![]() 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, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and HaRav Raphael ben HaRav Ephraim, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Yekutiel Yehudah ben Pessel Lifsha, Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our parasha presents us with a very different kind of Moshe than we have encountered before. Instead of the brave advocate of the Jewish people and undaunted servant of Hashem, we are met with a morose and despondent Moshe on the cusp of complete capitulation: Moses said to the L-rd, “Why have You treated Your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in Your eyes that You place the burden of this entire people upon me? Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that You say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as the nurse carries the suckling,’ to the Land You promised their forefathers? … Alone I cannot carry this entire people for it is too hard for me. If this is the way You treat me, please kill me if I have found favor in Your eyes, so that I not see my misfortune.” (Sefer Bamidbar 11:11-12, 14-15, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) This passage stands in stark contrast to Moshe’s earlier reaction to the Eigel Hazahav (Golden Calf) incident, wherein he steadfastly arose to our nation’s defense: Moses pleaded before the L-rd, his G-d, and said: “Why, O L-rd, should Your anger be kindled against Your people whom You have brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say: ‘He brought them out with evil [intent] to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the earth?’ Retreat from the heat of Your anger and reconsider the evil [intended] for Your people.” The L-rd [then] reconsidered the evil He had said He would do to His people. (Sefer Shemot 32:11-12 and 14) What can account for this radical change in Moshe’s emotional state? The answer, I believe, may be found in examining the context of each of these events. The Eigel Hazahav debacle is introduced by the verse: When the people saw that Moses was late in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron, and they said to him: “Come on! Make us gods that will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him.” (Sefer Shemot 32:1) Without a doubt, these are the words of a terrified people, who were steeped in a slave mentality acquired as a result of 210 years of Egyptian servitude. This negative psychological state affected every decision they made, even after having witnessed the wonders and miracles of the Exodus, the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the Revelation at Mount Sinai. At this point, they could not imagine going forward on their grand march to Eretz Yisrael without a physical presence in their midst, without a constant reminder that they had a leader literally before them. Their initial misguided goal to construct the Eigel Hazahav, therefore, had nothing to do with avodah zarah (idol worship) per se, and everything to do, instead, with reassuring themselves that their future as a nation was intact. Moshe recognized the extent of this deep psychological flaw unhesitatingly jumped to their rescue, begged Hashem, “Retreat from the heat of Your anger and reconsider the evil [intended] for Your people.” Our parasha’s passage wherein Moshe declares, “If this is the way You treat me, please kill me if I have found favor in Your eyes, so that I not see my misfortune,” however, has an entirely different focus than that of the Eigel Hazahav. As our Sages make quite clear throughout Rabbinic literature, Moshe was repulsed by his people’s uncontrollable desires for hedonistic pleasure: But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings (hitavu ta’avah). Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, “Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic…. Moses heard the people weeping with their families, each one at the entrance to his tent. The L-rd became very angry, and Moses considered it evil. (Sefer Bamidbar 11:4-5) Based upon various Midrashic and Talmudic sources, Rashi (1040-1105), in his Commentary of the Torah, notes that “free of charge” and “the people weeping with their families” are, in actuality, code words for rejecting the Torah’s precepts – particularly in the area of forbidden marriages (ervah). As a result, Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) labelled this entire incident, “Kivrot ha-Taavah” (the Graves of Desire). In a now celebrated June, 1974 public lecture, my rebbe, Rav Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), presented a penetrating analysis of the underlying attitude that prevailed at Kivrot ha-Taavah. His perceptions enable us to more fully comprehend Moshe’s reaction to our forebears’ behavior: Kivrot ha-Taavah stemmed from a desire for a pagan way of life, with its insatiable desires, unlimited lusts, and complete absence of boundaries. This pagan lifestyle is the antithesis of Judaism, which demands self-discipline. The Torah, therefore, detests paganism because, unlike idolatry – the worship of a short-lived object of clay or metal – paganism is often infectious. (Darosh Darash Yosef: Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah, Rabbi Avishai C. David editor, page 300) Armed with these insights, it is little wonder that “the L-rd became very angry, and Moses considered it evil,” for, in truth, Kivrot ha-Taavah was nothing less than a rebellion against the authority of the Torah and the Almighty Himself. Unfortunately, Kivrot ha-Taavah echoes until our own historical moment. Just as our ancestors in Egypt descended to the 49th level of impurity and absorbed the pagan standards of their depraved Egyptian society, so, too, are we relentlessly challenged by the adverse cultural norms that surround us. With Hashem’s help and our deepest desire, may we have the fortitude and conviction to guard ourselves against negative societal influences and, instead, wholeheartedly embrace the clarion call, “You shall be holy, for I, the L-rd, your G-d, am holy.” (Sefer Vayikra 19:2) V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom 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 of 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 for Women 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.
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![]() 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, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and HaRav Raphael ben HaRav Ephraim, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Yekutiel Yehudah ben Pessel Lifsha, Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our parasha is the source of Birkat Kohanim (the Blessing of the Kohanim), one of the most stirring acts in our prayer experience. Nearly anyone who has witnessed this tefilah senses its drama and majesty. Chazal’s (our Sages of blessed memory) analysis of the introductory verse to Birkat Kohanim, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: ‘this is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them (amore lahem),’” (Sefer Vayikra 6:23) illustrates their abiding sensitivity to the Torah’s text. They note that the word “amore” (saying) is written in its complete grammatical form (maleh, with the Hebrew letter vav), rather than in the more usual manner (chaser, without the Hebrew letter vav). While initially this appears to be nothing more than a minor linguistic change, Midrash Tanchuma (Buber) Parashat Naso, Siman 18, details its profound significance: [Amore] is spelled maleh in the phrase “amore lahem.” The reason why you [the Kohanim] should bless the Jewish people is not merely because I [G-d] have told you to do so [as if this act was some kind of burdensome chore.] Therefore, you should not bless them as if you were forced to do so (b’angaria, Hebrew - Greek) and in a rapid [unthinking and automatic] fashion. Instead, you [the Kohanim] should bless them [the Jewish people] with complete intention (b’kavanat halev) in order that the blessing should totally encompass them (she’tishlot habracha bahem). This is why the Torah writes: “amore lahem” [in the maleh form]. (Translation my own) In sum, the Midrash informs us that our verse’s unusual spelling of amore urges the Kohanim to recognize that it is a singular honor to bless the Jewish people, and that they should have total kavanat halev during the recitation of the blessing to ensure its complete fulfillment. The great mid-18th century Chasidic master, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Halevi Epstein, known to the world as the holy Me’or Vashemesh after the title of his most famous work, notes that many meforshim (Torah commentators) focus upon the question as to why the term amore is used instead of the normative word dabare, which connotes “speak” in its imperative form. In so doing, he highlights the emotions the Kohanim must have prior to ascending the bimah: In my opinion, the answer to this well-known question of the meforshim is found by recognizing that our verse suggests that an individual [i.e. kohane] who desires to bless the Jewish people must have within him the behavioral quality of one who loves his people with a powerful love – equivalent to the love he has for himself and his own being (k’nafsho u’k’lavavo). (Sefer Me’or Vashemesh, Parashat Naso, this, and the following translation and brackets, my own) Next, the Me’or Vashemesh explains that the love that the Kohanim have for the Jewish people must include each and every member of our nation, and depicts what this kind of love will achieve: [The love that the Kohanim have] must include even the lowliest of the low of the Jewish people, for even such individuals they must love as they love themselves. Through this kind of love, the Kohanim will glorify the Jewish people before their Father in Heaven until the highest imaginable heights, and thereby bestir great mercy and kindness – and bring upon them every variety of blessing… Clearly, the Kohanim have a crucial role to play in improving the status of our people before Hashem. Yet, the vast majority of us are not Kohanim. As such, how can we bring mercy and kindness to the world? The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) answers this question in a manner that underscores the notion that anyone, Jew or gentile, can be sanctified to the point wherein they emulate the Kohanim: Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and understands with his wisdom [how] to set himself aside and stand before G-d to serve Him and minister to Him and to know G-d, proceeding justly as G-d made him … is as sanctified as holy of holies. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shemitah v’Yovel 13:13; translation by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger) With the Almighty’s help, may we be counted among those who develop profound and wise understanding, so that, we can become spiritual “Kohanim,” and bring Hashem’s blessings to to all mankind. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom 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 of 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 for Women 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, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and HaRav Raphael ben HaRav Ephraim, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Yekutiel Yehudah ben Pessel Lifsha, Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. The Shalosh Regalim (the Three Festivals) are the crown jewels of the Jewish year. Pesach commemorates the Exodus, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and Sukkot is the festival that memorializes Hashem’s unlimited chesed (kindness) to our people who dwelt in sukkot following the Exodus. There is a singular difference that obtains, however, between Pesach and Sukkot, and Shavuot: The Torah associates the first two with specific calendrical dates, whereas Shavuot has none: In the first month [Nissan], on the fourteenth of the month, in the afternoon, [you shall sacrifice] the Passover offering to the L-rd. And on the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Unleavened Cakes to the L-rd; you shall eat unleavened cakes for a seven-day period (Sefer Vayikra 23:5-6) Speak to the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month [Tishrei], is the Festival of Sukkot, a seven-day period to the L-rd. (Sefer Vayikra: 23:34) You shall count seven weeks for yourself; from [the time] the sickle is first put to the standing crop, you shall begin to count seven weeks. And you shall perform chag Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks) to the L-rd, your G-d, the donation you can afford to give, according to how the L-rd, your G-d, shall bless you. (Sefer Devarim 16:9-10, these and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) How can we understand this fundamental difference between Shavuot and the other chagim (festivals)? I believe we can find our answer by borrowing a concept from the discipline of Physics. Since the time of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), modern Physics has maintained that there are four dimensions: length, depth, height and time. Pesach and Sukkot are squarely anchored in each of these dimensions, since they deal with different aspects of our people’s physical salvation (hatzalat gufani) in the face of what appeared to be impossible odds. Moreover, the redemption that unfolded during these days was brought about through objects of nature, such as blood, frogs, lice and wild animals etc. (the Ten Plagues), and the sukkot themselves. The chagim of Pesach and Sukkot, therefore, were given their calendrical dates, i.e. clearly designated times, to indicate that the entire process of redemption took place within the physical universe, and within Physics’ four dimensions. Shavuot, however is inherently dissimilar to Pesach and Sukkot in one fundamental sense, namely, it represents spiritual salvation (hatzalat ruchani); for on this day our forebears encountered the Almighty on a lonely mountain in the wasteland of the Sinai Desert, accepted His holy Torah and forged an eternal relationship. As this was a purely miraculous spiritual event, it was outside of Physics’ four dimensions – including time itself. The Torah, therefore, did not assign Shavuot a fixed date, precisely to indicate that it was beyond time, and consequently, unique. When we celebrate the festival of Shavuot, therefore, we are confirming our spiritual connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One blessed be He), His holy Torah, and the future of the Jewish people. May this Shavuot be a joyous chag wherein we strengthen our connection to Hashem, and re-experience the spiritual heights of Mattan Torah (the Giving of the Torah) once again. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach! 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 of 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 for Women 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, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and HaRav Raphael ben HaRav Ephraim, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Yekutiel Yehudah ben Pessel Lifsha, Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. The concluding verse of Parashat Bechuchotai, and of Sefer Vayikra, contains a phrase that is crucial for a holistic understanding of the Torah: “These are the commandments (aleh hamitzvot) that the L-rd commanded Moses to [tell] the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.” (This and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Rabbinic literature contains passage after passage that analyze the expression “aleh hamitzvot,” and nearly all of them state: “There is no prophet who has permission to create new [mitzvot or changes in the Torah] from this point [onwards].” (See for example, Talmud Yerushalmi, Megillah 1:5, Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 104a and Megillah 2b) The phrase, aleh hamitzvot, therefore, is exclusionary in nature and essentially denotes that the 613 commandments that were given to “the children of Israel on Mount Sinai” are the only mitzvot forevermore. In his Commentary on the Mishnah, the Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204) counts the unchanging nature of the Torah as the ninth of his celebrated 13 Principles of Faith: And the Ninth Pillar of Faith is that of non-nullification. This means that Moses’ Torah will never be annulled, and that there never will be another Torah from Hashem except for this one. Moreover, it may never be added to nor subtracted therefrom – neither in written form nor by explication. As the Torah states: “Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.” (Sefer Devarim 13:1, Commentary on the Mishnah translation my own) The Talmudic exposition of aleh hamitzvot, i.e. “There is no prophet who has permission to create new [mitzvot or changes in the Torah] from this point [onwards],” is hinted at in this passage. In the Mishneh Torah, however, the Rambam explicitly cites this in juxtaposition to the Torah’s expression, “Lo b’shamayim he” (It, i.e. the Torah, is not in Heaven): It is clear and explicit in the Torah that it is [G-d’s] commandment, remaining forever without change, addition or diminishment, as [Sefer Devarim 13:1] states: “All these matters which I command to you, you shall be careful to perform. You may not add to it or diminish from it” … This teaches that we are commanded to fulfill all the Torah’s directives forever. It is also said: “It is an everlasting statute for all your generations,” and [Sefer Devarim 30:12] states: “Lo b’shamayim he.” This teaches that a prophet can no longer add a new precept [to the Torah]. (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah IX:1, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, underlining my own) Based on this passage, it appears that the Rambam formulated the principle of the eternality of the Torah in consonance with the following celebrated Talmudic narrative wherein the phrase, “Lo bashamayim he” forms the crux of the argument: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument [in a highly technical dispute regarding ritual purity and impurity], but they [the other sages] did not accept them… [Said Rabbi Eliezer:] “If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!” Whereupon a Heavenly Voice (bat kol) cried out: “Why do you dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!” But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: “Lo bashamayim he!” What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice (bat kol), because You [Hashem] have long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai (Sefer Shemot 23:2), “After the majority must one follow.” (Talmud Bavli, Baba Metzia 59b, translation, The Soncino Talmud with my brackets and emendations) The above-cited Talmudic passage is nothing less than amazing. In one fell swoop, it denies any possibility of a post-Sinaitic Revelation. Moreover, it demonstrates that imperfect human reason, in conjunction with the accepted principles of Torah exegesis and majority rule, are the sole determinants in any halachic dispute – even when one of the disputants is a bat kol! In our own time, the unlimited authority of man to determine the halacha (Jewish legal decisions) was given powerful voice by Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal (1895-1986), widely recognized as the greatest posek (halachic decisor) of the 20th century: The Holy One blessed be He gave the Torah to the Jewish people to act according to that which they will understand of the Written Law, and that which was given to them orally (ba’al peh) at Mount Sinai – based upon [the limits of] their comprehension. Moreover, the Holy One never explained nor determined the actual practice of the laws of the Torah, since “lo bashamayim he;” instead, He agreed from the outset to the understanding and explanations of the Torah Sages… even if this was possibly not in accord with the Holy One blessed be He’s understanding. (Iggerot Moshe, Introduction, translation, brackets and underlining my own) Rav Feinstein’s words are reminiscent of the very next lines of our above-cited Talmudic passage: R. Nathan met Elijah and asked him: “What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour?” [I.e. when R. Joshua arose and exclaimed “Lo bashamayim hi!”] — He laughed [with joy and] replied, saying, “My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me!” Clearly, as King David declared, “The law of the L-rd is perfect, restoring the soul…” (Sefer Tehillim 19:8). Yet, while the Torah is perfect, it is now in the province of the Jewish people and, in particular, under the jurisdiction of Chazal. With Hashem’s help, may we continue to ever guard the beauty and authenticity of our holy Torah, whose words are “our life and the length of our days, and about them we will meditate day and night.” (Evening Prayer Service, translation, ArtScroll Siddur) V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom 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 of 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 for Women 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. |
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