485 - Pinchos

Bnei Yisrael's improper behavior in Shittim triggered a plague which claimed the lives of twenty- four thousand people. Immediately thereafter, Hashem requested that Moshe count Bnei Yisrael to determine how many people survived. Starting with the shevatim, the Torah goes on to list the various families. When enumerating the families of sheivet Reuvein, the Torah tells us that Dasan and Aviram were amongst Reuvein's progeny but they were not counted since they were swallowed alive along with Korach. Yet regarding Korach's children, the following pasuk informs us, "And the sons of Korach did not die" (Bamidbar 26:11). 

So what happened to Korach's sons? Rashi explains that although they were the ones who advised Korach to take his stance, nevertheless, they were spared from the terrible punishment which was meted out to their father, because when the quarrel began "thoughts of teshuva passed through their minds." It's amazing to think, says Rav Wolbe, that while Korach was swallowed alive and ended up in the depths of Gehinom, his sons were saved from such a death and they were given a special compartment in the heights of Gehinom. A single thought of teshuva had the ability to change their status for all of eternity. Moreover, Chazal (Megillah 14a, Sanhedrin 110a) tell us that they are sitting in "the highest heights" and singing songs [of Hashem's praise]. 

Indeed, the sons of Korach could have fared better. They could have done a proper teshuva and possibly been spared entirely. Yet, we have to appreciate what they did accomplish. Where do they stand and where does their father stand? They merited all this because of a simple solitary thought of teshuva: "We were wrong. We should have never argued with Moshe." Spirituality is a reality, and the effects of a good deed change the way the world is run. They should have perished alongside their father but their thoughts saved them. It is a lesson for us all. Even if things look bleak, a single thought of teshuva has the ability to change things forever. 

In the beginning of the parsha the Torah relates another scenario where a single positive action in a fleeting moment of a person's life had an enduring effect. Pinchos and his offspring were granted a covenant of eternal priesthood in reward for Pinchos's act of heroism. He saw what was transpiring and he took action. The Medrash tells us that he was not the only one who saw the sinful behavior that was taking place; everyone saw. However, he was the only one who took action. It was a single action and he received eternal reward. Moreover, his offspring for all generations benefited from this good deed. 

Every person has their moment. It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity and it might be an opportunity that presents itself frequently. We must seize that moment. When we hear something inspiring, it should arouse us to at least a thought of teshuva. The problem is that we are too busy to think and too busy to do. "I have other things on my mind" and "Someone else will take care of the spiritual deficiency in our community." It's true. We do have other things on our mind and someone else will take care of the issue. However, if you put your brains or brawn toward avodas Hashem, then even if the outcome is only a single thought or deed, it can tip the scale favorably for all of eternity!

484 - Balak

There is a fascinating Medrash regarding the brachos which Bilaam blessed Bnei Yisrael: "Greater was the blessing that Bilaam blessed Yisrael than the blessings given by Yaakov to the shevatim and the blessings given by Moshe to the shevatim. When Yaakov blessed the shevatim he chastised Reuven, Shimon and Levi, while the blessings of Bilaam contain no chastisement nor blemish." How could it possibly be that Bilaam's brachos outshone the brachos of our greatest leaders?

Rav Wolbe (Daas Shlomo) explains that brachos of Yaakov and Moshe focused on a specific facet of Klal Yisrael, while Bilaam's brachos focused on an altogether different aspect of the nation. Yaakov and Moshe were leaders of the nation and their perception of Bnei Yisrael was viewed from a vantage point of avodas Hashem, and thus their blessings reflected this outlook. When one focuses on Bnei Yisrael's service of the Creator, there is often room for improvement and consequently place for chastisement.

In contrast, Bilaam's analysis of Klal Yisrael focused on Hashem's connection to them. As he declared, "Hashem perceived no iniquity in Yaakov and saw no perversity in Yisrael. Hashem their G-d is with them and the friendship of the King is within them" (Bamidbar 23:21). Rashi explains that when Bnei Yisrael transgress Hahem's word, He is not meticulous to examine their iniquities, and when they anger Him and rebel against Him, He never abandons them. When the focus is on the Shechina, there is no place for chastisement and there are no blemishes. No matter the spiritual state of Bnei Yisrael, Hashem continues to "dwell with them among their contamination" (see Vayikra 16:16). With this, Bilaam summed up the true essence of Bnei YIsrael: the connection that their G-d has with them.

We refer to these two different facets of Klal Yisrael daily in the birchos ha'shachar. First we recite, "ozeir Yisrael b'gevura - He girds Yisrael with strength" - which corresponds to Bnei Yisrael's avodas Hashem where they employ their strength in service of their Creator. Immediately thereafter we recite, "otair Yisrael b'sifara - He crowns Yisrael with splendor." This bracha corresponds to Hashem's relationship to us, for we are forever crowned with His splendor despite our faults and shortcomings.

We sometimes get caught up in what we perceive as our low spiritual state. We could be doing more chessed, davening with more kavana and performing mitzvos more meticulously. While there is always room for improvement, we should take a minute to appreciate who we are and what we have. Despite any sins and regardless of any deficiencies, Hashem does not move away even an iota and He continues to rest His Shechina amongst us. He loves us, He cares about us and He is forever intimately connected with us. This awareness is not only reassuring, it is also invigorating for it has the ability to motivate us to cultivate this relationship which in turn will catapult us to spiritual levels we never imagined that we could reach!

482 - Korach

Chazal (Pesachim 119a) tell us that Korach's fabulous wealth ultimately led to his demise. The Medrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:7) elaborates on this idea: "Three gifts were created in this world: wisdom, strength and wealth. One who merits any one of these has the ability to merit everything. However, this is only true when the gifts are Heavenly bestowed... When these gifts do not come from Hashem they will eventually cease. Our Rabbis taught: There were two extremely wise men in the world - Achitofel a Jew and Bilam a gentile - and both perished. There were two strong men in the world - Shimshon a Jew and Golias a gentile - and both perished. There were two wealthy men in the world - Korach a Jew and Haman a gentile - and both perished. Why? Because their gifts were not from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, rather, they grabbed the gifts for themselves."

What does it mean that these gifts were not given to them from Hashem? Theoretically we could have explained it to mean that although Hashem did not intend for them to have these gifts, nevertheless their intense desire for them caused Hashem to acquiesce to their wishes as Chazal assert, "A man is taken along the path he wishes to take." However, this cannot be the case because Hashem gave Shimshon his strength initially in order to fulfill the prophecy that was told to his parents before he was born that he would deliver Bnei Yisrael from their oppressors. Also, it seems from Chazal that Hashem intentionally endowed Bilam with prophecy and wisdom so that the nations of the world would not be able to claim that had they been granted a spiritual guide they too would have refrained from transgressions. 

The Chovos Halevovos writes (Yichud Ha'maaseh chap. 5) regarding wisdom, that when it is used properly it is the panacea for all ailments, and when it is misused it develops into a full blown disease which has no cure or treatment. With this in mind, says Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur vol. II p. 606), we can understand the statement of Chazal. All three of the gifts mentioned are given to a person to be utilized in the manner intended by Hashem. As Yirmiyahu declared (9:22,23) "The wise man should not glorify himself with his wisdom, the strong man should not glorify himself with his strength and the rich man should not glorify himself with his wealth. For only with this may one glorify himself - contemplating and knowing Me." The gifts are given as a means of getting to know Hashem. If they are used to this end one will continue to benefit from them, but if they are misused he has in effect "grabbed" them from Hashem and they will not endure.

Hashem grants every person countless gifts and numerous talents. We were endowed with these gifts to aid us in our avodas Hashem. It behooves us to take inventory of our gifts and talents to determine if we are using them properly or if we are using them at all. What a waste if would be if we had the talents which would enable us to help others and we simply weren't cognizant of them. And how pathetic it would be if we held the keys to our own success in our back pocket and we simply were not aware of them. Hashem gave us talents to use in furthering avodas Hashem on a personal level, a communal level and quite possibly they could even be employed to benefit the entire Klal Yisrael!

481 - Shelach

While many people succeed in suppressing feelings of anger in most scenarios, occasionally a situation may arise where they simply blow up. The instigation for the great anger is generally someone committing a severe offense which demands a stern response. The problem is that because the infraction caught our fuming friend off guard, instead of weighing his options and choosing a rational response, he erupted into a shouting frenzy which most likely did not achieve the desired results. How is one meant to overcome his anger and act sensibly when faced with such circumstances?

Rav Wolbe writes (Alei Shur vol. II pp. 219,220) that the answer can be found in Chazal and even traced back to this week's parsha. The Gemara (Brachos 7a) tells us that Hashem davens. "What does He daven? Said Rav Zutra bar Tuvi in the name of Rav, 'May it be My will that My compassion should suppress My anger. My compassion should overcome My other middos and I should deal with them (Bnei Yisrael) leniently.'" Hashem's anger is the attribute which demands perfection from His creations. Yet, His compassion has the ability to so to speak steamroll over all other attributes and change His reaction to one where He will act indulgently to His creatures. 

Any middah through which Hashem expresses Himself can also be found in ourselves. While we certainly know that a person has the ability to zealously arouse his anger at a wrongdoer, it is also true that he has the ability to override his anger. His compassion can be aroused to such a degree where it will act as a torrential waterfall which surges down the side of the mountain, eliminating all rocks and branches standing in its way. Because one's emotions of love and compassion are usually internally deeper and stronger than his emotion of anger they have the ability to overcome it.

It was with this idea in mind that Moshe davened to Hashem after the disaster created by the meraglim: "Now may the strength of Hashem be magnified" (Bamidbar 14:17), i.e. may Your great compassion supersede the anger aroused by this terrible misdeed. In a similar vein, a human being has the ability to magnify the strength of his compassion in a time of need and overcome anger kindled by even terrible infractions. Generally it is a parent who becomes livid with a child, a teacher with a student, or a spiritual leader with a constituent. All these mentors are people who inherently love their charges. The love and compassion for their charges is what must be aroused and magnified when they are inclined to become angry.

Practically how does one accomplish such a feat? It is very difficult to respond properly when caught off guard. Therefore, one must find ways of arousing his love at frequent intervals so that when a challenge does arrive he will be properly equipped to deal with it. One of the best ways of focusing on the love one feels for his charges is by davening for them. A day should not go by without offering a prayer for a child or a spouse. Likewise, a teacher should always have his students in mind. Not only does the tefillah itself effect tremendous results, it also increases our love for the recipient of the prayer and aids us in suppressing our anger - something we all strive to accomplish!

480 - Beha'aloscha

Beha'aloscha is the first parsha on the list of parshios that give an account of the "transgressions" committed by Bnei Yisrael in the desert. We read how Bnei Yisrael left Har Sinai like a child running away from school, and how they complained about the mann. The parsha ends with Miriam speaking derogatorily about Moshe Rabbeinu. Parshas Shelach recounts the sin of the meraglim and parshas Korach tells about the fiasco of Korach and his cohorts. Parshas Chukas contains an account of Moshe hitting the rock and parshas Balak concludes with Bnei Yisrael straying after the idols and daughters of Midyan. A superficial reading and understanding of these parshios could lead one to think that this remarkable generation wasn't so lofty after all.

Rav Wolbe writes (Daas Shlomo) that one who wishes to get a true picture of just how great these people were, must bear in mind three points. Firstly, the Kuzari (3:54-63) presents a most important principle. He asserts that the Torah only recounts well known events. The Torah does not tell of the great Torah knowledge of Yehoshua, Shmuel, Shimshon, and Gidoen. Rather it recounts the miracles of the splitting of the Yarden, the sun standing still, and the great strength of Shimshon. Sefer Shmuel recounts the wars fought by Dovid but it tells us nothing about his great piety, his awesome Torah erudition and his exceptional holiness. Except for a single story regarding the two women who argued over a baby, the Torah does not tell us about the great wisdom of Shlomo. Rather it mentions his fabulous wealth and his lavish meals. The Torah relates the famous stories while the rest of the details are meant to be filled in by Chazal. Learning The Written Torah without the aid of the Oral Torah is like trying to get a picture of someone's life by looking at a few postcards instead of watching an extended video documenting his life. 

Secondly, all twenty four books of Tanach are the word of Hashem, just recorded by humans by means of prophecy or ruach hakodesh. Thus, the gauge to measure those mentioned therein cannot be a human yardstick, for these people are being described by Hashem's exacting standards. The greater the person, the more demanding Hashem is in His dealings with them. Minute infractions indiscernible to the human eye are sometimes recorded as severe transgressions.

Lastly, we are literally spiritual light years away from the people discussed in Tanach. The Gemara (Eruvin 53a) in describing the difference between the Tanna'im and Amora'im writes that the hearts of the earlier generations were open like the entranceway to the Ulam (twenty cubits wide) while the hearts of the later generations are open like the eye of a needle! Moreover, Chazal declared "If the earlier generations were like angels then we are like humans; if they were like humans then we are like donkeys!" In other words, the difference between a few generations is compared to the difference between two entirely different species! Similar statements were made by Abaye and Rava who merited visits by Eliyahu Hanavi on a weekly and yearly basis respectively! We must multiply these differences a thousand fold to include the transformation that occurred from the times recorded in Tanach until the Tanna'im, and the many generations from the times of the Amora'im until the present day. We simply do not have the intellectual capability to comprehend the awesome stature of those mentioned in the Torah.

Let us not jump to conclusions regarding the misdeeds mentioned in the Torah. One Chassidic Rebbe pithily summed up this idea when he commented, "I wish my mitzvos were on the level of their aveiros!" Bearing this in mind will give us a fresh approach to the next few weeks of parshios. Instead of condemning their actions, we will be inspired by the immeasurable greatness attainable by man and hopefully be motivated to push ourselves to attain as much of that greatness as we possibly can!

479 - Naso

Among the mitzvos unique to the nazir, the Torah commands him to refrain from defiling himself by coming into contact with the deceased even when they are his closest relatives. The Seforno (Bamidbar 6:6) comments that this commandment parallels the mitzvah given to the Kohein Gadol. Due to the Kohein Gadol's holy vocation he must refrain from defiling himself by coming into contact with a dead person.

Rav Wolbe (Shiurei Chumash Bamidbar 6:6) comments that, in effect, the Torah is giving every Jew the opportunity to achieve the holiness of the Kohein Gadol, albeit for a limited amount of time. The commandment to refrain from becoming tamai is not a mere prohibition; it is a manifestation of a bodily sanctification which the Torah grants a person when he accepts upon himself the mitzvah of nezirus. Levels of purity generally reserved solely for the Kohein Gadol become the hallmark of any Jew who is inspired to accept the title of a nazir. 

The Seforno continues, "In a similar vein Chazal said, 'Is it because there are not enough pallbearers in Tiveria that I sent you away from Netziven?'" The Seforno is making a reference to a story related in the Yerushalmi (Pesachim 3:7): Reb Avohu sent his son, Reb Chanina, from his home town Netziven to learn Torah as a disciple of Rebbi Yochanon in Tiveria. Sometime later, Reb Avohu was informed that his son was busying himself with burying the dead at the expense of his learning. Reb Avohu sent him a message, "Is it because there are not enough pallbearers in Tiveria that I sent you away from Netziven?"

The Seforno seems to equate one dedicated to learning Torah to a nazir. A Jew entirely devoted to Torah study is involved in a most lofty endeavor and he must not defile himself by tending to the dead. [Although halacha mandates that one is to interrupt his learning in order to escort a dead person, Reb Avohu was telling his son he should not busy himself with this lofty mitzvah because learning Torah is an even holier pursuit.]

The Seforno's message is clear. When one dedicates himself to a holy endeavor, he must take care not to desecrate his holiness by busying himself with tasks that lead to his "defilement." If the Kohein Gadol, Nazir and Yeshiva Bachur are cautioned not to defile themselves even when it involves a mitzvah, how much more so must they take care not to interrupt from their holy endeavors for frivolities. We should act no differently. When we dedicate a portion of our time to avodas Hashem, whether it be for Torah or tefillah, we must ensure that we are not distracted into defiling the holy opportunity. Take the initiative of the nazir and turn off your cell phone, so you can dedicate and thereby consecrate, your special time with Hashem.

478 - Shavuos

Rav Wolbe (Daas Shlomo) makes an interesting observation regarding the Torah which was given by Hashem and received by Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai. The Aseres Hadibros were all said in singular form. The Ramban explains that this signifies that Hashem spoke to and commanded each and every individual. On the other hand, the Torah tells us, "The entire nation proclaimed in unison, 'All that Hashem spoke we will do.'" Bnei Yisrael's acceptance of the Torah was done in complete harmony "like one person, with a single heart." While Kabbalas HaTorah (the acceptance of the Torah) was specifically a communal event, Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah) was specifically an experience for the individual. How are we to understand this dichotomy?

The Mishna in Avos (2:18) states, "Do not be wicked by yourself." Rav Chaim Volozhin explains that one should make an effort to daven with the tzibbur because if you pray "by yourself" and depend on your own merits, you might be considered "wicked." In a similar vein, the Medrash (Shir Hashirim Rabba 8:15) says that when Bnei Yisrael, through the recitation of Shema, accept Hashem's Kingship upon themselves in unison, Hashem approvingly tells the angels to listen to their voices. The Medrash continues that this is not the case when their recital of Shema is not carried out in harmony. Accordingly, any initiation of a connection to the Creator should ideally be performed by Bnei Yisrael as a tzibbur. 

The very essence of Bnei Yisrael is that they are a "single nation on the earth" (Shabbos Mincha). In contrast to the other nations, Klal Yisrael at their core is a single unit, and it was with this quality that they were meant to approach Kabbalas HaTorah. Each person would completely negate their own individuality thereby melding themselves into a single entity; a solitary creation of awesome stature capable of standing before the Creator and receiving His commandments.

This total display of solidarity resulting from the sublimation of individual feelings reverberated on High. Hashem reciprocated by giving the Torah as a whole to Klal Yisrael, while granting each and every person an individual approach to the Torah's multifaceted and infinite wisdom.

While we are generally concerned with our own achievements and success, proper preparation for Kabbalas HaTorah requires that we shift our focus toward others. The essential quality at Har Sinai was Bnei Yisrael's solidarity. They sublimated their personal priorities for the benefit of the masses. Therefore, it is important that we feel responsibility for the masses of Jewish People who haven't yet enjoyed a relationship with their Creator.

There are many unaffiliated Jews waiting for someone to fan the spark buried deep inside them. Moreover, there are many affiliated Jews who would gain immensely from a relationship with someone who has a stronger connection to Torah than they do. Bringing another Jew closer to His Father in Heaven not only enhances his life, it enhances our lives as well. For when all of Klal Yisrael unite in the acceptance of the Torah, their combined acceptance enhances the personal benefit of each individual.

Good Yom Tov!