Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
This Shabbat we will read Parashat HaChodesh which focuses on Rosh Chodesh, the first mitzvah Hashem commanded to the entire Jewish people: “This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year.” (Sefer Shemot 12:2, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Rosh Chodesh’s historical and legal significance to our people is presented in a treasure trove of halachic analyses and aggadic interpretations that give voice to its remarkable import. In particular, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, the greatest of all the students of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai (Pirkei Avot II: 9-10), looms large in the list of famous Torah personalities associated with this special day:

Rabbi Chelbo said: The wine of Perugitha and the water of Diomsith cut off the Ten Tribes from Israel [due to their powerful hedonistic and anti-Torah influences, Rashi]. Rabbi Elazar ben Arach visited those places. He was attracted to them [the wine and the bath waters] and [as a result,] his learning was uprooted [that is, he forgot it, Rashi]. When he returned [to the community of scholars], he arose to read the Torah. He wanted to read, “HaChodesh hazeh lachem” (“This month shall be to you…”) [instead,] he read “HaCharesh hayah libbam” (“Their hearts were silent”). But the scholars prayed for him, and his learning returned. (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 147b, translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
In his commentary on the Torah entitled, “Kedushat Tzion,” the second Bobover Rebbe, HaRav Ben-Zion Halberstam zatzal (1874-1941), suggests the following interpretation of our passage: “We must understand the words of our Sages and the quizzical nature as to why Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was called upon to read the specific parasha of ‘HaChodesh hazeh lachem.’” Rav Halberstam’s exploration of the connection between Rabbi Elazar and Rosh Chodesh sheds light upon the concept of mitzvah goreret mitzvah (one commandment brings another in its wake, Pirkei Avot 4:2) and the problems associated with mitzvat anashim m’lumdah (the rote performance of a mitzvah):

The meforshim ask, “Does the phrase, ‘mitzvah goreret mitzvah’ really imply that an individual who performs one mitzvah will henceforth be like an unceasing river [of mitzvot observance], since one mitzvah brings another in its wake so that the entire rest of his life will be, by definition, mitzvot-suffused?” (Kedushat Tzion, Parashat Bo, page 98, this, and the following translations, my own)
 
Rav Halberstam summarizes the meforshim’s response to this question in this manner:

The commentators address this difficulty by noting that the uniquely valuable reward inherent in the phrase “mitzvah goreret mitzvah” applies solely to a commandment that is performed with deep intention (“b’kavanat halev”) and in its proper manner—then, and only then, does it lead one to perform another mitzvah. If, however, the commandment is performed as a mitzvat anashim m’lumdah, that is, without proper intention, then it will not lead one to undertake another mitzvah.
 
In an interpretative tour de force, Rav Halberstam opines that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was frightened after reading “HaCharesh hayah libbam” in place of our pasuk’s phrase, “HaChodesh hazeh lachem.” Based upon his abiding humility, Rabbi Elazar believed his error resulted from having “failed to properly concentrate when fulfilling the commandments on prior occasions,” for if this were not the case, the great mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, the subject of his Torah reading, should have protected him. After all, since Rosh Chodesh was the first mitzvah given to the entire Jewish people, it should engender mitzvah goreret mitzvah. Rabbi Elazar, therefore, concluded that his mitzvot observance must have been on the low level of mitzvat anashim m’lumdah, which resulted in the loss of the reward and protection of mitzvah goreret mitzvah, and made him susceptible to the lure of hedonistic pursuits and the subsequent loss of his Torah knowledge. According to Rav Halberstam, however, Rav Elazar ben Arach’s “colleagues knew full well that, in truth, he had performed prior mitzvot with the requisite intentionality,” and as a result, “prayed for mercy on his behalf and his learning returned.”
 
This poignant episode underscores the great power and holiness of Rosh Chodesh, and its remarkable significance in the thought of Chazal. As such, may the merit of our heartfelt observance of this mitzvah bring us bountiful blessings from Hashem and hasten the coming of the Mashiach, soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
 
Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.

*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
​
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי האר
 
Like much of Sefer Vayikra, our parasha focuses on the korbanot. Accordingly, the second verse presents the mitzvah of the korban olah: “Command (tzav) Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: That is the burnt offering which burns on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall burn with it.’” (Sefer Vayikra 6:2, this and all Rashi and Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself on Midrash Sifra on our verse and Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 29a, explains “tzav” in this manner: “The expression tzav always denotes urging [to promptly and meticulously fulfill a particular commandment] for the present (miyad) and for future generations (v’ledorot).” The word, “miyad,” makes perfectly good sense in this context, since the kohanim were able to offer the korban olah during the time of the Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash. The term, “v’ledorot,” however, seems problematic, as we have not had a Mishkan or Beit HaMikdash for nearly 2,000 years.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, expands on our question:

What is the meaning of the word ledoros (for future generations) in this context? The mitzvos of mezuzah, tefillin and Shabbos are clearly ledoros. Thousands of years have gone by, and these mitzvos are observed as they had been when they were originally given. But in what way are the mitzvos of the Mishkan practiced today? There has been no korban tamid [daily offering] for almost two thousand years! In what sense does the mitzvah of offering korbanos continue? (Sefer Vayikra Chumash Mesoras HaRav, with commentary based upon the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, edited by Dr. Arnold Lustiger, page 33)
 
The Rav begins his answer by citing a midrashic passage in Talmud Bavli, Megillah that presents a fascinating dialogue between Hashem and Avraham Avinu:
​
Abraham asked how he was to know that G-d would not forsake Israel if they sinned. G-d answered, “In the merit of the [Temple] sacrifices.” Abraham insisted that this merit is fine when these sacrifices are in existence, but what was to happen after the destruction of the Temple? G-d replied that if the Children of Israel learned the laws surrounding the sacrifices, He would consider their study as a virtual sacrificial offering. When we cannot offer sacrifices, we recite the halachos [laws] pertaining to them as a substitute. (31b)
 
In short, the study of the laws of korbanot enables us to bring “virtual sacrificial offerings” and fulfill these mitzvot in a substitute manner. At this juncture, the Rav extends his interpretation of “virtual” to include the Beit HaMikdash itself:

There is a Mikdash in our days as well—not physically, but through halachic study. This is the mesorah [the passing down from each generation to the next] of Torah Sheb’al Peh, the Oral Law. Today, we read Parashas Shekalim as if the Beis Hamikdash was still standing; it is ledoros. Parashas Parah reminds us to be ritually pure so that we may bring the korban pesach. Although we no longer offer a korban pesach, we read Parashas Parah as if the Beis Hamikdash still exists.
 
2,000 years is a long time to wait for the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. Nonetheless, this vision remains indelibly engraved in our neshamot, and was given powerful voice in the Shemoneh Esrei:

Return in mercy to Yerushalayim Your city and dwell therein as You have promised; speedily establish therein the throne of David Your servant, and rebuild it, soon in our days, as an everlasting edifice. Blessed are You Hashem, who rebuilds Yerushalayim. (Shemoneh Esrei, translation, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/867674/jewish/Translation.htm)
 
With Hashem’s overflowing kindness and mercy, may we be zocheh to serve Him in the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash in our time, v’ledorot—and for all generations to come! V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.

*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
​
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי האר
 
This Shabbat we will read Parashat Zachor. According to the Shulchan Aruch, the public reading of this parasha is a Torah-based mitzvah. (Orech Chaim 146:2 and 685:7)  In addition, it enables us to fulfill two of the three Taryag Mitzvot associated with Amalek as determined by the Rambam in his Sefer HaMitzvot: “Remember what Amalek did to us,” (Positive Commandment 189) and “We are warned not to forget what ‘the seed’ of Amalek did to us.” (Negative Commandment 59).
 
One of the essential principles of parshanut (Torah exegesis) is the timeless significance of each verse and narrative passage in the Torah. According to Mishnah Yadaim 4:4, however, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria (720-683 BCE approx.), completely destroyed the cohesiveness of all nations and tribes of his time—including Amalek. If this is the case, why does the Torah state three separate, and eternal mitzvot regarding a tribal entity that no longer exists?
 
My rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), addresses this question in his famous essay of 1956, “Kol Dodi Dofek,” wherein he presents a seminal idea he learned from his father, Rav Moshe Soloveitchik zatzal (1879-1941):
 
At a Mizrachi convention I cited the view expressed by my father and master (Rabbi Moses Soloveitchik) of blessed memory, that the proclamation, “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation,” (Exodus 17:16) does not only translate into the communal exercise of waging obligatory war against a specific race but includes as well the obligation to rise up as a community against any people or group that, filled with maniacal hatred, directs its enmity against Keneset Israel. When a people emblazons on its banner, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation: that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance,” (Psalms 83:5) it becomes, thereby, Amalek. (Pages 65-66 from the English translation entitled Fate and Destiny)
 
According to this opinion of Rav Moshe Soloveitchik zatzal, Amalek is not a tribe or an ethnicity. Instead, it is a mindset with which we are all too familiar. Unfortunately, this version of Amalek has existed for uncountable years, and will continue to exist until destroyed by Mashiach Tzidkanu. (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11:4) The Rav underscores this point in the original Hebrew edition of “Kol Dodi Dofek”: “…Amalek still exists in the world. Go and see what the Torah says: ‘a war of Hashem with Amalek throughout all of the generations.’ If so, it is impossible that Amalek will be destroyed from this world before the arrival of the messiah.” (Footnote 23)  Accordingly, the Rav writes: “In the 1930’s and 1940’s the Nazis, with Hitler at their head, filled this role. They were the Amalekites, the standard-bearers of insane hatred and enmity during the era just past. Today their place has been taken over by the mobs of Nasser and the Mufti.” Sadly, we can easily substitute Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, White Supremacists, and today’s world-wide radicalized university community, for the Nazis, Nasar, and the Mufti of yesteryear.
 
Make no mistake about it. Amalek’s goal is to destroy each and every one of us so in order to obliterate Hashem’s name, chas v’shalom, from the world. Antisemitism, coupled with the rejection of the existence and supremacy of Hashem, are the doctrinal principles by which Amalek lives. The Jewish people, in contrast, are Hashem’s true witnesses. Our very existence belies the specious “beliefs” of all Amalekites for all time. How can we stand up and join Hashem in His continuous struggle against the forces of ultimate darkness? The Torah gives us the answer in one word: “Zachor!” We must not be fooled by the duplicity and disingenuous behaviors of today’s Amalekites, regardless of what the media would like us to believe. “From the River to the Sea,” means one thing and one thing only—the attempt to complete Hitler’s Final Solution in our time.
 
May we soon witness the coming of the Mashiach, when the entire world will stand shoulder to shoulder in recognizing Hashem’s truth and glory, and Amalek’s memory will fade into the past. Then, may the words of Zephaniah the prophet be fulfilled before our eyes: “I will make the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon the Name of G-d and serve Him with one purpose.” (3:9) V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.

*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
​
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav

 
















​Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Sefer Shemot is a grand journey that takes us from the depths of Egyptian servitude to the construction of the Mishkan wherein Hashem’s Schechinah was revealed to the entire Jewish people. Parashat Pekudei concludes Sefer Shemot and provides Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher (1255-1340) with the platform to share his vision of the ultimate future that awaits the Jewish people. His presentation begins with a passage based on Midrash Tanchuma:
 
The Holy One blessed be He said: “In this world, I caused my Schechinah to dwell among you in the Beit HaMikdash; [yet,] as a result of your purposeful sins, it departed from you. In the time of the Mashiach (literally, l’atid lavo,) my Shechinah will never move away from you. As the text states: ‘I have placed My holy dwelling place in your midst, and My spirit will never reject you…and you will be My people.’” (Sefer Vayikra 26:11-12, all translations my own)
 
Rabbeinu Bahya presents nine constitutive aspects of l’atid lavo. This analysis includes the reinvigoration of our relationship with Hashem, the transformation of all humankind, and the realization of the promised role of the Jewish people.
 
According to Rabbeinu Bahya, the time of the Mashiach will mark three dynamic changes in our connection to Hashem: Nevuah will return to the Jewish people as in earlier times, the Schechinah will return to its rightful place in the soon-to-be-rebuilt Beit HaMikdash, and wisdom from above (shefa chochmah) will overflow, enabling all of klal Yisrael to fully acquire Hashem’s holy Torah.
 
Moreover, three crucial transformations will impact all humankind: the study and practice of warfare will cease (Sefer Yeshayahu 2:4), new hearts (proper moral principles and ethical behaviors) will replace hearts of stone (Sefer Yechezkel 36:26), and the desire to pursue evil will vanish from the world (ain satan v’ain yetzer hara).
 
In Rabbeinu Bahya’s schema, the realization of the promised role of the Jewish people comprises the third aspect of the Geulah Shlaimah. As glory and honor returns to our nation, Hashem’s hashgacha (Divine Providence) will reach its highest heights, and His majesty, revealed unhidden by the Anan (Cloud of Gory) will be directly visible to us all.
 
Rabbeinu Bahya concludes his eschatological vision with a stirring pasuk from Sefer Yeshayahu that underscores this new level of revelation: “The voice of your watchmen shall be raised in unison, and they shall sing together, for eye to eye they shall see when Hashem returns to Tzion.” (52:8)  May this time come soon and in our days, when we will witness the fulfillment of Zechariah’s famous words: “And Hashem shall become King over the entire earth; on that day Hashem shall be one and His name one.” (14:9). V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav
​

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha begins with Moshe Rabbeinu gathering the entire Jewish people before him: “Moshe called the whole community of the children of Israel to assemble, and he said to them: ‘These are the things that Hashem commanded to make.’” (Sefer Shemot 35:1, all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations)  At this point, we would expect some sort of listing of “the things that Hashem commanded to make,” instead, we are met with two verses that discuss several aspects of Shabbat:

Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to Hashem; whoever performs work thereon [on this day] shall be put to death. You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwelling places on the Shabbat day. (35:2-3)
 
These pasukim are followed by 32 verses that discuss the acquisition of the necessary materials to construct the Mishkan and its vessels, and the people’s largesse in providing these needs. Why did Moshe discuss Shabbat in the midst of focusing on “the things that Hashem commanded to make?” In his Commentary on the Torah on our verse, Rashi (1040-1105), based on the Mechilta, suggests the following well-known answer: Six days: “He [Moshe] prefaced [the discussion of the details of] the work of the Mishkan with the warning to keep Shabbat, denoting that it [that is, the work of the Mishkan] does not supersede Shabbat.” In short, Shabbat’s mention prior to the Mishkan depicts its singular import and its precedence over the construction of the Mishkan.
 
This order is reversed in Parashat Ki Tisa, where 11 Mishkan focused pasukim (31:1-11) are stated before Shabbat, and only afterwards do we find:

Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: “And you, speak to the children of Israel and say: ‘Only (ach) keep My Shabbatot! For it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I, Hashem, make you holy. Therefore, keep Shabbat, for it is a sacred thing for you. Those who desecrate it shall be put to death, for whoever performs work on it, that soul will be cut off from the midst of its people. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Shabbat of complete rest, holy to Hashem; whoever performs work on the Shabbat day shall be put to death.’” (31:12-14)
 
Our exegetical challenge is now quite clear: Why is the Mishkan mentioned before Shabbat in Parashat Ki Tisa while the opposite order obtains in Parashat Vayakel? In his Torah commentary, Keli Yakar, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz zatzal (1550 –1619) strengthens this question:

It is [almost] always the case in every instance where one mitzvah precedes another mitzvah that the first one is of the essence and sets aside the second one. So, too, do we find in the verse: “You shall observe My Shabbatot and revere My Mikdash. I am Hashem,” (Sefer Vayikra 19:30) wherein Shabbat is given precedence over the Mikdash.” (Sefer Shemot 35:2, this, and the following translations, with my emendations, my own)
 
Based on this idea, Parashat Ki Tisa appears to be an outlier. Rav Luntschitz begins his analysis by noting that Parashat Ki Tisa and Parashat Vayakel have two different speakers. The first features Hashem’s words to Moshe, whereas the second contains Moshe’s address to the Jewish people. Rav Luntschitz suggests that this difference helps us understand why the Mishkan is mentioned first in Ki Tisa and Shabbat is first in Vayakel. In his view, the entire purpose of the Mishkan was to give voice to the new-found glory of the Jewish people after “the Holy One blessed be He forgave the people for the sin of the Egel HaZahav and allowed His Schechinah to rest upon them once again.” This was particularly apropos since, “the Holy One blessed be He is extremely sensitive to the honor of the Jewish people; therefore, [in Parashat Ki Tisa,] He gave precedence of place to the Mishkan [before He mentioned Shabbat].”
 
In contrast, Rav Luntschitz opines that it was proper for Moshe Rabbeinu to mention Shabbat before the Mishkan in Parashat Vayakel since, “the core of Shabbat is the glory of Hashem, may He be blessed...” He builds on these concepts and arrives at the following incisive conclusion:
​
Moshe thought that in order to grant the requisite respect to Hashem, may He be blessed, it was fitting to give precedence to Shabbat as it teaches us about the glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, and only afterwards present the Mishkan which informs us about the honor of the Jewish people. In addition, based on this order, it is immediately understood that Shabbat sets aside all labor concerning the Mishkan, since which one is set aside for the other—clearly, the smaller matter [Mishkan] before the greater one [Shabbat].
 
Just as Moshe Rabbeinu honored Hashem by giving precedence to Shabbat prior to the Mishkan, so, too, may our observance of Shabbat give kavod to the Almighty and bring glory to His name. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav