Pinchas saw an outrageous act of moral turpitude, and he immediately acted with extreme courage to eradicate the sinners. Was it his actions in killing Zimri and Cozbi that earned him the accolades, or was it his clarity of vision to discern right from wrong, evil from good? Veritably, every kannai, zealot, who sincerely acts for Heaven’s sake requires both qualities: unabashed clarity of vision; and extreme courage. The reason is that, unlike the zealot who sees clearly, those around him who stand observing with folded hands do not. Furthermore, some are so myopic that they brand the zealot as…

The Torah seems to find it necessary to once again introduce the reader to Moshe Rabbeinu’s arch nemeses, Dasan and Aviram. One would think that these two evildoers would be remembered for their continued evil throughout the nation’s nascency. Indeed, their first incursion took place in Egypt when they argued with Moshe and followed up by informing on him to Pharaoh. They told Pharaoh that the Jews had left Egypt, and they later broke the rule not to leave over the manna that descended from Heaven to the next day. They led the charge of Nitnah rosh v’nashuvah Mitzraimah, “Let…

The emphasis one places on studying Torah, which facilitates one’s knowledge of its wisdom and allows him to understand the mitzvos and how to perform them, is deeply rooted in Torah principles. We are also enjoined, however, to translate the knowledge we garner into action through acts of kindness and by teaching others. The integration of learning and doing is essential for personal growth, as well as the positive contribution it makes to benefit the Jewish community. By combining Torah study with gemillas chassadim, one lives a meaningful life of spiritual learning coupled with practical application, which fosters a harmonious…

Bilaam’s arrogance was on the same level as his evil. He acted upon his base desires and thought nothing of it. Yet, he took umbrage with anyone who had the audacity to call his malevolent actions to his attention. He was Bilaam, the greatest pagan prophet. As such, he had license to do whatever he pleased. All went well until Bilaam’s donkey gave him mussar, rebuked him. The donkey refused to go forward, because it saw an angel impeding its path. Bilaam, the prophet, did not see the angel.  Thus, he struck the donkey three times for its unwillingness to…

Balak complied to Bilaam’s request and erected seven Altars upon which he offered seven cows and seven rams. He did this three times for a total of forty-two sacrifices. While Balak’s attempt to curse the Jewish people yielded no immediate effect, it did play itself out negatively generations later in the time of Elisha HaNavi. Chazal (Sotah 47a) teach that forty-two children who cursed Elisha died as a result of the Navi’s response to them. [The commentators explain that these children were products of a prohibited union which was consummated on Yom Kippur. Additionally, Elisha saw through Divine Inspiration that…

Rashi explains (based upon a Midrash) that, even when Klal Yisrael sins, Hashem chooses not to scrutinize their sin to the full extent of their shortcomings. This does not mean that we are perfect. People sin — and some sin egregiously — but Hashem knows that, despite their nefarious behavior, their neshamah, soul, which is a part of the Divine, remains untarnished, and, as such, it can/will return. While the soul will remain pure, we are still accountable for our actions, and we must strive to live an ethical and moral life. The belief in the intrinsic purity of the…

Rashi explains that Bilaam was impressed by the modesty and sensitivity which the arrangement of the tents demonstrated. It indicated the importance of the family unit. Bilaam ha’rasha posits that the perpetuation of Klal Yisrael is contingent upon the preservation of the family unit, which is central to Jewish life and identity on several levels. Within Jewish families (that bond together) we transmit traditions, customs and rituals from generation to generation. The family serves as the primary setting for learning about the history – both religious and cultural – of our people. Parents, as well as grandparents, play a significant…

Being that the Torah, which is our blueprint for life, is Divinely-Authored, it is understandable that it is intrinsically “beyond human cognition.” Whatever we think we understand of it is the result of interpretation by mentors throughout the generations. They have plumbed its depths and transmitted their knowledge to future generations. Nonetheless, one does not know the actual, reason that Hashem chose a specific mitzvah for us to perform, or not to transgress. The reasoning that our gedolim have transmitted to us throughout the generations is only to make it easier for the human mind to accept. While some mitzvos…

The Aderes Elyahu cites a yalkut that posits, Parah zu Yisrael; “Parah (Adumah), this is Yisrael.” Apparently, Chazal identify a metaphysical connection between the Parah Adumah and the Jewish People. Horav Mordechai Ilan, zl (Mikdash Mordechai), observes that Klal Yisrael demonstrated their spiritual mettle when they stood by Har Sinai and proclaimed, Naaseh v’nishma; “We will do and we will listen.” Hashem offered the Torah, with all of its qualities and demands, to which we committed ourselves without question. Hashem had previously offered this gift to the other nations, who had rejected it. They felt that the Torah’s demands did…

Chazal (Shabbos 83b) teach, “A person should never be absent from the bais hamedrash, nor ever refrain from studying Torah – even at the moment of death. For it is stated, Zos haTorah adam ki yamus b’ohel, ‘This is the Torah – a man who dies in a tent.’ This pasuk teaches us that, even at the moment of death, one should be involved in the study of Torah.” Reish Lakish adds, “The words of Torah are not retained, except by one who kills himself (by refraining from unessential physical indulgences). As it is stated, ‘This is the Torah of…

Parashas Korach stands alone as the parsha which is yafeh nidreshes, expounded well, presenting many details. In his Teivas Gome, the author of the Pri MeGadim explains Rashi’s statement rationally. Most halachos of the Torah are time-sensitive, applicable during specific times. For instance, one does not lecture about Pesach during the Three Weeks, or about Chanukah during the month of Shevat. Parashas Korach, in which much of its theme touches on the deleterious effects of machlokes, controversy, sadly applies constantly. We are aware of no geographic or chronologic limitations to machlokes. It happens more often than we care to acknowledge,…

Rashi explains that Dasan and Aviram replied to Moshe Rabbeinu’s request for a meeting, “Nothing you do – even if you blind us – will make us come.” Sforno explains their chutzpah as implying: “Do you think you can blind us to your failures?” We suggest an alternative explanation. Apparently, they specified eyes and blindness for a reason. They could have simply said, “There is nothing you can do; no punishment will convince us to listen to you.” I think it all boils down to how one views a person or a situation. If one’s vision is superficial, cursory, he…

Korach and his henchmen impugned the integrity of Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership. This was a mutiny against our quintessential leader and what he represented – Hashem and His Torah. This was unmitigated chutzpah at its nadir. We have unfortunately had despots throughout our nation’s history who have raised their fists against Torah leadership and have denounced our nation’s bond with the Torah. Korach, however, was the first to breach the peaceful coexistence of our people and disparage its leadership. His punishment was equally unparalleled: He went to his grave – alive. The entire Korach debacle begs elucidation. First, the Torah has…

Leadership is commonly understood to be the result of an interplay among various leadership qualities and positive innate character traits, skills and the external circumstances which serve as the backdrop for the leader to perform his role. Obviously, the characteristics of the community which he must shepherd is a major component. Ultimately, who is to become Klal Yisrael’s manhig, leader, is Divinely-mandated. Hashem confers leadership on whom He deems deserving of the position and who would best lead the nation during its present circumstances. Over time, the chosen leader will cultivate the qualities of communication, empathy, decision-making and vision which…

The terms, Ha’ro’im, “Who have seen (My Glory),” and Im yiru, ‘They shall not see,” appear to be closely related. This, explains Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, is why the Torah, in issuing the decree that this generation would not enter the Land, uses the expression, re’iyah, seeing, rather than im ya’vo’u, they will not come. He explains the rationale for the altered text. The Holy Land, the Eretz zovas cholov u’devash, flowing with milk and honey, the Land in which Divine intervention is to be seen on a national basis can only attain its destiny if the people “see,” acknowledge…

It is a land that exhausts its inhabitants. It is a land not designed for people of ordinary size. Unless one has the constitution of a giant, he will become moribund there. Small and weak people do not survive there. Veritably, the meraglim encountered funerals wherever they went. Their error was a lack of faith in Hashem. They never asked themselves: Could Hashem be doing this for a reason? He was. The people were too preoccupied with visiting the cemeteries to notice a team of Jews wandering through the countryside. The report the spies brought back was based upon their…

Someone who is, for the first time, being introduced to the institution of Shabbos Kodesh can find it to be overwhelming. No other prohibitive mitzvah in the Torah exists whereby what appears to be one simple, although forbidden, act will incur such stringent punishment as execution by stoning, which is the most strict of the four modes of bais din mandated executions. If one were to chas v’shalom burn a Sefer Torah with all of its sacred names; if one were to eat a non-kosher animal, an act which is mitamtem es ha’lev, stuffs/occludes the heart (one who consumes non-kosher…

Rashi writes: L’hagid shevacho shel Aharon – she’lo shinah, “To tell the praise of Aharon, in that he did not deviate.” This statement begs elucidation. Would it enter anyone’s imagination to suggest that Aharon might have deviated from Hashem’s command? A number of expositions explain Rashi’s statement. The Sifrei Chassidus have a twist on the definition of the word shinah, deviate. When we take into consideration that Aharon would prepare and light the Menorah twice daily, it might be appropriate to say that he never tired of his function. The same passion and love that he manifested in the morning,…

A debate in the Talmud (Succah 25a) concerns the identity of the men who were contaminated. Rabbi Yosi HaGlili says that they were the pallbearers of Yosef’s coffin. Rabbi Akiva says they were Mishael and Elitzafan, who were occupied with the corpses of Nadav and Avihu. In any event, these were not ordinary Jews who wanted to display their religious commitment. These were men who were sincerely concerned about being left out as the nation celebrated the offering of the Korban Pesach. We wonder what these men were thinking. They were fully aware of their situation: they were tamei –…

People are shaped by their desires and cravings, which, in turn, influence their choices and actions. Desires often stem from personal experiences, values and external influences. What a person craves reflects his priorities and character, as well as his pursuit of fulfillment in various aspects of life. In other words, a nation that had graduated from two centuries of slavery to be liberated to stand at Har Sinai, experiencing the greatest Divine Revelation during which they received the Torah, should not get bent out of shape over a lack of meat. Mi yaachileinu basar, “Who will feed us meat?” is…

Moshe Rabbeinu was the paragon of humility, and he has gone down in history as the humblest man who ever walked the face of the earth. Does this mean that he was unaware of his remarkable, unprecedented and unparalleled achievements? Absolutely not! A humble person possesses a realistic awareness of his skills and achievements. He would otherwise be cognitively impaired. He just tends to downplay his achievements and abilities. He does not feel the need to flaunt, boast or even call attention to his successful exploits, knowing fully well what he is and what he is capable of achieving. He…

The maxim of the Chafetz Chaim concerning this pasuk is well-known. Only what someone designates for kedushah, holiness, remains his. One does not take his financial portfolio with him to the next world. Eitz Chaim hee la’machazikim bah; “It is a tree of life to those who hold on to it” (Mishlei 3:18). We must hold onto the Torah and follow it. The Torah does not need our support. On the contrary, we need the Torah to keep us afloat. I came across a poignant story, followed by a comment of Horav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, zl, that is powerful and…

The Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, mentions adultery as one of the cardinal sins for which one must sacrifice his life rather than transgress it. Yet, surprisingly, throughout the parshah of sotah, the wayward wife, no mention is made of the woman’s transgression against Hashem. Never is the phrase, mo’alah maal b’Hashem, mentioned. It is against the husband. This leads us to suggest that the egregious nature of the sin of adultery is its destruction of the marriage bond. As a result, it is a transgression against Hashem. First and foremost is what the sotah does to the institution of holy…

Rashi explains that the ingredients which comprised the Minchas Sotah were unlike that of other Menachos. The sotah’s Minchah used barley, which is eaten by animals, as opposed to wheat, which is consumed by humans. Her base actions were indicative of someone who had gravitated more to the animal sphere. There was no oil, since oil is the symbol of light, and the sotah acted in darkness. Last, there is no frankincense because the Hebrew word for frankincense is levonah, which is the term the Torah uses to describe our Imahos, Matriarchs. Implied by the lack of frankincense is that…

On the surface, the term nezirus begs elucidation. Is the Nazir a tzaddik, a righteous person, or is he, on some level, a sinner? The Torah refers to him as a kadosh, holy, to Hashem. Yet, he must bring a Korban Chatas, sin-offering, at the end of his period of nezirus. Surely, someone who is considered kadosh should not have to bring a sin-offering. What sin did he commit? Various opinions are stated concerning the Nazir’s “breach” in holiness. He should not have achieved this pinnacle through the vehicle of abstinence from wine. A person should override his gravitation toward…