The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #4
Sifsei Cohen
B'haloscho
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
In the merit of my dear wife Hemda bas Leah without her there would be no d’var Torah this week
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
In this week’s portion (Bamidbar chapter 9) we find that the Jewish people were commanded to bring the Pesach offering in the second year of their wandering. Rashi points out that with the exception of the first offering just before the exodus from Egypt this was the only time in the course of forty years in the desert that they fulfilled this mitzvah. Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk points out that the Torah commandment to bring the Pesach offering applied only after they completely settled the land of Israel fourteen years after crossing the Jordan river. Nevertheless, there was one other offering during the times of Yehoshua immediately after they entered the land. So why did they bring the offering these two times before settling the land? Rav Meir Simcha explains that the main reason for the Pesach offering is to separate the Jewish people from all forms of idolatry and dedicate our service only to G-d.
The original Pesach offering in Egypt was intended to distance the Jewish people from the Egyptian practice of deifying sheep. Hashem commanded the Jewish people to slaughter the Egyptian god in front of the disdainful eyes of their Egyptian masters. The mitzvah not only separated the Jews from the beliefs and ways of the Egyptians, it created an eternal bound of dedication to the service of the one and only G-d. Based upon this we can understand why the Sifri (chapter 30) in reference to the verse in our portion 9:14 entertains the possibility that every convert to Judaism must bring a Pesach offering upon conversion in order to separate him from his idolatress past and dedicate himself to monotheistic service of the Creator. We can also better understand why in Chornicles 2:29-30 Hizkiyahu the king of Israel instituted to bring the Pesach offering immediately upon eradicating all of the idolatry that had taken root among the nation in order to reestablish the dedication of the nation with single devotion to Hashem.
Similarly, in this week’s portion, Hashem instructed Moshe to command the Jewish people to bring the Pesach offering in the second year of their journeys because they had sinned in serving the golden calf in the first year shortly after the exodus. In the same light we can understand why the Jewish people offered the Pesach sacrafice in the times of Yehoshua despite the fact that the Pesach offering is predicated on complete settlement of the land of Israel, a fact that they had not yet accomplished. Just before Yehoshua took over the leadership of the nation they had sinned in the desert in the despicable and immoral idolatress service of ba’al Peor. Once again there was a need to reestablish the values and dedication of the Jewish people.
The Pesach offering teaches us an important message. There is no need for any intermediary between us and Hashem as the idolaters believed. Rather, every human being is under the direct providence of Hashem. Every one of us, from the greatest tzadikim to the simplest of Jews, from the gargantuan stars and galaxies, to the supreme angels, all the way down to the tiniest worm, all are equally distant from and equally close to Hashem. The existence of every aspect of creation is at every moment dependant on the omnipresent wil of Hashem. Everything is under His dominion. The immutable watchful providence of Hashem permeates all of creation. The Pesach offering establishes our belief that man should not subjugate himself to any other force, natural or spiritual, other than Hashem. Furthermore, the Pesach offering must be eaten together as a group, b’chaburah achas, to demonstrate that we are all equal in the eyes of Hashem and no man should submit to, nor subjugate his fellowman. We are beholden only to our Creator.
Only two Shabbasos
Rav Tzadok HaCohen reveals an important truth in this week’s portion. In Bamidbar chapter 10 Moshe instructs the Jewish people to blast horns when they travel and to sound them when they come together for an assembly. There is a unique sound for assembly and a different one for journey. The sound for journey is a broken sound, a teruah, whereas the sound for assembly is an unbroken sound, a tekiah. The teruah resonates as a sound of pain and anguish. The tekiah is a sound of rejoicing. Life has two parts to it, journey and assembly. There are periods of time when considerable effort is required to improve our character and service of Hashem. These are our life journeys. These periods are followed by times of rejoicing in our accomplishments, the assemblies.
The week days and Shabbos follow the same pattern. During the week days we are on a journey. We should work hard to raise our level of service of Hashem and refinement of our midos. Shabbos is a time of assembly, a time when we internalize the accomplishments of the previous week’s work. This is what the Talmud in tractate Shabbath 118b is teaching us when it says that if the Jewish people would keep two consecutive Shabbasos properly they would immediately merit redemption. The first Shabbos; following a week of exertion in Torah, tefilah, and self improvement, we inculcate the previous week’s efforts. The next week begins with new vigor and spiritual vitality. Our madreigah has been completely transformed. Our efforts during the course of the second week are turbo charged from the previous Shabbos. We can make truly remarkable achievements leading into the second Shabbos when once again we will be transformed, i.e. redeemed, to an even higher level. Our lives are no more than a set of journeys and assemblies; from week days to Shabbos and Shabbos to weekdays. Let us pray that we use them wisely.
In the merit of my dear wife Hemda bas Leah without her there would be no d’var Torah this week
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
In this week’s portion (Bamidbar chapter 9) we find that the Jewish people were commanded to bring the Pesach offering in the second year of their wandering. Rashi points out that with the exception of the first offering just before the exodus from Egypt this was the only time in the course of forty years in the desert that they fulfilled this mitzvah. Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk points out that the Torah commandment to bring the Pesach offering applied only after they completely settled the land of Israel fourteen years after crossing the Jordan river. Nevertheless, there was one other offering during the times of Yehoshua immediately after they entered the land. So why did they bring the offering these two times before settling the land? Rav Meir Simcha explains that the main reason for the Pesach offering is to separate the Jewish people from all forms of idolatry and dedicate our service only to G-d.
The original Pesach offering in Egypt was intended to distance the Jewish people from the Egyptian practice of deifying sheep. Hashem commanded the Jewish people to slaughter the Egyptian god in front of the disdainful eyes of their Egyptian masters. The mitzvah not only separated the Jews from the beliefs and ways of the Egyptians, it created an eternal bound of dedication to the service of the one and only G-d. Based upon this we can understand why the Sifri (chapter 30) in reference to the verse in our portion 9:14 entertains the possibility that every convert to Judaism must bring a Pesach offering upon conversion in order to separate him from his idolatress past and dedicate himself to monotheistic service of the Creator. We can also better understand why in Chornicles 2:29-30 Hizkiyahu the king of Israel instituted to bring the Pesach offering immediately upon eradicating all of the idolatry that had taken root among the nation in order to reestablish the dedication of the nation with single devotion to Hashem.
Similarly, in this week’s portion, Hashem instructed Moshe to command the Jewish people to bring the Pesach offering in the second year of their journeys because they had sinned in serving the golden calf in the first year shortly after the exodus. In the same light we can understand why the Jewish people offered the Pesach sacrafice in the times of Yehoshua despite the fact that the Pesach offering is predicated on complete settlement of the land of Israel, a fact that they had not yet accomplished. Just before Yehoshua took over the leadership of the nation they had sinned in the desert in the despicable and immoral idolatress service of ba’al Peor. Once again there was a need to reestablish the values and dedication of the Jewish people.
The Pesach offering teaches us an important message. There is no need for any intermediary between us and Hashem as the idolaters believed. Rather, every human being is under the direct providence of Hashem. Every one of us, from the greatest tzadikim to the simplest of Jews, from the gargantuan stars and galaxies, to the supreme angels, all the way down to the tiniest worm, all are equally distant from and equally close to Hashem. The existence of every aspect of creation is at every moment dependant on the omnipresent wil of Hashem. Everything is under His dominion. The immutable watchful providence of Hashem permeates all of creation. The Pesach offering establishes our belief that man should not subjugate himself to any other force, natural or spiritual, other than Hashem. Furthermore, the Pesach offering must be eaten together as a group, b’chaburah achas, to demonstrate that we are all equal in the eyes of Hashem and no man should submit to, nor subjugate his fellowman. We are beholden only to our Creator.
Only two Shabbasos
Rav Tzadok HaCohen reveals an important truth in this week’s portion. In Bamidbar chapter 10 Moshe instructs the Jewish people to blast horns when they travel and to sound them when they come together for an assembly. There is a unique sound for assembly and a different one for journey. The sound for journey is a broken sound, a teruah, whereas the sound for assembly is an unbroken sound, a tekiah. The teruah resonates as a sound of pain and anguish. The tekiah is a sound of rejoicing. Life has two parts to it, journey and assembly. There are periods of time when considerable effort is required to improve our character and service of Hashem. These are our life journeys. These periods are followed by times of rejoicing in our accomplishments, the assemblies.
The week days and Shabbos follow the same pattern. During the week days we are on a journey. We should work hard to raise our level of service of Hashem and refinement of our midos. Shabbos is a time of assembly, a time when we internalize the accomplishments of the previous week’s work. This is what the Talmud in tractate Shabbath 118b is teaching us when it says that if the Jewish people would keep two consecutive Shabbasos properly they would immediately merit redemption. The first Shabbos; following a week of exertion in Torah, tefilah, and self improvement, we inculcate the previous week’s efforts. The next week begins with new vigor and spiritual vitality. Our madreigah has been completely transformed. Our efforts during the course of the second week are turbo charged from the previous Shabbos. We can make truly remarkable achievements leading into the second Shabbos when once again we will be transformed, i.e. redeemed, to an even higher level. Our lives are no more than a set of journeys and assemblies; from week days to Shabbos and Shabbos to weekdays. Let us pray that we use them wisely.