Chesed – Peninim on the Torah

דבר אל אהרן ואל בניו לאמר – כה תברכו את בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5786

Speak to Aharon and his sons saying, so shall you bless the Bnei Yisrael. (6:23)

Hashem charged Aharon HaKohen and his descendants with conveying Hashem’s blessing to His people. The concept of the Kohen having koach ha’brachah, power of blessing, appears enigmatic on the surface. True, the Kohen is biologically holy, born into the Priestly family, but what about the talmid chacham, Torah scholar, who has a distinction of his own? He has earned his status. Through toil, effort, diligence in Torah study, the talmid chacham has elevated himself. His sanctity is acquired because it is the product of ameilus and mesiras nefesh. I am not suggesting in any way that the Kohen is not…

Home -> 5786 -> Tzav

אם על תודה יקריבנו

Sruly Schnair In Tzav, 5786

If he shall offer it for a thanksgiving offering. (7:12)

Chazal teach that one who has been saved from danger is obligated to bring a korban todah. Unlike most korbanos, the todah was accompanied by forty loaves of bread which had to be eaten within a single day and night. The abundance of food and the compressed time frame virtually required that others be invited to share in the meal. The Torah, in effect, mandated publicity. Some people enjoy the attention they receive when everyone is patting them on the back and wishing them well. Others are private people who shun the public limelight and view attention-grabbing as showboating, grandstanding….

Home -> Pekudei -> 5786

Moshe saw the entire work, and Moshe blessed them. (39:43)

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Pekudei

וירא משה את כל המלאכה … ויברך אתם משה

What did Moshe Rabbeinu say to them? What b’rachah, blessing, did he give them? Yehi ratzon she’tishreh Shechinah, b’maaseh ye’deichem; “May it be the will of Hashem that the Shechinah rest upon your handiwork.” This blessing begs elucidation. A blessing adds benefit; it elevates; it aspires for more. The Mishkan was built already, the work of Bnei Yisrael complete. Its entire purpose was for the Shechinah to rest on it. What is the purpose of the b’rachah? Horav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Shlita, explains that the Mishkan was a spiritual edifice. It manifested itself in material/physical components, but its essence was…

Home -> 5786 -> Tetzaveh

ומלאת בו מלאת אבן ארבעה טורים אבן... והטור הרביעי תרשיש, ושהם, וישפה

Sruly Schnair In Tetzaveh, 5786

You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon, your brother, for glory and splendor. (28:2)

Lashon Kodesh contains layers of nuance whereby various words translated similarly actually present subtle differences. In Sheimos HaNirdafin, Horav Shlomo Wertheimer, zl, devotes an entire sefer to distinguishing between these synonyms. With regard to friendship, the Torah breaks it down to three primary terms: chaver; rei’a; and yedid. Each expresses a different dimension of human connection which gives us an insight into the true meaning of friendship. The most common term is chaver, which is a friend by chibur, attachment. This means that the relationship is not one of emotion, but rather, of commitment. A chavrusa is a study partner…

Home -> 5786 -> Terumah

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם

Sruly Schnair In Terumah, 5786

Let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him… They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them. (25:2,9)

Parashas Terumah focuses on the construction of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary in which the Shechinah, Divine Presence, would repose among Klal Yisrael. One question requires elucidation. The parshah is unquestionably all about the construction of a holy place for the Shechinah – the Mishkan. Why, then, is the parshah called Terumah, contribution, and not Mishkan, Sanctuary? Perhaps the Torah seeks to convey a profound message: Holiness is not merely found in the structure itself, but in the willingness and predisposition of the people to give of themselves to create it. While the MIshkan was designated as the place where the…

Home -> 5786 -> Terumah

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו

Sruly Schnair In Terumah, 5786

Let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him. (25:2)

The opening command of our Parshah represents the first appeal for funds. Moshe Rabbeinu made the appeal, but he was doing so at the behest of Hashem. Perhaps, this is something we should consider when someone asks us to open our wallets to support a worthy cause: Whoever is making the request is acting on behalf of an institution or a chesed that has Hashem’s henpeck, seal of approval. Otherwise, he should not be soliciting our funds. Parashas Terumah may begin with the first fund-raising campaign, but it is far more than a construction appeal. It represents the Torah’s foundational…

Home -> 5786 -> Yisro

ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5786

And Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain. (19:2)

Rashi notes that the verb, va’yichan, they encamped, is written in the singular, rather than in the plural, va’yachanu. This teaches us that the huge multitude of people, which comprised the nation that was about to receive the Torah, was camped k’ish echad, b’lev echad, like a single person with one heart. Klal Yisrael’s unity is critical to its survival as a Torah nation. Only when they were united in their goal of hearing and accepting the d’var Hashem, word of G-d, would they be ready to receive the Torah. A number of points concerning the concept of k’ish echad…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5786

רק אדמת הכהנים לא קנה כי חוק לכהנים מאת פרעה ואכלו את חוקם

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Vayigash

Only the land of the priests did he not buy, since the priests had a stipend from Pharaoh. (47:22)

Rashi explains a set decree which Pharaoh established, that the priests should receive a daily stipend of bread – regardless of the country’s economic condition. Thus, it was unnecessary for them to sell their land for food. Targum Yonasan disagrees, explaining that Yosef established this rule out of a sense of gratitude to the priests for saving his life. Potifar was a priest, whose wife claimed that Yosef had made advances toward her. Understandably, for a lowly slave to act in such a reprehensible manner warranted the death penalty. Potifar sought the advice of his colleagues – both as verification…

Home -> Vayeishev -> 5786

וישראל אהב את יוסף מכל בניו כי בן זקנים הוא לו

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Vayeishev

Yisrael loved Yosef best of all his sons, he was a child of his old age. (37:3)

The Torah teaches us that Yaakov Avinu’s love for Yosef exceeded his love for his other sons. On the surface, this favoritism seems to have been the precursor of the tragic strife that ultimately led to mechiras Yosef. One wonders why Yaakov, who personally knew the pitfalls of partiality and the resulting discord that can reign between siblings, not have taken a different route upon raising his children. The simple, straightforward explanation is that Yaakov’s love for Yosef was not about Yosef, but about his mother, Rachel Imeinu. We all remember the story well. Yaakov came to Charan, met Rachel…

Home -> 5786 -> Toldos

וישטם עשיו את יעקב

Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5786

Now Eisav harbored hatred toward Yaakov. (27:41)

David Hamelech dedicates an entire perek Tehillim (109) to Eisav ha’rasha, wishing that this representative of evil incarnate receive his due via serious, painful punishment. He writes about the type of sins Eisav committed, the wrongs that he did, and he sums it up with what seems to be an enigmatic detail of his sins: Yizacheir avon avosav el Hashem, v’chatas imo al timach; “May their ancestors’ wrongs be recalled by G-d, the sins of their mothers not erased” (109:14). Obviously, the literal translation and actual meaning of the pasuk do not align. The Avos and Imahos did not sin. …

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דבר אל אהרן ואל בניו לאמר – כה תברכו את בני ישראל

Speak to Aharon and his sons saying, so shall you bless the Bnei Yisrael. (6:23)

אם על תודה יקריבנו

If he shall offer it for a thanksgiving offering. (7:12)

Moshe saw the entire work, and Moshe blessed them. (39:43)

וירא משה את כל המלאכה … ויברך אתם משה

ומלאת בו מלאת אבן ארבעה טורים אבן... והטור הרביעי תרשיש, ושהם, וישפה

You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon, your brother, for glory and splendor. (28:2)

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם

Let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him… They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them. (25:2,9)

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו

Let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him. (25:2)

ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר

And Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain. (19:2)

רק אדמת הכהנים לא קנה כי חוק לכהנים מאת פרעה ואכלו את חוקם

Only the land of the priests did he not buy, since the priests had a stipend from Pharaoh. (47:22)

וישראל אהב את יוסף מכל בניו כי בן זקנים הוא לו

Yisrael loved Yosef best of all his sons, he was a child of his old age. (37:3)

וישטם עשיו את יעקב

Now Eisav harbored hatred toward Yaakov. (27:41)

YEARS

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