"The TorahAnyTimes" Newsletter    Print Version

Parashat Bamidbar
5th of Sivan, 5776 | June 11, 2016

Compiled and Edited by Elan Perchik

Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
A Surprise from Russia

וכן נסעו איש למשפחתיו על בית אבותיו

And so they traveled – every man according to his families, by his fathers’ household (Bamidbar 2:34)

As a family made their way from Russia to the Arzei HaBirah neighborhood in Jerusalem after the fall of the Iron Curtain, they settled down into the warm community there. As it so happened, the very first Shabbat after their arrival was the bar mitzvah of one of their children. With the community quickly preparing a meal for the boy under the auspices of Rabbi Hauptman, things were nicely arranged.

At the small meal, the father of the bar mitzvah boy approached Rabbi Hauptman and asked if his son could say a few words. Being that the family had just arrived from Russia and the bulk of those present were already quite advanced in their Torah scholarship, Rabbi Hauptman was a bit hesitant to allow the boy to address the audience. He did not wish for the boy to feel overshadowed by the intelligence of those in attendance and embarrass himself. But the father was adamant that his son be allowed to speak. Finally agreeing, the boy stood up.

And then he made a siyum on Shas Mishnayot.

With everyone quite surprised by the tremendous feat of this young boy, a few men turned to the father. Knowing that he played a major role in teaching and shaping his young son, they inquired as to how it all came about. “Let me tell you,” began the father.

I myself was raised in Moscow as a young boy. Although the KGB prohibited the open practice of Judaism, my parents made it a point of infusing our home with rich values of Yiddishkeit. It was beautiful. Shabbat was very alive in our home. While we were inhibited in our overt adherence to mitzvot, my father made sure to impart Torah ideals to our family.

As I continued to get older, I began wondering how everything I was doing was in fact authentic. How was I supposed to know that the Judaism I was so familiar with was real when I had never seen another Jew practicing Yiddishkeit as we were? One time, I confronted my father and honestly asked him this question. “How do I know that this is all true and that you didn’t make it up?”

Kindly looking back at me, my father wisely said, “Honestly, I cannot prove it to you if you haven’t seen others live as we do. But you know what? I am going to send you to St. Petersburg. I will set you up with another Jewish family there and you will see what it is like.” Hearing the offer my father was making me, I agreed to make the three-day journey all by myself. I proceeded to excitingly gather my belongings together and set out for St. Petersburg.

As I arrived at the home of my host, I sensed that Shabbat was in the air. Inhaling many of the same smells and feeling much of the same excitement I had experienced in my own home, I sat down to the family’s very vibrant Shabbat table. At that point, I believed my father’s words that there were other Jews like ourselves who lived a life of Torah and mitzvot.

As I arose the next morning and began walking around the house, I noticed that the only person left was the father. “Where is everyone else?” I asked. “They have gone to work,” he replied. Surprised by the response, I stood there flustered. “Nowadays,” explained the father, “there is great concern of being sent to Siberia at any moment. If we fail to work on Shabbat, we run the risk of meeting such a sorrowful fate.”

As I heard this, I was shaken to the core. I later returned home and relayed to my father what had transpired. And then I asked the question that was on my mind. “Do you think we are going to be taken to Siberia?” Looking at me, my father said, “Honestly, I do not know. I am unsure if we will ever make it out of here. But I do know one thing. We have today to live. And with today, I will teach you Torah. And if we are given tomorrow, I will teach you Torah tomorrow. Day by day, you will learn and grow up to be knowledgeable in Torah and appreciate its beauty.”

“That,” concluded the father standing in the Shul in Arzei HaBirah, “is how I was raised. I learned to appreciate that I have Torah right now. I may not know what tomorrow will bring, but I have today. When you grow up with the attitude that every day is an opportunity to learn Torah, it is not surprising that your son can finish Shas Mishnayot at age thirteen. I imbued him with the sentiment that every day is precious and ought to be maximized for Torah learning. And he took it to heart. That is why he was able to get up today as he did and celebrate such an accomplishment.”

With every day of life, we hold the precious opportunity to connect our neshama to the eternal words of Torah and Hashem Himself. While we may never know what tomorrow will bring, we do know one thing: we have this very minute to learn and grow. And within that minute lies the keys to eternity.

Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
The Fruit of Thanks

The Chiddushei HaRim interestingly observed that we refer to the Shabbat before Yom Kippur and Sukkot as Shabbat Shuva and the Shabbat before Pesach as Shabbat HaGadol. With the holiday of Sukkot following the auspicious day of Yom Kippur during which we engage in repentance, the Shabbat prior to its commencement bears the honorary title of Shabbat Shuva (Shabbat of Repentance). Likewise, following the great and memorable event which occurred in Egypt on the 10th of Nissan, the Shabbat prior to Pesach is dubbed, “The Great Shabbat.” But what about the Shabbat before Shavuot? What is its special name?

The Chiddushei HaRim suggested that it be called “Shabbat Derech Eretz,” the Sabbath of proper character etiquette, alluding to the well-known aphorism, “Derech eretz kadma l’Torah,” proper behavior precedes Torah (Vayikra Rabbah 9:3). During the days leading up to Shavuot, during which we received the Torah, that which is to be accentuated and focused upon is our character development.

This thought, however, leads to a further point of discussion. In our tefillot recited on Shavuot, we refer to the holiday as “Zman Mattan Torahteinu,” the time of the Giving of the Torah. While the Giving of the Torah is unarguably the single-most important event in the history of Klal Yisrael, the Torah itself does not in any way associate Shavuot with Mattan Torah. As a matter of fact, the Torah describes Shavuot as “Yom HaBikkurim,” the holiday of the First Fruits.

This is quite noteworthy. While the bringing of bikkurim is a wonderful mitzvah surrounded by much excitement and ceremonial pomp, the mitzvah of learning Torah is even greater. In the words of Chazal, the mitzvah of Talmud Torah is “equivalent to all other mitzvot” (Shabbat 127a). How can anything therefore be more important than Mattan Torah? And yet, we find the Torah choosing to describe Shavuot in context of the mitzvah of bikkurim instead of the Giving of the Torah. Why is this so?

To fully understand this enigma, let us turn to a penetrating question raised by Rav Chaim Vital, foremost disciple of the Arizal. We are all well aware of the enormous importance of refining our character traits. Good character is something which hallmarks a Jew. Why then doesn’t the Torah specifically command that we have exemplary middot? Why isn’t there an explicit mitzvah to be humble and avoid anger? Undoubtedly, we learn how to properly act by examining the lives of our Avot and Imahot and other major personalities throughout the Torah. Nowhere, however, does the Torah specifically address the great importance and need of middot. Why not?

Rav Chaim Vital (Shaarei Kedusha 1:2) insightfully explains that middot are a most fundamental prerequisite to Torah. Only once one has refined his behavior and molded him or herself into a person with esteemed character can one receive the Torah. In its truest sense, derech eretz precedes Torah. The Torah therefore did not need to command us regarding positive character for it goes without saying that one must have it before he enters into any relationship with Torah. Middot are so basic a precursor to Torah that it is self-evident that they must exist before one can be given the Torah.

The mitzvah of bikkurim teaches the importance of hakarat hatov, gratitude. Bringing one’s most beloved first fruit to the Beit Hamikdash, an outpouring of gratitude to Hashem ensues. Recounting the history of our descent into Egypt, our eventual exodus and entry into Eretz Yisrael and finally the harvesting of our crop in the Land of Israel, we recognize the deep appreciation we owe Hashem for all that we have.

In this respect, the fact that the Torah places such an emphasis on Shavuot’s relationship to bikkurim is most apropos. The central theme of Yiddishkeit and that which preempts the greatest mitzvah of learning Torah is middot. By expressing our deepest sentiments of gratitude to Hashem, we inculcate the pristine mannerisms the Torah wishes for us to have. Middot, and in particular hakarat hatov, is something which the Torah places on the highest of pedestals and demands that we ingrain before receiving the Torah.

All of Judaism is in fact built upon this idea. The very first action we take in the morning is reciting Modeh Ani and thanking Hashem for giving us another day of life. Such is the life Hashem requires from us before entering into an eternal covenant with the Torah. It must be predicated upon middot, gratitude and appreciation for all that we have.

Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim
The Produce of Our Inheritance

Children from the youngest of ages are taught the ever-important words, “Torah tziva lanu Moshe morasha kehillat Yaakov” –“The Torah which Moshe commanded us is the inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob” (Devarim 33:4). Expressing a fundamental tenant of Judaism about our belief in the Torah, the description of the Torah in this phrase is quite notable. It is an “inheritance.” It is our legacy for life.

However, observes the Sefat Emet, when turning to the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot, we soon encounter a dilemma. “Prepare yourself for the study of Torah, for it is not an inheritance for you” (Pirkei Avot 2:12). What does the Mishnah mean that Torah is not an inheritance? Doesn't the Torah itself say that it is an inheritance?

In order to understand this seeming contradiction, let us first draw a distinction between an inheritance and a gift. The former comes about without the recipient doing anything concrete. Merely being the descendent of an individual reserves one entitlement to inherited property. No halachic acquisition is in fact required to substantiate one’s claim to the possessions. It automatically falls into one’s estate.

Considering this, as we find ourselves soon to receive the Torah, what exactly is occurring? Are we receiving the Torah as an inheritance or not? Must we do something to prove ourselves worthy to obtain it or are we automatically entitled?

The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 16a) states that we are judged on Shavuot with respect to peirot ha’ilan, the fruits of the tree. Why is the judgment focused on the fruits of the tree as opposed to the trees themselves?

The Sefat Emet explains that Shavuot is exactly that. The judgment is not on the tree itself, but on what it produces. In other words, the Torah – “The Tree of Life” – is absolute. Once we accepted the Torah at Har Sinai, we became its heirs forever. The Torah is our source of life to keep and no one can take that away from us. It is our inheritance.

However, what will be produced from the Torah is not an automatic inheritance. The novelties, insights and advancements forged in Torah are renewed every year. Hashem on Shavuot judges what type of Torah will be produced this year. How many more sefarim will be written, what new ideas will be presented, how much new depth and breadth will be uncovered. It is in reference to this that the above Mishnah in Pirkei Avot cautions us, “Prepare yourself for the study of Torah, for it is not an inheritance for you.” Much dedication and application is necessary in order to delve into the many layers of Torah. It is not something which we inherit from our predecessors.

What thus occurs on Shavuot is two-fold. On the one hand, we automatically receive the Torah as heirs to our Jewish heritage. However, how much and to what extent the Torah’s wisdom and insights will be explicated and elucidated this year is left up to us. The “produce” of the “Tree of Life” is judged on Shavuot. We determine the results of that very important decision. How enthusiastic and ready we are to embrace the vast beauty of Torah and probe into its veritable gold mine is our choice.

A Short Message From
Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz

One of the greatest attitudes we can develop in life is appreciating the present moment. I remember having the privilege of hearing Arthur Rubinstein play the piano in St. Louis many years ago. After his performance, someone went up to him and asked, “What is your favorite piece?” “The one I’m playing,” he replied.