Leah and Rachel

And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah (29:25)
When Jacob said to Rachel, "Will you marry me?" she replied to him: "Yes, but father is a sharper, and you will not be able to hold your own against him."
"I am his equal in trickery," said Jacob.
Asked Rachel: "May the righteous indulge in trickery?"
Said Jacob: "Yes. 'With the pure be pure, and with the crooked be crafty' (II Samuel 22:27)."
So Jacob gave over to Rachel identifying signals [to protect themselves against Laban's deception]. But when Leah was being led into the bridal chamber, Rachel thought, "My sister will now be disgraced," and she entrusted her with these signals... Thus Jacob did not know that it was Leah he married until morning.

(Talmud; Rashi)

All that night, Leah was impersonating Rachel. When Jacob woke in the morning and saw that she was Leah, he said to her: "Daughter of The Deceiver! Why have you deceived me?" Said she to him: "And you, did you not deceive your father, when he asked you, 'Are you my son Esau?'"
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Tzarich Iyun: The Parah Adumah

Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky

Misconception:The person who sprinkles the ashes of a parah adumah (“red heifer”) on a tamei (ritually impure) person becomes tamei himself.

Fact: Most of the people involved in preparing the ashes become tamei, but the one who sprinkles the water with the ashes does not.

Background: Among the various types of tumah (ritual impurities) enumerated in the Torah, the kind acquired from direct contact with a human corpse is unique. One who acquires such tumah is considered a “tamei met,” and in addition to the standard ritual immersion required to remove tumah, the Torah mandates that he be sprinkled with ashes of a parah adumah (“parat chatat”) on the third and seventh day after such contact.[1] The cow used must be completely red, [2] older than three years (Parah 1:1), with no physical blemishes.[3] Furthermore, the cow must have been purchased by the beit din with Temple funds for the purpose of preparing the requisite ashes, and have never worked (Shekalim 4:2).
The details of the preparation are outlined in Parashat Chukat (Bamidbar 19). Unlike sacrifices, all of which took place within the Temple precinct, the parah adumah ritual took place outside the Temple precinct. When the Temple stood, the ritual of the parah adumah took place outside of the municipal borders of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives (Middot 2:4).[4] Additionally, similar to sacrifices, a non-kohen was qualified to slaughter the parah adumah.
The blood of the parah adumah was then collected by a kohen who sprinkled it seven times in the direction of the Holy of Holies. The entire animal—skin, meat, blood and all—was then burnt and pieces of erez (cedar), ezov (hyssop), and sheni tola’at (scarletdyed wool) were added to the conflagration; the ashes were then collected and stored.
Spring water was collected in a vessel and sanctified as ashes were mixed into it. The water was called “mei niddah” by the Torah and “mei chatat”[5] by Chazal.
This entire process, replete with myriad technical regulations, had one purpose—to purify tamei individuals. All those involved in the process were required to be tahor. Many stringencies applied to those involved in the ritual of the parah adumah—more than applied even to those performing the avodah in the Temple! Nevertheless, an individual involved in the ritual of the parah adumah was permitted to be a tvul yom, i.e., a tamei person who immersed in the mikvah and is only fully tahor after the sun sets. The Tzeddukim (Sadducees) believed, however, that a tvul yom was not permitted to participate in the preparation of the ritual. (Consequently, to reinforce this halachah, the rabbis insisted that after all the stringencies were observed and there was absolutely no doubt that the individual selected to perform the ritual was tahor, he should be then be intentionally defiled so that he could have the status of a tvul yom!)

Shelach. Garnements of the soul

Our sedra ends with one of the great commands of Judaism—tzitzit, the fringes we wear on the corners of our garments as a perennial reminder of our identity as Jews and our obligation to keep the Torah’s commands:
G‑d spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments for all generations. Let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe: look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them, so that you do not stray after your heart and eyes which in the past have led you to immorality. You will thus remember and keep all My commandments, and be holy to your G‑d.
So central is this command that it became the third paragraph of the Shema, the supreme declaration of Jewish faith. I once heard the following commentary from my teacher, Rabbi Dr. Nahum Rabinovitch.
He began by pointing out some of the strange features of the command. On the one hand, the sages said that the command of tzitzit is equal to all the other commands together, as it is said: “Look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them.” It is thus of fundamental significance.
On the other hand, it is not absolutely obligatory. It is possible to avoid the command of fringes altogether by never wearing a garment of four or more corners. Maimonides rules: “Even though one is not obligated to acquire a [four-cornered] robe and wrap oneself in it in order to [fulfil the command of] tzitzit, it is not fitting for a pious individual to exempt himself from this command.”1 It is important and praiseworthy, but not categorical. It is conditional: if you have such a garment, then you must put fringes on it. Why so? Surely it should be obligatory, in the way that tefillin (phylacteries) are.
There is another unusual phenomenon. In the course of time, the custom has evolved to fulfil the command in two quite different ways: the first, in the form of a tallit (robe, shawl) which is worn over our other clothes, specifically while we pray; the second in the form of an undergarment, worn beneath our outer clothing throughout the day.
Not only do we keep the one command in two different ways, we also make different blessings over the two forms. Over the tallit, we say: “Blessed are You . . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to wrap ourselves in a fringed garment.” Over the undergarment, we say, “. . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the precept of the fringed garment.” Why is one command split into two in this way?
He gave this answer: there are two kinds of clothing. There are the clothes we wear to project an image. A king, a judge, a soldier, all wear clothing that conceals the individual and instead proclaims a role, an office, a rank. As such, clothes, especially uniforms, can be misleading. A king dressed as a beggar will not (or would not, before television) be recognized as royalty. A beggar dressed as a king may find himself honored. A policeman dressed as a policeman carries with him a certain authority, an aura of power, even though he may feel nervous and insecure. Clothes disguise. They are like a mask. They hide the person beneath. Such are the clothes we wear in public when we want to create a certain impression.

Behaalotecha

And at times it was, that the cloud abode from evening until morning... then they journeyed (9:21)

 

The Sanctuary was a formidable structure, consisting of hundreds of foundation sockets, wall sections, pillars, tapestries and furnishings; a work crew of several thousand Levites assembled the Sanctuary at each camp and dismantled and transported it when the Divine command would come to move on. Yet the "Tent of Meeting" was erected at every encampment--even if only for a single day!

This teaches us that each and every one of our "stations" in life is significant unto itself. A person may find him or herself in a certain place or in a certain situation for a very brief period, and it may seem to him that he is merely "on the way" to some other place. Yet there is always something in that place or situation to be sanctified--something that can serve as a "Tent of Meeting" between Heaven and earth.

(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

Bemidbar

Rebbe Michil of Zlotshuv once said about himself to the Maggid of Kuznitz, that every thought that came into his mind about serving G-d, he completed it. How often in a day do we think about really changing some negative trait; how wonderful it would be to get a good class going on some Torah topic; or how an important cause could use some monetary help or voluntary work. But then in the next thought we think about how we must wash the car, or about an urgent need to call the dentist, or even how great it would be if we could buy a new home, and the first thought we had, about our spiritual life, is whisked away, completely forgotten-or if we are lucky, remembered sometime later but unfortunately only marginally as important to us as it was when it came up the first time. Is it actually possible in our world of conflicts to fulfill every reasonable spiritual thought?

The Maggid of Kuznitz thought so, and based his proof on a verse from this week's Torah portion. In Bamidbar 2:2 it speaks about the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle. It says, "Every man on his flag, with the signs of his father's house". He uses an analogy that when a craftsman or artist thinks about his creation, most certainly he decides to finish it in the most beautiful way. Nevertheless, since he is flesh and blood, when it actually comes to completion, it is rarely possible to bring out his full dream into reality, that the final action will be exactly what he first had in mind. But our Creator does not have this same limitation. In fact, it is one of the most subtle and beautiful truths about G-d, that the final creation which is our reality is what G-d first had in mind.

The verse is telling us that each person, as a descendent of the original tribes of Israel, has the power to bring to fruition our positive aspirations. This ability is part of the commandment to be like G-d. Just as G-d completes each of His thoughts in its entirety, so each of us-at least in those thoughts connected to serving G-d-can also achieve this. "Every man on his flag" refers to completing some intended action, the flag signifying completion. "With the signs of his father's house" is a hint that it was completed according to a person's initial thoughts. 'Father' in Kabbala is a reference to a person's preliminary thought, since a father is the source from where the first seed comes in creating offspring. 'Father' serves as an analogy for a person's thought process and how it is later 'born' into action. This teaches us that just as the first thought of serving G-d rose up in a person's mind, so he or she will come to complete it. May the Almighty give all of us the strength and determination to bring our aspirations into reality. 

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Bechukotai

If Hashem would only talk to me I would know what He wants from me. How many times have we heard these or similar words being said, either by others or even by ourselves? Gaining clarity in this world seems to be almost impossible and leaves many of us with an overwhelming sense of inescapable confusion. Interestingly, there are lessons in this week's Torah reading which seem to contradict our inclination of giving in to such doubts.
In this week's Torah reading, we are taught about the frightening consequences of not fulfilling our responsibilities as established by the Torah. The repercussions are intense and serious and leave us with little doubt that our relationship with Hashem is not to be taken casually. On even a basic reading of this section one part of the retribution is particularly difficult to understand. The Torah paints for us the downward spiral of those Jews that distance themselves first from learning Torah, subsequently from the performance of mitzvot, and finally from a belief in Hashem Himself. The Torah outlines a seven step process of spiritual degradation and the terrible fate that befalls us for having dropped these seven levels. The verses describe that measure for measure we will be punished for the seven transgressions we performed. Rashi details how each of the hardships mentioned add up to the number seven. This seven step punishment/wake-up call is a chilling response to the seven steps of spiritual slumber the Jewish people have taken.
If the seven punishments are to be effective in waking us, we would assume that such a pattern should carry great significance. If not, there is punishment without a window of understanding. Based on numerous sources that is something that Hashem, our Healer, does not do. However, if we attempt to picture individuals or groups going through such suffering, it seems difficult to picture that they would have the clarity to count the seven afflictions and then match them with the seven spiritual steps that led them away from Hashem. It seems that Hashem is teaching us that even in the greatest of difficulties we have the ability to hear Hashem "talking" to us. Our job is to listen. This inability or unwillingness to see the interconnections of life reveals a callousness that itself is a cause for continued tribulations.
 

parashah Behar

 

Forbidden Activities during Shemittah

28. Which agricultural activities are forbidden during shemittah?

There are two categories, with differing laws.

1. Activities originally forbidden by the Torah. These are:
- Plowing (choreish).
- Planting seeds and plants (zorei'a and notei'a).
- Pruning (zomeir).
- Harvesting (botzeir and kotzeir).
2. Work forbidden rabbinically. This includes a large range of activities too numerous to list. Common examples are watering, fertilizing, weeding, spraying.

29. What is the practical difference between the two categories?

- Activities originally forbidden by the Torah may never be done, even if this will cause irreparable damage to plants.
- Activities forbidden rabbinically may not be done to improve the plants, but under certain circumstances are permitted to prevent damage.

30. Under which conditions are rabbinically forbidden activities permitted?

Two conditions must be fulfilled:
- The potential damage is a type that typically affects many people's plants, rather than an unusual occurrence affecting only the individual.
- Refraining from the work will cause irreparable damage to plants or fruits, or will cause only temporary damage, but repairing the damage after shemittah would involve a large expenditure.
In any event, the work must be kept to the minimum. 

Emor - Holy to G.d

From Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz

Every person must make himself a servant of G-d and must sanctify himself so as to come as close to the sanctity of the High Priest as is possible. He should practice some solitude and avoid emerging from this communion with G-d to the extent his circumstances allow. He must be concerned that no blemish, physical or spiritual, should attach to him. His striving must be that he himself should qualify as an offering to G-d. Once he endeavors to do all this is he considered "Holy to G-d".

The thrust of the legislation is that the court proclaims the dates when the various festivals are to be observed. (Lev. 23:2) We determine when to rejoice, when to eat festive meals. These festive meals should serve a spiritual purpose, just as did the delicacies Isaac ordered before blessing his son. When one approaches the holy days in this spirit, the second half of the verse, "These are My festivals", will be true. On the festivals, a person must not be so preoccupied with chores that he...loses...awareness of his special closeness to G-d...

If, however, these days are observed only as days when you fill your stomachs, indulge your body, then they are not "My festivals", but are vomit and excrement, concerning which the prophet has quoted G-d as saying: "My soul hates your festivals." (Isaiah 1:14) On the festivals, a person must not be so preoccupied with chores that he thereby should lose the awareness of his special closeness to G-d on such days.

The Zohar (Sulam edition, page 24) poses the question that if the legislation of not slaughtering the young animal on the same day as the mother animal (Lev. 22:28) is to save the mother animal the pain of watching its young killed, this could be avoided simply by keeping them apart. The true reason, however, is connected to the Jewish people's sense of empathy. To the extent that a person displays consideration for the feeling of others he in turn may find that such considerations of his own feelings will be a factor when he will be judged. The reverse is also true.

[Translated and adapted by Eliyahu Munk.]

ketoret

He shall take a censerful of burning coals from the altar, and the fill of his hands of finely ground ketoret; and he shall bring [these] inside the curtain.

He shall place the ketoret upon the fire before G‑d; and the cloud of the incense shall envelop the covering of the [Ark of] Testimony . . . Vayikra16:12–13

Man’s quest to serve his Creator is perpetual and all-consuming, and can be pursued by all people, at all times and in all places. There was one event, however, that represented the apogee in the human effort to come close to G‑d—an event that brought together the holiest day of the year, the holiest human being on earth, and the holiest place in the universe: on Yom Kippur the kohen gadol (high priest) would enter the innermost chamber of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies, to offer ketoret to G‑d.
The offering of the ketoret was the most prestigious and sacred of the services in the Holy Temple. The ketoret was a special blend of eleven herbs and balms whose precise ingredients and manner of preparation were commanded by G‑d to Moses. Twice a day, ketoret was burned on the golden altar that stood in the Temple. On Yom Kippur, in addition to the regular ketoret offerings, the kohen gadol would enter the Holy of Holies with a pan of smoldering coals in his right hand, and a ladle filled with ketoret in his left; there, he would scoop the ketoret into his hands, place it over the coals, wait for the chamber to fill with the fragrant smoke of the burning incense, and swiftly back out of the room. The moment marked the climax of the Yom Kippur service in the Holy Temple.

Tazria

"If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male…on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin should be circumcised"—Leviticus 12:2-3.
Aside for being one of the many mitzvot, the obligation to circumcise a Jewish child at the age of eight days uniquely expresses a profound and fundamental religious truth inherent in all the mitzvot.
This is one of the reasons why the first mitzvah given to our forefather Abraham was that of brit milah (circumcision).
In fact, it has been said that brit milah is the mitzvah most universally accepted and performed by Jews of all denominations to this current day. And indeed, throughout the generations, despite the worst persecutions, the Jews have kept the mitzvah of brit milah with incredible devotion, self-sacrifice and joy.1
The obligation to circumcise a child at the age of eight days expresses a profound religious truth inherent in all the mitzvotPerhaps it can be said that the extraordinary message expressed by circumcision is what caused it to rise to the top of the list of rituals our enemies sought to eradicate time and again throughout our history. Perhaps they too recognized the power of its message.
But what is this unique message?

Shemini - Fire , holy and unholy

The shock is immense. For several weeks and many chapters – the longest prelude in the Torah – we have read of the preparations for the moment at which G‑d would bring His presence to rest in the midst of the people. Five sedras (Terumah, Tetzaveh, Ki Tissa, Vayakhel and Pekudei) describe the instructions for building the sanctuary. Two (Vayikra, Tzav) detail the sacrificial offerings to be brought there. All is now ready. For seven days the priests (Aaron and his sons) are consecrated into office. Now comes the eighth day when the service of the mishkan will begin. The entire people have played their part in constructing what will become the visible home of the Divine presence on earth. With a simple, moving verse the drama reaches its climax: “Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting and when they came out, they blessed the people. G‑d’s glory was then revealed to all the people.”

Just as we think the narrative has reached closure, a terrifying scene takes place:

Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, took their censers, put fire into them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before G‑d, which He had not instructed them to offer. Fire came forth from before G‑d, and it consumed them so that they died before G‑d. Moses then said to Aaron: “This is what G‑d spoke of when he said: Among those who approach Me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honoured.” (10:1-3)

Celebration turned to tragedy. The two eldest sons of Aaron die. The sages and commentators offer many explanations. Nadav and Avihu died because: they entered the holy of holies; they were not wearing the requisite clothes; they took fire from the kitchen, not the altar; they did not consult Moses and Aaron; nor did they consult one another. According to some they were guilty of hubris. They were impatient to assume leadership roles themselves; and they did not marry, considering themselves above such things. Yet others see their deaths as delayed punishment for an earlier sin, when, at Mount Sinai they “ate and drank” in the presence of G‑d (Ex. 24: 9-11).

These interpretations represent close readings of the four places in the Torah which Nadav and Avihu’s death is mentioned (Lev. 10: 2, 16: 1, Num. 3: 4, 26: 61), as well as the reference to their presence on Mount Sinai. Each is a profound meditation on the dangers of over-enthusiasm in the religious life. However, the simplest explanation is the one explicit in the Torah itself. Nadav and Avihu died because they offered unauthorized (literally “strange”) fire – meaning “that which was not commanded.” To understand the significance of this we must go back to first principles (Covenant and Conversation, Terumah) and remind ourselves of the meaning of

kadosh, “holy”, and thus of mikdash as the home of the holy.

Shabbath Shalom

A man who shall bring near of you an offering to G-d (Vayikrà 1:2)

The verse does not say, "a man of you who shall bring near an offering," but, "a man who shall bring near of you an offering"--the offering must come from within the person. It is the animal within man that must be "brought near" and elevated by the divine fire upon the Altar.

pekudei 2

pekudei

At the beginning of this week's Parsha, the discussion of the construction of the mishkan and its avodah is abruptly interrupted. Inserted there is a summary of the raw materials collected from Klal Yisrael. The Torah proceeds to delineate the exact sum of each material collected, followed by a precise accounting of how each material was employed in the construction of the mishkan. Finally, the Torah continues its description of the elements of the mishkan by describing the bigdei Kehunah worn in the Mishkan.
But why do we need this summary? The Torah devotes two full Parshios (the previous one as well as our current portion) to a detailed explanation of every element of the mishkan and its service. Concerning each and every component, the Torah provides us with its precise dimensions, its function and role in the mishkan, as well as the materials necessary in its construction. What then is the purpose of the synopsis detailing the utilization of the raw materials themselves?
Rav Moshe Feinstein, suggests an intriguing solution which provides us with an invaluable lesson about our own lives. Rav Moshe proposes that since each material was donated for the specific intent of the construction of the mishkan and its avodah, any misappropriation of the donated funds would be tantamount to stealing from the Bnei Yisrael who had generously offered the materials.
Therefore, a final tally of all the contributions was necessary to ensure that in fact every donation collected from the Jews was used for its designated holy purpose.
Rav Moshe continues that we can apply the same idea to our daily conduct. We are all born with certain innate talents and abilities "donated" to us by Hashem for the specific intent of performing His will. However, how we use those G-d given talents is up to us. We may choose to use our talents for their intended purpose -- to serve Hashem -- or we may choose to utilize those abilities for evil.

Ki Tisa

Every man over 20 years old …….and give this offering to G-d." [30:14]

The Torah stipulates that the minimum age at which a person had to make his half-shekel contribution was from twenty years and up. The Torah revealed a secret here when it did not demand that males from the age of 13 and up had to make this contribution. Seeing the males are considered as adults from the age of 13, why would teenagers not have been liable for this ransom? They also had participated in the golden calf episode!

The Torah told us here that a person's personality (nefesh) has not matured until age 20, as he had not had time to absorb and comprehend the various spiritual components that make up a true Israelite until he has reached that age. This is the mystical dimension of Psalms 2:7: "You are My son, I have fathered you this day." Compare what the Zohar Mishpatim 98 has to say on that verse. [The Zohar on Exodus 21:9 writes that a man is called ben form the age of 13, and ben leHaKodosh Baruch Hu from the age of 20. Ed.]

There is a sound reason why man should not be liable to punishment at the hands of heaven until he has reached that age, seeing that he has not yet matured emotionally and intellectually. Such maturity is essential to enable us to successfully battle the evil urge and to appreciate G-d's message to man. By the time man has reached the age of 20 he is considered fully equipped to cope with all kinds of temptations.

(Selected with permission from the five-volume English edition of Ohr HaChaim: the Torah Commentary of Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar, as translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk) 

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Tetzaveh

Four Parashiot

In the weeks surrounding Purim, four special Torah readings inspire the rest of the year.
The Sages instituted four special Torah readings on four different Shabbats during the Purim season. These readings are read as the Maftir portion in the synagogue on Shabbat morning, immediately following the weekly parsha.

1. PARSHAT SHEKALIM
Exodus 30:11-16 is read in commemoration of the Half Shekel which every Jew brought during the month of Adar, to pay for the public offerings in the Holy Temple.
This portion is read on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh Adar (or Adar II in a leap year). If Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat itself, then that Shabbat is Parshat Shekalim.
What is the connection between the Half Shekel and Purim? When Haman proposed to Achashverosh the annihilation of the Jews, he offered to pay 10,000 "kikars" for the right to do so (Esther 3:9). Since one kikar equals 3,000 shekels, Haman was in fact putting a price tag of 30 million shekels on the Jews.
Since there are 600,000 main souls in the Jewish nation (see Numbers 2:32), and 50 shekels is the donation value of an adult male (as specified in Leviticus 27:3), this amount multiplied times 600,000 souls equals 30 million.

2. PARSHAT ZACHOR
The Shabbat immediately preceding Purim is called Shabbat Zachor. The portion of Amalek (Deut. 25:17-19) is read, since Haman was a descendant of Agog, King of Amalek.
One should be very careful to listen to all the words, since most halachic authorities consider it a Torah-level mitzvah to hear this portion once each year.
Zachor means to remember, and the Torah commands us to "remember what Amalek did to you on your way out of Egypt" (Deut. 25:17). The Sages explain that the definition of "remembering" is to speak the matter aloud at least once a year.
It is the widespread custom for women to attend synagogue and hear the reading.
If one accidentally missed Parshat Zachor, the obligation may be fulfilled by listening to the Torah reading on Purim itself, or to the weekly reading of Parshat Ki Tetzei(and according to many authorities, Parshat Beshalach as well).
You will notice that the reader repeats the word zaicher and zecher in the last verse, since there are two different opinions as to how that word is pronounced. This stresses the importance of hearing every word correctly.

3. PARSHAT PARAH
Parshat Parah (Numbers 19:1-22) is read on the Shabbat following Purim. These verses deal with the Red Heifer used in the spiritual purification process at the time of the Holy Temple. This issue is important at this season of the year, since in looking forward to Passover, every Jew is careful to maintain spiritual purity in order to partake in the holiday offerings.
Many authorities regard this reading as a Torah precept.

4. SHABBAT HACHODESH
Finally, on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh Nissan, we read the special Maftir from Exodus 12:1-20. These verses contain the commandment to make Nissan the head of all months. This was the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people while still in Egypt.
By declaring the new month, the Jewish people have the ability and responsibility to sanctify life and the passage of time.

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Terumah

 The parsha contains one of the more unique artifacts used in the Mishkan -– the Cherubim [Cherubs], which were placed on top of the Aron which housed the Luchos. The Torah states: "It is there that I shall arrange audience with you, and I shall speak with you from atop the lid, from between the two Cherubim that are on the Ark of the Testimony, and it is all that I shall command you pertaining to the Children of Israel [Shmos 25:22].
We do not have an exact picture of what the Cherubim looked like, but we are taught that their faces were child-like. Imagine the scene: The holiest city in the world (Jerusalem), the holiest place in the city (the Temple Mount), the Holy of Holies within the Temple complex –- this was the holiest spot on the face of the planet. The Master of the Universe speaks to Moshe from above the Aron and His Voice comes out from between the two Cherubim! The Heavenly Voice comes out from between the faces of babes.
What is the symbolism? What is the message?
Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, zt"l, one of the Roshei Yeshivas from Ponnevitz writes that Torah can be taught from the best Rebbe in existence (the Almighty), to the best disciple in the world (Moshe Rabbeinu), under the best of conditions (in the Holy of Holies), but the receiver has to be child-like. In order to learn Torah, we need to maintain the child-like enthusiasm and child-like innocence that will allow us to accept Torah and integrate it into our personalities.
This is a challenge because the older we become, the less child-like we are. This is a Jewish quality that the prophet refers to: "For Israel is a young lad and I love him" [Hoshea 11:1]. The Almighty testifies that He constantly loves Klal Yisrael because Klal Yisrael is still like a child. We have not become jaded and we have not become turned-off. We are still willing to accept, like a child.
This is mussar [chastisement] to all of us. The older we become, the more cyni cal we become. Cynicism is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the idea of "Israel is a young lad and I love him." The pasuk [verse] in Hoshea advises us to maintain our innocence and maintain our purity. It is a challenge for us all.
But what should NOT be a challenge for us is that at least our CHILDREN should still be "child-like". It may be difficult at age 40, at age 50, at age 60 to maintain child-like innocence. But it should not be a challenge that when a kid is 10 years old, he is no longer a child. It is unfortunately more and more the case that our children have picked up from us and from our society, even when they are 10 and 12 and 15, a cynicism that does not allow them to be considered "child-like" anymore. They are no longer the innocent Cherubim and as such, the Torah they are supposed to learn becomes exceedingly difficult for them to accept.
We have to try to ensure that our children should at least not become cynics, at least while they are still children. The only way we can try to ensure that is if there are incidents in life that tend to make us jaded and more cynical, we not bequeath that attitude to our children. There is plenty of time, unfortunately, for them to become cynical on their own. We do not need to help to make them cynics.

mishpatim

"Do not boil a kid in the milk of its mother" [23:19] 

A Kabbalistic approach: You are aware that all the commandments are divine and reflect something parallel to conditions which exist in the celestial regions. The same applies to the commandments known as chukim. They are called thus as they reflect matters engraved, chakuk, in the celestial regions. The legislation of meat and milk is an example of this. Just as each of these components by itself is permissible and only mixing them is prohibited, so the Torah had to be especially stringent in its prohibition against mixing two perfectly permissible items with one another. Were this not so we would find it difficult to understand that joining two permitted substances and making one out of them is so harmful to the condition of G-d's universe. It is like a lesson not to confuse the kind of holiness which exists, or is the aim of the Torah to establish, in our terrestrial world. Even when optimum conditions of sanctity exist in our part of the universe, this does not mean that these two types of holiness can be part of the same "brew", can be mixed as if they were all the same. As long as there is a yetser hara, an evil force at work in our world, G-d and His name are not one and the same. These two kinds of holiness are still apart and do not mix. It is our task to strive in this world to bring about a merging of these two kinds of holiness. When our sages (Massechet Gan Eden) said that in the future G-d will reveal to us the meaning of the legislation in His Torah including the reason for the prohibition of mixing milk and meat, what they meant was that although these commandments have been given to us to fulfill in this terrestrial world, the condition of this world is not such that it is appropriate to reveal to us the mystical dimension of this legislation as long as this world is infested with the yetser harah. If G-d were to reveal this information to us in our present state of spiritual/intellectual imperfection it might sow doubt in our minds rather than an additional resolve to observe the commandment meticulously. We might, G-d forbid, conclude that there are two competing divine powers which control the universe. In the future, after the power of the evil urge will have been broken, and when there is no fear that we would therefore misunderstand the reasons for this legislation, G-d will reveal it to us. This will be the period when the deserving dead will be resurrected. Only then will the concept of "on that day the Lord and His name will be one and the same", they i.e. will merge.In fact, at that time the prohibition of mixing meat and milk will become redundant. This explains why the angels who visited Avraham could eat butter and meat at the same time as it appears from Genesis 18:8 that Avraham served it both simultaneously. Seeing that the angels do not have an evil urge (Shabbat 89), this restriction does not apply to them. Once the evil urge will have been abolished there will therefore be no need for this commandment. This is what prompted our sages (Yuma 67) to say in explaining Leviticus 19:19 "you shall observe My statutes," as meaning: "I have engraved them and you have no right to investigate their meaning or criticize them as any such criticism would undermine this terrestrial universe in which the evil urge is still rampant." This is why a similar verse in Leviticus 18:4 concludes with the "justification": "I am the Lord."

Yitro - the art of listening

Written by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
One of the striking features of Parshas Yisro is the juxtaposition of the portion about Yisro’s advice to Moshe Rabbeinu with Matan Torah. Reb Tzadok HaKohen provides an interesting insight to this in the name of his Rebbe. He begins by discussing the section in which Yisro advises Moshe to change the judicial system and Moshe accepts his advice. This seems quite unremarkable but on reflection a tremendous mida of Moshe Rabbeinu is displayed in his reaction to Yisro’s advice. Yisro may have been a wise man but he was surely far below the level of his great son-in-law and, moreover had no exposure to the wisdom of Torah. Moshe could have easily heard out his advice and then politely reject it without really considering its application. Instead he listened attentively and gave great thought to the advice and ultimately decided to follow it. Reb Tzadok’s Rebbe says that we learn from Moshe that a person should listen to the words of a hedyot and that this is an aspect of learning from every man. He then explains the juxtaposition with Matan Torah by saying that this lesson is the introduction to Matan Torah because an essential part of learning Torah is the ability to learn it from everyone.