Thursday, May 16, 2024

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Emor

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 Vayikra 22:31, the Torah states וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ מִצְו‍ֹתַ֔י וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם. This is traditionally translated as - You shall keep My commandments and perform them. But R' Frand quoted a talmid of the Arizal who explained that it means that a person should keep a watch out in anticipation of doing a Mitzva and that when he does do the Mitzva, it should solely be for the sake of Heaven, with no personal or ulterior motive.

R' Frand then quoted the Zohar which comments on this pasuk that a person should do Mitzvos with fear of Heaven and love of Hashem and that any Mitzva performed without these emotions will not make it up to Shamayim.

R' Frand then told a story about someone who approached the Choftez Chaim and complained that he lacked the emotions required by the Zohar. To this, the Chofetz Chaim said to him - let me tell you a story. There was a baker in Rodin who pre-WWI had complained to the Chofetz Chaim that everyone criticized his products. Some people said the bread was too well done, while others said it should have baked longer. Other people complained that the bread was too dense while still other people thought that it was too light. The baker asked the Chofetz Chaim for a Beracha that people should appreciate his products.

A number of years after WWI, the Chofetz Chaim crossed paths with the baker and the baker said to him that his Beracha had come to pass. During WWI food was at premium and now everyone came to his shop happy that there was bread available for purchase. No one complained about the quality of the bread and people were all quite happy.

The Chofetz Chaim then said - the times of the Zohar were different - the Amoraim were capable of performing Mitzvos with those intentions and emotions. But today (end of the 1910s) Hashem is happy that people are performing Mitzvos, given the Haskalah and what it has done to the Jewish people.

R' Frand closed the vort by saying that now, one hundred years later, with all the Jews who are not frum, Hashem is certainly happy when we do His Mitzvos, even if we do not necessarily do them with trepidation and awe or with tremendous love.

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