בּ“ה
Parshas Tetzaveh
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘And you [Moshe Rabbeinu] shall command the Bnei Yisroel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed (כתית), to illuminate, to raise up a lamp continually.’ (Shemos 27:20)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Baal HaTurim notes that כתית is made up of the letters ת”י (the numerical value of 410) and ת”כ (the numerical value of 420). This alludes to us, he explains, that for 410 years -- the time that the first Beis HaMikdash stood for; and 420 years -- the time that the second Beis HaMikdash stood for, the lighting of the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash would be practiced.
Rabbeinu Bachya zt”l quotes the above teaching from a Midrash, and he says: This Midrash hints at the two Batei Mikdash, so it should have also alluded to the future third Beis HaMikdash (may it be built speedily). But perhaps this Midrash alludes only to the two Batei Mikdash whose time would be cut short. And since the first two were going to get destroyed, therefore, the passuk alludes to them in the word כתית, which means crushed or beaten. The third Beis HaMikdash, however, is not alluded to in that word because it will never be destroyed -- but rather, it is hinted to in the word ‘למאור’, ‘for illumination’ (see Yeshayahu 60:1, and commentary there). And since it will stand forever, therefore it says ‘to raise up a lamp continually’; meaning that its kindling will be continuous and won’t cease anymore.
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - --
‘To raise up a lamp continually.’ (Shemos 27:20)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - --
Our Sages of blessed memory taught that when the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash was lit, every courtyard that was in Yerushalayim would be illuminated by its light.
(Midrash Tanchuma; Tetzaveh 3)
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘Crushed, to illuminate’ (Shemos 27:20)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Says Rashi zt”l (from Gemara Menachos 86a): ‘Crushed to illuminate,’ but not crushed for Meal-offerings (למנחות).
In an interesting take on this all, Rebbe Yechiel Danziger zt”l (the first Alexander Rebbe) explains: When someone give a person Mussar, or rebukes them, trying to humble the person a little, they need to intend to do it only ‘to illuminate’, i.e. to help to illuminate and show the person the proper path that they should take. ‘And not for מנחות (Meal-offerings)’ -- מנחות has a very similar root to the word which means to lay down, meaning that we must make sure to not give rebuke with the intention to bring the person down and make them feel lowly and like nothing. . .
(Maayanah Shel Torah)
<><><><><><><><><><>
The Gemara tells a beautiful story of a Roman who passed behind a Beis Midrash, and heard a Scribe saying the verse in this Parsha ‘And these are the Garments which they shall make; a Choshen and an Ephod. . .’
The Roman asked; “These, for who are they?” He was answered that they were for the Kohen Gadol. The Roman said to himself that he would convert in order that the Jews would install him as the Kohen Gadol.
So he came before Shammai and told him to convert him on condition that he be appointed as Kohen Gadol. Shammai basically just chased him out -- he was talking nonsense! The Roman came before Hillel, and he converted him.
Hillel basically told him that before anyone can become king, they must learn the royal arts; “Go and learn the arts of the king,” he said -- i.e. learn the Torah.
The Roman went and read and when he came to the verse (Bamidbar 1:51) ‘And the stranger that comes close shall die’ -- speaking of the fact that only the Leviim could handle the Holy Vessels of the Mishkan -- he asked Hillel who this applied to. And Hillel answered that it applies to even king Dovid himself.
Now the Roman reasoned to himself: If the Jewish People (aside from the Leviim) -- called the Children of Hashem -- are not allowed to touch the Holy vessels, he, who was a convert who had come without merit, all the more so the rule would apply to him!
He came back before Shammai and essentially asked him why he hadn’t explained to him that his notion of becoming Kohen Gadol was nonsense.
Then he returned to Hillel and said to him: “Hillel, the patient, may blessings rest upon your head, for you brought me under the wings of the Divine Presence.” (Shabbos 31).
It would seem from this beautiful story that this non-Jew really wanted to become the Kohen Gadol and wear such special clothing -- but then Hillel zt”l helped him to realize how great and special it is to “just” be a Jew. . .
Our Gedolim tell us that all Jews are like Kohanim (in a sense). We all have the special Service of Hashem to do.
All of us are all extremely important and needed, and we are all servants of Hashem and have special missions we must carry out. Not only this, but we all have a special connection to Him!
And, based upon this concept, we can perhaps answer the question of why Moshe Rabbeinu’s name isn’t mentioned in this entire Parsha: The Sforno and the Ramban, both zt”l, note that the reference to Moshe Rabbeinu the three times at the start of this Parsha as ‘you’ implies that instead of having to instruct others to do certain things, he had to personally involve himself in these three tasks: The tasks being the designation of the pure olive oil; the designation of the Kohanim; and the selection of the wise men to make the Holy Garments and the Mishkan.
Moshe Rabbeinu was extremely essential and important here (of course he was in every Parsha he is in) -- even though his name isn’t mentioned!
And so, perhaps the lack of mention of his name is a lesson to us all that even if your name isn’t talked about all over the place -- i.e. you aren’t like world renowned -- you still are extremely important and still have a special job in this world.
And these things actually connect beautifully to Purim and Parshas Zachor: For they are both about beating Amalek yemach shemo. Haman was from Amalek and he ended up defeated (Baruch Hashem!) -- and Parshas Zachor is about remembering what Amalek did and blotting them out. But how does all this connect to what we have been saying?
So, HaRav Yosef Tzvi Salant zt”l (Be’er Yosef al HaTorah, beginning of Parshas Yisro) explains that one of the things that Amalek tried to do was to make it like the Jewish People has nothing special about it.
But we must defeat that power of Amalek (a.k.a. the Yetzer Hara) -- a big part of Purim and Parshas Zachor -- and realize how special and important it is to just be a Jew; and not only this, but how special to Hashem we all are.
(Tal U’Matar)
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘And you shall speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom’ (Shemos 28:3)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The title “wise of heart” means a person who wants wisdom, and makes every effort to attain it. Into the heart of a person like this, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will give wisdom.
(Peninei HaTorah)
Perhaps this is the explanation of the Gemara in Berachos (55a), as well: The Gemara says that Hashem only gives wisdom to the wise. But the question that many ask is, if someone must be wise in the first place to be given wisdom, then how do they get that first wisdom, to be given further wisdom?
The answer, it would seem, could lie in the above insight. Hashem gives wisdom to those who truly desire Torah wisdom, and truly seek it. To such a person, Hashem will give special help from Above to attain wisdom. Indeed, the Gemara actually brings our verse as one of the sources for its statement!
(Tal U’Matar)
<><><><><><><><><><>
~ Maasim Tovim ~
HaRav Eizel’e Charif {HaRav Yehoshua Isaac Shapiro zt”l} had a daughter of marriageable age, and he needed to find a good Shidduch for her. So he went to the great Yeshiva of Volozhin, and posed a very difficult question. Whichever bachur could answer it he would pick as his son-in-law. But none of them could answer it.
Rav Eizel’e left and was just pulling away in his horse and carriage, when suddenly, one of the bachurim came running out of the Yeshiva.
“Forget the Shidduch.” He said to Rav Eizel’e. “But how can you leave Volozhin without giving an answer?”
This young man may not have known the answer, but he desired very much to. He sought it greatly. And it was this young man whom Rav Eizel’e zt”l chose as his son-in-law. He also later would become a Rav.
(Heard from my Rebbe, HaRav Chaim Eisenstein shlit”a)
~ ~ * ~ ~
A man once came to the Noda B’Yehuda {HaRav Yechezkel Landau zt”l} and told him that he was struggling with questions in his Emunah.
Rav Yechezkel took him into the kitchen-area, where a chicken was being cut up. The Rav then said something quite surprising: He told the chicken to come back together! And, lo! All the pieces actually came back together again! He then told it to go back to how it was, and the chicken went back into the pieces it had been in just before.
The Noda B’Yehuda asked the man, “Do you have any more questions in Emunah?” “No.” the man replied. . .
(Heard from my Rebbe, HaRav Moshe Shulman shlit”a)
<><><><><><><><><><>
Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!
No comments:
Post a Comment