Friday, March 14, 2014

Parshat VAYIKRa- Why The Small Alef?




The Book of Vayikra receives its name from the first word in the Sefer – “Vayikra” (“He called”). The Sefer begins with G-d calling Moshe and summoning him into the newly-constructed Mishkan, to issue the commands relevant to the Korbanot (sacrifices). 


Anyone who looks at the way this word – “Vayikra” – is written in the Torah will immediately notice something peculiar: the final letter, “Alef,” is written considerably smaller than the other letters of the Torah. This in itself requires explanation, but the significance of this small letter might be even more far-reaching than it at first appears. Although the numerical value of the letter “Alef” is 1, if we spell the word “Alef” (“Alef,” “Lamed,” “Peh”), and combine the values of its letters, we arrive at 111 – the number of verses in Parashat Vayikra. This might allude to the fact that the message of this small “Alef” is the essential message of this Parasha. If we understand the small “Alef,” then we can understand the fundamental concept underlying all of Parashat Vayikra. 


The construction of the Mishkan served to rectify the sin of the golden calf. Anytime a Jew commits a sin, he drives the divine Presence from his soul; he banishes the spark of Kedusha, the piece of G-d within him, and sends it away to exile. Teshuva (repentance) means making ourselves worthy of once again receiving that spark, and being a repository for the Shechina. And thus after the sin of the golden calf, God’s presence left Benei Yisrael, and they needed to build the Mishkan in order to bring Him back. But this process needed to unfold gradually, step by step. Benei Yisrael could not receive the divine presence all at once. After falling so low after the sin of the golden calf, the process of the Shechina’s return had to proceed slowly. A person leaving a dark room needs time to adjust to light. He cannot have the lights turned on all at once instantaneously. His eyes are simply unable to handle the drastic transition. 


The Tasher Rebbe of Montreal, in his Abodat Aboda, explained that this is the symbolism underlying the small “Alef” at the beginning of Sefer Vayikra. Moshe Rabbenu was at the 50th level of Kedusha, the highest stature attainable by a human being. God instructed Moshe that in order to bring Beneh Yisrael back to where they needed to be, he would have to lower himself so the spiritual light he radiated would be smaller. After the darkness of the golden calf, Beneh Yisrael could not immediately receive the brightest spiritual light. And thus God appeared to Moshe on a lower level of prophecy, symbolized by the small letter “Alef.” 


This explains the comments of Rashi to the first verse of Sefer Vayikra, where he writes that the word “Vayikra” is a “Lashon Hiba” – a term that connotes love and affection. The Tasher Rebbe explained that the entire concept of Parashat Vayikra, G-d’s willingness to restore His Shechina among Beneh Yisrael in the Mishkan, is a great act of love. Beneh Yisrael betrayed Him in the worst way, worshipping a foreign deity just weeks after receiving the Torah, and yet He was still prepared to return to them. He always gives us the opportunity to return and repair our relationship with Him. And He even ensures that the process will unfold at the right pace, step by step, so that it will be effective. 


This is why the small “Alef” embodies the essence of the Parashat Vayikra. The concept underlying Korbanot is that we have the ability to restore our relationship with Hashem after falling. This entire book is a “Lashon Hiba,” an expression of great love by G-d, who is always prepared to welcome us back in Teshuba, and is always prepared to help us along this process. 

Derived from Rabbi Mansour

Shabbat shalom! 

"Hashems Will is Equal to My Will"

This weeks parasha as well as Sefer vayikra is mostly about korbanot. The problem is that we don't have any kohanim, no bet hamikdash, no korbanot, no mizbeyach,no prophets. So how do we get attained for our sins(kappara)? Karbanot were the offerings we gave when a person sinned and when a person wanted to give thanks to Hashem. The Gemara on daf :כו says 




Tefila is ke'neged tamidin(daily offerings/korbanot as it says a few lines later) on daf טו says




Says Rav Yohanan One who woke up, washed his hands,put on tefillin, said shema and prayed, the pasuk says about him "it's as if he built a mizbeyach (an alter) and brought a sacrifice on it.' But tefila (prayer) isn't enough.. One must learn torah! As it says in the gmara Says Rav Yitzchak all who learn torah of hatat(type of korbanot) torah of olah(type of korban) etc, it's like he brought a korban hatat or olah or etc. meaning if you learn about it, it's as if you brought it. Although a lot of shas is about korbanot and temple service, it serves us as a conduit through which we can fulfill our kappara (attonment). There are 2 conditions for korbanot. 1st condition is one must bring a korban with his own ratzon(will). (Side point)-Rambam actually says if one doesn't want to bring a korban, bet din- the Jewish court can force him. But how can bet din force me if I have to do it with my will? Rambam explains that really deep down every Jew is good and has the will to serve HaShem.. Sometimes the yetsar hara gets the best of us or external goyish ways permeate themselves into our lives and after being initially 'forced' after beating the evil out of us , the good shines and one brings it with his will. This shows us that no matter how low a Jew falls or how far he is, our spiritual DNA is good! Back to the point. Because of this requirement of ratzon we are supposed to learn and pray with a burning desire! Which explains why the pasuk in tzav says 




 The korban stays on fire. Lashon of fire implies not from cold or lazy which is the type of torah and tefillah which goes on the mizbeyach? Torah which is learned with fire! Prayer that is prayed with a flaming desire to connect to our creator blessed be He. 2nd condition is kavana (concentration). If we pray and learn with no kavana, although we may be yotse- we still aren't doing it as HaShem willed it. If you have a wrong kavana when bringing the korban is can be pasul- bad. Last but not least rashi comments 




 When the pasuk says  צו את אהרן he says it's lashon zrizut. Meaning when the opportunity for a mitzvah comes or we have a chance to learn it should be done with zrizut(an urging, zealousness, quickly.)

-Anonymous 

Have an amazing and uplifting Shabbat! 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Parshat Tzav- Prayer of Thanks



Parsha In A Nutshell:


Parshat צו (Tzav) is a continuation of the previous Parsha, Parshat ויקרא (Vayikra). This weeks Parsha continues to recount the various laws of the קורבנות (sacrifices), including the קרבן עולה, the ascending offering, the קרבן מנחה, the meal offering, the קרבן חטאת, the sin offering , קרבן אשם, the guilt offering and the קרבן שלמים, the peace offering, that were addressed in the previous Parsha.
The main difference between our Parsha this week and Parshat Vayikra is that last week, in Parshat Vayikra, Moses addressed the whole nation of Israel, saying:
דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם אדם כי יקריב מכם קרבן לה
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them; When a man among you will bring an offering to G-d... (Vayikra 1:1).
In this weeks Parsha, the laws are addressed specifically to the כהנים (priests). G-d commands Moses:
...צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר
Command Aaron and his sons, saying...(6:2)
Rashi explained that G-d used the unusual word צו, command instead of the more commonly found דבר, to speak in order to emphasize the urgency of the matter.
One of the tasks that the Kohen is commanded here is to keep the fire on the מזבח (altar) burning at all times, as G-d instructs in the opening verses:
והאש על המזבח תוקד בו לא תכבה
And the fire on the alter shall be kept burning, it shall not go out... (6:5)
The Kohen is also instructed to bring a meal offering on the day he is anointed and the כהן הגדול or Kohen ha-gadol (the high priest) is instructed to bring a meal offering each day. These offerings were offered wholly to G-d and were not eaten. The meat of the sin offering and of the guilt offering was, however, eaten by the Kohen.
The peace offering is eaten by the person who brings it, and if the person offers the sacrifice as an offering of thanksgiving, then he shall also offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, soaked. The meat of a sacrifice given for thanksgiving was to be eaten on the day of its offering and none of it was to remain until morning.
The Talmud Berachot 54b comments on the thanksgiving offering, explaining that four types of people who are required to bring a thanksgiving offering:
1: One who crosses the sea,
2: One who crosses the desert,
3: One who was ill and recovered
and 4: One who was imprisoned and was released.
The Parsha also discusses the seven days of inauguration during which Aaron and his sons remained inside the Sanctuary and were consecrated by G-d for seven days. Moses commands the priests,
ומפתח אהל מועד לא תצאו שבעת ימים
From the entrance of the Tent of meeting you shall not go out seven days (8:33).
The Parsha ends with the statement:
ויעש אהרון ובניו את כל הדברים אשר צוה ה ביד משה
Aaron and his sons fulfilled all the edicts that G-d commanded by the hand of Moses(8:36).
Rashi notes that praise should be given to Aaron and his sons for not deviating to the left or to the right from G-ds commandments.

*Every person should be thankful for what they have. Many people complain and deny the existence of G-d because they don't receive an answer from Him and since they don't receive an answer from Him that means He doesnt exist. However, those people are wrong! G-d speaks to every single individual, it is us who chooses to listen to the message or not. In life we have the opportunity to connect ourselves to the Almighty and praise, thank and ask Him for everything that we have or we might think we need. Hashem knows best and knows what each individual can handle and needs in order to be the best child of Hashem. In life we pray and pray for things that we need and for some reason Hashem isn't giving it to us. Some might say He doesn't hear you but that is absolutely wrong Hashem hears every cry of His children and it pains Him however, He is our father in heaven and He knows what is best for His child just like a doctor knows whats best for his patient. So we might not receive what we want but we definitely receive what we need!
May this shabbat bring you happiness and spirituality in your life and Besrat Hashem this Purim we will turn the negative decree around to the good and this year we will be zochet, we will merit to see the coming of Mashiach. Amen!*


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Hidden Hand of Hashem






         The Purim story is one of the most hidden miracles in Jewish history. In the entire Megila of Esther there is no name of G-d written there. However, there is a hint when it says "Melech" "King" twice the sentence is referring to Hashem and when it says King once it is referring to King Achashverosh. The story of Purim teaches us many lessons that we can apply to our life. In the beginning of the story, king Achashverosh makes a party for everyone in Shushan and the Jews were invited as well. The Jews felt it would be disrespectful if they wouldn't go to his party and told Mordechai that if we don't go there will be anti semitsm between the people and us so we must go in order to keep peace. However, it only made things worse.
         * First lesson we learn in the Megila is that we should  not care what other people will think of us. Our job is to serve Hashem with a full heart and do as He wishes. No ones opinion should matter to us but Hashems. During the party, Achashverosh was very drunk and calls his first wife, Vashti to come to his party wearing only the royal crown. Just as Vashti was about to come out she got blemishes all over her body and refused to come. Haman instigated to Achashverosh that he should kill Vashti so that they show the woman of Shushan that if you don't respect your husband then off with your head like the queen. Achashverosh wakes up the next morning realizing that he doesn't have a wife so decides to make a beauty contest and he takes Esther has his wife. Esther didn't reveal who she was and where she was from. Queen Esther was put in the Palace of King Achashverosh in order to save the Jewish nation. Queen Esther did not want to approach Achashverosh to tell him that Haman wants to annihilate the Jewish nation which she belongs to because she was not called by the king and whoever isn't called by the king and enters his room is put to death. The only way that she agreed to go to the king was she told Mordechai (her uncle) to fast and do teshuva for three days with the Jewish nation and in their merit she will be saved when entering Achashveroshs' room without permission. After three days of praying to Hashem and doing Teshuva,  Queen Esther went to Achashverosh and low and behold he listened to her...she invited Haman and him to her feast then Mordechai is rewarded by saving the king from Bigtan and Tereshs plan by being dressed in royal clothing and being ridden on the royal horse and one of the kings adviser i.e Haman will carry him through town and proclaim "this is what shall be done to the man who the king wishes to honor". Right after this Haman attended the second feast that Queen Esther made for him and the king and the Queen revealed to the King that Haman wants to kill her and her people. The king ordered that Haman should be hung. Queen Esther adds a decree that the Jews can protect themselves on the 13th of Adar.

         *Second lesson we can learn from the purim story is that we should be real with ourselves. Tap into your soul. Don't be afraid to show your true colors. We should be able to express our self with no shame. We need to take our mask off and show Hashem that we want to be a true eved Hashem- servant of G-d.

       *Third lesson that we learn from the Purim story is that when we do bad we give power to the goyim however, once we do teshuva and continue to get closer to Hashem and strengthen our relationship with Him the decree flips just like in the Purim story. When the Jews were sinning we gave power to Haman once we did Teshuva it flipped to Mordechai the Jew.

     One must remember that this month is a very powerful month where we can flip decrees from bad to good and share good news with one another. Besrat Hashem we should all see the redemption soon.
Chag Sameach =)