Sruly Schnair

כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך בדרך בכל עץ או על הארץ אפרחים או ביצים והאם רבצת על האפרחים או על הביצים לא תקח האם על הבנים

If a bird’s nest happens to be before you on your way, on a tree or on the ground – young birds or eggs – and the mother is roosting on the young birds or the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. (22:6)

The laws of shiluach hakein, sending away an ownerless bird which is roosting on her young, is a mitzvah for which a number of humanistic “rationales” are suggested. Obviously, these explanations are primarily for us, human beings, with our mortal minds, so that we have an understanding of a mitzvah which seems to be simple to perform and carries with it the awesome reward of longevity. Like everything else in the Torah, there is also a homiletic and esoteric side to it, which often sheds a completely new perspective on the mitzvah. Horav Levi Yitzchak m’Berditchev, zl, explains the mitzvah of…

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זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלך

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5778

Remember what Amalek did to you. (25:17)

What did Amalek really do to us? They came after us three times: in Refidim; the Maapilim, after the spies; following the death of Aharon HaKohen. There were casualties, and every Jewish soul whose life is cut short is worth all of our enemy – and more. Nonetheless, we have been persecuted and hounded, murdered like animals led to the slaughter; from the Egyptians who persecuted us for 210 years, who slaughtered our babies, to Titus, Nevuchadnetzer, Crusades, Inquisition, hundreds of pogroms, Chemelniki, and finally the cataclysmic Holocaust, which destroyed one third of our nation – yet we are not…

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כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקול אביו ובקול אמו

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5778

If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. (21:18)

Concerning the incident of the ben sorer u’moreh, the wayward son, and its accompanying laws causes one to pause and ask: Why? This could never happen. Why take up precious space to write about a wayward son that (according to the demanding laws that accompany it) has characteristics which are not likely to develop. D’rosh u’sekabel s’char, “Learn and you will receive reward”: Probably the greatest reward will be derived from learning it properly – with a focus on one’s parenting. This way, he will not have to address such a child personally. Having said this, we turn to one…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Pekudei

“And they attached the Choshen by its rings to the rings of the Eiphod… the Choshen shall not be loosened from the Eiphod.” (39:21)

We may infer from the pasuk that once the Eiphod and the Choshen were attached, they were to remain that way always. Consequently, Aharon donned a single garment. This is inconsistent with the pasuk in Parashas Tzav (Vayikra 8:7,8), which implies that Aharon put on two separate garments. Horav David Feinstein, Shlita, suggests that in Parashas Tzav the Torah‘s intention was regarding the threads which connect the two garments, whether to be loosened or tightened, so that it fit the Kohen Gadol properly. Horav Feinstein proceeds to expound upon the symbolism between the two garments which were worn as one….

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Pekudei

“And they made the holy vestments … as Hashem had commanded Moshe.” (39:1)

The phrase “As Hashem had commanded Moshe,” is written eighteen times in the parsha. Chazal note the Torah’s emphasis on the people’s strict compliance with Hashem’s command. We may wonder at the significance of this phrase. Can one do other than “as Hashem commanded”? If one is told to perform a duty in a specific manner, then he should execute said activity in the prescribed manner — as he was told. Is that unreasonable to expect? When we explore the tendencies of human nature, we note that even when people are instructed to do something in a specific manner, when all…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayakhel

“He filled him with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge… He gave him the ability to teach.” (35:31,34)

In his commentary on this pasuk, the Ibn Ezra places great emphasis upon Betzalel’s unique ability to teach and train others in the skills required for creating the Mishkan, its holy vessels, and the priestly vestments. Many great scholars are replete with wisdom and understanding, but they lack the ability to properly convey their remarkable scholarship to others. Rather than viewing the teaching profession as a vocation which borders on mediocrity, Ibn Ezra extolls the virtue of those who are able to teach and do so. Horav A.H. Leibovitz, Shlita, notes that Betzalel is lauded for conveying mundane knowledge to…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayakhel

“See, Hashem has called by name Betzalel.” (35:30)

Moshe’s intention was to publicize to Bnei Yisrael that it was Hashem Who had chosen Betzalel for the position of chief architect and builder of the Mishkan. Why does the Torah use such an idiosyncratic manner of speech? It could have simply said, “Hashem chose Betzalel.” What is the significance of “calling him by name?” In the Midrash, Chazal imply that the phrase “called by name” represents a deliberate attempt to emphasize the importance of a good name or reputation. Chazal comment, “A good name is better than precious oil.” A number of reasons are given for this. First, good…

Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5756

Sruly Schnair In 5756, Ki Sisa

“And Yehoshua heard the sound of the people in its shouting and he said to Moshe, ‘The sound of battle is in the camp.’ He said, ‘Not a sound shouting strength, nor a sound shouting weakness; a sound of distress I do hear.'” (32:17,18)

In the Yerushalmi, Taanis 4, Chazal cite the dialogue that ensued between Moshe and Yehoshua. When Yehoshua came to Moshe and related the ambiguous sounds he was hearing from the camp, Moshe replied, “Is not he (Yehoshua) who will one day lead a nation of 600,000 Jews able to discern between the various sounds?” Chazal seem to imply that Moshe was impatient with Yehoshua’s inability to perceive the source of these sounds. Was Moshe criticizing Yehoshua for not accurately distinguishing the “type” of sounds emanating from the camp? After all, the camp was far from the mountain. Horav Shimon Schwab,…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Ki Sisa

“I have seen this people and behold they are a stiff-necked people.” (32:9)

One of the most difficult incidents which took place in the history of Bnei Yisrael is the chet ha’eigal, sin of the Golden Calf. Moshe Rabbeinu responded to the nation’s sudden iniquity by breaking the Luchos. It is difficult to grasp Hashem Yisborach’s eternal retribution reflected in his statement, h,sepu hsep ouhc, “In the day when I remember (when they will continue to sin) I will remember this sin (also).” Why did Moshe respond in such a fashion? It seems as if he was “giving up,” as if he felt that the people had gone beyond the limits of no…

Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5756

Sruly Schnair In 5756, Ki Sisa

“The people saw that Moshe had delayed in descending the mountain, and the people gathered around Aharon and said to him, ‘Rise up, make for us gods… for this man Moshe… we do not know what became of him.'” (32:1)

In the Yalkut Shimoni, Chazal relate a dialogue that transpired between the Satan and Bnei Yisrael on the fortieth day after Moshe went up the mountain. “Where is Moshe your teacher?” asked the Satan of Bnei Yisrael. “He went up the mountain,” they responded. Undaunted by the people’s faith in their leader, the Satan attempted to convince them that he was late in returning and had probably died. After all, could a human being survive forty days without bread or water? Yet, they maintained their devotion to Moshe despite the Satan’s efforts to dissuade them. In a final attempt to…

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כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך בדרך בכל עץ או על הארץ אפרחים או ביצים והאם רבצת על האפרחים או על הביצים לא תקח האם על הבנים

If a bird’s nest happens to be before you on your way, on a tree or on the ground – young birds or eggs – and the mother is roosting on the young birds or the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. (22:6)

זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלך

Remember what Amalek did to you. (25:17)

כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקול אביו ובקול אמו

If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. (21:18)

“And they attached the Choshen by its rings to the rings of the Eiphod… the Choshen shall not be loosened from the Eiphod.” (39:21)

“And they made the holy vestments … as Hashem had commanded Moshe.” (39:1)

“He filled him with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge… He gave him the ability to teach.” (35:31,34)

“See, Hashem has called by name Betzalel.” (35:30)

“And Yehoshua heard the sound of the people in its shouting and he said to Moshe, ‘The sound of battle is in the camp.’ He said, ‘Not a sound shouting strength, nor a sound shouting weakness; a sound of distress I do hear.'” (32:17,18)

“I have seen this people and behold they are a stiff-necked people.” (32:9)

“The people saw that Moshe had delayed in descending the mountain, and the people gathered around Aharon and said to him, ‘Rise up, make for us gods… for this man Moshe… we do not know what became of him.'” (32:1)

YEARS

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