Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

ואם אמור יאמר העבד אהבתי את אדני...לא אצא חפשי והגישו אדניו אל האלקים והגישו אל הדלת או אל המזוזה ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעולם

But if the bondsman shall say, “I love my master… I shall not go free… then his master shall bring him to the court and shall bring him to the door or to the door post, and his master shall bore through his ear with the awl, and he shall serve him forever. (21:5,6)

The Torah takes a dim view of an eved Ivri, Hebrew bondsman’s, desire to continue his servitude. His ear is bored with an awl as he stands near the doorpost. Why the ear? The ear (together with the rest of the body) stood at Har Sinai and heard Hashem declare, “Lo signov, Do not steal.” Yet, the man went ahead and stole. He had a list of excuses to justify his behavior. But, at the end of the day, he was a ganov, thief, and must pay for his actions. He had no money – otherwise, why would he steal?…

Home -> 5773 -> Mishpatim

ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5773

And these are the judgments that you shall place before them. (21:1)

Rashi teaches that Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu, “It should not occur to you to say, ‘I shall teach them the chapter and the law two or three times, until it is set in order in their mouths according to its format (i.e. until they memorize it), but I shall not trouble myself to make them understand the reasons of the matter and its explanation.’ Therefore it says, ‘that you shall place it before them – like a table that is set and prepared to be eaten from, placed before a person.’ In other words, there is no room for error…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5773

ויחפש בגדול החל ובקטן כלה וימצא הגביע באמתחת בנימין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

He searched; he began with the eldest and finished with the youngest. And the goblet was found in Binyamin’s pack. (44:12)

In the Talmud Pesachim 7b, Chazal state that Bedikas Chametz, searching for chametz, should be performed by the light of a candle. This is supported by the process of derivation whereby the metziah, finding of chametz, is derived from another instance of metziah, which is connected to the word chipush, searching, which is derived from another instance of chipush, which is – in turn – connected to neiros, candles. Thus, finding is achieved via searching, and searching is executed through the medium of candles. The pasuk used to derive metziah, finding, from chipush, searching, is the above pasuk that describes…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5773

ויקח מאתם את שמעון ויאסור אותו לעיניהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

He took Shimon from them and imprisoned him before their eyes. (42:24)

The Yalkut Shimoni shares an intriguing Midrash with us. Yosef sought to incarcerate his brothers. He sent a message to Pharaoh, “I need seventy of your strongest men to apprehend a group of foreigners.” When the soldiers arrived, Yosef told them to take chains and place them on his brothers. Shimon stood in front, while the rest of his brothers stood back at a distance. As they closed in on Shimon, he gave a loud scream, the sound of which shattered the teeth of all seventy men. Observing the debacle, Yosef turned to his son, Menasheh, who was standing by…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5773

ויאמר אליהם יוסף ביום השלישי זאת עשו וחיו את האלקים אני ירא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

Yosef said to them on the third day, “Do this and live; I fear G-d.” (42:18)

What is the significance of Es haElokim ani yarei, “I fear G-d”? What does this have to do with the fact that it was three days into their “visit”? Simply, Yosef was conveying to them that he had no plans to keep them all in Egypt while their families starved at home. He would detain only one of them as a hostage. He was doing this because he was a G-d-fearing man. Apparently, Yosef felt that by adding his G-d-fearing nature into the equation, it would immediately relax them and counteract the anxieties they must have been harboring concerning their…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5773

ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

It happened at the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

On most years, Parashas Mikeitz coincides with Chanukah. The commentators explain that this is by design. In his notes to the Mordechai, Meseches Shabbos, at the end of Perek Bameh Madlikin, the Shiltei GiBorim writes that a number of allusions from the parsha render it a prime candidate for Shabbos Chanukah. At the opening words of the parsha, Mikeitz shenasaim, “At the end of two years,” the letters of the word shenasaim, comprise a notreikun, abbreviation: shin – s’moel/left (side); nun – ner, candle; taf – tadlik, you shall light; yud – yemin, right (side); mem – mezuzah. This indicates…

Home -> Masei -> 5773

וישב בה עד מות הכהן הגדול אשר משח אותו בשמן הקדש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Masei

He shall dwell in it until the death of the Kohen Gadol, whom he had anointed with the sacred oil. (35:25)

What did the Kohen Gadol, High Priest, do to deserve such a “relationship” with the unintentional murderer? It is almost as if the Kohen Gadol shares punitively with the rotzeiach b’shogeig. Rashi explains that the Kohen Gadol serves as the nation’s spiritual leader. As such, he has a responsibility to pray for his people – pray that no one sustains a fatal accident at the hands of another Jew. Apparently, he either did not pray, or he did not pray with sufficient intensity. In any event, a man was killed unintentionally. The Kohen Gadol must assume some of this responsibility….

Home -> Masei -> 5773

והצילו העדה את הרצח מיד גואל הדם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Masei

The Assembly shall rescue the killer from the hand of the avenger of the blood. (35:25)

The bais din is enjoined to seek every possible way to circumvent the death penalty. We always give the accused every possible benefit of the doubt. Likewise, if the court judges that the death was caused by a truly unavoidable accident, it must rule that the killer does not require exile. Consequently, the goel ha’dam, relative who is the avenger of the blood, must desist. He has no right whatsoever to harm the killer. It was an accident which Hashem made happen – end of story. The Talmud Sanhedrin 17a teaches an interesting halachah, which at first glance seems perplexing….

Home -> Masei -> 5773

ויסעו ממדבר סיני ויחנו בקברות התאוה. ויסעו מקברות התאוה ויחנו בחצרות. ויסעו מחצרות ויחנו ברתמה. ויסעו מרתמה ויחנו ברמן פרץ. ויסעו מרמן פרץ ויחנו בלבנה.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Masei

They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sinai and encamped in Kivros Hataavah. They journeyed from Kivros Hataavah and encamped in Chatzeiros. They journeyed from Chatzeiros and encamped in Rismah. They journeyed from Rismah and encamped in Rimmon-Peretz. They journeyed from Rimmon-Peretz and encamped in Livnah (33:16-20).

The commentators, each in his own inimitable manner, suggest that the names of the various encampments are allusions to the various shortcomings or consequences to inappropriate behavior manifest by the Jewish nation during their trek through the wilderness. Rashi interprets these places as referring to specific sins committed by the people. The Chasam Sofer indicates that the above names are consequences, resulting from distancing oneself from Torah study. The Talmud Succah 52b makes a formidable statement: Yitzro shel adam misgaber alav b’chol yom u’mevakeish l’hamiso, “A man’s evil inclination threatens every day to overpower him, and seeks to kill him:…

Home -> Matos -> 5773

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף על עמיך. וידבר משה אל העם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Matos

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim. Afterward you will be gathered unto your people. Moshe spoke to the people. (31:2,3)

Remarkable! The Midyanim were to receive their due punishment in response to their involvement in the Jews’ sins of immorality and idolatry. This punishment resulted in the deaths of 24,000 Jewish souls. Hashem told Moshe that this “unfinished business” should be addressed now, since his death was tied to it. In other words, Moshe was going to leave this world as soon as he carried out this last retribution. Our quintessential leader, Moshe Rabbeinu, could easily have taken his time in executing Hashem’s command. He did not. Indeed, he did it immediately, so great and intense was his love for…

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ואם אמור יאמר העבד אהבתי את אדני...לא אצא חפשי והגישו אדניו אל האלקים והגישו אל הדלת או אל המזוזה ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעולם

But if the bondsman shall say, “I love my master… I shall not go free… then his master shall bring him to the court and shall bring him to the door or to the door post, and his master shall bore through his ear with the awl, and he shall serve him forever. (21:5,6)

ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

And these are the judgments that you shall place before them. (21:1)

ויחפש בגדול החל ובקטן כלה וימצא הגביע באמתחת בנימין

He searched; he began with the eldest and finished with the youngest. And the goblet was found in Binyamin’s pack. (44:12)

ויקח מאתם את שמעון ויאסור אותו לעיניהם

He took Shimon from them and imprisoned him before their eyes. (42:24)

ויאמר אליהם יוסף ביום השלישי זאת עשו וחיו את האלקים אני ירא

Yosef said to them on the third day, “Do this and live; I fear G-d.” (42:18)

ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים

It happened at the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

וישב בה עד מות הכהן הגדול אשר משח אותו בשמן הקדש

He shall dwell in it until the death of the Kohen Gadol, whom he had anointed with the sacred oil. (35:25)

והצילו העדה את הרצח מיד גואל הדם

The Assembly shall rescue the killer from the hand of the avenger of the blood. (35:25)

ויסעו ממדבר סיני ויחנו בקברות התאוה. ויסעו מקברות התאוה ויחנו בחצרות. ויסעו מחצרות ויחנו ברתמה. ויסעו מרתמה ויחנו ברמן פרץ. ויסעו מרמן פרץ ויחנו בלבנה.

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף על עמיך. וידבר משה אל העם

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim. Afterward you will be gathered unto your people. Moshe spoke to the people. (31:2,3)

YEARS

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