Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShavua, Parshat Shemini is dedicated Lilui Nishmas for the Yahrtzeit of My Mother, Chana bat Zalman HaKohen who was niftar on 22 Nissan 5775 and for the safety of the Chayalim as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael.
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 subscribe, and hopefully to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. 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 Parshat Tzav tell:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: ‘Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law of the elevation offering: It is the elevation offering [that stays] on the flame, on the Mizbeiyach, all night until the morning, and the fire of the Mizbeiyach should be kept aflame on it.'” [Sefer Vayikra, Perek 6, posukim 1 – 2 rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash]
Our Parsha Shemini begins by relating that on the eighth day, Aaron and his sons commenced their Avodah HaKodosh (Holy Service) as cited in “The Living Torah,” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, z”l:
“On the eighth day, Moshe summoned Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Yisrael. He said to Aaron, ‘Take yourself a calf [a yearling, as noted by Rabbi Kaplan, page 537] for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. [both] unblemished, as korbonot before Hashem.'” [Perek 9, [posukim 1 – 2 rendered to English in “The Living Torah,” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, z”l]
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein comments on the commencement of Avodah in the Mishkan on the eighth day (Perek 9, posuk 1) in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” (pages 171 – 172) :
… It would seem more appropriate to emphasize that it [the eighth day] was the first day of the functioning of the Mishkan, as we find in the account of the offerings of the Nesi’im [the tribal princes] in Parshat Naso. …It seems [as if] the first seven days were merely “practice” sessions… which became insignificant once the Mishkan and the Kohanim assumed their full sanctity. If so, why is the eighthness of the day given such prominence, to the extent that even the name of the Parsha stresses it?
…The Torah stresses the fact that the inauguration of the Mishkan took place on the eighth day…. rather than calling it the first day of the Mishkan itself. The seven days which preceded the consecration, even though they were not the ultimate raison d’etre of the Mishkan, had an importance nearly equal to that of the days that followed.
For years, this author understood that Torah was relating how for seven days, Moshe taught Aaron HaKohen and his sons the laws of their Avodah (the Kohanic Service, i.e. in the Mishkan and later in the Beit HaMikdash –”The Temple”). In other words, for seven days, Moshe gave Aaron and his sons OJT (On the Job Training) as to the service in the Mishkan and various korbonot offered.
That eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, meant to be a great day of Simcha for B’nei Yisrael, seemed to become a double-whammy of sorrow. In previous vorts on Parshat Shemini, this author discussed the arrogance and resultant catastrophic error of Nadav and Avihu in offering the strange, unauthorized fire. Regarding a “double-whammy,” Moshe Rabbeinu may also have felt a sense of personal sorrow, in addition to the loss of his brother Aaron HaKohen’s two oldest sons.
Rabbi Hershel Reichman, in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy — Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel, Volume Two” reveals a deeper, more poignant background regarding Moshe during those seven days in the Mishkan (383 – 387) :
For the first seven days of the Mishkan’s inauguration, Moshe functioned as the Kohen Gadol. However, on the eighth day, Hashem told Moshe that he would no longer be Kohen Gadol. Aaron would take this position instead. This was a source of disappointment for Moshe. He thought that he would continue to serve as Kohen Gadol together with Aaron.
Why wasn’t Moshe chosen for this position? This role was taken away from Moshe as a punishment for his seven-day refusal to serve as redeemer [of the Jews] from Mitzrayim.
What did Moshe think when he was originally told by Hashem to redeem the Jews? He thought that he was not worthy of the job. His first response to Hashem was, “Send someone other than me as redeemer.” [Rabbi Reichman citing Sefer Shemos, Perek 4, posuk 13] What kind of audacious [Adjective: extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless] refusal is this?
Moshe denied Hashem’s request because he was very humble and thought that he was unfit for this mission. He would need to convince the Jews to believe in Hashem and to develop the courage to stand up to Pharaoh and his taskmasters. This would be a dangerous mission. …He would have to lead a slave revolution. He would have to go to Pharaoh and convince him to release the slaves. This mission would require someone with amazing qualities of leadership, the ability to inspire the people and to negotiate with Pharaoh. Moshe felt unqualified, and he thought he should not be Hashem’s messenger.
Nevertheless, Hashem chose him. Hashem saw that Moshe had the potential to lead B’nei Yisrael out of Egypt, even if Moshe himself was unaware of it. We understand Moshe’s humility. But still, the question persists: Why did Moshe refuse a direct command of Hashem?
The Shem Mishmuel explains that Moshe Rabbeinu thought that Hashem was choosing him specifically because he was inadequate. Moshe thought that the Jews did not deserve a qualified leader. They were at
the forty-ninth level of tumah. Slavery had taken its toll, and the Jews had sunk to horrible lows, even idolatry. “…Why is Hashem choosing me? Only because I am truly inadequate to the task. If Hashem is sending me, of course I will succeed. But it will be a long and arduous [Adjective: requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult] process. As an unfitting and unqualified leader, I don’t want to be the cause of more suffering by B’nei Yisrael that will probably happen along the way. Why should I be the one to do this? Let someone else be chosen.”Moshe said to Hashem, “Obviously, you have a reason for choosing me, but please let me not be the emissary for a painful redemptive process. I would rather not be part of a painful redemption.” This objection displayed the amazing qualities of Moshe…. his humility and honest self-appraisal…. It was [also] a statement and stance that he took in order to help the Jews.
But Moshe’s mistake was that Hashem knew all of this. While He allows people to argue and to pray in general, in this case, Moshe should have realized that if Hashem said to go, then Moshe’s own logical and noble objections had no place. Even if the Yetziyot Mitzrayim would be painful, Hashem’s will was for him to go do it. Moshe should have accepted the difficult and painful mission.
Hashem sometimes send us against our will to be agents of things that may cause pain along the way. Nevertheless, we must fulfill our mission.
But Moshe argued for seven days… Hashem told Moshe that His decision was unchangeable. Once this message comes through, one is not supposed to argue or continue praying. It is Hashem’s unchangeable will, and it must be done this way absolutely, When Moshe continued to refuse the mission, Hashem became angry with him, as the Torah states.
It would seem that to further understand Moshe’s mindset and his argumentativeness (noun: argumentative state) upon Hashem’s request that he redeem the Jews, we return to Rabbi Goldin’s commentary his Sefer, “Unlocking the Torah Text” on Parshat Tetzaveh (pages 248-250) :
Moshe emerges from the Torah as forthright and uncompromising, a man whose worldview, according to the rabbis, is summed up in the maxim “Let the law cut through the mountain.” Blunt and honest almost to a fault, Moshe is a leader who pursues truth and justice at all costs.
Aaron, on the other hand, exemplifies a very different leadership model. He is, above all, a man of the people who “loves peace, pursues peace and creates peace between man and his friend.” Negotiation, compromise and flexibility are the tools of his trade as he pursues interpersonal harmony within the nation.
By clearly highlighting the delicate balance that shapes the origin of… governance, Hashem challenges us to merge the varied attributes of leadership and establish a model that will succeed at all times.
Perhaps the forthright honesty of Moshe’s protracted arguing with Hashem was his error. This would seem, in a way, to relate to knowing, as stated above, “the delicate balance” of when, and to whom, arguing a point or refusing a command is meaningful and valid, and when, and to whom — particularly Hashem, unquestioned fulfillment of a command is warranted.
In the ongoing Milchemtah Shel Torah, there seems to be an unwritten, unspoken Divine Command to utterly defeat and eradicate Amalek.
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 and Pakistan 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. 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 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.