“And the fire came down and consumed Nadav and Avihu as they were bringing a sacrifice to G-d.”
Twenty years ago, there was an individual who I thought would have been an excellent candidate to be the president of our community. A president back then was considered a tremendously influential job, who made some major and serious decision. This position was as important as the Rabbi of the community. The old guard were on their way out and this individual was a perfect choice. He was married with children, multilingual; he was very successful in business. He was Orthodox and he looked like Harrison Ford. The community desperately needed a strong leader. He would have been able to mesh together all the colorful personalities and bring out their best to help the community. He was influential and diplomatic, and both he and his wife had elegance, pizazz, and class.
However, it seemed like he had other plans. He and his family decided to make Aliya (migrate) to Israel. The dream that some of us had to build and unite this community was dashed. My heart bleeds with the unfulfilled potential he had. If he only knew, and if some of us were made aware of his talents, maybe it would have been an entire different ballgame.
Potential could make and change worlds; however, one has to be wise to bring it out of himself or bring it out of other people.
In the early 1900s, the NITZIV, a famous Rabbi in the Jewish literary world, once threw a celebration dinner to commemorate the finishing of one of his books. At the dinner, he told the story of his past. The NITZIV was not a very strong student, and one night he overheard his parents’ conversation in which they were seriously considering taking him out of Yeshiva and making him learn a trade, the shoemaker business. Coming from a famous Rabbinical family (Rav Chaim Veloshin was his grandfather), the NITZIV was appalled. He rushed into the room and begged and cried not to take him out of Yeshiva and they should give him one more chance.
Apparently, from that moment on, the NITZIV took his learning seriously and excelled to become the great Rabbi who taught thousands Torah, and his seforim (books) enlightens millions.
At the dinner, the NITZIV continued and said “I would have been a very good shoemaker and I would have been diligent in being kovea itim laTorah (learning a set amount of Torah daily). I would have been a fine up-standing citizen and waited to collect my reward from shamayim (heaven). However after 120 years, the heavenly court will judge me harshly and show me these books and say, ‘look, you didn’t live up to your potential; you could have written these masterpieces’.”
On Yom Kippur morning, when a person reads the portion about the death of Aharon’s sons (which we find in this weeks’ Parsha), he should feel sorrow to a point of tears. If one can get to that state of mind, then he will merit forgiveness for his sins and he will not see death of his children in his lifetime. What should one feel exactly? He should feel how man effects his surroundings and how a righteous man elevates his society. He should feel the magnitude of the loss. If a person misses the opportunity to acquire wisdom, then society losses. Nadav and Avihu’s mission in this world remains unfulfilled. Rashi, one of the main commentaries, says Moshe thought that Nadav and Avihu were greater than he and Aharon. Although one cannot question G-d of the circumstances of His world, one can feel the potential being taken away. In some instances, we have no control; however, in some, the potential is endless. |
Potential
Parshat Shemini
First Portion: * THE INAUGURATION!!! Much has been written in the Torah about G-d’s Temple, the sacrifices, the utensils, and the individuals who perform the heavenly work. In this week’s Parsha, the majestic temple will finally begin to operate; opening day at the Mishkan. It will be a liaison between G-d’s chosen people and their master. The Temple was a tremendous opportunity for the Jews to get close to G-d. No time in our history have we had a spiritual closeness than in the period of the Temple and its sacrifices. Apparently, one can logically assume, it’s a major source of celebration. However, the Parsha begins with the word ‘Vayehi’ – and it was; every time a sentence begins with that word, it signifies that trouble lies ahead.
* One of the punishments of Adam and Chava (Eve) for their sin for eating from the tree of knowledge, was that any happiness that mankind will incur will be marred by a percentage of bad. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we break the glass at the chupah at a wedding; we remind ourselves of the destruction of the Temple; one should have a little sad feeling at the celebration. We are hoping that by breaking the glass, representing the uneasy memory of the destruction of the Temple, will replace the possibility of a negative occurrence which might take place, and may be harsher. Unfortunately, here, we have one of the most spiritual celebrations of the Jewish people, and tragedy will occur.
Second Portion: * For the first time, the kohanim performed the task of presenting sacrifices to G-d; until now, the firstborn were in charge. However, after the sin of the golden calf, the firstborn, who were responsible as spiritual leaders, were stripped of this high position.
* Aharon, the high priest and Moshe’s brother, was a charismatic figure. Evidence of his charm is the fact he was the broker of peace to many. Whether it be between husbands and wives or businessmen trying to settle a dispute; he had a way with people; they sensed his sincerity and reacted favorably and did what he said. Aharon’s response to the people was always with enthusiasm. He was so excited to show his love to his nation on the day of the inauguration, that he instinctively raised his hands to bless the people. As a reward for the affection he had for the people, every kohen since, has the opportunity to bless the people daily (Ashkenazim three times a year). This ritual is started by the kohanim raising their hands as Aharon did that very first time. The kohanim mention Aharon and the word be’ahava – with love in their blessing as a tribute to the affection he had.
Third Portion: * Tragedy strikes the Israelites as Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s two oldest sons and the heir – apparent to the leadership, are killed, consumed by fire from their unauthorized sacrifices which they performed. Many reasons are given why they perished. We will mention a few:
– They were not married; therefore, it was difficult to control ‘the fire within’ them. Therefore, they were not focused on their task.
– They performed their duties intoxicated. The celebration of the inauguration spilled over to a part of the day which being sober was a must. From here we learn, don’t pray drunk.
– They were a bit haughty; they couldn’t wait to take the position of leadership from Moshe and Aharon.
Rashi (main commentary on the Torah) says Moshe thought they were greater than he and his brother Aharon. A good number of commentaries say, on the contrary, there was no negativity attached to their sacrifice; they were on a mission to go where no man has entered which is as close to G-d as possible, and unfortunately they went beyond the point of return. Regardless, it was a tragic loss for the Jewish people.
Fourth Portion: * The kohanim have to observe special laws of purity which forbid them to touch a corpse. However, there are exceptions such as a death of a close relative for whom a kohen has to mourn and whose burial he has to attend. A high priest, on the other hand, is never permitted to leave the avoda (Kohen’s task) even if his own parents die. On the eighth day of the inauguration, G-d applied the laws of the high priest not just to the kohen gadol Aharon, but to his remaining sons. They were forbidden to exhibit any signs of mourning for their brother’s death, but were commanded to continue the service. Interruption of the services of the mishkan would spoil the joy of the newly constructed tabernacle.
Fifth Portion: * Moshe gets angry. Our sages teach us a general rule: A Torah scholar, who displays anger or arrogance, loses his wisdom; a prophet loses his prophecy. Apparently, Moshe erred and forgot the law as a result of getting angry.
Sixth Portion: * G-d taught Moshe which species of beasts, birds, and fish a Jew may eat and which are forbidden to him. Why did G-d allow the nations of the world to eat any food they desire while he imposed restrictions on us? The reason is that we possess pure souls and therefore we are negatively affected by the consumption of non-kosher foods.
* The Torah describes the signs by which a permitted animal can be distinguished from a forbidden one.
– Beasts – only an animal possessing two of the following characteristics is kosher: 1) Its hooves must be split throughout. Some animals possessing hooves which are partially split but join at the bottom are not kosher; the hooves must be comprised of 2 distinct parts; possessing two nails 2) It is ruminant, that is having swallowed its food, it regurgitates it once again in order to chew it.
– Fish – A fish must possess fins and scales. However, as long as we find scales on the fish, we may consider it kosher since every fish which has scales possesses fins too.
– Birds – The Torah lists 21 non-kosher birds. These are listed instead of the kosher birds; they are fewer in number than the kosher ones.
– Insects – Some locusts are permitted. Nevertheless, since we do not have a reliable tradition, they are all prohibited.
Seventh Portion: * Sheretz \creeping animals – It is forbidden to eat any creeping animals on dry land or in water. The reason for the stringency is because of the snake which belongs in this category. Because of the memory of the snake being instrumental in the sin of mankind, any creeping animals similar to it is forbidden. That’s how much G-d is repulsed by the snake for what he did.
The Business of Kashrut
My father always warned me to never enter the kashrut business. The temptation of corruption is great and inadvertent mistakes are quite common. Little did he know I would become a Rabbi. The truth is, I’m perfectly happy keeping busy behind the computer keyboard, than behind a kosher meat market kitchen. Kol hakavod to those brave Rabbis who take it upon themselves to maintain a standard of excellence at these facilities. It surely is a tremendous task and a big responsibility.
My father mentioned how common it was, in Stemarkand, Russia, for a butcher to threaten the Mashgiach’s life if he did not give his stamp of approval. Thank G-d today in America, we have some strong kashrut organizations that will not tolerate such shenanigans. Unfortunately, sometimes a story comes out with horrific consequences. Does anybody remember the butcher in Monsey, NY who sold non-kosher chickens to many in the New York and Philadelphia area for years?
According to our sages, if one consumes non-kosher food, it ruins the ability to reach and comprehend any levels of spirituality, even inadvertently. One might wonder why some people just can’t get into it while others are just enjoying some aspect of Torah and Judaism. They look at the people enjoying the Torah like they are weird because they cannot relate. Well, they cannot relate because their pipes to the heavens have been clogged up. I wonder if they’re not jealous of the spiritual individuals, that they can feel something that they cannot. This is the result of non-kosher consumption. It’s not for naught that Orthodoxy takes enormous pains, time, money, and skills to make sure everything is tip-top. The authorities are trying to avoid damage to our precious souls. This is the main reason we’re so meticulous.
Those of you who read my articles weekly, know that they are pretty positive and encouraging. However, it’s a pretty sticky subject. I’d like to share this gruesome story with you.
There was once a butcher in the town of Tzippory who used to sell non-kosher meat to Jews. Once, on Yom Kippur eve, he ate a heavy meal, drank wine, and ascended to the rooftop. In his intoxicated state, he tripped, fell, and broke his neck. The dogs assembled to lap his blood. Yom Kippur has already begun, and the people hurried to R’ Chanina to ask him whether it was permissible on Yom Tov to carry the corpse to a different place where it would be protected from the dogs. “Leave it where it is,” ordered R’ Chanina. “This man cheated the dogs out of legal reward assigned to them by the Torah.” It says “Do not eat traifa meat, but throw it to the dogs” (Shemot 22:30). However, this man fed the Jews non-kosher meat, thereby withholding it from the dogs. They therefore are coming now to claim their reward.
Kashrut is a very serious business on both sides of the fence, both on the eating and on the selling. Please use precautionary measures.
The Power of Love
Rabbi Herschel Schacter Is Dead at 95; Cried to the Jews of Buchenwald: ‘You Are Free’
By MARGALIT FOX
Published: March 27, 2013
The smoke was still rising as Rabbi Herschel Schacter rode through the gates of Buchenwald.
It was April 11, 1945, and Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army had liberated the concentration camp scarcely an hour before. Rabbi Schacter, who was attached to the Third Army’s VIII Corps, was the first Jewish chaplain to enter in its wake.
That morning, after learning that Patton’s forward tanks had arrived at the camp, Rabbi Schacter, who died in the Riverdale section of the Bronx on Thursday at 95 after a career as one of the most prominent Modern Orthodox rabbis in the United States, commandeered a jeep and driver. He left headquarters and sped toward Buchenwald.
By late afternoon, when the rabbi drove through the gates, Allied tanks had breached the camp. He remembered, he later said, the sting of smoke in his eyes, the smell of burning flesh and the hundreds of bodies strewn everywhere.
He would remain at Buchenwald for months, tending to survivors, leading religious services in a former Nazi recreation hall and eventually helping to resettle thousands of Jews.
For his work, Rabbi Schacter was singled out by name on Friday by Yisrael Meir Lau, the former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, in a meeting with President Obama at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial.
In Buchenwald that April day, Rabbi Schacter said afterward, it seemed as though there was no one left alive. In the camp, he encountered a young American lieutenant who knew his way around.
“Are there any Jews alive here?” the rabbi asked him.
He was led to the Kleine Lager, or Little Camp, a smaller camp within the larger one. There, in filthy barracks, men lay on raw wooden planks stacked from floor to ceiling. They stared down at the rabbi, in his unfamiliar military uniform, with unmistakable fright.
“Shalom Aleichem, Yidden,” Rabbi Schacter cried in Yiddish, “ihr zint frei!” – “Peace be upon you, Jews, you are free!” He ran from barracks to barracks, repeating those words. He was joined by those Jews who could walk, until a stream of people swelled behind him.
As he passed a mound of corpses, Rabbi Schacter spied a flicker of movement. Drawing closer, he saw a small boy, Prisoner 17030, hiding in terror behind the mound.
“I was afraid of him,” the child would recall long afterward in an interview with The New York Times. “I knew all the uniforms of SS and Gestapo and Wehrmacht, and all of a sudden, a new kind of uniform. I thought, ‘A new kind of enemy.’ ”
With tears streaming down his face, Rabbi Schacter picked the boy up. “What’s your name, my child?” he asked in Yiddish.
“Lulek,” the child replied.
“How old are you?” the rabbi asked.
“What difference does it make?” Lulek, who was 7, said. “I’m older than you, anyway.”
“Why do you think you’re older?” Rabbi Schacter asked, smiling.
“Because you cry and laugh like a child,” Lulek replied. “I haven’t laughed in a long time, and I don’t even cry anymore. So which one of us is older?”
Rabbi Schacter discovered nearly a thousand orphaned children in Buchenwald. He and a colleague, Rabbi Robert Marcus, helped arrange for their transport to France – a convoy that included Lulek and the teenage Elie Wiesel – as well as to Switzerland, a group personally conveyed by Rabbi Schacter, and to Palestine.
For decades afterward, Rabbi Schacter said, he remained haunted by his time in Buchenwald, and by the question survivors put to him as he raced through the camp that first day.
“They were asking me, over and over, ‘Does the world know what happened to us?’ ” Rabbi Schacter told The Associated Press in 1981. “And I was thinking, ‘If my own father had not caught the boat on time, I would have been there, too.’ ”
Herschel Schacter was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn on Oct. 10, 1917, the youngest of 10 children of parents who had come from Poland. His father, Pincus, was a seventh-generation shochet, or ritual slaughterer; his mother, the former Miriam Schimmelman, was a real estate manager.
Mr. Schacter earned a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University in New York in 1938; in 1941, he received ordination at Yeshiva from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, a founder of the Modern Orthodox movement.
He spent about a year as a pulpit rabbi in Stamford, Conn., before enlisting in the Army as a chaplain in 1942.
After Buchenwald was liberated, he spent every day there distributing matzo (liberation had come just a week after Passover); leading services for Shavuot, which celebrates the revelation of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai, and which fell that year in May; and conducting Friday night services.
At one of those services, Lulek and his older brother, Naftali, were able to say Kaddish for their parents, Polish Jews who had been killed by the Nazis.
Discharged from the Army with the rank of captain, Rabbi Schacter became the spiritual leader of the Mosholu Jewish Center, an Orthodox synagogue on Hull Avenue in the north Bronx. He presided there from 1947 until it closed in 1999.
He was a leader of many national Jewish groups, including the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, of which he was a past chairman. He was most recently the director of rabbinic services at Yeshiva.
Rabbi Schacter, who in 1956 went to the Soviet Union with an American rabbinic delegation, was an outspoken advocate for the rights of Soviet Jews and an adviser on the subject to President Richard M. Nixon.
A resident of the Riverdale section of the Bronx, Rabbi Schacter is survived by his wife, the former Pnina Gewirtz, whom he married in 1948; a son, Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, who confirmed his father’s death; a daughter, Miriam Schacter; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
And what of Lulek, the orphan Rabbi Schacter rescued from Buchenwald that day? Lulek, who eventually settled in Palestine, grew up to be Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.
Rabbi Lau, who recounted his childhood exchange with Rabbi Schacter in a memoir, published in English in 2011 as “Out of the Depths,” was the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003 and is now the chief rabbi of Tel Aviv.
On Friday, when Rabbi Lau told Mr. Obama of his rescue by Rabbi Schacter – he thanked the American people for delivering Buchenwald survivors “not from slavery to freedom, but from death to life” – he had not yet learned of Rabbi Schacter’s death the day before.
“For me, he was alive,” Rabbi Lau said in an interview with The Times on Monday. “I speak about him with tears in my eyes.”
Correction: March 26, 2013, Tuesday
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: A photo caption with an earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of Rabbi Herschel Schacter as Hershel.
Decisions That Impact Many
This week’s portion of the Torah we read about “If a Cohen’s (Priest’s) daughter has an adulterous affair, she defamed her father’s name, she should be put to death by burning”(21;9). We learn from Rav Henoch Leibowitz z”l who quotes the mainstream commentary Rashi, as he explains the verse above, she defamed and embarrassed her father’s honor, people would say on him ‘curse is the person who gave birth and curse is the person who raised such an individual’.
As we know, it was King David who laid the blueprints for the Bet Hamikdash (Temple). However, it was under King Solomon’s leadership that it was built. When King Solomon was married to the daughter of Pharaoh, one of his many wives, on the day of the inauguration of the long-awaited Temple, she caused him to oversleep. The entire nation was waiting for their King on this momentous occasion to lead the ceremony, not knowing that he was out of commission. Apparently, his mother, Batsheva, had a grasp on what was taking place. She had a sixth sense that mothers possess which led to her uneasy feeling. Mothers have a certain intuition about their children. (If I sneeze, my mother, who happened to be on the other side of town, will call me up and demand that I should put on my sweater.)
So Batsheva storms the King’s bedroom with the heel of her shoe in hand. She hits her son, King Solomon, scolding him ‘What are you doing? People would say I’m at fault for not raising you properly. They wouldn’t blame your father because he was a tzaddik. If you’re a rasha, they’ll blame me that I was the cause of your actions’. Perhaps we can deduce from the words of Batsheva. If the people did not believe David was a tzaddik, they would blame him for Solomon’s actions, even though David had been dead many years before the inauguration took place. Regardless, apparently the people would say that David did not give Solomon the proper education and this is the cause of his misstep. But the fact that David was a tzaddik, the blame would fall on his mother. The Gemarah deduces from what happens next during the inauguration ceremony; that whatever wrong King David did, G-d forgave him. This is evident from the mysteriously locked Temple doors, which would not open. Every effort was made by Shlomo and the sages to open the Temple, but it was to no avail, until Shlomo cried out to G-d ‘do it for the sake of my father, King David.’ With this cry, the doors opened.
Rav Leibowitz asks, why would anybody blame David or Batsheva for their son’s wrongdoings? At what point does an individual take responsibility for his own actions? Don’t you think at this stage of his life, he can make his own decisions? After all, he runs a kingdom; the Israelites at this juncture were considered a super power. We have to say this is human nature. People always link an individual’s negative and positive attributes to one’s parents. Even though one can argue that Shlomo didn’t do anything maliciously, David and Batsheva still would have felt slighted by their son’s actions, which would have been magnified in peoples’ eyes and would cause them embarrassment.
I know of an individual who was seeing a girl whom he was interested in marrying. Apparently, as the relationship got closer to the very serious state, it was disclosed that she had a relationship with a non-Jew. This was an issue; considering this person was a Cohen who cannot marry anyone who had such a relationship, he ended the relationship rationalizing, what would my ancestors say ‘you broke the family chain of Cohanim that goes back three thousand years because you’re in love’. This individual took tremendous pride of his Cohen status and of his family tradition. Today, he is performing his Cohen duties in synagogue along with his sons right by him.
Rav Leibowitz points out that Batsheva was more concerned in adding a sense of responsibility to Shlomo, than to her own personal pride. If one feels he is alone in sinning, he should think again. Many of his ancestors will be affected.
We conclude that any of our wrongdoings could be a violation of ‘honoring your father and your mother’ because it causes people to look negatively at our parents. Perhaps, if we are tempted to violate any laws, we should think twice because our parents’ honor is at stake.
Parshat Emor
First Portion: * I have many close friends who are kohanim. These friends, as well as the rest, must observe laws of holiness beyond those which apply to the rest of our beloved nation. They have higher standards because they, at one point, performed G-d’s holy work in the temple. Although many of those tasks are not applicable today, the kohanim still abide by the stringent laws of their ancestors. Astonishingly, I find even the most secular kohanim observe many of these stringent laws. They all know they can’t go to a cemetery or be in the same room with someone who is deceased. Although a Kohen must defile himself for his nearest relative that have unfortunately perished, which is one of seven – wife, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or un-married sister, he is also obligated to defile himself for a met-mitzvah (a corpse found in a deserted spot where there is no one else within calling distance who can perform the burial. He must then bury the dead body).
Second Portion: * A Kohen with a physical defect did not perform the service. He was not even permitted to enter the haichal (holy section of the temple). A physical defect includes both a birth defect, for example, blindness (even in one eye) and a temporary one, for example, injury. The Kohen resumes his Avoda – task – only when he is healed. Our sages list 140 blemishes which disqualify a Kohen from performing his duty.
Third Portion: * An animal must fulfill several requirements to be suitable as a sacrifice. It must be physically perfect. Also, an animal is acceptable only from the eighth day after birth and on. Why may it not be offered earlier? A newborn creature is small and not yet well-developed for the first seven days. It is still difficult to discern whether or not it has some minor defects. After the eighth day, it is sufficiently developed whether or not it is blemished.
Fourth Portion: * In this section, we find the wording of the special holiday Kiddush; the Kiddush starts elleh moadai. The Torah discusses two festive times – moadai Hashem. G-d gave the Bet-din (the Jewish court) the authority to proclaim when holidays should be, through determining when the new moon begins. If one thinks of the magnitude of authority that G-d has given the bet din, which is the ability to proclaim the holidays, they would come to the conclusion that it’s mind-boggling. It seems like there is a tremendous degree of confidence G-d has upon our Jewish courts. So the festivities are man-appointed. The other festivity which is discussed, is from G-d – “Shabbat” – which has more stringent laws attached to it and the punishment for discretion is more severe. However, we might assume that Yom-Tov (holidays) can be taken lightly since its sanctity was put into effect by man. The Torah juxtaposed the two to teach us they are equally forbidden. In fact, to show how important holidays are, if one notices, if a holiday falls on a Shabbat, we do not recite the usual Shabbat prayer. Even though there is a law “always recite the more frequent prayer”, we say a festive prayer instead with a Shabbat reference.
* The holiday of Pesach and the counting of the Omer are discussed.
Fifth Portion: * In this section, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are discussed.
Sixth Portion: * Here, the Torah speaks about the holiday of Sukkot and the four species that one assembles together (lulav, etrog, hadas, and arravot) and makes a blessing.
Seventh Portion: * There was a man who was a trouble maker, whose mother was Jewish and father was Egyptian. He ridiculed Moshe about the lechem hapanim – the special bread in the temple that miraculously stayed fresh and warm after a week, saying “Na, it’s probably stale. Is it proper to serve such bread in the Kings palace?” One day, he decided to pitch his tent in his mother’s territorial tribe, Dan. However, because of his father’s non-Jewish status, the Jewish court rejected the advances by him to claim territorial rights in Dan. Inheritance goes after the father, not the mother. Out of anger, he cursed G-d. The incident was an unprecedented first. G-d instructed Moshe that this individual’s punishment should be death.
Emerging Again from the Cave a Second Time
I’m saddened that many did not have that positive experience. I only wish those people will give our Torah another chance!!
The Importance of Nissan 1
As we know, the inauguration of the MISHKAN-Tabernacle was on the first of Nissan, however it was completed on the 25th of Kislev. That’s a good number of months (three and a half) before Nissan. Why was the inauguration delayed so long? If the Tabernacle was so important, why didn’t they open it up for business immediately?
To answer this, we must understand that the concept of the Mishkan is giving of yourself for G-d. The one person who personified that the most was none other than our forefather, Yitzchak. He agreed and allowed his father to tie him up so that he shall be sacrificed to G-d. This was the greatest moment, in terms of belief in G-d, in Jewish history. That day was Yitzchak’s birthday. That day was the 1st day of Nissan. This the reason we waited. The day represents 100% belief in G-d. On that day, the Jews sacrificed the sacred animals that the Egyptians deemed to be their god. Doing so infuriated the Egyptians. However, G-d said “don’t be afraid, believe in Me”. “I said no danger will come upon you as long as you do what I say”. The Israelites did as G-d said. This is a day of tremendous reliance and belief in G-d. This is the reason Nissan is called the months of all months.
Men/Women Repentance Prevails
However, Rabbi Baruch Dopelt points out from our great sages a very interesting and puzzling pasuk, which the Sages have a very hard time explaining. It says that when they came to contribute to the Temple, “the men came on top of the women”(Va-yakhel,35,22). Some commentaries say that the men came with the women to donate. However, Rabbi Dopelt said that the men repented and were eager and enthusiastic to participate and donate to an extent that they “were on top”, meaning, they surpassed the women in spirituality.
Parshat Vayakhel/Pekudei
A deeper understanding of a portion of our prayers
The most important prayer we have is the Amida, otherwise known as the Shemonai Esrai. We stand in silence with our legs together. The Amida consists of three sections: the praising of G-d, asking for one’s needs and expressing our gratitude to HIM.
Unfortunately, throughout our history some of our brethren were not exactly well versed in reading our holy Hebrew siddur. In order for them to fulfill the requirement of the Amida, the Chazan-Cantor repeats the prayer and the individuals say Amen after every bracha that is recited. By answering AMEN, he fulfills his obligation. The congregation should remain silent during the repetition and concentrate on the Chazan’s pronunciation of the words as if he is saying the words himself.
* Why, again, does the Torah repeat the different aspects of the Mishkan? We went through a detailed course in Parsha Teruma and Tetzave. The RAMBAN addresses the question proclaiming a theme for the book of Shemot ‘exile’. The RAMBAN explains the exile doesn’t end until the Israelites reach the spiritual level of the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaacov. G-d left specific instructions about the construction of the Temple and its leaders. Only G-d picks an intermediary. He picked Moshe, as well as the Keruvim, in the Holy of Holies. The keruvim’s golden baby-faced angel-like statues, whose gestures indicated the spiritual level of the Jews. It was only picked by G-d if a human exercised the right to choose; otherwise, it would have been considered idol worship and going against G-d. The instructions were clear and should have been followed to the letter of the law; it was not. Therefore, the instructions had to be repeated.
* There are thirteen times where the topic of Shabbat is mentioned in the Torah. The Torah doesn’t repeat for any reason. There is a purpose for every mention.
* We derive from the fact that the topic of the Mishkan is found next to the topic of Shabbat, that there is a connection between the two. There are 39 melachot activities that were performed in the Temple. The term melachot is mentioned in the Shabbat context of “one should not do activities”. Therefore, these activities were prohibited on Shabbat.
* The women were extremely enthusiastic and played an important role in contributing to the Temple. Their gold and silver were given generously this time as opposed to their reluctance to give to the golden calf.
Second Portion: * Betzalel, although, a very gifted young man, enhanced his skills through Divine spirit. He was chosen because his grandfather, Chur, tried to stop the catastrophe by the golden calf.
Third Portion: * The golden menorah was made from one piece of gold to symbolize unity among the Israelites. It was Aharon who was later picked to light the Menorah. This honor was very appropriate, for it was he who was instrumental in making peace between Jews and unifying husbands and wives and man and his brethren. “Peace” is one of the main themes of the Temple.
Fourth Portion: * We mentioned earlier how the women’s contribution to the Temple was exceptional. The Sages say they brought their own personal copper mirrors for the construction of the kiyor, the laver. These mirrors were used by our mothers in Egypt to entice their husbands for the purpose of reproduction and to continue the existence of our great nation. It was an especially difficult task considering how tired the husbands were after being worked to the bone by their Egyptian persecutors. Their devotion of preserving the family made these mirrors, theses contributions, valuable. The waters that came out from the kiyor were used for the waters of sotah. Since the Jewish women of Egypt had proper intentions and used these mirrors for kedusha, therefore, the sotah women will be tested with these pure waters to determine if they were pure and holy like their mothers.
* The kiyor was a source of bracha; it brought down rain. This is the reason we should be very careful in washing our hands, especially for bread because it’s a great segula for parnasa.
Fifth Portion: * The avney shoam – stones of the breastplate, which would light up, hinting to the Kohen gadol various answers to vital questions that were asked. Each stone contains six letters to symbolize that the world was created in six days, is found upon the 12 tribes. The total of 72 letters corresponds to the 72 letter Divine names, which maintains the existence of the universe. G-d does kindness to maintain the world. In fact, the numerical value of chessed – kindness is 72. We all know that the Friday night Kiddush has a tremendous spiritual impact. If one adds all the words of the kiddush, he will come up with 72. If one says Friday night Kiddush sincerely with all his heart, he will bring down chessed to himself from G-d.
Sixth Portion: * The mitznefet or migba’at – turban is what the Kohen Gadol wore on his head. The mitznefet atones for arrogance. G-d said let it atone for the sin of holding the head to high. G-d hates arrogance. Jews, for this reason, for generations, have always, traditionally, worn a covering on their head.
Seventh Portion: * With the mishkan complete, the Israelites are now ready to atone for their sins and to get closer to G-d