The Holy Image Of Hashem

Dear Friends, 

This is what I wrote for the Sheva Brachos of my daughter this week. Enjoy! 

Yitzi 

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Was the original man that Hashem created male or female?

At first he was both, as the verse says, "And Hashem created the Adam, in the image of Hashem He created him, male and female He created them." And Rashi brings the Midrash, that at first he was both male and female together. Then Hashem split the Adam (pun intended), and they became two, a male and a female. The word for rib in Hebrew is tzela which also means a side. So when the Torah says, that Hashem took a tzela from Adam and made Chava, it means that He separated the female side from the male side.

If he was both, why does it say, "him?" Because in Hebrew there is no gender neutral, everything is either male or female, there is no word for "it," so it says, "him."

You may ask, what does this have to do with the marriage of this new beautiful couple?

To explain this, I will ask another question. The original Adam was created in the image of Hashem, and he was both male and female. So the true image of Hashem is female and male together. How are we then in the image of Hashem, if we are each only half?

The answer. There are two levels of the image of Hashem. There is the individual, who is in the image of Hashem, either male or female. And then there is the holy image of Hashem, which is represented by a married couple together in harmony. That is perhaps why, in the blessings of the Sheva Brachos, we talk about the creation of Adam. It is the two halfs of the Adam coming together.

In other words, now you are finally whole, now is when your mission truly begins. And when you are in harmony, you are in the original image of Hashem, the holy image of Hashem, and you have a greater impact on this world.

May your marriage always be in harmony, and may your home be a home for Hashem, with the light of Yiddishkiet and Chassidishkiet and may your togetherness be strong, and impactful, and may it bring Moshiach closer. May he come soon.

To Bring Moshiach We Have To Work Hashem's Garden

Dear friends, 

This Dvar Torah marks the beginning of the fifth cycle of Dvar Torahs. I am grateful to Hashem to be here and to be able to teach Torah. I am also grateful to all of you who read them and allow me to be part of your lives. 

Thank you so much and good Shabbos, 

Yitzi 

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In this week's parsha, Balak, we have the prophecy of the coming of Moshiach. In it Balaam says, "A ruler will come out of Yaakov." Rashi tells us that this refers to King Moshiach, as it says about him, "And he will rule from the sea until the sea." This is a verse from Tehillim, that continues, "and from the river until the ends of the earth."

similarly, Zechariah prophesies about Moshiach, he says, "Behold! Your king will come to you... humble and riding on a donkey... and his rule will be, from the sea until the sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth."

The Rambam, when explaining Balaam’s prophecy, he says, "This is the King Moshiach, about whom it says 'And he will rule from the sea until the sea.'"

Why do the verses go through the whole length of, "From the sea until the sea and from the river until the ends of the earth."? Why doesn't it simply say, that he will rule over the whole earth?

Why do they reference the seas and the river? Usually a king rules over the land and the waters are secondary.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains, that the ultimate level we will reach in the days of Moshiach, is dependent "on our actions and service (to Hashem) during the time of the exile." In other words, through our Torah study and performance of mitzvahs, we prepare the whole world and especially the Jewish people, for the ultimate purpose of the days of Moshiach.

The way Hashem has it set up, we are rewarded measure for measure. According to the kind of effort we put in, that establishes the reward that we are given. So it is understood, that in order to prepare for, and have the high levels that we will attain in the days of Moshiach, we have to do our service to Hashem, in a Moshiach-like manner, meaning, that in order to merit the rulership of Moshiach, "from the sea until the sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth." We must serve Hashem in a similar way. How is it possible for us to be like Moshiach?

The Baal Shem Tov says, "Every one of Israel, has to fix and prepare the part of Moshiach that is in his soul." In other words, we each have a part of Moshiach in us, and by readying that part of us, we prepare the world for him to come. Being that every one of us has a part of Moshiach, we can be like him, and ready the world for his rulership.

Let's take a deeper look at the words, "From the sea until the sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth," to understand, how we can serve Hashem in a Moshiach-like way.

One of the differences between the sea and the land, is that in the sea everything is hidden. When you look at the sea, all you see is the water, you don't see what is in it. On land, it is the opposite, most everything is open and revealed. The sea is symbolic of the part of a person that is for himself, and land is symbolic of the part of a person that connects with the world and with others.

In the verse there are two seas. This is reminiscent of the verse in Zechariah's prophecy, "And it will be on that day, living waters will go out from Yerushalayim, half will to the first sea and half to the last sea." Meaning, that when we say, "He will rule from the sea until the sea," it means that we should rule over every aspect of our personal self.

In a person, the first sea, is his ability to think, the last sea, is his ability to do. They are the beginning and the end of a person's abilities, meaning, one should be master over all his abilities from the first until the last.

However, that is not enough. There is also, "From the river until the ends of the earth." When a person just works on himself, even if he perfects himself to the highest level possible, but he doesn't effect the world around him, he hasn't a accomplished his main purpose. He might be in an eden of his own, but it is only a selfish accomplishment. There has to be the "river that goes out of eden to water the garden."

The garden is Hashem's world, and even though it is hard to see it that way, our purpose is to reveal the essence of the world, that it is His garden. As it says about Adam, the first man, "And He put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to guard it." That is why we were placed in this world, to work the garden. For Adam, it was clear that it was Hashem's garden, but for us that don't see it that way, our job is to reveal that it is His garden, the place where He wants to be. And when we finish our work, it will be clear that the whole world, "until the ends of the earth," is His garden, and Moshiach will come.

May we merit to see the fruits of our labor, our Torah and mitzvahs that refine the world and reveal that it is truly Hashem's beautiful garden. He will then dwell openly in it, in other words, Moshiach will be here. May it happen soon.

The Power Of A Good Eye And A Couples Modesty

Dear friends, 

As many of you know, my daughter got married on Monday. Here is the dvar Torah I wrote in honor of the wedding. There is no personal stuff in it, because I also wrote a few words to the choson and kallah, but that was read separately. Enjoy 

Yitzi 

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In this week's parsha, Balak, we read about the wicked Ballam, who set out to curse the Jewish people, and he ended up blessing them instead. 

What are some of the lessons we can learn from this story about marriage? 

When Hashem created the world, He set up that there be a balance between good and evil. Being that He gave the Jewish people Moshe, He gave the idol worshiping nations of the world, the wicked Ballam. Ballam was the opposite of Moshe, and our sages say, that Ballam was a rah ayin, he had an eye for evil, and Moshe was a Tov ayin, he had an eye for good. 

A Tov ayin means that he finds the good in everything. Even if a person who did a lot of bad, and outwardly all you see is bad, he was able to find the little bit of good and highlight that, even if it meant looking into the deepest, hidden recesses of his heart. He was able to find it and make it the focus, until it affected the person and he became good. 

A rah ayin is the opposite, it means that he finds the bad in everything. Even if a person who is completely good, he was able to find the little bit of bad, lying latent in the deepest recesses of his heart and accentuate that. He made that the focus, bringing the good person to, G-d forbid, commit a sin. 

The Torah tells us this, because we each have the ability to go either way. Of course, we should be like Moshe, but when one is exhausted or hurt, it is very easy to go the other way. At times like these, you have to muster the strength to be a Tov ayin. 

In a relationship, a husband and wife should always try to see the good in one another. Even and especially when the going gets tough. 

What caused Ballam to bless the Jewish people? 

He saw the modesty of the Jewish people, their tents were set up in a way that one tent couldn't see into another, everybody had their privacy. This is a lower or simple level of modesty, it has nothing to do with dress or mingling, it is just a couples basic private life. And this itself moved Ballam so much that although he was wicked and a rah ayin, he nevertheless blessed the Jewish people. And how far did it move him? It had such a profound affect on him, that he prophesied the coming of Moshiach. 

The lesson here is the power of the smallest amount of modesty, and as a couple, how important it is to create and establish your own little private space, and to give each other, the privacy that he or she needs. 

This is so important that we begin davening every day with the words that Ballam said when he saw the modesty of the Jewish people, "Ma Tovu, How good are your tents oh Yaakov." 

The private unit of a married couple is so holy, that it is the foundation and the purity of the family, and it leads to the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon. Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov! 

The Essence Of A Mitzvah

Dedicated By Yishai Kohen and Shlomo Mermelstein 

In honor of the Aleph Institute, for all of their great work. 

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In this week's parsha, Chukas, we read about the para aduma, the red heifer. It begins, "This is the statute of the Torah," the Midrash on these words, brings the verse, "Who can take out a pure thing from an impure one." And it brings several examples of paradoxes that exist in the laws of purity and impurity. For example, Tzaraas, if it is the size of a lentil, the person is impure, however, if it spreads over the entire body, he is pure. The Midrash continues, "Who commanded so? Who decreed so? Is it not the Unique One of the world... Hashem said, 'I stated My statute, I decreed My decree, you don't have the right to go against My decrees.'" 

Being that the Midrash on the words, "This is the statute of the Torah," brings the examples of paradoxes from all over the laws of purity and impurity, shows that the red heifer is the primary example of all the laws of purity and impurity. In other words, this is the quintessential law of all the laws of purity and impurity. There is something about the red heifer, that is symbolic of all of the different types of purity and impurity, and that is learned from "This is the statute of the Torah." 

Meaning, that there is a decree aspect to the red heifer, as our sages say, "The dead doesn't defile, and the water doesn't purify, it is just that Hashem said, 'I stated my statute, I decreed My decree...' as it says, 'This is the statute of the Torah.'" And this decree aspect of the red heifer, is not simply a detail in the laws of the red heifer, but a general rule that applies to all the laws of purity and impurity. In the words of the Rambam, "It is a thing that is clear and revealed, that impurities and purities are a decree of the Torah, they are not something that the understanding of man dictates, and they are categorized as decrees." 

Everything in Torah is eternal, and even the mitzvahs that we only kept when we had the Beis Hamikdash, although we don't keep them physically, but on a spiritual plane we have them eternally as part of our lives. These laws of purity and impurity, are mostly not kept today, but spiritually, they are very much a part of our lives. These general ideas apply to every single Jew, even to the simplest person who doesn't have the ability to understand much. It doesn't mean that the details of the law apply to him, that may be too much for him to comprehend. However the general idea of, "This is the statute of the Torah," applies to him too. We know this, because when the simplest person reads this verse in the Torah, he is obligated to recite the blessing for learning Torah. On the other hand, when he reads the oral Torah, like Talmud, if he doesn't understand what he is saying, he is not obligated to recite the blessing. So the general concept of, "This is the statute of the Torah," applies at all times and to every person. 

What are we meant to learn from the verse, "This is the statute of the Torah?" 

To understand this, let us take a deeper look at this verse. There is a famous question on this verse. If we are talking about the red heifer, why does it say, "This is the statute of the Torah," and not, "This is the statute of the heifer?" 

Because the decree of the red heifer, has something that applies to the whole Torah. And the red heifer is the decree of all decrees of the Torah. As King Shlomo, the wisest of men, was able to understand the reason for every decree, but about the red heifer he said, "I tried to understand, yet it is far from me." 

To explain. Every mitzvah is the will of Hashem, and that is the true reason for a mitzvah, because that is what Hashem wants. That is what we say in the blessing before mitzvahs, "He commanded us." And we don't say the logical reason behind the mitzvah. When we do a mitzvah, we should truly do it because that is Hashem's will, and not because of its logic. 

You may ask: The whole study of Torah, is to understand the logic and the details of the mitzvahs, so how could you tell me that it is not the reason? When a mitzvah makes its way down into the world, it is wrapped in logic, however, in its essence, it is the will of Hashem, and the logic is an addition. It doesn't mean that the logic isn't important, obviously it is, it is Torah, but there are different parts of a mitzvah, and in its essence, it is the will of Hashem, and we should have that as the essential reason for the mitzvah. 

Now we can understand why the red heifer is the decree of the Torah. Because we have no reason for doing it, other than that it is Hashem's will. And that is also the reason for all the mitzvahs and the whole Torah. In other words, "This is the statute of the Torah." 

The difference between will and understanding, is that when it comes to understanding, there are all kinds of divisions. First in understanding in general, everyone has a different level of understanding. Then in the particulars of the thing you are trying to understand, it is broken down into many details and you can understand part of it well, while you don't understand another part of it. 

Will, on the other hand, is what it is, and there are no divisions. You don't want something a little, you either want it or not. 

So at the level of understanding there can be questions whether or not? Because reason can take you in either direction. But when it comes to will, you do it because it is what Hashem wants, there are no questions. 

We see how the decree of the red heifer expresses itself in all types of purity and impurity, in a few ways. 

First, according to the Torah, it is not possible to be partially impure, even if the impure thing touches one part of the person's body, his whole body becomes impure. 

Second, the smallest connection with the impure item makes him completely impure, just as if he consumed it. 

Third, it doesn't matter his intentions, whether he came in contact with it on purpose or by mistake, whether he wanted to or not, he becomes impure. 

These three, are how the impure item effect the person who comes in contact with it. The fourth is the consequences of becoming impure. No matter how he became impure, he is forbidden to come in contact with holy things, meaning, he can't go to the Temple, he can't partake in any of the Temple offerings, and if he is a Kohen, he can't eat Teruma. 

In all of these four, there are no half measures, you see the will of Hashem, in which there are no divisions, it is all or nothing. 

This is the meaning of what our sages say, "You shouldn't sit and weigh the mitzvahs of the Torah,"  "And you should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one." A person should keep all mitzvahs equally, as if they have the same importance. 

You may ask: How could I be expected to keep a lenient mitzvah as I keep a strict one? The Torah itself suggest that some are stricter than others. Even the statement, "You should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one," suggests that there are mitzvahs that are more important than others. 

This is the lesson we are meant to take from the laws of purity and impurity. When it comes to our understanding, there are differences between mitzvahs, there are more strict and more lenient. But when it comes to the essence of every mitzvah, that they are Hashem's will, there are no differences between mitzvahs, they are equally Hashem's will. 

With regard to the person doing the mitzvahs, there are differences. The worse the blemish caused by breaking the mitzvah, the stricter it would be. But when it comes to the essential function of a mitzvah, that it connects us with Hashem, there is no difference between one mitzvah and another, they all connect us equally. 

This message, that we should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one, applies to every Jew, and acting this way, connects the essence of your soul, which is higher than understanding, with the essence of Hashem, His will. 

How is one to maintain such a high level of devotion on a constant basis, it seems impossible? Doesn't our service to Hashem follow order and understanding? 

Yes. But if you can reach this level of devotion once in a while, and make it a point to go there at certain times, this attitude will seep into and effect all of the mitzvahs you do, and your entire service to Hashem will be raised to a higher level. 

This is also a lesson in bringing a Jew closer to Hashem. One might make the mistake of thinking, "it is enough that I teach him to do the big and important things, the small details are not so important to teach him." But when you realize that it is all equally the will of Hashem, you realize that even a small detail could have a profound effect on him. 

In my experience as a Chabad rabbi, I found that many times, it was the small things that had the biggest effect, in bringing a person closer to Hashem. 

This week, with the help of Hashem, Dina and I will be marrying off our daughter Fruma to Rabbi Levi Karp, the son of Rabbi Zalman and Chani Karp. May your marriage be a binyan adei ad, and may the details of Hashem's will shine brightly in your home. May Dina and I, and Chani and Zalman only have nachas from you, and may we merit to have many Simchas together, leading to the ultimate Simcha, the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon. 

The Essence Of A Mitzvah 

In this week's parsha, Chukas, we read about the para aduma, the red heifer. It begins, "This is the statute of the Torah," the Midrash on these words, brings the verse, "Who can take out a pure thing from an impure one." And it brings several examples of paradoxes that exist in the laws of purity and impurity. For example, Tzaraas, if it is the size of a lentil, the person is impure, however, if it spreads over the entire body, he is pure. The Midrash continues, "Who commanded so? Who decreed so? Is it not the Unique One of the world... Hashem said, 'I stated My statute, I decreed My decree, you don't have the right to go against My decrees.'" 

Being that the Midrash on the words, "This is the statute of the Torah," brings the examples of paradoxes from all over the laws of purity and impurity, shows that the red heifer is the primary example of all the laws of purity and impurity. In other words, this is the quintessential law of all the laws of purity and impurity. There is something about the red heifer, that is symbolic of all of the different types of purity and impurity, and that is learned from "This is the statute of the Torah." 

Meaning, that there is a decree aspect to the red heifer, as our sages say, "The dead doesn't defile, and the water doesn't purify, it is just that Hashem said, 'I stated my statute, I decreed My decree...' as it says, 'This is the statute of the Torah.'" And this decree aspect of the red heifer, is not simply a detail in the laws of the red heifer, but a general rule that applies to all the laws of purity and impurity. In the words of the Rambam, "It is a thing that is clear and revealed, that impurities and purities are a decree of the Torah, they are not something that the understanding of man dictates, and they are categorized as decrees." 

Everything in Torah is eternal, and even the mitzvahs that we only kept when we had the Beis Hamikdash, although we don't keep them physically, but on a spiritual plane we have them eternally as part of our lives. These laws of purity and impurity, are mostly not kept today, but spiritually, they are very much a part of our lives. These general ideas apply to every single Jew, even to the simplest person who doesn't have the ability to understand much. It doesn't mean that the details of the law apply to him, that may be too much for him to comprehend. However the general idea of, "This is the statute of the Torah," applies to him too. We know this, because when the simplest person reads this verse in the Torah, he is obligated to recite the blessing for learning Torah. On the other hand, when he reads the oral Torah, like Talmud, if he doesn't understand what he is saying, he is not obligated to recite the blessing. So the general concept of, "This is the statute of the Torah," applies at all times and to every person. 

What are we meant to learn from the verse, "This is the statute of the Torah?" 

To understand this, let us take a deeper look at this verse. There is a famous question on this verse. If we are talking about the red heifer, why does it say, "This is the statute of the Torah," and not, "This is the statute of the heifer?" 

Because the decree of the red heifer, has something that applies to the whole Torah. And the red heifer is the decree of all decrees of the Torah. As King Shlomo, the wisest of men, was able to understand the reason for every decree, but about the red heifer he said, "I tried to understand, yet it is far from me." 

To explain. Every mitzvah is the will of Hashem, and that is the true reason for a mitzvah, because that is what Hashem wants. That is what we say in the blessing before mitzvahs, "He commanded us." And we don't say the logical reason behind the mitzvah. When we do a mitzvah, we should truly do it because that is Hashem's will, and not because of its logic. 

You may ask: The whole study of Torah, is to understand the logic and the details of the mitzvahs, so how could you tell me that it is not the reason? When a mitzvah makes its way down into the world, it is wrapped in logic, however, in its essence, it is the will of Hashem, and the logic is an addition. It doesn't mean that the logic isn't important, obviously it is, it is Torah, but there are different parts of a mitzvah, and in its essence, it is the will of Hashem, and we should have that as the essential reason for the mitzvah. 

Now we can understand why the red heifer is the decree of the Torah. Because we have no reason for doing it, other than that it is Hashem's will. And that is also the reason for all the mitzvahs and the whole Torah. In other words, "This IS the statute of the Torah." 

The difference between will and understanding, is that when it comes to understanding, there are all kinds of divisions. First in understanding in general, everyone has a different level of understanding. Then in the particulars of the thing you are trying to understand, it is broken down into many details and you can understand part of it well, while you don't understand another part of it. 

Will, on the other hand, is what it is, and there are no divisions. You don't want something a little, you either want it or not. 

So at the level of understanding there can be questions whether or not? Because reason can take you in either direction. But when it comes to will, you do it because it is what Hashem wants, there are no questions. 

We see how the decree of the red heifer expresses itself in all types of purity and impurity, in a few ways. 

First, according to the Torah, it is not possible to be partially impure, even if the impure thing touches one part of the person's body, his whole body becomes impure. 

Second, the smallest connection with the impure item makes him completely impure, just as if he consumed it. 

Third, it doesn't matter his intentions, whether he came in contact with it on purpose or by mistake, whether he wanted to or not, he becomes impure. 

These three, are how the impure item effect the person who comes in contact with it. The fourth is the consequences of becoming impure. No matter how he became impure, he is forbidden to come in contact with holy things, meaning, he can't go to the Temple, he can't partake in any of the Temple offerings, and if he is a Kohen, he can't eat Teruma. 

In all of these four, there are no half measures, you see the will of Hashem, in which there are no divisions, it is all or nothing. 

This is the meaning of what our sages say, "You shouldn't sit and weigh the mitzvahs of the Torah,"  "And you should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one." A person should keep all mitzvahs equally, as if they have the same importance. 

You may ask: How could I be expected to keep a lenient mitzvah as I keep a strict one? The Torah itself suggest that some are stricter than others. Even the statement, "You should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one," suggests that there are mitzvahs that are more important than others. 

This is the lesson we are meant to take from the laws of purity and impurity. When it comes to our understanding, there are differences between mitzvahs, there are more strict and more lenient. But when it comes to the essence of every mitzvah, that they are Hashem's will, there are no differences between mitzvahs, they are equally Hashem's will. 

With regard to the person doing the mitzvahs, there are differences. The worse the blemish caused by breaking the mitzvah, the stricter it would be. But when it comes to the essential function of a mitzvah, that it connects us with Hashem, there is no difference between one mitzvah and another, they all connect us equally. 

This message, that we should be careful with a lenient mitzvah, as you would with a strict one, applies to every Jew, and acting this way, connects the essence of your soul, which is higher than understanding, with the essence of Hashem, His will. 

How is one to maintain such a high level of devotion on a constant basis, it seems impossible? Doesn't our service to Hashem follow order and understanding? 

Yes. But if you can reach this level of devotion once in a while, and make it a point to go there at certain times, this attitude will seep into and effect all of the mitzvahs you do, and your entire service to Hashem will be raised to a higher level. 

This is also a lesson in bringing a Jew closer to Hashem. One might make the mistake of thinking, "it is enough that I teach him to do the big and important things, the small details are not so important to teach him." But when you realize that it is all equally the will of Hashem, you realize that even a small detail could have a profound effect on him. 

In my experience as a Chabad rabbi, I found that many times, it was the small things that had the biggest effect, in bringing a person closer to Hashem. 

This week, with the help of Hashem, Dina and I will be marrying off our daughter Fruma to Rabbi Levi Karp, the son of Rabbi Zalman and Chani Karp. May your marriage be a binyan adei ad, and may the details of Hashem's will shine brightly in your home. May Dina and I, and Chani and Zalman only have nachas from you, and may we merit to have many Simchas together, leading to the ultimate Simcha, the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon. 

Only A True Leader Knows

Dedicated By Moshe Oratz 
In honor of Rabbi Yitzi and all the inspiration he creates
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In this week's parsha, Korach, we read about the rebellion of Korach and the two hundred and fifty men, against Moshe and Aharon. After all his efforts to make peace with them fell on deaf ears, Moshe was very distressed, he said to Hashem, "don't pay attention to their offering..." Rashi explains these words, "According to the simple meaning, (Moshe said:) the incense that they are offering before you tomorrow, don't pay attention to them. And the Midrash says, '(He said:) I know that they have a portion in the daily communal offerings, let their portion not be accepted favorably before You, let the fire leave it and not consume it.'" 

The words of Rashi are difficult to understand. 

His first answer was that Moshe was asking Hashem not to accept their offering of incense. Why would Moshe even consider for a moment, that Hashem would accept the offering of these wicked people? 

The answer also seems grammatically incorrect. If he is talking about the incense, he should have concluded, "don't pay attention to it." Why does he say, "don't pay attention to them?" This question is so strong, that some go as far as to change the words of Rashi to read, "don't pay attention to it." 

Rashi only brings a second answer, when the first one is lacking. Why was the first answer not enough? 

Rashi changes the words of the Midrash in the second answer. The Midrash says, "I know that they have a portion in that offering." And Rashi changes it to, "daily communal offerings." Why? 

Rashi's way is to be as concise as possible. It begs the question: Why does he bring the first words of the Midrash, "I know..." He could have simply said, "they have a portion in the communal offerings, let their portion not be accepted favorably," and we surely would have understood. Why does he say the extra words, "I know?" 

Another question: In the verse Moshe says, "don't pay attention to their offering..." It seems that it would make more sense to say, "don't accept," or "don't take." Why does he say, "don't pay attention?" 

This statement of Moshe's, "don't pay attention to their offering," came after he tried every which way to make peace with them. 

At first, when they came with their complaint, one could have thought that they were idealistic, they wanted to be the Kohen Gadol, the holiest of holy. Moshe said to them, "This is what you should do. Take for yourselves pans... put fire in them and place incense on them, tomorrow before Hashem, the one who Hashem will choose, he is the holy one." And Rashi explains, "He said to them... we don't have but... one Kohen Gadol, and you two hundred and fifty men are requesting to be the Kohen Gadol, I also want to be (the Kohen Gadol). Here you have a service that is the most cherished of all, which is the incense that is more cherished of all the offerings, and with it is the poison of death, through it Nadav and Avihu were burnt (and died), thus, we were warned through them... Whoever He chooses will come out alive, and you all will be lost." 

In other words, everyone wants to be the Kohen Gadol, but Hashem only wants one. Let's see who He will choose. But if you are not the right one, you will surely die. 

However, after having tried so hard to make peace with them and they refused, he realized that their intentions were not pure, their only interest was in attacking Moshe and Aharon's position that Hashem gave them. This brought him great anguish. 

So he made a request of Hashem. It was obvious to him that Hashem wouldn't accept their offering, because they were wicked, he didn't have to ask for that. He was asking for something more, and that is what Rashi is telling us. 

When he said, "don't pay attention to their offering." Rashi explains that he was saying, "don't pay attention to them," not only their incense. He wanted Hashem to not pay attention to them at all. In other words, they shouldn't be punished like Nadav and Avihu, for bringing the incense, but for their sin and rebellion. If they are going to die, it should not be for a holy thing, but rather for their wickedness. 

Now we can understand why Moshe said, "don't pay attention," rather than, "don't accept," or "don't take." Because he wasn't asking that Hashem not accept their incense, but that He shouldn't pay attention to them, and it should be clear that they're downfall was not because they brought incense, but because they were wicked. 

Now that the first answer is understood, Rashi is left with a dilemma. From the sound of the verse, "Moshe was very distressed, and he said to Hashem 'don't pay attention to their offering,'" it doesn't make sense to say that Moshe was asking just that they should be outed for what they are, because that should be expected. Rather it sounds like Moshe is asking for something more. And that is why Rashi brings the second answer from the Midrash, "I know that they have a portion in the daily communal offerings, let their portion not be accepted favorably." 

With this answer he is stressing, that not only should their attack on the office of the Kohen Gadol be foiled, not only should they be punished for that, but they should also be excluded from the Jewish community. Their portion in the daily communal offerings, should be ignored, "let the fire leave it and not consume it." And this is why Rashi changes the words of the Midrash from "that offering," to "daily communal offerings," because Hashem not accepting their offering of incense should be expected, to say the least. For that, Moshe shouldn't have to ask. Now that he is asking for something of Hashem, it must be for something greater than that, and Rashi explains that he was asking, that they should be excluded from the Jewish community as well. 

Rashi's change in the words of the Midrash, goes according to his opinion in his commentary on the Talmud, that if one doesn't have ownership of a minimum of a pruta (a small coin similar to a penny) in an item, it is not considered his. The incense alone doesn't have enough value, that if you were to divide it, every Jewish person would have a pruta. So they wouldn't have a portion in that anyway. However, the daily communal offerings, refer to the offerings that were brought all year on behalf of all the Jewish people. Everyone gave a half shekel towards them, and a half shekel is surely more than a pruta. You can say, that they have a portion in the communal offerings. 

There is a beautiful lesson about the Jewish people hinted in Rashi's words, "they have a portion in the daily communal offerings." In line with the words of the Arizal, "Holiness doesn't move from its place." Which Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains to mean, "Even after it ascends above, it isn't completely uprooted from its original place and level." 

In general, when something becomes communal it is removed from its individual status completely. When one donated a half shekel towards the communal offerings, he gave it up completely and it became the community's. 

By Rashi saying, "I know that they have a portion in the daily communal offerings," he is telling us, that even though it became community property, it still retained some semblance of the individual. "Even after it ascends above," and becomes communal property, "it isn't completely uprooted from its original place and level," is still is connected to the individual. 

And this is why Rashi says the extra words, "I know." These are the words of Moshe, who was the leader of the Jewish people. And as the leader, only he was in a position to see this dual reality. 

The normal way of seeing things, is that there is a clear divide between the individual, and the community. This is the basis of the divide in world views, and political opinions. There are those who put the community above all else, and then there are are those who champion the plight of the individual. 

It is only Moshe, the leader of the Jewish people, who is in the position of realizing the value of both. Because although he is an individual with personal needs and wants, his life is given to the community. And even though he has to think about the community's best interest, he is also there for each and every individual and thinks about his or her personal physical and spiritual welfare. So only Moshe knows that the individual has a portion in the communal offerings. That's why Rashi adds the words, "I know." 

Parshas Korach is often read in the week of Gimmel Tammuz, the third of Tammuz, the day that Yehoshua stopped the sun in Givon, allowing the Jewish people to be victorious and conquer the land. 

It is the day that the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, was freed from Russian prison. He was arrested for his work, spreading and strengthening Judaism in the former Soviet Union. He was responsible for saving Jewish life in Russia and strengthening Judaism in Europe, the United States and around the world, when he came out of Russia. 

And finally, it is the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who established a network of emissaries, to strengthen Judaism worldwide. You can find a Chabad House in every corner of the world, inspiring an unprecedented revival of Jewish life. 

The common denominator, is that they were true Jewish leaders, seeing the value of both the community and the individual. 

I am a Chassid of the Rebbe, and have the honor of being his emissary. I saw how he gave himself completely to the Jewish community, and at the same time, he cared for the welfare of every individual Jew. And he didn't take into account the religious level of the individual, he was there for every single Jew. 

He demanded the same from his emissaries and of his chassidim, to do what is best for the community and at the same time, be ready to pull up your sleeves and help an individual Jew. 

• This is an attitude that everyone can embrace, and there is no doubt that this approach will change the world, strengthen Judaism, and bring Moshiach ever closer. May he come soon. 

We Are Hashem's Partner In Creation

This article is dedicated to all fathers in honor of Father's Day
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The name of a parsha symbolizes and encapsulates the central theme of the parsha. This week's parsha is traditionally called "Shelach." We have a rule, that "Tradition of Israel is Torah." Meaning, that the traditions of Israel have the weight of Torah, and sometimes it is taken into consideration when making a Torah ruling. So the name of our parsha, Shelach, is Torah and we must take a lesson from it. 

What is the lesson we are meant to learn from the name Shelach? And how does this name encapsulate the theme of our parsha? 

The word Shelach, means to send, it is the beginning of the story of the spies who were sent by Moshe, to spy out the land. It seems to be a story about what happened. How can it be symbolic of the parsha? Especially when the parsha ends with the mitzvah of tzitzis, which is symbolic of all of the mitzvahs, as it says, "And you will see it (the tzitzis) and you will remember all the mitzvahs of Hashem." How can a story of the past, be connected and symbolic of all of the mitzvahs that we are obligated to do forever? In other words, what is the eternal lesson from this story, that must be applied to every mitzvah? 

Another question. The story of the spies begins, "And Hashem spoke to Moshe to say (laimor). Send for yourself..." And Rashi explains, "If you think so. I am not commanding you, if you want to - send." In other words, this statement, "Send for yourself," is only to Moshe. When it says laimor, it usually means that Moshe should say it to the Jewish people. What is the message here for all of the Jewish people? 

To understand this, first we have to understand, what was the sin of the spies? Moshe told them to inspect the land, when they returned, they reported on what they saw. So what was their sin? 

Moshe sent them to figure out which would be the best way to conquer the land. He didn't have a question whether or not they would conquer it. Hashem said that He would give us the land, so it was a sure thing. But there is a rule that we try not to rely on miracles, or at least, try to do things in a natural way, with the least amount of miracles possible. The spies were to scout the best route to capture the land, with the least amount of miracles necessary. However, when they gave their report, they came to the conclusion, that "We can't go up to the nation, because it is stronger than us." That was the sin, Hashem clearly said that He is giving us the land, they were sent to find the best way, but they said and came to the conclusion, that we can't conquer it. It was not a question whether or not we would conquer it, but how we would conquer it. 

This is the first lesson from Shlach, with regard to every mitzvah. We have to realize that it is Hashem Who gave us the mitzvahs, that means that there isn't a question if we can do them, we only have to "spy out" or figure out the best way to do them. 

You may ask, what about a person like me, who is paralyzed and locked in a body that is unable to do mitzvahs? Or, what about a person who is held captive, like in the Russian gulags of past, unable to do mitzvahs, because they were not allowed to have the things necessary to do the mitzvahs? In those cases, even with total self sacrifice, one would be unable to do mitzvahs. 

In that case, Hashem clearly doesn't want him to do the mitzvah. It is like a mitzvah that can only be done by a woman, like counting the days before mikva, it is not applicable to men. And the mitzvah of circumcision, that is not applicable to women. The same is true for a person who is in one of the aforementioned situations. The mitzvahs that he can't do, are not applicable to him. 

The Torah speaks about normal circumstances, and in normal circumstances, a Jew has to see himself as able, he shouldn't convince himself otherwise. 

The second lesson here that applies to every mitzvah, is that aside for the specific intent that we should have with every mitzvah, we should also have in mind when we perform it, that we are doing it, because it's what Hashem wants. And that is what we say in the blessing before mitzvahs, "That He sanctified us with His commandments, and He commanded us..." 

Now we can understand why the parsha that has the mitzvah of tzitzis, which is symbolic of all of the mitzvahs, is called Shelach. Because the message of Shelach, pertains and is a prerequisite for every mitzvah. 

Shelach, is Moshe sending the spies in preparation of entering the Holy Land. The idea of the Holy Land, is that the physical place is infused with holiness. And that is what happens when we do a mitzvah, we infuse the physical object that is used in the performance of the mitzvah, with holiness. In a way, we are making a bunch of little Israels, we are making the physical holy. 

This is said specifically to Moshe, because we each have a little bit of Moshe inside of us, and it is this little bit of Moshe, that gives us the strength to accomplish the fusion of mundane and holy, the G-dly and the physical, heaven and earth. 

This is perhaps what laimor means here. The message of Shelach pertains to each and every one of us, therefore, it should be conveyed to the Jewish people. And it is this message of Shelach, that is the theme of our parsha. 

However, we are left with a question. If the message of Shelach is so important and fundamental to all of our mitzvahs, why did Hashem make it dependant on the person's choice, as it says, "Send for yourself," meaning, "If you think so. I am not commanding you, if you want to - send?" Why didn't He make it a required prerequisite? 

The whole point of our Torah and mitzvahs is to draw G-dliness into the physical, as the Midrash explains the unique thing that was changed with the giving of the Torah, is that now, "Above can descend below, and below can ascend above." 

Above descending below is understood as Hashem being drawn into creation. But how does below ascend above? 

The norm is, that Hashem is the giver and we are the receiver. We receive our whole existence from Him, and if he would stop giving, if He would stop creating us, we would cease to exist. 

For us to ascend above, would mean, that we too, so to speak, become givers like Hashem. Like our sages say, "We become Hashem's partner in creation." And like the Talmud tells about a famous debate between the sages, that a voice came from heaven saying that rabbi Eliezer was right, and the sages responded, "Torah is not in the heavens." Hashem then said, "My children were victorious over Me, My children were victorious over Me." Meaning that we are in the"above" position, we have the power to affect and give to Torah. 

The words "My children were victorious over Me," shows the partnership between Hashem and the Jewish people, because in a real partnership, sometimes one partner's opinion wins, and at times, the other partner's opinion wins. 

To accomplish that we should be in the "above" position, that we will be able to give to creation, Hashem made it our choice. Because if He would have made the message of Shelach an obligation, then by definition, we would be in the receiving position, and not in the above position. Because we would be doing His commandment, making us the receivers, and there is no way of getting out of that position. 

By making it our choice, Hashem put us in the above position. And being that the message of Shelach, is for all mitzvahs, we have the ability to affect every mitzvah and all of creation. We ascend above. 

May we merit to be the partners Hashem wants, and effect the world to the point that it becomes a true home for Him. This will usher in the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon.