Divrei Mav

There is a passuk (passage) in this week’s Parsha that says, “V’Lifnai Aiver Lo Sitain Mich’shol” which is translated into, “And you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind.” The simple p’shat (understanding) to this passuk is “do not harm the blind in any manner” which means if he is blind in vision or in understanding. According to Rashi, one should be careful not to give harmful advise (to a fellow Jew). Another Mitzvah this week is “V‘ohavtah L‘reiachoh Komocha“. Hashem, in His incredible love for each and every Yid (Jew) made a mitzvah in His Torah to love each and every Jew like one loves himself. This is called, “V‘ohavtah L‘reiachoh Komocha“. This mitzvah applies to every Jew. Rabbi Mordechai Katz asks, Is this advice practical? Can one love his neighbor like himself or is that too much to expect from man? He answers indeed, one can and should reach such a level even if it means going through a step-by-step process. This mitzvah is very precious and important. The...

Ahron was given perspicuous instructions on how to do his avodah (service) in the Mishkan (tabernacle), to show him and the future Kohanim (priests) how to avoid making the same mistake that Nadav and Avihu did. Their alien Korban (sacrifice) brought them to their catastrophic downfall. Since the incident with Nadav and Avihu there have been those who haven’t quite gotten the message. These people felt that it was necessary to add in or change a law here and there in the Torah, making it more “convenient” for themselves and possibly others. Like driving to shul (temple) on Shabbos was a change that was made and having no mechitzah (dividers) to separate the men from the women. All of these changes might have been because of good and seemingly harmless intentions, but in truth, all they are really doing is the same thing that Nadav and Avihu did on that fateful day when they brought a perfectly good Korban in a manner not prescribed by Hashem. There is a great Mushul (parable) that Ra...

Last week we learned about the simple version of tzaraas that comes as a skin blemish mainly for speaking Lashon Hara. This week we are going to expound on the affliction of tzaraas and its impact on the B’nai Yisroel (Jews). Midway into the Parsha there is a passuk (passage) that says “And I (Hashem) will place a tzaraas affliction upon a house…” If the tzaraas spreads onto one’s house one should do like he would if he himself were afflicted. He should go to a Kohain for confirmation. Once confirmed, the Kohain would quarantine his house. If one’s house was afflicted with tzaraas this meant that Lashon Hara had become the way of the entire family. There were 3 avairos that were deserving of tzaraas; 1) haughtiness, 2) evil gossip, 3) an envious eye. The Kli Yakar (Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Ahron) tells us that just like there are 3 sins that caused tzaraas, there are three remedies. 1) He must shave off all of the hair on his head because he wanted to be at the head. 2) He must shav...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Tazria. When a person would speak Lashon Hara, (words that may diminish the status of another Jew), Hashem punished him with something called Tzra’as. Tzra’as started off as a white skin blemish and could eventually cover one’s entire body depending on the seriousness of the matter. Lashon Hara is considered one of the worse sins in the Torah. Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagen HaCohen zt”l (a.k.a. The Chafetz Chaim) says the reason why we lost the second Bais HaMikdash (Holy Temple) was because of two grave mistakes; Lashon Hara and Sinas Chinim (baseless hatred). The Chafetz Chaim once compared a person that speaks Lashon Hara to a person that committed every sin in the Torah. My Rebbe explained that one who speaks Lashon Hara defiles his mouth the same mouth he will eventually use to petition HaKadosh Borchu (the Holy One Blessed is He) and as a result, his prayers are not heard. Furthermore, all of the mitzvos he did in the past are cancelled. All t...

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Shemini. The two oldest sons of Ahron, Nadav and Avihu decided to bring a Korban to Hashem in the Kodesh HaKadoshim (Holy of Holies) where only the Kohain Gadol (High Priest) can go once a year (on Yom Kippur). Hashem was very angry at them for bringing a fire that wasn’t requested. When they brought this “alien” Korban Hashem took the fire they used and consumed them in the fire. As the passuk says, “a fire came forth …. and consumed them.” Hashem punished Nadav and Avihu in such a severe manner because they were on an exalted level and great people are judged for every minute detail of every action. After their tragic death, the passuk informs us that Ahron was “silent”. Hashem blessed Ahron for not k’vetching (complaining). Ahron was rewarded by having the next segment of this week’s Parsha addressed to him. This segment is the commandment for Ahron to not drink intoxicating wine. Rabbi Bunam (of P’shis’cha) elucidates on that segment in...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Tzav. We continue to learn about the Korbanos (offerings) and more of their details. This week we learn specifically, where the Korbanos were brought in the Mishkan (tabernacle). By the Korban Chatas we learn only that it was brought near where the Korban Oleh was brought. The Korban Chatas was brought by a person (Jewish) that did an avairah (sin) so, this was the sin offering. HaRav Mordechai Katz Zt”l writes in his sefer, a beautiful explanation for why the Korban Chatas was near the Korban Oleh. He says that Hashem is coming to teach us the tremendous lesson of not embarrassing others. By placing the Korban Chatas the Korban brought by those who sinned, with other korbanos it was very difficult for others to distinguish between those bringing a Korban oleh and Chatas. This way it would not be so embarrassing for the person bringing a Korban to atone for a sin. There is a well -known story about Rabbi Akiva Eiger zt”l how he demonstrated the...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Vayikra. Hashem commanded Moshe (Moses) to tell the B’nai Yisroel (Jewish people) to bring Korbanos (offerings) to Hashem. The Korbanos mainly consisted of animals (kosher) and a variety of spices. There are many different types of Korbanos such as the Koraban Olah, Chattas, Shlumim, Aushum, and more. Now one might ask, “why did Hashem want the B’nai Yisroel to bring Korbanos?” The mitzvah of bringing Korbanos is really a “choak” – the “CH” is pronounced like the end of the word “Baruch” (choak is a law in the Torah that we can’t comprehend) but the Michatav M’eliyahu gives a beautiful explanation. HaRav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler z”tl (aka, The Michtav M’eliyahu) explains the reason why Hashem wanted us to bring Korabanos was because when we had just left Mitzrayim (Egypt) we were so accustomed to serving idols with animals, spices, and the like that Hashem wanted us to be able to accept the idea of serving a G-d in a somewhat familiar manner. The...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Pekudei. After assembling the parts of the Mishkan (tabernacle) the Moshe (Moses) is commanded to construct the Mishkan. There were many parts of the Mishkan. Such as, curtains, planks, partitions, screens, hooks, sockets, foundation blocks, etc. When the base of the Mishkan was set up, there were, as the passuk says, “a hundred sockets for a hundred talents, a talent per socket…” Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter zt”l, (or the Chiddushei HaRim,) makes a comparison between the one hundred sockets and the one hundred B’rachos (blessings) that we are required to recite every day (did you realize we are supposed to make 100 blessings everyday?). He says just like their are one hundred sockets needed as the foundation of the Mishkan there are also one hundred B’rachos needed to be recited for the foundation of one’s soul. Later in the Parsha Hashem commands Moshe to anoint the children of Ahron as Kohanim (priests). When Hashem instructed Moshe He didn’t j...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parsha Vayakhel. Moshe teaches the B’nai Yisroel about Shabbos. It says regarding Shabbos, ”Shashes Yamim Taseh M’lachah U’Vayom HaSh’vei Y’heyea Kodesh ….” On six days work may be done but the seventh day shall be holy for you. Shabbos begins sundown Friday night and ends after sundown Saturday night. The importance of observing the Shabbos cannot be over stated. The Torah teaches us that Hashem created everything and He did so on the first six days of the week but on the seventh day He rested from his work. When we say that He rested from His “work” we are not necessarily talking about work as we typically think of work. Instead, we are talking about the “thirty nine avos m’lachah” or categories of work prohibited on Shabbos. The Thirty Nine Avos M’lachah are: 1 . Sowing (seeding) 2 . Plowing 3 . Reaping (cutting) 4 . Gathering (bundling sheaves) 5 .Threshing 6 . Winnowing 7 . Sorting (selecting, separating) 8 . Grinding 9 . Sifting 10 . Kneading 11 ....

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Ki Sisa. Moshe goes up Har Sinai (the mountain of Sinai) and receives the Luchos (tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them). Before Moshe ascended the mountain he told the B’nai Yisroel (children of Israel) that he would return “at the end of forty days” (as Rashi points out). But the B’nai Yisroel miscalculated when he would return and thought that Moshe died on the mountain and they panicked. The B’nai Yisroel wanted a new leader. So they (except for the tribe of Laivi) went to Ahron & told him to make for them a molten image to fill the void left by Moshe's absence. Ahron told them to collect the gold from their wives and bring it to him. The women were opposed to building this structue they are credited very much so for their actions against it. But still the men still collected the gold. Ahron took the gold and formed a calf. The Jews began dancing and singing, they were so happy. While this was going on Hashem told Moshe t...