This week’s thought is being sent out L’zecher Nishmas my dear father, R’ Avraham Yosef be R’ Daniel Yerucham, who’s 16th Yartzeit was this past Tuesday.

When we look at the portion of the Torah that discusses the Tzara’s we see how it says that at every step of the way, the Kohen was involved in the process. Why does it have to mention the Kohein every part of the way. Obviously, it is because the Kohein was involved at every step of the way.

Why?

R’ Tuvia Fried, an old friend of my Father’s, once told me a story.He once had a student from NCSY who asked him to officiate his wedding ceremony in a Jewish fashion. While preparing for the wedding, Rabbi Fried asked the girl what her mother’s name was and what her father’s name was. As a result, they found out that the girl was a Giyoros, and the Boy was a Kohein. Halacha dictates that a Kohein can not marry a woman who converted or divorced.

Rabbi Fried told me he felt stuck, so he asked the boy if he would come to a Rov to ask the shaila. They went to R’ Bluth to ask him what to do. R’ Bluth heard them out and spoke to them for twenty minutes. He heard the shaila and a very simple answer he could have given. R’ Bluth said, “let me look it up. Give me an hour, come back then and I will tell you what to do”. An hour later, they came back and R’ Bluth was sitting there crying his brains out. He said, “just look at what it says, we can’t change the rules.”

This boy walked out of the room, called the girl and told her, “it’s over”. Rabbi Fried asked him, “where did you get that energy from?” He said, “if that man can cry for me for an hour because he feels bad and took my feelings into consideration. He doesn’t know me but he felt for me. He knew the answer but he wanted to cry to share my pain, then I know that the Torah is Emes because it makes such people, and I want to keep such a Torah.”

Yes, the Halacha is that a person who has tzara’as has to leave the camp where K’lal Yisroel is, he may have to go Chutz Lamachaneh, but who can tell him that this is his fate? Only an Ohev Shalom V’Rodef Shalom, a descendant of Ahron Hakohein.

Good Shabbos to all,

Zevi

In this week’s Parsha, we learn about the death of Nadav and Avihu. Can you imagine the pain Klal Yisroel was feeling? Picture in your mind, the community has put together a building fund with donations from practically every member of the community. They prepare the Celebration of the Chanukas Habayis with all it’s beauty. And, on the day of the Chanukas Habayis, not one but two of the Rabbi’s sons, members of the community,suffer severe Heart-Attacks. The pain and the anguish that they all felt. The Rabbis tell us that such was the pain of Klal Yisroel. Our Rabbis tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu when he comforts his brother Aharon, he tells him, “There had to be two “karbanot” to atone for the Jewish people on the day of the opening of the mishkan. However,” says Moshe, “I thought it would have been you and me, it must be that Nadav and Avihu were greater than us. Isn’t it interesting, how it always falls out to be read during Sefira? A time when we are in a national mourning, we all mourn over the loss of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva. After these students died, R’ Akiva then went and taught 5 more students. Rabbi Akiva lived at the end of the period of the Tana’im, the Torah we have today comes, mostly, from the remaining five students. Can you imagine how much Torah we would have today? Therefore, we mourn. What about the Spanish Inquisition, the Pogroms across Europe, and the Holocaust? After each of these tragedies, we lost tremendous amounts of Torah, in every town of Europe before the war, there was a Rov who, today, would be considered a Gadol Hador. It took 50 years to get close to start rebuilding Torah Judaism to somewhat resemble what it was before the war, and that is why we mourn. It is incumbent on us to know our history and learn from it. We have to see to it that we have enough zechusim, that we won’t need to deal with anymore tragedies ever. Amen. Good Shabbos to all, Zevi

“Hashem told Moshe to COMMAND Ahron and his children (and all of Israel) saying, ‘This is the laws of the Korban Olah, it is a Korban that is Olah on the Mizbeiach and burns there all night until the Morning and the fire of the Mizbeiach should swallow it up’.” Vayikra/Leviticus 6:3

Why does Moshe need to command, why can’t he just say over the Halacha? The answer is that when it comes to Mitzvos that can sometimes be a financial strain on a person he need to be urged a little more to do it.

But hey, let’s face it, if we take a walk through the Calendar of the Jewish Year, you will find that Pesach can get quite pricey, even if you do not hire a cleaning lady to clean the house for you. When was the last time you paid $15 a pound on something that tastes like stale cardboard? OR Sukkos $150 for a “fruit”, Teffilin, Yeshiva Tuition, ETC. about these Mitzvos it does not say command and yet they can also be a financial strain.

Ask any seasoned fundraiser, they will tell you that it is much easier to raise money for a Building Campaign where a person knows, that even if they can not get their name on the plaque outside the classroom or in big bold letters above the doors to the Beis Medrash or outside on the Building, he know he is partaking in something much bigger that will last for a while. However, it is much harder to raise the money for Tuition Scholarships, Salaries, utilities,and food forget about Toiletries and garbage bags.

With every other Korban either the one who brought the Korban ate from it or the Kohein did. Yet, when it came to the Korban Olah no one ate it, it burnt the entire night. Can you imagine what it must have been like for this man to buy/raise a cow and watch the entire thing “go up in flames” literally?

When a person is going to have financial strain in doing the Mitzvah, says Hashem, Command him to do it, urge him.

Good Shabbos to all,

Zevi

“And Hashem called to Moshe”

We need to stop and ask ourselves, Moshe had ten names. A name in Judaism is not just a way of identification as a point of reference, it signifies the person’s essence. Why, of all the names for him,did Hashem stick with “Moshe”?

When one gives a person something, not only are you giving them that item but also the attitude in which you gave it.

Pharoah’s daughter Basya called him Moshe “Ki Min Hamayim Mishisihu”. Pharoah wanted all the boys dead. She was Moser Nefesh, she risked her life to save Moshe, and Moshe internalized it and it became part of him, in his Mesiras Nefesh for Klal Yisroel.

I try not to mix politics or fundraising into my Dvar Torah, but this week I simply can not resist.
We know that Torah Judaism is in big trouble in Israel today. The government wants to, G-d forbid, close down Yeshivos, to stop Torah learning, because they feel that it is not fair that “they should protect the country, while the Chareidim sit and learn.”

Who is protecting whom?

The Aron was “Nosa es Nosav”, it carried the ones carrying it. When R’ Leizer Gordon, the Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe HY”D, was engaged, his father-in-law said he would support him. And that’s what happened. The young couple moved in to the home of her parents for a few years. After some time, he was becoming very popular and was getting invitations to become the chief rabbi in many cities. However, his father-in-law kept saying “Am I not supporting you enough?” Finally, one day, the mother-in-law said to her husband “How much longer are we going to support him, let him go out and become a rabbi somewhere.” The day he moved to the next town to be the Rabbi, the father-in-law died.

Who was supporting whom?

Who is protecting whom?

R’ Schach, in his unbelievable wisdom, saw this day coming, many years ago. Back when Menachem Begin was prime minister of Israel, there was no funding for Yeshivos. There was a man on the Knesset by the name of R’ Shlomo Lorincz who approached the Prime Minister, to try getting funding for Yeshivos. Begin said he would give 100% to Yeshivos. He said he felt that it was very important for the country and the nation to have Yeshivos. R’ Shlomo went running to the meeting of all the great Rabbis of Israel who happened to have been in a meeting then and told them the good news. The Rabbis were thrilled they were able to go and learn without having to deal with any financial stress. R’ Shach got up and he said “Let’s not fall into the trap of the Nesiyim, in Parshas Vayekehl, it is spelled without the Yud, Ra”shi tells us it is because they procrastinated in their donation to the Mishkan. G-d couldn’t have provided everything needed to build the Mishkan? Of course, He could have but He wanted to give us the opportunity to do mitzvos, and the Nesiyim should have realized that. They thought it was a regular building campaign, they should have realized that this is the way to get Zechusim. Do you know how many people get Zechusim from being Machshiv Torah and support Torah? How can we take away those Zechusim?

Friends, let us all be Zocheh to grab every opportunity to get Zechusim.
(If you are looking for how you can earn these Zechusim R’ Shach mentions, please feel free to contact me :))
Good shabbos to all,
Zevi

I did write back in Parshas Vaeira part of this vort, but it is kdai to repeat.

We always hear, from Chazal, how it is so important to Daven what is on your heart, and really express what is on your mind. One of the biggest proofs of this, is from Moshe Rabeinu. Hashem tells Moshe, “I am going to destroy the Jewish Nation, because of the sin of the Golden Calf. I am then going to start a new nation from you and your children.” Moshe cries out, “Hashem, Calm down, return from Your anger, if You are going to wipe out the nation then do not put my name anywhere in the Torah.”

Hold on a second, did Moshe just start telling the Borei Olam, the creator of the world, what to do? How could he do such a thing? Shouldn’t it be that if you dare open your mouth like that, a lightning bolt should come down and kill you on the spot!!! “How dare you talk to the Creator like that.”

Instead, G-d says, “You are correct as you have spoken!!!!”

G-d wants to know what is in the deepest depths of our minds and hearts. Really, He knows it, but He wants to hear it from us, in a way like never before, with some good “Holy Chutzpa”.

Good Shabbos to all,

Zevi

Last week’s Parsha was about the planning and building of the Mishkan’s structure. In this week’s Parsha, the Torah talks about building the keilim, the vesels, of the Mishkan, as well as the uniform and dress code of the Kohanim working in the Mishkan and the Beis Hamikdash.

The very first thing in this week’s Parsha, is the mitzvah of the Menorah and the Neiros. Do you know why the first part of the avoda is the Menorah? Because in order to do any work for the Ribono Shel Olam, you need to turn on the light. “Layehudim Hoysa Orah”-“For the Jews, there was a great light.”

In this week’s Parsha, we learn about the Jewish slave, the Eved Ivri, he is only allowed to work 7 years and then he goes free. If he wants to stay, he has to get his ear pierced. There are many reasons for this piercing, but take a look at the Chizkuni and see what he says.The Chizkuni says a reason for the piercing is to identify the Jewish workers from the non-Jews, and treat them accordingly.

Hashem also tells us in this week’s Parsha another secret of success. “Sheishes Yomim Ta’aseh es Maasecha u’Bayom Hashviei Tishbos.” “Do your thing six days a week, but on the seventh day, take a break for your animals, your staff of servants and maids.”