Sruly Schnair

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5756

And when you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build them hewn, for you will have raised your sword over it and desecrated it. (20:22)

The Bobover Rebbe, Horav Bentzion Halberstam, z.l., interpreted this pasuk in a novel homiletic manner. He once davened in a shul where the chazan, instead of focusing on achieving proper kavanah, devotion, was priding himself on his ability to enunciate the words clearly with the proper syllables. His melodious voice only increased his arrogance. Witnessing this degradation of the sanctity of Tefillah, prayer, the Bobover Rebbe remarked: The Torah states: “If you will make for Me an altar of stones.”; Chazal teach us that tefillah has replaced the altar with its sacrifices. The Sefer Yetzirah states that in kabbalistic vernacular,…

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Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5756

“You shall not take the Name of Hashem, your G-d, in vain.” (20:7)

The Torah admonishes us not to swear falsely or in vain. Horav Reuven Katz, z.l., interprets this pasuk homiletically. Do not “raise up/attach Hashem’s Name to that which is false. Do not misguide people by placing Hashem’s endorsement on your illicit behavior. Regrettably, some individuals resort to the most cruel forms of character assassination in order to undermine, and even destroy, communal Torah-oriented endeavors. They present their deeds under the guise of l’shem shomayim, in the Name of Heaven. Their negative propaganda thinly veils an apparent disdain for the individual or organization they seek to defame. These individuals publicly proclaim…

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Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5756

“When the ram’s horn sounds long, they shall come up to the mount.” (19:13)

One would assume that after such a singular event in history, when Hashem revealed Himself to Am Yisrael for the purpose of giving the Torah, that this mountain would remain eternally holy. Yet, we see that immediately when the Shechinah “left,” the mountain reverted to its natural state; anyone, even the animals, were permitted to walk on it. Shouldn’t some of this distinctive holiness have permeated this mountain, transforming it into a makom kadosh, holy place? Horav Moshe Shternbuch, Shlita, explains that being the designated site for Matan Torah does not give Har Sinai license for eternal kedushah, holiness. It…

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Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5756

And now if you listen well to My voice and guard My covenant you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all people. (19:5)

The Da’as Zekeinim in Parashas Vayeira, (Bereishis 18:8) states that when the three angels came to visit Avraham Avinu, they ate basar b’cholov, an admixture of milk and meat. When Hashem prepared to give the Torah to Bnei Yisrael, the ministering angels came before Hashem and demanded that the Torah would be more appropriately welcomed and observed if it remained in Heaven. Hashem responded by reminding them that the Torah demands that one not eat an admixture of milk and meat, an activity which was not consistent with their behavior during their brief visit with Avraham. Immediately upon hearing these…

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Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5756

“Write this as a memorial in the Book… that I will surely erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the Heaven.” (17:14)

Ordinarily, the word “sefer” refers to a book or any form of written memorandum. The word used here is “ba’sefer” which denotes “the” book. Therefore, we must assume that herein Hashem implores Moshe to write this memorial in The Book — the Torah. Horav Avigdor Miller, Shlita, notes the significance of the fact that the very first command to write anything of the Torah was given for the purpose of exacting retribution from Amalek. This signifies the importance of combatting the enemies of Hashem. Even today when none of Amalek’s descendants are known, we are still implored to remember that…

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Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5756

“And it was when Moshe held up his hand that Yisrael prevailed .” (17:11)

Rashi comments that Moshe’s hands became heavy as a form of punishment, because he did not personally involve himself in the mitzvah of battling Amalek. According to Rashi these pesukim seem inconsistent with one another. On the one hand, Moshe raised his hand, turning the tide and effecting Klal Yisrael’s victory. On the other hand, Moshe is criticized for his atzlus, indolence, in not personally being involved in the war. How are these two ideas to be reconciled? Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, z.l., infers from this pasuk a profound insight into the responsibility of a manhig Yisrael, Torah leader. One…

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Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5756

“And in the morning you will see the glory of Hashem, as He listens to the complaints against Hashem, and what are we that you should incite complaints against us?” (16:7)

The Talmud in Chullin 89 notes that Moshe’s and Aharon’s level of humility surpasses even that of Avraham Avinu. The Patriarch compared himself to lowly dust (rptu rpg hfbtu), while Moshe and Aharon claimed they were nothing (vn ubjbu). This motivated Rava to declare that the world is sustained only in the merit of Moshe’s and Aharon’s humility, as it is stated, vnhkc kg .rt vk,, “He hangs the earth on nothing (Iyov 26:7). This refers to vn ubjb, “What are we?” the words with which Moshe and Aharon described themselves. Chazal apparently imply that Moshe’s and Aharon’s statement was…

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Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5756

“And the water was a wall for them, on their right and on their left.” (14:29)

The Midrash, cited by the Daas Zekeinim, comments that when Bnei Yisrael approached the Red Sea, menacing waters confronted them. There seemed to be no hope. The Angel Gavriel came forth and declared, “Let the waters in front of Bnei Yisrael move aside in deference to the nation who perform the Bris Milah. The waters which are to the right of Bnei Yisrael should likewise defer to the nation that accepted the Torah from Hashem’s ‘right Hand.’ The waters to the left should submit to the nation that puts tefillin on the left arm, and the waters behind them should…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5756

“You shall tell your son on that day saying, ‘It is because of this that Hashem did for me when I went out of Egypt.'” (13:8)

The Talmud in Pesachim 116b states, “In every generation it is one’s duty to regard himself as though he personally had gone out of Egypt. As it is written in Shemos 13:8, ‘You shall tell your son on that day, saying, It is because of this that Hashem did for “me” when I went out of Egypt.’” In the Haggadah, Chazal expound upon these words, emphasizing the idea of a personal liberation. A question immediately comes to mind upon reading this pasuk. How can one feel that he went out of Egypt, if he was not actually there? Can we…

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Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5756

“And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt.” (10:22)

Chazal state that only one fifth of the Jews enslaved in Egypt actually went out during the Exodus. The other four fifths perished during the three days of darkness which engulfed Egypt. It is perplexing that such a large number of people would actually desire to stay in Egypt. They were beaten incessantly; their basic freedoms were totally restricted; their daily ritual consisted of pain, affliction and persecution. Yet, they chose to stay in Egypt rather than leave with Moshe! Did this represent a rational choice? Why were these enslaved Jews not inspired by the wonderful miracles which Hashem wrought…

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And when you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build them hewn, for you will have raised your sword over it and desecrated it. (20:22)

“You shall not take the Name of Hashem, your G-d, in vain.” (20:7)

“When the ram’s horn sounds long, they shall come up to the mount.” (19:13)

And now if you listen well to My voice and guard My covenant you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all people. (19:5)

“Write this as a memorial in the Book… that I will surely erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the Heaven.” (17:14)

“And it was when Moshe held up his hand that Yisrael prevailed .” (17:11)

“And in the morning you will see the glory of Hashem, as He listens to the complaints against Hashem, and what are we that you should incite complaints against us?” (16:7)

“And the water was a wall for them, on their right and on their left.” (14:29)

“You shall tell your son on that day saying, ‘It is because of this that Hashem did for me when I went out of Egypt.'” (13:8)

“And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt.” (10:22)

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