Parshas Beha'aloscha

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem.... In perek ches posuk vav it says, "Kach es haleviim mitoch Bnei Yisroel vitiharta osem." "Take the Leviim from among Bnei Yisroel and and purify them." The Medrash Tanchuma says on "Kach es Haleviim", that this is what the Torah meant when it said "Hashem tzadik yivchan..." Hashem does not raise anyone to an important position, until he has tested and checked them first.  Once they are omed b'nisayon, they can be raised to their lofty position.  Hashem tested Avraham Avinu with ten nisyonos, and then was mivareich him "bakol". So too Shevet Levi.  They gave their lives al Kiddush Hashem so that the Torah should not be bateled.  When Klal Yisroel was in Mitzrayim they went astray from Torah and Milah, and were all oved avodah zarah.  Shevet Levi however were all Tzadikim and kept the Torah. The Rosh Yeshivah ztl asks, this Medrash says that Shevet Levi gave  their lives, "nasnu nafsham" for Torah in Mitzrayim.  How were they moser nefesh?  Why is it like they gave their lives?  There was no sakana in Mitzrayim to keep the Torah.  The Rosh Yeshivah explains, all of Bnei Yisroel was straying from Torah and Mitzvos and doing the wrong thing.  Shevet Levi was able to fight and remain Tzadikim and stay on the Derech Hashem.  Its obviously not an easy thing but its much more than just that.  Shevet Levi was showing a tremendous strength, a strength that Chazal consider them as giving their lives for Torah.  True, Klal Yisroel wasn't poking fun at them or harrassing them for doing what they did, and no one was forcing them away from Torah, but to have the strength to not be mushpah and swept up with the rest of Klal Yisroel requires tremendous strength.  This tremendous strength makes the Leviim into martyrs.  There was no Sakana, yet they are considered that they were moser nefesh, because beating this nisayon of getting swept in with the crowd is comparable to giving ones life for Torah.  As frum yidden we look around and see most of our brethren far away from the derech Hashem, and the truth is some of it looks extremely enticing.  There are jews who are professional athletes (not too many), and the film industry is swarming with jews.  We have big doctors and Lawyers and millionaires, and the world they've thrown themselves into seems so inviting.  How many times do we find ourselves on the edge where we feel we just can't do it anymore.  Whether "it" is reffering to Yeshivah, or a shiur or Yiddishkeit altogether.  Its not easy to fight this feeling.  If it was it wouldn't be like giving up ones life for Torah.  However, sometimes understanding the greatness of our actions can give us the strength to keep fighting, and hopefully that is enough to continue giving us the strength to keep fighting... Good Shabbos  

Parshas Nasso

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem..... In perek vav posuk beis it says "Daber el Bnei Yisroel v'amarta aleihem ish oh isha ki yafli lindor neder nazir l'hazir La'Hashem". Rashi explains the juxtaposition of Sotah and Nazir, that anyone who sees a Sotah should take upon themselves a Nazirus neder against wine, which leads to promiscuity. Even though before someone saw a "Sotah B'kilkula" they already knew this fact, seeing it strengthens it and therefore it would be a good time to guard themselves. In perek gimmel posuk lamud vav in Mishlei it says "Ki To'avas Hashem Naloz V'es Yisharim Sodo" The Yalkut Shimoni speaks on this posuk and says "Ki to'avas Hashem naluz" is talking about someone who is involved in arayos. "V'es Yisharim sodo" is talking about someone who saw arayos and therefore distanced himself from wine. "sodo" means that Hashem will teach him and help
 him to be able to stay away from arayos. The Rosh Yeshivah ztl asks, its mashma from this medrash, that keeping yourself from wine will grant you the rights for Hashem to give you the "sod" on how to save yourself from arayos. However, even without the wine, if Hashem wouldn't grant you this gift, ultimately you would fail because the tayva is too great. If that's the case, why would anyones reaction to seeing a Sotah be to stay away from wine? They know it doesn't do much anyway, they know their chances of being nichshal are still great. The Rosh Yeshivah explains, that this is the tevah of a person. True -- distancing oneself from wine is not a major guard against arayos, but when someone is in a makom sakana, they do everything they possibly can to guard themselves even if in retrospect that block may seem minute and almost pointless. When someone sees a Sotah they distance themselves
 from wine  because on a very small level it will lower the chances of them being nichshal. When Hashem sees that they are making an effort, he grants them "sodo" the daas and strength they need to complete their task. This is an important lesson for all of us. Many times when we are in a makom sakana of any sort, we want to make gidarim but gidarim won't solve the problem so we don't even do that. As small as the gedarim may be, they show Hashem what we want, they show him that we are making an effort and he will lift us up the rest of the way and help us with our challenge. I believe the same is true in stam ruchniyus and growth. We want to grow and be better, we want to learn, but everything seems so out of reach. If we make the effort and show Hashem what it is we really want, he will hopefully grant us the gift of "sodo" to be able to grow in Torah and Ruchniyus... Good Shabbos

Bamidbar

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem..... In perek alef posuk nun dalid it says, "Va'yaasu Bnei Yisroel kichol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe kein asu."  The Medrash Rabah says that the Torah is telling us, that even in regard to the machanos they listened and did not camp near the mishkan, as it says "Vchanu Bnei Yisroel ish el machaneihu....... Vi'haliviim yachanu saviv li'mishkan."  Klal Yisroel was not allowed to camp around the Mishkan because Hashem would get angry with them because they were not worthy, not "ra'uy".  The Leviim however, would guard the Mishkan and and act in the proper way and therefore were the chosen shevet to be encamped around the mishkan.  This was a difficult thing for Klal Yisroel to accept but "Vayaasu es kol asher tzivah Hashem es Moshe" and they distanced themselves from the Mishkan and allowed the Leviim to move in. The Eitz Yosef says on, that Klal Yisroel did this b'leiv shalom and that's why  the posuk says "K'chol asher tzivah Hashem es Moshe kein asu."  Its mashma from the posuk that at first Klal Yisroel encamped around the Mishkan and probably did so because they wanted to be as close to Hashem and be zoche to as much growth in ruchniyus as they could possibly get.  However, Hashem let them know that they were undeserving of being so close and would be killed if they did not move.  Bnei Yisroel listened to Hashem and vacated the area bleiv shalom, and that was the tremendous praise that was given to them by the Torah, that they did it bleiv shaleim.  The Rosh Yeshiva ztl asks, what was the great praise of retreating "bleiv shaleim"? They should have been broken hearted,"bleiv Shavur".  Here they were all excited to get as close as possible to Hashem in order to strive to the highest levels of ruchniyus they could possibly achieve, and were just told that they just didn't make the cut, they weren't good enough.  Shouldn't the thought of not making it due to lack of greatness and even due to aveiros cause them extreme distress?  The Rosh Yeshivah explains, that yes they were down for not being able to make it because of their avieros, but on a seperate note by moving away from the Mishkan they were fulfilling the Tzivuy of Hashem and that gave them tremendous simcha and allowed them to move "bleiv shaleim".  There are times when we may find ourselves in similar situations, many times where the easiest thing to do is just be broken hearted.  We do something wrong and it hinders us from continuing our growth as an eved Hashem.  Klal Yirsoel was down, they couldn't be as close as they wanted because of things they had done wrong, but they didn't break, they regrouped and went straight into continuing serving Hashem to the best of their ability, which in this case was to complete the move happily.  We get knocked down and we let ourselves just stay down.  We have to be able to be unhappy with ourselves for falling, but we have to keep our heart intact, pick ourselves up, and continue down the path that will bring us closer and closer to Hashem. . .Good Shabbos

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AVrohom Vegh
http://jewish-links.yolasite.com/

Behar bechukosai

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem..... In perek Chaf vav posuk mem beis near the conclusion of the Tochacha it says, "V'zacharti es brisi Yaakov v'af es brisi Yitzchak v'af es brisi Avraham ezkor, v'ha'aretz ezkor."  I will remember the bris of Yaakov Yitzchak and Avraham, and my land.  Rav Yaakov Aryeh Neiman ztl asks, what is this posuk doing here?  Hashem is in middle of letting us know of the terrible tzaros that will befall us if we don't follow his Torah and Mitzvos and then he throws in "Btw i'll remember the bris I made with your forefathers and i'll remember the land."  At first you may try to think of a way that this posuk means something negative and therefore fits right in with everything else, but its in Rosh Hashana shmone esrei by zichronos so that can't be true.  Rav Neiman explains that Hashem was sending us an important message.  Many times when people have tzaros whether it's an individual or an entire group, they begin to feel "yiush", hopelessness.  How could so many terrible things be happening to them if Hashem really cared about them?  Therefore Hashem is telling us, even in the worst of times and even when we deserve every little bit of your pain because we threw away the yoke of Torah, still Hashem is with us, and he will do small acts of good to remind us that he's next to us holding our hand.  This is the famous pshat in the Yalkut Shimoni in Parshas vayeishev from the Alter of Kelm and Rav Chaim Shmulevitz ztl, when Yosef was going down to Mitzrayim after his brothers sold him.  The Torah let's us know that normally the arab merchants had terrible smelling merchandise, this caravan however had bisamim and smelled good.  Who cares? Yosef at this moment probably felt that his whole life was falling apart, he was just sold as a slave, oh but it smells good! Now things are great! The Teretz is not that now everythings better, but Hashem made it smell good as a way of telling Yosef "I'm still with you every step of the way, and I will always be with you". Sometimes it may seem that Hashem is nowhere in sight, but he is always with us, taking care of us, and many times if we just look down we'll realize that he is right there carrying us on his shoulders protecting us from greater harm... Good Shabbos