Parshat Kedoshim 5776

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 8 Number 12 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Mesora and Middos Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles Hiﬆorically, the period between Pesach and efforts towards self-improvement would make that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach suggeﬆed to his Shavuot was meant to be a period of great joy us worthy to receive the Torah. This division teacher, the great Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. and anticipation. Our redemption from Egypt also parallels the two aspects of Torah, the Rabbi Yochanan accepted this path as all was the precursor to receiving the Torah and Written and Oral Torah. The written Torah was inclusive. The numerical equivalent of lev tov consummating our relationship with Hashem. a direct gift given to Moshe at Sinai, transmit- is forty nine, with lev equaling thirty two and Yet it changed to a period of mourning with ted to Yehoshua, and passed down the line tov equaling seventeen. The heart is how we the passing of the 24,000 ﬆudents of Rabbi through the generations. However, it was not relate to others, and during the firﬆ thirty two Akiva. Rabbi Akiva rebuilt his yeshiva with juﬆ meant to be ﬆatic facts, but rather ﬆudied and days of Sefirah, we should focus on improving five ﬆudents who were responsible for the underﬆood. This is the Oral Torah which our interpersonal relations. Similarly, tov refers transmission of the oral Torah. Perhaps the requires work to interpret and to apply as to Torah which is called lekach tov, a good moﬆ preeminent of these ﬆudents was Rabbi situations change. portion, and implies focusing on those mitzvot Shimon bar Yochai, who died on Lag BaOmer, that form and solidify our relationship with the thirty third day of the counting. This day is Each week of Sefirah corresponds to one of Hashem. celebrated with great joy, to honor the the ushpizin, the special Succot gueﬆs. The memory of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. What is firﬆ three weeks of Sefirah correspond to our The thirty third day, then, forms the link the connection between these seemingly forefathers, who form the basis for factual between the firﬆ thirty two and the laﬆ disparate details? Further, asks Rabbi Y. knowledge of God. Moshe, who brought the seventeen, which will ultimately lead to God’s Hillel, why did our Rabbis decree four weeks Torah down from Hashem as a direct gift to coronation on earth through His Torah and the of mourning for the deaths of Rabbi Akiva’s Bnei Yisroel, represents the Written Torah. people who teach its precepts to the world. disciples, a longer period of mourning than for Aharon, who explicated the Torah to the However, this would not be possible without any other tragedy in our hiﬆory? Why did masses, is represented by the fifth week of the link of the oral tradition, a link that was Hashem choose this specific time of the year Sefirah, when we begin building and working almoﬆ permanently broken with the death of for their death? on ourselves. Rabbi Akiva’s disciples.

Rabbi Goldwicht describes the ﬆages of the Rabbi Akiva is the hiﬆorical paradigm of the Now we can begin to underﬆand why Hashem human intellectual process. On the firﬆ level Aharon model who would transmit and meted out such harsh punishment to these there is chochmah, factual knowledge. explicate the Torah to the nation. When the great learned men. We are told that they did However, facts alone are not very useful disciples of Rabbi Akiva demonﬆrated a lack not interact with each other respectfully. Rabbi unless one can build on them, make of sensitivity to each other, being separate Yosef Fogel explains that this does not mean inferences, and derive truths. This is the next individuals inﬆead of one heart, they became they were actually disrespectful. Rather on level, binah, underﬆanding, derived from the unworthy of being the transmitters of Torah their level they were expected to relate to each same root word as boneh, to build. At the and inheritors of the legacy of Aharon, who other with extra sensitivity. Because they were ﬆage of binah, man begins processing the foﬆered peace and love among Bnei Yisroel. on such a high spiritual level, they could not knowledge. The final level is daat, wisdom, These days became a period of mourning tolerate imperfection in others. It is to this end where full integration takes place. Rabbi because we mourn the death of so much of of judging others favorably that we should turn Goldwicht continues by explaining how Adam our oral tradition and, as Rabbi Hillel points the magnifying mirror on ourselves and the was charged with naming all the creatures. out, the immeasurable amount of wisdom and minimizing or ﬆandard mirror on others. Using his intellect, he called himself Adam, Torah that was loﬆ when these great men because “From adamah, from earth was I died. Our Sages tell us, “Derech Eretz kadmah taken.” Earth is the medium for growth and for leTorah.” (Proper manners precede the Torah.) creating beauty, a quality no other element The Shvilei Pinchas notes that the seven If the disciples were lacking in this regard, how possesses. If it is nurtured properly, it can weeks of Sefirah correspond to the seven could they be the appropriate vehicles for the produce so much good. Similarly, each person attributes of Hashem through which He transmission of Torah? Rav M. Solomon uses is charged with improving himself, growing, manifeﬆs His presence in the world. Each this premise to compare Sefirah and the month and creating beauty and goodness in the week we are meant to focus on the correspond- of Elul. Both Sefirah and Elul culminate with world. ing attribute and improve ourselves in that the coronation of the King, Sefirah with our area, both in our relationships with others and acceptance of Hashem’s sovereignty through This is also the main aspect of the period in our relationship with God. Rabbi Friedman our acceptance of the Torah on Shavuot, and between Pesach and Shavuot. On Pesach, cites the Bnei Yissaschar to expand this Elul with the coronation of Hashem as King Hashem removed us from the depravity of concept. Using Pirkei Avot, he parallels the over the world on Rosh Hashanah. During Egypt without any real effort on our part. He forty nine days of Sefirah with the trait of a lev both periods, we need to work on refining our then gave us forty nine days so that our tov, a good heart. This was the righteous path middot. Without doing so, no resolution we

Continued on page 2

Help support Naaleh by searching the web! For more information visit www.iGive/Naaleh.com & www.iSearchiGive/Naaleh.com visit us online at: www.naaleh.com | for questions, suggestions, or dedication opportunities, email [email protected] 1 Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 8 Number 12 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Mesora and Middos Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles Continued from page 1 Our Sages tell us, “Derech Eretz kadmah tance of the Torah on Shavuot, and Elul with Rather than thinking of the period between leTorah.” (Proper manners precede the the coronation of Hashem as King over the Pesach and Shavuot in negative terms of Torah.) If the disciples were lacking in this world on Rosh Hashanah. During both periods, mourning and reﬆrictions, we can look at it as regard, how could they be the appropriate we need to work on refining our middot. an opportunity to perfect our middot so that we vehicles for the transmission of Torah? Rav M. Without doing so, no resolution we make will can become ﬆrong links in the mesorah and Solomon uses this premise to compare be fulfilled. As the Netivot Shalom says, transmit our traditions to future generations. Sefirah and the month of Elul. Both Sefirah character is the root of our tree, and if our and Elul culminate with the coronation of the roots are bad, neither Torah nor anything else King, Sefirah with our acceptance of good will grow. Hashem’s sovereignty through our accep-

Make it Count: Introduction #1 Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shoshie Nissenbaum

The firﬆ day of the omer corresponds to others. Hashem personifies this as the verse ﬆrengthen the connection between us and Avraham Avinu, the father of the Jewish says, “Olam chesed yiboneh.” (The world is Hashem. It reveals the goodness and love of nation. It relates to the attribute of chesed built on kindness.) Hashem. It teaches us to follow in Hashem’s sheb’chesed. Hashem created the world with way by doing acts of kindness. kindness. Chesed sheb’chesed is when a Avraham Avinu's entire persona was reaching person ﬆeps out of his bonds of out to others. He taught the world how much Let us reach out to do chesed, to share, and to self-absorption and gives to others with joy Hashem loves us by giving us life, feeding us, help others. Let us acknowledge the greatness and love. In shaar zayin of the sefer, Sharei and clothing us. So too creation and our body and goodness within every Jew. Orah, the author describes chesed as bear teﬆimony to the endless kindness of our engaging in kindness solely for the benefit of Creator. Chesed sheb’chesed is meant to

Rebbetzin’s Perspective IV Class #4 Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller

Queﬆion: savoring your desert. Would you say you’re really define you as a human. eating the mousse in honor of Shabbat or When I go to the gym to exercise and I think, because it taﬆes good? Would you say there are Eating, unlike exercise, is considered to be one "V'nishmartem m'eod l'nafshoseichem," (I am plenty of non-Jews who would be happy to enjoy of the main physical desires that people identify fulfilling a mitzva by taking care of my health) I that same treat? Moﬆ likely yes, but as a Jew with, some to such a great extent that it takes feel kind of dishoneﬆ. Even if I wasn't religious you probably wouldn’t indulge in something like them over. Intereﬆingly, Rabbi Nachman says in or even Jewish, I would also take care of my this on an ordinary Wednesday. When you set Likutei Moharan that a person who exercises no health. The same is true for eating and aside something special for Shabbat you’re control when he eats is likely to lie. When one’s sleeping. It seems these lines are tagged on to saying, “Here’s something I enjoy and I’ll use it to sense of self nurture is tied down to immediate actions we would do anyway and it sounds nice honor the holy day.” Moﬆ people exercise gratification, it spills over to many other areas. but it doesn’t ring true. If it was done honeﬆly, because it’s a healthy thing to do. Perhaps they You want others to appreciate you so you’ll make then the person would only exercise because of enjoy the rush of adrenaline or the sense of up ﬆories to enhance your image. You want to the mitzva. He would not eat until he felt weak well-being it generates. But if you asked yourself avoid blame so you’ll lie to cover things up. A and then only the minimum so that he could what you did with your life, I don't think you person has to eat but there shouldn’t be any continue serving Hashem. The same goes for would answer, “I exercised.” Of course not. That impulsivity or emotional bonding with the food. sleeping. How can I underﬆand this? would be a denial of your mission. A Jew’s Everyone sleeps to refresh their energy. The purpose is to serve Hashem and to bring light to queﬆion is do you do so in order to enjoy the Answer: dark places. A Jew is supposed to educate his material side of life better or as a means to fulfill children to Torah and to fulfill the mitzvot with a greater mission? A Jew’s deﬆiny is to come Let’s say it’s Friday night and you’re enjoying a passion and joy. One way of fulfilling this mission closer to Hashem. Having that in mind while delicious slice of chocolate coffee mousse. You is to keep one’s body healthy. However, it is not a engaging in the physical world, can elevate murmur l’kovod Shabbat kodesh and continue goal in and of itself and it certainly wouldn’t mundane activity to a lofty level.