Friday, March 19, 2021

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayikra + A Seder Vort

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha and the seder that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts 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.

In Parshas Vayikra there are three different discussions of sacrifices brought to atone for mistakes made by Jewish leaders. In Vayikra 4:3 the Torah states אִ֣ם הַכֹּהֵ֧ן הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ יֶֽחֱטָ֖א לְאַשְׁמַ֣ת הָעָ֑ם - if the anointed Kohain sins, bringing guilt to the people. In Vayikra 4:13 the Torah states וְאִ֨ם כָּל־עֲדַ֤ת יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יִשְׁגּ֔וּ וְנֶעְלַ֣ם דָּבָ֔ר מֵֽעֵינֵ֖י הַקָּהָ֑ל - if the entire Jewish people sin because the Sanhedrin makes an improper ruling. Finally in Vayikra 4:22 the Torah states - אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָשִׂ֖יא יֶֽחֱטָ֑א.

The language by the Nasi is different than the Kohain Gadol and the Sanhedrin as Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the Torah's use of the word אֲשֶׁ֥ר can be interpreted as "if" or also as "when." If the word is to be understood as when, it would be indicative of the nature of a King vs the Kohain Gadol or the Sanhedrin. The Kohain Gadol is scrupulous to avoid sin, because the eyes of all the people are on him constantly. Similarly, the Sanhedrin are protected from sin as they have Ruach HaKodesh when they are determining halachic rulings. However the Nasi has ga'ava, as the phrase goes - absolute power corrupts absolutely.

R' Frand remarked that although we dont have a King, we do have Gedolim and they are humble and protected from the perils of ga'ava. He told a story about a boy who was once walking in Jerusalem at 3 in the morning and saw R' Chaim Kanievsky feeding a cat. He was going to take a picture with his camera and R' Chaim asked him not to. He did not listen and took the picture anyway. R' Chaim then asked him not to develop the picture and the boy reluctantly agreed.

Twenty-five years later, he returned to Israel with his own son who was doing a trip for his bar mitzva. He took his son to R' Chaim for a beracha and when they walked in, R' Chaim looked at him intently before saying - I've been waiting for you for 25 years so that I can ask you mechila for requesting you not develop the picture.

R' Frand said that this shows the true humility of a Gadol - R' Chaim remembered his action and the face of the young man and retained it, so that he could correct what he felt was an improper request.

R' Frand also said a vort from the Seder in connection with the language at the beginning of the hagadah - hashata hacha which talks about how we want to be in Israel and how we are now free men. Towards the end of the hagadah there is also a request that we be in Jerusalem next year. But why aren't we now? It is known that we are in galus because of sinas chinam. Furthermore, the connection between seder night and tisha b'av is well known as they are always on the same night of the week and we eat an egg on the night of the seder to remember the churban.

R' Frand quoted the Ben Ish Chai who asks why there is no hint to sinas chinam in the hagadah? He answers that there is - we dip twice, once to remember Yosef's coat which was dipped in blood and once to remember the blood which was applied to the doorposts with a bunch of hyssop. He further explains that the reason we dip twice is remember that the only way to escape from sinas chinam is being an agudah - a group acting together to serve Hashem.

R' Frand closed the shiur by quoting a story about R' Kook. Once during one of his shiurim he was heckled by a man who did not agree with his views. Months later, R Kook was parceling out funds for people who needed kimcha d'psicha. His assistant saw that man on the list and asked - why are you allocating funds to him, he was so rude to you? He answered - what is the opposite of sinas chinam? The assistant replied - ahavas chinam. R' Kook then said to him - doing good for someone who you dont know is not ahavas chinam - its just chessed. But doing good for someone who has treated you badly is the essence of ahavas chinam.

R' Frand opined that perhaps the story took place specifically around Pesach was because R' Kook was trying to teach a lesson about ahavas chinam ahead of the seder.

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