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Parshat Vayak'hel-Pekudei
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Connecting to the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
ויעשו כל חכם לב בעשי המלאכה
"Satisfy us with Your goodness, and gladden our hearts with Your salvation...” (Shabbos prayer) Just as HaShem satisfies us with His goodness, so too should we able to satisfy our fellow-Jew with goodness of heart and with the honor and respect becoming of every Jew, and in turn may we be blessed yet again from HaShem's goodness.
One of the striking terms emphasized in this week's parsha is that the artisans that crafted the Mishkan were 'wise of the heart', a matter that shows that these artisans were specifically of high spiritual stature, as the Zohar notes that they had 'ruah hakodesh' (spiritual inspiration). This can be understood in light of our Sages' teaching that blessing, even in seemingly 'material' or 'mundane' matters, comes specifically from the handwork of those of higher spiritual level. So our Sages teach, that if David, considered of even higher spiritual level than Shlomo his son, had built the Bais HaMikdash it could not have been destroyed.
In this way we can gain added meaning into the reason why Torah makes emphasis on preferring the hire of Jewish workers even for mundane tasks. Of course, the main reason posed in halacha for prefence of a Jewish worker is based on the Sifra's interpretation of the verse: “if you sell to your fellow (Jew) or buy from your fellow (Jew).” The Sifra explains that the emphasis on one's fellow Jew in this verse comes to show that one is to prefer to hire one's fellow Jew over his non-Jewish counterpart. This concept is well-accepted by the poskim in halacha, although the exact formulation how one is supposed to exact this preference is under dispute. Some say that if a Jewish worker takes up to a third (some say a sixth) more than his non-Jewish counterpart one is still to prefer the Jew, but otherwise one is not obligated to do so. However, most of the poskim left this matter un-defined, only saying that if the Jew takes a bit more than the non-Jew one is still to prefer him.
We should also add that preferring a Jew as a worker also has an aspect of charity to one's fellow Jew. In the Land of Israel today these laws have extra significance in the reality of the antagonism of foreign nations to Jewish settlement in the Land, who may (and in experience have) take/n advantage of employment by Jews to exact their ill intentions. In this reality, many poskim have taken more stringent positions in regard to the preference of Jewish workers over their counterparts in Israel today. All this said, we should mention that the general hope for the future is that all nations should be elevated spiritually to an extent that they will be befitting to bring blessing in their work, as it says in Isaiah's (61, 5) future prophecy: “those foreign (of other nations) shall be shepherds of your sheep, and their children shall be care-takers of your fields and vineyards.” In turn, Jews will also be elevated and given the opportunity to focus on spiritual pursuits, as is befitting the People of God.
Hebron's past, especially the massacre of 5689 (1929), reminds us of the special care that must be taken in relationship to our foreign neighbors. With that, Hebron also reminds us of the promising future, as our Patriarchs of Hebron are a dominant component of our future redemption - “and He remembers the kindness of our Fathers and brings a redeemer for His Namesake with love.”
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Real Stories from the Holy Land #111:
“One time our hot-water boiler had been operating on a timer for numbers of hours. I had no idea when the boiler was supposed to stop, so I went to turn off the switch manually. That very second, the boiler 'happened' to turn off alone by the timer...”
Sources: Pninei Halacha ch. 8, Zohar II 179, Yalkut Shimoni Shmuel II, 145
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. Parshat Ki Tisa
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Uniting with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
כי תשא ... ונתנו איש כופר נפשו
“May it be Your Will HaShem our God and God of our Fathers... that You sustain us with good sustenance with grant, with ease, and with plentitude, for the sake of Your service...”
We see from this week's parsha that one's money is not a mere material matter, but rather has strong spiritual ties to its owner as it can conduct as 'an atonement for one's soul' as in the case of the 'half shekel' given to the Mishkan/Bais HaMikdash. Indeed, we see this spiritual link again in our Sages' comparison of stealing money to stealing one's soul. This concept can be seen in many laws of the Torah, such as the importance of monetary possession of the four species, and more, but our focus will be on the laws of the Holy Land in parallel to the Holy House (Bais HaMikdash) to which the 'half shekel', of our title quote, is given.
One of the fascinating laws in regard to ownership in the mitzvot of the Land is the necessity that produce have (Jewish) owners in order to be liable for Truma and Maaser, rendering all owner-less produce exempt from truma and maaser. This law is extrapolated from the term 'your produce' which our Sages interpret to mean that produce must have owners in order to be liable for truma and maaser. In both instances, in the Holy Land and in the Holy House, we can say that the soul's spiritual connection to possession is a crucial component in the holiness of such materials, whether produce in the Land which can be raised to the status of teruma-'kodesh' (as called in the Torah), or money, as in the half- 'holy' shekel given for the holy functions of the Bais HaMikdash.
Our Sages say that HaShem foresaw the monetary 'deal' between Haman and Ahasverosh to obliterate all Jews. Therefore, as a provision of the 'cure before the blow', HaShem commanded Israel to donate the half-shekel as an atonement for their souls, which would also give them merit to be saved from the decree of Haman. Even today, Purim is linked to the power of donations towards mitzvot and charitable causes. This can be seen in the custom of the 'commemoration of the half-shekel' before and/or during Purim, and the mitzah of giving charity to the poor on Purim itself.
As is the case all year round, charity to the poor of the Land of Israel is especially commendable in halacha, and of-course such charity in context of Purim takes extra meaning. Among the Torah-mandated gifts of the Land is Maaser Ani - the tithe to the poor. Thus, we go in the ways of the Torah when we initiate gifts to the poor of the Land of Israel. With that, may we remember and be remembered with the kindness of our Patriarchs of Hebron who plead compassion upon us to this very day.
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Real Stories from the Holy Land #110:
“I had been waiting more than two months for a particular certificate in the mail, but nothing came. One day, I decided to write a letter to the people who were supposed to send the certificate, to remind them of their commitment. That very same day, I found the certificate in my mail-box (of-course it is impossible that they read my note and had the certificate arrive the same day)...”
Sources: Rambam Trumot 2, 1, Megila 13b, Baba Kama 119a
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. Parshat Terumah
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Uniting with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
ויקחו לי תרומה
"Greaten HaShem and let us exalt His Name together" (Opening the Ark).
The term for "exalt" here comes from the verb root resh, vav, mem, which means 'to raise', as used in the name of this week's parsha, 'Teruma', in the context of 'raising' the valuables of the People towards the purpose of building the Mishkan. We find that this verb root re-appears in yet other contexts that also portray a type of raising of material for a holy purpose. Thus, we find the term 'teruma' not only in contexts such as the well-known 'grand teruma', usually given just before separating 'maaser', but also in the context of 'bikurim'-the first fruits, 'terumat maaser' - a 'teruma' separated from the 'maaser'-tithe, and also 'halla' separated from dough, which all are called 'teruma' given to the Kohen. The 'half-shekel' is also coined as a 'teruma unto HaShem'.
We can explain this terminology as signifying the 'uplifted' status of such 'gifts' unto the holy, as teruma given to the Kohen is also called 'holy' on variable occasions (even though it is different than something truly holy that is fully sanctified - 'hekdesh'). As we explained last week, the Kohen receives the highest status in regard to the reception of 'holy'/special material/produce, while the Levite is of secondary status and receives Maaser. In this way, we can explain that the term teruma-'uplifted' refers to material that has been 'lifted' to the highest levelsof holiness to be directly connected to the holiness of the Mishkan. In this category are the materials given to build the Mishkan itself, or the Kohen who serves himself in the Mishkan/Bais HaMikdash, or the 'half-shekel' which goes directly to the upkeep of the Mishkan/Bais HaMikdash. The Maaser, however, which has secondary status given to the Levites - guardians of the Mikdash, does not receive this 'uplifted' status, and thus is not called 'teruma'.
Nevertheless, it seems that we see an exception to this rule - 'maaser sheni' and 'neta revai' (the fourth year fruit of trees after 'orlah')- given even to the Israelite, but yet is called, as teruma was called, 'holy' (albeit not 'teruma') - seeming to signify a more direct connection to the holiness of the Mikdash even more than Maaser given to the Levi. We can explain this exception by saying that although Maaser is given to persons of higher status, nevertheless, in regard to location maaser can be eaten anywhere, while 'maaser sheni' and 'neta revii' may only be eaten in the Holy City of Jerusalem, and therefore they are called 'holy' (with halachic ramifications as well) even though eaten even by an Israelite.
Here we see again the dominance of location in regard to the power of holiness and the Holy Presence which rests in the Holy City of Jerusalem.As such, we should remember the dominance of Hebron as being the first holy city settled by our Patriarchs and King David which, according to the Arizal, paves the way towards the spiritual development of Jerusalem.
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Real Stories from the Holy Land #108:
“One Shabbos, I had to stay with my daughter in a hospital in Jerusalem. Suddenly, a number of relatives in Jerusalem/Jerusalem area invited me for that Shabbos. They had no idea of this hospitalization, had not talked to each other about this invitation, and had not invited me since many months before...”
Sources: See Mishna Bikurim ch. 2, Maaser Sheni 3, 4, Shaar Hapsukim Shmuel II
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. Parshat Tetzaveh
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Bonding with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"ואתה הקרב אליך את אהרן אחיך"
"Blessed are You HaShem our God King of the Universe who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to bless His People Israel with love.”
Even at times when the kohanim cannot serve in the Bais HaMikdash, Torah still mandates that one is to differentiate the kohanic family from all other families of Israel, to bless the People, to give them teruma and the kohanic gifts, and to honor him especially, as it says 'you shall sanctify him'. Nevertheless, because there is some unclarity as to verification of true kohanim, the custom is not to give teruma to kohanim today, as eating teruma by a non-kohen is a serious prohibition. Even in regard to blessing the People there is uncertainty why kohanim of today, whose status is unclear, can bless the People, since our Sages learn from the verse of Birkat kohanim that there is a prohibition for non-kohanim to bless the People.
One explanation found in the poskim is that this prohibition pertains only to the Bais HaMikdash where the People are blessed while using the Tetragammaton which is not so outside the Bais HaMikdash. Another explanation is that only matters that involve physical benefit such as teruma are kohanim suspected to not be fully honest as to their priesthood, until their status is fully verified, while in regard to other matters such as blessing the People, receiving precedence in reading the Torah, etc. there is no need of suspicion.
Whatever the explanation, it is clear that even today the differentiation of the classes Kohanim, Leviim, and Yisraelim, is not only important in customs of honor such as the order of calling to read from the Torah, but also for numbers of Biblical and Rabbinical commandments. It is also interesting to note, that we see clearly that Torah cares to make differentiation not only between the Kohen and the Israelite, but also even between the Kohen and the Levite. One of the laws that illustrates this well, even when the Bais HaMikdash is not standing, is the obligation of the Levi to give trumat maaser to the Kohen. Nevertheless, there are some differentiations between trumat maaser and regular teruma. For example, teruma must be taken for one produce on another in the same vicinity (called 'mukaf' as explained in p. Beshalah), while terumat maaser may be taken from one produce upon another even in different vicinities (even though the pious are careful to do so in the same vicinity).
As we mentioned in the past, the three classes, Kohen, Levi, and Israelite correspond to the three Patriarchs in this order. Thus, the clear distinction between these classes is not a dividing factor among our People. On the contrary, it is the harmony of these different classes together that bring about the connection to the different attributes imbedded in the sources of our People, in Avraham, in Yitzhak, and in Yakov, who are all together united with the One Eternal God.In Hebron, the Uniting City of our People, this message flows so naturally with the symphony of the mitzvot of the Land, which display the different attributes of our People together in such beautiful harmony.
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Real Stories from the Holy Land #109:
“One day, the person I was learning hevrusa with suddenly remarked that he once had a different hevrusa with someone named Boaz. About an hour or two later, this “Boaz” 'happened' to show up at our kollel for the first time that can be recalled in the years I am in this kollel...”
Sources: Even Haezer 3, Rambam Trumot 3, 21
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. Parshat Mishpatim
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Bonding with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"מלאתך ודמעך לא תאחר"
"Blessed are You HaShem our God who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to take Trumot and Maasrot."
In our title quote we learn that not only is one to be careful to take Truma and Maaser, but that this taking must be done in a particular order. So to our Sages teach us, that the term 'do not belate' in our title quote refers to putting the separation of Truma later than the Maaser. Although doing such does not entail punishment of lashes or the like (since it is linked to a positive commandment), yet still it is a negative commandment of the 613 commandments of the Torah.
The order that should be taken is first bikurim-the 'first fruits', then Truma (given to the Kohen), then First Maaser (given to the Levite) from which Trumat Maaser is taken, and then Maaser Sheni or Maaser Ani (on the 3rd and 6th years of the Shmita cycle).
We may parallel this insistence on order to the halachic practice of calling to the Torah reading the Kohen first, then the Levi, and only afterwards is an Israelite (neither Kohen or Levi) called. In the same way first Bikurim and Truma are given to the Kohen, then First Maaser to the Levi, and only afterwards Maaser Sheni or Ani are taken and rendered suitable even for the Israelite.
We may explain the importance of Bikurim being brought even before Truma as being in part connected to the additional sanctity of bikurim (aside from being given to the Kohen), that they must be brought to the Bais HaMikdash, place of the Holy Presence. In this way, we can gain an important key in contemplating these mitzvoth in context of the Holy Presence. After the bikurim the truma is given to the Kohen, who by principle has the ability to enter the more internal and holier areas of the Bait HaMikdash and serve there. After Truma one is to give the Maaser to the Levi, who also serves in the Bait HaMikdash as singers and care-holders of the Bait HaMikdash. After giving the Maaser to the Levi comes Maaser Sheni to the Israelite. However, this Maaser Sheni must also be connected to the Holy Presence and must be eaten in the bounds of the City of the Holy Presence, Jerusalem. Even Maaser Ani to the poor, which may be eaten anywhere, hints to the the Holy Presence, for HaShem tells us that His Presence rests with poor and downtrodden, as they are humble of spirit, as it says 'I am with the downtrodden and humble of spirit' (Isaiah 57, 15).
These mitzvoth remind us that the produce of the Land of the Holy Presence must be in turn returned to its source, to be united again with its spiritual source, the Holy Presence. Our Sages teach us that Kohen-Truma corresponds to Avraham, Levi-First Maaser corresponds to Yitzhak, and Yisroel-Maaser Sheni (Ani) corresponds to Yakov. In this way these gifts are so naturally connected to Hebron, City of these Patriarchs and with its being the bastion of the Land of the Holy Presence uniting with Jerusalem and the Bait HaMikdash.
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Real Stories from the Holy Land #107:
"Throughout a period of about 6 months I have been in contact with a soldier with a gaining interest in Judaism. However, for the past several weeks we haven't been in touch. One day, I 'happened' to meet this soldier while he was on patrol in Hebron, and the very next day my wife 'happened' to ask me if I would like to invite this soldier for a Shabbos meal. I 'turns out' that this soldier is leaving the Hebron area entirely (after an extended period) to patrol in a different location this very week..."
Sources: Rambam Trumot 3, 23
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