Differences Between Animals and Humans – the Power of Positive Speech

Parshat Tazria

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Rashi’s opening comment on Tazria notes how the previous parsha (Shemini) spent the entire previous chapter talking about animals, and then Tazria begins speaking of the human condition, to simply reflect the order of creation of animals and humans.

Commenting on this point, Sifsei Chachamim (Rabbi Shabbatai Bass) reminds us of several reasons given in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38a) for why humans were made last: 

1. So no one could argue that humans were partners in creation 

2. If a person should ever get arrogant, he can be told “a mosquito was created before you” 

3. So he could fulfill a mitzvah right away (Shabbos) 

4. So he could participate in a celebratory meal right away, having arrived once everything in the world was already set. 

 Then he writes, “If this were the formula being used, then we should see Parshat Metzora being presented before Tazria, because Metzora speaks of a man (who was created first in Bereishis Chapter 2) while Tazria speaks of a woman! The answer is that the concept of a woman giving birth is far more frequent than a man getting Tzaraas (a nod to the principle of ...תדיר ושאינו תדיר), AND because the main reason for the spreading of tzaraas was a reckoning for a man having relations with his wife while she was in the state of Niddah.” [This concept appears in a number of rabbinic sources (See Sefer HaRokeach, Hilchos Niddah 318; Or Zarua Hilchos Retzuos Shechoros 564), sometimes claiming the tzaraas would go on their children, sometimes on the man himself, as an outcome of this sin.] 

While the Gemara in Arachin 16a lists seven sins which cause tzara’as: lashon hora (slander and gossip), murder, swearing in vain, immorality, haughtiness, theft, and stinginess, and the verses in Mishlei 6:16-19 list other behaviors God detests, somehow the one deed that has captured our attention in this regard, more than any of the others, is Lashon Hora. 

 Much has been and written about the dangers of Lashon Hora. Mark Twain’s colleague Charles Dudley Warner is credited with saying “Everyone always talks (complains?) about the weather, but no one does anything about the weather.” 

The same can be said of Lashon Hora. We talk about it, but tend not to do much about it.

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter addressed the question raised in the context of Rashi’s opening comment and wryly noted that people are very careful about forbidden food, in other words what they put into their mouths, and are not careful at all about their tongues, specifically what comes out of their mouths through speech. 

 The proximity of these two parshas – Shemini dealing with kosher animals, and Tazria dealing with kosher human behavior – is to serve as a warning that “If a person is so careful and meticulous over what he puts into his mouth, then he certainly needs to be particularly careful about what comes out of his mouth – in terms of speech. After all, what comes out of his mouth can also spread tumah. 

It is through the sin of Lashon Hora that the most tumah is spread, and therefore the practice must must stop.” 

One of the methods utilized in the Talmud to help a person stop sinning is to distract oneself with wholesome activity in place of the sin. One who has lustful thoughts should fill his mind with Torah. Someone who does bad deeds should seek out opportunities to do Chesed. 

Surely the same can be said for those who have a Lashon Hora problem that it is advisable to fill one’s speaking hours with positive speech. The more one engages in positive speech, the more one will avoid participating in negative speech. 

Eleanor Roosevelt is generally credited as having said “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.” Let us avoid being small-minded, and focus on being great-minded. 

Visit with people who are lonely – ask them about their lives. Try to focus the conversations on things which give them joy to talk about. Perhaps read an article aloud and then discuss its contents. Make it into a multiple parts visit, and read a chapter of a book – making each visit an anticipated event! – and discuss the book and its contents. 

 In one of his articles in Peninim Al HaTorah, Rabbi Avraham Leib Scheinbaum writes this (he writes in the masculine for convenience, but it applies to all): 

“We can use our lashon tov, positive speech, to make someone feel good, to calm him and raise his self-esteem. The best aspect of this is that it takes very little effort on our part to generate a positive feeling within someone else. Regrettably many of us do not have it in (ourselves) to expend even the slightest effort to help another person. We are so wrapped up in ourselves, in our lives, that we forget that others around us are crying out. 

“What about giving someone a compliment – telling them they look good, spoke well wrote an inspiring article, did a great job, prepared a good dinner? These are just a few examples where a few words can go a long way. Another way that positive speech can make a difference is by promoting peace between two people, two groups… Giving good advice and building someone’s self-[worth] are additional ways in which good speech helps others. 

 “Last is the idea of praying for others…” 

Many of us are familiar with the saying “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” I once heard a nice corollary to that. “If you have something nice to say, say it all!” After all, nothing sparks human relationships more than that which sets humans apart from animals, the ability we have to get closer to people through the positive use of our unique “כח הדיבור” – power of speech – which animals do not possess. Animals are capable of doing nice things for one another. They can also protect one another when they are attacked by a predator. But they are incapable of speaking – that is uniquely human. 

Let us therefore throw in another teaching from the lead-in of animals in Shemini to the discussion surrounding humans in Tazria. Animals don’t talk about one another. Their interactions are of practical things and when they have disputes, they settle them relatively quickly and move on with their lives. They don’t harbor grudges and they don’t rally others to their side, to destroy a peer who need have no part in whatever bothers the animal in question. 

So should it be for us. We should not talk about one another when it serves no purpose other than to bring another person down. We should aim to finish and resolve disputes in an efficient manner, without needing to rally people to our side. We should do what we can to lift other people up, and aim to use our power of speech for good things such as compliments, the sharing of good information, the discussion of important ideas, and most importantly for the study and teaching of Torah and for Tefillah. 

 I recently advised someone who is in a constant dispute with a family member to try to shift focus, and instead of getting upset all the time, to pray for that person. It may not resolve all the issues that exist between them, but it does change a perspective… “I am praying for that person… it makes it much harder for me to get upset at that person.” 

This too can be a beautiful focus of using our כח הדיבור for positive speech.

Preparing, Disappointment, and Rising Despite…

Parshat Shemini

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

In its elaboration of the roles of Moshe and Aharon in the dedication of the Mishkan, the midrash Rabba presents a debate between a number of rabbis on the one side, and Rabbi Elazar bar Yosi on the other side, as to how Moshe understood what was to be his role in the Mishkan. 

 The larger group of rabbis are of the opinion that all 40 years of wandering, Moshe was the optional Kohen Gadol. It was not his job, per se, but if he wanted to perform the service there was room for him to play that role. We say in Kabbalas Shabbos משה ואהרן בכהניו, and the Midrash applies the Kehuna to both brothers, to Aharon AND to Moshe. The same teaching is derived from a verse in Divrei Hayamim I 23, according to Rabbi Berachia in the name of Rabbi Simone

 יג בְּנֵ֥י עַמְרָ֖ם אַֽהֲרֹ֣ן וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּבָּדֵ֣ל אַֽהֲרֹ֡ן לְֽהַקְדִּישׁוֹ֩ קֹ֨דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֤ים הֽוּא־וּבָנָיו֙ עַד־עוֹלָ֔ם לְהַקְטִיר֩ לִפְנֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֧ה לְשָֽׁרְת֛וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֥ךְ בִּשְׁמ֖וֹ עַד־עוֹלָֽם: יד וּמֹשֶׁ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּנָ֕יו יִקָּֽרְא֖וּ עַל־שֵׁ֥בֶט הַלֵּוִֽי: 

Rabbi Elazar bar Yosi says Moshe wore a white garment for the seven preparation days only, in order to be on hand to serve during that time. 

 But there was a problem. Rabbi Tanchum notes how in his preparation for the Yom HaShmini, Moshe did not receive any divine instruction. Everything he did, and everything he instructed his brother and nephews to do, were part of information he had learned previous to this preparatory week. 

 When the fire came down and consumed what was on the Mizbeach at the end of Chapter 9, וירא כל העם וירונו ויפלו על פניהם the entire nation, including Moshe, "Raised their voices in praise and threw themselves on the ground" – it was a Revelation of sorts for all, because this was the first time the people felt the divine presence through the process. 

 Why was it that Moshe did not receive any divine instruction or inspiration during this time period? The Midrash does not say. But it does bring two examples of seven day periods that, in a sense, did not end up going well for Moshe. 

 Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachman says the episode at the burning bush took a week. For six days, God was cajoling and convincing Moshe to accept his assignment and go to Egypt. On the seventh day, Moshe said the fateful words שלח נא ביד תשלח – please send someone else. And God's reaction was, "If you want me to send someone else, I will. I'll cut your wings when I am ready to." 

There are two opinions recounted in the Midrash: 

 Rabbi Levi says, God followed through with this at the very end of Moshe's life. For the first seven days of Adar, Moshe prayed and beseeched God to allow him to enter the land. And on the seventh day (7 Adar, the day Moshe died), God told him "You will not cross this Jordan river." 

 Rabbi Chelbo says, For the ז' ימי המילואים – the seven preparatory days for the Yom HaShmini, Moshe served in the capacity of the High Priest, assuming the position was his. On the seventh day, Moshe was told by God that it was not his – that his brother Aharon was to be the High Priest. And this is why he is giving all the zero hour instruction in the zero hour. 

 If we look back to Purim, this is similar to what happened to Haman in the Megillah. He’s on the top of the world. The queen has invited him to a party, exclusively, with only the king. And when he goes in to the king’s chambers looking for permission to hang Mordechai, and even assuming his suggestion of having an officer lead a different officer around town on a horse is for Mordechai to lead Haman around, the whole thing is shot to pieces when Achashveirosh tells him he is to do it all to Mordechai – in other words, “While you thought you were being promoted, in fact, you’re fired.” 

 It’s a reminder that NOTHING is guaranteed in life. Those who are on the top could be at the bottom in an instant if God wills it so. 

 Moshe saw it all before him - that he'll be the Kohen gadol, that he'll enter the land - who could have known that when zero hour would come, the answer would be No… it’s not going to be the way you think? 

Moshe had six or seven days to prepare only to find out he didn't have the job. It’s hard to imagine the devastation, the disappointment, the negative feeling, the sense that your own pre-determined worth has been shot down. 

And yet, Moshe finds that he has value in others places, and it seems that he was able to compartmentalize his feelings, and a. be supportive of Aharon in Aharon’s new position as full time Kohen Gadol, and b. find a different place for his role in the comfort that he will soon be positioned to give to Aharon following the soon-to-be-seen deaths of Nadav and Avihu. 

 This, in essence, becomes our challenge and task when the opportunity presents itself. We may not always have a six or seven-day buildup to an anticipated event or outcome, but we must always prepare ourselves for the possibility that things might not go as we wish. 

Our challenge is to funnel our energies into arenas that are most suited for the roles we can play, in which we are not dependent on an outsider or some other entity to determine our worthiness for the position. 

 The easiest place to do this is in the arena of Chesed, when we set the terms for what we do, when we do it, how much time and money we spend, and what we hope to get out of it – the feeling of accomplishment of having gifted time and resources to someone else. 

 It’s not rocket science. But it is life. And life is also about rolling with the circumstances we are handed and dealt, making the best of the life we are blessed to live.

Living a Life of Kiddush Hashem

Parshat Tzav 

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Many years ago I read a book that suggests, among other things, to imagine your funeral and what people would say about you. [There are many books which cover this theme, so forgive me for not recalling the title.] The author went on to suggest that what is said about you then is up to you to write the script of your life, starting now. 

 Some people who had terrible reputations in their earlier lifetimes turned things around through philanthropy or through bequeathing gifts to the world (think Nobel, think Gates). Whether their philanthropy was actually a change of heart or whether it was self-serving is a different discussion, but the effort certainly gave the world a reason to reconsider what their legacy should be. 

 This is the story of the Kohanim that we read of the opening parshas of the Book of Vayikra in which the family of Aharon is given the chance to immortalize their reputations through being the channels through which the people of Israel are to complete their service of God through the sacrificial order. 

 While it is a longer discussion, Aharon’s reputation was certainly sullied in the eyes of the people in the aftermath of the Golden Calf. There may have even been people who were unconvinced that he was the man for the job on account of what had taken place at the foot of the mountain on that fated day. 

 Chapter 8 begins with God telling Moshe to gather Aharon and sons, their new Kohen clothing, animals for inaugural sacrifices, and bring all these in front of the gathered people. Moshe goes on to say, “This is what God has commanded.” And without saying anything more, he proceeds to wash Aharon, dress Aharon, and go through the ritual that turns Aharon HaLevi (see Shemos 4:14) into Aharon HaKohen. 

 Rashi notes that in Moshe’s introduction, he meant that the people should watch what he is doing because that is the message from God. 

 Or HaChaim goes into a larger analysis noting that everything Moshe was doing was against his own honor, for he had the status of a king. Moshe emphasized that he was doing what he was doing specifically because God commanded him to do so. While a human king is generally not allowed to be mochel al k’vodo (humble himself against the honor due to him), before God all bets are off. He may indeed humble himself, and is obligated to do so when responding to a direct command. Moshe was also aiming to put to rest any protests that may come, such as the one later mounted by Korach. Korach’s rebellion, while not defensible, came in the aftermath of the spies, when it became clear this generation of Israelites would not be entering the Promised Land. 

 While it is certainly not the same thing in our world of politics today where we grant the term “honorable” to people whose only “honorable” achievement is being elected to office, there are a few people who make it through the muck of our political system with a good reputation intact. One of them was the Honorable Joseph Lieberman, who passed away this week, allegedly from complications from a fall. A human like the rest of us, he surely was imperfect. But as a career politician, he was known for his integrity, eventually learning that he was not a Democrat or a Republican, but an Independent, because he spoke his mind, voted per his conscience, and did not like to play the party-line voting game that has destroyed politics. 

 With rising to the highest voting-ticket in the United States as a Vice Presidential candidate, he wore his Judaism on his sleeve, publicly defended his Shabbos observance, and was the personification of the notion that “a Jew can achieve anything in this country.” 

 Even his latest political project of “No Labels” was meant to galvanize a political movement of people who vote for what is “right” (as in “just, good, moral”) rather than what is “politically expedient.” May his memory be a blessing. 

 Moshe stood for what was right. He followed the word of God. Even in the aftermath of the Golden Calf, God told him Aharon was the man for the job, and Aharon’s sons were to be his assistants – the family of Kohanim. This wasn’t nepotism. This wasn’t a political appointment. This was a Divine appointment, and Moshe stepped aside from his own Kavod to see it would be done in the manner God wanted, because that is what one does in the service of God. Unquestionably Moshe and Aharon did their best to live lives of Kiddush Hashem. That is how Moshe is remembered, and how Aharon is remembered. And of course through the many havdalot, that is how Senator Lieberman will be remembered…. Which leaves us to ask, how will we be remembered – do we live lives that are a Kiddush Hashem? 

 What follows is a letter written by South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein as a tribute to Senator Lieberman. [Among other accomplishments, Rabbi Goldstein founded the Shabbat Project.]

Dear friends, 

The words that come to me as I absorb with great sadness the sudden passing of Senator Joe Lieberman, of blessed memory, are from the verses describing his namesake, Joseph in ancient Egypt - how all who encountered him, from the top echelons of government to those imprisoned in its dungeons, could see that “God was with him, and everything he did, God made succeed in his hand.” (Genesis 39:3). As Pharaoh himself said, on appointing Joseph the prime minister of Egypt, “Could we find another like him - a man who has the spirit of God within him…there is no one as insightful and wise.” (Genesis 41:38-39)

            Like Joseph in ancient Egypt, as a United States Senator, Joseph Lieberman held high office in a global superpower, succeeding in everything he did, enjoying Divine blessings. God’s ambassador for the Torah’s noblest attributes - humility, wisdom, integrity and compassion - he was the ultimate Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine name in the world, carrying it with befitting dignity and grace. 

            Senator Lieberman was a public servant in the truest sense, living, as our sages describe, “for the sake of Heaven”. His memoir, In Praise of Public Life, is a tribute to the idea of politics for a higher purpose. The book is about the importance of making a difference; of getting involved in public life in order to make the world a better place. He writes, paraphrasing Pirkei Avot: "The day is short…and there is much work to be done, tikkun olam, repairing our government and improving our beloved country and world. We are not required to complete the work ourselves, but, as good and grateful citizens, we cannot withdraw from it either."

            Senator Lieberman was a man of principle. He was the first national Democrat to publicly criticize President Bill Clinton for his infidelity, drawing the anger of his party and risking his political career. And yet, the following year, Al Gore - Vice President under Clinton - turned to Senator Lieberman to join the ticket for the 2000 presidential elections, making him the first Jewish candidate on a major-party ticket for the White House. 

            But Senator Lieberman wasn’t just Jewish by birth - he was a proud, vocal Jew, unreserved and totally committed to his Judaism. In the heat of the campaign, he made it publicly known that he would not be campaigning on Shabbat. As renowned political commentator Charles Krauthammer put it, “Jews in American public life are old news; Orthodox Jews are not… Which is why Lieberman's entry onto the national stage is so significant. It not only confirms and ratifies the full entry of Jews into the higher councils of American life. It marks the entry of Judaism into the deeper recesses of the American consciousness.” 

            And at the heart of Senator Lieberman’s own Jewish consciousness was Shabbat. In the opening pages of  The Gift of Rest - the title of his book on the subject - he describes how, delayed by an important vote at the Senate, he had to walk home one Friday night in the rain:

 “It's Friday night and it’s one of those torrential downpours that we get in Washington, D.C., and I'm walking from the Capitol to my home in Georgetown getting absolutely soaked - the United States Capitol policemen at my side as we make our way up Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol building towards our distant goal, a four-and-a-half-mile walk. But I do not - indeed, I cannot - accept a ride in the car.”

            Reflecting on this symbolic moment he wrote, “Sabbath observance is a gift that has anchored, shaped and inspired my life.” It was through Senator Lieberman’s passion for Shabbat that I got to know him personally. We shared a vision of spreading Shabbat in the world. He kindly joined the International Advisory Board of The Shabbat Project, giving so generously of his time and effort, and sharing his connections and wisdom. He was a cherished advisor and mentor, and his gentle warmth and friendship meant the world to me. I will miss him dearly. 

            Our world is dimmer without Senator Joseph Lieberman. Let us illuminate it by living the values he personified - sharing the light of Shabbat, dignity, decency, and faith, in our world. 

            May his memory be a blessing - like his beloved Shabbat, “the source of all blessing.”

Rabbi Warren Goldstein

The Different Stages of the Establishment of Purim Celebrations

Purim

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Being a Megillah reader for over 3 decades means having a very strong familiarity with the text of the Megillah, even knowing a good portion of it by heart. That being said, before reading Professor Yonatan Grossman’s book, מגילת סתרים, I never thought about the different stages of how Purim became a celebration – beyond simply that Mordechai and Esther sent letters out to everyone informing them that Purim would now be a holiday. 

 Professor Grossman breaks down the latter part of Chapter 9 of the Megillah into four stages of celebration. [In the interest of space, the verse numbers will be quoted below, but not the entire verses. It is a good idea to look up the sources.] 

The first stage of celebration is presented in 9:16-18, when the inhabitants of all the cities where fighting took place rested on the 14th of Adar, and the inhabitants of Shushan rested on the 15th of Adar. In both cases the made their rest-day into יום משתה ושמחה = a day of celebration (with food/drink) and joy. This particular celebration would seem to have been more spontaneous than formal because it was the day after the fighting concluded, when they looked upon their defeated enemies and saw reason to celebrate their good fortune. 

 The second stage of celebration is presented in 9:19 as it describes the inhabitants of the ערי הפרזות (cities around the country) making the celebration on the 14th שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו. Joy, celebration, a holiday (Yom Tov), with sending food packages to friends. This too is a spontaneous form of celebration, as there was no formal instruction given that people should share food with one another or celebrate together. Note the addition of the phrase “Yom Tov” which did not appear in the previous stage, which is accompanied by the first mention of Mishloach Manot. 

 Professor Grossman notes a few things worthy of consideration in these additions. First, the idea of having a spontaneous celebration, with food and drink, is certainly fitting as it is the way people gather either when a danger has passed, or in this case in the aftermath of a great victory over enemies. The surprising factor, in Grossman’s view, is that the celebrations throughout the lands did not follow the celebrations of Shushan in terms of their timing. After all, Shushan is where everything started. Shushan is the source of the decree allowing the Jews to fight against their enemies. Shushan was the home of Haman. And Shushanites, Mordechai and Esther, are the main protagonists of the story! [It is true that in the first year there was no way that people would know that the fighting extended in Shushan for one more day, but the language of the Megillah is that people in far off places are עשים, in the present tense, suggesting that this part of the Megillah was written later, and in hindsight was acknowledging that this is what people are doing to celebrate these events, doing so on the 14th (though the Megillah does mention they were also doing this on the 15th)].] 

The phrase “Yom Tov” invokes a holiday, opening the door to questioning whether the people were actually following the rules of Yom Tov, including having an issur melakha (prohibition against creative labors, such as exist on Shabbos and Festivals). It is clear that the people wanted to observe this day as some kind of holiday, though as Yom Tov can literally mean a “good day” the implications of people conducting their behavior following a prohibition against melakha is not at all clear. 

 However, it is important to note that the only other place that Mishloach Manot appears in the Bible, outside of Esther, is in the observance of Rosh Hashana in the book of Nechemiah 8:9-12. That puts into mind a holiday that does include an issur melakha, which has at its heart a celebratory sharing of foods with neighbors. An implication is that this is giving to people who do not have enough for themselves, but that will be spelled out clearly in the next stage. 

The third stage of celebration is presented in 9:20-22 in which letters sent to all of the Jews are attributed to Mordechai, establishing both the 14th and the 15th as days of celebration in the all the lands where Jews are – הקרבים והרחוקים, near and far from Shushan. Not only are those two days to be celebrated, but even the חדש אשר נהפך – the month that changed from sadness to joy, to be days of משתה ושמחה ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים. Everything that we saw in stage 2, that had been done spontaneously, is now being formalized by Mordechai, and the gifts to the poor are added as part of the responsibilities undertaken in this celebration. 

 [Note that the difference between an evyon (אביון), and an ani (עני) is that that an עני is in a regular state of poverty and can always benefit from assistance. The עני, however, is managing with the little he has. The אביון, on the other hand, is in a dire situation right now, and the obligation of Purim is to make sure that person has the means to take care of that immediate need now. Obviously, just because someone becomes the recipient of others’ beneficence on Purim, there isn’t a moment when the person needs to stop asking and say “I am not an אביון any more.” The person may collect and use the proceeds to whatever way the person needs. This definition calls into question whether giving money to institutions on Purim constitutes מתנות לאביונים or whether it is just regular צדקה (charity).] 

Professor Grossman suggests that the month noted above refers to the day of the month that is most prominent, which is the day preceded by the full moon, which is always the 15th. Incidentally, that is the night between the 14th and the 15th in every lunar month – thus making both days incumbent upon all to celebrate, even if there is only one day of reading the Megillah and fulfilling the Mitzvot of the day. We do have a concept that “when Adar comes, joy is increased,” which may be a fulfillment of this idea, or Professor Grossman’s suggestion is correct that is pointing to the middle of the month. 

 In the verses which follow (9:24-28), Professor Grossman notes that a reason is given for these celebrations, and that reason is a summary of the Purim story that looks a little unlike the narrative presented to us in the Megillah. Here the lottery Haman played to pick the date is overplayed and Mordechai’s role is completely eliminated. His explanation is that "there are different ways to tell a story," and that sometimes facts need to be discarded in light of the general gist of the messaging. 

The fourth stage of celebration is presented in 9:29-32 in which Esther is given top billing for writing the letters along with Mordechai, to all the Jews, in all 127 provinces of Achashveirosh, words of peace and truth (דברי שלום ואמת) to fulfill the dayS of Purim as has been established, which includes fasts and crying out. This last added feature implies that the concept of fasting preceding Purim was established already then as a commemorative to the fasting done at that time. Esther’s 3-day fast was during Pesach (see the dates of Haman’s lottery in chapter 3 – on the 13th of Nissan), but it is more than likely that people fasted on the day of the battle – 13th of Adar. We are either fasting on the 13th (in general, not this year) because they fasted, or to commemorate Esther’s fast that helped bring about the death of Haman and the salvation of the Jewish people. The other added feature of “words of peace and truth” give a strong indication of the hope the Jewish people have – that Haman’s accusations of Chapter 3 are false. We are peace-loving, we only want good relations with neighbors, and we follow the laws of the lands where we find ourselves. 

 Fighting to stand up for yourself and to defend yourself does not mean that you are a war-monger or genocidally inclined. It means we don’t want to be the victims of genocide, and we will fight for the right to live, and hope that when it is over and we have won, we are ready to never fight again if our enemies will only drop their designs against us. 

4 stages of celebration have brought us to enjoy Purim as we know it. From spontaneous joy to formalized rabbinic commandments that remind us of the story (through reading the Megillah) and bring us to look out for others, whether through Mishloach Manot, Matanot L’Evyonim, or sharing together in a Purim meal, Purim is a time that demonstrates the unity of our people, especially in light of a common enemy who wants every single one of us dead. 

May we tap into the Simcha of Purim, celebrating appropriately – while of course having in mind the obvious connections to the situation in Israel, and the struggles of our People in the Holy Land in this time – and see days of happiness and mirth for our people. 

 And just as it was בימים ההם, so should it be בזמן הזה. May our enemies be defeated, and may we see a deliverance from those who hate us, so we can celebrate as Jews do – with אורה שמחה ששון ויקר, the most honest and truthful appreciation of the Almighty for bringing us to a time of peace and tranquility.

Blessings at the Conclusion (and Beginning...)

Parshat Fekudei 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

In the last verse of chapter 39, Moshe looks over all the work that has been completed, and after recognizing that everything was done exactly per instruction, ויברך אתם משה - he blesses the people. Or HaChaim notes the special nature of this blessing is because it was given by Moshe, the man of God. Had it been given by anyone else, he argues, the Torah would not have made any mention of it. 

What was the blessing? The Midrash has a couple of options: 

a. “May it be [His] will that the Shechinah [Divine presence] dwells in your handiwork.” 

b. “May it be [His] will that the evil eye not have any power over you, nor any enemy [have any power against] your handiwork” – because the Mishkan would ultimately be put into genizah in the bowels of the Holy Temple. 

[It should be noted that both of these examples have the language of יהי רצון, which might not actually include a reference to God, but may just be a blessing that "so it should be..."]

 The first blessing ("option a") is repeated by Targum Yonatan, Rashi, B’chor Shor, Rabbenu Bachaye. Rashi (and others) adds the verse ...ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו – "May God’s pleasantness be upon us and on the works of our hands," which is the closing verse of Tehillim 90 – a prayer composed by Moshe (it begins with תפלה למשה). Rabbenu Bachaye points out that specific connection, and Kli Yakar explains how Tehillim 90 is connected to the workings of the building of the Mishkan – noting, for example, that the Mishkan’s role was to bring back the majesty that was lost on account of the Golden Calf. 

 R Pinchas Horowitz (in his Panim Yafos) suggests a third option: 

    c. that the bracha he gave them was the blessing from Devarim 1:11 – God should add to you one thousand-fold and bless you as He has spoken. 

 Using a mathematical calculation of how the people were likely standing when they received this blessing, Rabbi Horowitz proves that Moshe’s blessing was that they should grow a-thousandfold. 

Chasam Sofer argues that Moshe’s blessing (he follows “option a” above, following the view that most accept) was given more because Moshe came to the realization that without God’s help, there was no way these people would have achieved what they achieved in making every item as per God’s instruction. Moshe’s blessing was therefore that they should move out of such shackles (so to speak) and find the skill and ability to do things with their own ability, perhaps honed over time. Rabbi Baruch HaLevi Epstein – in his תוספת ברכה – similarly noted that the blessing was necessary, but more because the people themselves saw how much they had to do (beyond what they viewed as their skill-ability) seemingly without God helping them. They felt God was not “with them” in the process. He compares the creation of items here, in a seemingly-not-so-openly-miraculous way to the legendary “Shamir” worm of the Mikdash, noting that if the people did not have such a divine hand assisting them in the makings of the Mishkan, they may have felt bad… as if God would not actually “dwell among them” because He didn’t assist them in making the Mishkan in the same way He later would have a hand in the carving of items for the Mikdash .

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch breaks the blessing down into two parts. 

“Moshe bestows his highest blessing and expresses the fervent wish that this obedience in freedom should ever remain the chief characteristic of a Jewish life of mitzvos. That tefilla concludes with the words, ‘May Your work become manifest to Your servants and may Your glory remain with their children! May the bliss of God our Lord remain our lot; let the work of our hands be established upon us, and may You establish the work of our hands.’ ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו = freedom. ומעשה ידינו כוננהו = obedience. Only both of these together, in intimate union, assure us of the נועם, the bliss, that God prepares for us if we dedicate ourselves to Him as our Master.” 

 The blessing is on the one hand that we should have freedom – to choose to serve, and to want to serve the Almighty; and on the other hand, we should be blessed to be obedient to His word, so we are fulfilling our service of Him to the utmost. 

 This concept of the blessing, at this juncture, is reminiscent of blessings we will read of in Parshas Shemini, in Vayikra 9:22&23 – two blessings are given over there by Aharon and Moshe upon the conclusion of the dedication of the Mishkan, which is really at the inauguration - the beginning of the coming use of the Mishkan, in contrast to our parsha, where the blessing follows the completion of the process of making all the items of the Mishkan, before it is even assembled and put into actual use. Some of the opinions there point to Moshe using the same blessing from Tehillim 90, while others suggest Aharon was using the Birkat Kohanin, known at that time, though not yet recorded in the Torah (it is in Parshat Naso), in his own looking out for the welfare and safety of the Bnei Yisrael. 

 All of this begs a simple question – especially in light of the opening comment made by Or HaChaim. 

 Are blessings a good thing, a bad thing, or useless? Does it depend on who issues the blessing? 

Living in a society which includes Jews from different cultures, I am keenly aware of how Sefardim and many Israelis (many of whom are Sefardic or originate from Middle Eastern lands) venerate a Bracha. In fact, as a mohel I am often asked for a bracha – and at many brisses, there is a line of people waiting to get a blessing from the Sandak. 

While most people are asking to be blessed with Nachas, good health, parnassah, and a shidduch for their child (if their child is at that age/stage of life), I have found a unique niche in blessing people "to find Simcha in life." We all have windows of Simcha, usually surrounding milestone events. But we are commanded to serve God with Simcha – and sometimes we need to stretch to find that joy due to all the stresses life brings upon us. 

 Additionally, it is important to add that even though blessings given by people who are not Moshe Rabbeinu are not worthy of being written in the Torah, that by no means suggests those blessings are not of value. 

Blessings promote goodness, between those who are sharing in the blessing and between those who see and witness the care given from one person to another. That, in and of itself, is a blessing. Should we be asked to give a blessing, we should embrace the opportunity to give someone good wishes, and to bless upon them all that we wish for ourselves. When we put others first in that way, the blessings should be heaped back upon us, as Rabbi Horowitz put it, a thousand fold. 

 It may not be recorded in the Torah! But it is recorded in the hearts of those who share the blessings – and that is also a blessing.

There was a blessing at the conclusion of the construction of the Mishkan, and at the inauguration of the Mishkan. Ends… and Beginnings. We all need blessings and we benefit from blessings - both at the conclusion of projects, and when we inaugurate a new undertaking. May we be worthy of blessings at all times in between as well.

The Importance of Busy-ness

 Parshat Vayakhel

by Rabbi Avi Billet

In the preparation for the construction of the parts of the Mishkan, a few things happened, some of which we might define as strange. 

1. Everyone came to contribute because everyone wanted ownership of a “portion” of the Mishkan 

2. It is unclear whether men were more inspired to donate, women were more inspired to donate, or they were equally inspired. 

3. It is unclear whether there were more artisan men or artisan women involved in the different tasks needed to build the varying part of the Mishkan 

4. There were more donations than needed 

5. Those collecting the donations told Moshe, “The people are bringing too much – more than is needed for the work.” 

6. An announcement spread throughout the camp instructing all men and women to stop donating 

7. The people – though obviously devoted to donating – listened! And they stopped bringing supplies! 

What follows is a partial summary of Avos D’Rabi Nosson 1:11, first paragraph (reproduced after it in Hebrew). 

Rabbi Yehuda ben Beseira is quoted as saying “Even if a person has no work, the person should stay busy. Even if he has an empty field, or a courtyard that serves no purpose (nothing grows in it), he should nonetheless work it. The Torah tells us that “Six days you shall participate in all of your labors…” Rabbi Yosi said, a person dies from being idle… we learn this to be true for both men and women from the verse crying out to men and woman to stop giving the donations for the Mishkan. 

And how do we know the same is true for children? Because the verse says “And the nation was restrained from bringing.” [It could have just said ויכלאו – suggesting that the men and women stopped. Since it says ויכלא העם, the implication is that ALL of the nation, including the children, were restrained from further participation.]

 מסכתות קטנות מסכת אבות דרבי נתן נוסחא א פרק יא

 רבי יהודה בן בתירא אומר [אדם] שאין לו מלאכה לעשות מה יעשה אם יש לו חצר חרבה או שדה חרבה ילך ויתעסק בה שנאמר ששת ימים תעבוד ועשית כל מלאכתך (שם כ' ט') ומה תלמוד לומר ועשית כל מלאכתך להביא את מי שיש לו חצרות או שדות חרבות ילך ויתעסק בהן: רבי יוסי אומר אין אדם מת אלא מתוך הבטלה שנאמר ויגוע ויאסף אל עמיו (בראשית מ"ט ל"ג) הרי שנכפה ונפל על אומן שלו ומת הא אינו מת אלא מתוך הבטלה היה עומד על ראש הגג ועל שפת הנהר ונפל ומת אינו מת אלא מתוך הבטלה: שכן שמענו לאנשים. ולנשים מנין שנאמר איש ואשה אל יעשו עוד מלאכה לתרומת הקודש (שמות ל"ו ו'). לטפלים מנין שנאמר ויכלא העם מהביא (שם:( 

 It should not take much thought to see the common sense being conveyed through the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda ben Beseira and Rabbi Yosi. 

 We are all familiar with the term “If you don’t use it you lose it.” It can be applied to a foreign language, even one’s Hebrew skills, one’s Torah learning skills, any kind of skill. It can be applied to one’s motor skills, one’s brain capacity, and one’s body preservation. 

 Anyone I have ever met in rehab has told me how much the goal is to “get back to where I was before.” Sometimes it is an attainable goal. Sometimes the goal is “to get back as much as I possible can” because some injuries are worse than others, and some situations remove a degree of physical capacity to undertake certain activities. 

 What we learn from the involvement of the men and women and children who participated to their utmost and to their max is that as long as we have the strength and the ability, we should be volunteering. We should be taking active roles. We should be making sure to use that which we are gifted to use, our intelligence, our strength, our legs, our arms, to DO things. 

 Someone in our community once told me why he takes a walk every day, “I know that if I don’t use them, I’ll lose them” he said, referring to the use of his legs. 

 I have personally seen the benefit that people have from getting up each morning with a purpose, whether it is for daily minyan, for a walk, a learning session, to go swimming.

 I recall once meeting a great-grandmother at a bris I did – in the country club of her development somewhere in south Florida. She was in her mid-90s, but could easily pass for an energetic grandma in her 70s (I never would have gotten close to guessing her real age). Of course I gave her a modest compliment of being a very “young great grandmother.” And she told me, “Rabbi, every morning I walk from my house to the clubhouse. I walk down the 40 some-odd steps to the pool. I do my laps for 45 minutes. I shower and get dressed. And then I begin my day.” 

 I personally am reminded each year that I undertake a more significant running challenge, that during the summer months, when it is harder and every excuse in the world comes up for not going out, how quickly the stamina and the drive to continue can waver. 

 We all know that genetics and the hand we are dealt (however we wish to understand God’s hand in our lives) has much to do with whether we may have some kind of medical challenge. But taking charge of our diet, our choice to get up and move, our determination not to remain idle all contribute to our building ourselves into the best versions of ourselves we can be. And this is true of all people at every age and stage of life. 

 I was once at a shiva house, where the niftar (deceased) had been 91. His son told me, “My father (who had been widowed) was living alone, was taking care of himself. He was an active, independent person through his 89th year. When he turned 90, something switched in his mind. He decided ‘I am old.’ And then it was downhill from there. He didn’t have a medical setback until that happened.” 

 I learned from that encounter (or it was confirmed for me) that often enough Age is a state of the mind. But it is also exacerbated by the state of how much a person remains engaged, doing things, keeping busy, remaining a part of the community, showing up, socializing, working with one’s hands, engaging and stimulating the mind – whether through books, lectures, classes, etc. 

 It should never be strange to want to give, to want to give more than is needed (though which fundraiser ever says “we have enough and don’t need more”?), or for everyone to feel “There is a role for me. I have what to do as a leader, or as a simple participant.” 

 Through our continued engagement with life, we should merit to have long, fulfilling lives, blessed with the good health that can help us enjoy every minute of it.

How Do We Define Greatness?

Parshat Ki Tisa 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

When it comes to analyzing the tale of the Golden Calf, three people are mentioned by name – 2 in the Torah and 1 in the Midrash. They are Aharon, Moshe and Chur. 

 Chur’s role, as presented in the Midrash, essentially consisted of protesting against those looking to replace the missing Moshe, and losing his life in the process, executed by a mob. 

The following analysis leaves that tale off the table in looking at Aharon and Moshe as protagonists doing their parts in trying to maintain order under trying circumstances. 

 After Moshe’s initial dialogue with God on the mountain, before he’s descended to see what is going on at base camp, he encounters Yehoshua who reports to him that there is the sound of war emanating from the people below. Moshe then emerges to see what is in fact taking place and he throws the Luchot to the ground, smashing them into pieces. He takes the Golden Calf, grinds it to golden dust, puts the dust in water, and has all of Israel drink the water containing the pulverized calf. He does all this without facing opposition or protest.

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch writes: 

 Moshe’s first act is to graphically demonstrate to the people the complete nothingness of the false god. Not only does he destroy the idol, but each and every member of the nation must assist with his own body – in completely exterminating his god, so that not a trace of it is left. The people must drink up their god. This idol, in which they had placed their trust for physical survival and security, is to be put out of existence within their own bodies. That which had been about to dig a grave for their physical purity must now find its grave within their physical being… 

The fact that no one lifts a finger to save his god from the hands of this man Moshe, and that no one refuses to drink the dust of his idol is the first sign of repentance in the people. It also shows that had someone vigorously and forcefully stood up to the people before the act, he might have prevented them from going astray. 

The first and most urgent thing to be done was to demonstrate that ineffectuality of the idol by physically destroying it… The fact that no one opposed Moshe’s vigorous action of the destroying the calf idol showed what a strong leader is capable of accomplishing.

This emphasis on Moshe seems to be Rav Hirsch’s way of saying that Moshe alone is the hero of the story. Unacknowledged is the supposed heroism and sacrifice of Chur in these paragraphs (supposed, because it is not mentioned at all in the text, though Chur was left in charge with Aharon in chapter 24 when Moshe went up for 40 days and nights, making his absence noteworthy) as the strength presented by Moshe seems to primarily be a contrast to the weakness Aharon demonstrated in not standing up to the mob. 

And yet, Rav Hirsch follows this by acknowledging the greatness of Aharon in his response to Moshe’s accusation that his allowing the people to proceed with their efforts and plans was so disastrous. 

[Aharon’s] reply reveals [his] true greatness. He says nothing in his own defense; he keeps silent about the extenuating circumstances of which we already know and which would have mitigated his guilt. He says nothing of the overwhelming threatening mob; nothing of his attempt to use the vanity of the women as a means of delay; nothing of his laborious engraving work, by which he sought to postpone the completion of the work. Of all this, he says nothing. He accepts almost all the blame, and faults himself for displaying weakness and helplessness. [Aharon’s defense is mounted in 32:22-24 and leaves out many details and almost all context.] 

The question we are left with is what is Rav Hirsch’s definition of greatness? Is it strong leadership which goes unflinchingly into the fire, and is unopposed because everyone is cowed and unwilling to challenge the leader? Or is greatness defined by taking ownership of one’s actions, acknowledging errors, without casting blame in every which direction when the buck, as the saying goes, was supposed to stop with you? 

In our world, there are very few leaders who ever acknowledge their mistakes. Politicians are notorious for never admitting that their ideas turned out to be bad ideas, or their policies did more harm than good. 

 Educators hardly ever admit to failure in their churning out unsuccessful or failing students, or in facing the reality that the “education” they provided focused more on promoting ideologies than teaching critical thinking skills, and giving students the ability to research and defend positions and articulate an informed opinion based in facts and good analysis. 

On a personal note, I’ve had a hard time trying get rabbinic colleagues to reexamine and analyze certain decisions that were made from March 2020, even into early 2022, that would benefit from a critical look at (quietly) acknowledged mistakes. This is not because anyone was right every step of the way, or because anyone was wrong every step of the way. It is simply because most people would prefer to put those many months (even years) behind us and move on as if it didn’t happen. [I am still waiting for that conversation in different channels…] 

The example I like to cite is the IDF, after the Yom Kippur War, who famously discussed and analyzed all the mistakes that had led to that terrible travesty. Some of the highest leaders in Israel resigned from their ministries and positions after those talks were convened. I hope they will have the guts to have a similar analysis after the current war is over, and that those who ought to take responsibility for their failures will resign from their positions as well, if not face even harsher penalties for their failures that cost so many lives. 

 Rav Hirsch’s point is that there are different types of greatness. Moshe displays incredible strength as a leader and puts down all opposition with a glance. He destroys the Luchos, the symbol of the Sinai Covenant, and shortly afterwards has people remove their Sinaitic ornaments (עֶדְיָ֖ם), as they were no longer worthy of having them, altogether demonstrating a reversal of whatever had been agreed and declared through the moments of Revelation. A rebranding of that covenant follows in chapter 34. 

Aharon’s greatness is in owning up to his mistakes, acknowledging his role, and not casting blame on anyone and everyone besides himself. And, as we all know, Aharon’s greatness raises him to the highest level, as he emerges as the Divinely Chosen High Priest (Kohen Gadol) and serves in that capacity – despite the Golden Calf episode – for the remainder of his life. 

Two kinds of greatness: Leadership and Ownership. 

May we learn from Moshe and Aharon, and be blessed with the best leaders our people need and deserve.

If the Clothes Make the Man/Leader - It Needs Sponsorship! (Maybe)

Parshat Tetzaveh

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The opening instructions for the clothing of the Kohen Gadol focus on how the “Chachmei Lev” (the skilled artisans) are to take the donated materials and fashion the special garments of Kohanim. 

In his comments on the beginning of the Parsha, R Yosef B’Chor Shor makes two points of significance. 

1. When the Kohanim are standing in the service of God, they are to wear these special uniforms, and not to dress in “Bigdei Chol” (weekday clothes), which is not considered properly respectful. 

This point reminds us that when we are engaged in holy activities we should do our part to dress the part. This is why some people enhance their outfit for prayer, and certainly for the holy days of Shabbos and Yom Tov. It is also why people at least have in their mind "these are my wedding clothes," or similar thought processes, when it comes to certain articles of clothing in their closet. 

While it is not as common in my field, I personally reserve white-only shirts for Shabbos, Yom Tov, weddings, and sometimes funerals. When a person wears suits/jackets and ties daily, it is harder to set aside suits specifically for Shabbos - they get worn, they get cleaned, they get used for all purposes when appropriate. 

Those who wish to live up to this ideal that follows the model of the Kohanim and their garments might want to consider having specific garments set aside for Shabbos and Yom Tov and for special occasions. At the very least these garments should be a little nicer than those for weekdays - but as long as one knows "this is how I make Shabbos and Yom Tov different," with specific clothing items designated for those special times, one is certainly on the right path.

B'chor Shor's second idea:

 

2. The instruction is given to the people to assure Aharon has what he needs to best do his job of serving the people in his capacity as Kohen Gadol. They should not have it fall on Aharon to hire someone to make his clothes – it should come as an initiative of the people.

This is a dicey situation for us to consider, because in reality we don't have kohanim serving in the Mishkan/Mikdash today, leaving us to wonder if there is a parallel in our world.

There is a kollel that I support with consistent donations throughout the year, and the Rosh Kollel has told me that while the members of the kollel manage on minimal funds throughout the year - by choice - he does try to help them buy a "used suit" once a year. This suit becomes the Shabbos/Yom Tov suit, and the former Shabbos/Yom Tov suit becomes the kollel member's daily suit which he wears every weekday of the year until the suit is worn out. Then, per the cycle a new "used suit" is purchased again, becoming the Shabbos suit, when last year's "new suit" once again becomes the weekday one.

Personally having a sensitivity to clothing looking nice and presentable, I was recently talking to a rabbinical colleague (with whom I feel close enough to comment about these things) - he cares less about externalities - and I told him that as a Rov, he has a responsibility to look a little more put together. This is not about wearing expensive clothing! But it is about choosing a little better in terms of what he wears, for example, when serving in his capacity as Rabbi of his Kehillah, versus when he is on vacation and no one knows who he is. An unironed shirt, a white shirt that doesn't look white, an unkempt tie, a not-as-clean-as-it-could-be suit, etc., are unbefitting his role as a rabbi.

Having said that, it is understandable if he can't afford to maintain such a wardrobe, which may arguably put the onus of a minimal aspect of his wardrobe on his kehillah to maintain or sponsor. 

No, he is not a kohen or a Kohen Gadol. But in our world, a person in that position is our spiritual leader. While he does not have to be a clothing-model, in whatever capacity possible, a budget should be considered so that his clothing can help him look the part of the dignified spiritual representative he is to his congregation.

B'chor Shor noted that the clothing of the Kohanim were the responsibility of the community of the Jewish people, and was not meant to be placed on Aharon and sons as a burden they had to bear or sponsor.

The parallel is not exactly the same - but if it is, then whatever help can be given to those in these positions should be granted so our communities' representatives can adequately look the part we hope for them to fill.

The Testimony I Give You

Parshat Terumah

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

In the instructions for the Mishkan, Moshe is told (25:21), “And into the Ark you will place the testimony that I will give you.” On the surface, this seems a straightforward instruction for where the Luchot are to be placed. 

When one thinks of the timing of the instruction of the Mishkan, however, consideration must be given to the Ark mentioned in Parshat Eikev to make a wooden (temporary) Ark (Devarim 10:1-5) (see also here - a related exploration in Ki Sisa). And the following questions must be considered as well: was it always the intent for there to be 2 sets of Luchot? Did God plan for Moshe to break the first Tablets? Considering that the instruction for the making of the wooden Ark came at the same time Moshe was told to carve out two stones to replace the ones he had broken, were the first Luchot originally to be left without a home from the time Moshe received them until the Mishkan was built? If the instructions for the Mishkan came before Moshe came down from the mountain, then God referencing Luchot “that I will give you” makes sense. But that thwarts the theory that the Mishkan instructions were given after the Golden Calf to help the Bnei Yisrael achieve a “tikkun” – a corrective – for the events of the Golden Calf! But if the instructions were given in that order – after the events of the Golden Calf (following the line of thinking of Rashi that the Torah is not presented in chronological order), then Moshe had already been given the Luchot! What does God mean when He says “Into the Ark you will place the testimony that I will give you”? First – they were given, and already destroyed, and Second – the second set of Luchot were carved out by Moshe, given for God to inscribe (or engrave?), and then returned to him! Who is giving stones to whom? 

Ramban says Moshe wasn’t given this instruction for the first Luchot, because God knew the first ones would be broken. Or HaChaim argues they were so supernatural they would have stored themselves had they not been destroyed by Moshe. He further suggests that Moshe was instructed by God to make an Ark “for you” (meaning for Moshe – עשה לך ארון עץ) to indicate that the second Luchot were actually Moshe’s, for he had carved them out himself and now would need a place to store them, whereas the first Luchot were entirely of God’s design in both selection and engraving. A number of sources indicate that the pieces of the broken Luchot were gathered and put into the Ark along with the second Luchot (Baba Batra 14b, Yerushalmi: Shekalim 6:1, Sotah 8:3). 

 There is likely a crossover in terms of which Ark is being referenced in some of these sources – our tradition has it that when the Ark of the Mishkan was completed both sets of Luchot were placed in it, the complete second set and the broken first set. 

 But the question remains about the timing of the instruction and what Moshe was being told? Rashi enhances the question by wondering why the instruction is given twice (in 25:16 & 25:21). Rashi suggests (and Ibn Ezra echoes) that the instruction may be assigning a specific order for how things are to be placed in the Ark. Don’t ever put the cover on the Ark (even while constructing it) until you’ve placed the Luchot inside. 

Ramban disagrees, feeling that it is also called an Ark when the cover is on it, so the cover could be placed on it, completing it, and then removed so the Luchot can be placed inside. 

 Ramban argues that the placement of the cover, which has its Keruvim, above the Luchos is a way of giving God a “Kisei Kavod” – a throne of glory in this world, a place from which “I will have My presence rest in this world.” כי אני אועד לך שם ואשכין שכינתי עליהם 

Alshikh quotes the Midrash Rabba that the instruction for the Mishkan is a parable to a king who had a betrothed daughter. As long as she remained in her father’s house, her fiancée would visit her in her father’s home. Once she married, her father, the king, would visit her in her new palace. 

 Putting the Testimony in the Ark refers to the Torah “which I will give you,” I (God – the king in the parable) will make her home my destination since I will have to visit her to see her. Prior to her moving, she (the Torah) was in my domain, and you needed to come to Me to see her. 

 This is how Alshikh explains his own parable. 

 I believe we can take this to a next stage. If God is speaking of how “you are to place the testimony I will be giving you” into the Ark, that implies that the Testimony might not be completely in their hands and that God will still be giving it as time continues to pass. 

Testimony refers to the Luchos, and also refers to the Torah, both of which we have a tradition that they were placed in the Ark. On a simple level that is easy to understand if we are looking to point to physical objects as being defined as the עדות/testimony. 

But if we look at them as ideas, as Jewish knowledge which testify of God’s existence, then the עדות is continuing to be disseminated and given over to the Jewish people, for us to learn from, grow from, and see as part of our continued education, and more importantly, identification, even in our day, over 3300 years later!

 There are times in our liturgy when we serve as witnesses, testifying to God’s existence and the truth of His Torah. We do this in Kiddush, in the recitation of ויכלו on Friday nights, and when we say most of davening, including most significantly, the שמע. 

 God continues to exist for us, in our world, and we have the opportunity to see how the Testimony He provides for us is continually placed in the Ark, the symbol that houses the Torah – His gift to us of His existence, and of His desire for there to be a place on earth from which His presence can be felt. 

 That place is our synagogues. May we be blessed to feel His presence, and to see that we are still putting testimony into the Ark, testimony of our continued existence due to God’s benevolence, and our fealty to His teachings.

How Idolatry Could Destroy Shabbos and Yom Tov

Parshat Mishpatim 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

A few verses into Chapter 23, the Torah effortlessly transitions from speaking about the Shmittah year to speaking of Shabbos, and from there it goes into the other holidays. Before it speaks of the holidays, however, it slips in a small verse that seems out of place, in that it warns about observing all that God has instructed and not mentioning the names of other gods. 

שמות פרק כג

 (י) וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְרַ֣ע אֶת־אַרְצֶ֑ךָ... (יא) וְהַשְּׁבִיעִ֞ת תִּשְׁמְטֶ֣נָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּ֗הּ... (יב) שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת... (יג) וּבְכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם תִּשָּׁמֵ֑רוּ וְשֵׁ֨ם אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ לֹ֣א תַזְכִּ֔ירוּ לֹ֥א יִשָּׁמַ֖ע עַל־פִּֽיךָ: (יד) שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה: (טו) אֶת־חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת֘ תִּשְׁמֹר֒... 

Considering that the topic has genuinely changed to speaking of the Shabbos and holidays, this verse seems out of place. Further considering that most commentaries follow the same line of thinking, that this is a warning to not be a partner with idolators in business for they may force you to swear in the name of their god (or they might swear on account of you) – there doesn’t seem to be any connection to the holidays at all. 

Here is a sampling of some of the commentaries who think otherwise. We will regroup after reading their remarks. 

 Baal HaTurim: The reference to not mentioning other gods is connected to the 3 festivals to teach you that anyone who denigrates the festivals is considered as if serving foreign gods (based on Pesachim 118a). This idolatry is mentioned closest to the holiday of Pesach as if to suggest that “just as idolatry is forbidden from benefit in even the tiniest amount, so is Hametz forbidden on Pesach in even the tiniest amount.” (Pesachim 30a) 

Alshikh: “All that I told you” refers to the first two of the Ten Commandments – I am the Lord your God, and you shall not have any other gods before Me, not to make images or bow to/serve them – and now it is added that you shall not recall their names aloud. Through this you prevent the power of tumah from influencing the land. 

 Or HaChaim: The number of positive mitzvos is 248, and the number of negative ones are 365 (corresponding to the numbers of limbs and organs in the body). A person shouldn’t think that doing a certain number of mitzvos is sufficient to protect oneself from sin. Each mitzvah a person avoids (or sin one violates) has a negative impact on the organ/limb that it correspond to. As such, the number of fulfilled/guarded mitzvos helps guard oneself from idolatry, since rejecting idolatry is as if one agrees with all of the Torah. 

R Ramson Raphael Hirsch: This verse introduces us to the concept of a s’yag l’Torah – a fence protecting the Torah and its observance. 

In simple terms, then, this reference to avoiding speaking of idolatry being placed between a reference to Shabbos and all the other holidays may be coming to remind us of the distinction between Shabbos being described as 'כלו לה, and the holidays being considered as חצי לה' וחצי לכם. Shabbos is meant to be designated toward the service of God, while holidays are a time when we split our time – focusing halfways on God and the other half on our own enjoyment of the celebratory time. 

 It is entirely possible that if someone were to bring up an idol in the context of the resting time of a holiday that it may put a person on a bad path, or may take a person’s mind away from appreciating the Almighty favorably. 

The Torah is telling us, “Don’t go there.” The Torah is reminding us of the Ten Commandments. The Torah is presenting us with the importance of ALL the mitzvos. It is placing before us a protection for the land, so it is not invaded by foreign ideas, especially in a time when we are free to think and are not busied by our regular vocations and daily pursuits. 

Our challenge today is far less idolatry, but far more “distractions.” One could easily argue that our distractions, which are primarily technology and media, take us away from our spiritual pursuits, and would even take us away from our holiday observance if we are not careful. 

 Heaven knows that Alshich’s warning about tumah being brought in is most relevant. I remember as a child when one of the rebbeim came into our class and asked what we thought about allowing strangers into our living room conducting conversations that we don’t approve of, but allowing them to continue because we actually want to hear what they have to say, even if everything they say goes against our values? He told us that parable was what watching television was about (mostly referencing sitcoms and certain toxic talk shows).

 It may not always be true – sometimes it’s purely entertainment, informational, or educational. But can you imagine what our Shabbos and Yom Tov would look like if we hadn’t taken the bold move to say “this is not Shabbosdik” “We don’t use electricity in that way on Shabbos and Yom Tov.” “Though we could technically leave it on before Shabbos or Yom Tov, doing so would ruin the spirit of the day.” 

Let this verse forever serve as a reminder to us that even Shabbos and Yom Tov are targets for where idolatry can sneak its way in to destroy us. 

The Torah is telling us, DON’T TAKE THE BAIT. Remember who you are and don’t allow foreign influence to destroy that which you hold most precious and most dear. 

There is a time and place for almost everything. Shabbos and Yom Tov is about divesting from that which takes us away from holiness. The most unholy thing, the opposite of holiness, is idolatry and tumah. 

We should be blessed to keep ourselves as clean and pure as possible, especially when we are observing the holy days of Shabbos and Tom Tov.

Yisro: Adjudication and Compromise: Different Goals and Outcomes of Conflict Resolution

Parshat Yitro

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

In one of his essays on Parshas Yisro (“Justice or Peace?”) Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes of the challenge Moshe’s father-in-law witnessed in the leader’s inability to process all of the people who came to him on the model day in question. In his suggestion to Moshe to delegate judgment responsibilities to others, Rabbi Sacks quotes Netziv’s analysis of methods a court can take, focusing on the Talmudic preference for pshara (compromise) through mediation. 

 This was an innovative solution because it went against Moshe’s innate ability to get to the core of an issue, and bring forth a ruling that saw through a case to its rights and wrongs. Moshe’s strength was justice, being able to discern a victor and one who must pay (or whatever the dispute concerned – who was in the right and who was less right or wrong). 

One of Yisro’s arguments was that Moshe was exhausted after a long day, and that if he would only delegate the responsibilities, the people would be able to get home sooner and go about their day. Rabbi Sacks rightly notes, the people weren’t exhausted! Only Moshe was! 

And why weren’t the people exhausted? Because they were coming to learn, to watch the process with others, to see Moshe’s greatness and to learn from it. 

In other words, Moshe delegating would thus be advantageous to him alone, giving him more free time, less cases to deal with. But insofar as the people go, they would have less of a connection to Moshe, they wouldn’t learn from him anymore… unless their particular dispute would make its way through the tiered system back to the man at the top of the chain. 

 How then, is this to their advantage? 

Because life is not only about seeing black and white – as Moshe did in judgment. Life is also about being able to come to a table, to realize that each side may have a valid claim, and that while one side might surely be more right, that doesn’t mean the side that is less right is totally in the wrong. In other words, sometimes compromise is better for everyone in the long run.

 Rabbi Sacks rightly notes “No one regarded Moshe as anything less than the greatest leader and prophet Israel has ever had. It is rather that no one individual can embody all the virtues necessary to sustain a people. A priest is not a prophet (with rare exception). A king needs different virtues than a saint. A military man is not a man of peace (though he can become one later in life).” 

In other words, we are not being critical of Moshe here. We are wondering if there are advantages to a different way, if Yisro’s suggestion has merit (and if so, how much) or if Moshe’s method is what is best for the people, even if it is quite taxing on Moshe. 

 Malbim notes on 18:13 that everyone stood around watching the proceedings because this was how they were engaged in “studying and learning of God’s laws.” This is irrespective of whether Yisro’s visit was before or after the giving of the Torah (as the debate goes) because even if the visit follows the chronology of the Torah (i.e. before the giving of the Torah), there were an unspecified number of laws and statutes that were given over in Marah. Surely some mitzvos were already made clear to the Bnei Yisrael, such as Shabbos, Bris Milah, Rosh Chodesh, Korban Pesach, as well as basics of living together no longer under Egyptian rule. 

In Malbim’s view, Moshe’s big concern was that no one (other than himself) had a handle on “the law” and their judgments, which would have to come about from their own logic and however they saw things, would not be accepted by the litigants. They would have to come Moshe anyway. 

Yisro, on the other hand, thought that Moshe was actually judging in that way himself! Yisro was unaware of a “law system” his son-in-law might be using, especially prior to Matan Torah! 

Malbim further notes that the verse describes the people as standing around Moshe, with the word עמד, while when Yisro questions him about it, Yisro describes their standing around him as נצב from morning until evening. The difference between the two words for standing, Malbim explains, is that עמד implies simply standing, the opposite of sitting. הצבה (the kind of action that is described as נצב) is how people stand in a situation that requires strengthening. The king’s guards, for example, are typically described as נצבים. His servants, on the other hand, are עמדים. Those who came to stand around are described by the Torah as עמדים, because they chose to stand in order to listen to Moshe’s teachings and rulings. Yisro looked at the people as נצבים because from his perspective each person really wanted to have his case heard and wanted to go home. In his mind, they needed strengthening to carry them through the day’s worth of proceedings. Yisro did not realize people were choosing to be there to bask in the light of Moshe’s illuminating teachings.

Moshe thus had to explain that people were coming for different possible reasons: 

1. To seek an answer from God, or to learn of the future 
2. Conflict resolution 
3. Remedial intervention – such as a person who knows he has damaged someone else’s property, might go to Moshe to find out what he owes
1. Sometimes both parties would go together                        
4. Sometimes people would come just to learn about the laws of God 

In verse 18:16 Moshe claims that he is not doing things based on his own facts and logic, but that he is works based on the חקי הא-לקים ואת תורותיו – God’s laws and teachings. 

 The Rabbis teach us how Moshe trained the judges who ultimately formed his tier system. We know nothing of how they operated as the Torah does not describe it beyond that Moshe hired people to fill these roles, a narrative which is presented a little differently in Devarim chapter 1:13-18. [Those differences are discussed by various commentators]

In an ideal world, this method that Moshe used should be one employed by all Jews today when it comes to conflict resolution. We should not be going to secular court. We should be going to Beit Din to settle disputes, or to a qualified rabbinic scholar who could judge a case on its merits, and bring about an equitable solution. Some cases might be black and white and clear. Most cases likely have an area of gray in them, lending themselves to some kind of compromise. [People like to go to secular court because they feel if they win they’ll get a much bigger payout, and it’s more enforceable than a Bet Din judgment/ruling.] 

The problem is that some Batei Din have a reputation for being corrupt. Some Batei Din have fees that prevent people from coming to them. And Batei Din are limited in their power in that they can issue hazmanot (invitations) to individuals, but they have no authority to enforce that a person show up. Even if they call someone a m’sarev l’din (someone who refuses to come to work out their difference with someone calling them to court), invariably that person will delegitimize the Bet Din and will use stronger social media tactics than the Bet Din is interested in engaging in. As such, the entire system is undermined by the flaws that are inherent in it. [Not to mention that sending several hazmanot and several warnings against being a m’sarev l’din can take several months.] There are certainly unscrupulous people who take advantage of others (these "others" would never go to secular court), but also feel that going to Bet Din is a waste of time and money. Which leaves conflict resolution as a matter remaining in limbo – some conflicts are thus never resolved, and two parties may have nothing to do with each other - for a long time or for the rest of their lives! - on account of this, because there is no resolution. 

I’ll conclude with a masterful story about Rabbi Meir Shapiro. When he was the new rabbi in Glina, two people who shared ownership of a certain road in the town each wanted the other to pay for the post-winter repairs of the road. After their dispute eventually involved most of the Jews in town, they decided to come to the new rabbi in town to test him in his ability to resolve their issue. 

When they presented their case to him, he saw right away that it wasn’t about the money, as each could afford to fix the road himself. It was about ego and about being right – each wanted the other guy to pay for it, each for his own reasons. 

 As his biographer Rav Yehoshua Baumol told it: 

“He ordered each of them to produce the full amount of money that it would cost to repair the road properly. He soon had in his hand twice the amount that was needed. Without another word, he gave the money to one of his trusted attendants with orders to deliver it to the managers of the Talmud Torah. The money, he explained, was his fee for trying the case, and it was to be used for the school’s upkeep. “Now,” he said, “I will decide your case. Did you ever study the Mishna?” They answered in the affirmative. “When you have a chance, take a look at the beginning of Shekalim. There you will find a plain ruling that on the 15th of Adar the roads and byways have to be repaired. Why on that day? By then spring has certainly come. The winter is over, with all the rain and snow that must have melted, which has quite certainly left the roads an impossible and impassable mess of misshapen mud dried hard. So the 15th of Adar is a fine time to get the pathways and byways properly fixed and made usable. 

“On whom, though, does the duty fall to get the job done? Like the other rulings in the Mishna there, it is obviously the obligation of the Bet Din. That means that the matter is no business of yours,” he said to the fellow on the right, “nor is it any business of yours,” to the fellow on the left, “but entirely my affair.” 

 And then he took the money out of his own purse, to give it to a trusted attendant 

 “Since today is the fast of Esther, that means today is the 13th and since today is Thursday, the 15th falls on Shabbos, and consequently, the work cannot be started till Sunday. But that is in a mere detail. On Sunday,” he ordered his attendant, “you bring all the laborers you need and set [them] to work.” 

The impression that this stunning decision made on the community was beyond words. Everyone realized that by this master stroke of his, the new Rav of Glina had hit the target perfectly. Resolved and gone was the long-standing conflict, which had begun to turn acrimonious, drawing in evermore members of the community to take sides, and make matters worse. Now peace and quiet could return to the Jewry of Glina .

Just as important was the fact that Rav Meir emerged, completely clean and unharmed, untouched, and uninvolved. Had his decision favored one of the two the other would likely have remained resentful, and perhaps would even turn into something of an enemy of the Rav. Now, both the antagonist, and the Rav, could all live in peace. Neither had won, neither had lost . [- “A Blaze in the Darkening Gloom”, p. 64-66]

 It also helps that Rav Meir had those kinds of resources, as he had wealthy in-laws who supported him in his early years. 

This story is unique in that money was not an issue to either litigant, and the “compromise” achieved actually cost both sides the amount of the repair. They saw their monies go to support Torah study, though, and therefore each felt his money went to a good cause, while neither ended up paying for the road repair. 

Moshe’s cases were different – he was judging for right and wrong. Yisro’s goals for outcomes were also different. He was looking for mediation and compromise. And the Bnei Yisrael’s goals were also different – they wanted to learn from their new Rebbe, Moshe Rabbenu. 

May we all have a similar desire to learn and grow. May we merit to see proper resolution of disputes, and may Bet Din find a way to be relevant and fair to all parties, so that disputes can be resolved in the proper halakhic way, with everyone emerging feeling heard and finding a path forward through compromise.