Transcript
Okay, good morning. בוקר טוב Boker tov. Thank you for joining me again for our weekly פרשה Parsha perspectives class, trying to extract lessons from the פרשה Parsha that are applicable to today, that inform our contemporary living. I want to thank our generous sponsors for the פרשה Parsha class. First of all, our sponsors for the year, Becky and Avi Katz and family, in memory of David Grossman, their beloved father and grandfather, לעילוי נשמת דוד מנחם מניש L'ilui nishmas Dovid Menachem Manish. We appreciate your generosity for the series for the entire year. Also, this morning's פרשה Parsha class is generously co-sponsored by Dr. David and Michelle Flug in commemoration of the יארצייט yahrzeit of his beloved sister, Dr. Francis Flug, פייגא בת אליעזר ורחל Feiga bas Eliezer v'Rachel's, נשמה שתהיה לה עליה nishmah sh'tihyeh lah aliyah, and by Rani and Jennifer Herman in honor of his father's יארצייט yahrzeit today, החבר אריה יעקב אליעזר בן החבר נפתלי hechaver Aryeh Yaakov Eliezer ben hachaver Naftali's, נשמתו שתהיה לו עליה nishmaso she'tihyeh lo aliyah through our דברי תורה divrei Torah, and by Nadine Kaller Hordish and Rayna Hordish, in memory of the complete and speedy recovery of our dear friend איתן משה בן גילה הינדא Eitan Moshe ben Gila Hinda, and by Nadine Kaller Hordish and General Ryzenbut for a רפואה שלמה refuah shleimah of שלמה מרדכי בן לאה יטא Shlomo Mordechai ben Leah Yitta. So thank you for all of our generous sponsors. In this time in which there's not a lot of flow of finances, we deeply appreciate your support to the community. Also, just public service announcement before we dive into the פרשה Parsha. Tonight we have our annual הגדה Haggadah night. Educators, rabbis throughout the community. This time we're doing it on Zoom and Facebook Live. Instead of the famous five-minute countdown clock, Rabbi Moskowitz will simply mute those who violate their five-minute rule, but get insights through the width and breadth of the הגדה Haggadah tonight. That is available. And last, I want to invite everybody on מוצאי שבת Motzei Shabbos, 9:00 p.m. live on YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Zoom, we'll be having our שבת הגדול דרשה Shabbos Hagadol drasha, seeing the glass as half full, lessons we can learn from the כוס של אליהו kos shel Eliyahu, the cup of אליהו Eliyahu.So before we dive into the פרשה Parsha together this morning, I want to take a look first at the question of שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. This שבת Shabbos is known as שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. And normally rabbis around the world are scrambling to put together a meaningful, moving, inspiring, relevant, contemporary דרשה drasha for this שבת Shabbos. Of course, this year we have the unusual reality that we are confined to our homes, socially distancing from one another, and therefore, many, some will be broadcasting it live. I'm going to do it from the בימה bima to try to give as authentic a feel as we can. But the question is why? What makes it שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol? Where did it get its name? The גמרא שבת דף פ\"ז Gemara Shabbos daf peh zayin and תוספות Tosfos there comments that the reason it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol is for the following, and this is the most famous explanation. We know that on the 10th of ניסן Nissan, השם Hashem already instructed the Jewish people that they needed to garner the courage and to go capture an animal, the deity of the Egyptians, tie it to their bedposts, leave it there until the 14th when they would slaughter it and eat it that night. For those days that the animal was tied to their bedpost, those days, the courage it took to capture the deity of their oppressor, of persecutors for more than two centuries, the courage it took to put faith in השם Hashem and to be a partner of His in redemption, to be willing to take that step and do what was necessary. This entire process of redemption really began on the 10th of ניסן Nissan. It didn't wait for פסח Pesach, the 14th and the 15th. And since the 10th of ניסן Nissan that year was a שבת Shabbos, says תוספות Tosfos, that's why it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. The great שבת Shabbos of the great courage, of the great devotion, of the great initiative, of the great partnership with השם Hashem. That was the miracle that took place at that time, and that's why it's called שבת Shabbos, and that's why it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol.The בית יוסף Beis Yosef, the טור Tur, everybody gives reasons. The פרי חדש Pri Chadash gives another fascinating reason. He says the Egyptians knew that the Jews in Egypt were שומרי שבת shomrei Shabbos. Even in Egypt, ultimately that was taken away, but early on, we were given the right, the privilege, the opportunity to observe שבת Shabbos even within Egypt itself. So why don't we call whatever day the tenth is, Tuesday הגדול Hagadol, Wednesday הגדול Hagadol? Whenever the tenth falls out in that particular year, that should be the הגדול Hagadol. Why is it always שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol? Says the פרי חדש Pri Chadash because the Egyptians knew that the Jews observed שבת Shabbos. They knew that more than Jews have kept שבת Shabbos, שבת Shabbos has kept the Jews. The מדרש Medrash tells us, מתמיהין שמתעסקין בבעלי חיים בשבת Matmihin she'mitaplin b'baalei chaim b'Shabbos, ועל ידי כך שאלו מפיך טעם הנס בשבת v'al yedei kach sha'alu m'ficha ta'am ha-neis b'Shabbos. What evoked the sense of it being so great? What was so courageous? What was so brave and so miraculous? The fact that the Jews were already observing שבת Shabbos in Egypt meant that they would not interact with animals. They were מוקצה muktzah. Yet that year, that שבת Shabbos, they were, which precipitated the Egyptians to ask, \"What are you doing?\" And when they explained, \"Oh, your god? We're tying it to a dead bedpost, because קודשא בריך הוא kadosh baruch hu, the Almighty's going to take us out.\" That was the miracle. So therefore, says the פרי חדש Pri Chadash, what made it שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol, specifically connected to שבת Shabbos, was that interacting with the animal to take it, to tie it, was in itself a violation of שבת Shabbos, and that's what evoked the Egyptians to ask and enabled the Jews to say, \"It may be your God, but it's not the real God.\" The reason God did all these miracles was a curriculum to communicate and educate to you and to us that there is only One above, that He is in charge, that He runs the entire world, that He is the source of all that exists. The בני יששכר Bnei Yissaschar, the הייליגע רבי Heilige Rebbe, explains a little bit differently, quotes the עולת אפרים Olas Ephraim. And we know the גמרא Gemara tells us, גדול המצווה ועושה ממי שאינו מצווה ועושה Gadol hametzuveh v'oseh mi'she'eino metzuveh v'oseh. Somebody who's commanded to do something receives even more reward and is in a greater position than somebody who's doing something voluntarily. It's counterintuitive. You'd say to yourself, a person who's moved on their own, who volunteers to do it, they should surpass, that is even greater, they should receive a greater reward than the person who is obligated or commanded. And yet, the גמרא Gemara tells us in several places that קידושין דף ל\"א Kiddushin daf lamed aleph, גדול המצווה ועושה ממי שאינו מצווה ועושה Gadol hametzuveh v'oseh mi'she'eino metzuveh v'oseh, greater is the person who is commanded. Why? I remember when I was young, one of my teachers gave the following metaphor. Said, you know, if your parents leave the house at night and they say, \"Listen, by the time we're home, I want you to clean your room, clean the kitchen, clean the house.\" Eh, can't believe I have to do that, miserable, you don't want to, you hesitate. But what if you're not asked to by your teachers? What if you by your teachers? By your parents. Your parents leave for the night, they don't ask you anything. And then all of a sudden, instinctively, internally, you are moved to want to clean the house, surprise your parents, you're so excited. The reward when you do something voluntarily is the fact that you were internally motivated. You don't have to come overcome any obstacle. You don't have to overcome any friction to be able to do it. You were motivated to do it naturally and internally. And therefore גדול המצווה ועושה gadol hametzuveh v'oseh, the one who's responding and reacting to being commanded, even when there's inertia against you, in fact, is doing something greater and gets a greater reward. So therefore, says the בני יששכר Bnei Yissaschar, when השם Hashem said, \"Take this animal, tie it to the doorpost. This is going to be your first act of devotion to me,\" this was the first time they were a מצווה metzuveh. It's the first time the Jewish people are commanded. They are responding to a command from God. גדול המצווה ועושה Gadol hametzuveh v'oseh. One is even greater when you're reacting to being commanded. You're meeting the need of another. We'll relate this momentarily to our פרשה parsha, פרשת צו Parshas Tzav, characterized, the very name of the פרשה parsha is צו tzav, the idea of being commanded, the idea of being dictated to. So says the בני יששכר Bnei Yissaschar, it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. It's the great שבת Shabbos because it was our first opportunity to reach that level of גדול המצווה gadol hametzuveh. This was the first time that we were doing something not voluntarily on our own, but we were commanded, responding to a request by a mandate by the Almighty Himself. Of course, another reason it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol is the הפטרה haftorah for this week. הנה אנכי שולח לכם את אליהו הנביא Hinei anochi sholeiach lachem es Eliyahu haNavi לפני בוא יום השם הגדול והנורא lifnei bo yom Hashem hagadol v'hanora. We are told that אליהו הנביא Eliyahu haNavi is the one who is going to be the harbinger of redemption. He's going to be the one who comes to announce and proclaim the redemption. לפני בוא יום השם הגדול והנורא lifnei bo yom Hashem hagadol v'hanora. The day of redemption, and it feels like we're in Messianic times. It feels in this unusual world in which we're living, there's something extraordinary happening around us. And that day is described as יום הגדול yom hagadol. So in anticipation, in excitement, with hope and optimism towards the towards the day when אליהו Eliyahu will come and he'll announce. You know, there are press conferences every day. The president has his, and the governor of New York has his, and the governor of Florida has his. קודשא בריך הוא kadosh baruch hu, אליהו Eliyahu is going to hold a press conference, and he's going to announce, \"This is it. New executive order, משיח Mashiach has arrived. משיח Mashiach is coming.\" יום השם הגדול והנורא yom Hashem hagadol v'hanora. This is שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol is that anticipation, is that excitement. As I said, that is our topic for this מוצאי שבת Motzei Shabbos for our שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol, how we can always see the cup as half full, drawing lessons from the כוס של אליהו kos shel Eliyahu. אליהו Eliyahu is of course the symbol, optimism and hope and a brighter future of seeing things in context, of understanding the silver lining, of choosing to see things with the cup as being half full. So that's a little bit of a background, a little bit of an insight into why it's called שבת הגדול Shabbos Hagadol. But that last insight of צו tzav, the notion that when God commands us, we reach an even higher level, really is a perfect place to begin and take us over to our פרשה parsha called פרשת צו Parshas Tzav. The פרשה parsha begins if you're in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash, page 568. פרשת צו Parshas Tzav, פרק ו פסוק א, פרשת צו perek vav pasuk aleph, Parshas Tzav. וידבר השם אל משה לאמר Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe leimor. God spoke to Moshe לאמר leimor, saying. From which the גמרא Gemara derives, we always have that פסוק pasuk, God communicated לאמר leimor saying. And the גמרא Gemara concludes, why do you have to say לאמר leimor, that God said so saying? Isn't it extraneous? וידבר השם אל משה Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe, God spoke to Moshe. And of course he told Moshe to teach. Says חז\"ל Chazal, no, not of course. You see there's a fascinating, very, very important insight particularly in our digital era in which we're able to share information so rapidly, so efficiently, so quickly. לאמר Leimor teaches us the following. If somebody tells you something, is the assumption that you're not allowed to repeat it unless they explicitly tell you you can? Or is the assumption you're allowed to repeat it unless they explicitly tell you you can't? Which is the assumption? So the חז\"ל Chazal understand from the word לאמר leimor, the fact that God has to give permission to Moshe. He says, I'm telling you this, repeat it, share it, post it, make it go viral. That means he's entitled. But had God not said לאמר leimor, that I'm telling it to you in order to share, then the assumption, the default is you're not allowed to share something unless unless you have permission to be able to do so. So God speaks to Moshe, צו tzav. And what did he tell him? צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר Tzav es Aharon v'es banav leimor. Command Aaron and his sons and tell them, זאת תורת העולה היא העולה על מוקדה על המזבח כל הלילה עד הבקר Zos toras ha'olah, hi ha'olah al mokda al hamizbeiach kol halayla ad haboker, ואש המזבח תוקד בו v'eish hamizbeiach tukad bo. We're going to examine this פסוק pasuk closely, but this is the law of the קרבן עולה korban olah, of the elevation offering. It's an elevation offering, it stays on the flame on the altar all night, burns until the morning, and the fire of the altar should remain a-flame on it. That fire needs to continue to rage, to burn, it needs to continue to consume entirely that קרבן עולה korban olah. This word צו tzav is unusual. We have many commandments, 613 of them in fact, throughout the תורה Torah, and not all of them are introduced with the word צו tzav. So why are we using the word צו tzav here? So we'll go back to our dear friend, זצ\"ל Zatzal, זכותו יגן עלינו Zchuso yagen aleinu, the great חלבן Chelban, the great milkman of ירושלים Yerushalayim, the Kabbalist, the great תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, I mentioned we studied a piece of his last week. And again, his essays are elaborate and long, and each time he communicates and develops an idea, he does so at length. They're all worth diving into, but it's hard to say over quickly in a in a פרשה שיעור parsha shiur. But I'll just draw your attention to one one paragraph or one section. Where he describes this notion that צו tzav means a command. And what does it mean when something is communicated with the language of a command? It speaks to me a lot now because, you know, in Florida we have an executive order, stay-home order, governors of different states, the President of the United States. Everybody's closely following what are the laws that that um, the laws that tell us and that prohibit us, that restrict us, what we're allowed to do and not do. What is an executive order? An executive order tells you that the executive who's issuing that order, what matters to them, what what they believe, what is their vision, what is their solution. When something is communicated through the means of an order, it tells you the executive of the author of that order, what they really care about. So listen to the חלבן Chelban. לענין זה יש להוסיף שמשמעות המלה צו L'inyan zeh, yeish l'hosif she'mashma'os ha'mila tzav, בא להורות גם על רצונו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ba l'horos gam al retzono she'kadosh baruch hu בעבודת הקרבנות b'avodas hakorbanos. This word צו tzav tells us how much השם Hashem values, he wants, he desires, he longs for when we offer those קרבנות korbanos. שכן כשהאדם מצווה מחבירו למעשה דבר שרוצה זה אותו בעצמו מאד Shekein k'sheha'adam metzuveh mi'chaviero l'ma'aseh davar she'rotzeh zeh oso ba'atzmo me'od. When a person asks you to do something, when they command you to do something, it means they really, really want it. So if you say to your child, \"If you have time, if you don't mind, if you can, if you want to, then do it,\" it means that you're not entirely invested, you're not entirely um, it doesn't mean that much to you. But if you say to your child, \"Please do this, do this. I'm asking you to do this. I'm counting to three for you to do this,\" then it reveals and reflects how much you desire it, how much you want it, how much you value it. שכן אומר זה בלשון חובה ופקודה shechein omer zeh bilashon chova u'pekuda, ולא רק אמירה שאינה מצביעה על גודל הרצון v'lo rak amira she'eina matzbia al godel ha'ratzon. This is not just an אמירה amira, it's not just communicating verbally, it's צו tzav. Here's a command. This is my executive order. Says השם Hashem, I as the executive, you can see what matters to me, what's important to me by the word, by the means, by the mechanism in which I choose to communicate it. ומובן זה במלה צו בא לעורר כל המלאכת הקרבנות U'muvan zeh b'mila tzav ba l'orer kol hamalachas ha'korbanos, נחשקת ורצויה מאד, גם מסטרא דלעילא nechshekes v'retzuya me'od, gam misitra d'la'ila, כמו הדוד שמבקש את רעיתו kmo ha'dode she'mevakesh es ra'ayaso. מלאכת הקרבנות, קירוב וחיבור בין קודשא בריך הוא וכנסת ישראל Malachas hakorbanos, kiruv v'chibur bein Kudsha Brich Hu u'Knesses Yisrael. נחשקת מאד מאד nechshekes me'od me'od. These sacrifices, they're not archaic or arcane, they're not outdated or irrelevant. They're what הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants. We show our passion, our devotion to Him by our willingness to make sacrifices, to compromise, to do what's right. All of us are entering this period, we're now almost only a week away from Pesach, and the effort it takes to make Pesach, לפום צערא אגרא l'fum tzara agra. According to the effort, according to the investment, according to the work is the reward. And we know in all the relationships in our lives, when a person extends themselves, when they put themselves out for us, their willingness to sacrifice is proportional to their devotion, their love towards us. So these קרבנות korbanos, what these sacrifices mean, both the מצוה mitzva proper, but the symbolism and the metaphor in a greater sense, they are so beloved, they're precious to השם Hashem, they represent this bond between קודשא בריך הוא וכנסת ישראל Kudsha Brich Hu u'Knesses Yisrael. מעילא לתתא, גם הדכורא וגם הנוקבא Me'ila l'tata, gam ha'dchura v'gam ha'nukva, משתוקקים ליחוד הגמור המרמז בניצוצות בעבודת הקרבנות mishtokekim l'yichud ha'gamar hamermeiz b'nositzos b'avodas hakorbanos. משום כך, דוקא המלה צו Mishum kach, davka ha'mila tzav, רומזת על צוותא וחיבור remezes al tzavsa v'chibur. כמו שאמרו בחסידות kmo she'amru b'chasidus, שהנה דוקא במלה זו ניכר היטב עד כמה מלאכת הקדש ההיא she'hinei davka b'mila zo nikar heitev ad kama malachas hakodesh ha'hi, היו רחושים ונחשקים משני הצדדים hayu rechashim v'nechshakim mishnei hatzdadim. When the word צו tzav is used, it reveals, it reflects, it's a flag, it's indicating this is something that really matters to השם Hashem. This is something which is really critical. This is something which creates that sense of that bond. So says the חלבן Chelban, the word צו tzav is not coincidental. We see it only in very few places, and when we see it, it's an executive order. God says through the use of the word צו tzav, \"I want you to know this really matters to me. I really care about it. It is really the means in which the two of us can connect. And therefore, take it seriously and pursue it.\" So again, back to this opening פסוק pasuk. צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר Tzav es Aharon v'es banav leimor. Command Aaron and his children, saying, this is the law of the עולה olah, it sits on the on מזבח mizbeiach, and has to burn the whole night, and that fire on the מזבח mizbeiach must rage, must rage. Says רש\"י Rashi, what does this mean? So says רש\"י Rashi, from the תורת כהנים Toras Kohanim he's quoting from the מדרש Medrash, אין צו אלא לשון זריזות מיד ולדורות Ein tzav ela lashon zrizus miyad u'l'doros. Whenever we see that word צו tzav, the חלבן Chelban tells us צו tzav means executive order. It means it really matters to the Almighty. But says רש\"י Rashi, אין צו אלא לשון זריזות מיד ולדורות Ein tzav ela lashon zrizus miyad u'l'doros. צו Tzav means זריזות zrizus, alacrity, speed, zeal. Go do it. Don't procrastinate. Don't wait. I can have my child and I can say, \"Listen, when you get a chance and if you don't mind, could you take care of X, Y and Z?\" And the child will say, \"Okay, I'll do it later, later today, later this week, later this month, later this year, later this lifetime.\" But when you say צו tzav, it means, \"Can you take care of this right now? Stop what you're doing, and please take care of this right now. I'm trying to light the fire.\" That's the language that we use. Interestingly, it's the language of the פסוק pasuk, that this קרבן עולה korban olah has to be on the fire, and the fire can't diminish or extinguish, the fire has to rage the entire night. And we say to somebody, \"I'm lighting, I got to light a fire under you.\" לשון זריזות lashon zrizus, alacrity, zeal, go do it. We talk about this Wednesday mornings. We'll talk about it tomorrow in our מסילת ישרים Mesilas Yesharim. The second of the character traits that leads to the most perfected life, the life that is the best version of ourselves, the second character trait is is זריזות zrizus. Alacrity, zeal, set a goal, pursue it, make it happen. So says רש\"י Rashi quoting from the חז\"ל Chazal, from the מדרש Medrash, צו tzav is God's way of saying, \"Don't do this later today or later this week or later this month.\" צו לשון זריזות Tzav lashon zrizus. Go do it מיד miyad, right now. ולדורות U'l'doros. And this has to have ramifications, it has resonance for generations. אמר רבי שמעון, יותר צרוך הכתוב לזרז במקום שיש בו חסרון כיס Amar Rabbi Shimon, yoter tzaruch hakasuv l'zarez b'makom she'yesh bo chesron kis. And why does God have to say that? Why didn't can't God just give the mitzvah like he always does? Do we not trust the כהנים kohanim to react? Do we not trust the Jewish people to do the mitzvah? A nation who said נעשה ונשמע Na'aseh v'nishma, \"Tell us and we will do,\" they're not going to run with it? Says רש\"י Rashi quoting חז\"ל Chazal, no, you know why? Because over here, יש בו חסרון כיס yesh bo chesron kis. There is an a cost, there's an expense, there's a loss which is taking place. What is the loss which is taking place? So the קרבן עולה korban olah burns and is consumed on the altar the entire night. Normally the כהן kohein who brings the offer has the ability to benefit from it. The כהן kohein eats from the meat, the flesh, a delicious barbecue. But now the כהן kohein gets nothing. It's consumed entirely on the altar. So maybe that's the חסרון כיס chesron kis. But the רמב\"ן Ramban is bothered by that. And says the רמב\"ן Ramban the following. He quotes רש\"י Rashi and he quotes the חז\"ל Chazal, רש\"י Rashi is really quoting a חז\"ל Chazal. And then he says, ומדרשו של רבי שמעון אינו אצור על הצרה U'medrasho shel Rabbi Shimon eino azur al hatzara, צוואה tzavah. כי כאן אין בו חסרון כיס לבני אהרן המצווים בו Ki kan ein bo chesron kis livnei Aharon hametzuveh bo. אבל יש להם רווח ושכר בכל הקרבנות גם בעולה aval yesh lahem revach v'sachar b'chol hakorbanos gam b'olah. What loss is there to the כהנים kohanim? Who needs to light a fire under them? They're going to hesitate because they're experiencing a loss? What loss? Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, they benefit from the עולה olah like they do from every other קרבן korban, namely, true the קרבן korban is consumed on the fire the whole night, but they get the skin. They get the leather, the hide. So what's the loss that they're experiencing? And the cost of the קרבן עולה korban olah is not passed on to the כהנים kohanim. It comes out from the communal budget. It comes out from the communal fund. So what loss are they sustaining? אבל אמר התנא קמא, אין צו אלא לשון זריזות ולא יותר Aval amar ha'tanna kamma, ein tzav ela lashon zrizus v'lo yoter. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, what does this mean? שהפירוש שירצה הכתוב לזרז באמירה שיעשה מיד Sha'perush she'yirtzeh ha'kasuv l'zarez b'amira she'yaaseh miyad, וינהג הדבר לדורות שיאמרו לעם בצו v'yinhag ha'davar l'doros she'yomru la'am b'tzav. ובשאר הפרושים יאמר דבר אל בני ישראל ואמר להם Uv'sha'ar haperushim yomar davar el Bnei Yisrael v'omar lahem. Try to get them to do it quickly, trying to get them to do it like they care, trying to get them to do it that they move. What's the real loss? What's the חסרון כיס chesron kis the חז\"ל Chazal were talking about? כגון, החסרון כיס Kegon, ha'chesron kis that they were talking about is, הצוואה אמורה בשמן המאור hatzavua amura b'shemen hamaor. צו את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך Tzav es Bnei Yisrael v'yikchu eilecha shemen zayis zach, שמן לשבת shemen la'shabbos. ויתכן שמשום שיש בצו חסרון כיס לכל המדבר זה v'yitachein she'mishum she'yesh b'tzav chesron kis l'kol hamedaber zeh. No, because the continuation, the notion of the oil for the candelabra, that came out of the כהן kohein budget. That they had to bring. So the reference to the חסרון כיס chesron kis, the reference to the sense of loss that the kohein experiences is not talking about this קרבן עולה korban olah, says the רמב\"ן Ramban, disagreeing with רש\"י Rashi, but rather is talking about the oil. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar has a third interpretation. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar, רש\"י Rashi, the רמב\"ן Ramban, and the כלי יקר Kli Yakar brings a third interpretation of why the kohein need a fire lit under them, why they need to move. But I want to draw your attention to a דבר שפת dvar sh'pat. I saw this and I was blown away. Two insights, two interpretations, and we introduced him also last week, which is Rav Yisrael Meir Druk. Rav Yisrael Meir Druk is a ראש ישיבה בארץ ישראל, ירושלים rosh yeshiva b'Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim, a great תלמיד חכם talmid chacham. He's very close with Rav Chaim Kanievsky. They learn together בחברותא b'chavrusa, תלמיד חבר talmid chaver of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, and he has a set of ספר ספרים sefer sfarim, interestingly called אש תמיד Eish Tamid, which means the the consistent, the endless fire, which is from our פרשה parsha, האש תמיד, הנר תמיד ha-eish tamid, ha-ner tamid. So Rav Yisrael Meir Druk says the following, very interesting. He quotes רש\"י Rashi and then he quotes the רמב\"ן Ramban, but he's bothered. He's bothered. And he says the following. שיטת רש\"י שהזריזות נאמר לאהרן ובניו על פרשת הקרבנות צריכה ביאור Shitas Rashi she'ha'zrizus ne'emar l'Aharon u'vanav al parshas hakorbanos tzricha biur. איזה חסרון כיס יש בכך לכהנים eizeh chesron kis yesh b'kach l'kohanim. He too asks on רש\"י Rashi, what loss? It comes out of the communal budget. And the כהנים kohanim still do benefit. They get from the skin, the hide. So listen to what he says. He says the following. The גמרא מנחות Gemara Menachos tells us, אמר רב שמואל בר נחמני, מאי דכתיב זאת תורת העולה, למנחה, לחטאת, ולאשם? Amar Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani, mai d'chsiv zos toras ha'olah, la'mincha, la'chatas, v'la'asham? What is the pasuk in our פרשה parsha? These are the laws, this is the Torah of these different sacrifices. It comes to teach us the following. כל העוסק בתורה כאילו הקריב עולה, מנחה, חטאת, ואשם Kol ha'osek b'Torah k'ilu hikriv olah, mincha, chatas, v'asham. It means whoever occupies themselves with Torah study, like you are with me this morning on YouTube, on Zoom, on Facebook, on this recording, maybe you're listening to later. Whatever means, whatever gift and blessing of technology that we have, otherwise it's me myself and I here in this room. When you sit and you study Torah, and particularly when we're studying the Torah of the קרבנות korbanos, כאילו הקריב kilu hikriv. When we are delving and plumbing the depths, when we're understanding and dissecting the details, it's as if we brought the קרבנות korbanos themselves. We've tapped into their symbolism and their significance, and we are being elevated and enriched and transformed by their meaning. ואמר רבא, כל העוסק בתורה אינו צריך לא עולה, ולא חטאת, ולא מנחה, ולא אשם V'amar Rava, kol ha'osek b'Torah eino tzarich lo olah, v'lo chatas, v'lo mincha, v'lo asham. And Torah learning is so sacred, Torah learning is so high, is so great that in fact, if you're occupied with the Torah learning, particularly Torah learning of these קרבנות korbanos, then you don't need them. אמר רב יצחק, מאי דכתיב זאת תורת החטאת וזאת תורת האשם Amar Rav Yitzchak, mai d'chsiv zos toras ha'chatas v'zos toras ha'asham? כל העוסק בתורת חטאת כאילו הקריב חטאת Kol ha'osek b'toras chatas k'ilu hikriv chatas. כל העוסק בתורת אשם כאילו הקריב אשם Kol ha'osek b'toras asham k'ilu hikriv asham. So says Rav Yisrael Meir Druk, so we see that somebody who is studying the laws, the details of the קרבנות korbanos, someone who's understanding their significance and their meaning is enriched by them as if they brought them. ממילא יש לומר, כי על דבר זה נצטוה משה לזרז אהרן ובניו Me'meila yeish lomar, ki al davar zeh nitztaveh Moshe l'zarez Aharon u'banav, שידעו סוד זאת, כי מי שעוסק בתורה אינו צריך להקריב שום קרבן She'yeidu so zos, ki mi she'osek b'Torah eino tzarich l'hakriv shum korban. You don't think the כהנים kohanim knew that? The כהנים kohanim knew. So the כהנים kohanim might have said to themselves, \"Listen, you know what it takes? To wake up, wash, immerse, get dressed in the בגדי כהונה b'dei kahuna, schlep the animal, lean on the animal, שחט sh'chet the animal, collect the blood, sprinkle the blood, flay the animal, burn the parts.\" It's an enormous עבודה avodah. It's called an עבודה avodah for a reason. It's a huge effort, it's a huge work. So maybe the כהנים kohanim are going to say to themselves, \"You know, we also know this little secret, that when you learn Torah and you learn about the קרבנות korbanos, it's כאילו kilu as if you brought them. So you know what? Why do we have to bring them? Why do we have to get out of bed? Why do we have to get dressed? Why do we have to go there? Why do we have to engage a whole עבודה avodah? We'll just learn their laws and כאילו kilu, it's as if we fulfilled them.\" לכן נצטוה משה לזרז אהרן ובניו Lachein nitztaveh Moshe l'zarez Aharon v'banav, וענין זה עצמו, אף על פי שיש להם בו חסרון כיס v'inyan zeh atzmo, af al pi she'yesh lahem bo chesron kis. And that's why Moshe needed to give them this extra little nudge. He had to light a fire under them. He had to say to them, \"No, it's כאילו kilu, it's as if, but it's not the same. Go do it.\" Why does this speak to me so much? Why does that resonate for me? Because you know, one of my big concerns, obviously for everybody's health and safety and security first and foremost, primary, but a concern I have is when this is all over, and when we are able to integrate and gather and come together, is anyone going to come to the שיעור shiur? Or is everyone going to say, you know, \"Rabbi, I liked כאילו kilu being at the שיעור shiur when I was watching on Zoom. It was כאילו kilu I was at the שיעור shiur when I was on Facebook Live. It was כאילו kilu at the שיעור shiur when I watched it on YouTube. So I can lie in bed in my גאַטקעס gatkes, I can sit on my couch, sipping my coffee. I don't have to fight for parking, I don't have to fight for a seat. And I, it's כאילו kilu I'm in the שיעור shiur, I'm watching from here. Do I really have to go to מנין minyan? You know, I found there were communities that were hosting Zoom gatherings for davening. So nine friends and I will Zoom together, daven at the same time, and כאילו kilu we had a מנין minyan. כאילו קבלת שבת kilu kabbalas shabbos. כאילו kilu I sold my חמץ chometz. כאילו kilu I attended a סיום של בכור siyum shel bechor. כאילו, כאילו, כאילו kilu, kilu, kilu. I've learned over technology that I can experience everything in a כאילו kilu, as if. And I'm concerned. In fact, tomorrow night on our coffee talk, which is 9:00 Eastern standing time, which is unlike a formal שיעור shiur, it's just a shmooze session about what's going on, how we arrive at our decisions, what's really happening, what's going on. So that's the first question I want to open with with our panel of guests. What that's happening now do we hope continues? What that's happening now do we hope we drop? And what do we hope that wish continues but we're fearful it won't? So this insight of Rav Yisrael Meir Druk, you know why השם Hashem, you know why Moshe needed to light a fire under the כהנים kohanim, לזרזם l'zarezam, ב חסרון כיס b'chesron kis is because once you experience something and you say, \"You know, that was good enough. It was כאילו kilu. I was as if I made it to the wedding. So instead of having to get dressed up and write a check and pay the valet and pay the tolls and come to the wedding, zoom me into the wedding. That's what we did during the coronavirus.\" So the חתן וכלה chasan v'kallah who stand under the חופה chuppah, their parents might appreciate the cost savings, but they won't. And everyone, the guests will say, \"Why get dressed up? And why drove and pay to drive and pay the tolls? And why come home late another night?\" כאילו Kilu, we'll watch it over Zoom, and כאילו kilu we were at the wedding. So no, there are no כאילו kilu, even when it's true, that when you have no choice. We have no קרבנות korbanos, we have no choice. So we learn about them, we study about them. We tap into them, we're enriched by them because we have no choice. But we would never change that in at all for the opportunity to have a בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, to be in ירושלים Yerushalayim, to bring these קרבנות korbanos and become קרוב karov, become close to השם Hashem. And similarly with all these other things. So therefore, this insight really resonates deeply for me. Rav Druk has a second explanation, another answer that he gives. And again, he says, ענין שצריך לזרז אהרן ובניו לדבר שיש בו חסרון כיס, תמוה מאד Inyan she'tzarich l'zarez Aharon u'banav l'davar she'yesh bo chesron kis, tamu'a me'od. We're talking about אהרן הכהן Aharon Hakohein. Aaron and his sons needed a fire lit under them? Talking about אהרן הכהן Aharon Hakohein. He loved הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and he was driven and he acted with enthusiasm. And what loss is there? All of a sudden Aaron, he's penny penny-pinching. He cares about his money so much? He's so stingy? Aaron is so materialistic? Aaron all of a sudden cares so much about money that because there's a loss by bringing the עולה olah, we have to light the fire and we need to be told צו tzav. It's what bothered the רמב\"ן Ramban, as we spoke about. Says Rav Druk quoting his father, the great דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai, ופירש אבי מורי זכרונו לברכה U'perish avi mori zechrono l'vracha. ודאי, שאהרן יקיים את ציווי השם בשמחה Vadai, she'Aharon yikayem es tzivui Hashem b'simcha. This instruction wasn't for Aaron, of course he was ready to fulfill it with joy and with happiness. וכן בניו, ולא יתעצלו מחמת חסרון כיס שיש להם בדבר V'chein banav, v'lo ya'atzlu m'lachmas chesron kis she'yesh lahem b'davar. They never would have hesitated or demured because there was any loss they would sustain. אף על פי יפסידו ממון רב בשביל ציווי השם Af al pi yafsid mamon rav b'shvil tzivui Hashem. They were ready to pay a great cost in order to fulfill the will of השם Hashem. So what is this talking about? אלא הסיבה שהוצרך לזרזם אינה בעבור ממון עצמם Ela hasiba she'hutzrach l'zarzam eina b'avur mamon atzmam. It's not about their own money. אלא בעבור ממונם של שאר היהודים ela b'avur mamonam shel sh'ar ha'yehudim. כי הכהן יראה אדם שצריך להביא קרבן עולה Ki ha'kohein yir'eh adam she'tzarich l'havi korban olah, והוא עני שאין לו ממון רב v'hu ani she'ein lo mamon rav, ונכמר רחמיו על אותו אדם v'nichmar rachamav al oso adam, ויאמר לו כי'מעט להביא עולה v'yomar lo ki'mat l'havi olah, יביא שלמים yavi shlamim. כך יהיה לו גם חלק ויוכל לאכול ממנו Kach yehi lo gam chelek v'yuchal l'echol mimeno. See if the כהן kohein encountered, if the כהן kohein encountered a poor person who needs to bring a קרבן עולה korban olah but he couldn't afford it. And the כהן kohein had pity, so he said, \"You know what? You bring שלמים shlamim. Better for you, costs less. Better for me, I get part of the meat.\" But he wouldn't fulfill. That's why it's צו tzav. Not because there was a a fear that Aaron and his sons would hesitate, but there was a concern that Aaron and his sons would hesitate on behalf of the Jewish people. This is leadership. Jewish leadership is counting the pennies, not of ourselves, but of the people for whom we are responsible, to care about, to hesitate when it comes to our communal budget, our communal spending, to care about the people who are hurting during this time and to be able to make sure that everyone has food for Pesach, that everyone has a roof over their head, that everyone has what they need. השם Hashem had to issue this special command צו tzav, not because he was worried about Aaron. He was worried that Aaron would worry about the Jewish people because that is who we're supposed to be, a people that pause, that wait, and that hesitate about the Jewish people. And thirdly, says Rav Yisrael Meir Druk, a third shot in this צו tzav. We're going to try to get past the first word of the פרשה Parsha, צו tzav. We're going to try. So this is the third shot. We saw the צו tzav, the רש\"י Rashi, the רמב\"ן Ramban, the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, the first two insights of Rav Druk, and this is his third. Each of these is so powerful and so time timely that I couldn't help but share them with you. He says the following. Really quoting from the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here. He says the ירושלמי Yerushalmi tells us, מעשה ברב יוחנן שאיבד לו ארנק ma'aseh b'Rav Yochanan she'ivad lo arnak. ושאלו ממנו דבר הלכה, ולא ידע she'eilev mimeno davar halacha, l'yada. So he said, דעתי תלויה בכיסי daasai t'luya b'kisei. He says because I can't answer because I can't think clearly. And why can't I think clearly? Because my thoughts are on my wallet. I lost my wallet. I'm watching the stock market plummet. I'm watching my real estate values go down. It's hard to concentrate on anything. It's hard to concentrate on anything. How can I make sound decisions? How can I have a presence of mind when I'm watching my portfolio disappear? Please God, it's going to bounce back. Please God, the foundation of the economy is strong. When this passes, we're all going to be okay. But השם Hashem, who is the source of our פרנסה parnasa and all, I don't want to scare anybody. But Rav Yochanan answered is, he said, \"You know, when a person is worried, where our mind is is on our finances, our ability to provide for ourselves. How can I answer your question with the דבר הלכה d'var halacha? How can I concentrate?\" ומכאן ראיה שחסרון כיס יכול לחכם לבוא לידי מעשה טעות U'mikan ra'ayah she'chesron kis yochil l'chacham l'yov l'idei ma'aseh t'na'ah. שנתנו לו להקים על חשבון ביכורי עצים She'nasnu lo l'hakem al achshav be'choreish v'eitzim. כהן קרבן זה כמשפט, צריך לעשות אחר וראשון בטל ואבד koin korban zeh k'mishpat, tzarich l'asos acher v'rishon batal v'oved. כן פירוש החזקוני Kein perush ha'chisukuni. ועל ידי חסרון כיס זה, יבוא לידי בלבול ויבוא לידי הרהור עבירה V'al yedei chesron kis zeh, yavo l'dai bilbul v'yavo l'dai hirhur aveira. So what does it mean the חסרון כיס chesron kis is? The כהן kohein's worried he's going to get it wrong. And if you get it wrong, if you mess up the שחיטה sh'chitah, if you mess up the עבודה avodah, then you caused a very expensive animal. So when you're worried about חסרון כיס chesron kis, when you're worried about wasting money, when you're worried about messing something up in a way that will cost you or cost others a lot, that's a distraction, and that gives you pause and reason to hesitate. And that's why he needed a little extra fire lit under him to go and to do it, to go and to make it happen. Okay, back to this first פסוק pasuk. So we talked about the word צו tzav, why the לשון צו lashon tzav. חלבן Chelban, רש\"י Rashi, רמב\"ן Ramban, כלי יקר Kli Yakar, the first two insights of Rav Druk of the אש תמיד Eish Tamid. But let's continue in this very פסוק pasuk. זאת תורת העולה Zos toras ha'olah. This is the law of the עולה olah. And we already referenced that our parsha is going to say the same thing about each of the קרבנות korbanos. זאת תורת החטאת Zos toras ha'chatas, זאת תורת האשם zos toras ha'asham, זאת תורת השלמים zos toras ha'shlamim. This is the תורה Torah of. Do we have so many תורות Toros? We have one תורה Torah. It's got five parts, five books, the חומש Chumish, but it's one תורה Torah. So why are we referring to each and every one of these as its own sense of a תורה Torah? So here רב וואלבע Rav Wolbe has a great insight. The great משגיח Mashgiach, רב וואלבע Rav Wolbe. He says the following. He says the following, זאת תורת Zos Toras, so this is the law of, this is the תורה Torah of. The תורה Torah of the עולה Olah, the תורה Torah of the שלמים Shlamim, the תורה Torah of the מנחה Mincha. Why? He says the wisdom of the תורה Torah is unique in that it focuses more on the details than the general rules. Of course, we care about בגדול b'gadol, the big picture. Of course, that's what matters. But the big picture is fulfilled, the big picture is is arrived at, it's executed through the details. We are part of a religion that the details matter. I can't tell you how often I've had the conversation with someone who's not yet observant, or is in the wrong direction of growth and observance, and they'll say, what does God care so much about the מנושה menusha and the details? I'm a good person. Isn't that what תורה Torah is really all about? Being a good person. I'm a kind person, a caring person, a sympathetic person, an honest person. What are the מנושה menusha, the details, what order I tie my shoe, 39 מלאכות melachos on שבת Shabbos, how I separate the jelly beans, whether I destroy the חמץ chametz. What's with the מנושה menusha and what's with the details? Says רב וואלבע Rav Wolbe, that's what the תורה Torah here is telling us. זאת תורת הא Zos Toras ha, this is the תורה Torah of that particular area. Because the details matter. The primary goal of תורה Torah study is to break down each מצוה mitzvah into the practical הלכות halachos, to find the details. Because the מידה midah, the deeper meaning, the resonance, the why is fulfilled through the what. If you are so occupied by the why. What's the טעם המצוה ta'am ha'mitzvah? What's the deeper reason for the מצוה mitzvah? But you neglect and you fail to fulfill the details, if you miss the formula, then you're not going to get it right. You know, in medicine, the cocktail, the prescription, the medicine you're given. It's not as it's not בגדול b'gadol. So a person, God forbid, was suffering an illness, and they went to the doctor, and the doctor prescribed a certain medicine. Or the doctor prescribed a certain therapeutic treatment, which was a cocktail, a series of medicines, a combination. And you said, I got the big picture. What does the מנושה menusha, what do the details count? Who cares about the details? You told me basically sleep, eat chicken soup, rest, hydrate, and take a little this, that, and the other, the exact amounts, and the exact ingredients, what does it matter? I'm looking at the big picture, who cares about the מנושה menusha. The details matter. The details are how we can arrive at and fulfill the big picture. The importance of total lens to detail is in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch. שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch in סימן ר י א siman reish yud aleph, סעיף ז seif zayin, that if a person sits down to a meal and you're given two kinds of food, what do you make the ברכה bracha on first? So one of the ברכות brachos let's say is a שהכל Shehakol. And the other ברכה bracha is a בורא פרי העץ Borei Pri Ha'eitz. So you have a cup of coffee and an apple. Oh, I have props. I didn't do this on purpose even, but I happen to have props. I have an apple and I have a now cold cup of coffee. So if I were to make a ברכה bracha, which one do you make the ברכה bracha on first? The apple, after you take the sticker off and wash it carefully, העץ Ha'eitz, or the cup of coffee, שהכל Shehakol? What morning can begin without a שהכל Shehakol, a nice, good, delicious, steaming hot cup of coffee? So the הלכה halacha is a בורא פרי העץ Borei Pri Ha'eitz takes precedence. Why is the בורא פרי העץ Borei Pri Ha'eitz take precedence? Why do you make the בורא פרי העץ Borei Pri Ha'eitz on the apple before you do on the cup of coffee? So שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch tells us, because the more specific, the more detailed, the more narrow the ברכה bracha, the more significant, the more elevated it is. שהכל Shehakol is a generic ברכה bracha. שהכל Shehakol you make on just the large category: meat, fish, beverages. עץ Eitz is specific. It's fruit, fruit of the tree. The more specific, the more detailed, the more narrowed in, the more elevated, the more significant it is. It is specifically detailed-oriented Torah study that is what helps us overcome the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara. When we care about the מנושה menusha, and we care about the details, when we're getting it right, be it in the exercise room, be it when you're coming out of the doctor's office with the prescription of the medicine that you're taking, be it with how to properly take these precautions. You can't say, you know, בגדול b'gadol, I care about not spreading this virus. But the מנושה menusha, the details they keep telling me about washing my hands, the מנושה menusha about social distancing. What if I do four feet instead of six? What if I sing half a stanza of Happy Birthday and wash for 10 seconds instead of 20? What if I, what if I, what if I? The מנושה menusha, the details, that's what matters. The גמרא Gemara in קידושין דף ל Kiddushin daf lamed tells us that if a person is confronting the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara, the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara is trying to drive us to look at something, say something, go something, think something. How do we overcome it? And the גמרא Gemara there has a formula not for now, but concludes by saying משכהו לבית מדרש mashchehu l'beis medrash, drag the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara to the בית מדרש Beis Medrash. Today you could do so easily in your גאַטקעס gatkes from your couch. You drag it to the בית מדרש Beis Medrash called Zoom, YouTube, Facebook, YU Torah, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg.org, Torah Anytime. You can go on any of these platforms. Today, you can drag the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara to the בית מדרש Beis Medrash instantly, in real time, by pressing a button without even having to go anywhere. How and why does that work? Says רב וואלבע Rav Wolbe, you know what why it works? Because when we delve into the details, that's what combats the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara. יצר הרע Yetzer Hara is trying to tell us, avoid the מנושה menusha, avoid the details. You're a good person, big picture, who cares? That's what the תורה Torah is telling us. זאת תורת העולה Zos Toras Ha'Olah, זאת תורת האשם Zos Toras Ha'Asham, זאת תורת החטאת Zos Toras Ha'Chatas. This is the Torah, these are the details of this given area because the details matter. This opening פסוק pasuk says זאת תורת העולה Zos Toras Ha'Olah, we begin with the laws of the עולה Olah. היא העולה על מוקדה על המזבח כל הלילה Hi ha'olah al mokda al hamizbeach kol halailah, ואש המזבח תוקד בו ve'eish hamizbeach tukad bo. And the fire of the מזבח mizbeach must burn בו bo, on it. The simple understanding of the word בו bo, that the the fire of the מזבח mizbeach has to burn on it, the בו bo, what's the בו bo, the it? The simple understanding of the it is referring to the מזבח mizbeach itself. The fire can't be extinguished. We have this idea of the נר תמיד Ner Tamid. I spoke about it last Friday going into שבת Shabbos, that השם Hashem is always with us. We are never alone, even when we feel like it. That that fire that represents the presence of the שכינה Shechina, he's always with us. This is an excruciatingly hard time for people who live alone. During the week at least there's social contact through technology, but שבת Shabbos and the prospect of a three-day יום טוב Yom Tov, it's so hard, the idea of being alone. It's so difficult. And so, אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח eish tamid tukad al hamizbeach, אש תמיד תוקד בו eish tamid tukad bo, the fire of השם Hashem, our נר תמיד Ner Tamid in שול shul burns. The שול shul may be empty, but the fire is still lit, because השם's Hashem's presence is still felt among us all the time. So the simple understanding of the word בו bo is, where is this fire does it need to continue to burn? On the מזבח mizbeach. But listen to this fascinating שפת אמת Sfas Emes, the הייליגער גערער רבי Heiliger Gerrer Rebbe. The שפת אמת Sfas Emes says, ואש המזבח תוקד בו v'eish hamizbeach tukad bo. The light of the מזבח mizbeach has to burn, בו bo doesn't mean the מזבח mizbeach. It means in him, in you, the כהן Kohen! It's not just about the fire on the מזבח mizbeach, that's the external, that's the superficial. That's the material fulfillment of the מצוה mitzvah. אש תמיד תוקד Eish tamid tukad, אש המזבח תוקד בו eish hamizbeach tukad bo! It has to burn in you, in every one of us. We have to not just fulfill a מצוה mitzvah externally, we have to do the מצוה mitzvah with all of our being, with a sense of passion. The תוקד בו tukad bo is it has to burn in us, in us. It has to burn, we have to be on fire. We have to be excited. It has to be something which is burning in us. Back to רב דרוק Rav Druk, אש תמיד Eish Tamid. Of course, he's got to have a וורט vort on this פסוק pasuk, it's the name of his whole set of ספרים sforim, אש תמיד Eish Tamid. Says רב דרוק Rav Druk, יש לעיין Yesh l'ayin, מה ענין ma inyan, מה הטעם ma ha'ta'am, אברים ופדרים שקרבים על המזבח evarim u'fadarim sh'krevim al hamizbeach, ומה שצריך דוקא באש umah she'tzarich davka b'eish? Why do we have this obligation to burn these parts of the animal on the מזבח mizbeach and specifically fire? What are we, a bunch of nation of pyromaniacs, a religion of pyros? Why are we so consumed? Fire, fire, fire, and it's got to burn in the fire and leave the fire. עוד יש לעיין בכפילות הפסוק Od yesh l'ayin b'kfeilus ha'pasuk. Moreover, asks רב דרוק Rav Druk, what's going on here in the פסוק pasuk? זאת תורת העולה היא העולה Zos toras ha'olah hi ha'olah. This is the law of the עולה olah. Oh, and in case you forgot, since I just said the word עולה olah, this is the law of the עולה olah. Which עולה olah? The עולה olah that's on the fire on the מזבח mizbeach all night. You know, the fire that has to burn all night. What's with the redundancies? ואם כן כבר ידענו בזה שצריכים אברים ופדרים לעלות כל המזבח V'im kein kvar yadana b'zeh sh'tzrichim evarim u'pedarim l'asos al kol hamizbeach. We know that the limbs have to be on the מזבח mizbeach all night. Why do we have to repeat it? So listen to what he says. ונראה לפרש V'neira l'vurs, כי הנה ידוע בספרים הקדושים ki ne yedua b'sfarim hakdoshim. It appears in the הייליגע ספרים הקדושים heilige sfarim hakdoshim. שכל חטא צריך תיקון על אותו אופן שנעשה החטא She'kol cheit tzrich tikun al osah ofen sh'naaseh ha'cheit. That whenever we make a mistake, when we do something wrong, the way we repair for the mistake that we've made is in the same manner in which we made the mistake. And where do we learn this from? So in other words, the same intensity, the same passion that brought us to violate that law, to make that mistake, is the same level of passion and intensity we need to repair and undo the mistake. It's direct proportional. It's a direct ratio. We have to correct and repair with the same level of intensity, passion, enthusiasm, with the same means and mechanism through which we violated. Where do we learn this idea from? Says רב דרוק Rav Druk, we learn it from the concept of כשר'ן כלים kashering keilim. כמו שמצאנו בהכשר כלים בפרשת גילוי מדין K'mo she'matzanu b'hechsher keilim b'parshas gilyui Midyan, כל דבר אשר יבוא באש תעבירו באש וטהר kol davar asher yavo ba'eish ta'aviru ba'eish v'taher. The פסק pasuk says in פרשת מטות parshas Matos, that when we go to war with the מדין Midyan, and we take their spoils, the loot, when we take their kitchen utensils and appliances, we got to כשר kasher them. How do you כשר kasher? It's on all of our minds, פסח Pesach is a few days away. How do you כשר kasher? And רש\"י Rashi there says, כדרך תשמישו הגעלתו k'derech tashmisho hag'alaso. מה שתשמישו על ידי חמין יגעילנו בחמין Mah she'tashmisho al yedei chamin yag'ilenu b'chamin. ומה שתשמישו על ידי צלי כגון השפוד והאסכלא ילבנו באור U'mah she'tashmisho al yedei tzli, k'gon hashpud v'ha'askla yalbeno ba'ur. We know, כבולעו כך פולטו k'bolo kach polto. חז\"ל Chazal use a language, they say the way that the utensil absorbed the taste is the same way that the utensil is used to purge it of the taste. So if the taste was absorbed through a liquid medium, we purge it through liquid. What's that called? הגעלה Hagala. You could watch our פסח Pesach Made Easy in a difficult year video or audio for how to make פסח Pesach easily this year and every year, how to make פסח Pesach not just cleaning. So, הגעלה hagala. Hagala means I have silverware. How did silverware absorb taste? Through a liquid medium. How did my pot absorb the taste? Through a liquid medium. How do I get it out? Immersing it in boiling liquid, or my silverware had contact superficially, so I pour liquid on not silverware, but my sink, my counter, pour in the liquid on top of it. If it was through heat, on a barbecue, in an oven, then it's through heat. כבולעו כך פולטו K'bolo kach polto. In the microwave, it absorbed taste through what? Steam. How do I get out the taste? Through steam. So however it absorbed the taste, is how I purge it of the taste. And the same is true when it comes to our own blemishes on our character, through the mistakes that we've made, the indiscretions that we violated. אם כן יש לומר כשם שטהרת הכלים היא באופן של כבולעו כך פולטו, כן לגבי האדם Im kein yesh lomar k'keishem she'taharas ha'keilim hi b'ofen shel k'bolo kach polto, kein l'gabai ha'adam. כאשר חוטא ועבירה חודרת בתוכו ונטמא בו K'asher chotei v'aveira chod eres b'tocho v'nitma bo, the deeper that the חטא cheit is absorbed, the deeper the mistake is absorbed into us, the more it takes in order to get it out, to purge it from us. The more superficial it was, this blemish, we can just wipe it off, we can get rid of it. כבולעו כך פולטו K'bolo kach polto. The way it is absorbed is the way it is purged. That's a law in how we כשר kasher utensils and it's a law in how we כשר kasher and improve and repair ourselves. Similarly we have when it comes to burning חמץ chametz. Where we say כי החמץ מסמן ככעס וגאוה וזה שצריך הוא לאש ki ha'chametz m'samein k'kas v'g'avah v'so she'tzarich hu la'eish. We know that when it comes to חמץ chametz, the leaven of חמץ chametz, what's the difference between מצה matzah and חמץ chametz? Time. Lethargy, laziness, procrastination, ego, arrogance. Really, the גמרא Gemara says, we tell השם Hashem, I want to fulfill your will, I want to do everything the way you wrote it up. So what stops me, what blocks me, what holds me back? שאור שבעיסה Se'or sheb'isah, the leaven in the bread. That sense of ego, that arrogance that I struggle with, that I fight with, my sense of תאוה ta'avah, desire, my anger. All of this is symbolized through fire. על כן כלעור חמץ מן הבית צריך לעשות דוקא באופן של שריפה Al kein kilur chametz min habayis tzarich l'asos davka b'ofen shel sreifa. ובכך מצאנו אדם מלבן את האש של העבירה ומכדיר בעצמו אש של קדושה Uv'kach matzeinu adam m'laben es ha'eish shel ha'aveira u'machdir b'atzmo eish shel kedusha. says רב דרוק Rav Druk, the following. Unfortunately and sadly, for most of us, we can't do it this year. Normally we do שריפת חמץ sreifas chametz. Normally we burn the חמץ chametz. Normally at Boca Raton Synagogue, we have two large metal drums that are incredible custodial crew led by junior, supervised from early in the morning, and people come in droves, and we throw our חמץ chametz in, and we watch it go up in flames. Literally, we burn it. This year, unfortunately, because we can't gather and it would be dangerous for everyone to make a fire at home, so post-COVID have instructed us that the way to fulfill ביעור חמץ biur chametz this year is to take crumbs of חמץ chametz enough to add up to a כזית kezayis, an olive worth, and flush it down the toilet. Through flushing it down the toilet, that will be the means through which we fulfill ביעור חמץ biur chametz this year. But in an ordinary year, and we long to return to those ordinary times, we would burn the חמץ chametz. What's the imagery symbolism of burning? Says רב דרוק Rav Druk, he says the idea is of a fire. The same way that the fire within me, I watch that thing with fire, I said that thing with fire, I pursued that with fire, I got angry with a sense of rage and fire, my arrogance, that ego was on fire, was a flame. So the fire in me was the source of my problems. I need to get rid of, I need to purge, I need to destroy, I need to burn my mistakes, my shortcomings, my character faults through fire. ומהאחר שמצאנו כי היצר הרע בוער באדם והחטא כמו אש U'mei'achar sh'matzanu ki hayetzer hara borei b'adam v'hacheit k'mo eish. We see that the יצר הרע Yetzer Hara burns within a person, and sin is like fire that just consumes everything in its path. אם כן הקרבנות שבאים לכפר על האדם צריכים להיות קרבים על אש המזבח Im kein ha'korbanos she'ba'im l'chaper al ha'adam tzrichin lihyos krevim al eish hamizbeach. So therefore the sacrifices that we offer, they have to be offered on the fire of the מזבח mizbeach. על ידי שריפת הקרבן ויודע האדם שדבר זה יצטרך לעשות לו רק הקרבן ותמורתו וכפרתו Al yedei sreifas ha'korban v'yod'ei ha'adam she'davar zeh yitzrach l'asos lo rak hakorban u'tmuaso v'kaparaso. When we use the fire of the מזבח mizbeach to burn and consume the קרבן korban, we're using the same thing that drove us, the same means through which we made the mistake, is the means through which we are purging that mistake off from us through the notion of the קרבן korban. So says רב דרוק Rav Druk, the repetition in the פסוק pasuk and the emphasis on this notion of the fire and the fire burning and the fire and the fire and the fire is because כבולעו כך פולטו k'bolo kach polto, the way that we absorb is the way it's purged. It's true in how we כשר kasher utensils and it's true in how we כשר kasher and repair and transform ourselves. The intensity, the passion, the enthusiasm through which we absorbed the עבירה aveira is the same level through which we need to purge it from us. Since the fire that raged in us is what drove us to make those mistakes, it's the fire outside of us that will consume and help us eliminate that sense of those of those mistakes. Okay, let's skip now to פרק ו פסוק ד perek vov pasuk daled. Skip ahead a few פסוקים psukim. פרק ו פסוק ד Perek vov pasuk daled. So in the Artscroll Stone Chumash, still on the same page, 568. Says the פסוק pasuk, ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים u'fashat es b'gadav v'lavash b'gadim acherim. Now the כהנים Kohanim take off their clothes. It's first, והרים את הדשן v'heirim es ha'deshen. We had the קרבן עולה korban olah, and then we got to the תרומת הדשן trumas ha'deshen. I love this word about תרומת הדשן trumas ha'deshen. I say it often, I'll tell it to you one last time this year. תרומת הדשן Trumas ha'deshen, taking out the garbage? And there was a special service to take out the garbage. You remove the ash from the previous day's sacrifice that burned on the altar the entire night, as we just described through the means and mechanism of fire. The fire that drove us is the fire we need to use that level of intensity to repair us. What's this idea? The Cohen has to get dressed up and wash and prepare. Taking out the garbage is an עבודה avodah? What kind of an עבודה avodah is taking out the garbage? The answer is it's a huge עבודה avodah. It's an עבודה avodah, say some of the commentaries, in humility. See, these כהנים Kohanim might think I'm all that. I've been chosen. I'm serving in the highest position in the land. I am in the holiest place on the earth. So therefore the day begins with a sense of humility. Don't forget, take out the garbage. And I've told the story before, maybe it's a flex, maybe it's a name drop, but it's a good story nonetheless. I was invited, not because of me, but my position in our community, to the White House. And after a meeting there, on the way out, I called my wife, so excited to tell her, the Roosevelt Room, in the West Wing, and the excitement, and the Marines, and the President came in. It was unbelievable, the conversation. And she says, yeah, that's really nice, that's lovely, but it's Wednesday night and tomorrow's garbage day. When you get home, when you land late tonight, don't forget to take out the garbage before you go to bed. Because no matter how great you think you are, no matter how high you are, don't forget to take out the garbage. The כהנים Kohanim have to take out the garbage. But there's a much deeper lesson says רב הירש Rav Hirsch. I want to tell us to you quickly and then we'll move on. רב הירש Rav Hirsch says, you know what that ash represents? You know what that ash means? He says, you know, there's two types of identities. רב הירש Rav Hirsch doesn't use this, but modern sociologists, psychologists use the term. We can see ourselves and we can identify, we can we can actually describe ourselves in two different contexts. There's what's called a vertical identity, and there's horizontal identity. Vertical identity is when I see who comes before me, my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents. When I have a consciousness and a mindfulness for who will come after me, please God, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. That's my vertical identity. It's my awareness of my role in the context of that identity, and it's my responsibility to the chain from which I've come and to which I will give, and it's also part of what shaped and molded who I am is that vertical identity. There's also the horizontal identity. I have friends, I have influences, I have culture, I have community, I have teachers. There's a horizontal identity that surrounds me. It's a nurture that molds me and that shapes me. It's a group of people to whom I also bear responsibility. There's vertical identity, there's horizontal identity. It's fun doing this with video. Vertical identity and there's horizontal identity. Says רב הירש Rav Hirsch, don't make the mistake of only seeing yourself within the context on a timeline of a horizontal identity. You know what the עבודה avodah of תרומת הדשן trumas ha'deshen of taking out the ash is? That ash represents the sacrifice of yesterday. Don't think when you're going to bring sacrifices today, you're the first to sacrifice. You're not the first to have to make sacrifices. So therefore, we begin our day with an עבודה avodah, with an awareness. I'm not the first to sacrifice. I take out the ash of yesterday's sacrifice. I remember where I came from and the people who sacrificed for me, and that influenced and informs, it inspires the sacrifices I'll be asked to make today. We'll talk about this more מוצאי שבת Motzei Shabbos in our שבת הגדול דרשה Shabbos HaGadol drasha when we talk about optimism and hope and the glass being half full and the lessons of the כוס של אליהו kos shel Eliyahu, is seeing this pandemic in a sense of context and seeing if we're not challenged in our health, and if we're not challenged about how we'll put food on our table, if your greatest challenge is how to make פסח Pesach, that's a first-world problem. And therefore, we have to see ourselves in context and understand vertically and in the context of history, what these challenges are for us, and therefore where we can draw the strength in order to be overcome. The sacrifices we're being asked to make today, which are not easy, and I'm not minimizing, and in many cases, they're very, very difficult as I said, particularly for those who are alone. The sacrifices of today are excruciating, but what strengthens us and gives us courage is when we begin our day by paying tribute and honor to the sacrifices of yesterday, says רב הירש Rav Hirsch, that's why it was part of the עבודה avodah, תרומת הדשן trumas ha'deshen to take out the ash. Now, the next פסוק pasuk. Once the כהן kohen who was designated to take out the garbage completed that task, ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים u'fashat es b'gadav v'lavash b'gadim acherim. He took off those garments and he put on other clothing, got to change. והוציא את הדשן אל מחוץ למחנה אל מקום טהור V'hotzi es ha'deshen el michutz la'machaneh el makom tahor. and he takes it outside out of the camp. What is this image of ופשט בגדיו u'fashat b'gadav, to take off clothing? So says the great צדיק tzaddik, רב מאיר מפרמישלאן Rav Meir of Prmishlan, he told his חסידים chasidim the following. You can learn incredible מוסר mussar from this פסוק pasuk. You know what insight, what idea you get from this פסוק pasuk? In awareness. You know what one of the biggest inspirations to live is? When we think about death. That's pretty morbid. It's pretty sad. Pretty somber. But our rabbis understood that sometimes when we think we're going to live forever, when we feel as if we are immune to the trials and tribulations of the world, when we think that we have eternity, and that we don't have any sense of mortality, when we think we'll live forever, when we are invincible and above the rules, is when we are at risk and when we are in danger. You know what helps us temper and regulate our behavior, our thoughts, our actions? You know what helps us live every moment to its fullest? You know what helps us identify goals and pursue them? When we realize our mortality, when we understand how fleeting life is. We are being confronted with this right now. I just saw an article, I think it was 44 rabbis who've already died from the coronavirus. Rabbis are not any category. Their death is not more tragic than any other human being, but for me, falling in that category, it's so sad. And among them, young people. When we learn about and when we confront mortality and death, it should motivate and inspire us to live life. Said רב מאיר מפרמישלאן Rav Meir of Prmishlan, that's exactly what's going on in this פסוק pasuk, homiletically. ופשט את בגדיו U'pashat es b'gadav, remember, remember that there's going to come a day that we're going to take off our clothing. What does it mean a day that we take off our clothing? It means that the day that the חברא קדישא Chevra Kadisha is taking care of you for your טהרה tahara, we are undressed. The day that we are returned to the Almighty, our body is first undressed. ולבש בגדים אחרים V'lavash b'gadim acherim. And we're going to be dressed in other clothing, the תכריכים tachrichim. So if you're a member of a חברא קדישא Chevra Kadisha, if you've done a טהרה tahara, and השם Hashem should safeguard you and bless you. The people who selflessly do this beautiful work all throughout the year and particularly during this time, they know that the first thing we do with the מת meis, with the נפטר niftar is we undress them. We keep their private parts covered to preserve their dignity and modesty, but we undress them. And by the time they're done, we've redressed them, not in a bloody or dirty hospital gown, but rather, they're dressed now like the כהן Kohen. They're dressed in the תכריכים tachrichim which emulate and imitate the כהנים's Kohanim's clothing. So ופשט את בגדיו u'pashat es b'gadav, a person should always be mindful, think about our mortality and remember that our clothing will be removed, ולבש בגדים אחרים v'lavash b'gadim acherim, and we're going to be dressed in תכריכים tachrichim and other clothing. והוציא את הדשן אל מחוץ למחנה V'hotzi es ha'deshen el michutz l'machaneh, and our our disintegrated body, our גוף guf will be brought outside the camp. It'll be put in the ground. It'll rise above, אל מקום טהור el makom tahor. And please God, our soul will return to a holy place, to a pure place, namely to the Almighty himself. So said רב מאיר מפרמישלאן Rav Meir of Prmishlan, this פסוק pasuk is an allusion, it's a reminder to be mindful and conscious all the time of our own mortality, that we are inspired to live life when we confront death, when we think about it. The next פסוק pasuk, go to פרק ו פסוק ח perek vav pasuk ches. We have finally turned the page. זאת תורת המנחה Zos toras ha'mincha. We've now moved on to the מנחה mincha. והרים ממנו בקומצו V'heirim mimenu b'kumtzo. You lift of the flower, בקומצו b'kumtzo, with your three fingerfuls, you lift it. מסולת המנחה ומשמנה Mi'soles ha'mincha u'mi'shamnah, from the fine flour, and from the oil, ואת כל הלבונה אשר על המנחה v'es kol ha'levona asher al ha'mincha. and all of the frankincense that's on top of it. והקטיר המזבח ריח ניחוח אזכרתה להשם V'hiktir hamizbeach reiach nichoach azkarasa la'Hashem. And then you cause, you throw it on the מזבח mizbeach. It goes up in smoke, it produces a ריח ניחוח reiach nichoach. Says the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, you didn't think that we were going to leave out the ויז'ניצער רבי Vizhnitzer Rebbe this week. Says the הייליגע אמרי חיים heilige Imrei Chaim, the ויז'ניצער Vizhnitzer on והרים ממנו בקומצו v'heirim mimenu b'kumtzo. He says, ממנו mimenu, אותיות ממון asvin mamon. The word ממנו mimenu, והרים ממנו v'heirim mimenu, are the same letters of the word ממון mamon. ממון Mamon means money. והרים ממנו אם תורם ממנו בהכרה לצדקה בקומצו ולעצמו הוא מקמץ אז עבודתו נחשבת סולת המנחה V'heirim mimenu, im torim mimenu b'hachava l'tzdakah b'kumtzo u'l'atzmo hu m'kameitz, az avodaso nechsheves soles ha'mincha. If a person is והרים ממנו heirim mimenu, we all have limited resources, everybody. It's limited by definition. It might be much greater, but it's limited. והרים ממנו V'heirim mimenu, ממנו mimenu means מממונו mi'mamono. When you lift from your money, when you take your resources, your money, your bank account, and you elevate it, you lift it. And how do you do it? בקומצו b'kumtzo. You have less for yourself, a קמצן kamtzan. You have less for yourself. So what you say, instead of a hundred dollar bottle of wine, I'm going to buy the twenty dollar bottle of wine and give eighty dollars to תומכי שבת Tomchei Shabbos, eighty dollars to מעות חיטים Mos Chitin, eighty dollars to people who aren't even sure how they're going to put food on their table. When a person is בקומצו b'kumtzo with our own willingness to be stingy for ourselves, we're והרים ממנו heirim mimenu, we lift our money, we elevate our money, then סולת המנחה soles ha'mincha. This is the finest flower of a מנחה mincha, the finest gift that we can give. Again, homiletically, חסידישע תורה chasidishe Torah, but the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, the ויז'ניצער רבי Vizhnitzer Rebbe, והרים ממנו v'heirim mimenu, והרים ממונו v'heirim mamono, we lift and we elevate our money בקומצו b'kumtzo, when we're willing to be stingy with ourselves, and we produce סולת המנחה soles ha'mincha, we produce a fine gift to השם Hashem, the greatest gift that we can give him. Continuing, פרק ו פסוק ט perek vav pasuk tes. Staying with the ויז'ניצער רבי Vizhnitzer Rebbe. He says the following. פסוק ט Pasuk tes. והנותרת ממנה יאכלו אהרן ובניו V'hanoseres mimena yochlu Aharon u'vanav, and what's left over, אהרן Aharon and his sons eat, מצות תאכל במקום קדוש matzos te'achel b'makom kadosh. מצות Matzos, part of the קרבן מנחה korban mincha, one of the loaves of bread were מצות matzos, they ate in a מקום קדוש makom kadosh, בחצר אהל מועד יאכלוה b'chatzer ohel moed yochluha. They had to eat it in the courtyard of the אהל מועד ohel moed. Listen how the ויז'ניצער Vizhnitzer reads it. המקום שמכניסים בו המצה בשעת אכילה דהיינו הפה צריך להיות קדוש Ha'makom sh'machnisim bo ha'matzah b'shas achila da'hinu ha'peh tzarich lihyos kadosh. המצות צריכה להיאכל מיט א הייליגער מויל Ha'matzos tzricha l'he'achel mit a heilige moil. מיט א הייליגער מויל Mit a heilige moil, he writes. For those who don't know Yiddish, I hope you don't know Yiddish because then you'll believe that I pronounced that correctly, but let me translate it. Says the ויז'ניצער רבי Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the following, homiletically. The פסוק pasuk says מצות תאכל במקום קדוש matzos te'achel b'makom kadosh. אהרן Aharon and his sons are instructed to eat the מצה matzah of the קרבן מנחה korban mincha in a holy place. They had to consume it within the אהל מועד ohel moed. But says the ויז'ניצער רבי Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, don't read it that way. How should you read it? מצות תאכל במקום קדוש Matzos te'achel b'makom kadosh. Eat the מצה matzah in a holy place means turn your mouth into a holy place and only consume and eat the מצה matzah in that holy place by your mouth being holy. מיט א הייליגער מויל Mit a heilige moil, with a holy mouth. Put the מצה matzah in a holy mouth. Some people, they spend buckets of money to get the most expensive and the most מהודר mehudar מצה matzah, and you sit at the סדר seder and you cram a huge כזית kezayis, three, three sheets of מצה matzah, כדי אכילת פרס b'kdei achilas pras on one cheekful, while leaning in your mouth, but is your mouth a holy mouth? Right before you ate the מצה matzah, and right after you ate the מצה matzah, that was not a corona cough, that was a dry mouth speaking 55 minutes really quickly cough. If you stuff the מצה matzah into a mouth that was speaking לשון הרע lashon hara, that was gossiping, if you put it in a mouth that violates ניבול פה nivul peh, that speaks profanity or is lewd, it's not a מקום קדוש makom kadosh. Fulfill מצוות mitzvos like the מצוה mitzvah of מצה matzah that's coming up. We're כשר'ן kashering our כלים keilim. When this time that we're counting down to eating the מצה matzah, we have to כשר kasher our mouths. מצות Matzos is כשר'ן kashering the utensils that our פסח Pesach food will go in. We have to כשר kasher the great utensil called our mouth that the מצה matzah will go in. מצות תאכל במקום קדוש Matzos te'achel b'makom kadosh. Eat the מצה matzah in a holy vessel, כשר kasher that vessel too, make it a holy place, מיט א הייליגער מויל mit a heilige moil, with a holy, with a holy mouth. Okay, moving right along, we only have a few minutes left. פרק ו פסוק יא Perek vav pasuk yud aleph is the קרבן תודה korban todah, which is very relevant. פרק ו פסוק יא Perek vav pasuk yud aleph is the קרבן korban, the קרבן תודה korban todah of gratitude. We know the גמרא Gemara tells us, based on חז\"ל Chazal, that the categories of people that had to bring the קרבן תודה korban todah. Okay, we'll try to do this with Rav Druk. Maybe this will be our last, our last thing. You know, of course, as always, we had so much more. So, רב דרוק Rav Druk says the following. מדברי רבנו בחיי שהוקשה לו על השנה פסוקים M'divrei Rabbeinu Bachya she'huke she'lo al ha'shan p'sukim. How does this פסוק pasuk work? The flow of them seem inconsistent. On the one hand we started, זאת תורת זבח השלמים zos toras zevach hashlamim. These are the laws of the שלמים shlamim. And then we end, אם על תודה יקריבנו im al todah yakrivenu, if you're bringing a תודה todah. So which is it? A שלמים shlamim or a תודה todah? Now we know a תודה todah is a type of שלמים shlamim. But he says, first we say זאת תורת זבח השלמים zos toras zevach hashlamim, and immediately, אם על תודה יקריבנו שידע דיני קרבן תודה im al todah yakrivenu she'yeid dinei korban todah. ואמר רבנו בחיי שקרבן זה יש שני מינים גם שלמים וגם תודה V'amar Rabbeinu Bachya she'korban zeh yesh shnei minim, gam shlamim v'gam todah. This קרבן korban fulfills both categories. It's both a שלמים shlamim and a תודה todah. אבל לפי פשוטו הוא תמוה מאוד Aval l'fi p'shuto, hu tmuah me'od. But if you're just trying to understand the text, it's very peculiar. Why would you introduce a section calling it the שלמים shlamim and then continue by giving details of the of the תודה todah? You start with the peace offering and you continue by giving the details of the offering for gratitude. The גמרא Gemara in ברכות דף נד Brachos daf nun daled tells us, אמר רבי יהודה אמר רב amar Rebbe Yehuda amar Rav, ארבעה צריכים להודות arba'ah tzrichin l'hodos. There are four categories of people who have to bring this קרבן תודה korban todah. Four categories of people who today, rather than bring the קרבן תודה korban todah, do what we do today, which is recite or בנץ' גומל bentch gomel. Who are the four categories? יורדי הים Yordei ha'yam, those who cross the sea, הולכי מדברות holchei midbaros, those across the desert, מי שהיה חולה ונתרפא mi she'hayah choleh v'nisrapeh, anyone who was sick who recovered, and ומי שהיה חבוש בבית האסורים ויצא mi she'hayah chavush b'veis ha'asurim v'yatza, anyone who was a prisoner and was released. And this is the מזמור קז mizmor kuf zayin of תהילים Tehillim. דוד המלך Dovid HaMelech captured all of this in the lengthy מזמור mizmor of תהילים Tehillim 108. הודו להשם כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו Hodu la'Hashem ki tov ki l'olam chasdo. יאמרו גאולי השם אשר גאלם מיד צר Yomru ge'ulei Hashem asher ge'alam mi'yad tzar. And Dovid המלך Dovid HaMelech captures these four categories. יודו להשם חסדו Yodu la'Hashem chasdo and tells us the story of for whom we have to give הודאה hoda'ah. So he says, you see, you have to express gratitude when you've been in a צרה tzarah, when you've been in a מקום צר makom tzar, when you've go through a crisis, when you go through a difficult time and you come out on the other side, if you're going through the difficult time and you are even not struck intensely by the difficulty, you have to be incredibly grateful. The דברי חובות הלבבות divrei chovos ha'levavos. The חובת ההודאה חל על כל אחד ואחד chovos ha'hodah chal al kol echad v'echad. The truth is everybody has to be grateful. Even if you didn't go through a צרה tzarah, why? Because every moment that you're alive is a potential צרה tzarah. Every time your lungs produce oxygen, your heart beats in your chest, every moment you have a roof over your head and food to put in your mouth, every moment that you're alive is a miracle. And that's what we say in our דאווענען davening, על ניסיך שבכל יום עמנו ועל נפלאותיך וטובותיך שבכל עת ערב ובוקר וצהרים al nisecha she'b'chol yom imanu v'al nifleosecha v'tovosecha she'b'chol eis erev v'voker v'tzohorayim. On the miracles every day that are with us, and for that we thank you for the miracles of every morning, evening, and afternoon, because for everything we have to be grateful, for every moment that we are alive, we have to be incredibly grateful. The טור Tur, רב יעקב בן אשר Rav Yaakov ben Asher, hints to these four categories of people that bring this קרבן תודה korban todah in the ברכה bracha that we say of הודאה hoda'ah in our עמידה Amidah. So here's a mini סידור siddur snippet for וכל החיים v'chol ha'chaim in שמונה עשרה Shemoneh Esrei. And says the טור Tur, the following: אורח חיים סימן ר יט Orach Chaim siman reish yud tes. Four have to give gratitude. We said, those who cross the sea, those across the desert, someone who was sick and healed, and those who are released from prison. And what's the illusion? We say וכל החיים יודוך סלה v'chol ha'chaim yoducha selah. וכל החיים V'chol ha'chaim. חיים Chaim is חבוש chavush, יסורים yissurim, ים yam, and מדבר midbar. חבוש, יסורים, ים, מדבר, וכל החיים יודוך סלה Chavush, yissurim, yam, midbar, v'chol ha'chaim yoducha selah. So, there's an acronym that reminds us of who these four categories are. The וילנא גאון Vilna Gaon says, and here's a וורט vort for your סדר seder table, and with this we will conclude. The וילנא גאון Vilna Gaon says, פסח Pesach is essentially actually a קרבן תודה korban todah, and so many of the laws of the קרבן פסח korban Pesach imitate and are modeled after the קרבן תודה korban todah. Why? Because all of us who went through יציאת מצרים yetzias Mitzrayim, those of us who were miraculously saved from Egypt, we meet all four of these definitions. We were imprisoned, we made it through the desert, we crossed the sea, and we were sick and we were healed. And therefore, when we come to the פסח סדר Pesach Seder, when we sit around that table, when we reflect on our lives and our well-being, we think about the deep sense of gratitude that we have to have, we realize, we realize that all of us at every moment, בכול החיים bechol hachaim. The word חיים chaim is an acronym for all four of those categories. We have so much to be grateful for. With all the challenges, with all that's going around, we offer that קרבן תודה korban todah, we experience that collective פסח Pesach, says the Gra. The פסח Pesach is a קרבן תודה korban todah. And therefore he says, why is it זאת תורת זבח השלמים אם על תודה יקריבנו zot torat zevach hashlamim im al todah yakrivenu? because ייסורין יש תכלית אחת והודאה לקדוש ברוך הוא yissurin yesh tachlis achas v'hoda'ah l'kadosh baruch hu. because the whole reason that we're going through this is to be grateful to השם Hashem, to feel a sense of appreciation for the miracles על ניסך שבכל יום עמנו al nisecha she'b'chol yom imanu, for the gifts that are here together with us each and every day. We should all be incredibly grateful and deeply, deeply appreciative. I wanted to share with you at the end of the פרשה parsha, ויקח משה את הדם vayikach Moshe es hadam that Moshe, they took the blood, and they put it on the corners of the מזבח mizbeach. The blood of the sacrifices, the blood of מילה milah, the blood of the פסח pesach, all are interconnected, the notion of our partnering with God, of our taking initiative to be part of our own salvation, of not waiting passively and being spectators to our own salvation, but stepping up and bringing our own salvation. Many, much more to talk about, but for today, thank you for joining me. Don't forget הגדול Hagadol night tonight, Tuesday night. Tomorrow morning we have Living with אמונה Emunah and 10 minutes of meaning. Tomorrow night we have coffee talk. And מוצאי שבת Motzei Shabbos, the big שבת הגדול דרשה Shabbos Hagadol drasha. All of this is available on Zoom. You can follow and find it by subscribing to our emails. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay holy.
