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 discussed the sin of the Meraglim and focused on Moshe's efforts to convince Hashem not to destroy the Jews after they complained as a result of hearing the report of the Meraglim. Moshe took two approaches - first he said to Hashem in Bamidbar 14:13-15 that the nations of the world would think that He could not bring the Jews into the Land of Israel and then stated in 14:16 - מִבִּלְתִּ֞י יְכֹ֣לֶת יְהֹוָ֗ה לְהָבִיא֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לָהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֖ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר. 

Thereafter Moshe invokes the 13 Middos in Bamidbar 14:18-19, to which Hashem responds in 14:20 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֔ה סָלַ֖חְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ.

R' Frand said that Meforshim explain that Hashem forgave the Jews because of the first approach - where Moshe said that this would cause the nations to question Hashem's ability.

Immediately afterwards Hashem says in 14:21 וְאוּלָ֖ם חַי־אָ֑נִי וְיִמָּלֵ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ, which seems like a non-sequitur.

R' Frand quoted the Netziv who explains this sequence by linking it to Tehillim 106 which recounts the travails of the Jews in the desert, but also contains a pasuk which seems out of place. In 106:25 it states וַיֵּרָֽגְנ֥וּ בְאָֽהֳלֵיהֶ֑ם לֹ֥א שָֽׁ֜מְע֗וּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהֹוָֽה - the Jews complained and did not listen to Hashem. Thereafter the punishment is stated in 106:26 - וַיִּשָּׂ֣א יָד֣וֹ לָהֶ֑ם לְהַפִּ֥יל א֜וֹתָ֗ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר. But then in 106:27 it states וּלְהַפִּ֣יל זַ֖רְעָם בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם וּ֜לְזָרֽוֹתָ֗ם בָּֽאֲרָצֽוֹת, however the Jews were not scattered among the nations while they were in the desert!

The Netziv explains that there was a Plan A and a Plan B. If the Jews had not sinned, they would have gone directly into the land of Israel and built the Beis Hamikdash and the entire world would have seen the Kiddush Hashem and said Hashem Hu HaElokim. 

But things did not work out that instead the Plan B was to scatter the Jews among the nations so that they could make Kiddush Hashem wherever they went. This also would cause the nations to recognize Hashem as well. Because they would look at the Jews and see how they acted and survived all the years of Galus (vs the small fraction of time that they were in the land of Israel).

R' Frand quoted the Yaavetz who writes that the greatest miracle is that the Jews are still around and he opines that this is a greater miracle than Yitziyas Mitzrayim.

R' Frand also quoted R' Chatzkel Levenstein who remarked about the Mirrer Yeshiva's travels from Mir to Kobe, Japan to Shanghai and eventually to Brooklyn and Israel as a greater miracle than the Purim story.

R' Frand closed the vort by recognizing the current miracles, including the direct hit on Soroka Hospital which did not kill anyone and the fact that 95% of the missiles from Iran are being intercepted. He mentioned that R' Asher Weiss has instituted that among the Tehillim said after davening is Mizmor L'Todah as a recognition of all that Hashem is doing for us.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Beha'alosecha

Although R' Frand did not deliver his live shiur this evening due to a family wedding, 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/226333 and 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 began the vort by noting that in this parsha the Torah states that the Levi'im begin their service at age 25. However in Parshas Bamidbar it states that service begins at 30. R' Frand quoted Rashi who asks - is it 25 or 30? Rashi answers that there are 5 years of training which begin at 25, but he can't begin the Avodah until 30.

R' Frand noted that the Kohanim did the lion's share of the work in the Beis HaMikdash, but there is no pasuk that teaches that they have a 5 year training period, even though the role of the Levi is less arduous.

R' Frand quoted R' Berel Weinberger in Shemen HaTov who explains that the Levi'im have only 20 years to work - from 30-50, unlike the Kohanim who don't have an end date. As the Levi'im only have 20 years, they can't afford to learn on the job, they train ahead of their "go" date.

R' Frand observed that when boys come to Yeshiva they think that the learning will last forever, but they don't realize that the time in Yeshiva is finite. Very few people stay in Yeshiva, learning forever. R' Frand said that he tells his students that they should hit the ground running as it will not last forever. 

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Nasso

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 noted that there are a series of interesting Mitzvos in the fourth Aliyah of the Parsha - Sotah, followed by Nazir, then Birkas Kohanim and then the dedication of the Mishkan in which each tribe brought sacrifices through their Nesiim.

Rashi explains the connection between the Matnos Kehunah in the third Aliyah and the law of Sotah - stating that whomever is stingy and does not want to give their Matnos Kehunah to the Kohain, will need the Kohain's assistance to deal with a suspected Sotah.

The connection between Nazir and Sotah is mentioned in the Gemara in Sotah which states that the person who sees the spectacle of the Sotah will swear off wine, since the wine brought those people to adultery, the Nazir swears that he won't drink wine.

But what is the connection with Birkas Kohanim and thereafter the sacrifices of the Nesi'im? And more fundamentally, why is the Mitzva of Birkas Kohanim in Sefer Bamidbar and not Sefer Vayikra, with all the rules of the sacrifices and Kohanim?

R' Frand quoted R' Immanuel Bernstein who cites R' Shlomo Fisher of Yerushalaim to address these questions. He first observed that the Nazir lives on an elevated spiritual plain as he abstains from wine and being tamei, yet when he finishes his period, he brings a sacrifice to atone. Why? The Gemara explains that he invented a new Issur for himself. While its noble that he wants to improve, but accomplishing this by separating himself is not without fault.

R' Fisher further explains that the Nazir also separated himself from humanity. R' Hirsch explains that this is why the Nazir grows his hair and does not drink wine - to create a barrier between himself and others and not engaging in social drinking. But this is not good - he should control his Yezter Hara, not separate himself from the people as "holier than thou."

So if a Nazir must atone for his separation, the Kohainim who live a separate existence, should also have to atone. Why don't they do so? Because every morning they demonstrate their love of the Jewish people by blessing them and doing so "B'Ahavah." And a Kohain who cannot bless the congregation with a full heart cannot give the Bracha. This is why Birkas Kohanim is here.

But what does this have to do with the sacrifices of the Nesi'im which dominates Parshas Nasso? The answer is that the sacrifices started on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and each sacrifice had the law of a private sacrifice. How did they bring one on Shabbos - there are no personal sacrifices on Shabbos! The answer is that it is not a private sacrifice as all the Nesi'im agreed that they would bring the same sacrifice as part of a group. This is why it could be brought on Shabbos.

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