Friday, March 29, 2019

Parshas Shemini Messages 5779

בּ“ה
Parshas Shemini

This edition of Shabbos Sparks is dedicated l’ilui nishmas my
beloved Rebbe, HaRav Elyakim Getzel ben Yechiel Michel Rosenblatt zt”l.

And it was on the eighth day [of the Inauguration], Moshe called. . . -- ויהי ביום השמיני קרא משה. . .’ (Vayikra 9:1)

השמיני קרא משה, says the Baal HaTurim zt”l, equals in Gematria (numerical value) the words היה ביום ראש חדש ניסן -- ‘it was on the day of Rosh Chodesh Nissan’.

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And he [Moshe] said to Aharon; “Take for yourself a calf, son of the cattle, for a sin-offering. . .’ (Vayikra 9:2)
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Says the Kli Yakar {HaRav Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz zt”l}:  Some ask; why was the calf for Aharon ‘for a sin-offering’, and the calf for the Jews ‘for an Olah-offering’ (see verse 3)?  

And he quotes:  They said on this:  Because with the Cheit HaEgel (sin of the Golden Calf), Aharon did not sin in thought, for certainly he did not intend for the sake of avodah zarah at all, and his main sin was in deed, that he actually made the calf.  Therefore his offering was a calf for a sin-offering, which atones for sin in deed.  

But the Jews who sinned also in thought, therefore their offering was a calf for an Olah-offering, which comes to atone for the sin of bad thoughts (Vayikra Rabbah 7:3).  

However, they also sinned in deed, as we see that they bowed down to the golden calf, ‘and they sacrificed to it’; and for the sin of the sacrificing, explains the Kli Yakar, they brought the he-goat for atonement. . . (see the rest of his commentary).

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And the entire Assembly came close and they stood before Hashem.  And Moshe said, “This is the thing that Hashem has commanded, you shall do;. . . (Vayikra 9:5-6)
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Says my Rebbe, HaRav Binyomin Goldstein shlit”a:  At the Inauguration of the Mishkan, the entire Congregation of Israel gathered together, full of excitement and anticipation.  At that moment, Moshe seems to begin to tell the nation to perform some type of Mitzvah, but then never goes on specify which Mitzvah should be performed.  B”H, I found a beautiful explanation for this in the Chiddushei HaRim from the first Gerrer Rebbe, zt”l, that really hit home. . .

The goal of energizing and motivating each other in Avodas Hashem is not merely to attain a brief feeling of hiskashrus (spiritual connection).  Rather, the true purpose is to take the energy that is gained and infuse it into every aspect of one’s life.  The goal is for such gatherings [of Chizuk and inspiration] to truly motivate people to change in a practical sense -- not merely in theory or for a brief moment.
The Rebbe explains that this is actually the message that Moshe was conveying to the Jewish People at the Inauguration of the Mishkan:  Moshe was telling the Yidden (Jews) that ‘This is thing that Hashem has commanded’, which was the gathering together of the entire Nation; was entirely in order that ‘you shall do’ -- in order to take this inspirational high and then go and do with it.  Take that moment and use it to illuminate every aspect of your life to practically change for the better.
The reason why this lesson hits home for me is because this touches upon what I perceive to be one of the biggest struggles of our generation.  If you’re looking for a “spiritual gathering”, they’re actually easy to find. There are plenty of congregations and groups that have embraced the concept of coming together with various speakers and events intended to strengthen each other. . . However, the message of ‘you should do’ seems to have been largely lost.  Very often, people come together looking for something briefly inspirational or for some type of “quick-fix” or “high”, but then leave that inspiration at the door as soon as they leave.  Connecting those moments of inspiration with the rest of one’s life has become increasingly hard; people are having a difficult time pushing themselves afterwards to implement that inspiration to really change.
However, it didn't always used to be this way.  In previous generations, the desire to push oneself to change seems to have come almost naturally (obviously generally speaking).  I once heard a story (I believe it’s from the biography of Rav Shlomo Freifeld zt”l) that many years ago there was an older Jew who came to America who was actually from the town of Sochochov, and was a student of the Avnei Neizer, the holy Sochochover Rebbe, zt”l.  He recalled how the Avnei Neizer used to speak at Shalosh Seudos (third Shabbos meal) and share his Torah insights and practical wisdom.  As soon as Shabbos would end, the Chassidim that were there would run out to the Jewish cemetery that was alongside the Shul, prostrate themselves on the ground, and pray for three hours, crying and pleading before their Creator to [i.e. that they should] internalize the teachings of their holy Rebbe and to never forget what he said.  Today, if a Yid goes to hear a Tzaddik speak, he’s fortunate if he remembers what he heard the next morning!  And not only that: If he instead goes and cries out to Hashem to help him internalize what he heard from the Tzaddik for a few hours, he’ll be considered a total meshugeneh (crazy person)!
There are undoubtedly many reasons for our generation's spiritual decline in this regard:  Firstly, we do not take the words of the righteous as seriously today as Yidden used to in previous generations.  We are more cynical and calloused by all of the corruption that surrounds us, and this makes it much more difficult for a truly righteous person’s words to penetrate our hearts.  Second, we generally do not like to work hard today for anything -- and especially spiritual pursuits. Earlier generations were brought up in conditions where they needed to work hard for everything literally just in order to survive, and therefore the concept of “hard work” in a spiritual sense came much more naturally to them.  The final reason I’ll suggest -- which is also the saddest -- is that we do not believe in our own inner greatness anymore. People used to believe that they could change themselves, and had hopes of transforming themselves into spiritual giants. However, today, we have a hard time believing that we’re capable of attaining spiritual heights.  We doubt our own inner-holiness and potential, and sadly develop an attitude of “What’s the point? Why even try?” Therefore, when we go to any type of inspirational gathering, we don’t expect what we hear to impact our hearts anymore; the lessons we hear remain merely theoretical and informational and never really seep into our souls. . .

My Rebbe, Rav Goldstein shlit”a, provides one answer and solution to this in the rest of his Dvar Torah, but I will leave it up to each of us to find a personal fix to this problem in our lives.

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And these you shall abominate from [among] the birds, they shall not be eaten. . .’ (Vayikra 11:13)
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And the Chasidah [is one of these]. . .’ (Vayikra 11:19)
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Brings Rashi zt”l from Gemara Chullin 63a; why was this bird called Chasidah -- חסידה?  Because it does kindness, חסידות, with its friends with food [by dividing it with them ~~ Rashi to that Gemara].

Beautifully, many Chassidishe Rebbes say:  If it does kindness with its friends then why is it impure -- not Kosher?  Because it only does kindness with its friends.

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|~Maaseh~|  One time, a man came to the Chofetz Chaim zt”l’s house, and, seeing how simply furnished it was, he asked Rav Yisroel Meir where his furniture was.  

Rav Yisroel Meir replied that where was his -- the visitor’s -- furniture?  And of course the man answered that he was merely passing through [town]!

“I too,” said the Chofetz Chaim, in his wonderful way, “Am just passing through [i.e. through This World].”

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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!

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