Parashas Matos & Masei - Blaming Others

No one gets injured by someone or something accidentally or because of 'bad luck'. All misfortunes are providentially caused by Hashem through specific agents for reasons known to Him alone.

Let's say you were at a baseball game and the ball happens to hit you on the head (whether you were in the game or in the audience.) You might think to yourself something 'negative' about the pitcher, and not, “It was min ha'shemayim.”

Suppose you were the ball's destination and that ball was only acting as an agent to Hashem. It had nothing to do with the pitcher.

What if you were walking by an object and you got hurt by it, whether hitting your toe on the leg of a couch, or scraping your arm against a sharp edge of the table, or simpler, you got a paper cut. You wouldn't blame the object for causing your misfortune.

So what's the difference between objects and people? Sure, you can rationalize: “People have control of their actions, however, objects don't. People should be more careful, yada yada yada.”

It says in Masechta Makkos 10b, “How does Hashem punish two murderers – one who murdered accidentally and one who murdered on purpose? Hashem causes both people to cross paths with each other. He sets up a scene with witnesses where the man - who murdered accidentally - came down a ladder and fell upon the man who murdered on purpose. The deliberate murderer was killed, thus receiving the penalty due to him, where the inadvertent murderer also receives his punishment; Ahrei Miklat.

In Parashas Masei, the Torah speaks about the severity of bloodshed. Someone who kills accidentally is punished by sending him to the Ahrei Miklat (Cities of Refuge) where he must stay until the death of the Kohen Gadol and only then may he return home.

Hashem has many agents on this world. You can also be an agent without even knowing it. In the above gemara, we see an example of Hashem's many plans for punishment.

Maybe the next time we get hurt, either by another person, or by an object – we can do a chesbon hanefesh and ask what it was we did wrong and try to correct it and repent instead of blaming the other party.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

Parashas Pinchas - The Love for Torah

In Parashas Pinchas, Moshe davened to Hashem asking for someone to take his place as a leader; someone who will be able to guide and advise every type of issue brought by Bnei Yisrael; someone who is also able to muster up an army to fight against their enemies, and - of course - someone who will devote himself to the communal needs of Klal Yisroel and daven on their behalf.

Hashem told Moshe that He already appointed someone. Hashem felt that Yehoshua would be best for this position. Hashem explained the reason He chose Yehoshua, as opposed to Moshe's sons, was because Yehoshua had a special ahava for Torah. He invested every last ounce of strength to learn Torah and gain wisdom.

Besides learning Torah 'all day and night', Yehoshua came to the Bais Midrash early each day and left late every night in order to arrange the benches and mats for the Rebbeim and Talmidim to use. He served his Rebbeim and Hashem with love, disregarding his own needs. [1]

There's a posuk in Mishlei that says, “He who guards the fig tree shall eat its fruit, and he who serves his master, shall be honored.”

Yehoshua was zocheh to be appointed as the next leader because he served his master with love.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso