Chazal (Makkos 11A) explain why the unintentional murderer’s term is linked to the death of the Kohen Gadol.  As the spiritual leader of the nation, the Kohen Gadol should have prayed on behalf of his nation that unintentional murders not occur. I think the value of human life plays a critical role in any form of murder – other than pure accident, for which there is no punishment whatsoever.  The Kohen Gadol represents the epitome of life and a Jew’s purpose in living.  It is not about the physical, the material, or the mundane.  When a person appreciates the greatness…

Damesek Eliezer cites a Midrash pliah. Midrash pliah literally means a “wondrous,” “astonishing” Midrash.  This is a Rabbinic statement often found in the broad body of Midrash that is cryptic, puzzling, or seemingly illogical.  It begs elucidation and further analysis.  On the surface, it may sound confusing or even paradoxical.  It is usually a brief statement of few words which is meant to encourage deeper thinking and intellectual intensity.)  “This is what is meant by the pasuk in Sefer Tehillim (49:13), V’adam bikar bal yalin nimshal ka’beheimos nidmu. ‘Man, in honor, does not remain; he is likened to the animals.’” …

Not defiling one’s power of speech consists of two aspects: negative and positive.  One who cheapens or denigrates his speech allows for a spiritual corrosion to set in, just as rust sets in on metal.  Just as rust dulls and weakens a once sharp, smooth utensil, the coarsening of language impedes the spiritual power of his words.  Even when one seeks to do the right thing, to reach out and help his fellow, to offer words of encouragement, uplifting words that would inspire and help him extricate himself from his morose state, the influence for good, the power to inspire…

With his remarkable act of zealotry in killing the two profligate perpetrators – Zimri and Cozbi — Pinchas turned the tide of blatant immorality and saved the nation from destruction.  His proactive stand earned him a place in the Priesthood, such that eventually every Kohen Gadol would descend from his lineage.  A leader is generally expected to be calm, deliberate, patient and decisive, reflecting deep sensitivity and empathy for the needs and emotions of every individual.  Pinchas was less-than-passive, responding to the flagrant desecration of Hashem’s Name and Moshe’s leadership with deliberate decisiveness.  This was a moment of urgency when…

Part of the transference of leadership from Moshe Rabbeinu to Yehoshua was semichas yadayim, whereby Moshe placed his hands on Yehoshua.  Clearly, much more than simple symbolism is involved here.  Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, suggests that it was meant to symbolize that Yehoshua should be attached — and subordinate to — Moshe throughout his life, so that he should direct his mind and focus on the truth that Moshe received from Hashem Himself.  Throughout the generations, Rebbe to talmid has conferred semichah, which we translate as ordination, but has a deeper significance.  A chain of Torah transmission of the Mesorah…

How hypocritical can one be?  Bilaam, who represents the nadir of depravity, sought to die the death of the upright.  He wanted to be like the Avos HaKedoshim, while living a life counterintuitive to everything they represented.  On the other hand, Bilaam was no ordinary pagan.  He was their greatest prophet, a man who peered in the loftiest spiritual realms, who could articulate blessings of extraordinary depth; yet, he lived a life driven by base desire, ego and moral turpitude.  He wanted to die like a tzadik, but he refused to live as one. A tzadik is not defined by…

The Jews who sinned in Shittim did not have the option to return.  Their sin demanded an immediate Heavenly response.  Bilaam was well aware of this.  He knew that Hashem had forgiven (to an extent) the sin of the Golden Calf.  The punishment for the sin of the meraglim, spies, was meted out over the remainder of their journey – albeit they were no longer worthy of entering Eretz Yisrael.  What about Shittim claimed their lives?  Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, explains that, as long as the sin/discord remains within the “family,” behind closed doors, no room exists for negotiation.  Once…

Miriam HaNeviah is a study in contrasts, a striking paradox of leadership without fanfare.  While she is known for her far-from-passive leadership and for her merit in sustaining the nation with water for forty years, she did not seek recognition.  Indeed, it is under such tension – true leadership and devotion to truth – that her greatness emerged.  Her most outstanding merit, which she manifested time and again, was her unyielding emunah, faith in Hashem.  She did not wait for a miracle to buttress her faith.  She anticipated it as if it were already a reality. Let us peruse a…

The controversy Korach initiated against Moshe Rabbeinu serves as the paradigm of a machlokes shelo l’shem Shomayim – a dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven.  Korach rebelled against Moshe Rabbeinu and, by extension, against Hashem and His Torah. Chazal teach that such a dispute is destined not to endure, for it is rooted, not in truth, but in ego and self-interest. What is a machlokes?  The word is rooted in chelek – a portion, a division. A baal machlokes is one who separates himself from others, creating fragmentation where there should be unity.  He does not merely…

I had a rebbe in yeshivah who would emphasize to me (more often than I care to admit) that a person who is wearing blue-colored lenses will always see blue.  This was his way of telling me that I was looking at things through a distorted, self-serving perspective.  The most compelling tragedy of Korach (among the many tragedies of Korach) was not merely the argument that he promoted, but the manner in which he misused the greatness with which he had been endowed. Hashem grants a person gifts: talent, perception, emotional depth, even flashes of Ruach HaKodesh, Divine Inspiration.  These…

Machlokes, discord, controversy, is one of the most destructive forces in a person’s life.  It does not merely create disagreement – it consumes perspective, distorts judgment, and unravels long-time relationships to the point that it can erode one’s entire quality of life.  At the root of the problem is that, in the heat of discord, a person loses himself.  It suddenly becomes only about “me.”  The need to be right, to win, to prove my point, takes center stage over the truth.  It is no longer about clarity, but validation.  The individual denigrates the actions of his antagonist, because after…

The Torah introduces the meraglim stating, kulam anashim, “All were men.”  Chazal explain anashim as a term reserved for men who are honorable, upright, men of stature.  This explanation only intensifies the question that is on everyone’s mind:  How did such distinguished personalities err so egregiously?  Their reaction and the manner in which they later riled up the nation led to the people’s ultimate exclusion from entering Eretz Yisrael, transforming that night – the Ninth of Av – into our national day of mourning.  If these men were such kesheirim, men of integrity, how did they fall so catastrophically? I…

Rashi notes the juxtaposition of the meraglim debacle upon the story with Miriam in which she spoke against Moshe Rabbeinu.  She spoke negatively of her brother, underscoring his departure from his wife’s tent. He did not know when Hashem would summon him; thus, he must always be prepared.  Miriam looked askance at this behavior, feeling it was not fair to Tziporah, Moshe’s wife.  Her words were considered slanderous and, as a result, Hashem punished her with tzaraas, spiritual leprosy, which confined her to seclusion for seven days.  Due to her extraordinary distinction, Hashem had the entire nation remain encamped until…

Rashi explains that Moshe Rabbeinu’s mention of a tree is an allusion to a tzadik.  He wanted the spies to find out if a righteous person was living in the land, in whose merit the people would be sheltered from attack.  This refers to Iyov, who was a saintly and virtuous man – but who died right before the spies reached the land.  With this in mind, we infer that Moshe did not require the services of the meraglim to ascertain the Jews ability to conquer the land.  Hashem would provide for their triumph.  If a righteous man lived in…

Rashi adds, the Torah is underscoring the praise of Aharon – she’lo shinah; he did not deviate in any way from the instructions that Hashem had given him.  This is written after Aharon was consoled, for neither he nor his shevet, tribe (Levi), were to be included in the Chanukas ha’Mishkan, inauguration of the Sanctuary.  Hashem told him, Shelcha gedolah mi’she’lahem, “Yours is greater because you will light the Menorah, which would continue throughout their journey in the wilderness and in the Bais HaMikdash.” (Actually, the lighting of the Chanukah Menorah, which continues to this very day, is a continuation…

Some men were ritually impure due to contact with a human corpse, and they could not sacrifice the Pesach-offering on that day … These men said, “We are ritually impure through contact with a human corpse.  Why should we be diminished, so as not to bring the offering of Hashem on its appointed time?”  (9:6) One must be ritually pure in order to offer the Korban Pesach (or any Korban for that matter).  These men were tamei meis, ritually impure, due to their contact with a human corpse.  Confronted with the circumstance, they came to Moshe Rabbeinu and offered their…

The Torah describes Moshe Rabbeinu as the humblest of all men.  This does not mean that he was unaware of his unparalleled greatness, his extraordinary achievements, or his role as Klal Yisrael’s quintessential rebbe and leader.  On the contrary, Moshe understood exactly who he was.  Yet, his humility lay in how he perceived the source of his greatness.  He felt that he had been granted opportunities that no one else had received.  Had others stood at Har Sinai, had they learned Torah directly from Hashem, they, too, could have risen to his level of leadership. Chazal teach that the Torah…

The Torah juxtaposes the laws of Nazir upon the previous laws of the sotah, wayward wife.  Chazal (Sotah 2A) derive that one who sees a sotah in her degradation should take a Nazarite vow, thereby prohibiting himself from drinking wine.  One who witnesses the sotah’s punishment and realizes what led to it understands that he has just been availed a window into how easily people fall prey to temptation. He is able to observe how the yetzer hora, evil inclination, can ensnare a person and pull him down to the nadir of depravity.  Let us look at a before and…

Hashem charged Aharon HaKohen and his descendants with conveying Hashem’s blessing to His people.  The concept of the Kohen having koach ha’brachah, power of blessing, appears enigmatic on the surface.  True, the Kohen is biologically holy, born into the Priestly family, but what about the talmid chacham, Torah scholar, who has a distinction of his own?  He has earned his status. Through toil, effort, diligence in Torah study, the talmid chacham has elevated himself.  His sanctity is acquired because it is the product of ameilus and mesiras nefesh.  I am not suggesting in any way that the Kohen is not…

The sequence of the offerings did not follow the relative ages of the Nesiim; rather, it apparently went according to distinction.  Nachshon ben Aminadov, Nasi of Shevet Yehudah, the tribe that represented malchus, royalty, offered the first korbanos.  Shevet Yehudah deserved this distinction.  Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 72:5) explain that Yissachar was second in line, because he represented the lomeid Torah, the talmid chacham whose nights and days were spent engrossed in Torah.  Zevulun, who supported Yissachar, was up next, indicating how much Hashem values and loves the machzik Torah, supporter of Torah. Veritably, it all boils down to how much…

The Torah is Hashem’s greatest gift to Klal Yisrael.  It is more than our guide for living – it is our life.  One would think that the giving of the Torah, which was a seminal experience like none other, would have occurred in a thriving metropolis, a cultured capital – not in a desolate wilderness.  Everything that Hashem does and how He does it is to teach us lessons for life and living.  Obviously, the giving of the Torah in the desert is no different.  Chazal teach that it was, indeed, deliberate.  Each commentator explores his own approach.  Perhaps we…

The pasuk commences by stating that the following are the offspring of Aharon and Moshe, but goes on to list only Aharon’s sons.  What happened to Moshe’s sons? Is Moshe considered a “father” to Aharon’s sons?  Chazal (Sanhedrin 19B) infer from here that, Kol ha’melameid es ben chaveiro Torah maaleh alav ha’kasuv k’ilu yoldo, “Whoever teaches Torah to his friend’s child, the Torah regards it as if he had begotten him.”  Thus, Moshe Rabbeinu became Aharon’s sons’ spiritual progenitor, because he taught them Torah. This statement is not poetic embellishment.  Chazal do not exaggerate.  As such, the commentators offer their…

While Bechukosai is one of the two parshios of the Torah identified with the Tochechah, Rebuke (Ki Savo), it actually begins with the idyllic blessings conferred upon he who follows Hashem’s decrees.  The Torah focuses on the Jew who listens, who follows, who acts positively. Sometimes, however, one will veer off the prescribed trajectory.  He will, unfortunately, require discipline to help him return and tow the line as everyone else does.  The interpretation of teileichu, follow, gives the commentators much food for thought.  Rashi interprets the phrase, She’tiheyu ameilim baTorah, to mean by engaging in intense Torah study, with the…

Being that this curse is toward the conclusion of the curses, it is apparent that it is more frightening than its predecessors, such as: hunger, privation, and death.  Veritably, this curse may refer to one who is in no danger.  There is no enemy – yet his heart is racing, the anxiety is gripping him. There is no threat; yet, he is filled with panic.  The curse is not the enemy outside, but the fear from within. Such a person is not afraid of anything, other than fear itself.  Once fear becomes the reigning force in one’s mind, he no…

At first glance, the sequence of the pesukim appears reversed.  One first sows his field, a process that continues for six years. Only afterward, “shall the land rest.”  Why introduce the mitzvah of Shemittah prior to mentioning the six years of labor?  Horav Yitzchak Rozenthal (Dayan, Yeshivas Midrash Bnei Tzion) distinguishes between chutz la’eretz, diaspora, whose sanctity is largely the result of human endeavor.  When a Jew studies Torah, and davens with kavanah, he sanctifies his surroundings. His kiyum ha’mitzvos, fulfillment of Torah precepts, elevates the mundane which envelops him.  His avodah, service, ushers in the kedushah.  Otherwise, it is…