בלשון ציורית, לא פילוסופית
המזמור הראשון "לְאָסָף" חותם את סדרת המזמורים (מב עד נ), שנאמרו"מִצִּיּוֹן מִכְלַל יֹפִי", בתוכחה חריפה גם נגד צדיקים מקריבי קרבנות, אם הם נוטים למחשבה (האלילית!), כאילו ריבון העולמים זקוק לקרבנות, חס ושלום. הקרבנות הם צורך רק לאדם, להכיר תודה על כל הטוב, שהבורא גמל איתו, וזו זכות של כבוד להקריב קרבן תודה - כמובן, רק למי שראוי לעמוד לפני ה', כי לרשעים (מבחינה מוסרית!) אין מקום כלל להתקרב למקדש ולמזבח.
דברים דומים, בעיקר בהקשר המוסרי, כתובים במפורש בדברי הנביאים - שמואל וישעיהו, הושע ועמוס, מיכה וירמיהו - לדעתי, הם מפורשים גם בתורה, אם מבינים, שפרשיות יתרו-משפטים כוללות תנאים מוקדמים לעצם הקמת המשכן - צריכים להיות ראויים לעמוד לפני ה'. אבל ב"מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף" יש דגש שונה, ובלשון ציורית, לא פילוסופית - בורא עולם כלל לא זקוק לקרבנות, כי כל הנבראים שלו הם.
באדיבות אתר 929
עורה כבודי
רש"י:
עורה כבודי. ולא אישן עד שלש שעות בכבודי כשאר מלכים.
עורה הנבל וכנור. העירה אותי אתה הנבל וכנור התלוי על מטתי פתוח לצד הצפון וכיון שמגיע חצות לילה רוח צפונית מנשבת בו ודוד עומד ועוסק בתורה.
אעירה שחר. אני מעורר את השחר ואין השחר מעוררני.
רש"י - ר' שלמה יצחקי. גדול פרשני המקרא והתלמוד. חי בצרפת בין השנים 1040-1105. הקים ישיבה בטרואה, בה עסקו לא רק בלימוד תלמוד אלא גם בלימוד מקרא. מצאצאיו: רשב"ם; רבנו תם; ר' יצחק הזקן מבעלי התוספות.
וישמע קולי
"אֲנִי אֶל אֱלֹהִים אֶקְרָא וַה' יוֹשִׁיעֵנִי
עֶרֶב וָבֹקֶר וְצָהֳרַיִם אָשִׂיחָה וְאֶהֱמֶה וַיִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי" (יז-יח)
יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל
מַקְהֵלוֹת עַם בָּרְכוּ אֵל הָרִימוּ קוֹל כֹּחַ וָאֵל
יָגֵל יַעֲקֹב יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם שִׁיר מַהֲלַל אֵל
הַלְלוּהוּ גַּדְּלוּהוּ כִּי בָרוּךְ הוּא נֶאֱמָן
לִכְבוֹד הֶחָתָן בָּחוּר מֵעַם יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם
רוֹמְמוּ אֵל מֵאִיר אוֹרָה גָּבַר חַסְדּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא
חָתָן וְכַלָּה הִיא לוֹ לְעֶזְרָה יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל אָז אֶת הַשִּׁירָה
דִּרְשׁוּ אֵל חַי לְעוֹלָמִים הַלְּלוּהוּ בַמְּרוֹמִים
יוֹסֵף עֲלֵיכֶם אֶלֶף פְּעָמִים עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד וְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים
כִּימֵי צֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּעֹז בַּעֲדִי עֲדָיִים
כֵּן בְּעַיִן תִּרְאוּ פִּי שְׁנַיִם כֵּן בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם כֻּלְּכֶם חַיִּים
מתוך אתר "הזמנה לפיוט"
Bechukotai: Coming Home
This week's d’var Torah is sponsored in memory of Dr. Solomon Burack, obm., by the Burack family. May his memory be a blessing.
The ability of the Jewish people to see hope when others see despair is perhaps the key to understanding the amazing tenacity of the Jewish people. It explains the difference between the great successes of the State of Israel, in contrast to the failed states that surround our homeland. While there were at least as many Jewish refugees in the aftermath of creation of the state, one does not hear of them; Israel, at great expense and hardship, integrated them and ensured they would feel at home. Those people who were not wanted by other states helped create a flourishing country.
Yet our sojourn in the land is not unconditional. Numerous times in numerous contexts the Torah warns that if we sin, we will be exiled from the land. The association of exile from the land with non-observance is the primary theme of this week's parsha. Observe the mitzvoth and be blessed with prosperity, peace and security. Turn away from mitzvoth, treat them casually, and face a sequence of events that may appear innocuous at first, but quickly snowball into disaster: lack of rain, reduced economic growth, war, plagues, famine, desolation and exile. In exile we will become a fractured people, facing persecution and shrinking numbers.
Yet even in destruction, there is hope. Amidst despair is the potential for renewal. “I will lay your cities in ruin and your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your satisfying aromas” (26:31). Our Sages, based on a nuanced reading of the text, derive that the idea that “their [sanctuary's] holiness endures even when they are desolate”. The Temple, or its affiliate the synagogue, retains kedusha despite what might be. It is this law that mandates that even shuls that are no longer in use be treated with sanctity.
The shul is the gathering place—hence its name, beit Knesset—of the Jewish people. It unites us in prayer, learning, charitable activities and so much more. Its façade is of sticks and stones, but its strength lies in the people—the Jewish people—who give it its sanctity. While we may face all kinds of threats, and worse, the Jewish people are indestructible. Physically, we may be downtrodden; but our spiritual centers guarantee our survival and give us hope for the future. We survive in exile until the time comes to return to the land.
“Then they will confess their sins (26:40)…and I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham I will remember” (v.42).
It is not overstating the case to claim that the entire Torah is a description of the relationship of the Jewish people and the land of Israel. From Rashi's opening comment (that the Torah begins with the story of creation to validate our claim to the land of Israel), to G-d's command to Abraham to go to Israel, to G-d's charge to Moshe at the burning bush that He will bring the Jewish people from Egypt to Israel (see Shemot 3:8), it is the land of Israel that is link between us and G-d. “And I will place my Sanctuary among you and My spirit will not reject you” (26:11).
We are between Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim, the two major holidays that express the modern miracle of the State of Israel. Not coincidentally, the Torah readings of these weeks focus on the land of Israel. Last week, it was shmitta and yovel, expressing the special sanctity of the land. Next week, we will read about the counting of and marching order of the Jewish people as they prepared to enter the land of Israel. And this week, we read of the link between our actions and our destiny.
If exile is a sign of punishment, then it follows that return to the land is sign of G-d's benevolence towards us. Seventy years ago, the world witnessed the strongest and most tragic manifestation of hester panim, of G-d hiding His face, turning His back on the world. Today, G-d has turned His face in favour toward us. Let us give Him much reason to smile, so we may usher in the complete redemption of the Jewish people.
Courtesy of Torah in Motion - www.torahinmotion.org
Bechukotai: A Proper Ending
Behar: Leaving Egypt
“I am the Lord your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt”.
While we associate these words with the first of the aseret hadibrot (ten commandments), the words above are actually taken from this week' s parsha. “If your brother becomes impoverished...do not take from him interest…I am the Lord your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, to be your G-d ” (25:38). Rashi, quoting our Sages, suggests that the juxtaposition of the Exodus to the laws of interest teaches us that G-d took us out of Egypt for us to observe His commandments, even if it is difficult. In other words, G-d took us out of Egypt so that we could lend money interest-free!
This exact phrase, “I am the Lord your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt”, is also used in connection with the command to have “honest scales, honest weights, honest measures" (Vayikra 19:36). And Rashi, echoing what he wrote above, notes al menat ken, that having honest weights is the reason we were taken out of Egypt. Pesach, matzah, and maror play a secondary role in the Exodus to that of honesty and interest-free loans.
Yet, in discussing interest-free loans, the Torah adds an additional phrase not found in relationship to honest weights. “I am the Lord your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt to give to you the land of Canaan, to be for you a G-d". Rashi notes that by observing the Divine command, i.e., by lending money interest-free, we will merit to inherit the land of Israel.
Lending out money interest-free is difficult indeed. We charge others to rent our homes, cars or offices: we charge for all services, but somehow, when it comes to money, we must be there to help with no potential for profit; “ I am the Lord your G-d, who took you out of the land of Egypt”. In many ways, refraining from charging interest is an even more difficult command than that of the observance of shmittah, which forms a major part of the parsha.
The Torah commands that all loans which are not repaid by the shmittah (sabbatical) year are to be cancelled, with the creditor losing not only any potential interest, but his principal. Yet the loss of principal is a risk that can be mitigated. One can do due diligence to ensure that loans are given only to those who are reputable, creditworthy and not likely to renege. And if one has miscalculated, well, that is the risk of business. But to let others use your money with absolutely no possibility of profit is most difficult indeed. Yet it is a necessary component of building up a nation. “Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and its returnees through charity". And there is no greater form of charity than lending money interest-free.
To be worthy of leaving Egypt, we need only ensure that our dealings are conducted honestly. However, in order to build a community in Israel, we must observe a more difficult mitzvah, the mitzvah of lending money interest-free.
It was at Sinai that we heard the voice of G-d, who took us out of the land of Egypt. It was the Exodus that serves as the backdrop to revelation, and it is revelation that obligates us in mitzvoth. And immediately following revelation, the Torah lists much of our civil and criminal codes, identifying in great detail those mitzvoth that must infuse our daily (even, at times, mundane) existence. These laws begin by detailing the dignity with which a slave must be treated—a concept that was no less revolutionary than the notion of a G-d who intervenes in the historical process by taking us out of Egypt. “I am the Lord your G-d” obligates us to treat the weakest in society with the utmost of caring.
Thus, we should not be surprised that immediately after the command to lend money interest-free, the Torah warns, “If your brother becomes impoverished with you and is sold to you [in slavery], you shall not work him with slave labour.” (25:39). Our Rabbis explain that slave labour is work designed to show the lowly status of one's employee, to create feelings of inferiority amongst the workers.
Offering employment to others is the one form of charity that “ranks” higher than that of an interest-free loan. Helping other Jews become self-sufficient is the road to redemption. But employment also affords the possibility to lord it over others, to raise ourselves as we lower others, to act like Pharaoh in Egypt. Let us remember that “they are My servants whom I have taken out of the land of Egypt” (25:42).
Courtesy of Torah in Motion - www.torahinmotion.org
לחיות בשני העולמות
"אָגוּרָה בְאָהָלְךָ עוֹלָמִים אֶחֱסֶה בְסֵתֶר כְּנָפֶיךָ סֶּלָה" (תהילים ס"א, ה)
תלמוד בבלי מסכת יבמות דף צו עמוד ב - צז עמוד א
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב:
מאי דכתיב [=מהו שכתוב] "אגורה באהלך עולמים" (תהילים ס"א, ה)?
וכי אפשר לו לאדם לגור בשני עולמים?
אלא אמר דוד לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא:
רבונו של עולם, יהי רצון שיאמרו דבר שמועה מפי בעולם הזה.
דאמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי:
כל תלמיד חכם שאומרים דבר שמועה מפיו בעולם הזה, שפתותיו דובבות בקבר.