Yerushalayim in/out times for Shabbat parshat shemini
Candles 6:28PM • Earliest 5:44 • Havdala 7:42PM • Rabbeinu Tam 8:22PM


Rabbi Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel


While preparing for Pesach is an undertaking, there’s something very special about entering into Pesach with most of the hard work behind us and the ability to focus on enjoying the Chag with our families and friends. In contrast to Sukkot, where you need to look for a Sukkah when going out or Chanukah when you need to be home by a certain time to light candles, there’s a certain feeling of “Ah, we made it, now we can relax” when we enter Pesach. 


Most years, I have very full Chol Hamoed days, taking incredible OU Israel friends who come to Israel from around the world all over the country, connecting them to Eretz Yisrael and OU Israel programs and OU Kosher factories. While I love these busy days because they give us the chance to bond, they are hectic - from scheduling to traffic to making sure the children (often mine and theirs) are enjoying. 



Then, last year’s Pesach was like no other any of us have experienced, at home with so many people alone for the holiday. Baruch Hashem, thanks in large part to the Covid-19 vaccine, the Ministry of Health decided to lessen the restrictions this year. While we needed to follow the guidelines, Birkat Kohanim at the Kotel was full, national parks were bustling, and the roads were once again full of traffic.



Due to my recent surgery, my doctors wanted me to stay home to continue recuperating. At first it was very strange knowing the country was abuzz with Chol Hamoed activities, but I was home once again for Pesach. Yet, over the Chag something very special occurred - I began to appreciate the ability to simply experience and enjoy the Chag with my family. We learned Torah, played games, and prepared for the many guests that we were, Baruch Hashem, able to host following MOH guidelines. It was truly a Bracha to have so many visitors - relatives, people from my OU family, Vancouverites, and childhood friends. 



This reminded me of a dear friend of mine and yours, Phil Chernofsky, who told me that on Sukkot he tried not to leave home in order to stay in his Sukkah as much as possible. This Pesach, not rushing or sitting in traffic made me appreciate his sentiment, and I feel that my health situation and being home caused me to appreciate the deeper meaning of Pesach, leading into the period of Sefirat HaOmer.



As you know, Sefirat HaOmer has many meaningful days - Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut (which I will write about next week). As the grandson of a proud American soldier who liberated the Mauthausen concentation camp in Austria, this time period has me reflecting on the bravery of our ancestors during the Holocaust and the miracle of the State of Israel protected by our own army.



I vividly recall the look on my grandfather’s face when he saw me in my IDF soldier’s uniform. He shared that seeing a Jewish soldier, standing with a gun and training to fight and defend the Jewish State and Jews around the world gave him chills. His touching words when he told me that I was bringing him tremendous pride still warm my heart decades later. 


There is a beautiful story of Rav Shlomo Zalman Orbach zt”l. Someone asked him about traveling to pray at Kivrei Tzadikim (graves of the righteous). He responded: why must you travel when Har Herzl is right here in Yerushalayim. It is filled with the graves of so many brave IDF soldiers who paid the ultimate price. These soldiers have parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and friends who were left with a deep hole in their hearts. Walking through Har Herzl brings chills to my heart. Chills that indicate we have a sense of responsibility. With HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and the IDF as His Shaliach, we pray that we never again be sent like sheep to be slaughtered.


Growing up in Israel, I unfortunately lost many friends who lost their lives defending the State of Israel - classmates, neighbors, friends, chavrusas. So many of them died before they had a chance to marry and have children. Year after year, I go to Har Herzl to visit them on Yom HaZikaron. I tell them that thanks to them I was able to raise a family here in Israel, and my family is their family because if it was not for their selfless dedication I would not have been able to build my family. 

Avi, 
Executive Director, OU Israel

Shemini Aliya by Aliya Sedra Summary
Rabbi Reuven Tradburks
Director of RCA Israel Region


1st Aliya (Vayikra 9:1-16) On the eighth day of the inauguration of Aharon and the Kohanim, Moshe gathers the people. He instructs Aharon to offer a chatat and an olah. The people are also to bring a chatat, olah, shlamim and mincha. For today, G-d will appear. Aharon offers his offerings. He offers the people’s offerings. The offerings are brought exactly as instructed.



This eighth day is the long anticipated moment. G-d’s presence is to appear in the Mishkan. The path to this moment has taken 7 parshiot. The instructions were given to build the Mishkan. Then it was built. The instructions were given for the kohanim’s garments. And they were made.  Instructions were given to inaugurate the kohanim. And in last week’s parsha the 7-day inauguration was completed. The preparations are all completed.



On this, the 8th day, Moshe passes the baton to Aharon. During the 7-day inauguration, Moshe acted as the kohen Gadol. Not today. Today, the day after the 7-day inauguration, Aharon is now the kohen Gadol. And the Cohanim step into their role.  



Moshe tells them that the offerings they are to bring today will invite G-d’s presence.



At the end of Sefer Shemot, when the building of the Mishkan was completed, G-d’s presence filled the building.  



But His Presence is only half the story. The Mishkan is not a place for He Alone. It is a place of rendezvous: He. And us. He appeared upon completion of the building.  As if to take the first step. Like a dance couple. Someone is the lead. He is the lead.  As He has been in the entire Torah til this point. He has been the lead: Creation, Avraham, Egypt, Sinai, Mishkan. It is all G-d’s reach for man.



Until here. Moshe tells Aharon and the people: now, it is our turn to meet Him.  Aharon has been inaugurated as the one to represent the entire Jewish people in our approach to G-d. He and the Cohanim will act as our representatives in bringing the offerings that express our desire to approach Him.


  
2nd Aliya (9:17-23) Aharon offers the mincha and the shlamim. All the details are performed as commanded. The portion Aharon is to receive is waved as commanded. Upon conclusion of all the offerings, Aharon blesses the people and descends from the offerings. Moshe and Aharon enter the Tent of Meeting, blessing the people upon exiting. The Glory of G-d appears to the people.



All the types of offerings have been brought by Aharon: chatat, olah, mincha, shlamim.  The moment of rendezvous of the Divine, of responding to the approach of man is about to occur. Aharon blesses the people with Birkat kohanim. Well, we call Birkat Kohanim a blessing, but it is really a prayer, a hope: May G-d bless you and keep you.  May He shine his face upon you ….  



Aharon blesses the people with the hope that their aspiration for G-d’s rendezvous will be realized. Man can approach G-d, do all that is required; but His response is never dictated by us. All we can do is our part. And then wait for His response.



Moshe and Aharon bless the people: May the pleasure of G-d be upon you. May the Shechina dwell on your efforts.  



The Kavod Hashem, the Glory of G-d appeared to the people. Their approach and their prayers were granted; a rendezvous with the Divine. Truly a peak, sublime moment of the entire Torah.  Man’s approach to G-d is answered with His Presence.



3rd Aliya (9:24-10:11) A fire descended from G-d and consumed the offerings on the altar. The people saw, sang out and fell on their faces. Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, took incense, though not commanded, and burnt it before G-d. A fire consumed them and they died. Moshe told Aharon that this is what G-d said: With those close to Me I am sanctified. Aharon was silent. After removing the bodies, Moshe told the other sons of Aharon to not mourn or leave the Mikdash; the Jewish people will mourn. Moshe commanded the Cohanim to not consume wine when serving in the Mikdash, so that they can distinguish holy and profane and to teach the people.



The people are ecstatic with the Presence of G-d. But the ecstasy is shattered by the death of Nadav and Avihu in bringing incense not commanded.   



There is much rich commentary on the terrible drama of this story. Ecstasy and death. The simple flow of the narrative seems to rest on how man is to approach G-d. The Mishkan is the place of intimate approach to G-d, the meeting of man and G-d in His home. But the approach of finite man to infinite G-d is fraught with mystery. And hubris. How can a finite man dare to think he can approach the Infinite? It is absurd to even imagine that we could possibly know what would bring Divine favour. We can do so only because – well, because He told us how. G-d invited us, instructed us how to approach Him.  And we do so only with great humility, acknowledging that we are approaching Him only by His invitation.



We have had 7 parshiot of detailed instructions and detailed compliance with those instructions culminating in this moment of the successful rendezvous of man and G-d. The intent of these details – is clearly to impress upon us our inadequacy. We are incapable of fathoming how to approach G-d. He, though, reaches for us, with detailed instructions as to how to approach Him.



It is in this context, after a long, extended narrative of detailed instructions and detailed compliance that the spontaneous desire of Nadav and Avihu to approach G-d with their unauthorized incense must be seen. After all that, you just decide to jump, in a spirit of ecstasy, to approach G-d?  Incredible. Shocking.


4th Aliya (10:12-15) Moshe instructs Aharon and his remaining sons, Elazar and Itamar, to consume the parts of the offerings that were brought today that they were entitled to. They need to consume the mincha matza and the meat of the breast in the holy grounds.  



Moshe proceeds with the momentous day of the appearance of G-d’s glory, proceeding with the details of the offerings. 


 
5th Aliya (10:16-20) Moshe inquired about the meat of the chatat and it had been burned, not consumed. He was upset: why did you not consume these in the holy place as commanded? Aharon responded: On a day that this occurred, should we offer the offerings and eat them? Is that proper in G-d’s eyes? Moshe heard and agreed.



Moshe is upset that the offerings had not been consumed by Aharon and his other sons. Aharon, struck speechless by the death of his 2 sons, now challenges Moshe.  Does our role as Divine servants eliminate our human feelings of tragedy? Is a holy person angelic – or holy while remaining a person? Am I not entitled to mourn at least today?



This brief, very brief, confrontation expresses a universal theme of the holy man. Do we accept our humanity, our emotions, our desires, our complexity even in our holiest religious leaders? Or do we expect of them superhuman, angelic behavior? Religions of the world come down differently on this question. Aharon sets the Jewish view, agreed to by Moshe.  Holiness with humanity will occupy the holiest of Jews.



6th Aliya (11:1-32) Of land animals, you may eat those with split hooves and that chew their cud. Those with only one such sign shall not be eaten:  camel, hyrax, hare and pig.  Aquatic beings that have fins and scales may be eaten. Predator birds may not be eaten. Insects may not be eaten with the exception of certain grasshoppers. Touching the carcass of certain dead animals renders a person Tameh, impure. 



The laws of kashrut begin a series of laws related to man’s uniqueness; animal-like but with a soul. The Torah specifically legislates those activities that we share with animals: food, procreation, illness, death.  And those activities that distinguish us from animals: social behavior, communication, self control. In instructing us what we may eat and what we may not, we are taking the activity that we share with animals, eating, and exercising control. We are not animals, driven without limit by the need for food.  We control what we eat, how we prepare it.   



7th Aliya (11:33-47) The contraction of Tumah from contact with animals requires immersion in a mikveh. You shall be holy because I, G-d, am holy. I brought you out of Egypt to be My people and to be holy, as I am. You are to distinguish between pure and impure and between living things that may be eaten and those that may not.



We are instructed to imitate G-d’s holiness.  In what way are we to imitate Him? In Creation he separated, mavdil; so too we exercise discernment. We distinguish between that which we consume; and that which we don’t. Discernment, self control, structure, in particular in those activities we share with animals are what make us holy, imitating His holiness.  


Haftorah Shemini 
2 Shmuel 6:1-19


King David makes the decision to move the Holy Ark to the new capital, Jerusalem. He instructed that the Ark be placed on a cart and it was brought to the Holy City amidst singing and dancing. When the Ark with the large procession made its way to Goren Nachon, the oxen misstepped and Uzza, Avinadav’s son, reached out and took hold of the Ark to catch it. At that moment he was suddenly killed. 


The haftorah which spotlights how Uzza was struck dead when he disrespectfully touched the Ark parallels the episode in the parsha of Nadav and Avihu’s death. 


King David was greatly distressed over this tragic episode. He then chose to place the Ark  in the home of Oved- edom the Edomite, where it then stayed for three months.


Ultimately King David brought the Ark from the house of Oved-edom into the City of David with great joy and celebration. King David offers blessing and to all present at this historic moment in the history of the nation of Israel. 


Stats 
26th of 54 sedras; 3rd of 10 in Vayikra 
157.2 lines in a Sefer Torah, rank: 42nd
6 Parshiyot, 3 open, 3 closed
91 p'sukim - ranks 41st (4th in Vayikra) 
1238 words - 41st (5th in Vayikra) 
4670 letters - 41st (5th in Vayikra) 


Mitzvot
17 mitzvot; 6 positive; 11 prohibitions


The person in the parsha 
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb


And Aaron Was Silent


He was an old man, and in many ways came from a very different world than I. And yet he taught me more than anyone else ever did. One of the things he taught me was that no one suffers as much as a parent who loses a child.
He delivered this lesson to me on a wintry day more than fifty years ago. He was my grandfather, my father’s father, and the family had just broken the news to him that his youngest grandchild, my baby cousin, had died. It was a sudden death, totally unexpected, and everyone was distraught. Grandpa too took the news very hard.



He then did something which surprised everyone present. He rose to leave the room, beckoning to me—his oldest grandchild, then fourteen—to accompany him. We both entered a small adjoining room in which there were a few sacred books, including a siddur. He opened the siddur, read from it for several moments, and then looked up to me, and tearfully whispered:


“There is nothing worse in the world than the death of one’s own child. A parent never recovers from such a blow. May the merciful God protect us all from such a fate.”



I will never forget those words. I remember them verbatim even today. And a lifetime of experience in the vocation of counseling has confirmed the truth of these words over and over again.



In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Shemini, we read of just such a tragedy. On a bright and sunny spring day, somewhere in the Sinai wilderness, the Tabernacle is being inaugurated. It is an awesome spiritual experience in which “a divine fire descends from on high, in which all the people sing in unison, and fall upon their faces.”

It is the moment of a peak experience, for all the people, but especially for Aaron, the High Priest.

At that very moment, his two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, step forward and commit a sacrilegious act which dispels the mood, and ruins the entire experience. Commentators differ widely as to exactly what was the sin of these two sons of Aaron. Scripture just says that “they offered God a strange fire, something He did not command of them.”


God’s wrath was expressed instantly. “A fire descended from before Him and consumed them, and they died in the presence of God.”
A parent, a father, lost a child. Not just one, but two. Not through a long and debilitating illness but suddenly, unexpectedly. And not in any ordinary set of circumstances, but in the context of an act of sacred worship.



What is Aaron’s reaction? Does he moan and groan and rend his clothing? Does he scream out in grief? Or does he vent his anger against the God who took his boys from him?


None of the above. “Vayidom Aharon.” Aaron is silent. The silence of shock? Perhaps. The silence of acceptance of fate? Perhaps. Or, perhaps, the silence which results when the range and depth of one’s emotions are too overwhelming to express in words. But silence.



If the sage words that my grandfather shared with me in my early adolescence are true, and I have every reason to believe that they are, Aaron remained silent about his grief for the rest of his life. Had he used the words of his ancestor Jacob, he could have said “I will go down to the grave in my agony.”



Soon after this episode in which my grandfather shared his wisdom with me I had the occasion to read a book which taught me a bit more about a grieving parent. It is quite possible that it was at precisely during the winter of my cousin’s death that I was assigned the book Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther in my English Literature class.



I somehow doubt that this book is still on the required reading lists of many tenth graders today. But if it is not on those lists, I certainly recommend that it be read, and particularly by teenagers who are learning their first lessons about life and its tragic disappointments.



In the book, the author describes his own son, who was taken from him by a vicious disease. He describes his son positively, but realistically. And he rages against the disease, and in some way, the Divine being who took his son from him. He insists to Death itself that it be not proud about its victory over its victim, his dear child.


It has been decades since I have read Gunther’s book, and it could very well be that I do not remember it with complete accuracy. But I do recall the poignancy and the power with which the author conveyed the full range of his painful emotions. And I will never forget those passages in which he insists that he will never recover from his loss, that the wounds of a parent’s grief for his child can never heal.


Many are the lessons which students of Bible and Talmud have derived from the sad narrative contained in this week’s Torah portion. But there is at least one lesson which every empathic reader will surely learn as he or she attends to the opening verses of Leviticus 10.


It is the lesson contained in the mystery of Aaron’s reaction when his sons are consumed by a heavenly fire. For within the deafening silence of “Vayidom Aharon” are the depths of the terror which every parent dreads, and some parents have suffered. The dread of bereavement, of the loss of one’s child.


As always, in contemplating darkness, light stands out in contrast. Reflection upon death leads to an appreciation of life. The story of the death of Aaron’s children should, if nothing else, enable us to appreciate all the more those of our children who are alive and well.


As we embark upon this new post-Passover spring season, with all the springtime symbols in the way of life and renewal, let us celebrate and appreciate all of our own offspring, may they live and be well.


Midei Chodesh Bchodsho
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

Between Role and Relationship 


In the middle of this coming month, our reading of Sefer Vayikra will take a sudden turn…
After coursing through the highly ritualized parshiot of the book’s first half; we will abruptly encounter the ethical laws of Parshat Kedoshim.  


Marking this sudden transition in the text, God opens Parshat Kedoshim by commanding Moshe: “Speak to the entire assembly of Children of Israel” and say to them ‘Holy shall you be, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy…”


The rabbis are puzzled…


“Normally,” the rabbis note, “Moshe is commanded simply to ‘speak to the Children of Israel.’ Why, on this occasion, is he commanded to ‘speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel?’


The variation in the text leads the rabbis to conclude that HaShem commands Moshe to teach the laws of Parshat Kedoshim in an exceptional way.


Normally, the rabbis explain, the Torah was transmitted to the Israelites in the ‘hierarchical fashion’ described in the Talmud:


“Moshe learned from the Almighty himself. Aharon then entered, and Moshe recited the lesson for him. Aharon then stepped aside, as his sons entered, and Moshe recited the lesson for them. Aharon’s sons stepped aside, as the Elders entered, and Moshe recited the lesson for them. Finally, the Elders stepped aside, as all the people entered, and Moshe recited the lesson for them. In this way, the people heard [the lesson] once, the Elders twice, Aharon’s sons three times and Aharon four times.”


This regular procedure was suspended, however, when it came to the laws of Parshat Kedoshim. So singularly significant are these laws that they had to be taught B’hakhel, in ‘full assembly;’ directly by Moshe to the entire nation at once. Thus, concerning this parsha, Moshe is divinely commanded to ‘speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel.’


This rabbinic explanation, however, seems counterintuitive. To quote an oft-used Talmudic admonition: Mima Nafshach, either way you look at it-it doesn’t appear to make sense!


If, on the one hand, the usual ‘hierarchical method’ of Torah transmission is the most effective; then this method should certainly have been employed in the communication of Parshat Kedoshim, one of the most important sections of Torah law.


If, on the other hand, ‘full assembly’ is the most effective form of Torah transmission, why was this method not utilized in the communication of the entire Torah text?   


While several answers to this question are suggested by the rabbis, perhaps the boldest is offered by the 16th century scholar, Rabbi Moshe Alshikh. The Alshikh maintains that Parshat Kedoshim is specifically taught in ‘full assembly’ in order to convey, to all those present, their equal ability to achieve a life of holiness. As Sefer Vayikra turns to its foundational ethical laws, God commands Moshe to set aside the divisions that normally characterize his teaching of Torah text. This time, the nation will stand together, as equals, when they hear the command: “Kedoshim tihiyu, Holy shall you be…”


The Alshikh’s comments highlight an extremely important distinction within Jewish life of which we too often lose sight - the distinction between “role” and “relationship.”


In the realm of role, we clearly are not all created equal…


Many life positions within Jewish experience are automatically assigned at birth. Men and women are obligated differently under Jewish law. Specific leadership roles, such as the priesthood and the monarchy, are inherited. These birth-roles are not open to personal choice.


Even earned roles, technically open to all, are not, on a practical level, equally open to all. Here, biological genetic factors rather than ritual genetic factors are the primary determinants. While all can aspire to Torah learning, for example, not everyone can become a Gadol Hador, the luminary of a generation. Our lives are defined not only by our hopes, aspirations and efforts, but also by the ‘predetermined’ DNA with which we enter the world. Other factors such as: the environment into which we are born, the historical period in which we live, the choices made by those who precede us, and more; all help determine the specific roles that we will ultimately play within our nation’s story.


The usual hierarchical mode of Torah transmission was structured to preserve and emphasize the critical roles assigned to, or earned by, individuals within Israelite society at the time. The Kohanim, the Leviim and the Elders, who served as ritual representatives of and as teachers to the people, thus received a different level of training than the bulk of the nation. 


In the realm of ‘relationship’ with our Creator, however, we are all potentially equal.


Every relationship within human experience is unique, a product of the participants and their singular personalities. Our relationship with God is no exception.


Each of us relates to God as we are; soft or strong, scholar or novice, spiritual or cerebral. In the realm of this relationship, the only yardstick by which we are judged is ourselves. Whatever our life role may be, the strength of our connection to God is determined by how well we fulfill that role and by the personal qualities we demonstrate as we fulfill it. 


This is the realm of sanctity, a realm in which we are all potentially equal- the greatest Rabbi and the unlearned tradesman, the high priest in the sanctuary and the farmer in the field. Sanctity is attained through God’s presence in our lives; through the forging of a relationship with the Divine that is unique and specific to each of us. 


The Rambam underscores the universal potential for holiness in his review of the laws of Teshuva:


“Every man possesses the capacity to be as righteous as Moshe or as wicked as   


Yeravam (who rebelled against the Davidic dynasty after Shlomo’s death).”
Notably, Maimonides does not claim that we can each ‘be a Moshe’ but, rather, that we can each be “as righteous as Moshe.” Just as Moshe reached his potential for holiness, so, too; judged against the backdrop of our own abilities, character and environment; we can each aspire to reach ours. 


As God turns in Sefer Vayikra from ritual to ethics, as He begins to elucidate the laws most clearly designed to shape the sanctified nature of our lives, He commands Moshe to eschew the communal hierarchy and to gather the nation together in ‘full assembly’:


As they hear the commandment, “Holy shall you be…”, let the cobbler stand shoulder to shoulder with the High Priest; let the blacksmith stand with the Elders; let the unlearned stand with the scholar… that they may know that the search for holiness knows no favorites… that a relationship with their Creator is equally open to all. 


Rabbi Goldin is the author of the OU press volumes “Unlocking the Torah Text,” and “Unlocking the Haggada.



Covenant & Conversation
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l

Reticence vs. Impetuosity 

It should have been a day of joy. The Israelites had completed the Mishkan, the Sanctuary. For seven days Moses had made preparations for its consecration. Now on the eighth day – the first of Nissan (Ex. 10:2), one year to the day since the Israelites had received their first command two weeks prior to the Exodus – the service of the Sanctuary was about to begin. The Sages say that it was in heaven the most joyous day since Creation (Megillah 10b).


But tragedy struck. The two elder sons of Aaron “offered a strange fire that had not been commanded” (Lev. 10:1) and the fire from heaven that should have consumed the sacrifices consumed them as well. They died. Aaron’s joy turned to mourning. Vayidom Aharon, “And Aaron was silent (10:3). The man who had been Moses’ spokesman could not longer speak. Words turned to ash in his mouth.


There is much in this episode that is hard to understand, much that has to do with the concept of holiness and the powerful energies it released that, like nuclear power today, could be deadly dangerous if not properly used. But there is also a more human story about two approaches to leadership that still resonates with us today.


First there is the story about Aaron. We read about how Moses told him to begin his role as High Priest. “Moses [then] said to Aaron, ‘Approach the altar, and prepare your sin offering and burnt offering, thus atoning for you and the people. Then prepare the people’s offering to atone for them, as God has commanded’” (Lev. 9:7).


The Sages sensed a nuance in the words, “Approach the altar,” as if Aaron was standing at a distance from it, reluctant to come near. They said: “Initially Aaron was ashamed to come close. Moses said to him, ‘Do not be ashamed. This is what you have been chosen to do.’”



Why was Aaron ashamed? Tradition gave two explanations, both brought by Nachmanides in his commentary to the Torah. The first is that Aaron was simply overwhelmed with trepidation at coming so close to the Divine Presence. The second is that Aaron, seeing the “horns” of the altar, was reminded of the Golden Calf, his great sin. How could he, who had played a key role in that terrible event, now take on the role of atoning for the people’s sins? That surely demanded an innocence he no longer had. Moses had to remind him that it was precisely to atone for sins that the altar had been made; and the fact that he had been chosen by God to be High Priest was an unequivocal sign that he had been forgiven.


There is perhaps a third explanation, albeit less spiritual. Until now Aaron had been in all respects second to Moses. Yes, he had been at his side throughout, helping him speak and lead. But there is vast psychological difference between being second-in-command and being a leader in your own right. We probably all know examples of people who quite readily serve in an assisting capacity but who are terrified at the prospect of leading on their own.



Whichever explanation is true – and perhaps they all are – Aaron was reticent at taking on his new role, and Moses had to give him confidence. “This is what you have been chosen to do.”


The other story is the tragic one, of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, who “offered a strange fire, that had not been commanded.” The Sages offered several readings of this episode, all based on a close reading of the several places in the Torah where their death is referred to. Some said they had been drinking alcohol. Others said that they were arrogant, holding themselves up above the community; this was the reason they had never married.


Some say that they were guilty of giving a halachic ruling about the use of man-made fire, instead of asking their teacher Moses whether it was permitted (Eruvin 63a). Others say they were restless in the presence of Moses and Aaron. They said: when will these two old men die and we can lead the congregation? (Sanhedrin 52a)



However we read the episode, it seems clear that they were all too eager to exercise leadership. Carried away by their enthusiasm to play a part in the inauguration, they did something they had not been commanded to do. After all, had Moses not done something entirely on his own initiative, namely breaking the tablets when he came down the mountain and saw the Golden Calf? If he could act spontaneously, why not they?



They forgot the difference between a Priest and a Prophet. As we have seen in previous Covenant & Conversations, a Prophet lives and acts in time – in this moment that is unlike any other. A Priest acts and lives in eternity, by following a set of rules that never change. Everything about “the holy,” the realm of the Priest, is precisely scripted in advance. The holy is the place where God, not man, decides.



Nadav and Avihu failed fully to understand that there are different kinds of leadership and they are not interchangeable. What is appropriate to one may be radically inappropriate to another. A judge is not a politician. A King is not a Prime Minister. A religious leader is not a celebrity seeking popularity. Confuse these roles and not only will you fail, you will also damage the very office you were chosen to hold.



The real contrast here, though, is the difference between Aaron and his two sons. They were, it seems, opposites. Aaron was over-cautious and had to be persuaded by Moses even to begin. Nadav and Avihu were not cautious enough. So keen were they to put their own stamp on the role of priesthood that their impetuosity was their downfall.



These are, perennially, the two challenges leaders must overcome. The first is the reluctance to lead. Why me? Why should I get involved? Why should I undertake the responsibility and all that comes with it – the high levels of stress, the sheer volume of work, and the neverending criticisms leaders always have to face? Besides which, there are other people better qualified and more suited than I am.



Even the greatest were reluctant to lead. Moses at the Burning Bush found reason after reason to show that he was not the man for the job. Isaiah and Jeremiah both felt inadequate. Summoned to lead, Jonah ran away. The challenge really is daunting. But when you feel as if you are being called to a task, if you know that the mission is necessary and important, then there is nothing you can do but say, Hineni, “Here I am.” (Ex. 3:4) In the words of a famous book title, you have to “feel the fear and do it anyway.”



The other challenge is the polar opposite. There are some people who see themselves as rightful leaders. They are convinced that they can do it better than anyone else. We recall the famous remark of Israel’s first President, Chaim Weizmann, that he was head of a nation of a million presidents.



From a distance it seems so easy. Isn’t it obvious that the leader should do X, not Y? Homo sapiens contains many back seat drivers who know better than those whose hands are on the steering wheel. Put them in a position of leadership and they can do great damage. Never having sat in the driver’s seat, they have no idea of how many considerations have to be taken into account, how many voices of opposition have to be overcome, how difficult it is at one and the same time to cope with the pressures of events while not losing sight of long-term ideals and objectives. The late John F. Kennedy said that the worst shock on being elected President was that “when we got to the White House we discovered that things were as bad as we’d been saying they were.” Nothing prepares you for the pressures of leadership when the stakes are high.


Overenthusiastic, overconfident leaders can do great harm. Before they became leaders they understood events through their own perspective. What they did not understand is that leadership involves relating to many perspectives, many interest groups and points of view. That does not mean that you try to satisfy everyone. Those who do so end up satisfying no one. But you have to consult and persuade. Sometimes you need to honour precedent and the traditions of a particular institution. You have to know exactly when to behave as your predecessors did, and when not to. All this calls for considered judgement, not wild enthusiasm in the heat of the moment.


Nadav and Avihu were surely great people. The trouble was that they believed they were great people. They were not like their father Aaron, who had to be persuaded to come close to the altar because of his sense of inadequacy. The one thing Nadav and Avihu lacked was a sense of their own inadequacy. 


To do anything great we have to be aware of these two temptations. One is the fear of greatness: who am I? The other is being convinced of your greatness: Who are they? I can do it better. We can do great things if (a) the task matters more than the person, (b) we are willing to do our best without thinking ourselves superior to others, and (c) we are willing to take advice, the thing Nadav and Avihu failed to do.


People do not become leaders because they are great. They become great because they are willing to serve as leaders. It does not matter that we think ourselves inadequate. Moses did. So did Aaron. What matters is the willingness, when challenge calls, to say, Hineni, “Here I am.” 


AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE
Why did the 1st Nissan begin as such a joyous day? 
Would you have more confidence in a reticent leader or an impetuous leader?
Do either of these two extremes affect you in other areas of life, even when not playing a leadership role? 
Covenant and Conversation 5781 is kindly supported by the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation in memory of Maurice and Vivienne Wohl z”l.
These weekly teachings from Rabbi Sacks  zt"l are part of the ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah reading. Read more on www.rabbisacks.org.


Probing the prophets
Rabbi Nachman Neil Winkler


Like the episode found in our parasha, our haftarah relates the story of a very special day, a day of celebration for Israel, when a place of worship to Hashem is being prepared. The parasha speaks of the day when the Mishkan was dedicated, while the haftarah relates the story of the transfer of the Aron (Holy Ark) to Yerushalayim. In both stories a terrible tragedy occurs in the midst of the celebration. In the Torah we read of the death of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, the Kohen Gadol and in the haftarah we learn of the death of Uzzah, the son of the person who had “housed” the Aron on his proprety.


Both stories are troubling as we struggle to understand the severity of Hashem’s reaction to what seems to be mistakes, “slip-ups”, unintentional trespasses by righteous individuals. Or so it appears to us. And, certainly, the great gedolim of the Talmud and beyond suggest several underlying reasons why our Merciful G-d, the Rachum v’Chanun, visited these severe punishments on these men. With humility, I would like to suggest that Hashem’s punishment was not “payment” for one momentary lapse but, rather, part of an ongoing, repetitive pattern of behavior that reflected an unacceptable attitude toward kedusha, sanctity, and toward HaKadosh Baruch Hu.  But to understand what I mean, let us return to Parashat Mishpatim and the events at Har Sinai.


There, Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu (Shmot 24; 1) “Aleh ehlei hahara”, “Come up the mountain to Me”, “atah, v’Aharon, Nadav va’Avihu v’shiv’im miziknei Yisrael”, “you and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, as well as seventy of Israel’s elders”, and there they would worship Hashem from afar. Afterwards, Moshe alone would continue to draw closer to Hashem while the others would not. A simple, clear directive from G-d. And, indeed, (as the ninth pasuk attests) that is exactly what they did. But as the story proceeds, the Torah states (psukim 13-14) that Yehoshua accompanied Moshe (part of the way up the mountain) and the elders were told to stay back with Aharon and Chur who would remain to attend to the people. 



HaRav Amnon Bazak of Yeshivat Har Etzion asks: Where are Nadav and Avihu? Why have they suddenly disappeared and been replaced by Yehoshua and Chur-individuals who were not part of the original command? The answer, Rav Bazak proposes, is found in the previous verses (11-12) where the Torah tells us that the “nobles” of Israel “beheld” Hashem, and then “ate and drank”- certainly improper behavior - yet G-d did not harm them. Rav Bazak turns our attention to Rashi’s comment that identifies the “nobles” of Israel as…Nadav and Avihu! Is it not logical to suggest, therefore, that the sons of Aharon, future kohanim who would serve in the Sanctuary yet showed such disrespect to the sanctity of that moment, be replaced and returned to the camp? And could not such an attitude, then, explain their behavior in offering an uninvited ketoret at a most holy time - which would explain the severity of Hashem’s reaction?


And the same might be true of the incident we read in our haftarah. Who was Uzzah? He was the son of Avinadav, the man who, for twenty years (see Shmuel A 7; 2) “hosted” the Aron in his field, and the brother of Elazar, who was charged with guarding and tending to the Holy Ark. As Levites, it was understandable that they would guard the Holy Ark, as the Levi’im were given the responsibility of shielding and protecting the Mishkan (B’midbar 18; 2-5). Likewise, as Levi’im, we would also assume that they knew full well how careful they had to be in dealing with “kodesh”, holy objects – including the warning given to them (B’Midbar 7; 9) “ki avodat hakodesh aleihem – BAKATEF yisa’u”– the Kehat family were not given wagons with which to transport the Holy Ark because, due to its sanctity, it could carried only by shoulder and NOT by cart.



If so, we may rightfully ask if these sons of Avinadav would allow the Aron to be transported on a cart and NOT on their shoulders? How could Uzzah dance in front of the Holy Ark instead of “shouldering” his responsibility? And if he acted this way during a public celebration, in the presence of the King – couldn’t he also have failed to be as careful as he should have been over the 20 years that he served the Aron? Did he allow his familiarity breed, even somewhat, contempt for holiness? 



So, perhaps Uzzah’s act of grabbing the Aron was not the only cause of Hashem’s severe punishment. Perhaps it was the culmination of a long period of his lack of respect and over-familiarity that caused it. That seems to be the reason for the punishment in the eyes of David (see Divrei HaYamim A 15; 12-15).



Dealing often with holiness and sanctity may have a negative effect on one’s attitude toward it. As we return to the Bet Knesset after a long absence, shouldn’t we wonder if, perhaps, we were too “familiar” with the shul, with our tefillot, with OUR Holy Ark? Perhaps we, like Uzzah, “laid a hand” on G-dliness and piety? And perhaps now is the time to take more care in dealing with the holiness that surrounds us.

That is what the Holy One desires from us.

And what He expects from us as well. 
Rabbi Winkler's popular Jewish History lectures can be viewed by visiting the OU Israel Video archive: https://www.ouisrael.org/video-library/


Rebbetzin Shira Smiles

The Will of Hashem 


The long-awaited day had finally arrived; the Mishkan was ready for inauguration and the nation awaited the descent of Hashem’s glory. To prepare for this experience, Moshe Rabbeinu instructs the people, “This is the thing which Hashem has commanded to do” (Vayikra 9;6). The Midrash explains this enigmatic statement in the following way. Moshe was instructing Am Yisrael to remove their evil inclination from within them. The commentators are troubled, what evil inclination is this referring to? What was it they were to accomplish at this time?


Rav Weinberger in Shem Hatov quotes the Brisker Rav and explains that this is the yetzer hara that affects the ‘lishmah’ aspect of doing a mitzvah. Moshe Rabbeinu was cautioning Am Yisrael, be sure that your intentions in bringing the proscribed sacrifices are focused on fulfilling Hashem’s command. Although you desire to see the revelation of Hashem’s Presence, that is not the target.  It is easy to get caught up in the fervor and excitement of doing a mitzvah and forget that the principal objective is to do the will of Hashem. Hence, notes Rav Weinberger, one says a brachah before the performance of a mitzvah, as a reminder that the mitzvah is a fulfillment of the will of Hashem. Rav Goldvicht in Asufot Marachot adds that this is reflected in Chazal’s statement, “nullify your will to the will of Hashem” (Avot 2;4). This includes even in the act of doing a mitzvah.  



Rav Goldstein in Shaarei Chayim extends this idea to all our mitzvah observance. To be worthy of having the Shechinah rest on the mitzvot we perform we must be totally focused on doing mitzvot because Hashem commanded us to do them. The yetzer hara we all encounter tries to convince us to do a mitzvah because we feel good when we do it or because it makes sense to us. Our challenge is to constantly reiterate to ourselves when we do a mitzvah that it is solely because Hashem commanded us to do it that fuels our action. Such a mindset allows us to have the appropriate humility which then allows the Shechinah to reside in our what we do. Indeed, the Ketav Sofer warns that often the yetzer hara encourages a person to feel pride in his actions and to boast to his friends of his accomplishments. One must be mindful of this pitfall and work hard to avoid it.


Rav Kotler in Mishnat Rav Aaron notes that one who does mitzvot out of habit lacks this angle of doing Hashem’s will. A mitzvah in essence connects one to Hashem with love and joy. Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching us to remove the yetzer hara of mindlessness in serving Hashem, thereby becoming worthy of continuously feeling connected and invigorated in our service.



Rav Reiss in Merosh Tzurim understands the yetzer hara here in a much more personal fashion. He quotes the Imrei Emes who teaches that every person in this world is created to fulfill a particular task. Wherever the yetzer hara challenges us most is an indication that this is the area in which we need to work hardest, for this is why we were created. Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching each one of us to battle with our personal yetzer hara, fulfilling our individual mission, thereby bringing G-dliness to this world.



Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

How We Regard A Gadol


Parshat Shemini begins by discussing the events which occurred on the eight and final day of the mi’luim inauguration service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). After months of preparation and anticipation, Aharon and his sons were finally installed as Kohanim in an elaborate service.


A portion of that service includes offering sacrifices. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik zt’l took note of the peculiarity of two sin-offerings that were required at that time; one on behalf of Aharon himself, the other on behalf of the people: “And he said to Aaron, ‘Take for yourself a bull calf as a sin offering...And to the children of Israel, you shall speak saying, “Take a he goat as a sin offering,’” Why should sin-offerings be needed now?


The Rav cited an intriguing answer given by one of the earliest Torah commentaries, Targum Yonatan ben Uzziel, a student of  the Talmudic sage Hillel. He writes that the sin offering of a  calf was given as an atonement for the Golden Calf that had been worshipped at Mount Sinai, while the goat was an atonement for the goat that the brothers used to deceive Yaakov in the sale of Yosef. Evidently, before commencing the worship in the Mishkan these deeply disturbing and staggering transgressions still needed rectification and forgiveness.
In a dazzling drasha the Rav posited that there is a common thread that connects these two sins. In both cases the sin revolved around the issue of how to relate to authority and to a gadol hador  in our midst.


What was the cause of the sale of Yosef? It was not only hatred toward Yosef that propelled the brothers to sin but another factor was at play. Namely a lack of regard and reverence toward their father that allowed them to engage in their heinous deed. 


The Rav quoted the comment of Rashi that at the time of the sale of Yosef, Reuven was engaged in Teshuva - by fasting and donning sackcloth (Beresheit Rabbah 37:19). The Rav understood that Reuven’s remorse was actually related to a sin he committed much earlier that he now understood had terrible repercussions. This sin negatively affected the culture that pervaded the house of Yaakov. Reuven had undermined Yaakov’s authority by moving the bed of his father into the tent of his mother Leah. Reuven now understood the full implications of his earlier actions which related to a loss of respect for father Yaakov. The brothers witnessed his misdeed and this opened the door toward belittling the honor due to their father. This had direct repercussions regarding brother’s proposal to kill Joseph. They could never have never acted toward Joseph as they did, if they had the proper esteem for their father he rightly deserved.


Turning to the sin of Golden Calf, the issue surrounding respect for authority once again plays a central role. But this time the issue was not lack of respect, but to the contrary, displaying excessive reliance and dependency. 


The sin of the Golden Calf was precipitated by the absence of Moshe (Shemot 32:1). Apparently, the nation mistakenly thought that the covenant with God depended entirely upon Moshe. Yet, it was God, not Moshe, who took them out of Egypt - Moshe was but a messenger. 


“It is forbidden to depend entirely upon a human being; our absolute reliance must only be on God. The Jewish people had faith in Moshe, but not in God; they mistakenly thought that Moshe was the redeemer. Had they displayed complete faith in God, the sin would not have taken place.” (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Vayikra, pp. 54-55).


The Rav added a deeper layer of meaning to the symbolism of bringing both a calf and goat as sin offerings. The trait of each animal also plays an important figurative role. Aharon brought a calf, which always follows its mother submissively, a symbol of the Israelites’ unhealthy submissiveness to Moshe. When the brothers intended to sell Yosef this signified a rebellious instinct, they refused to accept Yaakov’s choice of Yosef as leader of the family. They behaved like brazen goats, so that was the animal that atoned for their sin (Stone Artscroll Chumash, p. 589).


In the context the Rav added a keen insight about the essence of achieving repentance: When one engages in teshuva, it is not sufficient for the sinner to merely recognize that he sinned. True repentance requires recognition of the motive of sin. The motives for the sale of Yosef and the worship of the Golden Calf were diametrically opposed, so each sin required its own atonement (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Vayikra, p. 54).



Exploring the Rav’s Insight


Like many great sages before him, Rabbi Soloveitchik addressed the question of the nature of the sin of Nadav and Avihu which takes center stage in the parsha. Commentators through the ages differ as to the essence of the sin and the reason why they died. One line of reasoning directly links their sin to the issue the Rav developed above. Take note of the following three different explanations. Unmistakably, a common thread runs through them all.


One should not render judgement in front of his teacher. Nadav and Avihu did so in front of their teacher, Moshe, ruling that it was a mitzvah for them to bring their own fire on the altar. (Rashi)


They were too self assured and didn’t seek counsel or advice from Moshe, Aharon, or even each other. (Midrash)



Once, Moshe and Aharon were walking down the road, and Nadav and Avihu were walking behind them. Nadav turned to Avihu and said, “When will these two elders die, so that you and I can lead the generation? God heard this and said, “Let us see who will bury whom!” (Talmud Sanhedrin 52a)


All three explanations point in one direction: Irreverence, or perhaps even worse, a disdain for the Torah personalities of their time.



However, it seems almost unfathomable that the sons of Aharon could have acted so irreverently toward their own father and Moshe. Moreover we have Midrashic passages that teach us that Nadav and Avihu were greater than both their father Aharon and their uncle Moshe (see Midrash Vayikra Rabbah, Vilna edition, Parshat Shemini 12:2).



Given the difficulties inherent in a literal interpretation of the Talmuds’s statement, the founder of the Daf Yomi movement, HaRav Meir Shapiro of Lublin zt”l offered a new perspective. He stressed the lofty level of holiness that Nadav and Avihu had achieved. When they stated : When will these elderly men die?” - it was not stated in a derisive way. On the contrary they contemplated the reality that a moment will arrive when it will be incumbent upon them to lead the generation. In truth Nadav and Avihu were sincere. But they made a big mistake according to Rav Meir Shapiro; they were unable to comprehend the extent to which Moshe and Aharon differed in kind and degree from them, they could not fathom the gulf that separated them from Moshe and their father. This lack of understanding led them to bring aish zarah - incense that had not been commanded by God.


This brilliant analysis of the Gemara compliments the Midrashic passage which speaks of Nadav and Avihu’s dedicated service. However, they failed to fully appreciate the greatness, awe and reverence that should have been afforded to two giants in their midst. They acted presumptuously by so readily planning to step into the shoes of those so much more prominent  and noble than they were.


The centrality of this idea, that one is to extend profound honor and awe for great Rabbinic leaders, is articulated by the Torah itself. The Rav quoted Rabbi Akiva’s interpretation of the verse: “You shall revere “et” Hashem your God” (Devarim 6:13). The word ‘et’ comes to include reverence for Torah Scholars (Bava Kama 41b). Rabbi Akiva equated the fear and trepidation we offer the Almighty to our approach to a Torah Scholar. Tosafot is quick to point out that this injunction refers not only to your principal teacher but to the leading Torah scholars of the generation. In contrast to the mitzvah of kavod this verse teaches that there is a mitzvah of morah (awe) which applies to the gedolei hador of every generation. (Divrei HaRav, Schachter, p.309).  


Divrei Menachem
Menachem Persoff

“Do Not Play With Fire!”


In this week’s Parsha, we come across the tragic episode in which two sons of Aharon Hakohen bring forbidden fire before Hashem. At the climax of the inauguration of the Kohanim, after Aharon had performed his various sacrifices, Nadav and Avihu brought incense, an alien fire. The outcome of their passionate offering, however, was that fire descended from Hashem and consumed them.


At first glance, we must be confounded by Aharon’s silence and Moshe’s comment to his bereaved brother, namely, that Hashem had spoken of this matter earlier. For God had previously told Moshe (Shemot 29:43): “There [in the Ohel Moed] I will meet with Bnei Yisrael; and it shall be sanctified by My glory” (Venikdash Bichevodi) (cf. Vayikra 10: 1-3).



Based on the discussion in the Gemara (Zevachim 115b), Rashi understands that the Hebrew term Bichevodi can be read alternately as Bichvodai – “[by] those close to me.” That is to say that Hashem hinted to Moshe that at the time of the inauguration of the Mishkan, some event involving holy people would be involved in the process of sanctifying God’s name in the eyes of the people.


Citing Vayikra Rabba, Rashi adds that Moshe had no idea whom the persona involved would be. He tells Aharon that he assumed that the individuals close to Hashem would be either Aharon or himself. Now it turns out, in Moshe’s words, that Nadav and Avihu were “greater than they.” As Aharon internalizes that message, he remains silent.


Rabbi Pinchas Langer pertinently reminds us that Nadav and Avihu acted out of free choice: Their actions were not premeditated by Hashem. With all the two sons’ best intentions and in the aftermath of their demise, a lesson for the people was nevertheless generated. 



In retrospect, the Kli Yakar explains the phrase, “and it shall be sanctified by My glory.” He indicates that Bnei Yisrael would now understand that if such holy persons as Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, failed to grasp that with all their zeal to serve Hashem, one cannot transgress the word of God, how much more should (we), the rank and file, be awed, thus to be careful to serve Hashem within the boundaries He set for us.  


Shabbat Shalom!


Rabbi Daniel Mann

Benefitting From Child’s Transgression During Bein Hashemashot

Question: We forgot to plug in our hot plate, and so we asked our child (9 years old) to plug it in 11 minutes after sunset. We second-guessed ourselves in the morning. Was it permitted? If not, could we have used the hot plate then and benefitted from the food that was on it?

Answer: Some things are forbidden on Shabbat but permitted during bein hashemashot (=bhsh), which is treated like a safek (doubt) of night/Shabbat, including asking a non-Jew to do melacha for Shabbat needs, e.g., lighting a candle (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 261:1; ibid. 342:1 expands it a little more). Since some poskim and communities (see Be’ur Halacha to 343:1) allow children to do things on Shabbat that adults may not, we understand your idea of using a child during bhsh (after the community accepts Shabbat, leniency is harder – see Piskei Teshuvot 343:4). However, since plugging in a hot plate, with its very hot filaments, is a Torah-level melacha, it is also forbidden by Torah law to encourage a child to do so (Mishna Berura 343:4). Since bhsh, is a safek of Shabbat, asking a child to do a full melacha is a safek Torah prohibition, and facilitating a mitzva (a Shabbat meal) would not be sufficient justification.


During the first 13 minutes after sunset, there is arguably a double doubt: 1. Bhsh is a safek; 2. Maybe Rabbeinu Tam is correct that bhsh begins only an hour or so after sunset (see Be’ur Halacha to 261:1). However, most poskim say that since our communities’ clear minhag is to discount Rabbeinu Tam’s opinion (i.e., on Saturday we do melacha some 35 minutes after sunset), we should not consider this a reason to be more lenient than the regular halachot of bhsh (Orchot Shabbat, 25:(78); Dirshu 261:14). 


On our presumption that you erred, what is the halacha b’di’eved? We rule that one may not benefit from violations done during bhsh (Mishna Berura 261:6, against Zayit Ra’anan II:5). When a child violates Shabbat, benefit is forbidden if he did it on behalf of others (Magen Avraham 325:22).
However, perhaps eating the food is permitted even if done by an adult on Shabbat proper. If the food was nominally cooked, then even if plugging in the hot plate caused it to become fully cooked and heated a cooled-off liquid, benefit is permitted. This is based on the rule that when there are serious opinions to permit something, as in these cases (see Shulchan Aruch, OC 318:4 and Be’ur Halacha ad loc.), benefit b’di’eved is permitted even for those who rule stringently l’chatchila (Mishna Berura 318:2). There is also room for leniency based on the fact that the work was done b’shogeg (based on a mistake, including a halachic one). Of the three opinions in Ketubot 34a, we generally accept the middle opinion, which forbids benefit on Shabbat even b’shogeg (Shulchan Aruch ibid. 1), but in case of need many rely on the lenient opinion (Mishna Berura ad loc. 7, based on the Gra ad loc.). 


Regarding the food on the hot plate, there is a complication. The plugging in created a new situation of food being on a heat source when it was not when Shabbat started (like hachzara). This is often forbidden because one might stoke the coals or because it looks like cooking (Mishna Berura 318:98). If one makes a mistake on these matters, the food is forbidden in benefit (Shabbat 38a). Here you did the equivalent of actually stoking the coals, but paradoxically, the reason we are stringent is because people are lax because they don’t think the possibility of stoking the coals is a big deal. Here the main mistake was about doing a melacha, which people do take seriously, and there is no need for extra stringency b’shogeg. There are too many permutations to address as far as whether you also violated hachzara, but if you follow the opinions to take food directly from the refrigerator to a hot plates, you should not be impacted here.


As far as using the hot plate if and when you become aware of the mistake, it is permitted only according to the Gra (above), as a clear Shabbat violation created its heat.  


Eretz Hemdah has begun a participatory Zoom class - "Behind the Scenes with the Vebbe Rebbe" - an analytical look at the sources, methodology, and considerations behind our rulings, with Rav Daniel Mann. Contact info@eretzhemdah.org to join.



OU Kashrut Page
Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Chametz After Pesach


The Mishna in the second chapter of Pesachim (2:2) rules that Chametz owned by a non-Jew throughout Pesach is permitted to benefit from and consume after the holiday, but that Chametz that was owned by a Jew during Pesach is prohibited, both to consume and to benefit from. This ruling in the Mishna is a rabbinic decree and not biblical. Our Sages decreed that since the Torah prohibited having any type of Chametz in Jewish possession during Pesach, such Chametz becomes prohibited in any fashion. Early authorities call this a “k’nas,” a rabbinic penalty, on transgressing the severe prohibition of possessing Chametz on Pesach (see Rambam Chametz Umatzah 1:4). Chametz which was owned by a Jew during Pesach is called in halachic language “Chametz Sheavar Alav Hapesach”, i.e., Chametz which was in a state of prohibition during Pesach (as opposed to Chametz owned by a non-Jew). 


The parameters of Chametz after Pesach are unique. In other rabbinic decrees, there is a distinction between the perpetrator of the sin and others. For example, if a person deliberately transgresses and cooks on Shabbat, the food is prohibited forever for the transgressor, but the law is different for others (see Shulchan Aruch OC 318:1). Regarding Chametz that was owned by a Jew on Pesach, however, every Jew in the world is forbidden to consume such Chametz. The Aruch Hashulchan (OH 448:7) explains that since Chametz is a necessity, there are concerns that if Chametz Sheavar Alav Hapesach were permitted to some and prohibited to others, people would find loopholes to consume the Chametz.


Another parameter of the prohibition of Chametz after Pesach is benefit. Not only is consumption prohibited, but any type of benefit from the Chametz is prohibited as well. This includes selling it and using the funds. Feeding one’s animals such Chametz is also considered benefit.



Early authorities (Tur OC 448) rule that even if one mistakenly forgot that he had Chametz somewhere and did not perform a bedika (checking for Chametz), such Chametz is still prohibited to eat or benefit from after Pesach. The same is true if someone verbally nullified the Chametz but did not destroy it on time, even if he accidentally forgot; the Chametz is still prohibited after Pesach (Shulchan Aruch OC 448:5, Mishna Berura 448:25). These stringencies are based on the logic that if our Sages would allow accidental Chametz Sheavar Alav Hapesach, it would be used as a loophole. Those who want to keep such Chametz over the holiday would claim that it was accidental, when in fact it was kept on purpose.



Later authorities tackle the status of Chametz where the individual was forced, (in Hebrew, “anoos”) meaning he had absolutely no control and is completely free of blame. For example, in a case where an individual checked properly for Chametz, found nothing, and followed the Sages obligation to verbally nullify all possible Chametz in one’s domain, what would be the status of Chametz found after Pesach? Would it also be considered Chametz Sheavar Alav Hapesach? The Pri Chadash (448:5) Noda B’Yehuda (OC 19) and others rule stringently and prohibit consuming or benefiting from such Chametz. The logic of these poskim is that a loophole is still possible, and under no circumstances would our Sages allow an opportunity for anyone to claim they are not liable when the act was done with intent to keep the Chametz. Elya Rabbah (448:13) and Mishna Berura (448:9) are slightly less stringent, and in such a case would allow one to benefit from but not consume the Chametz. However, Chok Yaakov (448:20), Aruch Hashulchan (448:8), and others are lenient. According to those poskim, the rabbinic decree should not be extended so far. As such, in a case where the possession is completely inadvertent and there is absolutely no responsibility of the owner who left Chametz, our Sages did not decree such a rule regarding Chametz after Pesach.



In summary:
Our Sages decreed that Chametz that was owned by a Jew on Pesach is prohibited to eat or benefit from.
This prohibition extends not just to the owner of the Chametz, but also to all Jews.
Benefit includes selling the Chametz and using the funds, as well as feeding the Chametz to one’s animals.
Even Chametz which was accidentally left over Pesach is part of this decree.
In a case where Chametz was left completely inadvertently, later authorities disagree and there is room to be lenient. 



Rabbi Moshe Taragin
Interviews with Three Jewish Martyrs


On a wintry October day in 1941 The Jews of Kovno were assembled at an Umshlagplatz, about to be deported to their eventual death. As word spread about their inevitable fate the following question was posed: What beracha should be recited when performing the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem? The mitzvah to surrender your life on behalf of G-d, is the most surpassing and the most challenging mitzvah. Yet it is a mitzvah which is performed once-in-a-lifetime, if at all; those who perform the mitzvah are no longer alive to transmit its traditions. Ultimately, the question was answered and the instructions for the beracha were quickly disseminated. This story highlights how elusive this mitzvah is and how sparse is our “information” about a mitzvah so central to Jewish identity and Jewish history. 


We can achieve a better appreciation of the mitzvah by eavesdropping on three people who surrendered their lives for this mitzvah. 


1. Chanaya Misha’el and Azarya


These three refugees from the ruins of Jerusalem didn’t actually surrender their lives as they were miraculously saved from incineration. Yet, they were prepared for the ultimate sacrifice and the gemara in Pesachim details their mindset and their “final” prayers (or so they thought). They lived at a delicate seam of history. Nevuchadnezar had built an indomitable international empire and was roundly deified as a god. Additionally, the Jewish world was in shambles, as the Temple had been ransacked and burned, while the Jews were driven from Israel into faraway lands. Was G-d still supervising His world and was the Covenant with the Jews still intact? Perhaps G-d had been defeated by humans? Perhaps G-d had discarded His rebellious nation and was in search of another? These questions, which seem silly to us were very much on people’s minds in Babylon of 580 BCE. 


Nevuchadnezar constructed a towering idol and demanded that every country send a delegate to bow to his god; those who refused would be flung into a blazing fire. No one dared defy him except for three Jews who saw through his fa?ade and weren’t intimidated by his hubris. As they were tossed into the furnace, they asked G-d to save them so that the world at large would realize that G-d hadn’t abandoned His world, nor had He betrayed his people. They recited the verses included in Hallel which begin with the phrase ‘lo lanu Hashem…ki im l’shimcha ten kavod” (do not save us for our own sake but for the honor of Your Name). 


They weren’t interested in any future reward for their martyrdom nor were they thinking about the world they were about to transition to. As Jews ,we inhabit this world to represent the presence of G-d with every breath we take and, if necessary, with our last breath. These three viewed martyrdom as the natural continuation of our Jewish mission. Their quiet defiance turned the tide of history. 


2. Rebbi Akiva


About 600 years later Rebbi Akiva, defied the Romans and was sentenced to a brutal execution. The students who escorted him to his punishment inquired of his thoughts. His response was surprising and rhetorical: “My entire life I have agonized and pondered whether I would have opportunity to fulfill this mitzvah of Jewish martyrdom; now that the awaited-for moment is upon me is there even a question that I will proceed?”? Rebbi Akiva reminded his students that Jewish martyrdom isn’t an ‘aberration’ of Jewish history; if we stand for G-d in this world we will be disliked. There will be quieter periods but there will also be more violent periods as the battle for the presence of G-d in this world courses throughout the generations. Jews do not have a death wish as we covet a life of godlike activities. However, commitment to Jewish history means commitment to Jewish mission and an awareness that in any generation we may be summoned just as Rabbi Akiva was. Rebbi Akiva’s ‘natural‘ response institutionalized martyrdom for millions of Jews who would follow in his wake. He recited Shema and, since his death, Jews across history have fiercely defended G-d in this world with the words of Shema leaving their lips as they vaulted to a different place. 


3. Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman


Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman- a student of the Chofetz Chaim- returned to Nazi-controlled Europe so as not to abandon his students. During the summer of 1941, he and twelve other Torah scholars were arrested and shot to death. Recognizing his imminent capture and execution he spoke to those assembled: “We have been chosen by G-d as sacrifices on behalf of the Jewish nation so we must ensure that our thoughts are pure and our sacrifice successful. The fire which will consume our bodies will ultimately resuscitate the Jewish people”. During his martyrdom, Rabbi Wasserman highlighted the “continuity” of Jewish history; this fearsome mitzvah may take the life of an individual Jew, but it fuels the larger Jewish historical trajectory. Little could Rav Elchonon have known that a few short years after his act of martyrdom, the Jewish nation would be revitalized in its ancient homeland!!


On Yom Ha’shoah we remember the victims of the Holocaust who died while representing G-d in this world. We pray that we are on the verge of an era in which the entire world will freely acknowledge G-d and our battle to defeat evil and ignorance will reach its conclusion.



Rabbanit Malka Bina
My Journey from Baltimore to Yerushalayim


I?was born and grew up in Baltimore Maryland, in a religious home of learning that I would describe as quasi-Zionistic.  My parents loved Eretz Yisrael but their focus was not on aliyah. They recognized that the Jewish people were eternally and historically tied to Israel and that it was our special land, filled with our holy places. But being contributing members of the Jewish community in Baltimore was a reasonable option in their difficult post-Holocaust reality.


As I grew up I became increasingly immersed in the study of Tanakh and I also wanted to improve my knowledge of Hebrew. I reached the point where I wanted to study Torah in Israel, which I sensed would be a new kind of experience. Programs in Israel, particularly for women, were still uncommon in those days just after the Six Day War but I was determined. After lengthy discussions with persuasive arguments, I was excited that my parents agreed to let me study in Jerusalem at Michlala.


I arrived in Israel when the country was on a high, euphoric after winning the war, a triumph that seemed to be a modern-day miracle. There were those who thought that Mashiach was around the corner! It was amazing to be carried along on the wave of hope, positivity and creativity and I loved being a part of it all – an actor in the play rather than a member of the audience.  It was deeply satisfying to be learning Torah in Hebrew and in Israel. I was realizing goals that I’d set for myself.  I still remember how meaningful it was when I studied Parshat Lech Lecha:

The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (12:1)

I could relate to that pasuk in a new and very personal way as I could to the promise that G-d then made to Abraham:

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring…” (12:7)

Learning these pesukim in Israel brought home to me that this is our homeland and that we should strive to live here. I had related to these pesukim as an ancient text but suddenly the words came to life.  Being in Israel was the fulfilment of G-d’s eternal promise to Abraham and I was one of his offspring who had inherited the land. I knew that building a life here had become my first choice and hoped for option. 


I will never forget Yom Hazikaron that year when I went to Har Herzl along with throngs of people, many of whom had lost children, siblings and parents who were soldiers in the war. These heroes made the ultimate sacrifice to defend their land and it was profoundly appreciated and valued by the entire country. We remembered them, cried for their loss and mourned for them personally and nationally. I realized more than ever before that Israel is our cherished and precious gift and that we have the chance and the responsibility to contribute to the country – to live our history and to make history.


After my husband and I got married we lived in Bayit V’Gan and started to raise our family.  It took a bit of time but Aharon convinced me to move to the Old City. I was hesitant about living in such a holy place but I came to realize that we could balance Kodesh V’Chol, the holy and the mundane. It has been an added bonus and an adventure to reside not only in Yerushalayim but in the Jewish Quarter and to truly be at the center of the Jewish world.  I am blessed that my children and grandchildren are all here in Israel, doing their share to build the country. 


The pasuk Ki mitzion tetze Torah- because out of Zion comes the Torah – resonates for me. It has been one of my dreams to contribute meaningfully to Israel by enabling Torah learning for women and empowering women Torah, Talmud and Halakha scholars. That has been realized through Matan, a groundbreaking advanced Beit Midrash for women which began in 1988. Over three decades later we have thriving centers in Jerusalem and Raanana and branches across the country. Matan offers high-level and innovative Beit Midrash and community learning programs and our distinguished graduates are growing women’s voices in the Jewish world, responding to today’s challenges, teaching thousands across the world and shaping the Jewish future.  Matan has been a profound and ongoing bracha in my life, another chapter in my Zionist journey.  


Rabbanit Bina was one of the first teachers in Israel to teach women Talmud and Halakha, at the same time imbuing her students with Zionism and a love of learning Torah.  Thirty two years ago Rabbanit Bina had a revolutionary dream to open a Beit Midrash for women to learn Torah at the highest levels, creating sought after educators and leaders who would become change agents for women in Jewish society. Her dream was realized with the founding of Matan: The Sadie Rennert Women’s Institute for Torah Learning in Jerusalem. With over 100 weekly classes, Matan Jerusalem and our 11 branches around Israel have intensive Beit Midrash programs and a wide array of innovative and challenging learning opportunities for women of all ages and from all backgrounds as well as Matan Torah learning communities worldwide.


Malke was recently honored as a Yakirat Yerushalayim, a prestigious annual citizenship prize that has been awarded by Jerusalem mayors since 1967 to recognize people who have made unique contributions to the city.


Rabbi Shalom Rosner

Yom Ha’atzmaut

The Gemara in Messeches Shabbos 31a lists several questions that will be asked of us in heaven after 120 years.  Included in this list are the following: Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you yearn for salvation? Did you engage in procreation? Did you transact in a reliable and honest manner? All of these items seem to have a recognizable imperative in the Torah, other than the question relating to yearning for salvation. Where is there a specific source in the Torah that requires one to yearn for salvation? 


The Smak, who compiled a list of the 613 mitzvos addresses this issue in Sefer Mitzvos Katan, Mitzva 1. The first mitzva that the Smak enumerates is belief in God – citing the first of the ten commandments as the source. Just as one is to believe in God, who has redeemed us from the bondage in Mitzrayim, so too one ought to believe in the future redemption. As is stated: 
(He will redeem you from exile; Devarim 30:3). The Smak attaches the imperative to yearn for our future salvation to the mitzva of belief in God. Belief that He who redeemed us in the past will indeed redeem us again in the future. 


As Yom Ha’atzmaut is around the corner, we offer Hallel to Hashem for having initiated the process of returning us to our homeland. After 2000 years in exile, we are privileged to again be able to live and flourish in the land of Israel. Not all religious sects agree that we are indeed experiencing the “atchalta d’geula” (the beginning of the redemption). After all, it was initiated primarily via an irreligious movement. If it were Divine, surely it would be initiated and conducted in a halachic framework?  


Let us examine an idea expressed by Rav Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal in Eim HaBanim Semeicha (page 123 in Hebrew version). Rav Teichtal grew up as an anti-zionist hassid, but during the Holocaust he transitioned and in hiding wrote this famous sefer, in favor of rebuilding Jewish settlement in the land of Israel. He tackles a question raised by many as to why the mashiach stems from Dovid Hamelech, who is a descendent of Ruth Hamoavia? Wouldn’t it have been more befitting of the Moshiach to have better “yichus”, having been a descendent of a more royal ancestry?  



Rav Teichtal, based on earlier Acharonim,  explains that at times in history, God prefers to provide us with the most valuable gifts, fully wrapped. In other words, at first they are presented in a hidden manner, so that the valuable item is not fully understood or appreciated. This prevents the Satan from recognizing and attempting to prevent what is transpiring. Since Dovid had “tainted” roots, the Satan was thrown off, thinking that the Mashiah would not come from such ancestry. Similarly, Rav Teichtal suggest, our return to Israel will be in a way that would confuse the Satan, so that he cannot interfere with its progress. That is why it was initiated in a manner that did not seem apparent to all, that the seeds of salvation are being sowed.  


As we reflect on 73 years since the birth of the modern-day State of Israel, let us all recognize the gracious gift God bestowed upon us. Notwithstanding the challenges we may experience, and perhaps a lengthy journey still ahead, this Yom Ha’atzmaut, may we all express our sincere gratitude to be able to be partake in this historic period. Let’s do our part to contribute to ahavas chinam to enable the completion of the redemption! Moadim L’simcha L’geula Shelema!


Rabbi Judah Mischel


It’s Time!


Dr. Hillel Seidman z’l, was a Chassidishe Yid, an archivist, researcher and survivor. The author of The Warsaw Ghetto Diaries and Reflections After the Revolt, he had written copious notes documenting community life and a faithful account of the tragic days of the Ghetto, from deportation through the uprising. In the Spring of 1949, he arrived in Eretz Yisrael for a visit. 



It was Erev Yom Ha’Atzmaut, the eve of the first anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. The streets of Yerushalayim were filled with lively celebrations of the young and the old, singing and dancing. As Dr. Seidman walked through the center of the city, he was surprised to see none other than the “Tzaddik of Yerushalayim”, the beloved Rav Aryeh Levin, zt’l, dancing together with the young people in the streets. 



Dr. Seidman approached the humble tzadik, and exclaimed, “After so much suffering, we have the good fortune to see Jewish children in the Holy Land dancing with joy and filled with hope.” Rav Aryeh’s face beamed with joy, “The time has come for us to give praise and thanksgiving to HaKadosh Baruch Hu!”



Shabbos Mevarchim Chodesh Iyar welcomes a new month as we count every day in preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuos. Hashgacha Pratis is revealed in Iyar, being the month when we mark the return of the Jewish Nation to our homeland. We rejoice over this restoration of sovereignty and expansion of our borders as a meaningful stage in the Divinely providential unfolding of Jewish destiny and redemption. Iyar is also a time when we observe the Hillula of the holy Tanna, Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai and his revelation of the depths of Torah, The Zohar.



Indeed, the secrets of the Torah and the special days on the Iyar calendar can be viewed as a single idea. As Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook taught, “The secrets of the Torah bring redemption and return Israel to its Land because the Torah of truth...demands the complete soul of the Nation. Through this inner Torah, the Nation begins to feel the pain of exile and to realize the absolute impossibility for its character to fulfill its potential as long as it is oppressed on foreign soil (Orot, p.95).”



Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai lived after the destruction of the Second Beis haMikdash. When the Temple stood, Am Yisrael’s relationship with Hashem was an obvious fact. After its destruction, Hashem’s existence was concealed and the Shechinah was exiled.


The Gemara relates that Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, the Holy Tanna, said: “See how beloved Israel is to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, for wherever they went into exile, Shechinah imahen, the Divine Presence went with them. They were exiled to Egypt, and Shechinah imahen; they were exiled to Babylon, veShechinah imahen. And when Am Yisrael will be redeemed in the future, the Shechinah will be redeemed with them….”(Megillah, 29a)


In a world darkened by destruction, exile and Divine concealment, The Zohar reveals hope and meaning by opening our eyes to our true inner life-force and the reality of G-d’s plan and involvement in all that is transpiring. Beneath the surface of world events, there is an inner reality that is pulsating, alive, shining with Hashem’s light.


The Navi (Melachim Alef, 6) refers to Chodesh Iyar as the month of ziv, ‘shining’ or splendor. This word is translated into Aramaic by the Targum as nitzan, ‘blossom’. And Nitzan itself alludes to the sweet fragrance of the coming redemption of our Land and her People:


“Blossoms have appeared in the Land; the time for song has arrived… 


The song of the turtledove is heard in our Land.” (Shir haShirim, 2:12)


May the coming month completely reveal the ‘shining splendor’ of our people, and awaken us to the urgent need for redemption. May we plumb the depths of the secrets of Torah and bask in the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, celebrating the great return of our nation. The time has come!



Simchat Shmuel
Rabbi Sam Shor


As we prepare to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut  in the coming week, I thought it might be meaningful to share an insight from a great Torah personality from the early years of Medinat Yisrael.


One of the great religious personalities of the pre-state Yishuv and early years of Medinat Yisrael, was the Ohalei Yaakov of Tel Aviv,  Rabbi Yaakov Friedman, zt’l, the Admor of Husiyatin zy’a. The Rebbe of Husiyatin was fortunate to make aliya from Poland just ahead of the Nazi onslaught, settling in Tel Aviv in1938, where he lived until his passing in 1954. Within the Rebbe’s beautiful teachings we not only find depth and inspiration, but are often given a glimpse of this very challenging period in Jewish History.


One particularly poignant message that the Ohalei Yaakov shared was a sermon for Shabbat of Parshat Ki Tavo in 1952. The sedra  opens with these words:


V’haya Ki Tavo El Ha’aretz - And it shall be when you arrive upon the Land...


The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, in his comments on this verse explains : Vhaya - Lashon Simcha. Our arrival to the Land of Israel is something to celebrate and rejoice over! 


The Rebbe of Husiyatin asked regarding this insight of the Ohr HaChaim:


When we look at the reality and spiritual circumstances here in Eretz Yisrael today (in 1952), one can’t help but ask - how are we to rejoice? Yes, indeed we have merited to receive the gift of Medinat Yisrael, and for the beginning of the ingathering of the Exiles, but how can we rejoice when we look at the lack of spirituality which seems rampant among us. I do not wish to pass judgment, Chas V’Shalom, rather our way is always to find merit and see the good. There are three reasons for the spiritual malaise which is so worrisome and a cause for deep concern. 1. A portion of our people have received a poor education 2. A portion of our people live in difficult conditions and circumstances, abject poverty 3. The Shoah which nearly decimated our people, and left so many broken physically and despondent emotionally and spiritually, from which we have yet to recover.


However, there is no room for despair! The Torah has already promised us that indeed the Jewish People will return to the ways of Hakadosh Baruch Hu - V’Shavta Ad Hashem Elokecha. 


This Spiritual Renewal will not come from America, or from England or from any other place, except for here in Eretz Yisrael. The Spiritual Renewal of Am Yisrael will indeed come forth from this center of Jewish life we are building now here in Eretz Yisrael....”


Baruch Hashem, in the sixty-nine years since the Rebbe shared this powerful message, Torah learning and Jewish commitment, and ritual observance here in Eretz Yisrael  has indeed grown exponentially. 


Yehi Ratzon, may we indeed merit to see continued spiritual transformation taking root here in our sacred Land, and may we experience in the days ahead the redemption and transformation of the entire world, which will flow forth from Artzeinu HaKedosha.


Moadim L’simcha Legeula Shleima!


Rabbi Azarya Berzon


The Spiritual ‘Physics’ of Eretz Yisrael
“The eyes of the Lord are always upon the Land” (Dvarim 11:12). This verse reveals the source of the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael.. What induces Einey HaShem? Why the emphasis on the eyes? How does this sanctity impact upon the climate of the Land which generates wisdom: Avirah Machkim?


We will present an analogy between Eretz Yisrael and Tefillin (See Likutei Halachos, O”Ch, Vol 2, Birkas HaMazon 4:1).


Chassidut introduced the concept of Hitpaarut, loosely translated as Divine ‘Pride’. This concept emerges with regard to Tefillin shel Rosh which are worn ‘between the eyes’ and are described as ‘Paer’ (Yechetzkel 24:17). The ‘eyes’ facilitate vision, but metaphorically represent insight. The great “Chozeh (seer) of Lublin” was blind, yet he could ‘read’ minds, i.e., ‘see’ below the surface and his disciples claimed that by osmosis they too were mind readers!



The ‘eyes’ represent the ability to perceive sanctity. Furthermore, the ‘eyes’ also generate sanctity. The tefillin worn between the eyes generate an insight, a unique spiritual insight called îåçéï which endows the person with a metaphysical entity called Pa'er; the latter is an expression of Divine ‘Pride’ which attracts the special attention of the ‘eyes’ of Hashem. Hashem’s Tefillin  exclaim ‘which nation can be compared to this one?!’ When one wears the Tefillin shel Rosh and focuses his ‘eyes’ on tefillin – Pa'er, he achieves the special insight of Mochin (insight) which is a manifestation of the new level of sanctity he has achieved.



The loyalty of the Jewish People to the Will of Hashem in general, and to Eretz Yisrael in particular, engenders Divine ‘Pride’. “Israel, in whom I will be glorified etpa'er (Yeshayahu 49:3). This Pride ‘attracts’ the ‘eyes’ of HaShem. Once the Divine ‘eyes’ are upon the Land, the Land becomes pa'er and is sanctified with the same sanctity as Tefillin shel Rosh with the result that the very ‘climate’ of the Land becomes suffused with the mochin (insight) to empower those who are connected to the Land to focus their ‘eyes’ on the Land=pa'er and draw upon them the ‘eyes’ of Hashem. They are elevated to higher levels of sanctity and achieve Avirah Machkim. Furthermore, once endowed with the sanctity of Divine Pride, their gaze upon the Land intensifies the sanctity of the Land. The Jew has now become an original source for the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael!



The daily solution
Sivan Rahav Meir

On Yom Ha’atzmaut, It’s Not Just About... 


Uri Melamed wrote: “It’s not just about smoke from a barbecue, not just about plastic hammers made in China, not just about the International Bible Contest hosted by Avshalom – how he never gets older! – Kor, not just about 180 families gathering for a picnic on a piece of grass next to the Golani Junction. It’s not about a car with Israeli flags on three windows since the wind took the fourth flag heaven knows where, not about a hit parade of Yair Rosenblum songs, not about a flyover above the Air Force Museum in Hatzerim near Be’er Sheva. This is not about the torch-lighting ceremony, not about the President’s House where the outstanding soldier award is bestowed upon a new immigrant from Argentina whose sister just happens to be a participant in the Bible contest, not about a cooler filled with kabob, chicken, sausages and of course steaks, not about children spraying foam, not about the helicopter that takes Sarit Hadad from the stage in Kiryat Gat to the stage in Or Akiva, not a long chain of Israeli flags sponsored by a bank.


Well, yes, it is about all of this. But Independence Day is mostly about what the prophet Amos says:


‘Behold days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall meet the reaper and the treader of grapes the one who carries the seed, and the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.  And I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild desolate cities and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their produce.  And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no longer be uprooted from upon their land, that I have given them, says the Lord your God’”. 



Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. Married to Yedidya, the mother of five. Lives in Jerusalem, and formerly served as the World Mizrachi Shlicha to North America. Sivan lectures in Israel and overseas about the media, Judaism, Zionism and new media. She was voted by Globes newspaper as most popular female media personality in Israel and by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.



Rabbi Gideon Weitzman

The Jewish Nation Comes Home


The celebration of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, is multifaceted and is understood by many different people and different communities in different ways. Some see it as a religious holiday that warrants reciting Hallel, while others see it as a secular celebration.


In essence, beyond the establishment of the State of Israel, the day represents the Jewish people’s return to the world’s stage, a return to being full players in the course of history. Until the establishment of the State of Israel the Jews and the Jewish people were despised and degraded, insignificant as an ethnic people and, at the most, cogs in the gears of world history, but never active contributors. There were individual Jews who made great and significant impact on society, but the Jewish people as an entity was unable to do so.


Only when we returned home and rebuilt our national home were we able to contribute to the world as a people. Rabbi Kook once told Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, that he had a great responsibility as the first mayor of an entirely Jewish city. He was to show the world how to create a perfect town and this would influence other cities. People are influenced by people, cities are inspired by other cities, nations are motivated by nations.


And so Yom Haatzmaut is an opportunity to look at how the State of Israel has enabled the Jewish People to become a light unto the other nations. We are very used to looking at the problems of our State and our place in the world, it is important to invest time in looking at our successes.


The State of Israel is considered one of the most important and significant centers of medical expertise and, especially, fertility treatment in the world. Doctors and medical experts worldwide come to visit Israel and see the advances in fertility treatment. Israeli experts are sought out lecturers and appear in international conferences. Couples come to Israel for fertility treatment from all over the world seeking the best treatments.


This expertise, dedication and passion for medicine and solving the challenges of fertility problems are part of the Jewish people’s return to the world’s stage. No longer is being a Jew and being part of the Jewish nation an embarrassment or a source of derision. We are proud to be Jewish and proud to be part of the Jewish people. This is what we have to celebrate on Yom Haatzmaut. 


The Puah Institute is based in Jerusalem and helps couples from all over the world who are experiencing fertility problems. Offices in Jerusalem, New York, Los Angeles & Paris. Contact (Isr) 02-651-5050 
(US) 718-336-0603 www.puahonline.org



Torah 4 Teens by Teens
NCSY Israel


Rabbi Yosef Ginsberg
Co-Regional Director, 
NCSY Israel


The Land As Our Blanket


The holy Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin once shared an important lesson and parable on the simple science of warmth. A person who is cold goes into his bed under a down blanket. How does he warm up? First his body gives off warmth which then is trapped by the blanket. The blanket then sends back the original heat from the body with the added new warmth of the blanket. The body then receives its original heat, but hotter. This goes back and forth until both the body and blanket achieve their maximum potential heat level. If, lo aleinu, a lifeless body was placed under a blanket, then both the lifeless body and the blanket would stay cold since there is no source of heat. We see from here that the source of heat comes from the body, not the blanket.


Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the words “And it will be when you enter the Land (of Israel).” Many commentaries discuss why we need the extra word vehaya, “and it will be.” In my love for Israel, the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh spoke to me. He says that ‘Vehaya’ is a lashon of Simcha and there is no greater Simcha than that of the mitzvah of dwelling in the Land of Israel.


The Rambam tells us that in order for a Mitzvah to be done properly, it needs the proper Kavanah, and in order to have the proper Kavanah a mitzvah needs to be done with Simcha. The question then begs to be asked, how about the mitzvot where you are commanded to be sad, like that of mourning? How are you supposed to have Simcha?
I’d like to suggest that Simcha does not only mean happiness. It could mean happiness, but first and foremost I would define it as content. Not everything in Israel is easy or makes one happy. Not everything tastes as good as where one used to live or runs as smoothly as things used to. Coming to the Land of Israel is a sacrifice and won’t always make one happy. But knowing that you’re in the right place, where you belong, with your people and being content with that knowledge can trump any level of happiness. It gives one the ability to smile when they are sad and laugh when they are happy.


We, the nation and people of Israel, are the body, and the land is our blanket. When we are content in our land,  when we perform G-D’s will in His land, or when we simply smile knowing that with all our challenges we are at home, we radiate heat. That heat gets trapped by the land and sent back to us in an even warmer form, until both the Land and its people will ultimately reach their potential. On this holy day of Yom Ha’atzmaut, may we merit to bring our holy land and people to its warmest potential with the coming of the final redemption speedily in our days.


Moadim Lesimcha Le’Geulah Sheleimah!



NCSY Israel is the premier organization in Israel, dedicated to connect, inspire, empower, and help teen olim with "Klita" to the Land of Israel by encouraging passionate Judaism through Torah and Tradition. Find out more at israel.ncsy.org


Divrei Torah from Yeshivot and Seminaries

Torah Tidbits is proud to highlight the many outstanding Rabbis and 
teachers that lead the various Yeshivot and Seminaries here in Israel.

yeshivat torah v'avodah, yerushalayim


Yeshivat Torah V'Avodah (YTVA), is the pioneering yeshiva for highly motivated high school graduates who are searching for a learning experience which synthesizes greatness in individual growth with building a lifestyle of caring for the future of Am Yisrael.


Our incredibly energetic Beit Midrash is the centerpiece of this amazing yeshiva. There, the talmidim meet a unique daily schedule which consists of a variety of Gemara styles, focused Tanach education, character development, spoken-Hebrew language training, Chassidut and Jewish philosophy. Additionally, significant emphasis is placed on unifying experiences for the group of talmidim, as building the "chevra" is at the heart of our endeavor. The warmth of our student body and personal attention provided by the staff allow each student to develop their personal religious outlook.


Together with the incredible environment of the Eretz Chemda Kollel and shiurim by some of the deepest thinkers of our times, YTVA infuses students with a great vision for themselves and their role as leaders of the Jewish people. As a Bnei Akiva yeshiva, YTVA uniquely opens its students up to Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael through Shabbatonim and tiyulim that help them meet the full picture of our generation.


Rav Yair HaLevi (Eisenstock)
Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivat Torah v’Avodah


A Land of Demand


“I can’t wait to get to the Kotel.“ “I get so inspired the moment I see Tel Aviv from the plane.“ These are famous sentences we hear in regard to Israel. But are they the right mindset?


Similar to these questions, many people first stop at the Kotel after they land in Israel. But is this healthy? Is this the secret of our land? 


On the special occasion of our 73rd year of returning to be sovereign on our land, we must develop the questions from back in 1948. Then, the questions were, “Do we have a land? Can we protect ourselves from enemies?” Today, 73 years later, we need to ask different questions. “Why celebrate a land? How does the land affect our connections to Hashem, to the future of am yisrael and to the world?” To open our minds a little in regard to these questions, we can start with considering two facts. 


The first fact is that no other religion has a land, and rightfully so. Religion, in the eyes of most of the world, is oriented upward. A bridge between Man and his Deity. Therefore, a land is a distraction. It is a barrier. The need to deal with politics, army service, government and agriculture that come together with having a land are the antithesis of spirituality. They are annoying obligations that limit the quality of time connecting to God above. 



The second fact is the concept that the entire Tanach, from Avraham till Divrei Hayamim, circles around the idea of Israel, and building a flourishing, kind and caring nation in the land. It’s possible to say that the land is not an addition to our connection to Hashem, but rather creates a different mindset on the goal of our religion. The goal isn’t only upwards, but downwards--to the land, to the routine, and to the mundane. The ability to lift oneself might be powerful but harmful. The higher you go, the more distant you are. The more engaged you are with Hashem, the more it is nonsense to listen to your kids whining. 


But maybe that is exactly the need for a land: to understand that relationships here are better than propelling ourselves to there. Maybe playing with Legos with a child is just as important as shuckling in davening. Maybe planting a tree is as powerful as writing a book about Exodus. 


So maybe our sentence about the land should be “I can’t wait to get involved,” which is much more inspirational than external given inspiration.  Maybe we should plant a tree before running to the Kotel. Maybe we should speak to makolet sellers and Egged bus drivers just as much as we seek a chevruta and a shiur. 


I hope we all get to fall in love with the routine and the mundane of our land, and embrace that the simple is actually consistent, and the regular is really seeing life in its full potential. 


Torah V'haaretz Institute 
Rabbi Moshe Bloom


Yom Ha’atzmaut and Mitzvot Hateluyot Ba’aretz:


Question: Is there a link between the land-dependent mitzvot and Israel Independence Day?


Answer: This exact question was addressed to Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli following the War of Independence (Eretz Hemda I p.135): “ … G-d’s hand was revealed over His people in His land – the State of Israel was established … we merited once again to have Israeli sovereignty in the Land of Israel. It is necessary to ascertain to what degree the conquest and independence will influence the obligations of the mitzvot dependent on the Land of Israel."   
Rabbi Yisraeli goes on to say that there are two conditions for territorial conquest to qualify as halachically binding: (1) the conquest is on behalf of the entire Jewish people and (2) the area is not under foreign jurisdiction. This conquest, however, need not be performed specifically by a king, the Sanhedrin, or the majority of the Jewish People. He concludes that these conditions were met in the conquest that took place in our time: “The conquest was performed on behalf of the entire Jewish People and not for a specific tribe or section of the nation. Following the recognition of the State of Israel, it is also not under foreign jurisdiction.”


In a later addition to the letter, written after the Six Day War (Iyar 5727, June 1967), Rabbi Yisraeli wrote: “I revisited [the issue] and saw that even the nature of modern conquest, despite the fact there is only, it seems, a change of sovereignty without touching individual property, should be viewed as conquest for all [halachic] intents and purposes. … As such, the conquest is valid even in our times, just as the conquest was valid in the ancient era. This also includes the laws of sanctity that depend on conquest, when it is performed as a popular conquest (kibush rabim)… but all of the above still requires further investigation.” 


In the long Psak of Rav Eliezer Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer 10,1; written after the six day war) it seems that he as well thinks that the sovereignty of the state of Israel causes an obligation for all of the mitzvot hateluyot ba’aretz in all modern Israel’s borders.


In conclusion, all of the state of Israel today is obligated in the land-dependent mitzvot.