Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

  • Reset
Category

Back to Home -> Naso ->


Home -> 5785 -> Naso

פר אחד בן בקר איל אחד כבש אחד בן שנתו לעולה

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5785

One young bull, one ram, one sheep in its first year for an elevation-offering. (7:21)

Rashi comments concerning the allusion of the individual korbanos to the Avos, Patriarchs. The young bull alludes to Avraham Avinu, who used a young bull as part of his act of chesed, kindness, in welcoming three guests to his tent. The ram refers to Yitzchak Avinu, whom Avraham replaced on the Altar with a ram. This was part of Yitzchak’s unprecedented act of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice. The sheep alludes to Yaakov Avinu who tended sheep during his stay with Lavan. The Torah underscores Yaakov’s honesty in making certain that he took nothing for himself that did not belong to him….

Continue Reading

Home -> Bamidbar -> 5785

ויתילדו על משפחתם לבית אבתם

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Bamidbar

And they declared the lineage according to their families, according to their father’s households. (1:18)

The Yalkut relates, when the Jewish People received the Torah, the nations of the world were filled with envy. They wondered what was it about the Jews that catalyzed Hashem’s closeness to them? [Perhaps it was not the actual Torah that we received which concerned them. They really had no desire for the Torah with its demands and restrictions. They envied the relationship we had with Hashem. They refused to accept the notion that it was a two-way street. When we accept Hashem’s mitzvos, we establish a relationship during which we move closer to Hashem. The obtuseness of the nations…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5785 -> Emor

לא יקרחה קרחה בראשם ופאת זקנם לא יגלחו ובבשרם לא ישרטו שרטת קדשים יהיו לאלקיהם

Sruly Schnair
In Emor, 5785

They shall not make a bald spot on their heads, and they shall not shave an edge of their beard; and in their flesh, they shall not cut a gash… They shall be holy to their G-d. (21:5-6)

Horav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, zl, explains the continuity of these pesukim. The pagan priests of that day would mark their bodies to show their distinction from the average pagan. They cut their hair differently and made markings in their skin for all to see that they were priests. They did this because, in their basic rectitude and moral compass, no distinction existed between them and the average devotee who viewed them as spiritually elevated. Their lifestyle was as morally profligate as that of other idol worshippers. Thus, in order to garner respect from the populace, they required creative physical signs…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5785 -> Tzav

ואש המזבח תוקד בו

Sruly Schnair
In Tzav, 5785

And the fire of the Altar should be kept aflame on it. (6:2)

Chazal (Menachos 97a) teach, “When the Mizbayach, Altar, was extant, it would atone for man’s sins (he would offer his korban upon it). Now that we no longer have the Mizbayach, a person’s shulchan, table, atones for him.” Rashi explains that this refers to the piece of bread that he gives to guests. In other words, the tzedakah, material outreach, be it food or material support, that we render, protects us from Heavenly reciprocity for our less-than-noble behavior. The comparison between Altar and table requires elucidation – the time in which one places the meat and blood of a korban…

Continue Reading

Home -> Vayikra -> 5785

ויקרא אל משה וידבר ד' אליו

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Vayikra

And He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him. (1:1)

The well-known Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 1:15) derives an important lesson from Moshe Rabbeinu’s behavior: “Any Torah scholar who lacks daas, wisdom, decorum, conduct, and manners is worse than an animal carcass; neveilah is better than he is.” Moshe Rabbeinu, the father of wisdom, the father of prophets, who took the Jews out of Egypt and was the medium through whom many miracles were wrought and who concerned himself with all aspects of the building of the Mishkan, did not enter the innermost chamber until Hashem called him. Rav Yitzchak Hutner, zl, explains why Chazal state that a talmid chacham who…

Continue Reading

Home -> Vayikra -> 5785

ונפש כי תקריב קרבן מנחה לד' סלת יהיה קרבנו

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Vayikra

When a person offers a meal-offering to Hashem, his offering shall be of fine flour. (2:1)

Of all those who bring a korban nedavah, voluntary offering, the Torah refers only to one who brings a Korban Minchah, meal offering, as nefesh, soul (person). This korban is the least costly of all offerings. Thus, it was the korban of choice for the economically challenged, poor man. Hashem says that one who brings this offering is considered as if he had offered his soul. Let us sit back and analyze this idea. A poor man was to take his life’s savings and purchase a large cow as a korban. It makes sense that he was giving everything/his soul,…

Continue Reading

Home -> Vayikra -> 5785

אשר נשיא יחטא ועשה אחת מכל מצוות ד' אלוקיו אשר לא תעשנה בשגגה ואשם

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Vayikra

When a ruler sins and commits one from among all the commandments of Hashem, his God, that may not be done – unintentionally – and becomes guilty. (4:22)

Asher can be translated as “when,” indicating the inevitability of the ruler’s unintentional sin. It often comes with the territory. Power and wealth make great demands on a person, and sometimes a ruler is distracted or overwhelmed by the stress of his role. Rashi cites Sifra that translates Asher as alluding to Ashrei, fortunate. This implies that the generation whose leader does not resort to cover-up or spin to validate his actions – who concedes that he has erred – is truly a fortunate generation. This is a leader whom we can respect. His integrity is more important to him…

Continue Reading

Home -> Vayakhel -> 5785

קחו מאתכם תרומה לד' כל נדיב לבו יביאה את תרומת ד' זהב וכסף ונחושת

Sruly Schnair
In 5785, Vayakhel

Take from yourselves a portion for Hashem; everyone whose heart motivates him shall bring it, as a gift for Hashem: gold, silver, copper. (35:5)

Chazal (Shemos Rabbah 49:2) teach that zahav, gold, kesef, silver; and nechoshes, copper – all allude to the Avos, three Patriarchs. The connotation of the pasuk (based upon Chazal’s interpretation) is that the Shechinah rests His Divine Presence in the Mishkan in the merit of the three Avos. Gold alludes to Avraham, whose faith was put to a test when he was flung into a furnace – a process which is used to refine gold. Silver represents Yitzchak, who was purified when he was bound upon the Altar. Unlike gold, which is heated in a furnace to test its quality,…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5785 -> Tetzaveh

ואלה הבגדים אשר יעשו חושן ואפוד

Sruly Schnair
In Tetzaveh, 5785

These are the garments that they shall make: a Choshen and an Eiphod. (28:4)

Midrash Tanchuma (Shemos 27) explains that the Choshen, Breastplate, which included the Urim v’Tumim worn over Aharon HaKohen’s heart, was middah k’negged middah, reward measure for measure.  When Hashem charged Moshe Rabbeinu with leading Klal Yisrael out of Egypt, he initially refused to accept the role.  He claimed that his older brother, Aharon, had been serving as the leader of the people. He did not want to hurt his feelings. Hashem told him that, not only was Aharon not upset, he was actually filled with joy over his younger brother’s selection. Thus, Hashem said, “The heart that was happy over…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5785 -> Mishpatim

וכי יכה איש את עבדו או את אמתו בשבט ומת תחת ידו נקם ינקם

Sruly Schnair
In Mishpatim, 5785

If a man shall strike his slave or his maidservant with the rod, and he shall die under his hand, He shall surely be avenged. (21:20)

The Torah addresses a very sad situation in which a Jewish master strikes his non-Jewish slave with such force that he kills him.  The master is liable for the death penalty; Nakeim yinakeim, “He shall surely be avenged.”  It is sad for a number of reasons.  First, a Jew is to be executed for a violent act of murder.  Second, is the fact that we can have among us a person of such low character that he can kill another human being – for whatever reason.  This pasuk obviously does not apply to the normal ben Torah, observant Jew, whose…

Continue Reading

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

You have Successfully Subscribed!