Sruly Schnair

ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח... ויאמרו... אנחנו טמאים... למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במעדו

There were men who had been contaminated by a human corpse and could not make the Pesach-offering… they said, “We are contaminated… why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

A debate in the Talmud (Succah 25a) concerns the identity of the men who were contaminated. Rabbi Yosi HaGlili says that they were the pallbearers of Yosef’s coffin. Rabbi Akiva says they were Mishael and Elitzafan, who were occupied with the corpses of Nadav and Avihu. In any event, these were not ordinary Jews who wanted to display their religious commitment. These were men who were sincerely concerned about being left out as the nation celebrated the offering of the Korban Pesach. We wonder what these men were thinking. They were fully aware of their situation: they were tamei –…

Home -> 5784 -> Beha'alosecha

ויבכו גם בני ישראל ויאמרו מי יאכילנו בשר

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

And Bnei Yisrael also wept once more and said, “Who will feed us meat?” (11:5)

People are shaped by their desires and cravings, which, in turn, influence their choices and actions. Desires often stem from personal experiences, values and external influences. What a person craves reflects his priorities and character, as well as his pursuit of fulfillment in various aspects of life. In other words, a nation that had graduated from two centuries of slavery to be liberated to stand at Har Sinai, experiencing the greatest Divine Revelation during which they received the Torah, should not get bent out of shape over a lack of meat. Mi yaachileinu basar, “Who will feed us meat?” is…

Home -> 5784 -> Beha'alosecha

והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

Moshe Rabbeinu was the paragon of humility, and he has gone down in history as the humblest man who ever walked the face of the earth. Does this mean that he was unaware of his remarkable, unprecedented and unparalleled achievements? Absolutely not! A humble person possesses a realistic awareness of his skills and achievements. He would otherwise be cognitively impaired. He just tends to downplay his achievements and abilities. He does not feel the need to flaunt, boast or even call attention to his successful exploits, knowing fully well what he is and what he is capable of achieving. He…

Home -> 5784 -> Naso

ואיש את קדשיו לו יהיו

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5784

A man’s holies shall be his (5:10)

The maxim of the Chafetz Chaim concerning this pasuk is well-known. Only what someone designates for kedushah, holiness, remains his. One does not take his financial portfolio with him to the next world. Eitz Chaim hee la’machazikim bah; “It is a tree of life to those who hold on to it” (Mishlei 3:18). We must hold onto the Torah and follow it. The Torah does not need our support. On the contrary, we need the Torah to keep us afloat. I came across a poignant story, followed by a comment of Horav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, zl, that is powerful and…

Home -> 5784 -> Naso

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5784

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)

The Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, mentions adultery as one of the cardinal sins for which one must sacrifice his life rather than transgress it. Yet, surprisingly, throughout the parshah of sotah, the wayward wife, no mention is made of the woman’s transgression against Hashem. Never is the phrase, mo’alah maal b’Hashem, mentioned. It is against the husband. This leads us to suggest that the egregious nature of the sin of adultery is its destruction of the marriage bond. As a result, it is a transgression against Hashem. First and foremost is what the sotah does to the institution of holy…

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ולא יתן עליו לבונה

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5784

And he shall not put frankincense upon it. (5:15)

Rashi explains that the ingredients which comprised the Minchas Sotah were unlike that of other Menachos. The sotah’s Minchah used barley, which is eaten by animals, as opposed to wheat, which is consumed by humans. Her base actions were indicative of someone who had gravitated more to the animal sphere. There was no oil, since oil is the symbol of light, and the sotah acted in darkness. Last, there is no frankincense because the Hebrew word for frankincense is levonah, which is the term the Torah uses to describe our Imahos, Matriarchs. Implied by the lack of frankincense is that…

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כל ימי נזרו קדש הוא לד'... ועשה הכהן אחד לחטאת

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5784

All the days of his abstinence he is holy to Hashem… The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering. (6:8,11)

On the surface, the term nezirus begs elucidation. Is the Nazir a tzaddik, a righteous person, or is he, on some level, a sinner? The Torah refers to him as a kadosh, holy, to Hashem. Yet, he must bring a Korban Chatas, sin-offering, at the end of his period of nezirus. Surely, someone who is considered kadosh should not have to bring a sin-offering. What sin did he commit? Various opinions are stated concerning the Nazir’s “breach” in holiness. He should not have achieved this pinnacle through the vehicle of abstinence from wine. A person should override his gravitation toward…

Home -> Bamidbar -> 5784

ויהיו כל הפקודים שש מאות אלף ושלשת אלפים וחמש מאות וחמשים. והלוים למטה אבתם לא התפקדו בתוכם

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Bamidbar

All their countings were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. The Leviim according to their father’s tribe were not counted among them. (1:46,47)

In Parashas Pekudei, when the nation brought the machatzis ha’shekel, half-shekel for the Mishkan, they numbered 603,550, as cited here. On the surface, it appears that an overt miracle took place which did not result in any change in the census. A difference, however, exists between the numbers: In Parashas Pekudei, the entire nation, Shevet Levi included, was counted. In Parashas Bamidbar, the Leviim had already been separated/designated for their sacred service. They were now counted from the age of one month (as opposed to those in the rest of the nation who were counted from the age of twenty…

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איש על דגלו באתת לבית אבתם

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Bamidbar

Each man by his banner, according to the insignias of his father’s household. (2:2)

While talents, skills, acumen, financial support and family background each plays a role in one’s success, the role is, at best, supportive. The attribute which plays the leading role in garnering one’s success is ambition, one’s aspiration and striving to work his way to the top. Personal effort, dedication and the ability to withstand and ultimately overcome challenges, lay the groundwork upon which success is established. It is the interplay of these elements that shapes an individual’s journey towards the top. This does not, by any means, disregard the role of talents, financial resources and upbringing. It is just that,…

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איש על דגלו באתת לבית אבתם ... יחנו בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Bamidbar

Each man by his banner according to the insignias of their father’s household… shall they camp. (2:2)

Chazal (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7) teach that signs/insignias in the form of a flag and a color represented every leader of a shevet, tribe. Each banner contained a color similar to the color of the precious stones that were upon the heart of Aharon HaKohen (Choshen HaMishpat). Rabbeinu Bachya (Shemos 28:15) demonstrates how each tribe’s color and stone underscored a unique attribute and strength of that tribe’s progenitor. For example, Reuven’s color was red. This symbolized his strength of character in not being embarrassed to confess his wrongdoing with regard to Bilhah’s tent. Interestingly, Binyamin’s color was an amalgam of all…

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ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח... ויאמרו... אנחנו טמאים... למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במעדו

There were men who had been contaminated by a human corpse and could not make the Pesach-offering… they said, “We are contaminated… why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

ויבכו גם בני ישראל ויאמרו מי יאכילנו בשר

And Bnei Yisrael also wept once more and said, “Who will feed us meat?” (11:5)

והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

ואיש את קדשיו לו יהיו

A man’s holies shall be his (5:10)

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)

ולא יתן עליו לבונה

And he shall not put frankincense upon it. (5:15)

כל ימי נזרו קדש הוא לד'... ועשה הכהן אחד לחטאת

All the days of his abstinence he is holy to Hashem… The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering. (6:8,11)

ויהיו כל הפקודים שש מאות אלף ושלשת אלפים וחמש מאות וחמשים. והלוים למטה אבתם לא התפקדו בתוכם

All their countings were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. The Leviim according to their father’s tribe were not counted among them. (1:46,47)

איש על דגלו באתת לבית אבתם

Each man by his banner, according to the insignias of his father’s household. (2:2)

איש על דגלו באתת לבית אבתם ... יחנו בני ישראל

Each man by his banner according to the insignias of their father’s household… shall they camp. (2:2)

YEARS

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