Tazria- 5773 April 13, 2013

A Taste of Stories For The Soul Talk Isn’t Cheap By Mordechai Fleisher The 3-String Violin The Ribnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim that at the root of it all is the great It was November 1995 and Itzhak Abramowitz (1902-1995), whose importance places on the Perlman, the violinist, came on stage efficacious blessings were much sought- power of speech. Onkelos, a Roman to give a concert in New York City. after, was once visited by an individual convert who translated the Torah into Stricken with polio as a child, he has who had run afoul of the law. The Rebbe , makes this apparent. When braces on both legs and walks with was told that the man was seeking a the Torah tells of the creation of Adam, the aid of two crutches. To see him blessing, as he had been accused of the first human, Onkelos refers to him walk across the stage one step at a as a “speaking spirit”. stealing. “Don’t say that he stole!” time, painfully and slowly, is a sight. exclaimed the Rebbe. “Say ‘He took’.” The seat of the intellect, the spiritual That evening, just as he finished The Rebbe was not merely brushing aspect of man, is the mind. The body, the first few bars, one of violin strings off the severity of theft. Rather, he was by contrast, expresses itself primarily broke. You could hear it snap - it went disturbed by the use of such language; in the physical world. The point of “stealing” was too uncouth a word to transfer from the spiritual intellect to off like gunfire across the room. The use. It was more sensitive to say “taking”. the physical takes place via speech, for crowd knew he’d have to make the The Torah teaches this lesson when it is through that medium that thoughts painful trek off stage to find another discussing the animals that entered are expressed in the world. (Thus, the string, or another violin. Noah’s Ark. The non-kosher animals, vocal chords reside in the neck, which But he didn’t. He signaled the rather than being called “tamei”, the connects the head, the location of conductor to begin again. And Hebrew word for “impure”, are referred the mind, to the rest of the body, the he played with such passion and to as “ainenu tahor”, “not pure”. The physical expression of a human.) power and purity as they had never Torah teaches us that a great deal of When speech is used negatively, heard before.Everyone knows it is sensitivity must be used when speaking. a most fundamental element of what impossible to play a symphonic work The double parsha of -Metzora, makes us human – the power of speech with just three strings. But that night while containing many laws, is perhaps – is corrupted. When one speaks Itzhak Perlman refused to know most famous for its discussion of tzara’as, negatively of others, or even merely lacks that. You could see him modulating, a skin ailment commonly translated as sensitivity in manner of speech, then changing, recomposing the piece in leprosy. The Ramban (Nachmanidies) the purpose of mankind, to connect the his head. tells us that tzara’as is actually a spiritual physical with the spiritual, specifically When he finished, there was an ailment that manifests itself on one’s through speech, is not achieved. A awesome silence. And then people physical body. Furthermore, tzara’as serious failure, indeed. rose and cheered. He smiled and said, can occur on garments and houses, as As , we must constantly strive to not boastfully, but in a pensive tone, well. Its purpose is to alert the bearer develop this unique faculty granted us “Sometimes. it is the artist’s task to of a spiritual shortcoming. While our by G-d. While modern society tolerates, find out how much music you can Sages list a variety of evils that can lead and even admires, humiliating others still make with what you have left.” to tzara’as, the most well-known cause (in a guise referred to as “comedy” After giving birth, a woman brings is lashon hara, speaking negatively and “humor”), speaks openly and a purification offering to the Temple. about another. The Torah, as well as the unabashedly about subjects that would The offering consists of a sheep and Sages, makes it quite clear that speaking have turned a listener’s face beet-red a a dove. The Torah says that if she negatively about others, despite the few decades ago, and allows ”freedom truth of the statement, is a very serious of speech” to take place virtually cannot afford a sheep then she brings sin. But why is such severity attached to unchecked (are parental warnings worth two doves. We see a simple idea that mere speech? anything at all?), we must battle to utilize a person should never give up, but There has been much written and the power of speech for the purpose G-d should make do with what he has. said to explain the seriousness of lashon intended – to make the world a more Adapted with permission from hara, but it is important to understand refined, spiritual place. ShulWeek, by Rabbi Baruch Lederman.

The Call of Nature Kollel Happenings Interpersonal Issues INSIDE THE ALEPH-BAIS Miscellaneous Laws of Lost Items Even if the homeowner passed away, guest, a halachic authority should be There is a unique fascination and a guest in the home, now owned by with the and consulted.) the heirs, subsequently found a long- the aleph-bet. Mystical sources Adapted with permission from “The lost item, it belongs to the heirs. (If explain that the letters of the Halachos of Other People’s Money” by aleph-bet are the building the owner or heirs admit that it never blocks of the whole world. belonged to them, but must have been Rabbi Pinchas Bodner (Feldheim Publishers) Discover the world of the aleph- lost by a previous homeowner or a bet with Rabbi Heyman in this

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For time and location, contact Ask the Rabbi [email protected]. Evil from Birth Bryan at Columbia University writes: that the physical becomes elevated to its level of perfection. Does the fact that we have a Yetzer The is an inclination to Hara mean that Man is intrinsically evil? “stray,” but Man has the wherewithal to overcome it. The pull of the Yetzer Dear Bryan, Hara is the more powerful of the two inclinations, but is by no means A DEEPER LOOK The Yetzer Hara is commonly impossible to conquer. Join Rabbi Shachne Sommers translated as the “Evil Inclination.” The Torah states: as he discusses a number of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (the “G-d said to Cain, ‘Why are you difficulties encountered in Ramchal) in “The Way of G-d” describes so furious? Why are you depressed? If the weekly Torah portion, and the role of the Yetzer Hara in man’s you do good, will there not be special develops a comprehensive quest for perfection. privilege? And if you do not do good, approach to resolve the issues, “Man is the creature created for sin is crouching at the door. It lusts after simultaneously conveying a the purpose of being drawn close to you but you can dominate it.’” deeper understanding of the G-d. He is placed between perfection And the tells us how: material being discussed. and deficiency, with the power to “So said the Holy One, blessed be earn perfection. Man must earn this He, to Israel: ‘My son, I created the perfection, however, through his own Yetzer Hara and I created for it the free will... Torah as an antidote. If you toil in Man’s inclinations are therefore Torah you will not be handed over into balanced between good [Yetzer Hatov] his hands...’” and evil [Yetzer Hara], and he is not compelled toward either of them. He Sources: TRUST THY FATHER has the power of choice and is able Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto - to choose either side knowingly and The Way of G-d, translated by Rabbi Join Rabbi Schachne Sommers for “Trust Thy Father,” a series willingly...” Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers. based on Chovos Ha’Levavos/ The Ramchal explains that this The Book of Genesis, 4:6-7, Duties of the Heart. Discover balance existed prior to the sin of Adam. [translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and delve into the vital Jewish After his sin, however, he became in “The Living Torah”, Moznaim concept of bitachon. The classes more inclined to listen to the wiles of Publishing Company]. will resume following the Pesach his Yetzer Hara. His job is now two-fold: The Talmud - Tractate Kiddushin, break on Tuesdays, from 7:55- First, he must even the balance between p.30b. 8:25 a.m. at Aish. For info email the spiritual and the physical. Then, he [email protected] or call can work to perfect his soul until his Reprinted with permission of So- 303-820-2855. spiritual so overwhelms the physical mayach, , www.ohr.edu

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