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Home -> 5777 -> Tzav

והרים את הדשן... ושמו אצל המזבח... והוצא את הדשן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tzav, 5777

He shall raise the ashes and place it next to the Mizbayach… He shall remove the ashes. (6:3,4)

The avodah in the Mishkan/Bais Hamikdash followed a daily routine. It was a clearly defined, Divinely-ordained, unchanging pattern of service. It began with the Terumas HaDeshen, the removal of the sacrificial ash from the previous day’s offerings, followed by the placing of wood, so that the fire on the Mizbayach, Altar, continued to burn. The first sacrifice of the day, as well as the last sacrifice, was the Korban Tamid. Tamid means consistent, which is a perfect way to describe the Korban. It was a constant. When activities are carried out in a particular order, unchanging, repeated daily, it might…

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Home -> 5777 -> Metzora

כנגע נראה לי בבית

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Metzora, 5777

Something like an affliction has appeared to me in the house. (14:35)

Toras Kohanim comments: Li v’lo l’ori, “To me – and not to my light.” This teaches that in a dark house, one does not open the windows (to allow sunlight to penetrate) in order to see the affliction (to determine its status of purity). Damesek Eliezer suggests that the approach taken by the Torah with regard to the sins committed by man should serve as a paradigm for us in our approach towards the sins of our fellow man. In other words, the Torah     is adopting a compassionate and understanding approach to the failings of our fellow man. As we…

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Home -> 5777 -> Metzora

ואם דל הוא ואין ידו משגת ולקח כבש אחד אשם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Metzora, 5777

If he is poor and his means are not sufficient, then he shall take one male lamb as a guilt-offering. (14:21)

The Korban Asham, guilt-offering, of the metzora is the same regardless of the financial status of the individual who offers it. Both the wealthy metzora and the poor metzora bring a male lamb as a guilt-offering. This is unlike the Korban Chatas, sin-offering, and Olah, elevation-offering, which are descending (olah v’yoreid) commensurate with the poor man’s ability to pay. Horav Shmuel Rosenberg, zl, Rav in Unsdorf, offers an illuminating but practical insight. The Chatas and Olah are korbanos which are brought for various sins. While a sin is a sin – and a sinner is a sinner, regardless of his…

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Home -> 5777 -> Metzora

זאת תהיה תורת המצרע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Metzora, 5777

This shall be the law of the metzora. (14:2)

Tzaraas is a punishment visited upon a person whose morally-flawed character has caused him to slander a fellow Jew. It often begins with gossip and wratches up to full-fledged slander and character assassination. A spike in one’s self-esteem can catalyze an unbecoming arrogance, which allows a person to think – to actually believe – that he is better than others, that he can decide who is worthy and who is not. This self-generated haughtiness allows him to speak callously of others, to lord over them to the point that they become miserable. He is punished with tzaraas, an affliction which…

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Home -> 5777 -> Tazria

וביום הראות בו בשר חי וטמא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5777

On the day healthy flesh appears in it, it shall be contaminated. (13:14)

On some specific days, the Kohen does not view a nega, plague. A chassan, bridegroom, who has a suspicious nega is allowed the Shivas yimei hamishtah, Seven days of celebration following his wedding. Likewise, one whose plague appeared at the onset of Yom Tov is permitted for the seven days of the Festival. Why is this? Horav Chaim Zaitchik, zl, offers a practical explanation. The purpose of the metzora’s punishment is to knock him down a notch in his arrogance and in the way he treats his fellow man. He has an obnoxious manner of treating people, because he has…

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Home -> 5777 -> Tazria

וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5777

On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. (12:3)

While every mitzvah in the Torah is an obligation to observe, mitzvas Milah, the commandment concerning circumcision, seems to be a mainstay – a mitzvah for which Jews throughout the millennia have sacrificed themselves. What is it about this mitzvah that impacts our lives to such an extent? The first time that this mitzvah is mentioned in the Torah is when Hashem commanded Avraham Avinu to circumcise himself. In his commentary to Parashas Emor, the Ramban teaches that with the execution of Bris Milah on his body, Avraham was transformed from a ben Noach, Noachide, to a ben Yisrael, Jew….

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Home -> 5777 -> Shoftim

מי האיש אשר בנה בית חדש ולא חנכו ילך וישב לביתו פן ימות במלחמה ואיש אחר יחנכנו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5777

Who is the man who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the war and another man will inaugurate it. (20:5)

An individual whose mind is not on the battle, will – due to his fear or lack of enthusiasm – erode the morale of his comrades. The Torah mentions those individuals who return home and are free from joining the army. These are men who had just initiated an endeavor: taken a wife; built a house; planted a vineyard. For practical reasons, their minds are focused elsewhere – not on the battlefield. Rashi remarks concerning one who has built a house and has yet to move in: He is anxious concerning the possibility that he might die and someone else…

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Home -> 5777 -> Shoftim

על פי התורה אשר יורוך ועל המשפט אשר יאמרו לך תעשה – לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5777

According to the teaching that they will teach you and according to the judgment that they will say to you, shall you do; you shall not deviate from the word that they will tell you, right or left. (17:11)

The decision rendered by the courts must be obeyed, even if one is convinced that it is wrong. Even if the judge/Torah scholar seems to be conveying that right is left and left is right, you must listen, accept and execute the law as told. We must maintain unswerving obedience to the directive issued by our gedolim, Torah leaders of the generation. Not everyone warrants the title gadol, Torah giant. Some may qualify as scholars, but, unless one reflects the total demeanor of mussar, ethics, yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, in addition to being erudite, one does not qualify as…

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Home -> 5777 -> Shoftim

צדק צדק תרדוף

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5777

Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue. (16:20)

The Mishnah in Meseches Peah 8 derives from the above pasuk that one who is healthy, but claims he is crippled or blind, for whatever reason (usually for profit), will not leave this world until he himself  becomes afflicted with what he has claimed to have. Horav Bunim, zl, m’Peshischa questions this statement. Will this, likewise, apply to one who presents himself as a tzaddik, righteous person? Will he also not die before he becomes a tzaddik? If the pasuk teaches us that one must be straight, trustworthy and honorable, can we consider this man honorable? Should he be rewarded…

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Home -> 5777 -> Shoftim

שפטים ושוטרים תתן לך... לא תטה משפט לא תכיר פנים ולא תקח שחד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5777

Judges and officers shall you appoint in your cities… you shall not pervert judgment, you shall not respect someone’s presence; and you shall not accept a bribe. (16:18,19)

The Torah exhorts us to appoint honest judges who will adjudicate accordingly. It then follows up with three rules (so to speak) for keeping the judges “honest”. They should not pervert judgment; they should treat everyone equally, regardless of the litigant’s financial portfolio or eminence and power; last, they should not accept a bribe – even if the bribe comes without strings attached. Once one has accepted anything from another person, he becomes predisposed to him and the judgment that he renders might in some way be biased. The appointment of judges is obviously critical for the healthy growth of…

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