Challenge – Page 29 – Peninim on the Torah

אם יתן לי בלק מלא ביתו כסף וזהב לא אוכל לעבר את פי ד'

“If Balak were to give me his houseful of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem.” (22:18)

Rashi notes that by speaking of silver and gold, Bilaam revealed his true character: a greed-filled desire for money and the power that accompanies it. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos 6:9, relates that the Tanna Rabbi Yose ben Kisma once met a Jew from another community who offered the sage the opportunity to move to his city where he would set him up with whatever material needs he would require. Rabbi Yose replied, “If you were to give me all the silver, gold and precious stones in the world, I would only make my home in a city of Torah.”…

Home -> 5774 -> Acharei Mos

כי בענן אראה על הכפרת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Acharei Mos, 5774

For in a Cloud will I appear upon the Ark-Cover. (16:2)

No one was permitted to enter the Kodesh HaKedoshim, Holy of Holies, except for Aharon HaKohen and future Kohanim Gedolim. This would take place once a year, on Yom Kippur. It was in the Kodesh HaKedoshim, from within a Cloud hovering above the Kapores, Ark Cover, that Hashem’s Glory was manifest. Hashem’s Glory is hidden beneath many veils. It is within the innermost area of sanctity and, even then, it is shrouded within a cloud. Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, derives a powerful, inspirational lesson from Hashem’s clandestine Presence. Ki be’anan eiraeh, “For in a Cloud will I appear.” Every time,…

Home -> 5774 -> Acharei Mos

אחרי מות שני בני אהרן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Acharei Mos, 5774

After the death of Aharon’s two sons. (16:1)

Nadav and Avihu were great tzaddikim, righteous and pious persons. Indeed, Hashem attests to their virtue when He says, Bikrovai akadesh, “I will be sanctified through those who are nearest to Me” (Vayikra 10:3). The average person taking a cursory look at this tragedy will, no doubt, have pressing questions that challenge the core of his faith in the Almighty. After all – why? The question screams out at us. Let us posit that, indeed, Nadav and Avihu erred by getting so carried away by their consummate love for Hashem that they just had to go into the Mishkan and…

Home -> 5759 -> Emor

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5759

The Kohen who is exalted above his brethren – upon whose head the anointment oil has been poured. (21:10)

The Kohen Gadol “stands” above the other Kohanim as a result of certain qualities with which he has been vested. Chazal enumerate five areas in which he was “greater” than the others. One of these was strength. The Kohen Gadol was exceptionally strong. This is indicated by Aharon Hakohen’s ability to consecrate twenty-two thousand Leviim – in one day. This process involved physically raising each one and moving them back and forth, up and down. The magnitude of this task is evident when one realizes that this was all performed in the space of one day! Let us analyze this…

Home -> 5759 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5759

The entire people responded together and said, “Everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do.” (19:8)

Chazal praise Klal Yisrael’s affirmative response, their ability to accept the challenge of performing Hashem’s command without demanding a rationale. “Naase v’nishma,” – “We will do and we will listen,” was the clarion cry of our anscestors as they accepted the Torah. Chazal cite the awesome reward that Klal Yisrael received for declaring “naase“, we will do, before “nishma,” we will listen. Indeed, Hashem queried, “Who revealed this secret to My children, a phrase that only the ministering angels use?” Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves: What difference does it really make? In the end, they accepted both aspects- to…

Home -> 5759 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Terumah, 5759

They shall make an Ark of shittiim wood…You shall cover it with pure gold…and you shall make on it a gold crown all around. (25:10,11)

Three of the four primary Klei haMishkan, appertenances of the Mishkan, had crowns/ golden rims, decorating them: the Aron HaKodesh; Ark; the Shulchan, Table; and the Mizbayach, Altar. The Menorah, candelabra, did not. This fact corresponds with the words of Chazal in Pirke Avos, 4:13, “There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of Kehunah, priesthood, and the crown of malchus, kingship. The crown of shem tov, a good name, is greater than them all. ” The Aron HaKodesh, which contained within it the two Luchos upon which were inscribed the Aseres Hadibros, Ten Commandments, corresponds with the…

Home -> Shemos -> 5759

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5759, Shemos

It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren…and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man. He went out on the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. (2:11,13)

Moshe grew into a position of responsibility. He became ready to minister to the needs of his people. Horav Zeev Weinberger, Shlita, feels that Moshe had two distinct goals in mind when he began to serve Klal Yisrael: His first objective was to expunge the evil that the Egyptian environment had engendered. Second, he sought to correct and bring back the Jewish People. The occurrences related in the pesukim on the two days that Moshe “went out” to his brethren demonstrate these two faci. On the first day, Moshe encountered an Egyptian beating a Jew. He immediately “corrected” the problem,…

Home -> 5759 -> Beshalach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5759

Then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael chose to sing this song to Hashem. (15:1)

Klal Yisrael praised Hashem for the miracle of Krias Yam Suf, the splitting of the Red Sea, through a shirah, a song of praise. This rare, sublime expression of gratitude to Hashem is unique in its form and meaning. We should address a pressing question regarding the shirah. Krias Yam Suf was not the first miracle that Klal Yisrael had experienced. Many miraculous occurrences had preceded it. There were the Ten Plagues that befell Egypt. Were they so “natural” that they paled in comparison to the splitting of the Red Sea? Why did Klal Yisrael wait so long to sing…

Home -> 5759 -> Beshalach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5759

Moshe said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem…for as you have seen Egypt today, you shall not see them ever again…Hashem shall do battle for you, and you shall remain silent. Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me?” (14:13, 14,15)

Chazal teach us that four distinct groups confronted Moshe. The first group were the fatalists, who felt the end was near, no vestige of hope remained. They might as well walk into the sea and die, rather than fall into Pharaoh’s hands. The second group consisted of the pacifists, who felt that the only way out of their present predicament was to return to Egypt and adopt the Egyptian culture. Their motto was: If you cannot fight them – join them. These people were scared of their own shadow, submitting before they ever had a chance to fight. The third…

Home -> 5759 -> Va'eschanan

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5759

You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart. (6:5)

“With all your heart” is a strong term, but one cannot serve Hashem in any lesser manner. Rashi cites Chazal who interpret “b’chol levavecha” as “bishnei yitzrecha,” with your two inclinations, your yetzer tov, good inclination, as well as your yetzer hora, evil inclination. We must endeavor to understand the meaning of loving Hashem with one’s good inclination. Certainly, there is nothing challenging about the yetzer tov. It encourages mitzvah observance and good deeds. What quality of the good inclination might be considered a challenge to overcome? Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, explains that at times, by following the intimations of…

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אם יתן לי בלק מלא ביתו כסף וזהב לא אוכל לעבר את פי ד'

“If Balak were to give me his houseful of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem.” (22:18)

כי בענן אראה על הכפרת

For in a Cloud will I appear upon the Ark-Cover. (16:2)

אחרי מות שני בני אהרן

After the death of Aharon’s two sons. (16:1)

The Kohen who is exalted above his brethren – upon whose head the anointment oil has been poured. (21:10)

The entire people responded together and said, “Everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do.” (19:8)

They shall make an Ark of shittiim wood…You shall cover it with pure gold…and you shall make on it a gold crown all around. (25:10,11)

It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren…and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man. He went out on the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. (2:11,13)

Then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael chose to sing this song to Hashem. (15:1)

Moshe said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem…for as you have seen Egypt today, you shall not see them ever again…Hashem shall do battle for you, and you shall remain silent. Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me?” (14:13, 14,15)

You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart. (6:5)

YEARS

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