Challenge – Page 38 – Peninim on the Torah

אלה מסעי בני ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Matos, Masei

These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael. (33:1)

On a recent trip to Eretz Yisrael, I struck up a conversation with a fellow traveler. He told me that, since it was his first overseas trip, he was planning to savor every moment. He looked forward to the eleven-hour flight as another leg on what was supposed to be a momentous trip. He was so excited that he was keeping track of every moment – from the taxi that picked him up at home until his eventual return in ten days. I felt this was an interesting perspective on travel, which, for most people, is something they must endure…

Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5775

ושני לחת העדות בידו לוחת כתובים משני עבריהם מזה ומזה הם כתבים.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Ki Sisa

With the Two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, Tablets inscribed on both sides; they were inscribed on one side and the other. (32:15)

The Midrash to Megillas Esther (8:4) relates that when Mordechai heard of the terrible decree issued against the Jewish People, he rent his garments, dressed in sackcloth as a sign of mourning and wept bitterly throughout the city. When Esther was informed of Mordechai’s public expression of grief, she said, “Never in the history of the Jewish People has there been such a decree leveled at us. Perhaps it is because they denied Zeh Keili v’anveihu, “This is my G-d and I will build Him a Sanctuary” (Shemos 15:2), or they disbelieved in the Luchos, Tablets, about which is written,…

Home -> 5775 -> Ki Savo

ארור מכה רעהו בסתר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5775

Accursed is one who strikes his fellow stealthily. (27:24)

Rashi interprets this prohibition as reference to speaking lashon hora, slanderous speech. We do not realize the serious consequences which result from lashon hora. While it is true that refraining from speaking what comes to mind can be difficult, when we realize that the Torah considers it a hakaah, tantamount to striking someone – which most of us would never do – it might serve as a deterrent. We might say or even allude to something ethically or morally negative about someone. This statement might be overheard by someone who conveys the comment to others who embellish it. By the…

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

זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור...כי חלק ד' עמו יעקב חבל נחלתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Ha'azinu

Remember the world history, study the generational epochs…Because (of) Hashem’s His People, Yaakov the cable of his heritage. (32:7,9)

One would conjecture that the notion that the Jewish People have a unique relationship with Hashem, that Yaakov and his descendants represent chevel nachalaso, the cable of His heritage, is a matter of emunah, faith. As Jews, we believe from our very entrance into cogency that Hashem has chosen us and that we are different as a result of this Divine selection. Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl, posits that the pasuk is teaching us otherwise. Our extraordinary relationship with Hashem is not a matter of faith; rather it is a matter of history. If we peruse the annals of history, we…

Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5775

האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, Ha'azinu

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And may the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass. (32:1,2)

Horav Yaakov Moshe Charlop, zl, observes the reality of two students of the same ability and similar qualities entering a yeshivah program; they remain in the yeshivah the same length of time, both studying diligently. Yet, one emerges as a gadol b’Yisrael, Torah giant, while the other one leaves as a learned Jew, fully proficient in Torah erudition, but does not achieve gadlus, greatness, in Torah. What is the difference between them? The rav explains that it is all dependent upon one’s ability to attend. The more attention one pays to a subject, the more he throws himself into a…

Home -> 5775 -> Emor

אמר אל הכהנים... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5775

Say to the Kohanim… Each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his People. (21:1)

Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, interprets this pasuk homiletically, utilizing it as a primer and guide for those who seek to devote themselves to Jewish outreach. Such work requires extreme dedication, love of Hashem and His children, consummate patience and selflessness – never expecting a thank you, because it is often not forthcoming. The work is very satisfying; saving a Jewish child or adult, bringing one back, encouraging a brother or sister to embrace a life of Torah and mitzvah observance are satisfying endeavors. They can be spiritually dangerous, however, for someone who is ill-prepared, who himself has a way to…

Home -> 5775 -> Chukas

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל כל הבא אל האהל וכל אשר באהל יטמא שבעת ימים... ותמת שם מרים ותקבר שם... ויראו כל העדה כי גוע אהרן ויבכו את אהרן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5775

This is the law when a man dies in a tent. Everyone coming into the tent and everything in it shall be tamei, ritually unclean, seven days… and Miriam died there and was buried there…and when all the people saw that Aharon had died, they wept for Aharon for thirty days. (19:14; 20:1,29)

The parsha addresses a number of pertinent issues, among which are the laws of tumah and taharah, ritual contamination and purity, following contact with death and the deaths of the righteous; namely, the death of Miriam HaNeviah and Aharon HaKohen. Life is filled with ambiguity, and death is the greatest paradox of all. This notion is perhaps underscored in the Torah’s order of the purification process for one who has come in contact with the deceased. On the third and seventh day, the ritually unclean person is sprinkled with a solution of pure water mixed with the ashes of the…

Home -> 5775 -> Bo

ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים... וידעתם כי אני ד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bo, 5775

So that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt… that you may know that I am Hashem. (10:2)

The Revelation of the Divine Presence witnessed by the Jewish People in Egypt was unparalleled. They saw how Hashem manipulated the “laws of nature” to serve the needs of His People, as he meted out justice to the evil Egyptians. This year of Revelation led up to their liberation from Egypt, followed by the Splitting of the Red Sea, which was the precursor to the seminal event in Jewish history: the Giving of the Torah. It would all be for naught, however, had it not been transmitted to future generations. The Torah invokes us to relate this experience to our…

Home -> 5775 -> Bereishis

ויבא קין... מפרי האדמה מנחה לד'... והבל הביא גם הוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5775

Kayin brought an offering to Hashem of the fruit of the ground… and as for Hevel, he also brought. (4:3,4)

We note from the pesukim that Hevel was a righteous person. The mere fact that Hashem acquiesced to Hevel’s sacrifice serves as a barometer of His approbation of Hevel. If so, why was he taken so soon? Hevel’s life was cut short due to his brother’s irrational jealousy. He did not live long enough even to establish a legacy of offspring. Kayin, on the other hand, lived seven more generations, from which was established the future of the world. To the average spectator, the disparity between the subsequent history of Kayin, the murderer, and Hevel, the innocent victim, is glaring….

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אלה מסעי בני ישראל

These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael. (33:1)

ושני לחת העדות בידו לוחת כתובים משני עבריהם מזה ומזה הם כתבים.

With the Two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, Tablets inscribed on both sides; they were inscribed on one side and the other. (32:15)

ארור מכה רעהו בסתר

Accursed is one who strikes his fellow stealthily. (27:24)

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)

זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור...כי חלק ד' עמו יעקב חבל נחלתו

Remember the world history, study the generational epochs…Because (of) Hashem’s His People, Yaakov the cable of his heritage. (32:7,9)

האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And may the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass. (32:1,2)

אמר אל הכהנים... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Say to the Kohanim… Each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his People. (21:1)

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל כל הבא אל האהל וכל אשר באהל יטמא שבעת ימים... ותמת שם מרים ותקבר שם... ויראו כל העדה כי גוע אהרן ויבכו את אהרן

This is the law when a man dies in a tent. Everyone coming into the tent and everything in it shall be tamei, ritually unclean, seven days… and Miriam died there and was buried there…and when all the people saw that Aharon had died, they wept for Aharon for thirty days. (19:14; 20:1,29)

ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים... וידעתם כי אני ד'

So that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that I made a mockery of Egypt… that you may know that I am Hashem. (10:2)

ויבא קין... מפרי האדמה מנחה לד'... והבל הביא גם הוא

Kayin brought an offering to Hashem of the fruit of the ground… and as for Hevel, he also brought. (4:3,4)

YEARS

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