Chesed – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

The terms, Ha’ro’im, “Who have seen (My Glory),” and Im yiru, ‘They shall not see,” appear to be closely related. This, explains Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, is why the Torah, in issuing the decree that this generation would not enter the Land, uses the expression, re’iyah, seeing, rather than im ya’vo’u, they will not come. He explains the rationale for the altered text. The Holy Land, the Eretz zovas cholov u’devash, flowing with milk and honey, the Land in which Divine intervention is to be seen on a national basis can only attain its destiny if the people “see,” acknowledge…

Home -> 5784 -> Naso

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5784

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)

The Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, mentions adultery as one of the cardinal sins for which one must sacrifice his life rather than transgress it. Yet, surprisingly, throughout the parshah of sotah, the wayward wife, no mention is made of the woman’s transgression against Hashem. Never is the phrase, mo’alah maal b’Hashem, mentioned. It is against the husband. This leads us to suggest that the egregious nature of the sin of adultery is its destruction of the marriage bond. As a result, it is a transgression against Hashem. First and foremost is what the sotah does to the institution of holy…

Home -> Bechukosai -> 5784

וזכרתי את בריתי יעקוב ואף את בריתי יצחק ואף את בריתי אברהם אזכר והארץ אזכר

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Bechukosai

I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham will I remember and I will remember the Land. (26:42)

Noticeably, the Torah mentions the word “remembering” (v’zacharti, ezkor) only in connection with Avraham Avinu and Yaakov Avinu. Rashi explains that “remembering” is not necessary with regard to Yitzchak, because afro, the ashes, of Yitzchak appear before Hashem as they rest upon the Mizbayach. [This, of course, refers to ashes of the ayil, ram, which was offered in place of Yitzchak.] Veritably, the concept of “remembering” with regard to Hashem is unimaginable. He does not require a symbol to remind Him of anything. Hashem does not forget. If so, the issue is not why remembering is not mentioned by Yitzchak,…

Home -> 5784 -> Emor

ולקחתם לכם ... פרי עץ הדר כפת תמרים וענף עץ עבת וערבי נחל

Sruly Schnair In Emor, 5784

You shall take for yourselves … an esrog (the fruit of a citron tree), a lulav (the branches of date palms), hadas (twigs of a plaited tree/myrtle), and aravos (brook willows). (23:40)

Chazal (Succah 37b) state that one is to take the lulav (held) in his right hand, while he takes the esrog in the left. The reason for this is that the lulav includes three mitzvos: lulav, hadas, aravah; the esrog is singular. This does not seem consistent with the Midrash’s (Vayikra Rabbah 30:12) characterization of the symbolic representation of each of the arba minim, four species. The four species allude to four types of Jews. The esrog, pri eitz hadar, the beautiful fruit of a tree, has taam and reiach, taste as well as fragrance. It parallels the talmid chacham,…

Home -> 5784 -> Kedoshim

ובקצרכם את קציר ארצכם לא תכלה פאת שדך לקצר

Sruly Schnair In Kedoshim, 5784

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not complete your reaping to the corner of your field. (19:9)

Before one may consider his crops to be his own, he must first discharge his obligations to others. Horav S. R. Hirsch, zl, observes that, even at the closing moment of an entire growing season – after he has put in his time and effort, cultivated, planted, seeing to it that his crops have grown well and are ready for reaping – the produce still does not belong to him until he leaves peah, the corner of his field to the poor. They, too, must eat. This is how they sustain themselves. The obvious question is: Why not give them…

Home -> 5784 -> Tazria

ובמלאות ימי טהרה ... תביא כבש בן שנתו לעולה ובן יונה או תור לחטאת

Sruly Schnair In Tazria, 5784

Upon the completion of the days of her purity… she shall bring a sheep within its first year for an elevation/burnt offering, and a young dove or a turtledove for a sin-offering. (12:6)

The Baal HaTurim notes that, throughout the Torah, turim, young doves, are mentioned before bnei yonah, turtledoves, except for the korban of the yoledes, postpartum sacrifice, when bnei yonah precede turim. He explains that the korban which the woman brings at the end of her yemei taharah, days of purification, consists of a single bird – either a tor or a ben yonah. The nature of the turtledove (which also goes by the name mourning dove) is that, when it is separated from its mate, it mourns it and refuses to mate with another. Therefore, it is more appropriate to…

Home -> Vayakhel -> 5784

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Vayakhel

On six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you. (35:2)

Rashi teaches that, in the text, the mitzvah of shemiras Shabbos precedes the building of the Mishkan to warn us that shemiras Shabbos overrides the building of the Mishkan. Interestingly, in Parashas Ki Sisa (preceding the creation of the molten Gold Calf), the Torah introduces the mitzvah of building the Mishkan prior to mentioning the injunction concerning Shabbos. The Chidushei HaRim explains that, prior to the sin of the Golden Calf, the six weekday/workdays prepared for Shabbos Kodesh. (Shabbos was the focal point of the week, with each day bringing one closer to the ultimate goal of Shabbos Kodesh.) After…

Home -> 5784 -> Mishpatim

ואלא המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

Sruly Schnair In Mishpatim, 5784

And these are the ordinances that you shall place before them. (21:1)

Parashas Mishpatim is replete with laws concerning interpersonal, social interactions – some positive (how we should act); others negative (how we should not act and the repercussions for acting inappropriately). On the surface, nothing about these mitzvos/laws appears to make them endemic solely to the Jewish people. Any decent, humane society would be expected to maintain such laws. What makes them “Jewish”? Horav Moshe Eisemann, Shlita, cites the Malbim (commentary to Devarim 6:20), who alludes to this question. He posits that this question lies at the root of the ben chacham’s, wise son’s, question in the Haggadah. Rav Eisemann explains:…

Home -> 5784 -> Bo

והיה לך לאות על ידך

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5784

And it should be for you a sign on your arm. (13:9)

Horav Aryeh Levin, zl, the Tzaddik of Yerushalayim, reached out to Jews of all backgrounds and religious persuasions. He made it a point to visit the prisons run by the British and also visit those with contagious diseases, such as leprosy. Indeed, he was one of the few who did this. Certainly, no one of his exalted stature carried out such exalted acts of chesed. During the British Mandate, political prisoners – such as the young, Jewish freedom fighters – were sentenced to the gallows by the British courts. The shadow of death was hardly ever overruled by a pardon….

Home -> Vayechi -> 5784

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת אל נא תקבריני במצרים

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Vayechi

And do kindness and truth with me – please do not bury me in Egypt. (47:29)

Chesed shel emes, true kindness, or kindness of truth, is a fundamental concept in Jewish life. It underscores the importance of performing acts of lovingkindness for others for the sake of “kindness,” for Heaven’s sake, and not for any form of remuneration. For the most part, it pertains to the compassion and respect inherent in preparing the deceased for burial. The Chevra Kaddisha, Jewish Sacred Society, is charged with seeing to it that every Jew is accorded a proper and dignified burial. Chesed shel emes highlights the selfless and unconditional love that one should exhibit towards others – at all…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Shelach ->

כי כל האנשים הראים את כבדי ... ולא שמעו בקולי ... אם יראו את הארץ ... וכל מנאצי לא יראוה

All the men who have seen My Glory… and they have not listened to My voice… They shall not see the land … all those that spurn Me shall not see it. (14:22,23)

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)

וזכרתי את בריתי יעקוב ואף את בריתי יצחק ואף את בריתי אברהם אזכר והארץ אזכר

I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham will I remember and I will remember the Land. (26:42)

ולקחתם לכם ... פרי עץ הדר כפת תמרים וענף עץ עבת וערבי נחל

You shall take for yourselves … an esrog (the fruit of a citron tree), a lulav (the branches of date palms), hadas (twigs of a plaited tree/myrtle), and aravos (brook willows). (23:40)

ובקצרכם את קציר ארצכם לא תכלה פאת שדך לקצר

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not complete your reaping to the corner of your field. (19:9)

ובמלאות ימי טהרה ... תביא כבש בן שנתו לעולה ובן יונה או תור לחטאת

Upon the completion of the days of her purity… she shall bring a sheep within its first year for an elevation/burnt offering, and a young dove or a turtledove for a sin-offering. (12:6)

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש

On six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you. (35:2)

ואלא המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

And these are the ordinances that you shall place before them. (21:1)

והיה לך לאות על ידך

And it should be for you a sign on your arm. (13:9)

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת אל נא תקבריני במצרים

And do kindness and truth with me – please do not bury me in Egypt. (47:29)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!