קטרת - INCENSE

The story of Korach and his confederates and their rebellion against Moshe and Aharon is well known. The result of it was that Korach, Doson and Aviram and all their families, children as well as grown ups, were buried alive. In addition, there were 250 people who were נשיאי עדה קראי מועד אנשי שם, princes of the community, called to all important meetings, well known people. These men had been instructed by Moshe to (together with Korach) take fire pans and bring קטרת, incense with the idea of proving who should really be the person who brings this offering which until then had always been brought by Aharon (or his two sons).

These 250 people were, in fact, burnt alive. The Torah then tells us that Moshe commanded Elozor the son of Aharon to take the fire pans on which the incense had been placed and hammer them out round the מזבח as a sign of what had happened and a remembrance for the Jewish people that nobody other than Aharon or his children should bring קטרת and they should not be like Korach and his congregation. ולא יהיה כקרח וכעדתו.

The very next day the whole of the Bnei Yisroel gathered up against Moshe and Aharon accusing them of having killed, אתם המיתם את עם ה', Hashem was very angry and threatened to kill them all. Moshe then commanded Aharon to take a fire pan, place fire on it and then put the קטרת thereon, run out into the congregation who was standing near the אהל מועד, the tent of assembly, in order to stop the נגף, the plague which had commenced among the people. The Torah continues that Aharon did so and he stood between the living and the dead and stopped the plague. This was after 14,700 people had died in that short time.

Before trying to understand the details of this incident, I believe that greater focus on and understand of the mitzvah of bringing קטרת is important. The Torah tells us that there was a small, golden, altar, which was placed in the היכל adjacent to the קודש קדשים, the Holy of Holies. Twice daily, morning and afternoon, incense, קטרת, had to be brought by a Kohen on behalf of the whole Bnei Yisroel. We are told in כי תשא how to create this special incense and the Gemora goes into great detail of the eleven ingredients, four of them being of substantial weight, others of smaller amounts but all having to blend together. The Torah tells us ושחקת ממנה הדק, you should grind them together finely.

Interestingly, not all of these ingredients produced sweet smelling aromas. Some were sickly, some sharp and one, the חלבנה, galbanum, had an unpleasant smell. Nevertheless, we were commanded to mix all these ingredients together and then present them as the קטרת.

Not only did this have to be brought twice every day in the year, but on Yom Kippur, the Kohen Godol brought a special offering of קטרת into the קודש קדשים, the Holy of Holies. This was the apex of all the procedures of atonement which took place on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

What was so special about the קטרת and its obvious beneficial effect for the whole of the Jewish people? It represented creating a special aroma which went up in clouds of smoke and was to enable Hashem to look more favourably on the Jewish People. It consisted of all this variety of ingredients producing different aromas and smells because it, in total, was representing all the types in the Jewish People. Rashi, in fact, comments in כי תשא, ל-לה, that the inclusion of the חלבנה was to teach us that when the Jewish people prayed for help they should not refrain from including even פושעי ישראל, the deliberate sinners. Rashi continues שיהיו נמנין עמנו, that they should be counted (included) with us. The message is clear that the קטרת represents an all inclusive set of aromas. Furthermore, ten is the number which is considered a Holy number of Jews. A מנין must have a minimum of ten people. Here we have eleven ingredients, because the eleventh one, the חלבנה is included together with ten others, representing righteous people etc.

We now begin to understand why it was that Korach plus the 250 men, wanted to bring the קטרת. It was the highest and most elevated sacrifice, almost spiritual in nature. It was much less tangible than the animal offerings which were brought each day.

We learn in the sedra שמיני that on the day of the consecration of the Mishkon, when the whole of the Bnei Yisroel were on a high, two sons of Aharon, namely נדב and אביהו took אש זרה, strange fire, that is not fire from the altar (and which they had not been commanded to bring) and tried to bring קטרת from their own free will. Unfortunately, they were immediately punished and died. Furthermore, the mitzvah of קטרת was to be performed either, as I mentioned earlier on, on the golden inner altar, or once a year in the Holy of Holies between the staves in front of the Oron. Never was it brought as an offering outside the Mishkon or the Bais Hamikdosh.

Yet we find that in the sedra Korach, Moshe commanded Aharon to, at all haste, take a fire pan and put fire in it and then place the קטרת on top and run out of the Mishkon and go between the crowd of demonstrating Jews. We are told that Aharon protested; Do you not remember what happened to my two sons, do you want me to also be taken from this world by bringing the קטרת outside the Holy place, the אהל מועד? Moshe was adamant and stated, Run fast and deal with it and, of course, he was right. This stopped the plague continuing.

The Gemora in Shabbos פ''ח tells us that when Moshe Rabbenu went up in heaven to receive the Torah in all its detail, the angels protested to Hashem and asked what is a human being doing among us more spiritual beings. Hashem told Moshe to answer them. He was, at first, afraid, but Hashem told him to hold onto the כסא הכבוד and answer them. He said רבונו של עולם, Master of the world, the Torah you are giving, does it not say in it, “I am Hashem who took you out from Egypt”. Did the angels go down to Egypt, were they enslaved by Pharoh?

“You shall not serve any idols”. Do the angels live among nations that serve idols? “You should remember Shabbos to keep it Holy”. Do the angels work that they have to rest of Shabbos?

“Honour your father and mother”. Do they have parents? Etc etc.

Immediately the angels accepted his arguments and each one gave him a present. The Gemora then says that the מלאך המות, the angel of death, taught him the secret of קטרת, namely that it would atone for sins of the Bnei Yisroel.

Normally speaking, by the Kohen bringing twice daily the incense, the קטרת, this would atone for the sins of individuals of the Bnei Yisroel. Once a year there had to be a complete cleansing and that was when the Kohen Godol went into the קודש קדשים with the קטרת.

However, when the Bnei Yisroel staged a demonstration after the death of Korach and his followers as mentioned above, it says וילנו כל עדת בני ישראל and all the congregation rose up in protest against Moshe and Aharon. When it was a case of them all doing the wrong thing, קטרת had to be brought as a special antidote on a once off basis.

Furthermore, as the מלאך המות was going through the ranks of the people standing there, it was necessary to take the קטרת out to him.

If we look carefully at the wording in Torah, we find at that יז- יא Moshe said to Aharon קח את המחתה, take the fire pan, ותן עליה אש, and put on it fire,המזבח מעל, from the altar, ושים קטרת, and place carefully on it the incense, והולך מהרה, and go quickly, אל העדה, to the congregation, וכפר עליהם, and atone on them. Yet if we go to the next verse, it says that Aharon rushed into the crowd ויתן את הקטרת, and put, or alternatively, he gave the קטרת. It does not say וישם as Moshe told him to do, but ויתן. Why the change in expression? May I suggest that what Aharon did was to go to the malach, the angel and present him with the קטרת saying, in effect, you, yourself, told Moshe that this would stop plagues breaking out and here I present it to you, stop your work. The result was ותעצר המגפה, the plague ceased.

I have not seen this thought as to why the change in expression is used in any of the classic meforshim.

One other aspect of קטרת is mentioned by Rashi at the time of the consecration of the Mishkon and that is that on each of the twelve days from the beginning of Nissan in the second year of going out of Egypt, one of the leaders of each tribe, brought certain sacrifices etc. On the second day, Rashi goes into detail as to the רמזים, the allusions and hints behind the particular sacrifices and even the vessels which were used and given as presents. In Bamidbar ז-כ, verse 20, the Torah states כף אחת עשרה זהב מלאה קטרת, Rashi comments that the word קטרת equals 613 if you substitute ד for the ק. This is according to a rule known as א-ת ב-ש ג-ר ד-ק, that the last letter of the alef bais, ת, can be used to replace the first one, א, and so on.

What is striking and very unusual here is that we are not taking about taking a word or even part of a word, say two or three letters and inverting them, we are talking about taking just the first letter and inverting it, replacing a ק by a ד and the rest stays as previously. (Frankly, if I would suggest such a thing, I think I would be laughed out of court but Rashi was made with רוח הקדוש and is not to be laughed at.)

An example of א-ת ב-ש ג-ר ד-ק is in the sedra בלק where the angel had chastised Bilaam who hit his donkey three times and the expression used is כי ירט הדרך. The word ירט only appears once in the whole of Torah. The commentators give different explanations as to its meaning, either turning aside or hastening etc. However, the medrash says that using א-ת ב-ש ג-ר ד-ק the word, in fact, is equal to מגן, shielding. The way was shielded, meaning that the donkey could not, therefore, proceed. An alternative explanation is that because this was an angel of mercy, מלאך של רחמים , he was trying to shield Bilaam from problems in not letting him proceed. The word ירט being analogous to מגן is an example of this rule of א-ת ב-ש ג-ר ד-ק. (Interestingly, also because of this unusual use of word, the gemora in Shabbos ק''ה suggests that this is a נוטריקון, abbreviation, namely יראה ראתה נטתה, she feared (the donkey, that is), she saw, and she turned aside. One begins to see the depths that there are in Torah, the various רמזים which one can find under the surface!!)

The word קטרת by replacing the ק with the ד then becomes ד = 4, ט = 9, ר = 200, ת = 400, namely 613 in total. It seems to imply that this mitzvah of the קטרת is equal to all the mitzvos or, alternatively, elevates all the mitzvos in Torah. Why should we just invert one letter and not the other three?

May I suggest that it might have something to do with the fact that the קטרת consists of eleven ingredients some of them, as mentioned above, sweet, others sharp and one in particular, unpleasant. The inverting of one letter is as if we are enclosing all the ingredients into one package closed from both sides, namely to enable the cloud of aroma to ascend and find favour with Hashem. This enables the whole package to be offered together and so have the desired effect. It would also explain why each of the leaders of the tribes brought the same thing day by day because, once again, in respect of each tribe, of the children of Israel, there were different types of people included.

When Hashem created the world all the letter commencing with the ת came to request that they should be the letter to commence the beginning of Torah and Hashem rejected them back to the ב for one reason or another. The ב is the first letter of בראשית because it is also the first letter of ברכה, blessing. ק was rejected because it is the first letter of קללה, curse. Maybe, here as well, in order that the קטרת should have the desired effect, the ק had to be replaced with a different letter, in this case, namely a ד.

I mentioned earlier on that Rashi suggests replacing the ק by a ד, I also mentioned earlier on that the Torah says ושחקת ממנה הדק, you shall grind (the קטרת) finely. The root of the word הדק is דק, thin or fine. I think that one can find this use of דק as a further allusion to the replacement of the ק by a ד as mentioned by Rashi because together they lead to this refinement.

At the end of reciting פרקי אבות, every Shabbos afternoon we say,
רבי חנניא בן עקשיא אומר, רצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות

And the seforim Hakodoshim translate this as follows:-

Hashem wanted, לזכות, to refine the Bnei Yisroel and therefore he increased the Torah and the mitzvos, namely that we have 613 mitzvos and this leads to refinement followed by more refinement. This is represented in particular by the קטרת which had to be refined. We also find that before Yom Kippur, it had to be especially refined again. It has to be דקה מן הדקה again the emphasis on the two letters ד and ק. All this is a רמז to the power of קטרת to intercede on behalf of the Bnei Yisroel.

If one looks carefully at the ברייתא known as פיטום הקטרת, one finds that the eleven ingredients and their weights are mentioned in detail. This is recited by Ashkenazim at the end of Mussaf on Shabbos and by the Sefardim and Chasidim every day at the beginning of davening after the קרבנות and also at the end of davening before עלינו. The first four ingredients are צרי, stacte, צפורן, onycha, חלבנה, galbanum and לבונה, frankincense each of which had to be prepared with a weight of 70 מנה. The other seven ingredients were of much smaller weight reaching less than 100 מנה in total between them. 4 times 70 equals 280 which is רף equals פר. The kabbalists tell us that there are פר דינים, 280 aspects of strict law. The קטרת was brought in order to counteract the דינים and, therefore, it is no coincidence, I believe, that the four largest and most important elements themselves equalled 280, פר. I mentioned earlier on that one of the four is in fact very sweet smelling, the לבונה, and one is very unpleasant, namely the חלבנה. We see the necessity to counteract the strict din, application of law, with a mixture of all the different elements which one finds in plants and also on a different level in society in general.

חז''ל tell us that since the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh, by us saying our prayers with kavonna ונשלמה פרים שפתינו, our lips can be the substitute for the sacrifices. By reciting the פיטום הקטרת with kavonna, we can invoke the special aroma which will enable Hashem to look more favourably on us and treat us as his special people. אמן

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KORACH קרח

The rebellion by Korach, קרח, and his followers is famous and the happenings are a salutary lesson for all future generations. When one looks carefully at the terminology used in Torah, this often gives us clues as to depth of politics and machinations involved.

There are a number of obvious questions in respect of the words and expressions used at the beginning of the sedra and I will enumerate a number.

1) The sedra starts ויקח קרח בן יצהר בן קהת בן לוי And Korach took (he was) son of Yitzhar, the grandson of Kehos, the great grand son of Levi.

2) The Torah then continues ודתן ואבירם בני אליאב And Doson and Aviram, the children of Eliav ואון בן פלת בני ראובן And Oin the son of Peles, all of those came from the tribe of Reuvain.

The points to note are that it does not say ויקחו and they took, but he took ויקח. Who, obviously meaning the first person, namely Korach. Why does the Torah not say ויקחו, they took?

3) Why in the case of Korach does it give his complete genealogy back to Levi whereas Doson and Aviram it does not give the intervening one generation, that is Eliav was the son of פלוא who in turn was the son of Reuvain.

4) The next verse commences ויקמו and they gathered up against Moshe, not he but they all.

5) There were 250 followers of this rebellion and Rashi quotes that most of them came from the tribe of Reuvain. Why just from that tribe?

6) We find that when Moshe replied, the verse states as follows, וידבר אל קרח ואל כל עדתו, he spoke to Korach and all his followers. The word דיבור means speaking in a harsh way, whereas later on the Torah says ויאמר משה אל קרח, and Moshe said to Korach and אמירה is a much softer expression of speaking to. Here, Moshe was speaking specifically to Korach.

7) Later on the Torah tells us that Moshe sent to Doson and Aviram that they should come, why did have to send for them, where had they gone?

8) When Moshe told the whole of the Bnei Yisroel to go away from where the rebels were encamped, the Torah tells us that they should go from they encampment of Korach, Doson and Aviram, however, it then says that Moshe went to Doson and Aviram. Where was Korach?

9) Why, during the whole of this parsha, (when we all know that the earth opened up and the rebels were swallowed up alive under the ground) does it not mention that the children of Korach did not die. This is mentioned later on in the sedra of Pinchas.

Furthermore, you will, perhaps, remember that right at the beginning I mentioned that in the first verse there was ואון בן פלת, Oin the son of Peles, who does not figure anymore. The Medrash tells us that he was saved because he had a good wife. When she heard that he had joined the rebellion, she said to him “What good is it going to do to you. if Moshe wins, you will have been in the wrong, if Korach proves right, you will still not be the leader of the rebellion and, therefore, why do you need this trouble?”

His rejoinder was “I have given my word that I will join in the rebellion, which is due to take place in the morning.” His wife, who was very clever, said, leave it to me. When morning came, she would not let him go out of the tent that they lived in but stood near the entrance combing her hair. As soon as the representatives of Korach turned up to collect her husband, they saw what she was doing and they ran away and that way she saved her husband, who did not join in the rebellion.

Let us return to the questions that I asked.

Rashi uses a very unusual expression about Korach, קרח שפקח היה, Korach, who was very clever. Why, in that case, did he make this major mistake which led to his downfall. Rashi explains that he saw future generations including people who would be singing accompaniments with the Kohanim who were bringing sacrifices, also the famous prophet Samuel who was one of his descendents and they were all great and holy people. He, therefore, reasoned that he could not lose the fight with Moshe. Rashi ends by saying that Korach’s children, at the last moment, repented. They did תשובה.

We must put this in perspective, Korach was not only a Novi, a prophet because he could see what was going to happen in the future, what he saw, actually took place, he did have these very great and holy descendents!! He was an elderly gentleman, according to the medrash at least 130 years of age, and also he was very rich because the Gemora tells us that Yosef in Egypt amassed enormous treasures, Korach discovered one third of them and took them with him. He must have been a very rich man indeed. He had everything going for him, so why was it that he decided to rebel against Moshe Rabbenu.

The answer is that he was already jealous of the fact that Moshe was the leader and Aharon was the Kohen Godol whereas he had nothing. However, Moshe and Aharon were sons of the oldest son of Kehos, namely Amram. What tipped him over was the fact that his younger cousin אליצפן בן עוזיאל, Elitzaphen ben Uziel, born to the fourth son of Kehos, was given the job of being the head of the whole of the Bnei Kehos, the ones who carried the ארון, the Ark with the Luchos and dealt with the holiest parts of the Mishkan.

He, Korach, was a son of the second son of Kehos and, therefore, felt that he should have been given the job. That jealousy caused him to rebel.

He then looked round for supporters and found then readily among the tribe of Reuvain. Remember that Reuvain was the first born son of Yaakov Avinu. He was supposed to have both crowns of Kahuna and Malchus, to be the Kohen Godol and also to be the king but lost them both. As long as the Bnei Yisroel were in Egypt, this was not so important, they were too busy working as slaves but when they came out of Egypt, the tribe of Reuvain realised their great loss. The Kohanim came from the tribe of Levi and the tribe of Reuvain had lost that honour. When the Mishkon was consecrated Hashem commanded that Yehuda should bring the sacrifices on the first day and Reuvain did not get to bring its korbonos until the fourth day. They felt demoted and hurt. Therefore, they were easy prey for Korach to influence and to join his bandwagon.

Coming back to my original questions, we now understand the terminology used, better. The first word in the sedra, ויקח, and he took, refers to Korach because he was the instigator of the whole matter and it then gives his detailed genealogy, his yichus, because it was that particular point which was hurting him and caused him to be jealous.

On the other hand, Doson and Aviram and Oin son of Peles were all Bnei Reuvain, the children of the tribe of Reuvain and that is the reason why they are just mentioned without going through all their genealogy. It was because they were members of that particular tribe that they got involved.

In any event, we know that Doson and Aviram were trouble makers going back a long time, Rashi states at the time when Moshe was still in Egypt and killed the Egyptian who had been ill treating a Jewish person that the next day he saw two Jews fighting. He remonstrated with them and they threatened to report him to the authorities. They were, indeed, Doson and Aviram. They had been thorns in Moshe’s side for many a year.

Therefore, when it came to the actual uprising, the word ויקמו, they stood up to rebel, applies to all of them but for different motives.

When Moshe went to speak to all of them it uses a harsh expression because we are talking about the Adass Korach, the followers of Korach and really the argument had nothing to do with them, the main protagonist was Korach himself.

When Moshe turned to Korach to talk to him, he tried using a soft expression as King Solomon states, מענה רך משיב חמה, a soft expression turns aside wrath. However, unfortunately this did not help.

Doson and Aviram who were seasoned trouble makers did not take any notice and left the presence of Moshe. They even refused to come back and that is why Moshe had to try and call to them. This is another lesson in behaviour for us to note namely, that Moshe Rabbenu went out of his way to try to make peace but they refused to take notice.

However, let us return to Korach, himself. As mentioned before, he was a very clever man and being clever, he had gone at night, to gather together 250 people to try and carry out a coup, however, when Doson and Aviram came brazenly forth and remonstrated with Moshe, he was nowhere to be seen. This is a typical politician’s attitude, that he kept out of sight to see what was going to happen. This did not really help him because of the fact that the earth split open and as R’ Yehuda in the Gemora states, even if some of the trouble makers were not on the spot the ground inclined and they slide into the hole that had miraculously appeared.

As you can see, there was lot more going on than just appears on the surface!! We can learn numerous lessons from the behaviour of the individuals concerned and of the consequences.

Finally, the reason why no mention is made of the children of Korach who, at the last moment repented and did not die, was because a person should never rely on doing wrong believing that he can repent later on. As far as the fact that Oin ben Peles was saved by his wife, once again, one should not rely on something without thinking it through carefully and not rely on miracles.

I think we all are aware of what has happened in the past few months in the UK, for example, and that politics is a very shady and even dirty game and should be avoided like the plague. (or swine flu?) It is unfortunately likely to bury people alive eventually.

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פרשת שלח לך

The sedra שלח לך consists not only of the very famous incident concerning the מרגלים, the spies, as gone through in detail at the beginning of the sedra, but also a number of other, apparently non related, פרשיות, chapters.

These are as follows (explained in detail below):-

פ' נסכים
פ' חלה
קרבן עבור עבודה זרה
מקושש
פ' ציצית

If, however, one considers matters in depth, I believe that one can ascertain a thread that runs through one parsha after the other, which would explain the order and sequence.

The story of the spies that were sent to investigate the whole land of Canaan was apparently as commanded by Hashem to Moshe. Even if one views it from the commentary of Rashi, namely, that Hashem did not command Moshe to send the twelve spies but that when the Bnei Yisroel requested the investigation, Hashem agreed to it, one has to understand the reasons behind the matter.

I believe that one can explain it as being not only a spying expedition in order to see the physical topography and to gauge the strength of the armies and fortified cities in our Holy Land, but it was also to investigate the spiritual side of the country and its holiness.

Whilst the Bnei Yisroel were in the wilderness they lived on a very high spiritual level. They did not have to worry about physical matters, they ate מן, the manna, which was a spiritual type of food and were surrounded by the ענני כבוד, pillars of glory. They encamped around the Mishkon and were led by Moshe Rabbenu who was always on the spot. However, that was only a passing phase. The ideal situation was not that they should live as angels but as human beings each in their own plot of land and ensure that their spiritual side controlled the physical side, despite them living in the land of Israel, tilling the soil and eating normal food etc. This was akin to the original plan for Odom Harishon in Gan Eden, namely that he should run the physical world in a spiritual way.

Moshe Rabbenu instructed the מרגלים, ולקחתם מפרי הארץ and you shall take from the fruit of the land. That was in order, not only to see the size, texture and appetising nature of the fruit but also in order to ascertain how to spiritually uplift the fruit, this is known as העלאת הניצוצות.

However, ten, at least, of the spies did not merit to understand what Moshe Rabbenu was really driving at. They saw the extraordinary large fruits as showing that the גשמיות, the physical side was extremely strong. The Torah tells us in detail about the אשכול ענבים, the cluster of extraordinary large grapes that they brought back with them. Not only that but the people who were inhabiting the land, including עמלק and the other six nations, were physically strong. They also represented the worst in human nature, in a spiritual way, and were dotted all round the Holy Land.

Therefore, the spies suggested, that not only were the inhabitants of the land of Canaan great warriors, in addition those nations had filled the Holy Land with unholy matters and temptations, including numerous types of עבודה זרה, idol worship etc.

The בני נח had seven mitzvos to keep. The Jewish people were given an extra 606. We find that among the points made about the מרגלים was that they spoke badly about the land, אשר תרו אותה, which they had travelled round and spied upon. The word תרו adds up to 606. What I am suggesting is that this word was used specifically, לרמז, to allude to the effect that the מרגלים suggested in connection with the mitzvos התלויות בארץ, the numerous commandments which are specifically connected with the land of Israel. These include חלה, ביכורים, תרומות, מעשרות, שמיטה, ערלה etc. On the word “הארץ” which the ten spies declaimed about, there is a special note known as a פזר to emphasise that they were worried about the ארציות the physical side of the holy land and yet they continued by saying וכל העם אשר ראינו בתוכה אנשי מדות, and all the people we saw in it people who have bad middos, qualities.

On that basis, the spies concluded that going into the Holy Land was too much of a danger and it would be better to stay in the מדבר, the wilderness. We know that Joshua and Caleb disagreed and the ten spies were, of course, incorrect.

Unfortunately, however, the golden opportunity of going into the land of Canaan immediately was missed and the Jewish people stayed in the wilderness for a further 39 years.

The next parsha in Torah immediately following the whole story is concerning the נסכים, libations.

With every sacrifice brought as a ריח ניחח לה', a pleasant aroma for Hashem, a measure of wine as well as flour had to be brought. The idea behind it all was to elevate the mundane, גשמיות, to a higher level. Therefore the mention of this commandment, at this juncture, came as a sort of antidote to the incorrect ideas of the spies. To the contrary to what the spies thought, the produce of the Holy Land could be utilised in the service of Hashem and in particular as additional presents brought at the time of the sacrifices, the korbonos. Note the אשכול ענבים brought back by the spies. One immediately sees the connection between the two פרשיות.

The next parsha is the commandment to take חלה. This enacted that one had to set aside a portion from bread to be baked which had to then go to the Kohen. This was again to ensure that gluttony should not be allowed to become prevalent and that the physical and mundane foods should be elevated to a higher spiritual level.

In fact, the mitzvah of חלה took place immediately the Bnei Yisroel crossed over the Jordan. It did not have to wait, as most other mitzvos connected with the Land of Israel, until the capture and distribution of the actual land some years later. This was to ensure that there should be a restraint in the use of normal food immediately the Land of Israel was entered. One must bear in mind that for the previous 40 years, the Bnei Yisroel had subsisted on מן, manna and being now enabled to eat normal foods (of which לחם, bread, is the staple diet) they were given a mitzvah to ensure that they would go about it with a spiritual dimension.

The next parsha concerns עבודה זרה, idol worship. As mentioned earlier on, this was one of the major problems concerning the nations who were in the land of Canaan and, therefore, in order to counteract that, special sacrifices had to be brought if (unfortunately) anybody had transgressed in some way by idol worshiping. Those sacrifices would lead to the rectification of the person and the matter.

Hashem wanted to demonstrate that even if the Bnei Yisroel would fall from their high level they could rectify things and improve and bring things back to the correct level. In fact, the Torah tells us ונסלח לכל עדת בני ישראל etc. I will forgive the whole congregation, because they served idols inadvertently. Of course, as the Torah points out a little later, if it was done on purpose, there would be a severe punishment imposed.

This is followed by the parsha of the מקושש, the person who went out on Shabbos and cut branches of wood. This was to demonstrate that it was not only in the land of Canaan that there might be problems and tests which had to be overcome. Remaining in the wilderness was no guarantee that people would not do the wrong thing. A person in the מדבר went, on purpose, and broke one of the laws of Shabbos. One can never be sure!!

This is followed by the final parsha at the end of the sedra, that of ציצית. As theתנא דבי אליהו states, when Moshe saw the מקושש he requested Hashem as follows During the week the Bnei Yisroel wear tefillin and, therefore, remember the mitzvos, how on Shabbos can they have an immediate visible sign that they should remember to keep all the mitzvos? Hashem, therefore, gave the mitzvah of ציצית which should ensure that everybody, not only keeps the mitzvah of Shabbos but is a reminder for all of us at all times to adhere to mitzvos. Rashi points out that the 613 mitzvos are hinted at by the word ציצית and the way they are done with knots and threads.

One can now see a golden thread running through the various chapters in this sedra which have a connection, one with the other.

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ברכת כהנים

The famous ברכה, which the Kohanim where instructed by Hashem to bless the Bnei Yisroel each day, consists of three short sentences. They appear in Torah in the middle of Parshas נשא.

Much has been written about these famous brochos, there are numerous medrashim and all the meforshim comment and elaborate on the blessings.

I would like to add a few of my own thoughts.

The first sentence of ברכת כהנים consists of three words. The second has five words and the third, seven words. There are fifteen words in total. Accordingly, the last word of the middle sentence, ויחנך, is the middle word altogether, being the eighth word, having seven words before and seven after it.

The root of the word ויחנך is חן, namely grace. What we are saying is that the פנימיות, the inner core of all the brochos which the Kohanim gave, is that Hashem will give us חן. But what is the definition of that word?

We find that the last verse at the end of sedra Beraishis reads as follows.
ונח מצא חן בעיני ה', Noach found grace and favour in the eyes of Hashem.

What I suggest is that he found that particular חן because he, unlike the rest of his generation, adhered to the original righteousness with which Odom Harishon was created. If we go back to the story of the sixth day of creation when Odom Harishon was created, we find that the 58th word, נח = חן, from the beginning of that parsha is בצלם אלקים, in the image of Hashem. What I am suggesting is that in the same way as נח has this חן by retaining the צלם אלקים, the Kohanim are blessing us all, that Hashem should, once again, enable us to have it , and not lose the צלם אלקים.


If we look at the first posek, which reads as follows, יברכך יהו - ה וישמרך, we find that first letters are י, י and ו which add up to 26. This is a hint to the numerical value of יהו'. The end letters are ך, ה and ך which themselves add up to 45. That is equivalent to the numerical value of אדם, namely 45. It is also equivalent to the name of Hashem written out as follows יוד = 20, הא = 6, ואו = 13 and הא = 6. This totals 45.

I believe that this comes to emphasise the fact that Hashem, יהו', will bless and guard all of us, אדם, from all angles and in all ways.


ברכת כהנים is a מצות עשה a positive command which is supposed to be carried out by the Kohanim every day. This is actually done in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and the general southern part of our Holy Land. In the Galilee, I believe that the custom is only to make ברכת כהנים on Shabbos and Yom Tov. In the Diaspora, the custom is that the ברכת כהנים is only carried out on Yomim Tovim.

There are various reasons given as to why these important brochos are not given every day in גלות. Furthermore, if there is no Kohen at a particular minyan, the brocho is not made wherever this minyan is praying, being Jerusalem, Haifa or London for example.

The ברכת כהנים are included in the Shemona Esrai for Shacharis and even if there is no Kohen it is recited. We ask Hashem to bless us immediately before the last brocho, namely שים שלום.

Why do we not leave out that section if there are no Kohanim present, or in golus if we are talking about any time other than Yom Tov?

May I suggest that the last two words of the whole parsha, ואני אברכם, and I will bless them give us the clue.. I believe that these two words can be interpreted to mean that if in the event of the Kohanim not actually physically blessing the Yidden, Hashem will do it himself, ואני אברכם.

May we all be gebentched.

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בהעלתך

In the sedra בהעלתך after חמישי, the Torah tells us that in the second year after the Bnei Yisroel went out of Egypt on 22nd day of the second month, the pillar of cloud commenced moving and, therefore, the Bnei Yisroel followed it from the מדבר סיני, the wilderness of Sinai, going to the מדבר פארן, the wilderness of Paran. The Torah goes into detail of the four encampments, דגלים, each consisting of three tribes and how they journeyed, one following the other.

On very infrequent occasions in Torah, we find a special ניגון, tune, intoned by the בעל קורא, the person who reads in the Sefer Torah, the prime example being the Shira when the Bnei Yisroel had crossed the Yam Suf.

Here, in this sedra, chapter 10, verse 15 which commences ועל צבא מטה בני יששכר, the custom among Ashkenazim is to sing it with a special intonation. Also the next verse which starts off ועל צבא מטא בני זבולן. This is not so, in respect of the verse immediately prior to that which talks about the leading tribe of that flag bearing encampment, דגל, namely יהודה where the words ועל צבאו נחשון בן עמינדב is pronounced in the normal manner.

This pattern is repeated three more times at verses 19 and 20, 23 and 24 and then again 26 and 27. It is always the last two of the three tribes which made up each encampment where this special intonation and tune is used, whereas the first one is read in the normal manner.

The customs that we have regarding reading in our Holy Sefer Torah are based on either halachah or midrash etc.

In this particular instance, I could not find any מקור, source, for this custom and having asked around, nobody could give me a satisfactory explanation.

It occurs to me that possibly the reason why we sing these particular verses in this special way is based on a של''ה הקדוש, a famous commentary on numerous aspects of Torah by Rabbi Yeshya Horowitz who lived approximately 400 years ago. He states that this was the first journey after the Bnei Yisroel had received the Torah and they were supposed to immediately journey to Eretz Yisroel. This, in turn, was a land that they had been given in place of the Gan Eden.

Based on that, I think one could suggest that one had to sing a special tune to commemorate the fact that the Bnei Yisroel were about to be taken out of their exile, גלות and going to Eretz Yisroel, our Holy Land.

This would also serve as an explanation why in the sedra מסעי, where the 42 journeys and resting places from the departure from Egypt until the Bnei Yisroel actually crossed over the Jordan are enumerated, are also sung with a similar intonation and tune.

However, why, in that case, in respect of the leader of each of the encampments, דגלים, namely, יהודה, ראובן, אפרים and דן, do we not use a special ניגון?

I would suggest that based on comments made by the Meforshim that the four דגלים, flag bearing encampments, referred to four letters of the Shem יהו'. One could explain this as follows.

The יוד refers to יהודה, the leader of all the tribes. The הא following that refers to ראובן, who was the first among the brothers who repented, (did תשובה). The Gemora in Menochas 29 tells us that the letter הא hints at a Baal Teshuva. The third דגל, was in respect of the children of יוסף whose midda was the “sixth” one, and, therefore ואו was appropriate to him. Finally דן was the one that brought up the rear of all the encampments and therefore, looked after those who were sent outside the encampment, for instance a Metzora etc. who had to, once again, repent. This is comparable with the last הא of the name of Hashem.

Because one has to have extra awe for the name of יהו', therefore one does not sing the words, יהודה ועל צבא מטה בני in verse 14 and likewise the other ones which are found in verses 18, 22 and 25 respectively.

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SIMCHA ON YOM TOV

The mitzvah of simcha on Yom Tov is not mentioned on Pesach at all, on Shavuos it is mentioned once and on Succos it is mentioned twice.

In respect of Shavuos the Torah tells us at the end of the sedra ראה, chapter ט''ז, posek י''א.
ושמחת לפני ה' אלקיך אתה ובנך ובתך ועבדך ואמתך והלוי אשר בשעריך והגר והיתום והאלמנה אשר בקרבך במקום אשר יבחר ה' אלקיך לשכן שמו שם

And you shall rejoice before Hashem, your G-d, you and your son, your daughter, your servant, your maid servant, the Levite who lives in your gates, the proselyte, the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place which Hashem will choose to make his name dwell there.

From the wording of the פסוק it appears that this mitzvah of simcha does not just apply to the males but to everybody in the Bnei Yisroel.

Further on, where Succos is mentioned, the Torah says that on each of the שלש רגלים, the high festivals, the males should come to Jerusalem in the very same place, במקום אשר יבחר.

Here, however, it appears that in the case of Shavuos the Torah is telling us that everybody should join in the simcha and that it should be at the place of the Shechina, namely the בית המקדש, the Temple. Why should it be that just in the case of Shavuos, everybody should be enjoined to come to Jerusalem and the Temple and join the simcha?

Perhaps this could be understood with a fact mentioned by Reb Chaim Vital, the chief pupil of the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchok Luria and the person who wrote down his deep and mystical teachings.

He stated that the Arizal told him that he had reached his very high levels, מדרגות, because he performed mitzvos and learned Torah b’simcha, joyfully.

One can, perhaps, understand why this was by comparing it in some small way to the fact that the Queen of England has garden parties and many people attend and consider it a privilege. She is shown due reverence and people are in awe of her on these occasions.

If, however, a person shows genuine happiness at being invited and states this to the Queen herself, it would be very possible and even likely that the Queen’s reaction would be to invite that person into her personal apartment for a private audience.

That person would be privy to secrets not afforded to other people.

The Torah was given on Shavuos, Hashem, Himself, בכבודו ובעצמו, proclaimed the ten commandments to all of the Bnei Yisroel, male, female, children etc. Every year, when Shavuos comes round again, a הארה, a certain illumination of that happening returns and we are all given the chance to have a very strong spiritual uplift akin to that which the Bnei Yisroel experienced at מתן תורה.

The holiest place in the world where the Shechina resided was the Bais Hamikdosh and, therefore, I would suggest that all people, men, women, children etc. were enjoined to visit the Bais Hamikdosh on Shavuos with simcha. By doing that, they were enabled to have a special uplift which otherwise they could not have aspired to.

In some small way, nowadays, by us all attending the בתי מקדש מעט, the small Shuls and places of learning on Shavuos and accepting, once again, the Torah, b’simcha, we can also aspire to a special spiritual uplift but, understandably in a lesser form.

I understand that in certain kehillas, including Lubavitch, to this day, it is the custom that all members of each family, young and old come to Shul on Shavuos to hear the עשרת הדיברות.

Perhaps the above idea is the מקור, the source of this minhag.

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עשרת הדברות

The Yom Tov of שבועות has just gone by. The focal point of that Yom Tov is that in the year 2448 after the creation of this world, Hashem gave the ten commandments, the עשרת דברות to the Bnei Yisroel. These were not given, as all the other mitzvos, via Moshe Rabbenu but Hashem Himself, בכבודו ובעצמו, spoke directly to the whole of the Jewish people.

Why were these particular ten commandments given directly by Hashem?

One can easily understand the first one which commences אנכי ה' אלקיך, I am Hashem who created the whole world, who enables the whole world to continue and took you all out of Egypt (just six or seven weeks prior to the giving of the עשרת דברות).

Likewise, one can understand the second commandment לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני, you should have no other gods, no idol worshipping of any type, as the Torah carries on in detail. Because idol worship is a negation of true belief, namely that Hashem created the world and continues to run it and supervise it completely himself.

When we come to the third of the ten commandments, namely, לא תשא את שם ה' לשוא, you should not take Hashem’s name in vain, I am a little puzzled as to why this should be included in the ten top priorities which had to be given by Hashem himself.

Turning to number 4, which is to remember and keep Shabbos, one could again understand the importance of this mitzvah on the basis that Hashem created the world in six days and on the seventh day, Shabbos, rested. This is fundamental to our faith.

Turning to the fifth mitzvah, to honour ones father and mother. This also seems a little strange as to have such high priority.

Number 6 is לא תרצח, one may not kill. That everybody will understand is a major, important fundamental. Likewise לא תנאף, one should not commit adultery or have any other illicit relations. One can understand the importance of placing it in the ten commandments.

Turning to number 8, לא תגנוב, one should not steal or kidnap, again this is a very important fundamental point.

Let us, however, consider number 9, לא תענה ברעך עד שקר. You shall not bear false testimony. What is the vital importance of this particular mitzvah, what makes it so necessary to be included in the ten commandments?

Why, for example, is not the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, the learning of Torah included in the ten commandments, or the laws of טומאה and טהרה, purity and impurity etc. mentioned in the ten commandments in place of the ones at number 3 and number 9 particularly as mentioned, earlier on.

Number 10, לא תחמד, one should not covet another person’s property, wife etc. this is once again, I believe a fundamental we can all understand.

I should perhaps at this point mention that for a detailed and all encompassing overview of the עשרת דברות, one should study the Maharal’s sefer, תפארת ישראל, which is a masterpiece of Jewish thought in a philosophical manner.

In order to try to understand the reason why the particular ten commandments were given as the עשרת דברות by Hashem himself, I believe that it will be illuminating to quote the Chidushei Horim who states that the עשר מכות, the ten plagues, took away the קליפות, the shells which had over the generations covered the original עשרה מאמרות, the ten utterances with which the world was created.

Over the generations, the original Holy Utterances had become encrusted and covered over to the extent that people no longer realised and knew about the original creation and that Hashem had created the whole world.

This lack of knowledge is highlighted as we read that when Moshe Rabbenu came to Pharoh and told him that Hashem had said that he should let the Bnei Yisroel leave Egypt, Pharoh’s retort was מי ה', who is the “person” you are referring to as Hashem.

He soon learned and after having been afflicted by numerous plagues, stated, ה' הצדיק ואני ועמי הרשעים, Hashem is the righteous one and I and my people are sinners.

The ten plagues revealed to the Egyptians and the whole world, that there was a supernatural power, Hashem, who created the world and controlled and ran it all as He saw fit (and continues to do so). This took away the קליפות which had formed.

Less than two months after the final plague, מכת בכורות, the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai and heard from Hashem the עשרת דברות, the ten commandments.

The Chidushei Horim says that these commandments uttered by Hashem brought the world back to the original pristine state as at the creation of the world and were a תיקון, a rectification of the whole state of the world.

Incidentally, that is the reason why at that time, all people who had been ill were healed, everything came back into an original pristine state.

Based on this statement of the Chidushei Horim, I think we can understand better the reason why the particular ten commandments were given.

The first one, אנכי ה' אלקיך, is obviously bound up with the fundamental belief that Hashem created the whole world and runs it as he sees fit. The last great example of it was the fact that Hashem had just taken the Bnei Yisroel out of Egypt, a land which had an iron curtain and in which they had been enslaved.

In connection with the second of the עשרת דברות, namely not to serve idols in any way, it is instructive to read the Rambam at the beginning of הלכות עובדה זרה at length. I recommend you to read the first chapter in detail. In short, he says that in the third generation, that of אנוש, people began to question whether Hashem, who they all knew had created the world, really was looking after everybody individually as there were too many, “small” people and it was suggested that Hashem had created intermediaries such as the sun, the moon, the stars etc. to control day to day life. This developed into false prophets who suggested that those intermediaries should be served as well and this was the beginning of idol worship.

In order to bring the world back to its original state and keep is so, therefore, Hashem commanded us not to serve idols in any shape or form so as not to fall into the same trap once again. (Unfortunately, a few weeks later, there took place the story of the Golden Calf which again spoiled things.)

Coming to the third of the ten commandments, לא תשא את שם ה' לשוא, one should use the name of Hashem in vain, or in connection with a lie. We find that at the time of אנוש the Torah tells us אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה'. Rashi explains that at the time, people began to use Hashem’s name as חולין, in a degenerate and profane, not holy, way and Rabbi Shimshon Rafoel Hirsch goes into detail regarding this and that familiarity began to breed “contempt”.

In order to ensure that this did not happen again, and due יראת הכבוד, honour in awe, be given to Hashem, the mitzvah became the third one in the עשרת דברות. It is also note worthy to mention that אנוש was the third generation being the son of שת who was the son of Odom Harishon.

Turning to the fourth mitzvah, that of Shabbos, we know that Odom Harishon was created on the sixth day and the Gemora goes into detail as to how each hour a different happening took place. Finally, by Friday afternoon, Odom Harishon together with Chava were placed in Gan Eden and were told not to eat from the עץ הדעת, the tree of knowledge. Unfortunately by the middle of the afternoon they had eaten from this and Hashem then questioned them and they were ejected from the Garden of Eden.

Although Odom Harishon did teshuva, Hashem had stated that on the day he ate from the עץ הדעת he would die and as the sun went down before Shabbos, Odom Harishon thought that he was going to be taken from this world. And indeed this might have happened but as the medrash tells us, the day of Shabbos itself intervened and pleaded to Hashem to not spoil the seven days of the creation of the world, and in particular the Shabbos. Hashem relented on the basis that כי אלף שנה בעיניך כיום, a thousand years is in the eyes of Hashem are like one day and on that basis Odom Harishon was allowed to live for 1,000 years. (Incidentally, Odom Harishon, so the midrash also tells us, gave away 70 years of his life to Dovid Hamelech who he saw was supposed to die at birth, and, as we all know, Dovid Hamelech’s Yarhzeit is on Shavuos.)

Accordingly, Shabbos was fundamental in keeping the world going as we know it and the Bnei Yisroel, of course, descended from Odom Harishon and so have to keep Shabbos which enabled Odom Harishon to remain alive.

The fifth commandment is כבד את אביך ואת אמך, to honour one’s father and mother.

There are always people, especially youngsters, who tend to blame anything that goes wrong or any insufficiencies in themselves onto their parents. This has been going on from time immemorial.

In the context of the creation of the world, the first time that children could have had this grouse at their parents was with Odom and Chava who had broken the one rule made for them, namely, not to eat from the עץ הדעת.

Nevertheless, Hashem enjoins us to honour our parents, because, after all, Odom Harishon was created by Hashem himself and every generation that goes by is not only a link to Odom Harishon but one further down the chain. Therefore, we have to look up to our parents and honour them. (This is, of course, in contradistinction to those who mistakenly who think we are descended from apes and, therefore, in their eyes, the further one goes away on the chain the more intelligent?, sophisticated?, refined? becomes the human race, and, therefore, why respect parents who are that one link closer to apes? It shows where misguided thinking can lead!!)

The sixth commandment was לא תרצח. You may not kill. This has an immediate affinity with the first killing of all time, when קין, Cain, killed הבל, Abel. This contributed considerably to the degeneration of the world and therefore, this mitzvah is included in the ten commandments to try and stop it happening in the future.

The next commandment is לא תנאף. One may not commit adultery or be party to any other illicit relationship. This is directly connected with Rashi’s statement that the נחש, the snake, נתאוה, desired, חוה, Eve. The snake was the first to attempt to commit adultery, look at the problems that he then caused.

The next commandment is לא תגנוב, one may not steal or kidnap.

If one looks at the whole story of how Odom and Chava ate from the עץ הדעת and then hid themselves in Gan Eden, they “stole” by stealing the food, eating it and then hiding. We are enjoined not to do anything at all on those lines.

We now come to number 9, namely לא תענה ברעך עד שקר. One may not bear false witness.

I think that the way the snake put it to Chava, namely, that nothing would happen if she ate from the forbidden fruit, was tantamount to bearing false witness as to what would happen. The snake knew full well that she and her husband would die but said “You will not die” and I believe that that is why it is included in the ten commandments, namely, to try to stop future generations from falling into the same trap.

The tenth and final commandment, לא תחמד, you should not covet other people’s property, and wife etc. is once again bound up with the eating of the forbidden fruit. The Torah states clearly that Chava saw, כי תאוה היא לעינים ונחמד העץ להשכילthat the fruit looked delightful and she coveted the fruit and thought that it would give her this extra benefit, pleasure and perception. Unfortunately, it did the exact opposite and it is a lesson for all generations not to covet that which belongs to another individual.

I believe that I have demonstrated the connection which each of the עשרת דברות has to the original story of מעשה בראשית, and in that context, a reason for each of the ten commandments having been uttered by Hashem Himself.

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The Book of Ruth: A Story of Selfless Dedication

The custom is that on Shavuos one reads the מגילת רות , the Book of Ruth. Numerous reasons are given for this, I will just quote a few.

1) In the same way as the whole Jewish People said Na’aseh V’Nishma “We will do and then hear” (all the details), Ruth made the same undertaking, when insisting on joining her mother-in-law, Naomi, on her return journey from Moav to the Land of Israel.

2) The story of how Ruth was collecting the gleanings left in the field for people in poverty, and therefore met Boaz to whom she eventually became married, took place at the time of the wheat harvest which is around the time of year of Shavous.

3) Ruth had the merit to see as her great grand son, King David, Dovid Hamelech the most famous king in Israel who composed the Psalms and from whom the Moshiach will come. King David died on Shavuos.

As we read through this moving story we are all struck by the strength of character and צדקות, righteousness, of the two ladies concerned. One could say that as far as Naomi is concerned, having seen what happened to her husband and two sons, who all died after they had fled from the Land of Israel, because there was a famine, that Naomi was returning to her roots and realised how important it was to be steadfast.

However, as far as Ruth was concerned, she was a Princess in Moav, not only taking a leap into the unknown, but also going to accompany an old broken impoverished lady who begged Ruth not to come with her. We all know how the two daughters in law Ruth and Orpah both started walking on the road together with Naomi imploring them to return to their parents houses and lives of luxury and here we see the difference in that, whilst both cried, Orpah returned to her parents house and to the bad ways of her people whereas Ruth cleaved to Naomi and promised to keep the whole Torah.

It was even more remarkable in that, there is a verse in Torah which says לא יבאו עמוני ומואבי בקהל ה “a descendant of the two nations, Ammon and Moav cannot join the congregation of Hashem” that is become Gerim. Here we find Ruth who was a Moabite insisting that she would try to join.

The Gemora tells us that when there was talk of David becoming King of Israel, there were people who objected because of this verse, but Boaz who was David’s great grandfather had a tradition that when it says a Amoni and Moavi it only means the male members of those nations. מואבי ולא מואבית A Moabite man may not become a Ger but a lady may. This is what is known as Torah Shel baal Peh, our oral tradition of the interpretation of the Torah which was also given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Finally, it was agreed that this was the definite correct interpretation, but can you imagine, this young girl coming from a foreign country, not even knowing whether she would be accepted as a full Jewess.

Her strength of character and steadfastness was extraordinary.

She then got married to a very elderly gentleman, Boaz was certainly over 80 at the time, one can see that both of them meant it לשם שמים, for the sake of heaven. Ruth outlived her husband and in fact lived on to see David crowned as King.

We find in a verse just before the revelation at Mount Sinai, that Moses was instructed
כה תאמר לבית יעקב ותגיד לבני ישראל “So you should say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel” and our Rabbis comment that first Moshe had to speak to the ladies and see what their reaction was, they were known as Bais Yaacov. Once the women agreed to go ahead, the men would no doubt follow and they all accepted the Torah Na’aseh VeNishma, we will do and we will hear, as we know.

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the ladies have a pivotal role in keeping and continuing Yiddishkeit, Torah True Judaism. The woman of the house sets the tone, she buys kosher food and she teaches her small children how to behave in a Jewish way and so it continues.

Naomi and Ruth were both prototypes of this, Naomi coming from the traditional background, whilst Ruth was coming from outside. Nevertheless, they made a fantastic team.

I mentioned a second reason for reading the book of Ruth at Shavuos namely that the main part of the story took place at the time of the reaping of the crops. If you look at the wording in the story, you will find at one place it says “And it happened by chance that Ruth went to the field owned by Boaz”. And then it also happened that Boaz asked his workers who is this young girl. But if you look into it more carefully, you will see that although there seems to be a whole series of coincidences, really they were not coincidences.

The scene was set in order that this match should take place. However, we all have what is known as a Bechirah, a choice and it is up to the individual or individuals to do the “right” thing. That is exactly what happened to Boaz, who was under pressure not to take this Moabite convert as a wife and also Ruth who could have had the pick of a number of young men. They both made the correct choice.

I want to repeat to you an idea which I heard from Rabbi Dessler זצ"ל, of blessed memory, (who incidentally officiated my parents’ marriage many years ago) and he discusses this idea of free choice, Bechira. He says that we all have a free choice, for example people have the choice to read this article, people have the choice to walk down one side of a road or the other side. There are some choices which have relatively minor implications but, he says, we all have at certain times in our lives, to take a major step, we are at a cross-roads and we are not sure what to do, if we turn one way our lives and those of later generations turn out completely differently than if we had gone the other way. He refers in particular to the moment when Naomi told her two daughters in law to return to their homes, one did and one didn’t and what was the result after three or four generations, Ruth had a great grandson called David, Orpah had a great grandson called Goliath. It may be a surprise to you but it is so.

So we see the two complete opposites, we all know the story of David and Goliath and in fact Goliath was a distant cousin to David. But look at the way they had drifted poles apart. That is one of the outstanding lessons that we can learn from The Book of Ruth.

We, all of us, nowadays are faced with major choices, we live in a society which some people call Western civilisation and I think of as Western decadence. Increasingly we are pressurised by the media into attitudes and actions which, to put it mildly, are not according to Torah values. Very often, instinctively, we know that the latest Government thinking on education or the general permissive attitudes are wrong. How are we supposed to know the correct way to behave and to ensure that our children and grandchildren, relatives and friends remain true Jews?

One, first of all, must have strength of conviction, we adhere to a Jewish religion and race which has been in exile for nearly 2000 years but nevertheless survived and the ones that survived were the Jews that adhered to their religion. Secondly there must be basic knowledge of Torah in order to be able to keep the mitzvahs, we must know what are the most important points. Not only must we know, we must internalise that they are important. There are certain basic mitzvahs which are the foundations on which Jewish family life functions. There is Kashrus, eating kosher food, and this does not mean just when eating at home but also outside the home, for example when going out to a restaurant or on holiday etc. There is Shabbos, which is a day to recharge our spiritual values, learn some Torah, sit together as a family, sing Zemiros etc. There is Taharas Hamishpocha, going to Mikvah creates purity in a spiritual sense and then there isחינוך , education. But of course, all mitzvas are important and to be adhered to.

If you look back on the communities that were very large in this and other countries but did not have organised orthodox Jewish education, they have virtually disintegrated, whereas others with proper organised Torah True Jewish education are strong vibrant and increasing in numbers.

It is important that a two pronged method is used to withstand bad influences. They are, of course, the home, where I have emphasised the role of the mother but of course the role of the father is also important, and secondly, the Jewish, Torah True, education that each child needs to receive. Going to a cheder once or twice a week is a very poor substitute. Torah True Jewish School for boys and girls is essential. We need to ensure that boys continue to Yeshiva Gedolah and girls to Beis Yaakov type of High School education.

The third reason I gave at the beginning for the reading of the book of Ruth was that King David, who is mentioned right at the end of the book, died on Shavuos. He was a great Tzaddik and an original thinker and psalmist and composed beautiful and eloquent praises and songs to Hashem, including the Hallel. These תהלים, psalms are used by Jews all over the world to this day.

I am sure that Ruth never dreamt, when she accompanied Naomi back to the Land of Israel that she would marry Boaz and that she would witness a great grandson as King David from whom would come the Royal family and the Moshiach .

It shows you what can be achieved with selfless dedication.

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פסח שני

14th Iyar is פסח שני. This is the anniversary of the day in the year which has the only mitzvah in Torah, for which, if somebody, was unable to perform it at the correct time, there is a second chance. In parshas בהעלותך Moshe Rabbenu was told that the second year from the going out of Mitzrayim, that is a year after the actual יציאת מצרים, the Bnei Yisroel should sacrifice a korban Pesach. And so they did, on 14th day of Nissan, exactly on the first anniversary of the original korban Pesach.

The Torah then continues
ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח ביום ההוא, There were people who had become tomei being in contact with a dead person and, therefore, they could not bring the korban Pesach. These people said to Moshe, למה נגרע, why should we be less than everybody else in that we cannot bring the korban Pesach at the right time, Moshe’s response was stand and wait and I will listen to what Hashem commands me. Hashem said to Moshe that anybody who had become tomei or was far away from the Mishkon (and in due course the Bais Hamikdosh) and was unable to bring a korban Pesach, was allowed to perform the same ceremony on 14th Iyar, eating the קרבן together with matzos and moror.

As I said above, I believe that this is the only time in Torah that there was a specific mitzvah given as a “second chance”.

The question one can obviously ask is, we have a general rule מחשבה טובה הקב''ה מצרפו למעשה a good intention is considered as if the person had carried out the deed. Namely, if there is some reason why a person cannot carry out the actual actions of a mitzvah, but very much wanted to do so and had done so in the past, it is counted as if he had actually done the mitzvah. For example, if somebody was in hospital and could not lay tefillin because the doctors would not allow it, or due to no fault of his there were no tefillin available, but he had in mind that he really wished to do so, it was as if he had carried out that mitzvah. So the question here, in this case, is the people who were tomei wished to participate in the mitzvah of korban Pesach on 14th Nissan so why did they have to be given this second chance to carry out the mitzvah.

I heard an answer in the name of the Sanzer Rov, the דברי חיים, as follows, we are talking about very great people, דור דעה. He suggests that when they came and complained to Moshe Rabbenu that because they had become tomei as they had been burying dead people or the like and, therefore, performing a mitzvah; Moshe Rabbenu suggested that they would have the same spiritual uplift as the people actually performing the mitzvah of korban Pesach just by having the right thoughts, מחשבה טובה הקב''ה מצרפו למעשה. However, when the Bnei Yisroel brought the korban Pesach, those people who were tomei came back to Moshe and said “we don’t feel anything”, למה נגרע, why is it that we are feeling less than everybody else. Moshe Rabbenu then said, let me go and consult and find out what is the correct position.

It then proved that there was a second chance available. That is why they did not feel anything when the rest of the Bnei Yisroel brought the korban Pesach on 14th Nissan. They were enabled to have the spiritual uplift by bringing the Pesach Sheni.

This is, of course, an object lesson to us, sometimes, for one reason or another, we don’t have the opportunity to perform a mitzvah the first time round but we are given a second opportunity and we need to grab it and therefore, experience a spiritual boost.

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The Parshios of Vayikra

The parshios of Vayikra are known as תורת כהנים. This is because many of the mitzvos given in the parshios between Vayikra and the end of Behokosai are specifically to do with the Kohanim or the Mishkon and Bais Hamikdosh. Nevertheless, there are numerous parshios which are not to do with Kohanim specifically, for example, virtually the whole of the sedra Kedoshim and a considerable amount of Behar-Behokosai as well as parts of Shemini and Emor.

Looking at the five parshios commencing אחרי מות, carrying on with קדשים, אמר, through בהר and finally בחקתי, I think we can find a common thread running through all these parshios, namely, that a person has to try to acquire the quality of kedusha. In order to be able to do this, one has to not only keep to the strict mitzvos of Torah but one also has to build extra walls and fences to assist in obtaining kedusha and increasing it.

The word קדושה comes from the root קדש. This is translated in English as Holy. But what does it mean? We have visions of angels up in heaven saying קדוש קדוש קדוש ה' צבאות Holy, holy, holy is Hashem of the legions. We need to define what is meant by this holiness. It is broadly speaking, setting oneself aside from the mundane and becoming more spiritual and near to Hashem.

Rashi at the beginning of Kedoshim states as follows:-
כל מקום שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה אתה מוצא קדושה. A negative concept, wherever you find a fence against lewdness you will find holiness.

The Ramban goes one further and states that one can keep all the mitzvos of Torah and still be what is called a נבל ברשות התורה. I intend going into that concept in greater detail a little later.

קדושה has been translated as הבדלה and פרישות, setting oneself aside and perhaps even leading an ascetic life. That is only part of the concept.

We must, however, always remember that the רבונו של עולם’s קדושה His sanctity and holiness is much higher than any holiness that we can aspire to. קדושתי למעלה מקודשתם

The seforim Hakedoshim say that there are three parallel levels on which one has to work. They are known as עולם, the world, שנה, time, and נפש, the soul, the human being. In each department one has to create, retain and aspire to kedusha.

Let us commence with the sedra אחרי מות. This gives detailed instructions for Aharon and subsequent Kohanim Gedolim to go into the Holy of Holies, the Kodesh Kodeshim, once a year. This is firstly a reflection of kedusha in time, namely the 10th Tishrei every year. It is also kedusha of עולם, the world, because it is the one place in the world, originally the Mishkon and subsequently the Bais Hamikdosh, which had this special kedusha. In addition, the Kohan Godol had to set himself aside for seven days before Yom Kippur and on Yom Kippur itself, immerse himself five times in the mikvah. We see here all three headings of kedusha, עולם, שנה, נפש. The particular place in the world, in time and in the person. Furthermore, the Kohen Godol only had the opportunity to go into the Kodesh Kodeshim just once a year.

The next parsha in Torah talks about שחוטי חוץ, that is a sacrifice, a korban, may not be brought (when there was a Mishkon or the Bais Hamikdosh standing) except at that very place, again this is קדושת המקום, a place in the world. This is followed by the parsha stating that one may not eat blood under any circumstances. This being קדושת הנפש, in a human being. In fact, the Torah itself uses the word נפש in this connection.

We begin to see that in order to create, retain and aspire to kedusha, one has to have these restraints and much more.

This is followed by the parsha of עריות, the ultimate in physical kedusha, namely, that certain relationships are completely forbidden. So much so, that the Torah says that the transgressing of those mitzvos can cause the opposite of kedusha, and lead, in the extreme, to the Bnei Yisroel being exiled from our Holy Land. As we know, unfortunately, this did happen on more than one occasion especially after each Beis HaMikdosh was destroyed.

Immediately after that, commences the sedra קדשים. Where we are enjoined to be spiritually holy.

Interestingly, if one goes carefully through all the mitzvos in that sedra, they appear to be a jumble of commands. There are relationships between one man and his fellow man and at the same time other mitzvos between man and his maker. I should like to enumerate a few of the general principles

We can climb the ladder of holiness by being kind and charitable, honest and fair, upright and just, practising self control over our words, our thoughts and our actions and by avoiding spiritually destructive things, relationships and also by atoning for all our mistakes. We have to behave in a holy manner with regard to agriculture, personal conduct and appearance, child rearing, inter-personal relationships, commerce and life in general. This is all mentioned in the sedra קדשים. Of course, there are numerous other mitzvos mentioned including שבת, פיגול and נותר, ערלה etc. which are mitzvos בין אדם למקום.

All these help in and are part of ascending the ladder of holiness.

As we can see kedusha, holiness, does not just mean putting our heads in the clouds and having mitzvos between ourselves and Hashem. It is very much also about inter personal relationships בין אדם לחבירו.

As I mentioned fleetingly earlier on, the Ramban at the beginning of Kedoshim goes one step further in trying to define and discuss kedusha.

The Ramban says that one can keep all the mitzvos and still be what he refers to as a נבל ברשות התורה, namely being very lowly without breaking any of the mitzvos. To illustrate, if somebody sits all day long eating and drinking like a glutton, even though he can be eating absolutely kosher foods and drinking nothing which is prohibited, it is very far from kedusha and in fact it leads to the opposite happening. The person can become very coarse and degenerate, instead of refined and holy.

You may have noted when reading the sedra last week, that it is the second verse of קדשים which states קדשים תהיו, you shall be holy. The second verse from the end of the sedra repeats this. The Torah says והייתם לי קדשים You should be holy to Me, כי קדוש אני ה' because I am Holy. Meaning that you should try and emulate Me, as far as is humanly possible, of course. I don’t know whether anybody has noticed that the word Kedoshim is spelt without a ו, קדשים, whereas the word קדוש is spelt with the ו, when referring to Hashem.

I have discovered that this is a general rule in Torah, namely, wherever we are referring to the kedusha of Hashem, the holiness with reference to the Al-mighty, the word is spelt קדוש. This is because His Holiness, sanctity, separation etc. is beyond and above anything that we can aspire to, it is מלא, complete, in the same way it is spelt fully, קדוש. When the Torah refers to human beings theו is omitted because we can only go so far.

Turning to the next sedra, אמר, if you look at פסוק ח', the 8th verse, we are talking about the Kohanim, and their level of kedusha. וקדשתו כי את לחם אלקיך הוא מקריב you should sanctify him because he brings the sacrifices to Hashem. The Torah carries on as follows קדש יהיה לך he should be holy to you כי קדוש אני ה' מקדישכם because I am Holy, and sanctify you. Please note that the first קדש, referring to the Kohen, is spelt חסר, without a ו, whereas the second one, referring to Hashem, is spelt מלא, with a ו, קדוש.

As I mentioned the kedusha of the Kohanim is given in detail at the beginning of Emor and the Kohan Godol’s kedusha is at a higher level. We are talking there of קדושת הנפש, the human being.

The Torah then continues, all Jews have to be careful not to touch or to eat of קרבנות when they are in a state of טומאה. Then we have the parsha about the animals themselves that could not be sacrificed if they were not perfect, without any blemish. This is followed by an injunction that an animal cannot be sacrificed for the first seven days of its life. This, in turn, is followed by the various parshios all concerning the different קרבנות brought in the Mishkon or the Bais Hamikdosh on Yomim Tovim.

Harking back to the three parallel levels of kedusha that I mentioned above, one can see that again עולם, שנה, and נפש are mentioned time and time again. There was even a kedusha in respect of the oil that was utilised for the menorah, of course, in the Holy part of the Mishkon and that it had to be replenished each day. We then go to the parsha of the לחם הפנים, the special bread that was brought once a week and placed on the shulchan, on the table, once again in the Holy part of the Mishkon.

We can see that apparently mundane objects in the world, including animals, oil, bread etc. are utilised as a means of spiritual uplift and kedusha.

The Torah then comes to another parsha where there was an incorrect relationship between an Egyptian man and a Jewish woman and the son was caught blaspheming and what happened to him and others in similar circumstances. Obviously, the opposite of kedusha, to be avoided at all costs.

The sedra of בהר commences with the mitzvah of שמיטה, here we have קדושת הארץ, the holiness, the sanctity of the actual Land of Israel. Once in seven years, work on the fields stopped, קדושת הזמן. We know that the farmers and their families were supposed to spiritually elevate themselves as well in that sabbatical year, קדושת הנפש.

The Torah then goes one further and states that once in 50 years there is a special jubilee יובל, so that in effect one has two years of complete rest of the fields, the 49th year and the 50th year, to the extent that even Jewish servants had to be allowed to go home then and the leasehold properties which had been sold reverted to their owners.

Do I have to keep on mentioning the interplay between עולם, שנה,and נפש, Eretz Yisroel being holier than the rest of the world, the years mentioned in and the individuals as well.

The Torah then continues for the whole of בהר with a poor person selling part of his inheritance and selling a house and eventually selling himself, not only to a fellow Jew but in extremity to a Non Jew. Rashi tells us that this was all because originally שמיטה was not kept properly and this was a downward spiral, the opposite of kedusha.

Finally, in בחקתי we are enjoined to keep all the mitzvos properly and we will have great ברכה blessings showered upon us.

If, חס וחלילה we do the opposite, there are a series of קללות which unfortunately over the ages did occur in previous generations.

However, the Torah then, at the end of בחקתי comes back to kedusha, the elevation of people and animals and possessions by declaring them קודש, holy, ending finally with the mitzvah of taking a tithe, מעשר from all flocks, the tenth one being, as the Torah states קדש לה'.

I think that you will agree that there is a common thread going through these sedras from אחרי מות right the way through to בחקתי. This is a lesson for all of us, male and female, to try and adhere to קדושהand spiritually uplift ourselves. This, of course, includes keeping the mitzvos בין אדם למקום between ourselves and Hashem, and בין אדם לחבירו between ourselves and fellow Jews.

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PESACH

The famous Amora, אביי, specifies, towards the end of Gemora מגילה, that each day of Pesach the Sefer Torah is taken out and a different portion is read.

Each one of these readings refers, in one way or another, to Pesach. However, one must understand why the custom, as mentioned by אביי, is to read as follows.

On the first day (משכו וקחו לכם צאן (שמות י''ב.

On the second day (שור או כשב או עז (ויקרא כ''ב.

On the third day (קדש לי כל בכור (שמות י''ג.

On the fourth day (אם כסף תלוה את עמי (שמות כ''ב.

On the fifth day (פסל לך (שמות ל''ד.

On the sixth day (במדבר סיני ,ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח במועדו (במדבר ט.

On the seventh day (שמות י''ג) The שירה, בשלח is read.

Whilst one can understand that each one of these readings has a connection with Pesach, it is difficult to understand the particular order. It is not as they occur in Torah and there must be a good reason for the order chosen.

As far as the last reading is concerned, namely the שירה on שביעי של פסח, it is obviously because the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea took place on that day but that only deals with one particular aspect.

I would like to suggest the following idea. We find that there are seven מדות, qualities which are attributed to the great צדיקים and are utilised each day in the Sukkah for the famous אושפיזין, guests. They are:-

אברהם – חסד
יצחק – גבורה
יעקב – תפארת
משה – נצח
אהרן – הוד
יוסף – יסוד
דוד – מלכות

If we now look at the individual פרשיות read each day of Pesach, I think we can discern a pattern. On the first day it starts with משכו, Rashi quotes משכו ידיכם מעבודה זרה , חז''ל lift your hands up from idol worship.

The first one that we find who fought against that was Avrohom Avinu. There is the famous story of how as a small boy, he was left in charge of his father’s “idol” shop. When his father returned, he found all the idols broken except the biggest one. When he remonstrated with Avrohom Avinu, the boy replied that the idols had a fight and the biggest one had broken all the others. As we know, Terach was not impressed and reported this to Nimrod and Avrohom got into terrible trouble. Nevertheless, he stuck to his principles. The Gemora says that Avrohom Avinu’s מסכת עבודה זרה, had 400 chapters.

On the second day we commence with שור או כשב או עז. One can bring as a korban an ox, a lamb or a goat. Yitzchok was the person at the Akeida who showed great strength, גבורה, to allow himself to be almost sacrificed. In his place an animal was sacrificed. In the same way a person who brought a korban had to realise that it was in place of himself, the person concerned, that the animal was being sacrificed.

On the third day, the Torah commences קדש לי כל בכור, sanctify to Me, every first born. This refers to Yaakov who not only, as Rashi quotes, נולד מטפה ראשונה but also acquired the bechora, as we know.

On the fourth day, the parsha speaks about many things connected with Moshe Rabbenu. אלקים, the Dayan you should not curse and the prince of your nation you should not blaspheme and continues ואנשי קדש תהיון לי, you should be holy to Me. Who else represented all these things more than Moshe who was the chief judge, the prince of the children of Israel in his lifetime and holy more than everybody else. Finally, the Torah states לא תענה על רב, Rashi explains that you should not argue with the chief of the Beth Din.

On the fifth day, one reads פסל לך. In this is mentioned the thirteen מדות של רחמים attributes of mercy, to be utilised when the בני ישראל required רחמים. This was exemplified by Aharon the Kohen who was אוהב שלום ורודף שלום אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה, he loved peace, pursued peace, loved people and drew them near to Torah. His task was to atone for the Jewish people and ensure that Hashem used the מדות של רחמים.

On the sixth day, the parsha deals with people who become טמא and could not join in bringing the korban Pesach on the second year in the wilderness. The Torah then deals with people who were not טמא, were pure and had to fulfil the mitzvah. This is an allusion to יוסף הצדיק whose מידת יסוד represents purity in the extreme.

Finally on the seventh day, the miracle of the קריעת ים סוף represented the quality of מלכות and ends ה' ימלך לעלם ועד. Dovid Hamelech was the king who exalted Hashem and exemplified and proclaimed the מלכות שמים at all times.

One could add to this that in חוץ לארץ on the eighth day, עשר תעשר is read. One should give maaser. The Torah continues that one should take this to Yerushalayim in order that one should learn יראת ה'. Nowadays, when we do not have a Beis Hamikdosh, one should not only give maser, tzedokah, in ones own town following the principle of עניי עירך קודם. However, one must especially look after the Holy institutions in Yerushalayim and the residents of Yerushalayim in accordance with the pesak of Reb Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld ז''ל, namely, that as it says, in davenning ולירושלים עירך , therefore the poor of Yerushalayim are considered equal to ones own city, all over the world. I believe that this is especially relevant nowadays.

I would just like to add one further thought and that is that in the course of the reading of the fourth day, אם כסף תלוה את עמי, a verse in the middle commences מדבר שקר תרחק, one should distance oneself from lies. It is noteworthy that the reading of the fourth day, which is the middle day of Pesach and right in the middle of the פרשה read, is the one time that the Torah itself instructs us to “distance ourselves”. The Torah does not say, do not speak untruths, it says distance yourself from even saying any word of a lie.

I believe that the message is loud and clear that the essence of the Yom Tov of Pesach (which is a time of גאולה, redemption, not only physical redemption but spiritual redemption) has to have as its ultimate purpose the cleaving to אמת, absolute truth at all times. This is therefore the פנימיות שבפנימיות the innermost core to be strived for and attained.

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THE CHOFETZ CHAIM החפץ חיים

One of the outstanding personalities of the last 150 years in the Jewish, Charedi world, if not the most outstanding of all was R’ Yisroel Meir Kagan, universally known as the Chofetz Chaim. His fame as a great author of ספרים and universal acclaim as a great Tzaddik is acknowledged by all segments of Jewry, whether they are Ashkenazim or Sephardim, followers of the Lithuanian school or Chassidim.

His classic on Halacha, the Mishnah Berurah, has become the standard sefer on אורח חיים, the laws pertaining to day by day conduct for the whole year round.

There were other great scholars, teachers, Tzaddikim and phenomenal Torah luminaries in the same period. What was it that has made the Chofetz Chaim this outstanding person, so looked up to and respected by one and all.

One could perhaps attribute it to a number of factors including his great humility, the fact that he lived well into his nineties, was a Kohen, wrote his ספרים in a clear style, easy to understand and follow, and was one of the great leaders of the Agudas Yisroel movement in the early twentieth century. But, if one delves into the history of the period, one can find other people who also approached his greatness in various spheres.

I believe that the secret of his acceptance by all, of this outstanding personality, lies in two stories that I read about in a book produced by Rabbi Pesach Krohn, Travelling with the Maggid (from pages 138 onwards).

In short, the father of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Aryeh Zeev Kagan lives in a suburb of Grodno, known as Zhetel. He married a lady called Miriam, and they had two sons, Moshe and Aharon and a daughter Reizel. Miriam unfortunately passed away and he was left as a widower with three small children. He then married Miriam’s younger sister, Dobrusha, and in 1839 they had a little boy named ah BrYisroel Meir. He was an extremely bright boy and by the time he was nine, Rabbi Aryeh Zeev decided to take the young boy to Vilna where a suitable melamed could be found to teach him.

Rabbi Aryeh Zeev himself had been supporting his family by giving private lessons in Vilna, as well as teaching in Yeshiva there and he decided that accordingly he would be able to keep a fatherly eye on his son, Yisroel Meir. When he was eleven years of age a cholera epidemic raged and Rabbi Aryeh Zeev, who was only 47, passed away, a poor man. Therefore, Yisroel Meir was left to fend for himself. He was taken in by a man who did that in exchange for Yisroel Meir tutoring his grandson.

Three years after Dobrusha was widowed, she remarried a person called R’ Shimon, a widower from Radin who had attended the Volozhin Yeshiva in his youth. The family moved to Radin and the Chofetz Chaim was by then approximately 15 years of age.

Some time later, R Shimon who had a daughter Freida by his previous marriage thought that it would be a good idea for his daughter to marry Yisroel Meir.

Shidduchim had already been suggested for this very bright and gifted boy, for example, a dowry of 10,000 rubles, a fabulous sum, had been offered by one of the wealthy Jews of Vilna. In addition, he had been suggested to the daughter of a very famous Rabbi and another who was a Rosh Yeshiva.

When his older half brother, Aharon, heard about the suggestion that he should marry Freida, his step-father’s daughter, he was incredulous, he stated emphatically that Yisroel Meir was doing a disservice to himself. “Not only is the girl much older than you but you could also marry into either a home full of Torah, being that of a great Rabbi or Rosh Yeshiva, or alternatively, with a father in law who has wealth and is able to keep you for the rest of your life.”

Yisroel Meir would not hear of it. He stated “If I marry Freida, can you imagine how grateful R’ Shimon will be to our mother. He will appreciate her all the more, imagine the good will that will be engendered between R’ Shimon and our mother.” Reading between the lines, I am tempted to suggest that there may have been friction or potential friction in the family and the Chofetz Chaim wanted to make sure that his mother would be looked up to and treated in the best possible manner.

Against all the advice that he was given, and his own natural inclination, he agreed to marry the daughter of his step father. I believe that they got married around 1860 and the Chofetz Chaim lived in Radin with the rest of the family.

Some ten years later, a bitter dispute broke out in Radin between the Rav and some members of the community. As a result the Rav had to leave his position and within two years he died, still suffering the heartache of having been forced to leave the position he loved. Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, now a mature young man who was very learned, was terribly pained by that episode and he decided to write a sefer about the problems that words can cause. He worked on the book for a number of years and when it was published, he was in his mid thirties. This was the famous sefer Chofetz Chaim – Shmeras Haloshen, חפץ חיים, שמירת הלשון which basically is a definitive Shulchan Oruch on the laws of speech.

Incidentally, before I read this story, I often wondered how it was that the Chofetz Chaim, in his sefer, so accurately portrayed in detail the way people think, speak and spread tittle tattle, loshen hora etc. If, as I believe we all know, he was such a Tzaddik, how did he hear it all. However, having learned that he lived in this small town, almost a village, known as Radin for all the years that the community was in turmoil, because the dispute between the Rav and some of the members of the community, he, no doubt, could not avoid hearing various opinions expressed wherever he turned. Whereas a lesser person might have just ignored them or perhaps even accepted them, he stored them in his memory and utilised them to illustrate so brilliantly in his sefer, how one may not behave and how one must try to strive to speak and behave in general and indeed, in detail, according to the rules of our Holy Torah.

I am the proud possessor of a first edition of the Chofetz Chaim and Shmeras Haloshen which was printed in Warsaw in 1877. This sefer has on it, handwritten, that it has been מוגה, gone through by the Chofetz Chaim himself to ensure that there are no major mistakes. Furthermore, it does not give the name of the author, even though it has four approbations from famous Rabbis, they also do not give the name of the author. In his humility, the young man as he was then, R’ Yisroel Meir Kagan, had his first sefer published anonymously.

Now let me return to my original question, as to why this giant of stature has been so phenomenally successful and he and his ספרים accepted by every segment of the Charedi community.

I believe that the two stories I mentioned above, are the key to it. The Chofetz Chaim when turning down more glittering shidduchim and settling for the girl he married went beyond the call of any duty of Kibbud Av V’em. He set aside completely his own preferences in favour of his mother having a better life. Secondly, when he witnessed the terrible results of loshen hora and rechilas, he did something about it practically. He did not look for his own honour and he disregarded the fact that he might have considerable antagonism when he published the sefer and when it would finally come to light who the author was. He was motivated by a pure desire to try to repair the problem and help improve klall Yisroel.

It is related that he, himself, used to go round from town to town and city to city to sell the sefer. A leading scholar once suggested to him that he was, in fact, stopping people from talking, as people would be afraid to say something that was either loshen hora or rechilas etc. The Chofetz Chaim retorted that the opposite was the truth. Whereas previously, people were unsure as to whether they were allowed to say things because they might be doing something wrong, once they had studied his sefer, they would know what they may say and could speak clearly, in accordance with the Torah guidelines.

Once the Chofetz Chaim found that his sefer had been accepted with acclaim and was achieving his objects, he set about writing other seforim, only publishing those which he felt there was a burning need for in the particular context of the times.

For example, there is a sefer נדחי ישראל which goes into detail for the people who emigrated to the USA and other such places to ensure that they kept the minimal halachos even if they did not have a Rabbi or Torah structure in which to live. He wrote a sefer specifically for the Jewish soldiers who were conscripted into the Russian army, once again, to try to ensure that they kept the minimal halachos and there are many other examples in his numerous seforim published.

The sefer Ahavas Chesed is as its name would suggest devoted to showing the importance of doing kind deeds and charitable deeds with every fellow Jew. We are talking about a time and place where people were extremely poor in the main and it was very difficult to keep Jewish life going and his sefer helped considerably to raise standards of chesed.

I mentioned earlier on that the חפץ חיים was a Kohen. He was for ever hoping that the Moshiach would come quickly and that the Bais Hamikdosh would be rebuilt. Accordingly, he started off a Kollel to learn specifically קדשים in Radin. One famous member of that Kollel was the Ponivizher Rov. He discovered that there were very few classic commentaries on the Mesechtas of קדשים and that they were very rare and difficult to find. He, therefore, published a sefer ליקוטי הלכות which incorporates a number of the great classic commentaries to assist in understanding the difficult Mesechtas as well as bringing clarity to the matter.

I, in fact, myself heard from his grandson Rabbi Mendel Sacks who was in my house many years ago that his grandfather never published a sefer unless there was a major need for it and he felt that he could fill the gap.

His crowning effort was the famous משנה ברורה which was published originally, commencing in approximately 1885. It took the Torah world by storm and as I mentioned earlier on, has become the standard textbook studied world wide in Yeshivas and by lay scholars as well as, of course, all Rabbonim. It is considered as the final פסק to be relied upon.

In short, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan’s extraordinary success was triggered by the fact that Hashem decided that because the Chofetz Chaim had been so self effacing and willing to give away his own future life of comfort, for the sake of his mother, coupled by his burning desire to produce seforim needed for the times and for future generations, Hashem has ensured that he be accepted as the final authority in so many ways as far as Jewish scholarship and learning is concerned.

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The Mishkon – Veyakhel - Pekudei

The commandment to build a Mishkon – Tabernacle and the detailed instructions pertaining thereto cover almost two sedras, namely Terumah and Tetzaveh. It is again briefly mentioned in the next sedra Ki Sisa and the way it was carried out in practice is gone into again in great length in the next two sedras Vayakhel and Pekudei. We find many important dinim – laws, which are mentioned very briefly, sometimes are even only deduced from an extra word or a letter. We know that the Torah does not repeat itself unnecessarily and here we have over 300 pesukim – verses with many obvious repetitions.

Rabbenu Bachaya, one of the leading medieval commentators, states at the beginning of Veyakhel that the Mishkon is mentioned five times, which emphasises the point I have been making, and this begs the question why was it necessary to go over this again and again and in such detail on so many occasions.

In order to understand this at least partially, let us consider in detail the Kodesh Kodoshim, the Holy of Holies that was the repository of the Oron – Ark containing the Luchos, the Ten Commandments.

The instructions as to how to build the Mishkon are precise and the internal measurements, within the walls, of the Kodesh Kodoshim are ten amos – cubits long by ten amos wide by ten amos high, namely a perfect cube, ten by ten by ten.

Inside, the Ark was ten tefochim – handbreadths high and on that were the Keruvim Cherubs on which Rashi comments that with their hands held up they also were ten handbreadths high. Inside the Ark were the ten commandments.

Furthermore, the Buddim, the staves, which held the Oron, were themselves each ten amos long.

We can see from this that there was a particular emphasis on ten in respect of all these measurements in the Holy of Holies.

It goes even further as the Gemora tells us מקום הארון אינו מן המדה, the Oron miraculously did not take up any physical space, meaning, of course, that the ten by ten by ten remained a perfect cube without losing any space internally.

To add one further facet, one person was allowed to enter once a year, namely the Kohen Godol, high priest, and this was on the tenth day of the seventh month. Ten is obviously a salient factor in the whole series of instructions.

I believe that the key to this can be found in a Mishna at the beginning of the fifth chapter of Pirkei Ovos – Ethics of our Fathers that states בעשרה מאמרות נברא העולם Hashem created the world with ten utterances. The Mishna continues “but He could have created it with one, why did He make ten utterances? To punish evildoers who destroy the world, which was created with ten utterances and to give reward to the righteous who rectify the world that was created with ten utterances”. However, the question is obvious, why not twenty or thirty utterances and one could have even more reward. It appears that ten was the blueprint with which the world was created and that is the way Hashem wanted it to be. We also find that the ארי ז"ל, Rabbi Yitzchok Luria goes into great detail concerning ten Sefiros – levels by which the creation of the world descended to our lowly world in which we live, again the emphasis on ten.

We, therefore, see that when the world was created and obviously, as the creation of Hashem, it was a perfect world, ten was a key element. Unfortunately Adam and Eve ate from the עץ הדעת, the fruit that was forbidden to them, and this caused degeneration, which gathered pace over the next ten generations. The Mabul, flood, took place and Noach was left with his children but once again there was further degeneration until ten generations later, Avrohom Ovinu began the improvement and rectification of the world.

This was continued by his son Yitzchok and grandson Yaakov, but they still did not achieve a full recovery. That only occurred when the children of Israel said “Naasei Ve’Nishma” “We will do and hear” and received the Torah, the ten commandments. At that time, we are told, the world returned to the level of Adam before the sin.

The holy presence of Hashem, the Shechina, dwelled within each Jew. Unfortunately, the episode of the golden calf spoiled this.

Hashem then decreed that a place had to be built according to His specifications where the Shechina, his presence, would dwell and from which place He would speak to Moshe Rabbenu. It was in this Holy of Holies from between the Keruvim mentioned above, that the Torah clearly states there had to be perfection of ten namely, ten by ten by ten.

I mentioned above that there were ten generations until Noach, ten again until Avrohom and remarkably enough there were ten generations from then onwards to Betzalel the architect of the Mishkon. It was indeed extraordinary that this young boy, just bar-mitzvah should be the person to whom was entrusted the building of the Mishkon and the Torah goes so far as to say, in the case of the Oron, ויעש בצלאל, Betzalel himself built it and our Rabbis tell us that in his name one finds an allusion to his greatness, in that יודע היה בצלאל לצרף בהן אותיות שנבראו בהם שמים וארץ Betzalel knew how to combine the letters, with which were created heaven and earth. The Mishkon was not just a physical edifice, it was a power house of spirituality from which emanated the Shechina in the same way as this had permeated the whole world at creation.

We begin the see the reason for the detailed instructions and repetition in this one area, the most Holy in the Mishkon and it can be projected to many other areas of the Mishkon as well, each having is own focus.

One further interesting point is that the word Eser in Hebrew עשר, when spelt out fully as a total numerical value עין שין ריש adds up to 1,000 (עין equals 130, שין equals 360 and ריש equals 510).

One thousand is ten times ten times ten!! Furthermore, the middle letter each time is Yud namely ten times ten times ten.

The word for a thousand in Hebrew is Elef, which we are told refers to אלופו של עולם The Chief, the ultimate power of the world.

The Mishkon was taken down and put up again repeatedly during the 39 years from its building whilst the children of Israel went round the wilderness, in fact 42 times in total. This was to signify that whenever Jews would go into the wilderness, exile, they could rebuild and recreate the holiness that the Shechina, Hashem’s presence should dwell among them. Furthermore, Rabbenu Bachaya states at the beginning of Bereishis that the first 42 letters represent one of the holy names of Hashem namely that consisting of 42 letters. This is exactly equivalent to the 42 journeys echoing the mirror image of the creation of the world.

The Gemora statesכל ביה עשרה שכינתא שריא the Shechina dwells in every house of ten Jews, but why just ten? Bearing in mind the remarks above, it becomes fairly obvious. The blueprint of the world was with ten and the recreation of this in a small and focused way was in the Holy of Holies, with the emphasis on ten. Therefore, even when we no longer have a Tabernacle or a Temple, wherever Jews get together and build a Bais Haknesses – synagogue, Bais Hamidrash – place of learning etc and pray and learn there, the Shechina dwells there. We understand now why every דבר שבקדושה, Holy Act requires ten, which we call a minyon, when one can say Kaddish, Kedushah, read out of a Sefer Torah etc.

We also begin to appreciate how important it is to behave in such places with the necessary dignity and reverence and to Daven with Kavonnah – devotion and concentration.

The highlight of Tefilla B’Tzibbur – praying with a minyan, is the קדושה. The first sentence recited by participants comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah who beheld Hashem sitting on a throne and the angels were saying קדוש קדוש קדוש ה' צבאות מלא כל הארץ כבודו, Holy, Holy, Holy is Hashem. The word קדוש means a number of related things, Holy, Sanctified, Separated, all of which are implied by using this expression. The actual word in Hebrew is spelt Kuf Dalet Vov Shin, קדוש and the two middle letters Dalet (4) and Vov (6) add up to ten. The word is repeated three times.

May I suggest that this refers to the three dimensions of the קודש קדשים – Holy of Holies in the Mishkon which, down on earth, represent the Holiest abode and the connection between our physical world and the spiritual world above. Our Rabbis tell us בית המקדש של מטה מכוון כנגד בית המקדש של מעלה, the Temple in this world is apposite to the Temple up above.

To sum up, the Mishkon was the spiritual power house from which the Jewish Nation then and in all future generations until the coming of Moshiach would derive Holiness, strength, inspiration, comfort and much more. The detailed instructions and repetition was to emphasise its importance and to enable us to appreciate at least some of its depth and to bring us nearer to the Shechina in every generation wherever we are in the world.

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Let us perhaps dwell on a few points other than this, which also have a significance connected with ten. I mentioned earlier about Abraham being the first who began to rectify the world and he, himself, was given ten tests by Hashem. This was not by chance, he had to overcome all the evil influences on all the ten levels culminating in the Akeida, the bringing of his special son Yitzchok onto the altar and at that moment both he and his son reached an unbelievably high level of holiness and subservience to Hashem and this was passed on to later generations and still stand us in good stead to this very day.

When Bnei Yisroel who had been enslaved for over a hundred years in Egypt were to be saved, Hashem sent ten Makkos – plagues through Moshe and Aharon in order to break down the shells of uncleaniness which had been covering the קדושה – Holiness, culminating in the Makkos Bechoros at which point the King of Egypt, Paroh, agreed to let them go. It was on the tenth day of Nissan that they set aside the Korban Pesach, the Paschal lamb, which led directly to their deliverance.

Turning to Moshe, during the seven days of the consecration of the Mishkon and particularly on the eighth day in which he inducted Aharon into his role as Kohen Godol, Moshe had to bring korbonos on the mizbeach - altar, which was ten amos high (according to one of the Rabbis whose opinion we follow. According to the other Rabbi the slope leading up to the altar was ten amos long) and the Gemora tells us that Moshe Rabbenu unlike most people who on average are three cubits high, was in fact ten amos – cubits tall.

Not for nothing did Moshe Rabbenu when blessing the Bnei Yisroel at the beginning of Devorim say יוסף ה' עליכם ככם אלף פעמים ויברך אתכם May Hashem, the G-d of your forefathers add to you a thousand times, (ten by ten by ten).

We also find numerous other references to ten referring to holiness. The tenth animal born in a flock each year became “holy” and we also had to take tithes – ma’aser of food and give them to the tribe of Levi which was the tribe of Moshe and Aharon as enumerated in Torah. (In fact, the commentators state that commencing from the youngest son, Benjamin – Joseph upwards, the tenth son of Yaakov was Levi and that is why he and his tribe were set aside as the holy ones.)

There are four levels of physical objects in this world, דומם, צומח, חי, מדבר - namely, Inanimate objects e.g. stone, metal etc., Items which grow from the ground e.g. plants trees etc., Animate objects e.g. animals, birds etc. and finally animate objects with speech, namely human beings.

As mentioned earlier, the internal measurements within the Kodesh Kodeshim are ten amos. The ground underneath was an inanimate object, דומם . The walls were made of wood, צומח. The covering was from the wool and skins of animals,חי , and the Kohen Godol, מדבר, performed the avodah.

At the level of items which grow צומח, we were commanded to take maaser, a tithe, (one tenth) from three objects, דגן, תירוש, יצהר - grain, wine and oil. At the next level, animate objects, we were also told to take maaser, a tithe each year, from three types of animal, בקר, כבשים, עזים - cattle, sheep and goats. All this had to be carried out by the representatives of the highest level, the human being.

The Kohen Godol, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies on the 10th day of the New Year and the Holy of Holies represents the spiritual state but at the same time he stood on the earth the lowest level, an inanimate object. However, at the next two levels, farmers growing produce in the Holy Land of Israel had to also symbolically take a tithe from three objects each year. At the next level up cattle owners had to take a tithe from animals bred in the Holy Land from three types of animal. These last two levels reinforce and blend with the holiness emanating from the Holy of Holies which itself is ten by ten by ten as mentioned previously. Furthermore, one could surmise that the emphasis on three objects is to elevate the world in general which at the lowest level is known as עולם העשיה - the physical world we live in, עולם היצירה - the world of formation of objects and above that עולם הבריאה - the world of original creation.

Would it be too fanciful to suggest that each one of the objects from which we are enjoined to take a tithe represents one of these worlds בקר , cattle, representing the strongest and most physical part of the world, namely עשיה. עיזים, goats representing the יצירה, and כבשים, lambs representing the gentlest and, therefore, the most elevated level בריאה, the world of creation.

In the same wayדגן , grain would represent the עולם העשיה, יצהר, oil symbolised by fire, where the flame goes upwards towards the upper world represents עולם היצירה (note the similarity ofיצהר and יצירה) and finally תירוש, wine, represents בריאה the world of creation. (The Gemora states נכנס יין יצא סוד, there is an affinity of wine to the hidden world of creation.)

Ten in Loshen Hakodesh is represented by the letter yud, י, as we all know our forefathers’ names are significant but the first one Abraham was given his name Avrom by his father Terach and, therefore, can be discounted as we all appreciate. However, Yitzchok יצחק was the name that Hashem instructed Abraham to give his son. Yaakov, יעקב was also named by Hashem as Rashi states. Three sons of Yaakov had names commencing with yud. Yosef, יוסף the special son of Yaakov, Yehuda, יהודה from whom the kingship of Dovid emanated and Yissochar, יששכר known as the font of Torah. Of course, the name of essence of Hashem starts with the letter yud, יהו-ה. The first letter of all these paramount names all start with the letter yud which has the numeric value of ten. Furthermore, when one writes out yud in full, יוד, the final two letters again add up to 10 so we once again have ten plus ten.


We also find that when Solomon built the Temple he added, with Ruach Hakodesh, ten menorahs, candelabras in addition to the one from the original Mishkon.

There is a series of mishnas in the first chapter of Keilim which commence as follows
עשר קדושות הן, there are ten degrees of holiness, Eretz Yisroel – the Land of Israel is holier than all other lands etc. and the tenth one being the most holy of all, you guessed it, was the Kodesh Hakodoshim, the Holy of Holies.

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Let us jump forward to a different age, to the famous story of Purim with which we are all familiar.

Let us pose just two questions, firstly why is it that the Gemora asks המן מן התורה מנין where is Homon mentioned in Torah and the Gemora answers from the verse after Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit, המן העץ אשר צויתיך – אכלת Hamin Hoeitz (the letters ה מ ן are the same as the name Homon, even though they are pronounced differently) Did you eat from the Tree that I commanded you not to? Why is it so important to find an allusion to Homon in the Torah? The same Gemora questions where do we find Mordechai and Esther and that we can understand because they were the heroes of the Megillah, but why Homon?

Secondly, the Gemora says that Homon has 208 children yet we find that a great play is made of killing of his ten sons in Shushan (and that is why we have a Shushan Purim, which is also kept in Jerusalem to this day).

Homon, as we know, erected a tree 50 amos high on which to hang Mordechai but Homon himself was hanged from the top of it. Ten months later his ten sons were hanged from the same tree as the Targum Sheini explains in detail on the Megillah. Rashi on the Megillah quotes a Seder Olam that these ten sons wrote letters of hatred as mentioned in Ezra and that this was at the beginning of King Ahashverous’s reign. What were these letters of hatred? To stop the Jews who had already gone up to Jerusalem at the time of Koresh to start building the Beis Hamikdosh and obviously their intention was that the Shechina should not dwell again on the Temple and in particular in the Kodesh Kodoshim, the holy of holies. Therefore, their punishment was that all ten should die and be strung up below their father Homon who had tried to defile the fifty gates of understanding חמישים שערי בינה. We now can understand why the Gemora quotes the allusion to Homon in Torah from that tree which had caused the original lowering of holiness and therefore a partial rectification of the whole matter was the hanging of Homon and his sons in this particular manner.

The Megillah continues קימו וקיבלו היהודים the Jews confirmed and undertook upon themselves and later generations etc. and the Gemora says they accepted again the ten commandments with the same enthusiasm as the Bnei Yisroel had accepted them at the time the Torah was given.

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On Rosh Hashonah each year, the whole world is judged. We all pray to Hashem that we should be written in סיפרן של צדיקים, the book of the righteous. The focal point of the prayers of Rosh Hashonah is the Mussaf with three special brochos מלכיות, זכרונות, שופרות, the first proclaiming the kingdom of Hashem, the second that we should be remembered for good and this is through the sound of the shofar. Each one of these three brochos has to have ten pesukim – verses, specifically relating to the three particular points. This is dealt with in detail in the Gemora Rosh Hashonah where a connection with the עשרה מאמרות with which the world was created and the עשרת הדברות, the Ten Commandments, is made. The connection with the three measurements of the Kodesh Kodoshim, Holy of Holies, ten by ten by ten, is obvious.

Furthermore, the custom is that in the evening prayer on Rosh Hashonah after Shemonah Esra, chapter 24 of Tehillim לדוד מזמור is recited which speaks about the kingdom of Hashem. It is also significant that this also consists of ten verses. We are plugging in to the Kedusha - holiness at the same time as we are praying for a spiritual and physical good year.


The mitzvah of Sukkah is the only one which envelopes a person from top to toe and the holiness is all around us when we are inside the Sukkah. We are enjoined to go out of our houses and live for a week in temporary booths. Here again, we find some important connections with the Holy of Holies. Whereas in the case of Sukkah generally, we find numerous easings of the normal laws for, example, two walls plus the third of just a handbreadth, a tefach, is enough to make a Sukkah. We also find that the walls themselves need not be complete from the top to the bottom (technically known as Gud Asik and Gud Achis) and many other such lenient rulings including דופן עקומה, “a bent wall”.

However, what we do find, is that the first Mishna in Sukkah says that as long as the height of the Sukkah is a minimum of ten tefachim, handbreadths (less than 1 metre in height) this is sufficient for a minimum height. It is significant that it must have ten tefachim and the Gemora in Sukkah learns this from the height of the Oren and Kaporas, the Ark of Testimony in the Kodesh Kodoshim. If anybody has tried to live in a Sukkah with such a minimal height, one can understand that this is an extreme leniency, but quite obviously the minimum level was that which we find in the Holy of Holies namely ten tefachim.

At the other end of the scale the maximum height of a Sukkah, one would have thought, would be ten amos, the same as the height of the Kodesh Kodoshim. However, the leniency here is that it is double, namely 20 amos and perhaps this is to incorporate the length of the Kodesh Kodoshim, itself ten amos, so 20 amos was chosen as a precise measurement to reinforce the connection with the Holiest place. (From around 20 amos upwards a person’s eye does not travel and therefore, it would not register that it is, in fact, a Sukkah with schach above that level.)

A portion of the holiness therefore, transfers from the Kodesh Kodoshim to each and every Sukkah and envelopes every Jewish person thereon.

Let us turn to one other aspect of Jewish Law and, that is, that a person male or female, can promise to pay over their worth or that of any other male or female from a month upwards, and there is a fixed scale, this is known as Arachin.

However, if a person saysדמי עלי , my worth I promise to give, or דמי פלוני עלי , the worth of another specific person I promise to give (for the upkeep of the Mishkon or Bais Hamikdosh) then one has to make an accurate calculation of the worth of the person being valued.

The way this was done was to take ten people including one Kohen and they had to come to an assessment as clearly stated in the first Mishna of Mesachtas Sanhedrin. Based on the premises above mentioned, one can understand that ten Jews together, enables the Shechinah to dwell on them and with the presence of one of them being a Kohen this enables them to come to a true valuation which otherwise would be very difficult to reach.

The Gemorah in ,בבא קמא פ''ב to פ recounts at length that יהושע enacted ten rules when he conquered Eretz Yisroel. In later generations, עזרא made a further ten enactments. Finally, there were ten special rules applied to Yerushalyim. All this was to assist in the settlement of Eretz Yisroel and keeping the whole land holy. Once again we find the emphasis in each case on ten.

We can now appreciate how the concept of עשר, TEN permeates Jewish Holiness in practice and law and has a strong connection with the קודש קדשים, Holy of Holies in the Mishkon and indeed with בריאת העולם, the Creation of our World.

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