Parashas Acharei Mos & Kedoshim - It's not hard to learn the entire Torah while standing on one foot !

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Aliyah Neshama: Rachamin Ben Adina
May your soul be spiritually uplifted and judged with mercy
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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This weeks parasha is doubled up again; Parashas Acharei Mos and Kedoshim. I am only choosing one to speak about, and chose something which I felt has an EXTREMELY important message: Parashas Kedoshim: Ve'ahavta Le're'acha Kamocha - Loving your friend like you love yourself.

Rabbi Akiva said, "This is the fundamental principle in Torah." [1] By instilling this concept in yourself, it will help you avoid committing numerous transgressions, making you more considerate to others.

A story is told where a non-Jew came over to the sage Hillel, and asked him, "Please convert me to Judaism on condition you teach me the entire Torah while standing on one foot." Hillel accepted and told him, "This is the Torah in a nutshell: Whatever is hateful to you, don't do it to others! Now go study the implications and ramifications of this principle!"[2]

There are lots of opportunities every single day, which take awareness to recognize. A couple questions to ask ourselves:

1) Let's say there are two pieces of cake on the dinner table, one larger than the other. Which one would you offer your friend and which one would you take for yourself?

2) You are on a bus and you see someone standing, carrying many bags. Meanwhile you are sitting comfortably, holding onto nothing. Do you ask him to take your seat, or at least ask to help hold some of his bags; OR do you carry on sitting, feeling good about yourself for getting on the bus at an earlier stop?

3) How about when you are with a group of people who are speaking bad about a specific person. Do you have the courage to tell them to stop talking about that person? Or the very least, show your disapproval for this conversation by leaving the room?

A lesson I learned in Parashas Kedoshim is that the answer to these questions are dependent on whether you love that other person like you love yourself. One should always ask themselves, "What if I was in my friend's shoes, what would I want?" Would I like the bigger piece of cake? If so, maybe I should serve it to my friend. OR How would I feel if I was carrying all those bags home from a long day of shopping and now I am tired, but must stand throughout the whole bus ride? Maybe I should get up for this person, or at least hold onto his luggages. OR Would I like it if I was the one being spoken about? Maybe I should try to stop this negative conversation right away!

May we merit to succeed in treating others the way we want to be treated.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Yerushalmi Nedarim 9:4
[2] Shabbos 31a

Parashas Tazria & Metzora - WARNING! Acting miserly can cause embarrassment!

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Aliyah Neshama: Moshe Ben Zvi Hirsch
and
Aliyah Neshama: Aliza Rochel Bas Chaim Tzvi
May your soul be spiritually uplifted and judged with mercy
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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This week we read Parasha Tazria and Metzora. They both deal with the subject of Tzara'as, leprosy, and what happens if a person is afflicted with this condition. The Tzara'as mentioned in the Torah is different from the medical condition 'leprosy' we know of. It was an affliction during the times of the Bais Hamikdash, which would manifest itself in white patches (and discolorations) which appeared on the wrongdoer's skin, house, vessels, or garments.

There were many things which caused Tzara'as: Idol worshipping, immorality, murder, desecration of Hashem's Name, theft, speaking bad of others, taking a false oath, conceit etc...

There was another one: acting stingy or ungenerous. Usually Tzara'as would break out on the house first as a warning to repent. If the warning wasn't taken seriously, it would proceed to the garments and eventually on the person's body.

When tzara'as was spotted on the walls of their house, their vessels had to be cleared out. Everything in their house was now taken out for the public to see. A reason was so that the tumah (contamination) by the house would not spread onto other items. Alternatively, if someone previously came to borrow a pot and the owner (trying to find an excuse not to lend it) said, 'I don't own one', or 'I had just lent it to someone else', he would now be humiliated because all his vessels were seen by the public. The person who was refused by the owner would ask, "I thought you didn't have a pot!" or "I thought someone else was borrowing it, but I see you had it all along."

That was a punishment Hashem gave because He disapproves when people act like misers. We have certain halachas (laws) which tell us to lend our things out to others.

There's a mitzva in the Torah to lend money to others, specifically to a poor person. [1] Money isn't the only thing one gets a mitzvah for lending, rather, other items as well, such as pots, pans, clothing, food etc... It says in the posuk, "Because Hashem desires (chesed) generosity." [2] Every time we do something generous, we score brownie points with Hashem. Chesed doesn't only mean to someone who is poor, but to anybody.

A lesson I learned from this week's parasha: Sometimes it is better to lend out items than to make a person feel bad. I am sure if someone's items were to be exposed after he/she just refused lending them, they would be humiliated. What if you just told a person you didn't have that item they wanted to borrow, and all of a sudden they see it in your possession? They would feel horrible. They would start to question whether you trusted them or not. Hashem was trying to show us something by making the wrongdoer empty out his house. Hashem was saying, "Don't think you can get away with being a miser. You have these items because of Me, now do a chesed and lend it to others."

I am not saying we should be lending out our things to anybody under any circumstances. You are definitely justified in taking precaution with your object to prevent damage. Suppose there is someone who is irresponsible, and you know they will be negligent with your personal property? I don't think you are obligated to lend it out. However, you should also take precaution against hurting your friend's feelings.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Shemos 22:24
[2] Micha 7:18

Parashas Shemini - Can you get angry 3 times in 120 years?

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Aliyah Neshama: Rachamim ben Adina
May your soul be spiritually uplifted and judged with mercy.
&
Refua Shelema: Tzvi ben Esther
May you have a quick recovery.

(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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Even though this week’s parasha is short, there is still a lot to talk about; The Mishkan’s inauguration, the deaths of Nadav and Avihu (Aharon’s two sons), the commandment of not drinking alcoholic beverages before performing the avoda (service in the Temple), etc…

In this week’s dvar Torah, I would like to touch upon something we deal with occasionally, anger.

In the forth aliyah (portion), Moshe told Aharon and his two remaining sons, “Although you are mourners, you must partake in the sacrifice offerings…” When Rosh Chodesh (the new month) arrived, which is a time to give offerings, there were three goats offered as a sin offering. One of them was completely burned. When Moshe inquired whether Aharon and his sons had eaten the offerings, he heard it had been burnt. Moshe got angry because his specific instructions were to partake in eating them. [1]

Moshe questioned, “Why didn’t you eat your portions of the sacrifice (of Rosh Chodesh) just as you did of the mincha offering?” He suggested different reasons as to why they did not partake in it. “Did it become invalid? Was it unfit for consumption because it was taken outside the courtyard which would invalidate it?” etc… [1]

Aharon replied back to Moshe, “It is true that Hashem commanded the Kohanim to partake in the offerings sacrificed at the altar’s inauguration (despite being mourners,) however, for something which is a permanent sacrifice (for all generations) such as the Rosh Chodesh offering, partaking in it would not be permitted by a mourner.” [1]

Moshe then admitted to Aharon that he was correct in this law. Moshe made sure everyone heard that he had erred in the halacha and Aharon corrected him. Chazal say the reason Moshe forgot that halacha was because he became angry. [2] The Gemara says, "Wisdom leaves a person who becomes angry".[3] There were three times Moshe became angry in the Torah and all three times he forgot a halacha. [4]

Ohr Hachaim asks, "the Medrash seems to imply that before Moshe became angry, he knew the halacha of not eating this offering. If that's the case, then what was it that prompted Moshe’s anger on Aharon?" He answers that the cause of his anger must have been different. He suggests that Moshe became angry because Aharon apparently had ruled on the matter of these offerings himself, without consulting his Rebbi. Once Moshe became angry, he forgot the halacha regarding the offering and inquired why it was burned.

All three times Moshe got angry, however, he had the right intentions. In this week’s parasha, Moshe was worried that if Aharon’s sons did not do their job correctly, they might have been punished like Nadav and Avihu (their brothers) which would eventually lead to their deaths.

A lesson I learned from this week’s parasha: Besides getting angry which has a consequence of forgetting vital information, Moshe got angry three times in all 120 years of his life! The character of 'anger' is sometimes hard to control, but for Moshe we see it came naturally. Even the times Moshe became angry, his intentions were pure.

We should all merit to control ourselves, and use our character traits correctly to serve Hashem.

Good Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] 10:12-20
[2] Vayikra Rabba 13:1
[3] Pesachim 66b
[4] Sifri 31:21

Pesach 5769-2009 - Ha Lachma Anya

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Aliyah Neshama: Rachamim ben Adina
May your soul be spiritually uplifted and judged with mercy
&
Refua Shelema: Tzvi ben Esther
May you have a quick recovery!
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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In a couple of days, we are going to be celebrating the holiday of Pesach. Holidays can get really hectic. An example is something we prepare for every week, Shabbos. I think it is amazing how no matter what time we start preparing for Shabbos, there’s always something else left to do. Whether Shabbos starts at five o’clock or eight, we always find ourselves needing a little more time.

My wife is a cook for a Yeshiva in Yerushalayim. Occasionally she goes in on Fridays to finish cooking for them. It’s dependant on how many guys (and Rabbis) are ‘in’ for that Shabbos. Sometimes, she gets back a couple hours before Shabbos, not giving us enough time to cook for our selves. We have very good friends, with whom we literally spend at least one meal together every Shabbos. They know that on ‘In-Shabbosim’ it’s hectic for us, and invite us out for a meal, sometimes two. I was going through a commentary on the haggada when I fell upon something I can really relate to.

We start off the section of Maggid (in our seder) with “Ha Lachma Anya – This is the bread of a poor person” while raising the Matza in our hands.

The Rabbis ask, “Why is Matza called ‘Lechem Ani – A poor man's bread’?”

The Orchos Chaim answers: When we say in Ha Lachma Anya, "Whoever wants to join us, come and eat." It means that since we were rushing to get out of Egypt and didn’t have time to make bread, we only made matzos because the process wasn't as time consuming. Alternatively, there might have been those who didn’t have time to bake at all, so in essence we are also saying, "If you didn’t have time to prepare for Pesach, and you don’t have anything, please join us for our meal!”

When I saw this Orchos Chaim, it reminded me of the good friends we have and how they are always there for us.

We live not far from the Yeshivah-Kollel I learn in. We are always having bochurim (students) for shabbos. I once asked a Rav in the neighborhood, “What is the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim (bringing guests into your home)? Are we doing hachnasas orchim by having these bochurim over for shabbos?” He answered, “If they do not have any food for shabbos and need a meal; then you have fulfilled the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim. If they have food in yeshiva and you just have them over as company then it’s a mitzvah but not the mitzah of hachnasas orchim.”

Perhaps we can see this Rav’s answer in Ha Lachma Anya. It translates in English as: This is the bread of the poor that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry (who don’t have food) may come and eat. All who are needy, come and celebrate the Pesach festival… This shows that the mitzvah goes to those who don’t have and are needy of it, otherwise it would have omitted the underlined statements above.

A lesson I learned from the opening paragraph of Ha Lachma Anya (in the very beginning of Maggid) is to open our house to those who need it. If we see someone who is hungry and we have food to spare, don’t throw it out. We can always find someone who can use it.

Chag Kosher vSameach,
Nisso

Parashas Tzav - You can always knock on My door!

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Aliyah Neshama: Rachamim ben Adina
May your soul be spiritually uplifted and judged with mercy
&
Refua Shelema: Tzvi ben Esther
May you have a quick recovery!
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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We established last week that Sefer Vayikra has a lot to do with Kohanim (Priests) and their work. One of their jobs was bringing korbonos (sacrifices.) Not all sacrifices are brought to atone for a person’s sin. Some were given as a thanksgiving. The purpose of korbonos is to bring us closer to Hashem. The word ‘korbon’ comes from the root word of ‘karov’ (closeness).

The one bringing a korbon (as an atonement) would be greatly humbled while witnessing the slaughtering, butchering and burning process of the animal. [1] Some of us experience this right before Yom Kippur when doing kaparos (atonement) - by waving a chicken over our heads, saying, “This chicken should be slaughtered in our place, for the sins we’ve committed,” witnessing the chicken’s death. *

In this week’s Parasha, we learn about the mitzvah of having the fire on the Altar constantly lit. The Torah says twice, “The fire on the Altar shall be lit with it" (the sacrifices will be ignited by the constant fire); and also “a continual fire shall be burning on the Altar”, all within the first six pesukim. The Gemara says [2] there were two fires on the Altar every day - one called 'Ma'aracha Gedola' which was used for all the burnings of the sacrificial animals, [3] and one for the ketores (incense). There was a third one as well, according to Rav Yossi, that was there to fulfill the requirement of the Torah to have fire on the Altar at all times. [4] Even when it rained over the flame, it never got extinguished.

I remember when my parents took my siblings and I on vacation. We went on a tour around a very nice neighborhood. The tour guide over the microphone told us, “You will notice around us in a lot of houses, there are candles constantly lit the whole night by their windows. Those candles indicate that if anyone of you were ever in trouble, whether you were hungry or needed a place to stay, you can always knock on their doors at any time during the night.”

To me, the constant fire burning on the alter is like Hashem is telling us, “I am always going to be here. If you need (or want) to bring Me a korbon, don’t worry about the time it would take to ignite a flame. It is constantly lit and I am always ready for you to ‘come close’.”

A lesson I learned in this week's parasha is that whenever you feel like you are in trouble or distant from Hashem, it’s never too late to ask for forgiveness or to 'ignite' a kesher (connection) with Him. He is telling us, “If you feel it’s too late at night (or in life) to knock on My door, don’t worry about that. It’s never too late!”

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Ramban Vayikra 1:9
[2] Yoma 33a
[3] Rashi
[4] Yoma 45a
*Note: I have omitted many details pertaining the services of Korbonos.