Tisha B'Av 5776 and Shabbos Chazon

Tisha B'Av 5776 and Shabbos Chazon:

Let us begin to discuss some about Shabbos Chazon, and Tisha B’Av:  Shabbos Chazon is the name which we call the Shabbos right before Tisha B’Av.  The Seforim HaKedoshim tell us that Shabbos Chazon is the most exalted Shabbos in the entire year (maybe except for Yom Kippur, but...).  Why?  Because, they tell us, when the weekdays are on a lower level than usual, the Shabbos is on a higher level than usual!  And, in this time, when the weekdays are extremely sad, the Shabbos is extremely exalted (even more so than usual)![1]  So we need to try to not let this go to waste.  Every single Shabbos has, imbued within it, special Kedusha, and this Shabbos has maybe even more than usual! 

So, anyway, right after Shabbos, will be Tisha B’Av (actually, Shabbos is the Ninth of Av, but, except for Yom Kippur, you are not allowed to fast on a Shabbos really, so it is pushed off until the next day).  Tisha B’Av is a very sad day; as we know, both Batei HaMikdash were destroyed on that day.  So now, we are not able to even offer the special offerings to Hashem!  And we cannot perform the special services that He wanted us to!  When we had the Beis HaMikdash, we could perform the service of Hashem to the ultimate level!  But, even though Hashem gave us this special House, we sinned and sinned, and He had to have it destroyed, and send us into Galus. 

He was kind enough to grant us another chance, and we got a second Beis HaMikdash!  But, we sinned again!  And He had to make this one, too, get destroyed.  The Gemara (Yoma 9b) tells us that the first Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of the sins of:  Avodah zarah; shefichus damim (i.e. murder), and arayoss.  And we are also told that the second Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinas chinam (between Jews).  So one of our goals in this time should be to rectify these things.  Surely we do not do the first three things (Chas V’Shalom!); however, maybe we are mean to fellow Jews.  And maybe we don’t like some of them, or treat some badly.  We must try to rectify these sins by doing the very opposite!  We should treat Jews very well, and we should love every Jew (like the command to love your fellow as yourself).  Then we can, B’Ezras Hashem rectify those sins!  So now let us move on to another topic of Tisha B’Av:

As we know, every single person has a precious Neshama inside of them; as the Tanya (and others) brings down, it is a “piece”, so to speak, of Hashem.  And it is so holy!  Our Soul is actually almost like our own, personal Beis HaMikdash; inside of us!  We are supposed to guard it from the invading forces; the Yetzer hara, who wants to destroy our Soul.  And this is something to concentrate on always; though The Three Weeks remind us of this message.  We must always try to stop these invading forces, and keep our ‘Beis HaMikdash’ standing!  The real Beis HaMikdash may not be around, but we all sort of have one inside of us; and it is up to us to stop the invading forces from destroying it. 

As we know, Hashem does not need to eat; however, when we offered Him offerings, it was called ‘the food of Hashem’.  So, though He does not need food, it was still called that.  I would like to propose a kavanah that would be good to have while we are fasting on Tisha B’Av:  As we know, it is because of our sins that the Batei HaMikdash are not here anymore.  And so, this is why we are not able to offer things to Hashem anymore.  Ah, since offerings are called ‘the food of Hashem’ (ki’vi’yachol), then we can understand the kavanah I am talking about:  Since we caused the fact that we cannot offer up ‘the food of Hashem’ anymore, how can we possibly even look at food!  How can we think of eating?  (Again, in no way should anyone think that Hashem eats.  However, the offerings were still called ‘the food of Hashem’.  And I am trying to derive a lesson from the term used). 

Another thing:  We must mourn over the fact that the Batei HaMikdash are destroyed, and we cannot perform the service of Hashem to the ultimate, such as offering things to Him, but we must always try to serve Him to the best that we all can.  And you would be surprised how high a level that really is!  On Tisha B’Av, we must also mourn over our sins, because it was because of them that we are in Exile.  Now, I have been asked before, when I said this; ‘why should we mourn over our sins, when it wasn’t our personal sins that caused the Churban?!’  But the answer I gave, and am giving, is that we too, have our own package of sins.  And, the Sages (Yalkut Shimoni - Tehillim 137, 886; Yerushalmi Yoma 1:1 - 5a) have said that a generation that does not bring Mashiach is considered as if they had caused its destruction.  So, the fact that we have not yet returned to Hashem and brought the Mashiach is every person’s fault!  We know that we all have our packages of sins, and it is up to us to repent for them, and return to Hashem wholeheartedly.  Every single moment in our lives, we have another opportunity to serve Hashem.  And let us all return (now!) to Hashem, and serve Him in truth. 

These are a lot of thoughts that should pass through our minds on the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av.  And if we do what we are supposed to, repent to Hashem, and actually serve Him in truth, then we will be fulfilling our purposes in life. 

And, may Hashem make this the last sad Tisha B’Av, and the last one in Galus.  As our Sages teach, Mashiach will be (maybe he already was!) born on Tisha B’Av.  May Hashem bring Mashiach very, very speedily, making this the last Shabbos in Galus, and may He rebuild the Third, and final, indestructible Beis HaMikdash very, very soon, Amein vi’Amein, so may it be His Will! 

Refoel Berel

(P.S. For a great, free e-book on the Three Weeks, search for the book ‘Exile’, by HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l). 

[1] Nikolsburg.org©.  'Parshas Devarim - Shabbos Chazon - A Thousand Times More'. 

Parshas Matos-Masei

This Week’s 1st Parsha – Matos:

This week, there is a double-parsha – Matos and Masei.  Of course, we will start with Parshas Matos, and so, one of this week’s parshios is Matos.  At first, it discusses vows.  The concept of a vow is sort of strange, as a person can say something, and it then becomes binding for them.  Actually, this is how it works whenever we say something.  However, I guess a vow – swearing by Hashem’s Holy Name – adds weight to our words which might help us remember what we said.  Actually, HaRav Aharon Kotler zt”l and the Bostoner Rebbe (Rebbe Meir Alter Horowitz shlita) discuss the fact that the concept of vows comes to teach us the power of our speech.1  As we have discussed before, Hashem has given people the unique power of speech, and He has given Jews special things to use their speech for.  The Sages teach in the Gemara (Chagigah 5b) that in the hour of Judgement (when a person goes before Hashem after they die), even the light conversation between a husband and wife will be brought before them.  The holy Chofetz Chaim (HaRav Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan zt”l) added in his book Zechor L’Miriam that every single word a person spoke will be brought before them, and they will be asked why they spoke it.2  And we will have to give Hashem an answer.  What will we say when He asks why we spoke such-and-such devarim biteilim/wasted words?  Every person must be heedful of what they speak, knowing that Hashem hears every single thing which we say.  He also taught in his book Kavod Shamayim, that if a person, Chas V’Shalom/Hashem forbid uses their speech for bad things, they are basically not a person.  Rather, they are just like an animal, which can’t speak.3  Think about this.  If a person really took heed of these things, and took all these messages to heart, they would likely not use their speech for bad things, Chas V’Shalom/Hashem forbid.  We should try to do this!  And may Hashem help every person to, in fact, take all these messages, and put them into action always, Amein, so may it be His Will. 

Now on to the parsha:  The first passuk/verse is ‘Vayi’daber Moshe el rashei matos li’Vnei Yisroel leimor, zeh hadavar asher tzivah Hashem/And Moshe spoke to the heads of the Tribes of the B’nei Yisroel, saying; this is the matter that Hashem has commanded.’  There is a beautiful Chassidishe gem on this, which explains that we can learn a nice lesson from this passuk/verse:  The word ‘davar’ is translated here as ‘matter’, but it can also mean ‘word’.  If we translate ‘davar’ in this verse as ‘word’, then we can translate it ‘this is the word that Hashem has commanded’.  This teaches us, this Chassidishe Master explains, that before one says something, they must think; “is ‘this the word that Hashem has commanded’?”  We must remember this lesson, and think along these lines before we say something.  “Is what I am about to say a good thing, or not?”  These thoughts should enter our mind before we say something.4  Please, we must all try to take this message to heart and, B’Eizer Hashem/With the Help of Hashem, put them into action. 

Back to the parsha:  So then the Torah goes on to talk about Nedarim/vows.  The Torah teaches that if somebody takes a vow ‘lo yachel di’varo, ki’chol ha’yotzei mi’piv, yaaseh/he shall not profane his word (meaning not breaking their word), like all that comes out of his mouth, he shall do.’  There is a beautiful Mefaraish/commentary from HaRav Chaim Vital zt”l, the Noam Elimelech (Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l), and the Maggid of Kozhnitz (Rebbe Yisroel Haupstein zt”l) on this:  They note that this verse seems to be repetitive; first it says that a person shouldn’t profane their word (not break it), and then it says that ‘all that goes out from his mouth, he shall do’.  But this verse teaches us, they explain, that one who does not break their word (lo yachel di’varo), all that goes out from their mouth, He will do.  Who will do?  Hashem will do!5  Meaning that if a person makes sure that they never break their word, they don’t tell lies, etc. then what they say they want to happen, or Daven for to happen, Hashem will make happen!  Imagine this!  Look at the greatness of one who guards their tongue.  We should all have the merit to do this, Amein.  Back to the parsha:  The Torah discusses that if a girl in her father’s house takes a vow or something like that, and if her father heard about the stuff, and was silent (i.e. he didn’t nullify them), then all her vows that she made and things like that stand.  However, if her father restrained her (which Rashi explains to mean that he nullified the vows) on the day which he heard about them, then the vows and things like that which she imposed on herself don’t stand.  The rule is very similar to if a woman takes a vow, what her husband can do.  However, as we are taught in Gemara Nedarim, only certain kinds of vows can be annulled by a husband, which are:  Vows of affliction or things like that, and vows which affect things between a husband and a wife.  These rules are discussed in the Gemara, and it would be worthwhile to check them out. 

Back to the parsha:  Any vow which a widow or divorced woman makes stands.  Rashi quotes from Nedarim 70a, which explains that it is because, then, she is neither in her father’s house nor in her husband’s house.  So nobody can annul the vows.  (Though there are lots of other rules about vows that can be learned in Gemara Nedarim, such as a ‘Pesach/opening’ on a neder/vow).  After the part of the parsha talking about vows, Hashem tells Moshe to take vengeance for the Jews against the Midianim, and afterwards he would die.  And Moshe told the Jews to arm men for the army that they could be against Midian, and carry out the vengeance of Hashem.  Why did Moshe tell the Jews to take revenge for Hashem, when Hashem said to take vengeance for the Jews?  The Chassidishe Masters explain beautifully that Hashem’s foremost concern is the Jews, so He considered this war vengeance for them.  But the Jews’ foremost concern is for Hashem, and so they considered this war vengeance for Hashem.6  What a beautiful explanation!  This is how things are supposed to work.  But sometimes, our first concern seems to be us!  Ah, but we learn that our foremost concern must be for Hashem – serving Him, etc.  We do not need to care about ourselves too much; that is not what life is about.  We were created to serve Hashem.  This is life. 

Back to the parsha:  A thousand people from each Tribe of the Jews were to go out to the war with Midian.  This was, as we know, a total of 12,000 armed men.  Hashem helped the Jews, and they beat the Midianim (they also killed the Midiani five kings and Bilaam).  In his book, Me’am Loeiz, HaRav Yaakov Culi zt”l explains that the numbers of the Jews teach a lesson:  The Jews were going out to a battle with only 12,000 men, yet they totally crushed the Midianim!  Moshe wanted to demonstrate to the Jews that it is not the amount of people fighting that makes the difference, but rather, how good people they are.7  Man-power is not what wins a battle, but rather, it is Hashem Who decides.  This reminds me of a beautiful story I heard a short time ago from Rebbe Avraham Schorr shlita:  There was a rocket launched by the Arabs, aimed at a shopping center in Israel with a lot of people.  The Israeli army fired three Iron Dome missiles (missiles that Israel fires to stop any foreign rockets) to stop the rocket, but they all missed.  The army sent firemen and ambulances to the shopping center, as they knew that the rocket would cause lots of casualties, and they couldn’t stop it.  After the army had given up trying to stop the rocket, out of nowhere, a big east wind came up; it blew the deadly rocket into the sea, and nobody got hurt, Baruch Hashem.  The man who had fired the Iron Dome missiles to stop the rocket (which had failed) was not totally a Frum Jew, and he had never put Tefillin on before.  After seeing Hashem save us, he thought that, in effect, he had seen Hashem, and he yelled “Get me Teffilin!  Get me Teffilin!"8  The Israeli army couldn’t stop the Arab rocket from killing lots and lots of Jews, but Hashem did!  Blessed is Hashem Who always protects His People, Amein, vi'Amein! 

Now back to the parsha:  The Jews took the Midiani women, and their children captive, and they took all their animals and possessions.  They also set fire to their cities and castles.  And the Jews who went out to war brought the captives and all the stuff to Moshe, Elazar the Kohen, and all the Jews.  Moshe became angry with the people who had gone out to the war, because they had let the women live, and had only taken them captive.  He gave them specific instructions for who to kill of the captives, and who not to kill.  Moshe also told the people that whoever had killed a person or touched a corpse should encamp outside the Camp for seven days, and on the third and seventh day of this period, they should cleanse themselves, (which Rashi explains to mean to cleanse themselves through the sprinkling waters).  Also certain vessels had to be purified.  Elazar the Kohen spoke to the Jews, and told them that ‘this is the decree of the Torah, that Hashem commanded Moshe’.  Any gold, silver, copper, iron, tin or lead vessel, whatever was used in fire had to be passed through fire to be cleansed.  Rashi explains that ‘used in fire’ means it was used for cooking.  But the vessels also had to be cleansed with the sprinkling waters.  Okay, one last Mefaraish/commentary for the Parshas Matos parsha report: 

Rebbe Nachman M’Breslov zt”l explains that the rule that a vessel which was used in fire must be passed through fire to become pure, teaches us a beautiful lesson:  This teaches us, he explains beautifully, that one who does sins with fire, i.e. with passion, how do they cleanse themselves?  Ah, this verse teaches us, says Rebbe Nachman zt”l, that they can cleanse themselves by doing good things and serving Hashem with fire, i.e. passion.9  Serving Hashem with passion is very important always.  Don’t do it with coldness and distantness, serve Hashem with passion and closeness to Him always.  Hashem should help every person do this always, Amein, so may it be His Will.  The Torah discusses some other topics in this parsha, but let us move on to the other parsha of the week – Parshas Masei.  There are 112 pessukim/verses in Parshas Matos. 

This Week’s 2nd Parsha – Masei:

This week’s other parsha is Masei, and part of it discusses the travels of the Jews.  The holy Baal Shem Tov (Rebbe Yisroel ben Eliezer zt”l) explained that the forty-two journeys which are enumerated in this parsha, represent the forty-two “journey’s” which everybody goes through in life.10  We cannot stay in one place forever; in life, a person is supposed to move forward in their service of Hashem, He is Blessed.  You must go from one place to another – not just physically, but spiritually.  And you can’t be scared to do so.  That is just how life works!  And if you do not spiritually “travel”, how will you get anywhere?  You won’t move forward.  You will then just stay in one place in your service of Hashem.  And, also, one must understand what a journey is:  A journey is not just for no reason; there is always somewhere to get to.  Each journey has a destination.  Meaning that each journey that a person has in life is to get to a place where they are supposed to be.  And there is something to be done there.  Once that mission is fulfilled, you can journey to the next place.  We should all remember this:  Each place we find ourselves in life; Hashem put us there for a reason, and we have something to accomplish there.  And in our spiritual lives, we must also journey forward in serving Hashem.  So, as we see from things, journeying (spiritually) in life is very, very important.  Hashem should help us all to take the messages of every single journey we have, and help us move forward in life always, Amein. 

Now on to the parsha:  The first passuk/verse in this parsha is ‘Aileh masei V’nei Yisroel asher yatz’i’u mei’eretz Mitzraim li’tzivosam, bi’yad Moshe vi’Aharon/These are the journeys of the B’nei Yisroel who went out from the land of Egypt in their armies, under the hand (authority) of Moshe and Aharon.’  There are a couple of Mefarshim/commentaries which I will list here:  1) The Maggid of Kozhnitz (Rebbe Yisroel Haupstein zt”l) explains that a lot of people try to become great people and try to journey to great levels, but they do not reach their goals!  Why does this happen?  Because they did not do Teshuva for their past sins.  You must first scrub yourself off of your old sins (by doing Teshuva) in order to be able to reach the higher levels.  This we learn from this verse, he explains, because it says ‘These are the journeys of the of the B’nei Yisroel who went out of Egypt... etc.’  Teaching us that in order to journey forward in holiness, one must first ‘go out from Egypt’ (Egypt representing impurity).11  2) There is a Chassidishe Gem on this, which says that, as we know, Rashi (on Parshas Mishpatim) quotes from the Midrash, which explains that when the word ‘Aileh/These’ starts a parsha, it means to tell us that this new topic is not really connected to the last topic discussed in the last parsha.  So, says this Chassidishe Master, the fact that this parsha, which discusses the Jews’ journeys starts with the word ‘Aileh/These’, teaches us how we must journey forward in life.  Don’t just say “I have already done good stuff; I don’t need to do much more.”  This verse teaches not to say this.  Because the part with journeys, is not connected to what happened before in the last parsha.  Thus teaching us, explains this Chassidishe Master beautifully, that one must journey forward in serving Hashem always, and not think back to the good things they have done before.12  Keep going forward; don’t stop and think that you have already done plenty.  And what a beautiful lesson this is for everybody! 

Now back to the parsha:  Moshe recorded the Jews’ journeys, according to the word of Hashem.  And the Torah lists the Jews’ journeys, from Mitzraim/Egypt until where they were.  At the beginning of Sheini/the second Aliyah, Hashem speaks to Moshe and tells him to tell the Jews that when they cross over the Yordein/Jordan, they have to drive out the inhabitants of the land, destroy the temples (of idol worship), destroy their idols, and demolish their high places.  We were supposed to clear the Land and settle in it, because Hashem gave it to us to occupy it.  We can’t let the places of avodah zarah/idol worship stay there; the Land of Israel is supposed to be holy!  It is the Land which Hashem especially gave to us.  Anyway, the Land was to be given by lot to the Jewish families as an inheritance.  To the large, a larger inheritance was to be given, and to the small, a smaller one.  And Hashem says that if we did not drive out the people from the Land of Israel, they would become like spikes in our eyes and thorns in our sides, and they would harass us in our Land!  Also, what He was going to do to them, He would do to us.  Thus, we see how bad of a thing it was to leave any of them in the precious and holy Land of Israel.  Hashem then tells Moshe about the borders of the Land of Israel.  Rivi’i/the fourth Aliyah discusses the names of the chiefs of each Tribe, whom Hashem designated to Moshe to help him acquire the Land.  I.e. as Rashi explains, this means that they were to take possession of the Land, and help to acquire it in his stead.  At the beginning of Chamishi/the fifth Aliyah, Hashem tells Moshe to command the Jews about apportioning to Leviim things in the Land.  The Leviim were supposed to get certain cities in which to dwell, and certain land around the cities.  This parsha also discusses the Arei Miklat.  There were six Arei Miklat – three in Israel, and three on the other side of the Yordein/Jordan, (I think in the place where the Tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of the Tribe of Menashe dwelled).  If a person killed another by accident, and they really did not mean it, then they can flee to one of these cities, and escape any blood-avenger, as they only killed the person by accident.  And they had to stay in those cities until the Kohen Gadol of that time died.  There are many commentaries on why it is specifically that, but....  Actually, you can notice a very nice thing about Parshas Masei:  It starts by talking about the Jews’ travels, starting from Egypt, and up to where they were – right outside the Land of Israel.  And then, it goes on to talk about lots of things regarding Eretz Yisroel/The Land of Israel.  So it is like the ultimate journey; from Egypt, until Israel.  From the least holy land, to the most holy land.  Think about this.  Egypt is like the thing that we want to get away from, and Israel is the goal and place where we are supposed to get to (spiritually).  There are 132 pessukim/verses in Parshas Masei. 

Chazak Chazak V’Nischazeik! 

Have a wonderful, wonderful Shabbos everyone!!!!!!!! 

Refoel Berel

1 Sparks of Torah:  Explorations and Insights on the weekly Torah portions.  Parshas Matos.  Page 108.  By HaRav Dovid Nussbaum shlita.  C.I.S. Publishers©.  Also, Bostoner Torah Insights III:  Bostoner 'Chassidus' in Hebrew and English:  Parshas Matos 24 Tammuz 5776.
2 The Concise Chafetz Chaim:  A page a day.  Page 137.  'Pearls of Life'.  By HaRav Asher Wasserman shlita.  Feldheim Publications Ltd.©
3 The Concise Chafetz Chaim:  A page a day.  Page 108.  'Pearls of Life'.  By HaRav Asher Wasserman shlita.  Feldheim Publications Ltd.©
4 TorahAnytime.com©.  Chassidic Gems:  Parashat Matot.  Shiur given by HaRav Ekyakim Rosenblatt shlita. 
5 YouTube.com©.  Chassidic Gems:  Parashat Matot.  Shiur given by HaRav Ekyakim Rosenblatt shlita.  Also; Yeshiva Bircas HaTorah©.  Parshas Matos 5775.  From Eitz Hadaas Tov. 
6 Chabad.org©.  Parshas Matot-Massei In-Depth. 
7 Chabad.org©.  Parshas Matot-Massei In-Depth.
8 TorahAnytime.com©.  The Iron Dome, Miracles, and Mashiach.  Shiur given by Rebbe Avraham Schorr shlita. 
9 TorahAnytime.com©.  Chassidic Gems:  Parashat Matot.  Shiur given by HaRav Ekyakim Rosenblatt shlita. 
10 YouTube.com©.  Torah-in-ten - Episode 7.  Parshas Matos-Masei.  Shiur given by Rav Chaim Miller shlita. 
11 Nikolsburg.org©.  Parshas Matos Masei 5775 - Our King is not in his Palace. 
12 TorahAnytime.com©.  Chassidic Gems:  Parashat Matot.  Shiur given by HaRav Ekyakim Rosenblatt shlita. 

The Three Weeks 5776

 Insights into The Three Weeks:

It is The Three Weeks of 5776, so I would like to share some hopefully helpful insights into it:  As we know, both Batei Hamikdash were destroyed during this period, and this is why we mourn and fast.  So this is a very, very sad time.  A person who doesn't fully comprehend things might ask; "Why is this so sad?  We are fine without the Beis Hamikdash!" A person who thinks along those lines, needs to correct how they think in this severely. 

The Beis Hamikdash was such a special place - a place where Hashem's Divine Presence rested, and we were able to serve Him in the most ultimate form.  We could offer offerings, the Kohanim would perform the special services, etc.  So this was so extremely important and wonderful - serving Hashem in the ultimate form!  And we were so close to Him back then. 

Hashem gave us a place where He rested His Presence, and we could bring offerings to Him, etc.  And what did we do?  We sinned so much that He had to have the Holy House destroyed, and send us into Exile.  Though, as Rebbe Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin zt"l explains, things such as Exile are only to cleanse us of our sins.  So, in reality, even this terrible Exile is for the best.1  But we must still remember that it is our fault that we are in Exile and do not have the holy Beis Hamikdash. 


In conclusion, the fact that the Beis Hamikdash is not around anymore is much, much worse than we even imagine, and, we do not only mourn over the destruction, but also, we need to mourn over the fact that we sinned for it to be destroyed.  We must mourn over our sins as well. 


But what is the message for us of the Three Weeks?  Let me try to give a possible answer for this question:  The Three Weeks should be a time to remember and contemplate about the Beis Hamikdash, to think about how great it was, and also to remember our sins.  For, the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of our sins, and why is it not being rebuilt yet?  Because of our sins!  Ah, but now we see one of the lessons of The Three Weeks:  Since we know the things which I just mentioned, we can think about our own sins, and try to repent for them.  And if every Jew does Teshuvah, returns to Hashem, and tries very hard to stop sinning, then Hashem will rebuild the holy Beis Hamikdash very speedily in everyone's days! 


So The Three Weeks are a time for contemplation, a time for mourning and sadness - even on a personal level, because we know that we too, have sinned, and contributed to the Beis Hamikdash not being here currently.  This Holy House where we were able to serve Hashem to the ultimate level!  Think about this!  We must try to take the messages of The Three Weeks to heart, and hopefully, B'Ezras Hashem, put them into action. 


I will try to, B'Ezras Hashem Yisbarech, follow up this post at a later date with a post on Tisha B'Av.  And I sincerely hope that all these things help.


Have a wonderful day!
Refoel Berel




1 Stone Edition Chumash, Parshas Beshalach.  Artscroll/Mesorah Publications© Ltd.  

Parshas Pinchas

This Week’s Parsha – Pinchas:

This week’s parsha is Pinchas, and at first, Hashem talks about how Pinchas turned back His wrath from upon the Jews, when he avenged His vengeance.  As we discussed at the end of last parsha report, one of the princes of the Jews was doing a bad thing with a Midiani woman in public, and Pinchas killed them both with a spear, which was a very great thing in that case.  The people who did the sin – their names were Casbi and Zimri.  And since they were doing the thing was in public, it could have made the rest of the Jews think that that thing was okay, Chas V’Shalom/Hashem forbid.  Pinchas acted with zealousness, and killed them for Hashem.  What exactly is zealousness?  Mesilas Yesharim (written by the Ramchal zt”l) discusses the fact that a person should be zealous to do a good deed, and that they should think about whether what they are going to do is a good thing or not, and if it is, then you should do it, and if not, not.  Pinchas, as we are told, asked Moshe before doing what he did, and then he did it.  So he actually acted zealously in a proper manner.  By first, maintaining that the thing he was going to do was the right thing, and then he went and did it.  A lesson we can take for nowadays from this is that when we see a good thing that we can do, make sure that it is a good thing, and then go and do it!  This is very important. 

Now on to the parsha:  The first two pessukim/verses are:  ‘Vayi’daber Hashem el Moshe leimor.  Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen heishiv es chamasi mei’al B’nei Yisroel, bi’kano es kinasi bi’socham, vi’lo chilisi es B’nei Yisroel bi’kinasi/And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying.  Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the Kohen returned My wrath from upon the B’nei Yisroel, when he zealously avenged Me in their midst, and I did not destroy the B’nei Yisroel because of My wrath.’   First, the Tosher Rebbe (Rebbe Meshulam Feish Lowy zt”l) asks; why is the word ‘leimor/saying’ in this verse?  Usually, when the Torah uses the word ‘leimor/saying’ it means that the thing is supposed to be told over for all generations and to all Jews, but this looks like it needed to really only be told over to Pinchas!  So he quotes the Or HaChaim (HaRav Chaim ben Attar zt”l) who explains that maybe it was supposed to be told to the Jews to tell them that it was an incredible thing what Pinchas did.  But the Tosher Rebbe zt”l wants to give another answer:  He explains – based on something from the Zohar – that a Kohen is supposed to convert the middah/trait of Gevurah/strength; sternness, into the middah/trait of Chesed/kindness.  Pinchas was rewarded for his deed by becoming a Kohen, as we know.  So he explains that the word leimor/saying can go to teach us that this is indeed a lesson for all generations.  The lesson being that we all have to try to turn darkness into light, bitterness into sweetness, sternness into kindness, etc.  This is a very important thing, as he continues beautifully; we are all kind of like Kohanim, as the word Kohen is sort of a verb, meaning somebody who serves Hashem, and we all should be that!1  What a wonderful lesson!   

Back to the parsha:  On the second verse which I quoted, there are lots of Mefarshim/commentaries:  1) Rashi quotes from Gemara Sanhedrin 82b and the Midrashim, which explain that the Torah traces Pinchas’ lineage back to Aharon because the other tribes were saying bad things about him, because his mother’s father was Yisro, who, before converting, had fattened cows for sacrifices to idols.  Therefore, the Torah traced his lineage to Aharon, maybe sort of silencing the gossipers.  2) The Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt”l) comments on this as well, and, drawing on this Rashi, explains that fattening cows for slaughter to idols is an extremely cruel thing to do, and when Pinchas killed Zimri, the people thought that he had gotten a cruel nature from what his maternal grandfather, Yisro, used to do, and he wasn’t really acting out of zealousness for Hashem, but out of cruelness, Chas V’Shalom/Hashem forbid!  So, says the Rebbe zt”l, the Torah traces his lineage back to Aharon, showing everybody that his nature was actually peace-loving, like his paternal grandfather, and so he was acting out of zeal for Hashem for real.  Reb Menachem Mendel even continues and explains further that part of the greatness of Pinchas was that he actually went against his own peace-loving nature, by killing Zimri and Casbi, but it was for Hashem.2  We need to be able to go against our own natures as well, if it is a good thing and for Hashem.  3) On another note, many ask why the Torah says that Pinchas ‘zealously avenged Me in their midst’; why does Hashem say ‘bisocham/in their midst’?  So, the Kotzker Rebbe (Rebbe Menachem Mendel Morgenstern zt”l) explains that it teaches us that Pinchas, with his act, instilled in the Jews such a hate for that type of bad thing, that it was literally ‘in their midst’; i.e. it was inside of each Jew.  It was not just an outer show of hate for the sin, but he instilled it within them so strongly, that it was actually in their insides spiritually.3  This is connected to what it says in Tehillim (97:10) ‘Ohavei Hashem sin’u raa/You who love Hashem; hate evil’.  And this actually is very connected to the whole Pinchas affair:  He loved Hashem so much, so he also hated evil terribly, and so, when he saw the people desecrating Hashem’s Holy Name in public, he acted with zealousness, and killed them both.  Again, this is a big lesson for us – we need to love Hashem, and hate evil.  4) The Tosher Rebbe (Rebbe Meshulam Feish Lowy zt”l) now explains something on this verse:  He asks; why does the Hashem say that ‘Pinchas returned My wrath from upon the B’nei Yisroel’?  Would it not be more proper to write that he turned away Hashem’s wrath from the B’nei Yisroel, and not ‘returned’ it?  So he answers that this teaches us that Pinchas did not really turn away Hashem’s wrath from upon the Jews, but he actually returned it, as the verse says.  As Reb Lowy zt”l discussed above based on the Zohar, a Kohen is supposed to turn the attribute of sternness into kindness, and so Pinchas did not turn the anger away from the Jews, he ‘returned’ it, by doing the good thing which he did, and changed the anger of Hashem (which is part of the attribute of sternness sometimes) into the attribute of kindness (and Hashem stopped the plague).4  True, we deserved to all get punished terribly for how bad we sinned, but Hashem had mercy on us. 

Back to the parsha:  Hashem said that He was giving Pinchas His covenant of peace, and also, because of what he did, He was giving to him the eternal covenant of the Kahuna.  This made all of his descendants Kohanim as well.  Rashi explains that Pinchas had not been a Kohen until now, because, though he came from Aharon, he was born before Aharon was anointed as a Kohen.  We also learn this in Gemara Zevachim (101b), Rashi says.  In this Aliyah, Hashem tells Moshe about how we have to cause trouble to the Midianim and smite them, because of what they did to us with the idol Pe’or (the Jews served it a little) and with Casbi and Zimri (at the end of last parsha).  Hashem also tells Moshe and Elazar to count the Jews, from twenty years of age and up (up to 60, I believe).  The Torah lists a lot of families of the different Tribes, and also the Tribes’ numbers.  For Reuven:  43,730.  For Shimon:  22,200.  For Gad:  40,500.  For Yehuda:  76,500.  For Yissachar:  64,300.  For Zevulun:  60,500.  For Menashe:  52,700.  For Ephraim:  32,500.  For Binyamin:  45,600.  For Don:  64,400.  For Asher:  53,400.  For Naphtali:  45,400.  For all of the Jews:  601,730.  At the beginning of Shlishi/the third Aliyah, the Torah talks about the apportioning of the Land of Yisroel.  The smaller Tribes would get a smaller portion and the bigger Tribes a bigger one.  I believe that this teaches us a lesson in life:  A person might get a “smaller” portion in something, having less than his fellow, but just like the some Tribes got bigger portions of the Land, and others got smaller ones, and none of them complained, so too with us.  The fact is that even if it looks like we have a smaller portion, it is really all fair.  Hashem in His Infinite Wisdom apportions everything fairly, and even if it looks to us like it might be “unfair”, it is actually fair, as Hashem apportions what we get in life.  We must be happy with what we have, knowing that it all comes from Hashem, and everything which is supposed to come to us, Hashem will send. 

Back to the parsha:  Hashem says that the Land was to be apportioned through lots, and Rashi quotes from Gemara Bava Basra 122a and the Midrash, which explain that the lots were picked by Elazar the Kohen when inspired with Ruach HaKodesh/Divine Spirit.  Also, in this Aliyah, there is a census taken of the Leviim from one month of age and up, and the total number came out to 23,000.  Then, the Torah discusses how the daughters of Tzelophchad; Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah, came before Moshe, Elazar, the chieftains, and all of the Jews, and they told about how their father, Tzelophchad, had died in the Midbar/Wilderness, but he did not have any sons.  So they asked why his name should be eliminated from his family just because he had no sons to inherit him, and they requested that they inherit him.  So Moshe brought their case before Hashem.  Hashem told Moshe that the daughters of Tzelophchad spoke justly, and that he should give them an inheritance.  Then, Hashem tells Moshe the rules of inheritance:  If a person dies, and they do not have a son, then their inheritance is transferred to their daughter.  If they did not have a daughter, then it goes to their brothers.  If the person does not have any brothers, then it goes to their father’s brothers.  And if the person’s father did not have any brothers, then it goes to the family who is closest to the person.  Later in this Aliyah, Moshe asks Hashem to appoint a leader over the Jews, and Hashem tells him to take Yehoshua, and He tells him a lot of specifics of what to do to him.  In Chamishi/the fifth Aliyah, the Torah talks about different offerings.  Each day, two unblemished lambs in their first year had to be offered to Hashem as Olah/Burnt-offerings.  One was to be offered in the morning, and one in the evening.  There is a very beautiful Chassidishe Gem which I will say on this topic:  There is a Chassidishe Master who explains that when the Torah says ‘Olas tamid/a continual Burnt-offering’ it teaches us a very important lesson:  The word Olah means to go up, and the word tamid means always, or continual, so this verse teaches us, explains this Master, that a person should always (tamid) go upwards (Olah) in serving Hashem.5  This is a very important lesson for everybody, though it may be sometimes hard, we should always try to take this advice and, B’Eizer Hashem/With the Help of Hashem, put it into action. 

Back to the parsha:  In the last two Aliyos, the Torah discusses the Holidays and the offerings which you offer on them.  Nowadays, when we do not have the Beis HaMikdash, we can only do the special prayers on these days.  May Hashem rebuild the Beis HaMikdash very speedily in everyone’s days, and then we will be able to offer these special offerings again, Amein, so may it be His Will! 

There are 168 pessukim/verses in this parsha.

Have a great Shabbos everyone!

Refoel Berel

1 YUTorah Online.  Tosher Rebbe - Avodas Avodah:  Parshas Pinchas.  Shiur given by Rav Gedaliah Jaffe shlita.

2 Chabad.org.  Parsha in-depth; Parshas Pinchas. 

3 TorahAnytime.com.  Teaching of the Chassidic Masters:  Stories, Insights, and Customs.  Shiur given by Rav Doody Rosenberg shlita. 

4 YUTorah Online.  Tosher Rebbe - Avodas Avodah:  Parshas Pinchas.  Shiur given by Rav Gedaliah Jaffe shlita.

5 TorahAnytime.com.  Chassidic Gems:  Parashat Pinchas.  Shiur given by Rebbe Elyakim Rosenblatt shlita. 

Parshas Balak

This Week’s Parsha – Balak:

This week’s parsha is Balak, and it discusses mostly the ordeal with Bilaam and the curse-turned-into-blessing for the Jews. Balak was afraid of the Jews, and so he hired Bilaam to curse them. That is why he hired Bilaam – because he wanted him to curse the Jews so they would not be able to beat him in battle. But, in the end, Hashem made sure that Bilaam did not curse the Jews, and instead, He had him bless them! Hashem is so kind always, and we tend to hardly even notice. He protects us more than we even know! And, aside from that, we do not tend to appreciate the great things which we find ‘normal’. Such as breathing; we must do this almost every second of every single day and night. But we tend not to think about it – thinking that breathing is just a regular thing. In reality, however, it is a great gift from Hashem! So what we come out with is that Hashem does essentially everything for us, and we don’t pay much attention to it. Is this not the height of ungratefulness? And Hashem is surely not happy with this. Imagine; somebody gives you some great gifts, and you just take them, say a quick "Thanks" and walk away – not showing any gratefulness. How foolish this is! So, what we must all do is start to contemplate and realize how much Hashem truly gives us. Contemplate each thing that you have; the fact that Hashem gave it to you, and how great it truly is. And this way, B’Eizer Hashem/with the Help of Hashem, we will come to appreciate the great gifts which Hashem gives to us. Hashem will be happy with this surely! It is very important to work individually on each of our middos/traits, trying to refine them always. It is very hard to just say "I’ll do good things and be a good person" – you have to work on each individual trait, and keep refining all of them. This way, we will all be much, much better people, and we will serve Hashem a lot better. We must try to refine all of our traits. We must try! And may Hashem help us all to do this, Amein, so may it be His Will. These things are very important.

And now on to the parsha: The first passuk/verse in the parsha is: ‘Vayar Balak ben Tzippor, eis kol asher asah Yisroel laEmori/And Balak son of Tzippor saw all that Israel did to the Emori.’ First, Rashi quotes from Midrash Tanchuma, which explains that Balak was really scared because the Jews had just beaten the giants, Sichon and Og, whom he and his nation relied on, so, all the more so, if the Jews attacked him and his nation, they would obviously beat them.

Also on this verse, the Trisker Maggid (Rebbe Avraham of Trisk zt"l) asks; what exactly does Emori mean? True, it means the nation of the Emorim, but it can also come from the word ‘emor’ which means ‘to say’. Thus, we can translate this verse like this: ‘And Balak son of Tzippor saw all that Israel had done to saying things’, i.e. to speech. This teaches us that a big power of the Jewish People is their speech. We can Daven to Hashem, speak words of Torah, etc.1 We need to concentrate on using our speech for good things, and we need to appreciate the great power of speech. After all, the only creature to whom Hashem really gave the ability to talk was a person. It is a precious gift that must be used the right way. Back to the parsha: The Torah discusses the fact that the nation of Moav was very afraid of the Jews, because they were very numerous. But, the Chassidishe Masters point out that there is something that does not seem to look right in this passuk/verse. When talking about how numerous the Jews were, the Torah says ‘Ki rav hu/Because they were numerous’. ‘Rav hu’ is in the singular, as if talking about one person, they explain, when it looks like, since the Torah is talking about the entire Jewish People, it should be in the plural form, ‘Ki rabim heim’! So they explain beautifully that, the Torah is telling us that the entire Jewish People was like one person – all together with Achdus/togetherness and ‘brotherly love’ (thus the singular form), and that is what Moav was afraid of!2 The Jews were all working together, and that is likely more dangerous to fight against than a very large nation that is not together. We must work on having Achdus/togetherness and brotherly love today, as, unfortunately, we have not had as much nowadays, and we need to work on this. Back to the parsha: The Moavim were very afraid that the Jews would annihilate them, so Balak sent messengers to Bilaam, telling him about how the Jews covered the ‘eye’ of the land, i.e. they had a lot of people. And he wanted Bilaam to curse them, because they were mightier than him and his nation, and he was hoping that if Bilaam cursed the Jews, then he and the Moavim would be able to wage war on them, and drive them away. The elders of Moav and Midian went to Bilaam and delivered the message which Balak had said. Bilaam told them to stay with him for the night, and he would tell them if he could curse the Jews after Hashem spoke to him. Now, Bilaam was a prophet, meaning that Hashem spoke to him.

Rashi quotes from the Midrash, which explains that Hashem gave the non-Jews a prophet, who could hear things from Him, so that they could not say that they did bad things because they did not have somebody telling them what Hashem wanted from them. Hashem gave them Bilaam, who was a prophet, but they still did bad things. Now, the Sages tell us that Bilaam was on the level of Moshe Rabbeinu in prophecy. But obviously, we know that Moshe was so much greater than Bilaam! So how could the Sages say this? Answers the Ksav Sofer (HaRav Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer zt"l), Moshe and Bilaam were both given the gift of prophecy, but there was a major difference between them; Moshe worked to be a good person and to refine his talent, but Bilaam used his talent for bad things, and rebelled against Hashem. So, at first, he continues beautifully, they were sort of on the same level in prophecy, but Moshe worked to get better and use stuff for good, but Bilaam did the opposite.3 In fact, the Gadol HaDor, HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leiv Shteinman shlita says around the same thing. He discusses the fact that Moshe refined his middos/character traits, and Bilaam did not. And middos/character traits, he explains, are so important, and so the powers of prophecy that were given to Bilaam were sort of ruined by his bad middos/character traits.4 These are very important messages. Back to the parsha: Hashem came to Bilaam in the night, and asked him who the men with him were. Obviously He knew, but, according to the interpretation of Rashi quoting from the Midrash, Hashem said this to open a conversation with Bilaam. But maybe we can say there is a deeper meaning behind it. Maybe, Hashem asked him this, not because, Chas V’Shalom/Hashem forbid, He did not know who the people were, but to sort of try to make Bilaam think about what he was doing – make Bilaam think about why the people were there. Hashem wants to help us, and He gives us lots of messages, but are we taking them and stopping ourselves form doing bad things, or are we just doing what we want? These things need to be thought about. Back to the parsha: Bilaam told Hashem that Balak had sent the men to him, and told him basically the message that Balak had had sent to him, which we listed earlier. And Hashem told him that he should not go with the people, and he should not curse the Jews, because they are blessed. Look how Hashem protects us! He is so kind! Bilaam got up in the morning, and told the officers that they should go back to their land, because Hashem had refused to let him go with them. The officers left him, and told Balak that he refused to go with them. So Balak continued to send officers, but ones who were higher than the previous ones. They came to Bilaam and told him what Balak had said, essentially asking him again to come with them. Bilaam told them basically that he couldn’t disobey Hashem no matter what.

Bilaam asked these people to stay with him overnight as well. And that night, Hashem came to Bilaam again, and He told him that if the people had come to call for him to go with them, but only what He spoke to Him, he should speak. Rashi explains "If the calling is for you, and you expect payment for it, arise and go with them." However, the question still arises; why did Hashem now let Bilaam go with the people? The great Vilna Gaon (HaRav Eliyahu Kramer zt"l) answers that, in the Hebrew language, there are two words for ‘with’ – את and עם. The word עם, he explains, connotes going completely with something, not just physically going with, but agreeing with, etc. However, the word את can connote more of just a superficial going with, maybe just physically. If you notice, the Gaon explains beautifully, when Hashem told Bilaam not to go with the people, He told him not to go Imahem/with them’ with the root of עם, the deeper sense of going with, but when He told Bilaam that he could go, He used the term ‘Itam/with them’, the root being the word את, implying that He was telling him that he could ride with them to Balak, but not go with them in a more spiritual sense.5 This is a very beautiful explanation. Back to the parsha: In the morning, Bilaam got up, saddled his she-donkey, and went with the Moavi people. Hashem got very angry that Bilaam was going, and He put an Angel on the road to impede him. At first, the question would seem to arise, why did Hashem get angry, when He told Bilaam that he could go with the people?! But, if we use the explanation of the Vilna Gaon zt"l which we quoted above, we can easily answer this question: Hashem allowed Bilaam to physically go with the officers of Moav, but not to go with them in the same mindset – that is, to curse the Jews. And a proof for this; if you notice, when the Torah says that Bilaam went with the officers of Moav, it uses the word עם, implying that he went in the same mindset as the officers, which Hashem did not let him do.  As Rashi says "His heart was the same as theirs." Bilaam really hated the Jews, and his intention was to do bad to them. This explains why Hashem was angry. Back to the parsha: The donkey saw the Angel, but Bilaam didn’t, and the Angel had a sworn drawn, and so the she-donkey strayed into a field. Bilaam beat the donkey to get it onto the road. Then, the Angel stood on a path in the vineyards, with a fence on both sides. The donkey saw it, and pressed up against the wall, pressing Bilaam’s leg against the wall, and so he struck her again. The Angel kept going ahead, and it stood in a narrow place, where there was no space on either side of it. So the donkey crouched down with Bilaam, and Bilaam beat it again. Hashem let the donkey speak, and it asked Bilaam why he had struck it the three times. Bilaam replied that it was because the donkey had humiliated him, and if he had his sword, he would kill it!

The donkey essentially asked rhetorically if she was the donkey that he had ridden on ever since he started until this point, and also, if she was accustomed to do that to him, and he answered "No." Then Hashem opened Bilaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel, and he bowed and prostrated himself (which was a sign of respect). The Angel asked Bilaam why he had struck his donkey the three times, and it told him that if the donkey had not turned away, he (the Angel) would have killed him already, and spared the donkey. Bilaam admitted that he had sinned, and he said that if it displeased the Angel (if he would keep going), he would return. The Angel (which only says what Hashem wants it to) told Bilaam that he should go with the men, but should only say what Hashem speaks to him. So when Balak heard that Bilaam was coming, he went out to greet him. And Bilaam had to tell him that he could only speak what Hashem told him to. As we see in the next parts of this parsha, Bilaam had wished to curse the Jews, but Hashem, in His Kindness, told him to bless them, and so Bilaam blessed us a lot. At the end of the parsha, the Jews stray and start to go after idols. One particular Jew was doing a bad thing with a non-Jew in public, and Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon the Kohen saw it, and he took a spear, and killed them both – which in this case, was a very great thing.

Just a final commentary for this parsha report: The Chassidishe Masters note that the Gematria/numerical value of the Hebrew word used here for ‘spear’ – רמח, is 248. This corresponds, they say, to the 248 limbs a person has in their body. So what does this teach us? It teaches us, they explain beautifully, that a person must use all of their 248 limbs for Hashem, just like Pinchas went and fearlessly killed the people doing the bad thing in public, for Hashem.6 We must take this message to heart, B’Eizer Hashem/with the Help of Hashem. May Hashem help everyone to do this, Amein, so may it be His Will.

There are 104 pessukim/verses in this parsha.

Have a great Shabbos!

Refoel Berel

1 TorahAnytime.com©.  'Chassidic Gems on Parshas Balak'.  Shiur given by HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlita.  Also, YUTorah Online.com.  'Parshas Balak 5776: Balak's Biggest Fear: A Jewish Teffilah'.  Shiur given by Ari Mirzoeff shlita. 
2 TorahAnytime.com©.  'Chassidic Gems on Parshas Balak'.  Shiur given by HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlita.
3 TorahAnytime.com©.  'Pre-Slichot D'rasha'.  Shiur given by HaRav Noach Isaac Oelbaum shlita. 
4 Bircas.org - Yeshiva Bircas HaTorah.  'Parshas Balak 5775'. 
5 Yioceanside.org.  'Musings on Parshat Balak (1/1)'.  By Rabbi H.L. Berenholz shlita.6 TorahAnytime.com©.  'Chassidic Gems on Parshas Balak'.  Shiur given by HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlita.

Mussar Drosha: Balak

Mussar for Parshas Balak:

In this parsha, Balak hires Bilaam to curse the Jews for him, however, Hashem makes sure that instead of cursing the Jews, Bilaam gives them great blessings!  One of the Berachos (blessings) which Bilaam gave us was 'Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishkinosecha Yisroel.', which means 'How goodly are your tents O' Yaakov!  Your dwelling places O' Israel!' 

 

I would like to share with you an explanation of this verse that I thought of very recently, actually, Baruch Hashem:  As we are told, Yisroel is the spiritual name of Yaakov, and it can connote the very spiritual Jewish people, such as B'nei Torah and Gedolim.  Also, as we know, a 'tent' is more like a temporary place, while a 'dwelling place' connotes a more permanent place.  But they both sort of imply a place of Torah study, just one more temporary and one more permanent.  So what does all this have in connection to the verse? 

 

Let me explain, as I believe that all this teaches us a beautiful Mussar lesson: 'Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov' ('How goodly are your tents O' Yaakov!'):  'Yaakov' can refer to regular Jews, as we explained above, 'Yisroel', as we are told, is a more spiritual name for Yaakov, and can imply people such as Tzaddikim and Gedolim.  A 'tent' is a place for studying Torah, yes, but in this case, being mentioned next to a 'dwelling place', it connotes a temporary place - somewhere you are only in sometimes.  Thus, let us interpret the verse like this: 

 

'Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov,' How goodly it is even when just a regular Jew sometimes goes to learn Torah ('Yaakov' implying a regular Jew, and 'tent' implying a temporary dwelling place),  'mishkinosecha Yisroel!', and when B'nei Torah sit and learn always in the Beis Midrash.  (Thus it is their 'dwelling place').   

 

One might think that if they are just a regular Jew, and they go to learn Torah only sometimes, the Beis Midrash being a temporary dwelling place for them, it is not that good or important.  But this verse is teaching us that it is actually very important, as it says 'How goodly are your tents O' Yaakov!'  Every single good thing which we do is precious to Hashem; He does not overlook anything.  Thus, even if you have to be working most of the day, and then you come home sort of late, and go just learn even a little, that is extremely precious to Hashem!  Don't get discouraged and think that your Torah is not important; it is very important! 

 

In fact, this ties very much in to a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov zt"l.  He taught that even when a man comes home, exhausted from a hard day at work, and says 'Oy, it's almost sundown', and they go and Daven a quick Minchah, the Heavenly Angels tremble from the holiness of that prayer!1  And one might have thought that this was a lowly prayer!  Now, this does not give us the excuse, Chas V'Shalom (Hashem forbid) to Daven a low quality Davening if we are able to do better, and are in a better situation.  But for someone who hardly has time to Daven (may Hashem help them get into a better situation soon) they must realize, their Davening is still very precious to Hashem.  If we truly try our best to serve Hashem, then He will be very happy.  It is, yes, hard to truly try our best, and one who says "I try my best" is almost always lying.  However, let us try to try our best, and Hashem will help us to do better and better.  But we must try! 

 

Now, let us turn to the second part of the verse, 'mishkinosecha Yisroel' ('your dwelling places O' Israel'):  A Ben Torah, who sits and learns all day is doing a very good thing.  Learning Torah is a very precious thing, and it helps to uphold the entire People of Yisroel.  These people must remember that, they should keep their learning up, as, just because they learn nearly all day, it doesn't make any second of Torah study less important.  Every single second of a good deed, of Torah study, etc. is extremely precious to Hashem.  Every single second that you are learning is another precious second.  Don't detract from this and waste time. 

 

We should be zocheh (have the merit) to take all these important messages to heart, and meditate upon them.  And may Hashem help us all to do this. 

 

And in the merit of trying to try our best to serve Hashem to the best of our abilities, may Hashem send Moshioch very speedily in everyone's days.  Amein, so may it be His Will. 

 

Have a great day everyone, and I hope to read your comment on this!

 

Refoel Berel

 

1 Four Chassidic Masters, pages 14-15.  A PocketScroll© book.  ShaarPress© publications.