Rav Moshe Weinberger - Parshas Emor 5772 - Shabbos Morning Drasha - Who do you Serve?

Below, please find a write-up of Rav Weinberger's morning drasha from parshas Emor. Baruch Hashem, this version reflects his review of the write-up. See here for past write-ups. Also, thousands of Rav Weinberger's shiurim are available online on ravmosheweinberger.com HERE.

Rav Weinberger spoke with Bar Mitzva through high school boys at Shalosh Sheudos so no Shalosh Sheudos write-up will be forthcoming from my amazing chaver Efrayim. And this Shabbos, parshas Behar-Bechukosai, Rav Weinberger will be away in L.A. so there will be no write-ups.

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Parshas Emor 5772

Who do You Serve?

Last week, in parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, we said that the a Jew becomes holy by focusing on fighting the innumerable little battles in his daily life despite “השחיקה האיטית ומתמדת של החיים,” “the slow, constant grind of daily life.” Several people have approached me looking for something that they can think about to help them overcome the effects of the “daily grind.” I believe there is a powerful כוונה, thought, one can have based on this week’s parsha in order to focus himself in these daily battles.

There is a מחלוקת ראשונים, dispute among the Medieval commentaries, with regard to the nature of the animals and עבדים כנעניים, Canaanite slaves, owned by a Kohein. The Torah, in this week’s parsha, (Vayikra 22:11), says: “וְכֹהֵן כִּי-יִקְנֶה נֶפֶשׁ קִנְיַן כַּסְפּוֹ הוּא יֹאכַל בּוֹ וִילִיד בֵּיתוֹ הֵם יֹאכְלוּ בְלַחְמוֹ,” “If a Kohein buys a person with money, he [the Canaanite slave] may eat of it ... and he that is born in his house shall eat of his bread.” This pasuk permits a Kohein to feed his own Canaanite slave and animals his תרומה, sanctified food, although he is otherwise forbidden to feed an animal or Canaanite slave such sanctified food.

The Rambam (Hilchos Terumos 6:1) implies that animals and Canaanite slaves belonging to Kohanim retain their status of זר, “outsider” with respect to the prohibition of consuming sanctified food, but that the Torah, through the pasuk quoted above, makes an exception to the general prohibition against an outsider consuming sanctified food because the Kohein needs to use the sanctified food he lives off of to feed his animals and Canaanite slaves as part of his obligation to care for his family.  

Rashi, on the other hand (Gittin 11b), differentiates between animals and Canaanite slaves. With respect to animals, he agrees with the Rambam that although they are considered outsiders, the Kohein is permitted to feed them sanctified food as an exception to the general rule. He finds it untenable, however, to apply the same principle to the Canaanite slaves. The Rambam’s “exception to the outsider rule” may explain how the Kohein is permitted to feed sanctified food to the Canaanite slave, but it cannot explain how the Canaanite slave himself is permitted to eat it. Canaanite slaves are personally obligated to observe all of the negative commandments and all of the positive commandments a Jewish woman is obligated to observe. How then, according to Rashi, is the Canaanite slave permitted to eat the Kohein’s sanctified food? It must be Rashi understands that because the Canaanite slave is owned by the Kohein, he no longer has the status of a זר, an outsider. Rather, he is considered an extension of the Kohein himself. 

Rav Shmuel Birenbaum, זצ"ל, the former Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, uses this Rashi to teach a fundamental lesson in our service of Hashem. We see from Rashi that when one person is owned by another, there is a relationship between them and he becomes an extension of his owner. That is why the Canaanite slave loses his status as an outsider and is permitted to eat the Kohen’s sanctified food. Because the Kohein owns him, he becomes an extension of the identity of the Kohein, and he is somehow transformed and elevated because of this.

Rav Birenbaum points out that we see the same principle applied in the case of a Jew purchased as a slave to a non-Jew. Rashi in next week’s parsha (Vayikra 26:1) teaches that the Torah commands a Jew who is owned by a non-Jew to keep the mitzvos just like every other Jew. According to Rashi, “כנגד זה הנמכר לגוי, שלא יאמר הואיל ורבי מגלה עריות אף אני כמותו ... הואיל ורבי מחלל שבת אף אני כמותו,” “the pasuk speak to a a person sold to a non-Jew, so that he should not say, ‘Since my master commits acts of sexual immorality, I will do like him ... Since my master desecrates Shabbos, I will do like him.’”  

Rav Birenbaum asks how anyone could possibly think that just because he is owned by a non-Jew that suddenly he would be allowed to break Shabbos and commit acts of sexual immorality. He teaches that if the Torah must devote a special pasuk to teach that one is, in fact, obligated to keep the commandments even when he is owned by a non-Jew, it must be that but for that pasuk, one would perhaps be exempt from the mitzvos when owned by a non-Jew. This strengthens Rav Birenbaum’s point that according to Rashi, a person’s slave becomes an extension of himself.

We can use this thought to strengthen ourselves in our war against the daily grind to become קדושים, holy people. Hashem says (Vayikra 25:55) “כִּי-לִי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים,” “the Jewish people are My slaves.” With respect to our attitude toward any mitzva we do, there are two ways we may look at it. For example, let us assume someone is prepared to do the mitzva of comforting a mourner by making a shiva call. The Torah says (Devarim 28:9) “'והלכת בדרכיו,” “and you shall walk in His ways.” Before the person leaves to make the shiva call, he can think “Hashem is in charge and he told me to do something so I will obey him even though I am tired.” That is beautiful. But a person can take a different perspective and think “I belong to Hashem. I am on His team. Because it is His desire to care for people in need, and because I am part of Him, it is also my will do take care of people.” The second perspective demonstrates an identity between the Master and the servant, such that the servant acts because he is an extension of the essence of the Master.

A Jew must recognize and contemplate upon the fact that Hashem has acquired each of us as his servants, we belong to Him, and we are part of Him. We therefore have the ability to rise above the day-to-day grind of life, to be holy, and to live lives of holiness because we are part of something greater than ourselves and greater than any human power. We are part of the Life of all worlds and are therefore not bound to the strictures and pressures of mundane life.

According to the Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni Shmuel 139) “קרא הקב"ה למלאכי-השרת, ואמר להם: בואו וראו בריה שבראתי בעולמי, זה יורד למלחמה ויודע שהוא נהרג, נוטל בניו עמו ושמח על מידת הדין הפוגעת בו,” “Hashem called out to the ministering angels and said to them, ‘Come and see this creature that I created in my world. He goes out to war knowing that he will be killed, he takes his sons with him and rejoices in the attribute of justice which is about to take his life.” Why was it necessary for Hashem to call the angels over to see that man is capable of giving his life for a higher cause and rejoice in his sacrifice? Didn’t they already know the nature of man?

The truth is that there are two levels of man’s nature. The angels only understood man’s nature in terms of their natural abilities. That is why they said about man (Sanhedrin 38b quoting Tehilim 8:5), “מה אנוש כי תזכרנו ובן אדם כי תפקדנו,” “What is man that you should remember him and what is the son of man that you should be mindful of him?” But they did not understand the second attribute of man, that he is the “קנין כספו,” the property of Hashem who draws his essence from the infinite nature of his Master. That is what Hashem was trying to show the angels. “Look how man gives his life for something greater than himself! Such a thing is beyond human capacity. A Jew can accomplish much more than what is humanly possible when he recognizes that he is part of Me.” 

A בחור, a young man once came to me a few years ago after he had met with a non-observant therapist. He sought help from the therapist to free himself from certain very harmful activities with which he was involved. He told me that after listening to the boy, the therapist told him, “It appears that you are not capable of abstaining from succumbing to your baser desires. You must therefore give into all of your inclinations. If you do not do so, you will become psychologically unhealthy.” Someone who is not connected to a deeper reality, who does not know that a Jew is not limited by what is “humanly possible” from a purely naturalistic perspective, cannot fathom that a young man can hold himself in a state of purity until marriage.

Hashem said (Vaykra 25:42) “כִּי-עֲבָדַי הֵם ... לֹא יִמָּכְרוּ מִמְכֶּרֶת עָבֶד,” “They are my servants ... they will not be sold as slaves.” We belong to something higher than the world. We cannot sell ourselves short by enslaving ourselves to the pressures of everyday life. Before we face each of the little tests that, according to human nature, would bring down our standards and sell ourselves short over time, we must declare “I am a servant of G-d! That is not me!”

Before Eliezer began his negotiations with Lavan and Besuel, he recognized that he was dealing with dishonest people. He therefore started off the whole conversation by announcing (Bereishis 24:34) “עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם אָנֹכִי,” “I am a servant of Avraham!” He was not informing Lavan and Besuel of his job description. He was strengthening himself by reminding himself, “I am a servant of G-d. I don’t deal dishonestly no matter what everyone around me is doing.”

As we go about our daily lives, if we feel like saying a few words to our friend in Shul, if we feel like visiting a website at work that we wouldn’t want our wives to know we saw, or if we’re changing the umpteenth diaper that day (and the men at work are sometimes exposed to things much dirtier than diapers), a Jew should say to him or herself, “אנא ה' כי אני עבדיך,” “Please Hashem, I am your servant!” With that thought a Jew can remind himself that he is connected to the infinite Source of life, Hashem. With that he can rise above the constant, daily grind of life and attain holiness.

May we merit to remember that we are servants of Hashem so that we may attain the holiness of the Beis Hamikdash with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.

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Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shalosh Seudos Drasha - Parashas Acharei-Kedoshim 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim. This version reflects his review of the write-up. You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger
Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Acharei-Kedoshim 5752

The Yismach Yisroel of Alexander: The Tumah of the Ego

(Original text of the Yismach Yisroel (Pesach Sheini p.129) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

This is a Torah from the Yismach Yisroel of Alexander.

Tonight we are going into Pesach Sheini. We don't have the Bais Hamikdash right now, and we're all in the Geder of Tameh L'Nefesh u B'Derech Rechoka. But Pesach Sheini is for always! So this is a thought from the Alexander Rebbe on how this applies to us today.
 

The passuk says (Bamidbar 9:7) "ויאמרו למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ה׳ במועדו בתוך בנ״י" (They said "why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem's offering in it's appointed time among the Children of Israel?"). Their concern is understandable. But didn't they know that they were Tameh Meis (impure through a corpse)? Maybe they asked according to what is written in the Gemara (Sukkah 25), that they were impure from a Meis Mitzvah (a corpse that no one else is available to take care of) (see Rashi there).

Why was this even a question? There was a clear problem preventing them from bringing the korban, and they knew that!

They asked this knowing full well that everything comes from the One that ordains everything. What was it that brought about their sin that they should be Tameh Meis on Erev Pesach and not be able to bring their Pesach offering?

They were asking trying to understand the root of their problem that required such a punishment.

But their question is double: "why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem's offering" and "among the Children of Israel?". The words of Chazal are known (as brought down by Rashi in parshas Bechukosai) "אינו דומה מועטים העושים את המיצוה, למרובים העושים את המיצוה" (It's not the same when a few perform a Mitzvah, to a multitude performing a Mitzvah). Their question was "if we had been pure, we would have been able to bring the Pesach offering with the rest of Bnei Yisoel. Then the mitzvah would have been of a superior kashrus, as a larger multitude would have performed it". They were distressed by having caused the collective mitzvah of Am Yisroel to be deficient. When Moshe Rabbeinu saw how greatly distressed they were over causing Klal Yisroel's Pesach offering to be lacking, he told them to wait  to hear what Hashem would command them to do.

Their intention was to find out from Moshe the cause of their sin. The answer came in the passuk "וידבר ה׳ וכו׳ איש איש כי יהיה טמא לנפש" (Hashem spoke etc., each and every man if he will become contaminated through a human corpse). Moshe Rabbeinu tells them that the cause is that had somehow separated themselves from the community of Bnei Yisroel. That they saw themselves as special individuals that should not be mixed up with the general public. "איש איש" means that "each one" thought of himself as an "איש", a separate individual.

There was a problem in their connection with other Jews.

As it's stated in the Zohar Hakadosh, they themselves felt their "greatness", that they deserved to be called "איש", from "שררות" (authority), from "אישי כוהן גדול" (My Lord Kohen Gadol).

This was the cause of their sin, and through Teshuvah M'Ahavah (Repentance out of love), they were able to come to Ahavas Yisroel (Love of other Jews), which is Ahavas Hakadosh Baruch Hu (Love of G'd). As it's written (Parshas Kedoshim) "ואהבת לרעך כמוך, אני ה׳" (And you will love your fellow Jew like yourself, I am your G'd). Through their longing to offer the Pesach sacrifice "Among the Children of Israel", their transgression became a Zchus (merit), and they deserved that this parsha be given over through them. Because a Zchus is brought about through one that deserves it.

If the agreement in the Gemara is that they were Tameh Meis Mitzvah, why did they deserve that this parsha be given through them and not through Moshe Rabbeinu? Maybe we can explain according to our words, that essence of the cause of their Tumah grew out of the sin of Gasus Haruach (Ego), this is what separated them from Klal Yisroel.

All Tumah comes from Gasus Haruach. Someone who holds of himself will inevitably have a problem in his connection to other Jews and to Hashem.  

The tikkun (rectification) for this is humility and unity. It would have been proper for this to be said through Moshe Rabbeinu, the most humble of men, the Faithful Sheppard of Yisroel. Coming from his holy mouth, these words would have been received without a doubt. Through the reading of the parsha, they would have awakened love and brotherhood in Yisroel, and a lowly spirit of humility. However it was them, through their Teshuvah M'Ahavah, that deserved this to be written in their name. This way these words were able to go directly to the heart of Bnei Yisroel, even the ones already bearing this blemish of haughtiness that separates them from others. When Hashem helps them, through the sanctification of time, and opens their eyes to see that this is not the way to go up Har Hashem (the Mountain of G'd), then they will be able submit their uncircumcised heart, and return in Teshuvah to Hashem. They will be able to lower themselves and to annul their egos to Klal Yisroel, to return and be healed. Thus they will merit to feel the light of Kedusha of the Holidays just like the pure ones in Klal Yisorel were able to feel it the first night of Pesach. 

The Ribbono Shel Olam should help us to remove the Tumah from ourselves, and to return us from the Derech Rechoka. We should be Zoche to "ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים" (May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in compassion), so that we will be able to eat "מן הזבחים ומן הפסחים; מן הפסחים ומן הזבחים" (Of the offerings and Pesach sacrifices), with the Geulah HaSheleima VeHaamitis בב״א.

Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shabbos Morning Drasha - Acharei Mos-Kedoshim - 5772

Below, please find a write-up of Rav Weinberger's morning drasha from parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim. Baruch Hashem, this version reflects his review of the write-up. See here for past write-ups. Also, thousands of Rav Weinberger's shiurim are available online on ravmosheweinberger.com HERE.

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Acharei Mos-Kedoshim 5772

The Daily Grind

The central focus of this week’s parshios is קדושה, holiness. The parshios return to that theme again and again. It is, however, difficult to understand. The books which delve into the deeper aspects of Torah explain how exalted the concept of קדושה, holiness is. The Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel 37), for example, teaches that “הקדושה היא הדבר שמובדל בעצם,” “holiness is something which is completely separate [from this world].” The picture of holiness that emerges from our parshios, however, is quite different. It starts out (Vayikra 19:2) “קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם,” “you shall be holy because I, Hashem your G-d am holy.”  

While this also sounds like an expression of exalted holiness, the entire remainder of the parsha contains, among other things, very mundane prohibitions against stealing, lying, tricking others, honoring one’s parents, and the forbidden intimate relationships. These are matters which any decent, moral human being would observe even if he were not commanded to do so. Can the Torah mean to teach that observing such prohibitions is the entire extent of holiness? Where is the exaltedness of holiness in our parshios? 

I  came across a powerful insight into this question in the writings of Rav Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz). He explains that in our daily war against the evil inclination, and our struggle to attain holiness, there are two general enemies. The first is the explosive intrusion of evil into our lives, the sudden temptations to commit the most devastating sins. Generally speaking, these are not an issue for most observant Jews. The second category, Rav Steinsaltz explains, is is the “שחיקת החיים,” the slow, steady grind of life. In this second manifestation of the evil inclination, there is no dramatic fight, no sudden temptation, and nothing unusual happens. This second strategy used by the enemy involves the slow, daily grind of life, which wears us down and chips away at our defenses. In order to counteract the effects of this daily grind, we must strengthen ourselves against this “שחיקה האיטית  והתמידית של החיים,” “slow, constant grind of life,” in the words of Rav Steinsaltz.  

The majority of the prohibitions in this week’s parshios relate to to sins which a person is likely to do primarily in the context of the daily grind of life, when one’s defenses are down and he is in a rut. One is not likely to steal or cheat in business in some dramatic, sudden event like a complete loss of livelihood. Sometimes it is easier to stay honest in such situations. But after days, months, and years of working and business life, after living with the monetary pressures of raising a family, one starts to let his guard down and rationalize “minor” acts of “bending” the rules to earn a little extra or save a few dollars here and a few dollars there. For example, one may fail to report some of his income to save on taxes, or he bills his clients for just a little bit more work that he actually performed. Usually, one only transgresses the prohibitions (Vayikra 11, 35) against stealing, lying, or having dishonest weights and measures because, over time, he has simply stopped caring because of the long term effect of the pressures of the daily grind. 

There is a fascinating Tosefta in Beah (3:6) which praises Reb Elazar B’R’Tzadok and Aba Shaul for their extreme honesty with respect to proper weights and measures in the stores they kept in Yerushalayim. This is diffiult to understand. Are we to assume that all of the other shopkeepers in Yerushalayim were thieves? Certainly not, but it could be that there were indeed many shopkeepers who let the “שחיקת החיים,” the daily grind of life get to them. In addition, are we to understand that it was difficult for these Tana’im, authors of the mishnayos, to maintain basic honesty in business? Certainly not, but the point of the Tosefta is to teach that it is no simple feat to maintain the highest standards of honesty even where one could rationalize that “everyone is doing it.”  

Even the elicit relationships at the end of both of this week’s parshios do not usually occur suddenly. They come from the daily grind at, for example, the office. A person begins to become lax in the sense of modesty he used to maintain. He begins chatting a little more than necessary with his female coworkers or he uses inappropriate words or tells jokes that he would not have even considered telling in years past. After letting himself get overly friendly with someone at work over a long period of time, eventually he allows things to get out of hand and does something he will regret. I regularly hear about these things actually happening from those who are brave enough to actually admit it and are seeking to turn their lives back around. The person did not get into that situation all at once. It happened slowly, as the person found himself in a rut and let his guard down. Such a person would have been able to withstand a great, sudden test. But he failed the little tests which ultimately brought him to the lowest place. The real test is standing up to the little challenges, the tiny temptations, day-in and day-out. 

That is why it is a great accomplishment to avoid looking at inappropriate things on the computer at work, even when they pop up in ostensibly innocuous places. These temptations never end so it is vital to keep one’s guard over over time. Similarly, with respect to how one relates to people of the opposite gender at work, he must maintain a constant polite but distant style at all times.

In another vein, I have been hearing more frequently about the grueling effect of the daily grind of raising young children on young mothers. I have men come to me to complain that while they go to shul, learn in the evenings, and attend shiurim, the daily grind has worn away their wives’ desire for davening, Torah, and shiurim. These women are barely able to say amen at kiddish Friday night before falling asleep. Their husbands want to know where the enthusiastic seminary girls they married have gone. Meanwhile, these young mothers go to work or tend to young children all day and all night and between the children crying at night and their tzadik-like husbands snoring away, they get very little sleep at night. The daily grind wears them down and takes away their interest in spiritual growth to the point where they can no longer relate to the noble aspirations of their younger years.

Even in shuls where talking during davening is not acceptable, like ours, regular participation over time, although it is a great thing, can lead to excessive comfort and a loosening of standards. People who previously would not have uttered a word during davening, after several years, start to take a certain amount of license, and begin saying a word here and word there. When enough people do this, it begins to tear down the atmosphere of holiness and sanctity in davening that used to exist. That is the pernicious effect of the שחיקת החיים, the daily grind of the sanctity of a בית הכנסת, a shul. 

The secret of holiness, therefore, is the ability to maintain a standard, even a simple and basic standard of honesty and morality, with התמדה, consistency over time despite the grinding effect of day-to-day life. The battleground wherein one becomes a קדוש, a holy person, is his commitment to maintain his standards day-in and day-out. The pasuk says (Vayikra 19:2) “קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם,” “you shall be holy because I, Hashem your G-d am holy.” What is the secret of Hashem’s holiness? As it says in Malachi, (3:6) “אֲנִי ה' לֹא שָׁנִיתִי,” “I am Hashem, I do not change.” The secret of holiness is not letting the daily grind chip away at a person’s determination to live his life in strict adherence with Hashem’s will.

May we merit to attain holiness by achieving and maintaining our commitment to simple expressions of holiness in day-to-day life despite the grinding effect it attempts to have on us. In the merit of the consistency of the fire of our Divine service, may we merit the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash where we will once again merit to offer the korbanos morning and afternoon with consistency (Vayikra 6:6), “אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא תִכְבֶּה,” “the continual fire shall burn on the altar, it will not be extinguished” with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.

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Rav Moshe Weinberger Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Tazriah-Metzora 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Tazriah-Metzora. This version reflects his review of the write-up. You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Tazriah-Metzora 5752

The Kedushas Levy: Giving Nachas to Hashem

(Original text of the Kedushas Levy (Parashas Tazriah) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

Let us explain the passuk "אשה כי תזריע" (When a woman shall conceive). It's written in the Holy Zohar (Chelek 3 42b) regarding this passuk  "it should have stated "כי תהר" (conceived). Rabbi Yossi explained that from the moment a woman becomes pregnant until the time of birth, she constantly has on her lips that it should be a boy" .

Obviously this is referring to something in Pnimius. We know that there plenty of ladies and even many men that are davening to have a girl! 

I heard from my master our teacher Reb Dov Ber (the Mezritcher Maggid) זי״ע regarding the statement of Chazal (Zohar Chelek 3 7b) "Yisroel gives Parnassah to their Father in Heaven". As it's written in Mishley (10:1) "בן חכם ישמח אב" (a smart son makes his father happy). This means that our performance of Mitzvos and Good Deeds brings pleasure to the Creator B"H. Through this Yisroel gives "Parnassah" to their Father in Heaven, as pleasure is a form of "Parnassah".

Parnasah is more then just money. It refers to a form of support and nourishment. 

But according to this, how are Jews worthy of performing Mitzvos and Good Deeds in order to give pleasure to the Creator B"H? Doesn't He have thousands of angels saying "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" (Holy) in awe and in fear? What are we that we should even be considered? Let's explain this through a parable. The aristocrats among the nations have a certain bird that they train to speak like a person, and the listener is amazed and tells his friends to come and hear such a novel thing. The meaning of this should be clear, and you should open your eyes and see the greatness of Mitzvos and Good Deeds. That all the Avodah of the Malachim above is but a shade when compared to that of men.

The fact that an angel can praise G'd is not a חידוש (novel). An angel is swimming in Elokus (Godliness). The greatest חידוש is that a being of flesh and blood living in the miserable, dark, physical world can serve Hashem and sing his praises. This is truly wondrous.

According to this we can explain the Mishna in Pirke Avos (2:1) "Rebbi said: Which is the proper path that a man should choose for himself? Whatever glorifies it's maker, and gives him glory through men". Rebbi is coming to teach us the correct way to serve Hashem. To hold on to the Middah of Tiferes (glory, splendor) and to elevate it. The essence of the intention of ones service should only be to glorify Hashem Yisborach. He is glorified through the Avodah of His children. We, so to speak, bring him praise and Nachas.  Even though  "dressed" in the thick physical body, we still exert ourselves to overcome our physical temptation and to cover ourselves with spirituality and the holiness of our Creator. Thus He is glorified with us, so to speak. This is the meaning of "Whatever glorifies its maker", that Hashem our maker is glorified through us. Rebbi revealed to us what this glory comes from saying "and gives Him glory through men". Through this the Creator b"h "receives" tremendous pleasure, and it can be said He is in the aspect of a "receiver".

Normally the father is the one giving to his children. In Pnimius HaTorah the concept of Zachar (male) refers to the role of "giver", while Nekevah (female) refers to the role of "receiver".  In this sense the father is in the "male" role, while the children are in the "female" role. But there are times when these roles can be reversed, as when the children "give" Nachas (satisfaction) to the father. In the same way, normally Hashem is THE giver, and we receive from him. But it's also possible for the Jewish People to "give" to Hashem, so to speak.

As I heard from my Master and teacher Reb Dov Ber of Mezritch זי״ע regarding the passuk (Tehillim 118:23) "מאת ה׳ היתה ׳זאת׳ היא נפלאת בעינינו" ("this" is from Hashem, it's a wonder in our eyes). The word "זאת" (this) refers to the feminine aspect, as is known (Zohar Chelek 2 37b). We stated above that since the essence of the Avodah should be the pleasure that the Creator b"h receives form it, we can say that Hashem can be considered to be in a "receiving" role, so to speak. This is the meaning of "מאת ה׳ היתה ׳זאת׳" ("this" is from Hashem), that He is in the "female" aspect, that of "זאת" (this). And this is truly "a wonder in our eyes".

This is the meaning of the Zohar when is says that "from the moment a woman becomes pregnant until the time of birth, she constantly has on her lips that it should be a boy". The "woman" refers to Kneses Yisroel. The "pregnancy" refers to the time a person starts his Avodah of the Creator. "The time of birth" is when a person completes a Mitzvah. "It's constantly in her lips that it should be a boy" means that the Avodah should be in the aspect of "masculine". Only then it brings forth Divine Flow to all the worlds. May we merit to serve Hashem Yisborach in such a way, Amen.

At this time, at the end of days, any Jew that can "squeeze in" a little Avodas Hashem, and all the more so if he does so with Kavanah (the right intention) it's an amazing thing that gives Hashem tremendous Nachas.

Chazal refers to the Galus as "pregnancy without a Leida (birth)". The Ribono shel Olam should help us that we should be zoche to see the Leida soon with the Geulah HaSheleima VeHaamitis בב״א.

Rav Moshe Weinberger - Tazria Metzora Morning Drasha 5772 - Looking Forward Versus Looking Back

Below, please find a write-up of Rav Weinberger's morning drasha from parshas Tazria-Metzora. Baruch Hashem, this version reflects his review of the write-up. See here for past write-ups. Also, thousands of Rav Weinberger's shiurim are available online on ravmosheweinberger.com HERE.

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Parshas Tazria-Metzora 5772

Looking Forward Versus Looking Back 

The laws of Tzara’as, which some translate as “Leprosy,” are very difficult to understand. When the pasuk (Vayikra 13:2) says “אָדָם כִּי-יִהְיֶה בְעוֹר-בְּשָׂרוֹ שְׂאֵת אוֹ-סַפַּחַת אוֹ בַהֶרֶת וְהָיָה בְעוֹר-בְּשָׂרוֹ לְנֶגַע צָרָעַת,” “When a person has a se’es, sapachas, or baheres on his skin, and it is a blemish of Tzara’as...,” it is difficult to understand exactly what these afflictions are. One thing that we see, however, from the mishnayos explaining Tzara’as is that a major sign of the impurity of Tzara’as is the color white.  

This seems very unusual. Usually, the color white is associated with טהרה, purity, not טומאה, impurity. The pasuk in Yeshaya (1:18) says “אם יהיו חטאיכם כשנים כשלג ילבינו אם יאדימו כתולע כצמר יהיו,” “if your sins are like scarlet, I will whiten them like snow, and if they are red like crimson, they will be [as white as] wool.” Similarly, on Yom Kippur (Yuma 39a), when the “לשון של זהורית מלבין,” “gold ribbon turned white,” it was a sign that the Jewish people were forgiven. We see, therefore, that the color white is usually associated with innocence and purity, not impurity. Why, then, is the color white a sign of impurity for a Metzora, one afflicted with Tzara’as?

The Sefer Yetzira (2:7) points out that the word for the affliction of Tzara’as, “נגע,” has the same letters as the word “ענג,” pleasure or delight. It says that “אין למעלה מענג ואין למטה מנגע,” "there is nothing higher than 'ענג,' delight, and there is nothing lower than 'נגע,' the affliction of Tzara’as.” How do we see this? Even a person who is טמא, impure because of טמאת מת, contact with a dead body, is allowed to live in the community and he can even ascend to הר הבית, the Temple Mount, although he may not enter the Bais Hamikdash. A Metzorah, on the other hand, may not even live in the community. He must dwell alone outside the city. We see, therefore, than there is nothing lower than “nega,” the affliction of Tzara’as. 

As the Sefer Yetzira explained, the letters of the words for affliction, a “nega,” and for “oneg,” delight are the same. The only difference between the two words is the placement of the letter “ע,” the “ayin.” In the word “nega,” the “ayin” is at the end of the word, and in the word “oneg,” the “ayin” is at the beginning of the word. This observation is also hinted at in the pasuk (Vayikra 13:25), which discusses the law of a garment afflicted with Tzara’as which had been quarantined by the kohein but which retained its appearance even after the seven-day quarantine period. It says, “לֹא-הָפַךְ הַנֶּגַע אֶת-עֵינוֹ,” “the affliction did not change its appearance (‘עֵינוֹ’).” The word for “appearance,” “עֵינוֹ,” can also refer to the Hebrew letter “ayin.” The pasuk is therefore saying that the garment was still afflicted with Tzara’as because its owner did not “change” the “ayin” by moving it from the end of the word “nega” to the beginning of the word to transform his affliction into the delight of “oneg.”

At the beginning of the parsha, Rashi quotes part of a medrash (Vayikra Raba 14:1) to answer the implicit question, “Why are does the Torah teach the laws of purity and impurity relating to animals at the end of last weeks’ parsha before the laws of human purity and impurity in this week’s parsha?” The medrash quotes the pasuk in Tehillim (139:5) “אָחוֹר וָקֶדֶם צַרְתָּנִי,” homiletically translated as “at the beginning and at the end You have formed me.” According to the medresh, “אמר רבי שמלאי: כשם שיצירתו של אדם אחר בהמה חיה ועוף, כך תורתו אחר בהמה חיה ועוף,” “Rav Simlai says, ‘just as man was formed after domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds, so too, the laws [of man’s purity and impurity] are taught after [the laws of purity and impurity of] domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds.” The medresh further explains “אם זכה אדם אומרים לו: אתה קדמת לכל מעשה בראשית, ואם לאו אומרים לו: יתוש קדמך,” “If man is meritorious, they say to him, ‘you preceded the whole act of creation,’ and if he is not [meritoriuous,] they say to him ‘Even the mosquito preceded you.’”

The pasuk in Tehillim said “אָחוֹר וָקֶדֶם צַרְתָּנִי,” which means that man was formed both first and last. Therefore, if man merits to put the ayin first, then he is filled with “oneg,” delight and pleasure. If, however, he is not meritorious, and he puts the ayin last, then he is afflicted with a “nega,” and is considered the lowest part of creation. How does one move the “ayin” of “nega” to the beginning of the word, to transform it into “oneg,” delight? 

The way of the world is that when one encounters a person who is different, or who possesses a negative character trait, people ask what the person went through as a child, or at some point in his or her life that created these problems. There is certainly a place for this approach, and good therapists who use this approach with people will follow up with a plan on how to move from the past into a more positive future. But for the most part, this is an approach of “אָחוֹר,” looking back into the past. In this perspective, a person feels trapped by things that have happened to him or her in the past. The way of the Torah, however, is the approach of “קֶדֶם,” seeing himself as if he is starting at the beginning and looking forward into the future. In this approach, one asks himself, “How can I make tomorrow better than yesterday?”

We see this approach with our Avos, our forefathers, many of whom had every reason to assume they would never be successful. I would like to offer just two examples.

The first is Dovid Hamelech. He was a stranger to his own brothers, who did not understand him, as Dovid said, (Tehillim 69:9) “מוּזָר הָיִיתִי לְאֶחָי,” “I became estranged from my brothers.” Even his own father, who was a tzadik, did not think he would amount to anything. When Shmuel told Yishai that one of his sons would be the next kings, it did not even occur to him to bring Dovid to Shmuel to see if he was the chosen son. When Shmuel sees that none of Yishai’s other sons were meant to be king, he presses Yishai to find out if he has any other sons. Having completely forgotten about Dovid he finally remembers (Shmuel 1:16:11), “עוֹד שָׁאַר הַקָּטָן וְהִנֵּה רֹעֶה בַּצֹּאן,” “there is one left-over younger son, he is tending the sheep in the field.” Shmuel has to press him to bring Dovid to him before he finally summons Dovid. Hashem then tells Shmuel to arise and anoint Dovid as the future king of the Jewish people. Even as the years went by, he experienced pain and suffering. He was pursued by Shaul, endured a rebellion led by his own son, and witnessed the death of another one of his sons even after he davened like never before for his recovery.  

Dovid Hamelech had a greater excuse than anyone else to take the “אָחוֹר” perspective and look back at all of his difficulties and conclude that he would never be successful spiritually or physically. But instead of looking at the past, he always took the “קֶדֶם,” the forward-looking approach. Not only did he not use his past as an excuse not to succeed, he took every difficulty he encountered and composed chapters of Tehillim! In this way, he attained an even higher level than Aharon Hakohein. Aharon achieved a great level when, immediately after his sons Nadav and Avihu died, the pasuk (Vayikra 10:3) says “וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן,” “and Aharon was silent.” Dovid Hamelech, however, reached an even higher level. When he was faced with suffering, he said (Tehillim 30:13) “לְמַעַן יְזַמֶּרְךָ כָבוֹד וְלֹא יִדֹּם,” “in order that I should sing a song of glory to You [Hashem] and I will not be silent.” Not only did the difficulties in his past not hold him back, he turned each one into a new chapter of Tehillim.  

Another example from our Avos is Yosef. No matter how bad our relationships are with our family, very few of us can say that our siblings tried to kill us and sold us into slavery. He was sold to Egypt, which was called (Bereishis 42:12) “ערות הארץ,” “the nakedness of the land” because it was the most morally degraded place on earth. In addition, he was isolated and alone in Egypt. He did not have even one Jew with whom he could share what was in his heart. Nevertheless, instead of accepting his fate as being cut off from the G-dliness of his forefathers, he lifted himself up to become a Yosef Hatzadik.

That is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim “אָחוֹר וָקֶדֶם צַרְתָּנִי,” homiletically translated as “at the beginning and at the end You have formed me.” A Jew must make a choice evey day of his life whether to look at the world through the eyes of “אָחוֹר,” where he looks back on his life as if he were at the end, as if everything has been predetermined because of his past. For such a person, everything is a “nega,” an affliction, the lowest thing in the world. Alternatively, he can put the “ayin,” his eye at the beginning of the word, and keep his eyes focused on the future. That is the attitude of “קֶדֶם,” where one sees himself as standing at the beginning, where he feels that “today is the first day of the rest of my life.” This is the choice every Jew must make. 

Let me offer a simple example. Let’s say there are two Jews who take their service of Hashem seriously. Both of them are saying shemona esrei. Right before the last paragraph, “שים שלום,” “Establish peace,” each one realizes that he did not concentrate on one single word of davening. The one who looks backward, with the attitude of “אָחוֹר,” looks back at his lackluster shemona esrei and thinks to himself “It’s over, this shemona esrei was a complete failure. It’s all over.” Such a Jew will speed through the last paragraph of shemona esrei as well. The other Jew will look into the future and say “I may not have concentrated on the first part of shemona esrei, but there is still one paragraph left. 'שים שלום,' 'Establish peace,' which is a beautiful prayer. I will now have the best 'שים שלום' possible.”

We can now understand why white, usually associated with purity, becomes a symbl of impurity for a Metzora. Someone who looks at the word from the perspective of “אָחוֹר,” who looks backward and sees only limitations and “nega-”tivity, sees even a symbol of purity as negative and impure.  

This choice between “אָחוֹר” and “קֶדֶם,” between the forward-looking versus the backward-looking perspective was the main focus of Victor Frankel’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” As you are aware, Victor Frankel was an accomplished Psychologist before the War, and was a survivor of the concentration camps. I want to quote a few sentences (p. 80-81) from this book, which encapsulate this choice between the perspective of “oneg,” looking into the future, and “nega,” looking toward the past: 

A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal[,] found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts... Instead of taking the camp’s difficulties as a test of their inner strength, they did not take their life seriously and despised it as something of no consequence. They preferred to close their eyes and to live in the past. Life for such people became meaningless... [W]e could say that most men in a concentration camp believed that the real opportunities of life had passed.

Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of those experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners. Any attempt at fighting the camp’s psychopathological influence on the prisoner by psychotherapeutic or psychohygenic methods had to aim at giving him inner strength by pointing out to him a future goal to which he could look forward.  Instinctively some of the prisoners attempted to find one on their own. It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking into the future... And this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his existence, although he sometimes has to force his mind to the task.

 My father, may he live and be well, also told us that in the camps, they could tell when someone was about to die even without a Nazi standing over him. Near the end of the War, shortly before the liberation, the Nazis stopped providing the Jews with even the moldy bread were previously given. Many Jews stayed active, looking for a way to survive and others just receded to the corners in a semi-vegitative state. The others tried to strengthen and encourage them, but it was often no use. The other prisoners knew that such a person had only a few more hours to live because they had stopped looking into the future and had given up on their own lives.

Even outside of the concentration camps, we are faced with the choice between looking into the past, living in the world of “nega,” affliction, or looking at the opportunities of the future, the world of “oneg,” delight.

א"ה, may we merit to look at the world through the forward-looking lens of “קֶדֶם,” and our lives will be filled with delight rather than affliction. May the world soon be filled with the delight of חדש ימינו כקדם  with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.

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Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shalosh Seudos Drasha - Parashas Shemini 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Shemini. You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger
Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Shemini 5752

Reb Moshele Vishnitzer: Being truly "alive".

(Original text of the Maadanei HaShulchan (Shemini p.67) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

Reb Moshele of Vishnitz זצ״ל was recently niftar and they have started to print out his torahs. He was a Gaon in learning and in Avodah and hopefully we'll see a lot more of them coming out soon. This torah gave me a lot of Chizuk.

He starts by bringing down a torah from his ancestor Reb Mendele Vishnitzer zy"a.

My holy zaidy the Tzemach Tzaddik זי״ע comments on the passuk in our parsha (Vayikra 18:47) "להבדיל בין הטמא ובין הטהור ובין החיה הנאכלת ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (To distinguish between the impure and the pure, between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten). The commentaries have been bothered about the passuk seeming out of order. The first section opens with "the impure", but the last section opens with "the animal that may be eaten", meaning "the pure". We would have expected the last section to also open the with "the animal that may not be eaten", and only then "the animal that may be eaten", as in the initial order.

We can explain that true "life" cannot derive it's meaning exclusively from this world. If we draw all our "chiyus" (life-force) from physical things, from objects, from finite things, from money and honor, from all those "weekday" (וואכענדיגע) things, then you can't really call that "life". Rather one is just walking around in the world, just going here and there. The opposite of this is one that draws his "chiyus" from eternal things. Hashem Yisborach is eternal, the Torah is eternal, the Mitzvos are eternal. This is a completely different path, the one of real true "Life". 

Of course we have to eat and do all kinds of other physical and material things, but that's not what being "alive" is about.

This is "להבדיל בין הטמא ובין הטהור" (To distinguish between the impure and the pure). Where do we see the difference? "ובין החיה הנאכלת" (between the animal that may be eaten), "חיה" (lit. Animal) comes from the word "חי" (alive). If his "chiyus" comes from the things that are "eaten" (that are consumed and disappear), he is in the aspect of "הטמא" (impure) as it's written at the beginning of the passuk. He lives in a world of foolishness. "ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (the animal that may not be eaten), if his "chiyus" comes from things that are eternal, things that are "not eaten" (eg. Torah learning; serving Hashem, Tefilah; good deeds; rectifying our Middos; sensibility for the holiness of Shabbos, not simply knowing that it's the seventh day of the week) he is then in the aspect of "הטהור" (pure). He is a pure creation and is truly "alive". This is why the passuk brings first "ובין החיה הנאכלת" (between the animal that may be eaten), and only later "ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (the animal that may not be eaten).

 If we were to ask anyone if they want to "live", he would obviously answer "yes". However, if we were to ask him what is he doing about it? The answer would be that he is taking some kind of medication or a natural remedy, or something similar (he is probably speaking about medications for anxiety and depression. Note of the translator) however this can still not be called "life".

When I was young I remember hearing in the news about these new units in the police department. They would spend thousands of dollars training these guys to go and convince people to come down before jumping off a bridge. It doesn't matter how much money you spend, it's not going to make any of those people feel any more "alive" inside. The question will always be: "now that I'm not dead, why an I alive?".

I have spoken about this to explain the nusach of the "Blessing of the Month" in the prayer service. "חיים של ברכה, חיים של פרנסה, חיים של עושר וכבוד, חיים של חילוץ עצמות" (a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of wealth and honor, a life of physical health). But when it comes to Torah it's written "חיים שתהא בנו אהבת תורה" (a life where in which we will have a love of Torah). And regarding Yiras Shamoyim (fear of heaven) it's written "חיים שיש בהם יראת שמים ויתר חטא" (a life in which there is fear of heaven and fear of sin). We have to question why the language is changed for these requests and not the others. Why do we not say "חיים של אהבת תורה ויראת שמים" (a life of love of Torah and fear of Heaven)? The answer is that regarding material things we ask the we should receive an abundance of wealth and honor. But even if we end up not being deserving of them, we will still have a "life". However if we don't have a love of Torah and fear of Heaven we don't have a "life".

What is "life"? "שיש בהם יראת שמים ויראת חטא" (a life in which there is fear of heaven and fear of sin). "A life". But what is "life"? "שתהא בנו אהבת תורה ויראת שמים" (a life in which we will have a love of Torah and fear of Heaven). Because without them it can't be called a "life" at all. A person can deceive himself into thinking that he is "alive", but it's just an empty dream. Without fear of Heaven, it's not part of the concept of "life".

The  Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh explains the passuk in parshas Nitzavim (30:19) "ובחרת בחיים למען תחיה אתה וזרעך" (choose life so that you may live, you and your offspring). And what is the purpose of such a "life"? The passuk continues and explains "לאהבה את ה׳ אלוהיך ולדבקה בו, כי הוא חייך" (to love Hashem your G'd and to attach yourselves to Him, because He is your life). That's "life"! "חייך" (your life) in this world, "ואורך ימיך" (the length of your days) referring to the World to Come. He then asks a piercing question: "because what life does man have if it's not His will?" it's terrifying! To earn more or less money, to eat more or less food, what value does any of it has? That's not the will of the Creator! These words from the Ohr Hachayim burn like fire in anyone who meditates upon them.

We are entering Chodesh Iyar tonight, a Chodesh that is mesugal (suited) for all kinds of Refuos and Yeshuos (cures and salvations). This the month where the Ikkar (essence) of the Sefiras HaOmer takes place, with all it's  amazing Tikkunim (rectifications) Bein Adam le Chavero (between man and his fellow) and Bein Adam Lamakom (between man and G'd). But the biggest Refuah for everything is to have a "life". And for that we have to work on filling it with the meaning that comes from our Torah and Yiras Shamoyim.

Hashem Yisborach should help us that we should all be blessed with "ובחרת בחיים, למען תחיה, אתה וזרעך" (choose life, so that you may live, you and your children), and that we should all see together the Geulah HaSheleima VeHaamitis בב״א.