Parshas Korach

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zekaini Moiri R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben Harav Zev Yehuda, my cousin Zev Yehuda ben Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meir ben R' Shmuel...

 In Perek tes zayin posuk tes vav during the uprising of Korach and his followers the posuk says " Vayichar l'Moshe M'od vayomer el Hashem al teifen el minchasam, lo chamor exhad meihem nasaasi v'lo hareiosi es achad meihem" "This distressed Moshe greatly and he said to Hashem, do not turn to (accept) their gift offering, I have not taken a donkey from any one of them, nor have I wronged any one of them."
 Rashi explains that according to pashut pshat what Moshe was asking Hashem not to accept was the kitores that Korach was going to bring the following day.

 Both groups had agreed that each person would bring their own fire pan, and if whichever ones Hashem accepted would prove that they were correct.

Says the Alter from Kelm ztl (quoted by Rav Yaakov Neiman Ztl) we can learn from this how powerful Tefila is. Moshe Rabeinu had to daven a specific tefila to beseech Hashem not to accept the ketores (in other words the avoda and tefilla)  of Korach and his followers. He had to beg Hashem not to accept it even though accepting it would cause Moshe to be overthrown and the Torah would have been thrown out. Still Moshe was fearful of the power of their Tefilla and therefore davened for Hashem not to accept it.

 If such Tefillos are so powerful, just imagine the tefillos that we are mispallel for the yeshua and refuah of our brethren individually and as a whole. We can not even fathom that impact that it has and what it may be changing in Shomayim. True some times we feel like our tefillos were not heard, but that is never the case. Every Tefilla is so so powerful and extremely valuable to our father in Heaven. We may not see the affect that it has but we can rest assured that the tears tefillas and bakashas did not go unnoticed..
Good Shabbos    

Parshas Sh'lach

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zekaini Moiri R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben Harav Zev Yehuda, My cousin Zev Yehuda ben Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchok Zev, R' Dovid Meir ben R' Shmuel.

In perek yud dalid posuk mem after the incident with the miraglim, and Hashem's response the posuk says "Vayashkimu baboker va'yaalu el rosh hahar laimor hinenu v'alinu el hamakom asher amar Hashem ki chatanu" "They awoke early in the morning and ascended toward the mountaintop saying, We are ready and we shall ascend to the place of which Hashem has spoken, for. We have sinned."

 After crying over the words of the miraglim and therefore not wanting to enter Eretz Yisroel, and then having Hashem tell them that Eretz Yisroel was no longer available to them, this group decided that they should have gone in originally and were going to go. These people went from wanting to run back to Mitzrayim so as not to be killed in the quest for Eretz Yisroel as the posuk says "V'lama Hashem mavi osanu el ha'aretz hazos linpol bacherev" "why did Hashem bring us here to fall by the sword", to all the sudden extreme desire to enter eretz Yiroel and be moser nefesh to conquer it.   What changed asks Rav Yaakov Neiman Ztl, why did they not want to go originally and now how such a desire?

 Rav Neiman brings down b'sheim the Alter mi'Kelm that when one is commanded to do something it is much more difficult to do it than when a person is not commanded. As long as someone is commanded to do something the Yetzer Hara is working full force to make sure that there is no success. As long as there was a mitzva to conquer Eretz Yisroel the Yetzer Hara was working on all cylinders and overpowered Klal Yisroel and convinced them against the idea. As soon as the mitzva was taken away the Yetzer Hara's job was done. Without the clouded vision Klal Yisroel could see Eretz Yisroel for what it was, and understood that it was worth it to be moser nefesh to conquer it.
 This is one of the reasons why "Gadol hamitzuve v'ose mi'mi she'aino mitzuve ve'ose" "greater is one who is commanded and does from one who is not commanded and does". The temptation not to is not as strong.
 The Yetzer Hara can turn seemingly obvious and easy decisions into extremely difficult ones. I don't think being aware of his tactics is foolproof but at least understanding that he is battling as hard as he can to keep us from doing whatever we are commanded can possibly keep us on our toes and help us in our battle against him..
 Good Shabbos

Fwd: Parshas Beha'aloscha

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zekeini Moiri R' Baruch Mishe Aryeh ben Harav Zev Yehuda, My cousin Zev Yehuda ben Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchok Zev, R' Dovid Meir ben R' Shmuel.

In middle of this weeks Parsha Klal Yisroel begins complaining about life in the midbar. They uttered the famous words complaining about the mann "mi yachileinu basar" "who will feed us meat". They continue complaining by reminiscing over the food that they had in Mitzrayim. As it says in perek yud alef posuk heh "Zacharnu es hadaga asher nochal b'Mitzrayim chinam, eis hakishuim, v'eis ha'avatichim, v'es hechatzir, v'es habitzalim, v'es hashumim." We remember the fish that we would eat in Mitzrayim for free, the cucumbers and the melons, the leeks the onions and the garlic (but now we have nothing but mann).

How do we begin to understand the Dor Hamidbar asks Rav Yaakov Aryeh Neiman ztl. Chazal call them the "Dor Deah" "Ra'asa shifcha al hayam ma shelo ra'ah Yechaskel Ben Buzi", each and every person received nevuah, and just like that they begin to cry over a lack of onions, watermelons, and garlics? If this is so says Rav Neiman, we can learn a tremendous lesson, it is possible for a person to be on a tremendous level and forget everything and give it all for the desire of even something as small as a piece of onion. " Ki Ashrei adam mifacheid tamid" "Praised is man who is always fearful" Even when one reaches tremendous levels, they must be fearful and aware of falling to lower madreigos.

 Chazal in last weeks parsha say "kal haroeh sotah b'kilkulo yazir atzmo min hayayin". " Anyone who saw a sota should distance themselves from wine". The Alter mi'Kelm reminds us that Chazal said this even for themselves. It doesn't say "if u can't see yourself doing anything like the sotah did in a million years, then you don't need to distance from wine, but everyone else should. It says everybody, even the tzadikim should make gadarim when they see such a thing. The Tzadikim should realize that even the people that committed the aveira did not just get to that point in their life overnight. Like everything it was a process. Its even possible that at one point they would have considered themselves to be great as well, and never saw the slow change that was occurring within them until they were "miles" away from where they once were. Therefore even the tzadikim must guard themselves
 "Ashrei adam mifacheid tamid"

Nobody is ever too great to fall, and nobody is ever to great to keep growing. We shoud always be working on ourselves and looking into ourselves to understand where we are holding in life. Its not enough that we put in the effort a while ago and therefore believe we are tazadikim who are safe from sin. If the dor deah could slip for an onion, how much easier is it for us? If we keep this in mind and are truly "mifacheid tamid" then we will iyh continue to grow and become closer to Hashem.
 Good Shabbos


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Fwd: Parshas Naso

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zekaini Moiri R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben Harav Zev Yehuda, My cousin Zev Yehuda ben Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchak Zev, R' Dovid Meir ben R' Shmuel....

In perek zayin posuk alef the posuk says, "Vayehi b'yom kalos Moshe L'hakim es ha'Mishkan, vayimshach oso vayikadeish oso v'es kal keilav, v'es hamizbeiach v'es kal keilav, va'yimshacheim vayikadsheim osam" "It was on the day that Moshe finished erecting the Mishkan that he anointed it and sanctified it and all its utensils, and the mizbeach and all its utensil, and he anointed them and he sanctified them.

 It is written in the Medrash Raba, "you find that Moshe gave his life for three things and therefore they are mentioned with his name, dinim, Torah, and Mishkan. Mishkan- Moshe was constantly by the side of the craftsmen of the Mishkan teaching and showing them how to do the work so that a mistake would not be made. Because of this the posuk says "kalos Moshe".

 The Medrash seems to be saying that because Moshe was Moser Nefesh for the building of the Mishkan it was considered as if he had built it. What was the mesiras nefesh? Constantly dealing with the builders and explaining how the Mishkan should be made.
 The Rosh Yeshiva ztl asks, how is             showing the builders how to make the.  Mishkan called being Moser Nefesh? Its a very nice thing, but "nosen nafsho"? That seems a bit extreme.

 The Rosh Yeshiva explains that because Moshe was "amal" with all his strength in the building of the Mishkan and he would have done all that was necessary even if that would have meant being moser nefesh, it is considered that he actually was moser nefesh for the building of the Mishkan, and therefore the posuk says "B'yom kalos Moshe".

 We can learn from here that one who is ameil Ba'Torah with all theis heart and teaches others is considered someone who was actually moser nefesh for Torah. Similarly one who gives their all for any mitzva or good cause it is considered as if they were mamash moser nefesh for that mitzva.
 Good Shabbos