Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Korach

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.

Rabbi Frand began tonight's vort by quoting Rashi and specifically two different issues raised by Rashi. The first question relates to Rashi's comment on וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח that Korach made a bad purchase for himself. What did Korach purchase?

The second related to Rashi's mentioning of a Medrash that Korach acted in this manner because he saw that he would merit having the great prophet Shmuel as his descendant. Since Shmuel was of the same stature as Moshe & Aharon, Korach felt that the zechus of having Shmuel as a descendant would protect him from confronting Moshe. The second question R' Frand asked related to Korach's knowledge of Shmuel. If Korach knew this through Ruach HaKodesh, how could be have reached the wrong conclusion?

R' Frand began the answer by quoting the Gemara in Gittin which states that Haman's descendants learned Torah in Bnei Brak. How could this have happened? The Gemara answers that the removal of the ring (in order to seal the decree) was greater than 48 prophets. Why? Because as a result of the removal of the ring, there was a great Teshuva movement. Since Haman was the cause of this Teshuva movement, he merited to have descendants learn Torah.

R' Frand then quoted the Satmar Rebbi who explained that Korach was zoche to have Shmuel as a descendant because he was responsible for everyone learning the lesson of not to challenge Moshe. He made the mistake of thinking that the end result of having Shmuel meant that he could stand up to Moshe but he was wrong in this regard. And he "paid" a high price for his challenging Moshe - being swallowed up by the earth.

R' Frand also said a second vort about Dasan & Aviram. He quoted another Rashi which observed the heavy price of Machlokes. A Beis Din is not allowed to punish until a person becomes a Gadol. The Heavenly Beis Din metes out certain punishment when a person reaches the age of 20. But as result of the Machlokes which was caused, even babies were killed.

R' Frand quoted the Maharal who asks - what sin did they commit when led to the punishment? The answer, according to the sefer Yechi Reuvein, is none. He quoted a Medrash which asks why on the second day of creation the words Ki Tov are not used. The Medrash answers with two different reasons - because Gehennom was created on that day, or because Machlokes was created in that on day two there was separation.

R' Frand stated that there is a connection between the fire of Machlokes and the fire of Gehennom. Once fire is released it does not differentiate - it burns whatever and whomever is in its path. The children who died were not punished - they died because the fire which was started by Machlokes does not differentiate - it can cause death to whomever is involved.

[As we are entering the month of Tammuz, we should IYH merit to being saved from Machlokes].

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shelach

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 began tonight's vort by noting how deep and interesting the pasha is because of the episode of the Meraglim. These were all great men as noted by Rashi, but despite their stature, the report they gave of their travels to the land of Canaan caused the 9th of Av to become a day of Bechiyah L'Doros - a day when the Jews will cry for generations due to the many sad events which have happened on the 9th of Av.

R' Frand then discussed how although there were Meraglim from each of the tribes (besides Levi) Moshe only saw fit to give a beracha to Yehoshua, which Rashi teaches us was "Kah Yosheacha M'Atzas HaMeraglim" - loosely translated as Hashem should save you from the plan of the Meraglim.

The famous question is - why did Moshe only daven for Yehoshua?

R' Frand quoted the Sefer Yechi Reuven who had an interesting take on the question. He explains that Yehoshua had a greater Yetzer Hara than all the others and it was for that reason he needed the beracha. This Yetzer Hara was for feeling that he was acting for the sake of Heaven and that for that reason he could do whatever he thought was right, as it was L'Shem Shamayim.

But why was this unique to Yehoshua?

The sefer quoted the Targum Yonasan who writes cryptically that Moshe saw that Yehoshua was an Anav (humble) and that for the reason he needed a blessing.

Where was this seen? R' Frand answered by making reference to last week's parsha. When Eldad & Meidad gave their prophecy that Moshe was going to die and Yehoshua would lead the Jews into the Land of Israel, the reaction of the presumptive new leader would not typically be - Moshe lock them up! The person receiving such news would usually be happy to hear that he would be the leader, but not a humble person like Yehoshua.

Moshe was thus concerned that due to his humility, Yehoshua would be the first in line to speak poorly about the Land of Israel, because he would think that if he did so, the Jews would wander in the desert for 40 years and Moshe would continue to lead them. Even though what he would be saying would not be truthful, Yehoshua would say to himself - this is Lashon Hara for a purpose and therefore permitted, because in so doing I will extend Moshe's lifetime.

It was for this reason that Moshe davened that Yehoshua would be saved from his humility as well as the plot of the Meraglim.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Beha'alosecha

Due to the Bar-Mitzva of his grandson, R' Frand did not deliver his live shiur. However R' Frand did post a pre-recorded Parsha vort on OU Torah which I have summarized here. This week's vort can be found at https://outorah.org/p/124119, but I have attempted to reproduce the vort to the best of my ability in this post.  Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the maggid shiur.

R' Frand started the vort with a story about someone who came to the Gerrer Rebbe and told him that he gets depressed every summer. Why? Because the parshios in Sefer Bamidbar are filled with complaining. The Jews complain in this parsha about the Manna. In the next parsha is the story of the Meraglim and the decree that they would wander in the desert for 40 years. The follwing parsha is Korach and they complain about the leadership, followed by Chukas and the snakes. And then in Parshas Balak they are mezaeh with the women of Midyan. One after the other there is bad news about Klal Yisrael and this depressed him.

[R' Frand editorialized that this what depressed Jews of old, now they are depressed about the stock market.]

R' Frand then discussed the story of the slav where the Jews had complained about meat. Within the story is a pasuk (Bamidbar 11:33) הַבָּשָׂ֗ר עוֹדֶ֨נּוּ֙ בֵּ֣ין שִׁנֵּיהֶ֔ם טֶ֖רֶם יִכָּרֵ֑ת - the meat was still within their teeth when Hashem got upset at them. The Gemara in Chullin learns from here that after one eats meat he must wait before eating dairy - because the meat was still between their teeth. The pasuk was not talking about the way that food was digested, but the Gemara still learns this from there.

Thereafter Mar Ukva says, I am nothing like my father. I am vinegar as compared to my father who was wine. Why? Because after he had meat he would wait 24 hours to have dairy, but I would just not eat dairy at the same meal as meat. 

We must assume that Mar Ukva was not a glutton, but was it that difficult to follow his father's ways? 

R' Frand said that there is an important lesson - you need to be on a certain level to accept certain Chumros. You can't just do the act, you need to do it for a purpose. Yes, he could have done the act of waiting 24 hours, But it would be a hollow act, because his father did it out of Yiras Shamayim.

R' Frand quoted a Gemara in Yoma about a woman named Kimchus that seven of her sons were Kohanim Gedolim. They asked her how she merited this and she responded that the walls of her house never saw her hair. So they responded to her - many others have tried this and did not have the same reward. Why not? Because Tznius is due to her feeling a presence that Hashem was there and she needed to have amazing Tznius. But to cover one's hair just to be zoche to have a son who is a Kohain Gadol is not enough. Merely taking on a Chumra without feeling a need to do so is hollow. Mar Ukva was saying, I don't feel as much Yiras Shamayim as my father, so my waiting 24 hours would pale in comparison to him.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Naso (sort of)

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand this evening. I included the "sort of" above because the thoughts all related to the Haftorah. Still, 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 noted that in the Haftorah, Manoach's wife is first approached by the angel who tells her in Shoftim 13:4-5 not to drink wine, become tamei or allow him to cut his hair. When she repeats this to Manoach, she omits the hair cutting provision. The Meshech Chachma explains that she is an unintentional prophet, in that when repeats the prohibitions she says that the boy should not do these things until the day of his death, and with regard to the hair cutting he does have his hair cut before the day he dies.

After this, Manoach davens to Hashem that the angel should come and tell him what he told Manoach's wife. Hashem then sends the angel who repeats what was said to her. 

But why did Manoach need to have this repeated? The angel told him precisely what he had told her?

R' Frand quoted the Meshech Chachma & R' Shimon Schwalb who explain that the language used by the angel is significant as he says in Shoftim 13:13 - מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥רְתִּי אֶל־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה תִּשָּׁמֵֽר. This can be interpreted as referring to Manoch or his wife that should beware. With this understanding we now can have an appreciation of what he was asking - he wanted to know - how can I raise a Nazir if I am not one? To this the angel explained - you need to act like him. Don't drink wine and don't become tamei - only if you follow the same rules that you give him can you be successful. This is what I was instructing your wife.

R' Frand then quoted R' Bukspan's Sefer (Classics & Beyond) in which he discusses the Ba'al HaTurim in Beshalach on the instruction to Moshe to raise the staff (Hareim). The Ba'al HaTurim says that this word appears three times - in Beshalach in connection with the Mateh, as well as an instruction to raise one's voice like a Shofar and finally Elisha is told to raise himself.

The Kedushas Zion explains that if a person wants to be successful in Chinuch he should not raise his hand (aka the staff) or his voice. Instead he must raise himself and lead by example.

R' Bukspan then noted in Bamidbar 7:89 the Torah writes -וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע אֶת־הַקּ֜וֹל מִדַּבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֗יו - Moshe heard the voice speaking to him, but the word מִדַּבֵּ֣ר is unique. Rashi explains that it is as if Moshe heard Hashem speaking to Himself. The Seforno goes one step further - that Moshe heard Hashem giving Himself Mussar, because the best way to teach is to do something one's self.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Bamidbar

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 began tonight's vort by quoting the Medrash which stated that for the Levi'im who carried the various articles of the Mishkan there were varying degrees of reward, but the greatest reward was for carrying the Aron Kodesh. As a result, everyone wanted to be the carrier of the Aron and at times no one wanted to carry the Shulchan or the Menorah or other sacred objects.

But beyond the mere desire to carry the Aron, occasionally there were arguments over who would carry the Aron and people would act with each other in a disrespectful manner. This caused the Shechina to be Pogeah them and resulted in an instruction in Bamidbar 4:18 אַל־תַּכְרִ֕יתוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֖בֶט מִשְׁפְּחֹ֣ת הַקְּהָתִ֑י מִתּ֖וֹךְ הַֽלְוִיִּֽם - don't cause the tribe of the family of Kehas to be cut off.  The Torah then continues and states in 4:19, וְזֹ֣את | עֲשׂ֣וּ לָהֶ֗ם וְחָיוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יָמֻ֔תוּ בְּגִשְׁתָּ֖ם אֶת־קֹ֣דֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים - do this for them so that they should live and not die. What should be done? The Medrash explains that this instruction was that the family of Kehas should be given specific jobs so that there would not be any fighting.

R' Frand noted that the incident is also mentioned the section of the Mesilas Yesharim entitled Mishkal HaChassidus. R' Frand quipped that the Ramchal was not writing about current Chassidus, he was writing about being careful when to be overly pious. The section explains that it is worthy for people to seek out Mitzvos, but if your pursuit of Mitzvos results in fighting or G-d forbid a Chillul Hashem, it is not the right result, much like the instruction to the Levi'im that the family of Kehas should be given specific jobs so that there will not be fighting.

R' Frand told a personal story about being in a shul where someone had made a stir over the fact that an aveil was davening for the amud during the Aseres Yimei Teshuva. He explained that there is apparently a minhag (previously unknown to him) in some circles that an aveil does not daven for the amud during this period. But was it worth embarrassing this man who was unaware of the minhag?

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the famous story of R' Yisrael Salanter being invited to the home of a wealthy man for Shabbos dinner. The man told R' Yisrael that his table was filled with zemiros that went on for hours, but R' Yisrael told him that he would only come if the meal was limited to two hours. Why? Because he knew that a widow was working in the kitchen and he wanted to make sure that the meal would end with enough time for her to get back to her own home to eat with her children.

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