Korach: Rav Kook in the Weekly Portion - A Life of Wealth and Honor

by Rav Yehoshua Ze'ev Hass, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Every fourth or fifth Sabbath, we recite a special synagogue prayer for the upcoming month, as formulated by the Talmudic Sage named Rav, and as recorded in Tractate B'rachot p. 16b. Among the list of requests we make for the content of our lives in the upcoming month we ask for a "life of wealth and honor." Really? Is this what we strive for when we stand at the gate of a new month with its endless spiritual possibilities?

It appears that, just as Rabbi Judah HaLevy taught us in his 12th-century classic work HaKuzari, "G-d's Torah does not burden us with asceticism or withdrawal from the world. Rather, it guides us to a balanced path…" That is to say: The Torah grants us the knowledge of the principle that everything in the world, both tribulations and acquisitions, can be used to help a person to achieve positive objectives, or the opposite.

Just prior to the request for "wealth and honor" in the above-mentioned prayer, we ask for "life in which there is no shame or disgrace." Rav Kook explains this request, in his work Ein Ayah on B'rachot 16b, as follows: "Yes, mortal man has natural deficiencies connected with his physicality, but his activities [we pray] can all be given to perfection."

That is, our prayer is that we should be able to act throughout our lives in such a manner that our actions will stem from our spiritual, complete side, and not from our material and physical lusts that are out of sync with our inner inclinations and natural spiritual stature.

This helps us understand that when we pray for "wealth and honor," this comes on the heels of our request for a life of spiritual actions - meaning that we wish our wealth to serve us only for good things. As Rav Kook explained there: "There is a type of wealth that removes true honor from he who has that wealth, because by raising his heart and making him arrogant, it distracts and removes his heart from the true wholeness. We thus ask in this prayer that our wealth should always be accompanied by true honor, i.e., completeness of soul."

With this we can understand the story of Koraḥ in our weekly portion (Bamidbar 16-18). The Sages tell us of some strong contrasts in Koraḥ's personality. The Talmud speaks of "wealth that is reserved for its owner to his detriment" – and Koraḥ is a prime example. For instance, it is said that his wealth was so great that a caravan of 300 mules was required just to transport the keys to his treasure house! This exaggerated account is taught simply to tell us that Koraḥ's entire purpose in amassing wealth was simply to accrue power. Just as mules are sterile with no descendants to perpetuate them, those whose wealth is simply for the sake of power have no deeds of kindness to count to their credit.

Koraḥ is no Moshe!
The way in which Koraḥ is depicted is not that of a leader like Moshe Rabbeinu, who truly feels his brethren's pain at being enslaved and who goes out to them (Sh'mot 2,11). It is rather the description of a man who is involved only in his own affairs and in momentary enjoyments that leave no trace after them. Our Sages ask: "Koraḥ was so intelligent; why then did he get involved in this foolishness of fomenting rebellion against Moshe and Aharon?" The answer is given: "His eyes tricked him." That is, he allowed his egocentricity to mislead him.

The Medrash Rabba (Bamidbar Rabba 22,6) further states: "There were two very rich men in history – one from Israel, and one from the nations of the world: Koraḥ and Haman, and both were lost from the world. Why? Because their wealth was not a gift from G-; they rather snatched it for themselves."

Koraḥ's behavior is the opposite of the direction that the world was created to take: "A world of kindness was created" (Psalms 89,3) – and that is why the earth was so "shocked" at Koraḥ's behavior that it "opened its mouth" (Bamidbar 16,32) to swallow him and his mutinous cohorts.

Koraḥ had "rallied the entire congregation against" Moshe and Aharon (16,19), using the wealth he had amassed from Yosef's treasures to influence the people, while seeking to get rid of Moshe and Aharon – and precisely then, just in time, "G-d's glory became visible to the entire community" (ibid.).

The goal of the Sages was to teach us the true value of wealth, and they therefore weaved around Koraḥ's wealth these various Aggadic accounts. Their common thread is the terrible calamity that comes about when one is detached from the direction that the Divine seeks to take – the route that perpetually connects man to that which is eternal.

Shlach: Speaking Ill of Stones and the Divine Plan

by Rav Hillel Fendel.

Apropos speaking ill of the Land of Israel, as related in this week's Torah portion of Sh'lach (Bamidbar 13-15), the following parable was told by Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, son of HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook. It is relevant to both the 12 Spies of the Torah portion, and to a shrinking minority of certain Jews today:

There was a young beautiful girl of fine traits who lived in a European shtetl, and when she came of age, her parents began receiving offers of marriage for her. One prospective suitor appeared to have certain merits, in terms of status, wealth, and even Torah knowledge, but the girl had heard that his character was questionable. She therefore refused to even meet him. Her father begged her not to embarrass the man, as well as those who had put in efforts to make the match, and asked that she meet him at least once. She finally agreed, and when the time came, and the suitor arrived at her house, she made her appearance wearing a shabby housedress and old slippers, wearing no makeup and with unbrushed hair. The man took one look at her and quickly left, making sure to tell everyone why he could never even consider such a woman for his bride. Rav Tzvi Yehuda concluded, "He thought he had rejected her, but in actuality, it was she who rejected him – and he was simply unable to see her beauty and fine traits." 

It is the same with the Land of Israel, the Rav concluded: Not everyone can see the beauty and spiritual virtue of the Land of Israel, but they would be best to realize that the fault lies with them, not with the Land.

This week's Torah portion tells the tragic story of the Twelve Spies – leading members of Israel who were sent on a holy mission to scout out the Holy Land in preparation for the nation's homecoming, but ended up discouraging the people from wanting to enter instead.

How did they discourage the people? They simply spoke of the Land in mostly negative terms, and provided a disheartening military report as well. This was a form of lashon hara [evil-tongued speech]. On the verse, "The men who spoke disparagingly of the Land – died in a plague before G-d" (Bamidbar 14,37), the Talmud tells us:  

"Come and learn, from the Spies, how great is the [negative] power of lashon hara: If one who simply speaks evilly of rocks and trees is punished in this way [with death], how much more so is one who speaks evilly about a person." (Tr. Arachin 15b)

Also Rocks and Wood? 

Clearly, speaking not nicely about people is very bad – but could that be true even for speaking nicely about rocks and trees?! How can that be a sin?

The work Yere'im (by R. Elizer of Mitz, one of the Baalei Tosafot) says that indeed it is forbidden to speak badly of physical items, and the Chafetz Chaim, in his famous work on lashon hara, also cites this law. Both of them provide examples, from which we learn that the prohibition is not "blind," but rather applies when there is a reason. 

The Shopkeeper

The Chafetz Chaim's example is this: "One must not speak ill of items, for instance, a shopkeeper may not speak ill of his competitor's merchandise." This is clearly in a case where the speaker is showing the ruinous trait of jealousy, or he is seeking profit at the unfair expense of his competitor. 

The Disparaged Gift

The Yere'im, however, gives a different example (according to some versions). He writes, "One must not speak ill of inanimate items – for instance, if one wants to give a gift to his friend, someone else must not criticize the gift with lies." It is fascinating to note that not only is this not exactly the most straightforward example that could have been given for criticizing an object – but it is also very, very similar to the Sin of the Spies! 

The spies, after all, were the agents of Moshe, and of G-d, to facilitate the gifting of Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish People – and yet they sabotaged the idea by seeing, and saying, only bad even regarding the Land's blessings. For instance, they saw giant, luscious fruits, which they brought back to the people to prove that the fruits of the land were "strange."

What the Examples Teach

Just as we must learn from the Chafetz Chaim's example the specific negative traits – jealousy, taking unfair advantage – that are evident in the lashon hara that can be told about an item, we must do the same with the Yere'im's unusual example. And that is: not to destroy, via lashon hara, a close relationship between one who gives and one who receives – or between any two people.

Furthermore: What else did the Spies' evil speech target, in addition to the close relationship between G-d and Israel? The answer: Everything! Their report to the People of Israel was a blatant mockery and disregard for the Historical Divine Plan, according to which Israel would inherit the land of G-d and from there teach and fill the entire world with spirituality and goodness.

G-d began the Torah, practically, by telling the Patriarch Avraham (B'reshit 12,1-3): "Go forth from your land… to the land that I will show you. And [there] I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you… And I will bless those who bless you… and all the families of the earth shall be blessed by you."  And yet, the Spies, when they had the chance to take a major first step towards the implementation of this Plan, they essentially shrugged their shoulders and said, "Naah, we'll pass." 

And so, although the Gemara implies, at first glance, that the Sin of the Scouts was a simple case of lashon hara, we see, with some kick-start help from the Yerei'm, that the sin was actually oh-so-much more momentous.

But all was not lost; in the end, the words of the "other" two scouts, Joshua and Caleb, came true for us (Bamidbar 14,8): "G-d will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey!" 

And may we always merit to be blessed not just to see Jerusalem, but to "see the goodness of Jerusalem" (Psalms 128,5).

Beha'alotkha: The Menorah and the Flat Tire

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat, founder and head of the Yoru Program for the Training of Rabbis and Community Leaders , yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The first verse in this week's Torah reading of Beha'alotkha (Bamidbar 8-12) relates to the Menorah in the Tabernacle: G-d told Moshe, "Speak to Aharon and tell him, when you kindle – raise up – the lamps, towards the face of the Menorah the seven lamps shall illuminate."

The Medrash (Bamidbar Rabba 15,4) teaches that Moshe was charged with building the Menorah, but he had great difficulty doing so: Not only was it be adorned with various golden flowers and other decorations, it all had to be sculpted out of one block of gold. Therefore the Torah tells us that G-d first showed him precisely how to do it – "And this was how the Menorah is made" (verse 4) – and even then, caused it to emerge miraculously from the gold. That is, after G-d commanded Moshe in Sh'mot 25,31, "Make a Menorah out of pure gold," the Torah immediately continues, "the Menorah shall be formed…"

Why would G-d command Moshe to do something that he cannot do? In the end, Moshe simply threw the gold block into the fire and the Menorah came out ready-made. Here in Bamidbar we read in the above-cited verse 4 that Moshe made it, when in fact the Medrash teaches that G-d made it. How can we explain this?

On the verse in Tehillim “For you light My lamp” (18,29), the Medrash teaches:

 Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He:‘Master of the universe, You say that we should illuminate before You? You are the light of the world, and light resides with You [see Daniel 2,22]! So why do You say: “Toward the front of the Menorah the seven lamps shall illuminate" (Bamidbar 8,2)? …

'It is not that I need you, but rather that you shall illuminate for Me in order to elevate you before the nations, so that they will say: See how Israel illuminates for the One who illuminates for the entire world!'

This is not at all clear. The Gentiles are supposed to think highly of Israel for thinking that they can illuminate the way for G-d?! Believing something so seemingly foolish, that G-d needs them to light His way – how can that raise Israel's prestige in the eyes of the nations?!

To answer this, we must continue reading the Medrash, which states:

This is like a sighted man and a blind man who were walking along the way. The sighted man said to the blind man: ‘When we enter the house, kindle this lamp and shine it for me.’ The blind man was puzzled: 'Until now you supported me, and now you ask me to shine the light for you?'

The sighted man said, ‘It is so that you will not be beholden to me for having accompanied you along the way.'

The Medrash likens G-d to one who is sighted, as is written, "G-d's eyes roam the entire earth" (Zechariah 4,10), while Israel is likened to a blind man, as is written about Israel when it sinned, "We grope like the blind along a wall" (Yeshayahu 59,10). G-d wished Israel to light the Menorah, using the word for "raise up," as in the verse [with which we began above], "… when you raise up the lamps…" – so that this will raise up Israel's honor, for G-d wished to show them honor in this way.

Let us elaborate. There are three levels of "giving," and via this mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, G-d teaches us how to reach the highest of the three. The three levels are:

1. One who gives sourly and unhappily, such that although the recipient receives, his experience is one of bitterness and being put down.

2. One who gives with a bright countenance, about whom R. Yochanan teaches allegorically [Tr. Ketuvot 111b]: "One who shows the whiteness of his teeth to his friend [i.e., smiles at him], is better than one who gives him actual milk to drink, as can be derived from [B'reshit 49,12]. "Furthermore, in Avot D'Rabbe Natan we learn that one who greets his friend happily is as one who gave him all the gifts in the world, even if he gave him nothing physical. This is a very high level of giving – but it is not perfect, for the recipient still has a feeling of shame that he received something for nothing, "bread of shame;" he feels "shackled with thanks," as the Hebrew phrase has it: Asir todah, totally indebted.

3. The third level of giving, then, is where there is "mutuality." That is, after one gives something to another person, needy or otherwise, he should ask him to do him a favor as well, even if he does not really need it. This will prevent the recipient from feeling any embarrassment; instead he will feel, "It's not just me who is needy; we help each other!"

This is what the Medrash is referring to: Hashem asks Israel, so to speak, to illuminate the way, so that they can feel, even to a small degree, that there is something that they can do for Him as well. [This of course has not only symbolic value; in the covenant that G-d has forged with Israel, we also have obligations towards Him, namely, to keep His commandments.]

This of course also explains why G-d commanded Moshe to construct the Menorah, even though this was beyond his ability. The message was: "If someone wants to do something, give him the feeling that what he is doing has value, even if this is not quite the case. The Torah states: "The way that G-d showed Moshe to do, this is how he did the Menorah"(Bamidbar 8,4) – even though in actuality, it was G-d Who made it.

I recall that a few years ago I was in a pancheria [a place where flat tires are repaired] in Eilat. The owner's father was there as well, an older man who did not have full use of his faculties. He walked around, moved tires from place to place, and basically did nothing particularly useful, and sometimes even the opposite – but his son, the boss, made him feel that he was important. From time to time he would ask his father to return a tire to its place, or something similar, and he did in a very respectful manner, giving his father the sense that he was still useful.

This is the message that we learn from the way Moshe "made" the Menorah.

Nasso: The Land of Israel's Special Light, as Reflected in the Priestly Blessing

by Rav Moshe Tzuriel ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Ashreinu – how fortunate we are, the residents of the Land of Israel, who get to fulfill the mitzvah of the Priestly Blessing (Bamidbar 6, 22-27) every single day, and sometimes twice! Outside the Land, this mitzvah is fulfilled only on the festivals and the High Holidays. It is hard to understand why this is so.

We read in the above verses that via the Priestly Blessing, the priests "place My Name upon the Children of Israel and I will bless them." That is, the priests bless Israel, and G-d gives his consent (Tr. Hullin 49a). Elsewhere, the Gemara even adds (Tr. Sotah 38a) that G-d very strongly desires the Priestly Blessing!

Given the great value and importance, for us and for G-d, of the Priestly Blessing, why do we barely perform it outside Eretz Yisrael?

Many answers have been offered over the past several centuries, but most of them can be easily challenged. For instance, the Rama (Shulchan Arukh O.C. 128,44) says that the Jews in medieval times were "very troubled with thoughts of making a living" and the like, "and even on Festivals, they only recite the Blessing in Mussaf when they are about to leave for home and for the joy of the Festivals."

In the Land of Israel's Galilee area, the Diaspora custom in this matter was perpetuated in most areas, except that they said the Priestly Blessing also during Mussaf on the Sabbath. This was because this was basically the custom of the students of the Baal Shem Tov who came to the Galilee and continued their practice.

The students of the Vilna Gaon, however, who came to the Land and settled in Jerusalem, made sure to recite the Blessing every day; and the Sephardim recited the Priestly Blessing throughout the Land, as noted by the Beit Yosef (Rav Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan Arukh).

Rav She'ar Yashuv Cohen, long-time Chief Rabbi of Haifa and son of the famed Nazir, Rav David Cohen, long attempted to change the custom in Haifa and environs and restore the Priestly Blessing to its honored place – but largely to no avail. In an article in Volume 2 of Techumin in 1981, he collected several explanations as to why the Cohanim in the Galilee do not recite the Blessing, but they are all weak.

The Missing Joy

Let us concentrate on one aspect of the various explanations, which will highlight one of the great virtues of the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael. The Rama cited a custom that unmarried Cohanim do not recite the Priestly Blessing because, as the Gemara states (Tr. Yevamot 62b), they are "without happiness."

Yitzchak, Too
The Maharam Ben-Baruch notes, in this vein, that when our Patriarch Yitzchak wished to bless his son Esav, he asked him to first prepare a special meal that would bring him joy – because "without joy, how can I give a blessing?" We thus see that the Priests who bless the nation must do so not simply as a form of lip service, but rather with true joy.

A student of the Rama, known as the L'vush, wrote in kind: "Even though the Priests should by rights bless the people every day… the custom is to do so only on Festivals, which are days of happiness and good-heartedness. Even on the Sabbath they do not bless, because they are troubled by thoughts of making a living, etc."

No Yoke

Another aspect of the joy of being in Eretz Yisrael is noted by the Beit Efraim: "The Jews of the Land did not bear the yoke of the Exiles as did their brethren in the Diaspora, where they were scattered and banished throughout the generations from city to city and land to land, and they had no peace of mind."

Various Torah giants wrote clearly regarding the difference between the atmosphere of service of G-d abroad and that of Eretz Yisrael. The Shem MiShmuel explained: "The difference is that in the Land of Israel, the service is with love and devotion, like the [atmosphere of] Sabbath, while in the Diaspora the service is more of sur mera, trying to avoid the negative; they engage in compulsiveness and self-flagellation in trying to force the acceptance of holiness, as if it were against their nature."

And so too wrote Rav Kook: "In the Land of Israel, one can draw out the joy of holiness even from the place of the joy, but outside the Land, this cannot be done, because of the strength of the forces of strict judgement there" (Orot HaKodesh vol. III, p. 187).

In the Land, Joy is First
The Sfat Emet (Re'eh 5661) holds that "in the Diaspora, the primary element is fear of G-d, which then leads to joy. But in the Land, joy is the main thing, and from it we merit to have fear and awe… In the Land of Israel and in the Temple, the nation merited light of the soul…; the service of joy is that of the soul, while that of the body is fear/awe."

The Vilna Gaon said that if he only could, he would suspend his Torah learning and prayer and wander from place to place to institute the Priestly Blessing every day. He said that the Blessing includes and alludes to the seven basic elements of all blessing: wisdom, wealth, long life, finding favor in the eyes of men, ability to influence other, descendants, and peace.

How much great light is encapsulated in this special mitzvah, in which G-d turns to us and lights the way for all blessing. Let us concentrate when we fulfill it – both those who bless and those who are blessed. We must also recognize our great fortune in living here in the Land where we merit to fulfill it every day!

Shavuot: The Absolute Bonds Between Israel and Torah

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, Rosh Yeshivat Beit El, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel. (part of a talk delivered last year in Yeshivat Beit El)

The Sages of the Talmud asked: In the Torah's account of Creation, the sixth day is termed Yom HaShishi, as if to say "The Friday" – as opposed to the other days, which do not have "the" in their names. Why is this? And the answer is that this alludes to the "special" sixth day – the sixth day of the month of Sivan, on which the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai. The lesson is that Creation was made contingent upon Israel accepting the Torah: "G-d said to His creations: If Israel accepts the Torah [given on The Sixth Day], fine, but if not, I will return you to your original state of tohu vavohu, nothingness (B'reshit 1,2)."

That is to say, the essential aim and intent of the world is that it must have Torah and that G-d's light must illuminate the world – and therefore, it must be that the Nation of Israel will be in the world to accept the Torah. Israel is the nation imbued with the natural Divine unique spark suitable for the Torah. Just like it is totally inconceivable that the world will not have Torah, so too it must be that there will be people who are worthy of accepting it and via whom the Torah will appear in the world. This is Am Yisrael.

When we approach the Torah with this understanding, that Israel is innately harmonized with Torah – all of our Torah study will take on valuable significance. There is a great difference if it is our nature to study the Torah and fulfill its mitzvot, or if we just choose to do so on our own. If the latter, it means that there is no permanence to our connection with Torah; our choice could conceivably change. But if this is a matter of nature – nature does not change. Without our unique innate Divine spark, our acceptance of the Torah would not have been absolute – leaving the fate of the entire world in doubt, as we saw above.

… The Talmud also teaches that G-d forced upon us the acceptance of the Torah, by symbolically turning Mt. Sinai upon us and threatening not to remove it if we did not agree to receive the Torah (Shabbat 88a). Why is this? The Maharal of Prague explains that this signifies the permanence and absoluteness of the bonds between Israel and Torah and that they can never change. They are not dependent upon our behavior, or our consent; they are simply there, rock-solid and unchangeable. True, Israel said, "We will do and we will listen" (Sh'mot 24,7), and this is correct: Israel has a fundamental desire to keep the Torah. But G-d wished to inform us that this is not just a voluntary matter, but is something much more intrinsic and eternal than we thought; it is bigger than just our consent.

With this introduction and preparation, we can correctly approach our renewed acceptance of Torah on this upcoming Shavuot festival. Just before the Stand at Mt. Sinai, G-d told us that we were to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" and a "treasure to Me among all the nations" (Sh'mot 19) – and with this understanding, we were given the Torah and instructed, "I am the Lord your G-d Who took you out of Egypt" (Sh'mot 20).

May we merit, with G-d's help, to renew our covenant with G-d and deepen it, and may G-d help us to celebrate Shavuot in the Beit HaMikdash in the most complete and full manner, together with all of Am Yisrael – and then the Divine Presence will appear in the greatest and most sublime manner, in the rebuilt Holy Temple, speedily in our days!

Bamidbar: The Desert of Mindfulness

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtadt, Founder and Director of YORU Jewish Leadership, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The first verse in this week's Torah reading, which opens the Book of Bamidbar (Numbers), states that G-d spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert. The Sages derive from the emphasis on the location – a desert – that "whoever does not make himself into a desert [i.e., ownerless], cannot acquire Torah knowledge."

Maimonides greatly expounds on this point in his epic work Yad HaChazakah [based on the translation of Eliyahu Touger, Chabad.org]:

"It is natural for a man’s character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. He should therefore associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. He should also keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds… One who lives in a place where the norms of behavior are evil and the inhabitants do not follow the straight path, should move to a place where the people are righteous and follow the ways of goodness.

"If all the places with which he is familiar and of which he hears reports follow improper paths, as in our times [emphasis added], or if he is unable to move to a place where the patterns of behavior are proper… he should remain alone in seclusion… If they are wicked and sinful and do not allow him to reside there unless he mingle with them and follow their evil behavior, he should go out to caves, thickets, and deserts rather than follow the paths of sinners, as is written: 'Who will give me a lodging place for wayfarers, in the desert' (Jeremiah 9:1).”

To learn Torah wisdom, one can do anywhere – but to truly acquire it and to make it a part of one's personality can only be done if one renders himself like a desert, ownerless, detached from regular daily life and from the yoke of day-to-day matters that people are generally involved with. As the Rambam states in the Laws of Shemittah, he should be "totally focused on Torah study and the building of his spiritual world" – and thus he will merit to be like "Moshe Rabbeinu who was righteous and led the public to be righteous" (Tr. Avot 5,18); he will have positive influence over others, and both study and teach as he fulfills the commandments.[1]

The verse with which we opened, and which opens the portion of Bamidbar, also states that G-d spoke to Moshe "in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month in the second year after their Exodus from Egypt." The Torah thus tells us many details about this command: It was issued in the desert, and in the Tent of Meeting, and on the first day of Iyar. From the words of Rashi on this verse we can understand the reason for the last two. He says that G-d's love for Israel is what brought Him to count us at this time: "When they left Egypt, He counted them; when they sinned with the golden calf, He counted them again to see how many were left; and when He brought His Divine Presence to dwell upon them [in the Tabernacle] He counted them – that is, the Tabernacle was erected on the first day of Nissan, and on the first day of the very next month He counted them."

And so we now understand why the Torah tells us that the command to count Israel was issued in the Tent of Meeting – for this is where G-d brings His Presence, which was the very reason for the counting at this very time, right after its construction. And the emphasis on the desert, in addition to the lesson we learned above, tells us

yet another reason for the counting – as the desert itself is a reason for G-d's love of Israel! As the Prophet Jeremiah states (2,2): "So said the Lord: "I remember for you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, how you followed Me in the desert, in a land not sown."

Hashem remembers the kindness of our youth when we followed Him in a desolate desert – and for this, as well, He loves us and wishes to count us again and again. We followed G-d under difficult conditions, without calculations of comforts or other considerations, out of our "nuptial love" for Him – and He continually counts us and shows us love in kind.

The Flags

In Chapters 1 and 2, the Torah goes into the details of the counting of each tribe and each of the four tribal camps. The Torah also tells us that each tribe was to encamp and travel in the desert under its specific flag: "The Israelites shall each camp by his flag, with the ensigns of his father's house" (2,2). What is the connection between the flags of Israel and the census?

The answer is, again: G-d's love for Israel. We read in the Medrash (Bamidbar Rabba 2,3):

"G-d showed them great love when He made banners for them as the Ministering Angels [the Medrash later explains allegorically that 22 myriad angels accompanied G-d on Mt. Sinai, based on Psalms 68,18, and all of them were beautifully comprised of banners]… From where do we know that this is a sign of love? From King Shlomo who wrote (Shir HaShirim 2,4): 'He brought me to the wine house [of banquets], and his banner over me was love.'"

The Medrash continues in the name of R. Avahu:

"What is the significance of the wine-house? It can be likened to a wealthy man who owned a large wine cellar. He went in to check it, and found that all the wine had gone bad. On his way out, he found one barrel of good wine, and he said: 'This barrel is my favorite, as good as the entire storehouse.'

Similarly, G-d created 70 nations, but He had no enjoyment from any of them except for Israel [which was the only one to accept the Torah], as is written, 'He brought me to the wine-house.' And how do we know that wine is equivalent to the 70 nations? Because the gematriya value of the Hebrew word for wine is 70: yod (10), yod (10), nun (50) – and from all 70, only for Israel 'his banner over [him] was love.'"

The flags, therefore – like the counting – were a symbol of G-d's great love for Israel.

In sum: This portion of Bamidbar comes to teach and emphasize to us how strong is G-d's affection for Israel. As we read in the end of the haftarah for this portion: "I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, with justice, with loving-kindness, and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the Lord." (Hoshea 2,21-22)

Behar: National Glory: Our Land, Our Torah

by Rav Hillel Mertzbach, Rabbi of the Yad Binyamin Central Synagogue, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Behar (Vayikra 25,1-26,2) begins with the mitzvah of Shmittah, in which we are commanded to let the Holy Land lie fallow once every seven years. Curiously, the opening verses mention two extra points whose relevance is not immediately clear: Mt. Sinai and the promise of the Land of Israel.

Specifically, Parashat Behar begins as follows, "G-d spoke to Moshe at Mt. Sinai, to say [to Israel]: When you come to the Land that I give you, the land shall rest…" Why could the Torah not simply say, "G-d told Moshe to tell Israel, let the Land rest…"?

Rashi here asks, "What does the topic of Shmitta have to do with Mt. Sinai? Weren't all the mitzvot given on Sinai?" And he answers that just as both the general rules and the minute details regarding Shmitta were given on Mt. Sinai, so too both the general rules and minute details of all the other mitzvot were given at Sinai as well.

The Holy Ohr HaChaim (Rav Chaim ibn Attar, 18^th-century Morocco) asks: "Why did the mitzvah of Shmittah, or all mitzvot, deserve to be the mitzvah by which this critical lesson is learned?"

He answers:

"Perhaps it is because the Torah mentions here the gift of the Land [as quoted above], and therefore it specified "Mt. Sinai," to say that this gift of the Land was completed precisely because of Sinai – i.e., that which we received there, namely, the Torah – in that because of the Torah G-d gave us the Land."

This is an amazing insight by the Ohr HaChaim! He is saying that in order to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvot, the Land is imperative! In addition, the connection between the Nation of Israel and the Land of Israel stems specifically from G-d's command in the Torah.

To understand this, let us explore why it is that this Land-Nation connection must be nourished specifically from the Torah? Clearly there are many non-observant Jews who are attached to the Land and love it very much. What role does the Torah play, precisely?

I would like to try to propose two explanations for the Land-Torah bonds.

The first is that the commandments of the Torah without Eretz Yisrael are totally lacking. As the Medrash Sifrei tells us (D'varim 43), the fulfillment of the Torah's commands outside the Land are only a "remembrance" of their ideal fulfillment in the Land. In the words of the Medrash: "Even when and if I exile you from the Land, continue to fulfill them correctly, so that when you return [to the Land], they will not be new to you… Just as the Prophet Jeremiah said [and based on Rabbinic derivations]: 'Set up milestones for yourself (31,20)…'"

The second explanation is based on the popular idiom, "The Land of Israel without Torah is a like a body without a soul." When the Nation of Israel is in its Land without a connection to the Torah, G-d's word, it can decline to many grave mistakes. Eretz Yisrael can become a source of negativity, or even just a piece of real estate that be given away at some leader's whim. Only when the Torah is the basis for our ties with the Land, and when we internalize and adhere to G-d's word from Sinai, can we truly merit to inherit the Land. 

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, first Chief Rabbi of modern-day Eretz Yisrael, expressed it well in his work Orot, in the beginning of the chapter on the Land of Israel:

"Eretz Israel is not something external; it is not an external national acquisition, or a means to the goal of all-around unity, or a means to the strengthening of its physical or even spiritual existence. Rather, the Land of Israel is an intrinsic element of the nation, attached to it with bond of life, entwined at its very core with our national existence."

Let us raise a prayer that we will successfully pay heed to G-d's word that we heard at Sinai, and through this, be worthy of inheriting our holy Land.

Emor: Spirituality is Reality!

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

In the weekly Torah reading of Parashat Emor (Vayikra 21-24), just after a brief review of laws of the various festivals, the Torah notes that special oil from hand-crushed olives is required in order to keep the lamp in the Tabernacle burning constantly. The Torah also tells us that the Menorah (candelabrum) is placed "outside the Curtain of Testimony in the Communion Tent" (24,3).

The Talmud asks (Shabbat 22b): "Could it possibly be that he[1] needs light? After all, the Children of Israel walked in the desert for 40 years by G-d's light! Rather, this light is a testimony to all people of the world that the Divine Presence dwells amidst Israel."

What is the source for this point? It is the continuation of the above-cited verse, which states that the lamps shall burn "from evening to morning before G-d always." And even though the word "Testimony" here generally refers to the Holy Ark and the Tablets of the Law, still, since it is mentioned here in the context of the Menorah, the Gemara derives that the Menorah, too, is "testimony."

This must be understood: How does the Menorah teach and attest to the world that the Divine Presence dwells within the People of Israel? After all, the Menorah is inside the Tabernacle or Beit Mikdash, and no one sees it except for the priest who prepares the wicks and oil in the lamps!

The answer is the fundamental principle that "spirituality is reality," even if it is not seen. True, no one sees the priest lighting the Menorah – but the very fact of the lighting effects light throughout the world; it brings the people of the world to know that the Divine Presence is within Israel, even if not seen.

We find a similar idea in the Chapters of the Fathers (Avot 6,2):

"R. Yehoshua ben Levy says: Every day a Heavenly voice goes forth from Mt. Horev [Sinai] and proclaims: 'Woe to mankind for its disregard for the Torah.'"

That is, even though we do not hear that Heavenly voice, we should know, as the saintly Baal Shem Tov explains, that every little thought of repentance that a person might suddenly have – its source is in this Heavenly voice. Various spiritual pipelines of attentiveness and awakening stem from this voice. Our ears do not hear them, most certainly – but our hearts hear them, for they are reality.

Spirituality is reality, and whoever does not believe this, his sin is very grave, to the extent that he has no share in the World to Come. The renowned 19^th-century R. Yisrael Lifshitz explained this point in his classic commentary to the Mishna, Tiferet Yisrael, on the Mishna in Avot. The Mishna states:

"He who desecrates kodshim (sacred Holy Temple items or food)… or shames his fellow man in public… even though he is learned in Torah and does good deeds, has no share in the World to Come."

On this, R. Lifshitz wrote: "He who desecrates kodshim believes, wrongly and foolishly, that there is no holiness in the world and that everything is completely mundane and meaningless… and therefore, he has no share in the World to Come." That is, he denies the mortal ability to sanctify the physical, to elevate to the altar as something holy a lamb that just moments ago was grazing in the field. He therefore has no share in the World to Come.

This is the principle that we learn from the lamps that were kindled in the Holy Temple, and this is also the fundamental that we learn from the Chanukah lights. The Syrian Greeks did not believe in the human ability to sanctify the material, whereas when we light the Chanukah candles, we recite, "These lights that we kindle are sacred." We believe that simply with the power of our speech, we can turn oil, taken from a supply that was used for non-holy purposes, into something different, something spiritual – for "spirituality is reality."

By virtue of this spiritual reality, the Menorah serves as testimony to the people of the world that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. This is not testimony in the sense of the "two witnesses' required for judicial cases, but rather the establishment of the reality within the hearts of men. It is a spiritual reality, which some are privileged to receive and absorb.

From the work "Rav Avraham Shapiro's Classes on Ketuvot and Kiddushin," edited by Rabbi Binyamin Rakover

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[1] This could be referring either to G-d, or to Aharon the High Priest, or the Children of Israel, according to different commentaries. (HF)

The Paschal Offering

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtadt, Founder and Director of YORU Jewish Leadership, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

When the Children of Israel left Egypt, G-d commanded them to take lambs, one for each household, on the 10^th day of the month of Nissan, and slaughter them for the Paschal sacrifice. (See Sh'mot 12). Specifically, Moshe told the elders of Israel, "Pull forth or buy for yourselves sheep for your families and slaughter the Passover sacrifice" (verse 21).

Elaborating on the word Mish'chu, "Pull forth," the Medrash (Sh'mot Rabba 16,3) states:

When the Holy One, Blessed be He, told Moshe to slaughter the Passover lamb, Moshe said: "Master of the world, how can I do this thing? Do You not know that the sheep is Egypt's god [and they will stone us; see Sh'mot 8,22]?!"

G-d answered: "By your life that Israel will not leave Egypt before they slaughter the gods of the Egyptians' before their very eyes, and thus I will show them that their gods are worthless.”

And in fact that very night He smote the firstborns of Egypt, and that night Israel slaughtered their Passover lambs and consumed them. And the Egyptians saw their firstborns killed and their gods slaughtered and they could do nothing, as is written, "And the Egyptians were burying all their firstborns that G-d had smitten, and G-d had destroyed their idols" (Bamidbar 33,4). This is a fulfillment of the verse, "All worshippers of graven images will be humiliated" (Psalms 97,7).

Why did G-d test Israel with such a difficult test? Why did He command them to do something that was liable to provoke the Egyptians to stone them? Why did G-d not simply continue to smite the Egyptians with miraculous plagues?

Israel's Idol Worship

Sh'mot 12 also tells us that Israel was commanded to take the lambs on the 10^th of the month, and to hold them in safekeeping until the 14^th of the month, when they were to perform the slaughter. The Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Sh'mot 195) asks why Israel was told to take the lambs such a long time before they were to be slaughtered. It answers:

Israel was awash with idol-worship – a sin that we are commanded against in a mitzvah that is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah … If one violates just the one mitzvah of idol-worship, he is like one who violates all the mitzvot of the Torah, throws off the yoke of Torah, and comes out brazenly and mockingly against the words of Torah… Therefore G-d commanded us here to "pull out" – mishchu u'kchu – and draw away from idol worship, and adhere to the mitzvot.

As the Zayit Raanan (a commentary on the Yalkut Shimoni by the famed Magen Avraham) explained, the Israelites also fulfilled other mitzvot at the time, but by killing the gods of the Egyptians – and the object of their own idolatry as well – they were truly abolishing idol worship.

How to Escape the Deep Pit of Egyptian Impurity

It appears that the message of the holy Torah here is how to avoid impurity. It was telling the Hebrews who left Egypt how they could climb the stairs of spirituality all the way to the summit: the acceptance of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The way to do this is firstly to totally leave all evil. As written in Psalms, "Forsake evil and do good" - precisely in that order. The first prerequisite before quitting Egypt was to "leave all sin." They must depart from the gods of Egypt by slaughtering them before their eyes, and only afterwards would they be able to begin the process of "do good," of leaving Egypt and its impurities, and then climbing the spiritual ladder, step by step until they receive the Torah.

For a person cannot become ritually clean when immersing in a ritual bath if he is holding a reptile in his hand… They could not have left Egypt and expected to become pure if they were still involved in idol worship; they had to first destroy all vestiges thereof, with great sacrifice and at significant risk to themselves – and only then could they begin the climb upwards to the greatest spiritual revelation in history: the Giving of the Torah by the Holy One, Blessed be He.

The Recipe for Spiritual Ascent

This is in fact a very fundamental principle in the service of G-d: One cannot climb the ladder of spirituality merely by doing good deeds, without first ridding himself of corrupt ideology. To try to improve spirituality while still holding on to bad deeds is a contradiction in terms. First the Paschal lamb must be destroyed and slaughtered, the ideological reptile must be cast aside - and only then can we embark upon a journey of spiritual ascent, of "do good," of mikveh, purification, of rising spiritually, and coming close to G-d.

May it be G-d's will that we merit to see His return to Zion, and the reestablishment of His Temple on the Mount, to where we will go up and bring the Pesach offering at its right time!

Vayikra: The Sacrificial Service: Coming Close

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtadt, Founder and Director of YORU Jewish Leadership, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The word for sacrifices is korbanot, from the Hebrew root k.r.v., meaning "to come close"

This week's Torah reading begins the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus, which is practically all about sacrifices and the sacrificial service. The second verse posits that when a person brings a sacrifice, it is mikem, "from you." Let us seek to understand this.

Last week, we concluded the Book of Sh'mot, Exodus, in which we learned of the construction of the Mishkan, Tabernacle; the utensils inside, such as the Ark and the Menorah; and the priestly garments worn by Aharon the High Priest and his sons, who were the other priests. The Mishkan was to be the place in which Israel would come close to G-d on the highest level possible on earth, as is written, "They shall make Me a tabernacle and I will dwell in their midst" (Sh'mot 25,8).

The Torah now begins Vayikra by pouring content into the physical house, namely, the sacrificial service. The principle purpose of the sacrifices is to bring the Children of Israel closer to their Father in Heaven; the Hebrew word for sacrifices is korbanot, from the root meaning "to come close." As Nachmanides explains: "Every korban refers to coming close and unity."

In the beginning of the second chapter of Vayikra, we read of the mincha offering: "A soul who offers up a korban mincha to G-d – the offering shall be of milled flour." This is the only offering that refers to a person as a "soul." Rashi says: "Who is accustomed to donate a mincha? A poor person; G-d says, 'I consider him as if he offered up his soul.'"

Who is more highly regarded: a poor person who tries hard and gives a small sum  - the most he has - to charity, or a wealthy person who gives a large sum, even though he could easily afford much more? The answer clearly is that in our world of deception, the wealthy man is more admired, because the bottom line is that he gave more.

However, in the world of truth, the Sages tell us that "G-d desires the heart," He wants to know what is in our heart, and the reward He gives is commensurate with our effort, toil, and hardship. The poor man who essentially gives his soul has done a greater act than the rich person, and thus coming much closer to G-d with what he did. He offered his soul, which is a higher level than offering one's money or even one's body; he thus "came close to G-d" with kirvat nefesh on the highest possible level.

There are roughly three levels in human relationships: There is a superficial acquaintance that causes people to like each other; there are acts of giving that bring about love; and there is the highest degree of love, soul love, that is the result of a series of little acts of giving, or of major acts that are actually sacrifices. Our forefather Yaakov gave over to his son Yosef everything he learned from Shem and Ever (see Rashi to B'reshit 37,3); he gave him his all – and this led to, in the words of Yehuda, "his [Yaakov's] soul is bound up with his [Yosef's] soul" (B'reshit 44,30).

In another example, we know that King Sha'ul's son Yehonatan gave up any possibility of succeeding his father as the monarch, and even risked his life – all for the sake of his love for David. Their love was certainly a soul love, as we read: "… Yehonatan's soul was bound up with David's soul, and Yehonatan loved him as his own soul... and Yehonatan made a covenant with David, loving him as his own soul" (Samuel I 18,1-3).

The Sefer HaChinukh beautifully explains one of the rationales for the sacrifices:

"G-d commanded us to always sacrifice from that which the heart of man covets, such as meat and wine and bread, so that the heart will be more aroused to it. A poor person is similarly obligated to bring [not from animals, but] from the small amount of flour that his eyes and heart are constantly set upon.

"And there is yet another aspect of arousal of the heart with animal sacrifices, in that human and animal bodies are nearly the same; they are differentiated only in that a feeling heart and mind was given to humans and not animals.

"And when the human body "takes leave" of his mind when he sins, he must know that he has entered the realm of animals, as he has abandoned the only thing that differentiates him from them. He must therefore take a body of flesh like him and bring it to the place chosen for the raising of the intellect and burn it there, so that it is completely incinerated, in order to form a strong picture in his heart that a body without intellect is lost and null… And by fixing this image in his soul, he will be very careful not to sin…"

The purpose of the sacrifices is that we should give up some things that he greatly love, to remind us not to sink into the mire of materialism, but rather to come close to G-d – which is the ultimate goal of man in this world.

Prayer Instead of Sacrifices
The Medrash Tanchuma teaches: "Look how G-d forgives the sins of Israel. Whoever has a bull should offer up a bull, whoever has a ram should bring a ram… a lamb… a dove… even just milled flour… And whoever doesn't even have flour, should bring words [of prayer], as is written, 'Take with you words and return to G-d' (Hoshea 14,3)."

Our prayer service was instituted to correspond to the sacrifices, because when the Holy Temple was destroyed, we had no way to come close to G-d other than via the words of our prayers, as is written, "We will pay bulls with our lips" (ibid.).

And as with sacrifices, we can choose the level on which we wish to pray and come close to G-d: like "a man who sacrifices from you an offering to G-d," or on the higher level of "a soul who brings a mincha offering to G-d," as if he is giving his soul.

Given that prayer takes the place of sacrifices, it is appropriate and worthy that we pray in the way we would offer sacrifices: with great devotion, without foreign thoughts, in a permanent place, and even, if possible, with special clothing for prayer; see Shulchan Arukh Orach Chaim 98,4.

The more we implement these laws of the Shulchan Arukh, the more we will merit to reach a higher level of closeness to our Father in Heaven – "as if we had sacrificed our souls."

The Positive Side of Pesach Preparations

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivat Orot Netanya, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

I once invited over some people for a Tu B'Shvat seder, exactly two months before Passover. One of the women said she couldn't make it: "I'm too busy cleaning for Pesach…"

Fulfilling the Torah's mitzvot often takes time – some more, some less. But for Pesach, we all expend much effort and time in preparations. We clean, scrub, search and destroy every crumb of chametz (and even some that are not chametz…) that we can find. Not everyone starts quite as early as Tu B'shvat, but the idea is clear.

There are Halakhic sources for the manifold preparations for Pesach. The Gemara (Megillah 4a) tells us: "Moshe instituted that Israel should ask and study about the [current] festival: the laws of Pesach on Pesach, of Shavuot on Shavuot, and of Sukkot on Sukkot." That is, the time for this study is on the holiday itself.

But we learn in another Gemara (Pesachim 6a) that for Pesach, the time for asking and studying is 30 days before the holiday! Why is this night of Pesach different than all others?

The Beit Yosef, author of the Shulchan Arukh, answers that the laws of Pesach are very many and detailed, more than the other holidays. He also notes that many of the laws must be fulfilled even before Pesach, such as burning the chametz and the like.

In the times of the Holy Temple, the Paschal sacrifice was offered, as the Torah mandates, on the day before the holiday, and could then be eaten that night, again as the Torah mandates, at what we now call the Passover Seder. In fact, sometimes the Bible itself uses the word "Pesach" to refer to "Passover eve," the time of the sacrifice (see Rosh HaShanah 13a, Tosafot s.v. d'akrivu). Here again, we see an emphasis on the time before Pesach, the time of preparation for the holiday.

Let us delve further into the nature and importance of these preparations. To this end, let us ask the following: We know that there is a mitzvah to tell and retell the story of the Exodus on Passover. In the Haggadah we see that it must be told beginning with the g'nut, the difficult and painful parts, and ending with the shevach, the positive parts of the Redemption from the house of bondage. Why must we tell about the "preparatory" stage of the subjugation and the hardships, instead of sufficing with the happy ending?

The answer, of course, is that the difficult period during which we were enslaved in Egypt has great importance. G-d specifically, in the Covenant Between the Pieces that He forged with Avraham Avinu, assigned us to a torturous period of enslavement – and He had good reason. The purpose was that we experience the crucible of Egypt, which would strengthen and forge us into a great nation of G-d, and would also leave us with r'chush gadol, massive material possessions. In short, we would become a nation wealthy both materially and spiritually.

The emerging nation of Israel in Egypt can be likened to a fetus in its mother's womb. The fetus grows there in a phenomenal manner – proportionately much more than it will develop at any time after its birth. It begins as a solitary cell, weighing nothing, and ends up being born with a weight of several pounds! Israel, too, began in Egypt with 70 souls, and ended up numbering a few million (over 600,000 men aged 20-60, plus the other males, and women and children). This is a huge population growth, and it took place precisely during their period of subjugation. In fact, the members of the Tribe of Levy, which did not experience slavery in Egypt, multiplied less than the other tribes!

Egypt in Hebrew is Mitzrayim, similar to the word meitzarim, "narrow straits." It is thus like a pressure cooker, which amasses more and more steam inside until it finally bursts forth with tremendous power. The same happened with Israel: Its strengths and abilities increasingly grew in Egypt, finally bursting forth with tremendous power.

This is what is meant by "beginning with g'nut" – and is also the idea of the days of hard preparations before Pesach. The very engagement with Pesach and its preparations forms within us an inner process of filling ourselves with the ideas and lessons of the holiday, which, with G-d's help, will burst forth with great vigor at the Seder table and in the festival days afterwards.

And perhaps this is yet another explanation for the name of the Sabbath before Pesach, which is known as Shabbat HaGadol – because on these days we "grow" (from the root ligdol).

May we merit this year to commemorate Pesach with gadlut (greatness), in our glorious and holy Beit Mikdash!