Tonight the TCN broadcast a shiur given by R' Dovid Heber in place of the usual Rabbi Frand shiur. I would like to briefly recount some vorts which R' Heber said as part of the shiur. Any perceived inconsistencies are the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Heber.
R' Heber began the vort by quoting a Gemara in Menachos (also found in Erchin) which asks why the Torah's discussion of the clothing of the Kohanim is in close proximity to the Karbanos. The Gemara answers that the same way that the Karbanos atone for a person, the clothing of the Kohain Gadol did as well. The Me'il atones for Lashon Hara, the Mitznefes atones for haughtiness, the Tzis atones for Azos Panim (loosely translated as being brazen to others).
The Malbim teaches that the same way that clothing covers our bodies, our deeds cover our souls. When you look at a person you see their clothing, not their body itself. Similarly if a person is referred to as having a good Neshama, it is because of their actions as no one sees another person's soul.
R' Heber said that the upshot of the Gemara and Malbim is that in the same way that a person spends money to buy himself nice clothes, he should also work hard on his Middos to acquire a nice covering for his Neshama.
R' Heber linked this to a Mishna in Pirkei Avos which says that a person should be brazen like a leopard to do Hashem's will. Only when a person is doing Hashem's will should he be brazen - R' Heber gave the example of putting on tefillin in an airport.
R' Heber also quoted his Rebbi, R' Keller of Chicago, who underscores that the end of the Mishna (stating that brazenness is only acceptable when in the course of doing Hashem's will) is followed by a Yehi Ratzon about rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash, But why is that mentioned - the Mishna does not usually mention a prayer as part of the statement of halacha? He answered that if someone does not use the brazenness in the worship of Hashem, it could G-D forbid lead to a Churban.
R' Heber also said a vort on the Megillah from the Manas Levi written by R' Shlomo Alkabetz. When Haman convinces Achasveros to allow him to decree against the Jews, there are scrolls sent out to all the land. The pasuk which mentions it (Esther 3:13) has every letter of the alphabet (first and last letters) except for the end Tzaddik. Why?
The first answer he gave was that because Haman was saying previously - Yeshno Am - the people are sleeping and not doing mitzvos, therefore it mentions the Alef- Beis - because this is the building block of the entire Torah. If a person wants to write a Torah, he could look at this pasuk and see the images of all the letters.
The second answer he gave was that it was a message to the Jews - we see that Hashem loves us, even when we are doing wrong and there is a decree, the Torah (as embodied by all the letters of the Alef Beis) will protect us.
R' Heber then quoted the Be'er Hetev which notes that there is no end Peh in our weekday Shmoneh Esreh and Benching. The end Peh is usually associated with negativity - Hashem's anger (Af, Ketzef). However the Al HaNissim which we pray on Purim has the end Peh - because even when Hashem is angry with us and the end Tzaddik - symbolic of the tree (etz) that Haman wanted to hang us on, Hashem will save and redeem us.
R' Heber closed the vort by noting that there is one pasuk in Tanach which has every single letter (beginning and end). The pasuk is in Zefanyah 3:8. R' Heber noted the Gemara in Berachos 57b (last Shabbos' daf!) discusses the next pasuk (3:9) in which all the nations of the world will want to come and convert at the time of Mashiach. The pasuk says that they will speak a Safah Berurah - a clear language. Where will they get it from? From the previous pasuk which contains each letter of the Alef Bes.
We should iyh know yeshua from all troubles and oppression in the near future.
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