Ki Sisa – Page 3 – Peninim on the Torah

וישב העם לאכל ושתו ויקמו לצחק

The people sat to eat and drink and they got up to revel. (32:6)

Rashi explains that the term, l’tzacheik, to revel, implies the three cardinal sins: idolatry; licentiousness; and murder. In addition to their worship of the Golden Calf, Bnei Yisrael committed immoral acts and murdered Chur (nephew of Aharon HaKohen and Moshe Rabbeinu and son of Miriam HaNeviah and Kaleiv ben Yefuneh). He attempted to restrain them and, as a result, he became their first victim. Chur sacrificed his life Al Kiddush Hashem, to sanctify Hashem’s Name. He is the first and only Jew who died Al Kiddush Hashem in the Torah. Surprisingly, there is no overt mention of his mesiras nefesh,…

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ועשית אותו שמן משחת קודש

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Ki Sisa

Of it you shall make oil of sacred anointment (30:25)

The shemen ha’mishchah, oil of anointment, was used exclusively for sacred purposes, such as anointing the Ohel Moed, the Kohen Gadol and the keilim, vessels in the Mishkan/Bais Hamikdash. In examining the shoresh, root, of the mitzvah, the Sefer HaChinuch writes that Hashem wanted us to perform an act ourselves, on the day that we go up to be inaugurated to the honor of performing His holy service l’haros banu gedulah u’shevach, to indicate greatness and praise in us. This is the anointing of the oil. Horav Yitzchok Zilberstein, Shlita, comments that the words, “to indicate greatness and praise in…

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כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקדיהם ונתנו איש כפר נפשו...ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקד אתם

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Ki Sisa

When you take the count of Bnei Yisrael to their numbers, each man shall give an atonement pledge…so that there should not be a plague when you count them. (30:12)

Jews are counted when necessary, but with great sensitivity and trepidation. Rashi explains that when counting Jews, we refrain from taking a head count; rather, each person gives a machatzis, half-shekel, [to represent] themselves. These half-shekels are counted in their stead. In this manner, we avoid the chance of ayin hora, evil eye, which, when cast upon a person (even inadvertently), can catalyze a plague. (We take ayin hora very seriously!) Rabbeinu Bachya writes that when we count people individually, we single them out; likewise, Hashem examines their deeds individually. We are in a better position as part of the…

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ועשית כיור נחשת... לרחצה

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Ki Sisa

You shall make a copper Laver… for washing. (30:18)

The Kiyor, Laver, was a large, copper utensil filled with water, from which the Kohanim were required to wash their hands and feet prior to performing the service. This washing was not for purposes of hygiene, but for the sake of kiddush, sanctification. The Kohanim purified their hands and feet, representing the upper and lower parts of the body, symbolic of the Kohen’s total devotion and the sublimation of his entire body to the service which he was about to perform. The Laver is not mentioned in the previous parshiyos (Terumah,Tetzaveh) together with the other utensils of the Mishkan, because,…

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ואתה דבר אל בני ישראל לאמר אך את שבתתי תשמרו

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Ki Sisa

And you shall speak to Bnei Yisrael saying, “However, you must observe My Shabbos. (31:13)

V’atah tidaber; “And you should speak.” It almost sounds as if it was only this mitzvah (Shabbos) that Moshe Rabbeinu was to (personally) teach the nation. What about the rest of the Torah? Did he not teach the entire Torah to Klal Yisrael? Why is emphasis placed on the mitzvah of Shabbos? Chazal (Eiruvin 54:13) teach that there was a special seder, order/sequence, in the manner that Torah was transmitted to Klal Yisrael. Keitzad seder ha’mishnah, “What was the order of (teaching) the Torah?” Moshe studied (a halachah) from Hashem. (When Moshe was finished) Aharon HaKohen would enter and Moshe taught…

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ושמרתם את השבת כי קדש היא לכם

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Ki Sisa

You shall observe the Shabbos for it is holy to you. (31:14)

Concerning Yamim Tovim, Festivals, we find the concept of lachem, “For you,” which means that a person is permitted to have personal enjoyment from the Festival. The Talmud (Pesachim 68b) cites a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua concerning the proper manner in which to celebrate Yom Tov. Rabbi Yehoshua contends: chetzya LaHashem u’chetzya lachem; part of the day should be spent in service to Hashem, ie, praying and learning, and part of the day for oneself, enjoying good food and wine. Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that it be spent kulo LaHashem, in total service to Hashem….

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ראיתי את העם הזה והנה עם קשה ערף הוא

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Ki Sisa

I have seen this nation and behold they are a stiff-necked nation. (32:9)

The chet ha’eigel, sin of the Golden Calf, is the first collective rebellion against Hashem by the nation that had just earlier accepted the Torah. Understandably, with our limited ability, we are unable to fathom the sin. What provoked it, its egregiousness, its roots in the mindset of the people? We can, however, piece together various correlative events which shed light on this defining sin. When we take note of the haftorah, reading from the Prophets, which describes Eliyahu HaNavi’s showdown with the prophets of the Baal idol, we are enlightened with regard to a new concept of sin and…

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וקבצנו יחד מארבע כנפות הארץ

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Ki Sisa

V’kabtzeinu yachad meiarbo kanfos ha’aretz. And gather us together from the four corners of the earth.

Gathering together apples and oranges and placing them in one basket does not alter the fact that they are distinct from one another in their variant species. Likewise, simply gathering Jews from all walks of life and streams of belief – spiritually and ideologically – will not catalyze the Redemption’s enduring fruition if there will be discord and constant controversy. As long as there is disunity and discord the Redemption is in danger of disintegrating. Thus, as Horav Avigdor Miller, zl, explains, we say yachad (v’kabtzeinu yachad), “together,” all as one. We anxiously await that glorious day, when, despite our…

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זה יתנו כל העבר על הפקודים מחצית השקל בשקל הקדש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Ki Sisa

This shall they give – everyone who passes through the census – a half-shekel of the sacred shekel. (30:13)

Why was Klal Yisrael commanded to contribute a half-shekel coin? Would it have been so difficult to give a whole shekel? This question has been treated extensively by the various commentators. The gist of their commentary focuses on the need for each individual Jew to view himself as a mere half. No Jew is whole, alone and in and of himself. Horav Yoshiyahu Pinto, Shlita, offers a powerful insight into the half-shekel requirement. He explains that a Jew should view every occurrence, every circumstance, every issue that he faces, as being only half of the story. Another side to the…

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אך את שבתותי תשמרו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Ki Sisa

However, you must observe My Shabbasos. (31:13)

Tishmoru is written in the plural, implying that the exhortation to observe Shabbos is being spoken to a group. The Chafetz Chaim, zl, commented, “It is not enough that you and your household observe Shabbos. You must see to it that other Jews also observe Shabbos.” Thus, it is not a singular command. Rarely do we find the Torah instructing us not only to personally observe, but also, to see to it that our observance influences others. I write this specifically because our observance, our valuing Shabbos, our sensitivity to this mitzvah is the only way the alienated Jew will…

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וישב העם לאכל ושתו ויקמו לצחק

The people sat to eat and drink and they got up to revel. (32:6)

ועשית אותו שמן משחת קודש

Of it you shall make oil of sacred anointment (30:25)

כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקדיהם ונתנו איש כפר נפשו...ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקד אתם

When you take the count of Bnei Yisrael to their numbers, each man shall give an atonement pledge…so that there should not be a plague when you count them. (30:12)

ועשית כיור נחשת... לרחצה

You shall make a copper Laver… for washing. (30:18)

ואתה דבר אל בני ישראל לאמר אך את שבתתי תשמרו

And you shall speak to Bnei Yisrael saying, “However, you must observe My Shabbos. (31:13)

ושמרתם את השבת כי קדש היא לכם

You shall observe the Shabbos for it is holy to you. (31:14)

ראיתי את העם הזה והנה עם קשה ערף הוא

I have seen this nation and behold they are a stiff-necked nation. (32:9)

וקבצנו יחד מארבע כנפות הארץ

V’kabtzeinu yachad meiarbo kanfos ha’aretz. And gather us together from the four corners of the earth.

זה יתנו כל העבר על הפקודים מחצית השקל בשקל הקדש

This shall they give – everyone who passes through the census – a half-shekel of the sacred shekel. (30:13)

אך את שבתותי תשמרו

However, you must observe My Shabbasos. (31:13)

YEARS

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