Dvar Torah Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei /
- 5 hours ago
- 11 min read
Dedicated Leilui Nishmat Yom Tov ben Yaakov, Walter Kairey A”H _______________________________________________________ Parashat Vayikra
Our Sacrifices
Vayikra begins the third book of the Chumash, the five books of Moshe Rabbenu. The first two books concern the beginning of the world and the building of the Jewish Nation. The book of Vayikra now turns to the sacrifices Hashem instructed the Israelites to bring to the Bet Hamikdash. We don’t have a Bet Hamikdash today, and until Mashiach rebuilds it, we must remain without one. Therefore, we won’t be able to bring sacrifices until that time.
However, since losing our Holy Temple, the Jewish people have been making sacrifices for centuries. They’ve sacrificed their homes, their livelihoods, and even their lives, for the sake of Hashem and the Torah.
In Midrash Rabba, our sages tell us that Hashem says, “Listen to Me because nobody ever loses by doing so.” A person is constantly faced with decisions. He can either choose to do what Hashem wants or disobey Hashem and choose what appears to provide a more significant, short-term gain. However, following Hashem is always a win-win. It may not always seem that way, but at some point later, the gain will become not only apparent but extremely obvious.
Today we don't have korbanot—burnt offerings to give on an altar as we did in the days of the kohen gadol and the Bet Hamikdash, but we do have other kinds of sacrifices. We all make sacrifices today for our families and friends. We work and sacrifice to give our children good education and healthy upbringings. For our elderly parents, we offer our time when they need us to help care for them. We sacrifice many ways to build a peaceful home together for our spouses. Hillel Eisenberg and Yaakov Shwekey shares the inspiring story of Walter Kairy, Yom Tov ben Yaakov A”H. When Walter grew up he did not have a lot of exposure to religion. As a teenager he went one day to pick up some friends who were learning at Lakewood, New Jersey. He passed by a class that was being given by a white bearded man. He was giving a fiery lecture in Yiddish. Though he did not understand a word, Water stood there, transfixed. When the class ended, he asked his friends who was this man. They said he was none other than Reb Aharon Kotler. Right then and there, Walter made a promise to himself, even if he may never learn Torah like this, he wanted to be a part of this fire, this passion. He decided he would never work on Shabbat again.
Years later Walter got married, built a home, and grew in his Judaism. He opened a clothing store in Brownsville, and everything was going well until the night of July 13th, 1977. There was a devastating citywide blackout that devastated Brooklyn. Riots broke out, security systems were down and stores were looted. Walter’s watched as his entire business collapsed in one night.
Courageously, he borrowed the money and rebuilt his business. His business was finally going well again, when Hashem sent him the ultimate test. That year, December 24th, the biggest shopping day of the year, fell out on Saturday. Walter went to Reb Moshe Feinstein and asked for a heter—permission to keep the store open just this once as it would be such a loss of money. Reb Moshe Feinstein said he would give him a blessing if he kept it closed. Walter told him he chose Shabbat. After he said that, the Rabbi said that in merit of his choice Hashem will bless him with one hundred times what he thinks he will lose from that day.
Friday, December 23rd the store was packed, wall to wall with customers. As Shabbat was getting closer Walter knew he had to close the store. No one was leaving the store, and by kicking them out he would lose so many customers. But he knew he could not betray Shabbat. He stood on the table and shouted, “Fire!” Everyone fled out of the store, and Walter locked up and hurried home for Shabbat. Motzei Shabbat, he reopened for a few hours, and the total earnings matched last year’s.
Still he did not see the Rabbi’s blessing come true. A few weeks later he got a call from his landlord who owned a couple of stores on his block. After the riots most of these stores were still empty. She offered to sell him the entire building for $120,000. He would pay $20,000 up front and $20,000 annually for five more years. Walter borrowed the money, repaired and renovated the stores. Within a year his building was worth $3 million dollars. The $26,000 he was worried about sacrificing he got back and much much more. The merit of Shabbat protected and paid him back. We should never be afraid of growing because although it may seem like a sacrifice, in hindsight, we will see how much better we become, and we may be responsible for literally changing the course of history.
The Essence of Vayikra
Rabbi Mansour explains how the small alef is the essence of the entire Parashat Vayikra. Whenever a Jew sins, he drives the Divine Presence from his soul. Teshuvah—repentance means making oneself worthy of being a repository for the Shechina once again. After the sin of the golden calf, G-d’s presence left Bnei Yisrael, and they needed to build the Mishkan to bring Him back. But much like a person leaving a dark room needs time to adjust to the light, Bnei Yisrael could not receive the Divine Presence all at once. After falling so low from the sin of the golden calf, the Shechina’s return had to proceed slowly for Bnei Yisrael to withstand the drastic transition.
The Tasher Rebbe of Montreal explained that this is the symbolism underlying the small alef at the beginning of Sefer Vayikra. Moshe Rabbenu was at the highest level of kedusha attainable by a human being. G-d instructed Moshe that to bring Bnei Yisrael back where they needed to be, he would have to lower himself, so the spiritual light he radiated would be smaller after the darkness of the golden calf. G-d then appeared to Moshe on a lower level of prophecy, symbolized by the small alef.
Rashi writes that the word vayikra is a lashon hiba – a term that implies affection. The entire concept of Parashat Vayikra, G-d’s willingness to restore His Shechina among Bnei Yisrael in the Mishkan, is a great act of love. The Jewish Nation betrayed Hashem in the worst way, worshipping a foreign deity just weeks after receiving the Torah, and yet He was still prepared to return to them. He always allows us to return and repair our relationship with Him. He even ensures that the process will unfold at the right pace, step-by-step, so it will be effective.
Change is Possible
Hashem gives every one of us opportunities to grow. We must first recognize an opportunity when we encounter it and then have the courage to take advantage and embrace it. Making these changes is probably one of the hardest things we can do because we may risk leaving behind lifelong friends who are not following on the same path as we are. However, suppose the changes occur at an unhurried pace and with long-term growth in mind. In that case, those changes will elevate life to one filled with Torah values that will bring much beracha and a valuable legacy for many generations to come!
There is a story about a group of young boys who lived in our community about sixty-five years ago. These boys, all in their late teens, were passionate about basketball, playing in the park a few times a week.
One day after a game, a boy asked his friend to help raise money for a new yeshivah that his rabbi had opened. The friend agreed, and over the next few weeks, the two teenagers raised hundreds of dollars for the rabbi’s yeshivah. The rabbi was so impressed that he asked to meet the second boy who aided his fundraising. At first, the boy was reluctant and shy, but then he agreed to meet with him. When they met, the teen was very inspired by the rabbi and decided to try to learn with his friend at the rabbi’s new yeshivah. The other boys in their group didn’t follow them, but as time passed, these two boys continued to learn and grow in Torah. These two boys grew to be leading Rabbis in our community. Hashem gave them an opportunity to grow, and they seized it. For the past forty-plus years, they have been spreading Torah throughout our community through their yeshivot and kollelim.
If you haven’t guessed by now, the boys who raised the money are none other than Rabbi Shlomo Diamond, Rabbi of the Sephardic Torah Center Kollel in Long Branch and Ilan High School, and Rabbi Hillel Haber, Rosh Yeshivah of Shaare Torah. Because they were willing to grow without worrying about sacrificing their social lives, they helped countless families grow to great spiritual heights and completely changed our community, baruch Hashem!
Zerizut We can learn from the matzah to be a zariz—to always be occupied with performing mitzvot. This is becauseWe see this from one of the halachot of baking matzah: Don’t leave the dough idle without working it – not even for a moment," Shulchan Aruch (459:2). Working with the dough prevents it from becoming chametz. The Satmar Rebbe zt'l said that this halachah hints at the virtue of always being active in avodat Hashem.
Some people have extra time on their hands, and they seek ways to fill it. The Chasam Sofer zt'l said wittily, "If you have extra time, pass it on my way because I don't have enough time." There is so much to do, and we don't have time to waste. Being constantly occupied in avodat Hashem has two benefits. One is that you will earn many mitzvot. A second benefit is that you won't have time to perform aveirot. As the Rebbe of Kotzk zt'l said to his chassidim, "More than it bothers me when you do aveirot, it upsets me that you had time to perform them. "The Divrei Chaim of Sanz zt'l would say, "If you don’t have the strength to learn Torah, say Tehillim. If you don’t have the strength to say Tehillim, give tzedakah…" There is always something you can do to be occupied with avodat Hashem. The Gemara (Brachot 28) tells us that when Reb Zeira was tired from his studies, he would sit at the doorway of Reb Noson bar Tuvi's bet medrash. He said, "When the Rabbanim pass, I will stand up for them and receive reward."
Even when you need to rest, seek to do so in a way that will earn you mitzvot. Rebbe Zusha of Honipoli zt'l said that we can learn three lessons from children: (1) When a child wants something, he cries until he gets it. (2) A child is happy when he gets what he wants. [Adults are not that way; When they get their desires, they are soon dissatisfied again because they want something else.] (3) A child is always active. We, too, must strive always to be active and engaged in Hashem's service. We learn this attitude from matzah, which one doesn't leave idle. From when the water is poured until it is baked, people are constantly working with the dough.
Reb Eliyahu Dessler would teach his students to take on a small kabbalah before Pesach, and he would tell them that even a small kabbalah will elevate them to very high levels, and that will prepare them for Pesach. One year, Reb Eliyahu Dessler zt'l asked a bachur, "Which kabbalah tovah did you accept on yourself as a preparation for Pesach?" The bachur replied that he didn’t take on anything. He said he didn't believe a small kabbalah could make a big difference.
Reb Dessler told him the following mashal—parable: A person from a third-world country came to New York City and was astounded by the tall skyscrapers he encountered. He stood outside a skyscraper and looked up in amazement. A passerby told him, "On the top floor, there's an observation deck. You can see the entire city of New York up there." "Amazing!" the man replied. "I would love to go up there, but I don't have the strength to walk up all those steps!" "You don’t have to take the stairs," the man replied. "You can use the elevator. You just press a button, and you reach a high floor."
The man had never heard of an elevator before.After the door closed, and it turned dark, he was afraid that he would be locked inside. Panicking, he pushed the buttons randomly. As it turned out, he hit the emergency button, which alerted emergency personnel, who freed him from the elevator. He explained that he wanted to go up to the observation deck. "So why didn't you press the button?" they asked. "I don't believe that," he told them. "How can pressing a button bring me up so high?"
Reb Dessler explained to the bachur that people think tiny kabbalot are insignificant, but they aren’t. With each small kabbalah, one grows immensely. The Satmar Rebbe zt'l compared it to two people walking towards an escalator. One of them took one step more than his fellow man. That one step made all the difference because it got him onto the escalator, which brought him to the next floor, while his friend, who didn’t take that step forward, remained below. This is the uniqueness of a kabbalah tovah. It is a small step that brings us very high.
These ideas are alluded to by the small difference between the heh and the ches, which is the difference between חמץ and מצה. They both have almost the same letters, just the matzah has a heh and chametz has a ches. The difference between ches and heh is also small, just a drop of ink. This tells us that a small improvement, or a small kabbalah, can make all the difference. This also brings us back to the topic of zerizus, to be occupied in avodat Hashem. Perhaps you won't have the zerizus of the great tzaddikim, but each good deed you do can mean so much. It can make the difference between chametz and matzah, tumah and purity.
May we all aspire to be humble like Moshe. May we all realize that while the sacrifices we make for Hashem and Torah can sometimes be very difficult, Hashem hand-picked these tests and challenges for us to triumph over and grow stronger in our devotion to Him.
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey
Discussion Points:
|
This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
Rabbi Sananes and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Sincerely, Rabbi Amram Sananes and Jack E. Rahmey AmramSananes@me.com and jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com (917-226-6276) |
Le’ilui Nishmat…
Eliyahu Ben Rachel Rabbi Shimon Chay Ben Yaasher Avraham Ben Garaz Sarah Bat Chanah Esther Bat Sarah Avraham Ben Mazal Shulamit Bat Helaina Rabbi Meyer Ben Chana Rahamim Ben Mazal Batsheva Bat Sarah Esther Rafael Ben Miriam Ovadia Ben Esther Rav Haim Ben Rivka Moshe Ben Mazal Moshe Ben Yael Yitzchak Ben Adele Avraham Ben Mazal Meir Ben Latifa Chanah Bat Esther Yaakov Ben Rachel Malka Bat Garaz Moshe Ben Garaz Avraham Ben Kami Yaakov Ben Leah Mordechai Ben Rachel Chacham Shaul Rachamim Ben Mazal Natan Ben Rachel Saadia Ben Miriam Eliyah Ben Latifa Simhon Margalit Bat Mazal Ovadia Haim Ben Malaky Rabbi Aharon Chaim Ben Ruchama Luratte Bat Masouda Esther Bat Menucha Uri Ben Rahel Rivka Bat Dona Shalom Ben Zahra Rachel Bat Sarah Shalom Ben Zahra Chava Yvette Bat Jamile Yehoshoua Ben Batsheva Aharon Ben Matel Yehudis Yitzchak Ben Mazal Refuah Shelemah…
Rachel Bat Devorah Gimol Sarah Ester Bat Batsheva Haim Ben Miriam Rachmim Ben Leah
Anyone interested in dedicating this Divre Torah Le'ilui Nishmat or Refuah Shelemah or In Honor of someone, can email me at jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com. Checks can be made out to “A Life of Torah” for $101 and mailed to 2387 Ocean Ave Suite 1G, Brooklyn, NY 11229 (please put in the memo “Divre Torah”). Anyone interested in past parshiot please go to the website ParashaPerspective.org |
Comments