The Weekly Shtikle - Tzav

In this week's parsha, a number of the different types of sacrifices are discussed. With regard to the chatas offering, it is written (6:18) "In the place where the olah is slaughtered, the chatas shall be slaughtered in front of HaShem. It is Holy of Holies." A similar description is given of the asham sacrifice. (7:1-2) "It is Holy of Holies. In the place where you slaughter the olah you shall slaughter the asham..." The obvious discrepancy between the two is that the order is switched around.

Meshech Chachmah addresses this disparity citing a gemara (Sotah 32b) which teaches "R' Yochanan said in the name of R' Shimon ben Yochai: Why was prayer decreed to be said quietly? In order not to embarrass the transgressor (who prays for forgiveness for his sins) for the Torah did not designate different areas for the slaughter of the olah and the chatas." A lesson is learned from the fact that the Torah specifically designated the identical place of slaughter for the olah and chatas (north of the altar). The chatas is brought for the inadvertent transgression of a prohibitive commandment. The olah is brought for improper thoughts of transgression or may even be brought as a gift. One who brings a chatas offering is saved embarrassment, as the onlooker cannot differentiate between a chatas and an olah for they are slaughtered in the same place.

It appears that this expression of mercy applies also to the asham which is brought for one of a smaller subset of specific transgressions. However, writes Meshech Chachmah, the pasuk gives this lesson ultimate priority when describing the chatas by enumerating it as the first criterion for the offering because it is brought for an unintentional misdeed. Since the asham is brought for deliberate offenses, this lesson is not prioritized to the same degree and therefore, the primary characteristic of the asham is that it is Holy of Holies.

What remains puzzling, is why the gemara used the chatas as the example for this lesson. Since the asham is, in fact, also slaughtered in the same place, the expression of mercy is prevalent there as well. It seemingly would have been an even stronger lesson had the gemara used the asham as the example. Another side question is that the olah is a male sacrifice from cattle whereas the asham and chatas are both female flock sacrifices. So this onlooker of which the gemara speaks cannot be all too observant.

Have a good Shabbos and a chag kasher ve'sameiach!

Mishenichnas Adar Marbim beSimchah (see Rashi, bottom of Taanis 29a)

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: שבת הגדול
Dikdukian: נעשה

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The Weekly Shtikle - Vayikra

This Sunday, 2 Nissan, marks the yahrtzeit of my Bubbie. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Yehudis bas Reuven Pinchas.

 

This week's parsha deals with a number of different versions of the korban chatas, the sin offering. The sin offering of the nasi is introduced in a slightly different way than the others. The other versions of the chatas offering are introduced with the word (ve)'im, and if... The nasi's chatas, however, is introduced (4:22) with the word asher, when the nasi sins.

 

Rabbeinu Bachya approaches this linguistic discrepancy in the simplest manner. He writes that it is the nature of a man in a position of power to be consumed by haughtiness and hubris which is most likely to lead to sin. So, while the sin of others is introduced more indefinitely, "if it would happen to be that a  person were to sin," the sin of the nasi is introduced almost as a certainty.

 

Rashi provides a more homiletic interpretation of the word asher from Toras Kohanim 4:257. Asher is like ashrei, praised. The pasuk is actually giving praise to the nasi, not for committing the sin, God forbid, but for having the integrity to come forth and admit it. After all, without the admission there would be no sacrifice. The high public position makes it all the more embarrassing to admit guilt. Praised is the generation whose nasi swallows that embarrassment and has the gumption to do what is required of him.

 

Malbim offers another positive approach related to that of Rashi's. The words asher and im are actually interchangeable (see Rashi Rosh HaShanah 3a). There is one slight difference between the word im and the word asher, used to mean im. The word asher is used to denote a possibility which we would like to occur while im simply implies a possibility. The best example of this is in parshas Re'eih. The parsha begins by explaining what will trigger the blessings and the curses. The pasuk states (Devarim11:27) "Es haberachah asher tishme'u... (pasuk 28) vehakelalah im lo sishme'u." The translation is the same for both, if you will listen or if you will not listen. However, since listening is what we want to happen, the word asher is used whereas the word im is used for not listening. Here, too, we want the nasi to be one who will come forth and admit his sins. It is his position of power and influence that makes it most important for him to possess this quality. Therefore, the Torah introduces his sin offering with the word asher.

 

Have a good Shabbos. Mishenichnas Adar Marbim beSimchah!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
AstroTorah: Let's Face It (updated lichvod shabbas HaChodesh)

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The Weekly Shtikle - Vayakheil / Pekudei / Parah

In this week's parsha, (35:30-35) Moshe Rabbeinu informs B'nei Yisrael that Betzalel will be in charge of overseeing the construction of the mishkan. He states that HaShem has instilled in him a special spirit of wisdom and understanding. After explaining this wisdom in more detail, Moshe adds (35:34) "ulhoros nasan belibo," and He has placed in his heart the ability or desire to teach. It was not sufficient for Betzalel to be familiar with all the crafts necessary for the construction of mishkan. He needed to be able to teach it to others so that they may participate as well.

In examining this pasuk more thoroughly, there are two very important lessons that are taught in this seemingly simple phrase. The first is that no wealth of knowledge ever guarantees the ability to teach. Betzalel was brought to the highest levels of knowledge and understanding but that was not enough. In addition to the wisdom vested in him by HaShem he also required a separate Divine inspiration for the ability to give over that wisdom to others. The art of teaching is a necessary wisdom unto itself. This point is made by Ohr HaChayim and R' Moshe Shternbuch on this pasuk.

This pasuk also teaches us that while one might attribute other areas of wisdom to the brain or mind, the essence of teaching is in the heart. It is not even enough for one to spend day and night studying and learning how to teach. No matter how much knowledge one is able to place in his brain, without a teaching heart it just does not work. Therefore, in addition to enriching Betzalel's intellect with the wisdom and knowledge to perform all the necessary tasks, HaShem instilled in him all the necessary components to make the training process as smooth as possible.

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Leftover Purim Torah: Isn't interesting that Parshas Parah always falls out in the month of Udder?

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 ALMOST: The haftarah of Vayakheil, according to some customs contains the passage which relates to a famous piece attributed to the GR"A regarding a hint to Pi (π) in the Torah. You can read more about that in this post from Al Pi Cheshbon. How ironic that tomorrow, 3/14, is unofficially Pi day based on the numbers that make up the date. Except, of course, that haftarah will not be read on two accounts - it is a double parsha and Parshas Parah as well.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Al Pi Cheshbon: Happy Pi Day

Dikdukian: Ve'asa Vetzalel

Dikdukian: Kikar Zahav

Dikdukian: The Lord and the Rings

Dikdukian: Sham and Shamah

For Parshas Parah:

Dikdukian: Let your Soul not be Desolate

Dikdukian: Oops (This one's funny. At least I think so.)

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The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Sisa

Tomorrow, Adar 16, is the yahrtzeit of Moshe Fuller, z"l, of Ner Yisroel. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Moshe ben Chaim Tzvi.

When Moshe returns from the mountain to the horrific scene that was the worshipping of the Golden Calf, he is first greeted by Yehoshua who was waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain. Yehoshua hears the sound of the people from afar and tells Moshe that there is a sound of war coming from the camp. Moshe retorts (32:18) "There is not the cry of victory, nor the cry of defeat. It is the distressful sound (of blasphemy and cursing) that I hear." Yehoshua was presumably aware of what had transpired while Moshe was away. It is unclear what his intentions were in declaring that there was a war.

 

My father explains that Yehoshua was very much aware of the treacherous activities that were going on. By asserting that he heard the sounds of war, he intended to give Moshe the impression that there was a dispute amongst the people, that despite the terrible actions of the worshippers of the Golden Calf, there was a significant objection by the others which resulted in a scuffle. Moshe then replied with the sad truth, that the sounds were not those of war but rather a collective sound of blasphemy and light-headedness. Although only a small portion of B'nei Yisroel worshipped the Golden Calf, perhaps as few as 3000, there is little evidence of any dissent from the others. The gemara (Sanhedrin 7a) recounts that Chur, the son of Miriam, refused to build the idol for the people and was murdered. Moshe awakened Yehoshua to the unfortunate fact that the uprising had succeeded uncontested.

Have a good Shabbos. Mishenichnas Adar Marbim beSimchah!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Kol Annnos

Dikdukian: Yeiaseh vs.Taaseh by Ephraim Stulberg

Dikdukian: Velo Shasu

Dikdukian: Minimizing Sin

Dikdukian: Need to Bring this Up

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The Weekly Shtikle - Purim

In general, the mitzvos that accompany other festivals bear a logical connection to the festival itself. It is not difficult to understand why we light candles on Chanukah, why we eat matzah on Pesach or cheesecake on Shavuos. However, mishloach manos and matanos la'evyonim do not fit that mold. The direct connection to the events of Purim is unclear at best. I believe that as Purim is a celebration of Jewish survival in the face of complete extermination, these mitzvos were instituted as a symbol of what keeps us together and therefore a necessary component of our survival. We must recognize the importance of the bond we have with our fellow Jew and Purim, when we all almost didn't make it, is the time to do that. Indeed, this is only example of a "mitzvah of the day" being of bein adam lachaveiro nature.

There is an interesting contrast between these two mitzvos. The gifts to the poor are referred to only as matanos la'evyonim. Mishloach manos differ as the pasuk makes direct reference to the giver and the receiver, ish l'reyeihu. This somewhat superfluous elaboration hints to the fundamental difference in the purpose behind these two mitzvos. The purpose of mishloach manos is to establish camaraderie between fellow Jews. It is more important to send to one's less friendly acquaintance than to one's good friend. It therefore does little toward that end if the receiver is not aware of the giver or vice versa. The pasuk therefore clearly mentions the giver and receiver, to stress this importance.

Matanos la'evyonim is quite the opposite. There is a need for the poor to be properly sustained and it is the responsibility of the public to do what they can to sustain them. While it is certainly important for the giver to be aware of the great cause to which he is contributing and for the receiver to know that there are people who care, it is far less important that they are aware of each other's identity. A poor man is generally more embarrassed by direct donations and an anonymous donation is a far more noble deed as there is no recognition or acknowledgement involved. To emphasize this point, the pasuk describes this mitzvah simply as matanos la'evyonim.

We do not make a berachah on the mitzvah of matanos la'evyonim. In fact, we never make a berachah on the giving of tzedakah. There are various reasons given for this. However, the above thoughts lead me to another insight regarding the lack of berachah. In performing chessed, it is all too easy to get caught up in selfish aspects of the deed. It is of utmost importance, yet sometimes challenging, to put complete focus on the needs of the receiver. Perhaps assigning a berachah to the mitzvah of tzedakah would dangerously put too much emphasis on the self. The lack of a berachah allows us to forget about what this mitvah does for us and helps us focus on what it is we are supposed to be doing for others.

Have a Purim Samei'ach!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Please check out all Megillah-related Dikdukian posts

Al Pi Cheshbon: 10,00 Kikars

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