Prashes Poroh Rabbi Pinches Friedman Prashes Poroh 5772 Translation by Dr. Baruch Fox

Transcription

1 Rabbi Pinches Friedman Prashes Poroh 5772 Translation by Dr. Baruch Fox This upcoming Shabbes Kodesh is referred to as Shabbes Poroh, signifying that the Maftir reading is the passage related to the Red Cow the Poroh Adumoh. We have learned in ראש חודש אדר שחל להיות בשבת :(29a the Mishnah (Megilleh קורין בפרשת שקלים... בשניה זכור, בשלישית פרה אדומה, ברביעית the order of the four special parshiyos החודש הזה לכם associated with the month of Oder is Shekolim, Zachor, Poroh פרה אדומה, להזהיר את ישראל explains: and HaChodesh. Rashi לטהר, שיעשו פסחיהן בטהרה. ברביעית החודש הזה לכם, ששם we are instructed to read about the Poroh פרשת הפסח Adumoh as a reminder to purify ourselves; it is essential that we prepare and consume the Pesach offering in a state of purity taharah. Hence, we read the passage concerning the Poroh prior to the passage of HaChodesh, which concerns the Pesach offering. Rashi goes on to add in the name of the Yerushalmi (Megilleh אמר רבי חמא, בדין הוא שיקדום החודש לפרשת פרה, שהרי :(5,3 באחד בניסן הוקם המשכן ושני לו נשרפה הפרה, ומפני מה הקדימוה Rabbi Chama states that to be שהיא טהרתן של ישראל chronologically correct, we should really read the passage of HaChodesh prior to the passage concerning the Poroh; for, the Mishkan was erected on the first day of Nissan, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, while the Red Heifer was burnt on the second day of Nissan. Nevertheless, it was instituted to read the passage concerning the Poroh first, because it describes the process by which Yisroel are able to purify themselves. Let us embellish Rabbi Chama s statement based on the Midrash (S.R. 19, 2): זאת חקת הפסח, זה שאמר הכתוב )תהלים קיט פ( יהי לבי תמים בחוקיך, זה חוקת הפסח וחוקת פרה אדומה, למה ששניהן דומין זה לזה, בזה נאמר זאת חוקת הפסח, ובזה נאמר זאת חוקת התורה, ואי אתה יודע איזו חוקה גדולה מזו. משל לב מטרונות דומות שהיו מהלכות, שתיהן כאחת נראות שוות, מי גדולה מזו, אותה שחברתה מלווה אותה עד ביתה והולכת אחריה. כך בפסח נאמר בו חוקה ובפרה נאמר בה חוקה, ומי גדולה, הפרה שאוכלי פסח צריכין לה, שנאמר )במדבר יט יז( ולקחו לטמא מעפר שריפת החטאת. יהי לבי 80): (119, Tehillim The Midrash quotes the possuk in statutes. may I be whole hearted with Your תמים בחוקיך Based on the Midrash s elucidation, the possuk is referring to the statute of the Pesach offering and the statute of the Poroh Adumoh ; similar terminology is used in both passages. It then queries as to which statute is more important. It concludes that the Poroh is more important, because the consumption of the Pesach offering depends on it. This seems to be the gist of Rabbi Chama s statement: why does ולמה פרה קודמת, שהיא טהרתן של כל ישראל Parshas Poroh precede Parshas HaChodesh? Because those who consume the Korban Pesach require the Poroh for their purification process. After all, it is prohibited to sacrifice and eat the Korban Pesach in a state of impurity tumah. This proves that the statute of the Poroh is more important than the statute of the Pesach offering and explains why our blessed sages instituted that Parshas Poroh precede Parshas HaChodesh. It is appropriate, therefore, that we delve into Rabbi Chama s statement more deeply and investigate how it applies to us today when due to our innumerable transgressions, the procedure of the Poroh Adumoh is no longer available to us. We must suffice with the mere reading of the passage of the Red Heifer, in keeping with the principle of (Hoshea 14, 3): ונשלמה פרים, שהיה explains: As Rashi. ונשלמה פרים שפתינו rather לנו להקריב לפניך, נשלם אותם בריצוי דברי שפתינו than actually offering the sacrifice on the altar for the sake of atonement and purification, we are forced to rely on the mere acceptance of our recitation of the corresponding passages in the Torah and Talmud. With this understanding, let us endeavor to explain what specific impurity is being addressed and hopefully eliminated by our recitation of Parshas Poroh. Prashes Poroh

2 The Statute of the Poroh and the Statute of the Pesach Rectify the Sin of Idolatry Let us begin our investigation by examining the Midrash s יהי לבי תמים בחוקיך, זה חוקת הפסח וחוקת פרה אדומה, inquiry: למה ששניהן דומין זה לזה, בזה נאמר זאת חוקת הפסח, ובזה נאמר After זאת חוקת התורה, ואי אתה יודע איזו חוקה גדולה מזו elucidating the possuk in Tehillim, and associating the two statutes with one another based on the use of the common word chukas with reference to both the Poroh and the Pesach offering the Midrash wants to know which statute, chukas, is more important. We must endeavor to understand why the Midrash saw fit to associate these two statutes and why does it matter which is more important? Furthermore, the Torah is full of chukim, statutes, as ואת חקותי תשמרו, 67b): explained in the Gemoreh (Yumeh דברים שהשטן משיב עליהן, ואלו הן, אכילת חזיר, ולבישת we שעטנז, וחליצת יבמה, וטהרת מצורע, ושעיר המשתלח observe many statutes that are beyond our comprehension and explanation; consequently, their observance invites the ridicule and taunting of the Satan; some examples include the prohibition against eating pork, the prohibition against wearing a garment that contains both wool and linen fibers, the procedure of chalitzeh, the purification of the metzore, and the he goat that is pushed over the precipice on Yom Kippur. Now, the Midrash can be understood simply based on finding the common denominator that exists between the Korban Pesach and the Poroh Adumoh. Upon Yisroel s departure from Egypt, it was necessary to rid themselves of the taint of idolatry. They had been enveloped by the impure practices of the Egyptians and had worshipped the lamb which was one of the Egyptian Deities. To cleanse themselves of this impurity, HKB H commanded Yisroel to sacrifice the Korban ויקרא משה לכל זקני 21): Pesach, as it is written (Shemos 12, ישראל ויאמר אליהם משכו וקחו לכם צאן למשפחותיכם ושחטו Moshe called to the elders of Yisroel and said to הפסח them, Draw forth and take for yourselves one of the flock for your families and slaughter the Pesach offering. The משכו 2): (S.R. 16, Midrash elucidates this possuk as follows ידיכם מעבודת כוכבים וקחו לכם צאן ושחטו אלהיהם של מצרים withdraw your hands from idol worship and ועשו הפסח take for yourselves a sheep or goat; thus, you will slaughter the Egyptian gods and you will observe the Pesach. In other words, the very act of taking the lamb, slaughtering it and offering to the G-d of Yisroel, constituted a separation and abandonment of the Egyptian idol worship, since they believed in the zodiac sign of Aries the lamb. Also, we learn from Rashi (Bamidbor 19, 22), who cites Rabbi Moshe Hadarshen, that the Poroh Adumoh represented an atonement for the sin of the egel. Thus, we can make sense of the Midrash. As we have illustrated, there is a wonderful connection between the Korban Pesach and the Poroh Adumoh; they both serve as atonements for forms of idolatry. ואי uncertainty: Yet, we still have to address the Midrash s which of the two statutes is אתה יודע איזו חוקה גדולה מזו more important? We saw that the Midrash proves that the statute of the Poroh chukas haporoh is more important due to the fact those who ate the Korban Pesach required the Poroh for their purification. Notwithstanding, why did the Midrash need to emphasize this point? Also, as per the elucidation of the Midrash, Dovid HaMelech had these two statutes in mind יהי לבי תמים בחוקיך למען לא prayer: when he uttered the statutes. may I be whole hearted with Your אבוש What was the nature and purpose of this prayer? The Worshipping of the Golden Calf Represented the Worship of Gold and Fortune We can explain these issues based on the exposition in the Gemoreh concerning the sin of the egel (Beroches 32a): ודי זהב, אמרי דבי רבי ינאי, כך אמר משה לפני הקב ה, רבונו של עולם בשביל כסף וזהב שהשפעת להם לישראל עד שאמרו די, הוא גרם שעשו את העגל. אמרי דבי רבי ינאי, אין ארי נוהם מתוך קופה של תבן אלא מתוך קופה של בשר... From the words ודי זהב which appear in sefer Devorim (1, 1), the academy of Rabbi Yannai derived that Moshe presented the following argument before HKB H: Master of the Universe, because you lavished silver and gold upon Yisroel until they said, Enough! that is what caused them to make the Golden Calf. At first glance, this statement appears obscure. The sin of the Golden Calf was not associated with the pursuit of riches; it was a form of idol worship which they bowed down to. The ויאמרו אלה אלהיך ישראל אשר :(4 possuk states (Shemos,32 Yisroel, they said, This is your G d, העלוך מארץ מצרים which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. If so, how did Moshe claim that this transgression came about as a result of the excessive riches HKB H lavished upon Yisroel? In fact, the egel was truly a form of idol worship; however, our blessed sages conveyed an important message with this statement in the Gemoreh. The nature of the idolatry involved in the sin of the egel was the worship and pursuit of Prashes Poroh

3 gold and riches. Thus, there was some justification to Moshe רבונו של עולם בשביל כסף וזהב Yisroel: Rabeinu s defense of שהשפעת להם לישראל עד שאמרו די, הוא גרם שעשו את העגל. The Kli Yokor s Magnificent Idea Support for this interpretation can be found in the magnificent words of the Kli Yokor found in Parshas Ki Tisa (Shemos 30, 13). There, he explains why donation of a machatzis hashekel constituted atonement for the sin of the egel. He writes: לפי שמהידוע שבכל הסרת איזו דבר רע, צריך להסיר הסיבה וממילא יתבטל המסובב, כדרך שאמרו רז ל )מדרש תנחומא פרשת חקת אות ח( על כפרת העגל, תבוא האם ותקנח צואת בנה, כי הפרה אדומה האם אשר הולידה את העגל, בביטול השורש יפלו מעצמם הענפים, אבל אם תכרות הענפים יש לחוש, פן יחזור שורש פורה ראש ולענה להצמיח הענפים. כך אמר הקב ה שעיקר כפרה זו היא על השורש, דהיינו על הדבר אשר היה סיבה על כל העבירות האלו, וזהו רוב הזהב וחמדת הממון הביאם לידי מעשה זה, כאמרם ז ל )יומא פו:( ויעשו להם אלהי זהב, אמר משה לפני הקב ה, אתה גרמת להם בעבור רוב זהב שהשפעת להם כו. וביאור הדבר כך הוא, לפי שהשפיע להם רוב זהב, על כן היו חמדנים ועינם לא תשבענה, וביקשו להם בצורת שור, כי פני השור מהשמאל במרכבה, וכתיב )איוב לז כב( מצפון זהב יאתה, וחשבו שמזל שור מעשיר, והוא ישפיע להם עוד רוב זהב, וכמו שכתוב )משלי יד ד( ורב תבואות בכוח שור, וכן יוסף )בראשית מב ו( המשביר לכל הארץ, נקרא )דברים לג יז( בכור שור. To eliminate something negative, it is essential to identify and eliminate the root and cause of that thing. Therefore, HKB H commanded that the remedy for this transgression address the root of the transgression the abundance of wealth and the love of money. By providing the people with abundant gold, they became greedy and obsessed with wealth. As a result, they requested that an ox be formed on their behalf. The form of the ox is located on the left side of the Heavenly Chariot, and the people believed that the astrological sign of the ox would bestow wealth upon them. מצפון זהב 22): This idea is based on the possuk (Iyov 37, east, from the north comes the gold. If one is facing יאתה north is on one s left side. In a similar vein, the Gemoreh states הרוצה שיחכים ידרים ושיעשיר יצפין, וסימנך :(25b (Boveh Basra one seeking wisdom should turn שלחן בצפון ומנורה בדרום to the south, while one seeking wealth should turn to the north; this was symbolized by the fact that the table bearing the show bread was situated to the north, while the menorah, representing wisdom, was situated to the south. Additionally, ופני שור states: the possuk in Yechezkel (1, 10) clearly the face of the ox appeared on the left side. All מהשמאל of these sources indicate that HKB H provided sustenance and wealth from the left side, the location of the ox in the Chariot. This is the reason that the people urged Aharon to form a young ox, a calf, for them. They wished to receive an abundance of gold from the ox in the Holy Chariot. This can also be seen as an interpretation of the erev rav s claim regarding the egel : This is your אלה אלהיך ישראל אשר העלוך מארץ מצרים G d, Yisroel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. As we know, HKB H took Yisroel out of Egypt with great wealth booty from the Egyptian homes and from the sea. This gave credence to their lie that the gold was provided for them by the ox in the Chariot. How beautifully this explains the people s contention to קום עשה לנו אלהים אשר ילכו לפנינו, :(1 Aharon (Shemos,32 כי זה משה האיש אשר העלנו מארץ מצרים לא ידענו מה היה לו rise up, make a god for us that will lead us, because this man, Moshe, who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Now, we learned in the תנו רבנן, בא וראה כמה חביבות מצוות על :(13a Gemoreh (Soteh משה רבינו, שכל ישראל כולן נתעסקו בביזה והוא נתעסק במצוות, Moshe Rabeinu cherished שנאמר חכם לב יקח מצוות mitzvos so much that while all of Yisroel were busy collecting the booty, he was engaged in the performance of mitzvos. We see clearly that Moshe Rabeinu showed absolutely no interest in the Egyptian treasure; consequently, he was alienated from the people, who sought to replace him with the golden calf they sought a connection with the heavenly ox that would bestow great wealth upon them. The Machatzis HaShekel and the Poroh Adumoh Correspond to the Booty of Egypt and the Booty of the Sea Let us return to the words of the Kli Yokor who explains why HKB H commanded Yisroel to donate a machatzis hashekel as atonement for the sin of the egel. Here are his holy words: ועל כן צוה ליתן מחצית השקל לכפר על החומד ממון, שלעולם אין בידו יותר מן המחצית, כאמרם ז ל )קהלת רבה א יג( יש בידו מנה מתאווה מאתים, יש בידו מאתים מתאווה ד מאות, נמצא שלעולם אין בידו יותר מן מחצית השקל. As we have seen, the sin of the egel stemmed from a love of money and riches. Chazal teach us that people who crave money are never satisfied; if a person has one hundred dollars in his hand, he wants two hundred; if he has two hundred dollars in his hand, he desires four hundred. It turns out that Prashes Poroh

4 he never has more than half of what he desires. This is the significance of the machatzis hashekel. Brilliantly, the Kli Yokor goes on to explain why HKB H also commanded Yisroel to bring a Poroh Adumoh to atone for the sin of the egel even though, they had already been commanded to bring their machatzis hashekel s for this purpose: ויכול להיות לפי ששפע זה היה מן ביזת מצרים וביזת הים, אשר עליהם אמר שלמה )שיר השירים א יא( תורי זהב נעשה לך עם נקודת הכסף, פירש רש י נקודת הכסף היינו ביזת מצרים, ותורי זהב היינו ביזת הים, על כן באו שני מיני כפרה אלו, כי תבוא פרה אדומה ותכפר על התולדה, דהיינו עגל של זהב האדום הזה, ויבואו מחצית שקלי כסף אלו לכפר על חטא הנמשך מן נקודת הכסף, כי בזמן שריבוי הכסף מצוי אצל בעליו, אז הוא מוסיף תאוה על תאוותו. Their abundant wealth was from the booty of Egypt and the booty of the sea. Shlomo HaMelech alludes to these two תורי זהב:( 11 sources of riches in the possuk (Shir HaShirim 1, to add circlets of gold to your נעשה לך עם נקודת הכסף spangles of silver. Rashi explains that the spangles of silver refers to the booty of Egypt, while the circlets of gold refers to the booty of the sea. Hence, two forms of atonement were necessary. The Poroh Adumoh was designed to atone for its offspring, the calf; the colors gold and red are related. The half shekels of silver were aimed at atoning for the sin that stemmed from the spangles of silver; for, whenever, one has excessive wealth, his craving is unquenchable. So, the silver machatzis hashekel atoned for the booty of Egypt; while the Poroh Adumoh atoned for the booty of the sea. This allows us to put Moshe Rabeinu s argument in defense רבונו של עולם בשביל כסף וזהב perspective: of Yisroel in a better שהשפעת להם לישראל עד שאמרו די, הוא גרם שעשו את העגל. As we have learned from the Kli Yokor, the idolatry involved in the sin of the egel was the worshipping and pursuit of material wealth represented by the heavenly ox located on the left side of the Chariot. This explains very nicely the relationship between the machatzis hashekel and the sin of the egel. For, the sin of the egel involved the pursuit of wealth and, as we have learned from the Kli Yokor, the machatzis hashekel is designed to teach us to suffice with half of what we crave. Still, how the Poroh Adumoh serves as atonement for the sin of the egel remains to be explained. How does bringing a Poroh Adumoh uproot and abolish one s insatiable desire for gold and riches? All Sin Stems from the Lust for the Golden Calf Let us refer to the Gemoreh (Avodeh Zoreh 24a) to clarify these issues. The Gemoreh teaches us that a Poroh Adumoh אמאי דמיה יקרין, הואיל ושתי שערות פוסלות costly: was very for, if it had even two black hairs (or white hairs), it was בה disqualified as a Poroh Adumoh. The Gemoreh (Kiddushin 31a) also relates that when the Rabbis sought to purchase a Red Heifer from a non Jew יודע אני בכם שאם them: named Dama ben Nesinoh, he said to I am aware אני מבקש מכם כל ממון שבעולם אתם נותנין לי that you are willing to pay me whatever sum I request, no matter how much it is (literally: even if I request all the money in the world). It is now apparent why this mitzvah constitutes atonement for the sin of lusting after the Golden Calf and the pursuit of excessive wealth. For, in order to fulfill this mitzvah, it was necessary to expend even all the money in the world. Come and see how this sheds light on the meaning of HKB H s statement to Moshe after the sin of the egel (Shemos and on the day וביום פקדי ופקדתי עליהם את חטאתם 34): 32, that I make My account, I shall hold them accountable for their תמיד כשאפקוד עליהם עונותיהם, ופקדתי comments: sin. Rashi עליהם מעט מן העון הזה עם שאר העוונות, ואין פורענות באה על whenever Yisroel are ישראל שאין בה קצת מפרעון עון העגל held accountable for their sins, they will be held accountable for the sin of the egel, as well; for, there is no punishment that is visited upon Yisroel which does not contain an element of retribution for the sin of the egel. The commentaries all struggle to explain the connection between the sin of the egel and all other sins. Yet, according to what we have discussed, the answer is clear. The root and source of all evil and all sins in every generation stem from the exact same elements that brought about the idolatry of worshipping the Golden Calf. The Torah admonishes us outright (Devorim 8, 11): השמר לך פן תשכח את ה אלקיך... פן תאכל ושבעת ובתים טובים תבנה וישבת, ובקרך וצאנך ירביון וכסף וזהב ירבה לך וכל אשר לך ירבה, ורם לבבך ושכחת את ה אלקיך המוציאך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים... ואמרת בלבבך כוחי ועוצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה, וזכרת את ה אלקיך כי הוא הנותן לך כוח לעשות חיל. Take care lest you forget Hashem, your G d, by not observing His commandments,... lest you eat and be satisfied, and you build good houses and settle, and your cattle and sheep increase, and you increase silver and gold for yourselves, and everything that you have will increase and your heart will Prashes Poroh

5 become haughty and you will forget Hashem, your G d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery,... And you may say in your heart, My strength and the might of my hand made me all this wealth! Then you shall remember Hashem, your G d, that it was He Who gave you strength to make wealth. This passage clearly indicates that the impetus for forgetting and abandoning Hashem evolves from one s quest for excessive silver and gold which we have learned was the root of the sin וביום Moshe: of the egel. This explains why HKB H said to and on the day that I make פקדי ופקדתי עליהם את חטאתם My account, I shall hold them accountable for their sin and Rashi commented: whenever Yisroel are held accountable for their sins, they will be held accountable for the sin of the egel, as well; for, there is no punishment that is visited upon Yisroel which does not contain an element of retribution for the sin of the egel. For, we see that all of our sins stem from the same undercurrents that produced the sin of the egel. Two Black Hairs Represent כוחי ועוצם ידי the Flaws of After pondering the matter, I would like to propose an אמאי statement: interpretation of the sages enlightening why was a Poroh דמיה יקרין, הואיל ושתי שערות פוסלות בה Adumoh so expensive, because it was disqualified from use by a mere two black hairs. Let us introduce Rabeinu Bachayei s commentary in Parshas Ekev (ibid.) addressing the apparent ואמרת בלבבך כוחי ועוצם ידי. יאמר possuk: redundancy in the אולי יגבה לבך, כשתראה שפע הטובה הבאה אליך, ותאמר כי זה מצד המזל, ואמרת בלבבך כוחי כוח מזלי למעלה, שתחשוב שיש מזל לישראל, ועוצם ידי למטה עשה לי את החיל הזה. He teaches us that when the Torah warns us of the inherent danger associated with the accumulation of wealth and success, it warns that you may become haughty and כוחי ועוצם ידי to: attribute your good fortune erroneously your strength and the might of your hand. He points out that there are two separate factors in effect here: (1) כוחי the erroneous belief that one s astrological signs above contribute to one s success, and (2) ידי עוצם gloating and mistakenly attributing one s success to one s own ingenuity and efforts. In light of Rabeinu Bachayei s commentary, we can suggest that the two black hairs that disqualify a Poroh Adumoh are the two factors of ועוצם ידי. כוחי After all, the Poroh Adumoh represents the mother coming to clean up after her calf in the words of Rashi (Bamidbor 19, 22), based on the Midrash Tanchuma: אמו ותקנח צואת בנה. תבוא Since the costly Poroh Adumoh atones for the sin of the egel, which stemmed from the people s pursuit of gold and riches, the Poroh is disqualified by delusions of ועוצם ידי, כוחי which also stem from the same misguided beliefs and result, chas v shalom, in a person forgetting the true source of his good fortune, Hashem. We can now appreciate the nuance of Chazal s phraseology: In other אמאי דמיה יקרין, הואיל ושתי שערות פוסלות בה words, the Poroh Adumoh is costly by design, so that a Jew will spend as much money as necessary to fulfill Hashem s will and כוחי ועוצם ידי עשה hairs: to avoid the pitfalls of the two black לי את החיל הזה. With this message in mind, we should pay close attention to the Torah reading on this upcoming Shabbes when the passage concerning the Poroh Adumoh is recited. It is imperative that we have in mind our desire to receive atonement for the sin of the egel that continues to haunt us in each and every generation. The desire for the Golden Calf persists among us and we must pray to HKB H to purify our hearts and prevent us from falling prey to the persuasions of the yetzer and the delusions of the two black hairs: ועוצם ידי. כוחי We must always recognize, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our good fortune and success and all of our power derive from HKB H alone. In conclusion, let us rejoice, for we have shed some light on בדין הוא שתקדים Yerushalmi: Rabbi Chama s statement in the החודש לפרה, שבאחד בניסן הוקם המשכן ובשני נשרפה הפרה, It is true that ולמה פרה קודמת, שהיא טהרתן של כל ישראל. chronologically the events signified by HaChodesh preceded the ritual of the Poroh. Nevertheless, the reading of the Poroh takes precedence. For, the purification afforded us by the Poroh Adumoh, the release from our pursuit of the Golden Calf, constitutes: של כל ישראל טהרתן the rectification of Yisroel in every single generation. Amen. So shall it be His will! לזכות ולרפואה שלימה של בנציון בן רחל ושמואל אהרן הי"ו Prashes Poroh