Some thoughts on Parshas Vayikra

It's Just Suicide.

One of the tamei hamitzvah that person is to bring a korban is to bring home to the person that really he was the one who deserved to die its just that Hashem in His kindness gave us the ability to substitute the korban in our place. But a person is supposed to contemplate at the time of the korban that really this should have been me. I was thinking if this wasn't the reason why shechita was kosher by a Yisroel.  By permitting him to shecht it further drives home the message that not only does a person deserve to die as a result of his chatoim but he is in fact killing himself. Its just plain old suicide. The torah is tellling you, you may be walking around but when you engage in this type conduct you are walking dead. If a person internalizes this message so then later when the Cohen burns the animal's הקרב והכליות שהם כלי המחשבה והתאוה he will be able to see his תאוה  and machsovos zoros consumed by the fire achieving a true kapporah.

Too much.

Rashi says that whereas the oil that is placed on the korban mincha is placed on the entire mincha the levonah is not, this is despite the fact that the Torah uses the same word "עליה" with respect to both. Because we have a principle "אין ריבוי אחר ריבוי אלא למעט". I think hidden in this klal in another message. If there is an excess (to many ריבוים) than you have to be ממעט.  But look what happens if a person does this, whereas the flour and the oil only a kometz goes on the mizbayach.  כל לבונתה the entirety of that in which you were ממעט goes to Hashem.

Thank You Hashem for continued brocha and another wonderful week.

Thank you UAJ, awesome and timely reminders (as usual), thank you for sharing
have a gevaldiger shabbos!

Thoughts on the Hagadah. What's the point. If you want to accomplish something you need to know what it is your are trying to accomplish if you want to be successful. So what is it that the Seder is designed to accomplish. The answer I believe is that the Seder is the critical link in the mesorah. By engaging in Maggid and relating what happened in mitzroyim from father to son from generation to generation we continue the chain of the mesorah that started from the events themselves. We know that Hashem exists, that he is the masgiach over the world in general and us individually and that there is reward and punishment because klal yisroel experienced all of that during yetzias mitzrayim and we received it directly from those who experienced it in an unbroken chain. If this is the goal it becomes obvious that 1) if we walk away from the seder and we have not passed on to our kids those fundamentals than have we really accomplished the mitzvos hayom. So you may have to put aside your hagaddah and tell it in a way that your kids understand. This is after your job for tonight. 2) if the job is to pass over these fundamentals you have to do it in a way that it will be accepted, that is in a calm manner. If you start acting like a grouch because the world is not working out the way you envisioned the message you are trying to give over will not be that well accepted. So take a deep breath and make the experience fun and exciting. And if the kids or wife are not "cooperating" the way you hoped take another deep breath, drink a coffee and try your best. That's all Hashem wants of you. It's a tall task. Some may think how can I do it. I don't even believe these things myself. In matter of fact I may have even been watching schmutz this week, last night. Thats the lesson of matzah. It seems to have a dual role. It's the bread of affliction yet it is also the bread of freedom. One message is that Hashem can transform all of us instantaneously one minute something can be the bread of slaves the next it is the bread of kings. Yesterday you could have been down in the dumps today you can be a new man. This also explains the order of the 4 sons. One would think the rasha should come last after all he is the rasha. Why is he put right next to the chochom. The answer is that if he makes the effort he is almost there.

Mah nishtana. I was wondering why is it called the four questions. It seems its really either five or one. Either its one since its a general question why is this night different and we give four examples. Or its five why is this night different and then 4 additional why are these four things different. I was thinking that in reality its 4+1. But the one is not counted because it is not a question that's exclusive to Pesach. It's a question that a Yid must constantly ask himself. What's my tafkid right now. How will this night be different from every night. How will I bring about kvod shomayim in the situations I'm faced with tonight. Each night is a new avodah. And its a constant analysis that is required of us.
Biforech. The gemara explains that Pharaoah gave the men women's jobs and women men's job. Rav Galinsky asks what was the point. It is counterproductive. Obviously Pharoah would not achieve good results. The answer is Pharoah did not want the shibbud to burden us but rather to embitter us. To play with our minds. And if making a man do a woman's job makes the frustrated. Then he accomplished his task. The proof says Rav Galinsky is that after Moshe came and pharaoh made the burden heavy he decreed that a person should get no straw. Why didn't he just increase the output requirement. The answer is that his goal was to make the bnei yisroel meshuga. That would have to worry where will I get straw, what if there is not enough, what if someone gets there before me. Will I get beaten, etc.  The design was to make the people lose their mind. Rav Galinsky concludes that chazal tell us that Pharaoah represents the yetzer hora. And he uses the same tactics. Know your enemy.
Wishing all a wonderful Yom Tov. Thank you Hashem for bringing me to this day and for helping me get there sober.

ur-a-jew wrote on 06 Apr 2012 15:43:


The whole vort is beautiful.  This stood out for me.  All brochos to you and yours.  I'm honored to march next to you.

Thoughts on Parshas Shmini
We know "sheva yipol tzaddik v'kum". To fall seven times you have to have been up in between. The possuk tells us don't worry you will eventually stand without falling. But what about someone who remains on the ground the whole time. For where does he know that there is hope for him to keep on trying. How many times can he try without success and still expect to see relief. This weeks parsha tells us don't give up trying. For 7 days Moshe put the mishkan up and no shechina came. The Bnei Yisroel said what was the point in building the mishkan we are doomed. The cheit hegel was too great. Moshe told them don't despair. And them Aharon did the avodah. Still no fire from Hashem. Moshe said don't despair. Ultimately they daven and lo and behold the Shechina comes. When on the 8th day. Why only on the 8th day. I was thinking that perhaps the message is. It's true under natural circumstances there was no hope. But teshuva is supernatural. The RBSO can do anything even in the otherwise hopeless situation. And the message also was that don't try it alone. Moshe on his own was unsuccessful. Aron on his own was unsuccessful. They went together and the Shechina came down.
Thank you Hashem for GYE a place were together we can achieve the supernatural.

Parshas Tazria:

If someone gets what appears to be a nega the Cohen secludes him and checks it in 7 days, if no change the Cohen again places him in seclusion for another 7 days. If after this the nega is still the same the Torah says "v'chibes begodov v'tohair." The meforshim question the purpose and need for this purification, after all the person was determined not to be a metzora? Answers Rashi since he required seclusion he is considered tomai. In other words when we isolate ourselves it is problematic. In essence its a form of tumah.
This hit home to me last week. I was slipping into my old ways in the bedroom. But I came "clean" first to my wife and then to a recovery friend and I have to say things looked much better since. Especially when my recovery friend identified with everything I told him. I was no longer living in isolation.
Thank You Hashem for reminding me of this message and helping me recover.

Parshas Achrei Mos:
In essence I think one can stop with just Rashi's statement on the possuk השכן אתם בתוך טמאתם to which Rashi comments אף על פי שהם טמאים שכינה ביניהם
Even in our lowly state, Hashem is with us.

But I was wondering if perhaps there is a deeper message. Seemingly, there is a contradiction. Earlier in the parsha, the possuk writes
that the Kohen should not come into the Kodesh Hakodshim at all times. Why? כי בענן אראה, since the ענן is always there Rashi elaborates: כי תמיד אני נראה שם עם עמוד ענני ולפי שגלוי שכינתי שם יזהר שלא ירגיל לבא
Hashem's presence is there constantly, and since his shechina is constantly revealed there are person should be careful not to come regularly. So which one is it. Is it good to be in the Shecina's presence.
I was thinking two possible resolutions. First, there is a difference between גלוי שכינה that is where Hashem's presence is out there in the open on the one hand and when Hashem's Shecina resides among us, that is it is among us but not seen out in the open (it is not obvious). Many times we say to ourselves why do I have to have things so hard? The Torah is telling us Hashem's shecina is there. Even in our lowly state אף על פי שהם טמאים. but it has to be this way, in a way that is not obvious. It is only for the rare and special occasion will Hashem's shecina be out in the open and things wil make sense crystal clear.
A second message however is there is a difference between being in the shecina's presence that is we enter the Shechina's space and bringing the shechina within ourselves. To enter into the shechina's presence requires intense preparation and purity. But that is not the only way to go. One can bring the shecina within himself. And that can be done even in our lowly state. By working to internalize Hashem within ourselves through little small actions we slowly bring the shechina within us bit by bit and we can succeed at that even when we are far from perfection.

Thank you Hashem for another wonderful week.

Parshas Beholscha:

Vayas Cane Aharon. Rashi explains that the Torah teaches us the praise of Aharon that he did not deviate. The meforshim explain what the
gadlus was of Aharon that he did not deviate. I saw in the Artscroll Rashi they bring down from the Derashos Chasam Sofer that the chiddush
was that although Aharon as Kohen Gadol could perform any avodah and in fact for the rest of his life he would perform the hatavos
and hadlakos haneiros I would have thought on the first day since he was in aninnus that he would have delegated the avodah
on that day. Aharon did not deviate to show his acceptance of Hashem's decree. We all have better and worse days. The lesson of
Aharon is that even on the "bad" days we still have our daily routine and obligation which Hashem wants us to carry out.

Thoughts from Parshas Bamidbar and Shavuos that I never got around to post:

I heard a wonderful shuir from Rav Orlofsky. He explains that the greater my relationship towards someone the more obligations I have towards that person. So I have more obligations towards my wife then I do towards my neighbor and likewise I have a greater obligation towards my neighbor then I do towards the guy I meet on the street. And that is why we Hashem gave us mitzvos so that we can have a great relationship with Hashem. The semel for this is marriage. Since that's where the strongest relationship is. I was thinking this could be why hakol modim dbatzres bainone lachem. In other words, to come to a true kaballah you have to work on your "lachem" relationships, which will bring you to the "laHashem" relationship.
Rashi says that when Hashem was coming to rest his shechina on us he counted us. A prerequisite to having the shechina on us is to be "Seu" we have to recognize our own self worth at the same time it has to be Bamidbar we have to recognize how low we are. There is the same ability to attain shechina in marriage.

I just updated my chart and Boruch Hashem today is Two Years.

Two Years in which I did not look at porn.

Two years in which I didn't log into Facebook

Two years in which I didn't read through a tabloid newspaper or magazine

Two years in which I recognized that acting out is simply not an option

Two years of Filtered Internet.

Two years of GYE

Two years of getting to know a great chevra

Two years of knowing that sex is optional (even if I wasn't always happy about it).

Two years of knowing that I am not alone in this struggle.

Two years of knowing that I can always find a listening ear when the going gets tough.

Thank you Thank you Thank you RBSO (and all of His local emissaries) for all of these tovos and many, many, many more.

And please let me be able to continue in all of this today as well.

Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!
Thank you for sharing the journey and for being a pillar of support, good sense and chizuk.
Thank you for your beautiful divrei torah.
Thank you for being an exemplary GYE-ster!
amigo, ata beseder!
שתלך מחיל אל חיל מתוך שמחה ונחת

UR A JEW!!!!!!

Thank you, Ur-A-Jew, for helping me follow in your footsteps!!!

Gevalig. Gevaldig!


You are a holy Jew.


Keep on trucking and we will try to follow you.

Amazing!!
Mazal Tov!

Mazel tov! You're an honor to call a brother.
Two years, wow. I just met someone who got 11 years of sobriety. In the meeting they didn't have an 11-yr chip, so they gave him two chips: 5yr and 6yr.
Many more by you, starting today.
Mottel