Derech Eretz – Page 27 – Peninim on the Torah

ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה

See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. (11:26)

Hayom, today. Does the word “today” hold significance? Is the choice of blessing or curse applicable only today? What about tomorrow? Will we still have the opportunity for choice? I was thinking about this question when I came across an article by a respected rabbinic author in which he explained why he was not celebrating his birthday. He attributes this to the fact that, upon perusing the Torah, one notes that the only birthday we read about is that of Pharaoh. When we think about it, the only day that we Jews seem to deem worthy of celebration is the…

Home -> 5778 -> Va'eschanan

כבד את אביך ואת אמך

Moshe Marcovich In Va'eschanan, 5778

Honor your father and your mother. (5:16)

The Luchos, Ten Commandments, are divided into two parts: bein adam la’Makom, between man and G-d; bein adam la’chaveiro, between man and fellowman. The fifth commandment, the mitzvah to honor one’s parents, almost appears misplaced, since it is included among the dibros bein adam la’Makom, when, in fact, one may argue that respect for parents, according them pleasure and satisfaction, belongs among the dibros bein adam la’chaveiro. Upon perusing the commentary of the Rishonim, we note that this is actually the case. The Sefer HaChinuch writes that among the shoroshei hamitzvah, root/origin of the mitzvah, is to teach a person…

Home -> Devarim -> 5778

רב לכם סב את ההר הזה... אתם עוברים בגבול אחיכם בני עשיו... אל תתגרו בם

Moshe Marcovich In 5778, Devarim

Enough of your circling this mountain… you are passing through the boundary of your brothers, Bnei Eisav… you shall not provoke them. (2:3,5)

Chazal (Midrash Rabbah 1:15) relate that when Klal Yisrael was about to wage war against the descendants of Eisav, Hashem showed Moshe Rabbeinu the mountain where the Avos, Patriarchs, were buried. Moshe understood that the location of the burial place prevented Klal Yisrael from battling Eisav. Apparently, it was in Eisav’s zechus, merit, for honoring Yitzchak Avinu (and by extension Avraham Avinu). This is the meaning of Rav lachem sov es hahar hazeh; “Enough of your circling this mountain.” This means the mountain provides a reason to consider Eisav to be off limits. This was all the result of his…

Home -> Masei -> 5778

ונס שמה רצח מכה נפש בשגגה

Moshe Marcovich In 5778, Masei

And a murderer shall flee there – one who takes a life unintentionally. (35:11)

Rabbeinu Bachya asks a question that only a Rishon could ask. He wonders about the disparity in punishment between the rotzeiach b’shogeg, inadvertent murderer, and the rotzeiach b’meizid, premeditated murderer. After all is said and done, they are both murderers. If the premeditated murderer would escape to the ir miklat, city of refuge, he would be immediately yanked out. Why is he different than his inadvertent counterpart? At the end of the day, two victims lay in the morgue. They are both deceased. Disparate dinim, laws, apply to each of the murderers. Why is this? Obviously, this question is rhetorical….

Home -> 5778 -> Pinchas

יפקד ד' אלקי הרוחות לכל בשר איש על העדה... ויאמר ד'... קח לך את יהושע בן נון איש אשר רוח בו

Moshe Marcovich In Pinchas, 5778

May Hashem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly… Hashem said… take to yourself Yehoshua bin Nun, a man in whom there is spirit. (27:16,18)

Moshe Rabbeinu chose a special way of addressing Hashem, “God of the spirits of all flesh.” Rather than refer to Hashem’s Omnipresence or wisdom, Moshe chose to speak of Hashem’s knowledge of the intricacies and foibles of the human mind and personality. Every person has his own unique persona and it is crucial for a leader to understand this and to know how to reach out to each person according to his own personal needs and wants. Moshe implied that his successor must embody as much of these Divine characters as humanly possible. In order to accommodate his flock, Moshe’s successor…

Home -> 5778 -> Chukas

זאת חקת התורה

Moshe Marcovich In Chukas, 5778

This is the decree of the Torah. (19:2)

Rashi explains the concept of chok, a mitzvah whose Divine rationale eludes us. While Hashem certainly has a reason for every one of the Taryag, 613 mitzvos, the reason behind every mitzvah is beyond our grasp. Understandably, one might say that not all mitzvos are beyond our ken. Ostensibly, specific mitzvos – such as Kibbud Av v’Eim, Honoring father and mother – are rationally based. The Rambam (Shemoneh Perakim) distinguishes between mitzvos sichlios, rational mitzvos (which supposedly anyone who possesses a modicum of intelligence can understand on his own), and mitzvos shlmiyos, mitzvos we accept and perform purely because we…

Home -> 5778 -> Korach

ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם

Moshe Marcovich In Korach, 5778

So Moshe stood up and went to Dassan and Aviram. (16:25)

Why did Moshe Rabbeinu denigrate himself to go to such miscreants as Dassan and Aviram? He was the quintessential leader of Klal Yisrael, the Rabban Shel Kol Yisrael, the nation’s Rebbe. They were nothing. Yet, he went to them. Why? Chazal (Sanhedrin 110a) derive from here that one does not sustain a dispute. If he can diffuse a controversy from growing, spreading, he should do everything possible to extinguish the flames of discord. Furthermore, one who supports a machlokes, controversy, transgresses the prohibition’ of V’lo yiheyeh k’Korach v’chaadaso, “that he not be like Korach and his assembly” (Bamidbar 17:5). Simply…

Home -> Behar -> 5778

לא תעבד בו עבדת עבד

Moshe Marcovich In 5778, Behar

You shall not work with him slave labor. (25:39)

The eved Ivri, Jewish bondsman/slave, is not a slave in the generally accepted sense of the word. He is an indentured servant, who, for a specific period of time, neither is free to do as he wants, nor to resign his employment. Nonetheless, their masters must treat them with such delicacy and consideration that Chazal (Kiddushin 20a) say, “One who purchases a (Jewish) slave for himself buys himself a master.” The master is forbidden to assign him to perform degrading work that would be relegated only to a slave. He is to be assigned skilled, dignified labor like hired help….

Home -> 5778 -> Emor

את אביה היא מחללת

Moshe Marcovich In Emor, 5778

She desecrates her father. (21:9)

Why should her father be blamed? Veritably, parents often must accept blame for their children’s indiscretions, but it seems that here it is assumed. By exhibiting profligate behavior, the daughter of the Kohen has disgraced her father. We find a similar case concerning the family of Miraim bas Bilgah, whose family was disgraced as a result of her rebelliousness. Apparently, the Torah here blames the father. Later (Parashas Ki Seitzei) concerning the debasement of the naarah ha’meorasah, betrothed maiden, who was found guilty of infidelity, she is taken to the doorway of her father’s home to be stoned. Her parents…

Home -> 5754 -> Toldos

Moshe Marcovich In Toldos, 5754

And he said, is he not rightly named Yaakov, for he has supplanted me these two times. (27:36)

The various commentators seem to have one theme in their understanding of hbceghu. Targum Onkelos interprets it as “he has outsmarted me.” Ibn Ezra relates this term to ceg, as in ckv ceg (crooked heart), thereby meaning “to take a crooked and cunning route.” Rashi explains it as “setting a trap.” They all seem to be consistent in explaining ceg as including the idea of devious undertaking with malice aforethought to reach one’s goal. Indeed, this analysis is confirmed by the fact that Yaakov was compelled to “trick” his brother on two occasions. As Rabbi E. Munk z.t.l. notes, this…

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ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה

See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. (11:26)

כבד את אביך ואת אמך

Honor your father and your mother. (5:16)

רב לכם סב את ההר הזה... אתם עוברים בגבול אחיכם בני עשיו... אל תתגרו בם

Enough of your circling this mountain… you are passing through the boundary of your brothers, Bnei Eisav… you shall not provoke them. (2:3,5)

ונס שמה רצח מכה נפש בשגגה

And a murderer shall flee there – one who takes a life unintentionally. (35:11)

יפקד ד' אלקי הרוחות לכל בשר איש על העדה... ויאמר ד'... קח לך את יהושע בן נון איש אשר רוח בו

May Hashem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly… Hashem said… take to yourself Yehoshua bin Nun, a man in whom there is spirit. (27:16,18)

זאת חקת התורה

This is the decree of the Torah. (19:2)

ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם

So Moshe stood up and went to Dassan and Aviram. (16:25)

לא תעבד בו עבדת עבד

You shall not work with him slave labor. (25:39)

את אביה היא מחללת

She desecrates her father. (21:9)

And he said, is he not rightly named Yaakov, for he has supplanted me these two times. (27:36)

YEARS

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