Sruly Schnair – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Moshe Rabbeinu opens Sefer Devarim with words of rebuke. For forty years, he had been their leader, but it was now, shortly before he was to leave this world, that he chose rebuke as his parting words. We derive from here that rebuke should be well-thought out and delivered at a time when the rebuker feels it will be accepted. We do not reproach out of anger, but out of love and caring. We neither waste words, nor do we mince words. We say what must be said, even if being brutally honest may have backlash. Moshe chose his last…

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ד' אלקיכם הרבה אתכם והנכם היום ככוכבי השמים לרב

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Devarim

Hashem, your G-d, has multiplied you and behold! You are like the stars of heaven in abundance. (1:10)

The Torah famously blesses Klal Yisrael with two metaphors, which, on the surface, appear paradoxical. In the above pasuk, we are compared to the stars of the sky in number. In Sefer Bereishis (22:17,) the Torah writes, “I will surely bless you and make your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the seashore.” Apparently, being compared to stars alone is insufficient. Our comparison to sand in number is a wonderful blessing, but is it not contradictory to stars? One is elevated, radiant and lofty, while the other is lowly, coarse and trampled upon. Apparently,…

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איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Devarim

How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? (1:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu seems to express his personal feelings concerning the many difficulties associated with communal leadership. As a result, officers were appointed to ease the load, with only the most difficult issues coming before Moshe. He states three areas of concern: torchachem, your contentiousness; maasachem, your burdens; rivchem, your quarrels. The commentators have their individual ways of interpreting the meaning and ramifications of these terms. Are they that different from one another? Apparently, if the Torah chose to detail each one, they must each have a singular meaning. Ben Pores Yosef explains that there are different demands placed upon a…

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ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Matos

The Tribes Reuven and Gad had an extremely large amount of cattle. (32:1)

Chazal (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:6) underscore the good fortune of one who acquires any one of these G-d-given precious gifts: wisdom, strength and/or wealth. This idea, say Chazal, applies only if one receives these gifts from Hashem. If, however, he receives these gifts from human beings – they have no value. Chazal continue: two wise people – one Jewish, one gentile, Achitofel and Bilaam –were both lost; two well-known strong men who did not endure – Shimshon and Golias – one Jewish, one gentile. Two men of great wealth — Korach and Haman – neither made it. Why were these men…

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ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Matos

Bnei Reuven and Bnei Gad had abundant livestock. (32:1)

The Torah teaches us that, following the war with Midyan, the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe were beset with an abundance of cattle. They asked to remain on the other side of the Jordan and enter Eretz Yisrael only for the purpose of war. In other words, they were not adverse to helping their brothers in their fight to rid the Holy Land of the pagan nations who inhabited it; they just wanted to return to the lush land on the other side of the Jordan, so that they would have sufficient feed for their animals. While…

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אלה מסעי בני ישראל אשר יצאו מארץ מצרים... ויכתב משה את מוציא הם למסעיהם על פי ד' ואלה מסעיהם למוצאיהם

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Masei

These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael, who went forth from the land of Egypt… Moshe wrote their goings for the according to their journeys, according to the bidding of Hashem, and these were the journeys according to their goings forth. (33:1,2)

The Torah attributes much significance to Klal Yisrael’s forty-year journey throughout the wilderness – to the point that it details each one of its forty-two encampments. Apparently, we can derive much from this journey and each one of the stops Bnei Yisrael made. Horav Zakai, a student of Horav Chaim Volozhiner, zl, was a deeply righteous Jew, who had a profound understanding of all areas of Torah – both revealed and unrevealed. Every year, when he would recite the forty-two encampments listed at the beginning of Parashas Masei, he would break down in bitter weeping. When asked for an explanation…

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אלה שמות האנשים אשר ינחלו לכם את הארץ

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Masei

These are the names of the men who are to take possession of the Land for you. (34:17)

Each nasi, leader of his respective tribe, took title to a province on behalf of his entire tribe. He would later apportion the land to be distributed among the members of his shevet, tribe. Noticeably, preceding each tribal leader, the word nasi is written, except for the first three the Torah mentions: Yehuda (Calev ben Yefuneh); Shimon (Shmuel ben Amihud); Binyamin (Elidad ben Kislon). Why is the title nasi omitted from their names? Horav Tzvi Hirsch Ferber, zl, explains that all the nesiim achieved distinction as a result of being selected to lead their respective shevet. Their position distinguished them…

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השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5785

He turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael. (25:11)

The Gaon, zl, m’Vilna, observes that the word machatzis (ha’shekel, the half-shekel coin which all Jews were obligated to give to the Mishkan) is spelled: mem, ches, tzadik, yud, saf. The middle of the five letters is the tzadik. The two letters closest to the tzadik (on its right and left) are the ches and yud – chai. The two outside letters are the mem and saf, spelling the word, meis. The tzadik is the first letter (rosh teivah) of the word tzedakah, charity. This, explains the Gaon, alludes to the maxim tzedakah tatzeil mimaves, charity saves one from death….

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לכן אמר הנני נתן לו את בריתי שלום

Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5785

Therefore, say: Behold! I give him my covenant of peace. (25:12)

At times, taking a stand for what is right requires enormous courage. Taking a stand, acting boldly to uphold Divine will, requires that one be an authentic yarei Shomayim, G-d-fearing Jew. Many “talk the talk,” but, when the situation demands that he “walk the walk,” his feet suddenly begin to hurt. Two individuals, (Tzelafchad’s daughters were actually five) Pinchas and Bnos Tzelafchad, went against the prevailing spiritual current, and either took decisive action or spoke up when it was not popular, and Hashem rewarded them. Why did they do it? Because it was the ratzon Hashem, Divine will. Let us…

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לכן אמור הנני נותן לו את בריתי שלום

Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5785

Therefore, say: “Behold! I give him My covenant of peace.” (25:12)

Pinchas saw an outrageous act of moral turpitude and took decisive action, meting out the ultimate punishment to the two perpetrators. He was rewarded with the Kehunah, Priesthood, the covenant of peace. Upon taking a closer look at the reward, a striking contrast is evident between Pinchas’ response to the sin and the reward that he received. To act zealously, risking one’s life, demands a strong element of the middah, attribute, of gevurah, strength/discipline and strict judgment. The reward of a covenant of peace is reflective of the attribute of chesed, kindness. Why would an act of zealousness be rewarded…

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אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

ד' אלקיכם הרבה אתכם והנכם היום ככוכבי השמים לרב

Hashem, your G-d, has multiplied you and behold! You are like the stars of heaven in abundance. (1:10)

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? (1:12)

ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

The Tribes Reuven and Gad had an extremely large amount of cattle. (32:1)

ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

Bnei Reuven and Bnei Gad had abundant livestock. (32:1)

אלה מסעי בני ישראל אשר יצאו מארץ מצרים... ויכתב משה את מוציא הם למסעיהם על פי ד' ואלה מסעיהם למוצאיהם

These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael, who went forth from the land of Egypt… Moshe wrote their goings for the according to their journeys, according to the bidding of Hashem, and these were the journeys according to their goings forth. (33:1,2)

אלה שמות האנשים אשר ינחלו לכם את הארץ

These are the names of the men who are to take possession of the Land for you. (34:17)

השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל

He turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael. (25:11)

לכן אמר הנני נתן לו את בריתי שלום

Therefore, say: Behold! I give him my covenant of peace. (25:12)

לכן אמור הנני נותן לו את בריתי שלום

Therefore, say: “Behold! I give him My covenant of peace.” (25:12)

YEARS

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