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". HaRav Nebenzahl on P TAKE FOR ME A DONATION TZEDAKA AND SIMCHA "Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and let them take for Me a donation" (Shmot 25:1-2). The language of the pasuk is puzzling. Why does the Torah use the word "take" regarding donation as opposed to "give" which seems more fitting? Why does the Torah refer to the people's donating to the Mishkan as taking, should it not be called giving? The commentaries offer several approaches to this puzzling question: Perhaps Hashem was telling Moshe to speak to those entrusted with the collections (i.e. the gabbai tzdaka) such as Bezalel and Oholiov - they should take donations from the nation. This explanation would interpret the words "speak to the Children of Israel" as referring not to the entire nation but rather to a small subset of it. Another explanation is that we cannot speak of giving to Hashem - we can only give what we have received (taken) from Him. When David HaMelech collected donations for the construction of the Beit HaMikdash he said: "For everything is from You, and from Your hand have we given to You" (Divrei Hayamim I 29:14).
2 of 5 The Gemara relates: "there was an episode involving King Munbaz, in which he depleted his treasuries and the treasuries of his forebears to feed the poor during years of famine. His brothers and his father's family banded together against him and said to him in protest: 'your fathers hoarded and added to the fortune of their forefathers and you are liberally expending them!' Munbaz replied: my fathers hoarded wealth below but by giving charity I have hoarded above... My fathers hoarded their wealth in an insecure place but I have hoarded my wealth in a secure place... My fathers hoarded for others to use but I have hoarded for myself..." (Baba Batra 11a). Munbaz is saying that when he gives he is actually taking for himself - the merits of giving will always remain with us, when we keep the money for ourselves, however, who knows how long we will manage to hold on to it for. GIVING TZEDAKA The Rambam asserts that a person will not become poor from giving charity. Chazal, however, limited the amount a person may spend on tzdaka and other mitzvoth to one-fifth of his assets. Although Hashem can easily return much more than a fifth to us, Chazal placed a limitation because Hashem does not always wish to demonstrate such open miracles. A person is obligated to expend all his assets to avoid violating a negative prohibition, but when it comes to positive mitzvoth the expenditures are limited to twenty percent of his income. For example, he must spend whatever he has to avoid eating non-kosher meat. However, if he finds himself in the beginning of the month of Tishrei and he realizes he has to purchase a shofar, lulav, etrog, materials for a sukkah, not to mention that he does not own a pair of tzitzit or tefillin, he may there is a limitation to the amount he may spend, the rest he can put off until his next paycheck. It would seem that he should purchase the time-dependent mitzvoth now and defer the purchase of tefillin to the next month. The Gemara writes that when it comes to hiddur mitzvah (beautifying a mitzvah), one may add an additional third over and above the basic cost. This means that if a kosher etrog were to cost twenty shekels then he may spend up to thirty shekels (note: the calculation of one-third is referred to as milbar an "outer third" meaning one-third of the sum total of thirty may be the hiddur, as opposed to milgav (an "inner third") which would be one third of the basic twenty shekels). TZEDAKAH - TO PERFECT OUR OWN CHARACTER The Rambam proposes that if a person has one hundred perutahs to give to the needy, he should give one perutah one hundred times rather than one lump sum of one hundred perutahs. The reason is that giving tzdaka serves to defeat a person's yetzer hara, and it's better to win one hundred victories than only one. I believe that this principle does not apply in all cases. At times, for example, the receiver may need a large sum of money to help cover the costs of an operation in the United States. In this case, if we are in a position to help then a lump sum is clearly preferable. What we learn from the Rambam is that the purpose of giving is not so much to help the poor as to improve our own character. The Gemara records an exchange which took place between Tornus Rufus and R' Akiva: Tornus Rufus asked: "If your G-d is a lover of the poor, for what reason does He not sustain them? R' Akiva said to him, 'in order that through our giving them, we may be saved from the judgment of Gehinom'" (Baba Batra 10a). There is no shortage of ways in which Hashem can provide for the poor, He wishes however to provide us with the opportunity to inherit a place in the Next World. Tornus Rufus' argument was that if Hashem made a particular person poor then we have no right to go against that, this is obviously not true. Hashem is our father and we are His children. If a child suffers, the father is happy when someone cares for him and gives him food. When we know someone is ill we must help him in
3 of 5 any way possible, whether by praying for him or helping with his physical needs. At times Hashem makes a person ill in order to afford us the opportunity to fulfill the Mitzvah of healing him. The Torah gives us two mitzvoth: perika - helping remove a load from a donkey, and teina - helping placing the load on the donkey. The Gemara teaches us that if there are two donkeys, one of which belongs to a friend of yours who requires help unloading it while at the same time your enemy needs help loading his donkey, it is better to help the enemy. One could have thought that we should first help the donkey that needs unloading because of tzaar baalei chaim. Why should the donkey suffer because you like his master more than you love the other donkey's master? From this ruling it becomes apparent that what is behind the mitzvah is not helping the donkey, but rather defeating the yetzer hara. HISHTADLUT VS. BITACHON The Messilat Yesharim (chapter 1) states: "all that happens in this world, whether for good or for bad are tests for man - poverty on the one side, wealth on the other... serenity on the one side, suffering on the other, we find ourselves in this constant tug of war". Man's faith is tested from all directions - wealth has its trials as does poverty, peace and serenity are great tests as is suffering. In my opinion the greatest internal battle a person has is where to draw the line between hishtadlut and bitachon. A person experiences this conflict with each and every step he takes. On the one hand we must have bitachon, while on the other hand so long as we lack a prophet to guide us we have no right to proclaim: "I believe in Hashem, we will win even without an army". This is the constant struggle we live with - how much hishtadlut we must do and how much to rely on bitachon. This applies not only to the nation as a whole at times of war, but it is a conflict each and every individual faces constantly. If we are approached by a needy person we must feel that he is totally dependent on us, if we do not help him, then G-d forbid he will die of starvation. We must therefore provide him with "whatever he is lacking in him" (Devarim 15:8), even if that entails a horse to ride on and a servant to go before him (see Rashi ibid.), in our terms this might mean buying him the best car and apartment available. On the other hand, even as we help the poor person we must understand that any assistance we provide for him comes from Hashem. The adage "All of a person's income is fixed from Rosh Hashana" (Beitza 16a) applies to the poor as well as to ourselves. The poor man does not gain nor does the giver lose by acts of charity. If we do not help him, Hashem will find some other means with which to assist him - on the one hand everything comes from Hashem, on the other hand everything is dependent on us. This is the tug of war we find ourselves in our entire lives. There is a special mitzvah connected to helping the poor, that: "you shall give him and let your heart not feel bad when you give him" (Devarim 14:10). A person should be happy to have the opportunity to give. Giving without joy shows that your priorities are with money rather than mitzvoth. This shows a lack of emunah, for a person with true emunah knows that giving more to the poor does not mean that you will be left with less for yourself. The Rambam, as we mentioned maintains that a person will not become poor from giving tzdaka. SERVING HASHEM BESIMCHA Serving Hashem should always be besimcha. In Parshat Bechukotai as well as in Parshat Ki Tavo the Torah records the terrible calamities that may befall the Jewish people should they not follow the dictates of the Torah. What brings about these terrible punishments? "Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness
4 of 5 and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant" (Devarim 28:47). The punishment is not directed at those who did not serve Hashem, it might even be speaking of people who meticulously observe all the mitzvoth. Yet you served Hashem, but as one possessed by a demon, not amid gladness and goodness of heart, it is for this that these tochachot come about. Why? Because if you do not observe Mitvzot in gladness then it means that you do not appreciate their true value at all! You think you are doing Hashem a favor by taking a Lulav or sitting in the Sukkah - you do not realize that these mitzvoth were given to you for your own benefit! "For it is your life and the length of your days" (Devarim 30:20). Not demonstrating joy at fulfillment of mitzvoth has other serious repercussions. If you do not observe mitzvoth with joy, you are giving your children the message that keeping mitzvoth is not so positive, that the mitzvoth are some sort of burden placed upon us by Moshe Rabenu or someone. As a result o fthis, the child will come to look down on the mitzvoth and take their fulfillment lightheartedly and will not be careful to observe all the mitzvoth. By the time this attitude trickles down to the grandchild he already sees no purpose at all in keeping mitzvoth. If the elders see no value in them, why should I keep them? On the other hand, when the children see our joy at fulfilling mitzvoth, they view a Mitzvah as a positive experience. Taking a Lulav, eating in the Sukkah, davening, learning makes me happy. When a child sees this, he too will wish to keep mitzvoth as will the grandchild - because they see the immense joy such acts bring to the father and grandfather. Every day in Uva LeZion we say "Hashem, G-d of our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisrael, preserve this forever to be the product of the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and set their hearts towards You" (Divrei HaYamim I 29:18). These words were said by David HaMelech after he praised Klal Yisrael for their generosity in donating towards the Beit HaMikdash: "I know also my G-d, that You examine the heart and desire integrity. I have offered all these donations in the uprightness of my heart, and now I see Your people, who are present here, to offer donations to You with gladness" (ibid. 17). David HaMelech was praying to Hashem: "preserve this forever" - always remember that we donated to the Beit HaMikdash out of gladness. We see the importance of giving and doing all mitzvoth besimcha. MISHENICHNAS ADAR MARBIN BESIMCHA We are about to enter the month of Adar, which is characterized by simcha - mishenichnas Adar marbin besimcha. The fact is that we should always serve Hashem out of simcha, even on Tisha B'Av we say the pasuk: "ivdu et Hashem besimcha" (in Mizmor LeTodah), but the period beginning with Rosh Chodesh Adar especially evokes simcha. What is simcha? It does not mean being wild, it does not mean eating and drinking all day. On Purim itself we do have a mitzvah to eat and drink but the rest of the month should be characterized by simcha in Avodat Hashem. On Tisha B'Av learning Torah is forbidden because it brings us joy, it therefore stands to reason that during Adar when we are marbin besimcha we should increase our Torah learning. The Rambam writes about the importance of having a festive seudah in honor of Purim. He adds, however, that it is better to spend more on mishloach manot because this creates an atmosphere of love between neighbors. What should be emphasized even more that that is matanot laevyonim - gifts to the poor, because Hashem wants us to give to others. Perhaps we can find an allusion to this idea from the Megillah itself. The pasuk states: "al ken karu layamim haele purim al shem hapur" "Therefore they called these days Purim from the word 'pur' - a lottery" (Esther 9:26). If we were to substitute "pur" with its English spelling "poor" ("al shem ha'poor'") then the pasuk would read that the days were called Purim because of the mitzvah to give to the poor!
P 5 of 5 A principle part of serving Hashem with joy is bringing joy to others. We must make sure that the poor among us not only have enough for Purim but for Pesach and the rest of the year as well. This is what brings true simcha to Hashem. Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh Western Wall Plaza One Hakotel Street POB 32017 Jerusalem 91319 Israel