|
INFO LINE:
877-ANSHE-EMes
877-267-4336
Get
the
EMESSARIES
and
LOS ANGELES
JEWISH EVENTS
e-newsletters
Visit the
Los Angeles Jewish Events
(LAJE)
archives:
Get this week's Parsha
Notes
on your PDA!
as featured on
www.PilotYid.com!
Works with both AvantGo
and Plucker.
Los Angeles Painting Contractor Alan Silverstein, Inc.
10% of your purchase $$$
will go to Anshe Emes
Click to visit
American Plaque
Ezras Torah Luach
Design/Consulting:
www.grossweb.com
Hosting:
www.anshe.org
This Anshe Emes
website was ranked as
one of the top
3
Jewish web sites
in
Los Angeles by
the Jewish Journal
Anshe
Emes was
listed as one of 6 top
shuls in the country
by The
Forward
31 Aug 2001
Help support the
congregants who support Anshe Emes:
Life Insurance Quotes
auto insurance
Annuity
life insurance
Diversity Training
Encino CPA
Los Angeles hardwood flooring
Los Angeles CPA
Los Angeles Assisted Living
Los Angeles Retirement
earthquake insurance
refinance
appliance reviews
internet safety
unlock blackberry
internet security consultant
California Workers Compensation Insurance
California Work Comp
Annuities
mortgage refinance
appliances
unlock blackberry bold
Los Angeles Alzheimer's
Los Angeles hardwood floors
bicycle blog
california earthquake insurance
Los Angeles wood flooring
Diversity Education
home equity
Life Insurance
Los Angeles Assisted Living
unlock blackberry 8800
work comp
moving
Los Angeles floor installation
philip rosenthal
tech talk
moving boxes
tour de france
assisted living
los angeles marriage counseling
beverly hills marriage counseling
alzheimer's facility
jewish los angeles
alzheimer's care
bride
life insurance
hardwood flooring
retirement in los angeles
refinancing
bicycle
remodeling
best price
health insurance
remodel
encino counseling
vanity 800 number
los angeles synagogue
maternity
appliance news
home loans
workers compensation insurance
Los Angeles Alzheimers
home equity
california workers compensation insurance
Los Angeles assisted living
flooring
appliance
encino therapy
cycling blog
california earthquake insurance
auto insurance
auto parts
encino couples therapy
auto repair
bestprice
movers
dental care
homeowners insurance
los angeles jewish
home equity loan
mortgage calculator
encino couples therapy
car insurance
kosher road trip
.
|
Parsha Page
by Fred Toczek
A survey of parsha thoughts from Gedolei
Yisroel compiled by Fred Toczek. Perfect for printing and
use at your Shabbos tisch.
BEHA'ALOSCHA 5757
NEXT SHABBOS:
SHLACH
I. Summary
A. The Menorah/Consecration of the Levi'im.
Aharon was
entrusted with arranging the outer six lamps of the
Menorah so that their lights projected towards the
seventh (and central) shaft. The Levites were readied for
Mishkon service by purifying themselves through washings
and sacrifices. Levi'im between the ages of 30-50 were to
take part in such service; those between the ages of
25-30 were to be trained for future service.
B. The First Pesach. The first Pesach after the Exodus
was observed on the 14th of Nissan. Those who were impure
appealed to Moshe and Aharon to be allowed to participate
in the Pesach offerings; a special date (the 14th of Iyar) was set aside for them (and for those who were too
far away on the regular day for the Pesach offering) to
bring the Korban Pesach offering (the "Pesach
Sheni").
C. The Israelite's March. Hashem lifting His cloud from
the Mishkon was a signal for the Israelites to continue
their journey. Moshe was commanded to make two silver
trumpets to be used to announce the march, summon the
assembly to the Mishkon, sound an alarm before battle,
and proclaim joyous occasions such as Festivals and the
New Moon. After almost a year in the Sinai, the
Israelites journeyed to the wilderness of Paran; Yisro,
Moshe's father-in-law, refused Moshe's invitation to join
them, choosing instead to return to his native land of
Midian.
D. The Israelites Complain/The 70 Elders. During the
journey, the people began murmuring against Hashem's
leadership. Hashem became angry, and caused a fire to
burn in their midst, prompting terror and destruction.
Moshe's prayers to Hashem on their behalf caused the fire
to abate. The Israelites, however, didn't learn their
lesson and proceeded to complain about the lack of meat
in the desert, bemoaning the fact that they left Egypt.
(Moshe began to feel that the burden of leading them was
too much for him to bear alone; Hashem told him to
assemble 70 Elders, who would constitute a Sanhedrin, to
assist him. The Elders [who were chosen from the foremen
who had been the Jewish taskmasters in Egypt and who,
when Pharaoh ordered them to punish the Israelites,
allowed themselves to be beaten in lieu of inflicting
punishment on their brethren] were assembled and the
spirit of prophecy rested upon them.) In response to the
people's complaints about the lack of meat and the boring
taste of "manna", Hashem caused the wind to
bring many quails -- enough for the people to eat meat
for a full month -- from across the sea; the people
gathered them greedily, but when they began to eat, many
of them died as punishment for their lack of faith in
Hashem.
E. Miriam Is Punished With Leprosy. Miriam, Moshe's
sister, was punished with leprosy for making defamatory
statements to Aharon about Moshe. After a week outside
the camp, she was completely healed.
II. Divrei Torah
A. Growth Through Torah (Rabbi Zelig Pliskin)
Focus On The Good Instead Of Complaining About What Is
Wrong. Rashi comments that the people had no real cause
to complain, but were simply looking for an excuse to
separate themselves from Hashem. We also use complaints
to distance ourselves from:
1. Hashem -- by finding what sounds like a complaint, we
rationalize remaining distant from Him. By focusing only
on what is missing, we remain blinded to what we have; no
matter how much we have, there is always something to
complain about if we look hard enough. This is a
prescription for misery, and a direct contradiction to
our obligation to be grateful to Hashem. Appreciating
what we have is crucial to our spirituality and
happiness; and
2. Others -- by focusing on what others do wrong, or
what they do that isn't enough, we try to free ourselves
from gratitude for all they have done for us. This fault
causes misery for both us and others. In addition, our
Sages teach that one who doesn't appreciate what others
do for him will eventually deny the good Hashem has done
for him.
B. Lil'Mode U'lilamed (Rabbi Mordechai Katz)
1. Consistent Devotion.
The Torah tells us that Hashem
commanded Moshe to instruct Aharon how to light the
Menorah, and that "Aharon did so . . . as Hashem had
commanded Moshe". Rashi notes that this language is
to commend Aharon for acting in accord with Hashem's
instructions. But, are we to expect anything less from
someone as great as Aharon? The Sfas Emes, z'tl teaches
that it is human nature to begin a task with great
enthusiasm, but to eventually begin to perform it more
out of habit than devotion. Aharon is being praised for
beginning his duties with the most fervent of devotion
and maintaining that devotion throughout his many years
of services. We must avoid taking the performance of
mitzvos (e.g., prayer, Shabbos, acts of kindness) for
granted, but remain aware that we are fulfilling Hashem's
will and, accordingly, strive to maintain the appropriate
level of devotion and enthusiasm.
2. We must always strive to reach our goals. The word
"Beha'aloscha" comes from the word "to
raise"; the Menorah's fire was to be directed into
an upward direction, inspiring us towards even higher
goals in our lives and connection to Hashem.
C. Kol Dodi on the Torah (Rabbi David Feinstein)
Arousing the spirit in others. And Hashem said to
Moshe "I will take from the spirit which is on you
and place it on them [the 70 Elders], and they shall bear
with you the burden of the people". Rashi explains
that this means that Moshe's spirit will make the others
great. But, if Moshe felt that he wasn't strong enough to
bear the burden of leading the Jewish people alone,
wouldn't the sharing of his spirit weaken, not
strengthen, him? Rashi explains that Moshe was like a
candle -- no matter how many candles are lit from it, its
own light isn't diminished. Thus, Moshe would remain
unchanged while the others would glow from their exposure
to him, and together they would bear the burdens of
leadership. When we give of our spirit to others -- our
children, friends, colleagues, students, etc. -- we can
arouse their spirit and, in turn, be strengthened
ourselves.
D. In the Garden Of The Torah (the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
Menachem M. Schneerson, z'tl)
1. A Path Of Light. In Proverbs, King Solomon writes
"educate a child according to his way; even when he
grows older, he will not depart from it". The
teaches us several concepts about the Torah approach to
education, and this Parsha:
a. The Goal of Education. The goal of education is not
merely a means to transmit information, but to mold a
student's character -- to set his/her feet on a path on
which he/she can follow his/her entire life; to instill a
standard of values and principles that teach him/her how
to look ahead and face and overcome life's challenges.
When a child has learned principles and values which ring
true, he/she will feel energy which will seek expression
in positive life experiences.
b. Encourage Individuality.
Important in education is
the realization that every child has "his/her
way". As the Rebbe Rayatz, zt'l taught, "each
individual Jew has a spiritual mission in his life".
Although we all share the common goal of transforming our
world into a dwelling place for Hashem, we each have
individual gifts and tendencies. Expression of these
different tendencies allows the Divine purpose to be
manifest in various paths, giving it a more comprehensive
scope.
2. The Connection to this week's Parsha.
a. The bulk of the Torah reading describes the
preparations for, and the initial stages of, the journey
of the Jews through the desert. The Baal Shem Tov
explains that these journeys are reflected in the
journeys of every individual through life. The Jews
didn't remain at Mt. Sinai; rather, they took the Torah
and the Sanctuary with them as they set out on their
journey through the desert of the world. Similarly, the
kindling of the light in a person's soul -- the goal of
education -- enables him/her to take the "light of
Torah" with him/her into his/her journeys through
the world.
b. The Menorah symbolizes the Jewish people, whose
purpose it is to spread Divine light throughout the
world. The Menorah extends upward in seven branches,
which symbolize the seven different paths of Divine
service; yet, it was made of a single piece of gold to
indicate that the various qualities of the Jewish people
do not detract from their fundamental unity. Diversity
need not lead to division, and the development of true
unity comes from a synthesis of different thrusts, every
person expressing his own unique talents and personality.
E. Living Each Day (Rabbi Abraham Twerski)
The Centrality of Humility. "Moshe was humble,
more than any other human being on earth." Moshe
obviously had many fine character traits; why, then, does
the Torah mention only his humility? Since humility is
the source of all other commendable traits. While Moshe
was aware of his tremendous gift of prophecy, he
nonetheless remained humble. One of the Chassidic masters
related a parable of a king who, wanting to get a
first-hand look at life in his kingdom, disguised himself
as a foot soldier and asked one of his officers to escort
him. Wherever they went, the townspeople gave honor to
the officer and ignored the king. The officer, however,
wasn't pleased with the recognition -- "if only they
knew who it is that is with me", he thought "in
their ignorance of his presence, they accord honor to
me". One who is aware of Hashem's constant presence
and awesome majesty isn't affected by honor; rather, like
the officer, he becomes more humble. We shouldn't deny
our potential but, by recognizing that whatever we have
is a G-d-given gift, should remain aware to whom the
honor for our achievements really belongs.
F. Love Thy Neighbor (Rabbi Zelig Pliskin)
1. The Prohibition Against "Loshon Hora"
("gossip"). Miriam heard from Moshe's wife Zipporah that he had separated himself from her; Miriam
felt his behavior was improper and related this to her
brother Aharon. The Chofetz Chaim learns out from this
several principles about loshon hora: (a) it is
prohibited even if you are speaking about someone who is
humble and doesn't mind others speaking against him (for
this reason, immediately after Moshe was spoken against,
the Torah states that Moshe was humble); (b) even if one
has done favors for another (e.g., Miriam saved Moshe's
life when he was an infant), one doesn't have a right to
speak against him; and (c) the prohibition even applies
to telling just one other person, and even if the
recipient is a relative who won't relay it to anyone
else.
2. We should aid in their time of need even those who
act against us. Not only did Moshe not get angry at
Miriam for speaking against him, but he even prayed for
her recovery.
G. Majesty of Man
Hashem's guidelines for giving rebuke. In rebuking
Miriam and Aharon for speaking loshon hora, Hashem said
"please listen to My words . . . " Why was it
necessary for Hashem to soften his rebuke, especially
when dealing with people on as high a level as Miriam and
Aharon? Hashem, in His infinite wisdom of human nature,
knew that His rebuke would lose some of its effectiveness
if it wasn't given in this imploring manner. The Sifsei
Chachamim concludes that if Hashem addressed His servants
in such a manner, how much more so should we speak gently
to others, correcting them with love and gentleness. If
our words come from the heart, they are more likely to
penetrate and be accepted in our friends' hearts as well.
H. Genesis Project
Our obligation to "light" the Menorah.
"The week's reading begins with the Commandment to
light the Menorah in the Tabernacle. And as my teacher
Rabbi Asher Z. Rubenstein pointed out, G-d doesn't need
our candles. He doesn't need our light. There is no
darkness before G-d. In a house, the narrowest part of a
window is on the outside - this is even true today. This
method of construction allows maximal light to enter the
house through the window. Yet the Holy Temple was
constructed with just the opposite design - to allow the
internal light of the Temple to radiate outwards. So G-d
doesn't need our light - what He wants is for Israel to
be engaged in the act of lighting. Yet, what does this
symbolize? The answer may be found in Proverbs (20:27):
"The light of HaShem is the soul of man."
["Ner HaShem Nishmas Adam."] Again, G-d does
not need our light, but He offers us the opportunity to
radiate light. And we are to be involved with the
lighting. This applies, said Rav Rubenstein, not only to
ourselves. If we find a "candle" which isn't
burning, it is our obligation to light it. If we find a
Jewish soul which is not shining, we cannot leave it dim.
Torah enlightens the mind and gives joy to the heart. A
person may be "dim" because he or she is
unhappy, or simply lacking the shine of Jewish spiritual
life. One way or the other, we must participate in
sharing light. One candle can light thousands of others -
if it is, itself, burning brightly. There is no question
- here too, G-d does not "need" our help. He
alone can light the lights. But He wants us to be
involved in the lighting. We -- every one of us -- has
the opportunity to share, and to grow brighter along with
others. G-d gives us not merely a place under the lights
- He gives us the opportunity to radiate on our own, and
to help others to shine as well.
NEXT SHABBOS:
SHLACH
|
