His Presence – Peninim on the Torah

“You shall deliver the blessing on Har Gerizim…. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, far in the direction of the sunset…. across from Gilgal, near the plain of Moreh. Only at the place that Hashem… shall choose …. to place His Name shall you seek out His Presence and come there.” (11:29,30 – 12:5)

The Torah describes in detail the exact location of Har Gerizim. The Torah leaves no room for error, designating the simplest and most direct course to the mountain of blessing. In contrast, in regard to the Bais Ha’Mikdash, the Torah offers no “directions.” The Torah demands that we “seek it out.” We are to search for the Bais Ha’Mikdash. No map, no “trip tik” eases our search. Search and you will find -but no directions are offered. Why? Would it not make sense that the Bais Ha’Mikdash, the spiritual center of our People, the holy place where the Shechinah reposes,…

Home -> 5758 -> Re'eh

Moshe Marcovich In Re'eh, 5758

You shall not do this to Hashem your G-d. Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your G-d chose…to place His Name shall you seek out His Presence and come there. And there shall you bring your elevation offerings. (12:4,5,6)

The commentators, each in his own initimable style, explain what it is that we “shall not do” to Hashem. Horav Itzile M’Volozhin, zl, offers a practical interpretation of this pasuk. We find that in order to facilitate the unintentional murderer’s “escape” to the Arei Miklat, Cities of Refuge, the people erected signs at various crossroads to indicate the most efficient way to reach his destination. They did this in order to ensure that the rotzeach b’shogeg, unintentional murderer, would not have to ask people for directions as he sought his destination. We may wonder why this helpful idea was…

Home -> Pekudei -> 5776

כי ענן ד' על המשכן יומם, ואש תהיה לילה בו לעיני כל בית ישראל בכל מסעיהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Pekudei

For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day, and the fire would be on it by night, before the eyes of all of Bnei Yisrael throughout their journeys. (40:38)

Clearly, this pasuk has ramifications concerning the future of our people as our tenure in galus, exile, continues. The Jew should not think that the darkness which encompasses us in galus is so pervasive that we are unable to penetrate it; or that it completely envelops and stifles us. No! V’eish tiheyeh laylah, “And fire would be on at night.” The light of Torah will illuminate the darkness of exile. The daled amos shel halachah, four cubits of Jewish law, will light for us the path of darkness, as we will be able to make our way, as others have…

Home -> Pekudei -> 5776

אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Pekudei

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

Rashi notes the double use of the word, Mishkan. Why the redundancy? He explains that Hashem took the Mishkan away from the midst of the Jews twice as a result of their deficient behavior. Had He not taken the Mishkan, it would have been incumbent upon Him to execute a more definitive punishment. Rashi adds that the words Mishkan HaEidus, Mishkan of the Testimony, alludes to the Mishkan serving as a testimony that Hashem tolerated the sin of the Golden Calf and allowed the Jewish People to live. Rashi’s sequence — first saying that the word, Mishkan, means collateral, alluding…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, Vayigash

“Then Yisrael journeyed forth with all that he had…and (he) offered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Yitzchak.” (46:1)

Yaakov Avinu arrived in Be’er Sheva, a city glorified by the memory of his fathers. There he offered zevachim, sacrifices. He was in the happiest frame of mind that he had attained in his entire life. It was here at this zenith in his life, with his troubles and struggles behind him, that he felt capable of offering a Korban Shelamim, Peace- Offering. Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., notes that this is the first time that any of the Avos, Patriarchs, offered a korban other than a Korban Olah, Burnt- Offering. He explains that a Korban Olah expresses complete submission to Hashem….

Home -> 5772 -> Kedoshim

דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם קדשים תהיו כי קדוש אני

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Kedoshim, 5772

Speak to the entire congregation of Bnei Yisrael, and you shall say to them, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” (19:2)

A while ago I received a call from a Peninim reader, concerned about the fact that I had distinguished between the focus of punishment meted out to a Jew and that meted out to a gentile. Hashem’s punishment of the Jewish nation is therapeutic, to elevate and better the individual Jews. The punishment that Hashem metes out to the gentile world is punitive. Apparently, more is demanded of us. The caller took issue with the notion that I was differentiating between people. I apologized, but reality is what it is. At times, it might make us uncomfortable. In Parashas Kedoshim,…

Home -> 5776 -> Lech Lecha

לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5776

“Go for yourself from your land, the land of your birthplace, and from your father’s home, to the land that I will show you.” (12:1)

The Degel Machane Efraim teaches that the Torah is eternal and not limited to one specific period in time. Every Jew can discover a response to life’s challenges in the Torah. Thus, the words, Lech lecha me’artzecha u’mimoladetecha u’mibeis avicha, applies to each one of us. The Zohar Hakadosh addresses this issue and explains that the words, Lech lecha me’artzecha, are stated by Hashem speaking to the neshamah, soul, which is viewed as being an av, father, to the guf, body, of a person. “Avram” would then represent the av, soul, which descends from ram, on high, Heaven above. Hashem…

Home -> Vayeishev -> 5777

ולא שמע אליה לשכב אצלה להיות עמה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayeishev

If he would not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her. (39:10)

Yosef HaTzaddik suffered greatly from the attempt of Potifar’s wife to seduce him. Chazal (Yuma 35b) describe her machinations in order to take Yosef down: “Every day, she would attempt to seduce him with words. The clothes she wore for him in the morning, she would not wear for him in the evening. The clothes she wore for him in the evening, she would not wear for him in the morning. After varying her wardrobe in order to arouse him, she said, ‘Surrender yourself to me.’ He responded, ‘No!’ She threatened to have him put in jail. He responded, ‘Hashem…

Home -> 5777 -> Lech Lecha

ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s home. (12:1)

Although the Torah relates the birth of Avraham Avinu at the end of Parashas Noach, we are introduced to the Patriarch in Parashas Lech Lecha. In Derech Hashem, the Maharal explains that originally the plan of Creation was that all human beings would share equally in fulfilling the Divine mission and that the Torah would be given to all mankind. Twenty generations of failure from Adam to Noach to Avraham precluded this reality from occurring. Thus, the title of Hashem’s Chosen People was given to the nation that earned it: Avraham, followed by his progeny. They would receive the Torah;…

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You shall not do this to Hashem your G-d. Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your G-d chose…to place His Name shall you seek out His Presence and come there. And there shall you bring your elevation offerings. (12:4,5,6)

כי ענן ד' על המשכן יומם, ואש תהיה לילה בו לעיני כל בית ישראל בכל מסעיהם

For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day, and the fire would be on it by night, before the eyes of all of Bnei Yisrael throughout their journeys. (40:38)

אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony. (38:21)

“Then Yisrael journeyed forth with all that he had…and (he) offered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Yitzchak.” (46:1)

דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם קדשים תהיו כי קדוש אני

Speak to the entire congregation of Bnei Yisrael, and you shall say to them, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” (19:2)

לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך

“Go for yourself from your land, the land of your birthplace, and from your father’s home, to the land that I will show you.” (12:1)

ולא שמע אליה לשכב אצלה להיות עמה

If he would not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her. (39:10)

ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך

Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s home. (12:1)

YEARS

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