Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ד' אלקיך על הארץ הטובה אשר נתן לך

You will eat and you will be satisfied, and bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good Land that He gave you. (8:10)

This is the commandment that enjoins us to recite Bircas Hamazon, Grace after meals, Bentch. Moshe Rabbeinu initiated the blessing of Hazan es hakol kulo b’tuvo, “Who nourishes the entire world, in His goodness,” following the descent of the manna to sustain the nation. Horav Moshe Tzvi Nariyah, zl, observes that in no other instance does a person become so absorbed with his ani, himself, with his existence and personal pleasure, as when he is engaged in eating. Food/eating can have a compelling and almost vulgar effect on a person, often catalyzing his base instincts. Therefore, claims Rav Nariyah, the…

Home -> Devarim -> 5773

כי ירשה לעשו נתתי את הר שעיר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

For an inheritance to the children of Eisav I have given Mount Seir. (2:5)

The old cliché goes; Es is shver tzu zein a yid, “It is difficult to be a Jew.” While this is a wrong attitude for a Jew to take, it may, from a practical point of view, be considered true. Living an observant lifestyle takes a certain amount of conviction, resolution and forbearance. What we fail to acknowledge is that the cliché might have some validity; there may be a good reason for the manifold challenges that a Jew confronts in life. Horav Aharon Bakst, zl, explains this as a reason for the distinction between Yaakov Avinu and Eisav with…

Home -> Devarim -> 5773

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

How can I alone carry your trouble and your burden and your quarrels? (1:12)

Rashi translates tarchachem, as “your troubles”: Melamed she’hayu Yisrael tarchanim, “this teaches us that the Jewish People were troublesome.” Masaachem, which literally means, “your burdens,” is employed by Rashi to infer that they were apikorsim, heretics. It is understandable for the word tarchanim to imply the troublesome nature of the Jews. Both words are derived from the same root word. How is masa, burden, related to heresy? There seems to be no connection between the two words. Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, explains that, indeed, from a practical perspective, a deep connection exists between the two terms. Apikorsus, heresy, is a…

Home -> Devarim -> 5773

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Sefer Devarim is Moshe Rabbeinu’s last will and testament, spoken by him during the last five weeks of his life. He began with an indirect rebuke, alluding to the nation’s sins and, at times, mutinous behavior during the past forty years. His words were cloaked, clouded in allusion, in an effort not to embarrass and offend his listeners. While this is clearly the preferred approach to rebuke, one wonders why in the past he had not manifested such restraint. Indeed, the Maor Va’Shemesh focuses on the word Eilah, “These,” a term which implies a specific designation which excludes previous “words.”…

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אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Chazal teach that Moshe Rabbeinu’s “words” were actually words of rebuke, veiled in a manner not to embarrass Klal Yisrael. Tochachah, rebuke, is a mitzvah. The Torah teaches in Vayikra 19:17, Hocheach tochiach es amisecha, “You shall reprove your fellow.” This is part of caring about and loving our fellow man. Regrettably, some people get carried away with their performance of this mitzvah. While administering rebuke is a mitzvah, it is not one that applies to everyone. In other words, not all of us are capable of – or fit the criteria – for an individual who may express reproof…

Home -> 5773 -> Chukas

ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלקל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5773

And our soul is disgusted with the insubstantial food. (21:5)

We do not find the Jews complaining much about the manna during their forty-year trek in the wilderness. Suddenly, at the end of their trip, as they stood geared to enter the Promised Land, they issued their complaints concerning the Heavenly bread. Could they have found no other time to register their discontent concerning the manna? Why now? The Chiddushei Ha’Rim offers a practical explanation. Satisfaction is often determined by the character of the individual and his concomitant comfort level. Yes, for forty years the Jews ate the manna and it was delicious and satisfying. These, however, were different Jews….

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וימת אהרן שם בראש ההר...וישמע הכנעני...כי בא ישראל...וילחם בישראל.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5773

Then Aharon died there on Har Hahar… The Canaanite (King) heard that (Klal) Yisrael had come… And he warred against Yisrael. (20:28, 21:1)

Rarely do we find a mitzvah in the Torah in which we are told not only to execute a certain deed, but never to forget that we are enjoined in this mitzvah. These mitzvos are zechiros mitzvos in which there is a specific duty to remember a specific occurrence. This act of perpetuating the occurrence will spur us to carry out a specific mitzvah or not to do a prohibited activity. For instance, we are enjoined to remember what Hashem did to Miriam HaNeviah, and how she was publicly censured for speaking ill of Moshe Rabbeinu. Although it was not…

Home -> 5773 -> Chukas

קח את אהרן ואת אלעזר בנו והעל אתם הר ההר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5773

Take Aharon and Elazar his son and bring them up to Har Hahar. (20:25)

Rashi teaches that Moshe Rabbeinu was instructed to console Aharon, to soothe him concerning the fact that his mortal life was coming to a close. It was a difficult blow. He did, however, achieve the tremendous nachas, satisfaction and pleasure, of seeing his son ascend to the High Priesthood – something which had eluded Moshe. We derive an important lesson from here. We must make people feel good – regardless of how painful it might be for us personally. Aharon had the true nachas for which every parent aspires: to see his offspring achieve an enviable spiritual plateau. Moshe, the…

Home -> 5773 -> Chukas

וכל כלי פתוח אשר אין צמיד פתיל עליו טמא הוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5773

Any open vessel that has no cover fastened to it is contaminated. (19:15)

It is sad, but true: A person is most often judged by his external appearance. His manner of dress, be it conventional or “different,” determines our first opinion of him. We become caught up in the chitzonius, externals, and ignore the “real” Jew, the pnimius, internal essence of the person who stands before us. I have found this to be a reality, especially in dealing with individuals of both genders who are incarcerated for various felonies – some light, others serious, but felonies no less. At first glance, they might present themselves in an unsavory light, but, upon getting to…

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אדם כי ימות באהל ...כל הבא אל האהל וכל אשר באהל יטמא שבעת ימים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5773

A man who would die in a tent: Anything that enters the tent and anything that is in the tent shall be contaminated for seven days. (19:14)

We view a rasha, wicked person, with disdain, when actually it is the sin that we should hate, not the sinner. We do not realize that regardless of a person’s transgressions, his neshamah, soul, is endowed with kedushah, holiness. Horav Tuvia HaLevi, zl, one of the talmidei Arizal, applies this idea to explain why a Jewish corpse is metamei, ritually contaminates, anyone who comes in contact with it, more so than the corpse of a gentile. A Jewish corpse is metamei both b’ohel and b’maga, by standing over it or touching it, while a gentile corpse does not defile b’ohel….

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ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ד' אלקיך על הארץ הטובה אשר נתן לך

You will eat and you will be satisfied, and bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good Land that He gave you. (8:10)

כי ירשה לעשו נתתי את הר שעיר

For an inheritance to the children of Eisav I have given Mount Seir. (2:5)

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

How can I alone carry your trouble and your burden and your quarrels? (1:12)

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלקל

And our soul is disgusted with the insubstantial food. (21:5)

וימת אהרן שם בראש ההר...וישמע הכנעני...כי בא ישראל...וילחם בישראל.

Then Aharon died there on Har Hahar… The Canaanite (King) heard that (Klal) Yisrael had come… And he warred against Yisrael. (20:28, 21:1)

קח את אהרן ואת אלעזר בנו והעל אתם הר ההר

Take Aharon and Elazar his son and bring them up to Har Hahar. (20:25)

וכל כלי פתוח אשר אין צמיד פתיל עליו טמא הוא

Any open vessel that has no cover fastened to it is contaminated. (19:15)

אדם כי ימות באהל ...כל הבא אל האהל וכל אשר באהל יטמא שבעת ימים

A man who would die in a tent: Anything that enters the tent and anything that is in the tent shall be contaminated for seven days. (19:14)

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