Liron Kopinsky

Liron is a happily married software engineer living in Los Angeles, CA with his lovely wife Adina and beautiful new baby Azariah.

Hindsight Is 20/20

Devarim No Responses »
Jul 142010

In this week’s parsha, Moshe recounts the events of the Jewish People’s travels through the desert. As part of this description, Moshe describes how Hashem gave us the land on the eastern side of the Jordan river, owned previously by Og and Sichon and their nations.
It says:

כד קוּמוּ סְּעוּ, וְעִבְרוּ אֶת-נַחַל אַרְנֹן–רְאֵה נָתַתִּי בְיָדְךָ אֶת-סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ-חֶשְׁבּוֹן הָאֱמֹרִי וְאֶת-אַרְצוֹ, הָחֵל רָשׁ; וְהִתְגָּר בּוֹ, מִלְחָמָה.
כה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, אָחֵל תֵּת פַּחְדְּךָ וְיִרְאָתְךָ, עַל-פְּנֵי הָעַמִּים, תַּחַת כָּל-הַשָּׁמָיִם–אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְעוּן שִׁמְעֲךָ, וְרָגְזוּ וְחָלוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ.
כו וָאֶשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים מִמִּדְבַּר קְדֵמוֹת, אֶל-סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן, דִּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם, לֵאמֹר.
…
ל וְלֹא אָבָה, סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן, הַעֲבִרֵנוּ, בּוֹ: כִּי-הִקְשָׁה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-רוּחוֹ, וְאִמֵּץ אֶת-לְבָבוֹ, לְמַעַן תִּתּוֹ בְיָדְךָ, כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה.

24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of Arnon; behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the report of thee, shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.’
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying:
…
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. {S}

The verses seem to be contradictory. After receiving a promise from Hashem that He had given us the land of Sichon, how could Moshe even consider sending “words of peace”? Hashem obviously had no desire to make peace with Sichon and his people! Additionally, if the Jewish People were commanded to go to war, why would they first give Sichon the opportunity to make peace?

The Ramban says that these pesukim are actually out of order chronologically. Moshe wasn’t told “behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle” until after Sichon rejected the words of peace sent by Moshe. Initially Moshe thought that this peace attempt would be similar to his attempts with the Moabites and war would not be on the agenda.

After sending words of peace to Sichon, things suddenly did not look good for the Jews. Receiving Sichon’s battle-cry as a response to their peace overtures, they thought they had awakened a sleeping giant. The Amonites were an extremely powerful people, and after the sin of the spies, the Jewish People had not fared well in the battles they had attempted. Only at this point, once war was guaranteed, did Hashem promise that the Jews would be victorious over Sichon and conquer his lands.

With this understanding of how the story played out, we must ask why the pesukim weren’t presented in chronological order to begin with?

The Ramban answers that the Torah put the promise of success before any part of the story is recounted to let us know that no matter how things look, we must realize that He is pulling the strings and is fully in control. Even when things look like they are going badly, we must realize that Hashem has a plan thought out from the beginning.

As we contemplate the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash during the 9 days leading up to Tisha B’Av, it is hard to understand how Hashem could have allowed the destruction to happen. It is hard to understand what is the point of all the hardships we have faced over the last millenia of exile.

Yet as we say in Lecha Dodi every Shabbat, “Sof Maaseh, b’Machshava T’Chila — In the end, action; with an initial intention.” Everything Hashem does is premeditated and for a positive reason. It may be hard sometimes to see the reason, but we must recognize that He always does what is best for us. May we merit to see the ultimate good that this exile has prepared us for Bimheira B’Yameinu.

Posted by Liron Kopinsky at ג' באב ה'תש"ע Tagged with: ,

Smelling the Roses

Behaalotcha No Responses »
May 272010

In this week’s parsha we are presented with the famous Pesukim said when taking out and returning the Torah from the Ark in shul.

וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה: קוּמָה יְהוָה, וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ, מִפָּנֶיךָ.
וּבְנֻחֹה, יֹאמַר: שׁוּבָה יְהוָה, רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: ‘Rise up, O LORD, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them that hate You flee before You.’
And when it rested, he said: ‘Return, O LORD, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.’

The Gemarrah (Shabbat 116a) notes that these pesukim appear entirely out of context. It would have made more sense for them to be in parshat Bamidbar, when the camping and traveling arrangement of the Jewish people were discussed. The Gemarrah says:

למה כתבה כאן כדי להפסיק בין פורענות ראשונה לפורענות שנייה פורענות שנייה מאי היא (במדבר יא) ויהי העם כמתאוננים פורענות ראשונה (במדבר י) ויסעו מהר ה’ וא”ר חמא בר’ חנינא שסרו מאחרי ה’

Why [are these pesukim] mentioned here? In order to separate between the first calamity and the second calamity. What is the second calamity? “And the people were complaining.” [What about the] first calamity? “And they traveled from the mountain of Hashem” and Rabbi Chama b’Rabbi Chaninah says “[this means they] turned from following Hashem.”

This is very peculiar, as in the Chumash we don’t see any explicit mention of any sinning done by the Jewish people immediately preceding these verses. What exactly was it that the Jewish people did to “turn from following Hashem”?

Tosfot and the Ramban explain that the Jewish people ran away from Mount Sinai “like a child running out of school.” This urgency to leave the holiness of having just received the Torah was sinful and thus Hashem needed to put a break between the first sin and the second to avoid having 3 sins in a row (running from the mountain, complaining and desiring meat).

I think this inappropriate attitude is highlighted by a matter that happened earlier in the Exodus story. In Parshat Bo I wrote about how Moshe had to actively lead the Jewish people away from the coast of the Yam Suf, as they were busy collecting the wealth of Egypt that had washed ashore. The Jewish people had shown that they were willing and desired to stay longer searching after things they valued, yet they failed to show that same concern towards the Torah.

The Gemarrah in the first perek of Brachot says that a person must stand at least 3 steps away from the door to the shul when they’re davening so it doesn’t look like they are trying to rush out as soon as davening is over. It seems that today more than ever, everyone is continually in a rush to get to their next activity. We see from this incident that the way we demonstrate something’s importance is by lingering for a moment before going on to our next obligation.

[Note: For a very interesting and in-depth analysis of these 2 pesukim, see Rabbeinu Bachaye]

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Taking Responsibility

Emor 2 Responses »
Apr 292010

At the end of this week’s Parsha we come across an interesting story. A man, born to a Jewish mother (from the Tribe of Dan) and an Egyptian father, gets into an argument with one of the other Jews. In the course of the disagreement he pronounces the name of Hashem and curses Him. The people bring the man to Moshe and place him in jail while Moshe asks Hashem for advice. God instructs them to take the man out of the camp, to have the people who heard him curse Hashem place their hands on his head and then stone him to death.

The Midrash, filling in some gaps in the story, tells us that the argument was about whether this man was entitled to place his tent with the rest of the Tribe of Dan, since tribal association is patrilineal. The Dan-ites didn’t want this man camping with them, and are backed by Moshe, who rules that the Dan-ites have the right to not allow him in their camp. The man leaves Moshe in frustration, continues his fight with someone else in the camp, and ultimately curses God.

This Midrash is quite hard to understand. Even if Dan wasn’t obligated count the blasphemer as a member of their tribe, wouldn’t it still have been a good gesture to allow him to stay there? He didn’t really have anywhere else to go, as he surely didn’t belong to any of the other tribes!

Further, even if he wasn’t a particularly nice person and they were justified in not wanting him around, why did the Jew allow the blasphemer to pick a fight with him? It was surely possible for them to handle this situation without getting drawn into one-on-one quarrels with him, and the man’s temper would not have flared to the point of cursing Hashem. There seems, however, to be no criticism levied against Dan or the man who argued with the blasphemer.

Rashi (citing a different Midrash) makes a very insightful comment when analyzing the punishment given. What is the point of having the people who witnessed the event place their hands on the blasphemer’s head? We don’t see this action in other places that stoning is discussed. Rashi says that they placed their hands on his head to tell him “דמך בראשך ואין אנו נענשים במיתתך שאתה גרמת לך” (“Your blood is on your own head! We are not to be punished for your death, for you brought this upon yourself!”).

The lesson here is clear. This is man who comes from a broken family, who was pushed around by the people he considered the members of his Tribe and was provoked further by another individual. Yet ultimately he alone is responsible for his actions and must take full responsibility for them.

How many times do we blame our circumstances for mistakes we make?

Shabbat Shalom and have a great Lag BaOmer!

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The Significance of a Bris

Tazria 3 Responses »
Apr 162010

This Dvar Torah is in honor of my beautiful son, Azariah Simcha, who had is bris yesterday.

This is a very auspicious week to have a Bris, as the third pasuk in the Parsha is:

וּבַיּוֹם, הַשְּׁמִינִי, יִמּוֹל, בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתו

And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised

I would like to focus on two questions: What is the significance of the Bris Mila and why is the Bris on the 8th day?

To start to answer these questions, we first need to understand what the purpose of the Bris Mila is. The Sefer HaChinnuch gives one possible explanation. He says that Hashem created us imperfect physically to teach us that just as we have it in our power to perfect ourselves physically, so too we have to do something to perfect ourselves spiritually.

Explaining the significance of the number 8, the Kli Yakar says that the number 7 represents physicality and nature, while 8 is “l’maalah min haTeva” above nature. In last week’s parsha, we read about how the shechina only entered the mishkan on the 8th day. So too, we do the bris on the 8th day to show the spiritual nature of the bris.

Since we live in the physical world, where there are only 7 days in the week, how can we understand the explanation of the Sefer HaChinuch? Since we can’t just jump into the “8th dimension”, how can the bris be a lesson for us that we can accomplish spiritual improvement.

The Or HaChaim, in a long essay, gives a seemingly different reason. He says in part that the reason the bris is on the 8th day is that Hashem is doing a chesed for the little baby boy by giving him time to get some strength before doing the Bris. However this is not just pure physical strength. Rather, the strength he needs is having lived through one Shabbat. By having the bris on the 8th day, it is guaranteed that the baby will have at least 1 whole shabbat under his belt, so to speak.

If this were the case, however, why would we need to mandate 8 days for every boy? Any time after 1 shabbat has past should be enough?

I think that in reality, the ideas of the Kli Yakar and Or HaChaim are related. We live in this physical world, which is a place of action. We are commanded both to keep Shabbat as well as to work on the other 6 days (as it says “Sheshet Yamim Ta’avod, v’asita kol melachtecha” – for 6 days you should labor and do all of your work.) Hashem has given us this opportunity to do all of the Mitzvot and to develop our relationship with Him. By drawing our strength from Shabbat and maximizing who we are and what we accomplish during the other 6 days of the week, we are able to make ourselves ready to receive our spiritual circumcision on the “8th day.”

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Thinking of Sacrifice

Terumah, Tzav No Responses »
Mar 252010

In this week’s Parsha we come across the interesting halacha of Piggul. This halacha basically says that when bringing a Korban, if the Kohen or person bringing the sacrifice had a thought about eating the Korban at an invalid time or in an invalid place, the entire sacrifice must be discarded and if someone proceeds to eat from that sacrifice, they are punished with Karet (spiritual excommunication).

After having gone to such a trouble to buy an unblemished animal, bring it to Jerusalem, walk it up the Temple Mount and carried through with the sacrificial process, why would a simple thought invalidate the entire sacrifice? Isn’t there a value to all the effort that was taken so far?

The Sefer HaChinnuch on Parshat Terumah writes about the purpose of the sacrifices. He first quotes the Ramban (Nachmanides) who says that the purpose of the sacrifices is to remind us that having sinned, we actually deserve to be on the altar ouselves. We specifically sacrifice the liver and kidneys, which represent desire, as well as the legs, which symbolize action, to remind ourselves that through these elements we allowed ourselves to sin and impress upon ourselves the importance of not sinning again.

The Sefer HaChinnuch then says that another way to understand the Korbanot, is to realize that when created by Hashem, we were nothing more than animals with intellect. By sinning, we have effectively destroyed the distinction between ourselves and the animals. Therefore, the sacrifice of the animal serves as a moral lesson that we need to hold ourselves to the standard demanded of us, and by realizing this, hopefully we won’t sin again.

Either way, he writes that the importance of sacrifices is not in the act of doing the sacrifice, but rather in the effect it has is those people bringing it. God doesn’t need our cows and goats; rather, He created the sacrificial process as an opportunity for us to improve ourselves.

This is why, then, that an inappropriate thought would invalidate the entire sacrifice. Since the sacrifices are only there as an opportunity for us to purify our thoughts (and through that purification avoid sin in the future,) tainting that sacrifice by thinking that the purpose of the sacrifice is for you to be able to eat it in a place or at a time of your choosing defeats the entire purpose of the sacrifice!

Today, as we have no Beit HaMikdash (may it be built speedily in our days), prayer has replaced the sacrificial services. As such we must see Tefillah as the same transformative experience that the sacrifices were, and must try to pray with the holiest of intentions – to purify our thoughts and bring us closer to Hashem.

Have a great Shabbat!

Follow-on question: Is this the purpose of cleaning for Pesach?

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Is Honey Chametz?

Pesach, Vayikra 2 Responses »
Mar 192010

MatzaAs Sefer Vayikra begins, we are all keenly aware that Pesach is approaching and the smell of cleaning products is in the air.  We have just completed Sefer Shmot with a month of Torah readings describing the construction of the Mishkan and now we begin to read about all the different Korbanot offered therein.

One of the categories of Korbanot is the Mincha offerings. These offerings are all different flour offerings, and just like on Pesach, chametz (leavening) is forbidden  in them. In describing the prohibition for having chametz in the Mincha, the Torah says:

כָּל-הַמִּנְחָה, אֲשֶׁר תַּקְרִיבוּ לַיהוָה–לֹא תֵעָשֶׂה, חָמֵץ: כִּי כָל-שְׂאֹר וְכָל-דְּבַשׁ, לֹא-תַקְטִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה.

Every Mincha offering that you bring before Hashem should not be chametz, because all leavening and all honey should not be burnt as a fire offering to Hashem

Yet, I have never seen honey on any of the “not Kosher for Pesach” lists. Why would the Torah use honey as an example of chametz, when we know from experience that it is allowed on Pesach?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says that in order to understand this verse, we need to understand what the difference in practice was in the Temple between leavening and honey, as well as what they are meant to represent.

First, the practical difference: When bringing a Mincha offering, chametz was forbidden both in the portion brought on the Mizbeach (altar) as well as the shirayim (left-overs) which were eaten by the Kohanim and the people. With the honey, however, they were permitted to put honey on the matza they ate, they just couldn’t put honey on the sacrificial dough.

Second, what the leavening and honey represent: As we know from the story of Pesach, Matza represents subjugation to another authority. When we were slaves in Egypt we were only allowed to eat the Bread of Affliction. Our eating of Matza in the Korbanot and on Pesach shows our appreciation to Hashem for having removed our yoke of servitude to the Egyptians – replacing it with the ability (and obligation) to serve the Divine. We show that we recognize that if not for the hand of Hashem אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרַיִם (we would all still be slave to Pharaoh in Egypt).

The honey, on the other hand, represents national sovereignty over the Land of Israel (as in “a land flowing with milk and honey”). Honey is a luxury, only acquired when one has a continuous presence in a land undisturbed by ravaging intruders. By refraining from sacrificing the honey, we acknowledge that our right to the excesses of the land is granted by the same mandate that took us out of Egypt. Only by properly serving Hashem do we retain the right to stay in the land and by choosing to burn the honey on the altar we would be showing that the goodness  is due to the work of our own hands.

With these explanations in mind, we can now understand why leavening is entirely forbidden, while honey is only forbidden on the Mizbeach. Hashem has blessed us with the Land of Israel and expects and desires us to benefit from the goodness it provides. We are supposed to enjoy the honey and use it to enhance our food. At the same time, we are supposed to remind ourselves when bringing those sacrifices where all that good comes from.

On the other hand, the leavening is teaching us to be constantly aware that Hashem did not free us from the slavery of Egypt to do whatever we want. We are here for a reason and must always be aware of our obligation to Hashem.

Note: Honey is NOT chametz and is allowed on Pesach – with a Kosher for Pesach certification.

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I am, therefore I must think.

Pekudei, Vayakhel No Responses »
Mar 122010

Descartes was wrong. He said “I think, therefore I am,” but in this week’s Parsha we see otherwise.

This week, we have a double Parsha of Vayakhel and Pekudei. In Vayakhel, it talks about how Hashem filled Betzalel, Oholiav and all of their helpers with the wisdom necessary to construct the Mishkan and its vessels.

In multiple places the Torah stresses that Hashem was the one who granted the the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of how to properly complete the construction.

וַיְמַלֵּא אֹתוֹ, רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, בְּחָכְמָה בִּתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת, וּבְכָל-מְלָאכָה.

And He filled [Betzalel] with the a divine spirit of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, and [a talent for] all types of craftsmanship.
Shmot 35:31

וּלְהוֹרֹת, נָתַן בְּלִבּוֹ:  הוּא, וְאָהֳלִיאָב בֶּן-אֲחִיסָמָךְ…
מִלֵּא אֹתָם חָכְמַת-לֵב, לַעֲשׂוֹת

[God] also gave to him and Oholiav son of Achisamakh… the ability to teach.
He has granted them a natural talent for all craftsmanship…
Shmot 35:35-36

וְעָשָׂה בְצַלְאֵל וְאָהֳלִיאָב וְכֹל אִישׁ חֲכַם-לֵב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהוָה חָכְמָה וּתְבוּנָה בָּהֵמָּה

Betzalel shall thus do all that God commanded, along with Oholiav and every other skilled individual, to whom God has granted the wisdom and understanding…
Shmot 36:1

If all of the people were granted their wisdom from Hashem, what was it that made Betzalel and Oholiav special that they deserved special mention in the construction? They too were just granted their abilities to do the construction by Hashem.

In Melachim II chapter 4, we are told of the story of Elisha and the destitute widow. The widow complains to Elisha that she has no possessions left, save one jug of oil. Elisha instructs her to borrow as many pots as she can from her neighbors, close the door, and then pour from the small jug she has into all of the pots. Miraculously, this small jug manages to fill all of the pots in the house.

What is interesting about this story is that the miracle had to occur from an existing jug of oil. Even though Hashem could just as easily have miraculously filled her house with money, He instead chose to operate in such a way that the miracle stemmed from an existing item, the small amount of oil she had left in her house.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher in his work Torah Sheleima quotes the Midrash Tanchuma which notes that the Torah uses the word מִלֵּא – filled, when discussing Betzalel and Oholiav. Just as in the story of Elisha and the widow, where there had to be some initial oil with which to fill the pots, in the case of Betzalel and Oholiav, there had to already be some existing talent and ability. All Hashem had to do was just “top them off,” so to speak.

Of course, their initial “natural” abilities were given by Hashem as well, so once again, what made Betzalel and Oholiav different?

What differentiated Betzalel and Oholiav is that up to the point when they were tasked with the building of the Mishkan they had made the most of the gifts Hashem had given them. They recognized that they, as with everyone, were granted innate talents, and they made sure to make the most of them. When the time came for Hashem to choose who to grant the additional knowledge and expertise to, he knew he just needed to fill up Betzalel and Oholiav and didn’t need to fill the empty tank of someone else.

The Jewish approach, therefore, is not “I think, therefore I am,” but rather “I am, therefore I must think.” We must take full advantage of all the innate skills and abilities we have been granted, and daven daily for the increased capacity to know how to best connect to Hashem and better ourselves.

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Shabbat Duality: The Value of Inaction

Ki Tisa, Shabbat 1 Response »
Mar 052010

In this week’s Parsha, right after discussing the details of the construction of the Mishkan the Hashem instructs Moshe to tell the Jewish people about Shabbat. There it states (in full):

וְאַתָּה דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר,אַךְ אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתַי, תִּשְׁמֹרוּ:  כִּי אוֹת הִוא בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם, לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם–לָדַעַת, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם. וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם, אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת, כִּי קֹדֶשׁ הִוא, לָכֶם; מְחַלְלֶיהָ, מוֹת יוּמָת–כִּי כָּל-הָעֹשֶׂה בָהּ מְלָאכָה, וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ.שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, יֵעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן קֹדֶשׁ, לַיהוָה; כָּל-הָעֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, מוֹת יוּמָת. וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת, לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם, בְּרִית עוֹלָם. בֵּינִי, וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל–אוֹת הִוא, לְעֹלָם:  כִּי-שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ.

‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: However, you shall keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy unto you; every one that desecrates it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days work shall be done; but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work in the Sabbath day, shall surely be put to death.  The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’

The Abravanel asks many questions on these verses, but I am going to focus on just a few. First, what is the significance of telling us about keeping Shabbat right after the discussion of the Mishkan? Weren’t we just told about Shabbat at Har Sinai a few weeks ago? Second, why does the Pasuk use the word שַׁבְּתֹתַי (my Shabbats) in plural? It could have just said “but keep the Shabbat”. Finally, why does the description of Shabbat use the word אוֹת (a sign) twice – first, it is a sign through which we can know that Hashem sanctifies the Jewish people and second, it is a sign that Hashem created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th.

To answer these questions, the Abravanel explains that there are two major aspects to Shabbat. First, there is the acceptance and appreciation of the fact that Hashem created the world. Shabbat comes as as a break from the busy week to serve as perpetual sign that there is a Creator who placed us here and gave us purpose in our weekly tasks. This aspect of Shabbat corresponds to the word “Zachor (remember)” which is recorded in the first recounting of the 10-commandments in the Torah. Through Zachor, we observe Shabbat in an active sense. By refraining from work we have an opportunity to spend time learning Torah, taking advantage of the extra Neshama we have on Shabbat to come closer to Hashem.

The second aspect of Shabbat, (as noted by the plural שַׁבְּתֹתַי) is the recognition that there is a World To Come. Chazal say that the Shabbat we experience is 1/60th of our ultimate Olam Habah, and note that the World To Come is a “Yom SheKulo Shabbat (a day which is entirely Shabbat).” Through this recognition, Shabbat serves as its second sign. By reminding us that that we have a place and a purpose on this world, Shabbat ensures that we keep focused on the fact that it is Hashem who makes our work successful in this world and gives us our due reward in the World To Come.

This second aspect of Shabbat is manifest through the word “Shamor (to guard)”, as recorded in the second recounting of the 10-commandments. In contrast to Zachor, Shamor is a passive observance of Shabbat. We keep Shabbat by not doing things. Through this observer we realize that just as there is value to action, there is sometimes also value to in-action. Just as we must work for 6 days (as it says שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, יֵעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה), so to0 we accomplish even more by showing that we refrain from work on the 7th day. Through this in-action we show how we recognize Hashem’s ultimate dominion and realize that all we accomplish is through Him.

This is why Shabbat is commanded again right after the instructions for the Mishkan. It is very easy to understand how the Jewish people might have thought that the holy task of building the Mishkan might supersede the observance of Shabbat. Isn’t it more important to have the Mishkan built as soon as possible to help bring Hashem’s presence into the world than to keep Shabbat? The answer is “No.” The most important thing is to realize that just as the world was created by Hashem, so to everything we accomplish, we accomplish through His hands.

Have a wonderful and rest-filled Shabbat!

Also, enjoy this video to get into the Shabbat mood.



Posted by Liron Kopinsky at י"ט באדר ה'תש"ע Tagged with: , , , , ,

Judging a book by its cover

Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Tetzaveh, Tu B'Av, Yom Kippur 2 Responses »
Feb 262010

Contrary to common belief and practice, there are very few instances where Judaism actually cares about what clothing you wear. This weekend we will experience two out of the four such instances. These are: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, when we wear white; Tu B’Av, when single girls borrow each others’ dresses; Purim, when we wear costumes; and finally the clothes the Kohanim wore in the Beit haMikdash, which we read about in this week’s Parsha.

What is the meaning behind these four situations where clothing is important?

Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch talks about the importance of the Bigdei Kehuna. He explains that when the Kohanim were doing the service in the Temple, they had to think of themselves as messengers of the congregation of Israel. They had to realize that they should have no ego involved in the service and were, on their own account, naked in front of Hashem.

This is in contrast to the High Holidays where we are being judged on account of our own actions. On those days we wear our own white clothing, working to cleanse ourselves of our personal actions.

On Tu B’Av, once again, people dress in clothing that doesn’t belong to them. The custom used to be that single girls would all wear borrowed dresses and go dance in the fields to find their future husbands. The borrowed clothing ensured that poorer people weren’t disadvantaged by their lower quality clothing. In this case, clothing is used as a means of expressing care and compassion towards others, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged by class differences.

Finally, we come to Purim. On Purim, we wear costumes, disguising our actual appearances. Why is this? One of the central lessons of Purim is that the reason the Jewish people were saved is because we banded together as a community and davened to Hashem to save us from Haman’s plots. While the story played out in such a way that Esther was the means to our salvation, Mordechai warned Esther that if she didn’t do what she could to save the Jews, HaShem would still save the Jewish people as a whole, but would not extend that salvation to Esther and her family (כִּי אִם-הַחֲרֵשׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי, בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת–רֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה יַעֲמוֹד לַיְּהוּדִים מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר, וְאַתְּ וּבֵית-אָבִיךְ תֹּאבֵדוּ Esther 4:14).

On Purim, therefore, we disguise ourselves to show that it’s not the individual but the community that is important. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what type of Yarmulke or what color pants you wear. What’s important is that we are all Jews and we are all celebrating Purim together.

Have a great Shabbat and a Happy Purim!

Posted by Liron Kopinsky at י"ב באדר ה'תש"ע Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Interconnected Pieces

Terumah No Responses »
Feb 172010

[This  Dvar Torah is based on an idea I heard from Rabbi Yaakov Hillel when he was in Los Angeles a few months ago.]

This week’s parsha discusses the construction of the Mishkan and all of its vessels in great detail. Hashem tells Moshe to create two poles made out of acacia wood and covered in gold with which to carry the Aron (the Ark).

These poles are quite similar to those made for carrying the Mizbeach (the Altar) and the Shulchan (the table for the Showbread), but the instructions are different. Only when describing the Aron’s poles does Hashem command Moshe to ensure that the poles are never separated from the Aron (לֹא יָסֻרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ).

What is so special about these poles that they can never be removed? If their use is purely for carrying the Aron around, wouldn’t it be more practical to remove them when the Jewish people were camped? This question is made even stronger by the Midrash which notes that there wasn’t actually enough room in the Kodesh Kodashim (Holy of Holies) for the poles.  Yet, a miracle occured and not only did the Aron and the poles fit into the Kodesh Kodashim, but there was room for the Kohen Gadol to enter for the Yom Kippur service.

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel says that the poles are actually symbolic of those people who support Torah and Torah learning in their communities. Just as the actual poles were inseparable from the Aron and equally deserving to rest in the Kodesh Kodashim, the supporters of Torah are also spiritually connected to the institutions and people that they support.

The Midrash also teaches us that when Hashem performs miracles to help sustain Torah, those miracles are performed primarily for the “poles” who support Torah.

Have a happy Shabbat!

Posted by Liron Kopinsky at ג' באדר ה'תש"ע Tagged with: , , , ,
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