Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Terumah

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. 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 Shemos 25:7 the Torah states אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֕הַם וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָֽאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֽשֶׁן. Rabbi Frand commented that the words וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים are literally translated as the filling stones. Rashi asks why they are given this title and he explains that there were holes in the Choshen which were filled by these stones. 

But given that the stones were precious, why would they be identified as "fillers?" 

R' Frand answered by quoting the sefer Abir Ya'akov who in turn cites R' Shmuel Birnbaum who learns a lesson that more important than the value of the object is its role in filling something else that is lacking. In this case the stone was a sapphire, but its role in completing something that was missing was more important than its value as a precious stone.

R' Frand next analyzed the Aron which the Torah tells us in Shemos 25:11 was to be constructed with gold on the outside and inside the chamber as well (וְצִפִּיתָ֤ אֹתוֹ֙ זָהָ֣ב טָה֔וֹר מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ). The Gemara in Yoma quotes Rava who learns a lesson from this that any talmid chacham who is not Tocho K'Baro - who is not the same on the inside as he is on the outside, is not a true talmid chacham. 

But the Aron while golden on the inside was actually not pure gold as the inlay was covering a wood frame! R' Frand quoted the Da'as Zekeinim which addresses this and explains that gold is heavier than wood and that in order to not be overly burdensome to the carriers, the gold was placed around the wood frame. 

R' Frand closed the vort by saying that this a lesson for a talmid chacham that he needs to ensure that he is not too much of a burden on the community.

R' Frand's final vort asked about the order of the items being donated to the Mishkan. In Shemos 25:3-4, the items which were donated are recited in descending order of value starting from gold and going through goat hairs. But then in 25:7 the Torah recites the precious stones which are more valuable than gold!

R' Frand quoted the Ohr Chachayim HaKadosh which gives three answers, but R' Frand only mentioned one answer specifically. In so doing he quoted the Gemara in Yoma which states that the clouds brought the precious stones to the Nesi'im who in turn donated the stones to the Mishkan. Because the Nesi'im had made no effort and had donated something which had no personal cost to them, the stones had less value than goat hairs.

R' Frand then quoted the Chaye Adam who explains that when given an opportunity to do a Mitzva, a person should spend what is necessary and not accomplish the Mitzva for free. R' Frand gave the example of going into a store to buy a lulav and esrog and being approached by someone who said that he had a beautiful extra set. Its better to spend the money to purchase the set than to receive it for free.

R' Frand cited to Dovid who when offered the location where the Beis HaMikdash would be built, refused to accept it at less than paying full price.

R' Frand also noted that the Chaye Adam quotes the Zohar as stating that a person should be very machmir in this as it prevents the klipah from attaching to the Mitzva. He gives the example of the practice of paying for a Misheberach after receiving an aliyah. He explains that after receiving the aliyah it is important to give a donation in order to protect the Mitzva he performed.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mishpatim

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. 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.

R' Frand said multiple vorts this evening on the topic of Eved Ivri. He began by quoting the Gemara in Kiddushin which states that a master must treat his Eved Ivri as an equal. If the master eats refined bread he cannot give his Eved coarse bread. And if the master sleeps on a mattress he must give the same to the Eved and not have him sleep on straw. The Gemara then remarks that a person who acquires an Eved Ivri has acquired a master of himself.

Tosafos asks the obvious question - why has he acquired a master, his obligation is only to treat him as an equal! Tosafos answers by quoting the Yerushalmi which explains that the Eved is the "master" in a situation where there is only one object. If there is only one pillow he cannot keep it for himself as that will put the Eved on a lower level. Nor can he say that no one will use it as that is Midas S'dom.

R' Frand then quoted the Abir Ya'akov who asked why the law of Chayecha Kodmin (the rule that when two people are in equal need, your life takes precedence) does not apply? He answers that the rule cannot apply when the result will cause someone to be on a lower level. If the master does without a pillow he will be uncomfortable. But if the Eved does not have it and the master does, it will be demeaning to the Eved.

R' Frand also discussed the concept that an Eved Ivri is given a Shifcha to live with, but when he leaves, the Shifcha and children stay with the master. Why? R' Frand quoted R' Matisyahu Solomon [who should have a refuah sheleima] who explains that it is meant to teach the Eved about the personal value of objects. A man becomes an Eved Ivri when he has stolen and can't repay. Often the thief has no concept of the emotional attachment that his victim has to the possession. When he now has to leave the master but cannot take the Shifcha and children with him, he feels a loss of something he was connected with.

R' Frand said a cute vort from the Chizkuni on the pasuk in Shemos 21:6 - וְהִגִּישׁ֤וֹ אֲדֹנָיו֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙ אֶל־הַדֶּ֔לֶת א֖וֹ אֶל־הַמְּזוּזָ֑ה וְרָצַ֨ע אֲדֹנָ֤יו אֶת־אָזְנוֹ֙ בַּמַּרְצֵ֔עַ וַֽעֲבָד֖וֹ לְעֹלָֽם. The Gemara teaches that his ear is pierced because the Eved had heard the First Commandment but chose to be a slave to a mortal. Hashem is saying to him - I took the Jews out of Egypt from being slaves and in so doing I even shortened the length of the Shibud from 400 years. You chose to stay a slave - so we will use a מַּרְצֵ֔עַ which has a gematria of 400.

The final vort that R' Frand said was a thoughtful take on why the master is the one who does the piercing. He quoted R' Shach who explained that the Eved stays with the master because he claims that he loves him. The best person to give mussar to someone is a person who he loves as it will be most likely to be well received.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Yisro

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. 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.

The first vort Rabbi Frand said was on the pasuk in Shemos 19:3 which states כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל. Rashi explains that when saying לְבֵ֣ית יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב it was a direction that these things should be said to the women and וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל to the men.

Many meforshim ask why the Torah mentions the women before the men. R' Frand quoted the Maharsha in Sotah which explains that women are in the house more than the men. The women are in charge of getting the children to school  - the pasuk is an instruction to Moshe to tell the women about the importance of learning and the women will tell their husbands and children that they need to learn.

R' Frand also quoted the Rabbeinu B'Chaye who explains that the children's success in school will because of their mothers who speak more softly to the children. Furthermore the women when they light the candles daven that their children should be talmidei chachamim - the light of the candles will impact on the children's light of Torah.

R' Frand also stated a vort on the pasuk in Shemos 19:12  כָּל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּהָ֖ר מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת It was forbidden on pain on instant death at the time of Matan Torah to go up on Har Sinai, but immediately afterwards it was fine to go up. But nowadays the Har HaBayis it is still forbidden to go up. But why does Har Sinai not have eternal kedusha, considering that it was on that mountain that we received the Torah?

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Elya Lopian who said that Har Sinai was holy because Hashem came down on it. But Har HaBayis was holy because humans worked together to build the Beis HaMikdash. R' Frand said - something that came down without effort - "easy come, easy go." But  the Jews were Moser Nefesh for Har HaBayis - that holiness stays forever.

R' Frand said a final vort that he said occurred to him this week. He said that now that we are past Tu B'Shvat, people start thinking about Purim. But R' Frand said that he was thinking about Yom Kippurim. This was due to the fact that he did not receive the paper on Monday but on Tuesday he received both Monday and Tuesday's paper. Seeing them both side by side the front page of the paper for Monday was about Erdogan being on top of the world for selling drones to Ukraine and having a relationship with Russia and the front of Tuesday's paper was the earthquake and its utter devastation. R' Frand said that it made him think about the U'Nesaneh Tokef and its discussion of who will be subject to various results (see the actual Tefillah as the words don't transliterate).

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Friday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Beshalach

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha last evening. [As we are BH visiting my FIL aka the Heineken Man and the shiur aired while we were flying to Chicago, I am blogging this on Friday from Chicago]. 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.

R' Frand began by quoting the Ibn Ezra on the pasuk in Shemos 14:22 - וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם in which the Ibn Ezra writes that there was a miracle within the miracle. While the Jews were passing through they walked on dry land and the water alongside them was frozen. Then when the Egyptians came through right behind them, the ice melted and the water came crashing down on them. 

R' Frand tied this to the pasuk in davening which states that zeidim drowned while the yedidim were passed through. It should be the opposite - that the yedidim passed through and then the zeidim drowned. But the Ibn Ezra demonstrates that these events took place at the same time.

R' Frand said a second vort on the pasuk in Shemos 15:2 -  זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ - that the Medrash states that the revelation of the Shechina was so clear that the Jews pointed with their fingers while stating this. Hashem then said to them - in this world you said this once, but in the future you will say זֶ֤ה twice, as reflected in the Ata Haraisa.

R' Frand quoted the Gemara in Pesachim which interprets the pasuk - Bayom HaHu Hashem will be one and His name will be one. In this world we say HaTov V'HaMeitiv on good things and Dayan HaEmes on hearing about a passing. But in the World to Come there is one beracha. The Meshech Chachma explains that in this world we are bound by time and cannot see the whole story, so we see things as negative and say Dayan HaEmes. But in the World to Come we will see how even these things were good. The pasuk in Ata Haraisa uses the name Elokeinu and Hashem - showing that we will see that even what appears to be Din is in reality Midas HaRachamim. 

R' Frand quoted the Beis HaLevi on the words - אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־משֶׁה֩. The Medrash states that Moshe says he sinned with the same word when he states in Shemos 5:23 - וּמֵאָ֞ז בָּ֤אתִי אֶל־פַּרְעֹה֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר בִּשְׁמֶ֔ךָ הֵרַ֖ע לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה. Now I want to use the same word to say praise to Hashem. The Beis HaLevi explains that when the Jews were in the midst of the Shibud the Jews did not understand why they were going through these problems. But now what I complained about I understand was for the good and for that reason I want to use the same word.

R' Frand closed by quoting a Gemara in Taanis which states that in the future, Hashem will create a circle in Gan Eden and the Jews will dance in a circle and point to Hashem using the same pasuk from Ata Haraisa. R' Frand said that in this world there are different minhagim and nuschaos and unfortunately we can't come to a consensus. But in the future when we are in a circle around Hashem and we are all equidistant, we will point to Hashem and say -  זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ.

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