Transcript
Okay, good afternoon, welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. As always, I appreciate everyone's flexibility. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem just returned from Israel this morning, so glad that we're able to squeeze in the Parsha shiur this afternoon. Every time we move the time, I'm pretty confident I'm going to be sitting here by myself with the camera. So the fact that you're here in person brings an energy to our learning and I'm very grateful to you for that. Our Parsha series is generously sponsored by Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of Becky's father, לעילוי נשמת le'iluy nishmas David Grossman, דוד בן מנחם מנוש David ben Menachem Manush. Our shiur is also sponsored in memory of my wife's grandfather whose yahrzeit was yesterday, ישראל נתן בן צבי Yisrael Nosson ben Tzvi, our Zaidy, was an incredibly special, tremendous תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, survivor, amazing, amazing man. And in memory of צבי מאיר בן נחמיה הלוי Tzvi Meir ben Nechemia HaLevi, Hersh's Zwaig, whose yahrzeit was this past Shabbos. His נשמה neshama should have an עליה aliyah as well. Thank you to all of our sponsors. We are beginning the third book of the Torah, ספר ויקרא Sefer Vayikra. Page 544 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. And this Shabbos is, and this Shabbos is not just Vayikra, this Shabbos is not Shabbos HaGadol, that's next Shabbos, but this Shabbos is the Shabbos HaGadol drasha. So it is the feeling of Pesach. Pesach is in the air, and we'll see it a little bit in Vayikra, some of the ideas and themes that will emerge as well. ויקרא אל משה וידבר השם אליו מאהל מועד לאמר Vayikra el Moshe vayidaber Hashem eilav mei'ohel moed leimor, on page 544, Hashem called to Moshe and he spoke to him from the Ohel Moed and he said. And there's so many questions we've discussed this pasuk countless times in the past. We'll try not to repeat the previous insights in Divrei Torah but offer new ones this week. But why does God first call Moshe and then speak to him? It seems redundant. ויקרא אל משה Vayikra el Moshe, he called Moshe, וידבר השם vayidaber Hashem, and he spoke to him. Just tell us, Hashem communicated, God transmitted a message, God commanded, God spoke to Moshe. What's this image of first calling him and then speaking to him? And where did he speak to him from? מאהל מועד Mei'ohel moed. He spoke, his voice emanated forth from the tent of meeting, from the Mishkan, from the tabernacle, even though no one else heard it but Moshe. So why not just say he spoke to Moshe where Moshe was? There are many questions we can ask. But let's begin with a תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel, Shmuel Barenbaum. Rashi says on the words ויקרא אל משה Vayikra el Moshe, לכל הדברות לכל האמירות לכל הצווים קדמה קריאה lechol hadibros lechol ha'amiros lechol hatzivuim kadma kriah. Before all of the sayings, before all of the speaking, before all of the commandments, it is preceded with קריאה kriah, there is a calling. לשון חיבה Lashon chiba. And this is a term of endearment, of affection, because, you know, you want to say something to your child, you say bubbala, come here, ketzela, come here, sweetie, dear, sweetheart, come here. Hopefully, if things are well between a husband and wife, sweetheart, come here, I want to tell you something. And then before you say what you have to say, first there is a call, first there is a greeting, first there is an expression of love, of affection. לשון שמלאכי השרת משתמשים בו Lashon shemalachei hashareis mishtamshim bo, and Rashi says this is the language that our angels use, שנאמר וקרא זה אל זה shene'emar vekara zeh el zeh. We say it in Kedusha, וקרא זה אל זה Vekara zeh el zeh, our angels turn one towards the other, they call one to the other. To call someone, particularly to call them by name, is a term of affection. It's a term of affection. So my goal, my mission is not just to communicate or transmit a message, a commandment, an idea. It's not only functional, our relationship is not only transactional, but there's a קריאה kriah. I'm calling you, I'm calling you by name because there's love, there's affection, there is an underlying first connection. אבל לנביאי אומות עכו\"ם Aval l'niviei umos akum, however, says Rashi, when it comes to the prophets of the gentile world, the non-Jewish prophets, נגלה עליהם בלשון עראי וטומאה nigla aleihem b'lashon arai v'tumah. Rather than first greet them and call them with affection, with a connection, with a bond, and then transmit a message, when it comes to the prophets of the non-Jewish world, it's purely transactional. It's entirely about the message. It's entirely about the prophecy. Therefore, the language of עראי arai, something temporary, וטומאה v'tumah, something impure, is used, שנאמר shene'emar, because the pasuk says when it comes to Bilam, בלעם הרשע Bilam ha'rasha, Bilam the wicked prophet, who was trying to curse the Jewish people, of course Hashem intervened and transformed every attempt to curse turned into a blessing. We'll read about that later in ספר במדבר Sefer Bamidbar. Those learning the Daf Yomi recently learned about Bilam ha'rasha, the wickedness, the bestiality, the corruption of Bilam, the wicked prophet of the non-Jews. And unlike the word ויקרא vayikra, ו' י' ק' ר' א' vav yud kuf reish aleph, God called Moshe with love and affection, it says ויקר vayikar, which is לשון מקרה lashon mikreh, happenstance. So when it comes to Moshe, Hashem wants to communicate, this isn't a chance meeting, this isn't a happenstance rendezvous, this is by design. This is intentional. I love you. It's affection. I'm calling you. When it comes to Bilam, the wicked prophet of the nations, ויקר vayikar, God happened on Bilam. Yes, he communicated, but it was purely transactional. He happened on Bilam. Wonders Rav Shmuel. All that so far is just Rashi. All he said so far is Rashi. Comes along the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel, אלא צריך עיון elah tzorech iyun. חז\"ל אמרו על הפסוק Chazal amru al ha'pasuk, Chazal say on the pasuk later in וזאת הברכה V'zos HaBracha, the end of דברים Devarim, לא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה אשר ידעו השם פנים אל פנים Lo kam navi od b'Yisrael k'Moshe asher yeda'o Hashem panim el panim. There is no prophet that rose as great as Moshe who knew God face to face. חז\"ל דרשו Chazal darshu, our rabbis extrapolate from here, it's true, among the Jews, there is no one as great as Moshe. However, באומות העולם קם b'umos ha'olam kam. There is a non-Jewish prophet who was as great as Moshe and who is that? היינו בלעם hainu Bilam. So, which is it? On the one hand, our parsha tries to distinguish, Moshe is great, ויקרא vayikra, God called him. Bilam, ah, he happened upon him, he ran into him, he bumped into him, transactional. On the other hand, later, on וזאת הברכה V'zos HaBracha, we're told, no, no, no, there is no prophet as great as Moshe among the Jewish people, but there is a prophet as great as Moshe among the non-Jewish people, and who's that? Bilam. So is Bilam as great as Moshe or not? And does God call out to them in the same way, in a parallel way? Or does he call out to Moshe in one way, in a לשון קדושה וטהרה lashon kedusha v'tahara, in a holy sacred way, and he calls out to Bilam in a happenstance, in a עראי arai, temporary, טומאה tumah, in an impure way. Moreover, הקדוש ברוך הוא קדוש HaKadosh Baruch Hu kadosh. Says Rav Shmuel Barenbaum, Hashem the Almighty himself is the source of all purity. He is pure. שמו קדוש Shmo kadosh, his name is holy. הייתכן שידבר בלשון טומאה אף אדם Hayitachen sheyidaber b'lashon tumah af adam? To Moshe, he speaks with purity, with טהרה tahara. To Bilam, he speaks with טומאה tumah, impurity. Can God speak with impurity? God is the source of all pure. God is everything. What does that even mean to describe that he spoke to Bilam in a way that's טמא tamei? So listen to what he says. says the following: ודאי הקדוש ברוך הוא דיבר בלשון קדושה כל אחד ואחד Vadai HaKadosh Baruch Hu diber b'lashon kedusha kol echad v'echad. This is a very important message and יסוד yesod, a foundation for today. Certainly the Almighty, any message he shares, proclaims, publicizes, communicates, by definition, it's pure, holy, and sacred. לכל אחד ואחד L'chol echad v'echad, what he puts into the airwaves is pure. אבל בלעם שהיה רשע ושפל Aval Bilam shehaya rasha v'shafal, but Bilam who was wicked and lowly, והיה מנהיג של בני דורו כפי מדרגתו השפלה v'haya manhig shel bnei doro k'fi madregaso ha'shfeila and he would lead his generation according to his lowly, corrupt, compromised, contaminated way. כמו שהמעשה עצת בנות מדין להחטיא את כלל ישראל בזנות K'mo she'hama'aseh eitzas bnos Midyan l'hachti es klal Yisrael b'znus, just like he guided and he tried to advise the women of Midyan. His attempted curse didn't work. So what did he do instead? He said, 'I know the vulnerability of the Jewish people. We're going to send women to seduce and tempt them, and they're going to compromise them, and that's how we're going to get them.' הוא בעצמו היה פרוץ בערוה Hu b'atzmo haya parutz b'erva. And how did Bilam know that that was a vulnerability? How did he know that would be a tactic? Because Bilam himself was vulnerable to it. Bilam himself, though he was a great prophet, Bilam himself gave into the temptation and the seduction of women, he himself became corrupt and compromised. וממילא הלשון עראי וטומאה לא היה מצד הקדוש ברוך הוא המדבר U'mimaila ha'lashon arai v'tumah lo haya mitzad HaKadosh Baruch Hu ha'medaber. So when we talk about that the contrast, Moshe and Bilam, and that God spoke to Bilam in a לשון טומאה lashon tumah, it's not because God ever speaks in a language of impurity, אלא ההבדל מצד בלעם הרשע המקבל והשומע ela ha'hevdel mitzad Bilam ha'rasha ha'mekabel v'ha'shomea. It's a reflection of the way we receive, of the way that we accept the message. Put into contemporary terms, we have a filter. And the way that we filter the information, the way we filter the messages that come at us, are a reflection not only of where the message is sourced, but how we filter, how we receive, how we absorb. We're biased. The way that we look, the way that we perceive, the way that we pick up the signal of the world around us is influenced and is biased by the filter of our own background, of our personality, of our life experience, of our ideology, of our philosophy. Two people can pick up the same signal and one is inspired and motivated and there's positivity, and the other is negativity and cynicism and turned off. Ah, it's the same message. Whether it's the same event, it's seeing and observing the same extraordinary natural event or beautiful feature of nature, two people can see, observe, pick up the same signal, but they interpret it in entirely different ways. And that's where our rabbis are telling us, Moshe and Bilam, it's not because God who's sending the signal sends different signals, but they receive it differently based on the filter that we have. הוא שמע מדרך של טומאה Hu shama miderech shel tumah. משל למה הדבר דומה, ספר תפארת שמואל ברנבאום, למי שהולך בבגד לבן ונקי דרך אשפה Mashal l'mah ha'davar domeh, sefer Tiferes Shmuel Barenbaum, l'mi she'holech b'veged lavan v'naki derech ashpa. person goes through the garbage wearing a white garment, ויוצא משם בגד מטונף ומלוכלך v'yotzei misham beged metunaf u'meluchlach, will walk out filthy. אבל להבדיל אלף אלפי הבדלות משה רבינו שהיה איש קדוש שמע את דברי הקדוש ברוך הוא בקדושתו וטהרתו Aval l'havdil elef alfei havdalos Moshe Rabbeinu she'haya ish kadosh shama es divrei HaKadosh Baruch Hu b'kdushaso u'v'taharoso, כמו שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא במשה k'mo she'amar HaKadosh Baruch Hu b'Moshe picked it up, he remained pure, he wasn't contaminated, he wasn't influenced or affected from it. We're not supposed to, we have a filter. And that's why the burden is on us, we have to be so careful what antenna we extend and what filter we use. You know if you're, you've probably never done this. Maybe you have, if you're trying to connect to your children or grandchildren. But on your cell phone, if you're zooming or facetiming or using WhatsApp video, there's a filter. And the filter can distort your face, and the filter can make you look funny, and the filter can have all kinds of images around you. And the filter has the person see you differently than the way you appear. So the camera is picking you up exactly as you are. But when you press filter, the other person sees you now through a filter. We have to be extraordinarily and exceedingly careful with what filter we interpret the world, because it can distort and it can manipulate the message that's coming. הקדוש ברוך הוא's message is pure, is inspiring, is lofty, is enriching. But if we have a filter that's going to be cynical or sarcastic or negative or pessimistic, then it's going to bring down that message. And that's the יסוד החיים yesod hachaim. Torah tells us that it's מתוק מדבש ונופת צופים mesuka m'dvash v'nofes tzufim. ידוע דברי אור החיים הקדוש Yadua divrei Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh says, שאם היו בני אדם מרגישים מתיקות וערבות טוב התורה, היו משתגעים ומתלהטים אחריה she'im hayu bnei adam margishim metikus v'areivus tov ha'Torah, hayu mishtag'im u'mitlahatim achareha. If a person understood, tasted the sweetness, how delicious Torah is, you'd run after it. You'd pursue it. ולא יחשב בעיניהם מלא עולם כסף וזהב למאומה, כי התורה כוללת כל הטוב שבעולם v'lo yechshav b'eineihem melo olam kesef v'zahav l'uma, ki ha'Torah koleles kol ha'tov she'ba'olam. We have a filter that says money makes the world go round. So we're drawn to money, we want more money, we work hard for money, we admire people with a lot of money, money is power. But if we understood that Torah is so much more valuable, Torah is inestimable, and money's temporary, you can't take it with you. We'd run after Torah, we'd chase Torah, we'd admire those who have more and more Torah. אלא מה Ela mai, however, we have a filter. We see a world in which commodity of money, in fact, is power, brings honor, has influence, so we think money. And Torah, spirituality is invisible, it's not tangible, so we don't admire it. That's the filter through which we're perceiving and seeing this world. Says the אור החיים הקדוש Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, change your filter. Get your glasses fixed. Look at the world more accurately and correctly and you will see. So that's the distinction, the contrast, Moshe ויקרא Vayikra with an aleph. Bilam without an aleph. Happenstance, chance, transactional, whereas Moshe, it is deliberate, it's intentional, it's affectionate, it's much more than just transactional. Ah, how could they each be hearing the signal differently? Not because Hashem sent out a different signal, but they had different antennas, and therefore a person has to be exceedingly careful with our antenna. That's number one. Number two, Tiferes Shmuel has another idea. Again, Rashi. ויקרא אל משה, הקול הולך ומגיע לאזניו, וכל ישראל לא שומעים Vayikra el Moshe, hakol holech umagia l'oznav, v'chol Yisrael lo shom'im. The message, the voice of Hashem went out and it came to Moshe's ears, and the rest of the people didn't pick up the signal. So Hashem said it out loud, but no one else heard except Moshe. אליו, זעקת רש\"י, יכול שמעו את הקול, תלמוד לומר, קול לו, קול אליו, משה שומע וכל ישראל לא שמעו Eilav, zakat Rashi, yachol shamu es ha'kol, talmud lomar, kol lo, kol eilav, Moshe shomea v'chol Yisrael lo shamu. only Moshe picked up the signal. Wonders Rav Shmuel Barenbaum, Tiferes Shmuel. If הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu is speaking directly to Moshe, and no one else hears it, go to his tent, send him an email, leave him a voice note, pick up the phone, call him. Why does he proclaim it from the Ohel Moed and it goes across דרך כל המחנה derech kol ha'machaneh? It goes across the entire camp, דרך כל המחנה derech kol ha'machaneh, if Moshe is the only one who's going to hear it, he's the only one who's going to pick it up. Says Rav Shmuel Barenbaum, שהקדוש ברוך הוא אינו מצמצם כלל את השפעתו, וממילא בדווקא קרא הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה דרך כל המחנה להורות SheHaKadosh Baruch Hu eino m'tzamtzem klal es hashpa'aso, u'mimaila b'davka kara HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'Moshe derech kol ha'machaneh l'horos. שבאמת כל אחד ואחד יכול להגיע למדרגת משה לשמוע את דבר השם She'be'emes kol echad v'echad yachol l'hagia l'madregas Moshe lishmoa es dvar Hashem. Hashem put it out into the atmosphere. He sent the signal out into the world and he said, 'Everyone can be a Moshe. If you tune in, if you connect, if you eliminate the noise, if you get rid of the static, it's there for anyone to pick up. But you have to be a Moshe. Anyone can strive, anyone can have the drive to be a Moshe. And if you can get to the level of Moshe, you could pick up the signal.' So it wasn't that only Moshe can hear. He proclaimed it for everyone, but you have to have the ambition, you have to have the drive, you have to want to be a Moshe in order to be able to pick up the signal. So it reminds me of an insight of the אמת ליעקב Emes L'Yaakov, of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, back at the beginning of ספר שמות Sefer Shemos. The רמ\"א Rama in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch, in Yoreh Deah, tells us that one should not hire a non-Jewish nurse to nurse a Jewish child. A Jewish child should not drink the milk of a non-Jewish woman, of a woman who's a pagan, idolater, who worships something else. Why? Where do you learn that from? משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu. Because even though Moshe was given up, put in the basket, nevertheless, Yocheved and Miriam were careful, were vigilant to ensure that Moshe would not drink from Bas Paro, that Moshe would not drink from some Egyptian nursemaid, but it would only be a Jewish source, a holy source, a holy source of milk. And the רמ\"א Rama says that in fact is the הלכה halacha, that is the practice we have till today. We don't today hire others to nurse our children, we have formula, but in the time that people did, the רמ\"א Rama says one should be strict and careful to only hire a Jewish woman. Asks Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, why, by the way? Why were they so careful for Moshe? Because the פה שהיה עתיד לדבר פנים בפנים peh she'haya asid l'daber panim b'fanim, the mouth that was destined to speak face to face with God, that same mouth that would be present face to face with God, communicate with God, should not have the experience of nursing from a contaminated or ideologically corrupt source. So, asks Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, that was true for Moshe. What does that have to do with our kids? That was a standard for Moshe because Moshe, the אב הנביאים av ha'nevi'im, Moshe, the paradigm, the father of all prophets, was destined to that level of prophecy, he couldn't and shouldn't drink from that source. What does that have to do with our sons, our children? Why do we have to be our so careful? Says Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, you know why? Because the message to every Jewish child that's born is, you could be the next Moshe Rabbeinu. We have to be as careful to protect and preserve and safeguard your holiness, your sanctity, because every child has that potential. They have the potential to be the best version of themselves, not measured necessarily against Moshe. But we have that standard because everyone can be the best version of them, everybody could reach their own level, the same way Moshe was able to reach his level as well. There is something interesting at the beginning. Look at, look inside. Page 544. What do you notice of the word ויקרא vayikra? ו' י' ק' ר' Vav, yud, kuf, reish... what do you see about the letter aleph? It's an אלף זעירא aleph zeira. It's a tiny little aleph. Not only in the Artscroll Chumash, if you open a Sefer Torah, you'll see the letter is an אלף זעירא aleph zeira, it is a small letter aleph in our Sefer Torah. Why? So the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim says why? Because Moshe was humble. He said to God, 'I know you called me, I have a calling, we're on a first-name basis, you have my side, you have your cell phone number, we're close, I got it.' But unlike today, by the way, where everyone posts a picture, they think somehow their worth goes up if they could post a picture with someone famous that they met. It's a phenomenon, you could see it every time someone famous dies in the Jewish world or non-Jewish world and on social media, everybody posts if they have a picture with that person. What does that add? Who cares? Because a person feels more special. I have a connection, my friend, do you know who I met? Do you know who I saw? Do you know who I know? Enjoy it. Enjoy that connection for yourself. Why do you need the world? If there's a value, if there's a lesson to be learned, if there's meaning to extract, fine. But stam, just to drop, just to flex, why? So Moshe was exactly the opposite. Moshe has access to the God Almighty, the King of kings, the source of everything. And Hashem calls him on speed dial. You know what Moshe says? 'Don't put that in the book.' He's so humble. 'Nobody needs to know that. I don't want to stand out. I don't need to be special.' So when you include that I was called, drop the aleph, leave it off, and write, like it says with Bilam, ויקר vayikar, chance, happenstance. 'We happen to know each other, but I'm nothing special.' And Hashem had a ויכוח vikuach, Hashem had an argument with Moshe over this. And how did they compromise, says the Baal HaTurim? Small aleph. Hashem refused, he insisted that the aleph be included. This was not coincidental or accidental or chance, this was intentional by design, but he honored Moshe's request by making it a small aleph. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar says it's a small aleph. What do we learn from the small aleph? אין הלימוד מתקיים אלא במי שמקטין עצמו Ein ha'limud miskayem ela b'mi she'maktin atzmo. You can't learn unless you minimize yourself. A person who has to monopolize the conversation, a person with hubris and arrogance, the בעל גאווה baal ga'avah has nothing to learn from anyone else or from Hashem himself. So a person has to be like an אלף זעירא aleph zeira, minimize ourselves, see ourselves as smaller. I'm small, I have so much to learn, so much to gain, so much to gather. And therefore the aleph is זעירא zeira to communicate ויקרא Vayikra. When one wants to hear the message of Hashem, if you want to learn what Hashem has to say, you have to minimize yourself, be an aleph, זעירא zeira, be a small, a small aleph. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar has a second interpretation. The aleph is small to teach that just like aleph is the ראש אותיות rosh osios. Aleph is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. So so too, this is the source of the tradition to begin teaching children from ספר ויקרא Sefer Vayikra. We don't do it as often today. Some still do. Old school yeshivas, חדרים chadarim do. In Europe, it was much more popular and common place to begin when you'd give a child their חומש chumash, what's the first חומש chumash you give? ויקרא Vayikra. And where do you begin learning? ויקרא Vayikra. And I couldn't think of a worse place to begin. ויקרא Vayikra? Laws of sacrifices, complex, detailed, minutia, measurements, which animal, how much flour, where was it offered, sprinkling of blood, archaic, barbaric, outdated, unrelatable, and that's where we start with kids? That's where we begin. And says the Kli Yakar, אלף זעירא aleph zeira, this little aleph is an allusion, it's hinted. That's where we begin. So this I shared previously, what's the first message to a Jewish child who's engaging in their Jewish learning? You know what the first message is? קרבנות Korbanos. Sacrifices. Judaism is not all about kumbaya, amazing, uplifted, on fire, so sweet. Religion is sacrifice. Religion is compromise. Religion is effort. It's effort. It's not easy. Give up non-kosher, give up your Shabbos, give up what you want to look at, give up what you want to say, give up what you want to wear. It takes sacrifice. Now the reward is well worth it. And after all, Hashem asks it of us, and it is the formula for life. But the truth is, it's a message for all of life. No pain, no gain. You want to live a healthy life and lifestyle, you want longevity to the best of our ability, then there's sacrifice, there's compromise. You have to work hard. You want to succeed and breakthrough in your פרנסה parnasa and your livelihood? No one's handing it to you on a silver platter. You got to work hard, work ethic. You want a happy marriage and life? It takes work, ongoing, for all the years. So everything that's worth it in life takes sacrifice. And that's why the first message, the first thing we teach a Jewish child is sacrifice. קרבנות Korbanos, ספר ויקרא Sefer Vayikra. No pain, no gain. לפי צערא אגרא L'fum tzara agra. According to the effort is the reward. You got to work for it. So the small aleph is an illusion to the little kid that is beginning their life journey of learning with Vayikra, because the underlying message of all learning is, you got to work for it. Sacrifice. And that's true for learning. It takes effort. It takes a lot of effort to learn the language, to learn the vocabulary of our rabbis, to learn a Gemara, to break your teeth on it. You can't come just download it, doesn't work that way. You can't just come and have it be served on a silver spoon. You got to be willing to work for it. Anything valuable, meaningful, worthwhile in life, you got to be willing to work for it. And that's why we start children from Vayikra with a small aleph. Another illusion of the small aleph. Who was calling Moshe? Hashem. Aleph is the אלופו של עולם Alufo shel Olam, the source of all. We're going to get into this. Here's a little preview, gratuitous endorsement. Shabbos HaGadol drasha this Shabbos. We're speaking about the windy road of redemption from גלות galus to גאולה geula, from exile to redemption. Then and now. Why? Why are we so fixated on leaving Egypt? We have to remember it every day. We have to reenact it two nights a year. What's this fixation on leaving Egypt? And why couldn't we leave Egypt in a direct way? Why was it so incremental? Why was it so roundabout? And why the last 2,000 years, we take two steps forward and a step back? The last 80 years, two steps forward and a step back? The last year and a half, two steps forward and a step back? Can't we just click, press a switch and have redemption? Why in our own lives and our own dreams does it happen so incrementally? In our livelihood, in our quest to find our שדך shidduch, in our attempt to have children, in every area of life, our health and wellness, we progress and we regress. Why? Why is the world set up that way that there's exile? Why do we have to go through an exile before we can experience a redemption? That's the subject of our Shabbos HaGadol drasha this Shabbos. And I'll just tell you one amazing idea. The difference between גולה gola and גאולה geula, exile and redemption, is one letter. Which letter? Aleph. And why is it the letter aleph? Come to Shabbos, Shabbos HaGadol drasha. Okay. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, we're still on this opening pasuk. We're going to get past it. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz has another idea on Vayikra. The Medrash Rabbah at the beginning of this book, the beginning of our parsha tells us, עשרה שמות נקראו למשה esera shemos nikru l'Moshe. Moshe has no less than 10 names. ירד שהוריד תורה מלמעלה למטה Yered she'horid Torah milmala l'mata. One of his names is Yered because he brought down Torah from above to down below. אבי סוכו Avi Socho, he's called אבי סוכו Avi Socho. אביהם של נביאים שסוכים ברוח הקודש Avihem shel neviim she'sochim b'ruach hakodesh. It's another one of his names. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה חייך מכל שמות שיש לך איני קוראך אלא בשם שקראתך בתיה בת פרעה Amar lo HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'Moshe, chayecha, mikol shemos she'yesh lach, eini korecha ela b'shem she'karascha Bitya bas Paro. Of all your 10 names, the name I'm using is the one that you were given by Bitya bas Paro, the daughter of Paro, when she withdrew you from the water, she gave you the name Moshe, כי מן המים משיתהו ki min ha'mayim mishisihu, because I grabbed you from the water, I drew you forth from the water. Says Hashem ותקרא שמו משה, הוי ויקרא השם אל משה Vatikra shmo Moshe, hevei Vayikra Hashem el Moshe. The opening of our book, the opening of our parsha, begins God called to Moshe, of all of his 10 names, that's the one Hashem uses. Hashem endorses that name. It's pretty mind-boggling. It's really startling. He has 10 names. His parents gave him a name. Nope, not the one Hashem uses. Hashem gave him a new name. Nope, not the one Hashem uses. Which one does he use and embrace? Which one does he endorse? The one this non-Jewish princess, the daughter of their tormentor and oppressor and persecutor, that's the one Hashem uses. ביטיה בת פרעה Bitya bas Paro called him Moshe. Hashem says that's the name. What's going on over here? Says Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, you know why? You know why? How did the daughter of Paro retrieve Moshe? With great effort, with great sacrifice, with great work. She shouldn't have been able to reach, but she stretched out her arm and it went nonetheless. מסירות נפש mesirus nefesh, מסירות נפש mesirus nefesh. Effort, sacrifice, compromise. מסירות נפש שהיא לא זו שהיא כרוכה בהצלה של משה, חדרה אליו עצמו בגופו ובנפשו mesirus nefesh she'hi lo zu she'hi k'rucha b'hatzala shel Moshe, chadra eilav atzmo b'gufo u'v'nafsho. This effort, this sacrifice, this work she had to do to save him, in fact, was planted in him when she gave him that name. And therefore Hashem says of all the names we use, it's Moshe, you know why? Because Moshe will most be characterized, identified by a willingness to work, to sacrifice, to make that effort. That's what this parsha, that's really what this book of the Torah is all about. Effort, work, sacrifice. If you want to draw close to Hashem, להבדיל l'havdil, you want to draw close to your spouse, to your children, to your friends, you have to work on it. Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to compromise? Are all of your relationships driven by your ego? Is everyone there to serve you? Does everyone have to fall into place to make you happy? Or are you ready to sacrifice and compromise? Are you willing to even eat מילכיגס milchigs when you want פליישיגס fleishigs? That's the cornerstone of a good marriage. Sacrifice, compromise, giving, not only getting. That's the what relationships are really all about, beginning with our relationship with Hashem. A קרבן korban, the sacrifice, you want to be קרוב karov, you want to be close to Hashem. Lastly, אמרות טהרות משיחות רבינו Amaros Taharos m'sichos Rabbeinu, he points out based on the אור החיים Ohr HaChaim, that our pasuk, this opening pasuk of this book of our parsha, it shifts grammatically. אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן להשם Adam ki yakriv mikem korban la'Hashem. If a person offers a sacrifice, מן הבהמה min ha'beheima from an animal, תקריבו את קרבנכם takrivu es korbancem, you in the plural, your plural sacrifices. So which is it? Singular or plural? אדם כי יקריב Adam ki yakriv or תקריבו קרבנכם takrivu korbancem? What happened over here? Single, singular to plural. Why do we shift? Listen to what he says. Listen to what he says. Mitzvos, when you do a mitzvah, you can't do it in isolation. You don't do it all alone. You don't do it independent and apart. All the mitzvos that we do, all the effort that we make, all of our mission and service to Hashem is to be part of a community, to be part of a people, to be part of a nation. And therefore, אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן להשם, האיש החפץ להתקרב לפני השם adam ki yakriv mikem korban la'Hashem, ha'ish ha'chafetz l'hiskarev lifnei Hashem. A person who desires to draw close to the Almighty, ולעמוד בתפילה לפני השם יתברך כראוי v'la'amod b'tefila lifnei Hashem Yisbarach k'raui, and you want to daven, because we don't have the temple today, we don't have sacrifices today. What do we have in their place? Tefila, we have prayer. So when you step up and you want to draw close to Hashem through prayer, העצה לזה ha'eitza l'zeh, what is the way, the advice? שיתקשר עם כללות ישראל She'yiskasher im klalus Yisrael. You have to connect with the Jewish people. תקריבו את קרבנכם לשון רבים Takrivu es korbancem lashon rabim. שיכלול עצמו עם כלל ישראל לקיים ואהבת לרעך כמוך She'yichlol atzmo im klal Yisrael l'kayem v'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha. The AriZal, the great kabbalist, Rav Isaac Luria, the AriZal, instituted that before a person davens, they say, הריני מקבל עלי hareini mekabel alai, I hereby accept upon myself, the mitzvah ואהבת לרעך כמוך v'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha. God, before I ask you for anything, I accept upon myself to love all Jews like myself, to love my neighbor as myself. How can I ask you for anything if I don't love your children? If I don't show favor to your children, how? So the prerequisite, the precursor to turning to Hashem to davening is to accept upon ourselves, not only verbally and theoretically, but in practice, וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ v'ahavta l'reacha kamocha. Hashem, I accept upon myself to love your neighbor, love my neighbor, love your children as myself. Now I'm ready to daven, now I'm ready to talk to you. And that's alluded to in this pasuk, says the אור החיים Ohr HaChaim, says Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, the אמרי תורות Imrei Toros, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב Adam ki yakriv, I want to daven. First, I have to care about תקריבו את קרבנכם takrivu es korbanchem. First I have to connect to everyone around me. It is so core. It is so lost today in the shtiebelization of the Jewish people where every other house, every block, every basement, everyone's just making Shabbos for themselves, making a minyan for themselves, doing what's best for themselves. What about community? What about being part of community? Something that transcends the individuals, that's bigger than just us. Community, the value of community of people and of nationhood, there's something so much bigger, even when we come together, even when we come together to daven.More than that, the פני מבין Ponei Meivin quotes from the אלשיך Alshich. The truth is that when a person in Israel sins and has to bring a carbon, when a person makes a mistake and they have to bring a carbon in order to repair and to atone, כל ישראל חייבים kol Yisrael chayavim. Why do we shift from the singular to the plural? Because every time an individual makes a mistake, it is a reflection and the responsibility of the plural, of the community. If we would have done more, educate, safeguard, uplift, intervene, intercede, inspire, then that individual wouldn't have made that mistake. כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה Kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh, we're all responsible, we're all guarantors one for the other. So the mistake of the individual is a reflection on the group. And that's why he begins אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן Adam ki yakriv mikem korban, when an individual has to bring a korban, תקריבו את קרבנכם takrivu es korbanchem, you in the plural offer your sacrifice because it's a reflection on the plural. Okay, I promise we'd get to the second pasuk.Page 544. Pasuk Beis. דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַהשם Daber el Bnei Yisrael v'amarta aleihem Adam ki yakriv mikem korban laHashem. Speak to the Jewish people and tell them, Hashem says to Moshe, אָדָם Adam, a man, כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַהשם ki yakriv mikem korban laHashem, when they offer from themselves a sacrifice to God, מִן הַבְּהֵמָה מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַצֹּאן תַּקְרִיבוּ אֶת קָרְבַּנְכֶם min hab'heima min habakar umin hatzon takrivu es korbanchem, from cattle, from flock, from animals, offer, offer that sacrifice. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban on this pasuk, הכתוב הזה טעם הקרבנות שהם אישה ריח ניחוח להשם hakasuv hazeh taam hakorbanos she'hem isheh reiach nichoach laHashem. Here, the Torah is about to delineate to us the purpose of bringing these sacrifices. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, Nachmanides, יותר ראוי לשמוע טעמו שאמר הבן כי בעבור שמעשי בני אדם נגמר במחשבה ודיבור ובמעשה yoser ra'uy lishma tamo she'amar ha'bein ki ba'avur shema'asei vnei adam nigmar b'machshava v'dibbur u'v'ma'aseh. A person is defined through their thoughts, speech, and action. ציווה השם כי כאשר יחטא יביא קרבן ישמוך ידיו עליו כנגד המעשה Tziva Hashem ki ka'asher yechta yavi korban yismoch yadav alav k'neged ha'ma'aseh. So we put our hands on the sacrifice, that corresponds with the mistakes and the shortcomings that we make in the world of action. ויתודה בפיו V'yitvadeh b'piv, and you have to confess on the animal, that corresponds with our mistakes in speech. וישרוף באש V'yisrof ba'eish, and you have to consume in fire the animal, and that is the המחשבה והתאווה machshava v'ha'ta'avah. The fire represents the drive, the temptation, the thoughts, the fantasies inside man. And the Ramban goes on to explain that everything we do to the animal is a symbol to really offering the animal in ourselves. We're trying to repair, we're trying to atone. Why do we come up short? Where do we go wrong? When we indulge the animal in us. The animal just wants to eat anything, anytime, and any amount. The animal in us just wants to look at, say, react, respond, give into anger, envy, arrogance. That's the animal impulse, the animal instinct, that's the animal in us, and we're all made up of animals. When one brings a korban, they're trying to channel that animal. דיבור, מחשבה, ומעשה Dibbur, machshava v'ma'aseh, in the world of speech, thought, and action, and in action. And says Rav Shmuel Berman of דברי שמואל Divrei Shmuel, you see from the Ramban that ultimately the korban, the root of a korban, korban means sacrifice, the root, the שורש shoresh of the word korban is קרוב karov. We're trying to draw close to Hashem. You don't just externally, superficially go through motions. We talk often about checklist יידישקייט Yiddishkeit. Davin check, Daf Yomi check, gave some tzedakah check, check, check, check. Now I can go have fun and live my life.That's such a superficial. We want a פנימיות'דיקע יידישקייט pnimiyus'dike Yiddishkeit. A Yiddishkeit with depth, profundity, passion, purpose, energy, enthusiasm. רחמנא ליבא בעי Rachmana liba ba'i, Hashem wants what's in our heart. To be present, to be mindful, to be conscious with everything that we're doing. Indeed, the נביא Navi, Yeshayahu bemoans when the Jewish people offer a korban as a checklist. We read this in the Haftarah in the three weeks, Yeshayahu in Perek Aleph, Pasuk Yud Aleph says, לָמָּה לִּי רֹב זִבְחֵיכֶם יֹאמַר השם Lama li rov zivcheichem yomar Hashem. I don't want your empty sacrifices. I don't want your davening if you're in shul and you're talking, you come late, you leave early, you're in shul and you're not really having a conversation, you're not present. You mumbled a bunch of words, you didn't pay attention to one of them. What are you coming to shul if you're busy scrolling on your phone during the week? You're not engaged, you're not present, you're not mindful. So לָמָּה לִּי רֹב זִבְחֵיכֶם יֹאמַר השם Lama li rov zivcheichem yomar Hashem, what do I need it for? Your checklist Yiddishkeit. What I want is לעבדו בכל לבבכם l'avdo b'chol levavchem. I want your heart. I want your heart. I want what's in your heart. A spouse, a husband, a wife turn to the other and say, what do you want from me? I took out the garbage, I made dinner, I brought home the paycheck. What else do you want from me? How about your heart, your love, your affection, your connection, conversation, communication, time? Hashem wants the same thing in our relationship with him. And the Ramban says that's at the core of these korbanos is fostering and nurturing a relationship which is not just empty acts. And this is such a critical introduction to this book. Because Vayikra is going to be a long list and litany, our parsha, how do you bring korban olah, korban shlamim, korban chatas, korban todah, korban mincha, all the details of all the korbanos. Lots of details. Lots and lots of details. But don't get lost in the details at the expense of being present, of the pnimiyus, of the depth, of the deeper meaning of what it's really all about, of what we're trying to do. Rachmana liba ba'i, he wants what's in our heart. So what's going on is, it's not barbaric and archaic, the idea of animal sacrifice. We have an animal inside us. We began the Tanya. So far we gave the introduction. So grateful to our amazing sponsors. And we're working on getting it on the podcast players. Apple, anyone connected to Apple or Spotify, please help. It's on YouTube and it will be up, please God, as soon as they approve. But we began the introduction to Tanya and tomorrow we'll continue with the opening perek of Tanya. And in the introduction we spoke about. The Ba'al Tanya's chiddush is that though we have an animal inside us and the Godly soul, the chelek Eloka mima'al mamash, we're not trying to obliterate and purge and destroy and sacrifice the animal, we're trying to train the animal. The animal in us is neutral. The question is how can we elevate and transform? How can we train it? We're not trying to get rid of it. The Ramban here talks about we're getting rid of an animal in us. In the sacrifice of the animal, we're sacrificing the animal in me. Sprinkling the blood, the blood is the passion. Burning the fats are the indulgences. And all the components of the sacrifices we're reading are to get rid of the animal in me. Whereas the Alter Rebbe, Tanya sees, I'm trying to train the animal in me towards my advantage. If I sacrifice an animal, who's going to plow my field? If I sacrifice the animal, what am I going to have when I need the animal to transport me from point A to point B in a time we relied on animals. An animal is not inherently bad. An animal can be dangerous or bad, but if I train the animal to work for me, then the animal is good. And that's the effort. I'm giving you a preview of Tanya, that we're trying to train the animal in us to our advantage to live the holy lives that we strive, that we strive to live.Says Reb Leib Chasman, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב Adam ki yakriv, when it comes to a sacrifice, it says, אָדָם Adam, אָדָם Adam ki yakriv. And then it says, נֶפֶשׁ כִּי תֶחֱטָא Nefesh ki sechta, if a soul makes a mistake. So the one bringing the sacrifice is the Adam, and who is the one who has made the mistake, has to repair the nefesh. I would have thought it would be the opposite. Shouldn't it be exactly the opposite? The nefesh, the neshama, the soul is the one bringing a korban, sacrifice. Adam, Adam is the name we use for man that's lowly. Adam min ha'adamah. Man who came from the ground, who's lowly. So it should be the lowly name is the one we use when you make a mistake. And nefesh, soul, our name for when we're lofty, should be when we bring a sacrifice. Don't we have it backwards? זהו סוד קשר הכוחות המנוגדים שבאדם חומר ורוח משמשים בערבוביה. נשמת חיים נופח באפו מן האדמה מכאן ואילך בכל אשר יפנה בין למקום המקודש ביותר בין למקום הטמא ביותר, תהיה חוכמת שני הכוחות דמודים אחוזים זה בזה Zeh hu sod kesher ha'kochos ha'menugadim sheba'adam, chomer v'ruach m'shamshim b'irbuvya. Nishmas chayim nufach b'apo min ha'adamah, mi'kan v'eilach b'chol asher yifneh bein l'makom ha'mekudash b'yoser, bein l'makom ha'tamei b'yoser, tochach mishnei ha'kochos t'mudim achuzim zeh b'zeh. We have two parts to us, like we were just describing. We're a godly soul, we're an animal instinct. I have a body and I have a soul. So when a person goes to sin, know, כי נפש כי תחטא ki nefesh ki sechta, know that you've compromised your nefesh. And that's also the way to get out. You don't have to indulge or give in to that cheit because know that you're a soul. And אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב Adam ki yakriv, know that you can elevate your Adam. When you're bringing a sacrifice, you can elevate that lowly Adam in Adamah, you can elevate. Like the Alter Rebbe, like the Ba'al Tanya, train the animal in you, train the Adam in you. So it's not backwards at all. Nefesh is the way to avoid ki sechta, and Adam you can elevate when ki yakriv. So it's not backwards, it in fact is a formula for living most meaningfully.The Rashi, Rashi says, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב Adam ki yakriv, why do we invoke the word Adam? So why do we invoke the word Adam? Adam. Adam ki yakriv mikem korban laHashem. Adam. So Rashi says, Chazal understood, it's getting harder and harder to read this print. I don't know, somehow it's shrinking in my Chumash. Getting harder and harder to read. Adam. למה נאמר Lama ne'emar, why does it say Adam? We have a lot of names for man. Ish, enosh, gever, Adam. Why nefesh? Why does it say Adam when we're talking about the sacrifices? מה אדם הראשון לא הקריב מן הגזל שהכל היה שלו, אף אתם לא תקריבו מן הגזל. Ma Adam HaRishon lo hikriv min ha'gezel, she'hakol haya shelo, af atem lo sakrivu min ha'gezel. Chazal in Vayikra Rabba and other rabbis learn in the Midrash, just like Adam HaRishon, just like original man who sacrificed to God, but didn't steal to do so. And why is it he didn't steal to do so? He couldn't steal. How is it that he couldn't steal? There was no one to steal from. It all belonged to him. The whole world was literally his. So just like the whole world was his, there was no one to steal from, what he sacrificed, he did honestly without stealing. So too you, Adam ki yakriv, when you bring your sacrifice, similarly, don't bring it from anything stolen. God says, I don't want your tzedakah if you stole to give it. Don't give what you gained through unethical means.Asks Rav Shaul Alter, the Gerer Rebbe Shlita, Moreinu v'Rabbeinu, is that a good place to learn it from? It's backwards. Just like Adam didn't steal to give his sacrifice, you shouldn't steal to give yours. Adam couldn't steal, but I can. So why don't we bring a different person who didn't steal to bring their sacrifice? Be like Noach. Be like Avraham. Be like Yaakov. They offered sacrifices and didn't steal. You too offer a sacrifice and don't steal. Wouldn't a greater precedent and model be someone who could have stolen and didn't, not Adam who couldn't steal and therefore we shouldn't steal? Doesn't make any sense. Doesn't make any sense. If it was literally impossible for him to steal, so maybe it was because everything was his that he didn't steal. So why should I learn it from him? Why should I learn it from him? So it seems there's a deeper message here. In Neilah, says Rav Shaul Alter, in Neilah of Yom Kippur, we request forgiveness from Hashem, למען נחדל מעושק ידינו l'ma'an nechedal mei'oshek yadeinu, so our hands will be absolved of theft. This is the climax of Yom Kippur. The peak, the holiest moment of the year. And after 24, 25 hours of prayer, the culmination of 40 days of prayer, and how do we come to Hashem to close it? We plead Hashem, absolve me of theft. Theft? I didn't steal anything. I didn't put my hand in anyone's pocket. I'm honest in my taxes. So in that climax, that culmination, 25 hours of davening, after 40 days of davening, after 24 hours of fasting, and I come before Hashem in my last thought, my last message is, Hashem, absolve me from stealing, from theft. What's going on over here? Similiarly, the Gemara in Brachos on Daf Lamed Hey tells us, a person who indulges in this world without first making a bracha, כאילו גזל ke'ilu gazal, it's as if they stole from Hashem. If you eat and you didn't make a blessing before you ate, it's like you stole from God. Why isn't neglecting a bracha liking to theft specifically? You could have compared it to many other violations. Says Rav Shaul Alter, says the Gerer Rebbe, the answer is, a person has to live life and live in this world knowing nothing belongs to me. I'm not entitled to anything. A talmid chacham says, Chazal tell us in Maseches Derech Eretz, a talmid chacham says everything I own in this world, I have no personal interest in, the world is not mine. I am only here to serve him. Whatever I have, whatever he's generously given to me, lent to me, whatever he's put in my name is really his, and I only have it like an expense account because I work for him. How can I accomplish my mission? How can I make my difference? How can I meet my goals? If I don't have the resources to do it. But underlying it all is the foundation, I'm here to do Hashem's bidding. And I've been given the tools to accomplish it and none of it's mine. So when a person lives life selfishly, egotistically, when a person indulges in what they have for themselves, not to advance Hashem's mission and purpose and why we're here, it's as if they stole from God. God granted and he gave it all to us, why? To use it to advance his vision, our mission, our purpose. If we're using it to indulge just in ourselves, it's as if we've stolen from God. A Yid has to know that even what Hashem has given him is not his own. We're here on Hashem's expense account to carry out his assigned, his task. And that's the opposite of our inclination. So one who neglects brachos is guilty of theft because he thinks his possessions are his. Why do I eat the apple and make a bracha beforehand? Hashem, I'm eating the apple to give me the energy to serve you. So I'm making a bracha to have it. But if I eat food without making a bracha, just because I'm feeding my boych, I'm feeding my taste buds, because I'm crave animal, I want to eat like a pig, it's as if I stole from God. The whole reason he gave me that food was to eat it. You could live to eat or you can eat to live. When you make a bracha, you're eating to live and to live with a mission for Hashem. And if you neglect or omit a bracha, then you're living to eat and it's all about you and it's as if you stole that apple. He didn't give it to you for you. He gave it to you so you'd be nourished. Now once you're being nourished, he wants you to enjoy it. Sweet, delicious, fantastic. A Honeycrisp apple dipped in peanut butter? Ah, geshmak. It's fantastic. It's fantastic. But you got to make a bracha. Once you're eating it to have the energy to serve him, it should be sweet and delicious. But the bracha is the evidence that I'm eating it to serve him, that I'm living to eat, I'm eating to live, rather not living to eat. When we daven on Yom Kippur and we get to that culmination, למען נחדל מעושק ידינו l'ma'an nechedal mei'oshek yadeinu, this is what we mean. We arrive at that moment we say, Hashem, Hashem, I'm here, any sins that have resulted from forgetting my mission, my purpose, forgetting that I have everything I have to serve you, to repair and redeem the world, to make it a better place, to fulfill my mission, help me. And that's the deeper of meaning of this statement. Adam HaRishon did not bring a korban from gezel. He was so in tune with his mission, so aware that he was formed by Hashem for this specific purpose that he could never forget it. He could never bring a korban with a feeling it was his. And in the same way Adam brought a sacrifice knowing this is why I am here, this is what my life is all about, the same is true for us as well. The Lavas Eish, we're drawing from, we got two of, we got Eish Tamid and Lavas Eish, we got Rav Druk all over the place here. So he also is bothered by this same question. He also quotes this Rashi, and he comes at it from a different perspective. He says the following.He says, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן Adam ki yakriv mikem korban. Adam, the first thing is be an Adam. Be a mensch. And then you can bring your korban. Before you walk into shul, you shuckle, before you come with your religious fervor and public demonstration, which is important. We're on the team of being observant, practicing, being unapologetic, being strict in keeping Jewish law, but before you become so righteous and bringing a korban, before you walk into shul and have the longest Shmoneh Esrei, Adam, be a mensch, be an Adam. Be an Adam, be a mensch. Be a mensch. Don't smack someone in the face when you put on your tallis. Don't kick someone out of your seat if they're sitting in what you think is your makom kavua. Don't be rude. Be courteous and be kind. Adam. Adam ki yakriv mikem korban. First be an Adam, and then ki yakriv mikem korban, then ki yakriv mikem korban after that. Korban after that. So, first be an Adam. And that's what the Baalei Mussar say, we daven every morning, לעולם יהא אדם בסתר ובגלוי l'olam yehei adam b'seiser u'v'galui. Always be a person both in public and private. Some people publicly are righteous, they want their kids to get shidduchim, what are they going to say about me? I want to be thought well of. But privately, they're corrupt. So we say, l'olam be'ah Adam b'galei v'seiser, privately and publicly. But the Baalei Mussar say, read it, l'olam yehei Adam. Be a mensch before you get to b'galei v'seiser, l'olam yehei Adam, be a mensch, be a mensch is the way to, the way to begin. And we'll end this pasuk, we're still going, with the Amiras Tehoros. The Amiras Tehoros, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz says on this pasuk, ah, so much good stuff. Adam ki yakriv mikem korban. Quotes from Tiferes Uzziel, וְכָל קָרְבַּן מִנְחָתְךָ בַּמֶּלַח תִּמְלָח v'chol korban minchasecha b'melach timlach. Sorry, I skipped forward. Perek Beis. No, perfect. Perek Beis, Pasuk Yud Gimmel. Perfect, sorry. Chapter two, verse 11 then 13. Bottom of page 550. Now we're dealing with the korban mincha, the flour offering. And we're told כָּל הַמִּנְחָה אֲשֶׁר תַּקְרִיבוּ לַהשם לֹא תֵעָשֶׂה חָמֵץ Kol ha'mincha asher takrivu laHashem lo sei'aseh chametz, the korban mincha, the meal offering that was offered, can't have leaven, can't have chametz. כִּי כָל שְׂאֹר וְכָל דְּבַשׁ לֹא תַקְטִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִשֶּׁה לַהשם Ki chol se'or v'chol dvash lo saktiru mimenu isheh laHashem. Don't use honey, fruit honey, we're not talking about bee honey, we're talking about date honey. Don't use honey and don't use chametz as a fire offering to Hashem. Korban reishis takrivu, and so on. And then pasuk Yud Gimmel, what are you and what must you put on? Don't use honey, date honey, and don't allow it to leaven. וְכָל קָרְבַּן מִנְחָתְךָ בַּמֶּלַח תִּמְלָח V'chol korban minchasecha b'melach timlach. What must you put? Salt. וְלֹא תַשְׁבִּית מֶלַח בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵעַל מִנְחָתֶךָ V'lo sashbis melach bris Elohecha mei'al minchasecha, don't discontinue the salt of God's covenant from upon your meal offering, עַל כָּל קָרְבָּנְךָ תַּקְרִיב מֶלַח al kol korbancha takriv melach. On all of your sacrifices, you must use salt. No honey, yes salt. Why? To avoid diabetes? Salt also is a problem. What is this? Salt will give you high blood pressure? So why yes to salt and no to honey? Says the Tiferes Uzziel, הרמז בזה כי כמו שבשעה שאדם מכין איזה מאכל להטעים ולתקן טעמו שיהיה ראוי לשום בו מלח המתקן את המאכל, כמו כן עבודת השם צריך לשים בו מלח Ha'remez b'zeh ki k'mo she'b'sha'ah she'adam meichin eizeh ma'achal l'hatim v'l'sakein ta'amo she'ra'uy l'sim bo melach ha'mesakein es ha'ma'achal, k'mo kein avodas Hashem, tzrich l'sim bo melach. You got to add salt to give it flavor. להטעים את העבודה L'hatim es ha'avodah, מן ההשתוקקות, מן ההתלהבות, מן הברען min ha'hishtokeikus, min ha'hislavus, min ha'bren. Flavor. The Yiddishkeit has to be lived with a flavor. The same way when you add salt, you're giving a spice, you're adding a flavor, you have to use spice. You have to live a Yiddishkeit. Yiddishkeit can't be bland. Davening's bland, learning's bland, Pesach's bland, everything's bland. You got to make it alive and fun and lebedik and have a bren. Takriv melach. להטעים את טעם עבודת השם L'hatim es ta'am avodas Hashem. A person has to make it come alive. It's got to be with a sense of, with a sense of spice, a sense of flavor, a sense of salt. It's got to be something which is on fire. The Tiferes Shmuel has a different interpretation. Listen to what he says.Listen to what he points out. יש לו Yesh lavin, why se'or and dvash are no good, honey and leaven are no good, but salt is good. מי שרוצה להדר קרבן צריך שהדר מצוה עצמה Mi she'rotzeh l'hader korban, tzrich she'y'hader mitzvah atzmah. This is a fascinating insight. When you add yeast or you add honey, you're adding something external that gives it the flavor. When you add salt, you're bringing out the taste and the flavor from within it itself. That's at least how he understands the two work. So when you do a mitzvah, when you do a mitzvah, אין הקדוש ברוך הוא רוצה שנוסיף המצוות ומכאן לאסור שאר ודבש שהם דברים נוספים ואינם מעצמם לפני השם Ein haKadosh Baruch Hu rotzeh she'nosif ha'mitzvos u'mikan l'asor se'or u'dvash she'hem dvarim nosafim v'einam mei'atzmam lifnei Hashem. Hashem doesn't need your help. He doesn't want you to add to the mitzvah. The mitzvah itself is flavorful. You just need to bring it out. Salt brings out flavor as opposed to adding flavor. So you'll say, I have an even better way of doing the daled minim. I have a better way of blowing the shofar. I have a better way of davening. I have a better way of keeping Shabbos. I have a better way... Hashem doesn't want your better way. The whole end of book of Shmos, ka'asher tziva Hashem was, he has the formula. He has the divine formula. There's not, there's room for creativity and entrepreneurship and spirituality, but within the rules, within the boundaries. So salt brings out the flavor of the mitzvah. Yes, it's a Yiddishkeit with a flavor. It's a Yiddishkeit with a bren. It's a Yiddishkeit that's on fire. It's a Yiddishkeit that's fun. It's a Yiddishkeit that's alive. It's a Yiddishkeit that's flavorful, but it should come internally from the mitzvah, not by adding or supplementing, ultimately distorting, Kadosh Baruch Hu doesn't need our help. That's when we get into trouble. The cheit ha'egel was getting into trouble. They use their own ingenuity, creativity to be able to build an eigel, oh we'll serve Hashem but we'll just do it that way. Wrong. That's the sons of Aharon who offered an eish zarah. They offered a foreign fire, a sacrifice that wasn't given in the formula, wrong. You don't come back from the doctor and say, well if he prescribed this medicine, it'll be even better if I just swallow the whole bottle. Or that medicine, but you know what? That medicine might be good, but I also Googled and I think I'm going to add these other medicines too. You come back to the doctor and he says, what are you doing? That other thing you added took away from the medicine I gave you, or you left out the medicine I gave you to do the other medicine, or you took too much, you took too little. I'm the doctor. I went to medical school. I'm the pharmacist. I know exactly the formula that you need, the dosage that you need. What are you doing? What are you doing? Hashem says more than I'm the doctor or the pharmacist, I'm the creator. I know exactly the prescription you need. I know the dosage you need. Follow the formula. When you start to add, you're taking away. If you take away, you're going to compromise and destroy. So yes, there is room for creativity in Yiddishkeit, but it has to be from within, not from without. Adding honey, adding yeast is trying to supplement the mitzvah from without, that's not the way we do it. The way we do it is to beautify and bring out the flavor that is from, that is from within. That is what the Tiferes Shmuel says. Let's get the Ish Tamid in. I said we get to an Ish Tamid. Perek Gimmel, Pasuk Aleph. Page 552. ואם זבח שלמים קרבנו אם מן הבקר הוא מקריב V'im zevach shlamim korbano, im min habakar hu makriv. And now the korban shlamim, the peace offering. If you're bringing it from cattle, whether male or female, unblemished, you have to offer it. And so on. Says Rav Druk, Rashi, where are we here? Rashi, shlamim, שמטילים שלום בעולם she'matilim shalom ba'olam. What's the purpose of a korban shlamim? The peace offering. Shlamim, the root of the word shlamim is shalom. What does the word shalom mean? Peace. When you bring the peace offering, it increases peace in the world. Peace in the world. יש להבין סדר ציבור של מצוות תורה על הקרבנות Yesh l'havin seder tzibur shel mitzvos haTorah al ha'korbanos. Says Rav Druk in his Ish Tamid, why are the korbanos, the sacrifices, why are they given in this order? In this order. First we have the korban olah. Korban olah is the elevation offering. And that's unusual, why? It's all burnt on the altar. No one eats it. You don't get the meat, no barbecue. Whole thing is burnt. Then the Torah tells us the korban shlamim. Then we have the korban chatas. Why are we in this order? ונראה לבאר שלשון קרבן הוא מלשון להתקרב כידוע V'nireh l'va'er she'lashon korban hu m'lashon l'hitkarev k'yadua. Says Rav Druk, the word korban means karov, to draw close. ועניינה של הקרבנות בהתקרבות זו אל אבינו שבשמיים V'inyana shel ha'korbanos b'hitkarvus zu el avinu she'bashamayim. The korban is the means, the mechanism, the vehicle through which we draw close to Hashem. על ידי שמביא קרבן, שב בתשובה ומתקרב להשם יתברך Al yedei she'meivi korban, shav b'shuvah, mitkarev l'Hashem Yisbarach. By bringing a korban, we draw close to Hashem. זהו שאמרה תחילה אדם כי יקריב Zeh hu she'amra techila Adam ki yakriv, and that's why we introduced it, Adam ki yakriv, לשון שמשמעו שמקריב מעצמו lashon she'mashmao she'makriv mei'atzmo. Adam ki yakriv, the real korban that we're giving is from ourselves. Hashem wants us. He doesn't, he wants us. I've counseled couples where it's usually in the direction of the husband to the wife, he thinks he can make everything up with jewelry and gifts and vacations. And the wife says, I don't want your jewelry. I don't want your gifts. I want your heart. I want to be treated with respect. I want you to let me in. Kadosh Baruch Hu says, Adam ki yakriv. What do I want you to sacrifice? I want your heart, I want you. I want you. I want your presence. בלי ציווי מפורש שזה עיקר הקרבנות, מה שאדם בא ומתקרב מעצמו Bli tzivui m'forash she'zeh ikar ha'korbanos, mah she'adam ba u'mitkarev mei'atzmo. Checklist Yiddishkeit, don't go through the checklist. Don't do external, don't go through motions. זו הדרגה הראשונה בהתקרבות להשם. שאינו מבקש כלום לעצמו, אלא לבטל אדוני, בקרבן עולה שכולו מכורב להשם, אין בו שום חלק לבעלים Zu ha'darga ha'rishona b'hitkarvus laHashem, she'eino m'vakeish klum l'atzmo, ela l'vatel adoni, b'korban olah she'kulo makriv laHashem, ein bo shum chelek la'baalim. How do we demonstrate that? The first korban that we're taught is the korban olah. Why? It's entirely consumed on the altar. We get nothing out of it. It's not that we make a great barbecue, we get great rib steak, we get a great skirt steak, and some of it we give to God. We get nothing. All of it is consumed, because that's the ultimate demonstration that we're in it, we're giving Hashem ourselves. Who maybe has korban olah, אינו מבקש שום דבר לעצמו eino m'vakeish shum davar l'atzmo. I don't want anything for myself, I just want to be close to you. Darga shnia, the next level, shlamim, who wrote l'havi korban nedava, m'vakeish she'yitkarev l'Hashem, aval rotzeh l'hanos gam mi'zeh. He says I want a sacrifice, I want to be close to you, but I also want to get something. And a korban shlamim, the baalim, the owner of the sacrifice gets to eat the meat. אין הקרבן מוקרב כולו למזבח Ein ha'korban makriv kulo l'mizbeach. It's not all burnt. לכן זוהי דרגה אמצעית L'chein zohi darga emtza'is, that's the second. And then the third is the chatas, which is a lower level. Korban zeh ba al ha'cheit, when a person makes a mistake and they want atonement, they want to get out of it, it comes from fear of being punished. How can you avoid a consequence and accountability and being punished? Bring a korban chatas, and that will atone. And that is yet a lower level. So we start at the highest level, the olah, where it's entirely consumed on the altar. The intermediate level is the shlamim, I get something out of it. The lower level is the chatas, I'm doing it almost entirely for me as atonement to get out of it and to be and to be forgiven, and to be forgiven.We'll close with one Rabbi Soloveitchik. We're sneaking in Rabbi Soloveitchik. At the very end, Perek Hey, Pasuk Chaf-Alef. We got five chapters on this opening parsha, long parsha. Chapter 5, verse 21. Page 566. Last page of the parsha. נֶפֶשׁ כִּי תֶחֱטָא וּמָעֲלָה מַעַל בַּהשם Nefesh ki sechta u'ma'alah ma'al baHashem, Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, if a person will sin and commit treachery against Hashem, by lying regarding a pledge or a loan or a robbery, by defrauding his comrade, or he found a lost item and denied it, and he swore falsely about it, so shall it be that he will sin and become guilty. He shall return the robbed item that he robbed, or the proceeds of his fraud or the pledge. that he was left with, or the lost item that he found, or anything about which he had sworn falsely, repay its principal, add a fifth to it and give it to its owner on the day he admits his guilt. And he shall bring his guilt offering to Hashem, an unblemished ram, and so on and so forth. If a person sins, betraying Hashem by falsely denying to his fellow. The תוספתא Tosefta in מסכת שבועות Maseches Shvuos states, רבי חנניה בן חכינאי Rabbi Chananya ben Chachinai said, it's written that one sins against Hashem when he falsely denies having stolen from his neighbor. This is so since one does not steal from his neighbor unless he also denies the existence of Hashem.The rabbis apparently did not understand why the Torah employed the word betraying Hashem in reference to embezzling funds from a neighbor. If somebody steals from someone else, finds something and doesn't return it, outright steals, promises or swears falsely, embezzles, why is that called treachery against God? That's stealing from a neighbor, it's בין אדם לחברו bein adam l'chaveiro. You've hurt, you damaged a relationship. You've injured another party. Why is that called treachery against God, betrayal against God? So the rabbis answered that where there is real faith in Hashem, there can be no social immorality, no embezzlement, no perjury. Stealing, embezzling, and perjury are the result of a secular ethic, of a man who wants to build his own moral world, to be a legislator of a moral law which he himself has created.The תוספתא Tosefta continues with a strange story. ראובן Reuven once spent a שבת Shabbos in טבריה Tveria. He met a philosopher who asked him a question, who is to be held in contempt and hated? Whom should society consider a contemptible creature? ראובן Reuven answers, society should hate the atheist, the agnostic, the skeptic, one who denies the existence of his maker. The philosopher didn't understand. He asked, how is this so? Why should a non-believer be held in contempt and hate? Isn't faith the private affair of the individual? His skepticism is not harmful to society. So the rabbi answered, כבד את אביך ואת אמך Kaved es avicha v'es imecha. And לא תרצח lo sirtzach. Honor your father and mother, don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal. There is no man who can violate these precepts unless he denied the existence of his maker. The philosopher had expected ראובן Reuven to answer that only the fiends of society, the arch-criminals who inflict harm on others deserve to be hated, but not the innocent agnostic or atheist. The answer of the philosophy's question came swiftly and unequivocally. The absence of faith in God will eventually lead to the breakdown of social morality. Do we not see that? Are we not living through that?The absence of faith in God, the absence of surrendering and submitting to an absolute truth of God will lead to the breakdown of social morality. Corruption of man is ushered in by lack of faith in Hashem. The crux of social ethics is faith in a transcendental personal Hashem who expects man to imitate him. At the beginning, the skeptics say that the commandments, אנכי ה' אלקיך Anochi Hashem Elokecha, I am the Lord your God, and you shouldn't have any other gods, are socially irrelevant. It's possible to organize a society on the foundation of a man-made morality. They finally realized that without I am the Lord your God, man forfeits his ethical sensitivity and becomes oblivious to the most elementary principles of morality. So our פרשה parsha ends that if you steal, embezzle, lie, then you are in fact betraying God. Betraying God, being disloyal to God ultimately leads to the breakdown of social morality and code as well.We are on next שבת Shabbos, next Wednesday, next Tuesday rather, regular time because we do read פרשת צו Parshas Tzav next שבת Shabbos. So I will אם ירצה ה' im yirtzeh Hashem see you then. As always, we ask you to remain behind to recite all of ספר תהילים Sefer Tehillim. Please God the hostages should come home and our soldiers should be safe.
