Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

“A completely red heifer which is unblemished upon which never came a yoke.” (19:2)

After studying the various laws that apply to the Parah Adumah, we can perceive the difficult path which lies before a person who desires to purify himself. The Torah insists that a red heifer, which is a very rare and expensive animal, be used for the purification process. We may derive from the Parah Adumah that in all areas of purification, the defiled individual is not cleansed until he has undergone much toil and sacrifice. Only after a person seeks purity and holiness as he would search for gold and precious jewels, that he achieves a clear perception of the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5751

“This is the fundamental law of the Torah… and they take unto you a completely red heifer.” (19:2)

The law of the Parah Adumah serves as the paradigm of commitment to Hashem and His mitzvos. So strange is the law of the Parah Adumah that it baffled the minds of the wisest. Shlomo Hamelech says in Koheles (7:13) “I applied all my wisdom, but it remained beyond me.” What makes this law even more puzzling is the paradox that the ashes of the heifer in the spring water despite cleansing the unclean, defiled the priest who performed the ritual. Here is the purest example of a complete obedience to the laws of Hashem. When every attempt to explain…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5751

“This is the fundamental law of the Torah… and they take unto you a completely red heifer.” (19:2)

The Midrash relates that when Moshe ascended to the Heavens, he heard the voice of Hashem teaching the angels the parsha of Parah Adumah. Why does this mitzvah assume such an exalted place before Hashem. The following may be suggested. chukim (Divine ordinances whose purposes or meaning are not necessarily understood by human intelligence) and mishpatim (civil laws that promulgate the safety and survival of society whose rationale may be grasped by human intelligence), are two distinct sets of mitzvos. Just as there are two forms of mitzvos, so too are there contrasting situations in life. There are moments in…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Korach, 5751

“And the gift which you set apart shall be reckoned unto you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor.” (18:27)

The Torah enjoins the Levi that when he receives his due (tithe) from the Yisroel, he himself is then obliged to give a tithe to the Kohain. This halacha requires clarification, since according to Torah law one is obliged to tithe only produce which is gathered from one’s own field, not that which he purchases or receives as a gift. Why then are the Leviim required to give maaser to the Kohein from the gifts of maaser which they themselves receive? If we study the words of the posuk, we will see that the Levi should not view the maaser…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Korach, 5751

“And behold there budded the rod of Aharon for the house of Levi and it put forth buds and blossomed blossoms and bore ripe almonds. (17:23)

It is stated in the Torah that Aharon’s rod continued to maintain all these qualities at the same time. This is peculiar, since blossoms bloom after the buds have fallen. The Tosfos Yeshanim in Yumah (52b) asks this question, and responds by saying that this was a miracle. This answer heeds further explanation. What reason was there for such a miracle? To teach us that physical things which shrivel, dry up, and wither away into oblivion. However, spiritual entities do not wither, they perpetute themselves and last forever. The fruit of a mitzvah is the actual performance of a mitzvah,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Korach, 5751

“And Korach, the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kehas, the son of Levi, took.” (16:1)

Rashi explains that he took himself to one side to be set apart from the congregation to argue against the priesthood. The name Korach serves as the paradigm of one who came with destructive, rebellious scorn, initiating a quarrel with the sole purpose of self-aggrandizement. As the Mishna in Avos (5:20) states: “Every controversy which is for the sake of Heaven will endure in the end, and every one which is not for the sake of Heaven will, in the end, not endure. Which is the controversy for the sake of Heaven? Such was the conflict of Hillel and…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shelach, 5751

“And the people wept through that night.” (14:1)

According to the Talmud in Taanis (29a) “that night” refers to Tisha B’av, the day to be known as the most tragic day in Jewish history. The greatest tragedies befell us on that day. The Talmud in Sanhedrin (104:b) cites a reason for this: “Because you wept so unnecessarily on this night, I will establish this night as one on which you will cry for all time.” It seems that our weeping and undeserved protest and complaints were the cause of Tisha B’av. This over-indulgence and over-reaction was an extreme expression of a lack of faith and trust in Hashem….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shelach, 5751

“And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes.” (13:33)

The Kotzker Rebbe Zt”l remarks that this statement was considered to be one of the sins of the spies. Although it was wrong to be bothered by their own smallness in contrast to the giants of the land, it was also improper to be concerned by the people’s opinion of them. What interest was it to them in what manner they were being viewed by others? The sentiments of others shouldn’t affect a man’s rightous mission. Perhaps we may add that this feeling of inferiority displayed by the spies was the source of their misinterpretation and slanderous views of Eretz…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shelach, 5751

“And what the land is, whether it is fat and lean, whether there are trees therein, or not.” (13:20)

Rashi explains that “.g” (tree) serves as a metaphor for an an honorable, righteous man who will protect the country by his merit. This explanation seems peculiar, for if Moshe was inquiring as to the presence of a righteous honorable man, should he not have sent the spies searching in the houses of prayer and study? Why did he send them to the public thoroughfares of the city, and to the gardens and orchards? When a city has righteous and honorable rulers, it reflects their presence in all areas of the city proper. The influence of a great person…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shelach, 5751

“One man, one man, of every tribe you shall send.” (13:2)

The commentaries draw various conclusions regarding the distinction between the failure of Moshe’s “spies” in contrast to the success of the spies sent by Yehoshua, as the Bnei Yisroel were prepared to enter Eretz Yisroel. Regarding the spies that Moshe sent, the Torah states that each tribe sent its own representative. Each tribe, related only to its own personal interests, was not comfortable with another tribe’s emissary, and demanded its own delegate. This discord and mistrust amongst brethren led to the disgrace of Hashem’s Name. In contrast to this, we find that Yehoshua sent only two men to search out…

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“A completely red heifer which is unblemished upon which never came a yoke.” (19:2)

“This is the fundamental law of the Torah… and they take unto you a completely red heifer.” (19:2)

“This is the fundamental law of the Torah… and they take unto you a completely red heifer.” (19:2)

“And the gift which you set apart shall be reckoned unto you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor.” (18:27)

“And behold there budded the rod of Aharon for the house of Levi and it put forth buds and blossomed blossoms and bore ripe almonds. (17:23)

“And Korach, the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kehas, the son of Levi, took.” (16:1)

“And the people wept through that night.” (14:1)

“And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes.” (13:33)

“And what the land is, whether it is fat and lean, whether there are trees therein, or not.” (13:20)

“One man, one man, of every tribe you shall send.” (13:2)

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