Sruly Schnair – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

-כי תבואו אל הארץ אשר אני נותן לכם ושבתה הארץ שבת לד' שש שנים תזרע ... ובשנה השביעית שבת שבתון יהיה - לארץ

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Behar

When you come to the land that I am giving you, and the land shall rest a Shabbos to Hashem. Six years you shall sow your field … and in the seventh year there shall be a Shabbos for the rest of the land. (25:2,4)

At first glance, the sequence of the pesukim appears reversed. One first sows his field, a process that continues for six years. Only afterward, “shall the land rest.” Why introduce the mitzvah of Shemittah prior to mentioning the six years of labor? Horav Yitzchak Rozenthal (Dayan, Yeshivas Midrash Bnei Tzion) distinguishes between chutz la’eretz, diaspora, whose sanctity is largely the result of human endeavor. When a Jew studies Torah, and davens with kavanah, he sanctifies his surroundings. His kiyum ha’mitzvos, fulfillment of Torah precepts, elevates the mundane which envelops him. His avodah, service, ushers in the kedushah. Otherwise, it is…

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וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Behar

If your brother becomes impoverished, and his means falter in your proximity. (25:35)

Noticeably, when our fellow begins to falter, the Torah refers to him as achicha, your brother – not rei’acha, your fellow/friend. A very simple explanation accounts for this textual change. When a friend falters, suddenly our relationship with him takes an inward (toward ourselves) turn. We are no longer friends; we are philosophers (hypothesizing reasons why we need not help). “It is his fault.” “I warned him, but he refused to listen.” “Truthfully, we are not really that close.” “He runs after me. I never sought him out.” Each excuse is carefully presented – not to present reality, but to…

Home -> 5786 -> Emor

ובת איש כהן כי תחל לזנות את אביה היא מחללת באש תשרף

Sruly Schnair In Emor, 5786

The daughter of a Kohen who prepares herself through immorality desecrates her father; she is punished by fire. (21:9)

The above pasuk is chilling –describing tragedy upon tragedy. A young woman ostensibly raised in a refined, hallowed Torah home goes off the derech, acting out her rebellion with acts of moral turpitude. How does such a moral collapse occur – especially in such a family? If I may use my writer’s license, I suggest a homiletic rendering of this pasuk/incident. Several questions surface upon reading the text. First, why does the Torah state that she desecrates her father? It is the sacred institution of Kehunah that she profanes. She is dragging the Priesthood through the mud – not her…

Home -> 5786 -> Emor

ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Emor, 5786

You shall not desecrate My Holy Name, rather I should be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

A passage in the Talmud (Yoma 86A) illuminates the concept of Kiddush Hashem, but also insinuates that we can view dereliction as a chillul Hashem, desecration of Hashem’s Name. “What do people say about an individual who reads, learns and serves talmidei chachamim, Torah scholars, and handles all his relations (business, etc.) with his fellow man with emunah, faith, and makes sure his manner of speech is b’nachas, soft and pleasant? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah/Fortunate is his Rebbe who taught him Torah. Look at so and so who studied Torah, and (as a result) his demeanor…

Home -> 5786 -> Emor

בחדש הראשון בארבעה עשר לחדש בין הערבים פסח לד'

Sruly Schnair In Emor, 5786

In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month in the afternoon, is the time of the Pesach offering to Hashem. (23:5)

We have no shortage of enjoinments concerning the Yom Tov of Pesach. We are often reminded to remember the Exodus from Egypt. Indeed, it is a daily part of our Shema Yisrael and a component of our Tefillah. On the night of Pesach, things change when we engage in an exclusive and intensified zeicher l’yetzias Mitzrayim, remembrance of the Exodus. The commentators distinguish between the sippur, relating, the story of yetzias Mitzrayim. On Pesach night, in a family setting, we relate and explain the story, allowing for everyone at the seder table to listen, add and be a part of…

Home -> 5786 -> Acharei Mos

אחרי מות שני בני אהרן בקרבתם לפני ד' וימותו

Sruly Schnair In Acharei Mos, 5786

After the deaths of two of Aharon’s sons, when they drew near before Hashem and died. (16:1)

The tragic deaths of Nadav and Avihu, Aharon HaKohen’s eldest sons, on the day which would have been the most auspicious of their lives, leaves the reader with serious questions. The answers to these questions are elusive. Chazal detail a list of “sins” attributed to these two tzaddikim – infractions which are endemic to the exalted spiritual level which they had achieved. Nonetheless, we seek some kind of explanation. We will focus on one such sin and apply its explanation to their behavior, which will result in enlightening us concerning the rest of the “shortcomings” attributed to them. Chazal…

Home -> 5786 -> Acharei Mos

ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם

Sruly Schnair In Acharei Mos, 5786

You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which man shall live. (18:5)

The mitzvos were given for the sake of life – not death. Thus, if fulfilling a mitzvah entails danger to one’s life, such as pikuach nefesh— life-threatening issues which must be carried out on Shabbos – we act accordingly to prolong the individual’s life. Chiddushei HaRim has a notable homiletic twist on the exhortation of V’chai ba’hem, as reference to our attitude toward mitzvah observance (and life in general). We are commanded to perform mitzvos with zest, vigor and enthusiasm, as if they are our source of life. Perhaps, we can extrapolate and say that the area of life which…

Home -> 5786 -> Kedoshim

ואהבת לרעך כמך

Sruly Schnair In Kedoshim, 5786

Love your fellow as (you love) yourself. (19:19)

To love one’s fellow as if he were loving oneself is much more than a guideline/criterion for governing interpersonal relationships. It is, in fact, the Torah’s definition of true love. Conditional love, selective love, self-serving love, is not love. It may resemble affection, but it is a far cry from satisfying the Torah’s criteria. It is only when one achieves love that is kamocha mamish, truly as oneself, with the same sensitivity, concern and respect that one accords his own needs, does the term ahavah have true meaning. Anything less, simply misses the target, as it is a pale imitation…

Home -> 5786 -> Tazria

אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר

Sruly Schnair In Tazria, 5786

When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male. (12:2)

Parshios Tazria/Metzora deal almost exclusively with the laws pertaining to negaim, spiritual plagues, of which tzaraas is most prominent. These are physical manifestations which represent spiritual flaws in the character of the afflicted person. Thus, it begs elucidation that Parshas Tazria begins with the laws of tumas yoledes, the spiritual contamination of a woman who gives birth, followed by the exhortation to perform the bris milah on the eighth day of the infant’s life. How do bris milah and the laws of tzaraas align? Perhaps the laws surrounding bris milah and its underlying hashkafah, outlook, give us a glimpse into…

Home -> 5786 -> Metzora

זאת תהיה תורת המצורע

Sruly Schnair In Metzora, 5786

This shall be the law of the metzora. (14: )

Since Parshios Tazria/Metzora address physical manifestations of spiritual maladies, it was suggested that it would be an opportune time to address both the Torah’s and Chazal’s exhortations concerning taking care of one’s health. The immediate reaction will probably be, “What do health issues have to do with a commentary on the parshah?” This is probably a good question. Due to the importance of reminding everyone that we were placed on the world to serve Hashem, and sick people find it challenging to properly serve Him. It would be prudent for an individual to address his known and even unknown health…

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-כי תבואו אל הארץ אשר אני נותן לכם ושבתה הארץ שבת לד' שש שנים תזרע ... ובשנה השביעית שבת שבתון יהיה - לארץ

When you come to the land that I am giving you, and the land shall rest a Shabbos to Hashem. Six years you shall sow your field … and in the seventh year there shall be a Shabbos for the rest of the land. (25:2,4)

וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך

If your brother becomes impoverished, and his means falter in your proximity. (25:35)

ובת איש כהן כי תחל לזנות את אביה היא מחללת באש תשרף

The daughter of a Kohen who prepares herself through immorality desecrates her father; she is punished by fire. (21:9)

ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל

You shall not desecrate My Holy Name, rather I should be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

בחדש הראשון בארבעה עשר לחדש בין הערבים פסח לד'

In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month in the afternoon, is the time of the Pesach offering to Hashem. (23:5)

אחרי מות שני בני אהרן בקרבתם לפני ד' וימותו

After the deaths of two of Aharon’s sons, when they drew near before Hashem and died. (16:1)

ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם

You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which man shall live. (18:5)

ואהבת לרעך כמך

Love your fellow as (you love) yourself. (19:19)

אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר

When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male. (12:2)

זאת תהיה תורת המצורע

This shall be the law of the metzora. (14: )

YEARS

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