5780 – Page 9 – Peninim on the Torah

צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the Elevation /Burnt offering.” (6:2)

When a commandment regarding the korbanos, offerings, was presented to the nation/Kohanim/Priests, it was introduced with the word v’amarta, “and you shall say,” or dabeir, “speak.” This is the first time that the emphatic term tzav, command, is employed. Chazal teach, that in circumstances which involve a loss of money greater urgency is required, so that the Kohanim act zealously in the performance of their duties and that they transmit this urgency and need for zealousness to the ensuing generations. (The commentators render a number of explanations which shed light on the monetary loss associated with the Korban Olah, Burnt-Offering….

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צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the Elevation/Burnt offering. (6:2)

Previously,commandment/instructions concerning the korbanos, offerings, were introduced with the less-emphatic term, emor, “say,” or dabeir, “speak.” The word, tzav, command, implies that the Kohanim are being urged to be especially ardent in performing the service of the Korban Olah with alacrity. Chazal teach that this exhortation (tzav) must be repeated constantly to future generations. Furthermore, this introduction is especially relevant whenever a monetary loss (such as the Korban Olah in which the Kohanim receive nothing of the korban, since all of the meat is burned) is involved. If money (or the loss thereof) plays such a significant role in the…

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וישחט ויקח משה מדמו ויתן על תנוך אזן אהרן הימנית

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5780

And (Moshe) he slaughtered (the ram), and Moshe took from the blood and put it on Aharon’s ear. (8:23)

Moshe Rabbeinu was concluding his brief tenure as Kohen Gadol. Soon, his older brother, Aharon HaKohen, would be invested in the Kehunah Gedulah, High Priesthood, with his descendants following him as Kohanim. Moshe slaughtered the ayil ha’miluim, inauguration ram. It was a Korban Shelamim, Peace-Offering, with this service serving as the conclusion of the process by which the Kohanim were consecrated for their new role in Jewish life. In this pasuk, the word vayishchat, “and he slaughtered,” has the trop, cantillation mark, shalsheles, a sign which rarely appears in the Torah and which gives great emphasis to the word upon…

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אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayikra

When a man among you brings an offering. (1:2)

Unlike pagan offerings and the “dogma” surrounding that form of worship, korbanos which are mandated by Hashem are not meant to influence the Almighty. Pagan sacrifice was meant to appease their pantheon of gods and other imaginary idol figures. Humans were taught to believe that by offering various forms of sacrifices to the gods, they would succeed in dissipating his anger. How fortunate are we that we have been blessed with minds that comprehend that such an idea is ludicrous. When we distance ourselves from Hashem through sin, we must seek an avenue of return, a medium for narrowing the…

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אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayikra

When a man among you brings an offering. (1:2)

The word korban is derived from karov, close/near. A korban brings us closer to Hashem. The Navi Hoshea (6:6) states, “For I (Hashem) wanted chesed, acts of lovingkindness, and not a korban.” Chesed is being presented as being on par with korbanos, but also as being better than korbanos. Chesed brings about atonement, but chesed has an advantage that exceeds the korban effect. Maharal (Nesivos Olam/Nesiv Gemilus Chassadim) explains that chesed elevates a person, granting him a higher level of spirituality, while a korban does not. As Horav Tzvi Kushelevsky, Shlita, puts it: “Chesed elevates a person above his natural…

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והיה כי יחטא ואשם והשיב את הגזילה אשר גזל

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayikra

So it shall be when he will sin and become guilty, he shall return the robbed item that he robbed. (5:23)

The thief brings his guilt-offering only after he has appeased the victim by returning the stolen goods. Hashem’s forgiveness follows after the thief has made his peace with his victim. Everyone wants to be observant, repent and return to good, spiritual standing. Hashem is not interested in pardoning one who has no respect for the feelings of his fellow Jew. Furthermore, one who steals indicates that he has no faith in Hashem’s ability to provide for his needs. By his very actions, such a person demonstrates that he is more concerned with his own needs than with the feelings of…

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ואם נפש אחת תחטא בשגגה מעם הארץ

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayikra

If an individual person from among the people of the land shall sin unintentionally. (4:27)

The sin-offering of a yachid, individual, which is brought for an inadvertent sin (for a mitzvah whose intentional prohibition carries the punishment of Heavenly excision, kares), is always a beast (female goat or sheep) and does not vary up and down (oleh v’yoreid) according to the wealth or poverty of the one who sinned. The Sefer HaChinuch explains the shoresh ha’mitzvah, root of the commandment, as in all korbanos, to abase and bring the sinner to humility over the sin which he committed. As Shlomo HaMelech says in Mishlei (16:18), “Pride precedes destruction, and arrogance comes before failure.” Humility is…

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ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד'

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayakhel, Pekudei

On six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem. (35:2)

Shabbos occurs on the seventh day of the week. Why does the Torah assert that working during the six days of the week that precede Shabbos is appropriate? The Torah is addressing the prohibition of laboring on Shabbos. What do the six workdays have to do with Shabbos? The Chafetz Chaim, zl, asked this question when he addressed the chillul, desecration, of Shabbos manifest by a certain gvir, wealthy man, in one of the communities he visited when he was selling his sefarim. The Chafetz Chaim met privately with the man in the hope that he could present a passionate…

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ויעש בצלאל את הארן עצי שטים אמתים וחצי ארכו ואמה וחצי רחבו

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayakhel, Pekudei

Betzalel made the Aron of Shittim wood, two and a half amos its length, an amah and a half its width. (37:1)

One of the miracles that occurred both in the Mishkan and in the Bais Hamikdash was: Makom ha’Aron eino min ha’middah; “The place occupied by the Aron HaKodesh was not included in its measurement.” This means that the Aron did not take up any space. The Kodesh HaKedoshim, Holy of Holies, was ten amos, cubits, by ten amos. The Aron was two and a half amos by one and a half amah by one and a half amah. When the Aron was brought into the Kodesh HaKedoshim and the space from its width and length was measured, every side of…

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אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות

Sruly Schnair In 5780, Vayakhel, Pekudei

These are the mountings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

The word Mishkan is repeated (Rashi, citing the Midrash), alluding to the two Batei Mikdash (replacing the Mishkan) which were taken from us. The word Mishkan has the same letters as the word mashkon, which means collateral. This intimates (say Chazal) that the two Batei Mikdash are collateral for Klal Yisrael’s sins. When we sinned, we lost them, and they are being held in lieu of our repentance, after which the Bais Hamikdash will be restored to its previous glory. Veritably, in Jewish society, the most important place of worship is one’s own heart. The purpose of the Mishkan’s services…

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צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the Elevation /Burnt offering.” (6:2)

צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה

Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the Elevation/Burnt offering. (6:2)

וישחט ויקח משה מדמו ויתן על תנוך אזן אהרן הימנית

And (Moshe) he slaughtered (the ram), and Moshe took from the blood and put it on Aharon’s ear. (8:23)

אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן

When a man among you brings an offering. (1:2)

אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן

When a man among you brings an offering. (1:2)

והיה כי יחטא ואשם והשיב את הגזילה אשר גזל

So it shall be when he will sin and become guilty, he shall return the robbed item that he robbed. (5:23)

ואם נפש אחת תחטא בשגגה מעם הארץ

If an individual person from among the people of the land shall sin unintentionally. (4:27)

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד'

On six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem. (35:2)

ויעש בצלאל את הארן עצי שטים אמתים וחצי ארכו ואמה וחצי רחבו

Betzalel made the Aron of Shittim wood, two and a half amos its length, an amah and a half its width. (37:1)

אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות

These are the mountings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

YEARS

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