Chukat - Overcoming the Irrational

This week at lunch we were discussing the gourmet dairy treats that would be served in the office in the afternoon, that the secretary was ordering. So most of us ordered paarve food for lunch.

One of the non-observant guys was confused, so my colleague explained that after meat some wait as long as six hours before having dairy food.

"Why? For health reasons or something?" the guy asked.
"No," my colleague explained, "it just says in the Torah the basic kosher laws."
"But doesn't the Torah stipulate the benefit? Like this will keep you healthy, or even by maintaining these strictures you will be ensured wealth?"
"No, this is simply the injunctions made by the Torah. We are serving the will of Hashem."
"That's completely irrational. You are just doing something that was proscribed, without any understanding of why, or what the purpose or benefit is?" the non-observant guy asked.

"If you think that is irrational, let me tell you about this week's parshah," I said.

It starts off with "This is the statute of the Torah" - declaring the mitzvah of the red heifer, an enigmatic law that defies logic and has no explanation associated with it, yet requiring our pure compliance.

Behalotechah - Overcoming Challenges

So it was, whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, Arise, O L-rd,  may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from You.

וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה קוּמָה ה' וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ

Bamidbar 10:35

We have an interesting teaching in Mesechet Shabbat. There we learn an opinion that the Torah is actually composed of 7 books, where Bamidbar consists of 3 books. The first book is from the beginning of Bamidbar to the verse "So it was, whenever the ark set out,...", then the second book is just the verse "So it was, whenever the ark set out,..." and the third book is the rest of Bamidbar.

Our Rabbis taught: 'And it came to pass when the ark set forward that Moses said, [etc.]': for this section the Holy One, blessed be He, provided signs above and below,  to teach that this is not its place. Rabbi said: It is not on that account,1  but because it ranks as a separate Book. With whom does the following dictum of R. Samuel b. Nahmani in R. Jonathan's name agree: She [Wisdom] hath hewn out her seven pillars:  this refers to the seven Books of the Law? ( Since that section is a separate Book, the portions of Numbers preceding and following it are also separate Books; hence there are seven in all)

Shabbat 115B-116A

The Slonimer Rebbe asks in The Netivot Shalom, we know that the essential fabric of the books of the Torah are characterized by mitzvot, but this book composed entirely of the verse "So it was, whenever the ark set out,..." does not contain a single mitzvah, so how can it be declared a book in and unto itself?

Naso - Approaching With Happiness

Every week the Rabeinu Bechayai sums up the theme of the parshah in an introduction to his weekly commentary. He encapsulates the theme in a verse from Mishlei - the Book of Proverbs.

 It is a joy for a righteous man to do judgment, and a ruin for those who commit violence. 

שִׂמְחָה לַצַּדִּיק עֲשֹוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וּמְחִתָּה לְפֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן

Mishlei 21:15

The Theme: Do Mitzvot with Happiness
The Rabbeinu Bechayai explains that this verse comes to mean that we have an obligation to approach and undertake mitzvot with happiness and simcha. He explains that performing mitzvot out of happiness and joy is in itself a mitzvah.

Behukotai - Good Thoughts

If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them,  I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit.

 . אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם. וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם וְנָתְנָה הָאָרֶץ יְבוּלָהּ וְעֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה יִתֵּן פִּרְיוֹ

Vayikra 26:3-4

The Kedushat Levi asserts that the opening phrase is seemingly superfluous "If you follow My statutes" (אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ), that the parsha could have started with "If you observe My commandments...I will give your rains...". So what purpose does this phrase serve?

Emor - The Power of Seven

Command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.

צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד

Vayikra 24:1

The Orach HaChaim asks, what this passage is doing here? What is the purpose of the oil and lighting the menorah, as well as the regiment of showbread appearing at this place? Moreover, these nearly exact words already appeared earlier on in the Torah (Shmot 27:20), so why repeat here?

Pesach - The Best Time

And he said: "Show me, now, Your glory!"

 וַיֹּאמַר הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת כְּבֹדֶךָ

Shmot 33:18

The commentators struggle with this verse, it's meaning, and particular placement of this verse here. Rashi comments, saying "Moshe perceived that it was a time of [G-d’s] good will, and his words were accepted, so he continued to ask that He show him the appearance of His glory."

Rashi emphasizes for us the particular importance of this time, not long after the sin of the golden calf. But what was this 'glory' that Moshe sought? And  what made this time so apt for approaching G-d with this request?

Glory
Rabeinu Bechayei notes that 'glory' (כבדך) is spelled without the letter VAV (ו). This was no accident and bring special meaning to the word, where the first letter, CHAF (כ) represents KETER (כתר). KETER is the highest in the order of the sephirot.

The word Keter means “crown” and stands above all the other Sefirot, like the crown stands above the head. A king’s crown distinguishes him from his people so that they can subjugate themselves to him. The subjects of a sovereign are called “subjects of the crown” due to their loyalty, and nullification to the crown and its authority. Keter is the Sefirah that stands above all the Sefirot, and is equated with “Divine will” (Ratzon) and “Pleasure” (Taanug). Divine will is the external level of Keter and Pleasure the internal level of Keter. The highest, most transcendent level is “Faith” (Emunah). (The Sefirot)

Adding further meaning and significance to this word comes from the remaining letters: BET, DALET, CHAF.

The numerical value (gematria) of these letters comes to 26:
BET (ב) - two .
DALET (ד): four
CHAF (ך): twenty

26 is the value of G-d's name (the tetragramatron).

Repentance from Love
The Slonimer Rebbe comments in The Netivot Shalom that the timing of this request is particular. To understand this, we must first look at a piece from the Gemorah Yoma (86B)

Resh Lakish said that repentance is so great that premeditated sins are accounted as though they were merits, as it is said: And when the wicked turneth from his wickedness, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby!

The Slonimer Rebbe first comes to explain the way in which iniquity can turn to merit. He brings an allegory. A father gives his son nice clothes for the holiday. Then his son goes out and carelessly plays, staining and ruining his clothes. Seeing this the child is upset. He is not upset over the damage to the clothes, but for how he has disappointed his father. This gives way to fear and sincere remorse, so that when he approaches his father who sees how his son has let him down and how sorry his son appears, his father can't be angry. Rather at this time, the father's first thought is how to comfort his son and reassure him that he understands his feelings, and knows that his son regrets his behavior.

This allegory comes to explain the piece in Yoma. Where a transgressor turns to G-d with such sincere and deep feelings of remorse for their actions, G-d is moved to comfort them and reassure them that all is not lost. The most profound present He can give is to take those iniquities and turn them to merits.

The Time for Repentance
This is significance of Moshe's entreaty at this time, requesting to see the ultimate side of G-d's glory. Just following the hardest fall of the Jewish people since leaving Egypt, the sin of the golden calf, this is the time for serious soul-searching. Like Rashi notes that this was "the time of G-d's good will", motivated by sincere repetance. Moshe turns to G-d at this lowest hour, truly showing the sincerity of their remorse. He reflects on this by reaching out to Hashem, asking not to be turned away but to be accepted, and brought in. Like the father's reaction to his child, Moshe asks G-d to bring him closer and show holy levels of Hashem's constenance that were never revealed before

Pesach and Repentence
So also during this holiday period where we are surrounded by mitzvot (eating matzah and celebrations) that he should be stirred to sincere repentance and be drawn closer to Hashem. That our repentance should be wholly accepted and be a step for further building our relationship with Hashem.

Pesach Sameach

Shmot - A Holy Scream

And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression that the Egyptians are oppressing them.

וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה צַעֲקַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָה אֵלָי וְגַם רָאִיתִי אֶת הַלַּחַץ אֲשֶׁר מִצְרַיִם לֹחֲצִים אֹתָם

Shmot 3:9

The Kedushat Levi explains that when a man is in mortal danger his instinct is to cry out for help to a higher power, but not in submission to worship, simply to get help, acting in his own interest. This was the cry of Am Yisrael in Egypt. They were not crying out to connect to Hashem and say that we want to serve you and become a Nation to Hashem, but they had reached a point of suffering that they couldn't take any more and they cried out in desperation for help.

How do we know this?

The verse says:  I have heard their cry because of their slave drivers, for I know their pains.

The cry is strictly about their own pain and shows no desire to serve Hashem or to become Hashem's Nation.

2 Favors

Says the Kedushat Levi, on this background Hashem did to amazing acts of kindness to Am Yisrael. The first is that He redeemed them from Egypt, despite there lack of conviction for a relationship with Hashem. There scream was both in desperation and selfish. Nevertheless, Hashem took them out of Egypt and removed them from their place of suffering.

The second is how Hashem approached the scream of the Jewish People. Despite the scream being motivated for basic self-preservation, Hashem approached the scream as if this were the scream that the Jewish people were asking how to serve Hashem and to become the Nation of Hashem.

How do we see this reflected in the text?

It says:

I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their slave drivers, for I know their pains.

רָאֹה רָאִיתִי אֶת עֳנִי עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר בְּמִצְרָיִם וְאֶת צַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפְּנֵי נֹגְשָׂיו כִּי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת מַכְאֹבָיו

Shmot 3:7

In light of this situation, Hashem still refers the Jewish people as "My people", as if they themselves had declared their own connection to Hashem.

Benefit of the Doubt

Reb Levi Yitzhak from Berditchev is known as the great defender of the Jewish people and there are many stories of how he goes to great lengths to look at a Jews merit despite their obvious, external flaws.