5771

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not seen/favored him”; his brothers he did not recognize and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

As Moshe Rabbeinu blesses Shevet Levi, he details their qualities and the perfection of their souls, which they exhibited while standing up for the Glory of Hashem and His Torah. They withstood enormous challenges to their spiritual persona and emerged better people, to the point that their individual personal lives had no meaning to them. They lived for Hashem. When Moshe stood in the midst of the Jewish camp following the tragic sin of the Golden Calf, he called out, Mi l’Hashem eilai! “Who is for Hashem should come forward and stand by me!” It was the tribe of Levi…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight for him and may You be a Helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

The Talmud Sotah 7b, teaches that, during all of the years that the Jewish People sojourned in the Wilderness, the bones of Yehudah were rolling around in his coffin. Moshe Rabbeinu then prayed on his soul’s behalf. He entreated Hashem, saying, “Who caused Reuven to confess – if not Yehudah?” Immediately, Hashem listened. Yehudah’s bones came to rest, but they were not permitted to enter into the Yeshivah Shel Maalah, Heavenly Academy. Moshe prayed again, requesting, “And return/bring him to his people.” Hashem listened, and Yehudah’s neshamah entered the Yeshivah. He was unable, however, to establish a Torah dialogue with…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

He became King over Yeshurun when the numbers of the nations gathered – the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (32:5)

Hashem is Klal Yisrael’s King in the fullest sense only when the nation acts like a klal, united in each individual’s conviction and obedience to carry out His Will. When we received the Torah at Har Sinai it was as ish echad b’lev echad, “One man with one heart.” The nation was unified as one. We pray for that day to return. Unity among Jews is all-important. Without it, we cannot exist as a nation under G-d. Great tzaddikim have gone out of their way to promote achdus, unity. Horav Moshe Epstein, zl, the Admor of Ozrov, was a well-known…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

“The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the Congregation of Yaakov.” (33:4)

This pasuk, which claims that the Torah is our morashah, heritage, seems to contradict Rabbi Yossi’s statement in Pirkei Avos 2:12, “And prepare yourself to study the Torah, for it does not come to you by inheritance.” Is it a yerushah – or not? Horav Meir Lehmann, zl, Rav of Mainz, Germany, (1850’s-1890) explains that indeed, the Torah is the heritage of the community of Yaakov – but not an inheritance of the individual Jew. The Torah belonging to the Jewish community-at-large will never be lost. There will always be men who will see to it that it is transmitted…

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YEARS

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not seen/favored him”; his brothers he did not recognize and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight for him and may You be a Helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

He became King over Yeshurun when the numbers of the nations gathered – the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (32:5)

“The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the Congregation of Yaakov.” (33:4)

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