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ground. A bird can fly our generation, are our wings. Their To- Fly, Kinderlach, Fly in the air.” rah wisdom, guidance, and exemplary deeds give us the ability to fly. Listen to “C ome, Avi. Let’s learn the parasha “E xcellent, Avi. A bird can reach the them! Learn from them! Emulate them! together.” highest heights. In order to do this, he Kinderlach, you will use your “spiritual “Thank you, Abba! Learning with you is needs a different set of limbs from all other wings” to soar to the greatest madraygas. my biggest treat.” animals. Land bound creatures travel on Fly, kinderlach, fly! “Let’s read the first verse, Avi.” their legs. One step at a time, they get to “‘It was on the eighth day, Moshe sum- their destination. Birds also have legs. The moned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Almighty could have made them fly with It’s Hard For Me Israel’ (Vayikra 9:1). This is one of the their legs. He did not, however. He gave many places in the Torah that the them special limbs – wings. So too it is “D anny, it’s time to get up.” zekaynim – the elders of Israel – are men- with the Jewish people. We have ‘legs’ like “Oh. Already? But I just went to sleep, tioned.” the other nations of the world. However, Abba.” “Who were they, Abba?” we have something special that they do “Believe it or not, you went to sleep eight “The Medrash Rabba (Vayikra 11:8) ex- not have – ‘wings’. Our ‘wings’ are our hours ago. Now it time to begin your pounds upon this very subject, Avi. zekaynim. They give us the ability to fly to day.” Rebbe Akiva said, ‘Yisrael is compared to the greatest spiritual heights. When we “But it’s so hard for me to get out of a bird. Just as a bird cannot fly without follow their sage leadership, guided by the bed.” wings, so too Klal Yisrael cannot do any- Divine wisdom of the Torah, we soar to “I know. I empathize with you. Let me thing (to sustain themselves) without their exalted madraygos (spiritual levels). When tell you about Aharon HaKohen. It was zekaynim.’ Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai we are inspired by their saintly deeds, we hard for him to carry out a mitzvah also. added, ‘Hashem granted honor to the glide up to the heavenly levels. He had to approach the Holy Altar and zekaynim, not in one place in the Torah, Sadly, if we do not listen perform the avodah (service). The Imrei not in two places, rather in many places. to them, we are Emes relates that this is the way of the They are honored at the sneh (burning like a bird that does Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination). He makes bush), when Hashem said, ‘Go and gather not use his mitzvos seem difficult. However, the the ziknei Yisrael’ (Shemos 3:16). Simi- wings. We just point goes deeper than that.” larly, in Mitzrayim, at Har Sinai, and at plod along the “Really?” the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) ground like everyone “We were sent down to this earth to per- Hashem summons them by name, giving else, stuck in the muck fect ourselves. Each one of us has his own them special kovod (honor). In the future, with the other middos that need work. How do we in the times of Moshiach (speedily in our nations.” know which areas we have to work on?” days), they will also receive special treat- “Abba, I want to fly!” “The ones which are the most difficult for ment.” “You will, Avi, you us?” “Why are our zekaynim will. Just keep listening “Excellent. The Yetzer Hara makes the given such special to your Rebbe and most important things seem the most treatment, Abba?” learning from him. Absorb difficult.” “That is a good the Torah of your “That is such an important thought, question, Avi. Rosh . Learn Abba!” Let us first see from the righteous “Use it well, Danny, and overcome that who they are. deeds of your evil Yetzer Hara.” The Gemora Mashgiach (spiritual (Kiddushin 32b) mentor). They all follow Daas Kinderlach . . . states that a ‘zoken’ is a chochom – one Torah – the wisdom of our Gedolim, What is your job in this world? What mid- who has acquired wisdom. The ziknei who are the ziknei Yisrael of our genera- dos were you sent here to work on? Just Yisrael are our chachomim – our greatest tion. When you follow them, you your- think about which are the most difficult Torah sages – who guide the nation with self are following the ziknei Yisrael. They for you. Is it hard for you to get up in the their wisdom. They receive the special will give you the wings to fly, Avi. May morning? How about speaking quietly; is honor of Kovod HaTorah, honor given Hashem help you to soar to the highest that difficult? We all have our challenges. to the Torah, which they represent. They heights.” Difficult mitzvos and middos need work. are also the wings that enable Klal Yisrael “Amen!” That is your job in life. to fly.” “That parable is a bit difficult to under- Kinderlach . . . Parasha Questions: stand, Abba.” Take a look up into the skies and watch • Which blessing did Moshe and Ahron “Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, in his sefer the birds fly. They flap their wings to give the nation when they left the ‘Oznayim LiTorah’ also felt that this reach the height that they want, and then Ohel Moed? (Rashi 9:23) needs explanation. Therefore, he ex- they glide. If they want, they can soar • pounds on this parable. What is the dif- higher and higher. For them, “the sky is Which two words mark the middle of ference between the bird and other ani- the limit.” So too it is with us. We also the Torah (by word count)? (10:16) • mals?” have wings, kinderlach. Our gedolim, the Which letter marks the middle of the “Other animals can only move on the Torah leaders who are the ziknei Yisrael of Torah (by letter count)? (11:42)

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