‫בס“ד‬

Toronto Torah Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Sh‟lach 23 Sivan 5770/June 5, 2010 Vol. I Num. 32

“Lihyot am kodshi b’artzeinu” Russell Levy

The Parsha of Shlach seemingly dreams of Am Yisrael: the tachlit, the l i ve wi l l n o t c ar e a b o u t t h e

consists of disparate stories and objective, of the geulah process was no consequences of their actions. This may
mitzvot, a hodgepodge of sections longer possible in their lifetimes. be the message of the mekoshesh:
without any connection. Starting with Immediately following this, the mitzvot Immediately after these mitzvot are
the sin of the Spies, the narrative of nesachim and challah are given. They given, we are told that the mekoshesh
segues to the mitzvot of nesachim, of are both introduced with a perplexing was not able to keep one Shabbat. The
libations, the requirement to separate phrase: “When you arrive in the land.” Ramban explicitly says that he sinned
challah, and the atonement procedure Is Hashem mocking Bnai Yisrael? Just a because they were stuck in the desert:
for public and private idol worship. few psukim earlier, the people to whom “Since they tarried in the desert
Finally, the Torah presents the these mitzvot are addressed were told because of the above-mentioned
mekoshesh, the first documented they would never enter the land! decree, this event happened.”
public desecrator of Shabbat, and It is obvious that Hashem is not deriding Unfortunately, the great heights his
concludes with the mitzvah of tzitzit. them, or even giving them mussar. children would reach were no comfort
However, it is obvious that a divinely These mitzvot are Hashem‟s to this man: in his mind, he would be
given book is not just an eclectic set of consolation: it is true you may not be consumed by the divine retribution
loosely connected tales; no placement going, but you live on through your meted out over the sin of the Spies.
of a mitzvah is out of place, and with children, and your children‟s children. I Though ideally we should see the
some inquiry, the message behind the have forgiven you, and though you may exalted status our children achieve as a
placement of these mitzvot will be never enter the Land, your progeny still direct consequence of the way we
apparent. have a great future ahead of them. reared them, sometimes it is hard to do
The trauma experienced by the people Furthermore, even if your children sin if we are left behind.
of Israel from their punishment of as you did by accidentally rejecting Me Immediately after the debacle of the
dying in the desert was enormous. and worshipping idols, there is a mekoshesh, after Bnai Yisrael saw one of
After the miracles in Egypt, becoming process for repentance, and they will their own failing in this regard, Hashem
a free nation and directly hearing be safe in the land. comforted the nation with a new
Hashem at Sinai, they were on the cusp For many, the knowledge that their mitzvah: the mitzvah of tzitzit.
of reaching their goal, to become children have a bright future ahead is “Speak unto Israel and say to them:
Hashem‟s Holy Nation in Israel: in the enough. However, some, in such They shall make tzitzit for themselves on
words of R‟ Ahron Solovetchik, “lihyot situations, may lose hope. Dostoyevsky the corners of their garments,
am kodshi b‟artzeinu”. This famously said, "To live without hope is throughout the generations.” Hashem
punishment shattered the hopes and to cease to live," and one who ceases to exhorted the People of Israel to
recognize that even though they are not
entering the land, they, too, have an
Parshah Questions R’ Meir Lipschitz illustrious future. The connection we can
create, the dvekut we can achieve with
(Sources are provided to help the reader research answers)
just a simple mitzvah of putting fringes
 Why is Chevron mentioned as one of the stops in the journey of the Spies? on your clothes is as weighty as all the
(Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban to Bamidbar 13:22 and Sotah 34b) other mitzvot combined (Menachot
 How did the situation reach the point where the whole nation wanted to 43b).
stone Yehoshua and Caleb? (Rashi, Ohr HaChaim, Gur Aryeh, and Da‟at It is true that the generation of the
Mikra to Bamidbar 14:10) meraglim was not able to transform into
“am kodshi b‟artzenu”; nevertheless,
 How do the tzitzit and t‟chelet serve as reminders of the mitzvot? (Rashi, the mitzvah of tzitzit was meant to
Rashbam, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Ba‟al HaTurim, Abarbanel, Da‟at Zekeinim, remind them that we should not give up
Malbim, Kli Yakar, Gur Aryeh, Netziv, Torah Temimah, Meshech Chochmah
hope. “Lihyot am kodshi,” to be
and Chofetz Chaim to Bamidbar 15:39 and Menachot 43b)
Hashem‟s Holy Nation, is something we
 For children: Why is the incident of the spies recorded immediately after can achieve anywhere, no matter what
the incident with Miriam? (Rashi to Bamidbar 13:2) our circumstances, and is also a worthy
mlipschitz@torontotorah.com goal.
rlevy@torontotorah.com
”Spirituality Deficiency Syndrome”
In Parshas B’haaloscha we find one of
the most remarkable narrations in the
Torah.
The Israelites grumbled. They were
dissatisfied with the manna and longed
for the “good old days” in Egypt when
they had a variety of foods. “We want
meat!” they said.
How did Moshe respond? Listen to this.
“Moshe said to Hashem, „Why have You
done evil to Your servant? Why have I
not found favor in Your eyes, that You
place the burden of this entire people
upon me? Did I conceive this entire
people or did I give birth to it, that You
say to me, “Carry them in your bosom,
as a nurse carries a suckling, to the
Land that You swore to its forefathers?”
Where shall I get meat to give to this
entire people when they weep to me,
saying, “Give us meat that we may
eat?” I alone cannot carry this entire
nation, for it is too heavy for me for me!
And if this is how You deal with me,
then kill me now, if I have found favor in
Your eyes, and let me not see my
evil” (Numbers 11:4-15).
Can we recognize this Moshe? When
the Israelites sinned with the Golden
Calf, Moshe put his life on the line, say-
ing to Hashem, “If You do not forgive
them, take me out of the Book You have
written.” Later on, when they lost faith
in Hashem and wanted to return to
Egypt rather than conquer Canaan,
Moshe again pleaded for them. At every
step, Moshe was a devoted advocate for
The 613 Mitzvot – Mitzvah 37 :
The Prohibition Against False Testimony
The Torah‟s prohibition against
lying is not limited to courtroom
testimony, but the specification of
“false testimony” serves as an
additional prohibition for court
cases. A witness who is caught
testifying falsely may, depending on
circumstances, be incriminated as
an ‫ ;עד זומם‬such a person is punished
according to the suffering he
intended to cause with his
testimony.
The Torah stressed the harm of lying
in court, specifically, because
2 Visit us at www.torontotorah.com
the people, and here, when they ask for
meat, he says “Did I conceive this entire
people or did I give birth to it?” and “If
this is how You deal with me, then kill
me now.” This is completely out of char-
acter for Moshe.
Rashi provides the answer. When the
Torah says, “Moshe heard the people
weeping in their family groups “(ibid.
11:10), Rashi says they were weeping
because the Torah forbids some intra-
family marriages. That is why they were
dissatisfied, but that is not what they
said. They attributed their dissatisfaction
to the manna. Moshe‟s attitude was, “Let
them be truthful and tell me what it is
that they want, and I can deal with it. But
if what they really want is to lift the re-
strictions against intra-family marriages,
but they don‟t admit it, how can I deal
with them? If I give them all the meat in
the world and all the fish in the sea, they
will still not be satisfied, because that is
not what they want.”
Indeed, the Israelites themselves may
not have been aware of the real cause of
their unhappiness. It is quite common
that we deceive ourselves, perhaps be-
cause we do not wish to own up to what
is really bothering us. We may say, “I‟d
be happy if I had a better job, a better
house, a better car, etc.” Invariably,
when we get what we said we wanted,
our relief is very short-lived. We are
again unhappy, and attribute it to some-
thing else.
undermining the courts undermines
Torah and civilization. For this reason,
the neviim spent considerable time
inveighing against corruption in the
beit din.
Pirkei Avot 1:18 echoed this point in
noting that honest testimony is part of
the foundation on which the world
rests: “The world exists on three
things: Law, Truth and Peace.” Our
Torah is a Torah of Truth, and G-d‟s
seal is Truth.
torczyner@torontotorah.com
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski
I suspect that many people are unhappy
because they are not fulfilling them-
selves. In Happiness and the Human
Spirit I elaborated on this, pointing out
that many people suffer from a
“Spirituality Deficiency Syndrome,” but
instead of recognizing this and leading
more spiritual lives, they attribute their
discontent to various other causes. The
reason for this may be that living a more
spiritual life would require much more
serious attention to Torah, and particu-
larly to changing our middos. The latter
is not easy.
Rebbe Yisrael of Salant said, “It is easier
to learn the entire Talmud than to
change a single character trait.” The
Gaon of Vilna said that man was created
for the purpose of overcoming his natu-
ral inclinations. Failure to do so results
in the “Spirituality Deficiency Syn-
drome,” which is as real as iron defi-
ciency and vitamin deficiency. The lat-
ter results in physical symptoms,
whereas the former results in chronic
discontent. Because we do not wish to
exert the effort to change our innate
character traits, we project our discon-
tent to other things.
This is why Moshe reacted differently to
the people‟s complaints. “It is impossi-
ble for me to satisfy them. They do not
admit what they really want, and may
not even be aware of it themselves.”
This Torah episode provides an impor-
tant teaching for us. We may delude
ourselves, thinking that we know what
we need, when the truth is that we are
lacking in self-fulfillment. No psychiatric
medication can eliminate the unhappi-
ness of the “Spirituality Deficiency Syn-
drome.”
This article is reprinted with permission
from TorahWeb—www.torahweb.org
Mazal Tov to Yael Meyer
and her parents
Yisrael Dov and Karen
on her Bat Mitzvah!
§
Mazal Tov to Russell Levy
on the wedding of
his brother David Levy
to Hadas Inchi!
 Ha’Am V’Ha’Aretz
Rav Emanuel Ricci R’ Mordechai Torczyner EILAT
Eilat, Israel's southernmost city, is next to
the Egyptian city of Taba and the
Torah in Translation Rav Raphael Emanuel Chai Ricci was Jordanian port of Aqaba. Even though
born in Ferrara, Italy on the 15th of
Israel Rebuilt: Tammuz, 5448 (1688). His father
today‟s Eilat is named for a city of Eilat
which is mentioned in the Tanach, it is
A Prequisite for Mashiach passed away when the future-Rav believed that the actual location for
Rav Emanuel Ricci Ricci was only six years old, and his biblical Eilat is Aqaba. Eilat was one of
mother‟s brother raised him for the the stops made by Bnei Yisrael when
next thirteen years until he, too, they were traveling to Eretz Yisrael after
(Hon Ashir to Sotah Perek 9) passed away. they left Mitzrayim. It was a port city in
the country of Se'ir, where the people of
[Rav Ricci‟s comment is on the text of Rav Ricci became a travelling tutor, Edom, descendants of Eisav, lived.
Sotah 49b about the period before wedding his wife Miriam while pursu- During the reign of David Hamelech, the
Mashiach arrives: “And the Galil will be ing this ambulatory lifestyle, until he Edomim made a surprise attack on Bnei
desolate, and the Gavlan will be settled in Trieste as a teacher. While Yisrael in the south while they were in
destroyed, and the people of the border in Trieste he wrote the work Maaseh the middle of a war in the north with
will circulate from town to town and will Chosheiv, about the tasks employed Aram. After David's general, Yoav ben
not be shown favor.”] in the mishkan, and his son Avraham Tzruya won the battle in the north; he
immediately went on the defensive in the
Shemuel was born. At his next stop, in
“And the Galil will be desolate,” without south. After a long and hard battle, Se'ir
Gorz, he wrote Chosheiv Machashavot
homes, as it is written (Vayyikra 26:33), was conquered and Eilat was included in
on Tanach and Talmud.
“And your cities will be in ruins.” Israel's new borders.
After Shlomo Hamelech inherited the
When G-d gave me the opportunity in At the age of thirty Rav Ricci as- kingdom from his father, he invested
5478 (1718) to ascend to the Land of cended to Israel, where he settled in much effort in developing the country
Israel, here, Tzfat, may it be rebuilt soon Tzefat and became a student of the Ari (after he spent seven years building the
in our days, which is in the land of the z”l‟s kabbalah. While there, Rav Ricci Beit Hamikdash!). The first city that he
Galil, my eyes saw and it was not foreign, authored Hon Ashir on mishnah. A helped "rebuild" was Eilat, turning it into
how, in our great sins, this came to pass. plague forced him to leave two years a very big port city and center for trade.
It was entirely filled with ruined homes. later, and then his ship was captured Shlomo also built a big fleet of ships,
by pirates. Rav Ricci and his family with aid from Hiram, king of Tzur.
But, praise G-d, I rejoiced when I saw were ransomed, and returned to Italy, After the kingdom of Israel was split,
during the two years I remained there where he wrote his major kabbalistic Eilat was included with the southern
that, on a daily basis, people rebuild work, Mishnat Chassidim, and served kingdom of Yehudah. During that time,
those homes. I say that this is a good sign for four years in Gorz as a community not many Jews lived in Eilat on a
of the arrival of the redeemer soon, in our rabbi. permanent basis. The third king of
days. If he would come when it was in Yehudah, Yehoshaphat ben Asa,
ruins, there would be no place for the Rav Ricci wrote additional works, in- attempted to renew the fleet and trade
ingathered exiles to live! cluding Mikveh Taharah on the laws of center. He enlisted the help of Achazya,
king of Yisrael, but because of Achazya's
And so we found in the first entry [to mikvaot, Tefillin d’Marei Alma on the sins the entire fleet sank not long after
Israel]. The sages taught that G-d kept issue of donning tefillin on chol starting their journey.
the Jews in the wilderness for forty years hamoed, Chozeh Tzion on Tehillim In 1948, Yigal Alon came up with a plan
so that the land could return to its and Aderet Eliyahu on the gemara. He to capture Eilat and carried it out on
strength during that period, restoring the also composed poetry and piyyutim, January 1949. The plan was that the
trees and structures that the Emorites had and responsa on matters of tefillah. Golani unit would be used as bait and
destroyed and uprooted when the Jews come up in the east of Eilat and that the
left Egypt. The Emorites thought that the Rav Ricci eventually returned to his Negev unit would sneak up from the
Jews would enter the land immediately, travels, publishing and marketing his other side. The plan succeeded with
and so they planned for the Jews to find it books in Turkey, Greece, Amsterdam almost no bullets being shot.
desolate. Once the land returned to its and England, among other places. Today Eilat is a vacation resort for many
strength, He brought them into the land. Ultimately he returned to Israel and tourists and Israelis. The climate makes it
settled in Yerushalayim, where he especially popular in the winter. Eilat
So it will be, with G-d‟s help, with the tried to establish a yeshiva. While en has many hotels and tourist attractions,
arrival of our Mashiach, who will come route home from a fund-raising trip such as the Dolphin Reef and the
soon, in our days. He will be revealed Rav Ricci was killed by bandits, on Underwater Observatory.
first in this land of the Galil, as is seen in Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5503 (1743), at
the age of 54. Adapted from an article originally published
the Zohar.
by Torah miTzion.
torczyner@torontotorah.com

Visit us at www.torontotorah.com 3
Shiur in Review: Burning Chametz on Yom Tov R' Azarya Berzon

).‫פסחים (ה‬
‫ הרי הוא אומר אך ביום‬,‫רבי עקיבא אומר אינו צריך‬
‫הראשון תשביתו שאר מבתיכם וכתיב כל מלאכה לא‬
.‫תעשו ומצינו להבערה שהיא אב מלאכה‬
‫תוספות שם ד"ה‬
‫ אע" ג דכשישרף ויעשה‬- ‫כתיב כל מלאכה לא תעשו‬
):‫גחלים הנאתו מותר כדאמר בפרק כל שעה (לקמן כו‬
‫גבי ערלה וכו ' כיון דמתחלת הבערה אינו יכול‬
‫להנות ממנו אע"ג שיהא לו הנאה ממנו אחר כך אסור‬
‫כמו נדרים ונדבות שאין קריבין בי"ט למ"ד (ביצה דף‬
‫) אף על פי שיש בהן מאכל הדיוט לבסוף ומאן‬.‫יט כ‬
.‫דשרי שרי מלהנות‬
Tosfot raises the possibility that one
could use chametz as fuel on Pesach the
same way one is permitted to use orla
[the first three years of a tree] as fuel.
However, if this were correct, how does
Rebby Akiva in Psachim (5a) prove that
the mitzvah to burn chametz [Tashbitu]
cannot apply on the first day of Pesach?
Tos‟ answers that although there is no
problem regarding benefiting from
chametz through its burning,
nevertheless the act of burning a fire on
Yom Tov is prohibited as a category of
labor [Melacha]. Hence Rebby Akiva‟s
proof that the mitzvah of burning chametz
could not possibly apply on Pesach itself.
The obvious objection to the reasoning
of Tosfot is: since the Torah permitted
cooking on Yom Tov so why can‟t one
use his chametz as fuel to cook with? Tos‟
answers that this situation is comparable
to that of slaughtering voluntary korbanot
on Yom Tov which is prohibited despite
the fact that once the Hakrava is
complete the meat of the korban is eaten.
In both cases, i.e. that of burning
chametz as fuel and that of
slaughtering the korban, the benefit of
eating [Ochel Nefesh] is only possible
some time later than the moment at
which the Melacha is performed.
Permission for a Melaches Ochel
Nefesh can only be granted if the
benefit [Ochel Nefesh] is made
possible simultaneous with the
performance of the Melacha act. When
one begins the process of burning his
chametz, he cannot enjoy any benefit
from his chametz; only later when the
chametz is completely burned is he
permitted to do so. Similarly, at the
moment of the slaughtering of the
korban, its meat belongs to Gavoha
and one is enjoined from eating the
meat until the Hakrava is complete.
Such a Melacha cannot be deemed a
Melaches Ochel Nefesh.
A fascinating conclusion can be drawn
from the logic of Tosfot. If the benefit
would come simultaneously with the
act of burning it would be permissible.
This would impact on the case of the
burning of Trumah Temeiah as fuel for
cooking since one is allowed to benefit
from that fire from the very moment of
its burning. Hence it should be
permissible on Yom Tov. Yet the
mishna [Shabbat 24b] prohibits it! We
must conclude that this prohibition is
Rabbinic in nature, indicated by the Ri
in Tosfot Psachim 46a (beginning Lo):
‫ר"י פי' דודאי מותר לשרוף ביו " ט תרומה לצורך‬
‫אוכל נפש דלא שייך למימר משולחן גבוה קא זכו‬
‫אלא דגזרינן לצורך אטו שלא לצורך דשלא‬
‫לצורך אסור מן התורה דגמרינן מקדשים שאין‬
.‫שורפין ביו"ט‬
But a different approach to the
questions of burning chametz as fuel
and slaughtering the korban is offered
by other Ba‟aley HaTosfot [see Beitza
21a, and Psachim 46a]. The Melacha
must be related to Ochel Nefesh in its
very nature. It is not enough that the
Melacha will lead to Ochel Nefesh; the
quality of the Melacha act and its
essence must be one of Ochel
Nefesh. The prime example of this
concept is Schita which is inherently an
act of Ochel Nefesh since its purpose is
to permit the eating of the meat. This
changes in the case of the slaughtering
of a korban where the Schita is related
to Gavoha. Similarly the burning of
chametz and Trumah Temei’ah which is
implemented for the sake of the
mitzvah cannot be considered
inherently an act of Ochel Nefesh.
‫תוספות פסחים דף מו עמוד א‬
‫ותירץ ריב " א דשמן של חולין מותר להדליק‬
‫להנאתו כמו שמותר לאכול אבל תרומה טמאה‬
‫דאסורה בכל ההנאות נמצא שההבערה אינה להנאה‬
‫אלא לשם מצות שריפה אלא שהתורה לא הקפידה‬
‫אם יהנה ממנה בשעת שריפה לכך אין דוחה יו "ט‬
‫כשאר שריפת קדשים מידי דהוי אנדרים ונדבות‬
‫) אע"פ שיש‬.‫למ"ד אין קרבים ביו"ט (ביצה דף יט‬
‫בהן היתר לאכילת אדם כיון דעיקרו לגבוה וכהנים‬
‫משולחן גבוה קזכו אסור לשוחטן ולמ " ד קרבים‬
‫קסבר עיקר שחיטה לצורך אדם אבל שריפת‬
‫תרומה טמאה אינה לשם הנאה מדאסר כל שאר‬
‫הנאות אלא ודאי לשם מצות ביעור הוא‬
aberzon@torontotorah.com

Schedule for the Week of June 5, 23 Sivan

Shabbat, June 5
Wednesday, June 9
Following Family Minyan: R‟ Mordechai Torczyner, Mini-Shiur, BAYT
9:15AM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner, Women‟s Torah Class, 23
8:00PM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Pirkei Avot, BAYT
Finlayson, Babysitting provided Women
Sunday, June 6 7:30PM R‟ Meir Lipschitz, Ramchal‟s Derech Hashem, Kehillat
9:15AM Itamar Zolberg, Shiur B‟Ivrit Zichron Yisrael Shaarei Torah Men and Women
7:30PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Masechet Kiddushin, Shaarei Shomayim 8:00PM Russell Levy: Contemporary Halachah, B‟nai Torah
Monday, June 7 Cancelled this week
10:00AM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Midrasha, Thursday, June 10
BAYT Women 9:00AM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Kollel,
7:30PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Hilchot Talmud Torah, Clanton Park Clanton Park
9:00PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Ramban al haTorah, 160 Faywood 11:00AM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Masechet Pesachim (Advanced), Clanton
Tuesday, June 8 Park
9:00AM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Kollel, 3:40PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Hilchot Muktzah (Advanced), Clanton
Clanton Park Park Men
11:00AM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Pesachim, Clanton Park Men 8:45PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Halachah and Life Issues, Clanton Park
1:30PM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Sefer Amos with Mekorot, Shaarei Men
Shomayim Women Friday, June 11
7:30 PM R‟ Azarya Berzon: Halachah & Hashkafah for Life, BAYT 9:00AM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer
9:00PM R‟ Mordechai Torczyner: Minchat Chinuch Cancelled this Midrasha, BAYT
week

4 We would like to thank koshertube.com for filming our shiurim! Visit us at www.torontotorah.com