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

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The concluding words of our parasha and Sefer Vayikra begin with the phrase, “aleh hamitzvot asher tzivah Hashem et Moshe—These are the commandments that Hashem commanded Moshe.” (Sefer Vayikra 27:34). This refers to the complete and final body of law that Hashem revealed to Moshe on Har Sinai, and is interpreted by the Sifra on our verse and Talmud Yerushalmi, Megillah 1:5, in this manner:

“Aleh hamitzvot that Hashem commanded Moshe.” These are the mitzvot that we were commanded directly by Moshe, and so, too, did Moshe say to us: “There will never be another prophet in the future who will create new mitzvot (literally, davar) for you from this point forward.” (Translation my own)
 
There are a number of passages in Talmud Bavli, as well, that follow this approach in explicating the phrase, “aleh hamitzvot.” One of the better-known examples is found in Yoma 80a:

Measures of punishments are halakha transmitted to Moshe from Sinai. Others say: These measures were instituted by the court of Jabez [Rashi, Atniale ben Kanaz]. The Gemara questions this: How can this be? Isn’t it written: “aleh hamitzvot which Hashem commanded Moshe for the children of Israel at Har Sinai?” (Sefer Vayikra 27:34). The word “aleh” underscores that a prophet is not permitted to introduce any new element related to the Torah and its mitzvot from here on. Rather, over the course of time, the people forgot the measures; subsequently the prophets reestablished the measures and taught them to the masses. (The Koren Talmud Bavli, translation, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, with my emendations)
 
In his Commentary on the Mishnah, the Rambam (1135-1204) counts the principle of the immutability of the Torah among the Ikkarei Emunah (Essential Principles of Faith):
The Ninth Principle of Faith is that of nullification. This means that the Torah of Moshe will neither be nullified nor will there ever be another Torah in addition to it from Hashem. It will never be added thereto nor be detracted therefrom, neither in writing nor through explanation. As is stated in the Torah: “You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.” (Sefer Devarim 13:1, Masechet Sanhedrin, Introduction to Perek Chalek, translation my own)
 
The concept of the fixity of the Torah could lead one to believe that the Torah is static and does not adjust to new scenarios. In his newly published work, Divrei Soferim: The Transmission of Torah Shebe’a Peh, Rav Hershel Schachter shlita strongly rejects this idea: “The principle of the immutability of the Torah that we have outlined should not be confused, though, with the mistaken notion that religious practice never adapts to changing conditions.” (All quotations, page 145)  To buttress his position, Rav Schachter cites Rabbi Soloveitchik’s exposition of the pasuk: “And Yitzchak again dug the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father, Avraham…and he gave them names like the names that his father had given them.” (Sefer Bereishit 26:18, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The Rav (1903-1993) zatzal suggests: “Yitzchak followed the exact Masorah (tradition) of his father. This is why when there was a famine in the land, Yitzchak traveled to Gerar, intending to dwell in Mitzrayim, just as his father had done earlier.” Rashi (1040-1105) on Sefer Bereishit 36:12 notes, however, that following the Akeidah, Yitzchak had attained the kedushah of a korban olah (a burnt offering); therefore, it was improper for him to go down to Egypt, since such a korban must remain in Eretz Yisrael. According to the Rav, Hashem was explaining to Yitzchak that by going to Mitzrayim, he would not be following in the footsteps of his father. Yitzchak, therefore, remained in Eretz Yisrael demonstrating that Masorah, and the Torah in general, respond to new circumstances.
 
I believe this explanation of the Rav in Rabbi Schachter’s presentation sheds new light on the meaning of a well-known phrase from Sefer Mishle: “Eitz chayim he l’lmachazikim bah—It is a tree of life for those who grasp it.” (3:18)  Just as a tree is a dynamic entity that changes throughout the seasons, so, too, does the application of the Torah’s laws “adapt to changing conditions,” ever guiding us in our service to Hashem.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link: The Rav

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Sefer Vayikra is the sole book in Tanach wherein the phrase “v’yarata m’elokecha” (“and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d”) is found. It appears three times in Parashat Behar and twice in Parashat Kedoshim:

1) You shall not curse a deaf person. You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person, and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d. I am Hashem. (19:14)
2) You shall rise before a venerable person and you shall respect the elderly, and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d. I am Hashem. (19:32)
3) And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow Jew, and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d, for Hashem, your G-d. (25:17)
4) You shall not take from him interest or increase, and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d, and let your brother live with you. (25:36)
5) You shall not work him with rigor, and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d. (25:33, these and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)
 
Our five verses refer to: the prohibition of purposely misleading someone to your own financial advantage (lifnei ivare), the obligation to rise before and treat the elderly with respect (mipnei saivah takum), the injunction against vexing your fellow Jew through painful words (ona’at devarim), the ban against charging interest to a fellow Jew (rivet) and the sanction against mistreating Jewish slaves by forcing them to perform worthless and unpleasant work (avodah b’farech). At first glance, these mitzvot appear unrelated to each other. Rashi (1040-1105), however, basing himself upon the Sifra, teaches that the phrase, “v’yarata m’elokecha,” links these pasukim together:

and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d: [Why is this mentioned here?] Because this matter [of misadvising someone] is not discernible by people, whether this person had good or evil intentions, and he can avoid [being recriminated by his victim afterwards] by saying, “I meant well!” Therefore, concerning this, it says, “and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d,” Who knows your thoughts! Likewise, concerning anything known to the one who does it, but to which no one else is privy, the Torah says, “and you shall demonstrate awe to your G-d.” (Commentary to Sefer Vayikra 19:14, underlining my own)
 
In sum, Rashi notes that the underlying intentions inherent in these behaviors are hidden from all observers, and only the active party knows whether they are performed for the benefit of others or to their detriment. Moreover, since nothing is hidden from the Almighty, including our very thoughts, we must ever be in awe of the Master of the Universe and meticulous in our mitzvot observance.
 
Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter zatzal (“Sefat Emet,”1847-1905) expands upon Rashi’s gloss in this manner:

It is obvious that through awe [of G-d] one is able to properly fulfill those matters that are not visible to others. [What is less evident,] however, is that these mitzvot that are solely contingent upon one’s private intentions, will, through their proper performance, enable one to acquire awe [of the Almighty]. This is the case, since when each mitzvah is fulfilled, it alters a person’s actions in a positive fashion. Therefore, these mitzvot that depend upon a person’s innermost thoughts, [when performed correctly,] will repair [any negativity that lurks] in the mind] … (Translation and brackets my own)
 
The Sefat Emet’s presentation parallels the words of the Rambam (1135-1204) in The Guide for the Perplexed:
​
This purpose to which I have drawn your attention is the purpose of all the actions prescribed by the Law… I refer to the awe of Him, may He be exalted, and the awe before His command… For it has already been made clear that this refers to actions prescribed by commandments and prohibitions… awe is achieved by means of all actions prescribed by the Law... (The Guide for the Perplexed, III:52, translation, with my emendations, Shlomo Pines, pages 629-630, brackets and underlining my own)
 
In sum, for both the Rambam and the Sefat Emet, mitzvot actions enable us to acquire the middah of yirat Hashem. May it be His will and our fervent desire that our heartfelt fulfillment of Hashem’s mitzvot will lead us to hold Him in awe and bring us ever closer to Him. 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
 
 
The beginning of our parasha focuses upon a variety of laws that pertain solely to the kohanim. From a halachic perspective, they have little to do with the majority of the Jewish people, as the kahunah is a biologically endowed status. Yet, from a broader perspective, all members of the Jewish people have the inherent ability to be “kohanim.”
 
How can we actualize this innate spiritual potential to be kohanim? Two pasukim in Sefer Shemot help us answer this question: “And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests (mamlechect kohanim) and a holy nation…” (19:5-6, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations). Rashi (1040-1105) rejects the literal translation of mamlechect kohanim as a “kingdom of priests.” Instead, he opines that the correct explication of “mamlechect kohanim” is “a kingdom of princes,” since, as noted, we cannot all be kohanim. The Seforno (1470-1550), however, takes an entirely different approach:

Precisely by being kohanim you will be chosen (segulah). You will be a kingdom of priests in the sense that you will explain and teach [the existence and knowledge of G-d] to all manner of people. In that way, everyone will call upon Hashem and worship Him, shoulder to shoulder. As it says in Sefer Yeshayahu [61:6]: “And you will be called the Priests of Hashem.”
 
According to the Seforno, our foremost obligation is to bring spiritual illumination to humankind as an ohr l’goyim (“light unto nations,” Sefer Yeshayahu 42:6 and 49:6). It is our responsibility to act as the moral compass of humanity by embodying the highest standards of ethical behavior, and thereby be metakane ha’olam b’malchut Shakai--perfect the Universe through the proclamation of Hashem’s sovereignty.” In this way, we pave the way for all people to recognize His greatness and glory.
 
Rabbeinu Shimson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) presents a complementary approach to the Seforno’s analysis. He explains Sefer Shemot 19:6 in terms of our people’s mission to be kohanim and the resulting positive impact we can have on humankind:

Each one of you will be a “kohane” in the sense that you will accept upon yourselves My hegemony [My power to rule] in every action that you will do. In so doing, you will take upon yourselves the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven in its overarching sense. One will then be able to spread the knowledge of, and loyalty to, Hashem through the words of one’s mouth and the performance of one’s deeds. (Translation from the Hebrew my own)
 
These presentations serve as compelling descriptions of our role as Hashem’s servants. Beyond a doubt, however, it is the Rambam (1135-1204) who gives this concept its most powerful voice. Moreover, he underscores the notion that anyone, Jew, or gentile, can be sanctified to the point that they can emulate the levi’im and kohanim. As such, everyone can potentially become a light unto nations:
​
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 Hashem to serve Him and minister to Him and to know Hashem, proceeding justly as Hashem made him…is as sanctified as the holy of holies. Hashem will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the kohanim and levi’im. And thus, David declared: “Hashem is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot.” (Sefer Tehillim 16:5, Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shemitah v’Yovel 13:13, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
May we be counted among those who strive to create a mamlechect kohanim, and thereby dedicate ourselves to the holy task of tikkun haolam (perfecting the Universe). 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
 
One of the most celebrated mitzvot of our parasha is “v’ahavta l’reicha kamocha —and you shall love your fellow Jew like yourself.” (Sefer Vayikra 19:18)  Rashi (1040-1105), citing the Midrash Sifra to Sefer Vayikra, notes: “Rabbi Akiva said: ‘This is an all embracing principle of the Torah.’” (19:45, translation my own)  Perhaps it is Rabbi Akiva’s unparalleled intellectual greatness, or his heroic gesture of teaching Torah to his students during the height of the 130’s CE Hadrianic persecutions, that caused his words to become part of the moral fabric of the Jewish nation. Either way, whenever we think of our personal responsibility towards one another, the Torah’s verse, and Rabbi Akiva’s expression, are writ large in the collective consciousness of our people.
 
Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 31a, is one of the best-known sources in Rabbinic literature wherein we find a restatement and implicit discussion of the phrase, “v’ahavta l’reicha kamocha:”

On another occasion it happened that a certain non-Jew came before Shammai and said to him, “Make me a convert, on the condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot.” Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder’s staff which was in his hand. When he went before Hillel, he converted him and said to him, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the entire Torah, while the rest is commentary; [now] go and learn it.” (Translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
In his commentary on the Torah, Kli Yakar, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 –1619), maintains that the Talmud’s phrase, “what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor,” is a reformulation and an interpretation of “v’ahavta l’reicha kamocha.” In addition, Rav Luntschitz carefully examines the interaction between Hillel and the would-be convert, and in so doing reveals the underlying intent of the latter’s famous words, “teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot.”
 
According to Rav Luntschitz, the non-Jew who came before both Shammai and Hillel was no prankster or joker—even though Shammai seemed to have viewed him as such. Instead, and this is apparently how Hillel perceived him, the aspiring convert was a potential ger tzedek, a truly righteous individual, who deeply desired to accept the Master of the Universe and His Torah, live according to His mitzvot and join our people. As Rav Luntschitz suggests: “[The potential ger tzedek] absolutely wanted [the essence] of all of the Torah’s mitzvot presented to him in such a manner that they would have one [unifying] principle, and this is what he actually meant by the words “on one foot.”  (This and the following translation and brackets my own)  At this juncture,  Rav Luntschitz analyzes the ger tzedek’s ultimate purpose in making his request:
​
As a result of this [“on one foot” notion,] he would be able to understand all of the mitzvot [with particular emphasis upon the proper ethical behaviors that the Torah commands between man and his fellow man]. He desired this so that he would never forget [the meaning of the mitzvot,] since this would be all too easy for a convert who had not studied anything whatsoever regarding the commandments during his youth...Thus, his intention [when he deployed the unusual phrase, “teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot,”] was [for Hillel] to teach him something that could be said quickly and was comprised of few words. This, then, would be the fundamental concept of the Torah, and “the one foot” that he needed; for as a result of this idea, he would be able to remember [and understand] all of Hashem’s mitzvot.   
 
In Rav Luntschitz’s estimation, the ger tzedek was driven by the highest spiritual ardor in order to understand the authentic meaning of the mitzvot. In many ways, therefore, he serves as an ideal role model for us all, since far too often, we become overwhelmed by the challenges of daily living and forget that the Torah and mitzvot should appear to us as holy gifts from the Almighty. The ger tzedek helps us refocus our priorities, so that we may redouble our energies and create a spiritually suffused relationship with the Master of the Universe. With His help and our fervent desire, may this be so. 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
 
Yimot hamashiach (Days of the Mashiach), like many popular terms, is frequently used and just as often little understood. Yeshayahu describes it in this manner in the haftorah for the last day of Pesach:

And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them. And a cow and a bear shall graze together, their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand. (11:6-8, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Shmuel (165-257 C.E.), known as one of the greatest Talmudic Sages, understands these pasukim in a metaphoric sense. As such, instead of a world wherein the instinctual behaviors of the animal kingdom will be radically altered, we will be blessed to live in a time when our people will be free from the yoke of our oppressors: “There will be no difference between our world and the days of the Messiah except for the cessation of the domination of the kingdoms of the world [over the Jewish people].” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 99a, translation and brackets my own) Thus, for Shmuel, yimot hamashiach will be a time of complete socio-political freedom for the Jewish people.
 
In his halachic magnum opus, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11:1 and 12:1 and 2, the Rambam (1135-1204) elucidates Shmuel’s position in this fashion:

King Messiah will arise in the future and return the kingship of David to its former greatness and glory. He will rebuild the Holy Temple and gather all of the exiles to the Land of Israel. All of the laws will be in effect during his days just as they were in earlier times. We will [once again] offer korbanot (animal offerings) and keep the laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years just like all of the other laws stated in the Torah.
 
One ought not to think that in the days of the Messiah anything will change in the nature of the world (m’minhago shel haolam), or that there will be some new creation within nature (b’ma’aseh Bereishit). Rather, the world will continue in its normal fashion. The passage in Yeshayahu that states “And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid…” is merely a metaphor. Rather, it really means that the Jewish people will live in comfort and without fear of the evil non-Jewish nations who are symbolically represented by the terms “wolf” and “leopard.”
 
Our Sages stated: “There will be no difference between our world and the days of the Messiah except for the cessation of the domination of the kingdoms of the world [over the Jewish people].” (Translation, underlining, and brackets my own)
 
One is immediately struck by the purely naturalistic position taken by the Rambam. The reinstitution of the Davidic monarchy “to its former greatness and glory” in the person of the true Messiah is the necessary and fundamental criterion for the achievement of all other Jewish eschatological goals. “Former greatness and glory” refers to uncontested Jewish hegemony over our own G-d-promised land. Pragmatically, it means that the unending political pressures faced by the modern State of Israel will cease. Moreover, since all countries will recognize our beloved nation as Hashem’s unique dwelling place among humankind, it will be preeminent in the world. This will be a natural result of the nations of the world “returning to the true faith,” that is, monotheism (12:5).
 
Once we are politically free and no longer beholden to any earthly power, the Melech Hamashiach will “rebuild the Holy Temple and gather all of the exiles to the Land of Israel.” The Anshei Kenesset HaGadolah (Men of the Great Assembly) gave powerful voice to these aspirations in two brachot of the Shemoneh Esrei:

And may You return to Your holy city in mercy, and dwell therein as You have spoken. And may You build it soon and in our days as a permanent construction. And may the throne of King David rapidly be re-established therein. Blessed are You Hashem, He who builds Jerusalem.
 
Sound the great shofar [whose clarion call] declares our freedom. And raise up our standard to gather around all of our exiles and gather us all together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You Hashem, He who gathers the exiles of His people Israel. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
May this Pesach be the time wherein these tefilot will be answered. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Kasher v’Sameach
 
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