Ki Sisa – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

אנא חטא העם הזה חטאה גדולה

I implore! This people have committed a grievous sin. (32:31)

What did Moshe Rabbeinu mean by this statement? Of course the people had committed a grave sin. There was no question about this. On the contrary, by restating the offense, he was essentially adding insult to injury. In his Ohaiv Yisrael, the Apter Rav, zl, explains that when a person commits an aveirah, sin, the greatest punishment is the realization that he has sinned against Hashem. This does not come immediately, but, after introspection, he becomes cognitive of Hashem’s eminence; and thus, the sin which he has committed takes on a different guise. How could he have sinned against the…

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והיה כצאת משה אל האהל יקומו כל העם ונצבו איש פתח אהלו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Ki Sisa

Whenever Moshe would go out to the Tent, the entire people would stand up and remain standing, everyone at the entrance of his tent. (33:8)

Midrash Tanchuma derives from here that one must stand up and show respect to an old man, a scholar, Av Bais Din; Head of the Rabbinical Court, and a king. He must remain at attention until the individual whom he is honoring walks out of sight. One Tanna adds that as a result of this halachah, if one of these individuals would notice a large group of people near his intended walking path, he should alter his route, so not to disturb them, since they would have to stop whatever they were doing in order to show him respect. A…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Ki Sisa

“See I have called by the name — Betzalel son of Uri… I have filled him with a G-dly spirit.” (31:2-3)

We note that referring to Betzalel, Hashem says, “See, I have called by name – Betzalel.” Should it not simply have said, “I have called Betzalel”? What does the word “by name” add to this pasuk? Moreover, when Moshe Rabbeinu repeats Hashem’s statement, he also says the word “b’shem,” by name. Furthermore, the taam, sound/cantillation note, beneath the word, b’shem, is an “esnachta,” which separates this word from the next. In other words, the word b’shem and the name Betzalel are distanced from one another. This implies an element of significance to the word b’shem, as if calling Betzalel…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Ki Sisa

“The Bnei Yisrael shall observe the Shabbos.” (31:16)

Shabbos observance is a foundation of our faith. It is a sign of our commitment to the Almighty and His Torah. In his sefer, M’loh Ha’omer, the Aruch L’ner notes an intriguing phenomenon. Those years that the first day of Rosh Hashanah was on Shabbos, Klal Yisrael either experienced its most wonderful years or its most tragic years. Indeed, our greatest national tragedies, the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash and the most devastating pogroms against our People, occurred during years when Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbos. Why is this? The answer given by the Aruch L’ner, based upon a…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Ki Sisa

“When He finished speaking to him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe the two Tablets of Testimony.” (31:18)

Rashi notes that the words “k’chaloso,” when he finished, is spelled defectively, without the letter “vov” between the “lamed” and the “saf,” as if it were vocalized “k’kalaso,” which means like his bride. This implies that the Torah was given to Moshe as a gift, as a bride to a groom. Moshe was not able to grasp the entire Torah in such a short time. Indeed, as the Midrash comments, throughout the forty days that Moshe Rabbeinu was on Har Sinai, Hashem taught him the Torah, but he constantly forgot what he had learned. Moshe turned to Hashem and said,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Ki Sisa

“And he (Moshe) saw the calf and the dances, and Moshe’s anger flared up. He threw down the Tablets from his hands.” (32:19)

The sin of the Golden Calf is viewed as the worst, most reprehensible transgression against the Almighty. Indeed, Chazal compare it to a bride who proves herself unfaithful on her wedding night. It is such a difficult sin to understand. Klal Yisrael had reached the zenith of holiness, the apex of spirituality. They were privy to an incredible Revelation. Yet, they fell; they quickly descended to the nadir of depravity. How did a nation that had experienced the miracles of the exodus from Egypt and had stood at Har Sinai to receive the Torah amidst an unprecedented revelation of Hashem’s glory,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Ki Sisa

“They have strayed quickly from the way that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf.” (32:8)

The eigel rebellion, in which a group of mutineers led the Jewish People to create a Golden Calf, is recognized as one of our people’s darkest moments. What makes it more egregious is that it took place a mere forty days after they had accepted the Torah with a resounding declaration of Naaseh v’Nishma, “We will do and we will listen!” In the Midrash Rabbah, Chazal compare this incident to a servant who has been given two very expensive goblets. “Please take great care of these goblets. They are very precious,” the king said to the servant. Understandably, the servant…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Ki Sisa

Yehoshua heard the sound of the people in its shouting, and he said to Moshe, “The sound of battle is in the camp.” (32:17)

Moshe Rabbeinu, the Jewish People’s quintessential leader, could discern the true nature of the sounds that emanated from their camp. He understood that the shouting was an indication that the people were actually enjoying their blatant rebellion against Hashem. Yehoshua, however, thought it was the people’s response to an aggressive attack. Celebrating by means of the blasphemous and immoral behavior which accompanied their worship of the molten calf conveyed a depressing message to Moshe: these people were enjoying their sinfulness. It is very difficult to change a person who rejoices and luxuriates in his iniquity. This is one approach to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Ki Sisa

“Please show me now Your Glory”… “You will see My back, but My face may not be seen.” (33:18, 23)

The question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” has plagued man from time immemorial. To the individual who does not believe in an All-good, Omniscient, and Omnipotent G-d, this question remains unanswered. If Hashem is not All-good, He could do evil and even enjoy inflicting it on others. If the Almighty is not Omniscient, bad things could easily occur, since He does not know everything that is taking place in the world which He created. And, if G-d is not Omnipotent, then bad things could just happen, because forces exist in the world which are beyond His control….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Ki Sisa

Hashem, Hashem, G-d, Merciful and Compassionate, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness and Truth. (34:6)

When Klal Yisrael stood at the foot of Har Sinai, they pledged their eternal devotion to Hashem with their seminal declaration of Naaseh v’Nishma, “We will do and we will listen!” Their obedience to the Almighty and His Torah was affirmed and ratified with these words. Alas, forty days later, they broke their trust by betraying their promise, offering their allegiance instead to a molten calf of their own creation. This marked the nadir of disloyalty. Hashem stated that He would put an end to this recalcitrant people. Such people did not deserve a commutation of Hashem’s desired decree. (Nevertheless,…

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אנא חטא העם הזה חטאה גדולה

I implore! This people have committed a grievous sin. (32:31)

והיה כצאת משה אל האהל יקומו כל העם ונצבו איש פתח אהלו

Whenever Moshe would go out to the Tent, the entire people would stand up and remain standing, everyone at the entrance of his tent. (33:8)

“See I have called by the name — Betzalel son of Uri… I have filled him with a G-dly spirit.” (31:2-3)

“The Bnei Yisrael shall observe the Shabbos.” (31:16)

“When He finished speaking to him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe the two Tablets of Testimony.” (31:18)

“And he (Moshe) saw the calf and the dances, and Moshe’s anger flared up. He threw down the Tablets from his hands.” (32:19)

“They have strayed quickly from the way that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf.” (32:8)

Yehoshua heard the sound of the people in its shouting, and he said to Moshe, “The sound of battle is in the camp.” (32:17)

“Please show me now Your Glory”… “You will see My back, but My face may not be seen.” (33:18, 23)

Hashem, Hashem, G-d, Merciful and Compassionate, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness and Truth. (34:6)

YEARS

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