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Home -> 5762 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Terumah, 5762

“You shall make the planks of the Mishkan of shittim/acacia wood, standing erect.” (26:15)

Rashi tells us that the shittim wood had been set aside for quite awhile for this unique purpose. Yaakov Avinu planted these cedar trees  in  Egypt  because  he  anticipated  that  the  wood eventually would be needed. Prior to his death, he instructed his children to take them along with them when they left the Egyptian exile. Hashem would one day command Klal Yisrael to erect a Mishkan, Tabernacle, in the desert – specifically from shittim wood, and these would serve that purpose. These shittim trees had a history. They were originally planted by Avraham Avinu  in Be’er Sheva. When Yaakov left…

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Home -> 5762 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Terumah, 5762

“They shall make an Ark.” (25:10)

The use of the plural “they” implies that Hashem’s command to make an Aron is directed towards the entire nation. Notably, this is the only instance where we find the command given in the plural; the rest of the chapter is in the singular. Chazal derive from here that everyone should be involved and, therefore, deserves a share in the Aron HaKodesh, Holy Ark, the symbol of Torah. The other vessels can be made by individuals. In order to bequeath Torah to the entire nation, it is incumbent that everybody be involved in the making of the Aron. What about the…

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Home -> 5762 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Terumah, 5762

“They shall make an Ark of shittim/acacia wood.” (25:10)

The commentators note the Torah’s emphasis on the “they,” plural form of “v’asu” – “They shall make.” This implies that the  building of the Aron HaKodesh, the symbol of Torah among the Jewish People, is a collective, general command. Everybody is to be included. Horav Tzvi Hirsh Ferber, z.l., explains this idea further. We find paradoxical statements made by Chazal in regard to the relationship of full time Torah study vis-à-vis earning a livelihood. On the one hand, we are instructed to study Torah “always”: V’hagisa bo yomam va’laila, “Rather you should contemplate it day and night” (Yehoshua 1:8) is the…

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Home -> 5762 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Terumah, 5762

“They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them.” (25:8)

The kedushah, sanctity, of the Mikdash, Sanctuary, is commensurate with the amount of “li,” for Me, that one puts into it. When we  refer  to  kedushah,  invariably  we  tend  to  think  of  something spiritual, surreal, with no tangibility. Consequently, it cannot have any effect on us. This is where we are wrong. That something is intangible does not preclude its ability to suffuse us with its properties and values. Let me take the liberty to illustrate this idea. The Midrash in Parashas Toldos relates an incident that took place during the Roman destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. The Romans knew  that…

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Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Mishpatim, 5762

“And Moshe took half of the blood and placed it in basins and half of the blood he threw upon the Mizbayach. And he took the Book of the Covenant… and they said, ‘All that Hashem has spoken we will do and we will obey.’ And Moshe took the blood and threw it upon the people.” (24:6-8)

Horav Mordechai Rogov, z.l., derives a compelling lesson from the sprinkling of the blood of the korbanos, sacrifices, at the time of the receiving of the Torah. We are being taught to defend and uphold the Torah even at such times when doing so requires that we invest our own blood and our very lives for Torah’s sake. Every drop of Jewish blood that has been spilled l’shem Shomayim, for the sake of Heaven, to defend the Torah, does not go to waste. This blood has been preserved as the lives of the living are strengthened and inspired by the lives…

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Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Mishpatim, 5762

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

It is impossible for any human being to stand up to challenge the truth. Truth is an absolute which no one can circumvent. Ultimately, a person never suffers when he tells the truth. Indeed, one who lies only delays the inevitable. A person cannot elude the truth. His lies come back to haunt him. Regrettably, this is the way of the world – lie whenever it suits you;  bend the truth, if that is what it takes. Tanna D’bei Eliyahu cites the pasuk in Mishlei 19:3, “A man’s foolishness corrupts his way.” A person should be careful to act righteously and…

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Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Mishpatim, 5762

“You shall not revile G-d.” (22:27)

Chazal derive that the word Elokim is a reference both to G-d and to judges. While it is, indeed, forbidden to curse anyone, judges are often the brunt of people’s curses, since they are compelled to render judgment which is not always popular – especially in the eyes of the individual who is on the losing end of a litigation. Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., served for a short time as Av Beis Din, head of the court, of Horav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, z.l. Once during his incumbency, he was confronted with a bitterly disputed divorce case. He eventually ruled in…

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Home -> 5762 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5762

“Honor your father and your mother.” (20:12)

The Fifth Commandment, honoring one’s parents, is a bedrock of  our faith. Our tradition is based on the chain of transmission from Avraham Avinu to his descendants who received the Torah at Har Sinai and handed it down in its entirety from generation to generation. This chain links parents with children who later transmit the “Torah” to their own children. Thus, the Fifth Commandment enables the observance of the preceding four commandments. The mitzvah of Kibud Av v’Eim carries with it some profound emotional fulfillment.  For the most part, people have a difficult time  feeling  a sense of indebtedness to others….

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Home -> 5762 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5762

“Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it.” (20:8)

The Torah introduces the institution of Shabbos in the Fourth Commandment of the Aseres HaDibros, the Ten Commandments. The first three commandments focus on our acceptance of Hashem as supreme Ruler and Creator, forbid us from worshipping other deities, and forbid us from showing Hashem disrespect by taking His Name lightly. Shabbos attests to Hashem being the Creator of the world, for it is a constant reminder that He created for six days and rested on the Seventh Day. When we observe Shabbos, we bear testimony to this fact. Therefore, the commandment of Shabbos should follow in the natural progression after…

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Home -> 5762 -> Yisro

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Yisro, 5762

“And you shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, G-d fearing people.” (18:21)

Ibn Ezra explains that those who genuinely fear Hashem do not fear people. A judge who is subject to Divine authority is swayed by neither bribery nor threats. He responds to a Higher Authority. This implies that a person’s fear of man diminishes commensurate with his increasing fear of Hashem. With this in mind, Horav Sholom Schwadron, z.l., notes that one who feels that he has achieved yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, should ask himself how much of earthly/human concerns he fears. Rav Schwadron substantiates Ibn Ezra’s thesis with a famous incident from Navi. Yonah Ha’Navi was fleeing Tarshish. While he…

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