Sruly Schnair – Page 9 – Peninim on the Torah

נח איש צדיק

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

Can one be considered righteous if his righteousness is due to his seclusion from the world for six centuries? Apparently, the Torah refers to Noach as righteous, despite the fact that he had no influence on the members of the society in which he lived. He really had no alternative. The evil of his generation was so pervasive that had he attempted to reach out, not only would he have been rebuffed, he himself might have become a victim. The Zohar HaKadosh observes that the waters of the flood are called mei Noach (Yeshayah 54:9), waters of Noach, as if…

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ויסגור ד' בעדו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

Hashem shut (the Ark) on his behalf. (7:16)

The Torah seems to intimate that the “door” to the teivah, Ark, was closed, implying that its inhabitants were safe from the menacing rains. Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonason write, V’agan Hashem b’meimra aleih; “and Hashem shielded him with His Word.” This implies that the Ark was merely the vehicle for its inhabitants to gather and allow for the word of Hashem to protect them. The Ark was not their means of protection. It was Hashem. Horav Eliyahu Baruch Finkel, zl, offers an explanation based on the Rabbinic maxim K’shebaah andarlemusia l’olam, einah mavcheves bein reshaim l’tzadikim, “When chaos comes…

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וישלח את הערב ויצא יצוא ושוב עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

He sent out a raven, and it kept going and returning until the drying of the waters from upon the face of the earth. (8:7)

The raven was not happy about being selected to serve as Noach’s agent to determine whether it was sufficiently dry to disembark from the Ark. Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 33) relate the dialogue that ensued between the raven and Noach. “From all the beasts and fowl available to you, why did you pick me as (your agent)?” asked the raven. Noach countered, “What purpose do you serve me? You are neither edible nor fit to be used as a korban.” Why did Hashem instruct Noach to send the raven? Chazal continue; Hashem told Noach, “One day, the world will need the…

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ויאמר אלקים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5786

And Hashem said, “Let us make man in our Image in our likeness. (1:26)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 8:5) teach that, when Hashem set out to create man, the angels organized themselves into groups – pro and con. Chesed, Kindness, “advised” Hashem to create man, because he would behave kindly and benevolently to others. Emes, Truth, disagreed, claiming that man would be filled with lies; thus, his presence in this world would be harmful. Hashem listened to their positions and then proceeded to fling Truth to the ground. This is alluded to in Daniel (8:12), V’sashleich emes artzah, “He threw Truth earthward” (and created Man). This Midrash begs elucidation. If, in fact, man is full…

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ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5786

But of the Tree of Knowledge, of Good and Bad, you must not eat thereof. (2:17)

Adam Ha’Rishon was the yetzir kapav shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu, formed and created by Hashem. Yet, he sinned. He had one single mitzvah – not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. He could not withstand the temptation, however, and he sinned. We have 613 mitzvos and are commanded to observe them all. Obviously, a disparity exists between us and Adam. Adam did not have a yetzer hora, evil inclination – nothing to provoke him to commit anything negative; yet, he sinned. In his Moreh Nevuchim, Rambam posits that by sinning, Adam gained his greatest glory: the faculty of bechirah…

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ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5786

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

Rebbeinu Bachya derives from the words kol yemei chayecha, “all the days of your life,” that the serpent’s punishment will not be mitigated l’asid lavo, after the advent of Moshiach Tzidkeinu. With the arrival of Moshiach, a new world culture will prevail. Harmony and peace will reign, and even the enmity between the serpent and human beings will come to an end. The punishment, “And dust shall you eat all the days of your life,” however, will continue unabated throughout time. In other words, despite the fact that, when Moshiach arrives the world will revert to pre-sin (of eating of…

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וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה

Sruly Schnair In 5786, V'zos HaBrachah

And this is the blessing that Moshe bestowed. (33:1)

Torah leaders are fundamentally people with the same drives and emotions as the common man. They just exert greater control over what might sway them away from the Torah way. They live as we do. They love their children and are willing to sacrifice for them, just as we are. Their extraordinary control — born of a deep, abiding love for Hashem and His Torah — impels them to a higher plane. When Horav Meshullam David Soloveitchik, zl, married, it was an incredibly joyous affair, but also physically demanding. Therefore, after the chuppah, the Brisker Rav, zl, father of the…

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ולזבולון אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהליך

Sruly Schnair In 5786, V'zos HaBrachah

To Zevulun, he said: Zevulun, rejoice in your going out; and Yissachar, in your tents. (33:18)

Apparently, Moshe Rabbeinu’s preferred style for conferring blessing differed from that of Yaakov Avinu. Our Patriarch showered his sons with long, flowery blessings. Moshe, on the other hand, sufficed with brevity. Yaakov’s blessing to Dan consisted of two pesukim, while Moshe’s a mere five words. Zevulun and Yissachar’s blessing from the Patriarch was a litany of three pesukim. Moshe’s blessing to Zevulun was not short, but the blessing he conferred upon Yissachar was a single word: B’ahalecha, “(You shall rejoice) in your tents.” On the surface we may suggest that Yaakov was addressing his sons. Thus, he did not rush…

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ויקבר אתו בגי

Sruly Schnair In 5786, V'zos HaBrachah

And He buried him in the depression. (34:6)

Moshe Rabbeinu received the ultimate reward of having Hashem attend to his death and burial. Our leader led an extraordinary life, one that established a standard for how a Jew should live. He confronted challenges, overcame personal loss, dealt with a mutiny and overcame his own physical speech impediment. He reached the epitome of service to Hashem and to his people. On Simchas Torah, we read of his mortal passing, as we conclude the annual cycle of reading the Torah. On what should be the happiest day of the year, celebrating another year of Torah study, we record the death…

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ויקבר אתו בגי

Sruly Schnair In 5786, V'zos HaBrachah

And He buried him in the depression. (34:6)

According to one exposition of Rashi, the Torah alludes to the idea that Moshe Rabbenu buried himself. Nothing is above Hashem and His relationship with Moshe. Indeed, we have no manner of fathoming our leader’s greatness. Thus, burying himself, although certainly possible, is a concept that eludes us. Perhaps, the following story might shed some light on this idea. While no mortal can possibly bury himself, he could perform acts of kindness that earn him a place of burial which, for all intents and purposes, would have otherwise probably not have occurred, as was the case in the following story….

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נח איש צדיק

Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

ויסגור ד' בעדו

Hashem shut (the Ark) on his behalf. (7:16)

וישלח את הערב ויצא יצוא ושוב עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ

He sent out a raven, and it kept going and returning until the drying of the waters from upon the face of the earth. (8:7)

ויאמר אלקים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו

And Hashem said, “Let us make man in our Image in our likeness. (1:26)

ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו

But of the Tree of Knowledge, of Good and Bad, you must not eat thereof. (2:17)

ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה

And this is the blessing that Moshe bestowed. (33:1)

ולזבולון אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהליך

To Zevulun, he said: Zevulun, rejoice in your going out; and Yissachar, in your tents. (33:18)

ויקבר אתו בגי

And He buried him in the depression. (34:6)

ויקבר אתו בגי

And He buried him in the depression. (34:6)

YEARS

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