The Middot We Learn From Moshe Rabbenu

Parshat Vayikra

by Rabbi Avi Billet

In the context of talking about “Daas Torah” and what it means for rabbis heavily embedded in Torah study to have a keener sense and understanding of the world, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein shared an incredible anecdote, which has troubled me since the first time I read it. 

“Many years ago, I travelled to Bnei Brak to console my rabbi and teacher, Rav Yitzchak Hutner zt'l, in his mourning, when his wife had passed away. 

“When I went to see him, I found him sitting alone. We had a private conversation, and this was conducted in a very open and honest fashion, from one heart to another. Rav Hutner told me that one of the talmidei chachamim who came to console him, tried to convince him and to 'explain' to him how his wife's passing was 'positive', inasmuch as she was now in the world of truth, a world which is entirely positive and other such nonsense. 

“And indeed, it is not uncommon to hear such things when one goes to console a mourner, especially when the deceased passed away while being involved in a mitzva or has fallen in battle, in sanctification of Hashem's name. 

 “It is superfluous to state that saying such things is totally unsuitable. I remember that when Rav Hutner told me this, he raised his voice and he applied the following severe words of the Midrash to that talmid chacham (Vayikra Rabba 1): "Any talmid chacham who lacks 'da’at' is worse than a putrid animal carcass (נבלה)!" 

[This quote is direct from the unauthorized translation linked in the next paragraph. The actual line is כָּל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ דַעַת, נְבֵלָה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנּוּ, which is better translated literally using the word ‘better’ than ‘worse’ as in, “A Torah scholar who does not have da’at – a carcass is better than him.” The Hebrew word נבלה refers to an animal that has died of natural causes or killed in a manner which was not proper Shechitah, rendering it unfit for Kosher consumption. Perhaps the word ‘putrid’ is unnecessary, and has been inserted by the translator for emphasis and effect, here and in the following paragraph as well. On the other hand, if left alone for not too long a period, it will certainly become putrid! – AB] 

“Rav Hutner added in his thunderous voice: "Did you hear this? 'Any talmid chacham who lacks 'da’at''. Consider this - we are not discussing an ignoramus who lacks 'da’at', but rather specifically a talmid chacham. A talmid chacham, who has 'filled his belly' with Talmud and the responsa literature, who is an expert in the 'Ketzot HaChoshen' and 'Netivot HaMishpat'. But if he lacks 'da’at', which can direct and guide him so that he will act with understanding towards others, and interact with them in a civil fashion, he is worse than a putrid animal carcass.” [See Rav Lichtenstein’s article here, and this story on pages 8 and 9): https://www.aishdas.org/avodah/faxes/daatTorahLichtenstein.pdf] 

As noted above, that phrase from the Midrash appears in the beginning of Vayikra Rabba (1:15) and is a comment on “ויקרא אל משה - Vayikra El Moshe” – the opening line of Sefer and Parshat Vayikra. The example the Midrash gives is Moshe Rabbenu, who even after having accomplished so much including the plagues, the Exodus, splitting of the sea, going into a heavenly realm to receive the Torah, presiding over the construction of the Mishkan, as well as countless miracles throughout, he still did not enter the Mishkan until “ויקרא אל משה” God called him to enter. 

Commentaries on the Midrash describe having “Da’at” as having derekh eretz, humility, not being haughty on account of one’s knowledge, or on account of one’s closeness with God (חידושי הרד"ל). The commentary מתנת כהונה suggests that instead of נבלה, perhaps it’s a typo and should have said נמלה, meaning that an ant is better than the Talmid Chacham who is without דעת, based on the verse in Mishlei 6:6 of how we can learn wisdom from the ant, who is always preparing for tomorrow. (Yalkut Shimoni notes this is a parable for the life in this world which is always meant to be focused on preparing for the next world, just as we prepare on Friday for Shabbos, for without that preparation we would not have special food for Shabbos.) 

 Another commentary (יפה תואר) explains the passage rather clearly noting that the carcass, even if it becomes putrid over time, doesn’t go where it is unwanted and doesn’t say the wrong thing. In that sense, perhaps it is a model of derekh eretz. From the other perspective, though, the more rancid it becomes, the more people will want to stay away from it. 

In Avos D’Rabi Nosson, Rabbi Akiva is quoted as saying that a Talmid Chacham who raises himself up on account of his achievements in Torah study is compared to a neveilah – people walk around it and cover their nose as they distance themselves from it. So too people want to run from an arrogant Torah scholar. 

Of course, true da’at achieved in the way Mishlei (1:7) depicts it comes from Yirat Hashem (Reverence of God/ Fear of Heaven) -יִרְאַ֣ת ה' רֵאשִׁ֣ית דָּ֑עַת . 

Rabbi Eliezer of Krakow would explain our Midrashic statement based on a Talmudic passage (Arachin 16) that suggests 7 reasons for how tzara’at comes, one of which is haughtiness, and as one of the levels of Tumah described in Mesechet Ohalot is the tumah from tzara’at which is “worse than the tumah of a carcass (נבלה),” he concluded that a defining feature of not having da’at is being haughty. 

In the 1780s, the Austrian government shut down “cheders” (small Jewish schools) and opened government sponsored schools. One leader of the community used our Midrashic statement to exalt the move suggesting that the da’at (knowledge) the children would learn in these schools – information they would not have learned in the cheder - would make them better than a carcass. A number of the rabbis of that time, including Rabbi Yechezkel Landau (Noda B’Yehuda) turned the comment back on that individual, noting that da’at (based on the verse in Mishlei) refers to having fear of heaven. They argued, “A talmid chacham who does not have da’at – namely fear of heaven – the neveilah is better than him. People know to avoid the neveilah because of its stench! But a talmid chacham who does not have fear of heaven, people don’t know to stay away from him and they learn from him things which are deleterious to their souls.” Their fear was that his embracing these schools was to be the detriment of the genuine Torah study and instruction the children would no longer be receiving without the cheder. 

Essentially, the Midrash is teaching us to learn the greatest Middos from Moshe Rabbenu. Patience, humility, fear of heaven, being submissive, knowing one’s place – especially in deference to the Almighty, this is the model that Moshe gave us in his own exemplary fashion. 

And, of course, as Rav Hutner unabashedly and rightly told Rav Lichtenstein, having and displaying da’at means to exercise common sense and to choose our words carefully, especially at sensitive times in our collective life experiences. 

The Book of Vayikra is called Leviticus (תורת כהנים) because it largely describes the roles of the Kohanim and tribe of Levi in the service of God and in servicing the Jewish people through helping all of us serve God. All of the ingredients perfected in Moshe Rabbenu can serve as a model for us in our relationship with God, and in our relationships with one another.

The Blessing of Strength – and “Infertility Awareness Shabbat”

Parsht Vayakhel-Fekudei

by Rabbi Avi Billet

This week has a lot going on. Shabbos Chazak – we are finishing the book of Shemos. Shabbos Mevorchim – we are blessing the new month of Nissan, which begins on Sunday. Shabbos HaChodesh – we read the special reading of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem – which includes the instructions for the first mitzvah given to the Israelites in Egypt, to create a calendar, as well as many of the rules and instructions surrounding the first “Korban Pesach.” There is a 4th item as well, which will be addressed at the end. 

In many ways this weekend is symbolic of much renewal – the month of Nissan always takes place in the Springtime, and while in Florida it’s been Springtime since October, it is nevertheless a special time for the Jewish people. 

Three weeks ago I shared a message of finding the strength we need to overcome hurdles and the distraction that is Amalek. Two weeks ago I shared the Gemara in Brachos of four things which need Chizuk (strength, encouragement): תורה, ומעשים טובים, תפילה ודרך ארץ. 

 This week, as we finish the book of Shemos, specifically reading of the completion of the Mishkan and of God’s presence descending onto the Mishkan and ascending from it, we will proclaim חזק חזק ונתחזק (Strength, strength, we will be strengthened). What is the reason or source behind this practice? Since it is said at the end of each book, it is not specifically related to the context of the final passage of the Torah reading. 

There are three possible Biblical sources for such a declaration. 

1. Daniel 10:19 – We have the double word phrase חזק וחזק. “And he said, ‘Fear not, man of desirable qualities; peace be to you, be strong and be strong,’ and when he spoke to me, I gained strength, and I said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’” 

2. Shmuel II 10:12 – We have the phrase חזק ונתחזק – We will be strong and be strengthened, a phrase presented in the context of two armies of King David looking to back each other up in the face of military confrontation 

3. A number of places – חזק ואמץ – Be strong and courageous. It is used most famously in the transition of Yehoshua as leader taking over for Moshe, as both Moshe (in Bamidbar 27) and God (in Yehoshua 1) give him encouragement in filling the huge shoes of Moshe Rabbenu. 

The original format of the practice is mired in mystery and debate as to where or how it started. While the starting point is unclear, some of the historical tidbits include: 

Sefer HaManhig – In France and Provence the custom was for the Chazan to say to anyone who read from the Torah, the single word “חזק.” Based on a passage in Bereshit Rabba it became the practice to say חזק to the one who finished the Torah. (There it notes that when Yehoshua is told חזק ואמץ, and that “This Torah should not be removed from your mouth” it refers to a finished Torah.) 

The implication here is that the חזן is giving a blessing of strength to each reader (or Oleh) as in the same way we might say יישר כח. 

Rabbi Yissachar Tamar (Alei Tamar - Shviis Ch 4) adds that the message of חזק is as if the חזן is saying “You’ve finished your Mitzvah. You should merit to have the strength to complete other mitzvot.” He adds that the practice in Sefardic congregations is to say to everyone חזק וברוך. He wonders if this is a source that was somehow picked up and modified by Ashkenazic communities, in light of the verse in Daniel mentioned above. Elsewhere (Shabbos Ch 16) Rabbi Tamar raises the possibility that the source for the phrase is חזק ואמץ (#3 above) and that, based on a Tosefta, it is recited when the writing of a Torah is completed with the blessing of חזק being aimed at the writer, and the blessing of אמץ being aimed at the reader. 

All of this merely hints at a need for a kind of declaration. How it became חזק חזק ונתחזק is unclear. However, here are some reasons suggested for how the custom developed: 

Pri Chadash: “Torah challenges a person’s strength” plus the passage from Brachos noted above of the 4 things which need Chizuk, the first being Torah. Be strong with Torah (חזק) and have אמץ for good deeds. 

Responsa Be’er Moshe: the Talmud tells us (Yoma 72b) that וזאת התורה אשר שם משה – using a play on words, the Talmud says that if one merits, the Torah becomes a סם חיים (an elixir of life) but if one does not merit it becomes a סם מיתה (harbinger of death). We announce to the one who finishes an Aliyah, or the book of the Torah, that he should have strength that the Torah become a סם חיים for him. 

A suggestion given for why the phrase we say is in triple – חזק חזק ונתחזק is because the numerical value (gematria) of חזק (115) times 3 equals the numerical value of משה (345). 

One of the big debates surrounding the phrase is who is saying it to whom – meaning, to whom is the message of Chizuk (encouragement, support) truly directed? The jury is out on that one, so I imagine it is safe to say that it’s a message for the Oleh, the reader, and of course for the congregation. But it’s not just about blessing us all for strength when it comes to our Torah study and commitment to Torah, but a blessing of strength in all areas of life, especially in the arenas which need Chizuk – Torah, good deeds, prayer, and Derekh Eretz. 

One area that encompasses all of that Chizuk is what this Shabbos is dedicated to through Yesh Tikva’s Infertility Awareness Shabbat (YTIAS). “YTIAS” is aimed at raising awareness of and sensitivity towards infertility in our Jewish communities. This year, we, along with over 100 synagogues in North America, Australia and Israel, as well as Australia Jewish Fertility Network, Fruitful AZ, Gefen Fertility, Hadassah, I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, Jewish Fertility Foundation and Nishmat Yoatzot Halacha, are raising awareness, and together are looking to give a “voice” to those who experience what is very often a silent struggle. Yesh Tikva’s goal, and our goal, is to increase sensitivity towards our fellow Jews, especially family members, who dream of becoming parents or of having more children. 

In past iterations of this special weekend, a message shared from the pulpit was to give ourselves sensitivity training (a document was emailed to the congregation on Friday, from Yesh Tikva, giving pointers in how to do so). Those who have children should cherish the relationships we have with them. We are to remember that severed relationships between parents and children are also a form of parents not having children and vice versa. And of course a reminder that our shul has a number of members in the club no one wants to be in, those who have buried a child, whether as a child or as an adult, who thus suffer from a reverse of infertility – a permanent absence of someone who was born and lived a life which ended in the opposite direction of how it should be. Children (hopefully as seasoned adults!) are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. 

May this manifold Shabbos be a Shabbos of Blessing, of Renewal, of SpringTime, of Sensitivity, of Thinking beyond ourselves, of Seeing the pain others experience, of Being Kind above and beyond what we may think is needed. 

Because we never know what is going on unless we’re brought into the inner circle. 

May we all be blessed with strength. May our strength carry us and bring us to greater heights in our human relationships and in our personal relationship with the Almighty. Part of life is struggle, but that is the definition of being Am Yisrael. The name Yisrael means “you struggled with men and with God and you overcame.” May that be our blessing for all adversity we face.

Raising the Bar on Shabbos

Parshat Ki Sisa 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Of the many topics raised in the Torah portion, none are as timeless as what appears at the end of chapter 31:12-17, part of which is an important part of our Shabbos liturgy and ritual. This passage speaks of the importance of Shabbos, and includes the dire consequences facing those who violate it. 

 The phrase ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת, “And the children of Israel shall keep the Shabbos” is not just a reminder to tick off the checklist of Sabbath observance. Rabbi Chaim ben Atar took this passage to be a formidable instruction regarding Shabbos: we should be making every effort to be sure that Shabbos has no trace of mundane. It’s not enough that a person follows the rules of Shabbos, but we cannot allow the Shabbos to be profaned through conversations and activities which don’t contribute to the holiness of the day.

What is meant when it says לעשות את השבת לדורותם – to do Shabbos for generations? One explanation is that it is meant to be a time in which the older generations instill in the younger generations what Shabbos is supposed to be all about: learning, Torah, mitzvos, setting times for study sessions, and gathering for purposes that are aimed heavenward. Of course we are only able to do that if we live Shabbos on that level ourselves. If we aim to preach, or at least lead by example, then our Shabbos experience should be one others could emulate. 

The Chofetz Chaim used a parable to explain the significance of Shabbos for every individual Jew. Anyone who has a business or a store has some kind of sign indicating that the store is “open for business.” As long as the sign is over the store, it indicates that the business owner is alive and still in business – even if he takes a vacation every now and then. However, when the sign comes down, this signifies that the owner is out of the business and that he has moved on in some form. 

 The same idea is paramount when it comes to the holiness of Shabbos. Shabbos is a sign between us and the Almighty that “in six days He created the world, and on the 7th day He rested…” Shabbos is a sign and a testimony for every Jew that he or she is a Jew. A Jew who violates a mitzvah here or there, or who is not a “perfect” Jew isn’t lost to Judaism as long as he or she keeps Shabbos. Taking Shabbos out of one’s life, however, is a way of removing the business sign which indicates “I am still in the business of living a Jewish life.” 

When he was a teenager in Chaslovitch, Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (later to become the revered Rabbi Soloveitchik in Boston and Yeshiva University) walked into a shteeble on a Shabbos afternoon and asked someone “When is Shabbos over?” The response he was given was a surprised stare accompanied by, “You look forward to Chol (weekday)?” 

In that time and in that place, Shabbos was a haven from the mundane. Some people were clearly able to disengage, and to enjoy and cherish the disengagement from the week. It seems that the idea of wanting Shabbos to extend longer and longer is testament to what Shabbos is and can be, and also how much people needed an escape from the lives they lived during the week – and Shabbos provided that. Perhaps in a way it was a blessed time of innocence that modernity has taken away from us, and perhaps also a reminder of our own need to uplift ourselves spiritually in this haven in time we call Shabbos. 

How many of us say Havdalah and immediately turn on our cell phones or televisions? How many of us make sure to say Havdalah as soon as possible after the listed time for Shabbos being over? How many of us spend the last hour of Shabbos looking at the clock, or even looking at the sky wondering if the time listed for Shabbos to end isn’t later than when the necessary 3 stars emerge? 

For some of us, these last 12 months have created a challenge of how to use the time best. For those who are coming to shul, the routine of Shabbos is relatively normal compared to how it was before March 2020. For many who have not been back to shul, we have created a routine that works. And for some, Shabbos is still the dreaded day of loneliness and isolation. 

But it does not have to be that way! We can take a Shabbos walk, we can have our reading list for Shabbos, we can go through the Torah portion in greater depth, especially if we print the many divrei Torah available on the Internet – see here, for example: https://torah.org/series/dvartorah/ or here: http://torah.saadia.info/ We can make an effort to greater appreciate the chosen Haftorah of each week. Sometimes that entails reading more than the specific section, to understand background and context, all while we aim to understand why this section was chosen – how does it parallel the Torah reading? Or in cases such as this Shabbos, what is its connection to Parshat Parah? 

Much has been written about Shabbos throughout the generations. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel spoke of it being a sanctity in time. Many of the early Chassidic rebbes preached about Shabbos to their constituents – not just about observance of it, but about taking Shabbos to the higher levels Shabbos is to be, and the higher levels we are to personally reach through carving out meaning for ourselves through enhancing our Shabbos experience. 

 It doesn’t happen automatically, but we can put the right steps and stops in place to make our Shabbos day majestic.

May we be blessed to do so.