Short & Sweet

Mikeitz: Blind Spies

When Yosef meets his brothers, he hits them with what seems to be a bizarre accusation. “You are spies! You have come to see the weakness of the land!” Why did Yosef pick this crime to accuse his brother of?

R’ Mattis Weinberg explains that in truth, Yosef had already revealed enough information for the brothers to figure out his identity. He told them he knew their names, knew their birth order, and knew who had done what in their youth.

The only reason the brothers didn’t figure out that the person they were talking to was their own brother is because they didn’t want it to be true. They didn’t want Yosef to have been right all along about Hashem making him king. So they fooled themselves into not seeing the truth.

This is exactly the crime that Yosef was accusing his brother of. You are not looking for the truth. You are only spies, who concern themselves only with finding the bad. You are blinded by your agenda, by your own preconceived notions.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayigash: Silent Shepherds

When deciding where in Mitzrayim they should settle, the שבטים chose to live in Goshen. They did this so their children could be shepherds, like their fathers before them. But why? What is so great about being a shepherd?

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that a shepherd spends most of his time alone. For the sheep to have enough grass to graze, they must be far from civilization. This meant that a shepherd was often alone with his own thoughts, free to think undisturbed.

We live in a time of almost unlimited access to information and stimulation. But that makes it even more important to take some time to ourselves every once in a while and just think our own thoughts.

Thoughts that we ponder and explore on our own become a part of who we are far more than ideas that we merely receive from somebody else. Passively consuming even the most useful and enlightening information is not the same thing as thinking your own thoughts.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vaeira: Two Types of Teffilah

When Hashem tells Moshe that he will redeem Bnei Yisroel, He lists two seemingly different reasons. First, the fact that he promised the Avos to redeem their children. Second, “and also I have accepted the cries of Bnei Yisroel that are being oppressed by Mitzrayim”. Is there any connection between these two things?

The R’ Yoel Teitelbaum explains that there are different types of teffilah. The highest type of teffilah is to daven for the sake of Shechina, to daven for peace and prosperity so that the world can recognize and connect to its Creator. But there are “lower” levels of teffilah as well, of Jews l praying for their own salvation.

Somebody who has reached the level of being able to daven for the Shechina is very likely to have their teffilos answered. But when the time of Geulah draws near, Hashem is willing to listen to “lower” levels of teffilah, of people crying out due to their own pain.

Since the time was quickly approaching that Hashem had promised the Avos that He would redeem Bnei Yisroel, Hashem accepted the teffilos that were only a result of the oppression they faced in Mitzrayim.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bishalach: Up To You

When Bnei Yisroel found themselves chased by Pharoh’s army and backed up against the sea, they did what seemed to be the right thing – they Davened to Hashem.

And yet, Hashem was not pleased by this response. מה תצעק אלי, דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו, why are you calling out to me? Tell Bnei Yisroel to keep going, right into the water. Rashi puts an even stronger emphasis on this point: עלי הדבר תלי ולא עליך, is this matter mine to deal with and not yours?

It seems that unlike the Ten Makkos, there was an element of a nisayon in Kiras Yam Suf. By the ten Makkos, all Bnei Yisroel had to do was to sit back and watch the show. But that was not the case by Krias Yan Suf. This time, we had a job to do. The miracle of Krias Yam Suf would not begin until we did something to show that we believed Hashem would keep his word.

To sit back and passively absorb a lesson, even a lesson as great as the ten Makkos, can only have a limited effect on a person. But when a person decides to act on their own convictions, that becomes a part of who they are. By forcing Bnei Yisroel to make the first move before Krias Yam Suf began, Hashem was giving us an opportunity to not just think about our ideals, but to actually live them.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Yisro: How much do you want it?

Why was the story of Yisro placed immediately before Matan Torah? R’ Chaim Mintz suggests that there are things we can learn from Yisro that we all must incorporate into our lives to be able to truly accept the Torah:

Yisro was a prince in Midyan, living a pleasant life. But he was willing to give it all up, go live in the desert, and join a people he didn’t even know, so that he could hear the Divine truth.

We see how much Yisro wanted to be able to accept the Torah. We see how much the Torah meant to him, and how much he was willing to sacrifice to attain it.

We are lucky that we were born Jewish, and that Torah was pretty much given to us on a silver platter. But we cannot allow that to lead to sense to complacency. We must always stay hungry for more, stay driven to attain new heights. If we truly want to delve deeper, if the Torah is important to us, and if we are willing to sacrifice other things that we might also want, will we be able to attain it.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Mishpatim: Just Passing Through

R’ Chaim Vital (quoted by the Chida in נחל קדומים) makes two interesting observations about the word עברי.

First he explains that a Jewish slave is referred to as an עבד עברי since he was עבר על לא תגנוב, transgressed on the prohibition against theft. This is what led Beis Din to sell this man as a slave.

However, we also find that the title עברי is used positively, like the Navi Yona says about himself: עברי אנכי ואת ה׳ אני ירא. R’ Chaim Vital explains that here עברי refers to one who constantly keeps in mind that they are עובר ארח בעולם הזה דרך עראי, only temporarily passing through in this world.

These two messages seem to be related. If one keeps in mind that they are merely passing through this world, they will be far less tempted to transgress the laws of the Torah and trade eternal reward for temporary comfort or pleasure.

By keeping our sense of priorities, we can ensure that we do not become an עבד עברי, one controlled by a lust for the things of this world. Rather, we can be somebody who has their eyes on the eternal prize, and can declare: עברי אנכי ואת ה׳ אלקי השמים אני ירא.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Tezaveh: Justice for All

The Gemora tells us that the Choshen was מכפר on any lack of משפט and improper judgements. The Akeidas Yitzchok explains that from studying the Choshen, we can learn how to fix the problems that corrupt justice.

The Akeidas Yitzchok suggests that the lessons of the Choshen are the same thing that Moshe told the judges he appointed:
לֹֽא־תַכִּ֨ירוּ פָנִ֜ים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט כַּקָּטֹ֤ן כַּגָּדֹל֙ תִּשְׁמָע֔וּן לֹ֤א תָג֙וּרוּ֙ מִפְּנֵי־אִ֔ישׁ כִּ֥י הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט לֵאלֹהִ֣ים ה֑וּא וְהַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִקְשֶׁ֣ה מִכֶּ֔ם תַּקְרִב֥וּן אֵלַ֖י וּשְׁמַעְתִּֽיו׃

The Choshen listed all the names of the Shevatim in their birth order, not in order of greatness. This teaches us that we should not show any favor to the greatest of people – justice is blind.

The Choshen had stones that were cheap next to stones that were extremely expensive. This teaches us that justice must always be taken seriously, regardless of how much or how little is at stake.

The name of Hashem was written on the Choshen to remind us that a judge cannot be afraid of any human, only of Hashem.

The Akeidas Yitzchok finishes by saying that the most common cause of getting a psak wrong is lack of knowledge. The Choshen was attached to the Urim v’Tumim, to remind the Kohen and the Dayan to constantly be seeking answers from a higher authority.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Tzav: Live Your Life

If a non-Jew wants to bring a קרבן עולה, which is entirely burnt up on the מזבח, we allow him to do so. But we do not allow a non-Jew to bring a קרבן שלמים, which is a type of korban that is eaten by the one who brings it. Why is that?

Perhaps we can suggest that this is indicative of a basic difference between Judaism and most other religions. Most religions see religious value only in something that is obviously religious in nature. Giving up something for God is the type of sacrifice that they can understand.

But Judaism goes further than that. We think there is religious value even in the meals that we eat. We do not think of religion and everyday life as being two separate things. Every aspect of our day is suffused with mitzvos and imbued with meaning. Our religion is our life, and our life is our religion. This is unique to Judaism, and it is not something that a non-Jew will be able to relate to.

Perhaps this is hinted to in the name of the קרבן שלמים. This Korban celebrates serving Hashem with Shelaimus, with the complete entirety of every aspect of our lives.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Shemini: Constant Change

The Ramban writes that one of the reasons the Torah prohibits certain birds and animals is that these creatures have bad middos, such a cruelty. By eating them, we would be ingesting their negative traits. A person who eats these forbidden foods will become crueler or develop other bad middos.

R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz sees a similar idea in the Gemora that says: אין אדם עובר עבירה אלא אם כן נכנס בו רוח שטות, a person does not sin unless foolishness has entered him. R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that the שטות that enters a person is that they do not realize that the Aveira they are about to do will change who they are from now on. (Heard from R’ Yisroel Gluestein)

If we internalize that each deed we do is a building block for who we will be for the rest of our lives, we will be for more motivated to do what’s right than if we see them just as “actions” outside of ourselves.

Each aveira that we do changes us, makes us into worse people. But each mitzva that we do changes us as well, and makes us into people with better middos and a closer relationship to Hashem.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Tazria: עת לקרב ועת לרחק

The Torah tells about the tumah that affects people immediately after telling us which animal are tahor and which are not. Chazal explain that just as the creation of man only took place after the creation of the animals, so too is the תורת האדם only taught after the Torah first teaches us about the תורת הבהמה. But why would this seemingly tangential idea be called the תורת האדם, what does this tell us about the very nature of people?

R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that the nature of person is that there are times they go through stages of taharah, where they are particularly holy and close to Hashem. But every person also goes through times of tumah, where they are removed from Hashem. This is not just an accident. This is the very nature of man.

The avodah of person in their time of taharah is obvious – to relish being close to Hashem. But there is also an avodah to be accomplished in times of tumah, in times of disconnection. During those times of disconnection a person should recognize that they are distant from Hashem, and should internalize just how empty that disconnection is. By doing so, even the time of tumah will serve to accentuate the importance of קרבת ה׳.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Emor: Secret of the Omer

We know from the Sefer HaChinuch that we count ספירה to show how much we look forward to receiving the Torah on Shavous. And yet, the Sefira is tied specifically to the Omer, a Korban we bring on Pesach. What is the connection between the Omer and accepting the Torah?

I believe it was R’ Matisyahu Salomon Shlita who suggested the following idea: The measurement of the Omer comes up in another place in the Torah. By the מן, each person ended up with exactly one Omer worth of מן, regardless of how much or how little they worked on collecting. From here we see that parnassa is in the hands of Hashem, and only He decides how much we ultimately take home, regardless of how much or how little we work.

One of the prerequisites for being mekabel the Torah is simply putting in the time necessary to learn. But somebody who thinks that how much they make depends on how hard they work may simply be too busy to learn. However, somebody who internalizes the idea of the Omer, that his material well-being is ultimately only up to Hashem, will be able to find time to learn the Torah.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Behar: Embracing the Uncertainty

The Kli Yakar has a fascinating explanation for the prohibition against Ribis, against charging another Jew interest for a loan.

The Kli Yakar writes that charging interest will take away a person’s bitachon. Every other business venture has some element of risk in it. Since a person does not know how much he will gain or lose in his business, this uncertainty will drive him to daven to Hashem. But someone who charges interest will think of themselves as having a steady, secure, and predictable income. This person will find it much harder to feel Hashem’s presence.

We all crave certainty and stability. But that sense of security can be stupefying, robbing us of one of the primary ways in which we connect to Hashem.

When a crack in the veneer of stability comes, as it always does, we should not waste it. We ought to use every crisis as an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Hashem, to turn to Him for help.
‎כי הוא קלי, וחי גאלי, וצור חבלי בעת צרה

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bamidbar: Share the Wealth

There is a Medrash that explains why Seder Bamidbar starts with discussing the desert: כל מי שאינו עושה עצמו כמדבר הפקר, אינו יכול לקנות את תורה. לכך נאמר, במדבר סיני
“Anybody who does not make themselves hefker like a desert cannot acquire Torah.”

R’ Shimon Schwab explains that this הפקרות means one should freely share the Torah that they learn and develop with others. Furthermore, it should not bother a person if the ideas that they develop are later said over שלא בשם אמרו, without being attributed to him.

Rav Dessler shares a similar idea. He writes that everything we have is not truly ours. Rather, it is a פדון that Hashem has entrusted us with, and He has charged us with using it to benefit others.

But Rav Dessler adds this is not only true by physical belongings. Any spiritual wealth and wisdom that we are lucky enough to attain should be regarded the same way – as Hashem’s gifts that He has leant us for the purpose of helping others.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום