V'Ahavta L'Reiakha Kamokha

Kedoshim 

Compiled by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg and translated by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Itturei Torah, a sefer that has a collection of Divrei Torah on every parsha, has two pages dedicated to the Mitzvah of V’ahavta l’Rei’akha Kamokha – which is often loosely translated to mean “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The Torah ideas are sourced from a cross between classic commentaries to Chassidish Rebbehs, sometimes with stories attached, sometimes a musser lesson. I don’t know if the book has been translated (I am pretty sure it hasn’t been). 

Here are many of the entries on this verse – my translation (AB).  [If you'd like to see perspectives from more "classic" sources - click here]

 R Moshe Leib Sassover explained how he learned from a non-Jew what it means to love your fellow man. He saw two villagers sitting around, drinking together, till they were quite inebriated. They started kissing one another. One said to the other, “Do you love me?” Of course I do, my friend! “How can you say you love me, when you don’t know what I lack?” 

 R Moshe Leib said, “At that moment I realized that a Jew doesn’t truly love his fellow until he is aware of what his fellow Jew lacks,” and how he can therefore help the other person. 

Rituals of Purification

 Parshat Tazria-Metzora

by Rabbi Avi Billet

There are 4 rituals in the Torah that bear similarities in how they are presented. Three of them are associated with the categories of people mentioned by Baal HaTurim (as will be noted below) – Leviim, Nazir, and Metzora, and the 4th category are Aharon and sons, the Kohanim, at the time they are initially turned from Leviim to Kohanim, as they are consecrated to work in the Mishkan. 

 This chart summarizes (incompletely) the components of those respective rituals and where they appear in the Torah. 

Aharon's Silence

Parshat Shmini 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 Immediately after the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, Moshe tells his brother, “This is what God meant when he said ‘I’ll be sanctified with those closest to me and before the nation I’ll be honored,’ and Aharon was silent.” 

 Aharon’s silence in response to all of this is legendary, such that much has been written about it. How we learn from him how to mourn, how to accept tragedy as God’s will.

 But is it really as simple as that? Is Aharon really accepting of the tragedy? Does he have no questions? Is there no anger in his heart? No feeling of “Why my sons, God?” And is his silence in reaction to the tragedy he experienced? Or is it a response to Moshe’s words?

Eliyahu HaNavi and Night Time Salvation

Pesach 5786

A Sermon by Rabbi Avi Billet

Beyond Israel’s now 78 year war with its local enemies, the current military action in Iran is the first time another power has gotten involved on the offensive, advancing shared interests with the Jewish State. In the past some countries have provided weapons to Israel to help Israel fight her own fight. And the Patriot missiles, a not-as-good-as-Iron Dome method of intercepting missiles was used in the 1991 Iraq War. That war, as many surely recall, started after Iraq invaded Kuwait. And while Israel was not involved, Saddam Hussein had threatened that if the US invades, he’d shoot missiles at Israel. Which he did. 

That war put Israel on alert to put bomb shelters in all new construction, including houses and apartment buildings. Some are actually in apartments and are for the use of the family living there, while some are in the basements of buildings and are more communal.