Divrei Mav

Parshas Matos and Masei 2015 Avigdor Laib (Maverick) Peters   Hashem takes care of us. Throughout history, our people have been saved time and time again from all sorts of gruesome trials and tribulations. Hashem has foiled the plans of every one of our enemies and will continue to do so. He is always working “behind the scenes” as there are always people who are plotting to destroy us. While, we are often oblivious to it, Hashem intervenes and protects His people.   When any painful or unpleasant experiences arise, be it on a personal level or for the entire nation, Hashem still blankets us with His protection.   From time to time, (sometimes even quite often) Hashem needs to present us with uncomfortable and challenging situations. We should not look at these situations in the negative and become angry and frustrated and give up hope as though all is lost. We must understand that these “problems” help us grow and are orchestrated by the Mastermind Hims...

Parshas Beha’alosecha 2015 Avigdor Laib (Maverick) Peters     Respect is such a significant quality, everyone should develop it and have in in his arsenal of character traits and pull it out to use quite often. The importance of expressing respect to others simply cannot be stressed enough. Adding to that ledger, respect for one’s rebbe (spiritual teacher and mentor) is even greater. There are two words in this parsha that demonstrate just how meticulous we must be when it comes to our rebbe’s kovod (honor).   The halachos (laws) that discuss our rebbe’s honor include, standing up for him when he walks into the room, not answering in his place, and not calling him “you” or by his first name.   “And Hosheiya ben Nun [Yehoshua] answered, ‘my master Moshe’…” (Numbers 11:28)   The Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Dovid Goldberg, ask based in a Moshav Zekainim (commentary) on a Gemora in Sanhedrin (100a). How can it be that the same Yehos...

Parshas Naso 2015 Avigdor Laib (Maverick) Peters               “A man’s holiness is his….” (Numbers 5:10). We can look at our lives as if we are standing in the foyer preparing ourselves at a wedding that waits ahead. Our effort to primp and preen our clothes to look our very best before we enter, is similar to our efforts in olam hazeh (this lifetime) to prepare for our arrival in olam habah (the world to come).   A man, Jacob, has three friends. His first friend is his best friend. A person who he can really count on for anything. His second friend is not quite as close with Jacob but still a friend indeed. The third, Jacob likes but is not that close to, just a person that he is friendly with from time to time. One day Jacob receives a letter that summons him to court immediately he will stand trial for his life. Desperate, he runs to his best friend’s house and asks him to be his advocate and witne...

Parshas Behar and Bechukosai 2015 Avigdor Laib (Maverick) Peters   The Torah is often known in the secular world as the “five books of Moses”. In truth, this is highly misleading for it gives an apparent connotation that Moshe himself actually authored the Torah. This assumption is not only incorrect but it is also prohibited. We as Jews are required to live with a concrete belief and an unwavering faith that the Torah is of Divine origin (from Hashem). The laws of the Shemittah year discussed this week are a strong proof that no man could have possibly written the Torah.               The Shemittah year (lit. Sabbatical year) is the seven year in the seven year cycle. This year is solely to let the land rest. No Jewish farm owner can work his field (in Israel) during this year. It serves as a “Shabbos” (time of rest) for the agricultural element of creation (Jews and the animals have every seventh day)....

This week is particularly special –this is the Shabbos before Pesach (Passover) known as Shabbos Hagadol. Shabbos Hagadol was the day in Mitzrayim ( Egypt ) that the B’nai Yisroel offered the Korban Pesach. This was their first commandment and the B’nai Yisroel did it without any hesitation, and with the most love imaginable. וַיַּעַשׂ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְ־הֹוָ־ה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses. (Leviticus 8:36) This week w e continue to learn about the Korbanos (offerings) and more of their details, we learn specifically, where the Korbanos were brought in the Mishkan (tabernacle). As we know Ahron and his sons, the Kohanim were instructed to serve Hashem in the Mishkan. At the very end of this week’s Parsha, (the last passuk in fact) we find that the Torah tells us Ahron and his sons did as Hashem commanded. But interestingly, the lashon (carefully selected language) is ...

“When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai , He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.” (Sh’mos 31:18) What a sight to see! The revelation at Har Sinai! When Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai Hashem presented him with the luchos (tablets). Upon his decent Moshe Rabbeinu discovered that the B’nai Yisroel had committed a grave sin. So grave that for all future generations everyday tzar (distress) will be connected to this sin. This avairah was the sin of the golden calf. Moshe Rabbeinu disappointed and astonished smashed the luchos. He eventually ascended back up the mountain to daven and received another set of luchos. So powerful was this experience that it created a whole new level of kedusha (holiness) in Moshe. We learn from the passuk that when Moshe Rabbeinu returned to the B’nai Yisroel his holy face was radiating. This radiation was unique and was so powerful no one from the B’nai Yisroel would ...

Parshas Tetzaveh .וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל לִבּוֹ לִפְנֵי יְ־הֹוָ־ה תָּמִיד …And Aaron will carry the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord at all times. (Sh’mos 28:30) The Kohain Gadol was given the opportunity to wear an exclusive wardrobe of beautifully hand made sacred garments. In this wardrobe we find the Choshen Mishpat (breastplate). The Choshen Mishpat was a square shaped golden plate with twelve different stones placed in rows of three. Each stone had inscribed on it the name of a shevet (tribe). This breastplate was secured on the Kohain Gadol with “braided craftsmanship, of pure gold” as the passuk says. This Choshen Mishpat was a bridge between the B’nai Yisroel and Hashem. Meaning, if there were to be a dilemma amongst the B’nai Yisroel, the Kohain Gadol would ask the Choshen Mishpat what the solution might be. Hashem would display the solution by lighting up the letters of the words on the stones of the Cho...

וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיַּרְא וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה “And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.” On the third (most painful) day following his Bris Mila (circumcision), Avraham was eagerly waiting at the entrance of his tent for travelers so that he could invite them into his abode (tent) and perform the mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim. Hashem had seen how passionate Avraham was regarding this mitzvah and sent three malachim (angels) who appeared as Arab travelers to Avraham. When Avraham saw the malachim as the passuk says, “ and he lifted his eyes… and behold three men…” Avraham ran to the three men and had them wash their feet and fed them beneath the shade of a tree.   Those malachim were not divinely sent for the sole purpose of satisfying Avrah...

Parshas Nitzavim In this week’s parsha there is a passuk that says, “You are standing today, all of you…. The heads of your tribes….” (29:9) The literal translation of the words “Rashaychem Shivtaychem” is, “your heads”, “your tribes.” Reb Moshe Feinstein asks what is the explanation for this unusual sequence of words? Answers Rabbi Moshe a geshmaka (delicious) answer, he says that the Torah teaches in a few places (including here) not to make small himself in his eyes, meaning that one should not make himself believe or even think that he can’t become a great leader. For this behavior of belittling oneself is, as Reb Moshe says, “actually the counsel of the Evil Inclination.” Not only should one not belittle himself in his eyes, but he is encouraged in this week’s Parsha by Hashem Himself to build up a self-esteem and tell himself that he can become a great leader and great in Torah. Hashem will assist the person who strives, believes, and really internalizes that h...

This Week's D'var Torah Should Give The Nishamah of Yisroel Sender Ben Avrahom In this week’s Parsha there are more then fifty Mitzvos. We are going to learn about some of them. The commonly known mitzvah of Tzedakah is a great mitzvah. While it is a staple in the Jewish community there are still many who push off this mitzvah with the belief that giving Tzedakah is a smaller scale mitzvah, but those people are wrong, this mitzvah has tremendous power; it can bring wealth, remove judgments against us, and many more immense rewards. We learn about the mitzvah for the B’nai Yisroel to destroy the Avodah Zarah (idols) in the land of Israel when they entered, whether the Avodah Zarah was a tree like the Ashairh, or a carved figure it was to be completely destroyed. Next, we learn the commandment involving the Navi Sheker (false profit). Hashem issues warning that a person will stand up and claim that G-d spoke to him, even if he brings predictions that come true or miracles...