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THE WEEKLY PARSHA

KI TISSA

[ Dvar Torah ] [ Passages on Prayer ]
[ Stories of the Sages ] [ Education ]

(Taken from a weekly publication of Hammaayan Institutes.
Translated by Rabbi Shabtai Teicher)

THE WEEKLY PARSHA
"When you take the head(count) of the children of Israel by their numbers, each person will give a ransom for his soul to G-d when they are counted; and there will not be a plague among them when they are counted" (Exodus 30:12).

Our Rabbis have already related to the question of why counting people causes plague? They have explained that by counting individuals in a group, the counting isolates the individual from the group. The purpose of counting them is to break the group down into numbers in order that they can serve some designated function. However, once the individuals are isolated from the group, they are exposed to antagonistic elements much more than when they are undifferentiated parts of a larger group.

It is well known that if someone wants to hurt a group, the best tactic is to break them up into smaller parts; and chazal has already spoken along these lines when they said that dispersion of the wicked is good for the world. Dispersion weakens them.

We see this principle at work in nature as well. A group comprised of many, united individuals is much stronger than any single individual, no matter how powerful he is. The strength of a rope, for example, is in the fact that many threads are woven together into one.

On the other hand, when a person is subsumed within a group, there is a danger that he will lose his individual identity and the value of the unique function for which he was created. Along these lines Chazal have said that Adam was created alone, in order that he should know that "the world was created for me."

In other words, humanity stands between two opposite poles. On the one hand, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" Of all the people in the world I am the only one who is fitting and capable to fulfill the purpose for which I was created. On the other hand, "When I am for myself, then what am I?" The power of the individual is poor, and there is no great chance for me to succeed if I am by myself.

In order to resolve this contradiction, the Torah gives the wonderful advice that every individual should give a one-half shekel coin. In this way each individual can give his share, in order to fulfill the dictum, "the world was created for me." Without the contribution of each individual, then the Mishkan could not be erected. However, "the rich shall not give a lot, and the poor shall not give a little..." (ibid. 15). The contribution of each individual shall not distinguish him or bring him to the forefront of attention more than anyone else. All will be considered as one. In this way, the individual will not become isolated and alone, without assistance and support, and he will not be susceptible to the dangers entailed in this exposure.

Furthermore, we were taught that the one-half shekel silver coins were used for the making of the "adanim". These were silver sockets. The walls of the mishkan were comprised of boards which were placed into these silver sockets. Thus, the adanim were actually the foundation of the construction.

The purpose of the construction has already been stated: "...and make for Me a Holy Place and I will dwell within them" (ibid. 25:8). In other words, the purpose of the construction is to serve as an instrument for the revelation of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). For this purpose the power of the individual can never suffice. The foundation for such a phenomenon must come from the whole klal of the people.

On the other hand, once the foundation is established, then the construction begins to branch out into separate paths. Each individual board stand separately. Furthermore, all the different vessels in the mishkan are provided by the unique contributions of individuals. If any one of them would be missing, then the whole would be deficient and incomplete.

This can be compared to a person's life. First, he must plant the roots of his soul. He is one individual in the entire creation whose purpose is to serve one, single goal: the glorification of G-d. After this awareness is attained, and the foundation is laid, then he must attend to the next stage. Just as the parts and vessels of the Mishkan branched out, we are all commanded, each individual one of us, to fulfill his unique purpose in the Grand Design, each one according to his ability. When a person invests his strength, quantitatively and qualitatively, through "the generosity of his heart," into the common goal, then he fulfills himself and his own individual purpose.

THE PRAYERS OF OUR MOUTH

"And the children of Israel shall guard the sabbath..." (Exodus 32:16).

The merit of guarding the sabbath according to its laws is a virtue in order to attain forgiveness of all sins. This is according to the teaching of the Talmud (Shabbat 118): "Anyone who guards the sabbath according to its laws -- even if he sinned like the generation of Enosh (when paganism began) -- his sins are forgiven." And this, the Talmud explains, is according to the verse (Isaiah 56:2): "Happy is the man who does this, and the person who holds on to it: he guards the shabbat from profaning it, and he guards his hand from doing any evil." However, the Hebrew word for the phrase "from profaning it" is "mechalel," and it is a cognate of "machul" which means "forgiven." Thus, the verse might be read, "...He guards the shabbat, and it is forgiven."

"However, how is it possible for a person to come to the level of guarding the shabbat in all its particulars and laws? The advised approach to this problem is that a person must encourage himself to learn the laws of shabbat, and constantly review them, in order that he will know what is prohibited and what is permitted.

"If he does not do this, then even if he learns all the exhortations about guarding the shabbat, it will not help him. It is written in Proverbs (1:2): "...to know wisdom and ethics," and the Midrash says, "If a person possesses wisdom, then he can study ethics, but if he does not possess wisdom, then he cannot study ethics." In other words, if he has made a mistake in the foundation of the thing, such as thinking that some particular is not prohibited whatsoever, then what advantage will it be to him if he has absorbed all the ethicacl exhortations?! It is exactly the same concerning shabbat. If he thinks that something is not a melachah or a rabbinical prohibition, then the study of ethics will not help him.

"The gaon who was the author of "Urim Vetumim," in his book "Ye'arot Devash," has already written that it is impossible not to transgress the prohibitions of the shabbat if a person has not studied all its laws very clearly and very well."

(The Chofetz Chaim, Introduction to the Mishnah Berurah)

STORIES OF OUR SAGES

Rabbi Yisrael Issar was a wealthy and generous merchant in the city of Krakow. In his store he sold beautiful and expensive woven articles to many wealthy, respectable customers.

It was the custom of Rabbi Yisrael to close his shop by noon on Fridays, erev shabbat.

Once, an important merchant entered the shop on Friday. Rabbi Yisrael presented to him various weavings, while at the same time encouraging him to hurry his purchase in order to conclude before noon. While they were still looking through the merchandise and measuring the pieces, the noon arrived. Rabbi Yisrael said, "I am sorry, but you will have to complete your purchase on Sunday."

Despite the looks of his customer, Rabbi Yisrael insisted, "I will not change my custom. I do not work on Friday after noon."

The protests of the customer were of no avail, and he left the shop very angry, declaring, "I will be forced to arrange my purchases by someone else."

Thus, Rabbi Yisrael Issar suffered a great loss. Nevertheless, because of the scrupulousness with which he guarded this custom, he was reimbursed in another way. His son became the great rabbinical posek, Rabbi Moshe Issarlish, known as the Rama, who enlightened the eyes of Israel with his Torah.

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

"...But they must guard My Sabbaths, because it is a sign between Me and between you, for all your generations, to know that I am G-d who sanctifies you" (Exodus 32:13).

(The following is a selection from one of the letters of the Steipler Rav....)

"...I received your letter about the young man who has become confused with doubts about faith, reward and punishment, and who is suffering tremendously as a consequence. Many young men like this have come to me. I advise them not to think about it at all. They should study Torah and do mitzvot even if they have doubts about them.

"There is no intellectual answer which can be given about this, but only practical advice. Firstly, he should keep the shabbat in all the particulars and nuances of its laws. In other words, he should study the Code of Law with the Mishnah Berurah very well, until he becomes an expert in them. He should study these laws for the purpose of fulfilling what is written there.

"Also, on the shabbat he should not speak uselessly, but only what is necessary. Certainly, he should not read newspapers or `books' on shabbat. When he is not eating or sleeping, he should occupy himself with the Torah.

"In a relatively short time, he will see amazing things. Although he will not have found any intellectual solutions for them, all these doubts will not confuse him. This is a fact.

"However, this is conditional. Keeping Shabbat must be for the sake of Heaven, or at least for the sake of his emunah and faith. However, if the intent is only to relieve his mental anguish, then this program will not help him, because that is not for the sake of Heaven.

"It is a proven fact that in this way a person can achieve pure faith. Along these lines Chazal said that anyone's sins will be completely forgiven if he keeps the shabbat, and even if he worshipped idols like the generation of Enosh. The heresy troubling these young men is comparable to idolatry.

"Also, he can say every day at the beginning of the morning and afternoon prayers the parshat hatamid, that section of the Torah describing the order of the daily sacrifice in the Temple. This daily sacrifice is an oleh (a burnt offering), and chazal have said that a burnt offering atones for ruminations of the heart. They also said that studying the Torah which deals with oleh is tantamount to sacrificing an oleh.

"Another proven remedy for eliminating doubts, although it is very difficult to accomplish, is humility. When he submits himself to G-d and truly considers himself as `nothing' and without any importance, then all doubts disappear and they will not trouble him whatsoever. However, humility is a very difficult thing to truly achieve...."

(Kreina De'igrata)

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