A thought on Parshas Behaaloshcha

"...va'yehi b'nsoa ha'aron...""...and when the Ark travelled..." (10:35)

Rabbeinu Bachya writes that our nation experienced wonders and miracles at the Sea, in the desert, and when we conquered the Land of Israel. We know about the important role served by the splitting of the Sea, and we understand that Eretz Yisroel is always a land of miracles. What purpose did the nesei ha'
midbar - the miracles of the desert - serve?He writes that as our people trekked through the barren desert, crossing vast plains of sand and scrub, they later encountered looming mountains, mighty pillars of rock, and stone plateaus which seemed like the very foundations of the earth. To the secular mind, he writes, such terrain was evidence of the primeval nature of the globe with its tumultuous core, solid crust, and its evidence of tectonic upheaval and shifting. People looked at this ancient topographical diversity and could conclude that the earth was a natural phenomenon.

This is why we had to witness Heaven-sourced miracles in that desert. With the Aron in our midst, signaling HaShem's constancy and Presence among us as we followed the travels of His encased Torah, events not credible to the scientific sechel surrounded us - pillars of shielding smoke, sustenance from Above, mountains trembling and toppling as the Clouds of Glory passed over and through them...all of these miracles were to show that it is HaShem who created and formed all things, and HaShem who determines destiny with the same mastery with which He can avert gravity.

This is why, Rabbeinu Bachya explains, the Mishna's teaching is codified in halacha that when we see deserts, even though their appearance is very ancient and seems unchanging, as if suggesting an eternity which predates recorded time, we declare the blessing Oseh Ma'aseh Bereishis - HaShem created the universe from nothingness, and those ageless hills and timeless arroyos had a beginning, and a Creator.

When I go out to the desert, I think of the verses (Bereishis 49:26; Devarim 33:15) ad tavas givas olam (to the ends of the eternal hills) mimeged givas olam (the treasures of the ancient hills), as I look out on the endless folds of sand that shape the desert's rising and falling floor. Touched by that sense of antiquity and timelessness, I will then declare "Boruch Atoh...Oseh Ma'aseh Bereishis" - I know that this is one more sign of Genesis, bearing the insignia of HaShem's greatness.

Good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought On Parshas Naso

"...b'yom m'loas yemei nizro..."
"...and when he fulfills his Nazirite days..." (6:13)

When the abstinent Nazir has completed his term of serving HaShem by adhering to his vows, he brings a trio of sacrifices. A burnt offering, a peace offering, and a sin offering comprise his sacrificial rite (verse 14). Then, says the Torah (verse 20), the Nazir may drink wine again - v'achar yishteh ha'nazir yayin.

Many commentaries puzzle over the selection of sacrifices brought by the erstwhile Nazir. Why must he bring a sin offering? What has he done wrong? After all, he made a personal effort to cleanse and purify himself in mind, soul and deed. Surely this is a sign of virtue, and not a sign of sinfulness!The Ramban explains that after having achieved such spiritual heights by way of abstaining from some of life's comforts and pleasures, the Nazir is, in effect, opting out of his earned level of elevation once he finishes his term of commitment. In fact, Ramban suggests that the close of the parsha (verse 20) which refers to him as a Nazir after he has actually finished his nazirus sheds light on this new reality with a double entendre: originally he was a "Nazir" because he removed himself from the mundane and corporeal. Now, by stopping this process, he is a "nazir" in the sense that he is now removing himself from the ideals and sanctity which he once attained. First he abstained from pleasure, now he is abstaining from purity, which is a reverse form of being a nazir. Hence, he needs to bring a sin offering because he has opted out.

Rabbeinu Bachya offers a different perspective. He marvels at the sacrifices of the Nazir in that we never see a person bringing a sin offering for something he has not yet done. According to the Ramban, the Nazir is still a Nazir (not yet a "nazir") when he brings his sin offering, so it is hard to say he is needing to atone for the anticipated plan of opting out. He has not sinned yet, so why must he bring a sin offering?! Besides, if he is wrong for opting out, he is doing so intentionally. Sin offerings were only brought for accidental errors!

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that a Nazir has crowned himself with superlative qualities by way of his abstinence. He has reached a level of sanctity which even rivals that of a Kohen Gadol. He has chosen to purify his body, his thinking and his spirit, which helps him aim for a state of near perfection. When he has gone through his interval of purification and ascendancy, he is then instructed to return to regular personal functioning, yet to retain his level of awareness of the heights which a person is capable of reaching. The three sacrifices which he offers are to impress upon him that his three achievements must remain vividly in his functioning - selflessness (the burnt offering), composure (the peace offering), forgiveness (the sin offering) are now the virtues which he lives by, even though he will return to "normal" functioning. This is why he is called a Nazir (not a nazir as the Ramban understands) even though he goes back to drinking wine and doing the other non-abstinence behaviors. He has learned to aim for perfection and sanctity while living a regular life.

Many times we think back on those days when we studied in yeshiva or in seminary, and assume that those were times when we could expect ourselves to live by a high standard of observance, piety and morality. When we make the move into the outside world, we often rationalize that no one can maintain those earlier levels of being. Perhaps a lesson from the Nazir is that once we have tasted a higher, better level of observance, we are charged to take that with us, carrying it wherever we go.

The late tzadik Rav Zalman HaLevi Ury zt'l once remarked to me regarding my great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt'l that "wherever he went, he carried... Novardok with him." We can grow from abstinence, we can grow despite indulgence, and the Torah wants us to continue our growth despite our surroundings and our circumstances.

Good Shabbos. D Fox

A thought on Parshas Bamidbar

"...ish al diglo b'osos..."
"...each person under his flag sign..." (2:2)

We know that a flag or banner is a degel in the Sacred Language, so it is no wonder that we have to wonder about the word which follows, osos, which seems to mean an insignia or sign. We can understand the familiar interpretations that this second word may refer to the color, shape or emblem of each tribal flag. Hence, there is no redundancy in calling the flag both a degel and an os. Each flag was, or had on it, a tribal sign. As I have written in a Parsha thought some years ago, the functions of the flags were both practical (to mark the way; to trace the location of one's tribe) and spiritual (to maintain identity; to structure and regiment the people; to inspire.) We traced, in that email, the places where the term degel occurs (only five times) in Tanach.

Meanwhile, what about the term "os"? It usually means a letter, sometimes it means a sign. What does the word os mean in the Sacred Language?

Rabbeinu Bachya suggests that the word os comes from the word ovas, as it says in the verse (Dvarim 12:20) "b'col ovas nafsho" -
"with all his soul's desire." An os, he suggests, signifies something which one longs for, or longs to be or to resemble. It is something one looks up to, and something one looks for. The flags in the desert were looked for and were looked up to. They also represented something that we all sought to resemble. How so?

Rabbeinu Bachya points out that our regimentation under tribal banners was a replica of the Heavenly Court, wherein the angelic malachim adhere to their roles and functions. They fulfill the will of HaShem through events enacted in the material world and in the cosmic realm. They do not veer or deviate in fulfilling ratzon HaShem. Each one knows its task and performs with precision. This is what each Jew in the desert sought to resemble. Each one yearned to follow and to perform unflaggingly. Each one was satisfied with his position and his place.

In English too, the word "sign" turns into the words "signify" and "significance." These words mean "to impart meaning and importance", which is really what Rabbeinu Bachya sees in this conjugation of os. The flags and their insignias reflected the great and important meaning which we assigned (same root) to our tribal status. We longed to march beneath our assigned (there it is again) banner to signal (noch a mol) our assignment (yes) at Mt. Signai (sorry.) Each of us was, in a sense, an "ois mentsch".

What do you think? Just give me some kind of sign.............. Good Shabbos. D Fox

A thought on Parshios Behar Bechukosai

"...v'chishav im kone'hu...""...and he shall make a reckoning with the one who owns him..." (25:50)

The Torah stresses that we must be careful and accurate in our dealings with non-Jews. We do not cheat or steal and this applies to our business ventures with all people. It is not right, it is not good for our character, it is bad for our reputation, and it is a Chillul HaShem which means that it is also bad for G-d's reputation.

Rabbeinu Bachya examines this matter. "If a Jew steals from another Jew, the Jewish victim is not likely to generalize that all Jews are dishonest, nor is he likely to reject the Jewish belief system or religion. But when a Jew steals from a non-Jew, the victim concludes that this is how Jewish people are, and will also denigrate Judaism and the Torah. This is what a Chillul HaShem is."

It is not hard to appreciate Rabbeinu Bachya's comment. It is even more stunning to follow his trend of thought as he continues ---

"This is very related to the prayer of Shlomo haMelech as he prayed
to HaShem upon inaugurating the first Beis HaMikdash. He asked that
when a Jew enters the Temple to pray, that HaShem should respond
in the manner that He deems best for that Jew, as it says in the verse
(Melachim 1 8:39) "since You know what is in his heart." However,
should a non-Jew enter and pray there, Shlomo davened that HaShem
grant him whatever he asked, as it is written there (verse 43) "and You
should do all that the stranger asks of You." This means that HaShem
should answer him whether or not he deserves his request. The reason
for this is also because a Jew whose prayers seem to go unheeded will
not reject his faith and religion. A non-Jew who who does not get what
he prayed for may turn around and conclude that the religion of
the Jews and their G-d are both false."

When a Jew sets a bad example through his conduct or deeds, especially if it is apparent to the secular world beyond our own ranks, the Chillul HaShem which follows is not limited to giving Jews a bad name. It also results in giving Judaism a bad name. And when the world thinks poorly of Jews and Judaism, this gives HaShem Elokei Yisroel, HaShem the G-d of the Jews, a bad name.

Yisroel v'Oraissa v'Kudsha Brich Hu Chad Hu - the Jews, the Torah and the Holy One, may He be blessed, are all one, always. Good Shabbos. D Fox

A thought on Parshas Emor

"...va'yikov...va'ykallel..."
"...and the man pronouced HaShem's name...and he cursed..." (24:11)

Our parsha closes with a painful postscript about the man in the desert who uttered the Sacred Name of HaShem as he had heard it pronounced from Above at Har Sinai, then how that man used it in a blasphemous curse.

Every person who clings to HaShem by following His Torah and obeying its mitzvos with reverence and love will tense upon reading this passage. We do not curse (as we discussed in last week's Parsha thought). We do not use HaShem's name in vain, or in idle pointless talk; certainly the idea of both cursing and pronouncing the Name within that curse is abhorrent to us! Seemingly, the Torah could have spared us an account of that tragic incident and simply have written "you are forbidden to employ HaShem's name when cursing." What might we be able to learn, at some deeper and practical level, from the passage, given that it is not likely to be something we might do, chas v'shalom, that might require such a vividly foreboding illustrative story (it seems to have been a single, isolated case, after which the man was executed)? The preceding sentence is, I think, the third longest one I have written in the history of these Parsha Thoughts Emails.

Rabbeinu Bachya offers his view: He sees it as clarifying for us "an essential principle and a mighty cornerstone" about.................. how to say a blessing! How are we supposed to function when we are about to say a bracha to HaShem? The man who cursed, says the Torah, carefully pronounced and articulated the Name. He knew what he was doing, which tells us that he thought carefully about the word he was uttering. He was purposeful. He was aware and mindful. That is why he deserved such a punishment.

In turn, says Rabbeinu Bachya, when we are poised to say a bracha, we must first think about what we are doing, and about what we are about to say. We must have intentionality. Our minds and hearts must internalize the gravity of our act, and take it seriously, because we really mean it. We are doing it purposefully. And that is the only way to be answered from Above with favor and grace when we pray. Blessings are not cursory statements.

He suggests that this may be the meaning of Dovid HaMelech's words (Tehillim 145:1) which we know as "Ashrei" - "aromimcha Elokai...v'avarecha Shimcha". The first clause, I will elevate You, means I will take the words into my heart and mind first. That way I am praying "be'meizid", knowing in advance what I am about to do. The second clause, and I will bless You, means that only after I have attained this mindfulness will I utter the blessing.

We must think before we act. We must think before we pray. We must also think about how to pray, then go ahead and put our thoughts and feelings into the right words.

Good Shabbos. D Fox