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Home -> 5785 -> Va'eschanan

ויאמר ד' אלי רב לך אל תוסף דבר אלי עוד בדבר הזה

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5785

Hashem said to me, “It is too much for you! Do not continue to speak to Me further about this matter.” (3:26)

Simply, Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu, “Enough! Do not continue asking to enter Eretz Yisrael.  It is not happening.  The decision has been made.”  Chazal (Sotah 13) offer an alternative understanding of rav lach: Rav yeish lach —  you have a Rav/Rebbe/spiritual guide—Yehoshua.  On the surface, Chazal’s exposition is enigmatic.  It appears almost as if Hashem was calling attention to the fact that Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisrael – adding that Yehoshua is his Rav.  It is not bad enough that Hashem did not accept his pleas to reverse His decree, that he had to be reminded that he was…

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Home -> 5785 -> Va'eschanan

ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5785

You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources. (6:5)

The Sifri (Parsha 32) comments, Ahaveihu al ha’brios k’Avraham… “Make Him beloved by people as Avraham Avinu did.”  Our Patriarch was not satisfied merely with his relationship with Hashem.  He wanted everyone in the world to have such a relationship with the Almighty.  He taught the world about its Creator because he wanted them to love Hashem and observe His precepts.  This idea of reaching out to others, bringing them closer to Hashem is echoed by Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvos 3 and Sefer HaChinuch 418).  A Jew who loves Hashem cannot remain at ease while others are distant from Him.  His…

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Home -> Devarim -> 5785

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Devarim

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Moshe Rabbeinu opens Sefer Devarim with words of rebuke. For forty years, he had been their leader, but it was now, shortly before he was to leave this world, that he chose rebuke as his parting words. We derive from here that rebuke should be well-thought out and delivered at a time when the rebuker feels it will be accepted. We do not reproach out of anger, but out of love and caring. We neither waste words, nor do we mince words. We say what must be said, even if being brutally honest may have backlash. Moshe chose his last…

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Home -> Devarim -> 5785

ד' אלקיכם הרבה אתכם והנכם היום ככוכבי השמים לרב

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Devarim

Hashem, your G-d, has multiplied you and behold! You are like the stars of heaven in abundance. (1:10)

The Torah famously blesses Klal Yisrael with two metaphors, which, on the surface, appear paradoxical. In the above pasuk, we are compared to the stars of the sky in number. In Sefer Bereishis (22:17,) the Torah writes, “I will surely bless you and make your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the seashore.” Apparently, being compared to stars alone is insufficient. Our comparison to sand in number is a wonderful blessing, but is it not contradictory to stars? One is elevated, radiant and lofty, while the other is lowly, coarse and trampled upon. Apparently,…

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Home -> Devarim -> 5785

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Devarim

How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? (1:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu seems to express his personal feelings concerning the many difficulties associated with communal leadership. As a result, officers were appointed to ease the load, with only the most difficult issues coming before Moshe. He states three areas of concern: torchachem, your contentiousness; maasachem, your burdens; rivchem, your quarrels. The commentators have their individual ways of interpreting the meaning and ramifications of these terms. Are they that different from one another? Apparently, if the Torah chose to detail each one, they must each have a singular meaning. Ben Pores Yosef explains that there are different demands placed upon a…

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Home -> Matos -> 5785

ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Matos

The Tribes Reuven and Gad had an extremely large amount of cattle. (32:1)

Chazal (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:6) underscore the good fortune of one who acquires any one of these G-d-given precious gifts: wisdom, strength and/or wealth. This idea, say Chazal, applies only if one receives these gifts from Hashem. If, however, he receives these gifts from human beings – they have no value. Chazal continue: two wise people – one Jewish, one gentile, Achitofel and Bilaam –were both lost; two well-known strong men who did not endure – Shimshon and Golias – one Jewish, one gentile.  Two men of great wealth — Korach and Haman – neither made it. Why were these men…

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Home -> Matos -> 5785

ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Matos

Bnei Reuven and Bnei Gad had abundant livestock. (32:1)

The Torah teaches us that, following the war with Midyan, the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe were beset with an abundance of cattle. They asked to remain on the other side of the Jordan and enter Eretz Yisrael only for the purpose of war. In other words, they were not adverse to helping their brothers in their fight to rid the Holy Land of the pagan nations who inhabited it; they just wanted to return to the lush land on the other side of the Jordan, so that they would have sufficient feed for their animals. While…

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Home -> Masei -> 5785

אלה מסעי בני ישראל אשר יצאו מארץ מצרים... ויכתב משה את מוציא הם למסעיהם על פי ד' ואלה מסעיהם למוצאיהם

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Masei

These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael, who went forth from the land of Egypt… Moshe wrote their goings for the according to their journeys, according to the bidding of Hashem, and these were the journeys according to their goings forth. (33:1,2)

The Torah attributes much significance to Klal Yisrael’s forty-year journey throughout the wilderness – to the point that it details each one of its forty-two encampments. Apparently, we can derive much from this journey and each one of the stops Bnei Yisrael made. Horav Zakai, a student of Horav Chaim Volozhiner, zl, was a deeply righteous Jew, who had a profound understanding of all areas of Torah – both revealed and unrevealed. Every year, when he would recite the forty-two encampments listed at the beginning of Parashas Masei, he would break down in bitter weeping. When asked for an explanation…

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Home -> Masei -> 5785

אלה שמות האנשים אשר ינחלו לכם את הארץ

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Masei

These are the names of the men who are to take possession of the Land for you. (34:17)

Each nasi, leader of his respective tribe, took title to a province on behalf of his entire tribe. He would later apportion the land to be distributed among the members of his shevet, tribe. Noticeably, preceding each tribal leader, the word nasi is written, except for the first three the Torah mentions: Yehuda (Calev ben Yefuneh); Shimon (Shmuel ben Amihud); Binyamin (Elidad ben Kislon). Why is the title nasi omitted from their names? Horav Tzvi Hirsch Ferber, zl, explains that all the nesiim achieved distinction as a result of being selected to lead their respective shevet. Their position distinguished them…

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Home -> 5785 -> Pinchas

השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair
In Pinchas, 5785

He turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael. (25:11)

The Gaon, zl, m’Vilna, observes that the word machatzis (ha’shekel, the half-shekel coin which all Jews were obligated to give to the Mishkan) is spelled: mem, ches, tzadik, yud, saf. The middle of the five letters is the tzadik. The two letters closest to the tzadik (on its right and left) are the ches and yud – chai. The two outside letters are the mem and saf, spelling the word, meis. The tzadik is the first letter (rosh teivah) of the word tzedakah, charity. This, explains the Gaon, alludes to the maxim tzedakah tatzeil mimaves, charity saves one from death….

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