Baal Teshuvah – Peninim on the Torah

זאת תורת החטאת במקום אשר תשחט העלה

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5786

This is the law of the sin-offering where the elevation-offering is slaughtered. (6:18)

In the event that there happens to be blood from a korban olah and blood from a korban chatas that require zerikah, application, on the Mizbayach, Altar, that of the Chatas, sin offering, is applied first, since the zerikah, application, on the Mizbayach, Altar, that of the Chatas, sin offering, is applied first, since the Chatas atones for more grievous sins than does the Korban Olah. Furthermore, Chazal (Zevach 89A) liken the sin offering to an intercessor who appeases someone who has been wronged, and the olah is like a gift given to a person after the fact, as a…

Home -> 5786 -> Bereishis

ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5786

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

Rebbeinu Bachya derives from the words kol yemei chayecha, “all the days of your life,” that the serpent’s punishment will not be mitigated l’asid lavo, after the advent of Moshiach Tzidkeinu. With the arrival of Moshiach, a new world culture will prevail. Harmony and peace will reign, and even the enmity between the serpent and human beings will come to an end. The punishment, “And dust shall you eat all the days of your life,” however, will continue unabated throughout time. In other words, despite the fact that, when Moshiach arrives the world will revert to pre-sin (of eating of…

Home -> 5785 -> Eikev

ואשר עשה לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5785

And what he did to Dasan and Aviram sons of Eliav. (11:6)

Noticeably, the Torah mentions only Dasan and Aviram concerning the Korach rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership. It seems to gloss over Korach, the leader of the rebellion. He was the scoundrel who attempted to usurp Moshe’s authority. In Parashas Pinchas (Bamidbar 26:9-11), the Torah does, likewise, mention Dasan and Aviram who were part of Korach’s congregation, but falls short of mentioning Korach. The Ramban (commentary to Devarim 11:6) asks this question. The Ohr HaChaim (commentary to Parashas Pinchas) explains that while Korach was the leader and the one whose name is identified most with the controversy, it was Dasan and…

Home -> 5785 -> Bereishis

ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5785

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

Rebbeinu Bachya derives from the words kol yemei chayecha, “all the days of your life,” that the serpent’s punishment will not be mitigated l’asid lavo, after the advent of Moshiach Tzidkeinu. With the arrival of Moshiach, a new world culture will prevail. Harmony and peace will reign, and even the enmity between the serpent and human beings will come to an end. The punishment, “And dust shall you eat all the days of your life,” however, will continue unabated throughout time. In other words, despite the fact that, when Moshiach arrives the world will revert to pre-sin (of eating of…

Home -> 5784 -> Shelach

כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

Sruly Schnair In Shelach, 5784

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

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…

Home -> 5784 -> Emor

ולקחתם לכם ... פרי עץ הדר כפת תמרים וענף עץ עבת וערבי נחל

Sruly Schnair In Emor, 5784

You shall take for yourselves … an esrog (the fruit of a citron tree), a lulav (the branches of date palms), hadas (twigs of a plaited tree/myrtle), and aravos (brook willows). (23:40)

Chazal (Succah 37b) state that one is to take the lulav (held) in his right hand, while he takes the esrog in the left. The reason for this is that the lulav includes three mitzvos: lulav, hadas, aravah; the esrog is singular. This does not seem consistent with the Midrash’s (Vayikra Rabbah 30:12) characterization of the symbolic representation of each of the arba minim, four species. The four species allude to four types of Jews. The esrog, pri eitz hadar, the beautiful fruit of a tree, has taam and reiach, taste as well as fragrance. It parallels the talmid chacham,…

Home -> 5783 -> Shoftim

מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5783

Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house. (20:8)

Chazal (Sotah 44a) cite two opinions concerning the fearful and fainthearted soldier who must return home from the battlefield, lest his distress demoralize the other soldiers. Rabbi Akiva is of the opinion that the Torah is referring to the cowardly person, who, after the Kohen’s assurances of Hashem’s support in the battlefield, is still overwhelmed with apprehension. He will have a negative effect on others. Let him go home and relax – if he can. His faith in Hashem is, at best, weak, and thus, not deserving of a miracle that he survive the battle. Rabbi Yosi HaGlili contends that…

Home -> Matos -> 5783

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף אל עמיך

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Matos

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim; afterward, you will be gathered to your people. (31:2)

Chazal (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:2) teach that, had Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to remain in this world for an extended period, he could have just taken his time in carrying out Hashem’s instructions that he take revenge against the Midyanim. Hashem had stressed that (only) after Moshe had dealt with the Midyanim would he leave this world. Moshe Rabbeinu responded immediately, however, appointing an army and its leadership to go forth to battle. Chazal (22:6) draw a distinction between Moshe and Yehoshua. When Yehoshua, Moshe’s successor, fought against the thirty-one kings, the war took a long time, as Yehoshua took his time…

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 -> Ki Sisa -> 5783

וישכימו ממחרת ויעלו עולות ויגישו שלמים וישב העם לאכל ושתו ויקומו לצחק

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Ki Sisa

The next day they rose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to make merry. (32:6)

Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, posits that this pasuk offers us a window into the mindset of the idol worshippers. At first, it begins with burnt offerings, which are wholly burnt and offered up to the higher being whom they claim to worship. This step is filled with idealism. After all, the entire animal is offered up, indicating the participants’ desire to give up their money and their lives on the altar of idealism. They still think that something will happen; their idol will speak to them. This step does not last very long, because nothing happens – no response from…

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זאת תורת החטאת במקום אשר תשחט העלה

This is the law of the sin-offering where the elevation-offering is slaughtered. (6:18)

ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

ואשר עשה לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב

And what he did to Dasan and Aviram sons of Eliav. (11:6)

ועפר תאכל כל ימי חייך

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

ולקחתם לכם ... פרי עץ הדר כפת תמרים וענף עץ עבת וערבי נחל

You shall take for yourselves … an esrog (the fruit of a citron tree), a lulav (the branches of date palms), hadas (twigs of a plaited tree/myrtle), and aravos (brook willows). (23:40)

מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו

Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house. (20:8)

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף אל עמיך

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim; afterward, you will be gathered to your people. (31:2)

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)

וישכימו ממחרת ויעלו עולות ויגישו שלמים וישב העם לאכל ושתו ויקומו לצחק

The next day they rose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to make merry. (32:6)

YEARS

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