Parsheh of the Week Interpretation

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  • #1469754
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    תרומה stands for תורה מ the Torah given in 40 days. The midrash compares this to a king who wanted to marry off his daughter but he could not part from her. So he said, I will have a hut built so she could live close to me. The Torah is Hashem’s daughter. Giving the Torah, Hashem wants to live close to it. So He is asking us to build the Beis Hamikdash to be close to the Torah. The lesson is, if there is no Torah, there is no reason for Hashem to be close to us.

    #1471323
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Ohr Hachaim in the beginning of Parshas Tetzaveh says that next redemption will come because of the zechus of Mosheh Rabbenu. Learning Torah lishmah will bring Moshiach. Could be that is why his name is not mentioned. The Gemora says that Haman did not know that Mosheh Rabbenu died on 7th of Ador and he was born on the 7th of Ador. That he died on 7th of Ador he knew? The simple explanation is died then because he was born then, but the Yaaros Dvash says that right away when he died he was reborn. We get the strength to be mechadesh from Mosheh Rabbenu. It could be his name is not mentioned because this strength is hidden.

    #1471300
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Baal Haturim explains that Mosheh Rabbenu’ s name is not mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh because he asked to be erased from your book you wrote. It looks like this is a punishment. It could be that this is a commemoration of his greatness. His two outstanding character traits are his compassion and humility. This could commemorate both as this statement above was said for the forgiveness of the Bnei Yisroel of the sin of the golden calf. It also indicates his humility feeling that he is not worthy to be mentioned. The GRA says that this commemorates his yahr zeit which is every year at Parshas Tetzaveh.

    #1476687
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    According the Rabbenu Bachaye the words כי תשא can mean to elevate or off with his head as the two servants of Paraoh. This depends on how we count the Bnei Yisroel. If we count them normally, it can bring a ch”v plague. Why? The above commentary explains, that if we look at the Bnei Yisroel as a whole, they are all righteous. But , if we count them normally, we separate the good and the bad. if we count with machtzis hashekel, we recognize that all belong together because individually we are only a half a person. Bolok recognized this. He said to Bilom, go to a place where you can only see part of them but not whole. Seeing the whole you can’t hurt them.

    #1480340
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    ויקהל the midrash says unite into groups and teach them hilchas shabbos.
    What is the difference between מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה and פסיק רישא?
    The Kesef Mishneh on the Rambam Hilchas Shabbos 1:7 brings the explanation from the son of the Rambam Rabbi Avraham for example closing the door and deer is caught the catching of the deer is not intentional but it must happen, but digging a hole and he only wants the ground he digs the hole intentionally but does not do it for the purpose wanting the hole as was done in the mishkan. Asks the Machtzis Hashekel 378 according the later case is more logical to prohibit since it is done intentionally? He answers that since he doesn’t do it for the that purpose there is a היפך כוונה reverse intention on the purpose used in the mishkan.

    #1480368
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Dubner Magid gives a parable about shabbos. A collector was recognized by someone has someone who came from his home –
    town. He started to ask him about his town. The collector refused to answer him, saying that you are losing money for me. The man said to the collector, you kn ow what, tomorrow we will make a holiday and I will pay all that you can make in order that you should be available to answer my questions. The collector being tired from the whole weeks work, falls asleep. The man gets upset that he is paying him and he falls asleep no answering his questions. Hashem gives us a day, paying for it, so we should spend with him and then we sleep away the whole day.

    #1480490
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Correction to 1480340 the Machtzis Hashekel is at the beginning of Shulchan Aruch – Aruch Chaim 248 (not 348).

    #1480973
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The correction above is incorrect should be Machtzis Hashekel 278 not 378.

    The Daas Zekenim Mibaal Tosfas says that the women were rewarded with Rosh Chodesh because they gave to the Mishkan first before the men but they had to be forced to give to the aigel. In S”A
    O”CH in the beginning of Siman 417 says that women have a practice not to work on Rosh Chodesh and it is a nice custom. On Chanukah they also have a custom not to work as long as the candles are burning, according to the Chasan Sofer, this commemorates the Yomim Tovim which are eight biblically as the Yevonim wanted to eliminate their practice. The women commemorate the lighting of candles for Yom Tov and the men light Chanukah candles to commemorate the miracle with the oil,

    #1480980
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Midrash says באלה חטאו ובאלה נתכפרו the same manner they sinned they were forgiven. Explains the Shevet Sofer that the Ksav Sofer explains that when they sinned by the aigel they said אלה אלהיך ישראל the erev rav said to the bnei yisroel that the gold and the silver was your god because of whom you left mitzraim. So if gold and silver are so valuable and we are willing to give it up for the mishkan makes it much greater to deserve forgiveness.

    #1485766
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    There is a Daas Zekenim Mibal Tosfas in Parshas Pekudei Shamos 38:25 that compares the mishkan to the first seven days of creation. This would give us another reason how the mishkan is related to shabbos.

    #1485941
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    ויקרא is written with a small aleph. Mosheh Rabbenu did not want to show that he is different of Bilom because of his humility. The questions is Bilom came about in order that the goyim should not have an excuse that they are less than Jews but they are still less because by them it is written ויקר whereas by the Jews ויקרא ? The answer might be that Bilom could have been like Mosheh Rabbenu but because of his haughtiness this did not materialize. So Mosheh Rabbenu did not want to show because his humility that he is greater than Bilom, so he wrote the small aleph. He became rich because of this as the Midrash says that he became rich from the ink left on his pen, meaning showing his humility from the difference writing a big aleph and a small aleph.

    #1496166
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Parshas Tzav talks about an עולה that comes as a sacrifice for improper thinking. The mind needs special protection. היא העולה על מוקדה if someone elevates himself, he ends up on the fire, but והרים את הדשן if he sees himself as ashes then he will be elevated.

    #1505040
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    It says in Parshas Shemini, don’t eat a chazir because it has cut hoofs. Asks the Klei Yokor that the reason for the prohibition should be because it does not re-chew its cud? He answers that because his good part also contributes to his prohibition because he is fake and shows his cut hoofs like Aisov being fake. In the future Aisov will repent and a new creation will be done where the pig will re-chew its cud and will become mutar.

    #1509185
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Rashi quotes Rabbi Simloeh that the commandments in Parshas Tazriah are in the same order as the creation. The world was created in ten statements, as the the Midrash Samuel brings in the name of Chosid that אחרון אחרון חביב the later something was created the more beloved it is to the final purpose. The world was created for the benefit of the Bnei Yisrael בראשית בשביל ישראל שנקרא ראשית. Everything that was created earlier is a preparation for what is created later. Plants require sun and water. The animals require plants for their sustenance. Finally, human beings require animals. סוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה what was created later was planned for earlier. Showing that final purpose was the Torah for the spiritual sustenance of the Bnei Yisroel. The חובת הלבבות explains that what is more needed for survival in the world, the more it exists in abundance. Air is most abundant, then water. Finally Torah is free because it must exist in abundance.

    #1509201
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    We find in the parsha כולו הפך לבן טהור הוא if a negah turned completely white is tahor. Why? Because it is not fake, it shows it deficiencies. When the they are shown you can avoid them.

    #1509267
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    There is an interesting sacrifice for a Metzarah. We take two birds to a Kahen with an ceder tree and a ezov and red thread. We dunk the live bird into the blood of the slaughtered bird together with those additions. Then, we send away the live bird to the open field. The bird chirps representing speech. The Kohen is suppose to regulate speech. Either the person held himself haughty or humble for his excessive speech. He says that I am greater than others therefore I have the right to speak badly about them or he feels that it makes no difference what he does. Either way they are both extremes and they are like a red thread. So we have to go to the other extreme. The live bird resembles his excessive speech which must be limited by killing some of it, so we dunk it into the blood of the dead bird. Then we can send it away to the open field being ensured that he will limit his speech.

    #1512645
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    It says ‘קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה you should be holy because I, Hashem is holy. The question is how can we come close to Hashem in holiness? The answer can be because we have a neshoma which is holy part of Hashem. That is the explanation of ואהבת לרעך כמוך you should love your fellow man like yourself. Explains the Baal Hatanya that your friend is like you. He also has a neshoma a holy part of Hashem. It should have said ואהבת רעך not לרעך? Explains the Ramban that it is impossible to love your friend as yourself because אדם קרוב אצל עצמו a person is closest to himself. What we are asked is that what we anticipate from our friend to do to us, we should do to him. הוכיח תוכיח את עמתיך ולא תשא עליו חטא explains the Abarbanal that when you admonish your friend, don’t place the sin on him. Don’t say that he is the sinner but people do this.

    #1512640
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Aaron was told in Parshas Acharei Mos that he cannot enter the holiness all the time as Moshe Rabbenu can. This can be the reason why Moshe Rabbenu wrote the small aleph in Parshas Vayikro. He did not want to show that he is greater than his brother Aaron.

    #1512639
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Kol Aryeh explains that Nadav V’avihu died because of their closeness to Hashem as it says בקרבתם לפני ה וימותו. The neshamah wants to escape the body and escape to Hashem. There are two things that hold it back. One, fear getting close to the holy throne. Two, if the yetzer hora is involved when someone follows a mitzvah. Over here, there was no mitzvah. There whole deed was done completely from love and therefore there neshama escaped.

    #1517043
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Midrash in Parshas Emor says on, ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון you should take the first day of Sukkas פרי עץ הדר an esrog, ראשון לחשבון עוונות the first day of the accounting of our sins. Explains the Chasan Sofer that the first sin was when the earth changed his commandment from creating a fruit tasting as the tree to a fruit having its own taste. We take an esrog where טעם עצו ופריו שווה where the fruit tastes the same as the tree in order to get forgiveness for the first sin.

    #1517074
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The earth was punished when Adam Harishon was punished. Adam tasted the fruit and the tree from all permitted trees noticing that the fruit tastes differently than the tree. Figuring that only the tree is forbidden, he ate from the fruit. It turned out that the fruit was an esrog where the fruit tastes like the tree. If the earth would not have disobeyed its commandment, Adam would not have sinned.

    #1519373
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Shmita was given on Har Sinai similar to the midbar where they were free to learn so are we free to learn for the year where we refrain from working the field. Says the Yismach Moshe that shmita is against all the shabbosim that were not properly observed for seven years. A year we have 52 shabbosim with one day left behind so in seven years we have 364 shabbosim (7 x 52) with the day left behind makes it exactly 365 shabbosim.

    #1536215
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Baal Akedah says in Parshes Teumah based on the Midrash pelia in פתח דבריך יאיר ואתיא כמ”ד י”ז טפחים גובהו של מנורה start your words in light will be interpreted according to the view that 17 tefochim is the height of the Menorah. The number of words in the beginning of a sefer in chumash implies the Menorah. Bereishis has 7 words indicating 7 lamps, shmos has 11 words indicating 11 buttons, vayikro has 9 words for 9 flowers and devorim has 22 terms against 22 cups. There are 17 words in bamidbar for 17 tefochim height of the Menorah.

    #1536245
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Rabbenu Bachaye explains that from the first letter of the shevotim’s name multiplied by 1000 e.g. Rauvain, 200,000, we can determine how many Jews were there after the Aigal. Use Josef and exclude Levi. The sum is 597,000 indicating 3000 lost at the Aigal.

    #1536250
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    In Parshes Shelach, the question they had if the redemption is from Hashem without any intervening help from us or we have to do our hishtadlus.. This question still applies today for our current redemption by starting to build the Bais Hamikdash as advocated in the sefer Aim Habonim Samecha.

    #1536297
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Moshe Rabbenu sent the meraglim to realize that they need Hashem’s help to conquer the land of Israel because the enemies are too strong to conquer alone.

    #1536428
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    What did the Meraglim wrong when they told the truth? Says the Abarbanel amd Maasei Hashem that they were not supposed to publicize their findings.

    #1536646
    yehudayona
    Participant

    Regarding Kalev’s address to the Bnai Yisrael, Rashi brings from Sotah 35a that he began to seemingly disparage Moshe so he would get their attention. He then listed three positive things that Moshe had done for them: parted the sea, brought them mann, and brought them the slav. I don’t understand item number three. Surely what happened when the ate the slav left a bad taste in their mouths (sorry). Any explanation as to why he mentioned this rather than something entirely positive, like providing water?

    #1536818
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    yehudayona, your question is even greater since the bringing of the slav is not mentioned in the referenced gemora Sota 35a.

    #1536829
    oyyoyyoy
    Participant

    was wondring samw. Wanted to check gur aryeh. Pretty sure it talks about the slav in a positive way in tehillim also, or in a miraculous non-negative way.

    #1536830
    oyyoyyoy
    Participant

    *same

    #1536919
    yehudayona
    Participant

    Good point, laskern. In Sotah there are three things listed: he brought us out of Egypt, he parted the sea, and he brought down the mann. For some reason, Rashi left out the first and added the slav.

    #1537179
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Why is Joshiah called “bin” Nun? The yud added to the beginning of his name has no vowels so the shevo is taken from the segol (three dots) under the beis leaving a single dot (chiruk).

    #1537329
    oyyoyyoy
    Participant

    no way!! whered u see this?

    #1537917
    yehudayona
    Participant

    He was originally Hoshea bin Nun, so it seems a stretch to say that it’s because of the added yud. Also, when did the modern orthography of nekudos come about? If you can believe Wikipedia, it’s way post-Biblical.

    #1537942
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Korach did not think logically. He does not explain, why he deserves the Kehuna Gedolah more than Aharon? I heard that when a person has self interest, he does not think logically.

    #1540622
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The 250 people put on a talis of all techeles, what was the purpose? The Ksav Sofer explains that ztitzis is a reminder of the mitzvos thereby a reminder of Hashem, which can be done without any techeles. Someone might need a picture to keep a person being missed infront of him because of his great love to satisfy their longing for him. Techeles is like a picture of kavayochel Hashem. They wore the talis of all techeles asking if it needs ztitzis to ascetain what Moshe Rabbenu thinks of them about their closeness to Hashem. When he said it still needs tzitzis, they got upset because they came to realize that Moshe Rabbenu believes that they are not close to Hashem.

    #1541147
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    If all are holy and heard on Har Sinai the Aseres Hadibros what makes Korach better? That is the point. Korach held that they all sinned by the Eigel includiing Aharon who contibuted to the sin, but Korach from Levi did not sin.

    #1541458
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Rashi says that Korach was carrying the holy ark, what does he want to tell us by that? Korach claimed by birthright that the nisuis belongs to him because his father was older than Elitzofon’s father. if that is the case, he should not carry the holy ark since Gershom was older than Kehos. Therefore we go after merit and not birthright and his question is answered since Elitzofon can be more worthy than him.

    #1544219
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    How can the Parah Adumah be both tohar and tumah? The Klei Yokor uses the scientific rule opposites react. The Parah Adumah is made up of two parts, the water and the ground. The water is tahor whereas the ground is tamei. When you put it on a tumah person, there is no effect from the ground only from the water making him tahor, on the hand when you put it on a tahor person, there is no effect from the water but only from the ground, making him tumah.

    #1549734
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Look at the Klei Yokor for Parshas Bokok explaining the four expressions ישראל, עם, בני ישראל, קהל. ישראל refers to Yakov Avinu defeating Emori with his sword and arrow, עם refers to the erav rav, and קהל refers to Josef compared to an ox.

    #1549793
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    קצה תראה וכולו לא תראה Bolok said to Bilom to go to a place where he can see some of the Jews but not all of them. The Rabbenu Bachaye explains in Parshas Ki Siso that if you count the Bnei Yisroel directly c’v a plague comes because you separate the group good from the bad but otherwise you only see the whole group which is all good. You can’t affect the group as a whole with your curse because they are all good. Only part can be affected because they can be bad.

    #1553944
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    On Pinchos Rashi says בדין הוא שיטל שכרו he deserves his just rewards. Why?
    The Dubner Magid has a parable where A wholesaler hires a young man on a no salary basis just room and board. A retail person comes wanting to be served. The wholesaler sends him away telling him that we are in the middle of our Purim seuda and to come tomorrow. The young man volunteers to serve him. They make a lot of money due this transaction. The wholesaler asks the young man what he ows him. Didn’t we agree that I don’t get any salary compensation? The wholesaler tells him that since he sacrifies his food, room and board for his business, he showed that the business is more important than the compensation of room and board he is getting he wants to give him some compensation he will appreciate. Similarly, we can’t give enough thanks to Hashem for his benevolence for living healthily without any concerns but Pinchos sacrificed his life in His service, so he deserves a reward that is worthy to him.

    #1564351
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    My post 1537179 about Jehoshia comes from the sefer Peninim Yekorim in Parshas Shelach on the pasuk.

    #1564325
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    פנו לכם צפונה teaches the Klei Yakar that in galus we should act hiddenly among the umas haalom not to build fancy houses and anger them through their jelousy. Also not to forget that we are galus and forget that we are strangers in a strange land.

    #1564328
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Moshe Rabbeinu asked to enter Eretz Yisroel even though their was an oath on it to show how sweet and desirous he considers Eretz Yisroel to be able to do mitzvos.

    #1568922
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    והי’ עקב תשמעון There will be a rejoycing at the end when we will come to listen, so the Alshich Hakadosh says וידעת היום והשבת אל לבבך you might as well listen today.

    #1569744
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Seforno says on ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה that there is no middle way either it is a blessing or vice versa.

    #1572883
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Torah gives us in Parshas R’eh a means of how to diet. When a person wants to eat, he should eat at the time when he can control himself. Eat when you are hungry as long you are hungry. It says
    Devorim 12:20 ואמרת אכלה בשר explains the Chasam Sofer you should be able to say that you want to eat meat כי תתאוה נפשך לאכל בשר because when you desire to eat meat, בכל אוות נפשך תאכל בשר with all your desire you will eat meat, you will not be able to control yourself.

    #1576054
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך the Shlah Hakodash says that we should protect all of our opennings e.g. mouth and ears not to say or listen to bad things.

    ,

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