Parshat Behalotcha- "Don't Give Up Hope"

דבר אל אהרון ואמרת אליו בהעלתך את הנרות אל מול המנורה יאירו שבעת הנרות

Speak to Aaron, and say to him: When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the Menorah. And Aaron did so... (8:2-3).

The Hebrew word for to light is להדליק. The word בהעלותך is a transitive verb, meaning when you elevate. The Torah chooses the latter wording in order to express that a person must always strive to be ascending in holiness. In addition, If the candles, that were only wax, were elevated to a level of קדושה, holiness, how much more so should we, as human beings, made in the image of G-d, strive similarly to rise in holiness.

בהעלותך is therefore a code for life, reminding us that even when we face challenges, we must elevate ourselves and rise to the occasion.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe comments that this is a lesson in pedagogy: one should try to help the learner develop and grow, remaining with him/her until he/she is self-sufficient and can glow independently.

Aaron merited to perform this mitzvah because he elevated himself at the time of the death of his children, Nadav and Avihu (as it is written, in Leviticus 13:3:

Why is this commandment to light the Menorah, placed next to the prior chapter, from Parashat Naso, regarding the princes?

Rashi comments that Aaron saw the princes bringing their offerings and was embarassed that neither he nor his tribe joined them in the dedication of the Tabernacle. Therefore G-d gave him the task of lighting the Menorah.

Rashi also explains that Aaron was required to light the candle by holding the flame to the wick until the flame rises by itself.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe comments that this is a lesson in pedagogy: one should try to help the learner develop and grow, remaining with him/her until he/she is self-sufficient and can glow independently.

Aaron merited to perform this mitzvah because he elevated himself at the time of the death of his children, Nadav and Avihu (as it is written, in Leviticus 13:3:

וידום אהרון

And Aaron was silent

Aaron had to light the candles for the strange fire that his children offered before G-d and for which they were killed (Leviticus 10:1).

Also, why does the Torah begin the Parsha with this commandment?

To teach us that in order to overcome the cravings and loshon hara that come later in the Parsha, the only way we can elevate ourselves is by lighting the candles, i.e. by learning the Torah, which is compared to light.

"Parshat Naso"

Know Yourself

"And they shall confess their sin that they committed." (Numbers 5:7)

The Torah teaches us here that the mistakes we make in life, the sins that we commit, are normal as long as we are aware of the poison within our souls. Many people sin but justify their actions and say that they are right. There are also many individuals who know that they are wrong when they sin and are striving to reach perfection however; it is very difficult because the evil inclination doesn't allow ourselves to do a soul search because the evil inclination keeps us busy with the physicality around us and we don't have time to change. Since we don't have time to search our soul and change we therefore unfortunately fail the test again. The Parsha teaches us that if we really want to elevate ourselves, if we really want to be transformed and become better, more spiritual individuals, we have to go through the process of change honestly without justifying ones actions. As embarrassing as it may be, we must focus not only the sin we committed but ask ourselves, what led me to fall this low? Who caused me to react this way? How can I prevent this from happening? Once we answer these questions we become aware of the evil inclination and are ready for battle. Know yourself...get to know both the positive and negative character traits about yourself and start the process to get closer to Hashem.

Teshuva Process:

Admit the sin

Regret the sin

Try not to do it again

Shabbat Shalom '')

Source:

'Torah for Your Table", By Rebetzin Esther Jungreis

"Don't Waste Time"

פרשת במדבר

Numbers: (1:1-4:20)

We begin to read the fourth book of the Torah, the book of במדבר or Bamidbar. The name of the book literally means in the wilderness but is also known as חומש הפיקודים or (Chumash Hapekudim) or theBook of Numbers, for the counting of the Children of Israel in the desert.

The book of Bamidbar is a retelling of the forty-year journey that the Children of Israel took in the desert before entering the Promised Land. The Parsha begins with G-d commanding Moses to take a census of the children of Israel

וידבר ה אל משה.. במדבר סיני באהל מועד.... לאמר שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל.... מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה כל יצא צבא בישראל תפקדו אתם לצבאתם

G-d spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the Tent of Meeting..saying, Take a census of all the congregation ofthe people of Israel, every male,...from twenty years old and older all those eligible to fit to join the army of Israel\\\'(1:1-4).

The tribe of Levi was not included in this census, as it is written:

אך את מטה לוי לא תפקד ואת ראשם לא תשא בתוך בני ישראל

However,you shall not count the tribe of Levi and you shall not their head count among the children of Israel (1:49). The Levites were appointed to carry the Tabernacle and all its vessels.

Rashi asks: Why was it necessary to conduct this census? Didnt G-d count them when they went out of Egypt (Exodus, 12:37) and after the sin of the golden calf and again after the building of the Tabernacle?

Rashi explains that the reason for this counting is because the Children of Israel are precious to G-d and one wants to count what is precious to him. This teaches us that we shouldn't lose faith in ourselves because Hashem loves us so dearly that He counts us since we are soprecious  to Him and He knows we have so much to accomplish in our lives.

"Getting Ready for Shavuot"

Man is like a tree of the field.”

An army surrounds an enemy city.  It searches for materials with which to beseech the city.  The torah instructs them “Do not cut down the fruit trees for man is like a tree of the field.”  (Sefer Devarim)

It’s not clear why man being like a tree of the field is a reason for not cutting down fruit trees.

Ibn Ezra explains that the Torah really means to say that man is sustained from the tree of the field.  In other words, the Torah tells the army: as you surround this city, don’t destroy its resources for when you defeat the enemy you will be sustained by those very same resources!

Perhaps in some way we can understand the phrase literally.  In Loshon haKodesh, man and humans are referred to as אדם which means dirt or earth.  This is a curious choice of a word.  Isn’t it a big insult to be described as dirt?  Also, asks Maharal "Why aren’t other creatures called אדם - they also come from dirt?"

He answers that אדמה represents potential.  Right now there is dirt, but within that dirt lies the potential for seeds, plants, flowers and trees.  This is why man more than anything else is called אדם- man is the ultimate potential.

His calling is to realize that potential, to turn dirt into blossoming fruit trees!  This is the meaning of “Man is like a tree of the field”, when his potential is being realized.

Just like a fruit tree possesses branches and trees, so too man must develop branches and fruit.  This refers to his offspring but also to his actions and deeds- how much he touches the lives of others and enhances them.

-Afikei Torah Staff

Parshat Behar

"In this week's parasha, we are forbidden to call another person derogatory names, or to act with any other form of belittlement. "You shall not wrong one another" (Lev 25:17). The sentence continues to say, "And you shall fear your God". What is the connection?

When you call your friend unintelligent, weird, boring, you are not "fearing" the Godliness in that person. His ability to create new habits, his ability to change. The Baal Shem Tov would say, if you want to talk to God, you will find Him standing on your enemy's shoulder. Go ahead and respect your enemy's Godly ability to forgive, and his God-like ability to be aware of what he has done wrong. Respect his ability to choose a new way, and change.

Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students died, for they did not respect each other. We cannot fathom their greatness, but we are told that it was their lack of respect for one another on their level that brought about their deaths. So, Rabbi Akiva's mantra in Ethics of the Fathers, his message to us all is never to forget, even for a minute of your life, that Man is God-like." 

Rabbi Yosef Farhi

May you hav a great and uplifting Shabbat!! 

 

This Is A Video Everyone NEEDS To See. It Will Make You Speechless

This Is A Video Everyone NEEDS To See. It Will Make You Speechless

Parshat Kedoshim- "You Shall Be Holy"

קדושים. 

Leviticus: (19:1-20:27)

Parsha Kedoshim begins with a very important message:

קדשים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה אלהיכם

You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy (19:2).

Rashi explains that this statement was made during an assembly convened to highlight the importance of the matter, as it says-

דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל

Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel

The Parsha proceeds with a series of laws, both moral and religious, among them repetitions of the ten commandment in slightly different wording.

For example:

איש אמו ואביב תיראו

 man shall fear his mother and his father(19:3).

And אל תפנו אל האללים

..Do not turn to the idols(19:4).

לא תגנבו

You shall not steal (19:11).

But perhaps the most important message in this Parsha is:

ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה

You shall love your fellow as yourself, I am G-d(19 :18).

Because when a person loves his fellow as he loves himself, he will never commit the forbidden moral laws against society. The Parsha ends with the same message as with which it began:

והיתם לי קדשים כי קרוש אני ה

You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy(20 :26).

Therefore we learn that only if we follow the Mitzvot can we be holy.