Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Yitro 10, teaches us that Torah study is comprised of three essential categories: Talmud — logical analysis, Halacha — Jewish law, and Aggadot — non-halachic expository sources. Talmud Yerushalmi, Megillah IV:I maintains that each of these were given to Moshe at Mount Sinai. The p’sak of the widely accepted posek, the Radbaz (Rabbi David ben Zimra, 1479-1573) highlights the great significance of the Aggadot:

G-d forbid that anyone would dare suggest that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi held that Aggadah is false and inessential to Jewish learning. Rather, it was given [to Moshe] from Heaven, just like the rest of the Oral Law. Moreover, just like the halachic portion of the Oral Law is based upon the 13 hermeneutic principles [of Rabbi Yishmael], the Aggadah is derived from the 36 hermeneutic principles [of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yossi HaGalili]. (Sheilot u’Teshuvot Radbaz, Section IV: 232, translation and brackets my own)
 
The following midrashic passage on Parashat Kedoshim is particularly significant in light of the halachic ruling of the Radbaz:

Another way of understanding “You will send forth Your help from Your sanctuary…” (Sefer Tehillim 20:3)  Rabbi Levi said: “All which is good, all blessings, all consolations that the Holy One blessed be He will give to the Jewish people will come solely from Zion. [This includes:] Salvation…Power…Blessings…The Shofar [of Mashiach] … Dew, Blessing and Life…Torah… Help and Heavenly Support… (Midrash Rabbah Vayikra, Parashat Kedoshim IV:4, translation and brackets my own)
 
In this midrash, Rabbi Levi supports each of his statements with a variety of pasukim from Tanach. Throughout this process, Eretz Yisrael emerges as Hashem’s unique sanctuary from which everything that is truly good will ultimately spring forth. In some ways, his presentation is a paean of praise for our beautiful and blessed land, reminiscent of the stirring words of another Rabbi Levi, namely, Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi (1075-1141), who emphasizes the eternal link that binds Eretz Yisrael to Am Yisrael and the Torah:

The land’s distinguished qualities are manifest first and foremost in the nation, which is the precious treasure and heart… The land is then aided by the deeds and laws [of the Torah] that relate to it, which are like the cultivation of the vineyard [of the Khazar king]. Ultimately, this precious nation cannot achieve Divinity anywhere else, just as the vineyard cannot successfully grow anywhere else except on [its special] mountain. (The Kuzari: In Defense of the Despised Faith, translation, Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin, page 155, with my emendations)
 
Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi’s phrase, “Ultimately, this precious nation cannot achieve Divinity anywhere else…” is powerful indeed, and echoes a celebrated statement of Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory):

Our Rabbis taught: “One should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a town wherein most of its inhabitants are idolaters, but let no one live outside the Land, even in a town wherein most of its inhabitants are Jews; for whoever lives in the Land of Israel may be considered to have a G-d, but whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who has no G-d. For it is said in Scripture, ‘To give you the Land of Canaan, to be your G-d.’ (Sefer Vayikra 25:38)” (Talmud Bavli, Ketubot 110b, translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my emendations)
 
Little wonder, then, that Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi penned his famous poem, Libi b’Mizrach:

My heart is in the East, and I in the uttermost West --

How can I truly taste that which I eat? How shall it be sweet to me?

How shall I fulfill my vows and my bonds, while yet Zion lies beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains?

A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good things of Spain --

Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust of the desolate sanctuary.
(Translation, Nina Salaman, with my emendations)
 
May the time come soon and in our days when the Mashiach will bring us to Eretz Yisrael, where we will reap its endless blessings and witness the fulfillment of the bracha: “Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the banner to gather our exiles and gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who gathers in the dispersed of His people Israel.” (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and the entire world.

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected]

*** 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.

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Parashat Tazria contains a pasuk (verse) that references the mitzvah of brit milah: “And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Sefer Vayikra 12:3, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  At first blush, there seems to be little basis for  this pasuk, since Sefer Bereishit 17:9-12 has already clearly presented many of the parameters of this mitzvah:

And G-d said to Abraham, “And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be as the sign of a covenant between Me and between you. And at the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised to you throughout your generations…”
 
Why, then, does the Torah reiterate this commandment in our parasha? One answer to this problem is offered in a rhetorical question found in Talmud Yerushalmi, Moed Katan III:5: “L’maidin davar kodem l’matan Torah? — Is it possible to learn anything regarding normative halachic practice from Torah passages that were stated prior to receiving the Torah?” In a commentary on this statement, the Chatam Sofer zatzal (1762-1839) alerts us to the analysis of Tosafot in Talmud Bavli, Moed Katan 20a (s.v. mah chag). According to their interpretation, the Talmud Yerushalmi is clearly suggesting that we cannot learn any halachic obligations from Torah portions that preceded the Revelation at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai). Therefore, in addition to Hashem’s charge to Avraham in Sefer Bereishit, we need a restatement of the obligation of brit milah in order to transform it into an eternally binding mitzvah.

I believe that Tosafot’s interpretation clarifies why we have two brachot (blessings) during the brit milah ceremony. The first bracha, “vitzivanu al hamilah — Who has commanded us regarding the mitzvah of brit milah,” references the normative halachic status of this commandment as stated in our parasha. In contrast, the second bracha of “l’hachniso b’brito shel Avraham Avinu — to bring him [the child] into the Covenant of our Patriarch Avraham,” signifies the transhistorical connection that now obtains between the eight-day-old baby boy and all Jews for all time, as epitomized by Hashem’s words to Avraham.
In his own unique way, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, analyzes the essential nature of brit milah. In so doing, he presents his own understanding of the fundamental nature of this mitzvah, and the rationale for the dual brachot during its performance. He begins by noting a similarity between brit milah and other mitzvot, as well as a singular difference:

There are two fulfillments in the mitzvah of milah, circumcision. On the one hand, the act of circumcision is conceptually similar to many other mitzvos: there is a mitzvah to circumcise one’s son, just as there is a mitzvah to hold a lulav. On the other hand, a new status is conferred upon the person through the milah. One who takes the a lulav is the same person before and after the mitzvah — his status has not changed. After milah, however, the child becomes a ben bris, and only then can he enter the Mikdash or bring sacrifices…
 
In sum, although the mitzvah of brit milah is like any other Torah-based commandment that must be performed in congruence with the Almighty’s will, unlike most other mitzvot, it is transformative; it endows the baby boy with a completely new status, that of a ben bris who may now enjoy the rights, privileges and obligations associated with the Beit HaMikdash.

In the Rav’s view, these two ideas are given powerful voice in the two brachot associated with this mitzvah: “… The first berachah, Blessed are You…Who has commanded us concerning circumcision, refers to the act of milah. According to Rabbeinu Tam (Tosafos, Pesachim 7a), the second berachah, Who has commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Abraham our forefather, refers to the change of status resulting from the act of milah.” (Anton Holzer Notes, Mesorah Vol 15, p. 52)

Brit milah thus emerges as a category-changing mitzvah wherein the status of the baby boy is raised to that of a new halachic being, namely, a ben bris. While most mitzvot are not able to affect this type of transformation, with Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, they all can lead us to new spiritual heights and profound appreciation of His unparalleled majesty. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and the entire world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
*** 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.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The eleventh chapter of Sefer Vayikra, the concluding section of our parasha, serves as a mini compendium of Hilchot Kashrut (The Laws of Kashrut). In particular, the latter verses of these halachot focus upon the prohibition of eating any “sheretz — creeping creature that crawls on the ground.” (44)  Within this context, we find the following thought-provoking pasuk (verse): “For I am the L-rd ha’ma’leh — Who has brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your G-d. Thus, you shall be holy, because I am holy.” (45, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In his Commentary on the Torah on our pasuk, Rashi (1040-1105), in line with Talmud Bavli, Bava Metziah 61b, notes the unusual use of the word “ha’ma’leh.” Instead, “hotzati — and I took you out, is the far more frequently encountered term, as in: “I am the L-rd, your G-d, asher hotzaiticha — Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Sefer Shemot 20:2)  Why, then, does the Torah choose ha’ma’leh rather than hotzati in our pasuk?
 
Rashi suggests the following answer to our question:

…the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: [G-d says,] “If I had brought up Israel from Egypt solely so they would not defile themselves with creeping creatures like the other nations, it would have been sufficient for them, therefore, this is a ma’alee’uta — an exaltation for them [that is, this is one of the significant ways they are differentiated from the other nations of the world].” This, then, explains [the use of] the expression ha’ma’leh.
 
In sum, according to the school of Rabbi Yishmael, as cited by the Talmud and Rashi, our acceptance of the prohibition against eating sheratzim is so significant that for this, alone, we would have deserved Yetziat Mitzrayim — the Departure from Egypt, as this act is a ma’alee’uta that helps define our uniqueness as Hashem’s holy people.
 
The Sforno (1475-1550) utilizes our pasuk to lead us to a deeper understanding of kedushah (holiness) and its role in helping forge our relationship with Hashem:

And it is proper and fitting for you to undertake these efforts to sanctify yourselves and to be holy — in order to fulfill My will. For, in truth, My intention when I took you out of the land of Egypt was to enable you to apprehend this crucial concept, and in so doing I will now be your G-d without any intermediary whatsoever. Moreover, you will be holy and an eternal nation as a result of your striving to emulate Me through [the development of] your ethical characteristics and your essential principles of thought — for I am holy. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
Herein, the Sforno underscores a central theological construct of Judaism that is a corollary of our pursuit of kedushah, namely: “I will now be your G-d without any intermediary whatsoever.” While it is true that the Master of the Universe is l’ailah min kol birkata v’shirata — above and beyond all blessings and praises, He nonetheless remains ever close and accessible to us. As the Torah attests: “For what great nation is there that has G-d  krovim aluv — so near to it, as the L-rd our G-d is at all times that we call upon Him?” (Sefer Devarim 4:7)
 
We are indeed fortunate that we have this singular and intimate relationship with Hashem that is devoid of “any intermediary whatsoever.” This allows us to beseech Him from the depths of our hearts and call upon Him with the following bracha three times a day:

Hear our voice, Hashem our G-d, pity and be compassionate to us, and accept — with compassion and favor — our prayer, for G-d Who hears prayers and supplication are You. From before Yourself, our King, turn us not away empty-handed, for You hear the prayers of Your people Israel with compassion. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who hears prayer. (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur).
 
May we ever be Hashem’s holy nation and reach out to Him in fervent prayer with the certainty that we will always be heard. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and the entire world.
 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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.
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The haftarah for Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach consists of the famous passage found in Sefer Yechezkel 37:1-14 that focuses upon the navi’s (prophet’s) vision of the “dry bones” and their subsequent techiyat hameitim — resurrection. The first three pasukim set the stage for this prophetic encounter:

The hand of the L-rd came upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the L-rd and set me down in the midst of the valley, and that was full of bones. And He made me pass by them round about, and lo! They were exceedingly many on the surface of the valley, and lo! They were exceedingly dry. Then He said to me; “Son of man, can these bones become alive?” And I answered, “O L-rd G-d, You [alone] know.” (Verses 1-3, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Our Sages differ regarding the nature of this nevuah (prophecy); does it speak of that which Yechezkel directly witnessed, or was it a mashal — a parable?

…the view that in truth [the story of the resurrection of the dry bones] was [but] a
parable… Rabbi Yehudah said: “It was truth; it was a parable.” Rabbi Nechemiah said to him: “If truth, why a parable; and if a parable, why truth?” — But [say thus]: “In the truth there was but a parable.” Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean said: “The dead whom Ezekiel revived went up to Palestine, married wives and begat sons and daughters.” Rabbi Yehudah b. Bathyra rose up and said: “I am one of their descendants, and these are the tefillin which my grandfather left me [as an heirloom] from them.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 92b, translation, The Soncino Talmud)
 
Clearly, these sages maintain different views as to what took place during Yechezkel’s prophetic encounter. One must note that this machloket (dispute) continued long after the close of the Talmud. By way of illustration, in his Moreh HaNevuchim, the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204), in opposition to other Tanach interpreters, maintains that Yechezkel’s vision of the dry bones and their ensuing resurrection was, indeed, a mashal (II:46). Nevertheless, the general concept of techiyat hameitim is universally embraced by all classic Jewish thinkers. Little wonder, then, that the Rambam unequivocally states:

“Techiyat hameitim is a fundamental principle of the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu. There is no religion of, or connection to, the Jewish people if one does not believe in this…” (Perush HaMishnaiyot, Sanhedrin, Hakdamah l’Perek Chalek, Rabbi Yosef David Kapach edition, page 139, translation my own)  In addition, he categorizes this theological precept among his celebrated 13 Ikkarei Emunah — Principles of Faith (page 142), and codifies its singular import in the Mishneh Torah in his list of 24 types of individuals she’ain lahem chalek l’olam habah — that are denied a portion in the world to come: “The following individuals do not have a portion in the world to come. Rather, their [souls] are cut off and they are judged for their great wickedness and sins, forever...those who deny the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the [Messianic] redeemer.” (Hilchot Teshuvah, III:6, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
Due to a number of specious criticisms levelled against his formulation of techiyat hameitim, the Rambam wrote a monograph entitled, “Ma’amar Techiyat Hameitim,” to clarify his position. Therein he states: “I have explained to them that techiyat hameitim is a fundamental Torah principle that consists of chazarat hanefesh l’guf — the return of the soul to the body — and that one should not alter this concept in any manner from its direct and basic meaning.” (Rabbi Yosef David Kapach edition, page 79, this and the following translation my own)  As such, basing himself on the earlier-cited passage from Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin, the Rambam maintains:

And it appears to us from these statements, that those people whose souls will return to their bodies [will live life as we know it to be]. They will eat and drink, engage in marital relations and give birth, and ultimately die after a very long time — similar in kind to the days that will be in the times of the Mashiach. (Page 82, brackets my own)
 
In sum, the Rambam asserts techiyat hameitim, one of his 13 Ikkarei Emunah, to be an essential pillar of Torah thought. Moreover, it is to be understood at face value, namely, it literally means chazarat hanefesh l’guf, wherein those that merit this gift from Hashem will live again ba’olam hazeh — in this world.
 
May the time come soon and, in our days, when we will witness the fulfillment of the bracha recited three times daily in the weekday Shemoneh Esrai:

You are mighty forever, my L-rd; You resurrect the dead; You are powerful to save. He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall. He sustains the living with loving kindness, resurrects the dead with great mercy, supports the falling, heals the sick, releases the bound, and fulfills His trust to those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, mighty One! And who can be compared to You, King, who brings death and restores life, and causes deliverance to spring forth! You are trustworthy to revive the dead. Blessed are You L-rd, who revives the dead. (Translation, Chabad.org)
 
V'chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and may Hashem protect us all.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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.