Shalom Friends;
Our Shavuot vort is being sponsored by David and Tzippora Leichter of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated lilui nishmas David’s Grandmother, Sarah bat Yehuda and dedicated for the safety of the Chayalim as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To the Leichter family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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The opening posukim of Megillat Ruth reads (“The Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillat Ruth,” pages 60 – 64) :
“And it happened in the days when the Judges judged, that there was a famine in the Land, and a man went from Beit Lechem to Yehudah to sojourn in the fields of Moav, he, his wife and his two sons. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Na’omi, and his two sons were named Machlon and Kilyon, Ephratim of Beit Lechem in Yehudah.”
“The Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillat Ruth” provides a commentary on “A man went” (page 61) :
[The appellation (Noun: a name, title, or designation) ‘man,’ throughout Tanach signifies prominence.] The Targum here translates “Gavrah Rahbaw,” a great man.
Elimelech was very wealthy and the provider of that generation, who left Eretz Yisrael because he was selfish and was afraid that all of the impoverished people would come and knock at his door for help. For this he was punished. [“The Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillat Ruth” citing Rashi]
“He was punished because he struck despair into the hearts of Israel. When the famine came, he arose and fled.” [“The Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillat Ruth” citing Midrash]
Elimelech may have rationalized his departure by claiming that he could not bear to witness the corruption of the judges while powerless to correct the situation, or that he was not required to dispense more than a fifth of his resources to Tzedakah — hardly enough to feed all of the hungry. [“The Artscroll Tanach Series: Megillat Ruth” citing Kol Yehudah]
Ima Shel Malchut notes…. an added insight into Elimelech’s misdeed can be gained if we remember that all of the inhabitants of Beit Lechem were related to each other in some manner, and that now, in the days of trouble, Elimelech’s family had deserted their relatives and fled.
Rabbi Hershel Reichman provides commentary from Parshat Bamidbar regarding the dual roles of each Jew which we could relate to the opening posukim of Megillat Ruth in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy — Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel, Volume Two” (pages 503, 508 – 509) :
We each have a dual role. We are part of the collective of Am Yisrael and, in that sense, we have one shared name: B’nei Yisrael… Within this shared identity, we also have personal roles — one’s individuality and unique experiences, Each person has his individual name. According to Chassidus, the name a person receives is really G’d-given. Even though children are normally named by their parents, the parents receive a sort of prophecy, as the name they give defines the character of the child.
Every Jew functions both as an individual…, and as part of the collective… We have many Mitzvot that we perform on our own…. There are also Mitzvot that we do as a nation. Settling the Land of Israel and appointing a Jew as Melech Yisrael are among national Mitzvot.
The Jews marched out of Mitzrayim as a group. They suffered together, and they were redeemed together. The nation of Jews became a people on Pesach.
We prepare for Shavuot by improving our character, particularly in areas of ahavat Yisrael. We each work to improve ourselves in order to prepare for Matan Torah. Am Yisrael in the desert also prepared themselves to receive the Torah. This was an individual preparation. Ma’amad Har Sinai was also an individual experience. Each person had his or her own special place to stand depending on their spiritual level. Moshe stood alone at the top of Har Sinai. Aaron had his own spot, as did Yehoshua, Nadav and Avihu. It was was a personal experience. Every Jew had to be there because of his preciousness as an individual.
Chassidim like to say that the word Yisrael is roshei teivot for… there are 600,000 letters in the Torah.” The number 600,000 is the mystical number for Am Yisrael, their approximate number in all of the censuses in the desert. When the State of Israel was founded in 1948, there were also approximately 600,000 Jews in the Land.
In a Sefer Torah, if a single letter is missing, the entire Sefer is invalid for use. Similarly, each Jew has a unique and necessary individuality. If one is missing, the entire collective will miss his contribution… If we understand how precious each Jew is, we can have true ahavat Yisrael. This means that we can love the group, the nation of Israel, as well as each individual Jew.
The duality (Noun: the state or quality of being two or in two parts) of the Jew, his uniqueness and individual abilities, talents and role within his shevet and within the totality of Am Yisrael is exemplified:(Adjective: Shown or demonstrated by or as an example) by the roles of the three Levite families as Torah presents at the conclusion of Parshat Bamidbar and the beginning of our Parshat Naso:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron, saying: ‘Take a census of the sons of Kehat from the sons of Levi, according to their families, according to their fathers’ households; from thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age, everyone who comes to the legion to perform work in the Ohel Mo’ed.'” [The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash rendering to English Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 4, posukim 1 – 2]
“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: ‘Take a census of the sons of Gershon, as well, according to their families, according to their fathers’ households; from thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age, everyone who comes to the legion to perform work in the Ohel Mo’ed….
The sons of Merari — according to their families, according to their fathers’ households; from thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age shall you count them, everyone who comes to the legion to perform work in the Ohel Mo’ed.'” [The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash rendering to English Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 4, posukim 21 – 23, 29 – 30]
Rabbi Hershel Reichman provides commentary about these three Levite families, their differing missions regarding the Mishkan based on their respective levels of dealing with the yeitzer hora in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy — Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel, Volume Two” (pages 515 – 518)
:
The three Levite families — Gershon, Kehat and Merari — each had a different mission. Kehat had the most exalted role in the Mishkan. They took care of the Kodesh and Kadosh HaKadoshim. The carried the Aron, Menorah, Mizbechos, and the Shulchan, the Holiest vessels of the Mishkan.
Gershon had the second-level job. They carried the covers that formed the roof of the Mishkan.
Merari had the lowest level role, the difficult job of carrying the heavy beams of the Mishkan and the courtyard.
The Avnei Neizer offers an interesting insight into this division [of missions]… There are… different strategies for dealing with the problem of [the yeitzer hora]. We all face challenges from our yeitzer hora, and there are three ways to contend with it. This applies to struggle between good and evil on several levels, within each person, between the person and the environment outside, and between Am Yisrael and our enemies.
One approach, and the highest level, is that we become so good, righteous, and pure that evil doesn’t surface within us at all.
At the second level, we do think of evil and it’s temptations. It approaches us and tempts us, but we are able to summon the power within ourselves to drive away evil thoughts.
The third way of coping with evil is less perfect. The evil side emerges within us and puts evil thoughts and temptations in our minds. We struggle with the evil thoughts but don’t succumb to them. One’s actions are good; he doesn’t let the evil control him. However, it is still inside him. He is continuously tempted and struggling, even though he may successfully control it. This option of combating evil is also considered success, albeit with a bitter side.
The Avnei Neizer explains that this describes the spiritual idea of the three families within Shevet Levi, the three ways of dealing with evil.
The members of Kehat are able to go into the Kadosh HaKodoshim and take [the Holiest object in the world]
the Aron. They must be pure and cleansed of any evil to be able to enter.Gershon is the second family, a notch below Kehat. In Hebrew, the first few letters of Gershon’s name — gimmel – reish – shin spell “geresh,” meaning to drive away. The name represents their spiritual level. They think of and are tempted by evil, but they drive away temptation from their minds and bodies.
The third level is the family of Merari. “Mar” means bitter. The people of Merari are Tzaddikim, but they are in a continuous, bitter struggle with evil urges. They are successful and don’t give in to the evil impulses. They maintain their commitment to Torah, but the struggle is unending.
Many of us… are like the family of Merari, who must continuously fight against the yeitzer hora every day. The Gemara says that the yeitzer hora of a person rises up against him each day. [Rabbi Reichman citing Kiddushin 30b]
According to the Ba’al HaTanya, the great founder of the Chabad Chassidic Dynasty, Hashem greatly appreciates this bitterness, He appreciates this struggle even more than the righteousness of Kehat and Gershon.
As an aside, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, z”l adds commentary regarding the responsibilities of each of the three families involving their differing degrees of Holiness in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” (pages 213 – 214) :
We may assume that Merari was not permitted to perform the functions of Gershon, and Gershon was not permitted to perform the functions of Kehat, because each was not elevated to the status of the next one. We may assume that the reverse is also true, that [for example] a Kehat who did the work of a Gershon was punished for doing a job other than the one he was given. In the same way, an officer in the army who does the work of a private may be punished for demeaning the status of his rank.
We learn from this that one should be happy with his station in life. It is wrong to presume to a higher level than the one for which he is qualified. Similarly, one should not degrade himself by seeking a position lower than that for which he is fit. Although one should always aspire to improve himself, this should not be at the cost of usurping a position to which he is not entitled.
As Jews, recognizing the respective levels of Yiddishkeit, of dealing with the yeitzer hora, and of spirituality, it seems to this author that the dual roles of each Jew — as an individual and as an important cog in the unity of Am Yisrael as one — is best served by being here, making Aliyah, living in Eretz Yisrael, and in short, being a real player — living the Milchemtah shel Torah, rather than just a fan or a spectator watching events on CNN, MSNBC or NPR..
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators, Iran and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see, with Operation Roaring Lions — the joint action by our Chayalim and the United States against the Mullahs of what has been the Islamic Caliphate dictatorship controlling Iran, that Islam and its barbarous terrorist tentacles of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, as well as Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan and all who seek war against the Jews be totally eradicated, both in Israel’s neighborhood, as well as internationally, B’Ezrat Hashem. May we see a government of Israel secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Ezrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Yom Tov and Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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