"Na'aseh V'nishma" - The Earthshattering Interpretation of Rabbeinu Yona That You Never Knew...Plus

 

 

What Would the Chofetz Chaim Say About Bringing Phones Into a Shul or Beis Medresh 

הידעתם באיזו ברכה צריך לכוון במיוחד בחג השבועות הבעל"ט? מרן הגר"י זילברשטיין שליט"א בחידוש מרתק

 

🔥התורה מרפאה את כל המחלות: מרן פוסק הדור הרב זילברשטיין בסיפור מבהיל בכולל נץ - התיעוד עם כיתוביות

 

 

 נהנתם מהסרטון? תנו לייק והרשמו כמנוי ותתנו לנו את הכוח להמשיך................ צופים יקרים: הקליקו "הירשם כמנוי" ואחר כך לחצו על הפעמון, ואז תהיו המעודכנים הראשונים בכל סרטון חדש שעולה ליוטיוב ! נו, לא כדאי להירשם ? יש לכם תיעוד וידאו מעולם התורה לפרסום? שלחו אלינו מייל 6701822@gmail.com המערכת מכבדת זכויות יוצרים התיעודים המתפרסמים בערוץ זה הם ע"פ תורתינו הקדושה, ולהבדיל ע"פ חוקותיהם, חוק זכויות יוצרים תשס"ח 2007 למנינם, סעיף 27א, במידה ובעל המוצר חפץ שנפסיק להשתמש במוצר, או שנייחס הסרטון אליו שלחו לנו מייל לכתובת: 6701822@GMAIL.COM והעניין יטופל.

Shavuos: The Mysterious Ancestry of Dovid Hamelech

 

Eliezer Meir Saidel: Our Part in the Torah – Shavuot/Naso

 

Our Part in the Torah – Shavuot/Naso 

וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת מֹשֶׁה לְהָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וַיִּמְשַׁח אֹתוֹ וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ וְאֶת כׇּל כֵּלָיו וְאֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת כׇּל כֵּלָיו וַיִּמְשָׁחֵם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתָם. וַיַּקְרִיבוּ נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי בֵּית אֲבֹתָם הֵם נְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטֹּת הֵם הָעֹמְדִים עַל הַפְּקֻדִים. (במדבר ז, א-ב)

Many topics appear in our parsha, each that warrants a shiur on its own, Sotah, Nazir, Birkat Kohanim, Korbanot HaNesi'im. In this shiur we will mostly be speaking about Shavuot, but before we begin, a short introduction related to parshat hashavua.

At the end of the parsha we find the chapter of Korbanot HaNesi'im, the twelve korbanot brought by the heads of each tribe, during the inauguration of the Mishkan. The Gemara (Megila 10b) tells us that when a passuk begins with the word וַיְהִי, it indicates a לְשׁוֹן צַעַר. Why was there צַעַר during the inauguration of the Mishkan? Quite the opposite, it should have been a time of great celebration! Chazal give various reasons. Although it was a joyous day, it was also the day that Nadav and Avihu died (Bamidbar Raba 13, 5). In the prior seven days, Moshe was serving as Kohen Gadol and on the eighth day, this task was transferred to Aharon, and this caused Moshe צַעַר (Zevachim 102a).  

We then find one of the most "repetitious" portions in the Torah, the Korbanot HaNesi'im. Each day the Nasi of each tribe (in order of their departure when travelling in the Midbar), gave exactly the same korban.

We know that the Torah is not verbose, every letter has significance. For example, Shlomo HaMelech learned that he should add an extra ten Menorot in the 1^st Beit HaMikdash, from one extra letter yud in the word תֵּיעָשֶׂה הַמְּנוֹרָה (שמות כה, לא). (Many printed chumashim omit the yud, but if you look in an actual sefer Torah, there is an extra yud). Shlomo also added an additional ten Shulchanot alongside the extra ten Menorot - he learned the one from the other.

If the Torah had wanted to be concise, it could have said –

וַיְהִי הַמַּקְרִיב בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן אֶת קׇרְבָּנוֹ נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה. וְקׇרְבָּנוֹ קַעֲרַת כֶּסֶף אַחַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמֵאָה מִשְׁקָלָהּ מִזְרָק אֶחָד כֶּסֶף שִׁבְעִים שֶׁקֶל בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ שְׁנֵיהֶם מְלֵאִים סֹלֶת בְּלוּלָה בַשֶּׁמֶן לְמִנְחָה. כַּף אַחַת עֲשָׂרָה זָהָב מְלֵאָה קְטֹרֶת. פַּר אֶחָד בֶּן בָּקָר אַיִל אֶחָד כֶּבֶשׂ אֶחָד בֶּן שְׁנָתוֹ לְעֹלָה. שְׂעִיר עִזִּים אֶחָד לְחַטָּאת. וּלְזֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים בָּקָר שְׁנַיִם אֵילִם חֲמִשָּׁה עַתּוּדִים חֲמִשָּׁה כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה חֲמִשָּׁה זֶה קׇרְבַּן נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב. (במדבר ז, יב-יז)

Followed by –
וַיְהִי הַמַּקְרִיב בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי אֶת אוֹתוֹ קָרְבָּן נְתַנְאֵל בֶּן צוּעָר לְמַטֵּה יִשָּׂשכָר.
וַיְהִי הַמַּקְרִיב בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי אֶת אוֹתוֹ קָרְבָּן אֱלִיאָב בֶּן חֵלֹן לְמַטֵּה זְבוּלֻן.
וַיְהִי הַמַּקְרִיב בַּיּוֹם הָרְבִיעִי אֶת אוֹתוֹ קָרְבָּן אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן שְׁדֵיאוּר לְמַטֵּה רְאוּבֵן.
וכו'

… and saved 43 entire psukkim! Since the Torah did not do so, each letter of those 72 repetitive psukkim is vital and teaches us something. If you read Bamidbar Raba 13, one of the lengthiest chapters in the Midrash, it says how, although they physically brought the same korban, each tribe had completely different kavanot when they brought that same korban, and it goes on to detail the kavanot of each and every tribe. Incredibly, each tribe had kavanot to benefit another tribe, not themselves.

In previous shiurim (see Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 2026) we discussed how each of the Twelve Tribes has a different purpose and role to fulfil in the "unit" that is Am Yisrael. In this week's shiur we will explore how that unique role relates to Torah.

In parshat Yitro the passuk says ... וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר (שמות יט, ב) and we all know the famous Rashi (ibid.), why וַיִּחַן is in the singular and not as it should be, in the plural - that all twelve tribes encamped around Har Sinai כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד בְּלֵב אֶחָד, in total unity.

The gematria of וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר is 1222, which is also the gematria of "חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ", as it says in the Mishna יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱ-לֹקֵינוּ שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ (אבות ה, כ).

What does חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ mean?

All of Am Yisrael (around six million people) stood at Har Sinai and experienced the revelation of HKB"H uttering the first two commandments directly. All of Am Yisrael heard them. It is the first and only time that Divine revelation occurred to so many people at once (and not to individuals, as it previously had and subsequently did). The intensity of it was such that Am Yisrael begged Moshe to act as intermediary and relay the remaining eight commandments, which he did. All six million heard the same Torah, the same words, the same psukkim. It was all communicated to them on Har Sinai. The gematria of וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר is also תּוֹרָה בִּכְתָב בְּעַל פֶּה, the inescapable unity of the Torah. It is the same Torah that has been passed down through the generations from father to son, mother to daughter, teacher to student, until the present day. It is the 8^th principle in the Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith.

We all have the same Torah, the same Mishna, Gemara, Rishonim, Acharonim, etc., So, what does חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ mean? How can one person have a different חֵלֶק in the same Torah? It is obviously not that some mitzvot only apply to one person and not to others (actually there are such mitzvot – some only apply to men, others to women, others to kohanim, levi'im, etc.). I am referring to the "general" mitzvot that apply to all of Am Yisrael, men/women/kohanim/levi'im alike. We all have to eat Kosher, keep Shabbat, fast on Yom Kippur, etc. Chas vechalila if someone would say "This part of the Torah doesn't apply to me" and pick and choose which part of the Torah they want to keep (like the Reform do). The entire Torah is incumbent on us all, as HKB"H instructed. It is integral to our covenant with HKB"H made at Har Sinai.

The answer to the above question is that everyone heard the same Torah on Har Sinai, but each internalized it differently. Six million people heard the same כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ, but one person internalized it as –

"I am going to build a 'granny cottage' for my parents for when they get old (in 30-years-time) so they will be nearby and I can look after them."

Others internalized it as -  

"I am going to stand up whenever my parents enter the room."
"I am going to buy my mom an extra special present for her next birthday."
"I am going to make my parents proud by scoring an A+ on my next test."
etc.

The commandment applies equally to all of Am Yisrael, but it is like when the Nesi'im brought the same physical korban, each had a different kavana when they brought it. Internalizing differently affects how we perform the mitzva, not whether we perform it or not. We each perform it in the unique context of our unique role and purpose in life.

We are all obliged to observe the laws of Kashrut, for example, but someone, whose purpose in life is to dedicate themselves specifically to things that are kashrut related, will take that specific mitzva to a different level. For example, to research different bugs, the produce they infest and devise different methods to deal with them. To specialize in and write a sefer on all the different food additives (E-441/gelatin, E-422/glycerine, etc.) in the food industry and how they affect kashrut in commercial food companies.  

We all have a mitzva to love the גֵּר. Most of us apply it by treating them nicely and with respect, or inviting them to meals, etc. But someone, whose purpose in life is to dedicate themselves specifically to things that are גֵּר related, will open a special NPO (Amuta), like עִתִּים, which is dedicated to supporting גֵּרִים in Am Yisrael, or become a teacher of גֵּרִים during their conversion process

Being a bug expert who specializes in kashrut does not detract from your obligation to love גֵּרִים. neither does being the head of עִתִּים detract from your obligation to keep Kosher. We are all obligated to keep the entire Torah, but we choose which area to focus our attention on, based on our unique purpose in life. That is what חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ means.

The Torah is infinite in its scope and is all interconnected. Just because your purpose is to dedicate your life to researching the Lechem HaPanim, does not mean that you must not devote time to studying Tanach, Gemara, Halacha, Musar, Torat HaSod, philosophy, etc. Someone who does will discover that each of these "branches" of the Torah will contribute something integral to your central purpose in life. This is what David HaMelech said מִכׇּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי (תהילים קיט, צט). Every person (and every part of the Torah) has something to teach you that relates to your specific purpose in life.  

Each of us has our own חֵלֶק in life and in the Torah. HKB"H does not want you to be an expert on the Lechem HaPanim, and an author of books about bugs in kashrut, and the head of a גֵּרִים NPO and a leading neurosurgeon and a dayan in the בֵּית דִּין לְמָמוֹנוֹת and an expert in the philosophy of the Rambam. Each of these experts are following their specific, unique purpose in life. But a neurologist can learn things related to neurology from a bug expert and a dayan in the bet din can learn things related to מָמוֹנוֹת from an expert in the Lechem Hapanim, etc.

Case in point – I learnt a fundamental principle about the Lechem HaPanim from an expert בַּעַל קוֹרֵא. That does not mean that in order to be an expert on the Lechem HaPanim you need to be an expert בַּעַל קוֹרֵא, you just need to be receptive and attentive to the multidisciplinary spectrum of the Torah, so that when you discover something from a completely "different" branch, it will stimulate thought how to apply it to your specific "branch". There is not a single branch in the Torah that is inapplicable to your specific branch - they are all interconnected. This is what Chazal said in another Mishna שֶׁאֵין לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שָׁעָה וְאֵין לְךָ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם (אבות ד, ג).

Each of us is drawn naturally to a specific area of thought and activity. Some people love baking bread. Others love crunching numbers. Some love physical activity like athletics, dancing, etc. Others like music.

The Vilna Gaon says that despite the fact that prophecy no longer exists, each of us has a measure of Ruach HaKodesh (see shiur on Re'ei 2022). Our neshama instinctively pushes us in a certain direction, to further us on the path to discovering and focusing our purpose in life.

We should never ignore our own "inner voice" or ridicule others for what their "inner voice" tells them. Those who do delay the inevitable, waste their own lives and cause others to waste theirs pursuing fantasies and misconceptions. We need to learn to trust our instincts, even if they seem surreal and disconnected (even bizarre), and figure out ways to channel them in the service of HKB"H.

Shavuot is the festival of the Torah. On Rosh HaShana HKB"H decrees many things that will happen in the upcoming year – who will live, who will die, how much parnasa we will make, etc. Shavuot is also a kind of "Rosh HaShana". On Shavuot, HKB"H decrees what our connection to Torah will look like in the upcoming year, until next Shavuot. How easily we absorb, internalize and remember our learning, how our children progress in their Torah study and observance, etc.

If we want to advance in Torah, we need certain prerequisites.

Before the Nesi'im can bring their korbanot to inaugurate the Mishkan, there needs to be peace and unity between them. The paragraph that immediately precedes the Korbanot HaNesi'im is Birkat Kohanim, which is all about Shalom.

Before we can receive the Torah, we need וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר, which in gematria is גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים תּוֹרָה, we need to treat the rest of Am Yisrael with גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים – this is a prerequisite to the Torah.

וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר in gematria is also וַיִּסְעוּ מִמִּתְקָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּחַשְׁמֹנָה (במדבר לג, כט). R' Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov (also known as the בְּנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר) in his sefer אַגְרָא דְּכַלָּה (מסעי) says that מִּתְקָה refers to things that are sweet and חַשְׁמֹנָה means things that are elevated in stature. A prerequisite to elevating ourselves in Torah is that we need to cultivate a "sweetness", in our dealings with others and in our behavior.  

Here is another prerequisite. וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר in gematria is  לֹא תִשְׂנָא אֶת אָחִיךָ (ויקרא יט, יז).

Unfortunately, in our day and age we find certain schools of thought in the Torah world that look with scorn upon others. They tend to regard themselves as superior. Certain yeshivas that consider themselves superior to others, certain areas of study which are considered to be "more important" than others.  In this shiur I have tried to bring the view that no area of Torah is more important than any other. They are all important, all together they comprise an integral unit.

How ridiculous would it be for your left arm to consider itself to be superior to your right leg, or your eye to consider itself superior to your nose. Just like a body cannot function optimally without a right leg, a left arm, an eye or a nose, similarly the Torah is not complete with all the sub-parts from which it is composed. Only when all those parts are connected together in unity, as a single unit - is the Torah intact.

This is what precedes the Torah. וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר, Am Yisrael in perfect unity, כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד בְּלֵב אֶחָד, treating each other with chessed and sweetness, with no traces of hate or disdain for each other.

We are instinctively drawn, with a kind of Ruach HaKodesh, to the part of the Torah that was destined to be the focus of our purpose in life. We must cherish and cultivate this natural attraction. This does not give us license, however, to neglect any other parts of the Torah. We must remain open and receptive to every branch of Torah, be it halacha, philosophy, musar, etc. and delve into the Torah in multiple directions, gleaning and harvesting from each the lessons that further our purpose in life. We must avoid polarization or stigmatization or any feelings that our focus of Torah is superior to others.

The Mishna juxtaposes שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ, because in order for the Mikdash to be rebuilt we all need to discover and pursue our own חֵלֶק בַּתּוֹרָה, thus developing a passion and love for the Torah and communicating that to our children, so that they too may develop their own special relationship with the Torah.

This is the essence of Chag Shavuot.

In the language of the Mishna, יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱ-לֹקֵינוּ שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְתוֹרָתֶךָ.

בבי"א.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom

Eliezer Meir Saidel

Machon Lechem Hapanim

www.machonlechemhapanim.org 

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