Commitment – Peninim on the Torah

ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ...למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את אדם קרבן ד' במועדו

These were men who were contaminated by a human corpse…Why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

Some men were ritually impure due to contact with a human corpse, and they could not sacrifice the Pesach-offering on that day … These men said, “We are ritually impure through contact with a human corpse. Why should we be diminished, so as not to bring the offering of Hashem on its appointed time?” (9:6) One must be ritually pure in order to offer the Korban Pesach (or any Korban for that matter). These men were tamei meis, ritually impure, due to their contact with a human corpse. Confronted with the circumstance, they came to Moshe Rabbeinu and offered their…

Home -> Bechukosai -> 5786

אם בחוקתי תלכו ... ואם לא תשמעו לי

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Bechukosai

If you will follow My decrees … But if you will not listen to Me. (26: 3,14)

While Bechukosai is one of the two parshios of the Torah identified with the Tochechah, Rebuke (Ki Savo), it actually begins with the idyllic blessings conferred upon he who follows Hashem’s decrees. The Torah focuses on the Jew who listens, who follows, who acts positively. Sometimes, however, one will veer off the prescribed trajectory. He will, unfortunately, require discipline to help him return and tow the line as everyone else does. The interpretation of teileichu, follow, gives the commentators much food for thought. Rashi interprets the phrase, She’tiheyu ameilim baTorah, to mean by engaging in intense Torah study, with the…

Home -> 5786 -> Acharei Mos

ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם

Sruly Schnair In Acharei Mos, 5786

You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which man shall live. (18:5)

The mitzvos were given for the sake of life – not death. Thus, if fulfilling a mitzvah entails danger to one’s life, such as pikuach nefesh— life-threatening issues which must be carried out on Shabbos – we act accordingly to prolong the individual’s life. Chiddushei HaRim has a notable homiletic twist on the exhortation of V’chai ba’hem, as reference to our attitude toward mitzvah observance (and life in general). We are commanded to perform mitzvos with zest, vigor and enthusiasm, as if they are our source of life. Perhaps, we can extrapolate and say that the area of life which…

Home -> Vayakhel -> 5786

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד'

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Vayakhel

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

Noticeably, Hashem first issued the command to build the Mishkan in Parshios Terumah and Tetzaveh. In Parashas Ki Sissa, He reiterated the laws of Shabbos. Moshe Rabbeinu, on the other hand, begins Parshas Vayakhel with the laws of Shabbos. Afterwards, he gives a recounting of the construction of the Mishkan. Why did Moshe alter from Hashem’s derech, way? Gur Aryeh explains that Moshe did not relate all the laws of the Mishkan at one time, but rather, over a few days. He feared that, if he did not complete delivering the laws before Shabbos, they – not knowing that the…

Home -> Ki Sisa -> 5786

ומשרתו יהושע בן נון, נער, לא ימיש מתוך האהל

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Ki Sisa

His servant, Yehoshua Bin Nun, a lad, would not depart from within the tent. (33:11)

Yehoshua gave everything up in order to be in the tent of Torah. As a result, he earned the position as Moshe Rabbeinu’s primary disciple and eventual successor. Many believe that leadership is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. In Torah, however, leadership goes far deeper. Torah leaders are those who have proven themselves worthy of such responsibility – a position that can only be earned through dedication to, and toil in, Torah. It is cultivated in the bais hamedrash, through long hours of study, presence, and commitment, not by worldly acumen or…

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 -> Tetzaveh

ועשית בגדי קדש לאהרן אחיך לכבוד ולתפארת

Sruly Schnair In Tetzaveh, 5786

You shall fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone … and the fourth row, tarshish, shoham and yashfeh. (28:17, 20)

You shall make bigdei kodesh, vestments of sanctity. Were they used for sanctity or did they become holy when Aharon wore them to perform the Priestly service, or did the artisans craft them with the intention of making them holy? Perhaps it was their designation for the Kohen Gadol who would perform the Divine Service in the Sanctuary that lent holiness to these vestments. Clothing on its own is not intrinsically holy. When it is worn by a saintly person in the course of his performing a holy function, however, it transforms from garment to holy vestment. Once the garments…

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 -> Vayechi -> 5786

ויברכם ביום ההוא לאמר בך יברך ישראל

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Vayechi

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Yisrael bless.” (48:20)

Yaakov Avinu assured his son, Yosef, that, for all time, Jewish parents would remember that he was the father of sons – Ephraim and Menashe — who achieved shevet, tribal, status equal with Yaakov’s sons. Parents will strive to see their sons reach such a level. The commentators, each in his own inimitable manner, offer explanations for the elevation of Menashe and Efraim to tribal status. Most focus on their characters and the fact that they were able to maintain their extraordinary commitment to Torah and mitzvos, despite the spiritual bankruptcy of the society in which they lived. Nothing of…

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…

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ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ...למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את אדם קרבן ד' במועדו

These were men who were contaminated by a human corpse…Why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

אם בחוקתי תלכו ... ואם לא תשמעו לי

If you will follow My decrees … But if you will not listen to Me. (26: 3,14)

ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם

You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which man shall live. (18:5)

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד'

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

ומשרתו יהושע בן נון, נער, לא ימיש מתוך האהל

His servant, Yehoshua Bin Nun, a lad, would not depart from within the tent. (33:11)

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)

ועשית בגדי קדש לאהרן אחיך לכבוד ולתפארת

You shall fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone … and the fourth row, tarshish, shoham and yashfeh. (28:17, 20)

ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר

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

ויברכם ביום ההוא לאמר בך יברך ישראל

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Yisrael bless.” (48:20)

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)

YEARS

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