Rabbi David Etengoff

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
“Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah, chadeish yameinu k’kedem—Cause us to return to you Hashem and we will return, renew our days as in days of old.” This verse at the end of Megillat Eichah is a well-known pasuk in Tanach, as it is the concluding verse of hachnasat sefer Torah. The Targum Ketuvim suggests it refers to teshuvah: “Bring us back to You and we will return to You in complete teshuvah, renew our days to be good, once again, as they were in the good times of the past.” In contrast, the Ibn Ezra (12th century) interprets hashiveinu in a physical sense, as a plea to Hashem to return us to Yerushalayim. As such, v’nashuvah is an appeal to Hashem to enable us to worship Him in the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash. These very different analyses led the contemporary Israeli scholar Dr. Yael Ziegler to opine:

Whatever its precise meaning, this verse features striking mutuality between God and Israel. Though the community petitions God to initiate reconciliation (“Return us to You”), it continues with a promise to mirror God’s action (“and we will return). Without God’s initiative, reconciliation seems impossible, but Israel assumes its share of responsibility for the reestablishment of the relationship. (Lamentations: Faith in a Turbulent World, page 465)
 
Dr. Ziegler opines that the first part of our pasuk gives voice to the “striking mutuality between God and Israel,” our overture to Hashem to “initiate reconciliation” and our willingness to share in the “responsibility for the reestablishment of the relationship.” These crucial themes bespeak the depth of loneliness we endure when we feel divorced from the Almighty and our consequent longing to bridge the gaping chasm between us. In her general observations on the second part of our verse, Dr. Ziegler notes that it summarizes the way we have always viewed history:

The request [for reconciliation] simultaneously looks forward and backward, encapsulating a timeless Jewish perception of history. Steeped in an unbearable present, the beleaguered community yearns for a glorious past (kedem), anticipating the reinstatement of that glory in a revitalized future.
 
What historical moment is being referenced by the term, “kedem?” Midrash Eichah Rabbati on our pasuk suggests its meaning parallels that which we find in Sefer Malachi 3:14: “kimei olam uchshanim kadmoniot—as in past days and former years,” namely, “like the years of Shlomo HaMelech.” In his commentary on Megillat Eichah, Rabbi Baruch HaLevi Epstein zatzal (1860-1941) describes the years of Shlomo HaMelech in this manner: “The glory of Hashem filled the Beit HaMikdash, Yehudah and Yisrael were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and every man sat under his grapevine and fig tree.” (Translation my own)  With Hashem’s help, may the realization of this vision, come soon, and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

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

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. To be added, please contact me at: 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

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Sefer Vayikra concludes with the pasuk: “These are the mitzvot that Hashem commanded Moshe to [tell] b’nai Yisrael on Har Sinai.” (27:34, all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In contrast, the final verse of Sefer Bamidbar states: “These are the mitzvot and mishpatim (the ordinances) that Hashem commanded b’nai Yisrael b’yad Moshe (through Moshe) b’Arvot Moav (on the Plains of Moab), by the Jordan at Jericho.” (36:13) A careful comparison between our two pasukim, reveals that the latter verse adds the words, “mishpatim” and “b’yad Moshe,” and replaces Har Sinai with Arvot Moav. The singular import of these changes cannot be overstated, and is reminiscent of Rashi’s (1040-1105) celebrated comment on the first pasuk of the Torah, “ain hamikra hazeh omare elah darshani” (“this text says to us, interpret me!”).
 
In his Torah commentary, Ha’emek Davar, HaRav Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (the Netziv, 1816-1893) examines these textual variations and sheds new light upon their meaning. He notes that Sefer Vayikra contains many instances of dinei mamonot (monetary laws) that are included under the rubric of mishpatim; this category of halacha, however, is not mentioned in the sefer’s concluding pasuk. The Netziv therefore concludes that Sefer Bamidbar’s use of the term “mishpatim,” in its final pasuk, is not referring to the class of laws entitled mishpatim, but rather to “the analyses that are derived from the 13 principles of exegetical interpretation (yud gimmel middot). These, opines the Netziv, were decidedly something new for the vast majority of the Jewish people, since “on Har Sinai this manner of analysis was revealed solely to Moshe and his immediate followers, as we find in Talmud Bavli, Nedarim page 38.”

The Netziv now suggests that this new category of mishpatim is a major turning point in the history of our people:

For it was only in Arvot Moav that Moshe began to interpret the entire Torah according to logical arguments (pilpul) and analyses [derived from the yud gimmel middot], as is explained in the beginning of Sefer Devarim [1:5]. Therefore, here, on Arvot Moav, wherein they [these kinds of mishpatim] were first stated, it is written, “and the mishpatim [logical analyses],” since Hashem had already commanded [the Jewish people] regarding both the mitzvot and mishpatim.
 
At this juncture, the Netziv suggests that although this is not the Torah’s first instance of the phrase, “b’yad Moshe,” its use in the concluding verse of Sefer Bamidbar enables us to perceive Moshe as the authentic rebbe of klal Yisrael. This is the case, since at this moment in time, b’yad Moshe refers “to matters that Moshe received [from the Almighty] which were not spoken to him on a face-to-face basis, but rather through the divine flow of Heavenly aid.” In other words, until now, Moshe had acted solely as the Almighty’s shaliach to bring His exact words to the world. At Arvot Moav, however, Moshe found his own unique voice, and with the support of Heaven, created his own words of Torah, that is Torah She’beal Peh (Oral Law), derived from pilpul and the yud gimmel middot, to his beloved nation. In sum, in the view of the Netziv, Moshe’s Torah on Arvot Moav represents the transition from Torah She’Bichtav (Written Law) to Torah She’beal peh. This, in turn, emerges as the additional brit to which the Torah refers in Parashat Ki Tavo: “These are the words of the brit, which Hashem commanded Moshe to make with b’nai Yisrael in the land of Moav, in addition to the brit that he made with them in Horeb. (Horeb = Mount Sinai, Sefer Devarim 28:69)

My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, expands upon the Netziv’s approach regarding the brit Moav in this manner:

… Sefer Devarim contains for the most part repetition of mitzvos that were previously enumerated, but with additional explanation… Originally Sefer Devarim was given as Mishnah, as Torah She’beal peh, the Oral Law. Only later, on the last day of Moses’ life, do we read that Moses finished writing the words of this Torah in a scroll, until their very completion (31:24). Sefer Devarim, which to that point had the status of Torah She’beal Peh, became incorporated into Torah Shebichsav, the Written Law… Sefer Devarim thus has the double sanctity of both Torah Shebichsav and Torah She’beal peh. (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, with commentary based upon the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Sefer Devarim, edited by Dr. Arnold Lustiger, pages 2-3, underlining my own)
 
In this this crucial passage cited from the Yarchei Kallah (Rabbinic Convocation) of 1977, the Rav underscores the notion that Sefer Devarim, which begins with the phrase, “these are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on that side of the Jordan in the desert, in the plain opposite the Red Sea [that is, Arvot Moav] …” was originally Torah She’beal peh that became Torah Shebichsav only upon the final day of Moses’ life. This crucial idea differentiates Sefer Devarim from the preceding four books of the Torah in the sense that it, and it alone, is endowed with the “double sanctity of both Torah Shebichsav and Torah She’beal peh.”
 
Based upon the illuminating insights of the Netziv, and the Rav’s powerful analysis, the final verse of Sefer Bamidbar, and the entire Sefer Devarim, portray Moshe’s transition from Har Sinai, wherein he served as Hashem’s loyal prophet and repeated the Creator’s words, to the Moshe of Arvot Moav where he acted as Moshe Rabbeinu, the ultimate creative talmid chacham who brought the Torah She’beal peh to klal Yisrael.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please 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
​
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Moshe Rabbeinu’s accomplishments are legendary, his leadership was extraordinary, and his intellect was nearly unparalleled. Moreover, the level of nevuah he achieved was different in kind and degree than any other prophet who ever lived. As the Torah states: “There never arose another prophet amongst the Jewish people like Moshe, to whom Hashem revealed Himself face to face.” (Sefer Devarim 34:10, my translation, as per Onkelos).
 
Rabbi Baruch ha-Levi Epstein zatzal (1860-1942), known as the “Torah Temimah” after the title of his Torah commentary, explains that there was one objective that Moshe did not realize which Pinchas was able to achieve:

“Therefore, let it be said: ‘Behold, I [Hashem] give to him [Pinchas] my Covenant of Peace” (Bamidbar 25:12). “It is fitting that this atonement [as seen in the words ‘Covenant of Peace’] will continue to bring about expiation forevermore” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin, 82b). At first glance, it is very difficult to understand why Pinchas merited this explicit reward even more than Moshe Rabbeinu, since we find numerous times wherein [through Moshe’s efforts] Hashem “forgot” His anger against the Jewish people, such as in the instances of the Golden Calf and the Spies. (Torah Temimah, Sefer Bamidbar, Section 24, translations, underlining, brackets and emphasis my own)
 
After raising this fundamental issue, Rav Epstein continues his analysis as to why Pinchas, and not Moshe, was deserving of the Covenant of Peace:

But the matter should, however, be explained in the following manner: We see from this that there was a fundamental difference that obtained between Moshe’s and Pinchas’ ability to remove Hashem’s anger [from upon the Jewish people]. Moshe was able to remove Hashem’s anger for a limited time, and there remained, so to speak, in Hashem’s heart (mind) a grievance against the Jewish people, just as we find in the instances of the Golden Calf…and the Spies. Peace such as this cannot be called true and absolute peace. The removal of Hashem’s anger in regards to Pinchas, however, was a complete and total removal of anger [that continues to last]. Therefore, Pinchas merited the just reward [of the Covenant of Peace].
 
In sum, Pinchas was able to bring about a total and permanent peace between Hashem and His people that was free of any future recriminations and punishments. This is something that escaped even Moshe Rabbeinu’s grasp. Yet, why did this difference obtain?
 
I believe the Torah provides us with an answer: “When he [Pinchas] displayed the anger that I [Hashem] should have displayed.” (Bamidbar 25:11, translation per Rashi’s second gloss on Bamidbar 25:11). Herein, Pinchas acted as Hashem’s messenger in expressing His legitimate anger. He channeled Hashem’s fury in response to the vulgar immorality and idol worship undertaken by many of the men with the women of Moab. In this sense, Pinchas was a zealot who was totally devoted to Hashem. His entire being merged with Hashem’s righteous anger in his desire to execute the Almighty’s will.
 
Paradoxically, Pinchas received the Brit Shalom (Covenant of Peace) after having brought about total peace between Hashem and klal Yisrael, precisely because of the righteous anger he expressed on behalf of the Almighty. In this way, he served as a protective force and bridged the chasm between Hashem and the Jewish people and guarded His holy Torah and mitzvot. As spiritually heroic as Pinchas’ zealotry was, however, it must be stressed that this was permissible solely at this unique time and may never be repeated.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we strive to emulate Pinchas’ love and devotion to the Holy One blessed be He, and may we ever dedicate ourselves to His Torah and mitzvot. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

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

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. To be added, please contact me at: 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
​​
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains one of the most famous pasukim in the Torah: “How goodly are your tents, O Ya’akov, your dwelling places, O Yisrael!” (Sefer Bamidbar 24:5, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) asserts that “how goodly are your tents” refers to the thoroughgoing modesty of the fledgling Jewish nation: “For he (Bilam) saw that the entrances [of the tents] were not facing each other.” (See Talmud Bavli, Baba Batra 60a, brackets my own)

The Midrash Aggadah offers an additional intriguing interpretation of our pasuk:

“How goodly are your tents, O Ya’akov” In the merit of Ya’akov having sat in them, as the text states: “And Ya’akov was an innocent man, dwelling in tents.” (Sefer Bereishit 25:27) And because of this, the Jewish people merited to dwell in tents in the desert.” (S. Buber ed., Sefer Bamidbar, Parashat Balak 24:5, all Midrash translations, my own)
 
Why does the Midrash emphasize the zechut of Ya’akov having sat in tents? Both Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 63:10 and Rashi maintain that these were not standard tents, but rather “the tent of Shem and the tent of Ever.” (Rashi, Sefer Bereishit 25:27)  As we know from related midrashic sources, Shem and Ever had the first learning center wherein the knowledge of Hashem’s omnipotence, justice and righteousness formed the backbone of the curriculum. The Midrash may now be understood in this manner: Based upon “the merit of Ya’acov having sat in them [the tents of Shem and Ever] … the Jewish people merited to dwell in tents in the desert.”
 
In my view, an additional section of the Midrash Aggadah further illuminates the connection between the two parts of this statement:

Ya’akov was chosen by the Holy One blessed be He, as the text states: “But you, Yisrael My servant, Ya’akov whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, who loved Me.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 41:8) In addition it is written, “For G-d chose Ya’acov for Himself, Yisrael for His treasure.” (Sefer Tehillim 135:4)  Hashem, [it must be noted,] did not bring him (Ya’akov) close to Himself, rather, Ya’akov brought himself close to the Almighty, as the text states: “And Ya’akov was an innocent man, dwelling in tents.” (Sefer Vayikra, Parashat Tzav VIII)
 
In sum, Hashem chose Ya’akov and Ya’akov chose Hashem. Like his grandfather Avraham, Ya’akov was a seeker who did not rest until he had thoroughly developed his relationship with the Master of the Universe. Little wonder then that Chazal named him, “the Bachir Ha’Avot”—the Chosen One of the Patriarchs.
 
Like Ya’akov Avinu, the entire Jewish people are chosen by Hashem: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation…” (Sefer Shemot 19:6)  With Hashem’s help, may we strive to emulate Ya’akov, so that we too may dwell in the tents of Torah and grow close to the Almighty. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please 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
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha begins with the mitzvah of the Parah Adumah:

This is the statute of the Torah that Hashem commanded, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid.” … It shall be an everlasting statute for the children of Israel and for the proselyte who resides in their midst. (Sefer Bamidbar 19:2 and 10, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The goal of this commandment is to purify an individual who has become tamei (ritually impure) as a result of contact with a corpse. It is intrinsically mystifying in nature, since in the course of its fulfillment, the individual who has come into contact with a corpse becomes tahor (ritually pure), whereas the one who assists in the purification process is paradoxically rendered tamei.
 
Rabbi Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zatzal (1820-1892), known as the “Beit HaLevi,” after the name of his published works, presents a conceptual groundwork for understanding the meaning of the Parah Adumah. He notes that the phrase, “this is the statute of the Torah that Hashem commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow...’” is very unusual, since the Parah Adumah is singled out as being the “statute of the Torah.” As such, the Beit Halevi asks: “At face value, the Parah Adumah is simply one of the [613] mitzvot of the Torah. Why, therefore, is it given the appellation, the “statute of the Torah?” His answer presents a fundamental axiom of ta’amei hamitzvot (ascertaining the underlying rationale of the commandments):

… for it is precisely from the Parah Adumah that it is revealed to man that he, in reality, does not know anything regarding [the true meaning] of any mitzvah of the Torah, since [as this verse suggests,] the entire Torah is a statute (chukah) [that eludes our understanding]. (All citations, Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Shemot, Chapter 31, translations and emphases my own.)
 
In Brisker terminology, the Torah is one cheftzah, one holistic entity. As such, its mitzvot are inextricably intertwined. Therefore, the Parah Adumah teaches us that all commandments are beyond the pale of human understanding:

And the explanation of this concept is the following: Behold all of the mitzvot are inseparably interconnected to, and interwoven with, one another. Moreover, each one depends upon the other—just as we find in reference to lowly man who has 248 limbs and 365 sinews—all of whom are attached one to another, and all of whom depend upon one another. This is the case, as well, regarding the mitzvot wherein the 248 Positive Commandments and the 365 Negative Commandments are attached to one another and form one unit. [As a result,] it is impossible to comprehend even one of the mitzvot without understanding all of them. Therefore, when we encounter the Parah Adumah, and we do not understand its underlying principle—it is clear that we really know nothing at all [regarding the rest of the mitzvot].
 
Based on the Beit HaLevi’s analysis, the Parah Adumah emerges as a powerful protection against humankind’s natural hubris and the potential for intellectual arrogance that can impede acceptance of the divine, immutable nature of the mitzvot:
​
…the Parah Adumah is, therefore, a fence and a protective measure for man who utilizes his intellect (hamitbonane b’sichlo) to examine the reasons inherent in the mitzvot. It prevents him from erring in their regard... and from bursting forth [against the mitzvot] and declaring: “I am the one who knows their rationale!” For were he to do so, he would soon err and add or subtract [from the mitzvot].
 
Therefore, in the Beit HaLevi’s view, there is only one way to remain loyal to the mitzvot:
One must perform all of the mitzvot, with all of their specific details, according to what we have received from our Rabbis according to the all-encompassing rules of the Torah, and the established halacha, without any deviation whatsoever from the words of the Shulchan Aruch. This is the case, since one recognizes that he does not comprehend the [true] depth of these matters…
 
With this understanding, we can view the Parah Adumah as the mitzvah that serves as a model for all the other mitzvot. Perhaps more than any other commandment, it reminds us that the mitzvot are from Hashem and, therefore, by definition, beyond human understanding. With the Almighty’s help, may we be zocheh to faithfully fulfill His holy Torah. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please 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
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
When we think about Parashat Korach, we most often focus on Korach’s failed rebellion and its ramifications for Jewish history. In contrast, relatively little attention is given to our people’s reaction to this mutiny, despite the Torah’s dramatic statement: “The following day, the entire congregation of Israel complained against Moshe and Aharon saying, ‘You have killed the people of Hashem.’” (Sefer Bamidbar 17:6, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In his Commentary on the Torah, the Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, c. 1085 - c. 1158) explains this specious accusation:

We [the people] acknowledge that Datan and Aviram deserved to be swallowed [by the earth], for after all, they sinned [in a grievous manner]. As for the 250 men [Levi’im who sought to be Kohanim] that died in the same fashion as Nadav and Avihu—you are the ones who killed them, since you [and not Hashem] commanded them to offer [the forbidden] incense! (Translation and brackets my own)
 
The people’s unwillingness to recognize that Moshe and Aharon were acting as Hashem’s agents led to this baseless claim and elicited a powerful response from the Almighty:
It came to pass while the congregation were assembled against Moshe and Aharon, that they turned to the Tent of Meeting, and behold, the cloud had covered it, and the glory of Hashem appeared. Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the Tent of Meeting. Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: “Stand aside from this congregation, and I shall consume them in an instant.” They fell on their faces. (17:7-10)
 
At this moment, HaKadosh Baruch Hu was on the cusp of annihilating the Jewish people, just as He had sought to do following the Egel HaZahav. Once again, Moshe rose to the occasion and prevented the total destruction of klal Yisrael:

Moshe said to Aharon, “Take the censer and put fire from the altar top into it and place incense therein. Then take it quickly to the congregation and atone for them, for wrath has gone forth from Hashem, and the plague has begun.” Aharon took [it], just as Moshe had said, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold the plague had begun among the people. He placed the incense on it and atoned for the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague ceased… Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was checked. (17: 11-13, 15)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1150) presents an amazing midrashically-suffused interpretation of these pasukim:

He stood between the dead…: He took hold of the Angel [of Death] and held him against his will. The angel said to him, “Allow me to accomplish my mission.” He [Aharon] said to him, “Moshe commanded me to stop you.” He [the Angel of Death] said to him, “I am the messenger of the Omnipresent, and you are the messenger of Moshe.” He [Aharon] said to him, “Moshe does not say anything on his own volition, but only at the bidding of the Almighty. If you do not believe [me], the Holy One blessed be He and Moshe are at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; come with me and ask.” This is the meaning of the statement, “Aharon returned to Moshe…and the plague was checked.” (Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 15). 
 
According to our midrash, Aharon acted upon his own inspired initiative to directly challenge the Malach HaMavet. Like Moshe he presented a “lamrot hakol—against all odds”—attitude in order to save the Jewish people. Crucially, Aharon proclaimed to his heavenly adversary: “Moshe does not say anything on his own volition, but only at the bidding of the Almighty.” This was precisely the idea that b’nai Yisrael had failed to grasp.
 
I believe that Aharon’s consummate bravery in the face of such manifest danger was the result of his overwhelming love for our people, as demonstrated by their reaction upon hearing the news of his demise: “The whole congregation saw that Aharon had expired, and the entire house of Israel wept for Aharon for thirty days.” (Sefer Bamidbar 20:29)  Rashi explains why “the entire house of Israel wept for Aharon for thirty days:” the entire house of Israel: [both] the men and the women, for Aharon had pursued peace; he promoted love between disputing parties and between man and wife. [Avot d’Rabbi Nathan 12:4, Midrash Aggadah]  Little wonder then, that Hillel describes the talmidei Aharon in these famous words: “Hillel said: ‘Be from the students of Aharon: Love peace, pursue peace, love your fellow Jews, and bring them close to the Torah.’” (Pirkei Avot 1:12, translation my own). With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to emulate this middah in all our actions, and in that way help hasten the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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
                                                           
                                                        
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains a pasuk with a puzzling phrase: “These are the names of the men Moshe sent to scout the Land, and Moshe called (vayikra Moshe) Hoshea the son of Nun, Yehoshua.” (Sefer Bamidbar 13:16, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) At first glance, the concluding part of this verse seems to indicate that something new has taken place, namely, that Moshe has renamed Hoshea, “Yehoshua.” Yet, this name is hardly new, as it appears eight times before in both Sefer Shemot and Sefer Bamidbar. Moreover, the name Hoshea is not supplanted by the appellation Yehoshua, since it appears once again in Sefer Devarim 32:44: “And Moshe came and spoke all the words of this song into the ears of the people, he and Hoshea the son of Nun.” What, then, is the Torah teaching us when it states: “and Moshe called Hoshea the son of Nun, Yehoshua?”

The classic answer to our question is found both in Talmud Bavli, Sotah 34b and Rashi’s (1040-1105) Commentary on the Torah. According to these sources, Moshe was afraid the meraglim would have a negative influence on Hoshea and sought to protect him by renaming him Yehoshua: “May Hashem save you from the counsel of the Scouts.” This is the case, since the Hebrew origin of this name is a contraction of “Y-ah” (represented by the letter yud) and “Hoshea,” denoting the idea, “Hashem should save you.” My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, expands upon the underlying meaning of the addition of the yud to Hoshea’s name in the following midrashically-suffused analysis:

Prior to sending the spies to scout the land, Moses changed Hoshea’s name to Joshua, signifying that G-d should save him from the evil designs of the other spies (Rashi). The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 47:1) indicates that Moses effected this change by transferring the letter yud from Sarah’s former name (Sarai) to Joshua’s. (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Bamidbar: With Commentary Based upon the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, this and the following quotes, page 100, brackets my own)
 
At this point, the Rav examines the meaning of the letter yud and explains that it represents privacy and separation. When Sarah was called “Sarai” (with a yud), she was “the matriarch of her family alone.” Building upon this concept, the Rav notes that Hoshea needed to be keenly aware that he was completely different from the negatively predisposed scouts, so that he could remain steadfast in his commitment to the Promised Land:

Moses added the letter yud so Joshua would attain the sense of separation and withdrawal that was taken from Sarah [when she became “the matriarch of a family of nations”]… Moses changed Joshua’s name so that he would have the strength to separate himself from…[the] collective entity [of the spies], enabling him to take a principled stand against the prevailing sentiment.
 
Based upon this understanding, we can more fully appreciate Rashi’s further explication of the name Yehoshua. Crucially, his gloss adds the word, “prayed:” “He [Moshe] prayed concerning him [Yehoshua] that Hashem should protect him from the counsel of the Scouts.” In other words, vayikra Moshe connotes much more than the idea of renaming; instead, it means, “and Moshe prayed.” Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrahi (1455-1525) expands on this explication in his supercommentary on Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah:

The explanation of the term “vayikra” in our pasuk is that of prayer (tefilah), as we find in the verse, “and Avraham called there in the name of Hashem.” (Sefer Bereishit 13:4) Therefore, the explanation of the name, “Yehoshua,” is: “Hashem should save you” … as if it actually said, “And he [Moshe] prayed regarding Hoshea that Hashem should save you, that Hashem, may He be blessed, should save you from the advice of the spies.” Moreover, it is essential to explain “vayikra Moshe” in this fashion, rather than in the normative sense [of “he called”], since there is no [other] reason for literally changing Hoshea’s name at this juncture. (Sefer Mizrahi, Sefer Bamidbar 13:16, translation, brackets and underlining my own)
​
Rav Eliyahu Mizrahi’s profound analysis teaches us the nearly unlimited power of tefilah. Moshe’s prayer consisted of one extra letter added to Hoshea’s name, yet we know it changed Jewish history forever, as Yehoshua would be chosen by Hashem to lead the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael. If the letter yud has this great power, imagine what we can do when we encounter Hashem in heartfelt prayer.
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
 
The beginning of our parasha discusses the kohane’s daily mitzvah to light the Menorah:
Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aharon and say to him: “When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the Menorah.” Aharon did so; he lit the lamps toward the face of the Menorah, as Hashem had commanded Moshe. (Sefer Bamidbar 8:1-3, this, and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The Torah then describes the construction of the Menorah: “This was the form of the Menorah: hammered work of gold, from its base to its flower it was hammered work; according to the form that Hashem had shown Moshe, so did he construct the Menorah.” (8:4) The identity of the “he” at the end of this pasuk is ambiguous. The Ramban (1194-1270) opines that Moshe constructed the Menorah. As Moshe was not an artisan who could create something as intricate as the Menorah, the Ramban, basing himself on a passage in Midrash Sifrei, suggests that he learned how to construct the Menorah through extensive study:

He applied himself assiduously in its study [the Menorah] and he made it according to the mitzvah he had been commanded. So did they state in the Sifrei: “To make known to us the praise that Moshe deserved, for just like the Holy One Blessed be He had spoken to him, so did he do.” (Sifrei, Sefer Bamidbar 8:4, translation and brackets my own)
 
In contrast, Rashi (1040-1105) explains the phrase, “so did he construct the Menorah,” as referring to Betzalel, the chief craftsperson of the Mishkan: “that is, the one who made it [namely, Betzalel].” Rashi's suggestion is straightforward; and in some ways the most logical explanation, as the Menorah's construction should be viewed in the context of the overall building of the Mishkan. Since the Torah states that Betzalel was the chief architect of the Mishkan (Sefer Shemot 31:1-5), he would have been the most likely candidate to have planned, designed, and built the Menorah.
 
In addition, both Rashi and the Ramban offer a fascinating third candidate as the creator of the Menorah. In Sefer Shemot 25:31 we read: “And you shall make a Menorah of pure gold. The Menorah shall be made of hammered work; its base and its stem, its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers shall [all] be [one piece] with it.” The Hebrew word employed for “shall be made” is “tai’asah,” instead of the expected “ta’aseh.” The first expression is passive and reflexive, whereas the second is active. Rashi formulates the significance of this grammatical change in this manner:

The Menorah shall be made: By itself. Since Moshe found difficulty with it [that is, understanding how to create the Menorah], the Holy One, blessed is He, said to him, “Cast the talent [equivalent to sixty-four pounds of gold] into the fire, and it will be made by itself.” Therefore, it is not written: ta’aseh but tai’asah. – (Based upon Midrash Tanchuma, Beha’alotecha III, underlining my own)
 
The Ramban closely follows this interpretation and maintains our passage refers to Hashem: “[The Menorah] was created via the Holy One blessed be He—by itself.” Although neither Rashi nor the Ramban develop this notion further, I would like to suggest that it is of singular import if Hashem, rather than man, was the artisan of the Menorah, since one of its major functions was to bring light to the Mishkan and allow the kohanim to operate with a newfound vision of hope and purpose. As such, I believe we can view the Menorah HaZahav as the ultimate counterbalance to the Egel HaZahav. The Midrash Tanchuma’s assertion that Hashem was the creator of the Menorah enables us to see it as a powerful symbol of reconciliation between the Master of the Universe and the Jewish people. With the Menorah HaZahav, our relationship was, once again, shalame, for at long last, we were granted complete kapparah for the sin of the Egel HaZahav.
 
With Hashem’s help, may the Beit HaMikdash be rebuilt soon and, in our days, so that we may bask in the divine light of the Menorah forevermore. 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
 
Chazal often chose a haftarah that reflects one of the subjects in its associated Torah portion. This week’s haftarah follows this approach, and just like our parasha presents the laws of the nazir, our haftarah focuses on the miraculous events preceding the birth of Shimshon HaGibor, the most celebrated nazir of all time:

And there was one man from Zorah, from the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had not borne. And an angel of Hashem appeared to the woman, and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren, and have not borne; and you shall conceive and bear a son. Consequently, beware now, and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing. Because you shall conceive and bear a son; and a razor shall not come upon his head, for a Nazirite to Elokim shall the lad be from the womb; and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” (Sefer Shoftim 13:2-5, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Following this passage, our haftarah concludes with the birth of Shimshon and informs us that Hashem both blessed and rested His Divine spirit upon him: “And the woman bore a son and called his name Shimshon; and the lad grew, and Hashem blessed him. And the spirit of Hashem began to come to him at times in the camp of Dan...” (Sefer Shoftim 13:24-25)
 
In my view, Shimshon emerges as one of the most misunderstood figures in Tanach. Chazal address these misperceptions and help reveal his authentic persona. The Torah teaches us that two of the twelve tribes received the appellation “gur aryeh.” Ya’akov Avinu bestowed this title on Yehudah and his descendants, whereas Moshe Rabbeinu did so regarding the tribe of Dan:

A cub (gur) [and] a grown lion (aryeh) is Yehudah. From the prey, my son, you withdrew. He crouched, rested like a lion, and like a lion, who will rouse him? (Sefer Bereishit 49:9)
 
And of Dan he (Moshe) said: “Dan is a young lion (gur aryeh), streaming from Bashan.” (Sefer Devarim 33:22)
 
Midrash Bereishit Rabbah (Parashat Vayechi 8) interprets “gur aryeh” as Ya’akov’s blessing to Yehudah to acquire “the strength of a lion and the temerity of a lion cub.” In his Commentary on the Torah on this pasuk (Sefer Bereishit 49:9), Rashi suggests that Ya’akov’s use of gur aryeh is a prophetically suffused reference to Dovid HaMelech, Yehudah’s most famous descendant and forebear of the Mashiach, who embodied both lion-like strength and great boldness. Shortly thereafter the text states, “Dan will avenge his people, like one, the tribes of Israel.” Rashi explains this pasuk in this manner:

All Israel will be like one with him, and he will avenge them all. [Ya’akov] uttered this prophecy concerning Shimshon. We can also explain, “like one, the tribes of Israel,” [as follows]: like the special one of the tribes, namely Dovid, who came from Yehudah.
 
Rashi’s gloss strongly underscores Chazal’s perception regarding the relationship between the tribe of Yehudah and the tribe of Dan, as exemplified by their most famous descendants, Dovid HaMelech and Shimshon. This idea is given powerful voice in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah, Parashat Vayechi 14: “Ya’akov Avinu saw him [Shimshon in a prophetic vision] and thought he was the Melech HaMashiach (the King Messiah) …” Clearly, Shimshon’s potential was nearly unlimited.
 
Shimshon’s role as one of the most outstanding shoftim and protectors of the Jewish people is found in Talmud Bavli, Sotah 10a:

Rabbi Yochanan said: “Shimshon judged the Jewish people just like their Father-in-Heaven. As the text states, ‘Dan will avenge his people, like one [Rashi—the One of the World Who renders righteous judgment], the tribes of Israel.’” (Sefer Bereishit 49:16). And [in addition] Rabbi Yochanan said: “Shimshon was named after the name of the Holy One blessed be He. As the text states: ‘For a sun (shemesh — similar in Hebrew spelling to Shimshon) and a shield is Hashem Elokim; Hashem will give grace and glory; He will not withhold good from those who go with sincerity.’” (Sefer Tehillim 84:12, Talmud translation my own)
 
Rabbi Yochanan compares Shimshon to the Almighty in two respects, as an honest and forthright judge and as a true shomer Yisrael—guardian and defender of the Jewish people. In his estimation, this was the authentic Shimshon.
 
Another aspect of Shimshon’s greatness was his willingness to do teshuvah, just as Dovid HaMelech did following his initial involvement with Batsheva. Shimshon rose to this level when he prayed to Hashem to give him the strength to destroy his idolatrous Philistine captors. When Hashem granted him this power, Shimshon was able to mekadash shame Shamayim b’rabim—sanctify Hashem’s name before the entire world:
​
And Shimshon called to Hashem and said, “O Hashem Elokim, remember me and strengthen me now, only this once HaElokim, that I may be avenged the vengeance for one of my two eyes from the Philistines.” And Shimshon grasped the two pillars of the center, upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, (the) one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Shimshon said, “Let my soul die with the Philistines,” and he bent with (his) might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein… (Sefer Shoftim 16:28-30)
 
With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may we, too, live lives that are mekadash shame Shamayim, and thereby bring honor to His holy Torah. 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 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
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
This week’s haftarah concludes with two of the best-known pasukim in Sefer Hoshea:
And I will betroth (v’arastich) you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know Hashem. (2:21-22, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
This three-fold repetition of the term “v’arastich” foretells the time when the intimacy characterized by a loving husband – wife relationship will be completely restored between the Almighty and our people.
 
The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, 1512-1609) underscores the everlasting nature of the bond that will exist between Hashem and our nation:

The connection that will exist in the future between the Holy One blessed be He and the Jewish people will be eternal (yi’yeh l’netzach), [that is,] this link will never cease nor be severed… It is in this sense that the prophet Hoshea said: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy.” Behold, the prophet explicitly stated that this connection, that is, “the betrothal,” will be everlasting in nature… (This and the following quotations, Sefer Netzach Yisrael, chapter 47, translations and brackets my own.)
 
In the Maharal’s opinion, the central features of this relationship are symbolized by the repetition of the phrase “v’arastich”:

And in this passage, we find the word, “v’arastich” repeated three times… [A person must] realize that this future connection entails three different aspects. Firstly, it will be permanent in nature. Secondly, the Jewish people will cleave to all of the behavioral characteristics (middot) of the Holy One. Lastly, this bond will be all-inclusive (chibur gamur).
 
The Maharal explains how each repetition of v’arastich supports the essential ideas of the new relationship:
​
“And I will betroth you to Me forever” proves that the connection will be eternal. In addition, the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy.” Each of these qualities is mentioned, since they…encapsulate the middot of Hashem [that the Jewish people will develop and master] … Afterwards the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith (b’emunah), and you shall know Hashem.” This proves that the new relationship will be all-inclusive.
 
Based upon a careful reading of our two verses, one may question why Hoshea needed to state the third instance of v’arastich, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith,” which focuses upon the chibur gamur motif. After all, would not the second phrase of v’arastich have led one to this conclusion? Apparently the Maharal wrestled with this problem, as we find in his keen analysis:
 
The notion of the new relationship being one of chibur gamur (all-inclusive) is an idea that stands on its own (ma’a’lah bifnei atzmo), since when the text states, “And I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy,” this only teaches us that the Jewish nation will cleave to the Blessed One with all of these middot… Therefore, the prophet proclaims, “And I will betroth you to Me with faith,” as this phrase suggests the concept of a complete and total connection [to Hashem].
 
Chazal established the calendar in such a manner as to ensure that the public reading of our haftarah frequently precedes the Festival of Shavuot. Based upon their divinely inspired wisdom, they understood that there is a close association between this portion from Hoshea and the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. With the Maharal as our guide, we find that the link between nevuat Hoshea and Shavuot becomes quite clear: Both Hashem and the Jewish people ultimately yearn for an intimate and permanent relationship based on the Almighty’s never-ending tzedek, mishpat, chesed and rachamim, and our desire to emulate these actions. May we achieve these holy heights 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