Parshas Vayakhel

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, Zev Yehuda ben R' Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meer ben Harav Shmuel...

In perek Lamud Heh posuk beis Moshe tells Klal Yisroel "Sheishes yamim teiase milacha uvayom hashvii yihiye lachem Shabbos Shabboson La'Hashem kal ha"ose bo milacha yumas."  "Six days work may be done, but the seventh day should be holy for you. A day of complete rest for Hashem, whoever does work will be put to death".

Rav Yaakov Aryeh Neiman asks on this posuk, why is the word "teiase"- work can be done, and not "taase"- you can do work, which would seem to make more sense.

Rav Neiman explains that then posuk uses those nekudos to teach us an important lesson regarding resting on Shabbos.  Keeping Shabbos will be easy when a person understands that the work is being done and the money is coming in, but he is not the one truly doing the work.  It is not "kocho v'otzem yado", it is all from Hakadosh Bauch Hu.  However if man believes that he is the reason for all his success, then all he sees Shabbos as is a day where tremendous business opportunities are being lost, and keeping Shabbos will be extremely difficult.  This second person would be making a tremendous mistake however, because no matter what one does he can not make more than what Hashem has already decreed he would make.  As the Ramban says "Hagizeira emes vihacharitzas sheker". "The decree is true and industriousness is false".

The Chafetz Chaim ztl explains this idea with a Mashal.  If someone has a barrel of water and his barrel has a spout which dispenses the water.  It would be foolish to make another spout with the intention that making another spout will allow you to get more water from the barrel.  Obviously whatever is in the barrel is what you will get out of it, no more and no less.  So too if one thinks they can add more money than what is decreed is just like trying to get more water than what is actually in the barrel.

This is obviously something easier said than done.  Yes, we know that everything is from Hashem but it is still tremendously difficult to just have that total bitachon after all it seems like the more you work the more you make.  However, sometimes people lose sight and forget that it is in fact Hashem awarding them the money, they throw themselves into work and have to sacrifice the important things that actually bring us closer to Hashem.

With some work we can hopefully work on getting closer to reaching that level of complete bitachon in Hashem where we will only feel the need to do what is our true hishtadlus to support the people we do.... Good Shabbos.

Parshas Ki Sisa

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, Zev Yehuda ben R' Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meer ben Harav Shmuel....

In perek lamud beis posuk alef the posuk says "Vaya'amod Moshe bisha'ar hamachane vayomer mi la'Hashem eilay, vayaiasfu eilav kal bnei Levi. " "Moshe stood at the gateway of the camp and said Whoever is for Hashem join me!  And all the Leviim gathered around him."

The Daas Zikeinim says from the Baalei Tosfos, Mi la'Hashem eilay meant, whoever wants to stand up for the fear of Hashem and also did not sin with the eigel join me. He continues, that the entire shevet Levi lacking noone got up to join Moshe Rabeinu. The other shvatim that joined Moshe however, were not complete. The reason for this says the Daas Zikeinim is because the Leviim were very close to Moshe and did not want to appoint another leader in his place.

It appears that the Daas Zikeinim is saying that the reason Levi didn't participate in the eigel was because of their closeness to Moshe, while the other shvatim were able to participate seemingly because they were not close to him.

The Rosh Yeshiva ztl asks, its pashut that all of Klal Yisroel loved Moshe. After all he did for them it would be impossible not to. He risked his life many times to bring them out of Mitzrayim, he taught them Torah and was always there for them. Everyone knew he deserved to be the leader and most probably didn't want to appoint another leader in his stead. Their reason for appointing a new leader was because they truly believed he was dead and the right thing to do is go on with life and appoint a new leader to help them along. This being the case, it doesn't make sense that shevet Levi did not go along with the rest of the shvatim. Didn't they know that if Moshe was dead the right thing to do is to move on and appoint a leader?

The Rosh Yeshiva explains, that the little bit of extra closeness and love towards Moshe that shevet Levi had above all the other shvatim was able to act as a force to help them overcome the nisayon that the rest of Klal Yisroel could not. That love allowed them to realize that Moshe was alive and well and therefore there was no need to appoint a new leader.   Shevet Levi's love for their Rebbe caused them to securely attach themselves to the Torah of their Rebbe and was able to guide them in the right direction and even give them the strength to be moser nefesh for what they believed was correct.

The closer we are to the people who lead us in the proper derech the better off we are. Sometimes just a little more love can be the difference between winning the fight against the yetzer hara or chas v'shalom being overcome by him.
             Good Shabbos     

Parshas Tetzaveh

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, Zev Yehuda ben R' Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meer ben Harav Shmuel....

In perek chaf tes posuk alef the Torah begins discussing the procedure that was to be done in order to make Aharon and his sons into Kohanim.  "V'zeh hadavar asher ta'aseh lahem likadeish osam l'chahein li likach par echad ben bakar v'eilim shnayim t'mimim."  "This is the matter that you shall do for them to sanctify them to be Kohanim to me: take one young bull and two rams unblemished."

In the Medrash Rabah in Kedoshim it says, "You, Hashem were Gozer both the commandment to Klal Yisroel of Kedoshim ti'hiyu and this ritual to make the Kohanim kadosh.  Master of the world you request that Klal Yisroel should be holy, remove death from this world!  As it says in Chavakuk, Chavakuk asked Hashem that Klal Yisroel should not die.  Hashem answered that those are the rules.

It seems that Chavakuk's question was how could Klal Yisroel in general, and more specifically the sons of Aharon die?  They are holy and it doesn't seem right for something holy should die and be lost from the world!  Hashem responded that they need to die because it was already gozer on man to die by the chet of Adam Harishon.

The Rosh Yeshiva ztl explains that we can see from here the tremendous holiness of Klal Yisroel.  The power of this holiness Chavakuk "taaynad" and Hashem even agreed was strong enough to save Klal Yisroel from death had it not already been previously decreed.  Furthermore Chavakuk was around in the time of the churban bayis rishon, a time when Klal Yisroel was sinning and was deserving of golus.  With all that however, they were considered holy enough that Hashem agreed that they really are not deserving of death, just because they themselves were holy even though they were acting inappropriately.

We can learn from here the tremendous kedusha that each and every one of us has.  We are deserving of eternal life just for being who we are.  Imagine our level of greatness when we are actually trying to grow and follow in the ways of Hashem.. Good Shabbos

Parshas Teruma

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, R' Baruch Noshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, Zev Yehuda ben R' Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meer ben Harav Shmuel.

In Perek chaf heh posuk yud Hashem commands Moshe Rabbeinu "V'asu aron atzei shitim amasayim vacheitzi arko v'ama vacheitzi rachbo v'ama vacheitzi komoso."  "They shall make an Aron of shittim wood, two and a half amos its length, an ama and a half its width, and an ama and a half its height."

In the Medrash Raba it asks that why by all the keilim does it say v'asisa, and you should make, and by the Aron it says and they should make?  R Yehuda bar Shalom explains that Hashem said "All of Klal Yisroel should be "oseik" in the making of the Aron so that they should all be zoche to Torah."

The Ramban is miva'er the Kavana of the Medrash.  By Klal Yisroel being oseik in the making of the Aron they are showing that they are a part of this job because of how holy the Aron was, and so they should all be zoche in Torah.  The Ramban also explains that there were three ways to be "oseik" in the making of the Aron, either to donate some gold for the Aron, or to help Bitzalel a little bit, or to have Kavana that you're being mishtatef.

The Rosh Yeshiva ztl explains that we can gain tremendous insight into the hashpa'a of a being mikayem a mitzva from this Medrash.  The physical action of creating the Aron to hold the Torah would positively affect them in their growth in Torah learning.

The Rosh Yeshiva also explains that we see from the Ramban that even with the right thoughts, with the right kavana, one would be considered a part of the actuall physical builders of the Aron.  If someone didn't have anything to give or could not help build but just had the kavana that he wanted to be a part of it, it was as if he actually built it.  Even though his kavana is not to build it, because he knew he wasn't going to actually build it, or actually donate, yet he has the kavana that he wants to be a part of it, and just like that its k'ilu he created it.

We see the tremendous koach of a "machshava tova".  Having the correct thoughts and desires when you don't even do the actual action can make it as if you Mamash did whatever mitzva it is that you desired... Good Shabbos