YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 1 of 8

In This Issue Parshat Shmini-Parah April 1, 2016 New Gallery- at YNA

Visitors - Life Events

HaRav Nebenzahl on Parshat Please continue to daven for Malka Bat Shmini Chana Leah, Aryeh ben Rina, Ido ben

Staff Dvar by Yehuda Tali, Chaim Avishalom ben Blanka (the Tannenbaum Chalban), and Shimon Ben Miriam Hendal. The Story Of The Jewish People by Rav Shai Gerson - Sefer Shoftim Dedications

Tehillim List Learning on 20 Adar II was in the memory of our beloved Links talmid David Yamnick (5760).

yna.edu YNA Kollel.com Annual Alumni Shabbaton News Ask Rav Nebenzahl Suggestion Box Alumni Update Form 1 WEEK TO GO! Contact Us RavBeinishGinsburg.com LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER SephardiParty.com ShabbosYeshiva .com

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Davening Times with Rav Varon and Family

6:23 Candle-lighting PM 6:40 Kabbalat PM Ma'ariv SHABBAT DAY 5:50 Vatikin in Rav Bina's AM Home 8:30 AM 5:15 Shiur by Rav Varon PM 6:00 PM The annual Alumni Shabbaton in Woodmere will be April 8-9, Parshat Tazria ( Nissan) at DRS! Reb Zev's Parsha Riddle The Rabbis coming in are Rav Bina, Rabbi Dr. John Krug, Rav Yoel Rackovsky, Rav Amos Luban, Rav Ben Lebovitch Rav Shragie Bomzer, Rav Dani Bader, Rav Zev Bader and Rav YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 2 of 8

Who am I? I am kind to my kind, Chanan Bina. Which would seem to be Yosher; But since I ignore those not like The theme this year is: me, I am surely not Kosher ~~~ Spiritual Growth Last week's answer When I come from a fish, there's no issur at all; We ask anyone who is able to host (sleeping Friday But from animal and bird, night only) even if you are not very close to DRS, to I am designated for the wall. Daam (Blood) let us know how many you can sleep at Contact Reb Zev [email protected] .

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Quote of the Week

"Hodu LaHashem ki tov ki leolam chasdo" "Give thanks to Hashem for He is good, His kindness endures forever"

There are no better words to express the great joy that my son Yaakov's triplets, born after many years of longing, prayer, and treatment, have just put on tefillin for the first time.

New Gallery - Purim at YNA

Click here for the Purim Gallery! YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 3 of 8

Pic of the Week

"K'shem Sh'Nichnas LaBrit..."

At the Brit of the son of Avi Engelhart (5767-71) at the Yeshiva

Visitors - Life Events

Visitors

Gavin Horwich(5768) Rabbi Mark Wildes (5746) Yehoshua Kogan (5772) Matt Marks (5771-72)

Mazal Tov

Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh would like to wish a mazal tov to:

Rav Chizkiyahu and Ahuvi Nebenzahl on the birth of a grandson. Mazal Tov to the great grandfather, HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl. Avi (5767-71) and Aviva Engelhart on the birth of twins, a boy and a girl. Ephraim (Joshua, 5773) Levian on his marriage to Alexandra Zar. Rabbi Mordechai (Martin, 5753) and Shira Hochheimer on the Bar Mitzva of their son. Rav Yoel and Shoshana Rackovsky on the birth of a grandson. Alan (5764) and Elizabeth Jacob on the birth of a baby boy. Judah (5769-70) and Tova Plaut on the birth of a baby girl. Adam (5755-56) and Bini Dachs on the birth of a baby girl. Avi (5767) and Stephanie Levie on the birth of a baby girl. Moishe Elias (5773-74) on his marriage to Yael Cohen. Aryeh Fischer (5772-74) on his marriage to Penina Kallus. Rav Zev and Mushka Bader (staff) on the engagement of their daughter Sara Miriam to Yehudah Leib Scharfer from Tel Tzion.

Send Us Your Announcements Please, if you have any smachot or chas v'shalom, less happy occasions, let our office know so we can keep everybody updated.

HaRav Nebenzahl on Parshat Shmini YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 4 of 8

PARSHAT SHMINI 5776 THE RIGHT WAY

The Torah relates: "the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, each took his fire pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it, and they brought before Hashem an alien fire that He had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem" (Vayikra 10:1-2). Nadav and Avihu offered a fire with a ketores, Hashem sent down a fire and they died. Why did Nadav and Avihu offer this fire? The Gemara writes that they derived that "although fire descends from heaven then there is a for one to bring his own". The Kohanim bring fire every day to the altar for the offerings even though Hashem's fire descends from heaven. Nadav and Avihu therefore felt that although fire had descended from Heaven they had a mitzvah of bringing their own.

Their motives appear pure, if so why were they punished? Had they asked Moshe Rabenu he would have informed them that this day was different from all other days. On all other days Hashem did not wish for His miracles to be displayed openly, on this day Hashem wished for everyone to see that His Divine Presence resides in the Beis Hamikdash and that He accepted the offerings of the people. They however did not ask Moshe and for this they were punished. Their intent was purely for Heaven's sake, yet they did not act properly.

In service of Hashem it is important to discern not only the difference between mitzvah and sin but even the distinction between mitzvoth. Two different acts may be mitzvoth but it is important to understand which to choose and which takes precedence. Dovid Hamelech said: "I have set Hashem before me always, because He is at my right hand I shall not falter" (Tehillim 16:8). Does this imply that he will falter on the left side, certainly Hashem protects us on the right and left side. Rather what Dovid Hamelech meant is that there are two rights - a person may think he is in the right, yet David prayed for siyata d' not to perform improper deeds. We are not always aware of what the right thing to do is and we need Hashem's help in making these decisions.

The Mesillas Yesharim writes that Hashem placed man in a situation where in every step there is danger from all sides and must exercise extreme caution. On the one hand a person should have bitachon that Hashem will provide his food, on the other hand a person may not sit back and say Hashem provides so there is no need to work. It was only in the desert that food descended from Heaven. We must work for our bread yet have bitachon that it comes from Hashem. One who sees a poor starving man should not say: "man's sustenance is decreed on Rosh Hashana", clearly Hashem decided that this man did not deserve, why should I give him charity? While it is certainly true that Hashem provides, on the other hand he gave us a mitzvah of giving tzdaka and we must do whatever we can for this poor man. Thus bitachon can be misused and thus pose a danger and therefore one must give to the poor while at the same time a person must realize that if he does not give to the poor, Hashem will find another way to provide for the poor.

Hashem sent us poor people in order that we have the opportunity to perform a mitzvah and merit life in the Next World, not that the poor is unable to manage without us. The Gemara cites a case of two donkeys - one carrying too heavy a load and which one needs to load, clearly one should first remove the load of the laden donkey out of concern for tzaar baali chayim. However, if one donkey belongs to a friend and the other to an enemy, then regardless the donkey of the enemy must be tended to. This is in order to fight and overpower the yetzer hara of enmity. The question is, why should the other donkey suffer simply because I have a yetzer hara? In fact had Hashem wished He could have seen to it that the other donkey does not suffer.

There is a dispute between the Rambam and the kabalists whether animals have special individual Providence. It appears from Rashi in Chullin that there is, for he discusses that there is Divine YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 5 of 8

Providence which fish will be eaten by another fish. The Yerushalmi relates the story of R' Shimon hiding from the Romans and observing birds being caught, a heavenly voice descended and announced which bird will be caught which will not be caught.

I must do my utmost to overpower the yetzer hara, Hashem will insure that I do what is right. Hashem blessed Yaakov Avinu: "and kings shall issue from you" (Bereishis 35:11). The Gemara explains that at this juncture all of Yaakov's children were already born with the exception of Binyamin, thus these kings were to descend from Binyamin. The first king from Binyamin was King Shaul. The Gemara explains that Avner Chief of Staff of Shaul Hamelech understood this pasuk to mean that in the event Shaul would be killed then his son Ish Boshet would take over. So it happened, Avner crowned Ish Boshet as king following Shaul's passing. Chazal explain that according to one opinion, as punishment for this act Avner was killed by Yoav. The prophet Shmuel had instructed that David be crowned king and thus he should not have crowned Ish Boshet. The question is, was Avner not in the right? Is there not a pasuk in the Torah which states: "kings shall issue from you"? The answer is that his task was to crown David, Hashem can see to it that one day there will be a second king descending from Binyamin, perhaps Mordechai Hatzaddik or another tzaddik. We have no way of knowing whether or not Hashem was referring to Ish Boshet.

Dovid Hamelech took Batsheva, while not in the optimal manner he realized that he must take Batsheva because the Melech Hamoshiach is destined to discern from her, speedily in our day. Dovid should not have done so, he should have waited. Here as well, his intent was to do what he thought was right, but this was not the way to carry it out. Batsheva is in fact the mother of Melech Hamoshiach.

Thus, as we said, we must decide what is right and the right way to do it.

Staff Dvar Torah by Rav Yehuda Tannenbaum

MOURNING FOR NADAV AND AVIHU

After the tragic deaths of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu, Moses instructed Aaron and his remaining sons not to display any public signs of mourning:

"Do not let your hair grow untended, and do not rend your garments.... And as far as your brothers are concerned, the entire house of Israel will mourn the ones whom God has burned." (Lev. 10:6)

Why was Aaron not allowed to publicly mourn the death of his sons?

To better understand Moses' unusual instructions, we must examine the Talmudic account of the passing of another prominent individual: Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi ('the Prince'). Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi was the second-century redactor of the , and a pivotal religious and political figure. His influence was so great that he was universally referred to as Rebbi - "my teacher." No other name was needed to identify him.

Rabbi Yehudah's death was a traumatic event for the entire nation. The in Ketubot 104a relates the story of his final hours:

When Rebbi became deathly ill, the scholars declared a public fast. His students and colleagues prayed for his recovery.

Rebbi's maidservant went up to the roof and pleaded: 'On high, the [angels] want Rebbi [to join them]; and down below, they want Rebbi [to stay]. May it be Your will that those down below should prevail.' But when she saw that Rebbi was suffering, she changed her prayer: 'May it be Your will that those above will prevail.' YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 6 of 8

The scholars however continued their constant prayers for Rebbi's recovery. The maidservant grabbed a jar and hurled it from the roof. The sudden crash startled the scholars and momentarily disrupted their prayers. Rebbi's soul promptly departed.

The Sages asked to investigate. He went and found Rebbi had passed away. Bar Kappara tore his garment and reported back:

"The angels and the mortals struggled over the Holy Ark. But the angels vanquished the mortals, and the Holy Ark has been captured."

Why did the scholars and the maidservant disagree over whether to pray for Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi to live? Who was right? And why did Bar Kappara refer to his illustrious teacher as "the Holy Ark"? The key to understanding this account is recognizing that there are two ways in which Torah scholars benefit the world. The first contribution is obvious to all: they disseminate Torah and provide guidance in the proper path.

In addition to these activities, however, there is an intrinsic quality based on the inner holiness of the Torah itself. Tzaddikim provide a hidden benefit, as they refine and elevate society by their very presence.

The Talmud in 99b teaches that one who complains, 'What do Torah scholars do for society, they only study for themselves' is considered a heretic. Even if we do not see how scholars contribute to society, the intrinsic holiness of their Torah provides blessing and merit for all. Even the evil city of Sodom would have been spared had ten righteous people lived there, as God informed Abraham: "I will spare the entire region for their sake" (Gen. 18:26).

Now we may understand the story of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's death, and the disagreement between his disciples and his maidservant.

There are instances when it is proper to pray for the release of those gravely ill - when they are suffering greatly and there is no hope for their recovery (see Nedarim 40a). This, however, does not apply to a tzaddik. With regard to Torah scholars, the very existence of their Torah in the world is a hidden treasure that outweighs considerations of their own personal pain and discomfort. For these righteous individuals, it is proper to pray even for chayei sha'ah, for a limited extension of life. For this reason, the scholars continued praying for Rebbi, even though his illness was terminal.

At first, Rebbi's maidservant also prayed for his recovery, but her motivation was that her master should be able to continue to disseminate Torah. When she realized that his illness was so grave that he would no longer be able to teach, and that the only possible gain prayer could achieve was a temporary reprieve from death, she decided - mistakenly - that Rebbi no longer served a purpose in this world. Since he could no longer benefit this world and was wanted in the next, she prayed that the angels and the righteous souls in the next world would prevail.

Bar Kappara, however, recognized Rebbi's lofty inner qualities and his hidden benefit to the world. For this reason he referred to his teacher as "the Holy Ark." Bar Kappara wanted the people to recognize that this inner holiness was in fact Rebbi's primary benefit to the world. In this aspect, a tzaddik is like the Holy Ark. The Ark contained the original luchot (tablets) from Mount Sinai, and was a symbol for the Torah. Yet the Ark was covered with a heavy plate of gold; it was impossible to actually study from the luchot within. Thus the Holy Ark represents, not the Torah's practical benefit to the world, but its intrinsic holiness. From its location in the Temple's inner sanctum, it emanated holiness to the nation and the entire world.

We must appreciate Rebbi, Bar Kappara was saying, not just as the redactor of the Mishnah and a teacher of Torah, but primarily as a Holy Ark, as a receptacle of Torah and holiness.

Now we can understand why Aaron and his family were not permitted to publicly mourn for Nadav and YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 7 of 8

Avihu. The benefit that the inner holiness of tzaddikim provides to the world is so great that it cannot be expressed in words. External displays of mourning cannot do justice to the magnitude of this loss. Public signs of mourning only express our sorrow at the cessation of their public activities. Since the people were unable to truly appreciate the inner qualities of Nadav and Avihu, it was appropriate for the nation to publicly mourn the loss of their outward contributions to society. But Aaron, who recognized the lofty nature of his sons, realized that this terrible loss could never be conveyed in human language. Thus "Aaron was silent" (Lev. 10:3).

Moses instructed Aaron not to eulogize his sons even for their public activities, because this was a minor benefit compared to the value of their inner holiness. Since this hidden quality cannot be expressed in words, it was preferable for Aaron to remain silent.

Often we eulogize a great individual so that people will come to recognize the magnitude of the loss to society. In this instance, however, Moses explained that public mourning was unnecessary. Even without public eulogies, "The entire house of Israel will mourn the ones whom God has burned." The entire nation was aware of Nadav and Avihu's greatness, and would surely lament their absence.

The Story Of The Jewish People by Rav Shai Gerson

The story of the Jewish people as told by Tanach through the eyes of Chazal.

SHOFTIM - CHAPTER 6 Part I

In this chapter we are introduced to Gideon and the text continues discussing Gideon and his sons until chapter 9. The children of Gideon were almost all slaughtered, the others who were saved attempted to rule - this is discussed in chapter 9.

With Gideon begins the question of kingship within the nation, an issue which continues in the book of Shmuel through what will be with the arrival of Moshiach which is discussed in the book of Melachim. The destroying of the central Canaanite rule by the tribes of Israel, although freeing the people on an immediate level from Canaanite rule created a void of rule in the land which allowed for infiltration from the outside. This meant Midian during the time of Gideon and Amon during the days of Yiftach - each of these arrived from the east with the Plishtim arriving from the west.

It is interesting to note that although the force of Canaanite leadership is no longer noted yet they still played a primary role in the settling of the land such as in Shechem. Furthermore, their worshipping of the Baal remained in the world. Interestingly, the same lines of battle - Amon from the east and Plishtim from the west - are also found in the days of Shaul who battled in Bochesh with the Plishtim. Similarly, David battled Amon and his strategic partners the Aramites and the Plishtim.

The narrative in typical fashion opens with the Jewish people sinning and not following the ways of Hashem. The specific sin is not mentioned however later we discover that the reference is to avoda zara. The punishment arrives through the people of Midian, a wandering tribe tracing its lineage to Ketura who made their living as robbing the people of Israel who largely made their living as farmers. Given that there was no central protection and no army and thus they were easy prey.

The Jewish people reacted to the robbery by Midian by hiding. This was a very sensitive time, as this was a time of the produce. The Midianites arrived in an ambush and took the produce of the land from north to south - from the area of Menashe in the north until the approach to Gaza in the south. They looted animals, produce, oxen, and donkeys. The result was poverty (for seven years paralleling the seven years of famine mentioned in the Torah).

The Jewish people cried out to Hashem for salvation from their troubles, the answer they received was direct but not encouraging. A prophet was sent who reminded them of the exodus from Egypt YNA Newsletter Parshat Shmini - Parah 8 of 8

and how they had been saved from other difficulties, of the command not to worship avoda zara and the fact that they did not observe the command. This is not clearly stated as a reason for their troubles but simply as a rebuke.

Perhaps we can suggest that "crying out" to Hashem refers to a prayer gathering which the tribes organized due to their situation resulting in the sending of a prophet. This can be compared to the tefillah gathering in Bochim which is discussed in chapter 2 (see Metzudot chapter 2, pasuk 1, and in Chazal that this refers to two instances of the same person, Pinchas, delivering Hashem's response. Even the content of the rebuke is similar in each case).

Hashem's answer is not clear, perhaps we can compare this to salvation we find elsewhere (see Shmuel where we find a great tefillah gathering where Hashem saves them. However it took twenty years to rid themselves of avodah zara. Crying out to Hashem must be accompanied by ridding themselves of avoda zara).

Here they are only crying out to Hashem, so where do we find a change in the situation of the Jewish nation? They have not shaken the Canaanite rule nor of any avoda zara. The salvation must begin with the destruction of their avoda zara. What then were the people thinking?

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The following members of our extended YNA family need our tefilot: Chana bat Bina Tzipporah bat Tzirel Sarah bat Devorah Eliyahu Haim ben Chana Raizel Alter Mordechai Tzvi ben Eka Bryna Esther Miriam bat Chana Raitza Chana bat Rochel Leah Ora Leah bat Haya Rachel Rivka bat Esther Yitzchak bat Hinda Mazal bat Hanna David Zev ben Perl Yerachmiel Dovid ben Leah Rivka bat Leah Yisroel Aron Ben Zisel

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Shabbat Shalom, Rav Bina, Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh