Weekly Words of Torah

A Matter of Perspective

Insights into Parshat Behar-Bechukotai of Mr. Zach Greenberg of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

The beginning of this week’s Parsha deals with the laws of Shemitah, a sabbatical every 7th year in which no farming is done. The Or Hachaim (as explained in Rav Mordechai Eliyahu’s Darkei Mordechai) brings down the question that was asked by Chazal: The first Pasuk, as seen many times in the Torah, is Hashem spoke to Moses saying- but in our Parsha, it mentions where this conversation took place- Har Sinai. Why did the Torah specifically cite Har Sinai when conferring the obligation of Shemitah? What’s the connection?

The Or Hachaim explains that there is an intrinsic connection between Har Sinai and Shemitah. The receiving of the Torah at Har Sinai is the condition or prerequisite to being able to live in Eretz Yisrael. If Am Yisrael guards the Torah, then they will merit a peaceful dwelling in the land, but if they fail to adhere then the land will spit them out. Therefore, by Shemitah it seems fit that we have the notion of Har Sinai fresh in our heads as a reminder to put the Torah first and then we will inherit the land.

However, there’s also another catch. Hashem, in His infinite kindness, gave the Jews the beautiful land of Israel; but only for 6 years, and not more. In the seventh year, the Shemitah year, the land belongs to Hashem Himself, and not to Bnei Yisrael. What is the purpose of this, though? Would the Jews forget where they got this land from? The Gemara in Sanhedrin 39A discusses a discourse where Rav Huna’s students ask him what is the reason of Shemitah. He responds that Hashem told Am Yisrael as follows: “Sow the land for six years but rest on the seventh to know that the land is mine.” Rashi comments that the reason behind the off year is so that the nation would not be filled with pride of the produce of their land and forget where it really came from. Essentially, the Shemitah year is all about keeping perspective. We might have seen the beautiful produce, raise our hands up high and say “Kochi v’etzem yadi (my strength and the work of my hands)”! How great we are!

The abolition of this thought process is the reason for Shemitah; so that Am Yisrael will remember who gave them the incredible produce they just enjoyed for the past six years. The whole time it was Hashem who gave strength to the land and enabled the beautiful fruits to materialize. And when the farmers sit in the seventh year and ask themselves from where will they get produce this year since they can’t work their land? They then remember that Hashem bestowed a blessed crop for the sixth year, so that they will have food to eat during the Shemitah year.

The key yesod (foundation) of the Or Hachaim is that Shemitah is a step back for us. A time to issue Hakarat Hatov (gratitude) to Hashem. Tendency of man is to take for granted and believe that we deserve it. This year gives us a chance to stop and appreciate all the miracles Hakadosh Baruch Hu does for us.

Weekly Words of Torah

Days & Weeks

Insights into Parshat Emor of Mr. Yossi Shebson of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

The pesukim tell us (23:15-1): “You shall count for yourself from the day after the Shabbat… seven weeks; they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh week you shall count, 50 days…”

Why does the Torah tell us to ‘count seven weeks, they shall be complete’, and then ‘until the day after the seventh week you shall count, 50 days’. Are we to count 49 days (seven weeks) or 50 days? There cannot be mere repetition, for the Torah does not waste words! Rashi understands that ‘the day after the Shabbat’ is referring to the day after yom tov, i.e. 16th Nissan and ‘complete’ means from the evening. He says also that the ‘until 50 days’ means 49 days to be counted. This appears to strengthen our question because, according to Rashi’s understanding, the two values are equal in the amount of time. Why are there consecutive pesukim saying the same thing?

The N’etziv in Ha’Emek Davar answers that the Torah refers to both values to make sure we do not confuse ourselves and think that the seven complete weeks have to be from one Shabbat to the next. Rather, it is seven complete weeks, the consequence being that we celebrate Shavuot 50 days after we start counting the sefirah. The Malbim similarly writes that we need both pesukim to teach us that we sanctify the 50th day. We do not count 50 and sanctify the 51st day. We don’t count 48 and sanctify the 49th day (completing seven weeks). Rather, we put the two pesukim together which direct us to count seven complete weeks and then sanctify the 50th day as Yom Tov.

The Meshech Chochma gives a different answer. If Shavuot was to fall on the 5th of Sivan (both Nissan and Iyar have 30 days) or on the 6th of Sivan (only one has 30 days) then there will not be seven complete weeks in the sefirah. There will be 2 complete weeks in Nissan, 4 complete weeks in Iyar with no complete weeks in Sivan, only additional days from those left over from Iyar. However, if Shavuot was to fall on the 7th of Sivan, then there would be seven complete weeks – 2 in Nissan, 4 in Iyar and 1 in Sivan. The result would be seven complete weeks with at least one complete week in each month.

This is reinforced by a tosefta 1:4 in Erchin. Rebbi Yehudah says that if Shavuot falls on the 5th of Sivan then ra l’olam – it is a bad sign for the world; if on the 6th then beynoni l’olam – an ok sign for the world. But if Shavuot falls on the 7th of Sivan then yafeh l’olam – it is a good sign for the world. This is because, since we are doing the will of HaShem, and we have both seven complete weeks and count 50 days, He makes a good sign for the world. However, if Shavuot falls on the 5th or 6th and we could only complete half of what the pesukim tell us and count 50 days then it is not so good for the world. Based on this double lashon of days and weeks in the pesukim, the Gemara in Menachot 66a tells us that there is a mitzvah to count both days and weeks as we do in practice.

This clearly indicates that there is intrinsic value to the dual counting. So what message can we find in mentioning both days and weeks? Rav Emmett answers that we must ask ourselves what the days and weeks represent. Days are individual units of time. Weeks are collective units of seven individual days. Therefore, days and weeks can be seen as representing the concept of the individual unit and the collective group. One significance of counting days and weeks is that, as we prepare to receive the Torah, we must bear in mind that there are two levels we need to work on both of which are key: the individual “counting of days” whilst together working on our collective unity as klal yisrael “counting of weeks”. May we take this to heart and take advantage of these valuable days in the sefirah as we count the days and weeks until Matan Torah.

Weekly Words of Torah

Sanctity & The Land

Insights into Parshat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

“For all of these abominations were committed by your predecessors in The Land, and The Land was defiled. And The Land shall not vomit you due to defiling her, as she vomited out the nation before you. For anyone who commits any of these abominations will be cut off from their nation” (Sefer Vaykira 18: 27-29).

The above refers to the consequences of sexual misconduct (Giluy Arayot). Both exile from The Land of Israel and being cut off from the Jewish People (Karet) are mentioned. The Netziv (Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, rav and Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin) comments that the plain meaning of the verses (pshat) is that for individuals, exile does not suffice as punishment- the offenders are subject to Karet (if they have not repented- teshuva).

However, Chazal (Masechet Shabbat 33a) derive from this verse that for the sin of Giluy Arayot, the People of Israel are exiled from The Land. The Netziv posits that both approaches complement each other. Nations are exiled for decadent laws in regards to Giluy Arayot; individuals receive Karet for succumbing to base temptations.

The founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, Rav Meir Schlesinger, comments that on a national sphere, the exile of The Jewish People from The Land of Israel parallels the Karet of an individual.

May we merit to serve Hashem in The Land with sanctity!

Weekly Words of Torah

Good from (seemingly) Bad

Insights into Parshat Tazria-Metzora of Mr. Zach Margulies of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

Imagine if all of a sudden you started breaking out with patches containing white hairs, your house became infected with them, and then you finally were kicked out of your community. For most of us this sounds annoying and torturous, and with good reason. How then does the Torah expect us to find something good out of this annoying and seemingly torturous process which we call Tzara’at?

In the end of Parshat Metzora Rashi quotes a strange Medrash. The Pasuk (14:34) describes that when we will arrive to Eretz Canaan we will find Tzara’at on our homes. The following Pesukim then go on to describe the process. However, the Medrash strangely comments here that this was good news. Before we conquered the land the previous residents hid all of their valuables in the walls and now, since we are going to need to break down the walls because of the Tzara’at, we will find these valuables. This is great news, but it comes at a very strange point in time. We are currently discussing the punishment some of the worst sins a Jew can commit (Based on the Gemara in Arachin 16a). How is it logical that through this “punishment” the Jews were able to merit wealth and reward?

In truth, Tzara’at is much different than we might think. The Kli Yakar explains that the word “metzora” can be broken down into the words, “motzi ra” (lit. “finding bad”). Meaning, the Tzara’at exposes the bad inside of the person. If a person is committing any of these sins the Tzara’at comes and tells him he needs to improve. Tzara’at is not a punishment, it’s something which reminds and motivates us to improve. The Medrash which describes that the Tzara’at led us to find treasure is much less confusing now. Perhaps the Medrash is a mashal for what goes on inside of the metzora. He needs to knock down his own physical and emotional barriers to realize what positive things he has inside of himself, to realize his potential and then motivate him to strive and achieve it. This whole process is there to give the person a chance to reflect and get to know his own potential.

This is the way we should be looking at everything in our lives. When anything bad happens, we need to look deeper and find the good in it. Not only to justify the bad, but even more to realize that the good could not have come without the first seemingly bad step. The Tzara’at is not something bad with a good side to it, a small thing which gives us some benefit and lessens the negative impact; rather the entire process is inherently good. The damage to ourselves and our homes was needed for us to realize what was under the walls of our homes and the walls of our bodies. Our history began with slavery and we continue to experience ups and downs which often seem impossible. Specifically in the month of Nissan we remember and experience our transformation from slavery to freedom and realize not only that something good came out of the slavery, but that without slavery we could not have become a nation. Be’Ezrat Hashem we should gain strength from Yetziat Mitzrayim and from Tzara’at and realize that nothing in this world is bad and everything, no matter how bad it seems, is there to bring about the eventual Geula which we should merit to see bim’heira b’yameinu.

Weekly Words of Torah

Obeying the Will of Hashem

Insights into Parshat Shemini of Mr. Omri Kadosh of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

In this weeks Parsha, Parashat Shmini, we have the tragic story about the death of Aharon’s two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. It was on the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan when Nadav and Avihu “offered a strange fire that Hashem did not command” and as a result “a fire came from Hashem and consumed them” (10:1,2). Based of these two pesukim it seems the reason for their deaths is quite simple, they violated an commandment of Hashem and as a result they were punished with their lives. However this is a bit hard to understand, how can it be that people of the stature of Nadav and Avihu whom Moshe calls “the close ones of Hashem (10:3)” could have simply violated the commandment of Hashem? The Sifra explains that Nadav and Avihu came to sin out of their intense love for Hashem. The day of the inauguration was extremely joyous, there were many korbanot offered that day and the glory of Hashem was tangible. With all this going on, Nadav and Avihu in their intense joy just could not contain themselves and wanted to add more to the simcha and come even closer to Hashem, which they thought they could do by bringing another offering. However, even with these very lofty intentions it was still violating the will of Hashem and therefore they deserved to be punished.

Based of this unfortunate story, R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch writes as follows; “closeness and nearness to Hashem can only be attained by being disciplined to His will”. The Torah is a set of rules that is absolutely perfect. Therefore to violate any part of it, no matter how lofty the intentions, is a very grave sin. This may seem a bit harsh, but it is this dedication to strictly follow halacha that has kept the Jewish people alive throughout the generations. Imagine if the ancient rulers of Rome were to come to modern day Rome, they would be disappointed to find that the people are completely different. However, if Moshe Rabbenu were to come to our generation, aside from the exteriors, we are still the same nation as they were in his generation of Matan Torah! May we be zocheh to strict adherence to halacha which has not only protected us in the past, but will G-d Willing bring the geulah in the future.