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.
It states in Vayikra 5:1 "V'Nefesh Ki Secheta...Im Lo Yagid V'Nasa Avono" from which we learn that a person will sin if he knows civil testimony and does not testify.
R' Frand told a story about the Mittle Rav (former Lubavitcher Rebbi) who was told by his doctor that he needed to go to Czechoslovakia to a spa center for his health. On the way, he stopped in Pozen and asked a question of R' Akiva Eiger. He asked - there is a pasuk in next week's Haftorah (Shabbos HaGadol) which states (Malachi 3:6) "Ani Hashem Lo Shinisi ..." -- I am Hashem and have not changed and you have not been destroyed. The Rebbi asked R' Akiva Eiger to explain the pasuk.
R' Akiva Eiger explained by first making reference to the pasuk in Vayikra and noting that it spells the word Lo as Lamud Vuv Aleph instead of just Lamud Vuv. The Rambam explains that the reason for this is that the only time a person sins is when the litigant asks him to testify and he refuses. But if no request is made to him, he does not sin by not testifying. Thus when there is a Lo (spelled with a Vuv) meaning the demand is made to testify, then he has sinned. But if he does not ask, there is no sin.
R' Akiva Eiger then made reference to the pasuk wherein it states "Ha'Idosechi Bachem Hayom Es HaShamayim V'Es Ha'aretz" --Hashem makes the Heavens and Earth witnesses to testify if the Jews don't keep the mitzvos. But why are we still around when there were many generations when the Jews did not keep the mitzvos? He answered that it is because Hashem did not summon the Heavens and Earth to testify.
R' Akiva Eiger then returned to the pasuk "Ani Hashem Lo Shinisi." He explained that Hashem was saying that the reason that the Jews have not been wiped out is because Hashem has changed the Lo in the pasuk and it is now like the Lo in Parshas Vayikra. Because Hashem has changed the Lo so that only if He summons them will the Heavens and Earth testify, the Jews have not been destroyed.
R' Frand also said a second vort he heard from his son Ya'akov as quoted from the Sefer Tzror HaMor. The pasuk in Parshas HaChodesh states "HaChodesh Hazeh Lachem Rosh Chadasim" - which commonly translated as -this month is the first or head of the months. But the Tzror HaMor explains that the Egyptians also set their calendar based upon the moon, but their Rosh Chodesh was when the moon was at its fullest. This was not only astronomical, it was philosophical. Things are only positive when the moon is full, not when its just a sliver. But by the Jews, the sliver is positive, because we see the potential for what it can grow into. Jews don't need to see the complete full moon, only that it is new and can become great.
He used this to explain the pasuk in Va'era - V'Samti P'dus ... L'Machar - the difference between Jews and Egyptians is L'Machar. The Jews see the machar differently than the Egyptians. Similarly, when Moshe tells Yehoshua when they are preparing to fight the Egyptians - "V'tzai HiLachem Machar" - go fight the Amalakeim about Machar - because we see tomorrow differently. Lastly, the pasuk which differentiates the Chacham and Rasha in the four sons is the Ki Y'shlacha Bincha Machar - his use of the word Machar which symbolizes that he sees that there is a Machar.
If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
No comments:
Post a Comment