Sruly Schnair

זאת חקת התורה

This is the decree of the Torah. (19:2)

Being that the Torah, which is our blueprint for life, is Divinely-Authored, it is understandable that it is intrinsically “beyond human cognition.” Whatever we think we understand of it is the result of interpretation by mentors throughout the generations. They have plumbed its depths and transmitted their knowledge to future generations. Nonetheless, one does not know the actual, reason that Hashem chose a specific mitzvah for us to perform, or not to transgress. The reasoning that our gedolim have transmitted to us throughout the generations is only to make it easier for the human mind to accept. While some mitzvos…

Home -> 5784 -> Chukas

ויקחו אליך פרה אדומה תמימה

Sruly Schnair In Chukas, 5784

And they shall take a completely red cow which is without blemish. (19:2)

The Aderes Elyahu cites a yalkut that posits, Parah zu Yisrael; “Parah (Adumah), this is Yisrael.” Apparently, Chazal identify a metaphysical connection between the Parah Adumah and the Jewish People. Horav Mordechai Ilan, zl (Mikdash Mordechai), observes that Klal Yisrael demonstrated their spiritual mettle when they stood by Har Sinai and proclaimed, Naaseh v’nishma; “We will do and we will listen.” Hashem offered the Torah, with all of its qualities and demands, to which we committed ourselves without question. Hashem had previously offered this gift to the other nations, who had rejected it. They felt that the Torah’s demands did…

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זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל

Sruly Schnair In Chukas, 5784

This is the teaching regarding a man who would die in a tent. (19:14)

Chazal (Shabbos 83b) teach, “A person should never be absent from the bais hamedrash, nor ever refrain from studying Torah – even at the moment of death. For it is stated, Zos haTorah adam ki yamus b’ohel, ‘This is the Torah – a man who dies in a tent.’ This pasuk teaches us that, even at the moment of death, one should be involved in the study of Torah.” Reish Lakish adds, “The words of Torah are not retained, except by one who kills himself (by refraining from unessential physical indulgences). As it is stated, ‘This is the Torah of…

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ויקח קרח

Sruly Schnair In Korach, 5784

Korach separated himself. (15:1)

Parashas Korach stands alone as the parsha which is yafeh nidreshes, expounded well, presenting many details. In his Teivas Gome, the author of the Pri MeGadim explains Rashi’s statement rationally. Most halachos of the Torah are time-sensitive, applicable during specific times. For instance, one does not lecture about Pesach during the Three Weeks, or about Chanukah during the month of Shevat. Parashas Korach, in which much of its theme touches on the deleterious effects of machlokes, controversy, sadly applies constantly. We are aware of no geographic or chronologic limitations to machlokes. It happens more often than we care to acknowledge,…

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העיני האנשים ההם תנקר לא נעלה

Sruly Schnair In Korach, 5784

Even if you gouge out the eyes of those men, we shall not go up. (15:14)

Rashi explains that Dasan and Aviram replied to Moshe Rabbeinu’s request for a meeting, “Nothing you do – even if you blind us – will make us come.” Sforno explains their chutzpah as implying: “Do you think you can blind us to your failures?” We suggest an alternative explanation. Apparently, they specified eyes and blindness for a reason. They could have simply said, “There is nothing you can do; no punishment will convince us to listen to you.” I think it all boils down to how one views a person or a situation. If one’s vision is superficial, cursory, he…

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אם כמות כל האדם ימותון אלה ופקודת כל האדם יפקד עליהם לא ד' שלחני

Sruly Schnair In Korach, 5784

If these die like the death of all men and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, then it is not Hashem Who has sent me. (16:29)

Korach and his henchmen impugned the integrity of Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership. This was a mutiny against our quintessential leader and what he represented – Hashem and His Torah. This was unmitigated chutzpah at its nadir. We have unfortunately had despots throughout our nation’s history who have raised their fists against Torah leadership and have denounced our nation’s bond with the Torah. Korach, however, was the first to breach the peaceful coexistence of our people and disparage its leadership. His punishment was equally unparalleled: He went to his grave – alive. The entire Korach debacle begs elucidation. First, the Torah has…

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השב את מטה אהרן לפני העדות למשמרת

Sruly Schnair In Korach, 5784

Put Aharon’s staff before the Testimony as a safe-keeping. (17:25)

Leadership is commonly understood to be the result of an interplay among various leadership qualities and positive innate character traits, skills and the external circumstances which serve as the backdrop for the leader to perform his role. Obviously, the characteristics of the community which he must shepherd is a major component. Ultimately, who is to become Klal Yisrael’s manhig, leader, is Divinely-mandated. Hashem confers leadership on whom He deems deserving of the position and who would best lead the nation during its present circumstances. Over time, the chosen leader will cultivate the qualities of communication, empathy, decision-making and vision which…

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כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

Sruly Schnair In Shelach, 5784

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

The terms, Ha’ro’im, “Who have seen (My Glory),” and Im yiru, ‘They shall not see,” appear to be closely related. This, explains Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, is why the Torah, in issuing the decree that this generation would not enter the Land, uses the expression, re’iyah, seeing, rather than im ya’vo’u, they will not come. He explains the rationale for the altered text. The Holy Land, the Eretz zovas cholov u’devash, flowing with milk and honey, the Land in which Divine intervention is to be seen on a national basis can only attain its destiny if the people “see,” acknowledge…

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ארץ אוכלת יושביה היא וכל העם אשר ראינו בתוכה אנשי מדות

Sruly Schnair In Shelach, 5784

It is a land that consumes its inhabitants and all the people that we saw in it were men of great stature. (13:32)

It is a land that exhausts its inhabitants. It is a land not designed for people of ordinary size. Unless one has the constitution of a giant, he will become moribund there. Small and weak people do not survive there. Veritably, the meraglim encountered funerals wherever they went. Their error was a lack of faith in Hashem. They never asked themselves: Could Hashem be doing this for a reason? He was. The people were too preoccupied with visiting the cemeteries to notice a team of Jews wandering through the countryside. The report the spies brought back was based upon their…

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וימצאו איש מקשש עצים ביום השבת ... מות יומת האיש רגום אתו באבנים כל העדה

Sruly Schnair In Shelach, 5784

And they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbos day … The man shall be put to death; the entire assembly shall pelt him with stones. (15: 32,35)

Someone who is, for the first time, being introduced to the institution of Shabbos Kodesh can find it to be overwhelming. No other prohibitive mitzvah in the Torah exists whereby what appears to be one simple, although forbidden, act will incur such stringent punishment as execution by stoning, which is the most strict of the four modes of bais din mandated executions. If one were to chas v’shalom burn a Sefer Torah with all of its sacred names; if one were to eat a non-kosher animal, an act which is mitamtem es ha’lev, stuffs/occludes the heart (one who consumes non-kosher…

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זאת חקת התורה

This is the decree of the Torah. (19:2)

ויקחו אליך פרה אדומה תמימה

And they shall take a completely red cow which is without blemish. (19:2)

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל

This is the teaching regarding a man who would die in a tent. (19:14)

ויקח קרח

Korach separated himself. (15:1)

העיני האנשים ההם תנקר לא נעלה

Even if you gouge out the eyes of those men, we shall not go up. (15:14)

אם כמות כל האדם ימותון אלה ופקודת כל האדם יפקד עליהם לא ד' שלחני

If these die like the death of all men and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, then it is not Hashem Who has sent me. (16:29)

השב את מטה אהרן לפני העדות למשמרת

Put Aharon’s staff before the Testimony as a safe-keeping. (17:25)

כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

ארץ אוכלת יושביה היא וכל העם אשר ראינו בתוכה אנשי מדות

It is a land that consumes its inhabitants and all the people that we saw in it were men of great stature. (13:32)

וימצאו איש מקשש עצים ביום השבת ... מות יומת האיש רגום אתו באבנים כל העדה

And they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbos day … The man shall be put to death; the entire assembly shall pelt him with stones. (15: 32,35)

YEARS

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