Chesed – Page 36 – Peninim on the Torah

כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והיא לא נתנה לו לאשה

For she saw that Sheilah had grown, and she had not been given to him as a wife. (38:14)

Tamar waited – and waited. Tamar was determined to have children from Yehudah. When she noticed that Sheilah had not been given to her, she decided to take undignified steps to realize her dream. If her children could not emanate from Yehudah’s sons, they would emanate from Yehudah himself. She was going to be the progenitress of the Davidic /Messianic dynasty. The Baal HaTurim adds to the above (Rashi’s) p’shat, explanation. When Tamar saw that she was not being given to Sheilah, she became anxious, filled with pain at the thought that she would not play a role in carrying…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5777

ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות ויקרא לבנו ליוסף

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayechi

The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son, Yosef. (47:29)

Religion believes that life has purpose; each person’s existence has a clear raison d’etre. One who has no religion does not ascribe to a system of principles and beliefs; he lives a random, carefree life of abandon, without purpose or meaning. One who lacks religion lacks purpose; hence, he has no identity. The secular culture surrounding us – which is the result of a society where decadence is no longer taboo, but in vogue – has little use for religion. From the average “Joe” to the most powerful politicians and world leaders, religion will, at its best, receive nothing more…

Home -> 5777 -> Tetzaveh

לקח פר אחד בן בקר ואילים שנים תמימים טחם מצות

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tetzaveh, 5777

Take one young bull and two rams, unblemished, with unleavened breads. (29:1)

There are good people, and there are people who perform good deeds. A good person is consistent in his acts of goodness. He does not take a vacation from performing good deeds. It is part of his DNA. His counterpart might have a “good” day during which he acts appropriately. For him “good” just happens upon occasion. It is not a way of life. Having said this, we will segue into the commentary of the Baalei Tosfos to the above pasuk. “The par, ox, was sacrificed in the merit of Avraham Avinu, regarding about whom it is written, v’el habakar…

Home -> 5777 -> Terumah

ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Terumah, 5777

They shall make a Sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. (25:8)

The Alshich HaKadosh, zl, notes the use of the word, b’socham, in them, rather than b’socho, in it. This teaches that every Jew must serve as a veritable Mishkan, Sanctuary, for Hashem. Every Jew is a mikdash me’at, miniature sanctuary. This should be our self-view, and likewise, the way we look at others. While one can accept this idea concerning gedolei Yisrael, individuals who truly represent Kavod Shomayim, the glory of Heaven, what about the ordinary person? Is the ordinary person also a mikdash me’at? First, the term “ordinary” is too general a term. I refer rather to someone who…

Home -> Shemos -> 5777

ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Shemos

“She opened it and saw the boy, and behold! A youth was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

Sequentially, it would have made sense to write that the infant was a Hebrew child first and only afterwards (despite the child’s ancestry) that she took pity on him. One would think that the child’s Jewish identity was the most significant aspect of the pasuk – not her act of compassion. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, feels that the reversed sequence teaches us an important lesson, one which (I feel) we should all apply to our personal lives. Upon seeing someone in pain, an organization in serious need, we are confronted with two immediate reactions: empathy, compassion to reach out and…

Home -> 5777 -> Lech Lecha

ויהי ריב בין רעי מקנה אברם ובין רעי מקנה לוט ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני וביניך ובין רעי ובין רעיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock… so Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen.” (13:7, 8)

Some people love to quarrel. It gives them something to do. Decent people, however, understand that strife is destructive, regardless of the motivation. If one is in a community, no matter the size, and a quarrel begins to ensue, he should distance himself from there as if from a contagious plague – because that is what quarrels lead to. At first, the Torah writes that a riv, quarrel, commenced between Avram’s herdsmen and those of Lot. When Avram spoke to Lot, he referred to the quarrel as a merivah. Why the change in spelling? The Shlah Hakadosh explains that this…

Home -> 5777 -> Lech Lecha

וילך למסעיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

He proceeded on his journeys. (13:3)

L’masaav, on his journeys, implies that Avraham Avinu took a specific, planned itinerary. It was not a haphazard trip. Chazal teach that our Patriarch lodged in the same places that hosted him on his original trip to Egypt. Our sages derive a lesson in mentchlichkeit, human decency, proper etiquette, from this idea. One should stick to his usual lodgings. There is no reason, –nor is it appropriate – to switch from one’s customary lodgings unless he has suffered harassment and anguish there. Otherwise, he inadvertently gives the impression that he was displeased with his lodgings, which could cause a financial…

Home -> 5760 -> Bereishis

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5760

“Hashem Elokim cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept.” (2:21)

Hashem determined that Adam Ha’rishon should not witness the creation of his wife-to-be. To circumvent this problem, He made Adam fall asleep. The Torah does not record him waking up from his spiritual slumber. Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., derives from here that indeed, in comparison to the clarity of vision and spiritual perception that Adam manifest prior to his slumber, he and his descendants are considered to be in a deep spiritual sleep. Only Klal Yisrael stood at Har Sinai, being spiritually awakened as they experienced the Revelation and received the Torah. With this idea in mind, Horav Schwab proceeds to…

Home -> 5772 -> Chayei Sarah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5772

“Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, “’Please tip over your jug so I may drink’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will even water your camels,’ her will You have designated for Your servant, for Yitzchak.” (24:14)

That is exactly what happened. Rivkah passed the litmus test for becoming Yitzchak’s wife. She demonstrated that she possessed exemplary character traits. Her act of kindness towards Eliezer and his camels indicated that she was a baalas chesed, kind, sensitive, caring person. We have to ask ourselves: Is this enough to be the wife of Yitzchak, the Olah Temimah, perfect sacrifice? Is chesed all that one needs in order to become the wife of the one who lay still at the Akeidah, willing and ready to forfeit his life because his father was commanded so by Hashem? While chesed…

Home -> 5769 -> Chayei Sarah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5769

“Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, “’Please tip over your jug so I may drink’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will even water your camels,’ her will You have designated for Your servant, for Yitzchak.” (24:14)

That is exactly what happened. Rivkah passed the litmus test for becoming Yitzchak’s wife. She demonstrated that she possessed exemplary character traits. Her act of kindness towards Eliezer and his camels indicated that she was a baalas chesed, kind, sensitive, caring person. We have to ask ourselves: Is this enough to be the wife of Yitzchak, the Olah Temimah, perfect sacrifice? Is chesed all that one needs in order to become the wife of the one who lay still at the Akeidah, willing and ready to forfeit his life because his father was commanded so by Hashem? While chesed…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> 5777 ->

כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והיא לא נתנה לו לאשה

For she saw that Sheilah had grown, and she had not been given to him as a wife. (38:14)

ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות ויקרא לבנו ליוסף

The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son, Yosef. (47:29)

לקח פר אחד בן בקר ואילים שנים תמימים טחם מצות

Take one young bull and two rams, unblemished, with unleavened breads. (29:1)

ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם

They shall make a Sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. (25:8)

ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

“She opened it and saw the boy, and behold! A youth was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

ויהי ריב בין רעי מקנה אברם ובין רעי מקנה לוט ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני וביניך ובין רעי ובין רעיך

And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock… so Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen.” (13:7, 8)

וילך למסעיו

He proceeded on his journeys. (13:3)

“Hashem Elokim cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept.” (2:21)

“Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, “’Please tip over your jug so I may drink’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will even water your camels,’ her will You have designated for Your servant, for Yitzchak.” (24:14)

“Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, “’Please tip over your jug so I may drink’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will even water your camels,’ her will You have designated for Your servant, for Yitzchak.” (24:14)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!