Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

City of Refuge Kohen Gadol His Mother  Rabbi Aryeh Levine 

אַל־תְּהִ֤י צַדִּיק֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה׃ So don’t overdo goodness https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.7.16 אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה. כְּשָׁאוּל, שֶׁדִּמָּה לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק וְרִחֵם עַל הָרְשָׁעִים: Be not exceedingly righteous. Like Shaul, who tried to display his righteousness and [misdirected] his mercy on the wicked. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1 אל תהי צדיק הרבה. בשאול איירי קרא, שבשעה שאמר לו הקב'ה לך והכיתה את עמלק התחיל מדיין הוא, אם אנשים חטאו, הנשים והטף והצאן והבקר מה חטאו, יצתה בת קול ואמרה אל תצדק הרבה יותר מבוראך .(שם) https://www.sefaria.org/Torah_Temimah_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1

From the 17th of Tammuz until 9 Ab  Reversed energy  Is it dangerous or Sad 

Goal is to Live the Life of the Righteous BALAK  וַיָּ֣שׇׁב אֵלָ֔יו וְהִנֵּ֥ה נִצָּ֖ב עַל־עֹלָת֑וֹ ה֖וּא וְכׇל־שָׂרֵ֥י מוֹאָֽב׃ So he returned to him and found him standing beside his offerings, and all the Moabite dignitaries with him.  וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר מִן־אֲ֠רָ֠ם יַנְחֵ֨נִי בָלָ֤ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מוֹאָב֙ מֵֽהַרְרֵי־קֶ֔דֶם לְכָה֙ אָֽרָה־לִּ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּלְכָ֖ה זֹעֲמָ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ He took up his theme, and said:From Aram has Balak brought me,Moab’s king from the hills of the East:Come, curse me Jacob,Come, tell Israel’s doom!  מָ֣ה אֶקֹּ֔ב לֹ֥א קַבֹּ֖ה אֵ֑ל וּמָ֣ה אֶזְעֹ֔ם לֹ֥א זָעַ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ How can I damn whom God has not damned,How doom when יהוה has not doomed?  כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֤אשׁ צֻרִים֙ אֶרְאֶ֔נּוּ וּמִגְּבָע֖וֹת אֲשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃ As I see them from the mountain tops,Gaze on them from the heights,There is a people that dwells apart,Not reckoned among the nations,  מִ֤י מָנָה֙ עֲפַ֣ר יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּמִסְפָּ֖ר אֶת־רֹ֣בַע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תָּמֹ֤ת נַפְשִׁי֙ מ֣וֹת יְשָׁרִ֔ים וּתְהִ֥י אַחֲרִיתִ֖י כָּמֹֽהוּ׃ Who can count the dust of Jacob,Number the dust-cloud of Israel?May I die the death of the upright, May my fate be like theirs! 

n the 1930s, a dark joke was told about a rabbi in Germany who was reading the Nazi paper called Der Stürmer. A congregant came up to him, astonished, and said, “Rabbi, how can you be reading that Nazi rag, filled with libels of the worst kind. Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?” “On the contrary,” the rabbi responded, “When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see that the Jews control all the banks, we pull all the strings in the art world and cinema, and that we’re on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know – it makes me feel a whole lot better!”

L'N Chana Bat Jacquline by Michael Dahan  And Moshe ben Esther 

 Seeking Heaven on Earth or Turning Earth into Heaven    Having spent a week studying the portionof the Meraglim, end delving into the additional support given to Joshua and Caleb, and learning that the neshamot of the original Shevatim joined each of the ten other meraglim to boost (although unsuccessfully) their spiritual awareness, I am trying to understand the mindset of the ten. I endeavor to put myself in their shoes and figure out why they did what they did.  We read the various explanations discussing their intent, but something was still missing for me. If we look at Rashi, we see that at first, he praises the Meraglim quoting the Torah’s description of them as anashim - men and telling how important each and everyone of them in fact was. The rabbis tell us that the Torah lists their names inorder of importance, and we don’t find Joshua or Caleb until the middle of thelist. We have to ask, if these guys were so special, how did they mess up?     But then Rashi tells us that they wentin as they came out and with that, he explains that just as they came out withan evil intention, they went in with an evil intention.      So, when did they go from important,honorable, righteous people to people who went in with this evil intent?  I think we can also get a feel for wherethey went wrong or what the thought process which led to their miscalculationwas by looking at the responses to them by Joshua and Caleb.     I don’t think that anyone goes in withthe intent to derail a mission unless they think that they are totallyjustified and righteous in what they are doing. These ten must have thoughtthat they were doing the most beneficial thing for Benai Yisrael.     Many of our rabbi suggest that themeraglim thought it best to stay in the desert under the leadership of Moseswhere they could eat the maan, drink from the well of Miriam, dwell in theprotection of the divine clouds and study the Torah firsthand within a life ofperfection rather than leaving that Heaven on Earth and connecting themselvesto a land, to a battle and to farming to work, where the torah might beforgotten.     Caleb tells them that we can surely goup and inherit the land because Hashem gives us the ability. We explained inthe class based on the Talmud in Sotah that he saying that even if you gave usladders, we could climb into heaven provided we have Hashem‘s assistance. Whenthey are afraid and the strength of those in the land. Joshua tells them:'Have no fear of the people of the country, for they are our prey: theirprotection has departed from them, but the Lord is with us' (14:9).       Ibelieve we have a reasonable clue as to what was on the minds of the 10 spies.     If we say that they were righteous andsuddenly everything changed when they were ready to go into the land, thensomething happens at the time of their appointment. Perhaps until then theydidn’t feel a responsibility for the nation as a whole, but at this point, asleaders, they became responsible and with that responsibility, tremendous feartakes hold.  At this point in the story, we are abouta year and a few months after the exodus. In that time, we left Egypt, we cameto Mount Sinai, we heard and were present at the revelation. 40 days later,Moses returns with the first tablets to find us worshiping a golden calf. 80days after that, Moses returns with the second set of tablets on Yom Kippur. Afew days later, we begin the construction of the mishkan - tabernacle which iscompleted in the winter, but is not dedicated until the first of Nissan. We gothrough a second Pesach and the Pesach Sheni. The next step is to go andconquer the land.     In our class on Shabbat, we quoted abeautiful thought of the Shvilei Pinchas who suggests that the first luchot -tablets were associated with the Etz HaChaim – The tree of life in the gardenof Eden. Those tablets were pure and the Torah within them was pure. Thosetables relate to Adam HaRishon before the sin. The Torah relating to the Etz HaChaim is described as the Shivim Panim –the 70 faces of the Torah.     Just as Adam fell, we fell through theegel hazah, the golden calf, and the second tablets relate to the tree ofknowledge of good and evil which Adam ate from. Within the second set of luchotare good and evil. There is a mixture and with that the confusion it brings.      About these tablets, we describe a Torahwhere each law is taught by Hashem to Moses in 49 ways to prove something ispure and 49 ways to prove something is impure. And when Moses asks what thedecision is, Hashem tells him that the decision is up to man below.  After man’s fall through the calf, thismixture of good and evil requires man to delve through and struggle in theTorah to bring out the truth relative to us.   These spies now have this job of delvingin and b

Moshe and Joshua Caleb and the Avot 

Shlach Lecha,  Rashi : שלח לך אנשים. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת מְרַגְּלִים לְפָרָשַׁת מִרְיָם? לְפִי שֶׁלָּקְתָה עַל עִסְקֵי דִבָּה, שֶׁדִּבְּרָה בְאָחִיהָ, וּרְשָׁעִים הַלָּלוּ רָאוּ וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר (תנחומא): שלח לך אנשים SEND THOU MEN — Why is the section dealing with the spies put in juxtaposition with the section dealing with Miriam’s punishment? To show the grievousness of the spies’ sin: because she (Miriam) was punished on account of the slander which she uttered against her brother, and these sinners witnessed it and yet they did not take a lesson from her (Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 5). Of these 12 princes, one was Moshe's greatest student, Hoshea. Anticipating the possibility of trouble, Moshe added the letter 'yud' to Hoshea's name giving the now, Yehoshua, an 'injection' of holiness to help protect him from that trouble.  Ohr HaChaim: We already mentioned that our sages said that Moses prayed concerning Joshua. Why did he have to change his name in addition? Perhaps Moses wanted to give Joshua additional power to resist wicked advice seeing that the first three letters of his name now represented the three letters making up the tetragram. The letter י which Moses added to Hoshea's name has a numerical value of 10 and symbolised that he could resist the advice of ten of his colleagues. It would also eventually enable him to inherit the share of ארץ ישראל that the ten wicked spies would forfeit due to their conduct. This is based on a comment in Chagigah 15  R’ Bachya: Our sages in Sotah 34 comment that Moses added the latter י to Hoshea’s name so that the letters י-ה at the beginning of his name represented a prayer that he should be saved from making common cause with the majority of the spies.  Daat Zakenim . When Sarah’s name שרי had been changed to שרה, she had lost a letter, i.e. the letter י. Joshua now received this letter.  Discuss humility. Last week  Sarah  Stand up 

Today is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and the miracles of the Six Day War. Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the Arab countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem. Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at the Kotel.  19 years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s brigade, rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement: “Har Ha-bayit be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this we celebrate with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles.  We read each day in the Amida:  תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure speedily in our days. We mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne below with the throne above and just as we long for the throne below to be re-established, we realize that in some ways, the throne above is not whole.  We read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening and Shabbat:  נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃ Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed. Again the throne!  When Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt, Moshe sends Joshua to fight them. It is there we are commanded never to forget what Amalek does and Moses builds an alter and says  וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’ בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃ He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem, Hashem will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.” Rashi asks: And what is the force of כס — why does it not say as usual (throne or chair) כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (Kah is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely blotted out.  And I would venture to put forward based on this that Amalek and the establishment and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are diametrically opposed.  Although Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way between 700 and 800 times, it is not mentioned at all in the Torah itself.  We do have a verse in Devarim which states:  כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ but look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst all your tribes as Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there.  There you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place in question is Mount Moriah; it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its spiritual advantages through tradition. There is no need to mention this location by name. The people all had a tradition that this was where their ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three reasons why the location of the future Temple was not spelled out at this point.  1) If the nations of the world had known that in that location prayers are answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to Him, every nation would have made a supreme effort to take possession of that site. This would have resulted in untold slaughter among the nations and ongoing strife among them.  2) If the Canaanites who dwelled in the land at the time Moses spoke these words had heard of them and they had realized that the Israelites would dispossess them and take over that site they would have utterly destroyed it before the Jewish people had a chance to conquer it.  3) Even the tribes of the Israelites would have argued among themselves in whose territory this site, would be located at the time the land was distributed among the tribes. Such a division among the people would have been even worse than the rebellion of Korach when the people were not prepared to recognize the preferred hereditary status of the Priests.  For all these reasons Moses preferred not to spell out the exact location of where the Temple would be built in the future. If even the Jews did not know the location, it is clear that the Gentiles did not know it either. Although everyone knew of the significance of Mount Moriah in the past, they had no idea of what this meant in terms of its future religious significance, in terms of the place G’d would choose. We know that even King David did not know that Har HoMoriah was the mount to build the Temple on. He originally selected the

Mishkan Leviim  Flags 

    אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖יתֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃  If youfollow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments,  וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖םבְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃  I will grantyour rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and thetrees of the field their fruit.  וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥םדַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַעוִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃  Yourthreshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake thesowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land.  וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד׃  I will grantpeace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone;     

One of the most uniquely celebrated days on the Jewish calendar is ל'ג בעמר /Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Omer-Count), when tens of thousands of Jews descend upon Meiron in the Galil to celebrate the yartzeit (anniversary of death) of the holy Tanna Rabi Shimon bar Yochai (known by the acronym Rashbi), the primary author of the teachings found in the Sefer HaZohar. And ultimately all of Eretz Yisrael is ablaze on Lag BaOmer with bonfires lit in honor of the day. Though, as celebrated as this day is, if one delves into the matter, it’s actually not so straightforward what exactly is being celebrated. That is, most people understand that Lag BaOmer is a double-rejoicing over the fact that the students of Rabi Akiva ceased to die after many weeks of them passing away in a plague, together with a celebration in honor of the yartzeit of Rashbi. But the truth of the matter is that neither of these explanations for the Lag BaOmer festivities is clear cut. In order to understand why not, let’s first get the necessary background. Based on Insights of HaGaon HaGadol Rav Yaakov Hillel shlit”a In the פתיחה and first essay of his sefer on Lag BaOmer – Eid HaGal HaZeh * Prepared by Chaim Rosenblatt Also based on the notes of Rav Pinchas Friedman 

 תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחַמָּה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לְכׇל הָעוֹלָםכּוּלּוֹ. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וְדָם שֶׁעָשָׂהסְעוּדָה לַעֲבָדָיו וְהִנִּיחַ פָּנָס לִפְנֵיהֶם, כָּעַס עֲלֵיהֶם וְאָמַרלְעַבְדּוֹ: טוֹל פָּנָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְהוֹשִׁיבֵם בַּחוֹשֶׁךְ.   Apropos the factthat rain on Sukkot is an indication of divine rebuke, the Gemara citesseveral related topics. The Sages taught: When the sun is eclipsed it is abad omen for the entire world. The Gemara tells a parable. To what isthis matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and bloodwho prepared a feast for his servants and placed a lantern [panas]before them to illuminate the hall. He became angry at them and said tohis servant: Take the lantern from before them and seat them in darkness.     תַּנְיָא רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמְּאוֹרוֹת לוֹקִין — סִימָןרַע לְשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּלוּמָּדִין בְּמַכּוֹתֵיהֶן.מָשָׁל לְסוֹפֵר שֶׁבָּא לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר וּרְצוּעָה בְּיָדוֹ, מִי דּוֹאֵג — מִישֶׁרָגִיל לִלְקוֹת בְּכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם הוּא דּוֹאֵג.   It is taught in a baraitathat Rabbi Meir says: When the heavenly lights, i.e., the sun andthe moon, are eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewishpeople, which is a euphemism for the Jewish people, because they areexperienced in their beatings. Based on past experience, they assume thatany calamity that afflicts the world is directed at them. The Gemara suggests aparable: This is similar to a teacher who comes to the school with astrap in his hand. Who worries? The child who is accustomed to be beateneach and every day is the one who worries.     תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחַמָּה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לַגּוֹיִם.לְבָנָה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לְשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִפְּנֵישֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל מוֹנִין לַלְּבָנָה, וְגוֹיִם לַחַמָּה. לוֹקָה בַּמִּזְרָח —סִימָן רַע לְיוֹשְׁבֵי מִזְרָח. בַּמַּעֲרָב — סִימָן רַע לְיוֹשְׁבֵי מַעֲרָב.בְּאֶמְצַע הָרָקִיעַ — סִימָן רַע לְכׇל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ.   The Sages taught in another baraita:When the sun is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the other nations.When the moon is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewishpeople. This is due to the fact that the Jewish people calculatetheir calendar primarily based on the moon, and the other nationscalculate based on the sun. When the sun is eclipsed in the east, itis a bad omen for the residents of the lands of the east. When it iseclipsed in the west, it is a bad omen for the residents of the lands ofthe west. When it is eclipsed in the middle of the sky, it is a badomen for the entire world.     פָּנָיו דּוֹמִין לְדָם — חֶרֶב בָּא לָעוֹלָם. לְשַׂק — חִיצֵּי רָעָבבָּאִין לָעוֹלָם. לָזוֹ וְלָזוֹ — חֶרֶב וְחִיצֵּי רָעָב בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם. לָקָהבִּכְנִיסָתוֹ — פּוּרְעָנוּת שׁוֹהָה לָבֹא. בִּיצִיאָתוֹ — מְמַהֶרֶת לָבֹא.וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים חִילּוּף הַדְּבָרִים.   If, during aneclipse, the visage of the sun is red like blood, it is anomen that sword, i.e., war, is coming to the world. If the sun isblack like sackcloth made of dark goat hair, it is an omen that arrowsof hunger are coming to the world, because hunger darkens people’s faces.When it is similar both to this, to blood, and to that, tosackcloth, it is a sign that both sword and arrows of hunger are coming tothe world. If it was eclipsed upon its entry, soon after rising, itis an omen that calamity is tarrying to come. If the sun is eclipsed uponits departure at the end of the day, it is an omen that calamity ishastening to come. And some say the matters are reversed: An eclipse in theearly morning is an omen that calamity is hastening, while an eclipse in thelate afternoon is an omen that calamity is tarrying.     וְאֵין לְךָ כׇּל אוּמָּה וְאוּמָּהּ שֶׁלּוֹקָה, שֶׁאֵין אֱלֹהֶיהָ לוֹקֶהעִמָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבְכׇל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים״. וּבִזְמַןשֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אֵין מִתְיָרְאִין מִכׇּל אֵלּוּ,שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ אֶל דֶּרֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם אַל תִּלְמָדוּ וּמֵאוֹתוֹתהַשָּׁמַיִם אַל תֵּחָתּוּ כִּי יֵחַתּוּ הַגּוֹיִם מֵהֵמָּה״ — גּוֹיִם יֵחַתּוּ,וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵחַתּוּ.   The Sages said: Thereis no nation that is afflicted whose god is not afflicted with it, as it isstated: “And against all the gods of Egypt I will mete out judgment; I am God”(Exodus 12:12). The Gemara adds: When the Jewish people perform God’s will,they need not fear any of these omens, as it is stated: “Thussays the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at thesigns of Heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them” (Jeremiah 10:2). Thenations will be dismayed, but the Jewish people will not be dismayed,provided they do not follow the ways of the nations.      תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים חַמָּה לוֹקָה: עַל אָבבֵּית דִּין שֶׁמֵּת וְאֵינוֹ נִסְפָּד כַּהֲלָכָה, וְעַל נַעֲרָה הַמְאוֹרָסָהשֶׁצָּעֲקָה בָּעִיר וְאֵין מוֹש

 We begin this week ….   צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַכׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וְאֵ֥שׁ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ תּ֥וּקַד בּֽוֹ׃  Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it.  וְלָבַ֨שׁ הַכֹּהֵ֜ןמִדּ֣וֹ בַ֗ד וּמִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִלְבַּ֣שׁ עַל־בְּשָׂרוֹ֒ וְהֵרִ֣ים אֶת־הַדֶּ֗שֶׁןאֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאכַ֥ל הָאֵ֛שׁ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וְשָׂמ֕וֹ אֵ֖צֶל הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃  The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.    The Keli Yakar Writes: The Torah mentions ashes in this context because the rectification for arrogance is ashes, i.e., one should say, “I am dust and ashes,” like Avraham. This causes that he will be elevated to great heights, for anyone who lowers himself is lifted up by Hashem. Thus, the kohein making the atonement wears these two garments: The linen garment, according to his size, and not too big — to hint that one should not behave in a manner beyond his level. Secondly, the linen pants, which atone for the transgression of illicit relations, which he needs if he was arrogant, as Chazal said (Sotah 4b): Anyone who is arrogant is considered as if he transgressed all the illicit relations. The ashes are placed next to the altar, which represents humility.    Rabbeynu Bachya Writes: ולבש הכהן מדובד ומכנסי בד ילבש על בשרו והרים את הדשן, “The Priest shall put on his fitted tunic and he shall put on linen trousers on his flesh; he shall remove the ash.” The Torah here teaches that even such a seemingly inconsequential activity as removing the ash from the altar is considered as part of the sacrificial service. Were this not so it would not be necessary for the Priest to don the garments reserved for performing service in the Temple or Tabernacle.   

This Shabbat is Shabbat Parah. It is the third of four special Shabbats begiining with Shekalim, Zachor, this week parah and then HaChodesh. Explain each    Yesterday morning we were discussing the Keli Yakar - R Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz b’1550 - served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619 and is buried next to the Maharal who passed away ten years prior – and his comments on the Red Heifer   Adinah then sent me an article by CBS news and I looked to see who else is reporting on the same. We have all seen stories of Red Heifers – apparently there is a farm in Texas …  In September 2022, five red heifers were flown from the state of Texas to the land of Israel. Farm owned by a Christian who raises Red Angus looking for the Parah Adumah –  Since that time, one of them has been disqualified, but the other four continue to be candidates for a red heifer sacrifice.  As I discussed last week, there was 'a practice run of the purification ceremony' in 2023. But an official ceremony must be conducted before the heifers get too old to be used for such a sacrifice.  So will a red heifer be sacrificed in Israel in 2024? Accordingto CBS News, a 'massive altar' has already been constructed.  I was absolutely floored when I first saw that. A red heifer sacrifice would need to happen on the Mount of Olives, and the land where the sacrifice would take place is owned by Rabbi Yitshak Mamo.  According to those working on the project, the ceremony of the red heifer needs to be performed on the Mount of Olives, and in a place that would have looked directly into where the Temple stood. The land directly east of the Temple Mount, purchased 12 years ago, meets both of those standards. Rabbi Yitshak Mamo owns that land on the Mount of Olives. R' Mamo is with Uvne Yerusalim, a group that preserves Israel's history and works to educate future generations.  Concerning the specifics of the land, he told CBN News, 'It had to be exactly at the front of the place that the priest that made this ceremony can see the Holy of the Holy Place.'  But the clock is ticking. If the heifers get too old, they will no longer qualify.  

 OnSaturday night and Sunday, we will celebrate Purim      Lastweek we discussed the power of Adar and more specifically Adar Bet      Someoneasked      Whyis Purim celebrated in Adar Bet ?     BySephardim, any yahrzeit or birthday which occurs in a regular year in Adar ismarked in a leap year in Adar bet.     Welearn in Shulchan Aruch under the Laws of Passover Siman 429 Seif 1, we arecommanded to start (re) learning the Passover laws thirty days after Passoverright after Purim. Thus, Purim needs to remain thirty days before Passover andis pushed to Adar Sheni.     Additionallywe celebrate Purim during Adar II, in order to juxtapose the joy of the Purimredemption with the redemption from Egypt. We also read the Four Parshiyotduring this month, because Parashat Shekalim, Parashat Para, and Parashat Ha-ĥodesh were instituted as apreparation for the month of Nisan, and Parashat Zakhor must be readimmediately before Purim, which we celebrate in Adar II ( We read Zachor thisShabbat – Question if we are commanded toremember what Amalek did and also not to forget – then why not just unfurl a poster or a sign or simplyget up and say I remember or add it to our prayers which many of us do each day.Why must we come to the synagogue and hear the Torah? Remind me at the end tobring it back to this.      Beforewe begin  Iwant you to image a 100 yard dash   Arace in a straight line   Thestarting line and the finish line are the two points furthest from each other      Nowlet’s imagine a race in a stadium arounda track   Therewe circle the track and the start line becomes the finish line   Inthis case the starting line and the finish line are the two points closest toeach other     Howdo you look at time? As a straight line or as a circle?      Ourclass today is based on the beautiful words of Rav Pinchas Friedman of Belz,The Shvilei Pinchas      Wehave learned in the Gemarah (Taanis 29a): “משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה” — when Adar begins we increase joy. Rashi comments: ” ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח “ — since this month ushers in the time during which thegreat miracles of Purim and Pesach occurred.      Thecommentaries wonder: What provoked Rashito associate the miracles experienced by the Jewish people on Purim, in themonth of Adar, with the miracles that they experienced on Pesach in the monthof Nissan?   Infact, the Gemarah’s statement -- ” משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה “ — does not even mention the month of Nissan.     Aswe mentioned last week, concerning Haman’s choice to issue his decree against Yisrael specifically in the month ofAdar, the Gemarah teaches (Megillah 13b): he was extremelypleased and happy when the lot fell out on the month of Adar; he reasoned thatit was fortuitous that the lot fell out on the month during which Moshe died;he did not realize, however, that Moshe not only died on the seventh of Adarbut he was also born on the seventh of Adar. The commentaries note that in thisstatement from our blessed sages, the day of death is mentioned before the dayof birth. Seemingly, it should have said: “He did not know realize that he wasborn on the seventh of Adar and he also died on the seventh of Adar.”     What day did Haman sit and do the lottery?   . The Rabbis explain that it was the 13th Day of Nissan      Lets look at a timeline of the entire Megilah   How many years from the feast until Hamans Decree  How long between Haman’s decree and his hanging?  One would be surprised to learn that although the entire story takes placeover a decade, the bulk of it takes place of three days !                     Achashverosh ascends the throne of Persia    3392 (369 BCE)      Achashverosh's Feast, lasting 180 days    3395 (366 BCE)      Esther taken to Achashverosh's Palace    Tevet, 3399 (362 BCE)      Haman casts lots    Nissan, 3404 (357 BCE)      First decrees dispatched by Haman    Nissan 13, 3404 (357 BCE)      Three days' Fast ordered by Esther*    Nissan 14-16, 3404 (357 BCE)      Haman's downfall and execution by hanging*    Nissan 17, 3404 (357 BCE)      Second decrees, reversing the first    Sivan 23, 3404 (357 BCE)      Sadness turned to gladness; Haman's ten sons executed    Adar 13, 3405 (356 BCE)      Purim celebrations everywhere, except Shushan where a second day of reckoning is added    Adar

In some ways this class is a follow up to our class on Adar Bet where we compare current events to Amalek attacking on the way to har Sinai, Bilaam and Balak attacking on the way into Eretx Yisrael to Haman attacking before the building of Bayit Sheni to today.  We begin this week The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), also known as Torat Kohanim — the Laws of the Priests — deals largely with the korbanot (offerings) brought in the Mishkan (Tent of Meeting). Since this Sefer which we will spend the next three months with deals so much with kohanim, it is worth taking some time to understand who they are and what they mean to the Jewish people. They are more than just priests. Rabbi Pinchas Winston suggests  A good starting point is the word kohen itself, spelled, in Hebrew, Chof-Heh-Nun. Breaking the three letters into two groups, the first two spell the word koh—s0—the opening of many of the prophets as in, “So says God . . .” This is a reason for this. We discussed many times that to me koh is a code word for the light of creation.   The gematria of koh is 25, one of the most significant numbers in Judaism. To begin with, it is the gematria of the word yehi, used in the verse with which God made light: And God said, “Let there be light!” and yehi ohr—there was light. (Bereishis 1:3) light being the 25th word.  This, of course, was not the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars, which did not start working until Day Four of Creation. Besides, as Rashi explains in the next verse, the light that God made on Day One was quickly hidden by God shortly after, for the righteous in the future time. Why? Because God knew that evil people would come along in history and abuse this light, so therefore, He hid it from them before they could even know about it. Evil people and righteous people alike make use of the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Furthermore, the Talmud writes, with this light, appropriately called the Ohr HaGanuz—the Hidden Light—Adam HaRishon could see from one end of the world until the other end.  Hence, the Shema has 25 letters, because it is the creed of the Jewish people, the nation charged with being a light unto nations. Thus, when the prophets began their words of criticism to awaken the Jewish people to their Divine mission, it was only fitting that they begin with the word koh, and the gematria of 25, as if to say, “Hey! Remember the mandate of 25 and your commitment to live up to it?” What exactly does that mean, and what does it have to do with the kohanim, especially if the light is hidden from mankind until a future time, assumedly Yemos HaMoshiach? The Leshem  Shlomo Elyashiv (Eliashov) (January 5, 1841 [12 Tevet 5602] - March 13, 1926 [27 Adar, 5676]) (Hebrew: שלמה בן חיים חייקל אלישיב), also known as the Leshem or Ba'al HaLeshem, was a famous kabbalist, who was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania, and later moved to the Land of Israel. R’ Eliashiv taught Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook Kabbalah when Rabbi Kook was the young rabbi of the town of Zoimel. Rabbi Kook was granted a month-long leave of absence to study with the famous kabbalist in Shavel.[1] In 1922, when Rabbi Kook was serving as chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Elyashiv asked him for assistance in settling in Eretz Yisrael. Due to Rav Kook's intervention, the great kabbalist, his son-in-law, daughter, and his eleven-year-old grandson (who would grow up to be the great scholar Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv), were allowed to emigrate to the Land of Israel.[2] 'One particularly poignant story tells of a visit the revered Leshem paid to the chief rabbi. It was a bitterly cold winter evening and Rav Kook noted that the Leshem had no coat. Rav Kook immediately took his own fur-lined coat from his closet and gave it to the elderly man as a gift. This coat remained in the Elyashiv family as an heirloom and was periodically worn by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv on wintry days.'[2] explains: He made a separation in the illumination of the light, that it should not flow or give off light except for the righteous, whose actions draw it down and make it shine.  However, the actions of the evil block it, leaving them in darkness, and this itself was the hiding of the Light. (Sefer HaKlallim, Klal 18, Anaf 8, Os 4) Rabbi Winston suggested that This short insight of the LeShem is perhaps one of the most important in all of Torah, at least in terms of helping the Jewish people understand their mission in life.  It says, simply, that when God set aside the Hidden Light for righteous people in the future time, it meant from that time onward. It became hidden only to evil people, whose actions cause the light to repel them. This is very important, because this light is as crucial for seeing the truth about life as eyes are for seeing the world around us. Without this Ohr HaGanuz, a person remains blind to the reality of God and truth, and can willingly and happily stumble down the wrong path in life. He may

 Today is thesecond day of Adar Bet   Or thesecond Adar   Explainlunar vs solar      ​כג וְדָבָ֖רבְּעִתּ֣וֹ מַה־טּֽוֹב:     354 vs 365   Chinese NewYear  Ramadan   “We can’t dothat because we’re guided by our Torah, which says Passover must come in the springwhen we plant, and that things need to be growing during the time of Shavuotand harvested during Sukkot. Hillel realized that, if we stayed strictly lunar,things would soon get out of kilter, and he put in a system to fix that withthe leap year.”     We are allfamiliar with a leap year  This year wehad a February 29th – Every four years we have a leap year with theexception of the Century year      Traditionhas it that it was the great sage Hillel, head of the Sanhedrin from 320 to 385C.E. who created the Jewish calendar through some pretty sophisticatedmathematical and astronomical calculations. And without a computer orcalculator. (and although some months can be off by a day, we stick with it)The result: A 19-year cycle with seven leap years to anchor the holidays intheir rightful place.     Priorto that time, the Torah told us to DECLARE the New Moon by the Testimony of twowitnesses. In other words, Man declares the New Moon and the moon and sunadjust their relationship to comply with the consciousness of man. IN OTHERWORDS this Mitzvah to declare the New Moon is a manifestation of Mind OverMatter and it is important in the individuals spiritual growth to achieve thislevel of consciousness.  Inthis calendar, in use today, there are 7 years in a total of 19 years where weadd an additional month for a total of 13 months. In Hebrew the word that isused (usually translated as leap year) Shanah Me'uberet, has a Shoresh (root)that means pregnant. The explanation for this is that we need to keep theHoliday of Pesach in the Spring which is called Aviv in the Torah.  Priorto this current calendar, other criteria was used to determine which years hadan additional month. An additional month was added when 2 of the following 3criteria were met. The 3 Criteria are      1) Thestate of the barley crop at the end of the 12th month;   2) thefruits of the Trees; and   3)the equinox.   Aswe can see from the Talmud and Baraita below, the main issue is the state ofthe barley crop. The teaching is that the state of the barley crop must reach alevel called Aviv, such that in 2 to 3 weeks the barley can be brought to theTemple as a wave offering. If the barley does not reach this level of growth bythe end of the 12th month then the Bringing of the Omer on the second day ofPesach cannot be done with the new crop.     Why Adar   TosafotSanhedrin 12  Only Adar   Based onEsther   12th monthis Adar   Adar must be12   Add oneafterwards   If you addanother month before, than Adar wouldn’t be 12     Increase joyAdar   If choice todouble joy  Adar      Lubavitcher Rebbe   Batelbeshishim   All havetroubles   60 days ofjoy   Nullifytrouble      Whyis the word in Hebrew that means leap year using the Shoresh that meansPregnant. Pregnancy is a state of development manifesting potential. What doesthis mean? When a child is born he is beginning the manifestation of all of thelight that he will reveal in his life. At the moment of birth he is starting toreveal his potential. Will he achieve all that he can be? No one knows at thatmoment but his potential is beginning its manifestation. Therefore, thepregnancy is actually the manifestation of what that child can achieve inpotential.  The13th month represents a state of potential relating to unity.   We’llcome back to unity relating to 13, but if I forget remind me.      In less thantwo weeks, we celebrate Purim   Why call it Purim?   Purim is the name of the holiday that isexplained in the Megillah as being al shem haPur, hu hagoral.   Isn’t thatbad day ?   Lotteryagainst us.   Maybe name theday Yom Hafucha – The Day of reversal? Or day of salvation   Also why Pruim which is plural   Come back to that !      HalachotKetanot - Rabbi yisrael yaakov Hagiz   Jacob Hagiz (1620–1674) (Hebrew: יעקב חגיז Fes, Morocco.  1646, Ḥagiz went to Italy for the purpose of publishing his books,and remained there until after 1656, supporting himself by teaching.   Samuel di Pam, rabbiat Livorno, calls himself a pupil of Ḥagiz.   About 1657, Ḥagiz left Livorno for Jerusalem,where the Vega brothers of Livorno had founded a beitmidrash for him,[2] and where he became a member of therabbinical college.    Manystudents   R. Chizkiyahda Silva author of Pri Chadash     Well knownstory   Two brothers  Reuben bornfirst   Shimonsecond   Shimon barmitz

The Mishkan was finally complete. The nation looked at the magnificent work with great joy, and Moshe was proud. So proud, in fact, that he did something that he only did once more– just before his death: he blessed the entire nation. Actually, the erection of a Mishkan was the greatest blessing in itself. Hashem had promised the Jewish nation in Parshas Terumah, “Build me a Mishkan— and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). But Moshe felt that he, too, would add a blessing. וַיַּ֨רְא מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־כׇּל־הַמְּלָאכָ֗ה וְהִנֵּה֙ עָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה כֵּ֣ן עָשׂ֑וּ וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹתָ֖ם מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {פ} And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks—as יהוה had commanded, so they had done—Moses blessed them. https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.39.43  והנה עשו…כן עשו, and behold they had done it…so they had done. The additional word והנה in this verse alludes to the speed with which the Tabernacle was built, something that was very pleasing to Moses when he looked at the components the people presented him with. https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.1 עוד ירצה באומרו עשו אותה לשון תיקון שתקנו אותה כמצטרך, ועוד מודיע שהשכיל בה שעשאוה כאשר צוה ה' בפרטי המשפט, והוא אומרו כאשר וגו' כן עשו. The addition of the word אותה in the line עשו אותה, testifies to the quality of the work. The artisans had put to use all their intelligence in constructing these parts and the result had proved successful. https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.2 עוד ירצה על פי דבריהם ז'ל (זבחים ס'ב.) כי יש פרטי המצות שאינם לעיכוב אלא למצוה ומנו חכמים דברים המעכבים זה את זה, והודיע הכתוב בכפל המעשה לומר שעשו כל אשר צוה אפילו דברים שאינם אלא למצוה מן המובחר: If we follow the approach of the Talmud Zevachim 62 that every commandment contains details which are not mandatory but which are desirable, the Torah tells us that the artisans performed even all those details which were not mandatory. This explains why the Torah repeated the word עשו, they did, i.e. the artisans did both what was mandatory and what was in effect optional. https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.3 ויברך אותם משה. טעם שהוצרך לומר משה ולא סמך על זכרונו בסמוך, לומר לא תהיה ברכה זו קלה בעיניך כי משה איש האלהים ברכם ודבר גדול הודיע הכתוב בדבר זה, ולטעם זה הוא שהודיע הכתוב ואמר ויברך אותם וזולת היות משה אין התורה מגדת אם יברך אדם לחבירו: ויברך אותם משה, Moses blessed them. The reason the Torah wrote the name Moses instead of simply 'he blessed them,' (seeing that his name was mentioned at the beginning of our verse) is to teach us not to take this blessing lightly. It is something very special to be blessed by a man of G'd such as Moses. If the people had been blessed by someone of lesser stature the Torah would not have recorded this as something we have to know so many thousands of years later. Normally, the Torah could have written משה ברך אותם, or: הוא ברך אותם. By placing the name Moses at the end of the line the Torah taught us the significance of being blessed by someone of Moses' standing. https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.4 ויברך אתם משה. אָמַר לָהֶם יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם, וִיהִי נֹעַם ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וְגוֹ', וְהוּא אֶחָד מִי'א מִזְמוֹרִים שֶׁבִּתְפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה (ספרא): ויברך אתם משה AND MOSES BLESSED THEM — He said to them “May it be the will of God that His Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands; ‘and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us’” (Psalms 90:17.) (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 15) This (from ויהי נועם onward) is part of one of the eleven Psalms (90—100) that are in the section beginning with, תפלה למשה; (Numbers Rabbah 12:9). https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Exodus.39.43.1 וִיהִ֤י ׀ נֹ֤עַם אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֭דֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָ֥ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃ May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us;let the work of our hands prosper,O prosper the work of our hands! https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.90.17 כוננהו. כונן אותו, ושני פעמים ומעשה ידינו כוננהו א' על מלאכת המשכן שבירכן לישראל והתפלל שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיהם במשכן ואחת שתהא ברכה במעשה ידיהם: establish it Establish it. The two times “and the work of our hands establish” [are mentioned are for the following purposes]: One is for the work of the Tabernacle, when he blessed Israel and prayed that the Shechinah should rest on the work of their hands in the Tabernacle, and one is that there should be a blessing in the work of their hands. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Psalms.90.17.3 And  Beautiful thought by  Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky  At first it seems that Moshe is reiterating the promise that Hashem Himself made. Hashem had promised to dwell in the midst of the Sanctuary that the Jewish nation would build.  Why, then did Moshe repeat G-d’s promise as a blessing? Is he blessing them that Hashem should keep His word? Or is he perhaps bestowing a more powerful

Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill”. (17:9) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ בְּחַר־לָ֣נוּ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְצֵ֖א הִלָּחֵ֣ם בַּעֲמָלֵ֑ק מָחָ֗ר אָנֹכִ֤י נִצָּב֙ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַגִּבְעָ֔ה וּמַטֵּ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּיָדִֽי׃ בחר לנו אנשים. היה עמלק גדול בחכמת האצטגנינות ובחר אנשי מלחמתו אנשים שלא יוכלו למות בשנה ההיא כי הוא ידע זה בחכמת הכוכבים והמזלות ועל כן אמר משה ליהושע בחר לנו אנשים כיוצא בהם שלא יוכל להתחכם עלינו שיהרוג הוא מישראל וישראל לא יהרוג אחד מהם וזהו שכתוב ויחלש יהושע ולא אמר ויהרוג, ומה שאמר בחר לנו שהשוה אותו לעצמו ולא אמר בחר לי דרשו רז'ל מכאן יהי כבוד תלמידך חביב עליך כשלך. בחר לנו אנשים, “choose men for us!” The Amalekites were expert astrologers (compare Rashi; our edition מכשפים, sorcerers). Moses meant that Joshua should select men who according to their horoscopes would not die during the current year, something Moses was aware of due to his own knowledge of astrology. The two armies facing each other would all consist of soldiers who according to their respective horoscopes would not die during that year. As a result of these considerations neither army inflicted fatal casualties on the other during this encounter. This is what is meant when the Torah reports the outcome of the battle as: “Joshua weakened Amalek and his people by the sword.” The Torah carefully refrained from mentioning that the Israelites actually killed any of the Amalekites. When Moses said to Joshua “choose for us,” he compared Joshua to himself and did not say: “choose for me!” Mechilta Amalek section 1 uses this phrase to teach: “the honor of your student should be as dear to you as your own honor.” https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Shemot_17.9.1 https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.17.9 In the Talmud Yoma 52b, Chazal say that the word machar, tomorrow, which is found in the above pasuk, can be interpreted as belonging to the previous phrase: “Choose people for us and go to do battle with Amalek tomorrow.” Alternatively, it can refer to the second half of the pasuk: “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill.” We wonder what is the significance of the word, “tomorrow”? What message regarding the war with Amalek is being taught to us via the word “tomorrow”? Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., explains that the concept of “tomorrow” plays a crucial role in Amalek’s fight against Klal Yisrael. Amalek denotes evil. He represents the forces of evil within a human being – the yetzer hara, evil inclination, whose function it is to ensnare a person and lead him to sin. Outright incitement does not work. The yetzer hara has to use guile to convince a person that the sin is really not so bad; in fact, it might even be the right thing to do. It is very sinister in its methods to convince a person to renege against the Torah, to abrogate mitzvah observance and to perform outright transgressions. In order for the yetzer hara to convince an observant Jew to act against the Torah, it must apply patience and discretion. One of its most potent tools is that of “tomorrow.” It assures its victim, “Yes, of course, you should act appropriately. Very definitely, you must perform this mitzvah. Do not do it today, however, start tomorrow. Study Torah – tomorrow. Give tzedakah – tomorrow. Do whatever good you plan on doing, but do it tomorrow. Thus, the yetzer hara grabs hold of a person and leads him to neglect the mitzvos and eventually to become a full-fledged baal aveirah, sinner. This is the disease called “Amaleikism” that the Torah instructs us to expunge from our midst. When the opportunity to perform a mitzvah presents itself, one should not dawdle, but he should take immediate action and carry out his responsibility. One who slacks off in the area of positive mitzvah performance, will soon end up taking the initiative in a sinful manner. This, says Rav Yosef Chaim, is the idea behind Moshe Rabbeinu’s “lifting his hands,” an action that catalyzed Klal Yisrael’s victory, as opposed to his lowering his hands, which gave strength to Amalek. Raising his hands symbolizes action, our way of defeating the yetzer hara and its personification in this world – Amalek. Allowing our hands to drop sustains the evil of Amalek, who takes his strength from our weakness. Hashem’s name is hidden throughout Megillat Esther. Yet, the Rabbis of Kabbalah found the acronym of His name in the pasuk “yavo hamelech v'haman hayom- the king and Haman shall come today” (ibid. 5:4). Through the last word of the phrase, hayom (today), Esther stressed the proper use of the antidote to Haman’s machar (ibid.:12). Indeed, the battle against Amalek starts with the desire to serve Hashem with enthusiasm and without delay. Parashat Zachor, the section that appears at the conclusion of our parasha, and which presents the obligation to remember Amalek’s attack against Benei Yisrael, is among the most important sections in the entire Torah. It is of such importance that there rests upon each and e

 May these words of Torah be liuly nishmat Regina Bat Alice      Although I am speaking to all of you, I am directing thse words primarilyto the grandchildren and great grandchildren      A shiva for a gransparent is something we always remember . The cousinscome together for a week and remember their grandparents.     I would like all of you to walk away with something which I not only hopeyou will never forget, but I hope you will pass it to your own children andgrandchildren.   WHAT IS YOUR SUPER POWER    We read yesterday in the Perasha where Hashem tells Moshe with regard tothe person who will be the architecht, master craftsman and foreman of theMishkan   

 כשיגיע למלת'באהבה' יכוין למסור נפשו על קדוש השם כנזכר בכונות רבינו האר'יז'ל(א), ולכן מנהג החסידים שיאריך החזן בחזרה בתיבת 'באהבה' כדילעורר הכונה הנזכרת, וכל אדם יזהר בזה בכל תפלות בלחש למסור עצמו על קדוש השםבתיבת 'באהבה', וכשאומר 'ומושיע ומגן' יכוין בתיבת'מגן' שהוא מספר שלוש פעמים א'ל:      When onesays the word 'be ahavah, one should have in mind to offer up one's life tosanctify G-d's Name, as mentioned in the kawwânôth of our teacher the Ariz'%.   Thekabbalists are accustomed to require the hazzân to pronounce this word slowlywhen he repeats the ' midhâh, in order to give them time to meditate onit, everybody should meditate on it during the silent 'amidhâh.           (There should be a total of two hundred and forty-eightwords in the three paragraphs of geriath shema.] The number is calculated asfollows: the first verse has six words, and so does the verse which begins  • bâruch shêm...; the first paragraph has forty-two words;the second has seventy-two words, up to 'nôthên lâchem'; from 'wesamtem'to the end of the paragraph there are fifty words; the third paragraph containssixty-nine words. All together, there are thus two hundred and forty-fivewords. In order to complete the two hundred and forty-eight words, it iscustomary to repeat ' Ha-Shêm E-lôgêchem meth? shoupe has in mens abalisi inhere, and thus ero  According to the kabbalistic concepts underlying thisnumber, it is customary that the shâliah zibbûr repeats those words aloud, andthose praying with him have in mind to be included with him. Thus, when oneprays with a minyân, one need not repeat the words oneself, but rather hearthem from the shâliah zibbûr.  In my work Megabbezi'êl, I conclude that, if one has notfinished reciting geriath shma when the shliah zibbûr repeats the words  'Ha-Shêm E-lôgêchem 'meth,' one must repeat them oneselfwhen one finishes gert'ath sh'ma', since they must be either heard, or recited,at the end of geri'ath shema', not in the middle. {This ruling applies also togeriath shema of 'arvith, as well as to ger'ath shema she al ha-mittâh, whichis never recited with a minyân.}  ['Odh Yôsêf Hai (pârâshath Sh môth § 11) After the hazzânrepeats the three words, the congregation must continue from the followingword,  'we' munah' at 'arvith, and 'weyaziv' at shah rith, andnot repeat the word meth' which the hazzân has just said, since one may notrepeat any word of geri'ath shema'.]  מספר הרמ'חתיבות דקריאת שמע הוא כך ששה ד'שמע ישראל' וששה ד'ברוך שם כבודמלכותו לעולם ועד', ומ'ב ד'ואהבת', וע'ב של 'והיהאם שמוע' עד 'ושמתם', ונו'ן ד'ושמתם' עד'ויאמר', וס'ט ד'ויאמר' הרי סך הכל רמ'ה ועם ג'תיבות שכופל השליח ציבור נשלמים רמ'ח תיבות, וידוע כי במספר הרמ'ח הנזכריש כונות עמוקות בכל הפרטים ואי אפשר להיות נחסר אצל כל אחד ואחד ממספר הרמ'חכלום, ולכן גם היחיד הקורא קריאת שמע בין דשחרית בין דערבית בין קריאת שמע שעלההמטה צריך לכפול שלוש תיבות 'ה' אלהיכם אמת' כדי להשלים הרמ'ח,      מיהו השליח ציבור מצד בחינתו יש לו כח יותרבהשלמה זו של כפל שלוש תיבות הנזכרות ולכן אם האדם מתפלל עם צבור שיש שם שליחציבור עומד ישמע הכפל מן השליח ציבור והוא אינו צריך לכפול אלא רק יכוין להשליםרמ'ח שלו מן שמיעתו הכפל מהשליח ציבור      ובספרי הק''מקבציאל' העלתי בסיעתא דשמיא דאם המתפלל עם ההצבור עודנו באמצע קריאתשמע והשליח ציבור השלים הקריאת שמע וכפל שלוש תיבות הנזכרות לא מהני להשלים לעצמומכח שמיעה מהשליח ציבור,      כי סודן של דבריםצריך להיות מספר זה של הכפל באחרונה בגמר הקריאת שמע ואם ישלימו באמצע הרי זה מערבהסדר להיות תחתונים למעלה, לכך בכהאי גוונא עדיף טפי שהוא עצמו יכפול וישליםהחסרון ורק אם הוא גומר הקריאת שמע עם השליח ציבור עדיף טפי לשמוע הכפל משליחציבור:   Go back to introduction   ' וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י פְדֻ֔תבֵּ֥ין עַמִּ֖י וּבֵ֣ין עַמֶּ֑ךָ לְמָחָ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה הָאֹ֥ת הַזֶּֽה׃   And I will make adistinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall come topass.’” (שמות ח, יט), נראה לי בסיעתא דשמיא 'מחר' אותיות רמ'חואותיות 'רחם'     והענין הוא כי ישראלכל אחד מהם צריך לקיים רמ'ח מצות, וזה אי אפשר שיעשה כל אחד רמ'ח מצוותעשה אך ע'י אהבה שיש בישראל בין זה לזה כל אחד יהיה נשלם ברמ'ח ממעשהחבירו,      ולכן רמ'ח הםאותיות 'רחם' כי 'רחם' הוא תרגום של אהבה לרמוז רמ'חמצות נשלמין אצל כל אחד ואחד על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש בין זה לזה,וידוע כי שלימות קיום רמ'ח עשה מסוגלים לגאולה      כי רמ'ח עשה הםבסוד החסדים, והם בסוד ו'ה שבשם,      ושס'ה לא תעשה הם סוד הגבורות והם בסודי'ה שבשם, והגאולה תהיה מתגבורת החסדים ועל ידי שלימות תיקון ו'ה שבשם,      גם ידוע על ידי מדת האהבה שתהיה שלימה בישראלתהיה הגאולה, לזה אמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר' אותיות'לרמ'ח' ואותיות 'לרחם'      רוצה לומר על ידיזכות רמ'ח עשה שעתידין לקבל בסיני ועל ידי זכות רחם שיש בינהם יהיה האות הזהשל הפדות: או יובן בסיעתא דשמיא ידוע דקריאת שמע יש בה רמ'ח תיבות מפני כיכוחה גדול להכרית את אויבי ישראל הקליפות והתחתונים שברשותם      והיא תהי

Ki Tissa 5784 Aaron and Haran  In this week’s perasha we on the sin of the Golden Calf    Before we get into the text   Questions: Who collected the gold to build the egel?  Who built the egel?   Who built the alter in front of it?    How is that possible ?  We have all heard that there are three cardinal sins which one is required to give their life for   What are they?   Lets first look at Halachot ofMaimonidies - Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 5:7  What is the source that idolatry, sexual immorality and murder should not be committed even to save a life?   Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us, “You shall love Hashem, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” “Your soul” means even at the cost of one’s soul. This precludes idolatry.   Regarding murder to save a third party or to save one’s self from another who is coercing him, it is logical that one person’s life cannot be sacrificed for another’s.   Regarding sexual immorality, the Torah compares forbidden sexual relations to murder in Deuteronomy 22:26, where it says regarding rape that “this is just like a case where one person rises up against another to kill him.”  Each day when we pray, we must remind ourselves of this in the Shema and again in the Amidah. In fact the Ben Ish Chair Rav Yosef Chaim writes when a person is saying the amidah and he comes to the last word of the first paragrah:   וּמֵבִיאגוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַֽהֲבָה:      כשיגיעלמלת 'באהבה' יכוין למסור נפשו על קדוש השם כנזכר בכונות רבינו האר'יז'ל(א), ולכן מנהג החסידים שיאריך החזן בחזרה בתיבת 'באהבה' כדי לעוררהכונה הנזכרת, וכל אדם יזהר בזה בכל תפלות בלחש למסור עצמו על קדוש השם בתיבת'באהבה'    Sohow can we begin to understand Aaron’s behavior and his reward.     Wehear the story of the Golden Calf   Maybeimages from the movie   CharlestonHeston throwing the tablets and the ground swallowing everyone   Butimportant to see inside  Letslook at Chumash and Rashi   Youcan follow along if you like – Chapter 32    וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי בשֵׁ֥שׁמשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ק֣וּם | עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה |משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָהלֽוֹ 

 Its 11AM Thursday morning and I amdriving back to Manhattan. I came to Brooklyn this morning to make threecondolence calls, but since I left my house early this morning, I have had nocell service. I have no Waze, so I am not sure how long the drive will be and Ican’t listen to any classes, so I am hoping with the help of Siri, to get ajump on this week’s article.     This lack of connection and how, inthese few short hours, I have beendealing with the loss of my phone reminded me of the words of the Ohr HaChaimHaKadosh on the opening verse of this week’s portion.     “Shemot Rabbah 52,2 relates that thescoffers amongst the Jews ridiculed the idea that Hashem would take upresidence in a structure made by Moses. From this we see that not only did theGentiles not credit the idea that the G-d of the Heavens had come down toearth, but even some of the Jews could not believe this. Accordingly, eventhough it was evident that Hashem's presence was indeed in the Tabernacle onthe first day of Nissan, the day the Tabernacle had been erected, they did notconsider this as evidence that Hashem's presence would remain there on apermanent basis.      “Once they observed the ongoing miracleof the Western Lamp, (need to pause here to explain)      The Gemara (Shabbat 22b) says that theNer Tamid spoken of in the Torah, is referring to the ner ma’aravi — thewestern lamp — of the Menorah. It served as a testimony for all mankind thatthe Divine Presence dwells among the Jewish people.     The uniqueness of the western lamp wasthat the Kohen always put into it half a lug of oil, the same amount of oil aswas put into each of the other six lamps (half a lug = 5 ½ oz.). This wassufficient to last for the longest nights of Tevet, and yet it outburned allthe candles.     They all burned the entire night andwould extinguish in the early morning. In the summer, when the nights areshorter, they would burn into the morning hours. After they went out in themorning, the lamps would be cleaned out and fresh oil and new wicks would beplaced in them. This service was known as “hatavat haMenorah” — “making good” —i.e. preparing the Menorah for kindling. The candles would not be lit againuntil the late afternoon. The western candle, however, continued burning theentire day until it was time to kindle the Menorah again in the evening.     This miraculous uninterrupted burning ofthe western lamp went on all the years of the first Beit Hamikdash, and servedas a testimony for Hashem’s presence in Israel. The western light continued toremain lit during the forty years that Shimon HaTzaddik was Kohen Gadol duringthe early years of the second Beit Hamikdash.       The Ohr HaChaim continues … “this servedas testimony that Hashem's presence was there to stay.      “The Torah impressed upon Moses that theoil for the Menorah in the Tabernacle would become the vehicle by means ofwhich Hahsem’s presence in the Mishkan/Mikdash would be demonstrated when the'eternal flame' would be lit.”     I thought to myself, we have bars on thephone to indicate connection, while they had this flame on the menorah toindicate connection with Heaven above. So, what went through their minds whenthe flame went out?      Must be a mistake! Must be something Idid wrong? Maybe we need a reset?     When I got in the car, in the wee hourswhile it was still dark outside and entered the address in Waze, I noticed the phonehad no service. Sometimes this happens, so I put the phone into airplane modeand then back to standard mode, causing it to search for a signal. It searchedbut found nothing. Instead of any reception lines, there was simply an SOS inthe upper right-hand corner.      So, I decided to reboot the phone, andwhen I turned it back on, fully expected to see that I had service, but Ididn’t. Still sitting in that upper right-hand corner was SOS. (The universalsignal of distress!)      I went into settings and tried to see ifanything was amiss and then I wondered if perhaps AT&T was down. I thoughtthat was unlikely as all the other cars were driving and I noticed Waze runningon their screens within their windshield holders.      Heaven doesn’t break the connection. Itmust be me. Perhaps AT&T could be down in Atlantic Beach, but over thebridge it would re-connect. That’s what I thought and it didn’t.      As it was very early, I decided to stopat the Keli Mikveh as I had some things in the trunk to dip. I turned the phoneoff again while my hand froze as I dipped a frying pan, some glasses, andwhatever else Chantelle packed into the bag. And I wondered if when I got backin the car, the phone would work. Maybe the zechut of dipping the dishes wouldfix things.     It didn’t and so I accepted that mostprobably it

 Even though Noach was a tzaddik; nevertheless, he resembled the olive that keeps its oil trapped inside. He did not make an effort to venture out and teach his generation the ways of the Torah and its mitzvot. In contrast, Moshe Rabeinu resembled olive oil; he taught Torah to all of Yisrael. Thus, in his gilgul, he rectified Noach’s flaw.  HKB”H wanted them to light the menorah with olive oil, so that we would understand that the purpose of studying Torah is to enlighten other people—like olive oil that emerges from the olive and promotes memory.   Hence, HKB”H explains that the reason for the mitzvah of taking olive oil is “to keep the lamp burning continuously”—becauseit is a wonderful device for ensuring the perpetuation of the Torah.  We can now comprehend the great significance of the dove’s deed after the mabul: “The dove returned to him in the evening, and—behold—an olive leaf was in her mouth.”    After the dove saw that the water had receded from the surface of the earth, she wanted to alert Noach to the necessary tikun he was obliged to perform. Therefore, she brought him an olive leaf, hinting to him that he resembled an olive; he was keeping his oilconfined and trapped within himself.    Furthermore, she was indicating to him that he would have to reincarnate as Moshe; Moshe would make amends for him bykindling the menorah with the oil of the olive—allowing the oil to emerge for the benefit and enlightenment of others.   At this point, we can finally appreciate the cryptic wisdom of our sages in the Midrash: HKB”H said, “Just as the dove brought light to the world, so, too, you, who are compared to the dove, brought olive oil and lit the lamp before Me, as it states: “And you shall command . . . that they shall bring you oil.”