B'ha'aloscha

"By chance" I heard shiur of R' miller on Chanukah this week - & now I realize its appropriate for the parshah - beha'aloscha es haneiros!

Vehayu li halevi'im what got them to such a level that from Hashem's chosen nation - vehayu LI! - they are the CHOSEN ONES?

Ravta es Rivam - R' miller asks a great but simple question - we praise Hashem for fighting THEIR fight???!!! Hashem ought to thank THEM for fighting HIS fight!? They lives weren't threatened, rather the Torah was!

The answer is though just as simple. It WAS their fight. This qeeks pirkei avos says "asay ritzono kirtzonecho" do His will as your own. It doesn't mean just to do it that way but it SHOULD be YOUR WILL! The chashmonoim took Torah & mitzvos so PERSONALLY, it was THEIR fight!! To the point that we can honestly say HASHEM did it for THEM!!

This was shevet Levi. when the rest of the jews saw the eirev rav with the eigel, it didn't bother THEM enough to take a stand. But shevet levi did. Mi LHashem eilay. - vehayu LI.

We spoke about the need to have our own brakes. It comes from Torah having a meaning to ourselves. Our own yiras shamayim. Our own appreciation for honesty, Tzniyus, kiddush Hashem, middos tovos etc.

We don't have shotrim to ensure that others are doing well. But each man - if there are things he takes stand on, things that he shares wuth his family - AS HIS OWN PERSONAL upset about certain downfalls he's noticed by others (w/o mentioning names) that BOTHER him. We can - & must be - the brakes that restrain the yeridah & prevent nefilah. Take a stand. Draw a line for yourselves that says 'ad kan', and let your family sees what yidishkeit means to YOU, regardless of your capabilty of changing the world. You can stop yourself & let your family be 'the chosen people' as well.

B'ha'aloscha

the beginning of the parsh speaks of aliyah - b'ha'aloscha....

the end of the parsha speaks of yeridah - baba basra 75a - when moshe gave over the spirit of nevuah to the 70 elders, they said pnei moshe k'chama pnei yehoshua kyerach, oy L'oso busah... pninim mishulchan gra asks What busha?
rosh hashana 25a says why the torah doesn't detail the names of the 70 zekainim? so that no one in future generations may say my rav is not like so & so so I don't have to listen... The 70 names are hidden so people may assume their rav to be like them who are unknown to them.

this was the busha of the zekainim. When they saw such a yeridah already in one dor, from moshe to yehoshua, & this would go on for so many more generations, what a bushah it would be for them to be compared to the gedolim of the later doros!

the middle of the parsha avoids nefilah. - Vayehi b'nsoa ha'aron is entirely a new sefer. Rashi explains that this was to break between one "puroniyos" & another. The Nuns here also represent nefilah - as we know ashrei does not have a pasuk starting with nun because if there is nun - nefilah - R"L, there's very little hope.

What's the difference between such a huge yeridah & the nefilah that we're so careful to avoid?

When one goes down, he still retains his own ability to STOP. However when one is falling, he stops only when he hits something. Something else stops him.

If the yeridah becomes a nefilah, where he have to be reliant on external entities to stop us, that is a terrible state.

We surely need to have filters on the internet, but if we're RELYING on the goyim to stop us from cheit, we're in huge trouble. We need to have something internal - not instead - but besides, for the filters. We need OUR OWN BRAKES! If we don't build our own capability to stop ourselves, - oy vey! What a sorry sight!

Avos 1.2

HaTorah HuAvodha - hey hayediah is exclusive. I'm lo brisi Torah she bal peh. The world DOESN'T stand on the existance of Torah scroll or its spiritual entity. Rather it's living existance by the mouths (chaim l'motzaihem bapeh) of its learners.

HuAvodah is exclusive even though all mitzvos are avodas Hashem & acc. to sefer chareidim, every mitzvah even demands avodah shebalev, the world stands specifically on HaAvodah sheb'lev of korbanos/tefilah.
Gemilus chassadim doesn't seem to be exclusive of anything...

Chassam sofer notes the mention of Shimon hatzadik being from the anshei knesses hagedolah. They restored 'attarah l'yoshna' with hagadol hagibor v'hanora. The C.S. Explains these 3 titles as refferences to the three pillars Chessed Torah & Avodah. (as the avos were - chessed avodah & torah). Gadlus is an extension or expansion of self beyond its previous borders & limitations.

This perhaps defines Gemilus Chassadim of our mishnah as being exclusive as well. The world doesn't stand on just any Chessed. It stands on chessed of gadlus, which is the difference bet. Chessed & GEMILUS chassadim. The gemara shabbos relates why the feet of the gimmel run after the dalet....

The world stands on the chessed of those who LOOK to do chesed. Who run & create chessed, not on those who wait for a need to arise to then help out.

Naso

Vayehi byom kalos moshe. Tanchumah vay - the angels cried that the shechina is leaving the heavens....
Another pshatt the tanchuma says is mashal for king with argumentative wife. He gave her fine fabric to make a royal garment. After a long while she finished. Upon presentation to the king he wailed. Oy vey! - she asked if he didn't like it to which he replied its beautiful but until now things were quiet, as you were busy. Now with the free time the arguments will resume!

so too when klall yisrael finished the mishkan....

We must be aware with the long days of summer arriving now, to be extra careful that the available time not cause more 'arguments' but rather we must make use of the time wisely.

Shavuos

Minhag yisroel torah brings from yismach yisroel a minhag for Rav not to darshan night of shavuos to show derech eretz kadmah LaTorah.

So we will speak about derech eretz.

It's quite a statement to say d.e. Kadmah LaTorah.
We say ilu kirvanu lifnei har sinai vlo nusan lanu es haTorah, Dayenu. R' Yeruchom & others explain, that for us to reach a status of being READY to accept the Torah is a tremendous accomplishment of its own! In spirituality we say only a keli malei is machzik - how full of maalos we were just to be a recepticle for Torah!

The preparation for mattan Torah seems like derech eretz. (see also medrash shmuel avos 2.2 t.t. w d.e. Refers to peace & brotherliness with others. - this works well with vayichan) R' Yeruchom though points out that reishis chochma Yir'as Hashem.

However the two are not really different. As a matter of fact from b.k. 92a its clear that Avraham's claim rak ki ein yir'as elokim bamakom hazeh - was in response to Avimelechs asking about Sarah - which Rashi calls a lack of Derech Eretz.

what's the connection bet. D.e. & Yirah? The simplest form of Yirah is recognition of limits. That I am not free to do anything I feel like. That same self restriction or discipline can be on a non relidous level - derech eretz, or on a more lofty level - yir'as elokim.

minhag yisroel Torah brings birkei yosef that when haman blasphemed the Jews to Achashveirosh, he also said "they set up assabim on shavuos..." what's the lashon hara about that???

I'd like to say the title d.e. means that even on a non-religous level, eretz, - which seems hefker & without restriction, also must have a derech. A road that has definition, limitations, guidlines & a goal. Even before Torah & religion, the simple world around us needs some form & guidlines with boundaries & a starting point and destination. The world must be recognized Not as a 'hefker velt' even from a non religous perspective. Eretz has a Derech, & its possible to be 'off the derech' of derech eretz besides for being non religous.

Achashveirosh wanted to show the Jews that even the material world can be enjoyed & used without limitation & with no purpose. (This was to show that not neccessarily is there another world of eden.)

Haman looked at the Jews who take the most 'hefker' disorderly, unlimited natural product of eretz - assabim - wild grasses - (he didn't say flowers) & place them near the Torah on Shavuos showing that all of nature has guidlines & requires disipline in their use and a purpose! Can there be a greater antithesis to the ideas of Achashveirosh!?

Beyond d.e. KADMAH laTorah... There is also the Torah's specific guidlines how to use the world on an elevated plain. That is the 'Lachem' of shavuos - how Moshe Rabeinu debated with the angels for the Torah.

Let us use the lachem of Shavuos properly. The yesod v'shoresh hoAvodah intsructs very stongly that when we sleep & eat on shavuos it shouldn't be 'regular'. Rather full of Joy & thankfullness to Hashem. don't allow the eretz of the 2 days of Shavuos to be 'hefker'. it should at least be with discipline, guidlines, - on a derech. And perhaps even elevated - to a means of ahavas Hashem.

Naso. Tanchumah vayehi byom kalos - king gave wife work. Finished... oy now time to argue.. Summer, no y.t. Careful w xtra time

Bamidbar

The Ramban asks why there was a mitzvah to count & more specifically, why the detail count?
He answers that for each person to be seen & introduced to Moshe avi hanevi'im & Aharon k'dosh Hashem, for them to place their eyes upon them with good will, this would be a zechus & source of life & blessing.... Etc.

We must realize, that these individuals, just about a year before, stood before G-D himself & heard Hashem's voice talking to them at har sinai. Wasn't that enough of a z'chus & source of blessing & life? - Imagine our children would come home one day with a direct prophcy from G-D, - Can there be anything better than that?!

The very clear message we see here is that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ENOUGH IN RUCHNIYUS! Especially with regard to one's hopes for his childrens' growth in spirituality. "EPPES MEHR" more & more whatever more we can hope for we must attempt.

Another thing to note, is that we're not talking about little boys being nudged by their young dreamy idealistic fathers. The youngsters in the count were 20yrs old! Chinuch doesn't stop at bar mitzvah & our aspirations for growth doesn't just apply to our kids. Its lifelong. We should continue looking out for opportunities of more kedusha, more brachah, more growth in yir'as shamayim, for our children AND ouselves as long as we're here.

In these areas there should never be enough.

Sivan bamidbar yisro

Yisro 19.1 - bachodesh.... Bayom haZEH bau midbar sinai. rashi- like today. Ohr gedaliah - torah not for another 6-7 days?! Bachodesh - ba chodesh the month Moshe was anticipating arrived..

We see not only to look forward to mattan torah itself , but even the arrival of sivan! What's pshatt?

R' Yeruchom - Ilu kirvanu lifnei har sinai dayeinu. Need keilim - a vessel or recepticle to receive torah. What a madreigah to be READY for receiving Torah!

in ruchniyus only a kli malei is machzik. We were malei! Raishis chachmah yiras Hashem! BRIMMING TO THE TOP with Yir'ah!

sefiras ha'omer was kidshanu so far, we should be excited with anticipation - &
fill up on yirah & achdus & may we be zocheh....

B'har bechukosai

Six years plant six years cut from the vines the 7th should be a shabbos l'Hashem. Again repeated 7th year shabbos shaboson - like yom kippur? - l'Hashem.
The 6thyr triple bounty is ecpressed interestingly as well - v'tzivisi es birchosi - I will command my blessing? - since when do blessings need mitzvos?

I'm b'chukosai teileichu - the chok here is specifically Ameilus baTorah, as that is not a logically driven mtzvah.

The Mahril diskin & R' Moshe feinstein z"l both say that the torah is teaching us that shmittah must be l'Hashem. This is not about land regaining nutrients - you don't go 6 straight years fpr that. And the 6th year bracha dispells that notion as well - after six straight years the land can produce a triple crop!

This not about being lazy either. The Torah tells us to work the land the six years before, so, similar to shabbos. Those that work must take off 1 in 7 - lshem Hashem, & those that don't work all six, the Torah stresses that still the 7th should be a shabbos of shabbosos - an extra resting, recognizably l'Hashem.
This is a chok which establishes a notably greater relationship of loyalty from the subjects to their King. their doing this with 'no questions asked. Just because the King commanded.
this explains the strange language of blessing as well. Many time a reward can be witheld & blessing left unfulfilled due to some 'kitrug' against the recepient. However here Hashem tells us of the midah k'neged midah, - if you keep shmittah l'Hashem - with a 'no questions asked' approach just as Hashem commanded, so to I WILL COMMAND MY BLEESING, & it will respond against all reason to be witheld or cancelled, against any 'kitrug'. Just because Hashem commanded.

we don't have shmittah d'oraisah anymore, but we still have the opportunity for I'm b'chukpsai teileichu. In that merit may all the blessing come - no questions asked.
If you keep the chok of torah

Behar bechukosai

Mah shmittah with all its details was from sinai, so to all the mitzvos....R' Moshe explains the exemplary clarity of shmittah being from Hashem was because it was indeniable. People would literally see the miraculous blessing each 6th yr of the cycle. Noone could be mistaken.
However he adds nowadays that we don't have that miracle anymore, we must strengthen our emunah to not have questions in the first place, & this is done only through living a life of kedusha by not allowng ourselve to sink into matterialism which clouds our vision & allows room for mistake.

There seems to be something missing here. Why doesn't R' Moshe say nowadays we have the intelectual proof that no one else besides for the Creator could make the promise of the 6th yr blessing (& expect the mation to exist faithfully for more that 6 yrs) So obviously, the Torah is from Hashem! Why does R' Moshe resort to kedusha?

very simply, our bodies speak more louder to us than our mind. As much intelectual proof as there may be, our addiction to the material world & its desires will allow for confusion & blindness.

We must practice self restriction & be kedoshim, with that we can approach Har sinai.

Avos 4.1

Who is a chacham one who is willing (enough to go & push his way in. Not just "I pick up a lesson from everyone I meet"...see Rashi) to learn from any & every one. Who is mighty, one who restricts his desire. Who is wealthy, one who is happy with his lot. Who is honorable, one who honors others.

these are associated with the ma'alos required for a navi, the traits decided for a baby within 40 days from conception, & the passuk in yimiyahu al yis'halel....

if chochom refers to love & thirst for wisdom, as R' Yonah explains, we can understand 'Hashem gives chochma only to chachomim' that one is born with the trait of seeking chochmah, & it his to him that Hashem offers the actual wisdom to.

The mesilas yesharim end of perek 22 says that wisdom is nothing to be proud of, as its one's nature that brings him to it, no less than a bird learns to fly.

According to this, al yis'halel make sense to apply, even to one who is lomed mikol adam.
If so, then we should apply the same approach to all the ma'alos listed. Even the wealth of one who is satisfied with his lot, is nothing to be proud of. As this as well is perhaps what was predefined by Hashem "should this be rich or poor".
this the continues to "gibor" - even though one who restricts his desire is a gibor, this also predesigned "gibor oh chalash" Though this seems quite difficult to understand, perhaps some are blessed with more willpower than others. (they accordingly are 'blessed' with a greater yetzer hora as well, to make life challenging, but they are nonetheless giborim.) Perhaps the end of the qouted passuk is completely unnatural & deserving of pride - tikkun yitzro - not just retraint.
The person who is honorable by his honoring others, obviously is not priding himself to be above anyone in this manner.

this approach does not allow for pride in any areas of ma'alos - just 'haskel v'yadoa osi'. However, this was based on a misunderstood medrash shmuel. The rishonim (& achronim) who associate the mishnah to "al yis'halel" all explain that the mishna is describing the varied forms of these 3 ma'alos which allow for pride as they are considered part of haskel v'yadoa. I'm not sure why they say this, but if so, my approah that all pride is innapropriate is wrong.

On another note. Whether the mishna is or is not allowing pride in these areas, we do see for sure that these 4 traits are not just subjective, arbitrary socially decided attributes. Rathwr the mishnah is definately singling them out as "ma'alos". this itself is an important fact in accordance with what R' yeruchom says on this weeks parsha 'Lo yitamei ba'al b'amov l'heichalo' one must avoid losing a "ma'alah" of his at all cost.
If one does posses any of these ma'alos, whether or not he may pride himself, he most certainly expend all effort to retain them & should gaurd & protect himself against losing them.

Emor & lag b'omer Hod shebHod

Why is it that of all places the ever important tremendous mitzvah of kiddush Hashem is stated within the halachos of (improper thoughts of)a korbon?

In bamakheilos barchu we say shekein chovas kol hayitzurim lefonecha ....L'hodos the first in the list of Duties of all mankind. In Yishtabach the last form of praise to Hashem is "v'hodaos".

(in hindsight I think yishtabach is listed from top down)

Perhaps one refers to a simple level of hoda'ah that is the duty of any creature - to e thankful for the noticeable good that stands out & calls our attention. while yishtabach refers to the constant recognition that all is from Hashem & we thank Him for everything.

The trait of hod is the capability to bend in response to soroundings which sereves as the baseline potential for 'hadar' to spring back. (see pachad yitzchak on chanukah along these lines.)

The basis for thanks is that there is a response to a situation. We are moved & affected & brought to a point where we react accordingly.

Emor begins with the mitzvah of aveilus which the sefer chinuch explains that 'yehudim' don't look at death r"l as just nature taking its course, but as a message to improve.

perhaps this is another reason for the name Yehudi. We recognize all to be an act of G-D. This is our name, our essence.

This is the minimal status of a Jew. - He is MOVED. He REacts. He REsponds.He RElates. It is the DUTY of all mankind to at least react to a supernatural event but its the essence of a Yehudi to see & react & relate to Hashem with everything that happens.

R' Yeruchom on 'Lo yitamei baal b'amov L'hachalo' explains the importance of keeping one's elevated state & by all means not to allow a madreigah to be lost in the mundane.
when someone is a "BA'AL" madreigah of any type, there is an influence of G-D in himself. Madreigos, though acquired by human effort are really a gift of divine G-Dliness to the person in reward for his effort. Its chilul, is truthfully a real chilul Hashem.

If Hoda'ah is part of the essence of a Yehudi, then the offering of a korbon todah is perhaps the greatest form of self expression of the basic madreigah of a Jew. A deviation - even just in the MIND - of the use of this korban is a truest form chilul of the G-D of the Yehudim.