Germany – Peninim on the Torah

ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

Hashem Elokim called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

At face value, this was not a question. Hashem certainly knew Adam’s whereabouts. Hashem was initiating a dialogue with Adam, so that he would not be afraid to repent. This, obviously, is a lesson for us when approaching someone – a student, a child, a friend who has erred – not to pounce upon him, “Why did you do it? How could you have acted so badly?” but rather, begin a conversation, get the subject relaxed, then ease into the reproof in such a manner that he will open up and be willing to repent. The word Ayeca, “Where are…

Home -> 5777 -> Kedoshim

קדושים תהיו... איש אמו ואביו תיראו ואת שבתותי תשמרו אני ד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Kedoshim, 5777

You shall be holy… every man: your father and mother shall you revere and My Shabbasos shall you observe. I am Hashem. (19:2,3)

It was 1945 and Horav Moshe David Tenenbaum, zl, who was then head of the Vaad HaYeshivos in the Holy Land, went for a vacation in a small village in the north. As he was walking one day, a member of a nearby kibbutz approached him and asked if he could serve as the tenth man for a minyan. At first, he thought the fellow was teasing him, since it was a non-religious kibbutz and tefillah b’tzibur, davening with a minyan, was uncommon (to say the least). How surprised he was when he arrived at the kibbutz to meet the…

Home -> 5776 -> Yisro

אנכי ד' אלקיך... לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Yisro, 5776

I am Hashem, Your G-d. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My Presence. (20:2,3)

The first two commandments exhort us to believe only in Hashem. No other power, however real or purported, has any validity. Only Hashem is One. He is our G-d, and the G-d of the entire universe. We understand that we may not turn to any other source for salvation, since only Hashem has the power to save. The Alter, zl, m’Novorodok was wont to relate the following story in support of this idea. A poor man had reached the limits of degradation. He had no one to whom to turn. He had exhausted every avenue of “income.” Depressed and dejected,…

Home -> 5762 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5762

“This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.” (21:20)

The ben sorer u’moreh, rebellious son, does not listen to his parents. Clearly, this is a reason to bring him to Bais Din. He is also a glutton and a drunkard. While this is certainly not complimentary, is it a reason to be put to death at such a young age? Horav Mordechai Ezrachi, Shlita, cites Horav Nachum Zev, z.l., m’Kelm who commented on Rav’s statement in the Talmud Berachos 17a. Chazal say, Maryela b’pumei d’Rav, “It was a familiar lesson in the mouth of Rav. The World to Come is not like this world. In the World to Come there…

Home -> 5762 -> Eikev

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Eikev, 5762

“You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart… you shall bind them for a sign upon your arm… And you shall teach them to your children… And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house.” (11:18-20)

Three mitzvos follow in close succession after Hashem’s threat of exile. Is there a relationship between these mitzvos and the exile? Rashi cites the Sifri that connects the juxtaposition in the following manner. We are enjoined to observe these commandments even in exile, so that when the redemption occurs, these mitzvos will not be foreign to us. There is a danger that when the Jewish People are in exile living in a non- Jewish environment, speaking the language of the host nation, adopting its customs and lifestyle, there is a real threat of assimilation. It is for this reason that we…

Home -> 5762 -> Terumah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Terumah, 5762

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

The kedushah, sanctity, of the Mikdash, Sanctuary, is commensurate with the amount of “li,” for Me, that one puts into it. When we refer to kedushah, invariably we tend to think of something spiritual, surreal, with no tangibility. Consequently, it cannot have any effect on us. This is where we are wrong. That something is intangible does not preclude its ability to suffuse us with its properties and values. Let me take the liberty to illustrate this idea. The Midrash in Parashas Toldos relates an incident that took place during the Roman destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. The Romans knew that…

Home -> 5762 -> Vayeira

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5762

“Because I said, ‘(Only) there is no fear of G-d in this place and they will kill me on account of (to take) my wife.’” (20:11)

Horav Elchanan Wasserman, z.l., had occasion to be in Germany a number of years prior to the Nazi implementation of their Master Plan. At the time, Germany was considered among the most progressive and intellectual nations. Its culture and nobility presented a paradigm for others to emulate. As we know, however, it was all superficial. Something was missing from this cold, dispassionate culture. The Jews were an “accepted” part of society. This, of course, led to assimilation. Little did they know the tragic events, the cataclysmic horrors, that were lurking right around the corner. Rav Elchanan delivered a lecture to the…

Home -> 5773 -> Balak

וירא בלק... את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי... וירא פינחס... ויקם מתוך העדה...

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Balak, 5773

Balak saw… all that Yisrael had done to the Emori (22:2). Pinchas saw… and he stood up from amid the assembly. (25:7)

Our parsha begins with one re’iyah, observation, and closes with another re’iyah. Balak opens the parsha with Va’yaar Balak ben Tzippor, “And Balak ben Tzippor saw.” Pinchas, heir to the Priestly throne of his grandfather Aharon HaKohen, concludes the parsha with his re’iyah, Vayaar Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen va’yakom mitoch ha’eidah, va’yikach romach b’yado, “And Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen saw, and he stood up from amid the assembly and took a spear in his hand” (25:7).We understand that, whenever the Torah states that someone “saw,” it is important to explain what in particular caught his attention….

Home -> 5776 -> Beshalach

אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת לד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5776

Then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael chose to sing this song to Hashem. (15:1)

The Shabbos during which the Shirah is read is unique. Indeed, it is called Shabbos Shirah – the Shabbos of the Song. Horav Yitzchak, zl, m’Varka once asked the Chidushei HaRim why the Shabbos on which we read the Shirah has become Shabbos Shirah, when this phenomenon does not occur on any other Shabbos. We do not refer to the Shabbos on which we read Parashas Yisro (which records Kabbolas HaTorah) as Shabbos Mattan Torah. Likewise, other Shabbosos do not derive their name from the contents of the parsha that we read on that particular week. The Chidushei HaRim replied…

Home -> Bechukosai -> 5776

אם בחקתי תלכו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Bechukosai

If you will follow My decrees. (26:3)

So much has been written concerning the meaning of this pasuk. I would like to submit my understanding. The word teileichu is translated here as “to follow.” It also means to walk/go. Together, these meanings imply that we are to walk/go forward using Hashem’s decrees as our GPS, our moral compass, to provide our sense of direction. In other words, a Jew does not “lead,” he follows – Hashem. Having said that, we might take this idea a bit further; chukim are mitzvos whose reasons defy human rationale. There are reasons for these mitzvos, but these reasons are Divine. Hashem…

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ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

Hashem Elokim called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

קדושים תהיו... איש אמו ואביו תיראו ואת שבתותי תשמרו אני ד'

You shall be holy… every man: your father and mother shall you revere and My Shabbasos shall you observe. I am Hashem. (19:2,3)

אנכי ד' אלקיך... לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני

I am Hashem, Your G-d. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My Presence. (20:2,3)

“This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.” (21:20)

“You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart… you shall bind them for a sign upon your arm… And you shall teach them to your children… And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house.” (11:18-20)

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

“Because I said, ‘(Only) there is no fear of G-d in this place and they will kill me on account of (to take) my wife.’” (20:11)

וירא בלק... את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי... וירא פינחס... ויקם מתוך העדה...

Balak saw… all that Yisrael had done to the Emori (22:2). Pinchas saw… and he stood up from amid the assembly. (25:7)

אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת לד'

Then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael chose to sing this song to Hashem. (15:1)

אם בחקתי תלכו

If you will follow My decrees. (26:3)

YEARS

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