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Home -> 5779 -> Kedoshim

והייתם לי קדשים כי קדוש אני ה' ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי

Sruly Schnair
In Kedoshim, 5779

You shall be holy for Me, for I Hashem am holy; and I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine. (20:26)

There has to be a separation between the Jew and the gentile. This does not mean that we should not act properly. On the contrary, by acting with dignity and mentchlichkeit, we earn their respect and admiration. This also does not suggest adopting their culture and lifestyle. We are distinct, and our distinctiveness is an inherent part of our essence. Rabbeinu Bachya writes that we are separated as a result of the chochmas haTorah, wisdom acquired through the Torah, which impels us to distinguish ourselves in what we eat, the manner that we eat, our mode of dress (and our…

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Home -> 5779 -> Acharei Mos

ונתן אהרן על שני השעירים גרלות גורל אחד לד' וגורל אחד לעזאזל

Sruly Schnair
In Acharei Mos, 5779

Aharon shall place lots upon the two he-goats: one lot “for Hashem”; and one lot “for Azazel.” (16:8)

The two goats are identical in every way; yet, one becomes a korban, sacrifice, to Hashem, while the other is sent to Azazel. Apparently, the goats had no say in the matter. We assume that this also happens to people. Two people both do all of the right things (or at least they thought so), but one makes it, while the other does not fare as well. What happened? What about bechirah chafshis, freedom of choice? It almost seems that regardless of past choices, one’s future is determined for him. Clearly, this is not true. If we are taught that…

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Home -> 5779 -> Acharei Mos

ושפך את דמו וכסהו בעפר

Sruly Schnair
In Acharei Mos, 5779

He shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. (17:13)

The Torah commands us to cover part of the blood of the kosher birds or non-domesticated kosher animals that he slaughters. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that the shoresh, root, of this mitzvah is in the relationship between the soul of the slaughtered animal or fowl and its blood. Blood is the life source of the living animal, thus, it is fitting for us to cover the soul and hide it from the eye prior to consuming its meat. When we eat the meat with the blood exposed, we acquire a tinge of cruelty in our souls. In other words, to…

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Home -> 5779 -> Acharei Mos

כמעשה ארץ מצרים אשר ישבתם בה לא תעשו

Sruly Schnair
In Acharei Mos, 5779

Do not perform the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled. (18:3)

The holy Peshischa, Horav Bunim, zl, renders this pasuk homiletically, deriving from the ensuing exegesis an important lesson for Jewish living. On an almost constant basis we are confronted with challenges to our spiritual well-being. These challenges come in the context of our base desires. We must exert extreme effort to overcome these physical passions, which scream out to us: “Why not be like everybody else?” Obviously, the optimum defense to triumph over the yetzer hora, evil inclination, and its wiles is to circumvent a confrontation between the provocation of physical desire and spiritual ascendancy. By providing ourselves with a…

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Home -> 5779 -> Acharei Mos

אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם

Sruly Schnair
In Acharei Mos, 5779

Which man shall carry out and by which he shall live. (18:5)

The mitzvos were given to us for the sake of life and living. Therefore, if the performance of a mitzvah may endanger life – the need to maintain one’s life supersedes his observance of the mitzvah. The exceptions to this rule are the three cardinal sins: murder; idol worship; and adultery. A life in which these mitzvos are not observed is no life at all. The Chassidic Masters derive from this pasuk the requirement to observe mitzvos with “life” – not apathetically. One should throw all of himself into his mitzvah observance. Indeed, it should be the source, the raison…

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Home -> 5779 -> Metzora

זאת תהיה תורת המצרע ביום טהרתו והובא אל הכהן

Sruly Schnair
In Metzora, 5779

This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the Kohen. (14:2)

Chazal (Arachin 15) Reish Lakish said: “What is the meaning of that which is written, ‘This shall be the law of the motzi shem ra (slanderer)?’” Chazal equate the affliction of tzaraas with the prohibition against motzi shem ra, slander. One who resorts to evil/defamatory speech will deservedly become afflicted with tzaraas, spiritual leprosy (for lack of a better term). Certain aspects of tzaraas/motzi shem ra should be addressed. Shlomo Hamelech says (Mishlei 18:21), Ha’ma’ves v’ha’chaim b’yad ha’lashon; “Death and life are in the hand (power) of the tongue.” This often – quoted pasuk is most identified with lashon hora,…

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Home -> 5779 -> Metzora

זאת תהיה תורת המצרע ביום טהרתו והובא אל הכהן

Sruly Schnair
In Metzora, 5779

This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purifications: He shall be brought to the Kohen. (14:2)

Modesty, privacy, hatznea leches, is a principle to which we should all adhere. The Navi Michah exhorts us to “walk modestly with Hashem” (Michah 6:8). When a person acts modestly in public, it is easier to feel a sense of pride and have ulterior motives (even) when serving Hashem. When a person acts modestly in private, these ulterior motives are not an issue, since no one sees him. The Noam Elimelech observes that this is true only when one wishes to come close to Hashem via his service. He must walk on the path of modesty. The baal teshuvah, penitent,…

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Home -> 5779 -> Metzora

ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחזתכם

Sruly Schnair
In Metzora, 5779

And I will place a tzaraas affliction upon the house in the land of your possession. (14:34)

Parashas Tazria/Metzora describe the laws of tzaraas, a form of spiritual leprosy, that struck a person as a result of deficient, slanderous, maligning speech. Obviously, deficient speech is rooted in a deficient character. Chazal teach that prior to tzaraas being afflicted on one’s body, Hashem conveys subtle messages, such as plagues appearing on his clothing or on the walls of his home. It is only after the slanderer has chosen to ignore His messages that the plagues appear on his body. It would, thus, make sense that the Torah would teach the laws of tzaraas affecting all three locations in…

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Home -> 5779 -> Metzora

וצוה הכהן ולקח למטהר שתי צפרים חיות טהרות ועץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזב

Sruly Schnair
In Metzora, 5779

The Kohen shall command to take for the person undergoing purification two live, pure birds (kosher), cedar wood, crimson thread, and hyssop. (14:4)

The commentators explain that the purification process is all about infusing the metzora with a sense of humility. The cedar wood represents his arrogant nature prior to his sin, with the crimson thread (crimson is the product of a dye taken from a lowly worm), hyssop, a lowly bush, atoning for his previous haughtiness (when these substances are dipped into the blood of the birds). Horav Shimon Schwab, zl (cited by his son in Rav Schwab on Chumash), suggests that these three items: cedar wood, crimson thread and hyssop represent three types of people who need to focus on the…

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Home -> 5779 -> Tazria

אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר

Sruly Schnair
In Tazria, 5779

When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male. (12:2)

The Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra Rabbah 14) quotes the pasuk in Sefer Tehillim (139:5), Achor va’kedem tzartani, “You have created me behind and before.” Rabbi Yochanan said, “If man merits, he inherits two worlds, This World and The World to Come (Olam Habba). This is what is meant by, “You have created me behind and before” (referring to This World and The World to Come), and, if not (if he does not merit), he comes to give a din v’cheshbon, judgment/justification and a reckoning. The terms din v’cheshbon have been immortalized in Pirkei Avos 3:1, Akavya ben Mehallel says, “Consider three…

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