ONAAS DEVARIM - BEHAR

BEHAR By Yehonasan Gefen On two occasions in Parshas Behar the Torah instructs us not to afflict our fellow Jew. In the first instance, the Torah states: “When you sell an item to one of your people or buy from one of your people, a man should not afflict his brother. ” A few passukim later, the Torah seemingly repeats itself: “Do not afflict your people and fear your G-d, because I am Hashem, Your G-d. ” Chazal explain that there are two different types of onaah (affliction); the first passuk refers to onaas mammon - affliction relating to money . The second relates to onaas devarim - hurting someone through words . In general Chazal do not compare two specific mitzvos and say that one is greater than another, however, in this instance they compare the two forms of onaah. Initially, one would think that onaas mammon is more severe than onaas devarim because when a person is hurt verbally he does not lose any tangible object, however when he is afflicted financially then he suffers a real loss. However, surprisingly, the Gemara says that onaas devarim is considered a greater sin than onaas mammon for three different reasons. Firstly, with regard to onaas devarim the passuk says, and you should fear your G-d” but it omits this when discussing onaas mammon. The Maharsha explains that people are more likely to notice when someone is trying to commit onaas mammon but that it is far easier to conceal one’s true intentions to harm people verbally. Someone who harms another financially is aware that people will likely recognize what he is doing but continues regardless. He shows a lack of yiras Hashem because he is unconcerned that Hashem is totally aware of his actions but he also demonstrates no fear of what people think of his actions. A person who harms people in a concealed way demonstrates that he fears people more than Hashem - he is only concerned that people not think he is a cruel person, but he is unconcerned that Hashem knows his true intentions. He is considered on a lower level than one who harms financially because he demonstrates greater concern for the opinion of other people than for Hashem . Secondly, the Gemara says that onaas mammon merely harms people’s property, whereas onaas devarim is worse because it harms someone’s very being. This particularly refers to a person’s emotional well-being - the damage done to them by a careless word can penetrate to their very essence. A frightening example of this is related by Rav Dov Brezak Shlita: He relates how a well-respected Talmid Chacham in his forties required counseling because of a traumatic childhood experience - on one occasion his mother called him ‘tamay’. That single labeling damaged him so deeply that it stayed with him for the rest of his life. This provides ample indication that harmful words can cause untold damage. The Gemara continues with a third aspect in which onaas devarim is worse than onaas mammon - if a person deceitfully extracts money from his fellow he can repair the damage by simply returning that which he unjustly took. However, when one harms someone else with words, no amount of apologizing can change the past - those words can never be taken back. It is a common occurrence in relationships, especially in marriage, that a few insensitive words have long-lasting damage and that damage can never be fully healed because those words can never be fully taken back. Perhaps a corollary of this aspect of the severity of onaas devarim is that once harmful words are spoken they can rapidly have a ‘domino effect’ whereby the consequences of these few words can be so far-reaching that it is impossible to ever undo the damage those words had done. The following story, told over by Rav Dovid Kaplan Shlita, involves a situation where a few cruel words nearly had far-reaching consequences but they were averted by a few kind words: “Raised modern Orthodox, Devoras’s parents instilled in her a respect for rabbinic but a critical eye toward chareidim. When she got older, she decided to check it out for herself and davened at the Ponevezh Yeshiva during the Yamim Nora’im. She went back for Simchas Torah. Everything was fine until one of the girls present said to her in a loud voice in front of a crowd of girls, “you don’t come to daven here without wearing stockings!” Devora stormed out. If this was how chareidim behaved she was not interested. However, due to her respect for rabbinic, she decided to go speak to Rav Shach. When she arrived at his door, there was a long line of men waiting to go in. When the door opened and the person inside left, they called here in, explaining that women had higher priority. Pleasantly surprised, she related the shocking story to the gadol hador. “They did a big aveirah.” Rav Shach told her. “Maybe it was unintentional, but they are still obligated to ask your forgiveness.” He spoke to her for a long time about how careful we must be to be sensitive to others. She decided during this talk to become more religious. Today she is married to a Rosh Yeshiva and her sons and son-in-laws are talmidei chachamim. ” This story teaches us how much damage one wrong statement can do - it caused this girl great pain and anger, and very nearly prevented her from becoming more observant. It also demonstrates how much good a few thoughtful words can do. It is very clear from the Gemara how serious the sin of onaas devarim can be, howover it is a very difficult mitzvo to observe properly - we are constantly involved in conversation with other people and it is very easy to hurt their feelings through a thoughtless statement. Moreover, because we speak so much we can forget how serious a sin it is to hurt other people’s feelings. The Chazon Ish once witnessed a man strongly rebuke his young son for moving something on Shabbos that may have been muktza. The Chazon Ish told the man that his son may have transgressed a Rabbinical mitzvo, but that the father had definitely transgressed the Torah mitzvo of onaas devarim. One technique to help be more watchful of this mitzvo is to develop the attitude that we should be just as careful in it as in all other mitzvos such as kashrus - we would never eat something without being certain that it was permitted to eat it. So too, we need to try to develop a sense of vigilance that what we are about to release from our mouth is permitted. The best way of doing this is by learning the halachos and hashkafo behind it . It is instructive to end with one final saying of the Chazon Ish - he used to remark that one of the greatest possible sources of joy is that he lived his whole life without causing pain to his fellow Jew - may we all be zocheh to only do good with our speech..

PREVENTATIVE ACTION - BEHAR

BEHAR - PREVENTATIVE ACTION By Yehonasan Gefen "If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him - the convert and the resident - so that he can live with you. " Don't let him go down and fall, and then it will be hard to stand him up, rather strengthen him from the time he stretches out his hand. To what is this similar - to a burden that is on a donkey; whilst it is on the donkey one man can support it and keep it up, but if it falls to the ground, even five men cannot raise it back up (Rashi)." When a person begins a downward spiral towards poverty, the Torah instructs us to prevent his fall before he has nothing. As Rashi explains, it is far easier to help him whilst he still has something rather than to wait until he is penniless. It seems that we can derive from here an important life principle that is not restricted to giving charity. The Sefer, Zichron Meir writes that whilst preventative action is important in gashmius, it is essential in the realm of ruchnius. When a burden falls from a donkey, five men are required to put it back on, but when one falls spiritually, perhaps a hundred people cannot prevent the fall! He further points out that this principle applies to ones own spiritual standing. It is far easier to remove a negative aspect of behavior at its root than when it is well developed. He likens this to a sickness which is easy to cure if it is discovered early, but if it is left unattended, it may spread too far to remove it . There seem to be two areas in which it is particularly crucial to work on at an early stage, in order to avoid insurmountable challenges later in life; Chinuch (parenting) and Shalom Bayis (peace in the home ). An easy way of addressing these areas is by studying the Torah approach towards them. A person may feel that he is able to deal with any possible challenges by using his common sense. Rav Noach Weinberg zt"l demonstrates the serious error in this attitude. He notes that people routinely spend many years studying in order to pursue a particular career. They recognize the need to be suitably qualified in their chosen field. Most people (hopefully) would agree that their marriage and family life are more important than their career. Nonetheless they expect to ably navigate the numerous challenges that they will face in these areas without investing time to learn more about them. Simply observing the world around us teaches us that having a successful marriage is no easy task - the divorce rate in the secular world is very high and sadly the figures seem to be rising in the Torah world. Similarly, the countless stories of children leaving Yiddishkeit prove that being a good parent is no easy task. A parent who decides how to bring up his (or her) child purely according to his own beliefs is at risk of making damaging mistakes that could easily be avoided by seeking Daas Torah . Rav Dov Brezak Shilta, a well-known expert in chinuch offers a striking example of this sad phenomenon. He discusses a boy who had totally rejected his parents' lifestyle and was no longer religious. He writes that; "when told that his son does not even pray, this boy's father expressed his amazement. 'I put so much into my son's praying. How do you explain the fact that, in spite of all my efforts, I did not succeed?' The father then proceeded to describe how he had 'taught' his son to pray. 'I was always careful that he should come with me to minyan and sit next to me. During the prayers I didn't even allow myself the luxury of concentrating on my own prayers, for I kept my eye constantly on my son. I made sure that he was following the place in his siddur, and if he would start daydreaming I would immediately step in to make sure that he would get right back to praying.' This very question was presented to the boy himself. His bitter response was: 'There's nothing that I hate so much as praying. I've waited years for the day when I would be old enough to be able to stop praying. Just walking into the shul building gives me a bad feeling. I think it's because my father was so hard on me about praying that it became such an unbearable burden. " One of the striking facts about this sad story is how the father was so convinced that his approach was correct. He had absolutely no idea that it was this approach itself that drove his son away from prayer and Judaism. It is quite possible that had he, at an early stage, asked Daas Torah about how to educate his son in prayer, then he could have realized the potential damage that his chosen method could cause. Similarly, basic mistakes in marriage can be avoided by attending shiurim, reading books, and speaking to one's Rebbe or Rebbetsin about their issues. It is essential to strive to identify and address difficulties in marriage at an early stage. Sadly, it is not uncommon for a couple to finally go for counseling when their problems are too deep-rooted to be fixed. This lesson also applies to people who have been married and have had children for many years. A person who is already married can nevertheless begin to increase the time and effort he invests into his marriage. Moreover, new challenges often emerge after many years of marriage that require renewed study in order to be dealt with properly. Similarly, a person who is not married or has no children can nevertheless begin preparing himself for marriage and chinuch before he enters these stages in life. As well as studying the appropriate areas he can work on his character traits many years before, making him more able to face future challenges. We learn from the Parsha that helping someone before they have fallen is far easier than raising them back up after they have nothing. We saw that this principle applies in all areas of life; whether in marriage, chinuch or any other area. By facing challenges at an early stage, one can avoid insurmountable difficulties later in life.

GIVING WITH DIGNITY - BEHAR

BEHAR – GIVING WITH DIGNITY By Yehonasan Gefen In a number of places in the Torah, we are instructed to give charity to the poor. One of those exhortations is in Parshas Behar: “If your brother becomes impoverished, and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him – proselyte or resident – so that he can live with you.” The commentaries explain that this particular verse is focusing on giving to a person who has begun to lose his financial independence, but is not yet on the level of being a fully fledged ani (poor person). The Torah specifically exhorts us to give to this kind of person, to the extent that some commentaries write that there is a specific Mitzvo in and of itself to give to a person who is on the way to becoming poor. The Rambam in his outline of the laws of giving charity, writes that there are eight different levels of giving charity, and the highest form is giving to a person in such a way that he won’t need to continually rely on charity, rather he will become independent. His source is the words in Behar. “and you shall strengthen him”. The Beis Yosef elaborates as to why this is the highest form of charity; he explains that giving to someone in such a way that enables him to be independent is of such great value because the recipient is not embarrassed by the help he is receiving. This is mainly because he does not see himself as taking a handout. We know that it is human nature that we want to earn our own livelihood, and that we lose our sense of dignity when we are forced to receive gifts. Therefore, giving in such a way that the recipient does not feel this lack of dignity is considered to be a great feat, over and above the actual giving in and of itself. We learn from here an important lesson in all forms of charity and chesed: It is of the highest import to ensure that the recipient feel the minimum amount of embarrassment about the fact that he is being given something. Indeed, the highest level would be to try to ensure that the recipient does not feel that he is being helped at all, rather he is in some way helping the giver! This idea is brought out by a novel interpretation of a difficult Gemara. The Gemara comments that if a person says, "I will give this coin to charity so that my son will live," meaning, specifically so that the merit of this Mitzva will restore the health of his seriously ill son, such a man is a "Tzadik Gamur" - an exceptionally righteous person. Many commentators ask why such a person, who explicitly performs this Mitzva with ulterior motives in mind, earns this laudatory description. Rav Mordechai Banet zt”l explains, derech drush, that the Gemara refers to an individual who gives charity and wants to ensure that the recipient will not feel any shame in accepting his donation. He therefore tells the pauper that to the contrary, he - the donor - benefits from this charitable donation, because he has a sick child who may likely be cured in the merit of this Mitzva. The Gemara teaches that such a person, who devises a method of giving charity while avoiding humiliation on the part of the impoverished recipient, is a "Tzadik Gamur" - an exceptionally pious individual. In this vein, the story is told of a man who purchased stacks of wood and placed them in his porch in the front of his house. When he would meet a poor person, he would hire him to move the wood for him to the back of the house; when he would then come upon another person in need, he would hire him to move the stacks back to the porch. In this way, he provided financial assistance to those who so desperately needed it, while ensuring to preserve their dignity by having them feel that they earned the money, rather than receiving a handout. It is not always possible to make the receiver feel like he is in fact the giver, however it is always essential to try to maintain the dignity of the recipient as much as possible. One of the great baalei chesed of recent years who excelled in this area was Rav Zalman Ashkenazi zt”l. He single handedly created the organization Mesamchei Lev, through which thousands of poor people received food and clothing. He was responsible for the distribution of 62,000 pairs of shoes, 30,000 pounds of matzo, and 4,000 cases of wine before Pesach; 300,000 pounds of meat and poultry before Yamim Noraim; close to 500 mishloach manos baskets to widows and widowers, each containing an envelope with money before Pesach; and he helped fund dozens of weddings for orphaned brides and grooms each year. However, he was not satisfied with the fact that he was providing so much physical aid. He was always highly concerned that the recipients maintain their dignity. Despite trying to remain hidden, when he was identified by recipients, the only thing he would ask is, “Is it dignified enough; It’s not demeaning?” We have seen how giving in such a way that the beneficiary maintains his self-respect is so important that giving that fits that category is considered the highest form of charity. May we all merit to be able to give the needy, but let them not feel like they are takers.

אמור - הבנת העומר

אמור – הבנת העומר \יהונתן גפן הפרשה מתארת את המצוות הקשורות בקרבן העומר. אנו מצווים ביום השני של פסח להקריב קרבן מנחה משעורים בבית המקדש, ומנקודה זו ואילך לספור ארבעים ותשע יום – עד ערב שבועות. ר' יוסף סלנט זצ"ל בספרו 'באר יוסף' שואל על עניין העומר מספר שאלות . ביניהם הוא מציין את העובדה שמנחת העומר הכילה נפח זהה לכל שאר קרבנות המנחה – עשירית האיפה , ולמרות זאת רק הנפח של מנחה זו מכונה בתורה בשם 'עומר' – במקום לומר בפשטות – כמו בשאר המנחות – "עשירית האיפה". מהי המשמעות של החלפת הכינוי במנחת העומר? שנית, הוא מביא את דברי ה'ספר החינוך' שכותב שמטרת ספירת העומר היא לספור לקראת זמן מתן תורה – חג השבועות. אנו סופרים על מנת לשקף בכך את ציפייתנו לקראת יום גדול וקדוש זה. ר' יוסף סלנט מעיר שמהסברו של בעל ספר החינוך קשה לראות קשר מהותי בין מנחת העומר לבין מתן תורה, ולכאורה נראה שישנם 49 יום ממנחת העומר ועד למתן תורה, ולכן אנו סופרים מאז ועד שבועות. האם אכן קיים קשר כזה, בין שני תאריכים אלה, הנראים לכאורה כלל לא קשורים זה בזה? הוא משיב על שאלתו הראשונה ואומר שהמקום הנוסף בו משתמשת התורה במילה "עומר" הוא בקשר למן. בפרשת בשלח כותבת התורה את ציווי ה' לעם ישראל לאסוף מהמן "עומר לגולגולת" . גם המדרש מקשר בין מנחת העומר והמן ואומר שבמנחה זו הודה עם ישראל לה' על המן אותו קיבלו במדבר. ר' סלנט מסביר שבזמן היותם במדבר, לא נדרשו היהודים להשקיע כל מאמץ על מנת להשיג את מחייתם. המן הגיע אליהם הישר משמיים בלא כל צורך במגע יד אדם. יתירה מזאת, גם אם היה אדם מנסה ומתאמץ להשיג כמות זו או אחרת של מן – מעולם לא עלה בידו להשיג יותר מהכמות שנקצבה לו, ובסופו של דבר הוא קיבל בדיוק את הכמות אותה היה צריך. כיוון שפרנסתם הייתה מסופקת להם מלמעלה, יכלו היהודים להשקיע את כל זמנם וכוחם עבור לימוד התורה ועבודת ה'. אבל, כאשר נכנסו לארץ ישראל – הפסיק המן לרדת משמיים והם נדרשו להתחיל לדאוג לפרנסתם על ידי מאמץ פיזי מצידם. שינוי זה בחייהם הביא בכנפיו סכנה חדשה: כאשר אדם רואה כיצד נושא עמלו פרי, בטחונו בה' נכנס לסיכון – האדם עלול לזקוף את ההצלחה לעבודתו הקשה, ולשכוח שהכל בא במתנה משמיים. על מנת למנוע מצב זה, ציוותה התורה על קרבן העומר; את ראשית התבואה החדשה בעונה אנו מקריבים להקב"ה, ומבטאים בכך את הכרתנו ואמונתנו הברורה שה' הוא מקור מחייתנו ולא ההשתדלות שאנו עושים. על ידי שימוש באותה מידת נפח, קישרה התורה בין המן ובין מנחת העומר, ולמעשה הדגישה שעל פי האמת אין שום הבדל בין הדרך בה קיבלנו את מזוננו במדבר לעומת ארץ ישראל. בדיוק כשם שסיפק הקב"ה צרכנו במדבר כך הוא מהווה את מקור פרנסתנו גם כאשר הסתיימה תקופה ניסית זו. ההבדל היחיד הוא בכך שכעת אין לנו עוד את הזכות לראות במו עינינו ניסים גלויים, ולכן עלינו להשקיע כוחות ולהשתדל עבור פרנסנתנו. מוסף ה"באר יוסף" הוכחה יפה נוספת לקשר בין המן ובין העומר. הוא מביא את הגמרא בקידושין האומרת שהמן הפסיק לרדת כאשר נפטר משה רבנו, אולם העם המשיך לאכול משיירי המן עד היכנסם לארץ בט"ז בניסן . זהו בדיוק התאריך בו מביאים את קרבן העומר! וכך, מידי שנה, אנו מתחילים בספירת העומר ביום בו הפסיק המן לרדת, זהו לימוד עבורנו מידי שנה בשנה שפרנסה שהיא בגדר של עומר – מתוך השתדלות, מהווה למעשה המשך ישיר לזו הניסית – למן מִן השמיים. הוא ממשיך הלאה להסביר את הקשר בין העומר ובין שבועות. עד כה ראינו כיצד העומר מלמדנו שפרנסתנו מגיעה אך ורק מה'. אולם ידיעה זו אינה מספקת; עלינו גם להכיר בכך שפרנסה ברווח אינה מטרה בפני עצמה, אלא גם לה יש תפקיד גדול הרבה יותר – להביא אותנו למנוחת הנפש, אשר על ידה נוכל להשקיע בעבודת ה' ובלימוד התורה ללא כל טרדות ודאגות מחיה. על כן קישרה התורה את ספירת העומר לשבועת ללמדנו את מטרתה של הפרנסה אותה מספק לנו ה' – להביאנו לקראת מתן תורה, לאפשר לנו ללמוד תורה ולחיות חיי תורה. במשך ארבעים ותשעה ימים אנו סופרים ספירת העומר, ובכך מחדירים בתוכנו את ההכרה בכך שה' הוא מקור המחיה היחיד בחיינו, ולמעלה מזאת, שמטרתו בכל זאת היא אך ורק לאפשר לנו להתקרב אליו עוד ועוד על ידי לימוד התורה וקיום מצוותיה. ללימוד אותו למד עם ישראל מהמן במדבר הייתה משמעות חשובה ביותר במשך ההסטוריה היהודית. בתקופתו של הנביא ירמיהו היה מצב בעם בו העמידו את העבודה בחשיבות עליונה יותר מלימוד התורה. ירמיהו הוכיחם על כך, אך הם טענו שהם חייבים לעבוד למחייתם כדי לשרוד. ירמיהו בתגובה הביא מבית המקדש צנצנת של מן שהייתה גנוזה בו . בכך הזכיר להם שלהקב"ה ישנן דרכים רבות כיצד לספק לאדם את פרנסתו והאדם חייב להכיר בכך שאין כל טעם להתמקד בחיפוש אחר הפרנסה חלף התפתחותו הרוחנית. אנחנו לא זכאים לראות את צנצנת המן ולהתעורר על ידה, אולם עדיין נותרה בידינו מצות ספירת העומר – המהווה תזכורת קבועה לכך שאין כל תועלת בהשקעת מאמצים מעבר לגבולות ההשתדלות הנצרכת, שהרי בסופו של דבר ה' הוא היחיד המספק את כל צרכינו. ולמעלה מזאת, ספירת העומר מזכירה לנו שוב ושוב שהמטרה עבורה אנו מקבלים את צרכינו הגשמיים היא על מנת שנוכל להתמקד בעבודה העיקרית – לעלות ולהתקרב אל ה' . היישום למעשה של לימודים אלה הוא שונה וייחודי לכל אחד ואחד, אין מידה קבועה של זמן והשקעה אותם צריך האדם להשקיע בפרנסה, בלימוד ובהשקעה בעניינים רוחניים אחרים. אולם, בתקופה זו של ספירת העומר כדאי לכל אדם לבדוק את עצמו ולעשות חשבון הנפש – כמה הוא משקיע בגשמיות לעומת חיי הנצח? האם הוא דואג לפרנסתו יותר מהנצרך? ובזמנו הפנוי, האם הוא משקיע ברוחניות, או שמא מוצא מה אפשר להוסיף בחיי העולם הזה? אם יענה האדם לעצמו בכנות על שאלות אלה, ויבדוק שאכן הוא חי בצורה הנכונה – יוכל הוא להפנים את מה שבא העומר ללמדנו. מי ייתן וכולנו נזכה להרוויח את לחמנו ומחייתנו ללא קושי, וכך נזכה לשפע של אפשרויות לגדול ולהתקרב אל ה' .

COUNTING THE OMER - EMOR

EMOR – COUNTING THE OMER The Parsha outlines the The Mitzvos involved with the Omer offering. On the second day of Pesach we are commanded to bring an offering of barley in the Beis HaMikdash and the Torah further instructs us to count from forty nine days from the offering until the day before Shavuos. Rav Yosef Salant zt" in his sefer, 'Be'er Yosef' asks a number of questions about the Omer . Amongst them he notes that the Omer offering was the same volume as the other Mincha offerings - a tenth of an eiphah . Yet this is the only offering in which the volume is described by the name 'Omer' as opposed to simply saying, 'a tenth of an eiphah'. What is the significance of this change in name? Secondly, he brings the Sefer HaChinuch who writes that purpose of Sefiras HaOmer (counting the Omer) is to count towards the day of the Giving of the Torah (Matan Torah), Shavuos. We count to demonstrate our excitement about reaching this holy day . Rav Salant points out that from the Sefer HaChinuch's explanation it is difficult to see any specific connection between the Omer and Matan Torah, rather it simply seems that there were 49 days between the two events and so we count from one towards the other. Is there a connection between the seemingly separate occasions of the Omer offering and Shavuos? He answers the first question by noting that the other time the word 'Omer' is used in the Torah is with regard to the Manna that the Jews received in the desert. In Parshas Beshalach the Torah states that Hashem commanded the people to gather from the Manna, "an Omer per person. " The Medrash also connects the Omer offering with the Manna. It tells us that the Omer offering was some kind of acknowledgement from the Jewish people to Hashem of the Manna that they received in the desert. Rav Salant explains that during their time in the desert the people did not have to exert any effort in order to attain their sustenance. The Manna came directly from heaven without any input from the people. Further, no matter how much Manna a person tried to gather, he would never be able to take more than he was allotted, rather he would receive exactly what he needed. Because their sustenance was provided for, the people were free to involve themselves in learning Torah and Avodas Hashem. However, when they entered Eretz Yisroel, the Manna from heaven stopped and they were required to acquire their livelihood (parnassa) through physical effort. With this change came a new danger: When a person sees his toiling bear fruit, there is the risk that his reliance on Hashem will weaken and he will come to attribute his success to his own hard work. In order to prevent this from happening, the Torah gave us the Omer offering; we offer the first produce of the season to Hashem, acknowledging that only He is the Source of our sustenance and not our own hishtadlus. By connecting the Omer to the Manna through the same term of volume, the Torah stresses that in truth there was no difference in how we attained our food in the desert and in Eretz Yisroel. In the same way that Hashem provided us with food in the desert, Hashem continued to do the same once that miraculous period ended. The only difference is that now we no longer merited to experience open miracles and therefore we had to exert a measure of physical effort in order to attain our parnassa. The 'Be'er Yosef' adds a beautiful proof of the connection between the Manna and the Omer. He brings the Gemara in Kiddushin that says that the Manna stopped falling when Moshe Rabbeinu died, but the people continued to eat what was remaining until they entered the land on the 16th of Nissan . We also bring the Omer offering on that very date! Thus, every year, we begin counting the Omer on the day that the Manna stopped to further teach ourselves that the sustenance represented by the Omer is a continuation of the sustenance epitomized by the Manna. He then goes on to explain the connection between the Omer and Shavous. Thus far we have see how the Omer teaches us that our livelihood comes from Hashem. However, such an awareness is not sufficient; we must also realize that earning a parnassa is not an end in itself, rather it is a means to a greater end - to enable us to have enough menuchas hanefesh so that we can focus on Avodas Hashem and learning Torah without being overburdened by concerns about our livelihood. In this vein, the Torah connects the counting of the Omer to Shavuos to teach us that the purpose of the sustenance that is symbolized by the Omer is to take us to Matan Torah, to enable us to learn and observe the Torah effectively. Thus, for forty nine days we count the Omer, thereby infusing ourselves with the realization that Hashem is the only Source of our livelihood and moreover, that His purpose in doing so is to enable us to get close to Him through learning and keeping his Torah. The lessons of the Manna have had great relevance throughout Jewish history. In the time of the Prophet Yeremyahu, the people had made working a greater priority than learning Torah. Yeremyahu exhorted them to make learning Torah their main focus. They replied by claiming that they needed to work in order to survive . Yeremyahu responded by bringing out a container of Manna that was stored in the Beis HaMikdash . He showed them that Hashem has many ways of providing man with his parnassa and that he should realize the futility of focusing one's physical sustenance to the exclusion of his spiritual well-being. We no longer have the container of Manna to arouse us, however we still have the Mitzvo of counting the Omer - it stands as a constant reminder that there is no benefit in working beyond the boundaries of acceptable hishtadlus (physical effort) because ultimately Hashem is the sole provider of our parnassa. Moreover, it teaches us to remember that the purpose of having physical well-being is so that we can grow closer to Hashem . These lessons are applied differently to each individual, there is no 'right' amount of time one should spend working, learning, and being involved in other spiritual pursuits. However, during this period of Sefiras HaOmer it is worthwhile for each person to make his own cheshbon hanefesh of the balance of his involvement in gashmius and ruchnius. Does he work more than is really necessary? In his spare time, does he focus on ruchnius or does he 'bring his work home with him'? By asking such questions a person can hopefully internalize the lessons of the Omer. May we all merit to receive our livelihood without difficulty, and have ample opportunity to grow closer to Hashem.

OUR PORTION IN OLAM HABA - EMOR

EMOR – OUR PORTION IN OLAM HABA The Parsha ends with the distressing story of the Mekalel, the son of an Egyptian man and Jewish woman, who committed the grave sin of blasphemy and as a result was punished with the death penalty. The episode begins with the words, “the son of an Israelite woman went out – and he was the son of an Egyptian man – among the Children of Israel…” Chazal and the commentaries point out that the significance of the words, “he went out” is unclear – where did he go out from?. Rashi, quoting the Medrash, explains that the Torah is telling us that, “he went out of his Olam (world).” The commentaries explain that this means that he forsook his portion in Olam Haba through the terrible sin that he committed. The Taz in his commentary on the Torah notes further the use of the language, that he left “his world” as opposed to, “the world”. The Taz explains: “The explanation seems to be, that, from the day of his birth, every member of the Jewish people is connected to the Upper World [ie. Olam Haba] in a Holy place. But when he sins he leaves that place where he is connected; therefore it says that he ‘went out’.” This explanation provides us with an important understanding of the Torah outlook with regard to reward and punishment in Olam Haba. One may think that a person in this world has no intrinsic connection to Olam Haba, rather when he dies and goes up, he will receive prizes for the Mitzvos he did, and will lose things for the sins he did. The reward that is ‘Olam Haba’ is viewed upon as being his prize, similar to the way in which a person collects his reward after winning a raffle. The Taz shows us that that is not the case – rather from his birth, a Jew is intrinsically connected to Olam Haba – what is the cause of this connection? It is obviously his soul; by dong Mitzvos he nourishes his soul and thereby ‘improves’ the nature of the Olam Haba that he will ‘receive’. By sinning he damages his soul and thereby loses certain elements of his Olam Haba – and without teshuva (repentance) he has to go to Gehinnom to cleanse himself from the impurities on his soul because of the sin . The sin of the mekalel was so great that he lost his Olam HaBah . Thus, we see from here that reward and punishment in the next world is not arbitrary, rather a person creates his own Olam Haba or lack thereof. There is a second important lesson that can be derived from the Taz: Some religions believe that people are intrinsically evil because of the sin of Adam, and that one must get out of that state of inherent evil. We see from the Taz that the exact opposite is true. We are intrinsically good and Holy and connected to Olam Haba - our job is just not to lose our inherent connection, rather to tend to our Portion well. This concept is brought out by the Mishna in Sanhedrin which states: “Every Jew has a Portion in the World to Come…” The commentaries ask is it true that every Jews gets Olam Haba? Indeed the Mishna later enumerates the people who get no Olam Haba! The answer is that the Mishna does not say that every person ultimately receives Olam Haba, rather that they all have a Chelek (Portion), and it is up to them to maintain and develop that Chelek. But if they neglect their job then they are in danger of losing it, as was the case with the people mentioned in the Mishna. An analogy of owning land can be used to help further understand the Mishna. The portion described here is like a plot of land; each person inherits a bare plot of land. It is up to him to tender the plot and plant it so that healthy crops grow in it. If, at the end of one’s tenure of the crop, he has developed it well, then he can reap the rewards of his hard work. If, however, he neglects the crop, then it will remain undeveloped, and if he mistreats it, by throwing dangerous chemicals into it, for example, then he will damage it. At the end of his tenure he will be left with a useless piece of land. So too, we are all born with a lofty soul that is our connection to Olam Haba. If we observe the Torah and Mitzvos then we will elevate our soul so that after our deaths our souls will be fitting vessels to enjoy the spiritual wonders of Olam Haba. If, however, we neglect and damage our souls, then they will be so badly stained that they will not be able to benefit from Olam Haba, and that soul will have to undergo the painful process of Gehinnom in order to be able to enter Olam Haba. We have seen how each Jew has an inherent connection to Olam Haba and that the way we conduct ourselves in this world determines the state of our portion in the Next World. There are is a very important practical lesson that should be derived from this knowledge. A person’s yetser hara (negative inclination) sometimes tells him that even if he acts incorrectly, HaShem will easily forgive his transgressions and he will avoid negative consequences, without having to do teshuva. However, this understanding is totally incorrect – when a person sins, he automatically damages his soul – it is not a matter of HaShem ‘letting him off or not’, rather HaShem has set up a system whereby there are natural spiritual consequences to one’s actions. Thus, just like in the physical world, it is understood that certain actions, such as walking off the roof of a building, will cause great damage, the same is true in the spiritual world. Only teshuva can rectify the damage done by the sin. May we all merit to tend to our Portion of Olam Haba in the most optimum way possible.

THE PRECISION OF DIN - EMOR

The Parsha ends with the incident involving the blaspheming of the mekalel. The Torah tells us that after he committed his heinous sin, he was placed in a cell to await the punishment he was to recieve . Rashi, quoting a Medrash, writes that at the same time there was another sinner awaiting his fate - the mekoshesh - who was placed in a separate cell. There was a key difference in the situations of the two men. It was known that the mekoshesh was chayav misa, but it was not known by which form of misa he would be executed. In contrast, with regard to the mekalel, they did not know whether he was chayav misa at all. Sifsey Chachamim explain that had they put the two together it could have caused the mekalel undue pain because he would have expected to receive the death penalty just like the mekoshesh. In order to spare him from any unnecessary pain he was put in a separate cell. Rav Mordechai Gifter zt’l goes even further and says that putting the two in the same cell could have possibly even caused the mekoshesh undue pain - had the mekalel been exempt from the death penalty and the mekoshesh would have been aware of this he would have been caused even more pain because a person feels worse about a bad situation when he knows that his fellow is not suffering to the same degree . Consequently the mekoshesh was kept unaware of the fate of the mekalel. This example teaches us the degree of sensitivity which the Torah requires - these two men committed terrible sins and yet they were treated with the utmost concern. A less obvious lesson is that even when a person is deserving of punishment we must be extremely careful not to cause him more pain than he deserves - these men were deserving of terrible onshim but they did not deserve to suffer one iota of pain more than the halacho required. There are a number of examples of this yesod throughout the Torah, Chazal, and halacho: For example, a person who commits a sin that is chayav malkus receives 39 lashes but the Torah strictly prohibits striking him even a single time more than the proscribed number. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that it is unjust to strike a human being more than he deserves . Another case where one must be very careful not to cause undue damage is speaking lashon hara for constructive purpose. There are times when it is permitted to speak negatively about a person and if necessary, cause him a certain degree of harm, in order to protect other people. However, the Chofetz Chaim zt”l warns that it is forbidden to cause him more damage than he deserves according to Jewish law. Even though speaking out could prevent damage, nonetheless one cannot do so if the perpetrator will unduly suffer . Furthermore, it seems that when a person is careful not to cause anyone undue harm he fulfills the mitzvo of ’v’halachto b’drachav’ because Hashem always punishes a person to the exact degree necessary. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l brings out a striking example of this; The Torah in describing the sale of Yosef Hatzadik to the Yishmaelim mentions the seemingly insignificant point that their wagons were carrying pleasant smelling spices. The Medrash explains that the passuk is showing us how Hashem did not want Yosef to have to endure unpleasant smells, therefore He arranged that these wagons carry spices instead of the regular merchandise . This is very difficult to understand: At this time Yosef was experiencing incredible physical and emotional pain - he had been stripped of his clothing by his own brothers and thrown into a pit full of snakes and scorpions. Now he was flung into a wagon alone and helpless - in the light of such great hardship the fact that the wagon at least smelt pleasant does not seem to have provided much consolation to Yosef! However, this teaches us the exacting nature of midos Hadin. Hashem, in His Infinite wisdom, decreed that Yosef needed to undergo the pain of being thrown in to the pit, sold to the Yishmaelim, and all the other difficulties that he went through in Mitzrayim . However, he did not deserve to sit in a wagon that had an unpleasant fragrance, and therefore Hashem caused a hidden miracle to enable him to enjoy a pleasant smell on his journey to Mitzrayim. Our Gedolim demonstrated a similar sensitivity to applying appropriate punishment or rebuke appropriate to the situation. On one occasion, Rav Shach zt”l was greatly displeased with a certain Rosh Yeshiva and traveled a considerable distance in order to rebuke him. However, after he arrived at where the Rosh Yeshiva was staying, he only remained for a short time and then left without saying anything. He explained that the wife of this Rosh Yeshiva was present throughout the visit and Rav Shach did not want to rebuke him in front of her . Rav Shach evidently felt that this Rosh Yeshiva was deserving of a certain level of rebuke to the extent that he was willing to travel a long distance in order to deliver it. However, he forsook this course of action when he perceived that it would cause unwarranted damage. There are many examples in daily life where it may be necessary to rebuke or punish someone, particularly children or students. However it is essential to avoid punishing them overly harshly and it seems from the above examples, that it would be safer and more advisable to refrain from rebuke if there is the likelihood that to do so would cause more pain than deserved. The fact that the Torah deems it significant to mention the degree to which the mekalel and mekoshesh were spared any excessive suffering teaches us how careful we must be in our dealings with our fellow Jews not to cause them any unnecessary pain.