The Weekly Shtikle - Terumah

Yesterday, 2 Adar, was the 17^th yahrtzeit of my Zadie, Rabbi Yaakov Bulka. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Chaim Yaakov ben Yitzchak, z"l.

 

In this week's parsha, as part of the description of the construction of the mishkan, the beams are described (36:29) as being paired at the bottom as well as the top. The terminlogoy used  (26:24) is, "and they shall be soamim on the bottom and together they shall be samim on top." The words toamim and tamim mean essentially the same thing. They are to be paired. As Rashi describes, the beams had to be flush with each other from the bottom to the top and were joined together with a ring on top. Why is a different word used for the bottom and the top?

 
When Rivkah gives birth to Yaakov and Eisav, the pasuk (Bereishis 25:24) states "behold there were somim in her womb." Rashi notes that here the word tomim, which is missing an aleph, is used whereas when Tamar gives birth to Peretz and Zerach (Bereishis 38:27) the word te'omim (with an aleph) is used. The reason given is that Tamar's two children would both grow up to be righteous men whereas one of Rivkah's children would grow up to be an evil man. The word te'omim written in full denotes a greater similarity between the twins. When it is written missing an aleph, it denotes twins which are not so identical.

 
If one were to survey the beams of the mishkan on the bottom and the pegs that held them in place they would see a relatively uniform pattern as they went around. However, they might notice a slight change when they observe the tops of the beams. The rings that held the beams together on top rested in an indentation made in each beam. Joining the corner beams was a little more difficult. Rashi (26:24) describes the process which ultimately required the indentation to be in a different spot in that beam. The picture books on the mishan make this more clear. Here is an example. Perhaps this is why the word tamim is used to describe the pairing of the beams on top. The pairing did not appear uniform throughout. But for the pegs that held the beams in place on the bottom, the word toamim is used to denote their uniform appearance.

 

Have a good Shabbos. Mishenichnas Adar Marbim beSimchah!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Al Pi Cheshbon: Amudei HeChatzeir
Dikdukian: Venahapoch hu

Dikdukian: Watch out for that kamatz

Dikdukian: Kikar Zahav

Dikdukian: The Lord and the Rings

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The Weekly Shtikle - Mishpatim / Shekalim

This past Tuesday, 23 Shevat, marked the 2^nd yahrtzeit of my Oma Jakobovits. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Chayah Sarah bas Zechariah Chaim, z"l.

 

This coming Sunday, 28 Shevat, marks the 10^th yahrtzeit of my wife's grandfather, R' Yitzchak Yeres. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Yitzchak Chaim ben Moshe Yosef HaLevi, z"l.

 

One of the prevalent themes of parshas Shekalim is that of equality and unity. Everyone was required to give the exact same amount – no more, no less – no matter how rich or poor he was. This certainly has enormous ramifications regarding self-worth and importance as one is inspired to be bringing the identical donation to the beis hamikdash as the biggest tycoon or greatest talmid chacham, as discussed in numerous commentaries. But there is a flip-side to this idea. At the same time that one realizes that he is equal to everyone else, he must also realize that everyone else is equal to him. The half-shekel must inspire thoughts of self-importance and humility all at the same time.

For this reason, it is fitting that Shekalim comes out on parshas Mishpatim in almost every circumstance during a non-leap year. A large portion of the parsha deals with tort law and the responsibility that each of us has to our neighbour and fellow Jew. The bedrock of this entire area of law is the understanding that we need to respect one another's property and belongings as we would our own. One poignant quote, which is attributed to Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., declares, "your right to swing your arm ends just where the other man's nose begins." The theme of Shekalim underscores the requirement to treat each other as equals and conduct our everyday lives accordingly.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup

Dikdukian: Tricky Vowels

Dikdukian: Answer vs. Torture
Dikdukian: Give it to me
Dikdukian: Ha'isha viladeha

Dikdukian: Jewish Milk

Dikdukian: Three Strikes and you're out

Dikdukian: The Ox and his Friend

Al Pi Cheshbon: 10,000 Kikars

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Yisro

At the beginning of the parsha, we learn that Yisro was so inspired by the news of the great miracles of the Jews' exodus from Egypt that he felt compelled to join them in the desert. Rashi discusses which event it was that actually triggered this decision. There are some interesting perspectives on that topic itself but at any rate, it is clear Yisro was quite well-informed with regards to current events. Strangely, however, when Moshe comes out to greet his father-in-law, he recounts for him (18:8) everything that had happened. Rashi writes that this was done to allure him and stimulate his desire to follow the ways of the Torah. Nevertheless, this appears somewhat superfluous as Yisro was seemingly already aware of all this information.

 

This might be explained away as mere repetition, as suggested by some commentaries, as the repetition of a story always makes a deeper impression, especially when it comes from a first-hand witness. However, based on Malbim's approach, there was indeed much purpose in Moshe's repetition of the events. Rashi points out on the first pasuk of the parsha that Moshe is seemingly equated with all of Yisrael. The pasuk certainly puts strong emphasis on Moshe with regards to the miracles performed by HaShem. It is possible that Yisro's drive to join B'nei Yisrael, although genuine, was bolstered by a sense of pride in the accomplishments of his son-in-law. To avoid such a misconception, Moshe, in his infinite humility, had to retell the story with the focus on B'nei Yisrael, as the pasuk clearly indicates, "al odos Yisrael." This in turn justifies Rashi's statement on this pasuk. Had Yisro come to join B'nei Yisrael simply out of appreciation of Moshe's accomplishments as a leader, he would have lacked the proper reverence for the merit of B'nei Yisrael and thus, been less likely to follow in the path of their Torah. Moshe had to impress these ideas on his father-in-law in order for him to grasp the true significance of the nation he was about to join.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Many Who Fear God

Dikdukian: Letzais

Dikdukian: On top of Old Smokey

Dikdukian: Ram veNisa by Eliyahu Levin

 

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Beshalach

The beginning of this week's parsha briefly recaps the exodus of B'nei Yisrael from Egypt before going on to tell the events that followed. One previously unmentioned incident is recounted. Before leaving Egypt, Moshe Rabbeinu seeks out the body of Yoseif so that it may be carried to Eretz Yisrael for his eventual burial in Shechem. The midrash (Shemos Rabbah 20:19) says of this deed: "On him (Moshe) the pasuk (Mishlei 10:8) says, "The wise hearted grabs mitzvos," for when all of B'nei Yisrael were busy collecting silver and gold, Moshe was involved in the collection of Yoseif's bones."

There is a commonly raised difficulty with this midrash. It's not as if the rest of the nation was not also immersed in the fulfilment of a mitzvah. They were commanded by HaShem, through Moshe, to collect the silver and gold from the Egyptians. Why is Moshe singled out here as a "grabber of mitzvos" when the entire nation was involved in a mitzvah as well?

Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg, zt"l, in a eulogy for his mother, offered a beautiful approach to this dilemma. Moshe's action deemed him worthy of the title chacham leiv, wise-hearted, not simply because he was involved in a mitzvah. The wise-hearted is one who has the perception and the insight to sense which mitzvos need to be focussed on under the circumstances. A chacham leiv gains his title not simply with his performance of mitzvos but rather his choice of mitzvos. The entire nation was involved in the "cleaning out" of Egypt and the collection of Yoseif's body was a job that needed to be done. Moshe realized that this was his job to do. He is therefore praised by Chazal for picking the right mitzvah.

This concept is easily applied to the Jewish outreach setting. There are 613 mitzvos but it takes a chacham leiv to sense where to begin, in which area to initiate growth in order to achieve maximum results. In the building of small communities, in which R' Eisenberg's parents were greatly involved, one must devote extra attention to the areas that are the foundations of such communities such as the construction of a mikveh and establishment of Jewish schools. This is the way of the wise-hearted.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Happy 16th Birthday, Dikdukian!

Dikdukian: Exceptions Ahoy

Dikdukian: Midash, HaShem...

Dikdukian: Leave us Alone

Al Pi Cheshbon: Chamushim

AstroTorah: The Gemara's Aliens? by R' Ari Storch

 

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