Hashem’s name isn’t mentioned in all of Megilahs Esther. Chazal tell us that every time the word ‘Hamelech’ is mentioned it refers to the king of all kings- Hashem.
When one says a story of ‘the rebbe’ or ‘the rosh yeshiva’, he can mean a few different people- it depends on who his rebbe/ rosh yeshiva is, who he’s talking to or the context of the conversation. But if there is a central rebbe/ rosh yeshiva that everyone looks up to and everyone recognizes, then when you mention ‘the rebbe/rosh yeshiva’ it can be assumed that you’re referring to him.
Dovid Hamelech praises Hashem for לְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת לְבַדּוֹ– He alone performs great wonders. Why is it a praise that he does so himself? Isn’t that obvious, if it’s truly wondrous, then it came from Hashem himself. The Yosef Lekach on Megilas Esther explains; Hashem does wondrous things that only he himself knows that their truly wondrous. We live our everyday life not realizing that everything that’s going on around us is being orchestrated by Hashem, for our benefit. The miracle of Purim is when we saw this crystal clear. We saw and lived through events that made no sense and even seemed horrific. A Jewish girl was taken against her will, to be Queen, yet no one knew that she was Jewish. Imagine how the Jews felt, they have one of their own living in the palace and yet she cannot do anything to benefit them- for no one knows she’s Jewish. All this and many other circumstances were all part of the divine plan to wondrously save Klal Yisroel. לְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת לְבַדּוֹ -Only Hashem knows how truly wondrous he runs the world.
Purim we saw that everything in this world is run by Hashem. That even the mightiest human king cannot stand in the way of Hashem’s daily wonders. When we read the megilah we come to the realization that every Hamelech is indeed Hashem.
For Parshas Zachor go here.
Mazel Tov to Babbi, Uncle Yossi and Yisroel Dov on the birth of a baby boy!
26 February, 2010
12 February, 2010
Parshas Mishpotim
The Divrei Yoel writes; on Tuesday night parshas Lech Lecha he dreamt that it was Friday night parshas Mishpotim and a thought came to him. The medrash compares the words וְאֵלֶּה, הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם with the words of Thillem- מַגִּיד דְּבָרָו לְיַעֲקֹב; חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן, לְכָל-גּוֹי וּמִשְׁפָּטִים בַּל-יְדָעוּם . . The posuk starts with saying that Hashem gave chukim and mishpatim to Klal Yisroel, and continues to say that he did not teach mishpotim to the goyim. Shouldn’t the second posuk also read that the goyim weren’t taught chukim and mishpotim? Even more so the definition of chukim is something without a reason- one would think that that was given only to us, while the goyim were given mishpotim - the logical commandments?
When Klal Yisroel received the Torah, we got much more than a set of commandments. We received the permission to understand them and to learn them according to our ability. We have the responsibility to interpret the holy words of the Torah and apply them to our lives. The basic meaning and understanding of the dinim could, and do change according to Klal Yisroel’s understanding. We were given chukim- laws without meaning, just a set of commandments chiseled in stone. Through our toil in Torah we turn the chukim into mishpatim- laws that we understand and relate to. The nations of the world only received a set of rules to abide to. They were not given the ability to understand them and so for them it remains chukim.
Rashi writes that Hashem told Moshe וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם– teach the laws to Yisroel. Don’t just teach them the halachos once and twice, rather lay them out like a set table. (For a nice thought on this Rashi click here) Moshe thought that all he is to teach Klal Yisroel was the dinim he learned. The tammai mitzvos - the depth of the mitzvos - he thought wasn't meant for them. Hashem told him, don't just teach them the dry dinim- the chukim, teach them the ways of learning and understanding Torah. Teach them the Torah as mishpotim.
When Klal Yisroel received the Torah, we got much more than a set of commandments. We received the permission to understand them and to learn them according to our ability. We have the responsibility to interpret the holy words of the Torah and apply them to our lives. The basic meaning and understanding of the dinim could, and do change according to Klal Yisroel’s understanding. We were given chukim- laws without meaning, just a set of commandments chiseled in stone. Through our toil in Torah we turn the chukim into mishpatim- laws that we understand and relate to. The nations of the world only received a set of rules to abide to. They were not given the ability to understand them and so for them it remains chukim.
Rashi writes that Hashem told Moshe וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם– teach the laws to Yisroel. Don’t just teach them the halachos once and twice, rather lay them out like a set table. (For a nice thought on this Rashi click here) Moshe thought that all he is to teach Klal Yisroel was the dinim he learned. The tammai mitzvos - the depth of the mitzvos - he thought wasn't meant for them. Hashem told him, don't just teach them the dry dinim- the chukim, teach them the ways of learning and understanding Torah. Teach them the Torah as mishpotim.
05 February, 2010
Parshas Yisro
The Aseres Hadibros are written twice in chumash, with a number of differences. We tend to believe, based on Chazal, that the version in this week’s parsha is what was written on luchas rishonim- the one we received on 7th day of Sivan and was broken when we sinned with the eigal. The version that we read in Parshas V’eschanan is luchas shneios- what was returned to us on Yom Kippur after we were forgiven for the eigal. One of the differences is the way the commandment for Shabbos is stated. In luchas reshomin it starts with the word ‘zachor’- remember the Shabbos. This is the mitzvas asseh- positive commandment of Shabbos. In luchas shneios we are told the negative commandment of Shabbos- the commandment opens with the word ‘shomer’- watch the Shabbos. Clearly both versions were said and heard at kabolas hatorah at Sinai as we are taught; זכור ושמור בדיבור אחד נאמרו. The two different versions of aseres hadibros was what we understood from it. Luchas rishonim, when we heard zachor and shomer we understood that the focal point was zachor and shomer was just an added dimension. At luchas shneios we understood shomer, and zachor was just an added dimension.
One can contemplate who brings more pleasure to Hashem, a tzadik- one who dedicates his life to Hashem and never did anything against His will- or a baal teshuvah- one who struggles in his fight with the yetzer horah. If we judge them by their deeds, the tzadik is definitely greater. A perfect tzadik has never strayed from Hashem’s ways. Every deed he does, every word he utters, every step he takes, every detail in his life brings glory to Hashem’s name. His very nature is one of perfection and deveikus b’Hashem. On the other hand, a baal teshuvah, while he struggles to be close to Hashem, he still does many things that distance him from Hashem. He does not enjoy the deveikus b’Hashem that a tzadik does.
Yet we are taught במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורין יכולין לעמוד. In a sense a baal teshuva is greater than even the greatest tzadik. We can judge them by the hard work they put into their avodas Hashem. For a tzadik to do good comes natural, his body and soul are programmed to do Hashem’s will. A baal teshuvah struggles all his life for Hashem’s glory, every waking hour of his day he is a soldier fighting to do what’s right. The toil he puts in to do what’s right, is what makes him greater.
Luchos rishonim was given to Klal Yisroel at their point of perfection. Klal Yisroel, with the luchos rishonim were to be free of sin, free of the yetzer horah and free of death - a nation of tzadikim only capable of glorifying Hashem’s name. Had we physically gotten the luchos we would have kept that level and been an eternally perfect nation and brought perfection to the world. But we didn’t manage to bring the luchos down to the world. With the sin of the eigel, we lost the luchos, the handiwork of Hashem was smashed before our eyes, the broken pieces lie at the foot of the mountain. We put ourselves back into the world of imperfection. We now struggle to keep ourselves holy and close to Hashem. We are a nation of baalei teshuvah.
One, who is pure in all ways and has distanced himself from all wrongdoing, must be told only of the positive commandments. His main avodah is running after mitzvos. His greatest pleasure is to actively serve Hashem with love. The negative commandments aren’t really necessary for him for there is no will to do any wrong. A baal teshuvah, on the other hand, must first be told of what not to do- the negative commandments, and only then can he be told of the positive mitzvos, how to actively serve Hashem.
Parshas Yisro relates to the level we were on when we received the first luchos- on the level of tzadikim. In luchos reshonim Shabbos is given to them as a positive commandment- zachor. In parshas V’eschanan Klal Yisroel was after the sin of the eigal- on a lower level, a level of baalei teshuvah. Luchos achronim came to an imperfect nation, what they had to hear was the negative commandment- shomer.
One can contemplate who brings more pleasure to Hashem, a tzadik- one who dedicates his life to Hashem and never did anything against His will- or a baal teshuvah- one who struggles in his fight with the yetzer horah. If we judge them by their deeds, the tzadik is definitely greater. A perfect tzadik has never strayed from Hashem’s ways. Every deed he does, every word he utters, every step he takes, every detail in his life brings glory to Hashem’s name. His very nature is one of perfection and deveikus b’Hashem. On the other hand, a baal teshuvah, while he struggles to be close to Hashem, he still does many things that distance him from Hashem. He does not enjoy the deveikus b’Hashem that a tzadik does.
Yet we are taught במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורין יכולין לעמוד. In a sense a baal teshuva is greater than even the greatest tzadik. We can judge them by the hard work they put into their avodas Hashem. For a tzadik to do good comes natural, his body and soul are programmed to do Hashem’s will. A baal teshuvah struggles all his life for Hashem’s glory, every waking hour of his day he is a soldier fighting to do what’s right. The toil he puts in to do what’s right, is what makes him greater.
Luchos rishonim was given to Klal Yisroel at their point of perfection. Klal Yisroel, with the luchos rishonim were to be free of sin, free of the yetzer horah and free of death - a nation of tzadikim only capable of glorifying Hashem’s name. Had we physically gotten the luchos we would have kept that level and been an eternally perfect nation and brought perfection to the world. But we didn’t manage to bring the luchos down to the world. With the sin of the eigel, we lost the luchos, the handiwork of Hashem was smashed before our eyes, the broken pieces lie at the foot of the mountain. We put ourselves back into the world of imperfection. We now struggle to keep ourselves holy and close to Hashem. We are a nation of baalei teshuvah.
One, who is pure in all ways and has distanced himself from all wrongdoing, must be told only of the positive commandments. His main avodah is running after mitzvos. His greatest pleasure is to actively serve Hashem with love. The negative commandments aren’t really necessary for him for there is no will to do any wrong. A baal teshuvah, on the other hand, must first be told of what not to do- the negative commandments, and only then can he be told of the positive mitzvos, how to actively serve Hashem.
Parshas Yisro relates to the level we were on when we received the first luchos- on the level of tzadikim. In luchos reshonim Shabbos is given to them as a positive commandment- zachor. In parshas V’eschanan Klal Yisroel was after the sin of the eigal- on a lower level, a level of baalei teshuvah. Luchos achronim came to an imperfect nation, what they had to hear was the negative commandment- shomer.
Parsha Point To Ponder- Parshas Yisro
“Aseres Hadibros” עשרת הדברותis usually translated as the “Ten Commandments”. This translation apparently has no basis from Jewish sources.
The Rambam counts fourteen Mitzvahs in the Parsha of the Aseres Hadibros.עשרת הדברות
1. אלקיך אנכי ה'
2. לא יהיה לך אלקים אחרים על פני
3. לא תעשה לך פסל כל תמונה
4. לא תשתחוה
5. ולא תעבדם
6. לא תשא שמה שוא
7. זכור את יום השבת לקדשו
8. לא תעשה כל מלאכה
9. כבד את אביך ואת אמך
10. לא תרצח
11. לא תגנב
12. לא תנאף
13. לא תענה ברעך
14. לא תחמד
Amongst the Rishonim there is a disagreement as to which- and exactly how many, of these are in fact included in the Taryag mitzvahs (Bhag does not count Anochi as a Mitzvah but rather as a fact that Klal Yisroel had to hear before they were able to hear the Mitzvahs) - but I think that all if not most will agree that there are more then Ten Mitzvahs- commandments in the Parsha.
That there were ten- is a Posuk in Parshas Veschanan that says there were ten ‘Devarim’ on two tablets. The Ramban (Drush Torahs Hashem Temima) points out that the posuk calls them Devarim and not mitzvahs. We see that there can be more then Ten Commandments on the luchas but as many as there are they make up the Ten Devarim.
There are many Shuls around the world that have a display of the Aseres Hadibros on the Aron- which has a basis in the Rishonim. I haven’t seen a disagreement as to which ten make up the Aseres Hadibros. The question is, what constitutes a dibur? It isn’t a Mitzva on its own nor is it every Parsha on its own for Anochi and Lo Yeheyah are in the same parsha.
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