Achievement – Page 3 – Peninim on the Torah

ותצא אש מלפני ד' ותאכל אותם וימותו לפני ד'

A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem. (10:2)

The Talmud enumerates a number of deficiencies in the elevated rectitude of such tzaddikim as Nadav and Avihu, which led to their untimely tragic passing. One of the comments which begs elucidation is that they would walk behind Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen, with the rest of the nation following them, and they would say, “When will those two elders pass away, and you and I will lead the generation?” Hashem responded, “We will see who will bury whom.” Are we to believe that they were so callous as to “wait” for their father’s and uncle’s deaths; so that they…

Home -> 5784 -> Tetzaveh

ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Tetzaveh, 5784

Now you shall command Bnei Yisrael. (27:20)

A name is important, but, for some people, it is sadly all they have. They feel that lineage of any sort will pave the way for their future. While in some instances it might be true, the lineage will not preserve their legacy. This is not meant to demean the value of a name. It can carry cultural, historical or familial significance, which is meaningful, not only to the person, but also to those who revere his lineage and what it represents. Legacy is established, however, by the impact one makes on his surroundings, his friends and his students. One’s…

Home -> 5784 -> Yisro

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5784

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

Two central themes characterize the observance of Shabbos. It is an expression of our belief that Hashem created the world in six days, which implies the existence of the Creator. We also observe Shabbos in remembrance of Hashem’s kindness in liberating us from the bondage of Egypt. The Egyptians made labor on Shabbos mandatory. The Midrash teaches that the Egyptians forced the Jews to work on Shabbos and transgress all thirty-nine melachos, labors, that are prohibited on Shabbos. The Arizal teaches that the thirty-nine labors correspond to the thirty-nine curses which were the result of Adam’s eating from the Eitz…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5784

ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים שבע עשרה שנה

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Vayechi

Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (47:28)

After (what seemed to be) a life of difficulty, Yaakov Avinu arrived in Egypt to spend the last seventeen years of his mortal existence. The tranquility, joy and harmony that he enjoyed in some way ameliorated what he had endured in the past. While there can be no tradeoff for the pain and sorrow that our Patriarch experienced, we do know that the last seventeen years of his life were reasonably calm and filled with nachas. Chazal (Talmud Yerushalmi, Kesubos 65b, Bereishis Rabbah 96:5) teach that Yaakov Avinu and Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi were intrinsically joined. This matter was not unknown…

Home -> Vayeishev -> 5784

ויהי כדברה אל יוסף יום יום

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Vayeishev

And so it was – just as she coaxed Yosef day after day. (39:10)

The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 67:6) teaches: “The descendants of Rachel Imeinu, in the following two instances, their tests which they endured and their greatness with which they were consequently rewarded were equivalent.” Yosef was coaxed, day after day, to sin. Mordechai (of the tribe of Binyamin) refused to bow down to Haman, day after day. “Their greatness with which they were rewarded, Pharaoh removed his signet ring and appointed Yosef as viceroy. The Persian king removed his signet ring and gave it to Mordechai, granting him a position of unparalleled importance and power.” We wonder why Chazal consider Yosef and…

Home -> 5784 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5784

In the beginning of G-d’s creating. (1:1)

Horav Yehudah Leib/Leibele Eiger, zl, grandson of Horav Akiva Eiger and son of Horav Shlomo Eiger, was drawn to chassidus (in contrast to the way in which he was raised). This was a time in which chassidim and misnagdim, those in opposition, were, to say the least, not on amicable terms. Rav Leibele went to Horav Menachem Mendel, zl, of Kotzk, the famous Kotzker Rebbe. Kotzk was a chassidus devoted to strict adherence to unvarnished truth. The Rebbe did not have a large following, because he had no tolerance for anything that was less than the truth. He did not…

Home -> 5783 -> Ki Savo

ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך

Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5783

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in from your land. (26:2)

The mitzvah of Bikkurim, bringing the first fruits to the Bais Hamikdash, teaches us the significance of hakoras hatov, recognizing the good/benefits we receive and paying gratitude to our benefactor – which, in the case of Bikkurim, is Hashem. While anyone who possesses a modicum of common sense understands the importance of gratitude, we do not realize how far the obligation for gratitude goes and how one who does not live with hakoras hatov as a way of life is considered a deficient human being. The Ramchal (Mesillas Yesharim 8) underscores the importance of every human being aware of and…

Home -> 5783 -> Korach

ואכלתם אתו בכל מקום אתם וביתכם כי שכר הוא לכם. חלף עבדתכם

Sruly Schnair In Korach, 5783

You may eat it everywhere, you and your household, for it is a wage for you in exchange for your service. (18:31)

The Levi is instructed to tithe from his maaser, tithe, and give this terumas maaser to the Kohen. Once the tithe has been separated and given to the Kohen, the Levi is free to use it at will, wherever he so pleases. It is no longer holy and may be eaten even in a ritually contaminated state. The Torah appears to underscore the fact that it is cheilef avodasechem; in exchange for your service. This means that the maaser that the Levi received is a form of wages for his service to the nation. Horav Chaim Toito, Shlita, relates the…

Home -> 5783 -> Beha'alosecha

איש איש כי יהיה טמא לנפש או בדרך רחוקה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5783

If any man will become contaminated through a human corpse or on a distant road. (9:10)

The Pesach Sheini dispensation has two aspects: tamei, ritual contamination; derech rechokah, distance from the Sanctuary. One who, for one of these reasons, missed out on celebrating Pesach Rishon appropriately, is granted a second chance in accordance with halachah. Horav Lazar Brody, Shlita, posits that the laws of Pesach Sheini are an allusion to the baal teshuvah, penitent, who returns to Jewish observance. One who was born to a family that was distant from observance can return, can have another start at being an observant Jew. Chazal (Pesachim 95a) ask what the difference is between Pesach Rishon and Pesach Sheini….

Home -> 5783 -> Naso

והביא האיש את אשתו אל הכהן והביא את קרבנה עליה עשירית האיפה קמח שעורים לא יצוק עליו שמן ולא יתן עליו לבונה

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5783

The man shall bring his wife to the Kohen, and he shall bring her offering for her, a tenth-eiphah of barley flour; he shall not pour oil over it and shall not put frankincense upon it. (5:15)

Her husband brings the Minchas Sotah, meal-offering of the wayward wife. It is not a normal offering in the sense that its ingredients are a reminder of her moral transgression. This minchah should invoke within her a confrontation with her profligate past, the activities which brought her here in the first place. All she has to do is confess and correct her ways. In the face of the terrifying fate which will be hers if she refuses to acknowledge her guilt, her obstinacy will be her downfall. Rather than offering a meal-offering consisting of flour, hers is made of barley,…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Shemini ->

ותצא אש מלפני ד' ותאכל אותם וימותו לפני ד'

A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem. (10:2)

ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל

Now you shall command Bnei Yisrael. (27:20)

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

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

ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים שבע עשרה שנה

Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (47:28)

ויהי כדברה אל יוסף יום יום

And so it was – just as she coaxed Yosef day after day. (39:10)

בראשית ברא אלקים

In the beginning of G-d’s creating. (1:1)

ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in from your land. (26:2)

ואכלתם אתו בכל מקום אתם וביתכם כי שכר הוא לכם. חלף עבדתכם

You may eat it everywhere, you and your household, for it is a wage for you in exchange for your service. (18:31)

איש איש כי יהיה טמא לנפש או בדרך רחוקה

If any man will become contaminated through a human corpse or on a distant road. (9:10)

והביא האיש את אשתו אל הכהן והביא את קרבנה עליה עשירית האיפה קמח שעורים לא יצוק עליו שמן ולא יתן עליו לבונה

The man shall bring his wife to the Kohen, and he shall bring her offering for her, a tenth-eiphah of barley flour; he shall not pour oil over it and shall not put frankincense upon it. (5:15)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!