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Home -> 5776 -> Lech Lecha

לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Lech Lecha, 5776

“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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Home -> 5776 -> Lech Lecha

ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Lech Lecha, 5776

Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land. (12:1)

Chazal teach that, among the many practical issues that concerned Avraham Avinu regarding his departure from Charan, he also had a spiritual basis. In the previous parshah, the Torah records the death of Terach, father of Avraham – when, in fact, Terach died more than sixty years later. Chazal explain that Avraham was anxious about what people would say. His father was at a point in life that an able son would have been an advantage to him. For Avraham to abandon his father at this point in his life would open him up to public criticism, implying that he…

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Home -> 5776 -> Korach

כי שכר הוא לכם חלף עבדתכם באוהל מועד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5776

For it is a wage for you in exchange for your service in the Ohel Moed. (18:31)

The Torah describes the Maaser, tithe, which is given to the Levi as payment for the service Hashem requires them to perform. Nothing is innately holy about wages. This applies across the board to all matnos Kehunah, gifts given to the Kohanim, and matnos Leviyah, gifts given to the Leviim, which are all considered payment for their service. The Sefer Yagdil Torah quotes the Ohr Sameach who questions this halachah. The Kohanim receive a number of matanos, gifts: Terumah, Terumas Maaser, Pidyon HaBen, etc. A Kohen does not have to be actively involved in sacred service in the Sanctuary to…

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Home -> 5776 -> Korach

ויקח קרח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5776

Korach took/separated himself. (16:1)

Korach had it all, but it was not enough for him. If someone else had something that he did not have, it angered him to the point of obsession. He, too, had to have it. When Elitzaphan ben Uziel was placed in charge of the family of Kehas, Korach became irrational. Why should his cousin have a role that placed him in the position of  Korach’s superior? Korach was a rodef achar ha’kavod, one who pursued honor, craved recognition, was obsessed with being in the limelight. This is the most corrosive desire that one can have. Ramchal (Mesillas Yesharim, end…

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Home -> 5776 -> Korach

ויקח קרח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5776

Korach took/separated himself. (16:1)

The “Korachs” of every generation seem to be thriving. Sadly, there is no shortage of malcontents who rise up to usurp the authenticity and authority of our Torah leadership. What about their followers? How do these scoundrels always find individuals that follow their organized animus toward everything holy? Korach was able to lure 250 heads of the Sanhedrin. This was no simple feat. They were not the shleppers that hang around with nothing to do with their lives. They were distinguished leaders, men of stature and repute. Yet, they were ensnared by Korach’s invective, lured by promises of even greater…

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Home -> 5776 -> Korach

ויקח קרח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Korach, 5776

Korach took/separated himself. (16:1)

Korach did not wake up one morning and decide that “today” he was going to dispute Moshe’s leadership, thinking: “Today, I will mutiny against Hashem; today, I will demand that Aharon’s position as Kohen Gadol be transferred to me”. It certainly did not happen that way. Korach’s dissent had been festering for some time. He was biding his time, waiting for the most propitious opportunity in which he would have the greatest success. What was there about “now” that provided Korach with the fortuity for fomenting a successful revolt against our nation’s leadership? Horav Bentzion Firer, zl, suggests that it…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5776

ויאמר ד' אל משה ראיתי את העם הזה והנה עם קשה ערף הוא. ועתה הניחה לי...ואכלם.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ki Sisa

Hashem said to Moshe, “I have seen this people, and behold! It is a stiff-necked people. And desist from me…and I shall annihilate them. (32:9,10)

The severity of the chet ha’eigel, sin of the Golden Calf, is beyond description. It represents an egregious rebellion against Hashem, a sin for which we still are paying for to this very day. One would think that, after Hashem related to Moshe Rabbeinu the sequence of events leading up to the sin, He would have addressed the iniquitous sin which the people so flagrantly committed. Idol worship immediately after receiving the Torah was an unpardonable sin. Yet, all Hashem says is that Klal Yisrael is an am kshei oref, stiff-necked people. This is why Hashem is prepared to annihilate…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5776

לחשב מחשבות לעשות בזהב בכסף ובנחשת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ki Sisa

To weave designs, to work with gold, silver and copper. (31:4)

The Jewish mind has throughout time proven itself to be extraordinary. While we have a reputation for being gifted with an inordinate level of acumen in proportion with the size of our own nation, it is specifically in the area of commerce, i.e. making money, that our worldly reputation seems to soar and take on a life all of its own. While the Jewish mind shines in all areas of human endeavor — from our primary vocation, Torah study, to the various disciplines of science, mathematics, medicine, law, social services, etc.– one thing all Jews have in common is the…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5776

העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט ממחצית השקל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ki Sisa

The wealthy shall not increase and the destitute shall not decrease from half a shekel. (30:15)

It is not uncommon for someone who has struck it rich, who has received the blessing of wealth from Hashem, to think that the world belongs to him. While this is certainly not the Torah way, human nature often prevails. It goes so far that one begins to believe that, if he were not deserving of all of this good fortune, he would not be its recipient. Apparently, he is a “good guy,” who is worthy of this blessing. As a result, a baal mamon, one who has been blessed with wealth, becomes a baal gaavah, arrogant and pompous, often…

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Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5776

כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקודיהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ki Sisa

When you take a census of Bnei Yisrael according to their numbers. (30:12)

How does one count the Jewish People? We are taught that at the Bris Bein HaBesarim, Covenant of the Parts, Hashem promised Avraham Avinu, “Gaze now, toward the Heavens, and count the stars if you are able to count them…so shall your offspring be!” (Bereishis 15:5) We are not countable – just like the stars. Likewise, it says that the number of Jews will be like the sand of the sea – which also cannot be counted. The Talmud Yoma 22b, distinguishes between a time in which the Jewish People carry out the will of Hashem and a time in…

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