Sarai's Treatment of Hagar

Please note that there are varying opinions on the propriety of using the names Avram and Sarai (their names before Bris Milah) versus using their names as we know them now. While in this piece they are referred to as Avraham and Sarah, the events described take place before their names are changed, when they are still Avram and Sarai. 

Parshat Lekh Lekha 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 One of the more incongruous moments in the tales of our righteous forefathers is the reality of Hagar seeming to be kicked out of the house of Avraham and Sarah, not once, but twice. This seems particularly strange considering her introduction to us includes Rashi’s comment “She was Pharaoh’s daughter. When he saw the miracles that happened to Sarah he said ‘It’ll be better for my daughter to be a maid in this house (of Avraham and Sarah) than to be the mistress (as in ‘wife of the master’) in a different house.’” 

This tradition suggests her father wanted her to be in the house of Avraham. Other presentations of the notion suggest it was Hagar herself who wanted to be close to Avraham’s household [e.g. Midrash Sechel Tov]. 

The Repetition in The Flood Narrative - An Exploration

Parshat Noach 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 When reading through the narrative leading into the flood, and the depiction of the flood itself, one comes away quite confused. Why all the repetition? God tells Noach and family to come into the Ark (7:1), and he does so (7:5), and yet we see he doesn’t come into the Ark until 7:7, on account of the waters of the flood. Yet the flood hasn’t really started yet, because there is rain for seven days, and then a flood (7:10). And yet, the flood truly begins in 7:11. Except the animals haven’t come yet – which they do after the people enter the Ark in 7:13. Then the animals and birds come in (7:14-16). However, it seems they already came in in 7:8-9.

 Rabbi Mordechai Breuer noticed this series of discrepancies and repetitions, and presented this section as one of many examples in the Torah that fall under the rubric of his Shitat HaBechinot. In simple terms, Rav Breuer was of the view that the questions raised by the Wellhausen school of Biblical Criticism couldn’t simply be ignored, but that there had to be a view espoused by Jews who believed the Torah was given at Sinai, and that it was all authored by One God, which took into account the concerns raised by Bible Critics. Rav Breuer had a very simple solution. The Torah sometimes presents ONE NARRATIVE as a combination of TWO WAYS in which God relates to the world and what is going on. One approach utilizes the Tetragrammaton, God’s holy 4-letter name (שם הוי׳ה) which is often seen as a depiction of God’s mercy. The other approach uses the name Elokim (א-לקים), which is often seen as a depiction of God’s judgment. 

Noach’s Name and What it Means

 Parshat Bereshis

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

The last 12 verses of the parsha seem to have nothing to do with whatever came before it. Most of the parsha deals with Creation, Garden of Eden, Adam, Chava, Kayin & Hevel. We are introduced to ten generations, and then the introduction of Noach has a different style. At the very least, we can learn from what we are about to explore that God's vision for humanity changes per the personalities of those on the ground, and that those on the ground have tremendous potential for good, or to choose a different direction.

Leading into the birth of Noach, instead of being told that the previous man lived “such number of years and begat so-and-so (a child who is mentioned by name)” (see 5:6,9,12,15,18,21,25), we are instead told that Lemekh lived 182 years - ויולד בן - “and begat a son” (5:28).

Eilah HaDevarim and HaDevarim HaEilah

Parshat Nitzavim Vayelekh

by Rabbi Avi Billet

With two exceptions, the phrases in the title – which are comprised of the same two words just inverted (though a letter Heh (ה) is added to Eileh when it is the second word) – refer throughout the experience of Moshe Rabbenu to the Torah/ Ten Commandments or simply the word of God that is to be followed. The two exceptions are when Moshe conveys to the people the fallout and repercussion for the incident of the spies, and when he finished explaining what is about to happen to Dasan and Aviram just before the ground opened up to the destroy them. In those two cases Moshe finished speaking HaDevarim HaEileh (these words/things) and the repercussion followed. 

 In the following chart I present the context (in Hebrew) and a brief summary (in English) of how the phrase is utilized 

Bringing Joy To Life

Parshat Ki Tavo

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Some people enjoy Yom Tov. Some people find it challenging to be b’Simcha on Yom Tov. Some people love the preparation and lead-in to Yom Tov. For some it is a tremendous burden. How could we be so clearly different when it comes to celebrating our special calendar days? 

We all know the answer: every person’s life journey is filled with ups and downs, low points and high points. And if Yom Tov comes along during a low point, or if life in general is in a low point and one is not content in other areas of life, Yom Tov isn’t a distraction from life, but a burden that gets in the way of “all the things that need to get done.” 

 Some people find Yom Tov to be a challenge if they either live alone all the time or will be alone for Yom Tov. Some might visit family and still feel alone! Someone in a failing marriage might feel this way, as might an adult single visiting parents of whatever age, as well as the more obvious divorced or widowed who find themselves in a life experience they did not anticipate, even if it has been many years since the end of the marriage. 

 In the United States, every year around Thanksgiving and the end of December, people write similar sentiments about going home for the holidays. Especially single people in their 30s, 40s and older. 

Keeping the Camp Holy

Parshat Ki Tetze 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The Torah speaks of the military encampment, and a level of purity, holiness, and even cleanliness which is meant to be maintained while out in the field. One aspect, the covering of human waste, can verily be understood to be the Torah’s way of also protecting from filth and disease which can easily be spread in a military space, when people do not properly tend to hygiene. [Incidentally, until the 20th century, in just about every military conflict in history, more soldiers died from disease, starvation and the elements than from combat. Even some fronts in WWI and WWII are disputed about these outcomes, but after the World Wars, this has certainly been the case – now, in general, there are far more casualties from combat than from those other factors.]

 

From Devarim Chapter 23:

Tamim Tihyeh = A Dose of Humility (Baal Tefillah and Lashon Hora)

Parshat Shoftim

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch writes on the verse “Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokekha” (“You shall be whole/complete with the Lord your God”) (18:13):

“Temimus required for the offerings, and for the offerers symbolizes the requirement of our wholehearted devotion to God – the devotion of the whole person, including all his relationships, to God. This wholeness is the direct result of our awareness of God’s unity. It is the realization of our vocation as עם סגולה, a nation belonging exclusively to God. 

“Here, this wholeness is described in its concrete sense. Not even the smallest fiber of our lives shall be detached from God; we must be with God in our entirety. Consequently, all the heathen ways described in the preceding verses are banned from the Jewish sphere. God alone is the director of our fate and the guide of our actions; He alone decides our future, and His will is the sole criterion by which we are to decide what to do and what to refrain from doing… Only from God would we seek instruction regarding what we should or should not do, if God had not already given us such instruction in his Torah. Actually, one who is Tamim is so completely engrossed in God that he thinks only of the duties he must perform at the present moment, and as for his success and his whole future – he puts all his trust in God. By fulfilling his duty, he has already attained the supreme goal of his doing and not doing. He has paid God the tribute of duty faithfully fulfilled, and he is impervious to anything beyond that.”

While I removed from his comment several sentences related to not seeking divination to know the future, his point that we don’t need to know the future, but it is necessary for us to have a hand in writing our own future. It is through being attached to God, and most specifically through Godly living, which means living a life focused on Mitzvah Fulfillment and doing Chesed, imitating the ways of God, and upping our game in our own Middos – through this we have a hand in our destiny. 

לשכנו תדרשו – L’shikhno Sid’r’shu

Parshat Re'eh 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 In furthering his instructions to the people as to how they are to go about their business of acquiring and settling the land, after informing them of the need to eradicate all places of worship they will encounter, altars, monuments, idols, worshiped-trees directed at the ‘gods’ of the nations, Moshe tells the Israelites that their own worship is to be confined “only to the place which the Lord your God shall choose from all your tribes, to set His Name there; you shall inquire after His dwelling and come there.” (12:5) 

 There will be exception to this for the first few years of their living in the land, as the bamah will be available for certain devotional offerings, but eventually all will be consumed under the rubric of the Mishkan and Mikdash, each being in a defined space in the future – the Mishkan being the central location, until such time as the Mikdash will be built. In the meantime, all formal sacrifices (Korbanot) are to be brought at the Mishkan.

Finding Our Purpose

Parshat Eikev

by Rabbi Avi Billet

8:2 – Moshe reminds people that in the undertaking of the responsibility of mitzvos, they must remember the entire journey of the Bnei Yisrael through the wilderness – 40 years – which was “to cause you difficulty, to test you, to know what is in your heart, whether you will observe the Mitzvos or not.” Ralbag posits that this was a test of grit, to see - after all these years - how committed they were to Torah. 

 Testing them consisted of there not being water, or no meat, nor vegetables, nor legumes. No garlic, no onions, nor whatever else they may have wanted – all they had was manna.

 All of this was to show the ability of God to sustain an entire nation, essentially, on bread alone.

The Concept of the Chosen People

 Parshat VaEtchanan

by Rabbi Avi Billet

At least twice in Va’Eschanan, Moshe makes a reference to the people of Israel being chosen by God. Anyone who can read would understand that the “chosenness” of which we speak is not a measure of “greatness” but is a measure of “mission,” meaning that the Jewish people were chosen to fulfill a particular mission in this world. 

 An essay which begins with such a pronouncement could go on for many pages, but since there is limited space here, we will explore how the selected verses in question demonstrate this notion, leaving out any judgments of peoples, of faiths, and of brainpower. The only “religious” component of chosenness is the basic tenet that there is one God. Anyone who serves or worships idolatry rejects the mission. And, to state what most of us know, while one need not become Jewish to exist in the community of God, there are virtually no barriers to entry to become Jewish, beyond the actual commitment to God, the Torah, and the Jewish people, which are basic requirements. 

Moshe's Eichah - a Different Lament

Parshat Devarim

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Note: The word איכה (Eikha or Eichah) means "How" and it is typically associated with LAMENT, primarily because it is the name of the book known in English as "Lamentations" - a mournful ode to the destruction of the First Temple.

Devarim 1:12 -  אֵיכָ֥ה אֶשָּׂ֖א לְבַדִּ֑י טָרְחֲכֶ֥ם וּמַֽשַּׂאֲכֶ֖ם וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם: 

The first comment in Midrash Eichah reads as follows: 

 “How [eikha] does…sit [alone].” Three prophesied with the term eikha: Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Moses said: “How [eikha] can I bear alone…” (Deuteronomy 1:12). Isaiah said: “How [eikha] did [the faithful city] become a harlot?” (Isaiah 1:21). Jeremiah said: “How [eikha] does [the greatly crowded city] sit alone?” Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a noblewoman who had three friends. One saw her in her tranquility, one saw her in her debauchery, and one saw her in her disgrace. So, Moses saw them in their glory and their tranquility and said: “How [eikha] can I bear alone your troubles?” Isaiah saw them in their debauchery and said: “How [eikha] did [the faithful city] become a harlot?” Jeremiah saw them in their disgrace and said: “How [eikha] does [the greatly crowded city] sit [alone]?” 

 This passage seems to present Moshe’s "Eichah" (bolded above) as a positive comment! 

The Leaders of Yehuda, Shimon, and Binyamim

Parshat Masei

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The Torah lists the names of the leaders of the tribes who will be apportioning the land to their constituents, and in doing so, the list begins this way

 במדבר פרק לד 

(יט) וְאֵ֖לֶּה שְׁמ֣וֹת הָאֲנָשִׁ֑ים למַטֵּ֣ה יְהוּדָ֔ה כָּלֵ֖ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּֽה: 

(כ) וּלְמַטֵּה֙ בְּנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֔וֹן שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עַמִּיהֽוּד: 

(כא) לְמַטֵּ֣ה בִנְיָמִ֔ן אֱלִידָ֖ד בֶּן־כִּסְלֽוֹן: 

(כב) וּלְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵי־דָ֖ן נָשִׂ֑יא בֻּקִּ֖י בֶּן־יָגְלִֽי:

(כג) לִבְנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף לְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵֽי־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה נָשִׂ֑יא חַנִּיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־אֵפֹֽד: 

One notes that the tribes seem to be presented in no particular order, the leaders of the tribes of Yehuda, Shimon and Binyamin are not referred to as Nasi, and when it comes to the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin, the word Bnei does not precede the name of the tribe, as it does for Shimon, Dan, Menashe, and all the other tribes that follow (which I left out of the quote above). 

 Why? 

America 250 - Fighting for Liberty, at the 50 Years Marker

July 4th Sermon (Parshat Pinchas)

by Rabbi Avi Billet

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation.” – Ronald Reagan 

Shortly after the incident of Pinchas killing Zimri and Kozbi in an act of zealotry, the instruction is given to Moshe to plan to fight against Midian. This is not to be confused with the actual command which takes place in Bamidbar 31:2 (see Chizkuni 25:17). Rashi says they gave up their daughters to fornication to lead the Israelites to follow Pe’or (an idol). The problem is that the Torah tells us ויחל העם לזנות אל בנות מואב – that the Israelites were enticed by the daughters of Moav. And while one can make the argument that there was an alliance between Midian and Moav (see the interchange of Balak’s officers who come to invite Bilaam, sometimes they are officers of Midian, sometimes of Moav – see 22:4,7,8,14,21), as Balak King of Moav seems to be the impetus behind the plan to cause Israel to sin, the fact is that the instruction is to fight against Midian. 

 Chizkuni notes, Moav gets a pass simply because they were afraid of Israel, whereas Midian entered a fight not their own and was involved in the real enticement.

Recording of the Deaths of Er and Onan

 Parshat Pinchas 

 by Rabbi Avi Billet (with much help from Rabbi Hayyim Ibn Atar) 

There is a census in Parshas Pinchas that follows the plague at Shittim, which was promulgated by the events of Baal Pe’or, in which 24,000 people died. This census is reported in a similar fashion to the one recorded in Parshas B’midbar, though here it goes into larger details about the names of the families in the different tribes. The census tally is relatively close to what it had been at that time – then 603,550, now 601,730. That the population essentially replaced itself would seem fairly natural. The oddity is seeing how some tribes have grown tremendously in numbers (such as Menashe), while others have a significant decrease (ie Shimon). The Leviim, in their separate count, go from 22,000 to 23,000. Unlike the regular tribes, this is a very strange degree of growth, as our tradition has it that the tribe of Levi was not subject to the decree against the generation of the spies. Thus they would not be subject to mere replacement, as many of those who were over 20 could very well still be alive at this time. 

 Additionally, there are a number of added components to the census – some of which make sense (mentioning Tzlafchad’s daughters), and some which don’t make sense as they contribute nothing to the actual census. Yehuda’s sons who died before the family even came down to Egypt are mentioned. Dasan and Aviram and Korach – all of whom are dead – are mentioned. Nadav and Avihu, who left no children, are mentioned in the census of the Leviim (even though they are surely not “counted”). 

Am/Kahal v Edah – The Groups that Led to Moshe and Aharon’s Departure

Parshat Chukat

by Rabbi Avi Billet

For ease, the following words are presented over and over in Hebrew as the emphasis below is how they are used in the Torah’s text: קהל = Kahal; עדה = Eidah; עם = Am; בני ישראל = Bnei Yisrael; קהל ה' = K’hal Hashem. Each word or phrase refers to a group of people, and the ensuing discussion surrounds whether they are the same group or different groups

 The fallout from Mei Merivah seems clear in the story, but what is unclear is WHAT WENT WRONG. Elsewhere in the Torah Moshe and Aharon are told of different general flaws in that tale as to why they won’t be entering the land – לא האמנתם בי להקדשני, מריתם פי, מעלתם בי, לא קדשתם אותי – and a legitimate question to ask is, in using those terms: Is God talking to Moshe and Aharon, or is He talking to the people or about the people themselves? Who didn’t have faith? Who rebelled against God? [See Bamidbar 20:24;27:14; Devarim 32:51]

Aharon's Worthiness

Parshat Korach 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

One of the counter-claims that Moshe makes to those challenging Aharon is ואהרן מה הוא כי תלינו עליו – “and what is Aharon that you are complaining against him?” (16:11) In other words, why do you have a problem with him, when he is not the one who appointed himself? If you have issues with me, keep them aimed at me, and leave Aharon out of this! 

 The Kotzker Rebbe explained Moshe’s response to mean, “Do you know WHAT Aharon is? Do you know WHO Aharon is? Do you have any concept of his greatness and his holiness?”

 It’s a real attempt at shutting down those who are challenging the man hand-picked by God to be the Kohen Gadol. 

Biblical Names Sometimes Reflect Character

Parshat Shlach

by Rabbi Avi Billet

 The Torah presents individuals and groups of people using names that sometimes reflect something about them. The Talmud (Sotah11b) tells us that the father of Kalev ben Yefuneh was named Chetzron, and that “Yefuneh” is a word describing how he “turned himself away from the viewpoint of the spies.” (This is based on Divrei HaYamim I 2:9,18. A number of commentaries quote this Talmudic statement) 

Kalev is credited with marrying two women (see Divrei HaYamim above, and Rashi there on 2:18) – first Azuvah, and after her death, Efrat, and our Sages tells us Efrat was Miriam, and the name Efrat (אפרת) is because the Israelites multiplied (פרו ורבו) in her merit. 

Moshe’s father-in-law is credited with having up to 7 names, each one speaking something about the man, more than helping us know what his real name was. 

Even Moshe Rabbenu’s name, the one he is most famous for, was given to him by the daughter of Pharaoh. The Sages teach us (Vayikra Raba 1) that he had ten names, and the Midrash there explains each name’s significance: Yered, Chever, Yekutiel, Avigdor, Avi Socho, Avi Zanoach, Toviah, Shmaya ben Netanel, Hasofer, Halevi. Presumably his parents named him when he was born, but that name is not revealed to us in the Torah. 

 Similarly when it comes to the nation of Israel, they are sometimes referred to as עם (nation), קהל (community), עדה (assembly), and בני ישראל (Children of Israel). Do each of these words really mean the same thing? Are they referring to different groups of people? Do they refer to different attitudes of the people? Is it dependent on context for us to figure out who we are reading about? 

Was Aharon Punished Along With Miriam?

Parshat B'haalotkha 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Though I touched upon this subject last year, many issues with the tale of Miriam and Aharon speaking about Moshe remain unresolved. One question that should easily stand out is “was Aharon punished?” 

The rules of Lashon Hora are fairly clear that both speaker and listener (the mekabel) are guilty of the deed (see the Introduction to Lashon Hora in the Sefer Chafetz Chaim). Even if a person merely listens and does not respond, the person is considered to have been an active participant. If indeed that is what Miriam and Aharon engaged in, and are therefore guilty of, it would seem that Aharon should have been similarly punished. 

The Devotions of the Nesiim - the Same but Very Different

Parshat Naso

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Chapter 7 contains the offerings and gifts of the Nesiim, which are presented as being mostly the same as one another, both in words and even in their cantillation. Why all the repetition? Why not just say ONCE what each Nasi brought as a korban, and then say “Each Nasi brought this same offering”? 

 Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch explained that when the Torah describes each Korban, introducing it with the word קרבנו, the Torah is telling us that each one brought HIS OWN Korban, irrespective of knowledge of what each Nasi brought before him. After the fact, as it turned out, each set or group of offerings was the same. 

 Think, for example, how many people give donations in multiples of 18. There isn’t a “requirement” to do so, yet many people will end up giving the same donation because of an association to the word חי (“life”) which has a numerical value of 18.

 Sometimes people think alike, even if they don’t consult with one another. And so, Rav Shternbuch explains, each Nasi happened to think alike. But they weren’t copying one another. In listing each set of korbanos, the Torah might have presented a different result from each Nasi had they actually been different. The fact is that each one came to his contribution on his own, without consulting others. That they turned out the same is coincidental. 

 So what was the thought process? Here are some possibilities.

Are We Celebrating the Giving of the Torah on the Right Day?

Shavuos Morning Sermon 5786/2026

In looking over some material that I used many years ago, I came across a question that had never bothered me. But now it actually bothers me. Before I share the question, let us consider a little bit of background information. 

Background

We read this morning that the Bnei Yisrael arrived at Sinai at the beginning of the third month, even though there are other ways to read it – such as “בחדש השלישי לצאת בני ישראל מארץ מצרים” – “in the 3rd month after they left Egypt, meaning now into the 3rd month since traveling, sixty days into the journey – they came to Sinai.” This reading would put their arrival there at the 15th of Sivan the earliest, with Matan Torah coming a few days after that. 

 While that is a legitimate reading of the text, it is essentially universally accepted that they arrived at Sinai at the beginning of the 3rd month on the calendar, which we now call Sivan. They received the Torah a few days later – though the Talmud records a debate as to whether it was the 6th or 7th of Sivan. 

 And while I know I just said “received the Torah” – technically they heard the Aseres HaDibros. They said נעשה, and in Mishpatim we hear about their saying נעשה ונשמע, and in Va’Eschanan the version we hear is ושמענו ועשינו. And over the next 40 days Moshe Rabbenu had a Chavrusa with Hashem during which time he was told the Mishpatim of Parshas Mishpatim, and perhaps even all the Mitzvos of the Torah, but the people weren’t really exposed to it until Moshe came down with the 2nd set of Luchos. So when the people received the Torah is a matter of perspective or preferred point of view.