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Home -> Vayakhel -> 5783

והנשיאם הביאו את אבני השהם ואת אבני המלואים לאפוד ולחשן

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayakhel

The Nesiim brought the shoham stones and stones for the settings for the eiphod and the Choshen. (35:27)

Rashi notes that, concerning the Chanukas HaMizbayach, dedication of the Altar, the Nesiim were the first to bring their donations. With regard to the donations for the Mishkan, however, they waited, saying, “We will donate whatever is needed to complete the Mishkan once the people have given their part.” They waited too long, underestimating the zeal with which the nation came forth to donate. Thus, all that was left for them to donate was the setting stones. As a ramification of their waiting too long, a letter (yud) is missing from their name. Chazal give a number of reasons for…

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Home -> Vayakhel -> 5783

כל איש ואשה אשר נדב לבם אותם להביא לכל המלאכה ... הביאו בני ישראל נדבה לד'

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayakhel

Every man and woman whose heart motivated them to bring for any of the work… Bnei Yisrael brought a free-willed offering to Hashem. (35:29)

Upon reading the pasuk, one is struck by its redundancy. What is the difference between kol ishv’ishah, every man and woman, and Bnei Yisrael? Are they not one and the same? The Chida, zl explains this with a pertinent analogy. Often a shul has an appeal on Shabbos for badly needed funds to support an important project. In the heat of the announcement, people tend to get carried away and, wanting to “keep up with the Joneses,’” pledge more than they would normally give. At first, the donor is very proud of himself. After all, everyone else, even the wealthy…

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Home -> Vayakhel -> 5783

ויעש בצלאל את הארון עצי שיטים ... ויצפהו זהב טהור מבית ומחוץ

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayakhel

Betzalel made the Aron of Shittim/Acacia wood … He covered it with gold within and without. (37:1,2)

The Aron Hakodesh represents Torah and its disseminators. Torah is the lifeblood of our people. Thus, the Aron received special status within the framework of the Mishkan. It was a box constructed of wood, which was covered inside and outside with gold. All one saw was the gold. While the Torah scholar receives enormous esteem (or should) from the ha’mon am, general community, the wood is a reminder to him not to allow the accolades to make him lose sight of his inner essence. Humility should prevail over external praise. Rabbeinu Chananel views the arrangement of gold on wood as…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5783

אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Pekudei

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

Horav Tzadok, zl, m’Lublin indicates that the name of the structure where the Shechinah reposed changed from the wilderness, where it was the Mishkan, to Bais Hamikdash, the permanent Temple in Yerushalayim. The varied names are indicative of their individual roles vis-à-vis the people. The Mishkan was a temporary structure, since it accompanied the nation on its journey through the wilderness. It was as temporary as the encampment. When they moved, it moved. The Mishkan was referred to as Mishkan Ha’Eidus, the Testimony, referring to the Torah. The Mishkan was notably the receptacle that received the Torah, for which it…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5783

וישכימו ממחרת ויעלו עולות ויגישו שלמים וישב העם לאכל ושתו ויקומו לצחק

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Ki Sisa

The next day they rose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to make merry. (32:6)

Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, posits that this pasuk offers us a window into the mindset of the idol worshippers. At first, it begins with burnt offerings, which are wholly burnt and offered up to the higher being whom they claim to worship. This step is filled with idealism. After all, the entire animal is offered up, indicating the participants’ desire to give up their money and their lives on the altar of idealism. They still think that something will happen; their idol will speak to them. This step does not last very long, because nothing happens – no response from…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5783

אנא חטא העם הזה חטאה גדולה

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Ki Sisa

The people have committed a grievous sin. (32:31)

One would think that Moshe Rabbeinu, who is presently interceding on behalf of Bnei Yisrael, would attempt to decrease the seriousness of their sin, not magnify it. Horav Yechezkel, zl, m’Kuzmir (Maamer Yechezkel) explains that the first step on the road to teshuvah, repentance, is hakoras ha’chet, recognizing and acknowledging that one has sinned. One who puts his head in the ground in an attempt to ignore his misdeed, or rationalizes his actions with a list of excuses to absolve – and even justify – his wrongdoing, will not repent. Even if he makes a feeble attempt at teshuvah, it…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5783

וביום פקדי ופקדתי עלהם חטאתם

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Ki Sisa

On the day I make an accounting (of sins) I will bring their sin to account against them. (32:34)

The sin of the Golden Calf is mind-boggling. Klal Yisrael is essentially a holy people. In addition, this outrage occurred shortly after the Giving of the Torah. How could they have fallen to such a nadir, so fast? While a number of expositions focus on the nation’s spiritual/emotional level, the simple explanation for their actions is that they really did not perpetrate the sin. It was actually the eirev rav, mixed multitude of Egyptians, who joined our people as we were leaving, claiming allegiance to Hashem. They were the ones responsible for making the Golden Calf; they were the ones…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5783

ויאמר אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך ד' ילך נא ד' בקרבינו כי עם קשה עורף הוא

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Ki Sisa

If I have favor in Your eyes, My Lord, let my Lord go among us – for it is a stuff-necked people. (34:9)

A superficial reading of the pasuk will cause the reader to pause and question Moshe Rabbeinu’s comment concerning the stiff-necked nature of Klal Yisrael. On the surface, stiff-necked does not appear to be a positive attribute. It denotes one who is imperious, overly-assertive, and pretentious. These traits may have positive sides to them, but Moshe was seeking to ameliorate their side – not to present it as an act of chutzpah by a people who seem to have audacity as part of their DNA. When seeking forgiveness for the nation, it would seem best to downplay their brashness. Horav Moshe…

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Home -> 5783 -> Tetzaveh

ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל... ואתה הקרב אליך את אהרן אחיך... ונשא אהרן את משפט בני ישראל על לבו

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5783

Now you shall command Bnei Yisrael… bring near to yourself Aharon your brother… and Aharon shall bear the judgment of Bnei Yisrael on his heart. (27:20; 28:1,30)

In his commentary to the beginning of this parshah, the Baal HaTurim notes that this parshah is the only one since Moshe Rabbeinu’s birth in which his name is not mentioned. He attributes this to Moshe’s declaration (following the sin of the Golden Calf) to Hashem, “If You will not forgive the people in their indiscretion, then Micheini na miSifrecha, “Erase me (my name) from Your Book.” The power of Moshe’s demand that his name be removed from the Torah was so strong that, regardless of the stipulation, his words had an indelible impact: his name was omitted from one…

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Home -> 5783 -> Tetzaveh

ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור להעלת נר תמיד

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5783

Now you shall command Bnei Yisrael that they shall take for you pure olive oil, pressed, for illumination, to kindle a lamp continually. (27:20)

Two people of similar backgrounds attended the same schools and were mentored by the same rebbeim. Nonetheless, the level of fear of Heaven of one is far stronger and more committed than the other. One is more meticulous concerning his mitzvah observance than the other. How did this happen? In a powerful and enlightening essay, Horav Shlomo Wolbe, zl, sheds light on this disparity. He begins with a simple analogy to a clothing purchase. While most of us purchase our suits off the rack, those who can afford it – and who are fastidious about fit and appearance –custom-tailor their…

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