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Home -> 5776 -> Tazria

וראה הכהן את הנגע בעור הבשר... וטמא אתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5776

And the Kohen shall look at the mark in the skin… and (he will) pronounce it unclean. (13:3)

One cannot study the laws of tzaraas and the reason for their occurrence and not be filled with pride that he is a Jew. Other religions pay lip service to social graces, human decency, and ethical behavior. Nonetheless, they are not part of their corpus of laws. One is encouraged to be ethical, distance himself from avarice, not commit social sins, but if he does, it is not the end of the world. Imagine censuring a politician for lying! We would have no government! On the other hand, our Torah’s inclusion of Hilchos Negaim, laws concerning plagues, indicates that Hashem…

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Home -> 5776 -> Tazria

ובמלאת ימי טהרה לבן ולבת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Tazria, 5776

Upon completion of the days of her purity for a son or for a daughter. (12:6)

The term “son” or “daughter” denotes a stronger, more definitive relationship than that implied by referring to a child as either one’s male or female offspring. A son is the product of a viable, strong relationship, part of a legacy, who serves as a link in a generational chain. He identifies with his parent as the product of a relationship forged on the principles of devotion to a Higher Power, to Hashem. “Son” or “daughter” indicates pedigree. Thus, we call attention to the fact that previously, in pesukim 2 and 5, the Torah refers to the woman’s offspring as a…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shoftim

וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5776

They shall speak up and say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see.” (21:7)

Obviously, no one suspects the elders of participating in the murder of the individual whose corpse was found in the field. Rashi explains that they mean to say that they were unaware of this traveler and had no part in allowing him to go on his way, lonely, without food or escort. We derive from this statement that had they been aware of his presence and need, they would have been guilty of neglecting another Jew, so that there would be blood on their hands. This is the extent of responsibility demanded of a leader. Maharal m’Prague observes that the…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shoftim

הוא ינוס אל אחת הערים האלה וחי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5776

He shall flee to one of these cities and live. (19:5)

The purpose of the city of refuge was to protect the inadvertent murderer from the wrath of the goel ha’dam, redeemer/close relative, who seeks to avenge the death of his relative. The word v’chai, “and live,” has a powerful connotation. Chazal teach (Makkos 10b), “If a student goes into exile, his rebbe goes with him; if a rebbe goes into exile, his yeshivah goes with him. Avid lei midi d’tihevei lei chiyussa, “Provide him with arrangements that will enable him to live.” Apparently, another rebbe would not suffice. The inadvertent murderer requires his personal rebbe from whom he had been…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shoftim

והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו... לבלתי רם לבבו מאחיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5776

It shall be with him and he shall read from it all the days of his life… so that his heart does not become haughty over his brethren. (17:19,20)

Arrogance is an indication of a defective character. Arrogant people are (often) those who failed to be recognized and respected by others who are important to them. Their solution is to lord it over others to whom they feel superior, thus receiving acknowledgment by force. Most often, the arrogant person has nothing about which to be haughty. It is like air puffed into an empty container. When it dissipates, the container returns to its original vacuous state. Having recently read a “confession” of a “once” arrogant person (the “pin” that releases the air had allowed him to finally see his…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shoftim

שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך... ושפטו את העם משפט צדק

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5776

Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities… and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. (16:18)

It is almost that time of year when Hashem makes a reckoning of our deeds of the past year and renders His decisions for the coming year. We all could use “help” in obtaining favorable judgments. The easiest and most propitious way is by doing all that is asked of us. In other words, good people will receive a good judgment. What about those who were not perfect, who made their share of mistakes, who committed sins without malice (of course), but sins nonetheless? What is the best advice for them, other than teshuvah and going through the process of…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5776

וילך ויפגשהו בהר האלקים וישק לו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Shemos

And he (Aharon) went and encountered him (Moshe) at the mountain of G-d, and he kissed him. (4:27)

According to Rambam, Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen met at Har Sinai. What seems to be a simple meeting of two brothers is described by Chazal as an encounter of two individuals with complementary character traits. “This is what is written, Chesed v’emes nifgashu, tzedek v’shalom nashaku, ‘Kindness and truth met, righteous and peace kissed’” (Tehillim 85:11). Kindness” refers to Aharon, and “truth” refers to Moshe. This is what is meant by “kindness” and “truth” met – “And he (Aharon) met him (Moshe) at the mountain of G-d.” “Righteous” refers to Moshe and “peace” refers to Aharon. Thus, “kiss” corresponds…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5776

ומשה היה רעה את צאן יתרו חתנו כהן מדין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Shemos

Moshe was shepherding the sheep of Yisro, his father-in-law, the Priest of Midyan. (3:1)

The Torah is informing us that Moshe Rabbeinu’s vocation prior to his being selected as the man who would lead the Jewish People from Egypt, and who would shepherd them throughout their desert journey, was a shepherd. The Torah does not waste words. If the Torah mentions Moshe’s background, it is because it is vital to his resume as leader. Chazal explain that our quintessential leader was first given a “trial run” as Yisro’s shepherd, in order to ascertain his leadership abilities. After seeing how Moshe performed as a shepherd, Hashem chose him to lead our ancestors. What did he…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5776

ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Shemos

Moshe grew up, and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens. (2:11)

“Moshe grew up”. The Torah teaches us that the definition of “growing up” is assuming responsibility. It has nothing to do with age. Personally identifying with the plight of the Jews; viewing them as his brothers – despite the fact that he had been raised amid royalty and wealth – was a sign of Moshe’s maturation. The next step in his growth process was actually leaving the royal palace and joining together with his brothers in their labor. Last, as the well-known Rashi expounds – Nosan eino v’libo liheyos meitzar aleihem; “He applied his eyes and heart to see their…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5776

וימררו את חייהם בעבודה קשה... את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Shemos

They embittered their lives with hard work… All the labors that they performed with them were with crushing hardness. (1:14)

The Talmud Pesachim 39a explains that Chazeres/ lettuce, which may be used for marror, bitter herbs, is representational of the type of crushing hard labor to which the Jewish People were subjected by their Egyptian taskmasters. Chazeres begins soft (at first, when one bites into it, it seems soft, almost sweet), becoming marror and bitter tasting overtime; likewise, the Egyptian initiated the Jewish slave labor with sweetness: either by offering them money in reimbursement for their time and toil; or by convincing them of the significance of their labor, etc. Chazal’s statement attributing the use of lettuce to its similarity…

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