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.

The Torah states in Vayikra 22:32 וְלֹ֤א תְחַלְּלוּ֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֔י וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם. R' Frand remarked that these are two of the most important negative and positive commandments in the same pasuk - the concepts of Kiddush Hashem and the proscription of not making a Chillul Hashem. The mitzva of Kiddush Hashem at its pinnacle requires a person to give up their life, and to not commit one of the three cardinal sins. Over the centuries, Jews gave up their lives, rather than worship idolatry.

R' Frand quoted R' Nissim Alpert who was a talmid of R' Moshe Feinstein. R' Alpert asked about the words וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל - why is this passively stated? The Torah does not command a specific positive act and instead states that passively Hashem will be made holy.

R' Alpert explains that a person does not make Hashem Kodesh overnight. It only occurs if a person a daily basis lives a life of being careful about what comes into his mouth and what comes out of his mouth and everything that he does, it is almost automatic that when the moment comes, he will cause Hashem to become holy. If a person lives an entire life L'Shem Shamayim, then at the moment of the ultimate test, he will be MiKadesh L'Shem Shamayim.

He then connected this with the death of R' Akiva. The gemara in Berachos describes the death of R' Akiva. R' Akiva was not killed instantaneously, instead, his skin was raked with metal combs while he was reciting Krias Shema and his neshama left him when saying "Echad." His students asked him - is this how far one must go? He responded that all the days of his life he waited for this to occur. R' Alpert underscored the use of the words "all the days of his life" - R' Akiva lived his life and this resulted in a Kiddush Hashem.

R' Frand also referenced the story of the Mikallel at the end of the parsha. The Torah describes that the man was a Jew since his mother was Jewish and his father was a Mitzri. This man got into a fight and he blasphemed in that he cursed Hashem. They brought him to Moshe, but he did not know what to do with him, so they put him in jail. Rashi explains that he was put in jail alone. There was another person in jail as well - the Mikoshesh Eitzim, but they did not put them together. The Mikoshesh was incarcerated because they knew that he was to be killed, but they did not know which form of death would be imposed. Meanwhile, they did not know what the punishment would be for the Mikallel, so he was placed in jail, but away from the Mikoshesh.

R' Frand quoted the Sefer Ikrei Erev who explains that the reason they were in different cells is that the Mikoshesh was known to be on death row and they were not clear what would happen to the Mikallel. As an act of sensitivity, they kept the two apart, so that the Mikallel would not be concerned that he too could be facing death. 

But who are we talking about? The blasphemer! He did not act out of desire or due to his Yetzer Harah. So why is he kept apart? Because everyone, even if he did a horrible act, is entitled to our sensitivity. There is a concept of Inui HaDin - that we don't push off the punishment of a killer because we don't want him to feel anguish of the looming sentence. Similarly here, the men were kept apart so that the Mikallel would not feel scared that he could be facing a death sentence. R' Frand said that the lesson is that no matter what a person did wrong, we should treat him with sensitivity.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

As Rabbi Frand did not deliver his live shiur this evening, I am reproducing a summary of some of thoughts he said over on the parshios in 2023. 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 R' Frand said related to the death of Nadav & Avihu. He quoted the Da'as Zekeinim M'Baalei HaTosafos which asked  - why is it that they died by being burnt internally, while Titus HaRasha went into the Kodesh HaKodashim in peace and left in peace?

Before answering the question, the Da'as Zekeinim quoted a pasuk (I am unfamiliar with its source) which states that the Bachurim were consumed by fire and the Besulos were not praised. The Bachurim are a reference to Nadav & Avihu - why did they die, because they did not praise the Besulos. How many young girls remained like agunos, waiting for Nadav & Avihu. Meanwhile they said, our uncle is the king, our father is the Kohain Gadol, another uncle is the Nasi and we are the Sganei Kohain Gadol - no girls are good enough for us....and they died without children.

R' Frand said that he is involved in Shidduchim and he sees how many boys and girls will go many years in the parsha of dating and will never find the right mate, because they are too selective. Similarly many parents will feel that no potential candidate is good enough for their child.

R' Frand said that he once spoke with the Skveir Rebbi about this and was told that the boys and girls need to cut their lists to one or two items. He said that for his children there is only one thing - they should marry a "Rebbishe Einikle."

R' Frand observed that we live in a generation where anything can be optimized (my word). He does not visit Starbucks, but he knows that you can get a coffee with many different infusions and options. Similarly when you buy a car there are so many options and choices.

With that mindset on customization, is it any surprise that those in the parsha have lists that are so long?

R' Frand said a second vort on Vayikra 16:18 which states וְיָצָ֗א אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לִפְנֵֽי־יְהוָֹ֖ה וְכִפֶּ֣ר עָלָ֑יו. Rashi explains that the Kapparah being performed was the taking of the blood of the cow.

R' Frand quoted the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel who cites the Gemara which discusses the prayer of the Kohain Gadol at the time. He would pray three things: (1) that the king would always be from the tribe of Yehuda; (2) the Jews would need to rely on one and other for financial support, and (3) that Hashem should not heed the prayer of those passing on the roads. The specific prayer of the passersby was that there should not be any rain which would make the roads muddy.

Buy why did this third item need to occupy the Kohain Gadol at the time that he was praying for much more loftier things?

R' Frand quoted the Sefer Bei Chiya which quotes the Divrei Yechezkel who comments on the pasuk (again I am unaware of the source) - far from my yeshua is what I am crying out for. He explains that people cry out for things that are not good for them and the reason their prayers are not answered is because they are asking for things that are not important.

This is the prayer of the passerby - asking on Yom Kippur that there be no rain so that the roads are not muddy during their travels? The Kohain Gadol in turn asks Hashem not to listen to the short sighted prayers by people for the trivialities they don't really need.

[Although not said by R' Frand, it appears to me that the two thoughts are linked. If only those in the parsha were not preoccupied by trivialities, maybe they would find their intended so much quicker].

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Thursday Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Tazria-Metzorah

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

Rabbi Frand began the parsha section of his shiur by noting that although Parshas Tazria is mostly a discussion of the laws of Tzara'as, it first contains a discussion of laws relating to childbirth and the Tumah related to the childbirth. 

Why is there Tumah? Because when someone is on a high level and then they lose that status, Tumah sets in. When a woman is pregnant, she is a creator. After the baby is born, she loses that status and becomes Tamei. R' Frand quoted the Avnei Nezer who says the same thing about Tumas Meis - when a person is alive he has Kedushah, but after death, Tumah sets in.

The laws of Yoledes include that a woman must bring a Chatas afterwards. Why? The Gemara in Niddah teaches that when a woman is in the pain of childbirth, the woman swears that she won't have any more children and won't have anything to do with her husband again. But the maternal instinct causes her to forget this as she wants to have more children. Since she will violate her "oath" she brings a Chatas.

But what is the connection between a Yoledes and a Metzorah? 

R' Frand quoted the Sefer Arzei HaParsha who notes the common ground between the Yoledes and the Metzorah - they both underestimated the power of speech. The woman swore that she would not do this again, but words have impact and an oath is an oath. The Metzorah also did not contemplate what words can do - they can ruin livelihoods or families or futures. This is why they are in the same Parsha - because speech separates us from animals and we need to be careful about speech.

R' Frand quoted a story in the Sefer which was repeated from the Igros Moshe. In 1921, R' Moshe was the Rav in Luban, Russia. There was a Jew who was very ill and was near death from the swelling of his tongue. R' Moshe visited the man and the man asked everyone to leave. The man then told R' Moshe - I know why this is happening, because I spoke Lashon Harah. Last Shabbos we read Parshas Vayera which includes the story of Lot and his daughters. I said how disgusting is this - that they named their children Amon and Moav, as an eternal denigration for their father. 

That night the man had a dream where he saw two women whose faces were covered. The women were Lot's daughters. They told him that the reason that they did this was to demonstrate that the only way that children can be born is from a man. And if in the future there is a religion that recognizes a son of G-d, we need to demonstrate that children only come from a man and a woman.

The man said to R' Moshe - this is why he was suffering. And when he finished the story, he turned over and died.

R' Frand said a second vort related to the process of a Metzorah becoming Tahor. R' Frand noted that the sacrifices for the Metzorah are different than any other sacrifice. Every sacrifice of a living creature requires a Shechita of some kind, but for the Metzorah, one bird is slaughtered, then the blood is sprinkled on the second bird and then the second bird is sent away. 

Why is the second bird sent away?

The Sfas Emes quotes the Zohar which states that Tzaraas comes as a result of Lashon Harah. But there are two aspects of this - speaking Lashon Harah and refraining from saying good words when they come to his mind.

One bird is killed - which is symbolic of the bad words that people speak. But the second bird is sent away as a Kapparah for not speaking good words when you could have done so.

R' Frand said that the easiest Chessed you can do for someone is to say something nice. It doesn't cost you a dime, but it can make a world of difference. R' Frand gave the example of going over to a Ba'al Tefillah after davening and telling him how much you enjoyed the Tefillah. 

R' Frand told a story about a young woman who was perhaps just back from seminary and while sitting in her car in Monsey, she saw a teacher that she had in sixth grade. She went over to the teacher and told her - you taught me how to write English. When I applied to seminary I wrote an essay and that's what got me into seminary and I very much appreciate that I learned this from you.

The teacher wrote a letter to the girl's parents and told them how much she appreciated the conversation, She had been approached by the school before Pesach and they asked her to let them know by Pesach whether she wanted to teach the following year.  The teacher said that she had decided that she was going to tell the school that she would not be returning as she had been teaching for 37 years and she was tired. [R' Frand said as an aside that every year the teachers get older but the students stay the same age and the gap keeps growing. When he started giving shiur he was 7-8 years older than the students, but now he is 50-60 years older].

As a result of the short conversation with the girl, the teacher reconsidered retirement and told the school that she would return. How many more students were positively impacted because of that four minute conversation! This is why the Metozrah needs a Kapparah for not engaging in positive speech.

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