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Home -> 5783 -> Terumah

וצפית אותו זהב טהור מבית ומבחוץ תצפנו

Sruly Schnair
In Terumah, 5783

You shall cover it with pure gold, from within and from without shall you cover it. (25:11)

Chazal (Yoma 72b) derive from here that a talmid chacham, Torah scholar, should be consistent; in other words, his inner character must correspond with his public demeanor: Tocho k’baro; his internal rectitude should coincide with his outward conduct. The Torah does not brook hypocrisy. The Aron HaKodesh, which is the repository of the Torah scroll, symbolizes the crown of Torah. As it is covered with gold both within and without, it alludes to the requisite character of a Torah scholar. Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, relates a shailah, halachic query, that was posed to him by an individual who thought that…

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Home -> 5783 -> Terumah

ונתת את הכפרת על הארן מלמעלה ואל הארן תתן את העדת

Sruly Schnair
In Terumah, 5783

You shall place the lid on the Aron from above, and into the Aron you shall put the Testimony. (25:21)

Rashi notes that the Torah previously mentioned (Ibid. 25:16), “And you shall put into the Aron the Testimony.” He explains that it is teaching us that, while it is an Aron alone without the Kapores, lid, on it, he shall place the Eidus, Testimony (Torah) into it, and afterwards he should place the lid on it. Ramban argues, claiming that the pasuk indicates the sequence to be Kapores – then Eidus. Rashi clearly is of the opinion that when the Aron was brought into the Mishkan, the Eidus was already inside of it, and the Kapores was above. Once it…

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Home -> 5783 -> Terumah

ועשית את הקרשים למשכן עצי שטים

Sruly Schnair
In Terumah, 5783

You shall make the planks of the Mishkan of shittim (acacia) wood. (26:15)

Rashi comments that Yaakov Avinu anticipated the need for lumber for the building of the Mishkan. Aware that wood was not a commodity one found in the barren wilderness, he planted these trees in Egypt upon his arrival. He instructed his children that when they would eventually leave Egypt – at the end of their exile – they should take the wood with them. Horav Doniel Alter, Shlita (son of the Pinchas Menachem), adds that immediately upon his arrival in what was to be galus Mitzrayim, the Egyptian exile, Yaakov sought to imbue his children and all his future descendants…

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Home -> 5783 -> Mishpatim

ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

Sruly Schnair
In Mishpatim, 5783

And these are the judgments that you shall place before them. (21:1)

The previous parshah (Yisro) concluded with the laws of the Mizbayach, Altar. Rashi asks why the law of judicial cases are juxtaposed upon the laws of the Mizbayach. He explains this teaches that the Sanhedrin, supreme court, should have its place near to the Bais Hamikdash. [Commentators posit that the reference to the Mikdash, Temple, is an error. Rashi actually means Mizbayach. In any event, the message is clear: The Temple environs are where the Sanhedrin is to be placed. Mizbayach symbolizes sacrifice, which was a primary function of the Sanctuary.] The Mizbayach represents mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice. Horav Nosson Gestetner,…

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Home -> 5783 -> Mishpatim

כי תקנה עבד עברי

Sruly Schnair
In Mishpatim, 5783

If you buy a Jewish bondsman. (21:2)

The Torah begins Parashas Mishpatim presenting the many mitzvos that cover the gamut from social/welfare relationships to the appropriate manner of service to Hashem, including the laws of the eved Ivri, Jewish bondsman. One would think a number of other mitzvos would also serve as an appropriate opening to Parashas Mishpatim. The various commentators address this question by offering explanations for what seems to be an anomaly, but we know that no anomalies exist in the Torah. Everything is sorted out and presented by Heavenly design. Horav Yosef Shalom Eliyashiv, zl, comments that the very foundation of the laws concerning…

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Home -> 5783 -> Mishpatim

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון

Sruly Schnair
In Mishpatim, 5783

You shall not cause pain to any widow or orphan. (22:21)

What kind of person would mistreat a widow or an orphan? The mere fact that the Torah admonishes us against being so cruel indicates that there are people who will do anything to anyone to take advantage – be it for money, or just because they want to show their power. Some people simply do not use their seichel, common-sense. To them, a rule is a rule, and it should apply to the weak as well. Thus, a widow and orphan do not receive preferred treatment. They are no different than anyone else. No leniency exists for them. This is…

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Home -> 5783 -> Mishpatim

ואנשי קדש תהיון לי

Sruly Schnair
In Mishpatim, 5783

People of holiness shall you be to Me. (22:30)

It is not enough for a Jew to be good and upright. While these are noble, enviable attributes for anyone else, we answer to a Higher Authority and a Higher calling. We must strive to attain kedushah, holiness. Our neshamos, souls, are pure, and it is incumbent upon us to do everything within our ability to sustain the soul’s pristine nature. It is due to this Heavenly mandate to achieve kedushah that the dynamic concerning what we may do, where we may go, what we may eat and how we should live comes into play. For a Jew, everything comes…

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Home -> 5783 -> Yisro

ויספר משה לחתנו את כל אשר עשה ד' ... ויאמר יתרו ברוך ד' אשר הציל אתכם

Sruly Schnair
In Yisro, 5783

Moshe told his father-in-law everything that Hashem had done… Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem Who has rescued you.” (18:8,10)

The power that a story has to impact a person cannot be overstated. Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, teaches, “There is nothing that revives the spirit, purifies the heart, deepens the thought, or draws us close to our Father in Heaven more than telling a story (obviously, there is an art to telling a story). Indeed, prior to giving us the mitzvos of the Torah, Hashem preceded it with the story of Creation.” Moshe Rabbeinu employed the effectiveness of a story to inspire Yisro and draw his heart close to Hashem, “Moshe related to his father-in-law all that Hashem had done.”…

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Home -> 5783 -> Yisro

אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים

Sruly Schnair
In Yisro, 5783

I am Hashem, Your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. (20:2)

Kabbalas haTorah, the Giving/Receiving of the Torah, was the crown of Creation. As the Abir Yaakov (Horav Yaakov Abuchatzeira, zl) writes, the purpose of Creation is to recognize Hashem’s Monarchy. It is understandable that the world cannot exist without Torah, which guides us how to serve Hashem. In this sense, the world was not completed until Klal Yisrael received/accepted the Torah on Har Sinai. With this in mind, the Abir Yaakov explains the first pesukim of the Torah: Bereishis bara Elokim, “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth…darkness was on the face of the depths, and the…

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Home -> 5783 -> Yisro

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

Sruly Schnair
In Yisro, 5783

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

I think the primary essence of Shabbos is to be derived from the word l’kadsho, “to sanctify it.” This does not in any way mean to belittle the importance of zachor, “remember,” the Shabbos. Clearly, one who does not remember, who does not observe Shabbos according to halachah, can hardly sanctify it. The suggestion, however, is that Shabbos observance without focusing on its sanctity, by concentrating on the positive aspects of rest, and how this time should be spent spiritually elevating ourselves, undermines the essence of Shabbos. Shabbos is a day of elevation, of spiritual growth, which is achieved through…

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