Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

“And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai.” (1:1)

Chazal note an integral relationship between the “midbar,” wilderness, and the Torah. Much of the Torah’s narrative takes place in the wilderness. The Torah itself was given in the wilderness, a point which Chazal emphasize frequently. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Torah reading immediately prior to Shavuos, the festival of the giving of the Torah, is Parashas Bamidbar. Chazal suggest many explanations for this connection. Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., expresses a simple, but profound, idea regarding the Torah’s ideology in forming the framework of each Jew individually and Klal Yisrael as a unified entity. Hashem chose the barren, free…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Bamidbar

“And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai.” (1:1)

The Midrash states that the Torah was given through the media of fire, water, and wilderness. The commentators differ in communicating the message of this Midrash. Horav M. Shapiro, z.l., suggests that these three elements reflect the magnitude of Klal Yisrael’s devotion to Hashem to the point of their self-sacrifice. Fire alludes to the fiery caldron into which Avraham Avinu was thrown because of his staunch belief in Hashem. This, however, only illustrates self-sacrifice on the part of the individual Jew. Water, which symbolizes Klal Yisrael’s passage through the Red Sea, represents our unwavering devotion to Hashem as a whole…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Bechukosai

“I will not have been revolted by them, nor will I have rejected them to obliterate them.” (26:44)

The Zohar Hakadosh suggests a special meaning for this phrase. Instead of the word ,ukfkw “to obliterate,” he reads it as the word vkfw “bride,” drawing the following analogy. A wealthy man was seen walking through a very poor section of a hostile land. When questioned regarding his whereabouts, he responded that he was searching for his bride-to-be. Indeed, when she appeared, the whole street took on a different appearance in his eyes. Even the air took on a sweet fragrance for him. So, too, Hashem will not reject us when, like an impatient bride, we await Him during our…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Bechukosai

“To break My covenant.” (26:15)

Rashi explains this refers to rehgc rpuf, one who will eventually deny the basic tenets of religion or the existence of Hashem. This commentary does not seem consistent with the sequence of the text. After the Torah enumerates various punishments to befall those who sin, it states: “And if after all this you will [still] not listen to Me and walk contrary to Me (hrec)” (26:27). Rabbeinu Yonah characterizes hre as one who dismisses the punishments as “accidental” happenings, which are not relevant to him at all. According to the text, this sin is even more egregious than the previous…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Bechukosai

“And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you go upright.” (26:13)

Rashi cites the Midrash which explains this blessing with two words, with vpuez vnuecw “erect stature.” Horav M. Shternbuch, Shlita, expounds on this concept. There are individuals who, although they are observant, tend to deny their compliance with Hashem’s mitzvos. Consequently, they mask their mitzvah performance and attempt to conceal their allegiance to the Torah. These individuals disguise authentic observance with artificial excuses. They are moral cowards who lack the courage of their convictions, demonstrating a lack of pride in their heritage. They are fearful that, due to their commitment to Judaism, they will be viewed as different. This perception…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Behar

“Six years you shall sow your fields and prune your vineyards… but on the seventh year there shall be a solemn Shabbos for the earth.” (25:3)

This pasuk refers to the mitzvah of freeing Jewish slaves at the beginning of Yovel. The Torah, however, does not seem to address only the slaves. The enjoinment quite clearly speaks about all inhabitants. The vast majority of Jews were not slaves! The Pnei Yehoshua suggests the following idea. One who enslaves others is himself a slave. He is subservient to his own egotistical desire to dominate others. This is alluded to by the statement in the Talmud Kiddushin 20a, “One who purchases a Jewish slave in reality acquires a master for himself.” He who enslaves others, becomes enslaved himself….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, Behar

“Six years you shall sow your fields and prune your vineyards… but on the seventh year there shall be a solemn Shabbos for the earth.” (25:3)

We may note the Torah’s sudden change in focus. It begins by addressing its words towards the individual farmer, but closes with an admonition directed generally towards the entire Jewish people. We, as a nation, must see to it that the Shmittah mandate is observed. Indeed, we can derive multi-faceted lessons from Shmittah. Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., observes that Shmittah symbolizes mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice. It personifies the apex of a Jew’s courageous dedication to Hashem’s command. A man who owns a parcel of land becomes intimately attached to it. He toils in back-breaking work in order to eke out his…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5753

“And the son of an Israelite woman went out… and he was the son of an Egyptian man. And the son of an Israelite woman pronounced the Name of Hashem and blasphemed… and the name of his mother was Shlomis Bas Divri…” (24:10,11)

Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., notes that the Torah mentions the mother’s name only after the son had sinned. Prior to his sin, he is referred to simply as “the son of an Israelite woman.” The Torah mentions the mother’s prior immorality in light of the sin performed by the son. Without the mother’s immoral behavior, such an outbreak of un-Jewish depravity would never have occurred. Shlomis’ anonymity would have been secured. After her son’s transgression, however, it became evident that only the mother’s immoral relationship with an Egyptian could have nurtured such miscreant behavior among Klal Yisrael. The horror of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5753

“And you shall not desecrate My holy Name, and I should be sanctified among the Bnei Yisrael.” (22:32)

The pasuk contains the solemn admonition against profaning Hashem’s Name, as well as the positive precept to sanctify His Name. The Torah commands us to sanctify and exalt Hashem’s Name by the very nature of our moral conduct. The passive application of “Kiddush Hashem” through martyrdom is also implied. We are mandated to sanctify His Name through life and through death. This mitzvah is to become an inherent component of our personality. Such supreme dedication to Hashem had been a beacon of inspiration to us throughout the generations. In our own times, during the period of the Holocaust, the spiritual…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5753

“And you shall count for you from the morrow after shabbos seven complete sabbaths (weeks) it shall be.” (23:15)

Horav S.Y. Zevin, z.l., offers a novel homiletic exposition of this pasuk. When one counts something, he indicates his esteem for the particular object. Indeed, at the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar, Rashi states that Hashem counted Bnei Yisrael a number of times because of His great love for them. The days and years of one’s life should likewise be important in one’s eyes. One should value every moment of life and appreciate its true meaning, “so that we do not struggle in vain nor produce for futility” (Isaiah 65:23). Those moments which have passed are no longer accessible to us….

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“And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai.” (1:1)

“And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai.” (1:1)

“I will not have been revolted by them, nor will I have rejected them to obliterate them.” (26:44)

“To break My covenant.” (26:15)

“And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you go upright.” (26:13)

“Six years you shall sow your fields and prune your vineyards… but on the seventh year there shall be a solemn Shabbos for the earth.” (25:3)

“Six years you shall sow your fields and prune your vineyards… but on the seventh year there shall be a solemn Shabbos for the earth.” (25:3)

“And the son of an Israelite woman went out… and he was the son of an Egyptian man. And the son of an Israelite woman pronounced the Name of Hashem and blasphemed… and the name of his mother was Shlomis Bas Divri…” (24:10,11)

“And you shall not desecrate My holy Name, and I should be sanctified among the Bnei Yisrael.” (22:32)

“And you shall count for you from the morrow after shabbos seven complete sabbaths (weeks) it shall be.” (23:15)

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