1 of 5 American Friends of Netiv Aryeh supports our programs. To contribute or pledge to American Friends of Netiv Aryeh, please visit http://www.afna.us/donate We try our best to accurately present to you the Rav's words. Accuracy can sometimes get lost in the transition from spoken to written word. We would like to thank HaRav Nebenzahl for allowing us to send you this sicha without his first reviewing it. Although it does expedite matters in getting this sicha out to you, it does mean that if there is anything in the sicha that may not be understood, the fault is with us and not with HaRav Nebenzahl. The Rav asks that his and other Divrei Torah are not read during Tefillah or the Rabbi's sermon. Shabbat Shalom, Nehemiah Klein The Yeshiva would like to express its gratitude to Richard and Anita Grossman for their ongoing support for the Yeshiva in general and specifically our computer center. This enables us to communicate this sicha to you each week - "lehagdil Torah ulehaadira". Parshat Emor contains the commandment to count the seven weeks towards Matan Torah. What is the purpose of counting? Why not simply take out a calendar and see how many days until Shavuot? Do we count the days until Pesach? Counting was enacted specifically here to emphasize our longing for the Torah. The Jewish people left Egypt knowing they were to receive the Torah but were not told specifically when this was to take place. Every day that passed without the Torah was another disappointment and they continued to count "one day without the Torah, two days without the Torah, etc." Finally at the end of seven weeks they received the Torah at Har Sinai. Why are these days referred to as sefirat haomer? What is the relationship between the count and the Korban HaOmer that was offered on the second day of Pesach, should it not rather be referred to as Sefirat HaTorah - the countdown towards receiving the Torah? One of the explanations offered has to do with the nature of the Korban. The Korban HaOmer was brought from seorim - barley, while the Shtei HaLechem of Shavuot are made from chittim - wheat.
2 of 5 What is the reason behind this difference? One difference is purely from a practical standpoint - we know from Parshat Vaera with the plague of barad - hail, that when the barley was struck it broke, while when the wheat was struck it did not break. The Torah explains that the wheat ripens earlier and therefore was already hard and thus less flexible and more easily broken, while the wheat had not yet completely ripened and therefore was able to bend without breaking. The barely, which ripens earlier, was ready on Pesach while wheat which does not ripen until later was only available on Shavuot. There is, however, another explanation regarding why barley is offered during Pesach and wheat on Shavuot. Barley, seorim, is known as animal food, as we find in the Gemara. The Gemara in the beginning of Massechet Pesachim states that a person was once asked how his wheat crop was this year. Being careful not to speak negatively, rather than respond that it was not doing so well he said "the barley is doing very nicely". The listener was expected to deduce from there that the barley was doing nicely but the wheat was not. The listener's response was: "if the barley is so good then go feed it to the donkeys and horses. Human beings eat wheat while animals eat barley. Perhaps today it is easier for us to stomach barley, but in principle this is how the Torah and Chazal view things. The only other korban which is barley-based is the mincha of the Sotah. The Mishna writes that her offering is from animal food because she acted like an animal. Why then do we offer animal food on Pesach? Although we attained our freedom from Pharaoh and the Egyptians we still suffered from the spiritual effects of Egypt - we were like animals. During the period of Sefirat HaOmer we went from animals to human beings, able to offer wheat which is the food of human beings. Our preparation for Matan Torah should focus on this. Thank G-d we are not slaves today, but we must focus on improving ourselves, our middot - to rise from animal to human being. Regarding the connection between good middot and receiving the Torah, R' Chaim Vital asked the well-known question (see Shaarei Kedusha volume I, shaar 2): Why is there no explicit commandment in the Torah regarding middot? A small number of these commandments are mentioned, for example: "you shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Vayikra 19:17), and "you shall love your fellow as yourself" (ibid. 18). But regarding most character traits that we know to be positive middot from the words of Chazal or by intuition, we find no mention of them in the Torah. Chazal may have a derivation from a pasuk regarding pride, but there is no explicit mention. Why is this? R' Chaim Vital explains that middot "are the principle preparations for the six hundred and thirteen mitzvoth" - they are the introduction to and foundation of the Torah. In order for man to receive the Torah he must first possess good middot, in the words of Chazal - derech eretz kadma latorah. The Torah therefore cannot command us to be of good character, the good character must precede the Torah. On the other hand, without the benefit of the Torah, we cannot properly develop our middot - "an unlearned person cannot be scrupulously pious" (Avot 2:5). An ignoramus, an am haaretz, who has not studied Torah cannot attain exceptional middot - the best he can (and must) do is to possess the basic character traits demanded of a human being prior to receiving the Torah. These traits, however, cannot compare to the good middot of a Talmid Chacham. Learning and observing the Torah helps man perfect his positive attributes still more and helps them penetrate his soul. Before receiving the Torah a person must first and foremost be a human being. These seven weeks are designated for us to raise ourselves to the level of human beings. Upon receiving the Torah not only are we above the level of animals, we are above
3 of 5 angels. A prerequisite for receiving the Torah, however, is to try to strive to the level of human beings. These days of Sefirat HaOmer, writes the Ramban, should have been a partial Yom Tov - a sort of Chol HaMoed between Pesach and Shavuot. Due to the deaths of the students of R' Akiva, these days have been transformed into days of mourning. The Ashkenazic communities also mourn the tragedies which took place during the period of the Crusades. The primary reason for the practices of mourning, however, is the deaths of the students of R' Akiva. The Gemara does not specifically mention these practices, but it has become customary not to cut hair and not to get married in order to commemorate these tragic events. We are told by Chazal that the disciples of R' Akiva died because they did not accord each other mutual respect (see Yevamot 62b). They may have been great tzaddikim but they did not honor each other sufficiently. Preparation for Matan Torah requires refinement of character. We find ourselves in the midst of the days between Pesach and Shavuot as we count the days towards Matan Torah. These are also days in which we mourn the passing of the students of R' Akiva. Chazal tell us they died because "they did not accord each other mutual respect" (Yevamot 62b). We can prepare for Matan Torah by strengthening our love for our fellow Jew. The exact nature of what they did wrong is not clear but in the Gemara we find one terrifying example of their not according each other mutual respect. Yehuda ben Nehemiah, one of the students of R' Akiva, had a dispute with R' Tarfon regarding a halachic issue. R' Yehuda ben Nehemiah went on to disprove R' Tarfon's view. R' Yehuda ben Nehemiah was overjoyed. Here he was, a young prodigy of R' Akiva and he actually "defeated" the revered sage R'Tarfon. R' Tarfon was older and wiser and according to one opinion he was even the Rebbe of R' Akiva (see Ketubot 84b). A mere student of R' Akiva disproved his Rebbe's Rebbe! He was so happy at this that his face radiated with happiness: "The face of Yehuda ben Nehemiah brightened with joy" (Menachot 68b). On seeing this R' Akiva remarked: "Yehuda your face has brightened with joy because you have refuted the sage; I wonder whether you will live long" (ibid.). Immediately thereafter, the Gemara relates: "R' Yehuda b'rebbi Ilai said: 'This happened two weeks before the Passover and when I came up for the Shavuot festival I inquired after Yehuda ben Nehemiah and was told that he had passed away'". As R' Akiva had predicted, Yehuda ben Nehemiah did not live long, and he passed away shortly after this incident took place. (It appears that he was among the students of R' Akiva who died between Pesach and Shavuot). How are we to understand this? What terrible sin did Yehuda ben Nehemiah commit? R' Tarfon asked a question, Yehuda ben Nehemiah provided the solution, what is wrong with this? Is this not the general atmosphere in a Beit Midrash? He did not utter a single bad word against R' Tarfon, G-d forbid! What then is so terrible about the manner in which Yehuda ben Nehemiah acted? The answer is that the students of R' Akiva were of such high spiritual caliber that Hashem dealt strictly with them even to a hairsbreadth. Even this minor blemish in their character, the joy of victory that was apparent on the face of Yehuda ben Nehemiah, was enough to sentence him to death. How can you rejoice? Are you not sensitive to the embarrassment R' Tarfon feels at having a younger student of R' Akiva prove he knows more? It is therefore incumbent upon us to correct our middot prior to the Torah being given. Whatever we do not manage to rectify prior to Matan Torah, we must rectify on the heels of Matan Torah. Praiseworthy will we be if we manage to improve ourselves prior to Matan Torah, deeming us more worthy of receiving the Torah. I believe the Gemara cites this story to provide us with an example of what the
4 of 5 disciples of R' Akiva were guilty of during this period between Pesach and Shavuot. R' Tarfon could not have been offended for he did not even notice the smile on Yehuda ben Nehemiah's face. A smile is fine if it implies satisfaction at having said a good sevara, but not at having defeated a venerable sage. This is an example of a talmid chacham who may have tremendous Torah knowledge but lacks sufficient derech eretz for someone on his level. Hashem is exacting with his disciples like a hairsbreadth. We must therefore work on improving ourselves during this period, to increase our good deeds and our love for fellow Jews and talmidei chachamim. A later generation lived through the tragic period of the Crusades who died sanctifying Hashem's Name rather than converting to Christianity. Many killed their children so they would not have to convert. There was a later debate among the halachic authorities whether it was proper to do so, it appears to me that the accepted view in Klal Yisrael is that this indeed was the proper approach. One of the Kinot of Tisha B'Av discusses this tragic period, which later became an additional reason for mourning during the period of Sefirat HaOmer. As we mentioned, the primary reason for the practices of mourning is the deaths of the disciples of R' Akiva. Prior to the giving of the Torah, it is written "and Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain" (Shmot 19:2). The use of the singular implies "like one person with one heart." (Rashi there). Whenever it relates the nation's journeys, the Torah speaks in the plural "and they journeyed" "and they camped". The use of the singular "vayichan Yisrael" "and Israel encamped" implies a feeling of unity. The Torah can only be given to a people united, without that feeling of Jewish unity, Hashem would not have given the Torah to His people. When a people is united and feels as one body, one does not feel joy at emerging victorious over another person, for defeating another would be the same as defeating himself - you win and lose simultaneously. Joy at victory over one's fellow man is a sign of a fragmented people. It is because the Torah can only be given to a people living in harmony that this unity is especially required before Shavuot - the day of the giving of the Torah. The Torah was not given to six hundred thousand individuals but to a united nation. "Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh" "All Jewish people are responsible for one another" (Shvuot 39a). Why should I be responsible for the actions of the other? On a simple level, it is based on Chazal's derivation "'and a man will stumble over his brother' (Vayikra 26:37) - man will stumble because of his brother's iniquity" (Shvuot 39a). Similarly, we are commanded: "You shall reprove your fellow" (Vayikra 19:17). Perhaps we can add that the first source for a Jew being responsible for the actions of his fellow Jew appears immediately prior to Matan Torah. Moshe Rabenu informed the nation that Hashem wished to give them the Torah: "So shall you say to the house of Jacob, and relate to the Children of Israel"(Shmot 19:3). The people's response was"everything that Hashem has spoken WE shall do!" (ibid. 8). This was not a chorus of "I shall do", but each and every person shouted in the plural - every member of the Jewish nation accepted responsibility for the Torah observance of his fellow Jew - "all Jewish people are responsible for one another". It was only in this merit that Hashem was willing to give the Torah to the nation. When my fellow Jew does not observe the dictates of the Torah as he should, there is something lacking in my own observance. It is only when we take responsibility for one another and are united that we are able to receive the Torah. The day of Matan Torah is referred to several times as "the day of the congregation" (Devarim 9:10, 10:4, 18:16) for it was on that day that we became a "congregation" - "this day you have become a people" (Devarim 27:9), not a collection of individuals, not even twelve separate tribes - but one nation, one unit. Although the entire nation declared naase venishma, this does not imply that they each accepted the Torah with the same degree of commitment - the naase venishma of tzaddikim such as Aharon HaKohen and Nachshon ben Aminadav was certainly not on
5 of 5 the same level as that of Datan and Aviram. They too received the Torah but on a lesser level, they did not have the same interest in becoming servants of Hashem. A mere forty days later, many worshipped the Golden Calf. At least externally they were united with their declaration of naase venishma. May our love of Torah grow and may we be able to observe the Torah in the best way possible. We pray to Hashem that we soon be able to observe the mitzvoth of aliyah leregel, olat reiyah, shalmei reiyah, bikkurim, shtei halechem, and all the other mitzvoth which unfortunately we are unable to fulfill today and be able to observe the Torah to the fullest extent speedily in our day. Amen.