of the cities on the east side of the
Many questions are asked about the details of this commandment and it's difficult to discuss all of them. One of the points that this mitzvah touches on is the question of life and death in general as well as the question of freedom of choice and Divine Providence. It is certainly hard to imagine that one person would die because of somebody's negligence. On the other hand, if the person killed was supposed to die anyway, why does his murderer have to run away? In general was it is his fault, and did he have his freedom of choice or not when the accident happened?
Before we start our discussion let's ask one more question posed by Arizal. Why is the Torah telling us that if we listen to Hashem and our land will be larger, we will need to separate additional cities of refuge? It would seem that if we listen to Hashem we should deserve that there would be fewer murders, even unintentional ones! This question is especially appropriate given that these words of the Torah are talking about the end of days, during the times of Moshiach, for there was never before in our history a period when we had nine refuge cities. Why would we expect there to be many accidental deaths in the time of Moshiach?
To start answering these questions we need to first try to understand what is murder and what is death? Even though the commandment not to kill seems to be the most obvious of all commandments and it was accepted by all societies, still once we start probing it in depth things become not quite as obvious as they seemed at first sight. Let's ask ourselves a simple question: if we had ten people in front of us, and we knew that nine of them are the worst murderers who deserve to die but one is innocent, would we be allowed to kill all ten? The answer is: obviously not[532]. Well, how about a situation where 90% of the citizens of a country pose a terrible threat to society. Let's say we can prove that 90% of the people of that country are terrorists who don't hide their goal of worldwide destruction. Would we then be permitted to drop a bomb that would destroy the entire country? Most people would still say: no. How about if we start a war with this country? Every war causes "casualties". That meant when we are starting a war we know we will have to kill innocent civilians. There is no way to avoid this. We can try to minimize the numbers but there will be “accidental” deaths. In many cases the number of "good" people killed during the war may be far greater than the number of actual "war criminals" we are trying to catch and bring to trial!
Now if we keep approaching the war as any other "mass murder" then no war would be permitted to be waged. In general, this is not a Jewish approach[533]. There are times when war can be justified. This is true about the wars the Jewish people waged in the ancient times and true about some of the wars the non-Jewish nations wage today. Until the end of days war will remain a necessary "evil" to save ourselves from problems that are even worse[534]. One of the differences between war and murder is that during the war many people get killed but nobody is singled out to be killed.
In general, even during times of danger the Divine Providence operates. One may need more merits but whoever needs to be saved, will be saved[535]. However there are people that need to die and they die during various types of calamities brought to this world. War is only one of them and it's the one that may seem to have the most to do with freedom of choice of individual leaders choosing to wage the war. There exist many other catastrophes[536] like the recent tsunami. They do not depend on anybody’s free will and can take many people out of this world in a short time period.
The paradox of free will and Divine Providence is hinted by the Torah. When teaching the mitzvah of making a fence around one's roof, the Torah says (Devarim 22:8): "So that the one falling will not fall from there". Our sages[537] point out that the language of the Torah seems to imply that the person is supposed to fall anyway. Indeed this person is supposed to die, but we need to make protective measures so that his death will not be caused by our negligence! Similarly the one who is neglectful[538] and ends up killing somebody else deserves to be punished and has to flee.
For thousands of years the Jewish people were using another parable[539] about two people, one that committed a murder and the other that killed accidentally. There were no witnesses to either death, so the two seemed to remain unpunished. Hashem then brought the two together in the same hotel, and the second accidentally killed the first. Now the first got the punishment he deserved, and the second got the punishment he deserved, since this time there were witnesses and he had to flee[540].
Now death in itself is not always
as bad as it seems[541].
There are people whose rectification is to die in a certain way. In particular,
Arizal[542] writes
that people from the spiritual root of Hevel (Abel, son of Adam) need to die.
Indeed even though Cain was worse than Hevel, Hevel also had a sin for which he
had to die[543] and so
too the souls coming from his spiritual root. Throughout our long exile many of
the Jewish people died in various ways at the hands of the nations. The choice
of who will live and who will die was determined by Hashem's
Even though death can serve as a
rectification, it is still tragedy to everybody involved. Moreover, when our
nation is on a high level and especially when our leaders are very righteous,
they are often able to prevent the accidental deaths and achieve the needed
rectification through other means. In particular, the leader of the Jewish
people - the High Priest who serves in the
Parshas Devarim.
Question.
A careful reader can notice that the book of Devarim is somewhat different from the first four books of the Chumash. What are these differences and what is the general structure of this book?
Answer:
In general, the book of Devarim is a projection of the entire Torah[546]. It covers the last month and seven days of Moshe’s life. During this time, he chastised our people, reviewed the Torah’s commandments with them, predicted their future and, at the end he blessed them. Thus, the book[547] can naturally be divided into four[548] parts. The first three weekly readings have to do with the past. Moshe was reprimanding our nation for its sins. The next three Parshiyos are completely dedicated to mitzvos. The following three weekly portions deal with predictions of the future. The last Parsha is Moshe’s blessing of the twelve tribes, each according to its spiritual root. This general division corresponds perfectly to the general division of the Sefiros. The first nine Sefiros are also divided into three groups of three[549].
The Vilna Gaon wrote that these ten Parshiyos hint to what would happen throughout the last one thousand years of history[550]. This way, the last book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) predicts the history of the sixth millennia and every century is hinted to by one parsha. The Vilna Gaon[551] also explains that the spiritual root of the ten Torah portions of Devarim is in ten Sefiros[552] of the world of Asya. This is the lowest of the spiritual worlds and it is a projection of the worlds above it, just as the fifth book of Torah is a projection of the books before. Thus, to better understand the history of the ten centuries, we will be studying its’ spiritual root as well.
After this introduction, the general order of the book of Devarim becomes clear. The first three chapters have to do with the first three Sefiros, and they are mostly dedicated to our past history. Even though there are some mitzvos in VaEschanan and Ekev, these mitzvos mostly have to do with strengthening our Emuna – faith. The next three portions are completely dedicated to describing the detailed commandments of the Torah and correspond to the Sefiros that have to do with the present. We will later see that a tremendous rise of Torah learning happened in the period of time corresponding to these chapters. The following three Parshiyos describe the predictions of the future and correspond to the Sefiros that have to do with the future. In these chapters, our deviation from Torah is predicted, as well as our punishment and the return to Judaism – the Baaley Tshuva movement. At last, the blessings of the tribes correspond to Malchus – for this Sefira shows our readiness to receive the Divine blessing, and it is also the source of the Jewish souls. Let us now delve a bit further into each Parsha and its’ corresponding century. According to the Gaon’s arrangement we have the following correspondence:
|
Parsha |
Sefira |
Jewish years |
Secular years |
|
Devarim |
Keser |
5000-5100 |
1240-1340 |
|
Vaeschanan |
Chochma |
5100-5200 |
1340-1440 |
|
Ekev |
Bina |
5200-5300 |
1440-1540 |
|
Ree |
Chesed |
5300-5400 |
1540-1640 |
|
Shoftim |
Gevurah |
5400-5500 |
1640-1740 |
|
Ki Setze |
Tiferes |
5500-5600 |
1740-1840 |
|
Ki Savo |
Netzach |
5600-5700 |
1840-1940 |
|
Nitzavim-Vayelech |
Hod |
5700-5800 |
1940-2040 |
|
Haazinu |
Yesod |
5800-5900 |
2040-2140 |
|
VeZos HaBracha |
Malchus |
5900-6000 |
2140-2240 |
Parshas Devarim. This chapter is an introduction to the whole book. Just as Kabala teaches us, Keser is the Sefira that connects each world with the world above it. It is thus taught that the Malchus of the higher world becomes the Keser of the world below. Thus, this Parsha summarizes everything that happened until now and introduces us to what will be discussed in the book.
From a historical point of view, two fundamental books saw light in this century – the Tur and the Zohar. The author of the Tur, Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, summarized all the works of the Rishonim before him, producing a unique compendium which describes all the laws that apply to us. Centuries later, Rabbi Yosef Karo used this work as the basis for his Shulchan Aruch. Therefore, most of the halachic works we have today are completely based on the Shulchan Aruch and the Tur. Certainly, the Tur can be considered the root of all other works of halacha, corresponding perfectly to Sefiras Keser.
The Zohar was also rediscovered during this century. After being hidden for generations, it became the root of all subsequent writings of Kabala. Interestingly, the other principal Kabalistic writings of Ramban and his students were also composed in this century.
Parshas VaEschanan. In general, the sages of the past one thousand years are divided into Rishonim (early ones) and Acharonim (the last ones). Usually, the exile of Spanish Jewry is considered the splitting point. According to this, the Rishonim continued their activity in the time corresponding to the first three Sefiros. In general, all of the first three Sefiros are hidden and so is the activity of most sages of the time. Some of the known writings of this Parsha’s period include the Maharil’s compilation of our customs and his answers to halachic inquiries.
Parshas Ekev. This is the last of the Torah portions in the first group of three. In many ways, it is similar to the previous one just as Chochma is similar to Bina. It is known, that in every group of three Sefiros there is right, left and middle. The right side is that of kindness, while the left is of judgment. Thus, in this group, Bina is from the left side. Even so, the judgment that comes from this Sefira is not as severe as from Gevura and Hod, because this Sefira is included the first three, where in general there is much mercy.
This Parsha warns us that when we build nice houses and multiply our possessions we should not forget Hashem. If we forget about the Creator, we will be destroyed.
The most important historic event in this Parsha is the exile of Spanish Jews. The rabbis of the time wrote that this punishment came about due to the comfort in which our people lived. As opposed to German and French Jews who were accustomed to anti-Semitism, the Spanish Jews lived in a golden country. Their beautiful houses and their wealth caused the envy of their gentile neighbors, which encouraged their hostility. Interestingly, once faced with the choice of exile or conversion, the majority of Spanish Jews chose the latter. With the Spanish exile a whole chapter in Jewish history as well as the Divine rule through the first three Sefiros ended.
Parshas Ree. This is the first
chapter dealing with practical commandments. It corresponds to Sefiras Chesed –
the kindness of Hashem. In this period of time, both the teaching of open Torah
as well as the teaching of Kabala flourished. During this century, Rabbi Yosef
Karo wrote the main code of Jewish law and Rabbi Moshe Isserles added a gloss
to it. Also, at this time lived the greatest Kabalist – the Arizal. All later
writings of Kabala and Chassidus are based on his teachings. It is worth noting
that this weekly portion also deals with the laws applicable to the
Another interesting observation is that this weekly portion warns us not to listen to an idolatrous false prophet. Other laws of false prophets are discussed in the next Parsha as well. The false prophet mentioned here may be Nostradamus. This man, a descendent of Jewish converts to Christianity, still fascinates many Non-Jews by his “predictions”.
Parshas Shoftim. Here, the Torah continues discussing many commandments. This portion corresponds to Gevurah – the Sefira of Divine judgment. Thus, the name of this Parsha is Shoftim – judges. Regarding the study of the Torah, many major commentators on the Shulchan Aruch lived in this century. Concerning the books on Kabala, the most famous ones written in this period are from Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. His own life however was quite sad; he spent a long time in exile and died at young age. The tribulations of his life fully correspond to the attribute of this century.
Regarding the general history of our people, terrible tragedies happened in this time period, for whole Jewish communities were destroyed during the Chmelnitzky massacres.
Our weekly portion also discusses the false prophets. Indeed, one of the most famous false Messiahs in our history, Shabbatai Tzvi, lived during this time. The damage this man brought was certainly enormous. Most of our nation was fooled by him, and when he converted to Islam, many followed suit. Some of his followers continued to believe he is Moshiach even after his conversion. These people plagued our nation for a long time afterwards.
Another infamous person who lived during this century was Baruch Spinoza. At first glance, one might find it too far fetched to call this man a false prophet, however after some analysis this becomes quite plausible. It is known, that for centuries most of our people were religiously observant. Those who did not want to keep the commandments usually converted to other faiths, but the people who called themselves Jews always followed the Torah. Baruch Spinoza became a representative of a new phenomenon – that of the irreligious Jew. On the one hand, he did not formally convert to another faith. On the other hand, he abandoned the ancient traditions our nation faithfully preserved and invented his own “principles of faith”. Later, there would be many such people, but he was the first and therefore his blame is greater.
Parshas Ki Setze. More commandments are described in this Parsha than in any other, for this is the main portion of the Torah, corresponding to the Sefira of Tiferes. It is impossible to overestimate the development of Torah learning in this century. We will describe only a few of the leading sages.
The Vilna Gaon lived in this period. Interestingly, he found a hint to his name in this Parsha, in the words “Even Shleima”. He and his students wrote hundreds of books on all topics of open and hidden aspects of Torah. Afterwards, many more books were based on the Gaon’s writings. Thus, for example, the Chofetz Chaim based his main halachic decisions in Sefer Mishna Berura on the opinion of the Vilna Gaon.
Chassidus developed in this century. Most of the main leaders that put down the foundations of this movement lived in the one hundred years corresponding to this Parsha. Thus, the founder of Chassidus, the Baal Shem Tov, died 40 years into this century. Some of the major Rebbis that lived at this time include Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Lyadi (the founder of Chabad), Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (founder of Satmar and other dynasties) and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
Rabbi Yechezkel Landau (the Node BeYehuda), Rabbi Akiva Eiger and Rabbi Moshe Sofer (the Chasam Sofer) also lived in this century. The Chasam Sofer was able to establish a world famous yeshivah, where most of the prominent Hungarian rabbis learned.
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, the greatest student of the Vilna Gaon established the world famous Volozhin Yeshiva. This yeshivah served as a model for all subsequent Lithuanian yeshivas.
Regarding the great Sefardi rabbis,
two of the most famous ones lived during this century – the Chida and the
Rashash. The Chida (Rabbi Chaim Yosef
Parshas Ki Savo. It is important to mention here, that in the realm of Divine rule, the two Sefiros, Netzach and Hod, work together. Thus, for example, in the human body they correspond to the two legs. As opposed to the hands, each of which can function independently, the legs of a person are used jointly. Thus, the two weekly readings: Ki Savo and Nitzavim with Vayelech are joined into one complete whole, for Nitzavim is simply a continuation of Ki Savo, as we will see later.
Interestingly, the book of Zohar predicts tremendous scientific progress starting with the beginning of Ki Savo (year 5600, 1840 by the secular calendar). The Zohar claims this progress will prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach. Note, that according to Kabala, the Sefiros starting with Netzach are all connected directly to Malchus, thus, from the century of Netzach starts the preparation for Melech Hamoshiach – the kingship of Messiah. Interestingly, according to the writings of Arizal, the top of Malchus actually reaches up to the previous Sefira – Tiferes. This agrees with the traditions of the GR”A[553] and of Chasam Sofer[554], that the preparations for the coming of Moshiach already began in year 5500.
Even though Netzach is related to the right side, while Hod – to the left, the
influence of the two Sefiros is mixed as we mentioned. Thus, it is taught that
the end of Netzach is connected to Hod and judgment flows from it. While the
beginning of Ki Savo is quite happy, it ends with curses and punishments.
Nitzavim continues with more curses and then speaks about our coming back to
the observance of the commandments.
Now, the beginning of Ki Savo discusses
the new fruits that we will gather from the land given to us as eternal
inheritance. Interestingly, at this time period some settlements were founded
in the
Towards the middle of the Parsha, the Torah describes eleven curses for those who do not keep various commandments. The curses are concluded by the words: “Cursed is the man that will not uphold the words of this Torah”. The entire second half of the Parsha is devoted to the terrible curses that will befall our nation if we don’t observe the commandments. This portion of the Torah is read quietly – for these are the sad words of rebuke.
Speaking from historic
perspective, it is well known that the majority of the Jewish people abandoned
the observance of the commandments during this century. By the time of World
War II, most of our nation did not keep the mitzvahs. The fast momentum at
which the Jewish people were going astray was astonishing. Together with the
going away, the punishments started befalling us. On the saddest day of our
year – the Ninth of Av, World War I started. The Russian revolution, pogroms in
Parshas Nitzavim and Vayelech. Terrible curses continue being described in the
beginning of this Parsha. Such expressions as “Sulfur and salt burned all the
soil … like the destruction of
After the terrible curses are
described, the Torah predicts our return to Hashem and renewal of the
observance of the commandments. This passage
is speaking to our generation. In the previous generations some people left
traditional Judaism, and their descendants continued the downhill slide and
assimilated even further. The concept of return to Torah observance was
virtually unknown. In our day this is quite common. People who were born into
families with completely irreligious backgrounds have come back to Orthodox
Judaism and they often succeed in bringing their parents along with them.
Parshas Haazinu. This Parsha is called a small Torah, so as Yesod is the projection of the other Sefiros. Indeed the very commandment to write the Sefer Torah is learned from this Parsha. Based on the verses in this short Parsha, we can judge that the events will greatly speed up once we reach the next century. This weekly portion also contains a severe warning should we not listen to Hashem.
Parshas VeZos HaBracha. The blessings of the twelve Jewish tribes contained in
the Parsha correspond to Malchus, for this Sefira shows our readiness to
receive Divine blessing. It is this Sefira from which the Jewish souls descend.
It certainly seems that this weekly portion hints to the times of Moshiach,
corresponding perfectly to the kingship that this Sefira represents. However,
it is our belief that Moshiach could come in any generation if we deserve.
According to the Vilna Gaon[555],
Moshiach ben Yosef will come earlier if we are worthy. Just as Shaul ruled over
our people before
Parshas Vaeschanan.
Question:
In this parsha we read the well known passage of Shma, which we are commanded to recite twice daily. Many questions can be asked about this passage, but we will only ask to explain the second verse (Devarim 6:5): “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might”. What is the meaning of these three terms and what is the difference between them?
Answer.
Obviously even a cursory discussion of Shma would require a whole book. We decided to concentrate on just one verse since it seems to be the most difficult one to understand even on the level of Peshat (simple meaning). Three terms are mentioned in this verse: Levavcha (your heart), Nafshecha (your soul) and Meodecha (usually translated as your might). We will first discuss the basic meaning of these expressions of love that is required from us. This can also help us every time we recite Shma, so we can concentrate on what we are saying.
The Talmud[556] tells us that loving Hashem with one’s whole heart means serving Him with both[557] our yetzer hatov (good inclination) and yetzer hara (evil inclination). Right before this, the Talmud mentions that the righteous people are ruled by their yetzer hatov, the wicked – by their yetzer hara, while average people are ruled by both. The GR”A[558] explains that the righteous use even their physical desires only to serve Hashem. Thus even their partake of food, family relations and other ordinary activity is sanctified[559]. On the other hand the wicked people do everything through their yetzer hara. Even when they learn Torah, their main desire is to become famous or to show off or to find mistakes in other people’s teachings. When they give tzedakah, they do it only to become known as righteous and generous people[560]. At last, average people are “ruled” by both their yetzer hatov and their yetzer hara. Indeed we are required to strive to love and serve Hashem with all our hearts and with all our desires.
The second expression is: “with all your soul”. Our soul shell desire Hashem’s closeness more than anything else in the world. Our soul should be our main component that only uses the body to serve it. Then our thoughts and decisions will come from the soul[561] with which we are commanded to love Hashem[562].
The third expression used is Meodecha. This word is very hard to translate. Its’ closest grammatical root is the word “Meod” – which means “very”. We are required to love Hashem very very much, as much as possible with our whole being, might and with all our possessions[563]. Moreover, in this world Hashem may not always give us the things we wanted, He may punish us even though at times we may not understand why. Still we are required to love Him regardless which “Mida[564]” (quality) He uses in His Rule over us.
The Zohar (2:27a) teaches us that the three types of love described here are related to the qualities of our forefathers[565]. The love with one’s whole heart including the “right” and the “left” quality of the “heart” corresponds to Avraham and Yitzchak – the forefathers that represented “kindness” and “judgment”. Loving with one’s soul corresponds to Dovid, the author of Psalms. Indeed, the soul of Dovid and of his descendant, Melech Hamoshiach is a collective soul that includes our entire nation[566]. Loving with one’s might and possessions corresponds to Yakov[567], who gave us all his property for Hashem[568]. According to this, the correspondence of the qualities with which we are commanded to serve Hashem is as follows[569]:
|
Forefather: |
Sefirah |
Quality of love |
|
Avraham and Yitzchak[570] |
Chesed and Gevurah |
With both “sides” of one’s heart |
|
Yakov |
Tiferes |
With all of one’s might and possessions |
|
Dovid |
Malchus |
With one’s soul, even if one has to die |
May we deserve to truly love Hashem, becoming close to Him so that our souls will only desire to cling to the Living G-d and may we deserve to live till the times when Moshiach will come and this will become the aspiration of every living being!
Parshas Ekev.
Question:
In this parsha we read many verses that imply Hashem’s total control over our history and lives. We are told over and over that we will get Hashem’s blessing if we keep the commandments, and will be punished if we don’t. We should not think that it’s our power that brings us success, but realize that our achievements are due to Hashem (Devarim 8:17). There is however one verse in the book of Koheles (Ecclesiast 3:19) that seems to imply the opposite: “The same thing happens to man and to an animal, this one dies like that one dies … and there is no advantage of a man over an animal”. This puzzling verse seems to imply that Hashem’s Rule over the universe does not take individuals into account and the lives and deaths of people are governed by natural causes without any merits or sins being taken into account. How could this verse be explained?
Answer.
In parshas Ekev, a great emphasis
is made on describing how Hashem rules over our nation. Among the many verses
describing it, is also the second paragraph of Shma that we read twice daily.
The Torah starts with a preface (Devarim 11:12): “… Hashem is watching the
It may seem that King Shlomo, the wisest of men in his book of Koheles contradicts the above belief. Indeed this question is so bewildering that even the sages of the Zohar (3:157a) were puzzled by it. The statement in Koheles seems to be the most common claim of heretics[572]: “There is no Judge and no judgment[573]!” Throughout history similar statements were often made by even quite righteous people when they had personally witnessed suffering that seemed to be not justified in their eyes. Iov in his conversations with his friends claimed that the Divine Rule over people may be similar to that over animals, when Hashem is interested in preserving the specie, not in rewarding or punishing an individual member[574].
Before we discuss the meaning of the obscure verse in Koheles, we need to try understanding how Hashem’s Hashgacha (Rule over the universe) works in general. It is well known that Hashem has no limitations. His Hashgacha includes even the finest details. Indeed not a single grass can grow without the spiritual force on top of it[575]. On the other hand this Hashgacha is not primary[576]. Hashem is not “interested” in the inanimate nature, flora and animals, yet He needs to personally supervise each and every object He created and even a single atom in the universe needs to constantly be recreated[577] and supplied with energy to exist. Yet the only creature which is the center of Hashem’s attention is the Human Being. The animals live and die without merits or sins. It’s not sinful for the wolf to eat a lamb nor is the lamb being caught because of his sins. While the exact decision of which animals get caught every day by the predators is decided “on High[578]” this decision is only made by Hashem in order to preserve the general balance of animals or in some cases because a particular animal will come in direct contact with people, and therefore the Hashgacha on it stems from the Hashgacha on the people[579].
Now regarding the strange verse in Koheles, the Zohar tells us that Rabbi Chizkiya and Rabbi Yossa also did not know how to explain it. Once as they were walking in the wilderness[580] they met a man who solved their difficulty. He told them that the reason this question posed such a problem for them is because they spend all of their time away from general populace and they don’t even have an idea of how the simple people view the world. A sage of Torah is accustomed to look for Hashem’s Hashgacha in every step he takes. All the major and minor events of his life are messages from Hashem that need to be understood and interpreted. On the other hand the majority of people are like fish in the aquarium who get their food on time and think it’s through their efforts they were able to find it. They don’t see the Hand that throws them their provisions. They pay no attention to their Master. When one of the fish is removed from the aquarium, they think their “comrade” died. They don’t have any clue that everything is supervised from just outside of their fish tank. The verse of Koheles is just a quote of what these people are saying, as he in fact states (Koheles 3:18): “I said about the words of men who are being separated[581] by G-d, and they themselves are indeed like animals”. The people who Koheles is quoting here think like animals that have no understanding.
Our exile was due to our lack of recognizing Hashem’s guiding Hand, and we will come out of exile when we begin to admit that it’s only Hashem is in charge[582]. May we deserve that it happens soon.
Parshas Ree.
Question:
In this and the next parshios we read about the false prophets. This parsha mentions a “prophet” who incites us to worship the idols. Various incidents with false prophets are mentioned in the Tanach and many questions can be asked about prophesy in general and the possibility of false “prophesy” in particular. Does the “prophet” himself always know that his message in not from G-d? Why would Hashem allow the phenomenon of false “prophesy”. If the possibility of false prophesy exists then how can we distinguish the true prophet from the false one? At last, how do we know then that our whole Torah is true? If miracles and predictions can be made by people other then true prophets of Hashem, how can we trust anyone then?
Answer.
The discussion about the phenomenon of prophesy can certainly be very elaborate but we will try to be concise as usual. First and foremost, we need to realize that the possibility of sometimes predicting the nearby future certainly does not imply a true connection to Hashem Himself. Indeed, “people of spirit[583]” have always existed and still exist today. At certain times in history[584] when spirituality literally flows in the air[585], many people see visions and think they have reached prophetic state. This is not surprising at all since our souls are indeed found in spiritual realm and they may sense at times what is being projected and “announced” there. Moreover, even certain deviations from “nature[586]” that we call miracles can sometimes be achieved through various ways by people other then true prophets of Hashem.
Indeed, the Torah’s credibility
does not depend on being able to foretell the near future[587]
or perform certain miracles. However certain types of predictions and miracles
in the Torah are such that no nation ever experienced or will ever experience.
These are the global miracles and the global historical predictions having to
do with the distant future. In the beginning of our history our nation
numbering millions saw the miracles of Egyptian plagues, splitting of the sea,
revelation at Sinai, getting food from the sky and water from a rock. No nation
ever claimed or will ever claim that these types of miracles had happened to
their ancestors[588].
Indeed, it’s these miracles that our nation had experienced that form the basis
of our faith[589], and
that is why the Torah reiterates the Exodus from
Regarding the prophecies of Torah, they are also global in nature spanning throughout the entire history, different from the predictions of various sorcerers and false prophets[590]. Our nation has a history so vastly different from any other people, that even the non-Jews have noticed it. Indeed, the Jewish survival alone in the conditions of our exile is a tremendous miracle that makes many non-Jewish historians recognize the Hand of G-d. This would be impressive enough even without being predicted but in addition the details of our worldwide dispersion had been foretold by the Torah.
Even though the miracles during the Exodus from Egypt were unique and so are the prophesies of the Chumash, the Jewish prophets who lived for the next one thousand years after the Torah was given, did not have to perform global miracles. Their main function was the same as that of Rabbis and Rebbes today. They needed to bring the people close to Hashem and make sure the mitzvos are observed properly. Sometimes they were given the power to perform miracles, generally at the time this was needed. People get impressed when public miracles are performed, and the prophet may have used miracles to bring the people closer to Hashem. Sometimes some laws of Torah needed to be temporarily suspended, and therefore the prophet was given this general permission[591]. However he could not change any law of Torah forever, and he could not suspend the prohibition of idolatry even temporarily. Another function of the prophet was helping individuals achieve their potential. Many times a particular soul needs a specific rectification; a person may need to be extra careful about a precise mitzvah. The prophet could thus guide an individual in his way. A prophet could answer various questions from important ones, like telling people what to do during the time of war, to such minor questions as to where one’s lost object is[592].
Now regarding the phenomenon of false prophets, in many of cases these people were simple charlatans. However sometimes these were sincere people, looking for spirituality, especially at times when it seemed to be easy to achieve. When many true prophets walked on earth, many more people wanted to also “hear voices from above”. At times these people did not realize that their vision was not from Hashem[593] but fooled themselves to believe they saw a true vision. On top of that, even a formerly true prophet could go astray one day and become a false prophet or even a prophet of idolatry. After all, the freedom of choice exists till one’s last day on earth[594], and nobody is immune from the yetzer hara[595].
Now what the Torah expects from the Jewish people, who can not always distinguish between the true and the false prophet, is to listen to those people who have a reputation of being righteous and accurately predicted the future a few times. Once an individual has earned a reputation of the true prophet, we are not allowed to keep testing him but have to listen to him even when he temporarily suspends any laws except idolatry. The reason we listen to him is not because we are sure he is a true prophet, but because this is the mitzvah of the Torah. Similarly, we rely on two witnesses in most laws, even though we can’t know for sure that their testimony is true. However, if the prophet tries to permanently change any law of the Torah we can know for sure this is not a true prophet. Similarly, the “prophet” that incites us to worship idols even if he insists this is the Divine Will, can not be a true prophet. This is the “prophet” this parsha[596] is talking about and his punishment is death penalty. Even though the Torah tells us that Hashem is “testing” us, by allowing the false prophet to correctly predict the future or perform certain miracles, still the “prophet” himself is fully responsible for his actions. Indeed, he is supposed to know just as anybody else that Hashem could not possibly want us to worship idols and therefore he should have ignored any vision he had. Even to be able to temporarily suspend other laws one had to better be sure that his visions are truly prophetic. To become a true prophet usually took a lot of training[597] and effort and in most cases involved guidance from the previous generations of prophets[598]. Claiming to be a prophet is a tremendous responsibility[599] and when it is purposefully[600] done by the one who had not reached this lofty level, he incurs death penalty[601]. Regular dreams should generally be ignored and certainly no forbidden actions can be permitted or even monitory laws decided based on one’s visions[602].
May we deserve to speedily see prophesy restored when Moshiach comes and the whole Earth will be filled with knowledge of Hashem as water covers the seabed (Yeshiyahu 11:9).
Parshas Shoftim.
Question:
In this parsha we read about the Jewish king. In our day and age when most nations accepted democratic systems of government and even the few countries that still have monarchies generally do not give their kings much power the question of why the Torah seems to choose kingship to be the “ideal” government system is especially topical. Why does the Torah tell us to appoint the king and what was his purpose?
Answer.
Before we even start the discussion about the Jewish kings we need to realize that even the assumption that it is a mitzvah to appoint one is not necessarily agreed upon. In truth, there is an argument in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 20b) regarding the verses of the Torah that discuss the Jewish king. The Torah plainly says (Devarim 17:14): “When you come to the land that Hashem your G-d is giving you, you will inherit it and settle in it and you will say: I shell appoint a king over myself ... Then indeed you should appoint a king over yourself ...” The language of the Torah seems obscure. Is it trying to tell us that the monarchy is not the ideal system of government, but Hashem allows it if the people will demand it? Or is it trying to say that indeed there is a mitzvah to appoint a Jewish king at some point in our history? In fact both interpretations exist in the Talmud[603].
Some 400 years after we entered the land of Israel the Jewish people asked Shmuel, the greatest prophet of the time, that a king should be appointed (see Shmuel 1:8:5). We read that Shmuel was very upset at their request and kept warning them that the kingship they are asking will one day turn against them. Even when the first king Shaul was appointed, Shmuel made a startling ceremony that frightened the people. Many explanations are given regarding why Shmuel was so unhappy[604]. In any case, even if appointing the king is generally a mitzvah, the exact way they asked for it in that generation was inappropriate. Discarding the elderly righteous prophet who was leading them for all these years in favor of a king who “would judge them” was totally improper. Moreover, the people did not ask for a king to fulfill the mitzvah but rather for their own reasons to get the benefits of monarchy[605].
In general, a righteous king
empowered to rule over the nation can get the people to accomplish great
heights. In a democratic system of government, the leaders are generally afraid
of the people, for if they don’t follow the crowd, they may not get reelected[606].
Indeed in our day the presidents and prime ministers can hardly do anything to
improve the nation. On the other hand the righteous kings of
In the end of days we are promised restoration of Jewish monarchy. King Moshiach will be able to use his powers to bring our nation to full observance. There is a tradition that before the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid, there will be another leader, Moshiach ben Yosef[609], who will start the process of bringing our nation back. The GR”A[610] writes that just as Shaul’s dynasty preceded Dovid’s, so too the rule of Moshiach ben Yosef (also coming from Rachel, like King Shaul) will precede the rule of the descendant of Dovid. And we will wait for the fulfillment of this promise every day!
Parshas Ki Setze.
Question:
In this parsha we read about the Jewish army camp. The Torah tells us that the Jewish solders need to be especially careful to avoid any transgressions including the indecent thoughts and evil speech[611]. The camp itself has to be kept in a totally clean and neat condition. The Talmud[612] learns many laws from these verses and they apply to us today as well. If these commandments are applicable at all times, why are they mentioned in regards to an army camp in particular?
Answer.
It is known that often the Torah uses a more common example, not meant at all to exclude the general case[613]. The general situation in the army camp is often such that the soldiers are not very careful about the mitzvah observance[614]. Some of the reasons for this may be the fact that they are afraid they may die and therefore try to meanwhile enjoy this world as much as they can. Another possibility is that the enemy’s territory often seems like a place of easy gain (robbing, killing, raping etc). Even a righteous solder placed in such an environment can often be influenced by peer pressure and go astray. A group of solders busy in their free time discussing women and their personal experiences cause the one listening to be influenced for bad[615].
It is therefore crucial for the Torah to establish a Jewish army camp different from all other camps. It is given a special status of great holiness with Divine Presence being there[616]. The Torah emphasizes the importance of keeping the commandments there and some extra prohibitions and rules are set up that apply exclusively to it. The Torah tells us:
When you go
out to encamp against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.
If there is among you any man, who is not clean because of a nocturnal
emission, then he should go out of the camp and remain outside. Towards the
evening, he should immerse in water and when the sun is down, he can come into
the camp again. You should also have a place outside the camp, where you go out
to [the bathroom]. And you should have a spike among your weapons[617],
and when you will ease yourself outside, you should dig with it and cover your
excrement. For Hashem your G-d walks in the midst of your camp to save you, and
to give your enemies before you, therefore your camp should be holy that He
should not see any nakedness in you, and turn away from you. (Devarim 23:10-15)
Many commandments are learned
from these verses. Some apply only to the most holy places like the
It is known that in order to keep the balance of freedom of choice, the Creator decreed that the power of evil inclination should be directly proportional to the power of good. In the end of days even before the coming of Moshiach we are told that the generation will have access to comfort and enjoyment with abundance of physical pleasure[620]. In our day we benefit from the conveniences that can even be compared to what was promised when Moshiach comes[621]. Under such conditions it should be quite easy to keep the mitzvos. All the main reasons to drop observance seem to be gone. Throughout the ages, many Jews were forcefully converted or did so under presser and life threat. At times people did not keep the mitzvos properly because of financial reasons. In early American history, some Jews started working on Shabbos when they could not find a job that would allow them to take this day off. They saw their families on the verge of starvation and thought they had no choice.
These difficult times are gone. Today, an orthodox Jew can now work in almost any field. The discrimination in many countries is minimal or nonexistent. Even those who have no jobs are hardly living in poverty. Many of the American, Canadian, British and German Jews who are unemployed are receiving sufficient aid from the government that they can even afford cell phones and vacations. If there would not be enough power given to the “unclean side”, almost everybody would be already keeping the mitzvos. In order to keep the balance Hashem also gave a terrible power of persuasion to the strongest of all desires. With the invention of internet many righteous people got trapped and addicted to the worst filth that this world has to offer. Failed careers, broken families, sick people are just some of the results of only ten years of the internet penetrating our homes. Can we do anything to save ourselves from this leprosy? Obviously Hashem never sends a test that can not be overcome. There are methods that can help us and some of them are described in the appendix of this article[622]. The very fact that the power of persuasion for bad is so strong is the biggest indication that the times of Moshiach are drawing near[623]. And may we all withstand the test and deserve to live till the yetzer hara is removed and internet will become the tool for only spreading righteousness and true knowledge.
Appendix.
In general the main danger of unlimited access to internet lies in the fact that even a good person who absolutely didn’t plan to use his computer for anything forbidden by the Torah, can become a new person in a very short time. It usually starts with a mistake[624], but in the end he may begin to often break strict prohibitions or even become addicted[625] to unclean material[626], becoming “mumar lidvar echad” – a person who habitually breaks a particular prohibition[627].
Obviously the person who is not trying to do Tshuvah, nothing can help. In this case even disconnecting internet will not solve the problem, since there is plenty of similar materials in the neighborhood newspaper stand selling magazines. Our words of practical advice are directed to those who did not fall into the trap, but want to give themselves some extra protections, or those who have fallen before and specifically want to make extra fences around the prohibition in order not to fall again. What can be done is making internet no more dangerous than the existence of kiosks, bars, clubs, cinemas etc. These places generally do not affect 95% of orthodox Jews and most of us would even be ashamed to enter such places. Internet access can also be made relatively safe so that it would be almost impossible for a person to access forbidden sites.
The simplest and most accepted advice is to try not to use the computer unless somebody else is watching. Even if that person is not constantly looking over one's shoulders, but comes in and out without giving enough time to hide the screen, this is sufficient[628]. It is therefore preferable to install the computer in a room where there is more activity, with the screen facing the entrance. Another possibility is to install one of the programs that will track all the sites one visits, and have someone else choose the password to the log and check it regularly. Several such programs exist and some are free, including K9 web protection which can be downloaded from: http://www.k9webprotection.com/. Those who only need to access only a select list of sites, and are using Microsoft browser only, can simply use tools / internet options / content to have someone set up a password they don't know, and permit only the needed sites to be accesses without it. At last, some filters also exist, including free ones. None are 100% reliable but they are quite useful for most people who are hopefully not putting too much effort to fool themselves and the program they installed. One of the free programs is called Naomi and can be downloaded from http://www.radiance.m6.net/. It runs in the background, and if one tries to access a site it considers inappropriate, it kills the session right away. However, as we already mentioned, it’s not full proof and one cannot rely on it alone.
Obviously, as the programs and systems are getting more sophisticated, so are the filtering programs. We always need to stay on top of things in order to keep ourselves and our children away from the bottomless pit into which we may Chas Veshalom fall. And may Hashem help us in our work!
Parshas Kisavo.
Question:
In this parsha (27:12-26) we read
about the blessings and curses to be pronounced when our nation enters the
Answer.
The word “Amen” might be one of the most popular words today, and indeed it is of Biblical origin. It appears only in two passages of the Torah[631], the first time regarding the command of Sotah – a woman suspected of adultery[632], and in this parsha, where the word Amen is mentioned after each of the twelve[633] curses. The Jewish people would be standing on two mountains, and the Levites standing below would be reading twelve blessings and curses. On each blessing and curse, our nation had to answer “Amen”. It is thus clear that the word “Amen” signifies acceptance and agreement. We pronounce this word, often without thinking[634] dozens[635] of times every day. Let us now study this word’s deeper meaning[636].
The word “Amen” comes from the word “Emunah” – faith. The Talmud (Shabbos 119b) additionally tells us that “Amen” is the first letters of “Kel[637] Melech Neeman” – G-d is Trustworthy King. “Amen” can thus be related to both trust and hope. Indeed some commentators[638] conclude that different concentrations are required when answering “Amen”, depending on whether this is a blessing of thankfulness or also an appeal for something. However the GR”A[639] writes that when answering “Amen” on any blessing, we should always have the same concentration: “Let the Name of Hashem indeed be blessed[640]”!
According to Kabbalistic
writings, the word “Amen” signifies the unification of the two main Divine
Names, both having four letters[641]:
“Yud”-“Hei” with “Vav”-“Hei” and “Alef”-“Dalet”-“Nun”-“Yud”. The first one is
not to be pronounced outside of the
As it often happens, the greater is a mitzvah, the more it is ignored. Every day people miss the opportunity to answer “Amen” correctly, answering instead an orphaned “Amen” in wrong places, swallowing letters of “Amen” and not thinking at all about the brocha on which they answer[645]. Our sages teach us that when we answer Amen correctly the gates of Gan Eden will open before us[646]. The child gets his share in the world to come once he starts answering Amen[647]. May we deserve to answer Amen correctly and merit the long awaited redemption!
Parshas Nitzavim.
Question:
In this parsha we read about an additional covenant with Hashem, which the Jewish people were brought into, and a curse that would come upon those who would stray away from the Torah. Moshe cautioned about the grave consequences for an individual who may think there is nothing to be scared of. There is one obscure phrase in his warning: “And it should come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, and he blesses himself in his heart, saying, I will have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, resulting in ravah (satisfaction) being added to tzmeah (thirst)”. What is the meaning of the expression: adding satisfaction to thirst?
Answer.
It is known that not all commandments of the Torah are equally easy or difficult to keep[648] and not all prohibitions are equally attractive[649]. The greatest temptation that has been in existence after desire for idolatry was removed[650] is undoubtedly forbidden relations. However even among the forbidden relations some are far more desirable than others, while a few even seem repugnant to a normal person[651].
The Ramban[652] writes that the word “ravah” should be translated as the opposite of the word “tzmeah” (thirst). The Torah is thus saying that “ravah” (lack of desire) would be added to those things one is naturally thirsty for, meaning the undesirable prohibitions will be added to the desirable ones. A person who starts out by breaking those commandments for which he is “thirsty”, i.e. where the forbidden fruit seems very desirable, in the end will not be satisfied[653]. In his constant pursuit of pleasure he will ultimately end up doing even the most disgusting things that seemed completely unpleasant before. He would thus add those prohibitions for which he used to be “satisfied”, or had no desires for, to those prohibitions for which he was thirsty.
The true way to have a balanced life of enjoyment is to curb one’s desires and use this world’s pleasures carefully and with restraint. Overindulgence on the other hand, leads only to never-ending pursuit of pleasures and lack of any satisfaction[654]. May we all deserve to control our desires and use our energy in serving Hashem[655] so that we merit a speedy coming of Moshiach.
Parshas Vayelech.
Question:
This short parsha briefly predicts what would happen to our nation after Moshe’s death and hints to our history until the end of days. Hashem issues a number of warnings that because of our sins a great suffering would come upon us while He would hide His face from our nation. What is the meaning and purpose of suffering?
Answer.
It is known that even the bad predictions and punishments of the Torah are meant for our good. When Hashem sends us suffering it is done for our benefit[656]. Throughout our history the Jewish people often did not reach the great level expected from them. During such times, Hashem in His mercy hid His face[657] and many troubles would come upon our nation. Invariably we would then repent and return. Our sages thus state that suffering was the true good (tov meod) referred to in the beginning of creation[658]. This applies both to suffering on individual level and on national level during prosecutions. Suffering in this world can also purify us and prepare us for the existence in the afterlife[659]. The Talmud (Menachos 53b) compares our nation to olives. Just as olives give their oil when being crushed, so too the Jewish people show their true greatness during affliction and oppression.
One of the reasons behind the power of suffering is due to the fact that deep inside the Jewish people possess a very holy soul whose light only gets diminished because of physical temptations. Once the material gets weaker during periods of suffering, the spirituality begins to shine forth with greater light[660]. There is also a deeper spiritual reason for the power of the Jewish people to improve through suffering. The Talmud states (Yevamos 63a): “Punishment only comes to the world for the sake of the Jewish people[661]”. Our sages teach[662] that the idolatrous nations generally do not accept suffering. Their worship of deities they chose for themselves depends on hoping to receive benefits. During suffering they start cursing their “gods”. On the other hand the Jewish people accept suffering and thank Hashem for it[663]. The reason for this has to do with the structure in the spiritual worlds. As we discussed many times, our nation is compared to the wife of Hashem[664]. The root of all Jewish souls is connected to the Holiness of the Creator, for the arrangement of Sefiros used to bring Divine Flow (the masculine aspect) is united with the Sefira of Malchus showing our nation’s readiness to receive. The collective Jewish soul constantly chastises us in order to bring our improvement, but it only brings our merits before Hashem[665]. When the Jewish people suffer, they start repenting of their misdeeds and their love for the Creator grows.
On the other hand, there is no unification between the masculine and feminine aspects in the unclean worlds. The feminine part[666] (nukva desitra achra) entices people to sin, while the masculine part (Satan) acts as an accuser. Since the two are not united[667], the accusation and “love[668]” don’t coexist. The nations coming from this spiritual root thus only get angrier and curse during times of punishment.
Throughout history our nation fell and rose many times. In this century we experienced a fall that could hardly be compared to anything before, yet we are rising from it as well. The terrible unprecedented suffering of the Jewish people during the World War 2 caused the movement of Teshuvah to start. Indeed the Torah predicts (Devarim, 30) that after the terrible suffering we will start coming back. Hashem will then renew His covenant with us and will be with us. May we deserve to do perfect Teshuvah without the need for further suffering and see the fulfillment of these predictions.
Parshas Haazinu.
Question:
In this short parsha Moshe presents a prophetic song to the Jewish people. This song briefly predicts our entire history[669] and we are commanded to write it down[670] and teach it to our children. In his introduction, Moshe mentions (Devarim 32:3): “When I proclaim Hashem’s Teaching[671], give praise to our G-d.” The Talmud (Brochos 21a) learns from this statement that we are supposed to thank Hashem for giving us the Torah[672]! Thus, special blessings were instituted to be recited before learning[673]. What is the meaning of these blessings?
Answer:
In general two types[674] of blessings were instituted to be recited before learning Torah. The first one mentions mainly the mitzvah of learning, while in the second one we thank Hashem for giving us the Torah. Indeed, our holy sages wanted to include in the blessings of Torah both ideas[675] since the learning of Torah is both a mitzvah and a pleasure[676].
Delving deeper into this subject we can note that our sages commanded us to recite only the second of the blessings when Torah is being read in a congregation. It thus seems[677] that the second brocha primarily corresponds to the Written Torah. On the other hand, the first brocha that implies busying[678] ourselves with Torah fits the learning of the Talmud and other parts of Oral Law. It is the Oral Law that occupies a person with pilpul[679] – trying to resolve the difficulties and contradictions[680].
As we mentioned before[681] the Oral Law and the Written Torah enjoy a very deep relationship which is compared to the Earth and the Heavens, and to the Wife and the Husband[682]. In some ways the husband has a better position than his wife and in some ways the wife has an advantage for everything depends on a woman[683]. In truth they work together as a unit each one having a special role[684]. Similarly, the written Torah in many ways is the most wondrous possession we have with every words and letter containing myriads of hints and secrets[685]. Still it is the Talmud through which our covenant with Hashem is sealed, and the words of our Rabbis that are most precious[686]. The Oral depends on our nation while the written Torah is unchanging, and being copied letter by letter. The relationship between the two Torahs is thus similar to the relationship between us and Hashem, ultimately characterized by a statement in Shir Hashirim (5:2): “You are my twin” meaning: “You are not greater than me and I am not greater than you[687]”. May we deserve to study and understand the Holy Torah and live till the coming of Moshiach, when the true greatness of our Torah will begin to get revealed[688].
Parshas Vezos Habracha.
Question:
In this parsha we read about the blessings of the twelve tribes. In the blessing of Reuben Moshe says: “Let Reuben live and not die …” This statement is quite puzzling but even more surprising is the Targum[689]: “Let Reuben live and not die a second death”. What is the meaning of the second death?
Answer:
Obviously many levels of interpretation are possible but we will only concentrate on the words of Mekubalim regarding the “second” death mentioned here. One of the deepest mysteries is hinted in this statement for this is one of few places where Chazal hint to the concept of gilgul[690]. Today this concept had become quite well known and even in our sidurim we find references to it, like a statement that we forgive everyone who did anything bad to us whether it happened in this gilgul or in another one. However throughout ages the concept of gilgulim was carefully hidden and not discussed except through hints[691].
Before we start the discussion regarding ten of the sons of Yakov let’s describe some general principles. The basis of the extremely complicated system of Divine reward and punishment is the fact that a person can come to this world more than once[692]. Everything is clearly measured, carefully considered based on the previous lives of an individual. Besides the possibility for a soul to be born again in this world, it can also join an existing person temporarily. This may happen when someone does a rare mitzvah and a particular soul that never had a chance to fulfill it needs to join. It may also happen when a certain soul needs to participate in suffering according to the decree of Devine Justice.
To understand the rectification
of the ten sons of Yakov, we need to understand the well known Midrashim[693]
dealing with the “Aseres Harugei Malchus” (ten sages killed by Roman
government). We are told that after the sale of Yosef, the Accusation always
remained before Hashem’s
We can now discuss the hint of Moshe’s blessing to Reuben. “Let Reuben live and not die a second death”, meaning the soul of Reuben will not need a similar atonement like the rest of the brothers. Reuben’s soul joined Rabbi Eliezer Hagadol[698], one of the greatest students of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai. The Talmud (Avoda Zara 16b) tells us during the Roman persecutions Rabbi Eliezer was caught and thrown in a pit. However on his trial the judge misunderstood his response to accusations and let him go[699]. The soul of Reuben thus received a fair punishment. He was thrown into a pit just as he suggested to throw Yosef into a pit[700].
The judgment of Hashem is very precise and fair. People come and go but the accounts are not settled and they have to come back[701]. In the end everything has to be compensated. May we deserve to rectify all our previous transgressions and clear all our balances and live till the coming of Moshiach.
Appendix.
A short commentary to the beginning of Shulchan Aruch.
It’s known that the first paragraph of every book is generally an introduction and a summary of the whole book. At times even the first sentence or just the first word summarizes the entire book, as for example the first sentence of Torah is the Klal (general summary) of the entire Torah and the first word “Bereishis” is Klal of Klalim (GR”A on the fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniuta, see appendix.)
Apparently our sages also followed this rule. They usually tried to make the first Mishna of a tractate to be the fundamental principal of the entire tractate. This tradition continued so that even the books written by Acharonim (the latest sages) usually start with the summary of the entire book. The most fundamental book of Jewish law is, without doubt, the Shulchan Aruch. Thus, by understanding the first law of the Shulchan Aruch, we can in a way understand the entire foundation of keeping the commandments.
The two authors of the Shulchan Aruch describe to us in the very beginning the most desired character traits needed in order to serve the Creator! Interestingly enough, they start with character traits rather than the practical Halachos. The reason is known in the writings of other sages, (GR”A on Mishley 22:5, R. Chaim Vital, see appendix) that the qualities are even more important than the rest of the mitzvos. Without good character traits, one is not able to keep the mitzvos.
The two qualities that are stated as essential by the authors of the Shulchan Aruch are taken from the four qualities declared fundamental by the Tur, based on a mishna in Pirkey Avos (Ethics from Fathers) [5:24]: Yehudah Ben Teyma said: "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven." The Shulchan Aruch mentions the importance of starting the day with zerizus: “One has to get up from bed with the strength of a lion”. The REM”A adds the importance of being bold when it comes to serving the Creator in front of those who make fun of us. Let us first discuss the general order of the four qualities in Tur and then we will say a few words about two of these four qualities that the Shulchan Aruch mentioned.
The GR”A writes in his commentary
to Mishley 18:10 that these four qualities are hinted in this verse: מִגְדַּל
עׂז שֵׁם יי
בּוֹ יָרוּץ
צַדִּיק וְנִשְּׂגָּב
– “migdal oz shem Hashem bo yarutz tzadik venisgav” – Tower of might of the name of Hashem, in it will run the
righteous and be strengthened. Migdal (high tower) corresponds to being
as light as an eagle, Oz – to be bold as a leopard (the word עז bold comes from the
same root), Yarutz (will run) corresponds to being as swift as a deer
and Nisgav (strong) corresponds to being as strong as a lion. All four
qualities are actually hinted by the four letters of Divine Name, that is why
the verse states that “shem Hashem”, the name of Hashem, hints to these four
qualities. The first letter of the Divine name corresponds to the positive
commandments – the actions the Torah commands as to do, the second letter corresponds
to the negative commands – what the Torah tells us to abstain from doing. This
is called the left side – the side of judgment. The third letter corresponds to
learning Torah, and the fourth to Tefillah – prayer. There is also
another amazing correspondence: The four books of the Tur and of the
Shulchan Aruch seem to also correspond to these four character traits. We thus
have the following correlation[702]:
|
Action: |
Word in the posuk: |
Letter of the Name: |
Quality: |
Tur: |
|
Positive Commands |
Yarutz |
Yod |
swift as a deer |
Orach Chaim |
|
Negative Commands |
Nisgav |
Hey |
strong as a lion |
Choshen Mishpat |
|
Torah |
Oz |
Vav |
bold as a leopard |
Yore Deah |
|
Tefillah |
Migdal |
Hey |
light as an eagle |
Even Haezer |
Note
how perfect this correspondence is: Orach Chaim (the way of life) is the first
part of the Shulchan Aruch. It contains the laws that are most applicable to
our every day actions. Most of it is full of positive commands! Choshen Mishpat
is the portion that deals with financial laws and avoiding damages. This has to
do with the left side, hence the word Mishpat – judgment.) Yore Deah includes
most diverse laws; this is the part studied by those who want to receive Smicha
and become rabbis, hence the word Deah – understanding. This part certainly
corresponds to Torah learning. At last, Even Haezer – the laws relating to
marriage. It is known that the last letter of the Divine name corresponds to
the Sefirah of Malchus which relates to the feminine aspect. Note also, that
the woman has always been a symbol of spontaneous prayer.
We
would like to end now by noting why (in our opinion) the authors of the
Shulchan Aruch chose the second and the third qualities as the main ones to be
mentioned in the first law. It is known our actions at the start of the day
determine how well the day goes. The yetzer hara (evil inclination) in the
morning tempts us to stay in bed just a little longer. Often, the one who does
not get up on time misses the proper time to read the morning Shema, thus
losing an opportunity to fulfill a fundamental Torah commandment. He may also
miss the opportunity to pray all of the morning prayers with the congregation.
A day with such a start usually has little accomplishment. Thus, the one who
will be strong as a lion to get up in the morning has a good chance of
serving the Creator for the rest of the day in the best possible manner.
The
REM”A mentions the third quality since this is the quality needed to overcome
peer pressure. One always gets influenced by his surroundings (RAMBA”M: Deos
6:1). In many instances the people that surround us make fun of our wish to
serve the Creator. To overcome this, we need the quality of boldness. In
general, boldness is considered to not be a positive quality and it is not to
be desired, as the same mishna in Pirkey Avos continues: a bold person will be
sent to Gehinom. However, when standing up against the multitudes and
overcoming peer pressure, we do need to use the quality of boldness, like a
leopard – a small animal with enormous audacity.
[1] To be more exact, the highest of the skies corresponds to Bina (which includes all lower seven Sefiros) while Netzach and Hod are counted together, (just as two legs to which they correspond) can’t work one without the other, see also Afikey Yam - the commentary on Agada from Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver, Chagiga 12b). See further our words on parshas Chaye Sara and Devarim .
[2] This is the translation of Tosafos, but Rashi translates the opposite way.
[3] The exact nature of this phenomenon has been studied until recently and the scientists changed their mind a few times regarding the precise cause why the sky looks blue.
[5] GR”A on Yaale Veyavo, printed in the beginning of the third volume of Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim. See also GR”A on Sefer Yetzirah 4:15; GR”A on Chumash Bereishis; GR”A on Zohar (Yahel Ohr) – likut printed after the book of Shemos; GR”A on Agados Brochos 57a, GR”A on Sifra Detzniousa – Perek 1.
[6] Some say Yisro first tried to dissuade Pharaoh from harming the Jews. When he saw that this may cost him his life he ran away (Etz Yosef on Sanhedrin 106a). Others explain that Yisro avoided giving any advice since he did not think he will be heeded to but ran away in order not to take part in the evil that’s being perpetrated (see Daas Zkenim Mibaaley Tosafos, Shemos 1:10, see also Iun Yakov on Sotah 11a). See also Etz Hadaas Tov, parshas Yisro and Yafes Toar on Shemos Raba, Yisro 27:3 for a third explanation.
[7] According to the Zohar (2:33a), Iyov actually advised Pharaoh not to kill the Jews but to take away their property and subjugate them. His punishment therefore was measure for measure.
[8] The
entire calculation is brought from Seder Olam, second chapter. The Torah states
that Yosef was thirty when becoming second to the king. After seven years of
plenty and two years of hunger, Yakov descended to
[9] The first 11 children of Yakov were born one after another during a period of 7 years. Yosef was born in the end of the period, while Levi, the third son, was therefore born after two years, and was thus 5 years older than Yosef.
[10] Usually pronounced “KEL” in conversations, since we don’t pronounce any of the Divine names as written, except during prayer or Torah reading, while the main Divine name (YHVH) is not pronounced as written even during prayer.
[12] Cyrus actually made an official statement that the God of Heaven gave the entire [civilized] world to him and he therefore lets the Jewish people go back to their land. (see Ezra 1:1-3, Divrey Hayamim 2:36:22-23). In fact, Cyrus was predicted more than a century ago by prophet Isaiah (45:1) and this prophesy was so well known in our nation that it was even familiar to non-Jews, and so when Cyrus came to power, he had no doubt that this prediction was about him, and that he has to let the Jewish people go (see also Malbim, Ezra 1:1-2).
[13]
The reason for the mistake was that Daniel counted the seventy years from the
beginning of Babylonian rule, while it should have been counted from the time
of their conquest of
[14] According to Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Haksav Vehakabala the word “Lasuach” means walking between trees (Sichim), or even plating trees. Our sages say that the word hints to prayer, and so it comes from the word “Sicha” – conversation. At any rate, the word “prayer” is not openly mentioned in this verse.
[15] In general, our sages had a tradition that these specific words of these verses refer to prayer, based on a method called “Gezeira Shava” i.e. the meaning of these words is learned from other verses that use the same expression. However, as usual, these teachings have a much greater significance, as we will discuss.
[16] Interestingly, this had to do with the mistake of Yakov’s children in selling Yosef. They thought that Yosef wants to be the only true descendant of Yakov. Just as Avraham had Yishmoel and other children who were not included in the Jewish people; just as Yitzchak had Eisav who was rejected from the covenant; so too, they thought, Yosef was planning to take over, and reject them from the chosen family. The dreams of Yosef only supported this hypothesis, so they judged him as a usurper who was after their very existence, and as such they thought they had a right to act first and get rid of him.
[17] The soul of Moshe is even more exceptional and his prophesy was greater and clearer than of any other prophet, as the Torah testifies (Devarim, 34:10, see also Yevamos 49b, GR”A on Zohar, Yahel Ohr 2:248a). However, since he was on a different level, his rectification is not discussed here.
[18] There are other “fours” that parallel this correspondence: four Shabbos meals (as printed in the Siddurim) – three Shabbos meals associated with the three forefathers, and one after Shabbos, corresponding to Dovid; four cups of wine on Pesach Seder (Zohar Chadash, Ki Sisa), etc. However, we will only be discussing the above correlations for now, (for further discussion, see GR”A on Shir Hashirim, Derech Sod 1:1 , GR”A to Agados Brochos, 54b, GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Bemidbar, 23:24, 5th version).
[19] This is one of the reasons that the Torah was given on the “third” month, whose sign is “twins” – it includes the month of Nisan (kindness) and Iyar (judgment). Similarly, the words “Ki Tov” – it was good, are repeated twice on the “third” day of creation.
[20]
Note also, that the four organs of senses in our heads (eyes, ears, nose and
mouth) are rooted in these four types of Hanhaga. For this reason, after
Shabbos is over, we need to rectify all four of them, to keep some of the
holiness for the coming week. We make 4 brochos during Havdalah – on tasting,
on smelling, on seeing, and the Havdala itself (on hearing) since this is the
main brocha to hear. Whoever did not hear this brocha did not fulfill the
obligation. Note, also that the first four sons of Yakov also included this
general rectification. The name Reuben comes from seeing; Shimon – from
hearing; Levi would in the future bring
[21] Both were promised the fatness of the land and the dew of Heaven.
[22] A famous question is then asked regarding the freedom of choice of Eisav. As we mentioned in Parshas Lech Lecha, in many cases the prophecies are revealed in an obscure way, so as not to interfere with the freedom of choice. Here too, if Eisav would choose to be good, he could actually “serve” Yakov by helping him learn the Torah, providing for him and protecting him. In fact, Eisav would then stay as part of the chosen nation (Ramchal in the second part of Kinas Hashem Tzeva-os explains this in depth starting with Maamar: Inyan Eisav, in the standard edition of Ginzey Ramchal it’s on page 111). Eisav would marry Leah, Yakov would marry Rochel, and each one would do his rectification. The prophecy of Rivka would be fulfilled with “the sons going in different directions” – i.e. one working on the material world, protecting the other, who learns Torah (like the later partnership of Yissachar and Zevulun, see Talmud Sotah 21a; Bereishis Raba 99:8). However, once Eisav did not fulfill his potential, Yakov had to work on both fronts, he married both Leah and Rochel and also got an additional name – Yisroel.
[23] The
service in the
[24] We similarly find that Yakov did not know that his sons sold Yosef, as we will discuss when we get to Parshas Vayeishev.
[26] At a later time Yakov will get more experience in deceit when he will have to deal with Lavan the swindler, (see also Talmud, Megillah 13b).
[28] Shlucho Shel Adam Kamoso – a messenger of a person is like himself (Talmud Chagiga 10b and in many other places). According to Rashi (27:36), as soon as Yitzchak found out that Yakov bought the birthright from Eisav, he was no longer worried and understood that the blessing came to the one that was supposed to receive it.
[29] In the body of a tzadik, even these organs are holy and purified, for the righteous serve Hashem even with their Yetzer Hara. However, by average people, some internal organs are projections from the worlds of holiness, while these three are projections of the Sitra Achara – the impure worlds given to Satan’s domain and there is a constant “battle” between the different organs of the body (see for instance Midrash Haneelam in Zohar 1:138b).
[31]
[32] In a different verse (30:39) they are described as Akudim, Nekudim and Teluim (ringed, spotted and streaked).
[33] Like in the famous parable of the Chida: the king wanted to bring precious diamonds from one place to another and hid them under mud and dirt, so as not to attract robbers. So too, the Creator hid the deep secrets under the most uninteresting stories, this way hiding the secrets from the undeserving, (see the GR”A on Zohar 254b)
[34] With the recent discovery of Torah codes, based on the findings of Rabbeinu Weissmandel, we can see at least one way in which the Torah predicts and accounts for all lives for all generations, (see GR”A on fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniusa).
[35] see also Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Pischai Shaarim, Netiv Shbiras Hakeilim, 7.
[36] See also Harav Menachem Mendel of Shklov, Biurim to Mishnas Chasidim, page 108; Aravey Nachal, Parshas Nitzavim; Agra Dekola, pages 138a and 141a; Meor Einaim, Parshas Vaetze; Kol Mevaser on this Parsha; Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh 28:5.
[37] See for instance Arizal, Shaar Hagilgulim, the third introduction and Shaar Hapesukim, Bereishis, based on Midrash (Shemos Raba 40:3 and Tanchuma Ki Sisa 12).
[42] Our sages (Bereishis Raba 12:9) teach (Bereishis 2:4) “Behibaram” (when created) is the same letters as “Beavraham” – for the sake of Avraham, the world was created.
[43] See Rashi on Bereishis 15:15 quoting Midrashim of our sages.
[44] See also Ramban on Iyov 33:19. Note, that in Parshas Lech Lecha we described the cause of Iyov’s suffering for he kept quite when Bilaam suggested oppressing the Jewish people. However, for that alone he would not have gotten such a terrible punishment. This is one of the ways of Divine Hanhaga – for minor sins in this gilgul, one brings a punishment which then includes the retribution for the major sins in the previous gilgulim. This is hinted in the verse (Daniel 9:16) “For [we are suffering] because of our chataeinu (minor sins) and the avonos (major sins) of our fathers (meaning ourselves in the previous gilgulim”.
[46] This is why the Torah often seems to be describing so many details about the exact lives of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov.
[47] Using this principle, many obscure passages in Tanach can be explained.
[48]
We will bring just a few examples. Avraham's first stop as he entered the
In general, the three
forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov all went into exile. Their three exiles
hinted to our three exiles: to
During Yakov’s sojourn with Lavan, many other hints regarding the Egyptian exile were revealed. Yakov came with nothing but left very rich, while Lavan became impoverished. Yakov’s wealth was due to working with sticks to influence the birth patterns of the flock (regarding the hints of the sticks look in our commentary to the previous parsha). Similarly, the Jewish people descended during the famine, and came out rich, taking away all Egyptian wealth, as mandated by Hashem. The wealth the Jewish people acquired was due to the stick used by Moshe to punish the Egyptians. Lavan only found out about Yakov’s leaving three days later, and he reached him on the seventh day, but was prevented by Hashem from harming Yakov. So too, Pharaoh decided to pursue the Jewish people on the third day, reached them on the seventh day, but his army was drowned in the sea after Moshe used his staff.
Yitzchak descended to a
nearby
The four kingdoms that
Avraham had to fight against (see Bereishis, chapter 14) are also a hint to the
four kingdoms that would oppress Jewish people:
[50] Similarly, during World War II, the only successful way of dealing with the Nazis was through bribery. Thousands of people were saved by Rabbeinu Weismandel in this manner. The bribes were not even that large, only tens of thousands of dollars. If the Jewish people in free countries had supplied him with more money, he would have been able to save many more Jewish lives (see Sefer Min Hametzar).
[51] This principle can be used in developing one’s good qualities. For example, giving a dollar 100 times to tzedaka is better than giving $100 once. Constant giving accustoms the person to generosity (see Rambam’s commentary to Avos 3:15).
[52] Our sages learn this principle from this week’s parsha. It is described that Yakov remained alone at night. The Talmud (Chulin 91a) teaches, that he returned to pick up some utensils, which were forgotten during the crossing of a small river. Losing even inexpensive things would be a loss to him.
[53] The word “garti” has the same letters as “Tar’yag” – 613.
[54] See also Rashi on Divrei Hayomim, 1:1.
[55] Who was the leader among the brothers. Note also, that the name Yehuda also includes in it the main Divine name.
[56] We read this nook on the Shavuos holiday, and various reasons were offered for this custom (see Mishna Berura 490:17; Eliyahu Raba 494:10). According to our words there may be one other reason: since the main purpose of this book is to explain the ancestry of King Dovid, it’s read on Dovid’s yahrzeit. Dovid died (and was born) on Shavuos, (see also Ben Ish Chai, 1st year, parshas Bemidbar, 6). After writing this I found that this idea is already written in Sefer Agra Dekala, page 141b.
[58] See also Megila 25b: “the story of Tamar is read and translated (we are not afraid that the common people will misunderstand what happened and make fun of Yehuda).
[59] See also the Talmud , Yoma 22b, “a leader of the people is only chosen from those with problematic lineage”.
[60] This is discussed in many places, see for example Ramban, Bereishis 38:8, Kisvey Arizal, in Shaar Hapesukim and in Shaar Hamitzvos on Parshas Ki Setze, also in Shaar Hagilgulim in many places, Zohar, Mishpatim starting with page 99b).
[62] A shoe symbolizes physical; this is why Moshe was told to take off his shoes when he first encountered the Divine Presence at the burning bush.
[63] See the commentators on these verses. Some say he was just letting time pass till the boy grows mature enough to fulfill Yibum properly. Others propose that Yehuda was afraid that anybody living with Tamar had a high risk of dying. This can be a result of sexually transmitted diseases of for other reasons (see Talmud, Yevamos 64b). According to this he did not really want to give Tamar to his third son.
[64] See Talmud, Sotah 10a, Bereishis Raba 85:8. Note, that she did not necessarily plan the evens in the way they ultimately turned out to be. She may have only wanted to get Yehuda’s attention to her difficult plight so that he either gives her to Shela (Sforno) or marries her himself (Abarbanel). However, once Yehuda asked her to have relations with him, she agreed realizing that this is planned from Above. (She knew about the true reasons of Yibum (see Zohar 1:188b) and indeed even according to Torah law Yibum does not require a formal marriage, since the widow is automatically “zkuka” – waiting to be taken by the one performing this mitzvah.)
[65]
Logically speaking, nothing prevented Yehuda from marrying anybody he desired.
He was rich, powerful, coming from a very respected family who were treated
like princes in the
[66] To be sure, Tamar was not forbidden to Yehuda according to the letter of the law. Since Yakov’s family was not yet bound by the laws of Torah, they only had to keep the Seven Noachite Laws. Having relations with a non-married woman is not forbidden for a non-Jew, (even though holding a special house for prostitution is forbidden, see questions and answers “Mishne Halachos”, 4:188, based on Yerushalmi, Taanis 5a).
[67] Even in this world of idolaters, some of Shem’s descendants were monotheists. In addition, Avraham was able to bring close to Hashem quite a number of people, and many of their descendents observed the Seven Noachide Laws. The Talmud (Sota 10a) thus tells us that Yehuda did not touch Tamar until he found out that she was not married and not a “Nochris” (stranger, a term later used for non-Jews but at that time meant not being a monotheist).
[68] One could also explain Yehuda’s behavior as follows: since he had a tremendous desire, he may have been afraid that if he does not have relations now, his sperm may come out in vain. Since having relations without marriage was not forbidden before the giving of the Torah he therefore chose this rather than risk causing a much greater damage of vain emission (which was the sin for which two of his sons died).
[69] Regarding the exact reason why Tamar was initially judged for death, there is a controversy among the commentators. As it often happens, the Torah is too short to know what happened. According to some, this was a general measure to prevent immorality in Yakov’s family circle. In this case, Yehuda together with other judges took the privilege of punishing more than the letter of the law states, when the need arises (see Talmud, Yevamos 90b, see Ramban and Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh to 38:24). Another possibility is that since Tamar was waiting for Yibum, her status was somewhat similar to an engaged woman (see Chizkuni and Rashbam to 38:24). She would only be permitted to either Shela (Yehuda’s third son) or to Yehuda himself, since before the giving of the Torah Yibum could be performed by the father of the deceased as well. Note also that the very fact that Tamar got a death sentence is subject to dispute. According to some commentators, Yehuda only pronounced that branding should be done on her forehead, so that everybody knows that she is a prostitute (Tur in the name of Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid to 38:24; Rabeinu Avigdor Hatzerfati).
[70] The GR”A explains that the quality of cruelty was also needed for a Jewish king and is used when appropriate. The first king Shaul in fact lost his kingdom because he lacked this quality.
[71] Our
sages (Talmud, Nazir 23b) teach that the daughters of
[73] A procedure similar to Chalitza was performed with this relative, since he was closer then Boaz.
[74] Look in questions and answers Minchas Yitzchak, 5:47, letter “Yod”, where a similar proposition is discussed as applicable to today.
[76] This is why Dovid was spending most of his time alone rejected by his family, see Tehilim 69:9 “I was considered a stranger by my brothers”. In practice however, this caused Dovid to reach the closeness to Hashem that he could not have reached if he lived among other people.
[77] The whole story is brought in Esre Maamros from Rav Menachem Azariah, Maamar Chikur Din 3:10. The Chida brings this in many places in particular in his commentaries to Psalms, see for example Yosef Tehilos, 51.
[78] In fact, the two children of Yehuda were named after the sun and the moon. The one named after the moon became ancestor of King Dovid.
[79] Using this principle, one can understand a number of obscure passages in the Torah.
[80] Note, however, that when a prophesy involves an evil decree we are not supposed to help this happen. On the contrary, we should do everything in our power to avert it by repentance and good deeds. Generally, predictions of bad are conditional and can be changed, see Yirmiyahu chapter 28, Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 56b, Rambam, Yesodey HaTorah, 10:4. This also explains why our sages tried their best to prevent the destruction of the Second Temple, even though it was already foretold and they even knew the exact year when this was supposed to happen, (see Nazir 32b, see further our commentary to parshas Lech Lecha).
[81] See Kli Yakar (Bereishis 42:7), who questions this explanation. However, his questions can be answered according to what we wrote before.
[85] See also the GR”A on Sifra Detzniusa, 4th perek, regarding the deep secrets involved in this “partnership”.
[87]
[88] Kli Yakar (42:7) describes that all the tests were used by Yosef to partially compensate and atone for their sins. He claimed they are spies just as they thought he was spying on them to deliver gossip to their father. He imprisoned them for three days and later retained Shimon to atone for their putting him into a pit. Now he wanted them to experience the anguish of possibly slaves, just as they sold him into slavery.
[89] Our sages teach us an important lesson: we always must check out actions to ensure we don’t sin, thinking that we are doing mitzvohs. After all, the brothers thought that they di a mitzvah when they sold Yosef, yet, when faced with the truth, they could not answer! Similarly, we often do what we think is right, but only after death will we know if our judgment was correct (see Bereishis Raba, 93:11, Yitzchak Aizek Chaver in Siach Yitzchak, Drosh leShabbos Teshuva, 56).
[91] Rashi on these verses follows the Midrashim (Bereyshis Raba 93:6; Tanchuma, Vayigash, 5) and explains that certain words of Yehuda were actually warnings and even hidden threats. However, according to the level of peshat (simple meaning) most commentators (Rashbam, Ramban, Sforno, Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh, Haemek Davar) agree that Yehuda was only appealing for mercy.
[92] This is a known concept, see for example the GR”A to Megilas Ester, 1:13. Achashveirosh asks his counselors, “who know the times” to give him advice as to how to judge queen Vashti. The GR”A explains the expression “who know the times” to mean that they judge according to the need of the time, not according to the letter of the law. In this case, since the judgment pertained to the royal queen, it was important to take that into consideration!
[93] Our
sages mention in particular that all the judgments of the “
[94] See
Talmud, Sanhedrin 95a. Even though Dovid was not at all at fault that the city
of
[95] The word egla (young cow) is spelled the same way as the word carriage, possibly because a carriage is usually pulled by oxen.
[96] In
fact, according to Ramban, the three forefathers prepared the exiles to the
three countries their children were sent to. Avraham’s decent to
[100] The word “Dan” itself comes from judgment. Rachel named him this way, when she gave her maid to Yakov and the first child that was not Leah’s was born (Bereishis 30:6). In the context of this verse, some explain the brocha of Yakov as “Dan will fight for his people” (see Rashi and Ramban 49:16).
[101] This
can also be translated as “like the special tribe of
[102] Targum Onkelos 49:18; Targum attributed to Yonasan 49:18; Talmud, Sota 9b; Bereishis Raba 98:13; Midrash Tanchuma , Vayechi, 12; Rashi, Ramban, Rabeynu Bachye, Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh on Bereishis 49:16; Radak on Shoftim 13:25. However Rashbam (Bereishis 49:16) holds that Yakov’s prophesy applied to the tribe in general, not to Shimshon in particular. It could be however that even Rashbam will agree that on the level of Remez (hint) the Torah is predicting Shimshon.
[103] The
Plishti territory including their five cities (
[104] See Malbim to Shoftim 14:4, Ralbag Shoftim 14:2. See also “Samson's Struggle” by Rav Arye Kaplan and Rav Gershon Weiss.
[106] See Talmud, Sota 9b, Yerushalmi Sota 7a, Ralbag, Metzudos Dovid to Shoftim 14:2, Rambam, Isurey Bia 13:16.
[107] See Talmud, Nazir 23b. See also Hanhagos Tzadikim, advices of Rav Asher Hakohen, the ways of repentance, 3, in the name of Rabbi Chaim from Volozhin, a similar idea is printed at the end of Nefesh Hachaim, in his sayings, 84, also see below.
[108] As a possible example one may consider a rabbinical court that is faced with an issue of a wife that may have betrayed her husband and possibly became forbidden to him. In order to issue correct judgment, the judges are presented with indecent photographs of the wife and her possible lover. The sages have to look at the pictures in order to make the decision of whether the husband has to divorce his wife. If however, a judge decides that he might as well enjoy staring at this, he will be considered a sinner rather than doing a mitzvah.
[110] To
be sure, his only sin was going after the non-Jewish women. In all other ways
he was totally righteous. The book of Shoftim states that he judged the Jewish
people for 20 years. In order to be a Jewish judge, one has to be extremely
knowledgeable in Torah and very righteous (see Rambam, laws of Sanhedrin,
second chapter). Regarding Shimshon in particular, the Talmud says (Sotah 10a)
that he judged the Jewish people like their Heavenly Father! One may question
how Shimshon could “judge” the Jewish people when he tried to show the Plishtim
he is no longer with the Jews. The answer is that he was not spied upon day and
night. After getting into fights with Plishtim, he was living on the Jewish
territory. The important goal was accomplished: Plishtim were trying to kill
him but not the rest of the Jews. Note, for example, that when Rambam lived in
[111] See Talmud, (Sotah 9b) “she used to pull herself from under Shimshon during the intimate relations [and this is why he gave himself away]”.
[112] See also Shoftim 15:15.
[113] Everything is foreseen but free choice is given, see Rambam’s commentary there.
[114] See also Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver, Pischey Shaarim, Netiv Seder Partzufim, 12 based on a posuk in Chana’s prayer (Shmuel 1:2:3) “Lo Niskenu Alilos” – “by Him all actions are NOT prepared” This is one of the places in the Torah, where the written word and the pronounced word are not the same. The word “Lo” is written “Lamed”-“Aleph” meaning “Not” but pronounced “Lamed” “Vav”- meaning “to Him”. It is thus read as “To Him all actions are known (or weighted)”.
[115] To an extent this can be compared to a movie recorded on a film. For the one watching the movie, the events will happen in order, but the one holding the entire film can scroll to any point in time and see what happens there.
[116] See also Rambam Laws of Repentance 6:5 and Raavad there; Ramban, Bereishis 15:14, see our commentary to parshas Lech Lecha).
[118] See however Kisvei Arizal, (Shaar Hagilgulim, the 16th preface) that if in one Gilgul a person was righteous he may sometimes be promised not to sin in the next Gilgul. See also Vayoel Moshe 2:18-19 regarding how a minor sin can be sent to a person and in a way that it includes a mitzvah. Many obscure Midrashim can be explained based on this fundamental principle.
[119] See Rabbi Chaim from Volozhin, Nefesh Hachaim 3:7; see also Ramchal, Kinas Hashem Tzvakos, second part.
[120] See Pirkey Avos 4:2: “Run after a Mitzvah and away from sin. A mitzvah leads to another mitzvah and a sin leads to another sin”. This applies even to a sin leshem shamayim, and this is one of the reasons why this path is so dangerous, see Kol Eliyahu on Pirkey Avos.
[121] See
Yerushalmi, Sotah 7a. This is why he was later taken captive to
[123] See also Talmud, Yoma 86a.
[124] See our words in Parsha Toldos.
[125] At times we may see a projection of this when the nations of the world gather together and speak badly of the Jewish people. The Chofetz Chaim therefore used to say that statements made by Hitler and others like him are actually projections of what “they think about us” in Heaven.
[126] See Talmud, Bava Kama 60a: “The punishment is only decreed because of the wicked, but it starts from the righteous”.
[129] See also Zohar Chadash Rus, that people who habitually speak Loshon Hara are judged in this chamber.
[130] See for example Yerushalmi Peah, 4b; Vayikra Raba 26:2; Bemidbar Raba 19:2; Devarim Raba 5:9; Tanchuma, Chukas 4; Pesikta Derav Kahana 4:2.
[131] When we say that Torah is equivalent to the other mitzvos, we do not mean that the one who learns the Torah without keeping the commandments will be rewarded. Actually the exact opposite is true (see Talmud, Yevamos 109b). Rather Torah is able to raise the mitzvah observance to a much higher level. Understanding the laws of Torah gives us an opportunity to keep the commands of Hashem correctly, while the one who does not know all the details of laws cannot possibly keep them. Moreover, understanding the deeper meaning of mitzvos can enhance their observance.
[137] These names are generally not pronounced but can be used in meditation. Indeed, many of these Names are hinted in our prayers. Sometimes Arizal tells us to concentrate in various particular parts of prayer on some of these names that come out from first letters of words or through permutations and gematrias. Besides this, some of these names have particular “segula” (special qualities). For instance, one of the 72 names Yud-Lamed-Yud is used to heal the sick. This is why the Talmud (Brochos 5b) when discussing the Rabbis that took a sick person out of his disease, uses this expression “Yehav Lei Yadey” (he gave him his hand) forming this Name with the first three letters.
[138] See the GR”A to Tikuney Zohar, end of the fourth Tikun. The 12-letter Name has to do with Yud-Hei with Vav-Hei written with three types of vowels pointing to “Haya, VeHove VeYiyeh” – (He Was, Is and Will Be). The 22-letter Name has to do with the three verses of the blessing of Kohanim. The 42 letter Name has to do with the creation of the world and one of it’s projections is hinted in the first letters of words of our prayer “Ana Bekoach …” The seventy two three-letter Names come out of the three 72-letter verses (Shemos 14:19-21).
[139] See the GR”A to Shulchan Aruch, siman 5, that the secretes regarding the meaning of Divine Names are Halacha Lemoshe Misinai (given to Moses at Sinai), but when we pray we must have just the simple meaning in mind. The Name A-donoi means “Master of everything” and the Name “E-lohim” means Almighty, the Strength behind all powers.
[140] See for instance Tania, Igeres Hakodesh, 19.
[143] Regarding the exact perception reached by Moshe, see GR”A to the Zohar 2:248a; GR”A, likutim printed in the end of Sifra Detzniusa.
[144] There is an exclusion to this rule in the book of Yehoshuah (20:1). The reason is that it discusses there a mitzvah that was commanded to Moshe and finished by Yehoshuah.
[147] In general, the word “tefillin” is of Aramaic origin, this word is used in both Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonosan. The Torah calls the hand tefillin “a sign” while the head tefillin is called “totafos” and “remembrance”. Totafos in general can be translated as an ornament, (see for example Talmud, Shabbos 57b). Today people call both “black boxes” as tefillin. This is not the only place where we are accustomed to use an Aramaic word. We similarly find that the word “esrog” that we use today is the Aramaic translation of “pri hadar”, (see Ramban Vayikra 23:4). At times we are accustomed to use Yiddish expressions without even realizing it. For instance, the words “parve” and “Yor Tzait” are of Yiddish origin, (see also Rav Poalim, Sod Yesharim 4:16).
[148] Even what seems to be trivial in regards to the Talmudic drashas contain deep secretes. For example, the Talmud (Menachos 34b) learns the four boxes of Tefillin from the word splitting the word “totafos” into two and claiming that both halves mean “two” in various languages, thus combining into four. Our sages are hinting here to an important Sod discussed in Zohar 3:228b.
[149] The doctors used to believe that many organs in our bodies are “extraneous”. This idea certainly came as a direct result of the theory of evolution, according to which we are just a blind byproduct of nature. At present these ideas were proven to be wrong, the only “extra” part of our body is the male foreskin. This is why most of Americans circumcise their children. (It is also known that the ability of our blood to clot is greatest on the eight day after birth, which is when the Torah commands to do the circumcision.)
[150] See Zohar 3:29a; 3:242b.
[151] Regarding why the women don’t wear Tefillin, see Rav Arye Kaplan’s book about Tefillin.
[152] Rav
Michoel Dov Weismandel who died a few years after the Holocaust wrote in his
letters: “In our very lifetimes the next generation will begin to doubt that
the Holocaust took place. They will say that these old people are obviously
making a mistake. Yes, there were some Jews who died during the World War II,
but the old people think that there were millions while in reality there were
only thousands. They think these people were purposefully annihilated but in
truth they were killed accidentally during bombings etc.” As we all know his
prediction came true. While thousands of Holocaust survivors are still alive,
there are many scientists and lay people who believe the whole story is a hoax!
Interestingly,
[154] Even though an individual can decide to become observant while his father was not, this could never happen to a nation as a whole.
[155] In general the head and the body are projections of each other. The head is dominated by the brain, while the body – by the heart that is compared to the king (see Sefer Yetzirah 6:3).
[157] According to Kabala, this organ corresponds to the Sefira Yesod, the base. Sanctifying it brings a person to perfection.
[158] The Talmud (Brochos 6a) explains that this refers to the Tefillin of the head!
[159] See Ramchal in the second part of Kinas Hashem Tzeva-os explains this in depth starting with Maamar: Inyan Amalek, in the standard edition of Ginzey Ramchal it’s on page 106).
[160] This nations concentrates in it the root of all spiritual impurity, see note above. The gematria of Amalek is the same as “other god” from the verse (Shemos 34:14) “don’t worship another god”, for Amalek the exact opposite of everything holy (Shaarey Haleshem).
[161] See Shemos Raba 26:2.
[163] To be more precise, the ancient Amalekites were not exactly Atheists but dogmatically rejected the Creator. At the same time they were quite superstitious and believed in “black magic”, (see Haman’s letter in Ester Raba 7:13). They specifically chose to send to battle the “lucky” people whose Mazel is strong on that day (Yalkut Shimoni, Remez 564, see also Rashi and Rabeynu Bachye, Shemos 17:9).
[166] However see Rambam (Mlachim 6:4) that if Amalekites convert to Judaism or even accept the Seven Noachite Mitzvos they are no longer considered Amalekites, (see also Kesef Mishna there and Shevet Halevi 5:149).
[167] A
special government body in the early Soviet history consisting of Communist
Jews whose goal was to eradicate Torah observance. They accomplished the task
par excellence by executing some of the Rabbis and observant Jews and sending
the rest to
[168] See the words of Rav Elchanan Wasserman in Maasay Lemelech. Much of our commentary to this Parsha is based on his holy words.
[170] The financial support of the Torah is compared to the legs in the body. When Yakov encountered Satan and won the battle against him, he emerged lame. It is thus taught that in the end of days the Satan will try to hinder the financial support of Yeshivos.
[171]
It seems that Shaul’s war with Amalek was not yet the full fulfillment of the
Torah’s command to destroy that nation (see Teshuvos Vehanhagos 3:222). Shaul
considered his war to be rather a specific prophesy of Shmuel and a partial
rectification. This may be the reason why he captured the Amalekite king Agag
alive (see also Meam Loez). Apparently in Shaul’s time there was already more
than one place where Amalekites resided. Shaul’s waged war against a particular
[172]
According to our sages (Ester Raba 7:2, see Rashi to Ester 9:10) Haman and his
children were personally involved in the slander that caused stopping of the
building of the
[173] In a recently published book “Tik Germania” there is a deep discussion about the entire topic and the various parallels between Hitler’s and Amalek’s ideology.
[174] Note, that our sages use an expression: “Ten wordings” with regards to these verses. In fact according to some opinions there are actually more than ten mitzvos described in them.
[177] For example the commandments of waging war don’t apply to us in Exile, yet the details that describe the Jewish army camp have applications to every day life. More than a dozen paragraphs in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 74-87) are based on two verses speaking of the Jewish army camp: the laws of a clean place and proper clothing needed for prayer are learned from there.
[179] See Rashi 24:12 in the name of Rav Saadia Gaon. Note that there are altogether 620 letters in the Ten Commandments, like the numerical value of “Keser” – crown. This hints to 613 mitzvos plus the seven special “Mitzvos Derabonan” (the ones that were not made as a “fence” but are rather new commands like Chanukah candles, reading the Megillah on Purim etc).
[181] Indeed it is forbidden to read the Ten Commandments every day in a congregation, so as not to create an impression that these are the only commandments that Hashem Himself gave us (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:5). Similarly it is not recommended to stand up when the Ten Commandments are read from the Torah in Parshas Yisro and in Parshas Vaeschanan. If one wants to get up, he should do so some verses before the chazan gets to the Ten Commandments.
[182] The commandment to respect parents is considered to be between us and Hashem, since their fear and respect is compared to respecting the Creator.
[183] Note that the commandments on the first Tablet have two Divine Names in each of them, while the ones on the second Tablet do not have Divine Names (see Avodas Hagershuni).
[185] See the GR”A in his commentary to Agados in Brochos, 61a. These four sins are punished by four types of death. Idol worship – by stoning; murder – by sword; adultery – by strangulation; heresy by “burning” in gehinom (see further GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Devarim 32:17).
[186] There are also two slightly different arrangements given there in the Zohar; there is yet another arrangement in Rabeinu Bachye’s commentary on 20:14.
[188] See Bemidbar Raba; 12:9, Tanchuma, Naso 2; Pesikta Rabti, 21.
[189] How
can one cause breaking Shabbos through committing adultery? An adulterer may
have a child with the woman who is married to a Cohen, and the child will be
assumed to be her husband’s. Thus the son will work in the
[191] See Rekanti on the beginning of Parshas Yisro.
[193] In Aderes Eliyahu on this week’s Parsha (21:6), see also his fourth peyrush to Parshas Balak 23:4.
[194] In the mirror, we see the reflection, which turns the left to the right and vice versa. Similarly, in a stamp, everything is backwards, but once the stamp is used the true image appears. Similarly, the Written Torah is like a stamp and reading the verses without the Oral Tradition will lead to a backwards understanding.
[195] See Ibn Ezra, Shemos 23:19.
[200] There is another interesting hint in the verse (21:24) itself, it is literally written: “AIN TACHAS AIN” - eye UNDER eye. The letters that are under the three letters that spell the word “AIN” spell the word “KESEF” – money (GR”A in Kol Eliyahu, 67).
[201] Moreover, at the time of assault the spiritual “body” of the attacker does get a corresponding damage through measure for measure (Rekanti 21:24, see also Mitzvas Hamelech, 49).
[202] Truma, Tetzaveh, Vayakhel and Pekudey. The GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu (36:8) writes that the building of the Mishkan is described seven times in these Parshios corresponding to the seven lower Sefiros, in order to bring the Divine Presence from the seventh spiritual level down to earth. The three times that the donations for the Mishkan are mentioned correspond to the three higher Sefiros whose influence penetrates the lower ones.
[203] The
[204] As opposed to the usual translation “sacrifice” which actually implies the opposite: giving away something.
[205] This is also hinted by the verse (26:6): “And the Mishkan will become One”. See Ibn Ezra and GR”A on this verse.
[207] There is also a third type of brain coming from the back of the head down the spine. This corresponds to Daas – an intermediate Sefirah that connects the higher three to the lower seven.
[208] The first three letters of these words are “Melech” – King. See Ben Ish Chai (Second year of learning, Achare Mos, 11) that it’s preferable not to eat these three organs from an animal so as not to mix the animal central organs and the spiritual energy they contain with the human ones.
[209] Note, that Noach’s arc also had three floors: one for people, one for animals, and one for disposing the waist (Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b).
[210] See Yahel Ohr on Zohar Chadash Shir Hashirim starting with words “Sinai Hu Peh”; GR”A to the fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniusa starting with words “Yehiu Rakia”; Aderes Eliyahu 25:8 and Beer Yitzchak there.
[211] Indeed this is the general law: when a kohen is not wearing appropriate clothing his service is invalid and he destroys in spiritual worlds instead of rectifying. For this reason, if he did it on purpose he incurs death at the hands of Heaven (see Talmud, Zevachim 17b; Rambam, Kley Hamikdash 10:4; see also Rashi, Shemos 28:25).
[213] Note that on Yom Kippur when the High Priest performed the most important service of coming to the Holy of Holies he wore only four white clothes. There is a general dispute in the Talmud if a common kohen wore the same belt as Kohen Gadol throughout the year or whether his belt was like the one Kohen Gadol wore on Yom Kippur (see Talmud, Yoma 12). There is also a dispute if the hat of Kohen Gadol was the same as that of a regular kohen or slightly different.
[216] It would be difficult to explain this system to those who are not knowledgeable in Kabala. We will just mention, that Chochma and Binah each correspond to one partzuf – “Father” and “Mother”. In truth, wisdom “impregnates” understanding – i.e. understanding comes from thinking over and analyzing the information gained through wisdom. The Sefiros from Chesed till Yesod form their own group called Zer Anpin (Z”A) – this is the main Divine Hanhagah over the universe. Malchus forms the Partzuf called “Nukva” – feminine. This is because Malchus is the root of our nation and shows our readiness to receive Divine Good. We are thus compared to the “wife” of Hashem. The four Partzufum corresponding to the four letters of the Divine Name project to many other “fours”, see our words to Parshas Vayerah.
[217] Obviously it does not atone for the murderer himself. However our nation as a whole also needs collective atonement if someone got killed in our midst and that atonement was achieved through the High Priest wearing the tunic (Rashi, Arachim 16a).
[219] If that speech did not have any effects. However if the gossiper accomplished results, then he would be plagued by leprosy (Talmud, Arachim 16a).
[221] The Name A-D-N-Y has to do with receiving Hashem’s good, this is why this Name comes from the word “Adon” Master. The Main Name has to do with Hashem Himself, while A-D-N-Y – is our acceptance of Him. The perfect correspondence of the two Names is the correspondence between the channels used for “giving” and for “receiving”.
[222] See Talmud, Sanhedrin 102a.
[223] The reader might be surprised that I used a title Rabbi for Yeroboam. The truth is the Talmud (Sanhedrin 102b) tells us that the great sage Rav Ashi was taught in his dream by another sinful king Menashe. Since then he started calling these kings “Our Rabbis” (see however Maharsha who holds that the word Rabbi only applied to Menashe since according to one opinion he does have a share in the World to Come).
[224] Shlomo was hoping to achieve a full rectification of the world in his lifetime. He married a thousand wives mostly daughters of kings. This served a double purpose: on physical plane he was thus creating numerous alliances. On spiritual, he was trying to rectify the root of each nation through one of his wives. However as all the “sins for the sake of Heaven” this was a dangerous way that ended up in a failure (see also our words on Parshas Vayechi regarding Shimshon). A more detailed discussion of Shlomo’s error is beyond the scope of this commentary, (see Rekanti, Devarim 17:17).
[225] Kuzari 4:13; Meshech Chochma Shemos 32:19; Abarbanel, Melachim 1:12:28. See also Radak and Metzudos on Melachim 1:12:30 that at a later time some people started to actually “worship” the golden claves of Yeroveam. Malbim claims that Yeroveam told the righteous that the calves are only symbolic, while the wicked were permitted to worship them.
[226] There were some Rabbis that were against putting lions in synagogues, but this custom still exists in many shuls and even some Chasidic ones (see a detailed discussion in “Minhag Yisroel Torah”, 90:4). Even when these lions are not just pictures but are three-dimensional, this may be permitted (as opposed to statues of people, see Yore Deah 144:4)
[227] The reason this image was chosen in the desert is since the Divine Rule over deserted areas is also associated with the left side (see Ramban, Shemos 32:1). Gold was the appropriate material used since this is the metal associated with Gevurah (see for instance Tikuney Zohar 106b; Arizal, Shaar Hapesukim, Vayeshev).
[228] Don't be too surprised at this institution. We also have Rabinical ordinances that move holidays to a different day. When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, we don't blow the Shofar on the day when the Torah commands. The reason is that the sages were afraid that one might forget that it is Shabbos and carry it outside. On the other hand we do blow it on the next day, which is a weekday according to the Torah law, and we recite a brocha: “You commanded us to blow the Shofar”, meaning You commanded us to listen to the sages who instituted that we blow the Shofar on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. The same year, the first day of Sukkos falls on Shabbos. So we don't pick up the lulav on the day commanded by the Torah, but we do pick it up in the next six days when the Torah does not command us to do so. This is the power of Rabinical ordinances, that they can uproot a positive command of the Torah (see for instance Yevamos 90b; see also Gilion Hashas on 88a that according to the Tosafos the sages can sometimes uproot even the negative commands of the Torah).
[229] Both sets of six months are projections of each other. The six summer months correspond to Sefiros from Chesed will Yesod and then again the winter months in “reflected light” which comes from judgment. See our article About_Tamuz_and_Av.htm.
[230] See the note above that the second of the months (Iyar in the summer and Cheshvan in the winter) come from Gevurah. Indeed the Pesach Sheni is also Gevurah compared to Pesach Rishon (see Zohar 3:152b).
[232] The number of people actually killed by Levites for idol worship was ½ of 1 percent of the nation.
[234] The
truth is that the mitzvah of putting the two golden Keruvim in the Holy of
Holies was a special law that applied only to the
[236] See Rashi on Melachim (2:3:3) that Yihu was also afraid that if he removes the golden claves, the kingship will come back to Yehudah. This does not contradict the Talmud, since Yihu should have known that Achia made a mistake and later was criticizing the house of Yeroveam severely. With all that since Yihu was biased he closed his eyes on the obvious truth and “relied” on Achia’s seal (Questions and Answers Divrey Yoel, Choshen Mishpat 143, 5).
[237] This may be the reason why another man in Yihu’s dynasty was also named Yeroveam. Had they thought Yeroveam was wicked, they would not name their child after him.
[238] Ramchal in the second part of Kinas Hashem Tzeva-os explains this in depth starting with Maamar: Yeroveam was supposed to be Moshiach ben Yosef, in the standard edition of Ginzey Ramchal it’s on page 104)
[239] See also Rambam, Laws of Repentance 5:2, where he lists Yeroveam as the primary example of a wicked person.
[243] See Mishna Shabbos 7:2 and Talmud there. See also Rabeynu Bachye 35:1.
[244] The Zohar (2:197; 2:203) and the Arizal additionally
explain that since the Golden Calf was primarily built by the erev rav (mixed
multitude of Egyptians that joined our nation when we left
[245] On Shemos 32:3 in the name of Mechilta here.
[246] For another explanation see Etz Hadaas Tov that breaking Shabbos causes the fire of Gehinom to burn. See also Zohar 2:203a.
[247] See Keren Ledovid, 80. See however Chazon Ish, Orach Chaim 50:9 that sometimes the work involved with turning on the light is “cooking” or “building” the electric chain, see however Beer Moshe, Vol 6, Kuntras Electrik, 23:23 that according to most opinions the work involved is “burning” not “cooking”.
[248] One might argue that carrying object on the street is an even more common Shabbos violation. The truth is indeed carrying is the other work mentioned in the Torah in the verse (Shemos 16:29) “Don’t come out of you place” which means not to carry anything out from our places (Talmud, Eiruvin 17b, see Tosafos Shabbos 2a beginning with words Pashat). Note that according to many opinions most of our streets don’t have a status of Reishus Harabim and therefore carrying there is only a rabbinical prohibition, but driving a car is prohibited by Torah law according to all opinions. Moreover, while driving one ends up breaking Shabbos a hundred times every second (Nishmas Shabbos 5:273).
[249] In
fact the first Shabbos transgression of the Conservative movement was driving
cars. This happened after they found it too difficult to get the congregants to
come their “
[253] Rambam, Sefer Hamitzvos, Negative Commandment 87 based on the Talmud, Makos 22a .
[254]
Note that most of the clothes of the High Priest included wool and linen.
Normally such mixtures are forbidden to be worn, (they are called shatnez).
This is one of the cases where something that is a kilkul (destruction)
actually serves as a rectification in the
[255] See Bemidbar Raba 2:7 regarding which stone corresponded to which tribe. See also Pirke DeRabbi Eliezer (37) that when there was a sinner in one of the tribes, its’ stone stopped shining.
[261] See the Arizal, Shaar Hamitzvos, Parshas Tetzaveh. See also Rekanti (28:30). In general our whole tikun in this world is to re-unite the Malchus with Zer Anpin. Many pronounce before performing a mitzvah: “Leshem Yichud Kudsh Berich Hu Ushchinte” - for the sake of unification of Hashem with His Shechinah. When we show our readiness to “receive” the Divine Good, Hashem gives it to us. We show our readiness through performing the commandments!
[264] This is why the Torah does not mention the “construction” of Urim and Tumim, as opposed to the articles of clothing (see Ramban, 28:30).
[265] In Aderes Eliyahu (28:30), see Beer Yitzchak there. See also Zohar 234b.
[267] According to some interpretations, one of five sins of King Shaul was not waiting till he gets an answer from Urim and Tumim during his first war with Plishtim (see Shmuel 1:14:19).
[269] See Ramban, 28:30, see also GR”A on Shmuel 1:1:16 for an interesting explanation of why Eli judged Chana to be drunk. He saw the letters “Shin” “Chaf” “Reish” “Hei” light up on the breastplate and thought they spell “Shichorah” – drunk. In truth he did not put them together correctly and the message was “KeSarah” – like Sarah – meaning she is childless. This supports the fact that at times Urim and Tumim were used for personal inquiries even though their main intended usage was for the King or someone very needed to Jewish people.
[270] Sotah 48b.
[272] Even though the translation “offerings” is not very accurate, I used it due to the lack an appropriate word in English. I avoid using the word sacrifice for reasons described below.
[273] As
we mentioned in our commentary to the previous Parshios, the laws of Korbonos
had to be kept exactly otherwise they would not achieve the needed
rectification. Any minor change in
[274] Children should start learning Torah from Sefer Vayikra because they are pure just as Korbonos are pure (Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav).
[275] Indeed if we tried to write about a life of some observant Jew today, we would constantly have to mention phrases like “then he went to Shul to catch Shacharis … he interrupted his work and found a minian for Mincha … he remembered he did not dovin Maariv yet, so he drove to catch a late minian in Borough Park …” In the same way describing a life of a Jew three thousand years ago we would mention his bringing Korbonos on numerous occasions. On top of it, since brining Korbonos required ritual purity, we would have to mention his constant going to the Mikva: “… he remembered that on that day he accidentally touched a dead mouse. So on the way to Bama to bringing his Korban Todah he stopped by to immerse in a mikva …”
[278] See Talmud, Brochos 10a.
[282] See Arizal, Taamey Hamitzvos, Vayikra.
[283] A sin which was beyond a person’s control did not require any Korban. For example, a person who leaned against a wall on Shabbos, if a light switch was there and the light turned on, is not at fault and would not bring any Korban.
[285] See our commentary to Parshiyos Vayerah, Bo, Truma and Appendix, (see also the GR”A on Shir Hashirim, Derech Sod 1:1 , GR”A to Agados Brochos, 54b, GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Bemidbar, 23:24, 5th version). We will also discuss another important group of “four” in the next Parsha.
[286] See Rashbam, Vayikra 7:12.
[287] See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 219 and the commentators there regarding the detailed laws of this brocha.
[289] It is well known that Eisav and Yishmoel have to do with the “right” and the “left” of the Sitra Achra – the other side. Yishmoel was a son of Avraham, who represented the quality of Chesed – kindness and love. Yishmoel also symbolizes Chesed, but misplaced one. It usually comes out in special love for women. This is why our sages teach that his descendants did not accept the Torah due to the commandment: “Don’t commit adultery”. Eisav was a son of Yitzchak who represented the Gevurah – strength and judgment. Thus Eisav also represents the quality of strength and fighting but from the unclean worlds. He thus “lives by his sword” and his descendants did not accept the Torah because of the mitzvah: “Don’t kill”. The dominion of Eisav is empty places like deserts. Yishmoel on the other hand has dominion over the seas, (water represents Chesed).
[291] See our words in the next Parsha regarding the three animals with the “external” kosher sign and one with internal.
[292] See our words in Parshas Noach. However not all Christians are physical descendants of Eisav, and not all Muslims are physical descendants of Yishmoel.
[298] Another kosher sign of animals according to some opinions is the possession of horns (see Mishna, Nidah 6:9, see however Tosafos, Chulin 59a starting with words “Eilu Hen”; see Magen Avraham on Orach Chaim 586:3). See also Ramchal, Adir Bamarom (pg. 385), in the discussion about the fourth kingdom for the spiritual reason behind this sign.
[299] See the likutim of the GR”A on Agados Bava Kama printed in Gnuzos HAGR”A, pg. 289 that the general order of the ten kosher species corresponds to the ten Sefiros. The three domestic animals correspond to the three higher Sefiros, and the seven wild kosher animals correspond to the seven lower Sefiros in the same order. “Zemer” (giraffe) thus being the most beautiful animal corresponds to Malchus, (the word “Zemer” also means a song).
[300] All other non-kosher animals have neither sign. This statement has been checked by zoologists and is thus offered as an interesting proof for validity of the Torah (see Talmud, Chulin 60b; Maharatz Chiyus 59a).
[302] Regarding why rabbit and hyrax are considered to “chew their cud” see “Sichas Chulin” pg. 410 and “The Living Torah”, pg. 545. At any rate these two animals are not considered in the category of regular ruminating animals. This is hinted to in the Talmud (Chulin 59a) and Rambam, (Laws of forbidden foods 1:2): “There are no other ruminating non-kosher animals except the camel.” The Rishonim ask: “What about the other two mentioned in the Torah?” According to this, the answer is that the other two are not exactly “ruminating” though they do eat the same food twice like the ruminating animals (Sichas Chulin).
[304] These two qualities also correspond to the two main gentile nations: Eisav and Yishmoel and to the commandments: not to kill and not to commit adultery, (see also our words to Parshas Noach).
[305] See also Kol Bo in the beginning of the laws of treifos, that ruminating animals are often pursued by the predators, so they may not have enough time to eat. This is why they swallow a lot of grass right away and then chew it one more time when they get a chance.
[306] See
also the GR”A’s commentary to Agados, Bechoros 8b, starting with words: “Aiti
Budia”. He writes that the word “
[307] It is certainly true that the animals that have no hoof at all but have paws, are usually predators, while the ones with the hoofs eat grass. The GR”A does not explain why the “split” hoof is an additional sign of calmness. It may be that when the hoof exists, but is not split, the animal has better chance of kicking or running and is predisposed to war, (see Talmud, Pesachim 113b regarding the horse; Yoma 49a regarding the mules).
[310] Idolatry, murder, and forbidden relations. Obviously this does not mean the entire nation had these sins, but as usual we are judged collectively, especially when the righteous could try to stop the wicked and did not do so, (see also Talmud, Shabbos 55a).
[311] In the words of the Talmud (Yoma 9b) “The early ones had their sins revealed and the end of their exile revealed, the later ones did not have their sins revealed nor the end of their exile”. See our words to Parshas Bechukosai.
[312] We were redeemed from the first three nations in the merit of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov, while the last exile corresponds to Moshe. The redemption of the three types of “firstborn” (firstborn of a man, of a kosher animal and of non-kosher animal) corresponds to the first three dominions. The last exile corresponds to Maaser of animals that does not get redeemed. We will be come out of this exile only through our own repentance and through studying the Torah of Moshe, (see the GR”A to the Zohar in Yahel Ohr, 2:115a; 3:178b).
[313] We used the word “leprosy” throughout our commentary. There is really a question if the tzaraas of the skin is indeed the same sickness as what is commonly known as leprosy today. It is definitely true that the “tzaraas” of clothing and of houses has nothing to do with leprosy of skin and indeed the last two types of tzaraas are miraculous in nature and were not occurring in recent history (see Ramban, Vayikra 13:47, Rambam, laws of tzaraas, 16:10). However the tzaraas of the skin is a sickness that can happen in our day as well. In fact, the prohibition of cutting out the skin with a mark of tzaraas is applicable to us today (see Sefer Hachinuch, 584). However Rav Arye Kaplan writes that even the tzaraas of the skin was somewhat miraculous and it was not the disease we call leprosy (see “The Living Torah”, pg. 558).
[314] In later prophets another disease is described, king Asa had sickness of legs (Melachim 11:15:23). (Note, that it is possible to consider certain male or female discharges (zav and zava) described in this Parsha a minor sickness as well.)
[318] See Vayikra Raba 17:2.
[319] Regarding the secrets behind the complicated procedure of purification of a leper, see Zohar 3:53a.
[321] See Sifra, Metzora 5:4; Vayikra Raba 17:6; Rashi 14:34.
[323] Kesubos 103b, Bava Metzia 85b.
[324] See Maharsha, Bava Metzia 85b.
[325] This is one of the reasons why the great mekubalim usually practiced their meditations and made their rectifications in remote places away from society. The greater the tikun, the more pure the environment has to be. They were afraid to do rectifications inside the houses since the buildings may have been built with wrong intent or through certain sins (stealing, not paying the workers on time etc). This would have a negative impact on those inside the buildings. This is an important lesson for us as well. The more pure the construction is, the more can be achieved through it. If a synagogue is built on donations of people who acquired the money in dishonest ways, it’s no wonder the prayers in such a shul have little effect. If a Yeshivah is taking money from sinners, it’s not difficult to understand why the students have little success in their learning.
[326] As opposed to the other types of tzaraas where the period of uncertainty is at most two weeks.
[327] This is discussed in tens of places, see for instance pg. 103 (GR”A’s edition – pg. 117) and Tikuney Zohar Chadash, 85. See also the GR”A’s commentary there, Kisvey Arizal, Shaar Hagilgulim, fourth Hakdama; Magid Mesharim, Parshas Tzav.
[328] Indeed the Mekubalim explain that this verse deals with gilgulim of an individual (see Ramban’s commentary on Iyov 33:17 and Rabeynu Bachye in Kad Hakemach 73b). Throughout the whole story of Iyov he is complaining to his friends that he is totally righteous and yet is being punished so horribly. None of their arguments convince him until his youngest friend Elihu ben Barkiel explains to him that a person can have many lives and his suffering is not for the sins in this life but in a previous one. Indeed according to Arizal, Iyov was a gilgul of Terach, the father of Avraham, the idol manufacturer, (see Shaar Hapesukim, beginning of Sefer Iyov). After hearing this Iyov does not complain any longer.
[329] This is compared to grafting a tree. The three levels of souls and their changes are also hinted in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah, 16b): “A change of place, a change of name, and a change of deeds”, (see GR”A on Tikuney Zohar Chadash, 85).
[330] This is also hinted in the verse (Shemos 34:7): “He keeps His kindness to thousands of generations …but visits the sins of a person upon his children … up to four generations”. The “children” here are the future gilgulim of the same individual. A righteous person may come back many times until he achieves perfection and his good deeds are kept for him from gilgul to gilgul. But a sinner is given just three more chances.
[331] See Ramchal, Maamar Haikarim, about Gan Eden and Gehinom.
[332] This Parsha describes the prohibitions themselves, while the next one – the punishments for breaking them.
[333] This may include the case of the man and the woman being blood relatives of each other, or even the case that they are relatives through marriage. For example, a wife’s sister or mother, or a husband’s brother are forbidden.
[336] Even regarding Chukim, some explanations are usually offered on the level of Peshat – plain meaning. In case of forbidden relations, see Ibn Ezra, Vayikra 18:6 and Moreh Nevuchim 3:59. See however Ramban on Vayikra 18:6, who finds these explanations dissatisfactory, see also Sefer Hachinuch 190.
[337] In practice we don’t do this because we don’t have today the correct blue color of techeles and also because of a specific Rabinnical prohibition (see Shulchan Aruch, 9:6). According to some opinions, we should not wear even linen tzitzis on linen garments, this is why the talis katans that are sold today are either woolen or from cotton.
[340]
There has been a lot of research in recent years trying to get in contact with
the soul “behind” the abnormal children. Even though a clear scientific conclusion
has not been achieved, many of the people who were involved are amazed at the
statements and answers they “receive” from these supposedly “crazy”
individuals. This may also be included in the statement of our sages, that
after the destruction of the
[346] An Ashkenazic sage to whom Sefer Chasidim is attributed. Though some of the statements in this book seem to be at odds with the Talmud, the later sages tried to reconcile the two since the author is considered one of the great Rishonim (early sages).
[347] See Questions and Answers of the Deritziner Rav “Beer Moshe” 6:159; Questions and Answers Divrey Chaim, Even Haezer, 8.
[348] Sefer Chasidim, 488.
[349] See Darkey Teshuvah 116:55; Questions and Answers “Divrey Yisroel”, Even Haezer, 11; Questions and Answers “Beer Moshe” 6:159.
[352] Vayikra Raba 24:6; see Rashi 19:2.
[354] Indeed some of the forbidden relations that the Rabbis added to the Torah are called the “prohibitions of Kedusha” - due to the mitzvah of being holy (see Talmud, Yevamos 20a).
[355] However, he would not be able to “marry” the same woman twice, since the Torah forbids remarrying a divorced wife who was married to someone else in-between.
[356] At a later time, a Rabbinical prohibition was enacted, that a divorced woman can not remarry for three months, so that if she gets pregnant, it will always be known who the father is. As a result of this enactment a woman in the above example would not be able to take new “clients” every day.
[357] See
for example Questions and Answers “Vayavorech
[359] See for example Talmud, Brochos 58a. The Yerushalmi (Kedushin 48b) says that a person will be held accountable for depriving himself of various kinds of food. The commentators explain that through tasting different exotic fruits once a year, one can especially thank Hashem by making the “Shehecheyonu” blessing. However one has to be careful not to overdo it, as our sages teach (Avos 2:7) “The one who eats too much meat will just create more food for warms (when he dies)”, see also GR”A on Mishley 6:33. See also Talmud, Sanhedrin 70a,b regarding drinking too much wine. In general, the GR”A wrote in a letter to his wife that trying to get more pleasure from the physical world is like drinking the salt sea water – it does not help but only makes one even more thirsty.
[360] Ultimately by making various types of enjoyment rare we can actually derive greater pleasure, whereas constant search for more entertainment makes every pleasure boring (see for example Koheles Raba 6:6).
[363] Shmini Azteres is not just the last day of Sukkos but a separate holiday, see Talmud, Rosh Hashanah, 4b. See also Mishna Berura 668:2 regarding the person who accidentally said “Sukkos” in his prayers on Shmini Azteres.
[366] Of
course all holidays are celebrated outside the
[368] This difference can be appreciated by those who have some background in Kaballah. As we mentioned in Parshas Pekudey the main rectification is to connect the last letter of the Divine Name which is the root of the Jewish souls, with the previous letters. It thus takes 49 days to purify ourselves and sanctify us and then only we can become “Hashem’s marriage partner”. On the other hand, the first two letters of the Name (representing Chochma and Binah) are always connected and so there is no interval between the last two holidays.
[369] See Mishna, Megilla 2:5, GR”A on Pesach Agadah starting with words “Ma Nishtana Halayla Hazeh”.
[370] The two later Rabbinical holidays are Chanukka and Purim. Chanukka is in the middle of the winter and its’ mitzvah of lighting the candles applies at night time. Indeed this holiday is supposed to “disperse” the darkness of Greek worldview that was antagonistic to the Torah. Purim falls one month before Pesach. It can be considered at the time of the dawn compared to Pesach which is like the sunrise. Indeed our sages compare Ester to a morning star (see Talmud, Yoma 29a).
[373] The GR”A in the second Perek of Sifra Detzniusa reveals deep secrets regarding the exact spiritual rectifications happening in the ten days of repentance, then in the following four days and at last throughout the days of Sukkos finalizing on Shmini Atzeres. See also Ramban, Vayikra (23:36) and Devarim (16:8).
[374] See Ramban, Bereishis 2:3; Vayikra 25:2. Shimta is like Shabbos and this is why the Torah is so strict regarding observance of Shmita and the punishment for desecrating it is exile. After the seven thousand years the world will be renewed and prepared for eternal existence (see Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a). See also the RAMCHAL, (KLACH Pischey Chochma, 98) regarding what will happen in the next three thousand years.
[377] Letters Adam are first letters of “Adam”, “Dovid”, “Moshiach” (see for instance RAMCHAL in introduction to Tikunim Chadashim).
[378] However Arizal seems to disagree with this, but Rav Tzvi Hersh from Zidichov explains that there is no argument between Arizal and the early Mekubalim. See also GR”A to Tikuney Zohar, Tikun 35 and 36, see the GR”A to the beginning of the 36th Tikun.
[379] Zohar Chadash, beginning of Parshas Ki Savo; GR”A on Tikuney Zohar Chadash 84c; Ramban, Vayikra 26:16.
[380]
Note however, that prophesies can be fulfilled in various ways (see our words
to Parshas Lech Lecha and Vayechi). Only once the prophesy actually comes true
we can tell what was meant. This will explain why some of the predictions of
Yermiyahu (chapter 5) use words from Ki Savo in regards to the Babylonian exile
he was foretelling. Indeed, had we deserved, some of the “bad” prophesies in Ki
Savo would not materialize and there would only be one exile and the
[382] Obviously the number of people who actually worshiped idols was relatively small. The Doros Harishonim proves it from the fact that even during the worst periods of the Northern Kingdom, after the dynasty of Achav, all of Baal worshippers fit in one temple and King Yihu only needed 80 men to kill them (see Melachim 2:10:24). However, our nation bears collective responsibility and we were all punished for not stopping the idol worship and other transgressions. Here I’d like to mention that in general, when reading the books of prophets one has to be careful to not be mislead by their usage of strong language of criticism and to think that the earlier generations were worse than ourselves. Indeed they were actually a lot better (see Talmud, Yoma 9b). We can illustrate this by the following parable. Imagine a Rabbi that answered his cell phone in a synagogue in the beginning of prayer services. He may have many excuses: he personally did not start praying yet, it was only in the beginning when the Chazan just started the Korbonos, he thought it may be urgent etc. However, people looking may learn from this and say: “I saw a Rabbi talking on the phone during prayers!” If we lived in the age of prophets, this Rabbi would be deemed as “profaning the Divine Name” and be foretold that his “iniquity” will be visited upon him. (See Talmud, Shabbos, 56 for similar examples of children of Eli, children of Shmuel, King Dovid and King Shlomo. All of these people were criticized severely by the prophets yet when the Talmud explains what their sins really were it becomes clear they were quite minute.) In general, we suggest that those learning the Nach look into Daas Sofrim commentary before jumping to conclusions (and see also Teshuvos Vahanhagos 2:457 and Vayoel Moshe 1:131).
[383] There were seventy such years and indeed the exile was later predicted to last seventy years (Yermiyahu 25:11, 29:10).
[384] See also our words to Parshas Shmini.
[385] The
desire for idol worship was stopped in the beginning of the
[387] Just
this one verse has three predictions fulfilled exactly. One: we would be taken
to
[389] Certainly, to some extent, the Divine Presence is even with one individual who is studying Torah or observing mitzvahs. But the more Jews together do the will of the Creator, the greater is the degree of Divine revelation they deserve (see Avos 3:2; Talmud, Brochos 6a). In particular, 600000 Jews deserve special closeness to the Creator. There is even a special blessing when one sees 600000 Jews (see the Talmud, Brochos 58a). It is interesting, that according to some opinions, the prohibition against carrying on the street on Shabbos applies according to the law of Torah only to a place where 600000 people assemble. In other places it is forbidden to carry only Rabbinically (see Shulchan Aruch 345:7, see however Mishna Berura, Biur Halacha starting with words Sheein). Note, that the Jewish people were counted a few times during our travels in the desert (see Rashi Shemos 30:15, Gur Arye in the same place, Ramban Shemos 30:2), and the general number each time had to be no less than 600000 (see Zohar 1:2a)
[390] See also Tania, chapter 32 regarding the mitzvah to love every Jew as yourself.
[391] See for example Bemidbar Raba 2:10; Zohar 154a-155a; Ramban, Rabeynu Bachye, Rekanti to Bemidbar 2:2; GR"A to the first chapter of Sifra Detzniusa.
[392] The Talmud (Gitin 31b, Bava Basra 25a) and Zohar Chadash (Bereyshis) also mention about the four directions of winds which blow every day, see with our words to Parshas Vayera, in relation to four parts of day.
[393] See our words to chapters Vayera, Bo, Truma, Tzav and Shmini.
[394] In general, the first chapter of Yechezkel is refered to as "Maase Merkava" and is one of the most mystical doctrines of Kabbalah (See the Talmud, Chagigah 13a).
[395] Bemidbar Raba 2:10.
[396] In some Sidurs a prayer before going to sleep includes the words: "to my right is Michael, at my left - Gabriel, ahead – Uriel and behind - Rafael".
[397] Though after division Yoseph into two tribes, there seem to be altogether thirteen tribes, nevertheless, the Torah always considers twelve. Sometimes Levi it is considered separately, as in case of our parsha. This tribe settled in the center, and was also divided into four camps in four directions of the world. In other cases, the Torah considers Levi with other tribes but then Yoseph it is considered one tribe. And in case of blessing of tribes in the end of the Torah, Levi, Ephraim and Menashe have received separate blessings, but Shimon is not mentioned, his blessing is included with Yehudah (see Ramban Devarim 33:6). Thus, the total number of tribes always remains 12.
[398] According to other opinions the flag of Reuben had "dudaim" - the plants that look like a form of a person and help to become pregnant. The Torah describes, that Reuben had brought these plats to his mother (Bemidbar Raba 2:7).
[399] According to other opinions, Yoseph’s flag had two princes (Bemidbar Raba 2:7).
[400] According to other opinions, on Dan’s flag was a snake (Bemidbar Raba 2:7).
[401] For further discussion about Sefiros, our words to parshas Chaye Sara and Devarim.
[402] In Nusach Sefard, “Chaim” (life) is also asked for. Thus according to Nusach Sefard, all seven Sefiros are mentioned in the brocha, while according to Nusach Ashkenaz, only the six that are part of the actual Birkas Kohanim.
[403] These letters are generally pronounced differently depending on whether they have a dot (dagesh) in them or not, for example “Beis”, “Veis” etc. However, today only in Yemenite accent the Gimel and Dalet are pronounced differently when dagesh is present. Note however, that the GR”A (in his commentary to Tikuney Zohar) states that the actual pronunciation of letters should not be different because of dagesh.
[405] See Kaf Hachaim 127:20, see also Tur and Rokeach to Bemidbar 6:24-26.
[406] See our words to Parshas Vayera.
[407] The first verse has 15 letters, the second – 20 and the third – 25. There are three words in the first verse, five in the second and seven in the third.
[408] GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Parshas Naso.
[409] It is known that the “names” of letters of our alphabet are not arbitrary, but contain information about the letters themselves. The first letter is not called “A” but “Alef” – its’ name contains three letters “Alef “ – “Lamed” – “Fei”. Thus each letter can be “expanded” through writing out the letters of its’ name. Similarly, there are expansions of expansions. In this case, Alef expands to: “Alef “ – “Lamed” – “Fei” – “Lamed” – “Mem” – “Dalet” – “Fei” – “Yud”. In some cases, the same letter can be expanded in many ways, for example “Fei” can be expanded as “Fei” – “Yud” or “Fei” – “Alef” or “Fei” – “Hei”. All of these rules contain a lot of information, many of meditations of Arizal are based on various expansions especially of the Divine Names.
[410] Regarding the significance of number 72, see our words to Parshas Noach.
[411] See GR”A to Tikuney Zohar, end of the fourth Tikun regarding the various Names, including the 12 letter Name and the 22 letter Name. See also our words to Parshas Vaera.
[412] See Talmud, Kiddushin 71a.
[413] There are 22 letters in the words Yevarechecho, Viyishmirecho, Yaer, Vichuneko, Yiso. The letters are permuted in various ways forming the mystical 22 letter Name (see GR”A in Yahel Ohr, 3:147a). This Name is also related to the combination of 13 letters “Yud” and nine letters “Vav” of Birkas Kohanim.
[414] See the story in Aliyos Eliyahu, see also Aruch Hashulchan 128:64.
[415] On the other hand, Sephardic Jews who were exiled primarily to the lands of a monotheistic religion do recite this blessing every day.
[416] See
also Tshuvos Vehanhagos 1:130 that one can ask (or even hire) Cohanim in the
[417] We say this passage when the Torah is carried out "Vayehi Binsoa Haaron Vayomer Moshe …".
[418] Talmud (Shabbos 116).
[419] In his commentary to Agada, tractate Bava Kama, 55 and also in Yahel Ohr to Zohar (3:155).
[420] Talmud, Bava Basra, 16b.
[421] See our words to parshas Devarim.
[422] See Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh to the beginning of this book
[423] In book of Eicha, all chapters, except for the third one have 22 verses, and the third chapter has three times more verses, three starting with each letter of the alphabet.
[424] Regarding why the third and fourth chapters correspond Sefiros in the opposite order, see the Vilna Gaon’s commentary to Agada in Brochos, 54.
[425] Ze leumas ze asa HaElokim (Koheles, 7:14).
[426] See Maharal, Netzach Yisroel, 21.
[427] See our words to Parshios Noach and Toldos.
[428] See our words to parshas Devarim.
[429] Obviously this sin had the greatest effect on our history in the desert. Moreover, according to Ramban (16:1) the rebellion of Korach was also a direct result of the punishment after the sin of the spies.
[432] See detailed discussion in Ramchal, Maamar Havikuach, 42-50; Klach Pischey Chochma, 1; Likutim printed after the GR”A’s peirush to Sifra Detzniusa, starting with words: Sod Hatzimztum.
[433] This is compared by Ramchal (Maam Hachochoma starting with words: “Inyan Hasfiros”) to a person that tries to appear and act a certain way in a group of others whose intellectual level is lower than his. He creates a type of image of himself through which he operates in the manner they can understand. All of us do this at times, when we talk to little children. Similarly, Hashem Who is Infinite, creates various “masks” through which we can gain some connection to Him. Thus the prophets all saw images of Hashem, even though in their prophesies they also received an understanding that this image is not Hashem Himself, for He has no image. Similarly our nation at Mount Sinai saw an image of Hashem as an old man full of mercy (see Rashi, Shemos 20:2 in the name of Mechilta).
[434] See Rav Yitzchak Eizek Chaver in Afikey Yam, Sotah 35a.
[441] The day they died became a voluntary fast day (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 580:2; Kaf Hachaim 580:14.)
[442] See Talmud, Menachos 109b; Avos Derabbi Noson 10:3 that even meek and humble people, once they get in position of power find it very difficult to step away from it when time comes.
[443] See the Talmud, Bava Metzia 33b.
[444] See Sifri, Ree 28, Vayoel Moshe 2:36. See also Sifri Ekev, 7; Sifra Behar, 5; Sifri Haazinu, 28.
[446] See
Rav Yisroel from Shklov (a student of Vilna Gaon) in Peas Hashulchan 1:15 who
brings many sources for this. Among others he quotes the Maharam, that the
[452] See
Vayoel Moshe 2:33. See also Questions and Answers Meil Tzedaka, 26 that if one
makes a living outside the
[453] See Talmud, Kesubos 111a, letters of Rabbeinu Weismandel printed in “Toras Chemed”, 65th letter.
[454]
On the other hand those people who came to the
[455] As
we see, right after the sin of the ten spies there were many people who were
hoping to “compensate” by conquering the land, and they were not successful. Indeed
the mitzvah of waging war to get the
[456] Not the entire book of Psalms was written by Dovid himself. This book rather has prophetic prayers of ten different authors from various time periods. Some of the Psalms start with saying that they were written by children of Korach.
[457] Our sages (Talmud, Sanhedrin 109b) mention that one of the participants of the dispute - On, son of Peles was saved by his wife. She made sure that when Korach comes to take him along he would not be able to enter the tent. She accomplished this uncovering her hair and sitting in the entrance room. Clearly it did not occur to her that Korach would try to enter a tent where he would have to pass a married woman whose hair is uncovered! Not closing the eyes, not turning away, nothing would help. There was no question in anybody's mind that Korach would simply not be able to enter such a tent. Now let’s ask ourselves how many contemporary Rabbis we could name that would not even enter a place where one can meet married women with uncovered hair (or otherwise improperly dressed women?)
[458] Rav Moshe Teitelbaum (the author of Yismach Moshe) used to say that most of the great people were on Korach’s side, and only the simple folk went after Moshe's. He claimed that he himself in one of his gilgulim also lived in that generation, and he did join neither the side of Korach nor the side of Moshe. When asked how he could not join Moshe he answered: "You just don't realize what Korach was like" (see Divrey Yoel, Korach, page 15).
[459] After
the destruction of the
[460] If you read Tanach carefully you would see many examples of this in the ancient times. King Ahab blamed prophet Eliayu for the punishment of hunger (Melachim 1:18:17). Righteous King Hezekiah was blamed for the punishment of Assyrians (see Melachim 2:18:22). Many more examples can be brought from later times and even from recent history. After the decline of observance during the last 150 years, many Rabbis wrote that a terrible punishment will come, yet after the destructions brought by the WWII, many irreligious Jews blamed the Rabbis for everything!
[461] We can see this feeling of anguish coming through the words of Dasan and Aviram (Bemidbar 16:13-14): "… You brought us here to die in the wilderness and you also want to rule over us? You did not [fulfill your promise to] bring us into the land flowing with milk and honey and to give us fields and vineyards for inheritance."
[466] See Rashi 16:7; Arizal, Shaar Hagilgulim, the 33rd introduction, see also Divrey Yoel, Korach.
[467] Regarding the “right” and the “left” in the Divine Rule, see our words in parshas Vayerah and Toldos, see also our words to parshas Devarim.
[468] See Arizal, Shaar Hapesukim, Yechezkel 2:1; Shaar Hagilgulim, the 35th introduction.
[469] See Zohar 1:17a; 3:176a. This is also the reason the Leviim wash the hands of Cohanim before the priestly blessing (Zohar 3:146b).
[472] Midrash Tehillim, 1. Since the Jews were in the desert, this story was obviously just a made up example of how “unfair” the laws of Moshe are. Korach claimed that the “religious” leaders are oppressing and exploiting the poor people, an argument used by various revolutionaries many times throughout history. Even though this argument may have some truth in regards to Christianity, it has no base when made against Judaism. Leviim were the people who were not given any land as inheritance and were the poorest segment of population. Moreover, many of the parts of the crop were given from rich to poor, for instance Peha, Leket, Shikcha, Maaser Oni and tzedoka. Besides this, every seven years the land was totally free for everyone to enjoy the crop on equal basis.
[473] See Talmud, Bava Basra, 4a.
[475] See for example Abarbanel (Bemidbar, 20) who brings 10 interpretations and concludes that Moshe’s mistake for which he was punished actually happened before this episode, see below. See also Meam Loez.
[480] Indeed the dates of the two sins: the Seventeenth of Tamuz and the Ninth of Av formed the well known period of the "three weeks" - the saddest time in our calendar.
[481] This
explains why Yehushua would also send spies right before entering the
[482] Abarbanel also concludes that it's the sin of the
spies that was the cause of Moshe's punishment.
[483]
Indeed the benefit of Moshe being buried outside the
[485] This was his third error. The fourth mistake of Moshe was not stopping the assimilation at Shitim. Instead Pinchas did it and received an eternal covenant and never died (as it is known – Pinchas is Eliyahu, we will discuss this further in parshas Pinchas).
[486] See the GR”A on Tikuney Zohar, end of 16th Tikun, starting with words Beshegam; 21st Tikun, 52b; 69th Tikun 104b, Tikuney Zohar Chadash, 75a; Yahel Ohr to Zohar 2:254b.
[487] An additional difficulty is that the “leaders” whose spiritual root comes from erev rav are not only represented by clearly anti-religious people, but at times may include even “rabbis”. At first it may be difficult to distinguish between a true “Rabbi” and a person who just pretends to be one, thus desecrating the Divine Name by his behavior and making it so much more complicated for all religious Jews.
[488] This is still believed by adherents of many of the eastern religions. Moreover, some of the versions of Christianity are based on to a similar concept.
[490] Even
Pharaoh could not argue with Moshe when he mentioned Elokey Isroel (see Ramban
Shemos 5:3). Similarly the non-Jews who settled in the Holy Land after the ten
trines were exiled, perceived Hashem as the G-d of the
[492] Note that the general theology of idol worshippers was far more complicated than is assumed by most people and far more convincing than contemporary atheism or the theory of evolution. One of the simple proofs of this is the fact that Hashem had sent such a person as Avraham in that time, while we are born in our generation. Had the task of Avraham been easy, while ours – hard, Hashem would send his soul in our generation and ours to withstand the test of idol worshippers (see also our words on parshas Ki Sisa).
[493] In truth, Bilam was not even a prophet in the true sense of this word. He was rather a man of spirit, who could see through the unclean spiritual worlds using witchcraft or various other unclean means. However he was given true prophetic spirit when Hashem wanted him to bless the Jewish people. After this experience he came back to his level of a sorcerer, not a prophet (see Ramban, Bemidbar 22:23, see also Zohar 3:200a; 3:207a). See also Ramban (Devarim 19:2) that the Torah sometimes calls a person who has a talent to predict the future – “a prophet”.
[494] See Rashi and Gur Arye on Bemidbar 22:8. See also Rav Saadia Gaon in Emunos Vedeos 3:9, Ibn Ezra (22:19). See however Ramban 22:15 and 22:20 for a different interpretation.
[495] See Rashi 22:9, 22:35, Talmud, Shabbos 104a, see our words on parshas Korach. See also the GR”A in Kol Eliyahu, 95.
[496] See however Zohar (3:207a) for a deep explanation of the exact way of communication Bilam was using, (see also GR”A in Agados to Brochos 7a, GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, fourth commentary 22:30). Later on during Bilam’s second prophesy Hashem would tell him that He is not a man to change His mind (Bemidbar 23: 19).
[497] Even though he kept telling Balak that he can only do what G-d allows, this does not mean he believed that the Creator Himself is communicating with him and telling him what to do. There is however a possibility that once Hashem raised Bilam to a prophetic level he started realizing that he is receiving prophesies from the Creator of the universe. In this case his further attempts to hurt the Jewish people can still be explained assuming he was now just trying to find our faults and act as an accuser, see below.
[498] See Talmud (Brochos 7a), that Bilam knew at which time of the day his curses will be most effective.
[500] See also Talmud (Bava Basra 15a), that the prophesies of Bilam are considered a special parsha written by Moshe in the Torah.
[504] See the GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu on Balak, where the Gaon explains on various levels of interpretation the depth of Bilam’s prophesies.
[505] See for example Yalkut Shimoni, Rabeinu Bachye, Baal Haturim, Ohr Hachaim Hakodesh and Sforno on the beginning of this week’s parsha.
[506] See our words to parshas Balak. Note that the written Torah does not openly state that the immoral behavior of the daughters of Moav and Midian was a result of Bilam's advice. This is a tradition of our sages in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) based on his words (Bemidbar 25:14): "I will now give you advice ..." and it is also supported by the Torah's description of Bilam's death (see Bemidbar 31:16, see however Ramban 25:1).
[507] See Zohar Chadash on Rus (1:4).
[508] At
later times similar strategies were used quite often and even in the
[509] See Talmud Shabbos 17b.
[510] This was especially true for the men of that generation who were not accustomed to see improperly dressed women.
[511] There is a deeper reason of why the Moabites would worship their "god" in such a disgusting manner, (see Zohar 3:238a).
[512] See Divrey Yoel, Pinchas, page 167.
[514] As
we mentioned in parshas Chukas, according to the GR"A this was Moshe's
fourth mistake. As a punishment, he was not brought to be buried the
[518] Zohar 3:217a. See also Afikey Yam, Zevachim 101b that this is what’s meant by our sages (brought in Rashi 25:13) that Pinchas only became a full-fledged Kohen after this episode. After all, he now acquired the souls of anointed kohanim.
[520] See Pirkey Derabbi Eliezer, 28 and Radal there.
[521] See Arizal, Shaar Hagilgulim 32nd introduction regarding why Eliyahu was afraid of Izevel even though he was supposed to be invulnerable.
[524] This parsha is continuation of the end of parshas Pinchas where the Torah mentioned that one is not allowed to delay any of his korbonos that he made a Neder to bring (see Rashbam).
[525] This
was in fact noticed by ancient non-Jewish historians: Jews have a way to forbid
something by making it like a Korban (sacrifice) or
[526] That
is he says: “Let this piece of bread be like a korban to me”. There are also
Nedarim where a person simply forbids something to himself by saying: “Let this
be forbidden to me”. On the other hand he cannot forbid an object by comparing
it to otherwise prohibited items (except
[528] See Also Shulchan Aruch, Yore Deah 215:5-6 regarding whether Nedarim can apply to items prohibited by negative commandments.
[529] See Ramban Bemidbar 30:3; Rabeynu Bachye, Shemos 20:7;
Bemidbar 30:3; Rekanti Bemidbar 30:2; Zohar 2:91b; 3:255a; Beginning of Etz
Chaim, Shaar Haklalim.
[530] Indeed the 50 gates of Binah are nihted by the word Neder, see Rekanti (Bemidbar 30:2) and Shla Hakodesh (Toldos Adam, Beis Yisroel, 5).
[531] See for example Zohar 3:122a.
[532] See also Talmud, Kidushin 32a. For related questions see Mishna Trumos 8:12, Yerushalmi Trumos 47a.
[533] See also Talmud, Shevuos 35b and Tosafos there.
[534] Of course the prophets promised us that in the end of days there will be no war, and the budget that was used for war effort will instead be used for peace (see Yeshiyahu 2:4, Mika 4:3).
[535] Obviously not everyone that dies is “wicked” and not everybody who gets saved is “righteous”. There are many reasons why somebody might live longer or shorter. However the merits of a person certainly do help. On the other hand there are situations when righteous perish because of minor sins they committed and possibly not even in this life but in a different gilgul. This way they enter the Heaven purified of all their faults. On the other hand a wicked person may have a long and blissful life in this world and no share in the world to come (see Devarim 7:10, Koheles 7:15).
[538] Note that in case of death that happened without his fault at all, the murderer would not have to run away. Thus, if one was driving a car and following the rules, and somebody jumped under his wheels he would not have to flee to a city of refuge (see Makos 8b).
[539] See Talmud, Makos 10b based on Shmuel 1:24:13. Dovid said this to Shaul: "Why would you want to pursue me? If I deserve to die, let Hashem choose a wicked person and execute me through his hands. Why should a righteous king like you be the tool for execution?"
[540] Note however that at times the punishments do not come in the same gilgul, so the one that killed in one gilgul may be killed in a different life.
[541] All of us are naturally afraid of death and this deeply rooted psychological fear stems from the general fear of the unknown. On top of this, Hashem wanted us to try to survive as long as possible so that we could complete our missions on Earth. If we had no fear of dying many would choose not to struggle with death too hard especially when one knows that life after death is much better. (I am not talking about committing suicide, this is strictly forbidden. But there are many sick people that would simply do little to get treatment or follow diet and regimen if not for the fact that survival at any cost is part of our subconscious.)
[544] See also Shla Hakodesh, Toldos Adam, Beis Dovid 50-52. See our words to parshas Devarim regarding the two periods of Moshiach.
[546] See Rabeynu Bachye, Devarim 1:1. See also Ohr HaChaim Hakodesh, Devarim 1:1 and Ohr Bahir there. The Maggid of Dubno writes in the name of the GR”A that until now Moshe was speaking to the Jewish people while receiving Divine prophesy simultaneously, while this book describes, the prophesies of Moshe that he related to the people at a later time, after he already received them from Hashem. See also Talmud, Brochos 21b and Maharitz Chiyus there.
[547] The book of Devarim has 10 Parshios. Note, that Nitzavim and Vayelech count as one Parsha. When there are two Shabbosim between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkos, we split them; however they are generally considered one Parsha. Thus, there are 53 Parshiyos in the Torah, like the gematria of the word “Gan” – garden. If we were to consider Nitzavim and Vayelech separately, we would have a total of 54 Parshiyos.
[548] In reality the fourth part can be considered together with the third. Thus, the three parts of Devarim are a perfect projection of the other books of the Chumash. Bereyshis is the root of the Torah, while Shemos, Vayikra and Bemidbar correspond to the three parts of Devarim (see GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu, Devarim 1:1).
[549] These groups also correspond to the three levels of
the soul – Neshama, Ruach and Nefesh, as well as to the three times – past,
present and future, and to the three levels of the body. Thus, the first three
Sefiros correspond to the Neshama, to the past tense and to the head. In
general, all Neshamos were created in the beginning, and one can’t change them
or damage them. Our actions only affect the levels below Neshama. The Neshama
itself simply leaves a person at the time of sin. This is also the explanation
of Kares – the spiritual incision. The lower levels of the soul are cut off
from Neshama. The next level – Ruach – corresponds to present tense and to the
middle level of the body. We breathe through our lungs, and indeed the meaning
of the word Ruach is wind. The lowest level – Nefesh – corresponds to the
lowest part of the body, below the diaphragm. Our qualities come from this part
of the soul. It has to do with the future tense and we have to work on it all
our lives. It is thus taught that Ruach is riding on top of the Nefesh, like a
rider on a horse. Some people have a hard time taming their “horse,” for they
are born with many bad qualities, but if they succeed in the end, their reward
is very great. Similarly, our
[550] We will try to evaluate this statement of the Gaon
and understand the history accordingly. We certainly do not assume the
knowledge of all of the hints. Everybody who studied the Talmud knows full well
that we sometimes don’t know answers to even much simpler questions. Even the
great sages often end their commentaries with the words “Tzarich Iyun” – this
needs further examination. The written Torah as well as the Talmud and the book
of Zohar predict many elements of our history. However, the statement of the
Gaon shines additional light on it.
[551] In his introduction to Tikuney Zohar.
[552] In general, Sefiros can be viewed as parts of Divine
will or as ways of Hanhaga – Hashem’s rule over the universe. There are ten
such ways. Everything in the spiritual and physical realms is a result and
projection of some combination of the ten Sefiros. Just as all physical
materials with their great variety are composed of just a little more that one
hundred elements, so too, is everything spiritual, a combination of these ten
general spiritual roots. The names of the Sefiros are:
Keser – Crown, Chochma – Wisdom, Bina – Understanding,
Chesed – Kindness, Gevurah – Strength, Tiferes – Harmony, Netzach –
Perseverance, Hod – Splendor, Yesod – Foundation, Malchus
– Royalty.
The projections of these Sefiros are in everything including the human body.
[553] In his commentary to the fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniusa.
[554] In his tshuva 62 in the second volume of Choshen Mishpat.
[555] In his commentary to the first chapter of Sifra Detzniusa.
[556] Brochos 61b.
[557] Indeed this is hinted by the way the word “heart” is written here with two letters “beis” – levavecha instead of libecha – with one “beis” (see Chizkuni Devarim 6:5). The right and the left sides of the heart are usually associated with the yetzer hatov and the yetzer hara.
[558] See Imrey Noam and his Agada commentary to Bava Basra 73a and Brochos 61b. See also Tanya, the beginning of Likutey Amarim.
[559] See also Ramchal, Mesilas Yesharim, 26 where he explains the last reachable level of sanctity – Kedusha.
[561] Even though it is assumed that we think using our brain, indeed the soul’s capabilities of thinking are far greater than anything our bodies can offer. This is why for example during the sleep, one can sometimes much more Torah than while awake (see the GR”A on Mishley 19:23). When the soul is given greater “freedom” from the bodily constrictions, it can actually achieve far greater heights than when it’s “trapped” inside the body.
[562] See further Ramban, Devarim 6:5. In the classical example of total self-control, one is ready to even give up his life for Hashem.
[563] The word “Meod” also hints to possessions as the Talmud tells us. The reason for this is that usually possessions are measured quantitatively (see Ramban, Devarim 6:5).
[566] Note that it was Dovid who revealed in his Psalm 25 that it’s possible to “use” one’s soul in order to bring out the sparks of holiness from the unclean worlds. Ideally this is the psalm to be pronounced during tachanun (see Zohar 2:202b), with the concentration of “mesiras nefesh” – giving away one’s soul for Hashem. However most Sidurim bring a different psalm because of the great danger involved in pronouncing Psalm 25 without proper concentration (see Arizal, Shaar Hakavonos, Nefilas Apaim, Drosh 2, see also Zohar 3:121a). Because of this danger Sefardim who do pronounce the 25th psalm, do not fall or bend during tachanun, (see Ben Ish Chai, first year of learning, parshas Ki Tisa, 13).
[567] Indeed the word “meod” has the same letters as Adam and gematria 45, the expansion of the Divine Name that corresponds to Tiferes – Yakov’s Sefira (see our word in parshas Naso regarding expansions of the Divine names, see also Rav Chaim Vital to the Zohar 2:27a).
[568] See Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi, 6.
[569] Note that the forefathers are also hinted two verses later: “You shell say these words … while sitting home and while walking on the road, and when lying down and when getting up”. Four actions are mentioned here – sitting, walking, lying and standing. They correspond to the four times of the day and four prayers instituted for those times by Avraham, Yitzchak, Yakov and Dovid (see our word to parshas Vayerah).
[570] Note that Rav Yitzchak Aizek Chaver (in his commentary to Aderes Eliyahu from the GR”A, Devarim 1:9) and Baal Haturim (Devarim 6:5) have a slightly different arrangement, by which Dovid is not counted here, and instead Yitzchak corresponds to loving with all of one’s soul. After all, it was Yitzchak who was prepared to give up his life for Hashem.
[571] Indeed the principle of reward and punishment is the eleventh principle in the 13 Ikarim based on Rambam. Many people recite these Ikarim every morning after prayer.
[572] See GR”A to the Zohar 3:157b, that indeed the sages started their discussion by establishing that Koheles is a book that contains Divinly inspired wisdom, rather than heretical ideas.
[573] This statement was first made by Cain (see Targum Yonasan and Rabeynu Bachye on Bereyshis 4:8). Indeed in real life we seem to find many contradictions to this principle. The Jewish people are known not to accept anything dogmatically. Many nations are often told by their religious leaders all sorts of ideas that seem to contradict their own experiences and hunches, but they are told to “believe” and they often do believe without questioning (see also Talmud, Taanis 5b based on Yirmiyahu 2:10-13 that the nations of the world generally hold own to their religious practices and belief even when they don’t make a lot of sense). The Jews are generally “stiff-necked” and not willing to take any dogmas until a satisfying explanation is given. Much has been written to reconcile this principle of faith and the “reality” around us. One of the earliest books on this subject is the book of Iov written by Moshe himself. Certainly the main reason we see apparent “injustice” is simply because we don’t know the full picture of what the particular individual did in all of his lives and what is in store for him in the future. But the most perplexing question is that this principle of faith seems to contradict a statement in Koheles, and this is what attracted the attention of the sages of the Zohar.
[576] This can be compared to yeshivah that moved away from society and decided to support itself through growing cows and producing milk products. Since the Rebbe does not want to waist any more time then necessary he calculated that 10 cows will suffice to produce food for the entire yeshivah. So the primary goal is to maintain exactly 10 cows, but obviously each cow does require individual attention, it needs to be fed, cleaned after etc. When new cows are born, a decision is made which ones to sell or slaughter so that the total number is preserved. The Rebbe is not interested in any particular cow; he just needs to preserve their correct number to satisfy the needs of the yeshivah. In the same way Hashem is not pointing His “attention” to any of the creatures on this Earth except for people. Yet He needs to maintain every single creature in order that it serves its’ purpose.
[577] This is the meaning of our prayers: “He renews the world every day, constantly through His goodness” (see Bais Halevi, Bereishis 2:2, Meshech Chochma, Shemos 35:2).
[578] We are thus taught: “No bird gets caught except through the Divine Providence” (Yerushalmi, Shviis 25b). See also Ramchal, Adir Bamarom (pg. 474) where he discusses the mice that get caught by the cat every day as hinted in the “song” of mice and the “song” of the cats in Perek Shira, see also GR”A to the Zohar 3:157b.
[579] Note that the words of some Rishonim at first glance seem to contradict this statement (see Ramban, Shaar Hagemul, 119; Sefer Hachinuch, 169; Rambam, More Nevuchim 3:17). It may seem they held that there is no Hashgacha Pratis (specific Divine Rule) when it comes to animals and the rest of nature. However in the light of what we wrote above, their words can also be explained to mean that Hashem does not direct His “attention” to the animal world in the way He does regarding people. He does however need to supervise everything that happens in nature as well, as our sages state numerous times (see also Talmud, Bava Basra 16a, Bereyshis Raba 13:10, see Questions and Answers of Radbaz 1066 and Mishne Halachos 7:289-290 for further discussion).
[581] According to the Zohar the word “separate” here implies that the Torah scholars should separate from people with such mentality. Indeed, the general name of the sages in those times was “Perushim” – separated ones.
[582] See Vayikra 26:21,23,27,40 where the verses keep mentioning that our nation’s sin was attributing everything to chance. See also Devarim 4:35,39; 32:39.
[583] See Ramban, Devarim 13:2.
[584] This
was especially true in the ancient times before the destruction of the
[585] See the GR”A on Zohar, Yahel Ohr 2:248a, where he discusses the difference between dreams a soul sees and the prophetic levels. Indeed many predictions of the future are envisioned when one is asleep but they are usually obscure and need an explanation.
[586] See for example Ramchal, the beginning of Maamar Haikarim, that just as there are physical laws and limitations for each object and process, so too there are certain spiritual laws. Through certain actions in this world people can arouse spiritual entities to do particular functions in the ways that the Creator instituted. Thus, knowing the laws of these spiritual entities, one can produce effects to this world that will be considered miraculous. However, not every type of miracle can be achieved, everything is governed according to the preset laws from the beginning of Creation. The general name for the forbidden types of actions that stimulate spiritual entities in the manner not desired by Hashem, is witchcraft or sorcery (see also Derech Hashem 3:2).
[587] Even though one of the obvious differences between true prophets and false ones is the fact that the prophesies of true prophet are always true, while false prophet can only sometimes predict the future, this alone would not make it simple to distinguish the true prophet from the false one. The reason is that even the true prophet’s predictions can be fulfilled in various ways not necessarily corresponding to what people understood to be the original prophesy (see also our words to parshas Lech Lecha). Moreover, bad prophesies can at times be reversed depending on people’s repentance and change of their deeds (see Yirmiyahu chapter 28, Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 56b, Rambam, Yesodey HaTorah, 10:4).
[589] However, according to Rambam (Yesodey Hatorah 8:1) only the revelation at Sinai formed the basis of our faith (see his words in Yesoday Hatorah, chapters 8 and 10 for many fundamental concepts).
[590] Even
the celebrated Nostradamus’s predictions are very obscure and can be
interpreted in various ways after the fact to fit the events that already
occurred. Even though there are also some unclear prophesies in the Torah, however
there are many clear predictions with details as well. For example, the
detailed description of our two exiles to
[591]
Eliyahu brought korbonos outside the
[594] See Midrash Tanchuma, Toldos 7.
[595] Even though Dovid was able to destroy his internal yetzer hara, the external one still remained.
[596] See further Ramban, Devarim 13:2. The next parsha (18:20) discusses other types of false prophets.
[598] See Shmuel 1:3:9. In general, the students of prophets were usually called “Bney Neviim” – children of prophets.
[600] However if it’s done accidentally, the “prophet” is not punished (see Sifri, Shofrim; GR”A in Aderes Eliyahu 18:20).
[601] Moreover, according to some opinions it’s forbidden to say even jokingly: “Hashem told me such and such” (Hagahos Maymoniyos, Avodas Kochavim 5:1, but see Ohr Someach there).
[602] See Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 255:9. Unfortunately many people place too much significance to their dreams (see Questions and Answers Rav Poalim, regarding a girl that saw a dream that she would die on a certain day and when that day came, she committed suicide).
[603] See Sanhedrin 20b and Sifri (Shoftim, 13) where Rabbi Yehuda argues with Rabbi Nehorai. The Talmud leaves this dispute undecided, Rambam (Melachim 1:1) follows the opinion that appointing the king is a mitzvah, while Abarabanel (Devarim 17:14) holds that it’s not. See also Ramban (Devarim 17:14) that the Torah purposefully uses obscure language here without clearly stating if it commendable to appoint a king or that simply this is what would happen later in history.
[606] According to Rav Elchanan Waserman this is what our sages meant when they said (Sotah 49b): “In the end of days the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog”. The face, meaning the leadership will behave like a dog that runs before its’ master. An observer might think that the dog is the leader, since it’s always in the front, but indeed it’s the master that determines the course of action. Let him only turn and the dog will quickly switch direction as well, and run in front of him in the new direction.
[607] See Sanhedrin 94b that King Hezekiah put a sward in Beis Midrash and forced the people to study the laws. In the end even boys and girls knew even the complicated laws of ritual purity.
[608]
Note, that even in democratic society a leader can be elected and grab enough
power to bring much evil. Hitler was elected by democratic process and was able
to create a war situation that ultimately gave him the power of total control.
However most nations try to protect themselves from this type of situation and
limit the powers of the ruler even during the time of war. (There are however
some former republics of the
[609] See Talmud, Sukka 52b; Zohar 1:25b; see also GR”A, Devarim, second peyrush 33:17; Malbim, Yechezkel 37:19, Tshuvos Chasam Sofer, 6:98. The Arizal (Likutey Hashas, Sanhedrin) writes that the statement in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 94a) that Hezekiah could have been Moshiach, implies Moshiach ben Yosef. This would seem to imply that Moshiach ben Yosef does not have to physically come from Yosef. However, it’s possible that being descendant of Yosef through the female line is sufficient (as we find similarly that Hillel dynasty was coming from Dovid through the female line, see Yerushalmi, Kesubos 65b). Indeed the kings of Yehudah after Yehoshafat were all coming from Achav’s daughter Atalia, and Achav belonged to the tribe of Ephraim ben Yosef.
[610] In his commentary to the first chapter of Sifra Detzniusa, see also GR”A in Imrey Noam on Brochos 13a, 34b, GR”A on Agada Brochos, 34b, see also Yaros Dvash 1:8. The GR”A also writes that if we had deserved, Moshiach ben Yosef could have come in year 4000, and there would then be two thousand years of times of Moshiach (see Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a). Regarding the question of how Hezekiah could possibly be Moshiach ben Yosef, even before year 3000, it’s possible to say that under extreme circumstances of great Tshuvah and merit of the generation, our nation can deserve to be redeemed much earlier (see also Vayoel Moshe 1:73). Just as any prophesy for bad can be reversed, so too the prediction of the exile and its’ duration (see also our words to parshas Lech Lecha that prophesies can be fulfilled in various ways).
[611] See Tamud, Kesubos 46a, Avoda Zara 20a, Sifri, Ki Setze 44.
[613] See our words to Parshas Mishpatim regarding the command of the Torah not to cook a kid in its’ mother’s milk.
[616] The
holiness of the army camp is comparable to the holiness of the
[617] Even at the time of danger, the Torah commands the solder to carry a tool in addition to his weapons, just so that our camp is clean (see letters of Rabeinu Weismandel, letter #79 for additional discussion, see also Maham Shik on Mitzvos, #566).
[618] There are some differences regarding this law depending on the gender of the person who wants to say the blessing and on the gender of the person who is undressed. In all cases, if the person himself or the one if front of him or her is completely undressed, the prohibition to say the words of Torah is of Biblical origin as stated in these verses. Regarding the fact that a woman pronounces a blessing in the mikva while she is not dressed, since her body is under water it is permissible according to many authorities, as long as she is also not looking down when she makes the blessing. Most women in addition encircle themselves with their hands to separate the upper part of the body from the lower one (see Shach on Yore Deah 200:1 and Taz 200:3).
[619] This prohibition is of Biblical origin even when the woman he is thinking about is permitted to be married to him, i.e. she is a single Jewish woman who is not his close relative (see Bash, Even Haezer 21:2). The women are also not supposed to stare at men with illicit thoughts and intentions. However, since the women do not get as easily excited there are some differences in the laws: a woman can hear a man singing, and she can see the men’s section of the synagogue, while a man can’t listen to a forbidden woman singing and the men don’t see the women’s section of the Shul.
[620] See Talmud, Sotah 49b, and Rashi there.
[621] According to the opinion that open miracles will not happen when Moshiach appears, many of the predictions regarding that utopian era coming true as we live, (see also our words in the end of parshas Devarim regarding two Moshiachs).
[622] In the past few years there have also been a lot of articles written in mainstream religious Jewish press, like Mishpacha, Jewish Observer etc.
[623] See Sanhedrin 98b. The Chofetz Chaim used to offer the following parable: when two people fight and one is ready to win, the other gathers all his remaining power. So too, the power of evil that knows that once Moshiach comes it will seize to exist, is now trying its’ outmost to lead people astray (see letters of Rav Elchanan Waserman).
[624] Something our sages would describe: “the beginning was by mistake by the end was willfully”. Most people started by clicking the wrong button on a web page or e-mail, or accidentally mistyping some word in the browser and got to a completely inappropriate site.
[625] See Talmud, Avoda Zara 17a: “…he was so addicted to forbidden relations that it was similar to heresy …” In general this obsession should be considered a real sickness and has to be dealt with as such.
[626] Even though forbidden thoughts in general is something very few people can completely avoid (see Talmud, Bava Basra 164b, see Tosafos Avoda Zara 20b) there is still an obvious difference between the one that accidentally looked at something improper or had a bad thought, and the one who occupies himself searching for forbidden “pleasures”.
[627] See Rambam, Laws of Tshuva 3:9. Note that even though the prohibition of staring at forbidden pictures is usually broken by men, there are a number of prohibitions that women often break too. The common example is going to various chat groups, forming relationships with other people etc. By now there have been hundreds of cases of families that broke due to a woman’s involvement on the web. Besides all this, there is also much inappropriate material for an Orthodox Jew. One of the common examples is wrong and falsified information that is presented as legitimate encyclopedic knowledge. Many times a not so knowledgeable person can be quit challenged by information that seems quite persuasive, and may even lose the strong faith that he had before.
[628] See Shulchan Aruch, Yore Dea 118:10 for similar laws regarding supervising food production. Shame is a great gift Hashem gave us and we can use it well. One might wonder why we are more afraid of being caught by other people than by Hashem Himself? The reason might be that even though Hashem is watching everything we do, people sin and think they can later do Tshuva, but embarrassment from others is enough of a determent for most of us. Indeed it has always been that way, Raban Yochanan ben Zakai blessed his students that they should fear Hashem as much as they fear people (Brochos 28b)! The righteous Rav Amram Chasida saved himself from transgression by calling people so that he gets embarrassed and not commit it (Kidushin 81a, see also Nefesh Hachaim, end of the third gate).
[629] The Torah openly mentions only the text of the curses but the Talmud (Sotah 37b) teaches that each curse was preceded by a blessing.
[630] This is one of very few Biblical words that even non-Jews are accustomed to and pronounce in the original.
[631] This word is used twice in the passage of Bemidbar 5:22 and twelve times in this week’s parsha (Devarim 27:15-16), see below. The word “Amen” appears more than ten times in the rest of Nach (prophets and writings) signifying agreement and wish that the statement made previously should come true.
[632] To verify her innocence she brings a particular flour offering and drinks water mixed with a small quantity of earth and ink from an erased passage dealing with this command. Before drinking a Kohen tells her that if she is innocent the water will have no negative effects, but if she is guilty she will die. On this the woman has to answer “Amen, Amen” (The reason she answers Amen twice is because the same punishment would happen even if she was innocent this time, with the man she was suspected to have relations, but had committed adultery before with a different man, see further Talmud, Sotah 18a,b).
[633] One
of the statements is a general one: “Blessed is the one who upholds all the
words of the Torah” and “Cursed is the one that does not”. Often, when
enumerating the curses, the general one is not counted and this is why we often
find the commentators use the expression “eleven curses”. As for the reason why
these eleven particular commandments were chosen for blessings and curses, most
commentators explain that they have to do with transgression generally
committed privately (see Rashbam, Rabeinu Bachye, Daas Zkeinim Mibaaley Tosafos
and Chizkuni on Devarim 27:15; Ibn Ezra 27:14; Kli Yakar 27:12. See also Rashi
on Devarim 29:28 based on Talmud, Sanhedrin 43b that before coming to the
[634] Unfortunately we are so accustomed to answering Amen that we usually don’t’ concentrate on it at all. Rabeinu Chaim from Volozhin used to say that he sees no excuse in pronouncing Amen without concentration (Etz Chaim printed in the back of Nefesh Hachaim, #74).
[635] It’s preferable to answer Amen at least 90 times daily (see Tikuney Zohar, 18th Tikun pg. 29).
[636] Whole books in various languages were written about answering “Amen”, but we will be concise as usual.
[637] The Name of Hashem used here is not to be pronounced except during prayer, this is why we add the letter “K” before it.
[639] In his commentary to Brochos (Imrey Noam 60b), see also Chaye Adam 6:1.
[640] The general concept of a blessing “brocha” is a very deep Kabalistic notion and the word blessing does not adequately describe it. The idea of a brocha has to do with bringing the Divine flow into the world (see Nefesh Hachaim 2:2), and indeed the word Amen is like a stamp that seals this blessing (see Zohar 3:171a; 3:285b; see also Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 167:2).
[642] This is one of the reasons the Talmud (Brochos 53b) mentions an opinion that answering Amen is even better than making the brocha (see also Zohar 3:229a). After all, the one making a brocha only pronounces the Name A-DONOY, while the one answering Amen implies both Names. According to Kabala (Arizal, Shaar Hakavonos, Chazras Haamida, 5; see also Kaf Hachaim 6:13) the concentration when answering Amen should be on an eight letter word, where the letters from each of the two Names are taken one at a time. In case of Kadish, the respective letters from A-DONOY are taken before the letters of the Main Name, and in case of all other brochos and prayers, the letters from the Main Name are first. This difference signifies that in the Tikun (rectification) of Kadish we are trying to bring recognition to the Name of Hashem from down below.
[643] This is also why the Name A-DONOY corresponds to the Sfira of Malchus – Kingship. This is also hinted by our sages (Talmud, Bava Kama 113b) by the words “DINA of Maluchus is True DIN” – a judgment of Kingship is True Judgment. The letters of the word “DINA” are the same as “A-DONOY” (see Zohar 2:118a).
[644] This is also the reason we start the morning prayers, instituted by Avraham, with the song “Adon Olam” (Sidur Shaar Rachamim from Rav Pinchas ben Yehudah, a student of the GR”A).
[645] They don’t know what they are saying “Amen” on since they are busy with something else (see Shulchan Aruch 124:8 for details on how to answer Amen correctly).
[648] The GR”A wrote that this is the hint of the expression (Talmud, Shabbos 155b): “There is nobody richer than the pig or poorer than the dog”. The commandment of not eating pig is very “rich” while the prohibition against gossiping is very poor. Even most nonobservant Jews don’t eat pig, while even the most religious break the prohibition against evil speech (loshon hara) which is compared to a dog.
[651] Like desires to have relations with people of the same gender, or even relations with animals.
[653] Moreover, habitual breaking a particular prohibition makes it a lot harder to stop (see Talmud, Yoma 86b). The GR”A (on Mishley 1:23) writes that whatever a person does, there is a sprit sent to him, so that he wants to continue doing it again. Indeed, our sages teach (Avos 4:2): “A sin leads to another sin, while a mitzvah leads to another mitzvah”.
[654] It is interesting to mention here that the general word for a heretic used by our sages is Epicurus. There is no question that this word comes from the name of a Hellenistic Greek Philosopher who believed in no supervision from Above and no life after death (Nietzsche – the main philosopher relied on by the Nazis also largely based his system on the writings of Epicurus). The most fascinating truth is that even Epicurus himself advocated restraint since he held that overindulgence destroys a person. This shows that even a person that believes in nothing, still observed that the hedonistic lifestyle is only destructive! Unfortunately the contemporary physiologists did not learn even from Epicurus, for their main idea of “treatment” is overindulgence (see Tshuvos Vehanhagos 1:465, see also Tur, Otach Chaim 240, Even Haezer 25).
[655] This was of course one of fundamental ideas of Chasidism: channeling one’s love and other emotions so as to serve the Creator (see Tzavaas Harivash 14; 22; 84).
[656] One of the advantages of punishment is that a person or the whole nation would not stray too far beyond a possibility of rectification (see Talmud, Avoda Zara 4a; see also Tanchuma, Nitzvaim, 1). Dovid thus prayed (Psalms 94:12): “Happy is the man that is being punished by Hashem”. He also thanked Hashem for both punishing him and supporting him (Tehillim 23:4). Hashem promised Dovid to also punish his descendants when they sin (Shmuel 1:7:14). This is the best guarantee that the dynasty of Dovid would last forever.
[657] Indeed this parsha uses the expression (Devarim 31:18) “Haster Astir (completely hide)” hinting to the times of Ester (see Talmud, Chulin 139b). The danger of annihilation in that time period caused the Jewish people to return in a way no prophet was able to do (see Talmud, Megila 14a)!
[658] See Bereishis Raba 8:9.
[660] It is for this reason that in certain cases when a Jew does not want to keep a particular commandment, he is beaten until he agrees. Deep inside every Jew wants to keep the mitzvos, but the physical often does not let him, so he is beaten until the physical weakens (see Rambam, Laws of Divorce 2:20; see also Nefesh Hachaim 1:18).
[661] See Maharal on Agada explaining the statement. See also Zohar 3:273b; Ramchal, 515 Tefilos, #137; Shla Hakodesh, end of commentary to the book of Shemos.
[664] The entire Shir Hashirim speaks about this relationship, see also Yeshiyahu 50:1; Yirmiyahu 3:1; Hoshea 2:18-22.
[665] Tikuney Zohar, 21st Tikun, pg. 49 (55b in GR”A’s edition) and the GR”A there.
[666] This is the frivolous woman mentioned in Mishley 5:3-11; 7:10-23; 9:11-18, see the GR”A’s commentary there and GR”A on the Zohar 1:44b, 2:245a.
[668] In truth the unclean side actually hates those who listen to it.
[669] See Ramban, Devarim 32:40. See our words to parshas Devarim, that Haazinu corresponds to the Sefira of Yesod – Foundation. It groups all the Sefiros above it to pass the Divine Flow to Malchus. This is why this parsha includes the entire Torah. Indeed we learn from here that the entire Torah has to be written by every Jew, see below. Note that In our day most people fulfill the mitzvah of writing the Torah by either buying some parsha, sentence or letter in partnership with others (see Pischey Tshuva, Yore Deah 270:1) or by buying various printed books including the Chumash, Mishna, Talmud and Shulchan Aruch (see Drisha and Prisha on Yore Deah 270:8).
[670] From here we learn the commandment of writing the entire Torah since an individual parsha is not to be written down (see Talmud, Sanhedrin 21b, Rambam, Laws of Sefer Torah 7:1).
[671] Literally “Name of Hashem”, but here it can mean the Teaching of Hashem (see Haksav Vehakabala 32:3).
[672] Indeed Ramban (in Hasagos to Sefer Hamitzvos, missing positive commandments, 15) writes that the blessing on learning Torah are of biblical origin, (see also Shaagas Arye 24, Mishna Berura 47:1). According to other opinions this blessing is only an asmachta, i.e. it’s only hinted in the Torah (see Kaf Hachaim 47:2).
[673] Note that in general the blessings over the mitzvos are supposed to be recited each time the mitzvah is performed. Thus, Tefillin or Tzitzis that were taken off for a long time require a new blessing when put again. However, regarding the learning of Torah, it’s considered that we never interrupt. Even when we work the entire day, our mind is supposed to be on returning back to learning as soon as we get a chance. This is why we only recite the blessing on learning Torah once daily (see Taz, Orach Chaim 47:8).
[674] There is actually a dispute whether there are two or three blessing on learning Torah. In our commentary we followed the opinion that there are two blessings, but even according to the second opinion, the first two can be grouped together for they mention mainly the mitzvah of learning, while the last blessing is a brocha of thankfulness. This is why our comments can apply to the second opinion as well.
[675] See Haga in Levush, Orach Chaim 47:6, Moadim Vezmanim, 1:32, Shailos Vetshuvos Min Hashamaim, 10.
[676] There are many blessing instituted on various enjoyments: eating, drinking, smelling fragrances etc. There are also many brochos instituted on performing mitzvos (see Tshuvos HaRashba 1:18 regarding why certain mitzvos don’t have a brocha). Torah is both a wonderful gift that can gladden the heart (see Tehillim 19:9) and also the greatest mitzvah (see Mishna, Peah 1:1). Even though not everyone who start learning immediately feels the pleasure, with time one can feel enormous enjoyment from learning to such an extent that nothing else in life is as pleasure full (see GR”A on Mishley 1:23).
[677] See Yavetz in his Sidur and Eliahu Raba 47:4.
[678] The Nusach of Ashkenazi Jews in this blessing is “Laasok Bedivrey Torah” to occupy ourselves in learning Torah.
[679] Indeed this is the main learning in the Yeshivos. The Talmud, the Tosafos and other Rishonim, the Acharonim are all trying to resolve the many questions that arise based on the Mishna, Braisa, Tosefta, etc. See also Rambam, Laws of learning Torah and Shulchan Aruch, Yore Deah 346:4 regarding the fact that our main learning is that of the Talmud.
[680] See also Ramchal, Adir Bamarom, pg. 38 in standard edition, based on Tikuney Zohar that all the difficulties and disputes have a spiritual root in the unclean side causing lack of understanding. The sages had to battle against the unclean side to bring out the “princess” – the true halacha.
[682] They
also correspond to the time of the day and the night. Indeed one should
preferably learn the Written Torah during daytime and the Oral Law at night
(see Shla Hakodesh, Shvuos 18 based on Midrash Pirkey DeRabbi Eliezer 45, see
also Mishna Berura Shaarey Tziun 238:1, questions and answers “Betzel Hochma
4:44). In truth there is a dispute whether a person who did not sleep the
entire night should recite the blessings on Torah in the morning again (see
Mishna Berura 47:28). This dispute is dependant on whether the blessings on
Torah are primarily brochos on a mitzvah or brochos of thanksgiving (see
Shulkchan Aruch Harav 47:7). Indeed this question was presented to angels by
one of the Mekubalim from the
[684] Rav Ezriel Tauber compares them to the minister of internal affairs and the minister of external affairs.
[685] The GR”A in the end of his life only studied the Written Torah since he was able to find all the words of our sages hinted in it. Moreover the entire history of all society with details is predicted by our Written Torah (see the GR”A on fifth chapter of Sifra Detzniusa). With the recent discovery of Torah codes, based on the findings of Rabbeinu Weissmandel, we can see at least one way in which the Torah predicts and accounts for all lives for all generations.
[687] See Shir Hashirim Raba 5:3. See also Ramban, Breishis 24:1; Ramchal Daas Tvunos, 158; Klalim Rishonim, 29; Zohar 1:5a.
[689]
Arameic Translation of Unkelos based on traditions from
[690] In the Zohar we find many discussions about giligulim, but the Zohar had been a hidden book for many generations. The Midrashim, the Talmud and other works of Chazal almost never discuss gilgulim, and when they do, they only use hints.
[691] See for instance Ramban on Iyov 33:17; on Bereyshis 38:8 and on Devarim 25:6; Rabeinu Bachye Bereishis 2:17; Shemos 34:7; Devarim 33:6; Kad Hakemach 73b and our words to parshas Metzorah. Indeed some early Jewish philosophers considered the general concept of gilgulim a non-Jewish concept coming from the eastern religions. See Rav Yitzchak Eizek Chaver (Magen Vetzina 4:33) that the main reason for this approach had to do with the belief of some people that a person can be born into an animal or a tree. Indeed this concept is totally foreign to Judaism. Even though the word gilgul is also used it is incorrect to think that a person can become a plant. Rather this is a type of punishment for certain sins to be imprisoned in fauna or flora. Just as Gehinnom (Hell) is a way of punishment, so too there are other punishments after death. The person is not “born” into an animal; rather his soul is stuck in an animal for a time period decreed by Divine Justice. Thus even though the word “gilgul” is also used, the concept is very different from what we normally call a gilgul. Generally a gilgul means a new life with new opportunities, another chance to rectify and to assemble more mitzvos. Indeed according to the GR”A the whole dispute between Beis Shamay and Beis Hillel (Eiruvin 13b) regarding whether it’s better to be born or not is only with regards to the second gilgul. On the one hand there is a new opportunity to do more miztvos, but on the other hand one can also assemble more transgressions.
[692] Indeed it’s possible to explain why some righteous people suffer while wicked prosper without the concept of gilgulim. After all the main reward and punishment is in the afterlife, and a believing person knows that ultimately all the good deeds and bad ones will be properly compensated. It is similarly possible to explain why a person may be born with defects like blindness, lack of limbs etc. We could say that Hashem knew that for this particular person this is the best. Had he been born normal he may have abused his powers, but now that he is handicapped he can better concentrate on doing good. It is harder to explain why some child dies before reaching the age when he can perform even a single mitzvah. Even though his death can serve a punishment to his parents, it would be difficult to understand what happens to his own soul. However, once we know of a concept of gilgulim, everything becomes understandable. A particular death is not the end of activity in this world. The soul may have been here before and may need to come more times until it achieves its’ rectification. A person born with various defects may be suffering for what he did in a different life. Moreover, various statements of Chazal become much each easier to understand. Our sages said that the one who pretends to be handicapped in order to collect charity, he will actually end up being handicapped and indeed this will happen though not necessarily in the same life.
[694] This is very well known Midrash that the sidurim and machzorim bring in the notes to the famous poem “Eile Ezkera” recited during the holiest prayer of the year: repetition of Musaf on Yom Kippur. Some commentators explain that these ten sages lived in different times, because they assume that two of the people killed: Shimon and Yishmoel were the first Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and the first Rabbi Yishmoel ben Elisha. However according to Doros Harishnim the ten sages all lived in the same generation and were killed during prosecutions of Hadrian. One of the strong proofs is the fact that Shmuel Hakatan predicted when he was dying that Shimon and Yihsmoel will be killed and since Shmuel Hakatan lived in Yavne after the destruction of the Temple these could not be the first Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and the first Rabbi Yishmoel ben Elisha.
[696] The case of these ten martyrs was thus a special situation of a death without a sin that warranted it. Even though these ten sages had some minor misdeeds (see Tana Debe Eliyahu Raba, 30) their death together with the further deaths of Jewish martyrs was in a way a korban, preparing a way for the final rectification (see Shaar Hagilgulim, 36th preface, Ramchal, Kinas Hashem Tzeva-os starting with Maamar: Asara Harugei Malchus, in the standard edition of Ginzey Ramchal it’s on page 103).
[697] See also Ramchal (Kinas Hashem Tzeva-os starting with Maamar: Yosef Veeshes Potifar, in the standard edition of Ginzey Ramchal it’s on page 102) that Yosef was almost ready to have relations with Potifar’s wife thinking this would be a Tikun falling in the category of sin leshem shamaim, see also our words on Parshas Vayechi.
[699] See Rashi on this Gemorah, see also Rabeynu Chananel and Shaarim Hametzuyanim Behalacha for a different explanation of why Rabbi Eliezer was caught.
[700] Reuben is therefore not counted together with the ten martyrs, but Yosef is! The reason is that he was the one who was talking badly about his brothers which ultimately caused their hatred.
[701] See for instance the GR”A on Mishley (14:25), that if one steals from another and does not return the stolen object, they come back in a gilgul, so that restoration can be made.
[702] See however Aruch Hashulchan 1:16, where
he apparently relates the four qualities to the four natural elements in a
different order. See also the GR”A on Agados Brochos, 6b (1:21) for a slightly
different arrangement.