Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Parshat Shemini is dedicated lilui nishmas for the yahrtzeit of my mother, Chana bat Zalman who was niftar on 22 Nissan) 5775.
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 HaShevua.
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
skype: mark.burt3
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After learning in Parsha Tzav that for seven days, Moshe taught Aaron HaKohen and his sons the laws of their Avodah (the Kohanic Service, i.e. in the Tabernacle and later in the Beit HaMikdash — ” The Temple”) in the Mishkan, our Parsha Shemini begins by relating that on the eighth day, Aaron and his sons commenced their Avodah HaKodosh (Holy Service).
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin provides a context on this eighth day in his sefer “Unlocking the Torah Text”, Sefer Vayikra (page 53) :
…After seven days of preparation, an eighth, celebratory day of investiture dawns for Aaron and his sons. On this day, they will publicly assume the Kehunah, an honored priestly role to be bequeathed in perpetuity, to their descendants. (Rabbi Goldin summarizing Sefer Vayikra, Perek 9, posukim 1-24)
Torah relates:
“Moshe said to Aaron; ‘Come near to the Mizbeiyach [Altar] and perform the service of your sin-offering and your olah-offering and provide atonement for yourself and for the people; then perform the service of the people’s offering provide atonement for them, as Hashem has commanded.'” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 9, posuk 7 rendered to English in The Sapirstein Edition, The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary, pages 95-96)
Rashi on Sefer Vayikra, Perek 9, posuk 7 notes:
‘Come near to the Mizbeiyach…’ For Aaron was embarrassed and afraid to approach — and Moshe said to him, “Why are you embarrassed? This is what you were selected for.” (ibid)
Note number 3 on the above Rashi records:
Moshe could have told Aaron, “Perform the service of your sin-offering and your olah-offering” without any introduction. The introductory statement, “Come near to the Mizbeiyach,” indicates that Aaron hesitated to approach the Mizbeiyach. (ibid, Rashi citing Torat Kohanim, Miluim 8, Mizrachi; Sifsei Chachamim)
The Artscroll Stone Chumash provides further notes regarding the above Rashi (page 589):
Degel Machaneh Ephraim comments homiletically, “It is precisely because you possess the attribute of shame that you have been chosen: Hashem despises the haughty.”
“And for the people.” Indirectly, Aaron’s personal offering was an atonement for the people as well as himself, because one cannot atone for others unless he is himself free from sin. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Bava Metzia 107b) Only after Aaron had atoned for himself could he bring the communal offerings listed in [Perek 9] posuk 3. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Ibn Ezra)
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his sefer, “Growth Through Torah,” provides further insight regarding Moshe’s call to Aaron to approach the Mizbeiyach (page 246):
Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin explained: Aaron in his humility felt that he was unworthy to be the High Priest of Am Yisrael. This is exactly what makes you worthy of being the High Priest, replied Moshe. The attribute of humility is so precious that because you have this trait you were chosen to be the High Priest. (Rabbi Pliskin citing a footnote to Ruach Chayim 4.1)
The Sochaczever Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, z”l writes, in his sefer “Shem Mishmuel” on our Parshat Shemini (page 237) :
An important Rashi in this sidrah quotes a remarkable statement made by Moshe Rabbeinu about his brother Aaron: Aaron, my brother, is more worthy and important that I, for through his offerings and his service the Divine Presence shall rest upon you [the people], and you shall know that Hashem has chosen him. (Shem Mishmuel citing Rashi on Sefer Vayikra, Perek 9, posuk 23)
Shem Mishmuel now compares Aaron’s sense of humility with that of Avraham and Moshe (ibid, pages 238-240):
While Avraham espoused a feeling that he was of dust and ashes, these still had some existence and value.
The mind-set of Aaron was entirely different. His humility was of a much more direct type. He really believed himself to be insignificant, unworthy of greatness or special consideration. He kept his role in the eigel incident firmly in his mind, to perpetuate his lowly self-image, as the Ramban tells us:
There are those who say that Aaron perceived the Mizbeiyach in the shape of a bull and was frightened by it… This means that because Aaron was so holy, his soul had only sinned with regard to the eigel. This sin was fixed in his thoughts, as the verse says, “My sin is always before me” (Shem Mishmuel citing Tehillim 51:5). So it appeared to him [at the Mizbeiyach] as though a form of an eigel was there, preventing atonement… (Shem Mishmuel citing Ramban on Sefer Vayikra, Perek 9, posukim 7-8)
Even though this was his one error (and he had been absolved by Hashem) he reckoned that his role in the construction of the eigel proved that he was unworthy. Thus he assumed that this would always affect his ability to achieve atonement at the Mizbeiyach. …[While] Moshe achieved humility with respect to Hashem, … Aaron felt that he was intrinsically worthless.
But in his own way, Aaron was… perhaps even greater than he [Moshe], in seeing and experiencing his own personal deficiencies.
Humility is a lesson to be learned and relearned. As Rabbi Pliskin writes (“Growth Through Torah,” page 246) :
A person with true humility will learn from others, he will ask questions when he has doubts, and will be open to criticism. Never allow humility to stop you from worthy accomplishments.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them and that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes, and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Yishuv Chomesh be rebuilt at government expense; both due to alt-leftist-agendized, supreme court legalized Yassamnik gunpoint. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his third year at home in Eretz Yisrael and has embarked on a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her memory and spirit 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, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of nine 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. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. 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 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.
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