Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב boker tov to all. May we hear בשורות טובות besoros tovos as we celebrate a very happy יום העצמאות Yom Ha'atzmaut. Tremendous gratitude to the רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam for the gift of the miracle of the modern Israel. I think since October 7th, we have a very stark realization of what the Jewish world would look like without an IDF, without an Israel. Remember Hamas's charter is not to wipe Israel off the map. It's to kill every Jew everywhere. And without a strong IDF and without a strong Israel, and the knowledge of a home and a homeland and a place to go and a place we defend ourselves, October 7th is a stark reminder of what our world would look like. So what an absolute miracle.And I always say to those who wonder whether indeed 76 years later Israel is a miracle, I ask you, would the UN today vote to award the Jewish people a homeland, the state of Israel? And to even think about that, one can't help but realize what an absolute and incredible, tremendous miracle it is. The Torah learning that's taking place, the Torah life and the vibrancy. Today, different than any other in the past, I heard last night, I don't know if this is true, that this is the first יום העצמאות Yom Ha'atzmaut that Israel's been in the middle of a war. Israel's other wars did not overlap with this time of year. It's a day to express gratitude in whatever הלכתי halachic way we choose to, which no one's in judgment of anybody else. Everyone needs to figure out what's right and works for them. But whatever meaningful way to say to Hashem, thank you, thank you for this gift, thank you for this incredible gift. Because everybody knows that when you're grateful for a gift, then the giver wants to give you more. And when you're ungrateful for a gift, the giver says, give it back. I want to take it away. You don't even appreciate what I gave you. So it's a day to be incredibly grateful for this gift.Want to thank others who've given us gifts, the series sponsor of the פרשה parsha series, Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of Becky's father, לעילוי נשמת l'ilui nishmas David Grossman, דוד בן מנחם מנוש Dovid ben Menachem Manush. Today is also a very special day, a happy birthday to Chana Russ Grossman, David Grossman's granddaughter. Wishing her a very happy birthday. Should be a year filled with שמחה simcha and שמחות simchos, a year filled with good health. She should give נחת nachas and get נחת nachas and wonderful things. Today's שיעור shiur is also sponsored by our beloved friends Pam and Prosper Abitbol in commemoration of Pam's father's יארצייט yahrzeit, Lester Greenberg, אליעזר בן מאיר Eliezer ben Meir. His נשמה שלו יהיה לו עליה neshama shelo yihyeh lo aliyah. And thank you to the אביטבול Abitbols for all that they do.We have the privilege of reading and learning פרשת אמור Parshas Emor, page 672 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. ויאמר ה׳ אל משה אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן ואמרת אלהם לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו Vayomer Hashem el Moshe emor el haKohanim bnei Aharon v'amarta aleihem l'nefesh lo yitama b'amav. Hopefully, we're going to get past this first פסוק pasuk. We've already, previous years I was looking back to see what we were up to, what we left out, where we could pick up. And we already shared many, many interpretations of this opening פסוק pasuk. And yet, there's still, every year there are new. That's why it's so hard to get past the first פסוק pasuk. And I know now you're going to tell me, start from the end, work your way backwards. I got it. We're working on it. We're a work in progress. Be patient. Be patient with me.So Hashem speaks to Moshe and he says, אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן emor el haKohanim bnei Aharon, speak to the הכהנים Kohanim, the children of אהרן Aharon, ואמרת אלהם v'amarta aleihem and tell them, לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו l'nefesh lo yitama b'amav, a specific law that pertains to the הכהנים Kohanim, to the priests, namely, they cannot defile themselves, they cannot become contaminated to a corpse, to a dead body, to a dead person among the people. And of course, all the commentators jump out, all of them are equally bothered, and this is what we've investigated in the past, why אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta? The redundancy, the repetition. אמר emor, if you're speaking to them, ואמרת v'amarta, then you are saying to them. Speak to them and say. It's a redundancy. Why do we have this repetition? Why do we have this redundancy?Let's start with Rav Druck in his new ספר sefer להבות אש Lahavos Eish. He quotes Rashi, אמר אל הכהנים emor el haKohanim, אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta, להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim. We're going to come back to this, but this is to create an obligation, a mandate on the adults to inspire the children. להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים L'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim. If an adult כהן kohen, any כהנים kohanim in here today? If an adult כהן kohen, Rabbi Brand, adult כהנים kohanim have to take their minor children, כהנים kohanim, a boy, not a girl. A בת כהן bas kohen is not obligated to protect herself from defilement. She can go into a hospital or to a cemetery. But it means an 8, 9, 10, 11-year-old boy כהן kohen also can't. So להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim, כהנים kohanim have to model and explicitly teach and communicate to their children. But why the double language? יש לאמר הכפילות הלשון Yesh lamor a kfeilus ha'lashon. Why do we have the double language? אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן Emor el ha'kohanim bnei Aharon. And כהנים בני אהרן kohanim bnei Aharon. Everyone focuses on the double language of אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta, speak to them, saying. But there's a different double language Rav Druck points out, and that is, אמר אל הכהנים emor el ha'kohanim, speak to the כהנים kohanim. What qualifies one as a כהן kohen? What determines if someone's a כהן kohen? They are the children of אהרן Aharon. So say either כהנים kohanim or בני אהרן bnei Aharon. Why the repetition, the redundancy? Why the כפילות kfeilus of בני אהרן הכהנים bnei Aharon ha'kohanim, הכהנים בני אהרן ha'kohanim bnei Aharon.באופן אחר יש לומר שהתורה באה לצוות את הכהנים המצווה הזו שלנפש לא יטמא בעמיו שהיא דרגה גבוהה עד למאוד So b'ofen acher yesh lomar she'ha'Torah ba l'tzavos es ha'kohanim, ha'mitzva zu she'l'nefesh lo yitama b'amav, she'hi darga gevoha ad l'meod. The Torah here comes to enjoin the כהנים kohanim to warn them, be careful, be vigilant, be scrupulous, protect yourself from contamination. It's a very high level, it's a very awesome level of mindfulness, of consciousness, of awareness. To always know your surroundings and your circumstance and your environment and protect yourself, be careful, don't become contaminated. במצב שלנו היום שכולנו טמאי מתים כמעט אי אפשר להבין את גודל הקושי במצווה זו B'matzav shelanu hayom shekulanu tmei meisim, k'mat ee efshar l'havin es godel ha'koshi b'mitzva zu. Today, when we all are walking around in a state of defilement to a corpse, because it's something we're not careful about, non-כהנים kohanim. We don't know what's in a hospital, and we go to cemeteries, we don't know who and what is being transported underneath the airplane. And in regular, regular everyday life, we are in contact with this טומאה tuma. We don't appreciate the קושי koshi, the challenge, the difficulty of this מצווה mitzva. כמה האדם היה צריך להזהר שלא יתקרב לכל הטומאה, לאב הטומאה, לראשון לטומאה Kama ha'adam hayah tzarich l'hizaref she'lo yiskarev l'chol ha'tuma, l'av ha'tuma, l'rishon l'tuma. The level of awareness you had to live with, I don't want to even compare it to this. You know, but, and we want to forget about this, but during Corona, right? Somebody got Corona, are you a ראשון rishon, a שני sheini? What exposure did you have? What day are you up to in the count? What did the CDC say? Did you quarantine? Did you? All kinds of rules that you had to learn. Turns out in retrospect, most of them made up and ineffective, but all kinds of rules that at the time, we did the best that we could with what we knew. I'm not criticizing. We did the best at the time with what we knew. Turns out most of it ineffective and unhelpful. Some suggested that even even then, a topic for another time. But but similarly, when it comes to טומאה tuma, spiritual contamination, a person had to know, are you a primary source of טומאה tuma, a secondary source of טומאה tuma? What's your quarantine? What's your exposure? Where are we? How is it transferred? ועליהם להזהר ממגע, ממשא, ממשכב, ממושב, באלו V'alehem l'hizare m'maga, m'masa, m'mishkav, m'moshav, b'ilu. So a person who was living a life of vigilance, of care not to become contaminated, had to know, you know, this טומאה tuma, this contamination is transferred only by contact. This, even if I lift something, if I don't contact, I'm lifting a mattress, someone's lying on top of it, I'm lifting something someone's on top of it or the טומאה tuma is on top of it, I'm not touching it directly, but I'm lifting it. This, if I lie down on it. This, there's all kinds of very complicated rules. כל החיים היו סובבים עם הענין זה של טומאה וטהרה Kol ha'chaim hayu s'vuvim im ha'inyan zeh shel tuma v'tahara. So a person's entire life revolved around that whole awareness. Where you're holding, what were you exposed to? Were you contaminated? What's your status? במה מותר לגעת, מה אסור B'mah mutar l'ga'as, mah asur? What can you touch? What can't you touch? What can you transport? What can't you transport? Where can you lie down? Where can't you lie down? What's חולין chulin and what's תרומה truma? What's consecrated food and what's just mundane regular food? כי אסור חס ושלום לטמא תרומה בידיים Ki asur chas v'shalom l'tamei truma b'yadayim. Because you're not allowed to contaminate תרומה truma. ולא לגרום לטומאה V'lo l'grom l'tuma. אם כן, כשהבאה התורה לצוות מצווה זו לכל אחד ואחד מהכהנים Im kein, k'she'ba ha'Torah l'tzavos mitzva zu l'chol echad v'echad me'ha'kohanim, when the Torah comes to command every one of the priests to be aware and careful and vigilant, הרי זו מצווה עם קושי גדול haruzu mitzva im koshi gadol, this is very hard, very hard. שצריכים להזהר להישמר בכל עת ובכל שעה She'tzrichim l'hizaher l'hishomer b'chol eis u'v'chol sha'ah. בפרט כשהתוספת של רש\"י B'frat k'she'oso shel Rashi, אף להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים af l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim, to train a child from a very young age. אם כן, צריך לדעת איך לדייק לצוות ציווי כזה Im kein, tzarich la'daas eicha l'dakeik l'tzavos tzivui kaze. So what's the most effective way to get children to be motivated and inspired to live with this level of mindfulness? How are you going to get children to buy in? To care? To be careful? באיזו צורה לצוות אותם B'eizeh tzurah l'tzavos otam? כי אין זה דבר שכל עולם, הלא חברים שאינם כהנים Ki ein zeh davar she'kol olam, ha'lo chaveirim she'einam kohanim. Because what's going to happen? This little כהן kohen goes to ישיבה yeshiva, and now something happens at the playground, in the building, there's a creepy crawly, שרץ sheretz, there's food which may transfer טומאה tuma. So their friends, the ישראלים Yisraelim and לויים Leviim, have no problem, they can eat what they want, go where they want, touch what they want, lift what they want, lie down where they want, do what they want. But the כהן kohen, the teacher's always after the כהן kohen, be careful. You can't go there on recess. You can't attend that class. You can't come to this assembly. You can't lie down, sit there, touch that, lift this. So that child כהן kohen is living a very different life than his peers and contemporaries. And you know who kids don't like? They don't like that double standard, those dual rules. They don't want that. They don't like that. So how are you going to get the child to buy in? ולכך צריך לדעת טוב איך להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים U'l'kach tzarich l'daas tov eicha l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim. How are you going to do it? So says Rav Druck, מלמדת התורה ואומרת כיצד יש לצוות מצווה זו milamedes ha'Torah v'omeres, keitzad yesh l'tzavos mitzva zu. שקודם שמצווה את הכהן על המצווה צריך לומר אל הכהנים, בני אהרן She'kodem she'm'tzaveh es ha'kohen al ha'mitzva, tzrich lomar el ha'kohanim, bnei Aharon. The first thing you do is remind them. I'm about to give you rules. And they're inconvenient, and they're uncomfortable. And it feels like not everybody has to do them because they don't. And you may not want to. And you may not want to always, it's inconvenient. But you know why you should? Because here's the thing. You are בני אהרן bnei Aharon. Wow. You're Jewish royalty. You're Jewish dignity, you're dignitaries. You are distinguished. You are special. שירוממו את בחישותם, שיעריכו את עצמם וידעו שהם קדושים ומפורשים ומובדלים She'y'romemu es bishusecha she'yachrichu es atzman v'yeidu she'heim k'doshim u'meforashim u'muvdalim. אינם אנשים פשוטים Einam anashim p'shutim. You're not ordinary. You're not regular. You're special. And because you're special, there's special expectations and special rules and a special life and a special lifestyle. And if a child, an adult for that matter, feels that you know, you're royalty, you're special, you have a mission, you have a role, and that comes with inconveniences, and it comes with discomforts, but it's worth it because of who you are and what you represent and the life you can live. מכח זה שמגביה ומרומם אותם Mi'koach zeh she'makbia u'meromem otam. From this strength that you elevate and that you enrich and that you empower, גם מודיע להם כי עליהם להתנהג בצורה אחרת gam modia lahem ki aleihem l'hitnaheg b'tzura acheres. Yeah, you have to live differently. Royalty dresses differently. Royalty has a different set of rules. Royalty has different rules of etiquette. And Jewish people are בני מלכים bnei melachim. We are the children of Hashem. We are royalty. And the כהנים kohanim among us are a special designation of royalty. And when a person feels, you're royalty. Do you know who you are? Do you know what you represent? Do you know how you live? Do you know who you have access to? Do you know where you come from? Wow. So now you'll rise to the occasion. If it's punitive, you can't, no, don't, unlike everybody else, suffer, too bad, then nobody wants to. But if you elevate and empower and enrich and charge with a mission, then a person is more likely to embrace. So בני אהרן אביכם, הוא אהרן הכהן, בחיר ה׳ bnei Aharon avichem, hu Aharon ha'kohen, b'chira Hashem. Do you know who your זיידע zaida was? Do you know your great זיידע zaida was? Let me tell you a little bit about him. Do you know from whom you descend? Do you know whose genes you carry? Do you know what he did and what he represented? ומחמת גודל קדושתם, לא מתאים להם להתנהג באופן שאין בתכלית U'michmas godel k'dushasam, lo matim lahem l'hitnaheg b'ofen she'ein b'tachlis. It's פאסט נישט pasnish, it's beneath you, it's below you. You're royalty. You don't dress like that, you don't act like that, you don't speak like that, you don't go there, you don't do this. Not because you're less than, but because you're greater than, because you're royalty. כשהאדם יודע מה כדי ערכו ומעלתו ורוממותו, אז התנהגותו שלו תתאים להתנהגות של אנשים קדושים K'she'ha'adam yodeia mah k'dei erko u'ma'aloso v'romemuso, az hitnahaguso she'lo t'matim l'hitnahagus shel anashim k'doshim. They'll rise to the occasion. That's why Moshe turns to the כהנים kohanim and he says, you are בני אהרן bnei Aharon. Let me tell you a little bit about where you come from. Let me tell you about the legacy that you carry. Let me tell you about your family narrative and family story. אמר להם דבר זה עצמו שהם בני אהרן Emor lahem davar zeh atzmo she'hem bnei Aharon. So even before you get to the instruction, you have rules, there's a ראשון rishon and a שני sheini, and you have אדם adam and כלים keilim and אוכל ochel and משקה mashkeh. You have all kinds of rules of טומאה tuma. Even before we get to the rules, the first thing I want to tell you is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. So it's not a redundancy. אמר אל הכהנים Emor el ha'kohanim, the first thing you should tell the כהנים kohanim is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. We asked, why are we repeating אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן emor el ha'kohanim bnei Aharon? If they're כהנים kohanim we know they're בני אהרן bnei Aharon, if they're בני אהרן bnei Aharon, we know they're כהנים kohanim. Why are we repeating? It's redundant. Rav Druck is answering, we're not repeating at all. Now reread the פסוק pasuk. ויאמר ה׳ אל משה Vayomer Hashem el Moshe, Hashem spoke to Moshe, אמר אל הכהנים emor el ha'kohanim, speak to the כהנים kohanim, and the first thing to say to them is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. You are the בני אהרן bnei Aharon. ואמרת אלהם V'amarta aleihem, and because you are the בני אהרן bnei Aharon, I've got some rules to tell you. Because you're children of royalty, you're princes and princesses, because I'm empowering and enriching and charging you with this mission, and now that you know and embrace that you're בני אהרן bnei Aharon, ואמרת אלהם v'amarta aleihem, let me tell you something, לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו l'nefesh lo yitama b'amav. This is the reason the Alter of סלבודקה Slabodka שדגל בגדלות האדם ורוממותו she'dagal b'gadlus ha'adam v'romemuso. The whole philosophy of סלבודקה Slabodka, and it was successful. It doesn't mean נברדוק Navardok and קלם Kelm weren't. We have great traditions of נברדוקר Navardokers and those who came from קלם Kelm. But if you look at who was the who's who who planted, replanted, seeded the יידישקייט Yiddishkeit we have today in America in the 20th century, they were תלמידים talmidim, graduates of סלבודקה Slabodka, of the Alter of סלבודקה Slabodka. Can you think of any? Who were they? Rav Hutner, Rav Ruderman, Rav Tates, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky. The who's who of the גדולים gedolim of the last generation not coincidentally were graduates of סלבודקה Slabodka. Because the Alter of סלבודקה Slabodka built a philosophy and an energy in סלבודקה Slabodka of גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam. Others, other schools of מוסר mussar were שפלות האדם shiflus ha'adam. You're a גארנישט gornisht, you're a nothing. You think you're someone and you're something, you're future worm food, you're pathetic, you can't even say no to the Cape Cod potato chips, you can't even control how much מצה matzah you eat on פסח Pesach, you can't stop saying לשון הרע lashon hara, you're always late to שול shul, you hit snooze 14 times on the alarm, you're a גארנישט gornisht, pathetic, איספארף ice farf, worm food, nothing. And for some that worked. טאקע Taka, I'm nothing, I'm humbled, and I'm modest, and now I can make myself into something. The Alter of סלבודקה Slabodka came from the entire opposite approach. Do you know who you are? Do you know what you're capable of? Do you know the potential? Do you know, do you know the possibility? You're royalty. The גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam. You are ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים v'tachasreihu m'at mei'Elokim, דבר המלך d'var ha'melech says in תהלים Tehillim. You're just below God. Do you know who you are? Do you know the genetics you carry? Do you know the יחוס yichus every איד Yid is? You know you're capable of גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam. I've shared before, the Alter of סלבודקה Slabodka had a tailor on staff of the ישיבה yeshiva. You know why? Then they didn't have a closet and a wardrobe full. You didn't just go on Amazon and order another... People didn't have a lot of suits, shirts. The Alter had a tailor on staff because if a button fell off a suit, you weren't allowed in the בית מדרש beis medrash. They didn't walk around with dandruff on their on their shoulder, they didn't walk around missing a button, they didn't walk around all creased and all wrinkled, they didn't walk around dirty and ring around the collar. If you didn't look dignified... My mother grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey and was dear friends with Rabbi Tates's children and describes grew up in his home. She never saw him without his frock. She never, maybe a bathrobe once in Miami on vacation over his suit, you know. But the גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam. The dignity, the dignity of men, the being regal. I remember as a child visiting by Tates carried himself, you walked into a room, royalty entered the room. That was סלבודקה Slabodka. So if you want to elevate and you want to charge the next generation of כהנים kohanim, and you want to get them to be vigilant and careful and scrupulous about laws that their peers don't have to, how are you going to do it? By telling them, I'm sorry, שווער צו זיין א איד shver tzu zein a Yid, it's too bad, but you have to, and you're going to give up, and it's miserable. No, you say, do you know who you are? Do you know what you represent? Do you know the privilege of being בני אהרן bnei Aharon? ויאמר ה׳ אל משה אמר אל הכהנים Vayomer Hashem el Moshe emor el ha'kohanim, the first thing you say is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. We have to be teaching our children, do you know how געשמאק geshmak it is to be a איד Yid? Do you know the privilege? Look around this world. I just told the story of the קלויזנבורגר Klausenberger at יום השואה Yom Hashoah. I wrote it in the weekly last week. The קלויזנבורגר Klausenberger who when being beaten and on the ground and was challenged, you still think you're the chosen people? Said, yes, as long as we're not the ones doing the beating, as long as we're not shooting the rockets, as long as we're not decapitating children, as long as we're not lying about civilian casualties, as long as we're not holding hostages underground, then yes, we are still the chosen people. Do you know what a privilege it is to be the עם הנבחר אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים Am HaNivchar asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim? We have to turn to our children. And when they see what's happening at college campuses that may make them want to be less of a Jew and hide their Judaism and assimilate, say the opposite. You know what a privilege it is? How proud you should be? Do you know that you're royalty? You have to display, what you have to project, how you have to carry yourself, בני אהרן, בני אהרן bnei Aharon, bnei Aharon.And then Rav Druck goes on here, he has many more pages on this particular topic based on the Mishna in Avos, but we're going to move on. But this is the first idea of Rav Druck, אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta, אמר emor... He focuses not on the redundancy of אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta, he focuses on the redundancy of, why are we repeating כהנים בני אהרן kohanim bnei Aharon? The answer is we're not. Speak to the כהנים kohanim and the first thing to say is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. To tell our children every day, אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim. I think it was Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky at a תורה ומסורה Torah Umesorah conference stood up and said, the critical thing to teach all of חינוך chinuch today, to teach our children is אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim. You need to know we were chosen from among all the people. We are the chosen, we are the choosing people, we are privileged. What an honor. What a privilege, what a זכות zechus that we have. Let's live up to it. Let's carry ourselves with that with that designation. We are royalty. We are royalty that we need to know what we need to know. What we need to know.Turn now to the אמרות טהורות Imros Teharos, the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka. He has six, bear with me, interpretations on the opening of this פסוק pasuk. I told you, no matter how many we've offered in the past, every year there are new ones. What can we do? ברוך אתה ה׳ אלוקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam she'hakol nihiyeh b'dvaro. Amen.He begins by quoting ליקוטי תורה Likkutei Torah of the מגיד Maggid of טשערנאביל Chernobyl. כל ישראל קרואים כהנים Kol Yisrael kruim kohanim. This message, you'll say, rabbi, like move past the first פסוק pasuk. I asked if there are any כהנים kohanim in here and one person raised their hands, so נו nu, שיין shein, move on, it's enough. Okay, the כהן kohen got his ווארט vort. How about the rest of us? Is the Torah only speaking to the כהנים kohanim with these opening פסוקים psukim? What's the message for the rest of us? So the טשערנאבלער מגיד Chernobler Maggid said, כל ישראל קרואים כהנים kol Yisrael kruim kohanim. All Jewish people are called כהנים kohanim. We are a ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש mamleches kohanim v'goy kadosh. כי הם עובדי ה׳ יתברך כדוגמת הכהנים Ki hem ovdei Hashem Yisborach k'dugmas ha'kohanim. What the כהנים kohanim are to us, the priests, the teachers, the role models, we as a people are to the world. That's why collectively we are called גוי קדוש וממלכת כהנים goy kadosh v'mamleches kohanim. ויאמר ה׳ אל משה אמר אל הכהנים, שיאמר לישראל שיהיו בני אהרן Vayomer Hashem el Moshe emor el ha'kohanim, sheyomer l'Yisrael she'yihiyu bnei Aharon. The טשערנאבלער מגיד Chernobler Maggid said, read the פסוק pasuk that Hashem is speaking to גאנץ כלל ישראל gantz Klal Yisrael. He's speaking to everyone and he's saying, יהיו בני אהרן yehiyu bnei Aharon, be like the כהנים kohanim. שיתנהגו בענווה ושפלות רוח She'yitnahagu b'anava v'shiflus ruach. Be humble and modest like כהנים kohanim. Carry yourself like priests. כדרכו ומידותיו של אהרן K'darcho u'midoso shel Aharon. אהרן Aharon, what was אהרן's Aharon's character trait? How was אהרן Aharon known? He was, what does the Mishna in Avos tell us? אוהב שלום ורודף שלום Oheiv shalom v'rodef shalom. He was a peaceful person, he loved peace. Like כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, we don't spew hate and rhetoric and celebrate death. We are the descendants of אהרן Aharon, some literally and others metaphorically, but collectively we are the heirs of his legacy to be אוהב שלום ורודף שלום oheiv shalom v'rodef shalom. כי חשב את עצמו בענווה ונתינת רוח גם לגרועי בכל ישראל Ki chashav es atzmo b'anva v'nisnus ruach gam l'gromi b'chol Yisrael. With his humility and modesty, he thought that he was less than the rest of the Jewish people, ממילא היה יכול להשלים שלום ביניהם mi'meila hayah yachol l'hashlim shalom beineihem. You know what the biggest obstacle to peace is? You know what the biggest reason and catalyst for מחלוקת machlokes is? Ego. People's ego gets in the way. I'm not talking to this one, I had a fight with that one, I can't sit next to this one, don't seat me with that one, I won't invite this one, I'm not talking to that one. Why? Ego. So you know how you make peace? Get rid of the ego. Ego stands for edging God out. Get rid of the ego. The ego is this big interference with everything. אנכי עומד בין ה׳ וביניכם Anochi omeid bein Hashem u'veineichem, the בעל שם טוב Ba'al Shem Tov said. The אנכי anochi stands between us and God and the אנכי anochi stands between us and others. That אנכי anochi, that ego gets in the way. Get rid of the אנכי anochi, the ego. אהרן הכהן Aharon haKohen didn't have an ego, so he was the אוהב שלום ורודף שלום oheiv shalom v'rodef shalom. You could make peace between people. You know why there's no peace? He say, I'm going to him? I'm going to her? Let her come to me. People stand on principle, on honor, ego. Say, yeah, go to them. I should apologize? Let them apologize. Apologize, apologize. I have a saying. My kids know I have a saying. Take the high road, you never run into traffic there. Always take the high road, there's never traffic on the high road. Not a lot of people taking that route. Take the high road. You have to apologize, go to them, don't stand on ceremony. Get rid of the ego and make peace. That's אהרן Aharon. That we learn from אהרן Aharon. וכתב לבאר, אמרה בני אהרן ולא בני משה V'kasav la'veir, amra bnei Aharon v'lo bnei Moshe. So why, why, if this is really a message, says the טשערנאבלער Chernobler, to גאנץ כלל ישראל gantz Klal Yisrael, to everybody, not just the כהנים kohanim, why does it say בני אהרן bnei Aharon? Say בני משה bnei Moshe. משה Moshe also was an ענוו anav. There was no ענוו anav, no humble person as great. So said the מאור עינים Meor Einayim, his father of the טשערנאבלער מגיד Chernobler Maggid, מאור עינים Meor Einayim, Rav Menachem Nachum of טשערנאביל Chernobyl. כי יש לפעמים אדם שנוהג בענווה, אך כשיבוא מי ליגע בענווה ונתינתו, יקפיד עליו Ki yesh l'fomim adam she'noheig b'anava, ach k'she'yavo mi l'yageia b'anava v'nisuso, yakpid alav. איש כזה אינו נקרא ענוו Ish kaze einu nikra anav. There are people who are humble, unless somebody attacks their humility. They're humble. They're well-known for being humble. They get a lot of honor for being so humble. And now somebody's going to challenge their humility. Now all of a sudden, out the door goes the humility. That's not called humility. לזה אמר בני אהרן דוקא L'zeh omar bnei Aharon davka. להורות כי ענווה צריך להיות במידותיו של אהרן, שבחיותו סובר כי הוא גרוע מכל, לא יקפיד על שום אדם L'horos ki anava tzrich l'hiyos b'midoso shel Aharon, sheb'hiyoso soveir ki hu garua mikol, lo yakpid al shum adam. He wasn't, he wasn't arrogant with how humble he was. He was humble because he thought how less than he was, which is what positioned him to be able to make peace. And it's a message therefore for all of us, number one. Number two, the נועם מגדים Noam Magadim says the following. What does אמר ואמרת emor v'amarta mean? להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים L'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim, the דרך derech, the קדושת לוי K'dushas Levi, like the ברדיצ'בר Berditchiver says, לאשר שהכהן נתקדש בקדושה רבה ויתירה, ויש לחוש שלא יבוא לידי התנשאות lashir she'ha'kohen niskan b'kdusha raba v'yeseira, v'yeish lachos she'l'hadei hisnasus. The כהנים kohanim are particularly vulnerable because they have a position of distinction and prominence, they can easily become arrogant. They're in charge, they have the spotlight, they have the platform, they're the influencers of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael. It can easily go to their head. יש לחוש שלא יבוא לידי התנשאות Yeish lachos she'lo yavo l'dei hisnasus. לזה אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה, יאמר לכהנים שתי תשובות בדבר L'zeh amar HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'Moshe, yomar l'kohanim shtei t'shuvos b'davar. כיצד יוכלו להנצל ממחשבת הגאוה Keitzad yuchlu l'hinasel m'machsheves ha'ga'avah? How can they avoid arrogance? Number one, put in their heart, שכל קדושתם לא באה להם אלא מחסדי אבותם, בני אהרן she'kol k'dushasam lo ba'a lahem ela mi'chasdus avosam, bnei Aharon. You think you're so arrogant because you have this position? Guess what? You didn't earn it. You know why you have this platform, this prominence? You know why you have the spotlight? Because בני אהרן bnei Aharon. You happen to be born into the family of אהרן Aharon. There's nothing about you that makes you any better. Don't be proud, don't be arrogant. You didn't earn it, you didn't achieve it, there's nothing special about you. You won the genetic lottery that you were born into בני אהרן bnei Aharon. So this פסוק pasuk is all a strategy of how to keep the כהנים kohanim humble. And what's the strategy how to keep the כהן kohen humble? By reminding him, there's nothing special about you. אמר אל הכהנים Emor el ha'kohanim, and the first thing you tell them is בני אהרן bnei Aharon. So it's the exact opposite of the first interpretation. Rav Druck's interpretation, ooh, like the Alter, you're בני אהרן bnei Aharon. Do you know who you are? Second interpretation, nothing special about you. You happen to be בני אהרן bnei Aharon, don't let it go to your head. You were born with the right last name. You were born with the silver spoon in your mouth. You were born, you won the genetic lottery. You're just בני אהרן bnei Aharon, don't let it go to your head. Which is true? Both. It depends what you need to hear today. Both, both are true. That's number one. And then he goes on כפל הלשון keifel ha'lashon. Number three, the בת עין Bas Ayin. זכור לבת עין, ההייליג בת עין Zach l'Bas Ayin, ha'heilig Bas Ayin. קוץ Kotz. כדי להורות הכהן למידת הכנעה שלא יתגאה במעלתו Kidela oris ha'kohen l'midas ha'chna'ah shelo yisga b'ma'alaso. אמר ה׳ יתברך, אמר אל הכהנים שיאמר להם בני אהרן Amar Hashem Yisborach, emor el ha'kohanim she'yomar lahem bnei Aharon. שיזכרו תמיד את מה שנעשה בשני בני אהרן She'yizkru tamid es mah she'na'aseh b'shnei bnei Aharon. Another way to keep them humble. Remind them בני אהרן bnei Aharon. אהרן Aharon had four sons. You see only two sons. What happened to the other sons, נדב ואביהוא Nadav v'Avihu? They overstepped. They overstepped. They tried to get creative. They tried to express individuality, and it cost them their lives. So אמר אל הכהנים emor el ha'kohanim, tell the כהנים kohanim, בני אהרן bnei Aharon, what happened with בני אהרן bnei Aharon. See how beautiful the Torah is? We could sit here and offer 50 interpretations just on the words בני אהרן bnei Aharon. בני אהרן Bnei Aharon, oh, you're great. בני אהרן Bnei Aharon, oh, no, it's just genetic. בני אהרן Bnei Aharon, focus on what happened, the story of the בני bnei... It's so beautiful, the Torah is. It's this rich tapestry, it's possibility, it's incredible, the different interpretations. שאף היו קדושים עליון, נדב ואביהוא She'af hayu k'doshim Elyon, Nadav v'Avihu, were also very elevated and exalted. עם כל זה, בקרבתם לפני ה׳ להעלות להם קדושה יתירה, לא מתו Im kol zeh, b'krivasam lifnei Hashem l'haalos lahem k'dusha yeseira, lo meisu. But it didn't help them. When they overstepped the boundary, when they got too creative and independent, it cost them their lives. וכשיזכרו זאת, אז ממילא יתנו ליבם שלא יבואו לידי התנשאות U'k'she'yizkru zos, az mi'meila yitnu libam she'lo yavo l'dei hisnasus. So when you review and remember the story of the בני אהרן bnei Aharon, אמר emor, tell them, בני אהרן bnei Aharon, the story of נדב ואביהוא Nadav v'Avihu, and that will keep them humble, it'll keep them modest, and it'll keep them compliant. Don't get too creative. Be compliant, be obedient. Follow the will and the word of Hashem. That was number three in the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka. We're not done yet. Let's keep going. The נועם אלימלך Noam Elimelech. Ooh, Rav Elimelech of ליז'נסק Lizhensk, the הייליג נועם אלימלך heilige Noam Elimelech, quoted by the עבודת ישראל Avodas Yisrael and others. אמר ואמרת Emor v'amarta. So Rashi says, we saw it, להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim, that the mature adults have to model and emulate and teach and communicate what it means, this responsibility to the younger כהנים kohanim. So there's הלכה למעשה halacha l'ma'aseh implications I've shared previously. A pregnant אשת כהן eishes kohen, a woman married to a כהן kohen who's pregnant, can she go to the cemetery? How do you know what she's carrying? If she's carrying a little, little male עובר ubar, a little male fetus, maybe she can't go to the cemetery. So must she take a pregnancy test? Is a pregnancy test today reliable? A test that can tell you the gender. Does she have to have a sonogram? Does she have to have a gender reveal party? Does she have to have a... These are interesting הלכתי halachic questions. Not the gender reveal party part, but these are, she has to have a gender reveal party for her to know where she can go and can't go. Different people have different מנהגים minhagim, depends where. So להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim has הלכתי halachic implications. But says the נועם אלימלך Noam Elimelech, Rav Elimelech of ליז'נסק Lizhensk, כי במשך השנה יש להם זמנים טובים ki b'meshech ha'shana yesh lahem zmanim tovim. He reinterprets this Rashi. Listen to this, it's so beautiful. The notion of להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים l'hazhir gedolim al ha'ktanim is not just talking about adult כהנים kohanim to young כהנים kohanim. להזהיר L'hazhir is from the לשון lashon of זוהר zohar. להזהיר L'hazhir means to radiate, to illuminate, to brighten, to inspire. גדולים על הקטנים Gedolim al ha'ktanim. כי במשך השנה יש להם זמנים טובים, שבתות וחגים ומועדים בשנה, ומולם יש זמנים נמוכים בשנה Ki b'meshech ha'shana yesh lahem zmanim tovim, she'basosim u'muadim shana, u'mulam yesh zmanim nemuchim b'shana. Every year has highs and lows. There are the highs. Who can forget the incredible fundraiser we had with the גערער רבי Gerrer Rebbe's yeshiva when he was here, Rav Moshe Weinberger was here, and other, the rallies for Israel, and we had incredible highs and moments this year. Collectively as a community and individually. Just had a beautiful פסח Pesach and surrounded hopefully by the family. We have highs, highs. And then you have lows. You feel all alone, you're spiritually disconnected, you're tired and worn out and exhausted. על זה אמר להזהיר גדולים, הזמנים הטובים, על הקטנים, הזמנים הנמוכים Al zeh omar l'hazhir gedolim, ha'zmanim ha'tovim, al ha'ktanim, ha'zmanim ha'nemuchim. When you have a high, bottle it, bank it, file it, feel it, and be able to draw from it and remember it when you're in a low. When you get to the low, don't say that's it, I'm done. I'm done going to the gym, I'm not working out, I'm not being careful on this diet, I'm done, I'm turning in this husband, I'm turning in these children, I'm turning in this car, I'm turning in this career, I'm turning in the דף יומי daf yomi, I'm done with the פרשה parsha class, אמונה Emunah, he just says the same thing every week. I'm done, I'm done, I'm feeling done, I'm finished. No, להחזיר גדולה מן הקטנה lahaza gedola mala katana means be able to reach back from the high. Experience the high in such a way that it's not fleeting, that it's not gone, that it doesn't disappear. Be able to return to it. Be able to enjoy it. The Yishai Ribo concert. For me, it was like a memory of a lifetime. What an amazing day. It was just, it was unbelievable. I was telling יוכבד Yocheved the other day, if Yishai Ribo would call and say, I want to come back to Boca, I'll do it for free, another concert, I think I would say no because you can't live up to what we had. It could only disappoint. And I don't want to ruin that memory. It was just unbelievable. So then you're in a rut, להחזיר גדולה lahaza gedola, go back to that. Go back to that. Listen to that music, literally or figuratively in your head or go. Remember that, remember that פסח סדר Pesach Seder table. Remember that trip or vacation. Remember that experience with your spouse. Remember that דאווענען davening that you had. Remember that learning, that שיעור shiur, that transport, transformed you. להחזיר גדולה מן הקטנים Lahaza gedola mala katanim, said the נועם אלימלך Noam Elimelech, is a strategy for life. It's a strategy for life. Live the great moments in such a way that they're not fleeting, that they don't disappear. You know, like on your phone there's disappearing messages? So, turn off the disappearing messages. Don't have the great moments of life be disappearing messages. Bottle them. Make the memory book, create the little video star, write down a diary or journal. Do something that captures them so you could come back to them, so you could still draw from them. שצריכים להכין ולהאיר בזמנים הגדולים אור וחיות של קדושה, אף לימים הנמוכים Shetsrichim lehachin u'leha'ir bizmanim hagdolim or v'chiyus shel kedusha, af l'yamim hanemuchim. That's how you have to live life. כמו כן הוא עצה לכל אדם לעצמו Kmo chein hu eitza l'chol adam l'atzmo. I do, I do a fair amount of marriage counseling, not professionally, I always refer out to a competent, trained professional. But as a rabbi, whatever I offer and I often say to the couple, let's start with this. Before you tell me how miserable, how terrible, how everything's wrong today, let's go back to a time that things were right. Why did you fall in love with her? Why did you fall in love with him? What did you admire? What were you drawn to? What were his virtues? What were his character traits? Have you had any good time recently? Were you on a vacation? Was there a יום טוב yom tov? Did you go out on a date night? Was there a conversation? Was there a connection? להחזיר גדולה מן הקטנים Lahaza gedola mala katanim. There are highs and lows in relationships, professionally, religiously, and in all aspects and areas of life. This is the strategy, says רב אלימלך Rav Elimelech, להחזיר גדולה מן הקטנים lahaza gedola mala katanim. Don't disconnect the two and don't let, don't live this life just now and forward. Bottle and capture and experience in such a way that you can continue to draw. כמו כן עצה לכל אדם לעצמו שיש זמנים אשר הם אצלו זמנים גדולים, עוסק בהם בתורה ובתפילה כראוי וכל עניניו מתנהלים אצלו בטוב. ולעומת זאת, יש זמנים שנופל בהם לידי קטנות. וזו צריך אדם לראות להכין אחר בזמנים הטובים. Kmo chein eitza l'chol adam l'atzmo sheyesh zmanim asher hem etzlo zmanim gdolim, osek bahem b'torah u'v'tfila k'raui, v'chol inyanav misnahalim etzlo b'tov, u'le'umas zos yesh zmanim shenofel bahem l'dei katnus. V'zos tzorech adam liros l'hachin acher bizmanim hatovim. In the good times, know you're gonna crash. It's not gonna last forever. You're gonna come down from it. That's life. It's hard to be on a high forever. מי יעלה בהר השם ומי יקום במקום קדשו Mi ya'aleh v'har Hashem u'mi yakum bimkom kodsho. It's hard to stay on top of the mountain. You come back from the vacation and you come back from, the neilah comes to an end and the yom tov comes to a close and the highs have a low and Yishai Ribo goes back home with his band. There's a low. The highs end with a be ready, be prepared. Manage your expectations. Invest in how you're going to navigate.Furthermore, says the נועם אלימלך Noam Elimelech. ומבואר בזה להחזיר גדולים על קטנים. להחזיר גדולים... היינו הצדיקים. הגרויסע אידן על הקטנים, שיהיו נזהרים גם מעבירות קטנות שאדם דש בעקביו. U'mevoar b'zeh l'hazir gdolim al k'tanim. L'hazir gdolim... hainu ha'tzadikim. Di groisse Yidden al ha'ktanim, she'yihyu nizharim gam me'aveiros k'tanos she'adam dash b'akevav. מן דארף Men darf... I'm not going to read the Yiddish, to spare you. But he says that להחזיר גדולים lahaza gdolim, the צדיקים על הקטנים tzadikim ala katanim. Turn to the צדיקים tzadikim, the great people, the great מצוות mitzvos to not diminish or dismiss or feel you can violate the קטנים katanim, the small things that are insignificant and unimportant. Okay, the ספר שם משמואל Sefer Shem miShmuel, the last one in the in the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka. He says להחזיר גדולה מן הקטנים lahaza gedola mala ktanim, להזהיר lahazir מלשון זוהר mi'lashon Zohar. הנשמות הגדולות שבעם ישראל צריכין להזהיר ולהזריח על הנשמות הקטנות שבישראל Ha'neshamos hagdolos she'b'am Yisrael tzrichin l'hazhir u'l'hazriach al ha'neshamos ha'ktanos she'b'Yisrael. We need the great people among us to radiate and to shine a light on the others. The great people. I shared this in snippets recently because we're up to the ברכה bracha of על הצדיקים Al ha'tzadikim. על הצדיקים Al ha'tzadikim. We started it with מודה אני Modah Ani. We're closing in on 600. We're up to, we're up to על הצדיקים Al ha'tzadikim. So על הצדיקים, על החסידים, על זקני עמך בית ישראל Al ha'tzadikim, al ha'chasidim, al ziknei amcha beis Yisrael. Who are they? What are we דאווענען davening for them for? Why are we including them? So we shared there, because the righteous, any, the, the רב יונתן אייבשיץ Rav Yonason Eibshitz in his יערות דבש Yaaros Dvash writes, any good that happens in any generation is only because of the צדיקים tzadikim. We're only riding the coattails. It is in the merit of the righteous among us. And when we struggle to connect to השם Hashem, when we're buffering, we have a very low speed connection. We have no connection. We have half a bar out of the five bars. I can't connect. How do you connect to השם Hashem in those moments and at those times? Hotspot. You find somebody who has a high connection and you create a hotspot. צדיקים Tzadikim are the hotspot. השם Hashem, I'm struggling. I don't see you, I don't feel you. I'm struggling, I'm uninspired. But that צדיק tzadik, I saw the way he lives. I see the way she דאווענ'ס davens. I'm connecting through them. We turn the צדיקים tzadikim into a hotspot. להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים Lahazir gedolim al ha'katanim. גדולים Gedolim, be willing to be a hotspot for the קטנים katanim. If a person, something comes easy, they're living more righteous, they're living a higher level, they're living an example. להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים Lahazir gedolim al ha'katanim, be a hotspot for others to connect with. Last on this פסוק pasuk and then I promise we move on. רב יחזקאל וויינפעלד שליט\"א Rav Chatzkel Weinfeld, shlita. Tremendous תלמיד חכם talmid chacham in ירושלים Yerushalayim, a מרא דאתרא Marah d'Asra, I love his תורה Torah. So I want to share two quick two things from him. Number one, פרשה Parsha begins with many מצוות mitzvos that apply to כהנים Kohanim. The גמרא Gemara in יבמות Yevamos says, שני כהנים, הואיל וריבה בהם הכתוב מצוות יתירות Shani Kohanim, ho'il v'riba bahem hakasuv mitzvos yeseiros. כהנים Kohanim are different. גמרא Gemara in יבמות דף ה' עמוד א' Yevamos daf hey amud aleph. שני כהנים Shani Kohanim, כהנים Kohanim are different, why? הואיל וריבה בהם הכתוב מצוות Ho'il v'riba bahem hakasuv mitzvos, כהנים Kohanim have many more מצוות mitzvos. They have a different life and lifestyle. They have many more obligations. They're unique. They have more מצוות mitzvos that apply to them. So you could ask, why? Why do the כהנים Kohanim need more מצוות mitzvos? Why are they specifically the people who have more מצוות mitzvos? כהנים Kohanim are typically on a higher level of קדושה kedusha. Where do they hang out? In the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, in the משכן Mishkan, doing קרבנות korbonos, bringing קרבנות korbonos. So you'd think, if you hang out in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, if you're bringing קרבנות korbonos, if you are the teachers and leaders of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, if you live on a higher level, should you need more מצוות mitzvos or less מצוות mitzvos? I would have thought you need less מצוות mitzvos. So why דוקא dafka are they the ones הואיל וריבה בהם הכתוב מצוות יתירות ho'il v'riba bahem hakasuv mitzvos yeseiros? Why do they have more מצוות mitzvos? So says רב וויינפעלד שליט\"א Rav Weinfeld, shlita, perhaps the answer could be, listen to this insight, דוקא Dafka because they're on a higher level, they need more מצוות mitzvos to help protect them and guard them as a שמירה shmira. The גמרא Gemara in סוכה Sukkah on דף נ\"ב עמוד א' daf nun beis amud aleph tells us, כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו Kol hagadol meichaveiro yitzro gadol heimenu. This is a very brilliant תורה Torah insight the rest of the world doesn't understand. The secular world thinks the more brilliant, the more charismatic, the more artistic, the more accomplished you are, so the less vulnerable you are. The less vulnerable you are. יידישקייט Yiddishkeit, תורה Torah says, no, כל גדול הימנו kol gadol heimenu. The more brilliant, the more charismatic, the more creative, the more accomplished that you are, the greater you are, the greater your יצר הרע yetzer hara. The יצר טוב yetzer tov and the יצר הרע yetzer hara, they work together at the same level. For a person to have free will, for a person to have free will, if your יצר טוב yetzer tov, if your capacity for good were up here, and your יצר הרע yetzer hara were down here, so you didn't really make any choices. You didn't really have any free will. Says the יצר הרע yetzer hara, it ain't a fair fight. So השם Hashem says they always go in tandem. If you're if you're, you know, down here, so your יצר הרע yetzer hara is, you know, temperature's down on it, it's down here. But if you're up here, it's up here. And without invoking any names, I'll just tell you, if you look at our world, just over the last couple decades, my lifetime, there were great people, brilliant, charismatic, politicians, athletes, celebrities, leaders in their industry, business people, scholars, they were great, and so was their יצר הרע yetzer hara. And they did foolish, stupid things and you say, I don't understand, you're so smart, you're so accomplished. Look at where you are and where you did those things. What were you thinking? You weren't thinking. What were you thinking? If you could freeze that frame and say, you understand what's at, what's at stake? What you could lose, your legacy, your reputation, your family, your position, your everything. No one in their right mind would give all that up for that moment of pleasure. אלא מאי Ela mai, what? כל שגדול הימנו, יצרו גדול הימנו Kol she'gadol heimenu, yitzro gadol heimenu. The same ingredients that go into making greatness also go into having a great יצר הרע yetzer hara. A great יצר הרע yetzer hara. להבדיל L'havdil you see it, and I say this with great caution and incredible respect. I say it only, חז\"ל Chazal were willing to, and he said it among about himself. דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech. דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech was the most passionate poet, our greatest warrior, a king. דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech most accomplished. דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech is דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech. He's דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech. Open תהילים Tehillim, it's dripping with his passion. He was a warrior, went to battle and fight. He was a leader who led. He planted the seeds and the foundation of a בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. He's דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech. He's דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech, the progenitor of monarchy. He's דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech. And he's דוד המלך Dovid Hamelech, but חז\"ל Chazal tell us the stories with אביגיל Avigayil and with בת שבע Batsheva and with, and that's not a סתירה stira, that's not a contradiction. That goes together. That's the package. That's what the great person needs to navigate, needs to navigate. So says רב וויינפעלד Rav Weinfeld, כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו kol gadol meichaveiro yitzro gadol heimenu, with greatness comes not only awesome responsibility but awesome temptation that needs to be navigated, enormous challenges. So therefore, that's why the opening of our פרשה parsha, the כהנים Kohanim who hang out in the מקדש Mikdash, the כהנים Kohanim who bring the קרבנות korbonos, they need more מצוות mitzvos? They should need less. The answer is, they need more. Their greatness, their distinction, their prominence positions them for a big downfall. The higher you are, the harder you fall. So therefore you need more barriers and fences and protections. If the higher you are, the greater, the greater you are, the harder you fall, so the greater you are, the more שמירה shmira you need and that's why the כהנים Kohanim have more. To illustrate this point, the משנה ברורה Mishna Berura tells us, עשרה ניסים נעשו לאבותינו בבית המקדש Asara nisim na'asu l'avoseinu b'Beis Hamikdash. There were ten miracles that happened in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. One of them is ולא אירע קרי לכהן גדול ביום הכיפורים v'lo ira keri l'Kohen Gadol b'Yom haKippurim, that the כהן גדול Kohen Gadol never became impure on יום כיפור Yom Kippur making him ineligible to serve. תוספות יום טוב Tosfos Yom Tov on that משנה mishna in אבות Avos writes the following: יש מי שהקשה, למה יארע לו קרי, אחר שמזרזין אותו כל שבעת הימים, והוא בטהרה כל היום, זקני העם כל הלילה יושבים Yesh mi she'hiksha, lama yera lo keri, achar she'm'zrizin oso kol shivas ha'yamim, v'hu b'tahara kol hayom, ziknei ha'am kol halayla yoshvim. Why is that a miracle? We separated, we sequestered the כהן גדול Kohen Gadol for seven days. No wife, no images, no internet, no billboards on 95, nothing that might stimulate him. We don't want him to have an emission that could render him impure. So seven days we sequester him, and he learns through the night, and he's surrounded by these old men. It's not an environment of temptation. So it's such a miracle that he didn't have carry? Says the תוספות יום טוב Tosfos Yom Tov, תשובה, כי יצר טוב ויצר הרע מסכסכין זה עם זה כשני אויבים. Tshuva, ki yetzer tov v'yetzer hara misachsechin zeh im zeh kishnei oyvim. Because again, they're always commensurate, they're always competing, the יצר טוב yetzer tov and the יצר הרע yetzer hara. וכשאחד מהם קרוב להיות מנוצח, אז חזק האחד ומתגבר ורוצה להכריעו, כי כל שאיפתו של הרע להרחיק מן האדם את פתי רסן... אז חזק ויודע בדברים טובים, כגון הכהן גדול ביום הכיפורים... אז חזק ויודע בדברים טובים... או הנה קרוב מאד להיות הכהן בעל קרי U'k'she'echad mehem karov l'hiyos menutzach, az chazak ha'echad umisgaber v'rotze l'hachrio, ki kol she'ifaso shel hara l'harchik min ha'adam... az chazak v'yodea b'dvarim tovim... um zeh karov me'od l'hiyos ha'kohen baal keri. Because even in that situation and environment, in the moment that he's about to engage the high level of קדושה kedusha of יום כיפור Yom Kippur, the יצר הרע yetzer hara is working overtime. יצר הרע'ס Yetzer hara's working overtime. We're going to see this, we're going to come back to this in a moment because we're going to see this in a moment in one of the warnings of the, of the כהן גדול Kohen Gadol. But first, פרק כ\"א פסוק ח Perek chaf aleph, pasuk ches. Turn the page. וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ כִּי אֶת לֶחֶם אֱלֹהֶיךָ הוּא מַקְרִיב קָדֹשׁ יִהְיֶה לָּךְ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם V'kidashto ki es lechem Elohecha hu makriv kadosh yiheyeh lach ki kadosh Ani Hashem mekadeshchem. The כהן kohen doesn't only have great responsibility in his lifestyle and how he has to live. He also therefore earns and merits greater, greater prominence, greater respect. He has וקדשתו V'kidashto means that he gets the first עלייה aliyah. וקדשתו V'kidashto means that we honor the כהן kohen with leading the בענטשן benching. וקדשתו V'kidashto means there's a prohibition. You can't ask the כהן kohen, could you get me a cup of water? Could you go get me that thing, fetch that thing for me? וקדשתו V'kidashto, a person has to honor the כהן kohen. רש\"י Rashi quotes, נוהגו בו קדושה לפתוח ראשון בכל דבר Nohagu bo kedusha liftoach rishon b'chol davar. The כהן kohen goes first. Every כיבוד kibud, you're going axe throwing on a מוצאי שבת motzei Shabbos. One of your friends is a כהן kohen? בכבוד B'chavod. You get to go first. וקדשתו V'kidashto. וקדשתו V'kidashto. לברך L'varech, first עלייה aliyah, leads the בענטשן benching, gets to go first for, for everything. The חיד\"א Chida, אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plousos haTorah, we haven't been with אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plousos haTorah in a while. He has a on everything, he has an אריכות arichus, a whole essay on וקדשתו v'kidashto honoring the כהן kohen. He discusses what happens if you have two חתנים chasanim on the same שבת Shabbos. One's a כהן kohen and one's not. Who gets the מפטיר עלייה maftir aliyah? Who gets the, does it matter who got engaged first? Does it matter whose wedding is coming in the week first? If one's a כהן kohen, does he automatically go first? What about וקדשתו v'kidashto and a כהן kohen is a קטן katan? We said a כהן kohen is a קטן katan also has to be careful, can't be exposed to טומאה tumah, can't go to the cemetery. But do we also have, does the 10 year old כהן kohen get to tell his 30 year old cousin, you get me a drink. I don't get you a drink. I'm a כהן kohen. וקדשתו V'kidashto. Does it apply even to the קטן katan? To the קטן katan. קטן לאו בר עבודה הוא Katan lav bar avodah hu. קטן'ס Katan's not yet eligible to do the עבודה avodah. What earns you the כבוד kavod of being a כהן kohen? Your genetics, you're a כהן kohen, בני אהרן bnei Aharon, or that you qualify for the עבודה avodah, so the one who does the עבודה avodah doesn't do for others. Then he has the following, a huge חידוש chidush in the מחצית השקל Machatzis Hashekel. Can a כהן kohen ask another כהן kohen to do something for him? Can Rav Brand ask Rav Shaket, could you get me a drink? Is it only a לוי Levi, ישראל Yisrael that can't ask a כהן kohen, but another כהן kohen can? So מחצית השקל Machatzis Hashekel says, גם כהן אסור להשתמש בכהן בלי מחילה gam kohen asur l'hishtamesh b'kohen bli mechila. וכן כתב בתשובת כתב סופר V'chein kasav b'tshuvas Ksav Sofer, שמשתמש בכהן מועל, אפילו כהן בכהן she'mishtamesh b'kohen mo'al, afilu kohen b'kohen. שדגבי קיבוד של לפתוח ראשון בכל דבר של קדושה, ליתן לו מנה ראשון, פשוט כהן וכהן אחר אינו צריך לחלוק כבוד She'd'gabei kibud shel liftoach rishon b'chol davar shel kedusha, litein lo monah rishon, pashut kohen v'kohen acher eino tzrich lachlok kavod. A כהן kohen doesn't have to give the other כהן kohen the first portion or the other כהן kohen to lead the benching because they're equal. But in שימוש shimush, in asking him to get you a cup or bring you your slippers, so then maybe you can't be מוחל mochel. Interesting. תשובה Chuva of the מחצית השקל Machatzis Hashekel, כתב סופר Ksav Sofer, the תשובות יעב\"ץ Tshuvas Yaavetz disagrees, שמעון הכהן יכול לשרת לחבירו Shimon Kohen yachol l'shareis l'chavero. וקדשתו V'kidashto is only an instruction to the ישראל Yisrael, not to a fellow כהן kohen. He has a whole interesting אריכות arichus here about, about how this applies to כהנים Kohanim. פרק כ\"א פסוק ט Perek chaf aleph, pasuk tes. ובת איש כהן כי תחל לזנות את אביה היא מחללת באש תשרף U'vas ish kohen ki seichel liznos, es aviha hi mechaleles, ba'eish tisaref. If the daughter of a כהן kohen will be desecrated through adultery, a כהן'ס kohen's daughter had an affair. A כהן'ס kohen's daughter acted promiscuously. She desecrates not only her own dignity but her father's name and legacy. After all, she's a בת כהן bas kohen. Now you'll say, is that fair? Because she's a בת כהן bas kohen, is that fair? The worst words in the English language you can say to my children, because you're a rabbi's child. So because she's the כהן'ס kohen's daughter, she has a different more severe punishment? Is that fair? The answer is, that's what comes with being a בת כהן bas kohen. She also gets to eat תרומה trumah till she's married. She has certain, she has certain benefits of being a בת כהן bas kohen. So that's what it means to be a בת כהן bas kohen. Ooh, you're a בת כהן bas kohen. You're a princess. You have to be extra careful, extra vigilant. You can't behave or act in this way. רש\"י Rashi says, חיללה וביזתה את כבודו, שאומרים עליו ארור זה שזו ילדה Chil'la u'vizsa es kvodo, she'omrim alav arur zeh she'zu yalda. Why? She gets this באש תשרף ba'eish tisaref, she gets שריפה sreifa. Why is the punishment different for a בת כהן bas kohen she's זנתה zinsa, who has infidelity, because she desecrates her father. Why, says רש\"י Rashi, because people will come and say about him, oh yeah, he's, that's, that's the guy whose daughter had an affair. That's the כהן kohen whose daughter cheated. לשון הפסוק אומר דרשני Lashon ha'pasuk omer darshani, says Rav Druk, this פסוק pasuk is very peculiar. ובת איש כהן כי תחל לזנות את אביה U'vas ish kohen ki seichel liznos es aviha. Translate the words כי תחל לזנות ki seichel liznos. את אביה היא מחללת באש תשרף Es aviha hi mechaleles ba'eish tisaref. Translate the words כי תחל לזנות ki seichel liznos. Somebody translate for me. What? The word תחל teichel, תחל seichel comes from the word תחילה techila, which means to begin. She began לזנות liznos. הלא התורה בלאו הכי מקרא שבבת כהן זנתה ועונשה בשריפה, באש תשרף. אם כן היה צריך לומר במילים קצרות, ובת איש כהן כי תזנה Halo haTorah b'lav hachi mikra she'bas kohen zansa v'onsha b'sreifa, ba'eish tisaref. Im kein haya tzrich lomar b'milim k'tzaros, u'vas ish kohen ki tizneh. If the daughter of a כהן kohen was promiscuous, had an affair, what are we, ובת איש כהן U'vas ish kohen, the daughter of a man who's a כהן kohen, כי תחל לזנות את אביה היא מחללת ki seichel liznos es aviha hi mechaleles. צריך ביאור, מה הוא נאמר כי תחל לזנות Tzorech biur, ma hu namar ki seichel liznos? התחלה זו מה פירושה Haschala zu ma pirusheha? הרי אין ענין כאן רק בזנות עצמו Harei ein inyan kan rak b'znus atzmo. What she did is have an affair. She didn't begin to have an affair, כי תחל ki seichel. She launched her affair. She ignited her affair. No, she had an affair, that's what's punishable. So the language of the פסוק pasuk is peculiar, says Rav Druk. אכן יש לומר, הביאור בזה שהתורה באה לומר כיצד הגיעה אותה נערה לידי עבירה חמורה זו Achein yesh lomar, ha'biur b'zeh she'haTorah ba'ah lomar keitzad higia oza na'ara lidei avera chamura zu. How did this lovely בת כהן bas kohen, how did this great, beautiful, wonderful, God-fearing בת כהן bas kohen get to a place where she was מזנה mezana, she was promiscuous. איך הסתדרה כל כך עד לעבירה כזו שעונשה בשריפה Eich hisdarda kol kach ad l'aveira k'zu she'onsha b'sreifa? How did she lower herself so much to behave and perform something that is punishable with death, with, with burning. התשובה שריפה, התשובה שבאה היא הסכילה רק מדברים קטנים, כי תחל Ha'tshuva sreifa, ha'tshuva she'b'emes hi ischila rak midvarim ktanim, ki seichel. התחילה קצת לרדת מן הדרך, לצאת החוצה Hischila k'tzas laredes min haderech, latzeis hachutza. וכאשר מתחילין פותחין פתח ליצר, אין גבול לסרדור ובסוף מגיעין עד כדי לזנות V'kasher maschilin poschim pesach l'yetzer, ein gvul l'zdardurus u'vasof magi'im ad kdei liznos. The answer is, it began כי תחל ki seichel. She started dressing like this, watching this, speaking like this, hanging out with those people, experimenting with this. It all began somewhere. Was it, was it confronted, was it dealt with at the very beginning? Or did it not get acknowledged or recognized, was it swept under the carpet until it became full blown, a point of no return, of infidelity, of promiscuity that leads to שריפה sreifa. כי תחל לזנות Ki seichel liznos. It's a reminder that it all begins somewhere. A parent has to be vigilant. We brought in experts, substance abuse and addiction and our children. What are the signs? What can you look for? I don't mean, you know, their eyes are red, they're high, they're drunk. I don't mean obvious signs. What is peculiar? What is a different change in habit or pattern of behavior? What, what is someone very protective of their room, of their things, of their phone? There are all kinds of patterns. And a parent is responsible not to be so distracted by their own life that they don't even notice כי תחל לזנות ki seichel liznos. כי תחל Ki seichel. There's a beginning. It starts. It all begins and it all starts with somewhere. כך גם נאמר על דינה בת יעקב, ותצא דינה בת לאה Kach gam nemar al Dina bas Yaakov, v'teitzei Dina bas Leah. We have the same story about דינה Dina. The פסוק pasuk says, ותצא דינה v'teitzei Dina, דינה Dina the daughter of לאה Leah went out, שיציאתה גרמה שתגיע לכך שראה אותה שכם בן חמור ויקח אותה ויענה she'yitziasa garma she'tagia l'kach she'ra'ah ota Shechem ben Chamor v'yikach ota v'ya'aneha. We know לאה Leah was the first hashtag Me Too. לאה Leah was assaulted and abused and attacked by שכם Shechem. But where did that, דינה Dina, I'm sorry. דינה Dina, but where did that begin? How did that story start about דינה Dina? The answer is ותצא דינה v'teitzei Dina, 'cause she went out. Just going out with friends, just going out to check the party. I'm just going out to that place to hang out. I just want to experiment and try this once. I just want to see what it's like to wear this. I just, ותצא v'teitzei. to be somebody who goes out. שהמדרון הוא תלול, תלול, תלול Sha'midron hu taluk... taluk... taluk. Because it's a very, very sharp decline. It's a slippery slope. וכאשר מתחילים קצת לצאת בזמן קצר אפשר להגיע עד לשאול תחתית V'kasher maschilin k'tzas latzeis, b'zman katzar efshar l'hagia ad l'sh'ol tachtis. You could end up on the bottom of that slippery slope. מי שרוצה לשמור על עצמו צריך להזהר לשמור מדברים קטנים Mi she'rotze lishmor al atzmo tzrich l'hizaher lishmor midvarim ktanim, לא לפתוח שום פתח ליצר, לא להתחיל שום דבר lo liftoach shum pesach l'yetzer, lo l'haschil shum davar. Don't just try. Don't just be curious. Not just a little, not just this once, not just, because כי תחל לזנות ki seichel liznos, says Rav Druk. It all goes after the beginning. Keep your eyes open, look for the signs for ourselves, be careful, be vigilant, not to even try once. And that's why this פסוק pasuk begins with this sort of peculiar language, כי תחל לזנות ki seichel liznos. Back to the כהן kohen, פרק כ\"א פסוק י\"ג perek chaf aleph, pasuk yud gimmel. והוא אשה בבתוליה יקח V'hu isha vi'vsuleha yikach. The כהן גדול kohen gadol, we move over to the כהן גדול kohen gadol now. The כהן גדול kohen gadol, the high priest, has to marry a בתולה besulah. What's a בתולה besulah? A virgin woman. אלמנה וגרושה וחללה זונה את אלה לא יקח Almanah u'grusha v'chalala zonah es eileh lo yikach. He cannot marry a widow, a divorcee, a חללה chalalah, a זונה zonah. כי אם בתולה מעמיו יקח אשה Ki im besulah mei'amav yikach isha. It has to be a בתולה besulah, never previously married. ולא יחלל זרעו בעמיו כי אני ה' מקדשו V'lo yechalel zaro b'amav ki ani Hashem mekadesho. We're talking about the כהן גדול kohen gadol. Correct, we're talking about the כהן גדול kohen gadol. There was a family of כהנים Kohanim, the חיד\"א Chida, רב חיים יוסף דוד אזולאי Rav Chaim Yosef Dovid Azulai. אזולאי Azulai, a family of כהנים Kohanim. אזולאי Azulai stands for, אלמנה וגרושה וחללה, אשה זונה וחללה לא יקחו. אשה זונה וחללה לא יקחו, אזולאי Almanah grusha v'chalala, isha zonah v'chalala lo yikachu. Isha zonah v'chalala lo yikachu, Azulai. A family of כהנים Kohanim. That's how the חיד\"א Chida got his name. אלמנה וגרושה וחללה Almanah u'grusha v'chalala. Why can't he marry a גרושה grusha? A regular כהן kohen can't marry a גרושה grusha. A כהן kohen can't marry a divorcee. A כהן גדול kohen gadol is at the level he can't even marry an אלמנה almanah, a widow. He can only marry a woman who wasn't previously married. Why? Why? So this is wild. You ready? Listen to this. Listen to this. Unbelievable. I tell you an incredible מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim. An incredible מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim. מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim of the בעלי התוספות Baalei HaTosfos say, טעם נפלא שנצטווה הכהן גדול לישא בתולה דוקא tam nifla she'nitztaveh ha'kohen gadol lissa besulah dafka. שבחיות הכהן גדול בהיותו בקודש הקודשים היה מזכיר את השם המפורש ביום הכיפורים She'b'hiyos ha'kohen gadol b'hiyoso b'kodesh ha'kodashim haya mazkir es Hashem ha'meforash b'Yom haKippur. The כהן גדול kohen gadol is the soul, unique, one individual who goes into the קודש הקדשים Kodesh Hakodashim on the holiest day of the year, יום כיפור Yom Kippur. על ידי השם המפורש Al yedei Hashem ha'meforash, he needs to recite the ineffable name. He recites the explicit and holy name of השם Hashem. So when you invoke the holy name of השם Hashem, you know what power you have? You have the power of life itself. So the כהן גדול kohen gadol goes into the קודש הקדשים Kodesh Hakodashim on יום כיפור Yom Kippur and invokes the holy name of God and says, I daven that person should die. חששה התורה שמא נתן הכהן גדול עיניו באשת איש, ובשעת הזכרת השם המפורש יכוון שימות בעל אותה אשה, לכן אמרה התורה שישא בתולה ולא אלמנה Chashah haTorah shema nasan ha'kohen gadol einav b'eishes ish, u'v'sha'as hazkaras ha'shem ha'meforash yechavein she'yamus ba'al oza isha, lachein amra haTorah she'yisa besulah v'lo almanah. The מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim of the בעלי התוספות Baalei HaTosfos. So we're talking a thousand years ago. The מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim of the בעלי התוספות Baalei HaTosfos says, you know why the כהן גדול kohen gadol can't marry a widow? Because we're worried that at the קידוש kiddush, the כהן גדול kohen gadol met a woman, he saw her across the room and he said, ooh, she'd make a good wife. And while he's in the קודש הקדשים Kodesh Hakodashim on יום כיפור Yom Kippur, he's going to invoke the holy name of God and say, God, let her husband have a premature death so that she's eligible for a שידוך shidduch with me. And because we're worried that that's what's going to be on the mind of the כהן גדול kohen gadol on יום כיפור Yom Kippur, in the קודש הקדשים Kodesh Hakodashim, he's going to be thinking about some woman whom he wants to marry but he needs to get her husband out of the way first. And he's going to use the divine name to kill him. For that reason, כהנים גדולים kohanim gedolim can't marry widows. So you take that off the table. Now the כהן גדול kohen gadol knows that the שדכנים shadchanim, when he speaks to the שדכן shadchan, only a בתולה besulah. It's got a very narrow, short list. I can only look at the file of בתולות besulos, and therefore he's not going to be thinking that, that terrible plan. Wow. So when the אוצר הפלאות התורה Otzar Plousos haTorah quotes this and is bothered by it, he says העירני אדמו\"ר ממונקאטש heironi Admor miMunkatch. The מונקאטשער רבי Munkatcher Rebbe showed him, שחשש שלו דיבר המושב זקנים היה לכהנים גדולים שבזמן בית המקדש שני she'chashash shello dibber ha'Moshav Zkeinim haya l'kohanim gdolim she'b'zman Beis Hamikdash Sheini. חלילה, חלילה Chalila, chalila, the מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim was not talking about the ordinary כהן גדול kohen gadol. No, what Jew, that's on his mind? That's what he's going to think about? That's what he's going to conspire to do? In the holiest place, in the holiest day, in the holiest moment, with the holy name of השם Hashem? God forbid. But we know that we went through a period during the second בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash שהיו מתחלפים בכל שנה ולא מוציאין את שנתן shehayu mischalfin b'chol shana v'lo motzi'im es shnasan. We know that the כהן גדול kohen gadol didn't even live out a whole year. Every few months there was a new כהן גדול kohen gadol, why? Because they were so low life, they used their money to buy the position. They weren't worthy. They weren't worthy. It was a totally corrupt position in the time of the בית המקדש שני Beis Hamikdash Sheini. So that's who we're talking about. That's who we're talking about. That's what the מונקאטשער Munkatcher told the author of the אוצר הפלאות התורה Otzar Plousos haTorah. That's who we're talking about. That's who the מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim was talking about. That's what he says. But it's not what everybody says. It's not what everybody says. לב שש Lev Sheish. What does Rav Druk say about the same מושב זקנים בעלי תוספות Moshav Zkeinim Baalei Tosfos? The same Rav Druk. He says the following, quotes the מושב זקנים Moshav Zkeinim who gives the reason. נמצאנו למדים מדברי המושב זקנים יסוד גדול בכוחות הנפש של האדם Nimtzeinu lomedim midivrei ha'Moshav Zkeinim yesod gadol b'kochos ha'nefesh shel ha'adam. He says the opposite. It's not only the lowlife corrupt בית שני bayis sheini כהנים גדולים kohanim gedolim who did this. What you see from here is just how vulnerable every human being is. הרי הכהן גדול הוא האדם המקודש ביותר על פני האדמה Harei ha'kohen gadol hu ha'adam ha'mekudash b'yoser al pnei ha'adama. וכפי שאמרו במדרש רבה פרשת אחרי מות U'k'fi she'amru b'Midrash Rabba, parshas Acharei Mos. אמר רב אבהו מיומו של אדם חיה הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו אינו נכנס עמו Omer Rav Abahu, mi'yomo shel adam chaya, ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu b'chvodo eino nichnas imo. אמר רבא, כהן גדול לא אדם היה Omer Ravah, kohen gadol lo adam haya? כהו דאמר רבי פנחס, בשעה שרוח הקודש שורה עליו, פניו בוערות כלפידים עליו K'hu d'amar Rebbi Pinchas, b'sha'ah she'ruach hakodesh shora alav, panav bo'aros k'lapidim alav. The כהן גדול kohen gadol, his face radiated like a, like a angel. And yet, he was still a human being. מבואר בדברי המדרש כהן גדול בשעה שנכנס לקודש הקודשים היה בדרגה גבוהה כל כך יותר ממלאך Mevuar b'divrei ha'Midrash kohen gadol b'sha'ah she'nichnas l'kodesh hakodashim haya b'darga g'voha kol kach yoser mi'malach. ורק דמות אדם היתה לו V'rak dmus adam hayisa lo. He was like, holier than an angel. And yet, and yet, this is how vulnerable and how fragile every human being is. This is not just a בית שני bayis sheini issue. There are great people. There were great people. We have great rabbis who fell prey to the יצר הרע yetzer hara, who lost it all because of the יצר הרע yetzer hara. When a person thinks, I'm not vulnerable, I'm not at risk. I'm a certain age, I study a certain amount of מוסר mussar, I have certain גדולים gedolim and filters and therefore I'm not at risk. That's when you're the most at risk. When you think you're so great, you're not at risk, that's when you're the most at risk. You know who was at risk? The כהן גדול kohen gadol. On יום כיפור Yom Kippur. In the קודש הקדשים Kodesh Hakodashim. Expressing the divine name. Even he was at risk. Oh, but that woman at the קידוש kiddush. Maybe she's good for me. Got to get that guy out of the way. Even he was at risk of thinking about that woman in that moment, in that moment. That's why, says Rav Druk, what's the ליינינג laining at מנחה Mincha on יום כיפור Yom Kippur? What do we read? פרשת עריות Parshas Arayos. אחרי מות Acharei Mos. We read about the עריות arayos, forbidden, illicit, promiscuous relationships. Why? It's the holiest day of the year. השם's Hashem's like, what are you doing? That's what you're putting in our mind? מנחה Mincha on יום כיפור Yom Kippur. Our stomachs are grumbling. We're, our breath is miserable. It's מנחה Mincha on יום כיפור Yom Kippur. We're like angels. We're aspiring holy day. And you're going to make us, can't sleep with this one, don't marry that one, don't cheat with this one, don't think about that one. That's what we're reading on this holiest day. Yeah, because even on this holiest day, your mind is wandering. It's a big, long מחזור machzor. You had to go all kinds of places. Don't think about that. Be vigilant, be guarded, be careful, because everybody is vulnerable. The גמרא Gemara in קדושין Kiddushin says, את ה' אלהיך תירא לרבות תלמידי חכמים es Hashem Elokecha tira l'rabos talmidei chachamim. The פסוק Pasuk says, את ה' אלהיך תירא es Hashem Elokecha tira. Live with awe and reverence and fear of השם Hashem. And we know, we דרשן darshan every את es in the תורה Torah. את Es is an extra word. It could just say, ה' אלהיך תירא Hashem Elokecha tira. כבד את אביך ואת אמך Kaved es avicha v'es imecha. Why does it say כבד את אביך ואת אמך kaved es avicha v'es imecha? לרבות אחיך הגדול L'rabos achicha hagadol. אחיך הגדול achicha hagadol. Also honor your your older brother. Why does it say את השם אלוקיך תירא es Hashem Elokecha tira? Should just say השם אלוקיך תירא Hashem Elokecha tira. את לרבות תלמידי חכמים Es l'rabos talmidei chachamim, meaning, don't just live with awe and reverence for Hashem, live with awe and reverence for תלמידי חכמים talmidei chachamim. Said the Kotzker, את השם אלוקיך תירא לרבות תלמידי חכמים Es Hashem Elokecha tira l'rabos talmidei chachamim, also תלמידי חכמים talmidei chachamim need יראת שמיים yiras shamayim. Kotzker. את לרבות תלמידי חכמים Es l'rabos talmidei chachamim is not that you should have יראה yirah of תלמידי חכמים talmidei chachamim, the את לרבות תלמידי חכמים es l'rabos talmidei chachamim, תלמידי חכמים talmidei chachamim also need some יראת שמיים yiras shamayim. Aye, they need יראת שמיים yiras shamayim? They know כל התורה כולה kol hatorah kulah. They finish ש\"ס Shas. They know פוסקים בעל פה poskim ba'al peh. Yeah, said the Kotzker, את לרבות תלמידי חכמים es l'rabos talmidei chachamim. תלמידי חכמים Talmidei chachamim also need יראת yiras, they also need יראת שמיים yiras shamayim. Back to Rabbi Weinfeld. So Rabbi Weinfeld says, כל הגדול מחברו יצרו גדול ממנו kol hagadol mechaveiro yitzro gadol mimenu. Rabbi Weinfeld quotes this מושב זקנים moshav zekeinim. And he says, you see from this מושב זקנים moshav zekeinim, you see from this מושב זקנים moshav zekeinim that the כהן גדול kohen gadol is vulnerable. כהן גדול Kohen gadol is vulnerable. You see this also, the ירושלמי Yerushalmi says something amazing.We'll end with this. The ירושלמי in the משנה in the beginning of יומא Yerushalmi in the mishna in the beginning of Yoma says the כהן גדול kohen gadol would be separated from his family and remain in the לשכת פלהדרין lishkas palhedrin for seven days. A backup כהן גדול kohen gadol, what's that called? Understudy. Understudy. The backup כהן גדול kohen gadol, the understudy. What's that called in theater? Understudy? The back of the understudy כהן גדול kohen gadol was also set aside as a replacement for the current כהן גדול kohen gadol in case he couldn't do the עבודה avodah. The ירושלמי יומא Yerushalmi Yoma asks, should the backup כהן גדול kohen gadol would be placed in the לשכת פלהדרין lishkas palhedrin with the כהן גדול kohen gadol? So the seven days the כהן גדול kohen gadol is sequestered and alone, do you put the understudy with him, or do you keep him apart? And the ירושלמי Yerushalmi says, משום דאין מיחדין לאימי mishum d'ein meyachdim l'imei. Why? You don't put them together, you set them because קטלאי אוסו kutlei oso. We're worried the כהן גדול kohen gadol is going to kill him. כהן גדול Kohen gadol might take out the competition. What if the understudy is better? What if they want him instead of me? We don't put them together because this is a ירושלמי Yerushalmi. The כהן גדול kohen gadol is gonna murder? He's gonna kill him? We see from these examples, the greater a person, the greater a time, the greater a place, the greater the יצר הרע yeitzer hara to stumble. Therefore specifically the כהנים kohanim and the כהן גדול kohen gadol need extra מצוות mitzvos, need extra שמירה shmirah, need extra שמירה shmirah. Rabbi Weinfeld goes on here, gives more examples. He quotes from the חלק התניא Chelek HaTanya, פרק כח perek chaf ches. תניא Tanya. כשאחד מתגבר, השני מתאמץ לו להתגבר Kshe'echad misgaber, hasheini mis'ametz lo l'hisgaber. The notion of being מתגבר misgaber. Regarding the ירושלמי Yerushalmi mentioned above, the כהן גדול kohen gadol might kill his replacement, the גמרא יומא Gemara Yoma says, one כהן kohen, you know the story of the כהן kohen running up the ramp of the מזבח mizbeach? And what happened? In the effort to have the privilege to go do that עבודה avodah, what happened? One of them stabbed another. Stabbed another כהן kohen? In the מקדש Mikdash? On the ramp of the מזבח mizbeach? Yeah. That's the power of the יצר הרע yeitzer hara. Holy people in holy places at holy times in holy activity still have a יצר הרע yeitzer hara. Have a greater יצר הרע yeitzer hara. We need to be aware. The greater you are, the greater your feeling, the greater the moment, then the greater the יצר הרע yeitzer hara is gonna work overtime in order to bring it all down, in order to be able to take it away. As always, we have a lot more to share, but we leave it here. Wishing everyone a day of בשורות טובות besoros tovos. May it be a great day for עם ישראל Am Yisrael and כלל Klal.
