Transcript
Good morning and welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. Thank you so much for being here on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. Wasn't sure we were going to have a שיעור shiur, but I'm glad you turned up. Be a little awkward if I were sitting by myself. Parsha series is generously sponsored by Becky and Ari Katz and family in memory of Becky's father, David Grossman. Our learning is לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מענדל leilui nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Mendel. This morning is our last שיעור shiur until after פסח Pesach. We'll resume מרצשם mirtzashem, God willing, on April 29th, towards the end of April. We're wishing everyone a חג כשר ושמח chag kasher v'sameach. This morning we have the privilege of learning פרשת צו Parshas Tzav, page 568 in the ArtScroll Stone חומש Chumash. וידבר השם אל משה לאמור Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe leimor, השם Hashem speaks to משה Moshe saying, צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמור tzav es Aaron v'es bonav leimor, command אהרן Aaron and his sons saying, זאת תורת העולה היא העולה על מוקדה על המזבח כל הלילה עד הבוקר ואש המזבח תוקד בו zos toras ha'olah hi ha'olah al mokda al hamizbeach kol halayla ad haboker v'eish hamizbeach tukad bo. We're continuing the קרבנות korbanos, continuing the direction towards the כהנים kohanim. ספר ויקרא Sefer Vayikra is תורת כהנים Toras Kohanim. This is the ספר sefer really directed to the priests, to the כהנים kohanim. It is their guidebook, how to offer the sacrifices in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. Sacrifices that at first seem archaic and arcane and outdated and barbaric, but when one understands the deep symbolism, the deep meaning of each of the קרבנות korbanos, they remain highly and incredibly relevant still today. They're not outdated, they're not archaic or barbaric. They weren't just a concession for their time, but there's deep meaning in the idea of taking the animal in us. Each of us is composed of an animal and a godly soul. We're speaking about this now Wednesday mornings in our new תניא שיעור Tanya shiur. We have the godly element, the חלק אלוקה ממעל ממש chelek eloka mima'al mamash, a piece of God literally endowed embedded inside each and every one of us. We are an expression, an extension, a manifestation of godliness, but we also, he created us with an animal instinct, an animal soul, an animal indulgence, animal desire, animal impulse. And it's that battle, that war that happens between the two. And when you bring a קרבן korban, the way we draw close, the way we become קרוב karov to השם Hashem is to slaughter that animal inside us and to give expression to hopefully fulfill the potential of that of that godly soul. And as we've spoken about many times, that is each of the laws, each of the details, the minutiæ, from burning the fats to sprinkling the blood to the flour, they're all related to different components of who we are and that message what we're trying to get across and what we're trying to communicate therein. Where did I put my, oh, here. So let's start with a דבר שמואל dvar Shmuel. Let's start with Shmuel Berenbaum. רש\"י Rashi famously says צו את אהרן tzav es Aaron. We've seen this many times before. אין צו אלא לשון Ein tzav ela lashon command. Command. השם Hashem tells משה Moshe, command אהרן Aaron and his sons saying. Normally we have ויאמר וידבר vayomer vaydaber, to say. And here we have צו tzav. צו Tzav is a very strong language. Command. Says רש\"י Rashi אין צו אלא לשון זרוז מיד ולדורות ein tzav ela lashon zeros miyad u'l'doros. That harsh and strong language, that very, very powerful language, צו tzav, to command, means זרוז zeros. זרוז Zeros means alacrity, zeal, enthusiasm. מיד Miyad, immediately. Don't delay. Don't procrastinate. ולדורות U'l'doros, and in perpetuity. Do it intergenerationally, do it forever. So why do we need that here specifically? לשון זרוז מיד ולדורות Lashon zeros miyad u'l'doros, why do we need to be reminded? אהרן Aaron and his sons here as opposed to what? All of last week's פרשה parsha? As opposed to everything else instructed and incumbent upon them? This specifically, what we're about to read and learn, this has to be the extra חיזוק chizuk, the extra support, do it with alacrity and zeal, do it immediately, don't delay, don't wait, and do it for generations. אמנם רבי שמעון ביארו שיותר צורך לזרז במקום שיש בו חסרון כיס Amnam Rabbi Shimon b'yaro sheyoser tzorech l'zarez b'makom sheyesh bo chesron kis. You know why? Because here the כהנים kohanim are asked to put out, to spend money, and to get nothing in return. There's a loss. There's a loss. What's that loss? So the simple understanding of this רש\"י Rashi is that the קרבן עולה korban olah, which this פסוק pasuk is referring to, the קרבן עולה korban olah is offered on the מזבח mizbeach, and what happens to it? It's entirely consumed. All of it burns on the fire on the altar. The כהנים kohanim don't walk away with anything. There's no barbecue, there's no steak, there's no dinner, there's nothing. There's חסרון כיס chesron kis. They're taking time off from work, they're showing up, they're doing the service, they're breaking their back, and what do they get for it? Not even a free meal. Not even dinner. They get nothing. So since there's a חסרון כיס chesron kis, since it cost them something, their time, their energy, and they get nothing in return, so people generally, when you know you're getting something out of it, you show up, you're excited about it. But if you feel like I have to extend or sacrifice or compromise or pay, and I get nothing in exchange, nothing in return, you need a little bit enthusiasm, you need a חיזוק chizuk. And that's why it's the language of צו tzav to command. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum in דבר שמואל dvar Shmuel, יש להזהר מכאן על זהירות מחמדת הממון yesh l'hizaher mikan al zehirus me'chemdas hamamon. You see from here the powerful influence of the drive and the desire for money. שהרי מדובר כאן באהרן קדוש השם Sheharei medubar kan b'Aaron Kadosh Hashem. Who are we talking about here? Who are we talking about? We're talking about אהרן Aaron הכהן hakohein, the great אהרן Aaron, the original OG כהן גדול kohein gadol. Talking about אהרן Aaron, the brother of משה Moshe. We're talking about אהרן Aaron who is on such a incredibly high level, such a holy איד yid. היה מקום לומר שכיון שעוסק בעבודת המקדש ממילא הוא מרוחק לגמרי מחמדת הממון Haya makom lomar shekeivan she'osek b'avodas hamikdash, m'maila hu meruchak l'gamrei me'chemdas hamamon. And one might think that somebody who's immersed all day in the service of השם Hashem, you're running, you're operating, you're serving in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, certainly you'll be protected from that drive, that desire. You know who's has greed? People who work on Wall Street, people who work in finance, brokers. That's who's greedy. People who are regulating tariffs, people who are trying to save themselves from the plummet of the stock market, there's חמדת ממון chemdas mamon. There are people who are worried about and are driven by a desire for money. But אהרן הכהן Aaron Hakohein? He's a holy איד yid. And he works in and serves in the holiest place on earth. Surely and certainly he'll be protected from חמדת ממון chemdas mamon, right? Wrong. ובפרשה כאן מדובר ברגלי הקרבנות שתפקידו בעולם Uv'parsha kan medubar b'raglei hakorbanos shetafkido b'olam, this is his mission, this is his purpose. Certainly he won't be filled with greed or a drive for money. אף על פי כן צריכה תורה לזרז אותו בלשון של צו שלא יתרשל בעניין הקרבנות מחשש החסרון כיס שיקשה על האדם Af al pi chein tzricha Torah l'zarez oso b'lashon shel tzav, shelo yisrashel b'inyan hakorbanos me'chashash hachesron kis sheyakshe al ha'adam. And nevertheless, even the great אהרן Aaron, and even in the great בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, and even in the great service of השם Hashem, nobody is not vulnerable to the power and the influence and the drive and the desire and the temptation for money. There have been scandals, tragically, terribly, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, not in our community or our שול shul, but there are scandals. People who work in שולס shuls, and they were stealing, they were cheating, they were taking from the coffers, from the discretionary fund, from the שול shul budget, they were pocketing, they were lying, they were manipulating, they were cooking the books, they were skimming off the top, they were taking. You say, how could it be? Holy organizations, holy people, you come to שול shul every day, and you're working in the holy שול shul in מקדש מעט mikdash me'at? And the answer is, such is the power of the drive for money. No one is immune. No one is not vulnerable. No one is protected. And that's what the Torah is communicating, even in אהרן Aaron, and even the כהנים kohanim, because there's חסרון כיס chesron kis, because there's a potential loss, therefore no one's immune. This is why in the world of כשרות kashrus, we have such strict standards. Because once you introduce money, money, כסף יעוור עיני צדיקים kesef ya'aver einei tzaddikim, money blinds us, money distorts us, money clouds our judgment, and money compromises and corrupts otherwise incredibly good people of holiness and integrity. There was a big push many months ago, a lot of פוסקים poskim, גדולים gedolim, great rabbis of our time, co-signed a letter saying this proliferation, what's become very popular, again, thank God, not in our community, I would say yet, but hopefully not ever, which is people who are cooking at home and selling, running businesses out of their home without any kosher supervision. In many communities that's becoming very popular, but it's wrong. Even in people whose home I would eat if they invite me for a שבת Shabbos meal as a guest, I would never buy, because once you introduce money, the temptation, the desire, the ability to cut corners, the ability to replace ingredients, the ability to justify and rationalize, once you introduce money and profit margins and expenses, it clouds judgment. No one is immune, we don't trust anybody. Look at אהרן Aaron and his vulnerability in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash itself. And communities should take a stand. שולס Shuls themselves certainly, but organizations and also individuals, don't buy from home businesses that don't have השגחה hashgacha. Aside from the fact that it's not fair. Why should other caterers and businesses and stores have to pay for השגחה hashgacha, have to meet health regulations and standards, and someone's just going to cook out of their kitchen? It doesn't matter how holy and how righteous, how many times they say תהילים Tehillim, how צניעות tznius they dress, it doesn't matter. I would eat in their home if invited as a guest, but I would never buy or eat food that was purchased from such a person that doesn't have supervision. How often and how many times do we have to have scandals in communities across the country and the world where even very righteous and very holy-looking people were replacing ingredients? And every community has had, even under the greatest and tightest supervisions. So certainly when there's no supervision, people cannot assume to be trusted. And you see that that's what our פרשה parsha is trying to tell us, the great אהרן הכהן Aaron Hakohein in the משכן Mishkan, in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, certainly in our lives. ומצינו בתורה כמה חמדת הממון יכולה להטעות אדם מדעתו U'matzinu b'Torah kama chemdas hamamon yechola l'hatos adam m'da'ato. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, you see in the Torah just how, just how pervasive the desire for money is. כמו דמצינו בקין והבל K'mo d'matzinu b'Kain v'Hevel, שחלקו העולם she'chleku ha'olam, קין והבל Kain v'Hevel, the two sons of אדם Adam were fighting over the division of the land. The מדרש Midrash tells us, אחד נטל קרקעות ואחד נטל מטלטלין echad natal karka'os v'echad natal metaltelin. One took all the land, and one took all the assets, all the movable property. זה אמר ארעא דאת קאים עלה דידי Zeh amar ara d'as koim alah d'di. וזה אמר מה דאת לביש דידי V'zeh amar ma d'as lavish d'di. One said, the land you're standing on, it's mine. I get all the property. And the other said, the clothing you're wearing, and all that you have, it's mine. I get all the assets. זה אמר חלוץ וזה אמר פרח Zeh amar chalotz, v'zeh amar parach. מתוך כך ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו ויהרגהו Mitoch kach vayakam Kain el Hevel achiv vayahargeihu. What led to the very first murder? A fight and a battle over things, over property, over money, over assets. אף על פי ששני האחים היה להם העולם ומלואו Af al pi she'shnei ha'achim haya lahem ha'olam um'lo'o. These two brothers were the total population of the world. They could divide the entire world between the two of them. They had everything. And yet, it wasn't enough. When people fight, when they want, when money is in the picture, when one taps into greed, ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו ויהרגהו vayakam Kain el Hevel achiv vayahargeihu, we have the very first murder. ואף על פי ששני האחים היה להם העולם ומלואו V'af al pi she'shnei ha'achim haya lahem ha'olam um'lo'o, אף על פי כן נכנסו מחלוקת והרג זה את זה בשביל ירושת העולם af al pi chein nichnisu machlokes v'harag zeh es zeh bishvil yerushas ha'olam. Who would be on top? Who would be the wealthiest? Who would control the other? Who would have more? In that race to the finish, race to the top, in that desire and drive for more, insatiable appetite, אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף ohev kesef lo yisba kesef, we have murder. כמו שכתב רש\"י פרשת נח, מה ראה חם שסירס את אביו K'mo shekasav Rashi Parshas Noach, ma ra'a Cham she'sires es aviv? אמר להם מואב, אדם הראשון שני בנים היו לו והרג זה את זה בשביל ירושת העולם Amar lahem Moav, Adam Harishon shnei banim hayu lo v'harag zeh es zeh bishvil yerushas ha'olam. אבינו יש לו ג' בנים ועדיין הוא מבקש בן רביעי Avinu yesh lo gimmel banim v'adayin hu mevakesh ben revi'i. Why, why חז\"ל Chazal tell us did חם Cham run to sterilize his father נח Noach? Because he said, if our father has more children, it's more people to divide the inheritance. I don't want to divide it further, that means less for me. Again, we're talking about a tiny population. You have the entire world is yours. You're so worried about dividing it? But you see when you introduce greed, you remove logic. When you introduce greed, you remove judgment. You see this also with סדום Sdom. בענייני ממון B'inyanei mamonos. אנשי סדום רעים וחטאים להשם Anshei Sdom ra'im v'chataim la'Hashem. רש\"י Rashi says רעים בגופם וחטאים בממונם ra'im b'gufam v'chataim b'mamonam. לא תעלה לשם כי כולם רשעים היה להם אושר רב Lo ta'aleh l'sham ki kulam reshaim, haya lahem osher rav. סדום Sdom had tremendous wealth, and yet they were cruel to guests. One was not, it was illegal in סדום Sdom to offer hospitality because what ruled the day in סדום Sdom was greed, was greed. And he has a long essay here and goes on and on about this idea about greed and the pernicious influence of greed and that no one is immune from it, and you see that even by אהרן Aaron. And that's what the Torah is telling us here in the beginning, צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמור tzav es Aaron v'es bonav leimor. Why the language of צו tzav? An unusual language. Command, strong. Why? Because לשון זרוז מיד ולדורות lashon zeros miyad u'l'doros. Because once you introduce חסרון כיס chesron kis, once someone stands to lose something, all of a sudden now, I see this all the time. People build, they knock down, they build a new home. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, more power to them. תבוא עליהם ברכה Tavo aleihem bracha, they should use it in good health and in happiness. And to knock down and build a home is a very, very expensive endeavor, an enterprise. And as the rabbi, I'm one of the first to see it. You know why? Not because they call me over to have a לחיים l'chaim, which is very nice, and I would come, but because they want to know, where do I put the מזוזות mezuzos? How many מזוזות mezuzos do I need? And we walk around and we count all the bedrooms and all the doorposts and all the doorways. And you know the designer put 17 archways in the front and in the back. They didn't realize that every archway would need its own מזוזה mezuzah. And they didn't realize that all the pillars throughout the entire house create doorposts and doorframes that need מזוזות mezuzos. And by the time you're done with the walk-through of the house and you've calculated 67 מזוזות mezuzos. 72 מזוזות mezuzos. All of a sudden they say, whoa, one second, that wasn't a line item in my budget. So rabbi, it's okay if I buy the cheap מזוזות mezuzos, right? I can get away with the $75, $100 מזוזות mezuzos. I don't need the $250, $300 מזוזות mezuzos, right? Right? So I always say to them, let's look at the car in your driveway. Let's look at the quality of the appliances in your kitchen. Let's look at the craftsmanship around this new house. If you got away with the most inexpensive, if you on yourself spend the least, then when it comes to your religious ritual life, then get away with the least. But let's open up your closet. Let's look at the brand of the shoes sitting in your, your or your wife's closet. Let's see, what are you buying? And where do you buy it? And if there you're not getting away with the least, the generic, the lowest level, then when it comes to מזוזות mezuzos, you can't either. But what happens? חסרון כיס Chesron kis, I didn't budget it, it wasn't a line item, I wasn't expecting to spend it, do I really have to? Do I really have to? Because the מזוזה mezuzah is all wrapped up and it's rolled up and it's covered and it's in a case and no one gets to see which version you bought. And there's a חסרון כיס chesron kis, or tempted. What's the least expensive one? Give me that one. But that's the area of our life we should say, give me the most מהודר mehudar. Give me the most expensive, give me the most beautiful and the nicest. Give me the one that will offer the greatest protection to my family. I want the nicest מזוזה mezuzah on the doorposts of my home. But אלא מאי ela mai, what do you see? Once you introduce חסרון כיס chesron kis, once you introduce the idea that there's a loss, greed, money, all of a sudden our judgment is clouded, we see things upside down, we make mistakes, and it's not only because us we're lowly. We shouldn't feel inadequate, and we shouldn't sit in judgment of ourselves. Who himself was vulnerable to this? None other than אהרן הכהן Aaron Hakohein. צו את אהרן Tzav es Aaron ויהי בנה vi es bonav. Now, Rav Shlomo Alter Shlita, the ge'er Rashei Yeshiva, in his, in his, um, wonderful ספר sefer and wonderful ספרים sforim that I love in קדושה רבה Kedusha Rabbah, he says the following. The reference to financial loss in our פסוק pasuk seems to refer to the קרבן עולה korban olah. That's what we're talking about, why? Because it's all consumed, it's all burnt on the מזבח mizbeach, on the altar, and the כהנים kohanim don't get to walk away with anything. No dinner, no meat, no leftovers, no barbecue. And so there's a special need for זרוז zeros. But the ספר אהרן עדות Sefer Aron Eidus, Rav Shraga Yair Bial, the grandson of the יהודי הקדוש Yehudi HaKadosh, the איד הקדוש Yid Hakadosh. So the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus questions this understanding. Why? Because if you're looking, if you're reading carefully, fast forward, פרק ז' פסוק ח Perek Zayin, Pasuk Ches. And there the Torah says והכהן המקריב את עולת איש, עור העולה אשר הקריב לכהן לו יהיה v'hakohein hamakriv es olas ish, or ha'olah asher hikriv l'kohein, lo yihye. The כהן kohein who offers a person's עולה olah, the hide of the עולה olah that he offered shall belong to that כהן kohein, it shall be his. So you see they do כהנים kohanim do get something. You're right, they don't walk away with meat, with flesh, they can't make a barbecue, but what do they walk away with? New leather jacket, new leather shoes, new leather belt, new leather couch. They walk away with the hide. That's theirs. That they get to keep. That's how the גמרא Gemara in פסחים דף נ\"ט Psachim daf nun tes derives, דרשנס darshans. So why would a קרבן עולה korban olah be considered a financial loss to the כהן kohein? There's a חסרון כיס chesron kis, there's a financial loss, they need extra זרוז zeros, they need extra חיזוק chizuk. There is no financial loss. They do get to walk away with something. What do they walk away with? Fraigs asks the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus, they walk away with the hide, the leather. That has value. So the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus therefore suggests, חז\"ל Chazal were not referring to the קרבן עולה korban olah. What were they referring to? What's coming up next? וידבר השם אל משה לאמור צו את בניו לאמור זאת תורת העולה Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe leimor tzav es bonav leimor zos toras ha'olah. These are the laws of the עולה olah. And the עולה olah sits on מוקדה על המזבח כל הלילה עד הבוקר mokda al hamizbeach kol halayla ad haboker. It sits on the altar burning and being consumed by fire the entire night until the morning. ואש המזבח תוקד בו V'eish hamizbeach tukad bo. And the light, the fire of the מזבח mizbeach burns it, and then the כהן kohein changes his clothing in order to do what? Take out the garbage, תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen, to take out the garbage. Says the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus, that's what we're referring to. תרומת הדשן Terumas hadeshen, the עבודה avodah of removing ashes from the מזבח mizbeach, which is discussed and it comes up in the following פסוק pasuk. So since this provided no material benefit at all to the כהן kohein, he needed a special prodding of alacrity. You see, when you're asked in your home, could you go out and do the shopping, you say, okay, I'll go buy the ingredients. At least I'm getting dinner out of this. I'm getting a שבת Shabbos or יום טוב Yom Tov meal out of it. But when you're told, could you take the garbage out, all you get are smelly hands. What do you get out of it? You get nothing. So the כהנים kohanim are given this test, they're given this job, don't forget to take out the garbage, and there's no there's no benefit, they get nothing. חסרון כיס Chesron kis, it's effort, it's smell, they're sweaty. Other מפרשים meforshim add the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen would actually cause the כהן kohein a loss because the גמרא Gemara says the כהנים kohanim would not wear their regular בגדי כהונה bigdei kehunah, we'll see in a moment רש\"י Rashi, when they would do the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen, why, if they wore the regular בגדי כהונה bigdei kehunah, when you take out the garbage, what happens? If you surround yourself like garbage, you smell like garbage, and the garbage drips on you, and then you get covered in the garbage. So they would change out of their regular בגדי כהונה bigdei kehunah. And the wear and tear on their clothing was the loss that they would have to incur. So we're not talking about the תורת הקרבן עולה Toras hakorban olah, says the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus, we're talking about the תרומת terumas, we're talking about the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen, talking about the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen. And says Rav Alter, expanding on this, you see from the perspective of עבודת השם avodas Hashem, that when we incur a loss on a context that can be likened to תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen, when we rid ourselves of our surroundings of negative influences, do we need a reminder we reminder of זרוז zeros. It's not always finances that stake. We seek to illuminate the world with השם's Hashem's glory. We need to willingly give of ourselves, of our comforts and routines, and we do it with זרוז zeros. When we take out the garbage of our lives, delete the apps on our phone that are wasting our time, distracting us, causing us to look at things we shouldn't. When we take out the garbage, the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen of our lives, then we have to do with זרוז מיד ולדורות zeros miyad u'l'doros. That's the message of the אהרן עדות Aron Eidus. Not only the קרבן עולה korban olah, we're referring here to the תרומת הדשן terumas hadeshen. And when we take out the דשן deshen, when we take out the garbage of our lives, when we eliminate and remove the excess, the garbage, the things that are bringing us down in our lives, don't wait, don't procrastinate, don't delay, because we don't want to take out the garbage of our lives. We enjoy the garbage of our lives. It's enjoyable. But when we want to take out, delete, eliminate, purge the garbage of our lives, צו לשון זרוז tzav lashon zeros. We got to do it with alacrity, with zeal, with enthusiasm. מיד Miyad, do it immediately. ולדורות U'l'doros and send that message to intergenerations. פרק ו' פסוק ג' Perek Vav, Pasuk Gimmel. Moving right along. ולבש הכהן מדו בד ומכנסי בד ילבש על בשרו והרים את הדשן אשר תאכל האש את העולה על המזבח ושמו אצל המזבח U'lavash hakohein mido bad u'michnasai bad yilbash al b'saro v'heirim es hadeshen asher tochal ha'eish es ha'olah al hamizbeach v'samo eitzel hamizbeach. Torah tells us in this first פסוק ב' pasuk beis that the, sorry פסוק ג' pasuk gimmel. פסוק ג' Pasuk gimmel. The כהן kohein should put on his linen garment, and he puts on the linen breeches on his flesh, and he should separate the ash that the fire consumed of the elevation offering on the altar and put it next to the altar. So he changes his clothing, and he removes what had been burning on the altar all night, what's left is a pile of ash, and he takes that ash and he places it next to the מזבח mizbeach, and then he removes his garments and he puts on other garments, and then he takes it outside the camp to a pure place, which is a very inefficient way to take out the garbage. First you put the garbage down next to the altar, and then you take it out, and you finish taking it out all the way at the dump, all the way at the street where it'll be picked up. Why not just take it immediately? Why is there a stop, an intermission? Why on the way do you put it down, then change, then finish taking it out? We've shared before, but I'll repeat, I can't help but repeat because it's one of my favorites, and because my buddy Ben tells me it's okay to repeat. So why do you take it out and why do you stop and why do you put it next to the altar? It's a very powerful message. פסח's Pesach's coming up. I use this one year for the יזכור דרשה Yizkor drasha. And the message is this, I believe it's the נציב Netziv who says, you know why? Because the sacrifice you'll bring today, you should not ever feel or think that today and you are the first to ever make a sacrifice. The sacrifice of today is built on and rests on the sacrifice of yesterday. So you take out the דשן deshen, the ash, the sacrifice of yesterday and you put it next to the altar before you bring your sacrifice of today. Before we work, before we live our עבודת השם avodas Hashem, before we think about our expense of מצה matzah and wine and grape juice and ישיבה yeshiva and day school, before we think about the days off we have to take from work, before we think about the sacrifices we have to make to be a איד yid, first we look at the sacrifice of yesterday and recognize and realize the sacrifice of today is built on the sacrifice of yesterday, of yesterday. מדו בד Mido vad. Now רש\"י Rashi on these words מדו בד mido vad says the following. רש\"י Rashi says the following. מדו בד Mido vad. ולבש הכהן מדו בד U'lavash hakohein mido vad. היא כתונתו. מה תלמוד לומר מדו? שתהא כמידתו Hi chsones. Ma talmud lomar mido? Shet'hei ke'midaso. That his clothing, the כהן's kohein's clothing should fit him properly. Now the כהן kohein might be tempted, borrow some other כהן's kohein's garment, or maybe he wants to save money on the tailoring of his garment, so he's not going to tailor his garment. So רש\"י Rashi tells us that מדו בד mido vad, it should fit him. This long shirt, מדו בד mido vad, should fit him. It should be measured. מדו Mido, it's from the language of מדד madad, to measure, that the shirt has to be fitted to the size of the individual כהן kohein. Now, I think there's a very powerful message in this. You know, the רמב\"ם Rambam writes that a תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, and really everyone who aspires to be, someone who wants to be a righteous person, live a righteous life, can't and shouldn't look like a schlump. Don't look like a schlump. Be put together. תלמיד חכם Talmid chacham who has a stain on their garment is a חילול השם chillul Hashem. You have to be put together. I was raised, it happens to be one of my father's pet peeves, one of my father's hangups, I was raised that if you're wearing a tie, button your top button and put the tie to the top. Now if you come home, שבת Shabbos lunch, you open it, you're enjoying a little bit, fine. But when you go into a business meeting, when you go into שול shul to דאווען daven, when you're giving a שיעור shiur or a lecture, when you're interacting and engaging with others, why do many people not? It's ישיביש, חימיש yeshivish, haimish, you leave the tie all the way open, the button all the way open. Why most people? They enjoyed a little too much at קידוש kiddush, and the top button doesn't necessarily close anymore. So you see רש\"י Rashi says, מדו בד, כמידתו mido vad, ke'midaso. A איד yid, if you aspire to be a תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, you want to be a קידוש השם kiddush Hashem, get clothing that fits you. It's time for a new shirt, or lose a few pounds. But have a shirt that you can close the top button, should be fitted, shouldn't be baggy, shouldn't look like a schlump, shouldn't be falling apart, shouldn't be a mess. You shouldn't be a mess. You should look put together. You should look put together, and be put together. So you'll say, ah, since when does the Torah care about vanity? Since when does the Torah care about beauty and aesthetics? Why should it be a red flag if the boy picks you up for a שידוך shidduch date and he's a schlump and he's a mess and his clothing is too baggy and it doesn't even fit? And if he's wearing a tie, he can't close it to the top or close the top button? Why should that bother you? Doesn't what's inside is what matters? What we care about is the holy נשמה neshama, the חלק אלוקה ממעל ממש chelek eloka mima'al mamash. Who cares about the vanity? You see the כהן kohein. לכבוד ולתפארת L'chvod u'l'sifores. The whole בגדי כהונה bigdei kehunah are about bringing dignity and elevating the experience. And our lives, we are the ממלכת כהנים mamleches kohanim. We're meant to be a ממלכת כהנים mamleches kohanim. We're meant to be a nation of כהנים kohanim. So particularly those who sit and שטיג shtieg, who learn Torah and live Torah, we are the כהנים kohanim, we are the priests, we are the teachers, we are the role models of the world. You can't be stained. Your shoulders shouldn't be covered with dandruff. Your jacket shouldn't be wrinkled and crumpled in a ball. Your button on the top should be able to close and your tie should be closed to the top. These are basic, basic things that we've lost today. We've lost today. The dignity. Slobodka. You know what I'm talking about? Rabbi Tights. My mother says growing up in Rabbi Tights's home, she never ever saw him without his frock. She never just saw him wearing a shirt. If you learned in Slobodka, גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam, the גדלות האדם gadlus ha'adam, the Slobodka yeshiva, the Alter of Slobodka had a tailor on staff in the yeshiva. The boys didn't have 15 suits in the closet. You had one suit, it lasted you the whole זמן zman until the next פסח Pesach, if there was enough money and bought you another. And often a button would pop off. So there was a tailor on staff, you know why? Because the Alter wouldn't let a boy in the בית מדרש beis medrash if he was missing a button. If you're missing a button, how can you come in the בית מדרש beis medrash? ממלכת כהנים Mamleches kohanim. מדו בד Mido vad, it's got to fit you, it's got to be proper, it's got to be fitted, it's got to be dignified, it's got to be elevated. You got to look put together. You're baggy, you're wrinkled, you're covered in dandruff, your top button doesn't button, your tie doesn't tie. What are you doing? ממלכת כהנים Mamleches kohanim. תלמיד חכם Talmid chacham, the רמב\"ם Rambam says has to make a קידוש השם kiddush Hashem. So it's not vanity, it's part of the way we make an impression in this world. למעשה L'maaseh, the reality is that we have a גוף guf, we have a body, and the way others perceive us will elevate our אידשקייט Yiddishkeit. This is an עבודה avodah. We're doing the עבודה avodah of עבודת השם avodas Hashem. We are the ממלכת כהנים mamleches kohanim. So רש\"י Rashi here says it's not vanity at all. My father's right. His pet peeve and his hangup, which is, get a shirt that fits you so the top button can close and close the tie all the way, all the way to the top. You should look like a מענטש mench when you're giving a שיעור shiur, a דבר תורה dvar Torah, when you're coming to a meeting, when you're coming into שול shul to דאווען daven. And you shouldn't be covered in dandruff and stains and baggy and unfitted. This is our רש\"י Rashi. It's not my father, it's a רש\"י Rashi. My father surely knows the רש\"י Rashi. But I want to share with you a תורת זאב Toras Zev. The רחם השריף'קה, the מרן שריף'קה says, what's true physically is also true spiritually. מה תלמוד לומר מדו, שתהא כמידתו Ma talmud lomar mido, she't'hei ke'midaso, שלא יהיה ארוך או קצר ממידתו she'lo yihye aroch o katzar mi'midaso. Your pants shouldn't be too short, and your and your and your pants shouldn't be too long. They should fit you just right. They should fit. And how do you define what's fitting? The younger generation are wearing pants so tight, you need a crowbar in order to get in, in order to get out. נבח Nebach, I try to go shopping for suits these days. I'm not trying to compete with the teenagers to wear so tight that the circulation in your legs is cut off, you can't even breathe anymore. So how do you decide what fits you? What fits you? What a, what a 17 year old will say is fitting, you know, a 65 year old will say is is not. And so on and so forth. So it means what's normal, what's reasonable, what makes a person look put together, shouldn't be too long, shouldn't be too short, shouldn't be too tight, shouldn't be too loose, it should be just right. So what's true physically, האדם צריך להתנהג בעבודת השם כמידתו ha'adam tzorech l'hisnaheg b'avodas Hashem ke'midaso. כשיראה בבחינתו ומדרגתו, שלא ינהג להתנהג במידות גבוהות שהם למעלה ממדרגתו K'she'yir'eh b'vchinaso u'madrigaso, she'lo yinhag l'hisnaheg b'midos g'vohos she'hem l'ma'ala mi'madrigaso. Says the holy רחם השריף'קה, according to the תורת זאב Toras Zev, what's true physically that your clothing has to fit, your אידשקייט Yiddishkeit has to fit. Your אידשקייט Yiddishkeit has to fit. Don't aspire and don't reach and don't be acting and conducting stringencies and חומרות chumros and a life and a lifestyle that doesn't fit you. You're not up to that. You're not there yet. You don't have the knowledge, you don't have the learning, that's not who you are. Yes, we're all bound by הלכה halacha. It doesn't mean within Jewish law pick and choose, but it means in conduct, in dress, in where we're at. You know, there was a point last year, two years ago, I get in trouble for this, but I was thinking about, I was considering putting on a גרטל gartel. Maybe just on שבת Shabbos, maybe during the week, enhancing, elevating the דאווענען davening, feeling. Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson describes that when you put on a גרטל gartel, it's like buckling the seatbelt. Just like before you pull out of the driveway, before you start to drive, you buckle the seatbelt, and now you know I'm about to drive. So the גרטל gartel you buckle up, we're about to drive, we're about to דאווען daven. So I asked Rav Shlomo Alter, I asked the ge'er Rashei Yeshiva, I said, Rebbe, I'm thinking about it, what does the Rav think? What does the Rashei Yeshiva think? So he said to me, why don't you wear a גרטל בפנימיות gartel b'pnimeus for a month? Put on a גרטל gartel inside. The whole idea of the גרטל gartel is it separates your upper half and your lower half, your heart from your ערווה ervah, and a person should strive for קדושה kedusha, and your godly soul from your animal soul. So do it internally. Before you דאווען daven, put on the virtual גרטל gartel. Think about it. Remember to put it on virtually. Remember to put it on, remember to put it on metaphorically. And if you could remember to do that for a month and you're moved and transformed by it for a month, then come back to me, then you could talk about putting it on. I haven't succeeded yet for a month straight, so I'm not wearing it. What was he telling me? It's got to fit. It's got to fit. If that's not your upbringing, that's not your family's מנהג minhag, that's not where you come from, that's not where you're up to, that's not where you're at, that's not what you're doing. So it's got to fit. It's got to fit. And that's what רש\"י Rashi's saying. Just like the כהן kohein had to wear מדו בד, שתהא כמידתו mido vad, she't'hei ke'midaso, it's got to fit you, it's got to fit properly. So what's true physically in terms of the clothing we wear, it's got to fit physically, is also true spiritually. Our אידשקייט Yiddishkeit, the Torah, our practices, our garb, it's got to fit. It's got to fit. It shouldn't be too high. It shouldn't be too high. שאינם שייך לו וכן לא ילבש השם יתברך מדרגה פחותה she'einam shayach lo v'chein lo yilbash Hashem yisborach madrigah p'chusa. And it also shouldn't be too short. You can't wear pants that are too short. You shouldn't wear that doesn't fit you because it's too small. So also, don't underachieve. Don't undersell yourself. Don't not do things that are becoming that you should be doing. Don't do too much, don't do too little. Just like the three bears, you got to get it just right. אלא כפי שיעור המדרגה שהוא עומד בה עכשיו בעבודת המלך יתברך השם ela k'fi shiur hamadrega shehu omed ba achshav, b'avodas hamelech yisborach Hashem. With that exact מידה midah should be your עבודת השם avodas Hashem. פרק ו', פסוק ד' Perek Vav, Pasuk Daled. We're flying today. Everyone buckled in? Speaking of seatbelts. ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים והוציא את הדשן אל מחוץ למחנה Ufashat es begadav v'lavash begadim acheirim v'hotzi es hadeshen el michutz lamachaneh. And the כהן kohen puts on other clothing, and he brings the garbage outside the מחנה machaneh, אל מקום טהור el makom tahor, to a proper place. And this is a holy עבודה avodah. The כהן kohen taking out the garbage is part of the עבודה avodah. Don't think that you're so big and you're so great and so superior and so exalted and so prominent and so prestigious, don't forget. I I've told the story before. I love to tell this story. I was invited previously, not because of me, but because we live in a swing district, and we decide presidents. I was invited to a series of meetings at the at the White House. And I remember the first time I went and I was so excited and I was so geared up and I thought about exactly what I would say in the encounter with the president. I won't even say which administration or when this was. And when it was over, you know, second I walked out, I called my wife and I was telling her all about it and the conversation and how I spoke up, what we accomplished, what we achieved. And she said, that's amazing, that's lovely, I'm so proud of you, that's great. Don't forget tomorrow's garbage day when you get home at midnight. Don't forget. Don't forget. When you get in at two in the morning from that flight, from your big fancy trip to Washington, in your fancy suit with your fancy briefcase, don't forget to bring the garbage to the edge of the driveway, because tomorrow's garbage day. Don't forget. Don't forget. That's the עבודה avodah of the תרומת הדשן trumas hadeshen. Don't forget. Taking out the garbage is also is is עבודה avodah. It's a holy. Your wife asks, it's a responsibility to the family, it's living with dignity so your house doesn't smell and stink. It's also an עבודה avodah. It's also part of the עבודה avodah. And one shouldn't look down or be resentful or regret or think it's not for me. There's a story of a of a ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva. It's a story, I don't think I've told this one before. But there was a story of a כולל יונגערמאן kollel yungerman. There was a young man learning in כולל kollel. And there were some שלום בית shalom bayis problems happening. So they met with the Rebbe. They met with the Rebbe, with the ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva. The ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva said, נו nu, what's the problem? What's going on? Why is the tension? What's happening in the marriage? She said, I need help at home. I got my hands full, a lot going on, he won't take out the garbage. He says, I should take out the garbage? I sit, I learn Torah day and night. I'm an aspiring, budding תלמיד חכם talmid chacham. I'm a כולל יונגערמאן kollel yungerman. It's פאַס נישט past nisht. I'm going to take garbage out? I'm going to be seen schlepping in both hands, carrying garbage bags, leaking and dripping and walking to the garbage and it's not for me, it's not for me. The ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva listened, he heard. He counseled them, he advised them, he gave them חזק chizuk, fine. The next morning, early in the morning before heading out to שול shul, this כולל יונגערמאן kollel yungerman, this young man comes out of his house and he finds his Rebbe, his ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva, schlepping the garbage out. It's Rebbe, Rebbe, what are you doing? What are you doing with my garbage? He said, I heard you, you were right. It's beneath you. You learn Torah all day. So I came to help your wife because she needs help. So I came to take out the garbage for her. And the message was received. The more Torah you learn should not mean that you're less you should be taking out the garbage. To all the כולל kollel guys who are home for פסח Pesach, if you're watching or listening, to all the בחורים bachurim who've been learning שטאַרק shtark, who are home for פסח Pesach. Sitting and שטייגינג shteiging doesn't mean you don't take out the garbage. I don't care if you're sitting at the dining room table and you're watching your mother or mother-in-law, or for that matter your father or father-in-law, less likely, but schlepping the garbage, get up from the ספר sefer, jump up, take it from their hand and take it out. אזוי Azoi is the תרומת הדשן trumas hadeshen. What's the Torah? If if you could be learning Torah that makes you ignore and neglect and not even see your mother-in-law on ערב פסח Erev Pesach schlepping garbage or bringing in the groceries for the next round of meals she's making for you, then what's the value of that Torah that you're learning? Get up, close the ספר sefer for a moment, and go take out the garbage, and go bring in the groceries. That's what the Torah is really all, that's what the Torah is really all about. So there's an עבודה avodah of תרומת הדשן trumas hadeshen. There was special clothing of the תרומת הדשן trumas hadeshen. This isn't low or inferior or beneath or פאַס נישט pas nisht of the כהן kohen. This is the עבודה avodah of the כהן kohen, and this is what it's about, and this is what it's about for this time of year. Says the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel. Says the holy ראש ישיבה, רב שמואל בירנבוים Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. Quotes רש\"י Rashi, אין זו חובה אלא דרך ארץ ein zo chova ela derech eretz. So why did the כהן kohen take off his clothing? The כהן kohen has certain בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna. לכבוד ולתפארת L'chavod u'l'sifares, he wears it for dignity and he elevates the whole עבודה avodah. And yet he takes off the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna to take out the garbage. Says רש\"י Rashi, there's no obligation to remove it, it's דרך ארץ derech eretz. שלא יתלכלך בהוצאת הדשן בגדים שמשמש בהם תמיד Shelo yislachlech b'hotza'as hadeshen begadim she'meshammesh bahem tamid. Because he has his normal uniform he wears for the עבודה avodah in the משכן Mishkan, and if you're going to take the garbage out in it, it's going to get dirty. And that's disrespectful. בגדים שמבשל בהם קדרה לרבו, אין מוזג בהם כוס לרבו Begadim she'mevashel bahem k'deira l'rabo, ein mozge bahem kos l'rabo. The clothing you use, he gives a משל mashal. רש\"י Rashi then gives a parable. The chef wears an apron, but when he goes to now serve, he takes off the apron. So you wear an apron because you don't want to get dirty and soiled, but you take off what got dirty and soiled when it's time to serve because that's disrespectful. לכך ולבש בגדים אחרים, פחותים מהם L'chach v'lavash begadim acheirim, p'chusim meihem. Says the תפארת שמואל, צריך עיון Tiferes Shmuel, tzarich iyun. עיקר הקפידה Ikar hakpeidah שהכהן לא ישמש לרבו, דהיינו עבודת הקרבנות בבגדים מלוכלכים בהוצאת הדשן she'hakohen lo yishamesh l'rabo, d'hainu avodas hakorbanos b'vgadim meluchlachim b'hotza'as hadeshen. The key here is, don't serve השם Hashem just like the person serving the meal with dirty, soiled clothing. אם כן, למה פירש רש\"י להיפך Im kein, lama peirash Rashi l'heifech? So why did רש\"י Rashi describe it in the opposite direction? שלא ישתמש בבגדים החשובים שבהם עשה עבודה shelo yishtamesh babegadim hachashuvim shebahem asa avodah, not to use the fancy, חשוב chashuv clothing that you use for עבודה avodah, בהוצאת הדשן b'hotza'as hadeshen. רש\"י's Rashi's focus was, don't use your nice clothing to take out the garbage. The focus should have been, don't use the clothing you use to take out the garbage to then come back and do the עבודה avodah. What's more important here? The focus should be, don't serve השם Hashem, don't do your עבודה avodah, in dirty clothing. Don't walk into שול shul with stains on your clothing. Instead, רש\"י Rashi says, don't wear your nice clothing for taking out the garbage, we don't want it to get dirty. No, no, no. Don't wear dirty clothing to do the עבודה avodah. So רש\"י Rashi seems to have the focus, the emphasis, the priority backwards. לכאורה, אין איסור בזה. רק מה, צריך לחבסן בשביל עבודה דלמחר L'choira, ein issur b'zeh. Rak mah, tzarich l'chabsan bishvil avodah d'l'machar. It seems like there's no problem if you wear your regular clothing and it got dirty, just you can't do the עבודה avodah in it. You got to send it to the dry cleaner. You got to clean it before your next round of עבודה avodah. So the real focus here is, don't wear dirty clothing to do עבודה avodah, not, don't wear your עבודה avodah clothing to take out the garbage. So רש\"י Rashi got it backwards, it seems. It seems. יש לומר Yesh lomar says רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, דרש\"י כתב כן ללמד חוץ מהחובה דרך ארץ שלא לשמש לרבו בבגדים שמבשל בהם קדירה, יש עוד לימוד מכאן d'Rashi kasav kein l'lamed chutz meiha'chova derech eretz shelo l'shamesh l'rabo b'begadim she'mevashel bahem k'deira, yesh od limud mikan, שהוא צריך לחבב את בגדי עבודה shehu tzarich l'chabev es bigdei avodah. רש\"י Rashi was teaching us a secondary law, a second idea. Idea number one, idea number one, don't wear dirty clothing to serve השם Hashem. So if you took out the garbage and you got a little garbage on that clothing, don't go to מנחה mincha in that. Change, change. We don't wear dirty clothing to דאווענען davenen, to serve השם Hashem. But there's a second idea, which is, if you have clothing that's designated for דאווענען davening, don't wear it in a way that it's going to get dirty. Don't wear your דאווענען davening jacket while you're taking out the garbage. Don't, don't wear your שבת Shabbos clothing during a weekday. Because a person has to be מחבב mechabev. A person has to honor and elevate even their clothing because the clothing is the person. It is a layer of identity, of expression of the person. And if it has a certain purpose, honor it and elevate it and don't compromise it and don't lower it by being מבזה mevazeh it, על ידי שיתלכלכו al yedei sheyislachlechu. ואף על פי שיכבסם אחר כך, אין דרך ארץ להשתמש בבגדי עבודה באופן שיתלכלכו V'af al pi she'y'chabsam achar kach, ein derech eretz l'hishtamesh b'bigdei avodah b'ofen sheyislachlechu. So you'll say, well, let me just wear my שבת Shabbos clothing even though I'm taking out the garbage. No. And if it gets stained, I'll send it to the dry cleaner. No. Protect it from even getting stained. That's a way to honor שבת Shabbos is by honoring your שבת Shabbos clothing. And that's what he continues. He has a long essay here, we won't read it, but he continues פרשת אחרי מות Parshas Acharei Mos, לחבב את בגדי כהונה l'chabev es bigdei kehuna. We have a special idea that we honor the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna. But he goes on to say that the אלתר of סלבודקה Alter of Slobodka, we invoke סלבודקה Slobodka. The אלתר of סלבודקה Alter of Slobodka had a נוהג noheg, שאחר שבלו הבגדי שבת שלו she'achar she'balu ha'bigdei Shabbos shelo. I've had this question. You have a suit that's designated for שבת Shabbos. One of the ways we honor שבת Shabbos is שבת Shabbos clothing. Clothing for שבת Shabbos. I have my weekday suits and I have my שבת Shabbos suits. And I don't wear my שבת Shabbos suits ever during the weekday. What happens when your שבת Shabbos suit gets worn out? Can you now designate it a weekday suit? So the more expensive and the nicer suit should be designated for שבת Shabbos, the שבת Shabbos suit. But once it wears out, can you now use it for the week? So the אלתר of סלבודקה Alter of Slobodka would throw it out before he would use it for the weekday. Because he said if it was originally designated as a שבת Shabbos suit, you're lowering your attitude towards שבת Shabbos if you now use it during the weekday. Better to give it away, better to throw it out. ולא היה לובשם ליום החול. שאין זה כבוד ללבוש בגדי שבת ביום החול V'lo haya lovsham l'yom ha'chol. She'ein zeh kavod lilbosh bigdei Shabbos b'yom ha'chol. Because even though it may seem like a waste, it's inefficient, but nevertheless, nevertheless, it is not honoring שבת Shabbos, and our goal and our mission is to honor שבת Shabbos, and therefore, and you see that from here. You see that from here. There's an idea that don't take out the garbage in your עבודה avodah suit because if it's מלוכלך meluchlach, if it gets dirty, that is dishonoring, that's dishonoring it. All right, פרק ו', פסוק ו' Perek Vav, Pasuk Vav. We're even turning the page. אש המזבח תוקד בו לא תכבה Eish hamizbeach tukad bo lo sichbeh. The fire on the מזבח mizbeach had to remain lit. ובער עליה הכהן עצים בבוקר בבוקר U'vi'er aleha hakohen eitzim baboker baboker. The כהן kohen would light the fire, the wood every morning, וערך עליה העולה והקטיר עליה חלבי השלמים. אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח, לא תכבה v'arach aleha ha'olah v'hiktir aleha chelvei ha'shlamim. Eish tamid tukad al hamizbeach, lo sichbeh. A permanent fire has to remain on the altar. It should never go out. A permanent fire has to remain on the altar. Says the holy Rebbe Nachman, of Nachman of Breslov, על המזבח, אש תמיד Al hamizbeach, eish tamid. The holy fire has to be on the altar all the time, all the time. The fire can never go out. The fire of the נשמה neshamah, the מזבח mizbeach is the נשמה neshamah. The fire can never go out. The fire of a איד Yid has to be on fire. Exuberant, enthusiastic, energized, excited, a אידישקייט Yiddishkeit that's on fire. Now, sometimes the flame gets lowered. Sometimes the flame gets raised. משנכנס אב, ממעטין בשמחה Mi'she'nichnas Av, mema'atin b'simcha. The month of אב Av, the destruction of the two בתי מדרש batei midrash, we lower the flame. משנכנס אדר, מרבין בשמחה Mi'she'nichnas Adar, marbin b'simcha. The month of אדר Adar, we elevate the flame. Flame is like a pilot light, gets lower, gets gets raised, but there has to always be a fire, a ברען bren. A איד Yid, a Jew has to always be on fire. Says רבי נחמן Rebi Nachman, על המזבח הוא לשון בחצר המקדש שהיה בוער שם אש בלא הפסק Al hamizbeach hu lashon b'chatzer ha'mikdash shehaya bo'er sham eish b'lo hefsek. On the altar that was in the courtyard of the מקדש Mikdash, there was a perpetual fire that was always lit. לצערנו L'tzareinu, but what do we do today? היום אין לנו מזבח Hayom ein lanu mizbeach. We don't have a מזבח mizbeach, we don't have an altar, we don't have a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, we don't have a משכן Mishkan. What do we do? Where do we maintain that fire? So first of all, we have what we call the נר תמיד ner tamid. In שול shul, you have a נר תמיד ner tamid, a bulb, a fire that's always lit. And it doesn't matter, it's מנין minyan, not מנין minyan time, שבת הגדול Shabbos HaGadol, שבת שובה Shabbos Shuvah, דרשה drasha, doesn't matter. Middle of the night, day, 365, 24 hours a day, you have a נר תמיד ner tamid. You have a נר תמיד ner tamid. אך כבר אמרו חז\"ל Ach kvar amru Chazal, a rabbi said, the גמרא in מנחות, דף צ\"ג Gemara in Menachos, daf tzadik gimmel, שבזמן שאין בית המקדש קיים, שולחנו של אדם יכול לכפר כמזבח sheb'zman she'ein Beis Hamikdash kayam, shulchano shel adam yachol l'chaper k'mizbeach. Our home is a מקדש מעט Mikdash me'at. וביום אביא משכן אבנה U'v'yom avi mishkan evneh. השם Hashem wants each of us to build our home should be a miniature temple. And the fixtures and furnishings, the utensils of our home, should be modeled after the furnishings and the furniture of the משכן Mishkan. So what in our home takes the place of the מזבח mizbeach, of the altar? The שולחן shulchan. Our dining room table is our מזבח mizbeach. אם אוכלים עליו באופן ראוי ונכון Im ochlim alav b'ofen ra'uy v'nachon, if we eat, if our attitude and our philosophy of eating at our table is appropriate and correct and elevating, then it's like a מזבח mizbeach. So רבי נחמן Rebi Nachman writes on ליקוטי מוהר\"ן, חלק ב', סימן ע\"ט Likkutei Moharan, Chelek Beis, Siman Ayin Tes, שכל אחד מישראל צריך שיהיה לו איזה צער בכל יום, אפילו צער גדול ביותר She'kol echad mi'Yisrael tzarich she'yiheyeh lo eizeh tza'ar b'chol yom, afilu tza'ar gadol b'yoser. Every Jew is destined to have some tension, some friction, some challenge every day. ומי שדעתו יתרה גדולה, כך צערו גדול יותר u'mi she'daato yeseira gedola, kach tza'aro gadol yoser. And the greater a person is, the greater their mind, the more struggle they'll have, as the פסוק pasuk says in קהלת Koheles, ויוסיף דעת, יוסיף מכאוב v'yosif daas, yosif mach'ov. The smarter, the brighter, the more sophisticated, the more advanced, the more thoughtful, the broader you are, the more worry, anxiety, challenge. הדרך להמתיק את כל אלה מכאובים על ידי אכילה בקדושה ויראת שמים Ha'derech l'hamtik es kol eleh mach'ovim al yedei achilah b'kdusha v'yiras shamayim. And רבי נחמן Rebi Nachman writes, how do we overcome, how do we lessen that anxiousness, that worry, that struggle, that friction? By the correct attitude towards eating, food, food. חסידים Chassidim say, תערך לפני שולחן נגד צוררי Ta'aroch l'fanai shulchan neged tzor'rai. דוד המלך Dovid HaMelech said, uh, I set the table before you in front of my adversaries. So what does that mean? What are my adversaries? תערך לפני שולחן Ta'aroch l'fanai shulchan, in in פרק כ\"ג Perek Kaf Gimmel. דוד המלך Dovid HaMelech, Psalm 23, מזמור לדוד, השם רועי לא אחסר Mizmor l'Dovid, Hashem ro'i lo echsar. I set the table before you in full view of my adversaries. תערך לפני שולחן, נגד צוררי Ta'aroch l'fanai shulchan, neged tzor'rai. Who are my enemies, צוררי Tzor'rai? You know who my enemies are? The חלה challah, the dips, the sides, the mains, the desserts. These are each my enemies. Am I going to eat and eat and eat and overindulge, and doubles and triples and after I'm full? Do I bring the right attitude, the right thoughtfulness, the right mindfulness to the food I'm eating? Am I eating the right food in the right time, in the right measure, in the right way, with the right ברכה bracha before and after? אכילה בקדושה פירושו להקפיד על כשרות המאכל Achilah b'kdusha peirusho l'hakpid al kashrus ha'ma'achal. To eat holy, to eat in a holy way, is first of all to make sure what you're eating is proper, you should be eating it. And it means to eat with יראת שמים yiras shamayim. לחשוב בשעת אכילה שאוכל לפני השם Lachshov b'sha'as achilah she'ochel lifnei Hashem. And to also recognize and realize, why am I eating? Eating gives me the energy to live. So I'm eating to live, I'm not living to eat. I'm eating to live, I'm not living to eat. And a person can't live, can't survive if they don't eat. So I'm actually making contact with life itself when I eat. And who provides life? Who is the source of all life and living? השם Hashem. So when I put food in my mouth, השם Hashem designed me to be a factory, to be able to extract the nutrients and nourishments and to purge the rest. I'm imbibing, I'm swallowing, I'm eating השם Hashem. He's the life force. He's giving me the life that's going to extend and give me life. That's the mindfulness when a person eats. כי אילו היה אוכל לפני אדם גדול וחשוב, היה אוכל בחרדה ובבושה Ki ilu haya ochel lifnei adam gadol v'chashuv, haya ochel b'charedah u'v'vusha. And a person should have, השם Hashem's at the table. I'm having a meal with השם Hashem. I'm never alone. ולא מסתכל על האוכל בגרגרנות. הרי גם בעלי חיים אוכלים, מה ההבדל בין אדם לבהמה? בכוונה ובשליטות על עצמו בזמן האכילה V'lo mistapel al ha'ochel b'gargranus. Harei gam baalei chaim ochlim, mah ha'hevdel bein adam l'veheimah? B'kavanah u'v'shlitus al atzmo b'zman ha'achilah. You know, animals also eat. Does your eating resemble and look like and parallel an animal? Are you digging your face into the trough? Are you shoveling that food into your mouth? Or is your eating elevated and dignified and in the presence of השם Hashem and mindful and connecting to the source of all life? כשאוכל בקדושה ובכוונה הראויה K'she'ochel b'kdusha u'v'kavanah ha're'uyah, when a person eats with holiness and with the proper mindfulness and intent, יכול האכילה להיחשב ממש כמו קרבן על גבי המזבח yachol ha'achilah l'heichashev mamash k'mo korban al gabei hamizbeach. So now, the פלייש fleish that's eaten, now the delicious roast and brisket and pulled beef and slice steak that you're having, you're eating a קרבן korban on the מזבח mizbeach. You've just transformed your dining room table, your kitchen table, into an altar. And the meat and the food that you're eating off of it, you've elevated to be like a קרבן korban. נכון Nebach, we don't have a מזבח mizbeach today. So how can we tap into this idea, אש המזבח תוקד בו eish hamizbeach tukad bo, that the fire has to always burn, it can never go out? Says רבי נחמן Rebi Nachman, we do have an altar. And the altar is our dining room table, it's our kitchen table, it's the restaurant table, wherever we find ourselves, whatever table. And we turn it into an altar when we eat properly and we eat with fire, with a mindfulness and a care and a, what am I eating? How much am I eating? Am I full? Did I make a ברכה bracha? Is it the right intent? Am I connecting to השם Hashem? Am I seeing השם Hashem in the beauty in the food that I'm eating? Then we elevate it with a fire, we have a קרבן korban, we have a מזבח mizbeach, and we get closer to השם Hashem. על ידי האכילה נעשה יחוד בין קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה Al yedei ha'achilah na'aseh yichud bein Kudsha Brich Hu u'Shchintei. Because when a person eats with mindfulness and presence, and when they eat to live, they don't live to eat, they're creating the union of body and soul. They're creating a union of heaven and earth. They're creating a union of man and God. לשם כך על האדם לחשוב ולזכור בשעת האכילה, שכל מה שהוא אוכל ושותה, עכשיו הכל אלקות L'shem kach al ha'adam lachshov v'lizkor b'sha'as ha'achilah, she'kol mah she'hu ochel v'shoteh, achshav hakol Elokus. I'm imbibing, I'm eating the source of life, the life source which is God. שהרי ממה שהוא אוכל, מחיים את האדם She'harei m'mah she'hu ochel, mechayeh es ha'adam, because after all, everything we're eating is coming from השם Hashem. It's all coming from השם Hashem. So that's all hinted to, says רבי נחמן Rebi Nachman, אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח, לא תכבה eish tamid tukad al hamizbeach, lo sichbeh, שכל מה שאדם אוכל בקדושה ומחבר את לבו שזהו אלקות, לבו מסלקח בקרבו, בדבקות בהשם, והקדוש ברוך הוא מכפר לו עוונותיו כאילו הביא קרבן she'kol mah she'adam ochel b'kdusha u'mechaber es libo she'zehu Elokus, libo mislake'ach b'kirbo, b'dveikus ba'Hashem, v'haKadosh Baruch Hu mechaper lo avonosav k'ilu hevi korban. You've turned that table into a מזבח mizbeach and you turned what looked like just a piece of meat, you've turned that into a קרבן korban that's yielding and bringing you closer to השם Hashem. רב וולבה Rav Wolbe also has a comment. רב וולבה Rav Wolbe writes in עלי שור, חלק ב' Alei Shur, Chelek Beis. רב וולבה Rav Wolbe writes the following. הרוצה לזכות להשגחה עליונה, לחזות אימו ולהבין בצרך להיות מן הצנועים Ha'rotzeh lizkos l'hashgacha elyona, lachzos imo u'lehavchin bo tzorech l'hiyos min ha'tznu'im. If a person wants to merit divine providence, divine connection, you want to feel השם's Hashem's presence in your life, you want to feel him interacting with you daily, then a person has to live, the prerequisite to that, who has that feeling, to whom does השם Hashem reveal himself in that way? הצנועים Ha'tznu'im, הצנועים ha'tznu'im. People who are modest. כי ההשגחה צנועה היא Ki ha'hashgacha tznu'a hi. Providence of השם Hashem is not explicit, it's not out in the open, it's not revealed for all to see. It's subtle, it's nuanced, it's צנועה tznu'a, it's צנועה tznu'a. ונעים בזה ספר החינוך, מצווה קל\"ב V'na'im b'zeh Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah kuf lamed beis. And where do you see this, says רב וולבה Rav Wolbe? The ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes in מצווה קל\"ב mitzvah kuf lamed beis, להיות אש המזבח בכל יום תמיד l'hiyos eish hamizbeach b'chol yom tamid. Our פסוק pasuk. Our פסוק pasuk says a fire has to burn on the altar all day continuously. And the ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes on that פסוק pasuk, ובא פירוש על תמיד, לשים עצים בבוקר ובין הערבים. ובביאור עניין רמזו, אף על פי שאש יורד מן השמיים, מצווה להביא מן ההדיוט u'va peirush al tamid, lasim eitzim baboker u'vein ha'arbaim. U'v'vei'ur inyan ramzu, af al pi she'eish yored min ha'shamayim, mitzvah l'havi min ha'hedyot. Where does the fire come from that consumes the קרבנות korbanos on the מזבח mizbeach? ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes it's a fire that descends from heaven and burns them up. So if the fire descends from heaven in a miraculous, supernatural, extraordinary way, why do you have to put a fire on the מזבח mizbeach? Who are we fooling? Who are we faking? Why light the fire on the מזבח mizbeach if in fact there's a fire descending from heaven? So ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes there, משרשי המצווה mi'shorshei ha'mitzvah. He writes an incredible יסוד yesod. I'll talk to you outside. It's a beautiful piece by רב וולבה Rav Wolbe based on the ספר החינוך, עלי שור, חלק ב' Sefer HaChinuch, Alei Shur, Chelek Beis, page תפ\"ד taf pei daled. And he says the following. The חינוך Chinuch writes that even awesome miracles performed by השם Hashem are always somewhat concealed. And they can be explained in manifestation of nature. Even the splitting of the sea, you could describe and you could define that the splitting of the sea happened, what does the פסוק pasuk say? השם Hashem moved the sea with a strong east wind all night. Why? Because even though it's unusual and unlikely, statistically, it has to at least be conceivable, plausible, that if the earth was rotating on its axis in a certain way, and the stars aligned in the constellations in a certain way, and the wind blew from a certain direction, a certain velocity, the sea could split. Why is it necessary to be able to explain it naturally? Because הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu doesn't do revealed miracles. They always have to be able to be understood and described in a way in which his hand could be concealed. In a similar vein, despite the fact that a fire descended from heaven onto the מזבח mizbeach, we're commanded to light our own fire on the מזבח mizbeach in order to disguise that otherwise overt miracle. Even when השם Hashem reveals himself, he makes sure to hide behind the veil of nature. When the נביא navi tells us, the נביא מיכה navi Micha, הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ hatznea leches im Elokecha, walk humbly and modestly with God. He's not merely instructing us to conceal our good deeds. He's informing us that when a person conceals his actions, he's actually following in השם's Hashem's footsteps. השם Hashem doesn't flex. השם Hashem doesn't flaunt. השם Hashem is not showing off for the world. It's always hidden and modest and it's always able to be explained through some other means. And for us too, we shouldn't flex and we shouldn't show off. It should, we should do our actions and even our virtues in a way which is modest and humble. Many people understand the concept of צניעות tznius, writes רב וולבה Rav Wolbe, very superficially. The modesty discussed by the נביא navi refers not to your to sleeve lengths and skirt lengths and collarbone and men and what they look at, but rather to one's internal spiritual makeup. הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ hatznea leches im Elokecha, says רב וולבה Rav Wolbe, is not talking about only, certainly not limited to, superficially, rules of modesty. The נביא navi is talking about internally, internally. The פסוק pasuk says with modesty, one comes wisdom. רבנו יונה Rabbeinu Yonah explains צניעות tznius is a virtue attributed to the wise, because they hear and listen, they do not desire to reveal what lies in their hearts. The capacity to hold back. You don't have to post and share and overshare everything in your life. You don't have to share and overshare. There's something called modesty. There's something that stays inside. There's something that you're able to hold back. There's something that's yet unrevealed. So the ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes on this מצווה mitzvah, אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה eish tamid tukad al hamizbeach lo sichbeh. You have to keep the fire burning. Ah, it's a fire that comes from the heavens that consumes the קרבן korban. So what's the point? Why bother lighting our own fire? Because הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, even though he's doing a miracle that the fire is coming from heaven, doesn't want it to be a revealed miracle. It has to be explained. He wants it to be concealed. It should be plausible that it really was our fire even though our fire is doing nothing. And that is a model for each and every one of us to live such a life that we're not, we're not showing off, we're not flaunting, we're not revealing. Not every moment has to be shared online. Not every thought, every feeling has to be written for the world to see. There's such a thing as that which is inside. רב סולובייצ'יק Rav Soloveitchik writes very similarly when it comes to the פרוכת paroches. The קודש הקדשים Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies of our lives. The פרוכת paroches separated the Holy of Holies from the holy. He talks about growing up in a בריסקר Brisker home, his father. And this is a very extreme version, but רב סולובייצ'יק Rav Soloveitchik describes and writes that his father never never hugged him or kissed him. I don't know if his father said I love you. It's a very extreme version. He said he never doubted for a moment his father's love, but emotions were not something that you expressed so readily, so openly. It was a different time, and that's for a different family, and we're not judging it or criticizing it, and we're also certainly not encouraging it or endorsing it. But the point he's making is that there's a קודש הקדשים Kodesh HaKodashim. It's okay for us to have our own internal feelings, feelings and thoughts of the heart that don't go and aren't shared with anyone. It's okay, and I would argue it's necessary. You know what emotional intimacy is? If you tell everyone everything, what's left to share with your spouse? But if your spouse is that confidant in whom you invest and share things you don't tell anyone else in the world, that's what yields a sense of closeness, emotional intimacy. So the ability to share but not overshare, the ability to hold back, the ability to put up a curtain, a קודש הקדשים Kodesh HaKodashim, a פרוכת paroches, the ability to אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה eish tamid tukad al hamizbeach lo sichbeh, the ability to throw people off and not flex and to be able to explain in a way that's not obvious to all, that's something that השם Hashem is modeling and we follow and we emulate after. פרק ו', פסוק ז' Perek Vav, Pasuk Zayin. Now we go to זאת תורת המנחה Zos toras ha'mincha. This is the sacrifice of the קרבן מנחה korban mincha. What does the word מנחה mincha mean literally? A מנחה mincha is a is a gift. A מנחה mincha is a gift. Writes Rabbi Sacks, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, in his new חומש Chumash, I don't know if it's available yet to the public. מנחה Mincha, the grain offering, brought alongside all the other sacrifices, literally means gift or tribute. Sacrifice is not the same act across cultures. One must seek to understand the practice in terms of the distinctive beliefs of the culture in which it takes place. What then could sacrifice possibly mean in a religion in which God is the creator and owner of all? Why are we giving God gifts? He's the source of all existence. He owns everything in this world. Why are we giving him a gift? The simple and sense answer is this: we love what we are willing to make sacrifices for. Says Rabbi Sacks, we love what we're willing to make sacrifices for. The verb to live, I have, אהב ahav, א' ה' ב alef hei beis, is related to the verb have, all of which, יָהַב yahav, have the same have the sense of giving, bringing or offering. That is why, when they were a nation of farmers and shepherds, the Israelites demonstrated their love of השם Hashem by bringing him a symbolic gift of their flock and herds, their grain and fruit, their livelihood. To love is to want to bring an offering to the beloved. To love is to give. This is true in many aspects of life. A happily married couple is constantly making sacrifices for one another. Parents make huge sacrifices for their children. People drawn to a calling often sacrifice remunerative careers for the sake of their ideals. In an age of patriotism, people make sacrifices for their country. In strong communities, people make sacrifices for one another when someone is in distress or needs help. Sacrifice is the superglue of relationship. It bonds us to one another. Sacrifice is the choreography of love. Rabbi Sacks, amazing. What a tragedy and loss that we don't have him. But listen to his language, the way he describes it. A קרבן מנחה korban mincha, every קרבן korban is a מנחה mincha in some ways. A קרבן מנחה korban mincha in particular, why is a קרבן korban called a מנחה mincha, a gift, a sacrifice? Because it bonds us to one another. Sacrifice is the super glue of relationships. Sacrifice is the choreography of love. To love is to give. To love is to give. The answer is we love what we are willing to make sacrifices for. If someone's not willing to sacrifice for you when you need them, question whether they really love you. What does love mean? Love is not an adjective. Love is a verb. Again, it's pre-פסח Pesach. It's the home stretch. This is it. This is it. So, you know, kids come home, I love you, I love you, thank you for פסח Pesach. Okay, you love me? Help me. Come to the kitchen, take out the garbage, step up, sacrifice. And don't wait to be asked, volunteer, volunteer. In marriage and in life, love is sacrifice. We love what we sacrifice, what we sacrifice for. Uh, let's do one Rabbi Soloveitchik to end. And על כל דם al kol dam. You're not allowed to eat blood. The sacrifices, we disposed of the blood in a particular way. We don't eat blood. Says Rabbi Soloveitchik, פרק ז', פסוק כ\"ו Perek Zayin, Pasuk Kaf Vav. וכל דם V'chol dam לא תאכלו בכל מושבותיכם לעוף ולבהמה lo sochlu b'chol moshvoseichem la'of v'la'behemah. Don't eat any blood in all of your dwelling places. Not only human life, but life in general is divine and held by God absolutely. He's the only master who exercises unlimited dominion over life. Each life must be surrendered to Hashem. This is the only way of life shall be terminated. Destroying life becomes because of selfish motivations is forbidden. This applies to man and animal alike. With respect to human sacrifice, the religious ethos experienced, interfered with the cult experience and converted the actual sacrifice to a mental one, expressed in submission and surrender. Animal sacrifice, however, was retained by the Torah. The sacral act of offering a life to Hashem is the only legitimate shedding of animal blood. Killing an animal for the sake of satisfying carnal desire, בשר תאוה basar ta'avah, was classified as bloodshed and was therefore forbidden. Only after the people entered the land of Israel, the Torah make a concession and begin to tolerate the slaughtering of animals for non-sacral purposes. To this compromise, however, many conditions were attached that make the slaughtering of the animal and its consumption a most complicated process. By committing the slightest error, man may forfeit his privilege. In other words, the original design of the world was to be vegetarian or vegan. Animal sacrifice is a concession because we love פלייש fleish, we love barbecues, we love meat. Originally, the only meat that was permitted were the meat of sacrifice. The Torah, recognizing man craved and wanted more, made the concession to allow, when we slaughter properly, which is filled with incredible, intricate, minute, complicated detail, allows us to שֶׁחְט shecht and enjoy delicious פלייש fleish, delicious barbecue. But the one prohibition the Torah maintained to still remind us that life belongs to God, we shouldn't end human life or animal life, is the prohibition to drink blood. Even as the Torah came to terms with the lusty central human being concerned with meat, it retained full possession and dominion over the blood. Blood is life, and as such, it can never become the object of man's desire or lust, hence the many prohibitions against blood consumption. Blood shall be sacra. sacrifice to God on his altar, never misused by man for satisfying his carnal drives. So, the fact that we have to salt meat, the fact that we have to roast liver, the fact that we have to go to lengths to remove the blood from the meat, we're not allowed to eat blood, is a reminder that even as we benefit from the concession of allowing eating meat today, blood, which is life source, always and forever remains to השם Hashem, and a person therefore cannot eat it. To remember life is precious, not only human life, even animal life, all life. השם Hashem is the source of all life and we rely on him. Wishing everyone a חג כשר ושמח Chag Kasher V'Sameach. Should be happy and a beautiful פסח Pesach, a פסח Pesach of miracles, פסח Pesach of freedom, the hostages should come home, our soldiers should be safe. Please remain to complete all of ספר תהלים Sefer Tehillim. If everyone stays and we give out the booklets, it'll take just a few minutes in honor of our soldiers.
