Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

“And the daughters of Tzlafchad drew near… and they stood before Moshe… Our father died in the desert.. and he had no son… Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” (27:1,2,3,4,5)

The Midrash comments that when Moshe learned that Tzlafchad’s daughters would inherit their father’s property, he decided that the time had come for him to appoint an inheritor for his position. Consequently, he requested that Hashem designate his two sons to assume his position. We may question Moshe Rabbeinu’s timing. Tzlafchad’s daughters were seeking material possessions, while Moshe’s request was for spiritual continuity. What relationship is there between the two? Horav Mordechai Rogov, zl, posits that Tzlafchad’s daughters’ request was not motivated by material needs. Rather, it was spiritual in nature. One’s inheritance tends to bond a child to his…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5756

“And it shall be for him… a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he took vengeance for his G-d and he atoned for the Bnei Yisrael.” (25:13)

The text of the pasuk seems inconsistent. Did Pinchas achieve vengeance only for “his G-d”? Should the Torah not have said that he took vengeance for the G-d of all of Yisrael, in the plural? Was Pinchas acting as a member of Klal Yisrael or not? The Ozrover Rebbe, zl, infers from here that one must serve Hashem as if he were the only person in the world and that his mitzvah is the only mitzvah that will be performed! This is in keeping with the dictum of Chazal in the Talmud Sanhedrin 37a who say that everyone should feel…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5756

“Therefore say: I give unto him My covenant of peace.” (25:12)

Pinchas was rewarded with peace; Hashem would be amicable towards him as a symbol of His gratitude. Ibn Ezra interprets this peace as a protection from retaliation at the hands of Zimri’s henchmen and friends. Regardless of the type of peace, we may question the form of middah k’neged middah, measure for measure, of this reward. The reward is to be commensurate with the mitzvah. Pinchas performed an act of zealousness; should his reward be a covenant of peace? Horav M.D. Solveitzchik, Shlita, cites his grandfather, Rav Chaim Brisker, zl, who commented that Pinchas’s act of kana’us was in reality…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Balak, 5756

“Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up unto Hashem in the face of the sun.” (25:4)

Many Jews accepted the invitation of the Midianite and Moavite women to join them in a sacrificial festival to their god, Baal–Peor. Although it was not the leaders of the tribes that sinned, they did not manage to prevent others from committing the gravest sins with the pagan women. Sforno comments that their sin progressed gradually. They began by exhibiting licentious behavior with the pagan women, followed by eating their sacrifices, until, ultimately, they began worshiping their idols. The apathy the leaders demonstrated by observing thousands succumbing to the wiles of the yetzer hora without themselves doing anything in protest,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Balak, 5756

“And the words of the man with the open eye.” (24:3)

The Talmud in Sanhedrin 105 interprets “open eye” as referring to the fact that Bilaam was blind in one eye. Targum Onkeles defines “open eye” as meaning that Bilaam had special vision in one eye. How does Onkeles’s explanation coincide with that of the Talmud? The Baal Shem Tov suggests that the two interpretations complement one another. In order to attain the level of nevuah, prophesy, one must be a kadosh, holy person. Kedushah is achieved by purifying each organ of one’s body and sanctifying it. Indeed, this was what the Navi would do. Bilaam, however, had a problem. He…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5756

“He sent an emissary and took us out of Egypt.” (20:16)

Rashi comments that Moshe used the word “ltkn” — which also means angel — because the prophets are referred to as angels. It seems slightly out of character for Moshe Rabbeinu, the “anav mikol adam,” the paragon of humility, to chose a word that alludes to spiritual superiority. Horav Zalmen Sorotzkin, zl, cites a response from his father- in-law, Horav Eliezer Gordon, zl. Horav Gordon recounts an incident in which a famous gaon, one of the most prominent rabbanim in Vilna, met a villager driving a wagon that was being pulled by a horse and a cow simultaneously. When the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5756

“And Moshe raised his arm and struck the rock.” (20:11)

A number of explanations are offered for the sin which Moshe Rabbeinu committed by hitting the stone rather than speaking to it. Horav Mordechai Ilan, zl, approaches the pasuk homiletically. As leader of Am Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu was responsible to handle the scepter of leadership in a pleasant manner. He needed to reach out, encouraging the people to follow in the right path, never admonishing them harshly or using physical force to emphasize a point. True, in their stubbornness, Bnei Yisrael may seem to have had hearts of stone. Their facade, however, could have been more successfully penetrated with verbal…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5756

“This is the decree of the Torah… and they shall take to you a completely red cow.” (19:2)

The Mishnah in Meseches Parah 3:7 states: If the Parah Adumah refuses to go out, they should not take a black cow to accompany it. Some people might claim that the black one had been slaughtered. Likewise, they should not take out another red cow, for some people might assert that two cows had been slaughtered. The Mishnah addresses the problem of how a “stubborn” Parah Adumah might be “coaxed” to come along. The halachah seems to be clear; one may do nothing which would give grounds for the non-believer to ridicule and disclaim the validity of the Parah Adumah…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Korach, 5756

“And the earth covered them over, and they were lost from among the congregation.” (16:33)

The commentators offer various explanations for Korach’s bizarre punishment. The Kol Yehudah gives a rationale based upon an incident that occurred with the Ohr Same’ach. Once, two litigants came before the Ohr Same’ach with a din Torah, dispute, regarding a piece of land. Each one claimed that the entire parcel of land belonged to him. Of course, neither one had witnesses to attest to the veracity of his claim. The rav was having a difficult time resolving the dispute. Finally, he said to both people, “You will each have to compromise in order to resolve the issue.” They were extremely…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Korach, 5756

“For the entire assembly, all of them are holy and Hashem is among them.” (16:3)

The tzaddik is always under scrutiny. There are always individuals who seek to criticize the spiritual leaders of their community and — in many cases — their entire generation. David Ha’Melech says in Sefer Tehillim 106 ‘s ase irvtk vbjnc vank utbehu. This is the method used by baalei machlok’es, those who get their “nourishment” from promoting conflict. If the tzaddik lives an austere and secluded lifestyle, devoting his life to Torah study and virtue, the people say, “What benefit do we derive from our tzaddik? He secludes himself from everyone. Conversely, if he is community-minded and responds to the…

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“And the daughters of Tzlafchad drew near… and they stood before Moshe… Our father died in the desert.. and he had no son… Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” (27:1,2,3,4,5)

“And it shall be for him… a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he took vengeance for his G-d and he atoned for the Bnei Yisrael.” (25:13)

“Therefore say: I give unto him My covenant of peace.” (25:12)

“Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up unto Hashem in the face of the sun.” (25:4)

“And the words of the man with the open eye.” (24:3)

“He sent an emissary and took us out of Egypt.” (20:16)

“And Moshe raised his arm and struck the rock.” (20:11)

“This is the decree of the Torah… and they shall take to you a completely red cow.” (19:2)

“And the earth covered them over, and they were lost from among the congregation.” (16:33)

“For the entire assembly, all of them are holy and Hashem is among them.” (16:3)

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