Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

שיחת לו לא בניו מומם

Corruption is not His – the blemish is His children’s. (32:5)

Teshuvah is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it comes too late to prevent the damage that has already been done. There is no time limit to teshuvah. It is always accepted, thus allowing for a person who has lived a life of abandon to die and leave this world as a tzaddik, righteous person. There is, however, a collateral damage with regard to his children. This is a damage that is irreparable. When parents go along their merry way, living a life of abandon, a lifestyle that is antithetical to Torah, they must remember that their children are watching. When…

Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5773

יערף כמטר לקחי תזל כטל אמרתי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Ha'azinu

Let My teachings descend like the rain, may My utterance flow like the dew. (32:1)

The Torah is compared to rain which descends from the heavens, reviving the seeds buried within the earth. The Sefas Emes notes a relationship between adamah, earth, and rain vis-à-vis Adam HaRishon, primordial man, his offspring, and the Torah which is compared to rain. The earth filled with seed is potential vegetation, grass, etc. It is only when rain descends on the adamah that this potential is released and the seeds begin to sprout and produce. Likewise, adam, man, created from adamah, is filled with tremendous potential. Will he realize his potential, or will it continue to lay dormant? Torah…

Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5773

האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Ha'azinu

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth. (32:1)

There seems to be a disparity between the Torah’s description of Moshe Rabbeinu’s oratory to the Heaven and the way he addressed the earth. He says haazinu, “Give ear, ”pay attention, as if he was speaking directly to Heaven. Also, he uses the word, adabeirah, “I will speak,” which is a stronger, more direct form of communication. In contrast, Moshe tells the earth v’sishma, “and hear,” listen in, as I convey imrei fi, words of my mouth. It is almost as if Moshe is talking directly to Heaven, and he is requesting earth to listen in on the conversation. How…

Home -> 5773 -> Emor

שור או כשב או עז כי יולד... ירצה לקרבן אשה לד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born… it is acceptable for a fire-offering to Hashem. (22:27)

The Yalkut Shimoni teaches us why the above three animals (ox, sheep, goat) were selected to serve as Korbanos, sacrifices. The ox was chosen in the merit of Avraham Avinu who, in the course of preparing dinner for his “Heavenly” guests, ran to bring for them an ox. [V’el ha’bakar ratz Avraham, “And to the ox Avraham ran” (Bereishis 18:7)]. Yitzchak Avinu’s z’chus, merit, catalyzed the designation of the sheep as a sacrifice. [Va’yar v’hinei ayil neechaz ba’svach b’karnav, “And he raised his eyes and saw, and behold! A ram, afterwards caught in the thicket” (Bereishis 22:13)]. When Yaakov Avinu…

Home -> 5773 -> Emor

ולאחתו הבתולה הקרובה אליו אשר לא היתה לאיש לה יטמא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

And to his virgin sister who is close to him, who has not been wed to a man; to her shall he contaminate himself. (21:3)

Chazal teach that it is a mitzvah for a Kohen to defile himself to the seven close relatives. Indeed, as Chazal say, if the Kohen refuses to ritually contaminate himself to any of them, we compel him to do so (Zevachim 100a). In a way, this is a form of sacrifice. A Kohen who is sincere about his station in life might get carried away. He might feel that, even for a close relative, it is just not worth it. He has heretofore maintained his purity. Why should he ruin his spotless record? Obviously, such a Kohen has no clue…

Home -> 5773 -> Emor

אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon… each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his people. (21:1)

The Chasam Sofer renders this pasuk homiletically as presenting the imperative and guidelines for successful Jewish outreach. First: “Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon” that they should act in accordance with their noble, illustrious heritage. Their Patriarch, Aharon HaKohen, was known by his nom de plume as the consummate Ohaiv shalom v’rodef shalom, ohaiv es ha’brios u’mekarvan laTorah, “(He) lover of peace and (he) pursuer of peace; (he) loves people and brings them closer to the Torah.” One who seeks success in reaching out to his fellow man must first make peace with himself. No sin, no moral…

Home -> 5773 -> Emor

אמור אל הכהנים בני אהרן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon. (21:1)

The Kohanim represent our nation’s spiritual elite. Their greatness is hereditary; thus, their responsibility to convey the compelling nature of their lineage and station in life to the next generation, is consequential. It is, therefore, noteworthy that they were excluded from the monarchy, as was the rest of the nation. On his deathbed, Yaakov Avinu, blessed each of his sons. He turned to Yehudah and said, Lo yasur shevet miYehudah, “The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah” (Bereishis 49:10). While this blessing did not take effect immediately, since Shaul Hamelech, our nation’s first monarch, heralded from the tribe of Binyamin…

Home -> 5773 -> Eikev

ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שואל מעמך כי אם ליראה את ד' אלקיך ללכת בכל דרכיו ולאהבה אותו ולעבוד את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Eikev, 5773

Now, O’ Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and all your soul. (10:12)

In the Talmud Menachos 43b, Chazal derive from this pasuk that a Jew is obligated to recite one hundred brachos, blessings, daily. This is derived from the word, Mah, before the words, Hashem Elokecha sh’oel meimach, “What – does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you?” The “mah” is interpreted to mean meah, which means one hundred. Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 12, adds that David Hamelech initiated the decree to recite one hundred blessings daily as a merit to save the nation from continuing to lose one hundred men each day. Apparently, as explained by the Tur Orach Chaim 46, one hundred…

Home -> 5773 -> Eikev

ואתפוש בשני הלוחות מעל שתי ידי ואשברם לעיניכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Eikev, 5773

I took hold of both of the Tablets, and I cast them from my hands, and I broke them before your eyes. (9:17)

A powerful lesson can be derived from this pasuk, which describes Moshe Rabbeinu’s act of shattering of the Luchos not simply as a negative act or an act of weakness, but rather, as a forceful, compelling, even positive act. Horav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zl, comments that, were it not for the Torah’s unembellished description, one might harbor the thought that Moshe was so overcome with shock in seeing the Golden Calf that he dropped the Luchos. Perhaps another scenario would be that they were too heavy. Moshe’s strength came from the People. Their merit infused him. Once they fell off their…

Home -> 5773 -> Eikev

וזכרת את ד' אלקיך כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Eikev, 5773

Then you shall remember Hashem, your G-d: that it was He who gave you strength the make wealth. (8:18)

How easy it is to believe in ourselves – to think that our power is the result of our own strength; our battle skills, the result of our being formidable warriors. Hashem wants us to dispel this notion, by remembering that whatever success we enjoy is only because He gives us the means. In his Ben Ish Chai, Horav Yosef Chaim, zl, m’Bagdad, observes that whenever it is demanded of a person to remember, it is because it is concerning a subject that he is prone to forget. Indeed, there are six places in which the Torah enjoins us to…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> 5773 ->

שיחת לו לא בניו מומם

Corruption is not His – the blemish is His children’s. (32:5)

יערף כמטר לקחי תזל כטל אמרתי

Let My teachings descend like the rain, may My utterance flow like the dew. (32:1)

האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth. (32:1)

שור או כשב או עז כי יולד... ירצה לקרבן אשה לד'

When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born… it is acceptable for a fire-offering to Hashem. (22:27)

ולאחתו הבתולה הקרובה אליו אשר לא היתה לאיש לה יטמא

And to his virgin sister who is close to him, who has not been wed to a man; to her shall he contaminate himself. (21:3)

אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon… each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his people. (21:1)

אמור אל הכהנים בני אהרן

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon. (21:1)

ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שואל מעמך כי אם ליראה את ד' אלקיך ללכת בכל דרכיו ולאהבה אותו ולעבוד את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך

Now, O’ Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and all your soul. (10:12)

ואתפוש בשני הלוחות מעל שתי ידי ואשברם לעיניכם

I took hold of both of the Tablets, and I cast them from my hands, and I broke them before your eyes. (9:17)

וזכרת את ד' אלקיך כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל

Then you shall remember Hashem, your G-d: that it was He who gave you strength the make wealth. (8:18)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!