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Home -> 5757 -> Ki Savo

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5757

These shall stand to bless the people on Har Gerizim…And these shall stand for the curse on Har Eival…and Zevulun… (27:12,13)

Prior to entering Eretz Yisrael, the Jews were to assemble at two mountains.  Hashem would enumerate twelve specific commandments, and Klal Yisrael would acknowledge the blessings to be provided for those who upheld these mitzvos, and the curses to befall those who spurned them.  Six shevatim, tribes, stood on Har Gerizim, the mountain selected for blessing, while six other tribes stood on Har Eival to acknowledge the curses.  The commentators explain why these twelve subjects were selected as the vehicles for the public affirmation of blessing and curse.  The consensus of opinon is that these are unique commandments that the…

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Home -> 5757 -> Ki Savo

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5757

Then you shall call out and say….”An Arami tried to destroy my forefather…He descended to Egypt and sojourned there. (26:5,6)

The text of the pasuk implies that there is an integral relationship between the fact that Lavan attempted to destroy Yaakov and Yaakov’s subsequent descent to Egypt.  This does not seem to be consistent with the historical perspective as suggested in the Torah and commentaries.  Lavan the Arami was one tzarah, tormentor of Yaakov, and Pharaoh was another of Klal Yisrael’s persecutors.  The two do not seem however, to have any relationship. The Netziv offers a striking explanation.  Originally Klal Yisrael were to have remained in Aram with Lavan and his descendants for the duration of their four hundred year…

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Home -> 5757 -> Ki Savo

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5757

And you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground….and you shall put it in a basket…and you shall come to the Kohen. (26:2,3)

The Torah begins the parsha with the details of the Bikkurim offering.  The Jew brought the first of his fruits to the Kohen, symbolically stating that he dedicated all that he had to the service of Hashem.  In the Mishnah Bikkurim 3:6, Chazal describe the pomp and joy that accompanied this offering.  “The wealthy would bring their fruits in baskets made of gold; the poor in baskets made of cane.”  The Kohen took not only the fruits, but also the baskets.  The Yerushalmi explains that the basket served an interesting function.  In the event the fruits became tamei, ritually unclean,…

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Home -> 5757 -> Eikev

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Eikev, 5757

You shall teach them to your children to discuss them. (11:19)

Rashi comments that  Chazal have inferred from this pasuk that when a child begins to talk, his father should converse with him in lashon hakodesh, Hebrew, and should begin to teach him Torah.  If he does not teach him Torah, it is viewed as if he had ______ buried him.  This is implied by the juxtaposition to the next pasuk, in which the Torah states, “In order to prolong your days and the days of your children.”  The mitzvah of limud haTorah takes on a new perspective when it applies to a father’s obligation to educate his children.  A father…

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Home -> Bechukosai -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Bechukosai

If you will walk in My laws. (26:3)

Rashi cites Chazal who maintain that “halichah b’mitzvos,” walking in Hashem’s mitzvos, refers to intensive Torah study. One who diligently applies himself to studying Torah merits the blessings detailed in the parsha. Horav Chaim Shmulevitz, zl, cites Chazal in the Talmud Yoma 35b who suggest a possible scenario of the dialogue that ensues in the Heavenly Court on the Day of Judgment when each human being stands before Hashem. If a poor man is questioned regarding his lack of Torah study and he replies, “I was poor and too busy earning a living,” he is admonished for not following the…

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Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5756

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“And this is the blessing that Moshe… bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael before his death.” (33:1)

Moshe was acutely aware that the end was near; these would be his final words. In his last mandate to the people, he blessed them. All of the tribes to whom he had devoted so much of his life passed before him to receive their final blessing from the individual who had been more than leader and prophet – he was a compassionate father who had sacrificed himself for his children. He was a father who wished to leave this world with words of consolation, encouragement, and hope with which his children could face the future. The Sifri states a…

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Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5756

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“And this is the blessing that Moshe the man of G-d bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael.” (33:1)

The Midrash teaches us that prior to his death, Moshe Rabbeinu continued in the tradition which the Patriarchs had initiated. As Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov before him had blessed their sons before they took leave of this world, Moshe, likewise, blessed Bnei Yisrael, his spiritual children, before his death. The Midrash adds that the members of each ensuing generation began their blessing with the words with which the previous generation had closed. Hence, Avraham ended his blessing to Yitzchak with “nesinah,” “giving,” as is stated in Bereishis 25:6, “And Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak.” Yitzchak followed suit…

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Home -> 5756 -> Ki Savo

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5756

“You will go mad from the sight of your eyes that you will see.” (28:33)

Rav Akiva Eiger, zl, interprets “your eyes,” as alluding to the “eyes” of the nation, the spiritual leadership of Klal Yisrael. Hence, the curse is that we will be dumbfounded by the behavior and the rhetoric which will emanate from some of our people’s own leadership. The mar’ei einecha, image, presented by these “leaders” will be humiliating and degrading. They will act in a manner unbecoming a Torah Jew, let alone a spiritual leader. This is our thrice daily prayer to Hashem “Return (to us) our judges as before,” we pray to Hashem that our leaders be worthy of their…

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Home -> 5756 -> Ki Savo

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5756

“It shall be that when you cross the Yarden you shall erect these stones…” (27:4)

The two mountains clearly symbolize the concept of life and death, good and evil, for the people. Har Gerizim in full bloom, the symbol of viridity and life, stood in stark contrast to the barren peak of Har Eival, the symbol of desolation and death. The tribes were split into two groups, each taking its position on one of the mountains. The tribes listened to the choices, the blessings and curses, the consequences of good and evil. The people’s acceptance and affirmation of Hashem’s doctrine was, essentially, a renewal of their acceptance of the Torah on Har Sinai. Horav Eli…

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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse.” (11:26)

If Moshe is addressing all of Klal Yisrael, why does he speak in the singular – vtr – “while the word ofhbpk, “before you” is in the plural form? Moreover, why does he tell them to see? Would it not have been just as effective had he said, “I place before you a blessing and a curse?” Horav David Feinstein, Shlita, suggests that the concept of blessing is in the mind of the individual. Some feel that continued good health is a blessing. In contrast, others feel that mild sickness may even be viewed as a blessing, since it encourages…

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