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ונתנה הארץ פריה ואכלתם לשבע... וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעית... וצויתי את ברכתי

The land will give its fruit and you will eat your fill… if you will say: “What will we eat in the seventh year?” I will ordain my blessing. (25:19, 20, 21)

Sforno distinguishes between the baal bitachon, one who trusts in Hashem, who does not question, “What will we eat in the seventh year?” and he who questions. The one who does not question will, indeed, have less produce; however, its nutritional value will far exceed that of a regular year. He will have less, but he will require less. Less will be more. His seventh year will be covered by the produce of the sixth year, but in a manner unperceived by the unknowing spectator who will observe a regular yield that year. The believer whose bitachon is not as…

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וידבר ד' אל משה בהר סיני

Hashem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai. (25:1)

Mah inyan Shemittah eitzel Har Sinai –“What is the connection between Shemittah and Har Sinai?” has become the catch phrase when questioning why two disparate subjects are juxtaposed upon one another for no apparent reason. The Torah introduces the laws of Shemittah in detail immediately following the mention of the Revelation at Har Sinai. Chazal derive from here that not only the broad outlines, but also the details, the minutiae of Torah law and mitzvah, were transmitted at Sinai – as were those of Shemittah, whose laws are detailed extensively. All mitzvos, even those which were recorded years after the…

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והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth! (12:3)

To some, humility is on a parallel line with obsequiousness. We see from Moshe Rabbeinu, the most humble man to walk the face of the earth, that this is not true. Our leader took a stand when necessary. Certainly, he was aware that speaking with Hashem was not something to which the average man is accustomed. Yet, he was humble, because humility is an awareness of oneself. Despite one’s achievements, in the eyes of the humble person they are merely activities which are expected of him. He is doing what he is supposed to be doing. The Alter, zl, m’Kelm,…

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כי תאמר אלי שאהו בחיקך כאשר ישא האמן את הינק

That you say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a suckling.” (11:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu presents his taanah, “complaint,” to Hashem. Horav Meir Shapiro, zl, explains Moshe’s rationale. The developmental stages of a child require varied levels of adult support until the child matures sufficiently to the point that he is able to fend for himself. A young child of infant status requires a meinekes, nursemaid or babysitter, who feeds the child, since his young age does not yet allow for him to serve himself. An older child who has progressed beyond the need for adult feeding intervention requires an adult omein, sort of pedagogue, to train the child concerning what he must…

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והאספסף אשר בקרבו התאוו תאוה וישבו ויבכו גם בני ישראל ויאמרו מי יאכלנו בשר

The rabble that was among them cultivated a craving, and Bnei Yisrael also wept once more and said, “Who will feed us meat?” (11:4)

The erev rav, mixed multitude, who left Egypt with the Jewish People, now showed their true level of commitment to Hashem. Nothing! Instead, they were the first to complain, the first to undermine Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership, thereby showing that they had come along only for the ride. How careful we must be of those usurpers who claim to stand with us, but, in truth, stand only for themselves. Only someone who is truly committed to Hashem is able to withstand the various challenges our People have encountered during our long journey. Horav Avraham Schorr, Shlita, offers a novel interpretation of…

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ויהי בנסע הארון ויאמר משה קומה ד' ויפצו איביך וינסו משנאיך מפניך

When the Ark would travel, Moshe would say, “Arise Hashem, and let Your foes be scattered, let those who hate You flee from You.” (10:35)

Did you ever wonder why, once the Sefer Torah has been removed from the Aron HaKodesh and the reading of the Torah is about to commence, spiritual intensity in the shul seems to be lifted. It is almost as if Krias HaTorah, the reading of the Torah, is a break in the service. We have finished Shacharis; we are now taking a break for a conversation, for a walk outside, early Kiddush, etc. Does Krias HaTorah signal a relaxation period, a time to socialize and catch up on the past week’s events? In Chochmas Chaim, a novel idea is quoted…

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ואם תלכו עמי קרי ולא תאבו לשמע לי

If you behave casually (happenstance) with Me and refuse to heed Me. (26:21)

The word keri, translated as “happenstance,” is used quite often in the Tochechah, Rebuke. Following the text, we observe that chastisement and further punishment are meted out to Klal Yisrael because they behave toward Hashem with happenstance. Thus, Hashem responds by acting toward us in a like manner. The Rambam defines keri as denying Hashem’s role, His orchestration of events. When we view what takes place in the world in general, and around us in particular, as random occurrences, we are acting with happenstance toward Hashem. The Ramban calls ignoring Hashgachah Pratis, Divine Providence, “A path of cruelty.” Horav Noach…

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אם בחקתי תלכו ואת מצותי תשמרו ועשיתם אתם

If you will follow My decrees and observe My Commandments and perform them. (26:3)

A Torah Jew must be the embodiment of emes, truth. Integrity – both moral and spiritual – must be reflected in his every demeanor. The image of a Torah Jew bespeaks emes under all conditions and circumstances. There is no other way. Hashem’s chosam, seal, is emes. Since we are to emulate the Almighty, we must strive to achieve perfection in this character trait. What is this emes?  How does one achieve the appellation ish emes, a man of truth? The roshei teivos, three letters of emes—aleph, mem, tav — are an acronym for the three yesodos, principles, to which…

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אם בחקתי תלכו

If you will follow My decrees. (26:3)

Rashi interprets Im bechukosai teilechu, shetiheyu ameilim baTorah, “That you engage in intensive Torah study.” Ameilus means toil, labor. Success in Torah study is not determined by acumen, but by application. Given the spiritual nature of Torah as a result of its Divine origin, it is not who one is, but how he applies himself to studying and reviewing the Torah. Indeed, the greatest gedolim, Torah leaders, achieved their plateau not simply because of their brilliance, but due to their extreme ameilus. The Raavad writes (Teshuvos 39), “I have relinquished much sleep from my eyes; much food became spoiled because…

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אם בחקתי תלכו

If you will follow My decrees. (26:3)

So much has been written concerning the meaning of this pasuk. I would like to submit my understanding. The word teileichu is translated here as “to follow.” It also means to walk/go. Together, these meanings imply that we are to walk/go forward using Hashem’s decrees as our GPS, our moral compass, to provide our sense of direction. In other words, a Jew does not “lead,” he follows – Hashem. Having said that, we might take this idea a bit further; chukim are mitzvos whose reasons defy human rationale. There are reasons for these mitzvos, but these reasons are Divine. Hashem…

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