Hachaim Answers That That Day They Were Capable Of
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PARSHAS ACHAREI MOS – KEDOSHIM SHORT AND SWEET STORY OF THE WEEK Volume 11, Issue 15 A family member, looking out the window, informed Rav th Iyar 12, 5781/April 24 , 2021 Isser Zalman Meltzer, ZT”L, that the Brisker Rav, ZT”L, was coming to SPONSORED BY THE DANIEL PETROV AS A visit. Rav Isser Zalman was so excited, he donned his Shabbos clothing our study shouldZECHUS ideally FORnot be A SHIDDUCH at different FOR times TUVYA every BEN day, AVIVA whenever to we greet can workthe distinguished it into our schedules. guest. ItThe turned Ohr out that the family member HaChaim answersTO SUBSCRIBE,that that day SPONSOR, they ORwere TO SENDcapable of understandingwas mistaken. He hishad lessontaken another based person on the for the Brisker Rav. Rav statement of theFEEDBACK, sages, EMAIL “A personTHE EDITOR, does MENDEL not standBERLIN, on (trulyIsser Zalmangrasp) was the unperturbed knowledge and- opinion treated the of guesthis like royalty. After teacher until after fortyAT [email protected] years” (Avodah Zara 5B). he left, a member of the household asked Rav Isser Zalman why he had treated the visitor so specially. SUGARYThi SAYINGThat OFmeans THE WEEK that withnow RABBI after MENACHEM forty years LOMNER they can begin to truly comprehend what Moshe had told “We should really love every Jew and treat every Jew royally,” them back then. Why does it take forty years? Were these not brilliant people? Rav Isser Zalman responded. “Unfortunately, it is difficult to do so, and "Just as Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim (Egypt), we must take the we are remiss in our responsibility. Now that I prepared to treat my Mitzrayim out of ourselves." guest properly, even though it was due to a misunderstanding, should In the Pesukim where it talks about how we are commanded to (Megillah I treat him differently? Do we recognize the importance of all Jews, distance ourselves from immorality, the Torah (Vayikra 18:3) says that we regardless of who they are?” shouldn’t imitate the actions of Mitzrayim and Cana’an. This is because Comment: Even though the Torah tells us clearly (Vayikra they were the world powers and the world leaders in immorality. Also, 19:18) to “love every Jew like yourself,” this is not something every Canaan was terrible in this area; therefore, we were warned to not learn person excels in (but we will still love such Jews regardless). Let us turn from them. The Yetzer Harah places the tests in front of the Jews where the conversation to ourselves and take a challenge: find a Jew we don’t they were living and where they were about to enter because his main necessarily like so much and find something good to love about them goal to trip us up. Let us focus to keep from falling into the trap of (there’s always something positive). Better yet, for extra credit, let’s immorality and with this, become Hashem's holy nation. compliment that Jew. Loving your fellow Jew is an active Mitzvah! PRACTICAL PARSHA with RABBI ELIYAHU QUEDOSHIM: ACHAREI MOS-KEDOSHIM - WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO ACQUIRE EXCEPT TORAH WISDOM? At a shul’s annual general meeting a wealthy man rose to tell He adds that the only function of a person in This World is to the rest of those present about his Jewish faith. "I'm a millionaire," he serve Hashem and acquire His holy wisdom of Torah. Everything else (to said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of G-d in my life. I borrow a metaphor) is just the recess from class time. It would also be remember that turning point. I had just earned my first dollar and I similar to a father who sends his son to buy Challah for Shabbos from went to shul that night. The speaker was a famous rabbi who was the local supermarket and gives him a few dollars on the side to fundraising for his Yeshiva. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had purchase some Nosh (snacks). When the child returns and says he only to either give it all to G-d's work or nothing at all. At that moment I got the Nosh and forgot the Challah, it's a travesty. The child acquired decided to give my whole dollar to G-d. I believe that G-d blessed that nonsense and forgot the main acquisition. decision, and that is why I am a rich man today." He finished his story There is a story that drives home the idea of making valuable to an awed ***silence and then moved toward his seat. As he sat down a acquisitions as we traverse This World. Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, little old lady leaned over and said to him: "I dare you to do it again." ZT"L, HY"D, once made a fundraising trip to the U.S. There was a wealthy One of the most elusive and frustrating pursuits in life is the pursuit clothing factory owner in Manhattan whom Rav Elchonon had learned of wealth, as the Medrash (Koheles Rabbah 1:34) teaches that “a man dies together in Baranovitch when they were both children. Rav Elchonon with less than half of his desired possessions in his hand.” Whatever one has, made an appointment to see him in his fancy Manhattan office, which there’s so much more one is yet to attain and upon observation, one sees was situated on the top floor of his clothing factory. "Rabbi Wasserman," that there are many folks who have so much more. As such, many wealthy the man said, "what did you come here for?" people barely even have the time to sit down and truly enjoy that which is Rav Elchonon lifted his jacket toward the man and showed him in their possession, which is one of the greatest and saddest ironies in life. where a button had fallen off. "I've come to have a button sewn on my In this week's double Parsha, Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, we are jacket," Rav Elchonon said. The man chuckled, sure that the Rav was just introduced to the Mitzvah (Vayikra 19:32) of rising in front of an older person warming him up for a donation request. "Excellent. Just come with me (the consensus is that referring to one who is 70+). The Gemara (Kiddushin and I'll have it taken care of." The owner led Rav Elchonon down into 32b) quotes Rabbi Yosi Haglili who says that one who is a Zakein is another the factory area where hundreds of workers were very busy making person that one must rise before. A Zakein is "Ze Shekana Chochma," one clothing. He figured when Rav Elchonon would see how vast his factory who acquired (wisdom). It comes out that even if one is not advanced in was and would feel comfortable to make his appeal. After taking care of years but is wise in Torah, we are obligated to rise when they enter a room. the Rav’s seemingly mundane request, the man pressed: “Dear Rav, The Steipler Gaon, ZT”L, asks why is the language abbreviated to seriously speaking, why did you really come here today?” say "Ze Kana - he acquired" and leaves out the most important point, namely “You find it so hard to believe that I had come all the way from what one acquired! It was only the Sages who added the detail that this Baranovitch to the United States to have a button sewn onto a jacket,” abbreviation is really referring to one with wisdom. Otherwise, maybe we the Rav replied, “but your holy Neshama (soul) came from underneath would think that we should stand up in front of one who has made many the Throne of Hashem and traveled seven heavens to get here. Did your other acquisitions, like a real estate tycoon? soul make that trip just so you could own a factory that sews buttons We can resolve this difficulty as follows. The Gemara (Nedarim 41a) and makes clothes? "The man was shaken to the core by the great writes: "Abaye said that we have a tradition - a poor person is only one Rabbi's words and the sincerity with which they had been delivered. lacking in De'ah (intelligence); In Eretz Yisrael, they say: One who has this That same day he began keeping Mitzvos again. He also began giving attribute of intelligence, in him has everything in him. One who does not generously to Torah institutions, and helped the Baranovitch Yeshiva for have this attribute in him, then what is in him? If he acquired this, what else many years afterward. is lacking? However, if he has not acquired this, what has he acquired?" Let’s remember the famous words of the Mesilas Yesharim A person can have the nicest car, the fanciest house, go on the (Chapter 1) that “man was not created for his welfare in This World; most luxurious vacations - yet, without Torah wisdom that one truly connects rather for his welfare in the World-to-Come.” The purpose of this to and makes his own - he is considered dirt poor. Therefore, it was obvious temporary World is to purchase as much “real estate” for the permanent when the Gemara says "Ze Shekana - one who acquired" without specifying world, the Next World. As such, let us be wise and invest our efforts in an object, that it must be wisdom. After all, what else is valuable? → procuring as much of the long-lasting merchandise as possible.