Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Vayakhel - Pikudei - Parah

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand on the parshios this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand began tonight's vort by quoting the Shulchan Aroch, which contains an opinion that both Parshas Parah and Parshas Zochor are biblically obligated to be heard. This is derived from a Rashba in Gemara Berachos which states that there is a biblical obligation to hear Parshas Parah, but the question is why?

R' Frand quoted the Meshech Chachma who explains that the actual reading is not biblically obligated. Rather the meaning that the reading is "biblically obligated" means that when the Beis Hamkidash was standing and they did the avodah to make the parah adumah, there was an obligation to read the parsha of parah aduma while the avodah was being performed (like the avodah on Yom Kippur).

R' Frand then quoted the Malbim in the sefer Artzos Hachaim who asks - why is there no obligation to read the parsha of the egel hazahav every day? Because this was a negative event in the Jews history and it would be an embarrassment to remember the sin of the golden calf of a daily basis.

The Malbim quoted a Magen Avraham who notes that in Parshas Ki Sissa, the first two aliyos are quite long. Why? So that we can ensure that a Levi gets the story of the egel, because the Levi is not embarrassed by the story of the egel as the Levi'im did not sin with the golden calf.

The Malbim then explains that the reading of Parshas Parah is a remembrance for the egel. Chazal tell us that the Parah Aduma is the kappara for the egel. R' Frand quoted a Rashi that the mother (Parah) is coming and wiping up the mess made by the child (egel). The Parah Aduma parsha is a subtle reminder of the egel and is a remberance of the sin of the egel - this is why it is biblically obligated as a zachor of how the Jews provoked Hashem in the midbar.

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