Bracha – Page 60 – Peninim on the Torah

וענית ואמרת... ארמי אבד אבי... וירעו אותנו המצרים ויענונו... ושמחת בכל הטוב

Then you shall call out and say… “An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather… the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us…” You shall rejoice with all the goodness. (26:5,6,11)

I met someone the other day who a number of years ago had been at the brink of bankruptcy. His financial profile was in such serious straits that, at one point, he could not afford food on the table. Hashem blessed him, and he flowered exponentially; today, he is a very successful, wealthy man. We began talking about “old times,” and the topic of his not so recent past came up. When I alluded to how far he had come, he practically became indignant and said, “We do not talk about those times. What was – was, and it is…

Home -> 5775 -> Ki Savo

ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך כי באתי אל הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5775

You shall come to whoever will be the Kohen in those days, and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land.” (26:3)

Once Eretz Yisrael was conquered and allocated among the tribes, the farmers were able to take their first ripened fruit to the Sanctuary and present them to the Kohen in a ritual which included a moving declaration of gratitude to Hashem. Hakoras hatov, gratitude, is one of the most basic middos tovos, positive character traits, without which one is not a mentch, decent human being. Only a person who is a makir tov, one who recognizes and appreciates the good which he receives from others, has a chance of achieving shleimus, perfection, in his relationship with Hashem. One who does…

Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5775

קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Ha'azinu

A G-d of faithfulness without injustices; He is righteous and upright. (32:4)

Our inability to see beyond the parameters of our eyesight is the reason that people have questions concerning the manner in which Hashem guides the world. As human beings we have limited eyesight, and, our ability to understand His ways is, likewise, stunted. We understand neither why bad things happen to good people, nor who really is good and who is not. For that matter, can we really define good things? The following story regarding the birth of Rav Aharon Karliner, zl, founder of the Karlin-Stolin dynasty, should engender a good feeling within us, especially on this, the first Shabbos…

Home -> 5775 -> Eikev

וברכת את ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Eikev, 5775

And bless Hashem, Your G-d. (8:10)

One of the most common blessings we recite following food or drink consumption is the brachah acharonah, after-blessing, Borei nefashos rabos v’chesronan, “Who creates numerous living things with their deficiencies.” The Tur explains the concept chesronos, deficiencies, to mean that Hashem has created the hashlamah, completion, the (sort of) antidote to everything that we might be missing from our lives. The Rashba (Teshuvos 149), however, disagrees, explaining that we pay gratitude to Hashem specifically for (what appears to us as) the deficiencies in our lives. It is our way of affirming the manner in which Hashem has created us. For…

Home -> 5775 -> Chukas

ויקחו אליך פרה אדומה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5775

And they shall take to you a Red Cow. (19:2)

The Parah Adumah, Red Cow (heifer), is considered the quintessential chok, mitzvah whose reason defies human rationale. There is an aspect to this mitzvah, which although paradoxical in nature, is symbolically perceivable. Indeed, at first glance, the Parah Adumah incorporates two opposites. On the one hand, it must be totally red: even two black hairs render it invalid. This is puzzling, since the color red is usually identified with sin. Red is the symbol of blood. The Navi Yeshayahu (1:18) says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are as red as…

Home -> 5775 -> Beshalach

נטית ימינך תבלעמו ארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5775

You stretched out Your right hand – the earth swallowed them. (15:12)

Rashi explains this pasuk as sort of a reward for the Egyptians, because they had acknowledged Hashem’s justice, when (ibid 9:27) they proclaimed, Hashem HaTzaddik, “Hashem is righteous.” He showed His infinite mercy by allowing them to be buried following their ordeal. This is the meaning of, tivlaeimo aretz, “The earth swallowed them up.” A powerful lesson may be derived from here. Regardless of who a person is, his previous negative actions notwithstanding, when he acts appropriately, when he performs a positive act that either serves as a vehicle for glorifying Hashem or assisting a (fellow) Jew – he will…

Home -> Bechukosai -> 5775

ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם ונתנה הארץ יבולה ועץ השדה יתן פריו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Bechukosai

Then I will provide your rains in their time, and the land will give its produce and the tree of the field will give its fruit. (26:4)

Interestingly, all of the physical blessings mentioned by the Torah as a reward for mitzvah observance and toiling in Torah are agricultural in nature. Why does the Torah not ensure a person with great wealth, agriculture property or real estate? It seems as if every blessing is: If you observe mitzvos and work hard at studying Torah, you will be blessed with success for all of your hard work in the field. It is almost like saying, if you work hard in the bais hamedrash, then your work in the field will reap great success. Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, offers…

Home -> 5775 -> Bereishis

וירא אלקים את האור כי טוב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5775

And Elokim saw the light that it was good. (1:4)

The Talmud Yoma 38b states: “Rabbi Elazar says: it is worth for the world to be created even for (the benefit it derived from) one tzaddik, righteous person.” This is derived from the above pasuk, “And Elokim saw the light that it was good.” There is no “good” like a tzaddik. We also find in Mishlei 10:25, V’tzaddik yesod olam, “A righteous person is the foundation of the world.” We now have some inkling of the great merit that a tzaddik has in this world. One tzaddik – not a world of tzaddikim – only one, single, righteous person makes…

Home -> 5775 -> Beha'alosecha

וזה מעשה המנורה... כמראה אשר הראה ד' את משה כן עשה את המנורה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beha'alosecha, 5775

And this is how the Menorah was made… according to the image that Hashem had shown Moshe, so did he make the Menorah. (8:4)

Rashi explains the meaning behind the word, V’zeh, and this, which seems to imply that Hashem in some way demonstrated to Moshe Rabbeinu how the Menorah should appear. Apparently, this is exactly what happened. Moshe had difficulty grasping the image of the Menorah. Hashem presented a visual rendition of the Menorah, pointing to it, as if to say V’zeh, “And this” (is how I want the Menorah to look). Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, compares this to two amateurs who were given the tools and materials to build a house. One neophyte had the common sense to realize that trial and…

Home -> 5775 -> Balak

הנה העם היצא ממצרים ויכס את עין הארץ עתה לכה קבה לי אתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Balak, 5775

Behold! The people coming out of Egypt has covered the surface of the earth. Now go and curse it for me. (22:11)

In Parashas Balak, we are introduced to a new type of enemy, and, consequently, a battle which is of a completely different nature. Our standard classical enemies, such as Egypt, Amalek and others which followed them, came out to annihilate or persecute us with soldiers, weapons, and a battle plan. Balak and Bilaam did no such thing. Theirs was a battle waged on spiritual terrain, a battle between: the forces of tumah, spiritual defilement, and taharah, spiritual purity. It was the base, immoral Bilaam, a degenerate of epic proportions, who was hired by Balak, an evil misfit in his own…

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וענית ואמרת... ארמי אבד אבי... וירעו אותנו המצרים ויענונו... ושמחת בכל הטוב

Then you shall call out and say… “An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather… the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us…” You shall rejoice with all the goodness. (26:5,6,11)

ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך כי באתי אל הארץ

You shall come to whoever will be the Kohen in those days, and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land.” (26:3)

קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא

A G-d of faithfulness without injustices; He is righteous and upright. (32:4)

וברכת את ד' אלקיך

And bless Hashem, Your G-d. (8:10)

ויקחו אליך פרה אדומה

And they shall take to you a Red Cow. (19:2)

נטית ימינך תבלעמו ארץ

You stretched out Your right hand – the earth swallowed them. (15:12)

ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם ונתנה הארץ יבולה ועץ השדה יתן פריו

Then I will provide your rains in their time, and the land will give its produce and the tree of the field will give its fruit. (26:4)

וירא אלקים את האור כי טוב

And Elokim saw the light that it was good. (1:4)

וזה מעשה המנורה... כמראה אשר הראה ד' את משה כן עשה את המנורה

And this is how the Menorah was made… according to the image that Hashem had shown Moshe, so did he make the Menorah. (8:4)

הנה העם היצא ממצרים ויכס את עין הארץ עתה לכה קבה לי אתו

Behold! The people coming out of Egypt has covered the surface of the earth. Now go and curse it for me. (22:11)

YEARS

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