Humility – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

ושמרתם את המצות... ושמרתם את היום הזה לדרתיכם חקת עולם

Roberto Szerer In Bo, 5778

You shall safeguard the matzos… you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. (12:17)

Procrastination is a major hindrance when it comes to getting something done. Certainly, no one will hire a worker to complete a job knowing that this worker has a reputation as a procrastinator. On the other hand, one would find himself hard-pressed to call a procrastinator evil. Unreliable perhaps, but evil? Certainly not. Horav Shlomo Wolbe, zl, teaches us that, with regard to mitzvah performance, procrastination, delay of any sort, is characteristic of the pull of the yetzer hora, evil-inclination, over us, and, thus, sufficient reason to refer to it as an evil trait. The Torah admonishes U’shemartam es ha’matzos,…

Home -> 5765 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5765

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

Sefer Bereishis is aptly given its name since it is the “first” of the Chumashim. The Talmud in Avodah Zarah 25a has another name for Sefer Bereishis: Sefer HaYashar or Sefer Yesharim, the Book of Righteousness. Yashar means more than righteousness. It means straightfor- wardness, integrity, mentchlichkeit, human decency. Sefer Bereishis chronicles the lives of the Avos, Patriarchs, men who exemplified righteousness to G-d and mentchlichkeit to all human beings. In the preface to his commentary on Sefer Bereishis, the Netziv, zl, expands on this idea. The Patriarchs distinguished themselves not only in their relationships with Hashem, which was on the…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5764

וימת שם משה עבד ה'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, V'zos HaBrachah

So Moshe, the servant of Hashem, died there. (34:5)

Moshe Rabbeinu was certainly a uniquely gifted individual. In fact, he must have been exceedingly brilliant by anyone’s standard. To have learned the entire Torah in forty days is no simple feat. It required acumen above the realm of an ordinary man. He had this plus the gift of Hashem’s Divine Inspiration. Yet, as Horav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, Shlita, notes, when the Torah praises Moshe, it only lauds his humility. “Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth!” (Bamidbar 12:3). Apparently, success in Torah is not measured by the yardstick of…

Home -> 5757 -> Shemini

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shemini, 5757

And Moshe spoke to Aharon: Approach the Altar and offer your (korban) Chatas and your (korban) Olah. (9:7)

Chazal explain why it was necessary for Moshe to speak emphatically to Aharon saying, “Approach the Mizbayach.” Aharon was “shy,” afraid to approach the Mizbayach. He saw the likeness of an ox with its horns in the Mizbayach, and he was afraid. Moshe told him, “Take courage and approach the Mizbayach.” Aharon was anxious, reflecting a fear that ought to take hold of any conscientious leader who assumes his position. He understood the heavy responsibility of his position and the lofty mission of being leader, teacher, and interpreter of d’var Hashem. His fear, however, had an additional aspect. The image…

Home -> 5757 -> Metzora

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Metzora, 5757

And for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, clean birds, cedarwood, crimson thread and hyssop. (14:4)

The root of lashon hora is arrogance. The arrogant person feels he can talk about others with disdain. Haughtiness breeds contempt for all people, other than the slanderer himself. During the process of purification, the metzora goes through a penance which entails his commitment to change his deeds. The three items that accompany his korban symbolize sin and its teshuvah. Cedarwood, which grows tall and wide, symbolizes haughtiness. The crimson thread is dyed with a dye that is derived from a lowly creature. The hyssop is a lowly bush. Both of these latter items allude to the metzora’s newfound humility….

Home -> 5757 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5757

Listen now, O rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? (20:10)

The commentators struggle to understand Moshe and Aharon’s sin. Undoubtedly, Hashem placed demands upon them commensurate with their lofty level of virtue and holiness. Other people cannot be evaluated by the same standards used to assess Moshe and Aharon. According to the Ramban, Moshe’s anger caused his sin. The manner in which Moshe spoke to the people, “Listen, O rebels,” was not the proper vernacular with which to address Klal Yisrael. Moshe should have demonstrated more patience in dealing with his people. The overwhelming question with which we are faced is: Why did Moshe become angry? What could have…

Home -> 5756 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chukas, 5756

“He sent an emissary and took us out of Egypt.” (20:16)

Rashi comments that Moshe used the word “ltkn” — which also means angel — because the prophets are referred to as angels. It seems slightly out of character for Moshe Rabbeinu, the “anav mikol adam,” the paragon of humility, to chose a word that alludes to spiritual superiority. Horav Zalmen Sorotzkin, zl, cites a response from his father- in-law, Horav Eliezer Gordon, zl. Horav Gordon recounts an incident in which a famous gaon, one of the most prominent rabbanim in Vilna, met a villager driving a wagon that was being pulled by a horse and a cow simultaneously. When the…

Home -> 5756 -> Shelach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shelach, 5756

“Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the assembly of Bnei Yisrael.” (14:5)

Moshe and Aharon were no longer able to tolerate Bnei Yisrael‘s invidious behavior. Their ranting and raving, their inane fear and lack of faith, were no longer bearable. Moshe and Aharon gave up in frustration. This defeatist attitude is not typical of Moshe and Aharon’s leadership characteristics. Are these the same individuals who stood fearlessly before Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Jews from slavery? Is this the same Moshe who smashed the Luchos to the ground, when he descended from Har Sinai to witness the decadent behavior of Bnei Yisrael, as they worshipped the Golden Calf? Was he…

Home -> 5756 -> Kedoshim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Kedoshim, 5756

“Love your neighbor as yourself, I am Hashem.” (19:18)

Horav Yosef Leib Bloch, zl, comments that the last two words of this pasuk, ‘s hbt, “I am Hashem,” represent more than the conclusion of the pasuk. They actually define the essence of one’s obligation to be sensitive to his friend’s needs. He cites the Talmud in Sukah 53a which quotes Hillel Ha’Zakein’s famous exclamation during the Simchas Bais Ha’Shoeivah. “itf hbt ot itf kfv,” “If I am here, then everyone is here.” This statement contradicts everything we have been taught regarding Hillel’s character. He was known to be the paradigm of humility. How could he make such a statement?…

Home -> 5756 -> Metzora

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Metzora, 5756

“The Kohen shall command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living birds, and cedarwood, and crimson thread and hyssop.” (14:4)

Rashi explains the symbolism of the cedarwood, crimson thread and hyssop as an allusion to the need for humility, the metzora’s need to focus on and to neutralize his arrogant nature. This is consistent with Chazal‘s teaching that the various nega’im, plagues, are the result of gasus ha’ruach, vulgarity and haughtiness. Horav Shimon Schwab, zl, suggests that these three objects signify three types of humility. First is the fellow who sees his own insignificance. He realizes that the insignificant amount of Torah he may have studied is nothing in relation to the vast storehouse of Torah knowledge that exists. He…

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ושמרתם את המצות... ושמרתם את היום הזה לדרתיכם חקת עולם

You shall safeguard the matzos… you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. (12:17)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

וימת שם משה עבד ה'

So Moshe, the servant of Hashem, died there. (34:5)

And Moshe spoke to Aharon: Approach the Altar and offer your (korban) Chatas and your (korban) Olah. (9:7)

And for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, clean birds, cedarwood, crimson thread and hyssop. (14:4)

Listen now, O rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? (20:10)

“He sent an emissary and took us out of Egypt.” (20:16)

“Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the assembly of Bnei Yisrael.” (14:5)

“Love your neighbor as yourself, I am Hashem.” (19:18)

“The Kohen shall command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living birds, and cedarwood, and crimson thread and hyssop.” (14:4)

YEARS

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