Parsha Perspectives OZER

Transcription

1 PARSHAS mattos masei 21 tammuz JULY 2007 Parsha Perspectives OZER ALPORT וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר אשר צוה ד איש כי ידר נדר לד... לא יחל דברו ככל היצא מפיו יעשה (3 30:2) Moses spoke to heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying, This is the matter which Hashem has commanded: if a man takes a vow to Hashem according to whatever comes from his mouth, so shall he do. Parshas Mattos begins with the laws governing oaths and vows. However, whereas normally Hashem told Moses to teach the laws directly to the Jewish people, in this case he curiously began by instructing the tribal leaders. The Torah proceeds to detail laws concerning vows placed on oneself as well as vows between husbands and wives and fathers and daughters, laws which aren t unique to the leaders but which are relevant to every individual Jew. Although Rashi offers a technical legal point to be derived from this curiosity, what lesson can we take from the Torah s emphasis on teaching these laws to the heads of the tribes? When Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky ( , a Torah great who was renowned for his devotion to honesty and always telling the truth) turned 80 years old, he began donning an additional pair of tefillin, known as the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam each morning. Because there is a legal dispute regarding certain technical details about the writing of the parchments in tefillin, some virtuous individuals have the custom of wearing a second set after they have taken off the primary set of tefillin, in order to fulfill the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam (circa ). Although Rabbi Kamenetzky certainly possessed the piety required for one who wished to take on this additional stringency, some of his students were puzzled by the fact that he had never done so previously. What suddenly transpired which made him change his practice? When they asked him about this, he explained that many years previously, an elderly Jew in his minyan began to put on the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam at the end of the morning services. One of Rabbi Kamenetzky s students asked him why he hadn t also adopted this praiseworthy practice. In his humility, Rabbi Kamenetzky attempted to avoid the question by noting that the other man was much older, adding that if Hashem would allow him to reach that age, perhaps he would also adopt the practice. Although the comment was said only casually, Rabbi Kamenetzky immediately worried that his commitment to truth obligated him to fulfill his words, as our verses teach that, According to whatever comes from his mouth, so shall he do. Upon ascertaining the age of the man, he waited many years until he reached that age, at which point he immediately adopted the practice in fulfillment of his word. From this story, we can appreciate that some commentators suggest that the mitzvah of honoring one s promises and keeping one s word was taught specifically to the tribal heads to emphasize the importance of serving as role models in keeping one s word. As we begin gearing up for another election season, we are unfortunately often reminded of the contrast between today s political leaders and our Rabbis dedication to keeping their word. The Israeli politician Abba Eban once cynically remarked that It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say. Although many of us don t envision ourselves as leaders, this lesson is applicable to each of us. Whether as parents, bosses, or organizational officers, most of us have people in our lives who look to us to serve as moral guides. This week s parsha teaches that one crucial ingredient in successfully filling any leadership role is a strong dedication to honoring our commitments. Please pray for a complete and speedy recovery for Bracha Sheindel Rachel bas Chaya Sarah

2 Talking Points parshas mattos-masei r a b b i el a z a r me i s e l s 1. Meaning What We Say If a man makes a vow to Hashem or swears an oath; to establish a prohibition upon himself; he may not desecrate his word. He shall do all that he said. 30:3 He May Not Desecrate His Word - Like, Lo Yechallel Devoro he may not render his words hollow [meaningless]. Rashi He May Not Desecrate His Word - When a man fails to fulfill his vow he has profaned the name of Hashem. - Sforno Hashem Elokim then formed the man, dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the breath of life. And so man became a living soul. Bereishis 2:7 A Living Soul He granted him the power of speech Targum Onkelus Animals and beasts are also called living souls. But, the one of man is the most alive for he additionally was given intelligence and speech. - Rashi Man undoubtedly possesses many wondrous faculties. Yet, what distinguishes man from animals is his power of intellect and speech. That unique attribute was acquired when in the act of the creation of man, Hashem blew a breath into his nostrils, thus endowing him with a spark of the Divine which grants us intellect and speech. Our ability to use our speech to create a prohibited status on a previous permitted object, is a result of this unique creative power afforded us by the Almighty. When however, we render our speech meaningless by failing to fulfill our vows and oaths, we are in effect, disrespecting the Divine power granted us and simultaneously profaning Hashem s Name itself. 2. Dishing It Out The Kosher Way Only the gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and lead. Anything of these materials that come into a fire, you must pass through the fire, and it will be purified; however, it must be purified with sprinkling water. But anything that was not placed in a fire you may pass through water. 31:22:23 You Must Pass Through Fire - It must be purged the way it was used. Something used with heated water can be purged with heated water; something used for roasting, like a spit or a grill, one brings to white heat with fire. - Rashi But Anything That Was Not Placed On A Fire - Anything not used with fire, such as cups, and flasks, which are used for cold food, and, therefore, did not absorb prohibited food. You May Pass Through Water - Immerse them, and it is sufficient. This is only with metal utensils. These verses contain many of the laws of koshering vessels that were used for non-kosher foods. Although the laws are somewhat complicated, there are some basic rules that once understood, greatly reduce the complexity of the process. Primarily there are two stages to the process: using heat to rid the utensil of any non-kosher absorptions that may still reside in the walls, and immersing the utensil in a kosher mikveh. Only a competent rabbi can offer advice on how and when these rules apply, but it is a process well worth the time and effort required to implement. 3. Everybody Needs A Rabbi The tribes of Reuven and Gad came and spoke to Moshe saying If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not bring us over the Jordan. 32:2-4 Moshe gave to them, to the tribe of Gad, to the tribe of Reuven and to half the tribe of Menashe, son of Yosef, the empire of Sichon, and the empire of Og, the land along with the cities within their borders :33 And To Half The Tribe Of Menashe The tribe of Menashe was not among the petitioners. Why then were they also granted the land on this side of the Jordan? Moshe knew that the tribes of Reuven and Gad were overly dedicated to their material possessions, the source of their unusual request to forgo the spiritual benefits of Eretz Yisroel, in the first place. Consequently, he greatly feared for their spiritual well being and sought to ensure that they would have a constant source of inspiration to draw upon. The tribe of Menashe possessed individuals of exception moral refinement and therefore Moshe requested of them that half of their tribe reside among the tribes of Reuven and Gad in the capacity of spiritual mentors. Netziv, Ha emek Davar By installing the people from the tribe of Menashe among them, Moshe was sending the people an unmistakable message. Regardless of how profitable a potential dwelling place may be, it cannot be seriously considered if it lacks basic spiritual accoutrements. Without capable and inspiring spiritual leaders, these lands were not worthy of consideration as suitable for establishing a Jewish presence. Only once the tribe of Menashe agreed to provide that dimension would Moshe agree to their request. This page is dedicated to and written for the 6,000 Partners in Torah mentors. We welcome you to join their ranks by calling 800-STUDY-4-2. Please send your comments, questions, and suggestions to info@partnersintorah.org Contact info for Partners in Torah mentor advisors*: Rabbi Reuven Drucker ~ (Sunday - Friday 9:00 am - 12 Noon) rabbidrucker@partnersintorah.org Rabbi Elazar Meisels ~ (Sunday & Tuesday 8:00-11:00 pm) rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org Rabbi Pinchos Jung ~ (leave message) *Kindly reserve use of our advisors for mentor contact.

3 save your strength, not your soul rabbi elazar meisels Dear Rabbi Meisels: Our neighborhood is often targeted by missionaries who seek to save our souls. I have no interest in their offerings, but was wondering what you thought about debating them and trying to show them the error of their ways. Also, are there any arguments in particular that you find effective in refuting them? Margot B. Margot, While I strongly support your decision to save your soul for more worthwhile purposes, I m of the opinion that it s not a very good idea to engage in a debate with them at all. There are a number of reasons that I ll share with you below: 1. Although they re standing at your door and appear to be prime targets, the reality is that these individuals are not optimal targets for Jewish outreach at all. Unfortunately, they ve already undergone extensive training and indoctrination, and they will not listen to a single word that you have to say. They may appear to be listening intently to your reasoned arguments, but in reality, they re only pretending to listen, and hoping to gain your confidence. Once that s been accomplished, they ll ignore your arguments, and simply move on to the next proof. 2. Even if they were interested in debating, the sad fact is that they re usually incapable of doing so. By and large, these individuals are ignorant of even the basics of Judaism, and not even very knowledgeable about Christianity. They re trained to repeat certain basic arguments, and would have no means of ascertaining when they ve been refuted. 3. Engaging them in discussion of any kind only serves to encourage them in their mission. What you ll perceive to be a thorough thrashing, they ll optimistically believe to be a partial success. After all, you actually listened to what they had to say whereas most people slam the door in their face. 4. Furthermore, although it is tempting to raise your voice and angrily admonish them for attempting to convert you, resist that temptation. Believe it or not, they actually welcome such responses. Instead, politely refuse to engage in any form of discussion whatsoever, and close the door. Do not accept their offer of free books or DVD s either. 5. The primary reason however, why one should refuse to debate them, is that it is actually counterproductive. This is because the vast majority of Jews lack the requisite knowledge to conduct such a conversation effectively. The average Jew knows very little about Christianity and how reliant they are upon misinterpretations of the text to support their fallacious positions. Furthermore, how many of us are well versed in the Jewish conception of Mashiach, and the many verses and aggados (Talmudic legends) that support the Torah viewpoint. When lacking adequate expertise, attempts to defend our position against these well-trained missionaries are risky and irresponsible. This is not so different from the rule employed by most major manufacturers that says that if someone other than a factory authorized representative services a product, the warranty is voided. Although restrictive in nature, this rule is not unreasonable because unless the service technician knows the product well and is aware of the problems that crop up and how to fix them, he ll end up doing more damage than good. In light of this, as I suggested earlier, I would urge you to avoid entering into discussions with them and politely ask them to leave. If you believe that they are Jewish and truly wish to help them, may I suggest that you purchase a few books that focus on refuting their arguments, and when they offer you their materials, counteroffer with a book of your own. Some excellent and affordable books on the subject are: You Take Jes--, I ll Take G-d: How to Refute Christian Missionaries Samuel Levine The Jewish Response to Missionaries Jews for Judaism Handbook, Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz The Real Messiah? Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan You Are My Witness Yisroel C. Blumenthal Their Hollow Inheritance Michoel Drazin Best Regards, Rabbi Elazar Meisels Look who made partner... r e c e n t s a m p l i n g o f p e o p l e w h o v e j o i n e d in a s pa r t n e r s : brooke lew, weston, fl shani feit, brooklyn, ny randi goldman, albany, ny devorah segal, passaic, nj aharon eisenberger, monsey, ny Making partner has never been this easy!

4 There are several possibilities discussed for the Torah s listing of the places to which the Jews traveled in the Wilderness. Rabbeinu Bachya offers an insight into this listing, which can teach us an important lesson. He says that the reason the Torah lists all these places with their names is to show that all is dependent on the actions of the Bnei Yisrael. When they traveled with the right intentions and actions, the place became a protected place with the name indicating its pleasant surroundings, such as (v. 23) mountain, the beautiful,שפר הר or (v. 28),מתקה sweetness. However, when they sinned or had the /דין wrong intention, the power of din, justice rested upon the places, causing them to have names connoting punishment, such as (v. 8) fear.,חרדה 24) (v. bitter, or,מרה To explain: In truth, one may wonder about these destinations were there indeed such actual habitations in the Wilderness before the Jews arrived there? Seemingly, there were not, as the names were reflections of what transpired in some of those places. We may see from here, explains Rabbeinu Bachya, the impact one may have on an environment. When the Bnei Yisrael were on the proper level, they created places like Har Sinai, where the Torah was given, and which became a place of kedushah (holiness) and a landmark of greatest importance for eternity. But when they gave in to their temptations and desires, התעוה as occurred in places like suc- the burial of those who,קברת cumbed to their desires, a place was formed and named after its everlasting impact of destruction and sin for generations to remember. A person s actions are not isolated from his surroundings, as we know from the Rambam, who states axiomatically in Hilchos Dei os that a person is influenced by his surroundings. The reverse is true as well; each person influences all of his neighbors and friends, and even the very place in which he lives. Had the Bnei Yisrael merited, all forty-two destinations could have been like the level of Sinai how much holiness would thus have been ingrained in the world! As the Mesillas Yesharim states in his opening chapter: When a tzaddik (righteous person) serves Hashem, he elevates himself, and the whole area around him gets an elevation and becomes a resting place for the Shechinah (Divine Presence).

5 TABLE TALK For discussion around the Shabbos Table hearing the request (32:5) of the Upon (א tribes of Gad and Reuven to dwell in the land to the east of the Jordan River and not in the land of Israel proper, Moses suspected that their intentions were similar to those of the spies and responded strongly and critically. After they clarified that they were indeed willing to take part in the battle to conquer the land of Israel on behalf of the other tribes, Moses acquiesced to their request. Why didn t Moses ever ask forgiveness from them for falsely accusing them of improper motives and embarrassing them publicly? (Yishm ru Daas) his 40-year leadership of the Jewish During (ב people, Moses endured a tremendous number of tests and personal affronts with tremendous humility. Why did he specifically get angry and rebuke the tribes of Gad and Reuven for their request to take their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan? Hey, I Never Knew That! Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha Ozer Alport QThe Gemora (Makkos 10b) rules that signs must be placed along the roads indicating which path accidental murderers should take in order to arrive at the Cities of Refuge. Why don t we find a similar law requiring that signs be posted pointing the way to Jerusalem for those on their way to fulfill the mitzvah of ascending to the Beis HaMikdash on Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos? AThe Chofetz Chaim answers that the person on his way to the City of Refuge, even if not an intentional murderer, is still not a moral role model to whom we wish people to be exposed, and Hashem wouldn t have caused this to happen to a completely righteous person. We therefore provide signs for him so that he won t have to stop and obtain directions from innocent people. On the other hand, the Medrash relates (Yalkut Shimoni Shmuel 1:1 77) that each year Elkanah and his family would ascend to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in Shiloh and share his plans with those he encountered, thus encouraging them to join him in the mitzvah. Each time he would take a different path so as to enable all Jews to participate in the mitzvah. There were no signs pointing the way to Jerusalem; therefore, a person ascending there would be forced to ask the locals for directions, thus enabling others to become exposed to the righteous and join in the performance of mitzvos. QAlthough the Torah seems to require (36:6) the daughters of Tzelofchad to marry men from their father s tribe (Menashe), the Talmud (Bava Basra 120a) states this wasn t a commandment but rather a piece of good advice that Hashem told Moses to give to them. Even so, the Torah testifies that although not obligated to do so, they followed Hashem s advice and each of them found a man from her father s tribe to marry. As the Torah is eternal and relates only that which is relevant in every generation, what lesson can we take from here? ARabbi Zalman Sorotzkin notes that one might think that it would be difficult to find an appropriate spouse if one s dating pool is artificially reduced by 11/12. We would therefore expect that at least some of the daughters of Tzelofchad would feel forced to ignore Hashem s non-binding advice, especially since the Talmud in Bava Basra (120a) states that all of them had already reached the age of 40. Therefore, the Torah emphasizes that while they may have felt restricted in their choices, each of them recognized that every match is predestined and arranged by Hashem, Who knows what is best for each person and orchestrates it all with Divine Providence. Each of them understood that the apparent reduction in the size of her dating pool needn t force her to remain single or to marry someone who will make her unhappy. Following Hashem s advice allowed each one to restrict her dating pool to the one pre-destined bashert who would give her true happiness in life! Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org Parsha Partner is a publication of Partners In Torah A division of Torah Umesorah The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools parsha partner production team Yaffa Baslaw Chani Davis Dafnah Shoner Rabbi Eli Gewirtz national director Kasriel Nojowitz director special projects p a r t n e r s in to r a h is a mu l t i-fa c e t e d ed u c a t i o n a l or g a n i z a t i o n de d i c a t e d to fo s t e r i n g un i t y am o n g je w s of al l ba c k g r o u n d s a n d as s i s t i n g th e m in th e i r qu e s t fo r a de e p e r ap p r e c i a t i o n of th e i r he r i t a g e. p a r t n e r s in to r a h br i n g s ad u l t s fr o m ac r o s s t h e sp e c t r u m of religious ob s e r v a n c e to g e t h e r fo r a va r i e t y of st u d y pr o g r a m s an d je w i s h li f e ex p e r i e n c e s. o u r gr o w i n g p a r t i c i p a n t ba s e of 12,000+ is se r v i c e d by 24 t r a i n e d pr o f e s s i o n a l s wh o wo r k to ma x i m i z e th e ex p e r i e n c e of ea c h pa r t i c i p a n t. For more information call 800-st u d y-4-2 or visit w w w.pa r t n e r s i n t o r a h.or g honor or remember a loved one by dedicating an issue of parsha partner which reaches over 15,000 people each week. dedications (up to 15 words) for yahrtzeits, refuah sheleyma, etc. are $180 and issue. for dedication and free subscriptions information or to have a parsha partner sent to your shul, call ext. 6377, or via p a r s h a@p a r t n e r s i n t o r a h.o r g