It's Not About the Money - Kol Brisk on Parshas B'Shalach

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"לפרשת בשלח

How to Change Money into Mon from Heaven

Or

Just Some Food for Thought

"הרבה שלוחין יש לו למקום להכין מזון ליראיו" (רש"י)

The following story was told over by Y.:

We were preparing for the Shabbos Bar Mitzvah Kiddush of our son. We had just moved back into our newly renovated home that week. There was a lot of work to do on that shortest Friday of the year. We had ordered a large Yerushalmi Kugel for the Kiddush from a caterer whom we had used on previous occasions for similar orders.

At 1:15, amidst all the preparations, I suddenly realized that the kugel had not yet arrived. All the businesses were usually closed by now. I called the store. The owners had gone home, and the cleaner gave me the home number. I called them at home. They said they really wondered why we hadn’t come to pick it up. They even waited an extra fifteen minutes for us. It seems that they forgot that they had always delivered in the past..

The Bar Mitzvah was a beautiful celebration. We had soda and pastries.

The moral of the story:
A Bar Mitzvah is not a kugel.

“Money is the root of all evil”, the classic saying goes. Is this true? What does the Torah say about this?

It is interesting to note the how the expression “I have” translates into Lashon HaKodesh. It really does not. יש לי means “There is to me”. I am not the subject, but the object, the recipient. There is only One Owner, the Master of the Universe, רבון כל העולמים, אדון כל הנשמות. He gives us all the blessings, all of what we have. He gives it to us, and cautions us to use it wisely and not to abuse people with it.

When do material blessings become problematic? Only when we take them and attach a rigid, unflexible, distended, expansive and unhealthy ego to it. “A Bar Mitzvah is a kugel” is a very unhealthy attitude. It can cause the mother of the Bar Mitzvah tremendous frustration and stress.

However, that is only between myself and I.

Much more problematic is when I start dictating reality to others based on my distortion. When I start imposing “A Bar Mitzvah is a kugel” on those recipients of my money or my resources, things become very complicated.

This is a lesson for parents in their relationship with married children. It also must be understood by balabatim who give financial support to a Yeshiva. It also applies to anyone extending any kind of material assistance to others. Their function is only to give financial support and not to interfere, dominate, or rule . Those that attempt to make judgments, to interfere or to dominate create a situation in which fragmentation, disharmony and conflict are built in to its very definition. This is not support. This is an act of hostility and abuse.

Life is not money. Life is about love, communication, and healthy relationships.

Money can be a vehicle to great Bracha. The Vilna Gaon, moments before he passed on to the Olam HaEmes, cried about the mitzvos that we can only buy in Olam Hazeh just for a few pennies.

Money can easily be transformed into astounding spiritual acquisitions. Health, Mitzvos, Tzedakah, Chessed, Torah..

We should just let go, remove our possessive and unhealthy ego.
Because money subtract שלי (mine) = Mon.
Yes, manna from heaven.

A gutten Erev Shabbos
From Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh

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Kol Brisk on Vayigash - Take This Message As You Choose

I don't know about, nor can I verify the message contained in this article, Kol Brisk on Parshas Vayigsh. The author may be inferring too much from one person's reported behavior. If comments leave the productive and enter the ad hominum realm, I will delete or close comments.

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

פרשת ויגש

אוכיחך ואערכה לעיניך - Confrontation with Ourselves

ויתן את קולו בבכי ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו –

אבא כהן ברדלא אמר אוי לנו מיום הדין אוי לנו מיום התוכחה יוסף קטנן של שבטים היה ולא היו יכולים לעמוד בתוכחתו הה"ד ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו כי נבהלו מפניו לכשיבא הקב"ה ויוכיח כל אחד ואחד לפי מה שהוא שנאמר (תהלים נ) אוכיחך ואערכה לעיניך על אחת כמה וכמה.

The Bais HaLevi asks about this medrash, why the double lashon? What is the difference between יום הדין and יום התוכחה? There is a יום הדין when the misdeeds of a person are shown. But a person has rationalizations and excuses for his actions. Therefore there is also a יום התוכחה. This is when the person's excuses are rendered obsolete through his own actions. For example, a person is found guilty of not giving tzedaka (יום הדין). He justifies himself by claiming that he was very short on money to pay for his basic household needs. This argument is shown to be meaningless, when he is reminded how he would go out to eat in fancy restaurants (יום התוכחה).

Yehuda had been arguing and trying to convince Yosef to have mercy and not to take Binyamin as a slave, out of concern for their elderly father. And then in that stunning moment of truth, Yosef cries out,

אני יוסף! ההעוד אבי חי?!

Listen to your own words! You are so concerned about our father?! Where was all your concern and worry when you sold me as a slave and separated me from our father for all these years?!

The brothers were speechless in face of this reproof.

*

The meaning of the word ויגש is confrontation. Chazal urge us to learn from the story of the story of Yosef and his brothers about spiritual reckoning in general. Yosef orchestrated the sequence of events, to reach a climax of frustration and impasse. Suddenly, it was revealed to his brothers that the very same brother they had sought to destroy was standing right in front of them. The brother they had mercilessly cast into the pit of snakes and scorpions, and then had heartlessly sold into slavery, stood now in front of them, as he had foretold in the dreams, with their destiny in his hands.

Ironic.

Beyond the irony, the Torah is teaching us that we are the ones that create for ourselves the reality of our choice. We can create for ourselves a reality of harmony and love and chessed and meaning. Or we can create for ourselves another kind of reality of power-seeking, jealousies and frustrations and anger. We can do all we want to attempt to escape this reality, to pretend that it is different than it really is. However, at a certain inevitable point, it catches up with us. The example given is a woman in labor. Try as she may to escape her pain, she cannot run away from her situation. The Torah guides us to honestly confront ourselves, and not to look to escape by way of all kinds of distractions and delusions. (Baal Shem Tov)

מן המצר קראתי י-ה , ענני במרחב י-ה.

We must deeply contemplate and connect to our inner world. To become familiar with our desires, aspirations and also insecurities and frustrations. Look around, try to understand the connection between what is happening inside ourselves and what is happening outside ourselves. Hashem is constantly sending us messages and traffic signs. By connecting to where we really are and what we are feeling, we enable ourselves to call out honestly to Hashem.

*

One of the very prominent kiruv organization just moved into a multi-milllion dollar, very fancy and impressive new building in a prime location in the Old City of Yerushalayim. The very next week, one of the important couples on the staff of this organization hosted a woman married to a Breslover chossid for a Shabbos meal. Her husband was away from home that week. At the Shabbos table, the host began criticizing and mocking this woman's husband's derech. The woman could not believe her ears. She could not believe that he was serious. Therefore, in a polite and friendly manner, she protested. The host did not stop the tirade. This woman stood up in shock and walked out of the house.

The hostess later come over to the woman's house, but not to apologize. She explained that the way that she and her husband had behaved was based upon the teachings of Gedolei Yisrael of the generation. (Some of the most destructive lashon horah today is done in the name of Gedolei Yisrael.)

Does this high level of aggression and audacity have anything to do with the new fancy building that the kiruv organization moved into? Does this give them a license to attempt to destroy a marriage?

Hashem doesn't need big buildings. Hashem in not interested in big political parties. Hashem distains powerful and aggressive organizations. Hashem wants us to go on a straight path of sincerity and humility. We must open our eyes and ears to all the subtle and not so subtle messages that are coming our way, and not to repress or ignore what is being shown to us.

מן המצר קראתי י-ה , ענני במרחב י-ה.

Let us honestly call out from the real situations we find ourselves in, and He will surely send us the answers.

A gutten Erev Shabbos

From Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh

Picture courtesy of jpost.com.

Kol Brisk on Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech

תשנ"ט

(this was written exactly two years before 9/11)

"For this mitzvah that I am commanding you today, it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. It is not in heaven, to say, who will ascend to heaven for us and take it for us, and instruct it to us and we will fulfill it. And it is not across the ocean, to say, who will traverse the ocean and take it for us, and instruct it to us and we will fulfill it. For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart to fulfill it."

What is the meaning of "it is not in heaven?" Rava said, it is not to be found in someone who raises himself through it like the heaven, and R' Yochanan said, it is not to be found in the arrogant.

Today, the world in which we live places great emphasis on the superficial; on buildings, on numbers. Success and development are defined by the popularity polls, by the ratings, by the whims and tastes of the masses. Someone affiliated with one of the very large and affluent Jewish institutions recently remarked that today, what is significant is no longer I.Q., intelligence, but E.Q., "effectiveness quotient." Meaning, that was goes today is flattery, glib talk, appeal to the ego; psychological tactics that soothe people's tensions.

In this context, the expression of lo bashomayim is reminiscent of the dor haflaga, who erroneously thought that they could succeed in ascending the heavens by building a tower, hava nivneh lanu ir umigdal v'rosho bashomayim. They looked for solutions to their mortal limitations through an enormous tower of bricks and mortar.

What a mix-up!

How does Yir'as Shomayim or mesirus nefesh or tikun hamidos figure in the E.Q.? Is Yahadus synonymous with big buildings? With large followings, great fame and broad popularity?? With psychological maneuverings?

Nowhere in the our sources do we find such conclusions; only to the contrary. We are the smallest of the nations, we were chosen not for our great numbers, we received the Torah in the desert, as a nation divested of any concrete home or building. Throughout the generations, our Gedolim always stood firm and uncompromising in their beliefs, fearless and unimpressed by any mortal. Chanifa, flattery, we are taught, is abhorred by G-d.

So, to the innocent Jew, looking to advance himself spiritually, in ruchnius, the scene can be very puzzling, frightening, intimidating. As he immerses himself in limud haTorah and kiyum hamitzvos in a sincere way, at best, he finds little applaud and attention and recognition; and often, he may find himself an object of disregard and derision and abuse in the community. His E.Q.??? Don't ask..

Lest this confusing state be chas veshalom a cause of despair, Moshe Rabbainu comes, in his parting words to Am Yisrael, and tells us, unequivocally,

Lo bashomayim he - You don't need to part of large enterprises, have great talent and fame and tall achievements to be an accomplished Jew!

Lo maiever layam he - You don't need extensive connections to get ahead in life's tasks!
Ki karov eilecha hadavar me'od bficha uvilvavcha laasoso - If you only try to utilize all the tools granted to you through your words, your thoughts and your deeds, then all your goals will be made attainable to you.

For before Hashem, the Ein Sof, the Infinite, the greatest height is insignificant. In His Eyes, the vastest distance is nil. However, if we truly humble ourselves, with complete surrender and acceptance of His Will, we make ourselves into instruments for the true refinement and advancement and building of ourselves and of our world. Not through compromising our values, not through diplomatic maneuvering our way through the powers that be, and not through watering down our ideals to make them pleasing and digestible to the opinion polls.

The great inspiration and example of this very profound theme, says R' Tzaddok miLublin, is Dovid HaMelech. Dovid Hamelech is the "stone despised by the builders who became the foundation of the building." Shmuel HaNavi was told that man sees only superficially when trying to determine who is fit to be Melech Yisrael. Dovid Hamelech, who is Moshiach, is the quintessence of utter nullification, of total surrender before HaKadosh Baruch Hu and His Torah. This bitul, submission to Hashem's Will, and taken nothing at all for granted is expressed primarily through tefillah, prayer.

Ki karov eilecha hadavar meod ..

It is accessible to all of us, especially now, in Chodesh Ellul.

The last Shabbos of the year, let us take advantage..

A gutten Erev Shabbos,
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh

Picture courtesy of folk.uio.no.

Kol Brisk on Parshas Matos Masei

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

 

Parshas Matos-Masei

"נחלה מבהלת בראשונה ואחריתה לא תברך"

An inheritance hastily taken in the beginning, its end will not be blessed.  (Mishlei 20, 21)

Chazal quote this pasuk about  בני ראובן וגד.  They had come to Moshe, requesting that they receive their portion of land on the other side of the ירדן, which they saw as more suitable pastureland for their abundant livestock.

שהיו עשירים והיה להם מקנה גדול, וחבבו את ממונם וישבו להם חוץ מארץ ישראל, לפיכך גלו תחלה מכל השבטים..
ומי גרם להם?  על שהפרישו עצמם מן אחיהם, בשביל קניינם.    (מדרש רבה)

..they were wealthy, with much livestock and they cherished their money.  And they settled themselves outside of Eretz Yisrael.  Therefore, they were the first ones to be exiled (eight years before the rest of the shvatim).  And why did this happen?  Because they separated themselves from their brothers for the purpose of their wealth.

 

The tribes of Reuvain and Gad, we are taught, were unduly fixated on materialism.  How did this get expressed?  What are the dangers and pitfalls of this preoccupation?  Here are some interesting points Chazal bring to our attention:

 

1.  Distorted sense of reality -

  ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד.., ויבאו בני גד וראובן.. 

When the Torah relates the story to us, the pasuk says, "Bnai Reuvain and Gad had much livestock.."  However, when the Torah relates how they approached Moshe with their actual request, the pasuk mentions Gad before Reuvain.  The Kli Yakar comments that in their arrogance, the Bnai Gad spoke out of turn, before Reuvain the bechor-firstborn. 

So is the nature of wealth.  It gives haughtiness to its master. An rich simpleton will push himself forward and speak with brazenness.  No one deters him.  He pays no regard to anyone of true stature, because his money raises him up.  (Kli Yakar)

 

2. Confusion of priorities –

When the two shvatim, Reuvain and Gad made the request to Moshe, they said, "We will build fences for our cattle here and cities for our children."  Moshe Rabbainu  said, "Build for yourselves cities for your children and fences for your cattle." 

They were concerned more about their money than their children..  Moshe said to them – Not so!עשו עיקר עיקר וטפל טפל !   Make the essential matter your primary concern, and the secondary matter to be of much less of concern.  First build cities for your children, and only then, corrals for your sheep. (Rashi)

Undue preoccupation with material concerns can bring the person to neglect his children.  And by the way, from here we can learn that taking care of our children's needs – spiritual, and also emotional and physical (Build cities for your children, says Moshe Rabbainu) - is prime spirituality.

 

3.  Detachment from full identity with Am Yisrael and our wondrous destiny –

 ומי גרם להם?  על שהפרישו עצמם מן אחיהם, בשביל קניינם.

Even though they had chosen to settle on the other side of the Yarden,  Bnai Reuvain and Gad participated in all the battles to conquer Eretz Yisrael.  Despite this most praiseworthy behavior on their part, the Medrash still says that they "separated themselves from their brothers."  Why is this?

Although the men did go to battle together with the rest of the shvatim, the children remained behind.  Their children did not experience the wondrous miracles which HaKadosh Baruch Hu performed for His nation - the ניסים of the splitting of the ירדן, the supernatural fall of Yericho, the sun stopping in Giv'on, the conquest of the thirty-one kings, and dividing up of the land.  While all these awesome events were taking place before the eyes of כלל ישראל, and were being indelibly etched onto their beings, the children of Shevet Reuvain and Gad were sitting at home.  Something in their chinuch became flawed. These first hand experiences of Emunah and bitachon were replaced by the secure feeling of being surrounded by the  comfort of their wealth.   And this defect got expressed in the fact that they were exiled eight years before the rest of Am Yisrael.

 

All this resulted from preoccupation with materialism.

 

אתהלך לפני ה' בארצות החיים.

שנזכה כולנו, אמן.

 

 

Parshas Matos-Masei

 אלה מסעי בני ישראל..
These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael..

The journeys of Am Yisrael in the desert come to teach every Jew about his personal life story; that it is a journey.  It starts out from the moment of birth, which is his own personal yetzi'as mitzrayim.

The entire life story of every person, with all its twists and turns, short stops, longer ones, smoother ones and rougher ones, has meaning.  It is a road with an over-all objective, that is to reach Artzos Hachayim, Eretz Yisrael.  However, there is also meaning and purpose to the road itself.  For every stop on this road, every turn, every single change of scenery has profound meaning, and is tailored to the needs of each person for his distinct task on this earth.

We all go through many different scenarios and terrain in our life journeys.  There are times of uncertainty and turbulence, of ups and of downs, of sudden change;  then there are times of tranquility and security.  The challenge is never to be complacent  and passive, and never to let the situation carry us away.  Life moves on, and we constantly must strive to take the signals, to learn and to grow from the location in which we find ourselves, and to move forward and ahead when the time comes, richer and wiser and stronger from the experience..

ויכתב משה את מוצאיהם למסעיהם על פי ה' ואלה מסעיהם למוצאיהם.
"And Moshe wrote their departure points to their journeys according to the word of Hashem, and these are their journeys to their departure points."

Notice; there are two different ways that the Torah describes the traveling:
1. "departure points to journeys" - which were "according to the word of Hashem."
2. "journeys to departure points" - no mention of "according to the word of Hashem."

The Kli Yakar explains that the former refers to progressive movement, the latter, to regressive movement.  Most of the time, Am Yisrael moved forward, according to the command of Hashem, their backs to mitzrayim and their faces to Eretz Yisrael.  However, the times when they faltered in sin, they traveled backward with their faces turned away,  furthering themselves from the desired objective, and rachmana li'tzlan, looking back to mitzrayim.  This was the direction primarily of the airev rav, the mixed multitudes, whose roots were in mitzrayim.  Am Yisrael, who roots originate in Eretz Yisrael, constantly look to and long for Eretz Yisrael.

So it is in life.

A Jew is called on to be as strong as a cedar and as soft as a reed.
Strong - not to get carried away by the scenery of the moment, but rather to take it all in, in its beauty, its enigmatic turbulence, its wonder, and to respond al pi Hashem, in the manner with which the Torah guides us.
Soft - this is the flexibility required of the Jew, to constantly be ready to change gears, to move on, to move ahead, and not to hang on to old and out-of-place behavior patterns.
This requires gevurah, strength and courage; to step out into terrain that is unfamiliar and unknown. Man naturally seeks the stable and the known. Bitachon , trust in Hashem calls on us to pay very close attention to the subtle signals and to be prepared to reassess our situation as it measures with our value system and our goals, and to have the strength to make the required adjustments, and to progress forward.
 
 The Sefarim Hakedoshim  teach that the sojourns in the desert were for the purpose of birur hanitzotzos, the sifting out and the elevating the "holy sparks".  Also, they discuss how one journey was linked to the next; each new journey drew from all the previous ones.

In life, we are challenged to seek out the nitzozos, the positive meaning, the G-dliness in  every situation.  Thus, when it comes time to move ahead, we do not move on empty-handed.  We take with us from every phase the positive, the constructive,  the meaningful.  Is this not what we are taught about Sara Imeinu, al"h?? Until her last day, she maintained all the beautiful qualities of the diverse and changing chapters in her life!  Avraham Avinu reached his old age bah bayamim, "all his days with him,"  Every day, every circumstance and encounter had a positive value, which he carried on with him in life.

Sometimes we can find ourselves in situations that differ from our desired perception of how they should be, and we wish that it would be different, more to our liking, and we wait impatiently and restlessly for change.  According to what we learn here, there is no such a thing as a vacuum situation in life, or limbo.  There is profound meaning and what to learn and what to take from any set-up in which we find ourselves.

To do otherwise is to respond to life's challenges chas veshalom with the face reverted, towards mitzrayim, in regression.

כה אמר ה' זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך אהבת כלולתיך, לכתך אחרי במדבר בארץ לא זרועה.
"..thus said Hashem, I remember the chesed you did when you were young, your love when you were a bride, when you followed Me in the wilderness, into a barren land."

May Hashem grant us bitachon; and all the necessary resources to make the wilderness in our lives blossom, to reach Eretz Yisrael..

חזק חזק ונתחזק.

A gutten Erev Shabbos from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.

 

Kol Brisk on Parshas Pinchas

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

Parashas Pinchas

הדבק במדותיו

The gemara instructs us: הדבק במדותיו, "cleave in His attributes".

The Baal Shem Tov points out that Chazal do not say hedavek l'midosov, "cleave to His Attributes."

The is is to teach us that we must strive to emulate the inner aspect of Hashem's Midos, rather than the external aspect. For example, if a person is acting only externally with the attribute of chesed, kindness, he is not acting with gevurah, strength. Externally, these two attributes are distinct and are opposites. However, the person who truly seeks to serve Hashem, seeks to cleave to the Inner Vitality of the attributes, for inwardly, there are no divisions (Hashem Echad), and within chesed is included gevurah, and within gevurah is included chesed.

According to this, we cannot define true chesed, kindness, as an act that a person does out of weakness of character (the push-over type), because this act would be devoid of gevurah, strength of character..
Nor can we define gevurah, strength, as an act that is motivated by anger, cruelty, impatience, because this deed would be devoid of love and kindness, detached from the middah of chesed.
This formula of striving to emulate the inner aspect of Hashem's middos is mandatory in order for a person to truly be emulating Hashem's Ways, in order that his deeds be of true kindness and of true strength.

* *

After the damage caused by Bilaam Harasha, when he incited the bnos moav on Am Yisrael, there was great danger pending over Klal Yisrael.
Pinchas, through his act of zeal, by slaying Zimri and Kosbi, caused the nation to have thoughts of Teshuva, repentance. Thus, he atoned for the nation, and saved them from destruction.

Tachas asher kinai l'Ailokov, vayechaper al Bnai Yisrael.
"because he was zealous for his G-d, and he atoned for Bnai Yisrael."

How can we accurately define קנאות, or righteous indignation?

קנאות translates as zealousness. When a person acts with idealism, in a situation where the odds are against him, and he stands no natural chance, he is called a קנאי, a zealot.
The medrash calls Avraham Avinu a קנאי. Avraham Avinu went to fight against the four kings, despite the fact that he was no match at all for them. They had already conquered an alliance of five kings in their quest for power and glory; yet Avraham was ready to fight them with only a handful of men. Avraham Avinu set out for battle, an act of gevurah, to save the world from tyrrany. Avraham Avinu was motivated by his great love for mankind, his chesed.

*

After Pinchas had slain Zimri and Kosbi, the tribes began mocking him. They accused him of taking after his maternal grandfather, Putiel or Yisro, who had fattened calves for idol worship. In effect, they were declaring that his act of kana'us was motivated by his murderous, angry nature, characteristic of the midianite nation of which he was a descendant.

In truth, Pinchas, like Avraham Avinu, was motivated by great love and compassion. "Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aharon has turned My anger..when he was zealous for My sake AMONG THEM." He took after his grandfather Aharon HaKohain, the great אוהב שלום ואוהב את הבריות , in his deep love for Klal Yisrael. When he was zealous, it was "among them," he did not act out of superiority and disdain, but out of profound concern. Vayefallel Pinchas, Pinchas entreated G-d, saying, "Because of these two (Zimri and Kosbi), twenty-four thousand of Yisrael should fall?!"

It was no enjoyable task that Pinchas took upon himself, contrary to the tribes' claim. According to Rav (Sanhedrin 83a), as soon as Pinchas became aware of what was going on, he ran to Moshe Rabbainu. Did Moshe not teach, when he descended from Har Sinai, that in such a case, the sinner should be struck down by Kana'im?? "Let the one who reads the letter be the agent to carry it out," was Moshe's reply. (Moshe could not explicitly instruct Pinchas to kill Zimri. This is part of the halacha.)

He did carry it out. However, when Pinchas arrived at the scene, he became terrified at the sight of the multitudes gathered around. His soul departed, out of extreme fright. This certainly is not the picture of an angry, murderous character. He then was revived by receiving the souls of Nadav and Avihu, the deceased sons of Aharon, who had lost their lives in an act of great LOVE for Hashem.

In summary, Pinchas's קנאות was rooted in love and concern, not in anger and cruelty.

* *

So here we have a formula for any situation that calls for gevurah on our part. Do we want to have impact on our children, our society? Not with anger. Not with impatience. Not with feelings of superiority. Even if such an approach seems to be a quick-fix solution, it can have no permanent effect. This is because only Kedusha is permanent. And only acts of gevurah b'Kedusha, tempered with chesed have permanence.

Many of our Kehillos today have set themselves up in a very insular manner. Contact with people not sharing the exact same hashkafa is very limited. There is a very strong emphasis on strict and high standards of modest social behavior and dress code. School enrollment is carefully regulated to include only "good families". This insularity is very much a "gevurah" mode. This can be most commendable. We are taught - הן עם לבדד ישכן ובגויים לא יתחשב . Am Yisrael is supposed to stay separate from the goyim and from their ways and influences.

However-

In keeping with the Baal Shem Tov's guiding words of הדבק במדותיו , and his warning to beware of externally acting out the middos, let us check. How is the chesed aspect faring in our kehillos? Is the preoccupation with gevurah leading to feelings of superiority? Self-righteousness? Smugness and complacency? (Racism - in the extreme!) Anger and cruelty? Deep concern for all of Klal Yisrael would get expressed in the way we speak to and interact with others with whom we don't exactly identify. How much we are willing to put ourselves out for others? This would also get expressed in heartfelt tefillos about the physical and spiritual welfare of all of our brethren. כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה. We are responsible for one another.

There is a movement in Eretz Yisrael, leda'avonainu (to our deep regret and heartache), called Chazara b'She'aila. It is comprised of former ba'alei teshuva who have become fiercely anti-irreligious, and are intent on pulling whoever they can back down with them. The person who started this movement was at one time a ba'al teshuva. He was very talented and full of promise. He was treated very roughly and became alienated. I don't know all the details of his case. But I certainly know of many other horror stories of intolerable behavior toward newcomers and others.

הדבק במדותיו - this is the call of the hour.

A gutten Erev Shabbos
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.

Kol Brisk on Parshas B'ha'alosecha

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל
Parashas Beha'aloscha
A Question of Attitude - A Crucial Turning Point in the Torah

In the middle of פרשת בהעלתך we find two psukkim set off from the rest of the parasha by inverted letters "נ" (gematria nun = 50). These two psukkim of ויהי בנסע הארן and ובנחה יאמר שובה ה' do not belong here, and should have been placed fifty chapters earlier, in פרשת במדבר. The reason that they are placed here is כדי להפסיק בין פורענות לפורענות, in order to pause between two punishments (Rashi 10,35).

When we examine the psukkim, we do find one apparent פורענות after these psukkim:
"ויהי העם כמתאננים.. ותבער בם אש ה'.."
"and when the people were complaining.. and the fire of Hashem burned among them"
We find, however, no apparent פרענות preceding the psukkim. The Ramban explains that the first פרענות is to be found in the words:
"ויסעו מהר ה'.."
And they travelled away from the mountain of G-d",
שנסעו מהר סיני בשמחה, כתנוק הבורח מבית הספר, אמרו שמה ירבה ויתן לנו מצוות..
..they left Har Sinai with joy, like an infant fleeing from school, saying lest He give us more mitzvos!

Although we find no punishment spelled out in the passuk, if not for this, says the Ramban, perhaps we would have entered Eretz Yisrael immediately..
This fleeing with joy from Har Sinai, alas, turned out to be a great calamity. Thus far, the Torah relates the preparations to enter Eretz Yisrael. ספר שמות tell us of the redemption and its culmination with מתן תורה. The redemptive process was set back by the חטא העגל, the golden calf, which caused the Divine Presence to depart. The building of the Mishkan brought the Shechina back. ספר ויקרא deals with the laws concerning the Kohanim and korbanos, sacrifices in the Mishkan. This all brings us to ספר במדבר. In the first parshios of במדבר and נשא, the nation was counted and the encampments were set up, everything was set and ready to proceed to the Promised Land. In פרשת בהעלתך , the tempo of the preparation increased; the leviim were sanctified, the silver trumpets were prepared for battle "in your land". Moshe Rabbainu even said to his father-in-law Yisro, נסעים אנחנו אל המקום.., "WE are travelling to the place that Hashem said.." And the aron travelled in front of the camp a journey of three days in order to seek for them a resting place...

Within three days they, we, were to have arrived.
But Am Yisrael fled from Har Hashem, fearful of receiving more Mitzvos.
Because of this, the entire direction turned. And for the first time, at the end of this parsha, we hear of the chilling נבואה by Eldad and Meidad – משה מת ויהושע מכניס את ישראל לארץ . A downward process, a chain of events had begun that ended with chait hameraglim, the sin of the spies. The entering into the land was then delayed for thirty-eight years. The whole generation of the desert died out. Moshe Rabbainu did not enter and was not Mashiach. Alas.

* * *

What starts the downward slide? It all starts out with a question of attitude.
When a Mitzvah is done out of אהבת ה' , out of love, out of a true desire to fulfill Hashem's will, and to cleave unto Him, one doesn't look for exemptions or excuses to avoid the burden.
In this parasha itself, perhaps as a contrast, in order to instruct us, we find two examples of קיום מצוות מתוך אהבה:
1) מה נסמכה פרשת המנורה לפרשת הנשיאים? לפי שכשראה אהרן חנוכת הנשיאים, אז חלשה דעתו בשלא היה עמהם בחנוכה..

Why is the topic of the menorah next to the portion about the princes? Because when Aharon saw the inauguration done by the princes, he became grieved that he had not taken part in this mitzvah..

2) ""ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח ביום ההוא.. ויאמרו האנשים ההמה.. למה נגרע.. ?!
And there was men that were temai'ai mes and were unable to bring the korban pesach on that day (the 14th of Nissan).. And those men said.. WHY SHOULD WE BE LEFT OUT..!?
These men had been occupied with a mitzvah (carrying the coffin of Yosef Hatzaddik) and therefore were TRULY EXEMPT from the mitzvah of Korban Pesach. However, this excuse did not satisfy their deep desire to draw close to Hashem through whatever mitzvah possible. They actually agonized over the fact that they had missed an opportunity.
A mitzvah is an opportunity to cleave to Hashem. When done out of habit, or for external reasons, there is a basic FLAW in the mitzvah.
It may seem like a minor and subtle difference. After all, both are fulfilling the Mitzvah, whether out of love, or out of habit and social norms. Why scrutinize with a magnifying glass??
From פרשת בהעלתך we see that it does make all the difference. It is a totally different direction that the doer faces: one is marching with his face toward "the Promised Land", the other, chas veshalom is facing the opposite direction. At the outset, they might be standing near each other. As time goes on, however, the gap keeps widening.

Practically speaking, there is a tendency that people have to identify and affiliate themselves with a religious circle, and to set their behaviour and standards in accordance with the norms of their group. This is true for all the groups.

We can learn from this week's parsha that no matter what label we give ourselves, no label exempts anyone from our obligations as members of Hashem's nation. Tznius, modesty and Yiras Shomayim, fear of G-d apply to all, even if particular styles vary. The obligation of Torah study applies to all; no type of hat or kippah exempts anyone from this most basic mitzvah. Frum attire also cannot discharge a person from the most scrupulous standards of בין אדם לחברו, in his dealings with his fellow Jew.

The list goes on.

This same concept translates into one's attitude towards leadership. A person looking to express his Ahavas Hashem and love of His Torah and mitzvos will surely respect and support and maintain a leader, a manhig, who represents all this. However, someone with the mindset of - "I'll go only with someone who is willing and understands how to share the profits and the fringe benefits with me" will surely reject such idealistic leadership.

Rav Aharon zt"l would often quote the Kotzker on the passuk, "כרחוק מזרח ממערב הרחיק ממנו את פשענו.." . As far as the east is from the west, so He has distanced from us our sins. How far are the two directions from each other? All it takes is for a person to turn around to do Teshuva!

Where do we all stand? Which direction are we facing?
It is all a question of attitude.
A gutten Erev Shabbos, from Yerushalayim Ir haKodesh.

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Kol Brisk on Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

פרשת בהר-בחקתי

אם בחקתי תלכו - שתהיו עמלים בתורה (רש"י)

Why is "laboring in Torah" expressed in the pasuk as bechukosai TAILAICHU, as "going in the statutes?"
What does "laboring in Torah" entail??

Rav Tzaddok miLublin, in the Pri Tzaddik, explains that laboring in Torah refers to the learning of Torah sheb'al peh, the oral Torah, rather than the Torah shebichsav, the written Torah.

The medrash Tanchuma says that when Am Yisrael exclaimed na'aseh v'nishmah, they were referring to Torah shebichsav, the written Torah. There is no sweat, toil or frustration involved in the learning of Torah Shebichsav. When the medrash relates that HaKadosh Baruch Hu held the mountain over us and told us that we must accept the Torah, willingly or otherwise, this medrash refers to the Torah sheb'al Peh. The learning of Torah sheb'al peh involves intense exertion, great frustration and even loss of sleep.
It is through this tremendous exertion and labour that the Torah becomes carved and engraved into the heart. Therefore the pasuk expresses the Torah sheb'al peh that is thus acquired as chukos (chakak=engrave).

When this directive is carried out, HaKadosh Baruch Hu promises us, TAILAICHU, you shall go forward, you will advance, you will be MEHALCHIM, those who move ahead.

Mal'achim, angels, are stationary, OMDIM. Their spiritual level is fixed. Man, on the other hand, as long as he is alive, he moves spiritually. Hopefully, this movement is upward, forward, ahead.

How can a person be assured that his movement is forward, and that he is not chas veshalom regressing and falling into degenerative behavior patterns directed by the yetzer harah??

Only through the involvement, exertion in Torah sheb'al Peh.

One can observe a peculiar phenomenon. Young people start out, graduate from school with all the great promise of bright futures ahead, brilliant careers, salaries, talent and charm to get them where ever it is that they wish to go. But you meet them twenty, thirty years later, and what becomes of them? And you wonder, what ever happened to all the promise, all their dreams? How can one prevent stagnation and degeneration of character? What is the secret to true enthusiasm, happiness and achievement?

The pasuk states the answer boldly and clearly. The road to real advancement and progress in life is through AMAILUS baTorah, that is through the constant laboring in Torah sheb'al peh, of course, each person on their own level, in their own capacity. ECHAD HAMARBEH V'ECHAD HAMAMIT.. This is not a question of quantity covered, but of intensity of effort. This is not a cushioned ride on a road with great fanfare. There are no oohs and aahs to be heard. It is rather a humble, quiet and non-obtrusive path, requiring much self-discipline in order not to be diverted or lured by the many confusing distractions.

But it leads you to great destinations.

*

And what about the women, who are exempt from the study of Torah sheb'al peh, how can they advance, and move ahead?

It is important to realize that women are exempt but not excluded from the study of Torah sheb'al peh. A woman who truly wishes to learn Torah sheb'al peh is welcome to do so. This is on condition that that her learning does not conflict with her many vital responsibilities for which she was exempted in the first place. Also, the learning must be carried out in a manner which poses absolutely no breach of the highest standards of modesty.

However, this is not the direction to which chazal point the focus.
Nashim, b'mai zacha'in? B'akrai bnaihu lvai knishta, uvasnoi gevaraihu bai rabanan, v'natrin l'gavraihu ad d'asu mibai rabanan.
Women, how do they merit? They send their sons to learn Torah, they allow their husbands to go to learn, and they await their return from the Bais Medrash.

The primary emphasis of chazal is on the moral, emotional support and encouragement which the woman provides. This is a most essential part of the greater picture, for in this lies her unique strength..

What greater (timely) example can be given to illustrate this lesson, but Rochel, the wife of Rabbi Akiva. The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l points out, in the words of chazal, "they await the return of their husbands": Rochel waited twenty four years...
Let us further examine:
Rochel sent her husband to learn, but how did he look at the outset? Forty years old ( it is never too late) and illiterate, resented talmidai chachamim! Rochel sent her husband, but how did she get him to go? Chazal relate how Rochel, with great sensitivity helped her husband overcome his feelings of shame and self-consciousness. (forty years old and sitting in cheder with little children learning alef-bais).

Rochel planted a flower pot between the humps of a dromedary, and off she went with Akiva and the animal to the market. The first day, the whole population came to view the hilarious sight and to laugh. The next day, the silly sight drew a crowd, but not like the first day. The next day a few people showed up, but most just walked right past them. And the next day, it was just a regular fixture in the marketplace - a camel with flowers growing off his back. The passers-by had gotten so used to the sight, that it drew no response at all. You see, said Rochel, people get used to everything, so why be ashamed! It worked.

She awaited his return, as we said, for twenty-four years. She was subjected to great external pressures; dire poverty (she had been raised in great affluence, being the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the land), disownment by her father, biting criticism from the neighbors...

The Vilna Gaon quoted this gemara in the hesped for his wife. Her merit is greater, he said. While I went to learn Torah in the heated Bais Medrash, she sat home in the cold...

Rochel's husband indeed returned after twenty four years, and how did he look upon his arrival??
He returned as Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest teachers of Am Yisrael.

And what did he have to say about his devoted wife? Rabbi Akiva announced before all,
שלי ושלכם, שלה היא.
All of my Torah and all of your Torah belongs to her!

The destination is great.

אם בחקתי תלכו.

A gutten Erev Shabbos from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.

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Kol Brisk on Parshas Emor

Parashas Emor

Yir'as Hashem tehora, omedes la'ad, Fear of Hashem is pure, it stands for ever. Mi'yirah shenisyarai Aharon lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu, zachah shenitna lo parsha zu she'aina zaza mimenu umibanav umibnei banav ad sof kol hadoros.

Because of the fear that Aharon had of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, he merited that this parasha was given to him, laws that remains relevant to him and to his descendants for all generations. (Yalkut Emor)

The medrash relates to us that Aharon, through his superlative level of Yir'as Shamayim, imprinted into the genes of his offspring for all generations this great Kedusha. One of the strong reassurances from G-d about the final Geula is that this most fragile institution of Kehuna shall withstand the thousands of years of exposure to the elements; exile, wanderings, suffering and subordination (Haftara: vehakohanim.. asher shomru es mishmeres mikdashi). And when Mashiach will come, speedily in our days, there truly will be Kohanim kshairim, those who have carefully watched over their Kehunah and therefore will be fit to serve in the Bayis Shlishi, amen.

Where do we find Aharon having behaved in a manner that exemplifies such great fear of Hashem?? Certainly throughout the parshios we find many instances of the great humility and self nullification of Aharon, as Rashi points out to us. Let us examine, however, our first encounter with Aharon in the Torah:

In parashas Shemos, after Hashem had appointed Moshe Rabbainu as leader, the number one man in Klal Yisrael, Hashem informed Moshe that Aharon was on his way to greet Moshe. ..hinei hu yotzei likrasecha vera'acha vesamach belibo, "..behold he is coming to meet you and he will see you and he will rejoice IN HIS HEART." Rashi: Not as you assume that he will be offended that you [his younger brother] have been chosen for greatness.

Aharon, in a moment of great test, proved himself completely devoid of any vestige of jealousy or rivalry toward his younger brother Moshe. The Torah testifies that all Aharon felt, deep in his heart, was pure and genuine joy for his younger brother's having been chosen by G-d. Is it not true that we feel most jealous of those with whom we have the most in common?? If some anonymous citizen wins an award or lands a great job with a high salary, the sting we feel is negligible compared to if it is our classmate, next-door neighbor or younger brother. This is the rule: The more we have in common with someone, the more we are aware of the differences between us, and hence the more these differences disturb us. Sibling rivalry, therefore, is a most prevalent phenomenon.

Aharon was completely above these natural petty calculations. For Aharon possessed constant Yir'as Hashem. Yir'as Shomayim is the fear that results when a person is aware that he is standing every moment in the Presence of Melech Malchei Hamelachim, Who created him as a unique individual with a unique task, and Who provides him every moment with all that is necessary to fulfill that task. The Y'rai Hashem has no time at all to pay attention to how his accomplishments and achievements measure up to those around him . He has his task to fulfill, with no time or energy to waste on the irrelevant!!! Ultimately, it is Yir'as Shomayim that is the source of true self-confidence.

*

The week's parasha also brings our attention to a story with quite a different conclusion. Here is the account of a person who made his comparisons, drew his conclusions, and where this warped perspective brought him:

Vayeitzei ben isha yisraelis vehu ben ish mitzri.. vayikov.. es Hashem.. vayikallel.. And the son of a Jewish woman went out, and he was the son of an Egyptian man.. and he blasphemed.. This is the story of a Jewish man who had a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father. He went out and attempted to pitch his tent in the camp of the tribe of Dan, his mother's tribe. He was told that this was forbidden, for a person's tribe is determined by his father. This man made the comparison. Acutely aware of his Jewish mother, he could not make peace with the fact that the law was different in his case because of his non-Jewish father. Jealousy set in.. Vayetzei.. and he went out. From where did he go out? "Hakin'ah.. motzee es ha'adam min ha'olam." Unbridled jealousy eventually brings a person to lose faith. And so it was with the ben isha yisraelis.. and he blasphemed..

The Torah so sharply draws for us the alternatives and indicates the direction in which to set our goals.

Today, our society places heavy emphasis on competition. A person today is constantly looked over and rated for his accomplishments; his brain power, salary, status, social group, social flair, etc. This is a system that is anti Torah. For in such a system, there can be no winners without losers. The winners create the losers, for otherwise, how can they win?? According to the Torah, there is no such a thing as a loser. Everyone was created b'tzelem Elokim! Everyone has a place and an essential G-dly task to fulfill, no matter how he looks in comparison to others. Yes, even the ben isha yisraelis would have had a place, had he accepted his status with humility, with Yiras Shomayim. Outwardly, there is an order in Klal Yisrael; each Shevet, each tribe has their boundaries, and then there are Yisraelim, Levi'im and Kohanim. It is absolutely necessary be at peace with and to accept one's location and chelek. Before G-d, however, all boundaries fall. "Yomru nah yir'ai Hashem", let those that fear Hashem praise Him", says David HaMelech, earmarking the Yir'ai Hashem as the highest level of those who praise Him, higher even than the Kohanim. On the contrary, failure does not even have to be a setback, it can easily be transformed into something very positive and precious, as the Kotzker said, "There is nothing as perfect before G-d as a broken heart."

But you might be asking, what about what our sages teach, kinas sofrim tarbeh chochmah, '"rivalry between scholars serves to increase wisdom"?
This chas veshalom does not mean that we are supposed to try and outdo others in spiritual achievements!! Rather, we are encouraged to observe and learn from others' spiritual strengths, and to strive for the same for ourselves. As Moshe Rabbeinu said, when he was told that there were two nevi'im prophesying about the end of Moshe Rabbeinu's term as leader, "if only all of Hashem's nation could be prophets.."

When a system is set up where motivation is based on the premise of superiority over others, of climbing to the top of the social ladder, however "pious" or "real world" the packaging of that ladder seems, there are serious considerations: In rivalry and competition, those that get ahead are faced with a deep problem of neglecting to develop their characters, and of their becoming addicted to their ego-feeding and shallow experiences, which greatly hamper and limit their freedom of movement and of functioning, and their sensitivity to the needs of others. (Who was more sensitive than Aharon, who spent his days mending rifts between husband and wife, between friends, etc.) . Also, we must bear in mind that such a pressured system drives those with the softer natures to drop out. They lose motivation for fear of exposing their inability to measure up to the high and unrealistic expectations of those around them.

The conclusion is clear. We must steer far away from the pressures of unhealthy competition and rivalry, for ourselves and for our children. In pre-war Europe, there was a certain Chasidishe Rebbe who instructed his many sons each to settle in a different town, to enable their optimal development. Nothing good, meaningful or permanent comes out of trying to prove ourselves to the world as superior to those around us. Rather, by concentrating on truly imbuing ourselves and our families with Yir'as Shomayim, b'syata dishmaya, we follow the Torah's guide to each discovering and fulfilling his or her individual role on earth.

"Yomru nah yir'ai Hashem, ki l'olam chasdo."
Let those who fear Hashem affirm, that His kindness is Eternal.. A gutten Erev Shabbos from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.

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Kol Brisk on Parshas Vayikra - Korbanos/Sacrifices

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

Parashas Vayikra

With this week's parasha, we open a new sefer, Sefer Vayikra, Toras Kohanim. Sefer Vayikra deals with the laws concerning korbanos, sacrifices, tum'ah v'tahara, and laws concerning Kohanim.

Today, we have no Bais Hamikdash. We have no mizbai'ach. We cannot bring korbanos. Chazal teach: Unishalmah parim s'fasaynu, Our lips have the power to replace the oxen.

The mefarshim give us some interesting glimpses into the experience of bringing a korban in the time of the Bais Hamikdash:

The Mai Ha'shiloach gives the case of a person who got an idea to do something new. For example, he desired to build for himself a large new home. However, he had certain hesitations and fears. Where was this desire coming from? Was it a real need of his? People would be surprised and would talk etc. These thoughts caused him to be not completely at ease with his plans. Perhaps his misgivings were a sign that this was not a right thing to do. Perhaps this was a sign that this was not the Ratzon Hashem, the Divine Will?

This person would then bring a korban olah and mincha.

The purpose of his olah was in order to submit his ENTIRE ratzon, desires and intellect to Hashem Yisbarach, in order that Hashem would direct the person in the direction He willed. The olah is ENTIREly sacrificed on the mizbai'ach. If the project was truly Hashem's Will, the korban would effectively subdue and clear away all the hesitations.

Once the proper direction, for or against the plan, became clear, the mincha would assume its function. If this person was to build his new house, the mincha would give him great motivation, confidence, energy and enthusiasm to proceed with his plans. If it was not the Ratzon Hashem for the person to embark on the project, then, by bringing the olah, he would lose his motivation and interest. Then, however, the person could be beset with afterthoughts; why was this plan not right for him? By bringing the mincha, the person would become Divinely enlightened as to how such a home would have had a damaging effect on a certain aspect of his character. The mincha would put the person's mind at REST.
Mincha - its root connotes REST.

Two people could jointly bring the olah, for submission before G-d is something in which everyone is equal. The mincha, however, could only be brought by one person alone. This is because peace of mind is very individual, and translates differently for every nefesh miYisrael, every Jewish soul with its own needs.

A shlamim was brought by a person experiencing any sort of anxiety or unsettled feelings. The shlamim would restore wholesomeness, peace within the person, peace with his environment, and with his Creator.

Unishalmah parim s'fasaynu.
All of the above functions of the olah, mincha and shlamim can be achieved today through proper tefillah.

I personally know someone who, through tefillah, by saying tehillim, clarified strong misgivings in the realm of shidduchim. Interest in shidduchim that were all wrong for him faded out; and eventually, for the shidduch that was very right for him, about which he was not so sure, he acquired interest and motivation. Today, he is Baruch Hashem, very happily married to a wonderful and devoted wife, and has b'ayin"h beautiful children.

Also, someone had a complex question of how to conduct himself in a certain situation. For a long difficult period he carried the doubt with him. Unable to continue to bear the strain, he sat down one night, recited the entire Sefer Tehillim without interuption, concentrating from the depths of his heart specifically on this question. Within two days, the situation became much more clarified.

*

V'nefesh ki sakriv korban mincha laHashem
The Netziv miVolozhin explains that the mincha was brought to atone for hashchasas hanefesh b'midos, that is deterioration of character. The example in Tanach that he brings is Shaul HaMelech. David suggested to him to bring a Mincha, for he was suffering from ruach ra'ah, resulting from, what was on his level, depression and anger. There are four types of mincha, corresponding to the four humours or four elements. Each person has his unique combination of these four. Extremities in any direction are the cause of midos ra'os.

The Ba'al haTanya teaches us that Am Yisrael starts out in the first place with a relatively speaking refined nefesh habehemis, vital soul. This is because of our ancestry. We all inherited in our genes compassion, modesty and generosity! So on first glance, on a superficial level it is difficult to discern our weaknesses.
Here they are:

1. Yesod ha'aish, marah adumah- element of fire- in extreme causes anger and arrogance




2. Yesod hamayim, marah levana-element of water- indulgence in pleasure and desire




3. Yesod haruach, marah tzehubah-element of air- giddiness, frivolity, boasting and idle talk




4. Yesod he'afar, marah shechorah-element of earth- depression and laziness

In the time of the Bais Hamikdash, one could bring a mincha to straighten out his midos.
Today, we have no mincha, we have no mizbai'ach and we have no Bais Hamikdash. But we still have tefillah.

And Hashem waits to hear from us. And He listens. And He answers.

Harchev picha va'amaleihu.
Just open your mouth (in tefillah) and I will fill it up, urges G-d.

May the service of korbanos be restored speedily in our days.

A gutten Erev Shabbos
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh

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