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Home -> 5775 -> Lech Lecha

ויקח אברם את שרי אשתו... ואת כל רכושם אשר רכשו ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Lech Lecha, 5775

Avram took his wife Sarai… and all their wealth that they had amassed, and the souls they had made in Charan. (12:5)

Rashi explains that the nefesh, souls, which they made in Charan, is a reference to the many people who Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeinu were able to pluck from the grasp of the pagans and inspire with the monotheistic belief. These converts to Hashem followed the ones who had “made” them. Avraham’s raison d’etre in life was to promulgate the belief in Hashem. To teach the truth was not enough if he did not convert the people. A successful teacher is one who impacts the lives of his students. This was our Patriarch’s goal, his life’s work. Indeed, every endeavor…

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Home -> 5775 -> Lech Lecha

ואעשך לגוי גדול ואברכך ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Lech Lecha, 5775

And I will make of you a great nation; and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (12:2)

In an alternative explanation, Rashi says, “‘And I will make you a great nation” is a reference to the words Elokei Avraham, G-d of Avraham, which is recited in the beginning of Shemoneh Esrai. Vaavarchecha, ‘and I will bless you,’ refers to Elokei Yitzchak; and Vaagadlah shemecha refers to Elokei Yaakov. While I might think that they conclude the blessing of the Avos, Patriarchs, with all three of them, the pasuk states Ve’heyei b’rachah, ‘And you will be a blessing,’ Becha chosmin, v’lo bahem, ‘With you, Avraham, they conclude the blessing, and not with them.’” A well-known exposition is attributed…

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Home -> 5775 -> Korach

ודתן ואבירם יצאו נצבים פתח אהליהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5775

And Dasan and Aviram came out and stood at the door of their tents. (16:27)

Rashi explains that these two reshaim, miscreants, who acted as Moshe Rabbeinu’s nemeses, going back to Egypt, were here again to do what they were good at: harassing and undermining our nation’s leader. When Moshe came by, they remained firm and resolute in their commitment to degrade and humiliate Moshe in every way. One wonders how these individuals survived so long. Eighty percent of the Jewish People who were in Egypt died during the three days of the plague of darkness. Dasan and Aviram did not. They continued their subversive activities at every juncture of Klal Yisrael’s journey. Yet, they…

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Home -> 5775 -> Korach

ואון בן פלת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5775

And On ben Peles. (16:1)

On ben Peles was one of the original leaders of the Korach dispute. Yet, he was ultimately absent from the end confrontation; thus, he was spared the horrible punishment meted out to Korach and his followers. In the Talmud Sanhedrin 109a, Chazal teach that On was blessed with a wise and righteous wife, who saw where this confrontation was going and devised a plan, a logical argument, by which she was able to convince her husband to stay “home.” She said to him, “What do you (personally) have to benefit from this folly? Regardless who emerges the winner, Moshe or…

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Home -> 5775 -> Korach

ויקח קרח בן יצהר בן קהת בן לוי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5775

And Korach ben Yitzhar ben Kehas ben Levi took. (16:1)

Rashi observes that the name of the family Patriarch, Yaakov Avinu, is not mentioned. He quotes the Midrash Tanchuma that explains that Yaakov pleaded that his name not be associated with Korach’s controversy. While this may be laudable, it is not as if his name is never associated with Korach. Indeed, in Sefer Divrei Hayamim (I: 6:23), where the service in the Bais Hamikdash is detailed, the entire yichus, pedigree, is detailed, and the Patriarch’s name is mentioned. The question is obvious: The fact that Yaakov’s name is not mentioned does not detract from reality that he was Korach’s ancestor;…

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Home -> 5775 -> Korach

ויקח קרח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5775

And Korach took. (16:1)

Was Korach a fool? Absolutely not. Did he lack yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven? No. indeed, Chazal teach that Korach was a chacham gadol, very wise man, a pikeach, clever and astute person. He was among those Leviim who carried the Aron HaKodesh, Holy Ark. What happened to all of this chochmah, pikchus and yiraas Shomayim? His eye deceived him. He saw a great and distinguished lineage descending from him. Shmuel HaNavi, the great prophet, was one of his descendants. Such lineage can turn anyone’s head. First of all, Korach was correct in what he saw. He was the progenitor…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5775

כי עם קשה עורף הוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5775, Ki Sisa

For they are a stiff-necked nation. (34:9)

When the Torah describes the sin of the Golden Calf, we observe Hashem referring to the Jewish People as “a stiff-necked nation.” It almost implies that it was this character trait – that seems to be inherently Jewish – which is blamed for their capitulation to the Golden Calf. It, therefore, begs elucidation why Moshe Rabbeinu uses this very same character trait as a defense for saving the Jews? How can a trait which appears to have played a pivotal and negative role in the catalyzation of such an egregious sin, actually be the reason that Moshe presents to Hashem…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5775

וישמע יהושע את קול העם ברעה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5775, Ki Sisa

Yehoshua heard the sound of the people in its shouting. (32:17)

Targum Yonasan ben Uziel comments on this pasuk: Kad meyabvin b’chedvah kami egla, “as (the people) they cried with joy before the Calf.” Crying generally is an expression of sorrow – not joy. Why does Targum Yonasan describe the joy of the people as being expressed through tears? Joy and crying are not synonymous expressions. When one is sad – he cries. We see this in the Torah’s description of a Kol anos, a distressing sound (32:18). On the other hand, the people exhibited joy by dancing (32:19) and “shouting” (see Rashi 32:17). How do we reconcile this joy, if…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5775

ושני לחת העדות בידו לוחת כתובים משני עבריהם מזה ומזה הם כתבים.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5775, Ki Sisa

With the Two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, Tablets inscribed on both sides; they were inscribed on one side and the other. (32:15)

The Midrash to Megillas Esther (8:4) relates that when Mordechai heard of the terrible decree issued against the Jewish People, he rent his garments, dressed in sackcloth as a sign of mourning and wept bitterly throughout the city. When Esther was informed of Mordechai’s public expression of grief, she said, “Never in the history of the Jewish People has there been such a decree leveled at us. Perhaps it is because they denied Zeh Keili v’anveihu, “This is my G-d and I will build Him a Sanctuary” (Shemos 15:2), or they disbelieved in the Luchos, Tablets, about which is written,…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5775

וירא העם כי בשש משה לרדת מן ההר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5775, Ki Sisa

The people saw that Moshe delayed in descending the mountain. (32:1)

The egregious sin of the Golden Calf was precipitated by a tragic error on the part of the people. This, of course, does not mitigate their sin. Had their emunah, faith, been without reservation, they would not have fallen prey to misconception. When Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai, he said that he would return forty days later – in the morning. The people thought that the day he ascended the mountain was included in the count – when, in fact, it was not. Thus, on the fortieth day, which was the sixteenth of Tammuz, (Moshe ascended on Sivan 7), they…

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