The Weekly Shtikle - Matos / Mas'ei

This past Tuesday, 27 Tammuz, was the fourth yahrtzeit of my cousin, Mrs. Michelle Jakobovits. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Rochel Mirel bas Shmuel HaLevi.

 

In the beginning of Perek 32, the tribes of Gad and Reuven come to Moshe and inform him that the land they had just captured from Sichon and Og is very good grazing land and that they have a lot of cattle. They then proceed to suggest that they inherit that land rather than inheriting land in Eretz Canaan. R' Chaim Kanievsky points out something very intriguing which I'm sure very few would realize. Right before B'nei Gad and B'nei Reuven request the land but after they inform Moshe of its value, there is a samech, denoting a minor pause. Why would there be a pause in the middle of their conversation? They were talking the whole time, the conversation never shifted.

 

R' Chaim suggests as follows. The Yerushalmi in the first perek of Bikkurim says that one does bring bikkurim from the land of Gad and Reuven but they do not recite the viduy because it contains the phrase "ha'aretz asher nasata li", the land which You have given me, precluding a land which you took on your own as in the lands of Gad and Reuven. The half tribe of Menasheh on the other hand, even though they also reside on the other side of the Yardein, do say the viduy since they were not with Gad and Reuven in their request but the land was given to them without asking. R' Chaim suggests that Gad and Reuven were aware of this "future" halachah and therefore, they first informed Moshe of the value of the land and how it would be good for them and then they paused, hoping that Moshe would take the hint and offer the land to them so that they may recite the viduy when they bring bikkurim. After they realized that Moshe was not taking the bait, they had to ask for themselves.

 

Chazak, Chazak, veNischazeik!

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: The Cold has Passed

Dikdukian: Watch out for those Mapiks!

Dikdukian: To Afflict or to Answer

Dikdukian: The Interrogative

Dikdukian: The first aliyah in Mas'ei

Dikdukian: They are Correct, Sir!

Dikdukian: Whose Tribe is it Anyway?

Al Pi Cheshbon: Splitting up the Animals

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Pinechas

Last year, after my father's passing, I began a year of shtikle dedications with Matos/Mas'ei. So, this week's dedication completes the year. The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

After being informed of his impending death, Moshe requests HaShem to appoint a new leader who will fill his position when he leaves this world. He beseeches of HaShem (27:17) that B'nei Yisrael not be "like a flock of sheep with no shepherd." Although this is a simple and straightforward simile, Malbi"m explains this statement more deeply. If a herd of sheep were without a shepherd, they would still consider the goat at the head their leader and follow him wherever he goes. This, however, is an inadequate form of leadership for the goat is simply one of them whom they chose to follow. They require a leader who is above them, a higher being who knows what they don't know and sees what they don't see, to guide them.

 

This was the point Moshe was making. It would not have sufficed to appoint just anybody to fill Moshe's position. Being followed does not make one a leader. This was the error of Korach and his democratic approach to leadership. "All of the nation is holy," he claimed, "and who are you to assume the leadership?" But Moshe was not simply one of the group. He was on a higher level than the rest and thus, a true leader. He was well aware that even in his absence, B'nei Yisrael were in need of such a leader. Therefore, HaShem chose Yehoshua whom He Himself proclaimed to be a "man of spirit," an individual who had spent all his life in Moshe's footsteps and was now ready to fill his shoes.

 

I recently obtained a copy of Ner Uziel by R' Uziel Milevsky, zt"l. He provides another animal metaphor, although not on the same aspect of Moshe's request. He references R' Yisrael Salanter's explanation of the mishnah (Sotah 9:15) which details various societal breakdowns that will foreshadow messianic times. "The face of the generation will be like the face of the dog." When an owner walks his dog, the dog runs ahead and it may appear like the dog is leading the owner. But once they get to a fork in the road it is clear this is not the case. This is the inferior leadership which is the diametric opposite of Moshe's desired replacement, "one who will go out before them and come in before them."

 

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Keves vs. Kesev

Dikdukian:  Shabbas be'Shabbato

Dikdukian:  I say Yericho, you say Yereicho
Dikdukian:  All of the brothers

Dikdukian: One Big Happy Family?

Dikdukian: Pinechas: What's in a Name?

Al Pi Cheshbon: Probability of the Goral

Al Pi Cheshbon: Counting the Judges

DailyLeaf: 

:ז New face(s)?

:ח Opening one's mouth to Satan?

 

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Balak

Wednesday, 14 Tammuz, was the 35^th yahrzeit of R' Yaakov Yitzchack (ben Yehuda Leib HaLevi) Ruderman, zt"l, the first Rosh HaYeshivah of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel. 

 

Yesterday, 15 Tammuz, was the 19^th yahrtzeit of my wife's grandmother, Mrs. Shirley Yeres, Chaya Shaindel bas Alexander HaLevi.

  

Tomorrow, 17 Tammuz, is the 23^rd yahrzeit of R' Shmuel Yaakov

(ben Yitzchok Matisyahu) Weinberg, zt"l, Rosh HaYeshiva of Ner Yisroel.

 

Tomorrow is the 1^st yahrtzeit of my dear father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h. The shul will be hosting a special online, Pirkei Avos learning session on Sunday morning to commemorate the yahrtzeit. You can register by clicking here. Additionally, I have attached a beautiful article written by my nephew, Nochum Aharon Shonek, which appeared in this week's edition of Hamodia.

 

The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasam.

 

When inquired as to the identity of his visitors, Bilam responds (22:10) "Balak ben Tzipor, the king of Moav sent them to me." Rashi delves into the motivation behind Bilam's statement. His intent was, "even though I am not dignified in Your eyes, I am dignified in the eyes of kings." R' Ruderman, zt"l, points out that this is a perplexingly ridiculous statement for Bilam to make. Why should it matter one bit to HaShem what the kings think of Bilam? What could he possibly have intended to accomplish with this?

 

The Rosh HaYeshivah answers that Bilam's intention was to incriminate B'nei Yisrael. His claim was as follows: "HaShem, You know that I am really not significant whatsoever. Nevertheless, I am significant in the eyes of kings. However, even though Moshe is held so highly in Your eyes, he is so gravely mistreated by Bnei Yisrael!" Therefore, when HaShem finally lets Bilam go along to Moav, he instructs Bilam (22:20) "go with them, but only do that which I tell you to do". This is meant as a rebuttal of his charge against B'nei Yisrael. "The reason why you are revered by kings is because you tell them what they want to hear. Moshe tells B'nei Yisrael what I tell him to say. That is why his popularity is not always so high. Now you go to the kings and tell them what I tell you, and see how they treat you now." Sure enough, this proved to be quite a lesson for Bilam.

 

Being a shul rabbi certainly brings these challenges to the fore. With no person in history every having accomplished the daunting feat of pleasing all of the people all of the time, combined with not having been Divinely appointed, there is the constant challenge of striking this delicate balance. One of my father's many virtuous traits was managing to say what needed to be said in a way that people were willing to hear.

Yehi zichro baruch.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: I say Yericho, You Say Yereicho

Dikdukian: The Dead of the Plague

Al Pi Cheshbon: Counting the Judges

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

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The Weekly Shtikle - Chukas

I was unfortunately unable to get a shtikle out last week so this week's shtikle is dedicated to my nephew, Pini Yeres, on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah last week in Toronto.

 

This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas a very special man who passed away this past week – Mr. Label Silver. Mr. Silver was on the original committee that hired my father, a"h, back in 1967 and he maintained a very special bond with my father (and the rest of the family) throughout the years as well as a common love for the shul to which he gave his heart and soul.

 

Today, 9 Tammuz, is the 7^th yahrtzeit of my sister-in-law, Batsheva Yeres. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Batsheva Blima, a"h bas HaRav Moshe Yosef HaLevi, ybl"t.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

This week's parsha contains two episodes which are very similar and yet, at the same time, drastically different. After traversing mostly uninhabited dessert lands, B'nei Yisrael needed to pass through a number of different nations as they made their final approach towards Eretz Yisrael. Messengers were sent to Edom, Sichon's land (see Dikdukian) and Moav. The first two are discussed in this week's parsha. Both requests are denied. The exchange with Edom is quick and painless with B'nei Yisrael respectfully circumventing their land. Sichon took military action which did not end well for him.

 

While the two episodes clearly ended differently, they curiously began quite differently as well. The message to Edom is preceded by historical anecdotes explaining how B'nei Yisrael got where they were. The actual request is "nabera na," let us please pass. The request to Sichon was "ebera," I shall pass. There is no polite "please." The request is also in the singular rather than the plural in the case of Edom. 

 

The key to the different tone used with Edom would seem to be at the very beginning, in the "From: field," so to speak - "ko amar achicha Yisrael." After all the generations of tension and strife, we still saw fit to address Edom as a brother. We told them our story because we thought perhaps, they would care to hear it. Whereas the request to Sichon was to pass through alone, the plural nabera in the request to Edom seems to imply not that we, B'nei Yisrael, should pass through but we - you and us - should pass through the land together. "Let's catch up a bit." 

 

But in the message to Edom was more than just fraternal cordiality. There was an underlying message of Divine strength and assuredness. When Yaakov and Eisav first reunite, Yaakov states (Bereishis 33:10) "for I have seen your face as one would see the face of Elokim..." The gemara (Sotah 41b) explains that this was a subtle hint to Eisav, as if to say "I've seen the face of God, so don't start up with me." It would seem that Yaakov sets a paradigm for how to talk tough with Eisav and a similar message is being sent here. B'nei Yisrael are making it very clear to Edom that they have been through a lot and HaShem has seen them through every step of the way, lest they have any notions of instigating an altercation. Although in the end, the desired result was not achieved, at least the episode ended without incident.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: What land was Sichon king of?

Dikdukian: Watch out for that Chirik
Dikdukian: Yahtzah, what is your real name?

Dikdukian: It wasn't thrown

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

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