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Home -> 5780 -> Noach

נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו כי אתך ראיתי צדיק לפני בדר הזה

Sruly Schnair
In Noach, 5780

Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. (6:9) For it is you that I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation. (7:1)

The Ksav Sofer notes the description of Noach, tzaddik tamim, righteous and perfect – which is found in the opening pasuk of the parsha, as opposed to the later reference to him only as a tzaddik – as he and his family are summoned to enter the Teivah, Ark. What changed from the earlier Noach to the later Noach? He explains that the transformation came as a result of his fathering three sons, one of whom was a morally reprehensible, pernicious individual, who refused to bow to authority. Apparently, a flaw had resided in the tzaddik tamim if he had…

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Home -> 5780 -> Noach

וישלח את הערב ויצא יצוא ושוב עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ

Sruly Schnair
In Noach, 5780

He sent out the raven, and it kept going and returning until the waters dried from upon the earth. (8:7)

The dove kept on returning with nothing in its mouth, an indication that the vegetation had not begun to grow. Noach also sent out the dove (seven days later) to see whether the waters had subsided. At first, the dove found no place that was dry. The dove returned. Seven days later, it was sent out again; this time it returned with a bitter olive in its mouth. The dove was symbolically implying, “Better that my food be bitter, but from G-d’s Hand, than sweet as honey, but dependent upon mortal man.” Chazal are teaching us an important lesson: better…

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Home -> 5780 -> Noach

וחם הוא אבי כנען ... וירא חם אבי כנען את ערות אביו ויגד לשני אחיו בחוץ

Sruly Schnair
In Noach, 5780

Cham, being the father of Canaan. (9:18)…Cham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. (9:22)

Why does the Torah find it necessary to inform us twice that Cham was the father of Canaan? Horav Sholom Schwadron, zl, explains that the Torah is teaching us the reason that Canaan was such a morally-depraved person: his father, Cham. When one has a Cham for a father, he is hard-pressed to expunge the nefarious character traits that have likely become part of his DNA. Children inherit the nature of their parents. Does that mean that a child whose parents leave much to be desired in the areas of morality, ethicality, human decency is challenged with also being a…

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Home -> 5780 -> Noach

על כן יאמר כנמרד גבור ציד לפני ד'

Sruly Schnair
In Noach, 5780

Therefore, it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Hashem.” (10:9)

Under such circumstances that there is no clearly-defined halachah that prohibits a certain activity, we will find a remonstrance such as: “It is not a Jewish thing,” or “Jewish people do not act in such a manner.” A point in question is the well-known psak, ruling, of the Noda B’Yehudah concerning hunting for sport. A wealthy Jew had just come into a sizeable estate, which included a large forest stocked with a variety of wild animals. The man asked the Noda B’Yehudah if he were permitted to hunt these animals on his newly-acquired forest. The Noda B’Yehudah replied that exclusive…

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Home -> 5780 -> Bereishis

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה ... את בני ישראל לפני מותו

Sruly Schnair
In Bereishis, 5780

And this is the blessing with which Moshe blessed… Bnei Yisrael before his death. (33:1)

Rashi notes the apparently unnecessary phrase, lifnei moso, before his death; obviously, this took place prior to our leader’s passing from the world. After all, could Moshe Rabbeinu bless the people after his death? We understand this phrase to mean “immediately before he died.” The Maharal m’Prague comments that Moshe blessed the people at the last possible moment, to teach us that the primary role of a leader is to rebuke and guide his people. He should wait until his task is complete before blessing them. Rashi alludes to the urgency of Moshe’s blessing. Moshe knew that his death was…

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Home -> 5780 -> Bereishis

ויקבר אתו בגי בארץ מואב מול בית פעור

Sruly Schnair
In Bereishis, 5780

And (he) they buried him in the valley, in the land of Moav, facing Beis Peor. (34:6)

The Talmud (Sotah 14a) explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was buried opposite the Peor idol in order to atone for the sin of Peor. What does the Peor idol have to do with the Jewish People? Indeed, if it had been Heavenly decreed that Moshe would be buried opposite Peor, could there not have been a more positive way of describing the location? Secondly, why was our quintessential Rebbe and leader buried in such an ignominious location opposite such a degenerate idol? Chazal seem to be addressing these questions when they say that Moshe was buried there in order to atone…

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Home -> 5780 -> Bereishis

ולא ידע איש קברתו עד היום הזה

Sruly Schnair
In Bereishis, 5780

And no one knows his burial place to this day. (34:6)

Rashi quotes Chazal (Sotah 14a) who say that Hashem buried Moshe Rabbeinu. Rabbi Yishmael contends that Moshe buried himself, since the Torah writes, “No one knows Moshe’s burial place.” If this is the case, another person could not have buried him, indicating either that he was either buried by Hashem or that he buried himself. The Zohar HaKadosh adds that Moshe’s “burial place” is not only a reference to his physical burial place in this world, but also to his exalted place of repose in Olam Habba, the World to Come. No one/no other soul is permitted access into his…

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Home -> Bechukosai -> 5779

אם בחקתי תלכו

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Bechukosai

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

Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, renders this pasuk homiletically by translating the word im (if) innovatively. Im contains the same Hebrew letters as eim, mother, which leads the Rosh Yeshivah (Shaar HaShomayim) to transform the message of the pasuk to assert that the mother, the akeres ha’bayis, mainstay of the Jewish home, is the one who catalyzes the spiritual growth of her children. She is the one who initiates the process, who ensures their proper entrance to Torah study and mitzvah observance. Furthermore, he explains, the Torah alludes to the manner of conveyance that will achieve the greatest results: B’chukosai teileichu;…

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Home -> Bechukosai -> 5779

אם בחקתי תלכו

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Bechukosai

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

Rashi explains Im bechukosai teileichu; “If you will follow My decrees” – she’tiheyu ameilim baTorah; “That you will toil in Torah.” This is the deal breaker. It all begins and ends with Torah. One who does not toil (study is not enough; it must be toil) in Torah is not ensured success in mitzvah observance. Only one whose life is all about Torah – who studies Torah amid sacrifice, placing it on a pedestal above all else – can hope to follow in Hashem’s decrees. David Hamelech says (Tehillim 119:72), Tov li Toras Picha meialfei zahav va’kesef, “The Torah of…

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Home -> Bechukosai -> 5779

ואם תלכו עמי קרי ולא תאבו לשמע לי

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Bechukosai

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

The pasuk introduces us to a new aspect of/on sin: Casualness. We persist in thinking (or acting as if we think) that all of Hashem’s carefully and meticulously calibrated punishments are merely coincidental: “Things happen.” When we act toward Hashem with casualness, He responds, in turn, by making it more difficult to discern the Divine Hand when things happen to us. This leads to Hester Panim, Divine concealment, Hiddenness of Hashem’s Countenance, making it harder for us to perceive the truth. The concept of keri, casualness, applies likewise (not equally) in our interpersonal relationships with our fellowman. We pass people…

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