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Parshas Nitzavim:
??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ????????(the wood choppers and water drawers).The gemara in yevamos(79) explains that these people where from giveon who converted. The question is, how can they convert if in the same mesechta it says that a convert needs mila,mikveh,and accepting all the mitzvos,but they where in the midbar and were exempt from mila(it was a sakana). There is a gemara in yoma which explains that it is better to live and do many mitzvos then to die doing one. Given this reason we can now understand how they converted in the midbar. A jew can perform all mitzvos,but a goy cannot until they convert. So a goy can technically take the risk of dying to perform one mitzvah of mila since without mila they cant perform any.(Panim Yafos)
Look how great and powerful one mitzvah is.
Short and Sweet! Great to start the week with a nice vort on the parsha! Thank you, Sam4321.
I also like that sn
Parshas Vayalech:
The parsha discusses the mitzvah of hakel which mentions to bring children.The gemara in Chagiga brings a story about two talmidim visting R’ Yehoshua.R’ Yehoshua asked them what new thing did you learn,they didn’t want to answer,but eventually they answered that by the mitzva of hakel men come to learn ,women come to hear, and children come to give shchar to the ones who brought them.R Yehoshua then said why did you want to hid a precious gem from me.Why was this teaching so precious to R’ Yehosua?
Rebbi Yosef Chaim says you could be medyiuk from the gemara that men come to learn women come to hear,if it is talking about women who understand then they are like men who learn but if they don’t understand then the same question could be asked on them as the question of children .
However there is a Zohar(shlach)that women learn Torah in gan eden ,but how do they know how to learn if they do not do so in olam hazeh?Women hear men learning Torah so from the hearing of Torah their Neshama collects it and from their they know.
So now we can answer why this was so precious for R’ Yehoshua.In a mishna in Avos(2:8) R’Yochanan ben Zakai was giving praise on his talmidiem and by R’Yehoshua he said Praiseworthy is the one who gave birth to him.The Rav on the Mishna brings down that his mother would bring him to the bais medrash as a young infant.So up until now R’Yeshoua thought what was the point in being brought to the bais medrash at such a young age.From the reason they told him even though he didn’t understand what was being said his neshama collected what was being said,and that was the shachar halicha.(Kemotzo Shlal Rav)
The Shaagas Aryeh says that nowadays we are exempt from the mitzva of writting a sefer Torah because we are not experts in which words have extra or missing letters and it could make a Torah pasul. Therefore the mitzva nowadays is a D’Rabbanan.Therefor the Chasam Sofer writes that we do not make a bracha on writing a Torah because it might be pasul.
Q1:So why then do we make a bracha on the Torah before and after if it might be pasul?
Q2:In addition, if we are not experts in the area of extra or missing letters then why by teffilin which there is a machlokes of the word totofos(Tur 36)to we have no pproblem,and we wear and make a bracha on it?
A1:the Rama(143:4) brings down that b’deieved you could make a bracha on a pasul Torah.Therefore if we do not know if it is kosher or pasul we can make a bracha in order to read the Torah b’tzibur.
A2:The Minchas Chinuch(613) brings down that klal yisroel are experts in writing teffilin since we do it on a constant basis and we are very careful in preserving the mesora.So there is no question that they are surely kosher.(M’rafsin Igri)
The famous prayer we say on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur:U’Tshuva U’Teffila U’tzadaka… is crowned with the words tzom, kol, and mamon respectively.If you take the gematria of these words it will add up to 408(each is 136*3=408).The Kohen Gadol who was the representative of klal yisroel on yom kippur for the atonement services was only allowed into the Kodesh Kadashim once a year.This special service(mentioned in the Torah) which was once a year starts off with the word Ba’Zos(with this) Shall the Kohen enter the Kodesh Kadashim.The numeric value of the word Zos is 408 even the Kohen needed this special formula which was critical to the service. Another instance of the word Zos is used when Dovid HaMelech fought Golias he said BaZos(tzom,kol,mamon) I trust that God will assist me.(Nachal Kedumim)
Parshas Hazinu:
The gematria of the Passuk: Ki lo davar reik hu mekem(for it is not a empty matter for you,rather it is your life…) = to the word Gematriot.(Rabbi Munk on Aleph Bais,Tosefes Berachah)
There is also a great vort from Pninim Meshulchan HaGra on Passuk 32:39
Bereishis:The GRA attendeed a pidyon haben and someone asked him the following question,it is brought down that everything is contained in the parsha of Bereishis so where can one find the mitzvah of pidyon haben? The GRA answered it can be found in the the word Bereishis itself-Ben Rishon Acher Shloshim Yom Tipadeh.
We always start the Torah all over again from Beraishis, immediately after completing it. There is a beautiful vort, bederech Remez I saw once, I think in the sefer Shalol Rov. He quotes the Ramba”n who asks why does the Torah begin with the creation of OUR world, why not begin with the Oilomos HaElyonim, the spiritual worlds above which were created before ours?
He answers that there is a Klal, that we don’t darshan the parshas Hamerkava in public only with a select few (because of the complex concepts/ideas, and out of modesty for the Awesomeness of the issues.)Says the Ramb”n that here too, the creation of the other worlds are not to be learned B’Rabim, therefore it isn’t included in the parshah. So the sefer Sholol Rov brings a Remez. We end off Parshas V’Zos HaBrocho with the words, L’Einei kol Yisroel – Since the torah is something which is learned B’Rabim, in public, therefore Beraishis Boroh Elokim Es Hashomayim V’es Ha’aretz, we only tell of the creation of our physical world and not the oilomos ha’elyonim, because, “Ein Dorshin B’Mayseh Merkava BoRabim”.
The last letter in the torah is Lamed, the first letter is Bais. which spells Lev. The word Tov is gematriah 17, if u count from the begining of beraishis, the 17th word is Tov. Together you have Lev Tov. The mishna tells us that the greatest characteristic trait a person should attain is a lev tov, good heart.
The Torah is stamped with Emes with the words brehsiT baraH ElokiM(last letters of each word)and later emes is spelled out in order by the end of parsha of creation baraH ElokiM lasoT.The lesson is that Emes is only achieved through effort and doesn’t come instantaneously(Arzei Levanon).The Ibn Ezra explains that the Torah is stamped with emes based on the fact the Torah starts with a bais and not an aleph. This idea is conveyed through Mispar Kattan(digit-sum) mispar kattan of emes is 441 and 4+4+1 =9 and mipar kattan of sheker is 600 and 6+0+0=6.If one starts with bais and groups letters in threes the mipar kattan of each group of three will be 9,and if it started with aleph then each group would equal 6(e.g bais + gimmil + daled= 9,and aleph + bais + gimmil= 6)From here we see the essence of the Torah is Emes.
Previous post was from Rabbi Munk on the Aleph Bais.
Thanks sam4321, those are real gems i can use by the Y”T table.
I heard once from my rov, why is it that the letters for EMES is hinted at only at the END of the words and not at the BEGINNING? So he said beautifully, that sometimes, us humans unfortunately see the EMES and perceive the rightousness of Hashem only at the END. Sometimes we can view a situation or an event and think, Whoa, how can Hashem allow something like THIS to happen?? And perhaps only a day later he can see the TOV and good that results from that very “bad” that we “thought” we saw. Sometimes a week, sometimes even years, and sometimes only after our lifetime. But one thing is certain, Chosomo Shel HKB”H is Emes.
We see it in Parshas beraishis. Kayin kills Hevel. So one might say, poor Hevel, he was a tzaddik, did nothing wrong, why did he deserve such a fate?? And Kayin, he lives on and has desendants??!
The Chasam sofer says that Moshe Rabbeinu was actually a gilgul, and his neshama had sparks of both Hevel and Shem. (Moshe’s name hints to this: Mem=Moshe, Shin=Shem, Hey=Hevel).
So although Hevel was murdered prematurely, his neshama came back in the form of Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest Navi! His greatness and memory lives on forever! Kayin on the other hand may have had grandchildren in the short run, but all perished in the Mabul years later. They also say Sheyss was a gilgul of Hevel, his brother, and from him came Noach, Avrohom, etc.
So we see our shortsightedness, and Emes of Hashem sometimes can only be seen Acharis Kichlos Hakol, at the END and not right away in the beginning.
Parshas Noach: By the curse of cham the pasuk says eved avadim yiyeh, and yiyeh is = 30 which is meramez to the worth of a slave.(Baal Haturim)
Parshas Noach: Rashi brings a medrash which talks about the window of the teivah either it was a window or a stone.In the beginning of the parsha Rashi brings a machlokes if Noach was objectively a tzaddik or only for his times.These Rashi seem to have nothing to do with each other but they really do. By the episode with lot, lot’s wife turned around and she was punished because she didn’t deserve to see the demise of others when she herself was not worthy.So to in our parsha if Noach was truly a tzadik then it was a window which he can see out of,but if only in his times it was only a stone.It should be noted R’Yochanan is the one who says it was a stone and was also the one who said that Noach was subjectively a tzadik.(Toras Moshe,Torah Timimah)
Very nice
The gemra in tannis(26b) says why was the parsha of nazir next to the parsha of kohen mevarach? The gemara answers ,just like by nazir he is assur byayin so too kohen mevarach is assur with wine. When the passuk talks about Malchei Tzedek it mentions the bread first and wine after why is this? There is a yerushalmi(pesachim 10:6) that says wine with bread doesn’t make one drunk. Now we can explain the passuk, Malchei Zedek is called Kohen L’kel elyon and he is only allowed to drink wine after bread, that is why the passuk starts with bread and ends with wine.(K’motzei shalal rav)
There is a story about someone who wrote a periush on tefilla and wanted a haskama from the GRA. The GRA looked through it and found a reason why adon olam was put before shacris davening.The reason which was given was from what Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said since the world was created no one called Hashem adon until Avraham Aveinu.Avraham also was the one who instituted Shachris, it is then befitting to place adon olam before the tefillah that was set up by the person who called Hashem adon first. After the GRA saw this he was b’simcha and said this sefer is worthy of printing for this perish alone.(kemotzei shalal Rav)
There is a Prisha(YD:264) which brings a fascinating medrash on why we use a metal knife for bris milah as opposed to a stone which was used previously(sefer Yehoshua). He explains when Dovid Hamelech threw the stone at Goliath a conversation between the stone and Goliath’s armor was transpiring. The stone said let me penetrate your armor, but the armor said my job is to protect. The stone said if you give me this honor then I will give you a honor that will last in every generation and that is bris milah.
*Rav Pinchas Altshul of Plotsk (a disciple of the Vilna Ga’on) was the author of the siddur shar harachamim who gives the periush of adon olam.
The Baal Haturim on 12:2 says that the three fold bracha is kneged the 3 brachas of bircas kohanim ,and on the word mevarehchacha there is 3 tagin(crown-lets) on the letter kaf(looked in a tikun didn’t see it,not sure how it works)the 3 tagin * kaf(20) = 60,there are 60 letters in the priestly blessings.
Parshas Vayera:
The passuk says Avraham was sitting at the entrance at his tent and behold he saw three anashim and ran from the entrance of his tent.The question is why did the pasuk find it necessary to tell us that he ran from the entrance of his tent when we knew this from the beginning of the passuk?
There is an idea that one who leaves a bais kenesses should not run out because it looks like one is trying to run away from mitzvos. The gemara(berachos 6b) says one should run to mitzvos as well. After learning this gemara the question that comes up is if one finished a mitzvah and are going straight to another mitzvah what does one do? If the mitzvah your going to is greater than the mitzvah you just did then you run right away, if the mitzvah you just did is greater than the one your going to you walk, and if they are equal, one half you walk, and the other half you run.
There is a gmeara in shabbas(127a) that says based on the actions of Avraham we see that hosting guests is greater than meeting the Shechina. Since Rav holds that hosting guests is greater, that is why the passuk mentions that he ran straight away from his tent to show that the mitzvah he is going to do is greater than his previous mitzvah and that is in conformance with the gemara.(Kehillas Yitzchak)
Why do we need this thread if the dvar torah thread is one of the permanent blue stickies on the top of the CoffeeRoom page?
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