Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

ולכל היד החזקה ולכל המורא הגדול אשר עשה משה לעיני כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, V'zos HaBrachah

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

This pasuk seems to comprise Moshe Rabbeinu’s epitaph. Indeed, if there were to be an inscription on his tombstone, it would be the words of the above pasuk. Rashi explains that the mora gadol, awesome power, refers to his shattering of the Luchos, Tablets, when, upon descending the mountain, he confronted the revelry, debauchery, and rampant idol worship that had overtaken his spiritually lost nation. Moshe made a statement for all time: The Jewish People could not survive on a diet of mixed allegiances; it was either to be Hashem or a life of lewd idol worship. They could not…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5755

“An Amonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of Hashem… Because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water… and because they hired Bilaam … to curse you.” (23:4,5)

The Torah clearly presents two reasons for banning an Amonite or a Moabite from marrying a Jew. Rashi, however, cites only their procuring Bilaam to effect our spiritual destruction as grounds for their exclusion. Why does Rashi omit their lack of character refinement as motive for barring them from Klal Yisrael ? Horav Elyakim Schlesinger, Shlita, responds to this question by first addressing a similar question regarding the death of Lot’s wife. When Lot and his family were escaping the inferno which destroyed Sodom, his wife disobeyed the command not to look back. Consequently, she was turned into a pillar…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5755

“If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not listen to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother.” (21:18)

The halachos which apply to the ben sorer u’moreh, the wayward and rebellious son, are difficult to grasp. Indeed, Chazal comment that the unusual demands made by halacha basically prevent this phenomenon from occurring. Nonetheless, many important lessons in education and parenting may be derived from it. Let us focus on a few of these lessons. We are taught that the ben sorer u’moreh does not “just happen”. A definite pathology is the precursor of such a child’s problem. It all starts with his parents, even before he is born. The laws of ben sorer u’moreh are juxtaposed to the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5755

“And they shall speak and say: ‘Our hands have not shed this blood.'” (21:7)

The eglah arufah ceremony is shrouded in mystery. When the body of a murder victim is found between two cities, the elders of the city closest to the body must perform the ritual of eglah arufah. The commentaries cite various reasons for this rite. During the ceremony the elders must say, “Our hands have not shed this blood.” Rashi comments that obviously no one suspects that they had anything to do with this violent crime. Their declaration only reinforces the fact that they did not permit the victim to leave the city without accompaniment or without food. Rashi apparently equates…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5755

“This is the matter of the murderer who shall flee there and live.” (19:4)

Chazal derive from the word hju “and [he shall] live,” that we must provide every opportunity to sustain the inadvertent murderer in a manner that goes above and beyond mere existence. He must live with vitality. What is the meaning of life for a Jew ? How is true chiyus, living, defined in Torah vernacular ? The Torah in Devarim 30:20 states, “For it (the Torah) is your life and the length of your days.” A Jew’s chiyus is Torah, his breath of life is Torah study. As life has no trade-off, so, too, does the Torah have no trade-off….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5755

“And he shall not have too many wives, so that his heart may not turn astray; and he shall not greatly increase silver and gold for himself.” (17:17)

The Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 2:6, explains why Shlomo Ha’Melech was deposed. Chazal comment that the “yud” of the word vcrh came before Hashem and “complained” that Shlomo Ha’Melech was rejecting a Torah prohibition. The Torah states that the king may not increase his wives, and Shlomo had done just that. Hashem responded that a thousand Shlomos would come and go, but never would a single letter of the Torah be eliminated. We must endeavor to understand why, specifically, it was the “yud” that complained. Why did not any of the other letters voice their opinion ? What underlying message did the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5755

“If a matter of judgment is hidden from you, between blood and blood, between verdict and verdict, between plague and plague, matters of dispute in your cities.” (17:8)

There are a number of homiletic interpretations for this pasuk. The Pardes Yosef offers an explanation which places emphasis on the need for character refinement. He interprets the pasuk to mean, “If judgment is hidden from you,” if you have difficulty in reaching a conclusion in a halachic dispute, if the halacha seems hidden from you; it is because you do not properly distinguish between “blood and blood.” You are more concerned regarding questions involving your blood and do not seem to be sensitive to the blood of others. This is the antithesis of Chazal’s dictum in the Talmud, Sanhedrin…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5755

“You shall not plant for yourselves an idolatrous tree, any tree near the altar of Hashem your G-d.” (16:21)

The idolators were accustomed to plant beautiful trees called “asheiros” at the entrance of their temples. To separate us from this idolatrous custom, the Torah prohibits the planting of any tree in the Bais Ha’Mikdash or, as Chazal have added, even on the entire Har Ha’Bayis. In the Talmud, Sanhedrin 7b, Chazal explain the juxtaposition of the prohibition of planting an asheirah to the injunction to appoint judges. They say it teaches us that one who appoints an unqualified judge is regarded as if he had planted an asheirah. The commentators offer a number of reasons for equating appointing an…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5774

ולזבולן אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהלך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, V'zos HaBrachah

To Zevulun he said: Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yissachar in your tents. (33:18)

Moshe Rabbeinu appears to be counting words. His blessings to the three Shevatim, Tribes, of Dan, Yissachar and Zevulun are quite brief. This is in stark contrast to the blessings given by Yaakov Avinu prior to his death. It is precisely these tribes whom he blessed profusely, sparing no words in showering them with eloquent and lengthy blessings. Why did Moshe choose the path of brevity, while Yaakov functioned on the other extreme? Furthermore, Moshe’s blessings do not seem to do justice to Yissachar, who abides in his tents. These tents are the tents of Torah, which produced the nation’s…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Uncategorized, 5755

“You shall not eat any abomination….For you are a holy nation to Hashem, your G-d.” (14:3,21)

The Torah has prohibited particular groups of animals from human consumption. If one studies the various commentaries, it is apparent that one of the aims of the dietary laws is to avoid transferring an animal’s instincts to man via its consumption. Man was originally destined to be vegetarian. It was only after the mabul, flood, when his nature changed, that Hashem granted him permission to eat meat. Safeguards, however, were determined that would avoid inadvertently strengthening man’s animalistic nature as a result of the consumption of meat. The general principle is that the closer an animal’s nature and habits are…

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ולכל היד החזקה ולכל המורא הגדול אשר עשה משה לעיני כל ישראל

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

“An Amonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of Hashem… Because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water… and because they hired Bilaam … to curse you.” (23:4,5)

“If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not listen to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother.” (21:18)

“And they shall speak and say: ‘Our hands have not shed this blood.'” (21:7)

“This is the matter of the murderer who shall flee there and live.” (19:4)

“And he shall not have too many wives, so that his heart may not turn astray; and he shall not greatly increase silver and gold for himself.” (17:17)

“If a matter of judgment is hidden from you, between blood and blood, between verdict and verdict, between plague and plague, matters of dispute in your cities.” (17:8)

“You shall not plant for yourselves an idolatrous tree, any tree near the altar of Hashem your G-d.” (16:21)

ולזבולן אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהלך

To Zevulun he said: Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yissachar in your tents. (33:18)

“You shall not eat any abomination….For you are a holy nation to Hashem, your G-d.” (14:3,21)

YEARS

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