Yeshiva World News

Vertluch: Shavuos 5773

Imagine for a moment you notice a well recognized Talmud chacham in your city walking with an Egyptian girl. Many of us would have thousands of questions. Upon hearing that she was in fact his wife, the questions would continue to mount. Doesn’t the Torah say that for a number of generations they aren’t allowed to enter into the tribe of klal Yisroel? It would raise more than a lot of questions from within the community. Yet, we find similarly the same situation with Boaz. We know that ...

Rabbi Y. Dov Krakowski: Dvar Torah For Shavuos 5773

Klal-Yisroel stands at Har-Sinai waiting to accept the Torah Hakedosha. “Awesome” and “spectacular” are inconsequential words to describe the truly momentous Kabbolas-HaTorah. Any description or depiction seems to do an injustice for the actual event. This is all true when we take a glance at the Passukim describing Kabbolas-HaTorah. When we take a look at the Medrashei Chazal this unique event takes on an even more unimaginable dimension. Chazal tell us that Klal-Yisroel requested ...

Parsha Potpourri: Parshas Bamidbar

Ish al diglo b’osos l’beis avosam yachanu B’nei Yisroel mineged saviv l’ohel moed yachanu (2:2) Our Sages teach that everything written in the Torah is recorded because of its relevance to every Jew in every generation. Why are the seemingly trivial details which dominate Parshas Bamidbar, such as the arrangement of the encampments of the various tribes, significant and relevant to us? Rav Aharon Kotler suggests that although this information seems like historical facts with no ...

Vertluch: Parshas Bamidbar

“Ezra decreed that Klal Yisroel should read the Tochacha in Bechukosei prior to Shavousas as well as the Tochacha in Mishna Torah prior to Rosh Hashana. The reason being, that the year should end along with its curses. This explains with why we lain the klolos before Rosh Hashana, so we should end off the year with its curses, but is Shavous considered a Rosh Hashana? Yes, as we learn from the mishna (Rosh Hashana 16a) that on Shavous we are judged on the fruits.”(Megillah 31b) The Shloh ...

B’Ohel Haneviyim: Parshas Bamidbar 5773

This week's Haftorah is of an extremely moving nature. It is from Hoshea and depicts how far we were to eventually stray from Hashem and how the Galus and our ultimate redemption are to play out. Hakadosh Baruch Hu carries out a long conversation with Hoshea. As part of this conversation Hashem instructs Hoshea to go and marry a woman of ill repute (see mefarshim who explain how Hashem could have commanded him to marry and live with an unfaithful woman). Hoshea has three children from this ...

HaRav Zev Leff: Parshas Bamidbar

Emulating the Desert "And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai desert": Anyone who does not make himself ownerless like the desert cannot acquire wisdom or Torah, and therefore it says, "... in the Sinai desert" (Bamidbar Rabbah 1:7). A hefker object is one of such little value to its owner that he formally abandons it and makes it available to all. Let us consider what is meant by making oneself hefker. One must be prepared to forsake, if necessary, all worldly pleasures for the sake of ...

B’Ohel Haneviyim: Parshas Behar-Bechukosai 5773

This week’s Haftorah is a Nevuah from Yirmiyahu. Yirmiyahu imparts to Klal-Yisroel an unfortunate Nevuah of klala (curse). It would seem that this is the reason this Haftorah is chosen as our second Parsha (Bechukosai) contains Klala in it as well. There is, however, a striking difference between the Klalos in the Haftorah and those in the Sedra. In the Haftorah the Navi tells us that cursed is a man who puts his faith in Man. The Navi contrasts this as well with the converse: praiseworthy is ...

HaRav Zev Leff: Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

PARASHAS BEHAR Adapting to Imperfection And if you shall say, what will we eat in the seventh year, for we have not planted or gathered in our grain [due to the restrictions Of shmittahl, I will appoint My blessing to you in the sixth year, and it will yield enough grain for the three year period [the year before the shmittah, the shmittah year, and the following year, until you can plant and reap the harvest] (Vayikra 25:20-21). Sforno writes that the nature of Hashem's miracle varied ...

Parsha Potpourri: Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

Im bechukosai teileichu (26:3) Parshas Bechukosai begins by promising tremendous blessings for those who obey its commandments (26:3-12). What must one do to warrant these rewards? Rashi explains that the expression Im bechukosai teileichu – if you will walk in My laws – cannot refer to observing the mitzvos, as this is explicitly mentioned elsewhere in the verse – v'es mitzvosai tishm'ru. Rather, it refers to diligently studying the Torah. Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein recounts a ...

Vertluch: Parshas Behar/Bechukosei

One of the mitzvos we find in this weeks parsha is the lo saseh of ribis. The pasuk says (25; 36) ‘You shall not take from him interest or increase, and you shall fear your God, and let your brother live with you.’ When reading the pasuk one must ponder the peculiarity of the wording ‘and let your brother live with you.’ What does your brother living with you have to do with ribis that it is placed in middle of the pasukim discussing ribis? Additionally, just as one is permitted ...

B’Ohel Haneviyim: Parshas Emor 5773

This week's Haftorah is from Yechezkel. It discusses all sorts of things to do with Kohanim. It seems clear that the reason this Haftorah was chosen is because the bulk of the Parsha deals with Mitzvos Hakohanim. While the similarity between Parsha and Haftorah is clear, and the choice obvious, there is an equally obvious question: the Parsha also discusses Yomim-Tovim and a few other Mitzvos that are pertinent to all Jews – Kohanim and non-Kohanim alike. This being the case, Chazal could ...

HaRav Zev Leff: Parshas Emor

Striving for Perfection Seforno explains that even though there are blemishes that actually increase the strength and value of an animal, they nevertheless render the animal unfit for sacrifice. Throughout the Torah we find completion and wholeness taking precedence over quantity. Thus a whole roll takes precedence over a much larger portion of a loaf of bread, in the recitation of hamotzi. From this we learn that our avodah is measured not by quantity, but by how close it comes to ...

Parsha Potpourri: Parshas Emor

Ba'chodesh ha'shevi'i b'echad la'chodesh yih'yeh lachem Shabbason Zichron Teruah Mikra Kodesh (23:24) The Gemora in Rosh Hashana (29b) points out that in Parshas Pinchas (Bamidbar 29:1), the Torah refers to Rosh Hashana as Yom Teruah – the day of blowing the shofar – while Parshas Emor calls it Zichron Teruah – a remembrance of the shofar blasts. The Gemora explains that Parshas Pinchas discusses a scenario when Rosh Hashana falls out during the week and the shofar is actually sounded. ...

Vertluch: Parshas Emor

The parsha starts off with the pasuk- ‘Speak to the kohanim, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: Let none [of you] defile himself for a dead person among his people. (21;1) The apparent question here is why the need for the double loshon? Rashi quotes a gemara which says 'to warn the elders on the youngsters'. But why here is there a necessity to mention that the elders should warn the younger ones not to transgress an aveira? Why davka by this aveira and not any other aveira? We can ...

B’Ohel Haneviyim: Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim 5773

This week’s Haftorah, a short Nevuah by the Prophet Amos, reflects both of this week’s Sedros. In Achrei-Mos Hashem forbids all sorts of relationships thereby declaring them to be illicit. The Torah tells us that in the event we do in fact allow such forbidden relationships, Eretz-Yisroel will actually ‘spit out’ Klal-Yisroel. In Parshas Kedoshim Hashem again warns us not to tolerate these various unlawful relationships. The Navi echoes in the Haftorah the words of the Sedra by ...

HaRav Zev Leff: Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

Parshas Acharei Mos Fences of Holiness Do not imitate the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled; and do not imitate the practice of the land of Canaan to which I bring you, and do not follow their traditions (Vayikra 18:3). The common theme running through Acharei Mos, Kedoshim and Emor is the kedushah (holiness) of Klal Yisroel and the need for its preservation and protection. In Acharei Mos, we are enjoined not to behave in the depraved manner of the Egyptians and ...

Parsha Potpourri: Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim

V'chai bahem (18:5) In Parshas Acharei Mos, we are commanded to guard Hashem's decrees and laws and live through them. From the Torah's emphasis on observing the commandments and living, the Gemora (Sanhedrin 74a) derives that the mitzvos were given to us in order to live, not to die. Therefore, if keeping one of the commandments will result in a potential danger to a person's life, he should disregard the law for the purpose of pikuach nefesh - in order to preserve his life, with the ...