בהר-בחוקתי

This week is a double parsha, Behar-Bechukotai, but this will just be about Behar.  There are a few interesting things mentioned in Behar.  It starts off with ה׳  introducing Shmittah year, every seventh year you may not work the fields.  After every seventh Shmittah there is Yovel, which is every 50th year.  Yovel has similar rules to Shmittah but more rules.  All slaves are freed and everyone goes back to their original land portion.ה׳  promises us that He will make sure we will have enough food.  He explains to us some more rules about buying and selling houses, the difference between houses in a walled city and a regular house, and that is basically it.

There is one question that should have made the Jewish people afraid, What will they eat?  They can't gather crops and they can't buy crops from other people. Another way to put the question is how do they pay for such a thing? How does the economy continue to function, especially in an agricultural society?”

In a school, not every faculty member is off during the same year. That would be impossible.  Yet, surprisingly, the Torah prescribes that Shmittah to be observed simultaneously. We are all meant to leave the fields in the very same year.

Here’s a practical approach that you don’t have to be a genius to think of. Everyone should put away a percentage of their crops every year in anticipation of the coming crunch. It may require foresight and self-discipline but it solves the pressing problem.  “No!” says the Torah. The solution is, “I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop sufficient for a three year period.” Since we are not planting during the 7th year, the 8th year is also a problem but the 6th year will miraculously provide for the needs of the nation during the 6th, the 7th, and the 8th years.  How can anyone feel comfortable making such a mad request of an entire nation? If the promise is not delivered, how long would it take for the Torah to be discredited? That’s right! Six years! This is a program for economic and spiritual suicide. How could the Torah take such a massive risk in an area where there are such simple solutions, and why?

There was a biker going around a mountain curve when the road gave way and he found himself falling down into the ravine thousands of feet below. In the last moment, he managed to grab hold of a branch jutting out from the side of the mountain. Barely holding on for his life he screamed for help but to no avail. Suddenly and miraculously a thunderous sound was heard echoing from the heavens. “Is that You, Lord?” inquired the man in desperation. “Yes!” boomed the voice. “Help me!” cried the man. “I can’t hold on much longer! What should I do?” “Just let go of the branch!” came the heavenly reply, Asks the man again: “Is there anybody else up there?”  Who would let go of that branch? Only an insane person or one who was certain that it was, in fact, The Almighty delivering the directive. To have the nerve to observe the Sabbatical Year requires being plugged into the historical reality of “Mount Sinai” in a sober way. Similarly, living the Sabbatical Year has the potential to reawaken and reaffirm the veracity of that national event. The Vilna Gaon writes, “The main function of the giving of the Torah is to inspire trust in Hashem.” Therefore, every courageous mitzvah step we take, though thousands of miles and years from that place, emanates from and beckons us back to Sinai.

Shabat Shalom,

Michael Finkelstein

שאלות אחרי מות-קדושים

Grades 1 and 2

1. What needed to be present for Aharon to enter the inner sanctuary? (16:2-3)

2. How did he choose one for God and one to be sent to the desert of Azazel? (16:8)

3. Which part of the field has to be left for the poor?” (19:9)

4. What is the rule about how to treat other people? (19:18

5. What mitzvah does the Torah teach us regarding elders? (19:32)

Grades 3 - 5

1. On Yom Kippur, two goats were chosen.  One was sacrificed. The other was taken to the desert. How was it decided which goat would be taken to be sacrificed?  (16:7-8)

2. The Torah teaches us, in Parshat Kedoshim, not to take revenge or to bear a grudge against other people in our nation.  What is the difference between these two commandments? (Rashi 19:18)

3. What is the Mitzvah of Orla? (19:23-25)    

אחרי מות-קדושים

At the beginning of this double parsha, following the deaths of Ahron’s eldest sons Nadav and Avihu, Hashem commands Moshe that nobody is to enter the Kodesh-Hakodashim, except for the Kohen Gadol, and even he is only permitted to enter on Yom Kippur. The Torah then details the laws of the Yom Kippur service. It tells about the lottery between two goats in order to determine which one will be sacrificed to Hashem on the Mizbayach and which one will be thrown off a cliff in the desert. The Torah then lists many more mitzvot.

Upon further analysis, the beginning of Achrei Mot raises one obvious question. Why are we throwing a goat off a cliff? What does this achieve? Most importantly, why would Hashem want something so violent to be included in the rituals of the most sacred day of the year?

The parsha tells us that the Kohen would atone for the sins of the nation using this goat. The question is how? The mishna (Sanhedrin 6:2) tells us that he would say a viduy over the goat. The declaration asks Hashem to forgive the sins of the people. By doing so he would somehow transfer the sins of the nation onto the goat. The goat is then given to another individual, who is then rushed out of the Beit Hamikdash.(Sanhedrin 6:4) By sending the goat over the cliff, we are not only killing an innocent goat, but as an added bonus, we get rid of our sins.

In our times, we, unfortunately, no longer have a Beit Hamikdash. We can still get rid of our sins by doing Tashlech, however, we are not doing so in the Beit Hamikdash, and we do not have a Kohen Gadol to make sacred declarations, therefore, the annulment of our sins may not be as powerful. Therefore, especially in a time when there is so much evil in the world, we should be extra careful not to perform any sins.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moshe Y. Golubtchik

שאלות פרשת תזריע מצורע

Grades 1 and 2

1. What special mitzvah is performed when a baby boy is eight days old? (12:3)

2. Who decides if the Tzara’at of a person is pure or impure (13:2)

3. Where does a person who has Tzara’at need to go? (13:46)  

4. The walls of a house can have Tzara’at too.  How is the Tzara’at removed from the walls of the house? (14:40)

Grades 3 - 5

1. What special Mitzvah is performed when a baby boy is eight days old? (12:3)

2. What does the word ברית  mean? (Bereshit 17:10-15)

3. Which Jewish person had the first Brit? (Bereshit 17)

4. Who decides if the Tzara’at of a person is pure or impure (13:2)

5. Why is a Metzora (a person with Tzara’at) commanded to live all by himself? (Rashi 13:46) 

פרשת תזריע מצורע

In this week’s parsha, Parshat Tazria and Parshat Metzora there's one main topic, which is Tzara'at.  There are three places Tzara’at can be: the skin, clothes of a person and a person’s house.  When Tzara'at appears someone must call upon a Kohen to inspect it.  Also this double parsha talks about the laws of birth. Since the majority of the parsha is Tzara'at it is fitting for  that to be the topic of my dvar torah.

There is one case of Tzara’at that Rashi says has never happened. This is the case of Tzara’at on one’s house.  This is not the only law in the Torah that has never happened. This is the case of Ir Hanidachat and Ben sorer umoreh.   So, a question arises, which is why does the Torah teach us rules about items that aren’t relevant to Bnai Yisrael?

Well it may not seem like it but the answer is rather simple.  The Torah teaches these laws so it is easier to help us understand the Torah better. The Tosefta (Sanhedrin 14,1) states: "There never was a subversive city-עיר הנידחת  and never will be. Why then was this law written? That we may study it and receive reward". As we know, the laws of a rebellious son (ben sorer umoreh), whose details have similarly troubled scholars of all generations, are likewise described by the Tosefta and the Talmuds: "There has never been a stubborn and rebellious son and never will be. Why then was this law written? That we may study it and receive reward". (Tosefta Sanhedrin 11,6; Talmud Sanhedrin 71a).  Without all these rules we would not have parallels from commentaries.  With these rules we wouldn’t have as much of an opportunity to learn Torah.  Or maybe these cases have never happened because we were warned about them.  These cases haven't happened because the Torah warns us of all the terrible things that will occur if these cases happened.  The Torah warns us about this to keep us safe.

The lesson that can be learned from this is that we should learn Torah, not for our gain but just for pleasure.  Torah is something that can be helpful and enjoyable. I like to think of Torah as a interactive game that I am playing with my family.  The game is a great bonding experience where we get to know each other better while having a very fun time.  This can also happen with Torah. If you learn Torah with your family it is a great bonding experience while having a good time.  The Tzara'at on the house has never happened because our families are playing in the game of Torah so we don’t get Tzara'at.  And we should carry this message through our whole lives.

Shabbat Shalom,
Mickey Nadritch

פרשת צו - פסח שאלות

Grades 1 and 2

1. What is not allowed to happen to the fire on the Mizbeach? (6:6)

2. What is the name of the Korban that we bring if we sin? (6:9) 

3. What is the name of the Korban that we bring if we want to thank God for something? (7:11)

Grades 3 - 5

1. What happens to the leftovers of the meal offerings? (6:9)

2. In what four instances is the thanksgiving offering brought? (Rashi 7:12)

Pesach questions- all grades!

1. Pesach always occurs in this season. _______________. What is another name for Pesach in Hebrew that matches this season?

2. What are two other names for Pesach?

3. At the Seder we drink four cups of _______.

4. How many questions are in the Mah Nishtana?

5. Why do we eat Karpas at the seder?

6. Why do we eat Charoset at the seder?

7. What were the first three Makkot?

8. What is the Hebrew date of Pesach?

9. Why do we have a Zeroa, a shank bone, on the seder plate?

10. Why do we have a Beitza, an egg, on the seder plate?

11. What were the names of the Rabbis that stayed up all night talking about the story of Pesach? (hint: the names are in the Haggadah)

פרשת צו-פסח

How Hard Could it be to Make a Sandwich?

There are many opinions on how the sandwichכורך  should be made, put together, and eaten.

 מהו דתימאthat all you need to do  is take two pieces of מצה  and throw in some old junk to remember when we left Mitzrayim.  קמ״ל it isn't so simple. Inבמדבר פרק ט פסוק יא  it says על מצות ומרורים יאכלוהו  which means on מצה  and  מרור we should eat it. The word "it" is referring to the קרבן פסח.

There are millions of opinions on how we are supposed to make and eat the sandwich. If you look in  מסכת פסחים then you will find on ,דף קטו  page 115, opinions how the sandwich should be built. The  גמרא talks about how הלל  ate the sandwich.  רש״י says that included פסח, מצה, ומרור  and so should we.

According to the  רמב״ם instead of the  קרבן פסח he thinks that  הלל had  חרוסת in his sandwich, and because of that we should too. The ברכה  on  כרך is ברוך אתה ה׳ אלוקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו על אכילת מצות ומרורים. Later on we say the ברכה  ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על אכילת הזבח  -.This shows that כורך and the קרבן פסח  are separate ideas and they should not be combined because wouldn't we say the ברכה of קרבן פסח during כרך because that is when we eat it first?

According toרביננו חננאל  the מרור  should be physically mixed with מצה also,  הגדת מועדים וזמנים have the same opinion. 

We think that in the sandwich there should be פסח, מצה, מרור  because that is what is said in the פסוק.

Since there is no קרבן פסח  now, we think that the sandwich should just be מצה ומרור  not חרסת.

In  ערוך השולחן,סימן תע"ה, סק"ז it says that we need to split מצה  into two pieces and put מרור  in between. In our opinion this is to make a closed traditional sandwich.

There are some opinions that discuss if the sandwich should be open or closed. רש״י  says that the כורך  needs to be an open sandwich. On the contrary רמב״ם  in thinks the sandwich should be closed. In רשב״םs commentary on the גמרא it seems that he thinks it needs to be open. However, it says מצה in parenthesis which shows that he actually thinks it needs to be closed. The opinion of group is the same of theרמב״ם .

 How should it be eaten?הלל  the creator of the sandwich ate it in one bite because it says in

במדבר פרק ט פסוק יא, על מצות ומרורים יאכלוהו.  which means, onמצה  and  מרור we should eat it. הלל  interpreted the word יאכלוהו  as you should eat the sandwich at once. How much מצה  and  מרור should be in your sandwich? The answer is כזית מצה וכזית מרור .

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,

Amichai Citron, Daniella Shlagbaum, and Omer Benharush