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וצוה הכהן ולקח למטהר שתי צפרים חיות טהורות ועץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזוב... ושחט את הצפור האחת אל כלי חרש על מים חיים

The Kohen shall command, and for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, clean birds, cedar wood and crimson wool and hyssop… and the one bird shall be slaughtered into an earthenware vessel over spring water. (14:4, 5)

Horav Nosson Gestetner, zl, observes that the taharas, purification process, of the metzora involves the four yesodos, foundations, types of Creation: domeim, inanimate; tzomeiach, growing vegetation; chai, living creature; medaber, human who has the power of speech. The water and earthenware vessel are domemim, inanimate objects. The cedar wood and hyssop represent the tzomeiach, growing vegetation. The bird and crimson wool dyed from the blood of a worm, correspond to chai, living creatures. The Kohen who performs the purification is the medaber, symbolizes the human speaking creature. The lesson for us is straightforward: one who speaks lashon hora defiles every…

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זאת תהיה תורת המצורע ביום טהרתו והובא אל הכהן

This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the Kohen. (14:2)

This pasuk is rendered homiletically by the Roshei Besamim, based on a statement made by the Zohar HaKadosh (Parashas Pekudei). The Zohar states that the merit of prayer and study of the individual who prays to Hashem without kavanah, proper intention and devotion, or studies Torah she’lo lishmah, not purely for the sake of learning Torah, hangs in limbo in a specially designated spiritual sphere. The first time that he prays with proper kavanah, or learns for the appropriate purpose of lishmah, this prayer or Torah-study will gather all of those other tefillos which hang in limbo and elevate them…

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זאת תהיה תורת המצורע

This shall be the law of the Metzora. (14:2)

Imagine working an entire lifetime on a project, building up a company from scratch until it is a global player, only to lose everything due to a simple, foolish error. It would be devastating. The Chovas HaLevavos writes that, when an individual speaks lashon hora against someone – even if the “someone” is evil – the one who speaks forfeits all of his mitzvos, which are, in turn, given to the person against whom he has spoken. The speaker becomes the sorry “beneficiary” of the slandered person. It seems like an unfair trade, but, unfortunately, it is what it is….

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ואת הערים אשר תתנו ללוים את שש ערי המקלט אשר תתנו לנס שמה הרצח

The cities that you shall give to the Leviim: the six cities that you shall provide for a murderer to flee there. (35:6)

Forty-eight cities were set aside for the Leviim. Of these, six cities were specifically for the rotzeach b’shogeg, unintentional murderer. One wonders why men of such spiritual distinction were relegated to live with individuals who had blood on their hands. True, the murders that they committed were unintentional, but there are various levels of lack of intent, some of which border on carelessness. Only Hashem knows the truth. The Leviim led very spiritual lives. Obviously, their families had a different moral and spiritual compass than that which guided the rest of the nation. Is it fair that these fine, upstanding…

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ויאיר בן מנשה הלך וילכד את חותיהם ויקרא אתהן חוות יאיר. ונבח הלך וילכד את קנת ואת בנתיה ויקרא לה נבח בשמו

Yair ben Menashe, went and conquered their villages and called them Chavos Yair. Novach went and conquered Kenas and its suburbs, and called it Novach after his own name. (32:41,42)

Yair had no children to carry on his name. Therefore, after conquering the villages, he named them after himself as a memorial. Everyone wants to be remembered. Indeed, after having lived a mortal life replete with many achievements, all that is left are memories – memories of the individual. He is gone, but his memory lives on. It is up to each and every one of us to decide, by the way we act, how we want to be remembered. Sadly, for some, when we wake up to this realization, it is too late. Novach also conquered villages. He, too,…

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ויקצף משה על פקודי החיל...ויאמר אליהם משה החייתם כל נקבה

Moshe was angry with the commanders of the army…Moshe said to them, “Did you let every female live?” (31:14,15)

Moshe Rabbeinu was angry with the officers of his army for not following his orders. They spared the Midyanite women, despite their involvement in inciting the orgies which catalyzed the plague that brought death to so many Jews. Upon reading the pesukim, one may question why Moshe’s name is repeated in his rebuke. The Torah said that Moshe became angry. Obviously, he was the one rebuking the officers. Why did the Torah mention his name again? The commentators explain that Moshe did not immediately rebuke them out of anger. He waited a short while until his anger subsided and then…

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נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים

Take vengeance for the Bnei Yisrael… against the Midyanim. (31:2)

The Torah seems to underscore the number of soldiers involved in the war of vengeance against Midyan. It then makes a point to detail how much booty was taken after the war. Veritably, numbers do not seem to play a role in the parshios, other than the parshios which deal with the census of the Jewish nation. In this case, however, the size of the army and the amount of booty apparently maintain a significant position in the parsha. Horav Arye Leib Heyman, zl, suggests that the key to the role of numbers in the parsha is to be found…

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אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך שכרך הרבה מאד

Fear not Avram, I am a shield for you; your reward is very great. (15:1)

In his He’Emanti Va’Adabeira, Horav Moshe Toledano, Shlita, cites the Peninei Ben Ish Chai, who quotes the Aderest Eliyahu that Hashem is mavtiach, assures/guarantees those who observe Hashem’s mitzvos, with great reward, commensurate with their performance. Chazal teach (Kiddushin 39b) s’char b’hai alma leka, “There is no (payment of) reward in this world.” In other words, mitzvah performance is rewarded in Olam Habba, the World to Come. The commentators wonder how this reward is reconciled with the pasuk in the Torah, B’yomo titein s’charo, “On that day shall you pay his hire” (Devarim 24:15). A day-laborer must be paid each…

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ויקח אברם את שרי אשתו ואת לוט בן אחיו... ויצאו ללכת ארצה כנען

Avram took his wife Sarai and Lot, his brother’s son… and they left to go to the land of Canaan. (12:5)

Torah commentary is divided into four approaches. Each one delves progressively deeper into the esoteric background of a given situation, thereby lending the reader an unparalleled insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of occurrences which initially seem to mystify us. The fact that Avraham Avinu took his nephew, Lot, with him when he left for Canaan is one of those instances which baffle the reader. Lot was far from being a saint, which was evidenced later, when he chose to live in the plains of Sodom, despite the evil and corrupt nature of its inhabitants. Later on, when Lot separated from…

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לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך

“Go for yourself from your land, the land of your birthplace, and from your father’s home, to the land that I will show you.” (12:1)

The Degel Machane Efraim teaches that the Torah is eternal and not limited to one specific period in time. Every Jew can discover a response to life’s challenges in the Torah. Thus, the words, Lech lecha me’artzecha u’mimoladetecha u’mibeis avicha, applies to each one of us. The Zohar Hakadosh addresses this issue and explains that the words, Lech lecha me’artzecha, are stated by Hashem speaking to the neshamah, soul, which is viewed as being an av, father, to the guf, body, of a person. “Avram” would then represent the av, soul, which descends from ram, on high, Heaven above. Hashem…

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