Parshat Kedoshim By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

Parshat Kedoshim

By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

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בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו 

Seeking the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

   

"איש אמו ואביו תיראו ואת שבתותי תשמורו"

 

"Our Father, O Merciful Father! Have mercy upon us and instill within our hearts understanding... and guide us upright to our Land..."

In many places we describe HaShem as our merciful Father, a matter that highlights God's relationship to us as procreator. In a similar sense, our parents, as our procreators, have a deep partnership with God as our Sages say, 'three partners are involved with the (formation) of man: God, his father, and his mother'. Therefore, it is not surprising that our Sages say that the honor due to our parents is compared to the honor due to God. Indeed, in this week's parsha  the word for awe - 'tirau' is used in context of the type of relationship incumbent upon us towards our parents.

Maharal explains that the term 'awe' is exclusive to God or beings close to God in some respect, for 'awe' refers to relating towards something transcendental and superior to oneself, and ultimately the only being that is truly superior and transcendental is God. In this way, Maharal explains why R. Shimshon the Amsonite homiletically explained the meaning of the word 'et' throughout the Torah to include something, but when he arrived at the verse "'et' HaShem you shall have awe", he was not able to continue. Maharal explains that he was not able to continue because explaining the word 'et' as adding something to the awe towards God, would entail that another being deserves to be given awe, which is not so, since only God is ultimately superior, as we just explained. However, R. Akiva was able to continue this homiletic, by saying that this 'et' includes Torah scholars, that because of their Godly state are deserving to be awed of. Nevertheless, even though parents are compared to God in some sense, our title quote, which juxtaposes the awe towards parents to the observance of Shabbat, highlights according to our Sages, that this comparison is limited.

If one's parent commands one to desecrate the Shabbos, or any other commandment commanded by God, one is not to obey them. In a similar sense, just as Shabbat super-cedes Honoring Parents, so too Settling the Land of Israel super-cedes some aspects of Shabbat on a rabbinical level. In addition to what we mentioned in our last issue that one may command a gentile to write a contract of purchase for land in the Land of Israel, we find that one may also depart on a ship for the Land of Israel even on Friday, knowing that the ship will continue to sail on Shabbat, a matter that is otherwise strictly forbidden on a rabbinic level for the observance of Shabbat. Our Sages, 'whose awe is compared to the awe of Heaven', saw with their great vision that the value of coming to the Land is so great that it so-to-speak overrides their own honor in their rabbinic ruling to not sail in a ship after Wednesday.

In Hebron all these ideas come together. This is Hebron, the genesis of Israel's connection to the Holy Land, and with that the place of honor and awe towards our Godly parents, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzhak and Rivka, Yakov and Leah.

     

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #67:

 

 'Once, I was supposed to deliver a dvar Torah before Maariv on Shabbat, but just then my metal glasses broke, and while I tried to find a solution to my problem I missed the time I was supposed to deliver my talk. Then I remembered that that week's parsha was Ki Tisa, which mentions Moshe's 'coming late', and the 'breaking off' (vayitparku) of metal ornaments of Israel in regard to the sin of the Calf...'  

 

  

  

Sources: Orah Haim 248, 4  

Kedoshim

בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Seeking the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"איש אמו ואביו תיראו ואת שבתותי תשמורו"
"Our Father, O Merciful Father! Have mercy upon us and instill within our hearts understanding… and guide us upright to our Land…" In many places we describe HaShem as our merciful Father, a matter that highlights God's relationship to us as procreator. In a similar sense, our parents, as our procreators, have a deep partnership with God as our Sages say, 'three partners are involved with the (formation) of man: God, his father, and his mother'. Therefore, it is not surprising that our Sages say that the honor due to our parents is compared to the honor due to God. Indeed, in this week's parsha  the word for awe – 'tirau' is used in context of the type of relationship incumbent upon us towards our parents. Maharal explains that the term 'awe' is exclusive to God or beings close to God in some respect, for 'awe' refers to relating towards something transcendental and superior to oneself, and ultimately the only being that is truly superior and transcendental is God. In this way, Maharal explains why R. Shimshon the Amsonite homiletically explained the meaning of the word 'et' throughout the Torah to include something, but when he arrived at the verse "'et' HaShem you shall have awe", he was not able to continue. Maharal explains that he was not able to continue because explaining the word 'et' as adding something to the awe towards God, would entail that another being deserves to be given awe, which is not so, since only God is ultimately superior, as we just explained. However, R. Akiva was able to continue this homiletic, by saying that this 'et' includes Torah scholars, that because of their Godly state are deserving to be awed of. Nevertheless, even though parents are compared to God in some sense, our title quote, which juxtaposes the awe towards parents to the observance of Shabbat, highlights according to our Sages, that nevertheless this comparison is limited. If one's parent commands one to desecrate the Shabbos, or any other commandment commanded by God, one is not to obey them.  In a similar sense, just as Shabbat super-cedes Honoring Parents, so too Settling the Land of Israel super-cedes some aspects of Shabbat on a rabbinical level. In addition to what we mentioned in our last issue that one may command a gentile to write a contract of purchase for land in the Land of Israel, we find that one may also depart on a ship for the Land of Israel even on Friday, knowing that the ship will continue to sail on Shabbat, a matter that is otherwise strictly forbidden on a rabbinic level for the observance of Shabbat. Our Sages, 'whose awe is compared to the awe of Heaven', saw with their great vision that the value of coming to the Land is so great that it so-to-speak overrides their own honor in their rabbinic ruling to not sail in a ship after Wednesday. In Hebron all these ideas come together. This is Hebron, the genesis of Israel's connection to the Holy Land, and with that the place of honor and awe towards our Godly parents, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzhak and Rivka, Yakov and Leah.
Real Stories from the Holy Land #67: 'Once, I was supposed to deliver a dvar Torah before Maariv on Shabbat, but just then my metal glasses broke, and while I tried to find a solution to my problem I missed the time I was supposed to deliver my talk. Then I remembered that that week's parsha was Ki Tisa, which mentions Moshe's 'coming late', and the 'breaking off' (vayitparku) of metal ornaments of Israel in regard to the sin of the Calf…'
Sources: Orah Haim 248, 4

Parshat Acharei Mot By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

Parshat Acharei Mot
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Seeking the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

"לְמַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבִ֜יאוּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֶֽת־זִבְחֵיהֶם֘... וֶֽהֱבִיאֻ֣ם לַֽיקֹוָ֗ק אֶל־ פֶּ֪תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֑ן"

"Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, who has redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt, and enabled us this night to eat matzah and maror. So too… enable us to attain other holidays… rejoicing in Your service [in the Bet Hamikdash]. Then we shall eat of the Passover-offerings …and we shall thank You with a new song for our redemption and for the deliverance of our souls. Blessed are You, HaShem, who redeemed Israel."

It is on the night of our redemption that we are especially aroused to supplicate unto HaShem for the full redemption, for the building of the Bais HaMikdash and for the bringing of the korban pesah therein. Of all 248 positive commandments, only two, circumcision and korban pesah, have such crucial importance that if not fulfilled render liability for 'spiritual incision' (karet). Indeed, just as circumcision represents the covenant between God and Israel, so too we find that the korban pesah is seen in Tanach time and time again as a renewal of the covenant, especially in the Land of Israel.

Take for example the renewal of the korban pesah in Gilgal upon Israel's entrance into the Land of Israel in conjunction with receiving the covenant at Mount Grizim and Eval.  In a parallel nature, we find a great arousal to fulfill the korban pesah just a bit before the Exile in the time of Yoshayahu, the last king to seriously try to make the People renew the covenant with God and abolish idolatry. Indeed, as we have shown many times before, the return to the holiness of location, the settlement of Israel in the Holy Land and the building of the Holy House, the Bait HaMikdash, which gives forth to the korban pesah and more, are integrally linked as both being a renewal of covenant between the People and HaShem through the holiness of space.

In halacha, we find yet another link between these concepts in context of the commandment to bring offerings exclusively to the Bait HaMikdash as mentioned in our title quote of this week's parsha. Although there is already a commandment in general to bring offerings specifically to the Bait HaMikdash, there is a special additional commandment (of the 613) to bring offerings from the Diaspora to the Bais HaMikdash. This 'extra' commandment seems to hint that one who lives in the Diaspora should not think, 'I'm already distanced from the Land of Israel, why take the effort to come?' Rather, the Torah deliberately commands him to come to the Bais HaMikdash, passing through the boundaries of the Land of Israel, to show that he too is connected to the holiness of space and the Holy Presence therein.

Similarly, in Hebron the connection of the Holy Land to every Jew whatsoever, as being a descendant of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yakov, who lived, died and were buried in this city purchased to them, highlights the profoundly deep connection all our People have to this whole Land in general and to the Bais HaMikdash in specific.

Real Stories from the Holy Land #65:
"One day, I found a discarded book-case which I liked, so I brought it home. About an hour later, one of my book-cases collapsed. I was able to replace it with the book-case I just found. "HaShem provides the cure before the blow…"

Sources: Rambam Maaseh Hakorbanot 18, 1