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Home -> 5776 -> Emor

כי תבאו אל הארץ אשר אני נתן לכם וקצרתם את קצירה והבאתם את עמר ראשית קצירכם אל הכהן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5776

When you shall enter the Land that I give you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an Omer from your first harvest to the Kohen. (23:10)

The Torah commences with, “And you reap its harvest,” implying that the harvest belongs to the Land, and concludes with, “You shall bring an omer from your harvest to the Kohen.” The question is: To whom does the harvest belong – to the Land or to the harvester? The answer is obvious: The harvester thinks he is the owner. Hashem is reminding him that a Jew does not live for himself. He is not to lose sight of the spiritual nature of his worldly possessions. They are all here to serve one purpose: to help others. Working in the trenches  …

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Home -> 5776 -> Emor

בחדש הראשון בארבעה עשר לחדש בין הערבים פסח... ובחמשה עשר יום לחדש הזה חג המצות לד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5776

In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month in the afternoon, is the time of the Pesach offering to Hashem. And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Matzos to Hashem. (23:5, 6)

Rashi explains that although the Festival actually begins in the evening (of the fifteenth day of Nissan), the Pesach-offering is slaughtered during the afternoon of the fourteenth. In the Torah, the word Pesach is used to describe the offering, while matzos – Chag HaMatzos, defines the Festival. Haamek Davar considers the time of Bein Ha’Arbayim, in the afternoon, to be part of the holy convocation of the Festival, so that labor is forbidden at that time. Why is there a separation between the time of slaughtering the sacrifice and the time that it is eaten – during the actual Festival?…

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Home -> 5776 -> Emor

ושמרתם מצותי... ולא תחללו את שם קדשי...

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5776

You shall observe My commandments, you shall not desecrate My holy Name. (22:31, 32)

One would assume that chillul Hashem, profaning Hashem’s Name, occurs only when one commits a transgression, thereby demonstrating that he has little regard for his spiritual dimension. What about an individual who performs mitzvos, but his attitude is lacking? He does what he absolutely must do to fulfill the mitzvah, but does not go the extra mile? He buys a simple Esrog “off the rack” with no regard to its beauty. Hiddur mitzvah means beautifying the mitzvah, showing how much it really means to him; dressing for Shabbos as if he were attending a wedding; glorifying the mitzvah as if…

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Home -> 5776 -> Emor

ואשה גרושה מאישה לא יקחו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5776

They shall not marry a woman who has been divorced by her husband. (21:7)

In the Talmud Gittin 90a, a debate ensues between Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel concerning when it is “appropriate” to give one’s wife a bill of divorce. Bais Shammai, who is usually more stringent in his approach to rendering a Halachic ruling, says that one may divorce his wife only under such circumstances in which she has acted immorally. Bais Hillel, who is typically lenient, declares that one may divorce his wife for any inappropriate behavior – even if she has burnt his soup! While the position of Bais Shammai is understandable, we wonder how we can permit one to…

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Home -> 5776 -> Eikev

ללכת בכל דרכיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Eikev, 5776

To walk in all His ways. (11:22)

How does one “walk” in the ways of Hashem? Furthermore, should it not have said to walk in Hashem’s footsteps? One walks in someone’s footsteps; one follows in his path. Perhaps, we may suggest that “footsteps” and “ways/path” are variants only when one follows in a path that was ready-made by others. When one forges a path, his footsteps are the path. In other words, Hashem makes the path, creates the derech. Wherever Hashem “walks,” He is teaching us what should be the standards of living, what should be the derech of a Yid. Hashem’s halichah, walking, creates the derech,…

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Home -> 5776 -> Eikev

ואתפש בשני הלוחות ואשליכם מעל שתי ידי ואשברם לעיניכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Eikev, 5776

I grasped the two Tablets and threw them from my two hands, and I smashed them before your eyes. (9:17)

Ramban explains the hidden meaning behind Moshe Rabbeinu’s admonition to the people, “Your sin was too great to tolerate. Until the moment that I saw you ‘playing’ – dancing and reveling – before the Golden Calf (I might have been able to tolerate your sin), I could no longer refrain from acting. I broke the Luchos, Tablets.” Apparently, it was not the creation of the eigal, Golden Calf, that catalyzed Moshe’s action. It was the way the people were behaving. They had lost complete control of themselves, an indication that they had no clue concerning the gravity of their nefarious…

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Home -> 5776 -> Eikev

כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Eikev, 5776

That it was He who gives you the strength to make wealth. (8:18)

Targum Onkelos adds his own interpretation to the above translation. He writes: Hu d’yahiv lecha eitzah l’mikni nechassin, “He (Hashem) gave you the idea to purchase property.” Horav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, zl, explains that, while one may attribute his financial success to siyata diShmaya, Heavenly assistance, he does not deny that it was his strategy, his personality, his cunning, his business acumen – “him, him, his.” He had Divine assistance, but it was his idea to initiate the project. Onkeles teaches us that this is categorically untrue. The very eitzah, idea, was not self-initiated. It, too, was placed into his…

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Home -> 5776 -> Eikev

ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Eikev, 5776

Chazal teach us that Bentching, Grace after meals, is a mitzvah min haTorah, Biblical command. Veritably, it is obvious that one should offer his gratitude upon deriving benefit from another. When we take into consideration that food sustains us and that Hashem is the Source of all food, it does not take a deep thinker to understand the obligation of u’beirachta – “and you shall bless.” If we eat and are satisfied, the natural consequence should be blessing Hashem. Indeed, before the Torah was given to Klal Yisrael, our Patriarch, Avraham Avinu, taught the world about the greatness of Hashem…

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Home -> Devarim -> 5776

ואשלח מלאכים ממדבר קדמות אל סיחון מלך חשבון דברי שלום לאמר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Devarim

I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedmas To Sichon King of Cheshbon words of peace saying: (2:26)

Rashi quotes the thought that went through Moshe Rabbeinu’s mind. “Although Hashem did not command me to reach out to Sichon, I nonetheless derived a lesson from Hashem Himself when He prepared to give the Torah to Klal Yisrael.”  He first approached Eisav and Yishmael and gave them the right of first refusal. Hashem was clear that they would not accept the Torah, but, for the sake of peace, He offered it to them. Thus, I did the same by offering Sichon a peaceful resolution to allow us through. Sichon, of course, acted in the manner that was expected of…

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Home -> Devarim -> 5776

וירדפו אתכם כאשר תעשינה הדבורים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Devarim

And they pursued you as do the bees. (1:44)

Chazal teach (Midrash Rabbah, Bamidbar), “We tell the tzirah (bee), Lo miduvshach v’lo mei uktzach, “(We want) neither your honey nor your sting.” Horav Moshe Yechiel Epstein, zl, the Ozrover Rebbe, zl, applies this Midrash to explain the Torah’s analogy to bees. “And they pursued you as do the bees.” At first, Lo avisam laalos, “You did not want to go up.” You were under the influence of the initial slander against Eretz Yisrael. Suddenly, when you saw the error of your ways, your attitude vis-à-vis the Holy Land quickly changed. Now, you were prepared to go. You insisted on…

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