Parshat Tetzaveh By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman

Parshat Tetzaveh

By: Moshe Goodman, Kollel Or Shlomo, Hebron                                                                                                        בס"ד

                                     

 לשכנו תדרשו

Longing for the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

"וידעו כי אני ה' א-היהם אשר הוצאתי אתם מארץ מצרים לשכני בתוכם אני ה' א-היהם"

The goal of our exodus from Egypt, going to the Land of Israel, was, and still is, the dwelling of the Holy Shechina in our midst, that we should know and experience HaShem in our lives.

This week we learn more on the Mishkan, forerunner of the Bais Hamikdash, with the special reading of Zachor which teaches us the commandment to obliterate the seed of Amalek, ancestor of Haman in the Megila. These two topics are fundamentally linked to the Land of Israel, as we see in Rambam's ruling in the beginning of the Laws of Kings:  "Israel was commanded to fulfill three mitzvot upon entering the Promised Land (that is, in each of these commandments the entrance to the Land is a prior requirement as mentioned in the verses + these mitzvoth are dependent one on another (c on b and b on a) at least at first): a) To choose a king, as Deuteronomy 17:15 states: 'Appoint a king over yourselves;' b) To wipe out the descendents of Amalek, as Deuteronomy 25:19states: 'Erase the memory of Amalek;' c) To build God's Chosen House, as Deuteronomy 12:5 states: 'Seek out His Presence and go there.' (this is our title verse).

Later on, Rambam gives proof-texts to the dependency of c on b and b on a, but the question we ask is what is the deeper meaning of the dependency of these mitvot on one another, and moreover to their common dependence on entering the Land of Israel?

In previous weeks we explored a number of keys in understanding the deeper meaning of the Land of Israel. One of the keys explored, especially in parshat Yitro, was the meaning of the Land as expressing the "Honor of HaShem", which is also a term which refers to the Shechina. Further explained, we may say that the presence of our People in the Holy Land, especially as a whole or majority, is an ultimate honor to God's Name, expressing before the whole world that indeed the People of God actually live in the Land promised to them by God. 

It is thus not surprising that at such a state of "honor of God" that the spiritual aspect of HaShem's Honor, i.e the Shechina, also returns with the return of Israel as we saw in Zohar 2, 79b.

After this is understood, we may understand why appointing a king, whose honor is called "the honor of all Israel" (see Nimukei Yosef 11a and more), is so connected to the Land of HaShem's Honor. After appointing a king it is possible to wage war on Amalek, which was the first nation to taint HaShem's Honor by battling our people soon after Yetziat Mitzraim, the great miracle that gave honor to God's Name. After battling Amalek the Honor of HaShem is attained, giving leeway to the pursuit of the spiritual aspect of "HaShem's Honor", the Shechina, by building the Bait Hamikdash.

Now we may understand one of the unique rules of Purim (Rambam Megila 1): "Every city, whether in Eretz Yisrael or in the diaspora, that was surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua bin Nun should read the Megillah on the fifteenth of Adar. This applies even when a wall does not surround the city at present."

The reason for this law is then explained: "Why was the matter made dependent on the time of Joshua bin Nun? To give honor to the cities of Eretz Yisrael that were in ruin at the time of the Purim miracle. Although they are in ruin at present, this would allow them to read the Megillah on the fifteenth as do the inhabitants of Shushan, since they would include a remembrance of Eretz Yisrael."

"And I will be for her, says HaShem, a wall of fire surrounding and an honor I will be in her midst" (Zecharia 2, 9) - Indeed, the concepts of the surrounding wall and honor are deeply linked (see also Batei Midrashot p.2 "lo tov" which seemingly gives the same proof-text for a wife being a protective wall and an honor to her husband). A city's surrounding wall, at least in ancient times, reflects the importance and honor of the city worth protecting.

In other words, by linking the observance of honored-walled cities on Purim to the time of Joshua bin Nun, the Rabbis linked the honor of Purim to the "Honor of HaShem", present when our People first entered the Land in the time of Joshua Bin Nun. Today, with God's help, we can regain HaShem's Honor by re-entering the Land, showing that HaShem's People re-live God's promise to our Forefathers of Hebron from antiquity.(correction to last week's citation: Zohar 2, 5 should be Zohar 2, 19).

Real-life Hashgaha story #6: "I go shopping at a certain super-market in Jerusalem about 4-5 times a year. On one occasion, I heard the name of one of my daughters (two names - 8 letters) called on a different girl in that super-market. On a different occasion I went to the same super-market, and I heard the name of a different one of my daughters (two names - 6 letters) called on a different girl. I have never heard these names called on girls at different times or different places. What is the probability of that?

Parshat Terumah By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman

Parshat Terumah

By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Or Shlomo, Hebron                                                                                                        בס"ד

                                      לשכנו תדרשו

 

Yearning for the Holy Presence in the Holy Land

"ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם"

"And may our eyes see in Your return to Zion with compassion. Blessed are You HaShem Who returns His Presence to Zion..." Our people yearn for the day when we may build the Bait Hamikdash, that the Holy Presence rest among us, that God's Presence be a greater and more dominant part of our lives. 

Our week's parsha which calls the people to contribute valuables to the Mishkan, as well as parshat Shekalim read last week, both teach us the great value of the Beit Hamikdash and its forerunner, the Mishkan. In parshat Shkalim and in its aftermath in Rosh Hodesh Adar (the purpose of the reading is to be a reminder to bring the half-shekel beginning with R. Hodesh Adar) this week we learn how every Jew, whether poor or wealthy, has a fundamental connection to the Beit Hamikdash; by the Torah commandment of giving the half-shekel every year for the upkeep of the Beit Hamikdash.  

Not only is the half-shekel's monetary  aspect indicative of a Jew's dedication to the Beit Hamikdash, but  also the half-shekel's spiritual meaning, as "atonement for your souls", expresses the special soul-connection every Jew has to the Beit Hamikdash. Indeed, the half-shekel  may represent the unique connection and covenant with HaShem present in the Beit Hamikdash by showing how, so-to-speak, half of this covenant is the  part of Israel while the other half is the  part of HaShem. 

Even though, unfortunately, we do not have the Beit Hamikdash today, the custom is to give a half-shekel's worth (in silver) of money or half of the common coin in one's country to charitable means in memory of the original half-shekel given to the Beit Hamikdash. The custom is to give this commemorative half-shekel before or on Purim (Orach Haim 694, 2).

From the Talmud's inference we mentioned in parshat Bo that "Torah will be delivered from Zion" (Psalms) indicates that months may be only enacted in the Land of Israel. We may infer that the term "Zion" may also refer to the Land of Israel in general . Indeed, as we have  shown in previous weeks, the Land of Israel in general is linked to the Holy Presence, which resides especially in the Bait Hamikdash in Jerusalem.  

In this sense, those who contribute to the settling of the Land of Israel are connected to returning the Holy Presence in our midst, for the settlement of the Land of Israel by our People means making greater the power of the Shechina as we have shown in previous weeks. Thus, the contribution to the settlement of our Land is somewhat similar to the contribution of the original half-shekel to the Beit Hamikdash, center-point of the Holy Presence. This is also especially true of Hebron and Ma'arat HaMachpela, a focal point of the Shechina (Zohar 2, 5).

Real-life Hashgaha story #5: "One Rabbi came to me asking why the book "Hemdat Yamim" is in my yeshiva's library, considering the fact that there are claims that this sefer is attributed to the school of Shabatai Zvi. That very day my wife's aunt "happened" to bring me a booklet from Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook's library, which its very purpose was to defend the book "Hemdat Yamim" from the claims upon it.

Parshat Mishpatim By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman

Parshat Mishpatim

By: Moshe Goodman, Kollel Or Shlomo, Hebron                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                   בס"ד

  

לשכנו תדרשו

Addressing the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

"ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם..."

A primary focus of this week's parsha is the Torah's judicial system. Indeed, one of the primary ways the Holy Presence rests among Israel is by a proper Judicial system according to the Torah, as Rambam rules in Sanhedrin 23, 9: "Any judge who rules a true judgment even for one hour it is as if he rectified the whole world, and causes the Shechina to rest among Israel  as it says 'God stands among the Assembly of God' (Psalms 82, 1)".

Indeed, the very name for  a Torah court in our parsha is "Elohim" (see Shmot 21, 6), suggesting God's Presence that works through them. Based on this preface we may understand why the Torah commandment to enact courts (explicit in the beginning of parshat Shoftim) applies specifically to the Land of Israel, the Land of the Holy Presence, as Rambam rules in Sanhedrin 1, 2: "We are not obligated to enact courts in every province and in every city except for the Land of Israel, but outside of the Land we are not obligated to enact a court in every province as it says, 'you shall enact for you in all your gates that HaShem you God gives you' (Deut 16, 18)".

The connection of Torah's judicial system to the Holy Presence may explain more deeply the meaning of the Talmud's statement in Megila 17b which explains the juxtaposition of the blessing for the in-gathering of exiles to the return of Torah's judicial system among the 18 blessings in our Amida prayer: "once the exiles are in-gathered  justice is executed upon the wicked as it says (Isaiah 1), 'I will return my Hand upon you (referring to the return of Exiles) and will purge... your filth' and it says (subsequently) 'and I will return your judges as first'". 

The Zohar 2, 79b explicitly states that the return of the Shechina is dependent on the return of Israel to their Land. Based on the fore-mentioned Talmudic passage and the Zohar's statement we may understand how first the Shechina will return with the return of the People to the Land, thus giving inspiration and power for the courts to enact justice. The fore-mentioned Talmudic passage continues to say that once justice is enacted wickedness will be obliterated (as in the blessing for the obliteration of evil), which leads to the prosperity of the righteous (in the following blessing), which leads to the building of Jerusalem, which leads to coming of Mashiah.

We thus see, according to this passage, that the in-gathering of exiles is a key primary step, of a number of steps, to our Redemption. It is also important to note that the first step in this process is linked to the first blessing in the Amida, the blessing of the Patriarchs. Indeed, God will "remember the kindness" of these Holy Ones of Hebron "and will bring a Redeemer for his Name's sake with love." It is also "with love", stemming from the realization of our common Patriarchal roots with all Jews that unity and peace are possible (see Ramak in Tomer Devorah 1 - "asher nishbata laavoteinu"), for "Elijah (coming with Mashiah) does not come to push off or accept (people), but rather to make peace in the world."
Real-life Providence story #4: "I was once hitchhiking, and was waiting for a considerable amount of time more than usual. I had been praying that I get a ride soon, when I decided to tell my daughter to pray too. She said: "We already prayed, dad". To her I answered that the Torah teaches us in the verse "hope unto God... and hope unto God" that if not answered one should pray again. Immediately as I said the words of this verse a car stopped to give us a ride."