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Shavuot, also referred to as Zman Matan Torahteinu, commemorates the giving of the Torah and each

year we have the opportunity to ‘reaccept’ it into our lives. Part of having a relationship with the Torah

is recognizing that we all relate to it in a personal way and connect to it as individuals. This is best

expressed in the notion that we each have an individual ‘Chelek’, a portion, in Torah. Every Shabbat

morning in our Tefillot we ask Hashem “Ve’tein Chelkeinu BeToratecha”, that God provides us with our

own portion in Torah. In all areas of life, we sometimes find ourselves making comparisons to others

when measuring our capabilities and achievements. This has an especially negative impact with

regards to our spirituality, Torah learning and Avodat Hashem. Rather than focusing on those around

us, we each need to discover and work on our own Chelek in Torah, taking in to account our

background, our strengths, and our situation. We ask Hashem “Ve’tein Chelkeinu BeToratecha” for

help in achieving our personal connection.

HaRav Avigdor Neventzal, the Rav of the Old City of Jerusalem, explains this concept with an

insightful analogy. When the army sends out draft notices, each future soldier will receive a copy of

the same piece of paper, telling them to come to the headquarters and register for the army.

However, each soldier will ultimately be given their own job. Some will serve in combat; others will sit

behind a desk and others will work on base. Even if two soldiers are assigned to the same unit, they

will each be given slightly different roles. Using this analogy, he explains that at Har Sinai we all

experienced the same Matan Torah, all receiving the identical Torah from Hashem. However, each

person has their own individual Tafkid, job or role, in Avodat Hashem and a unique connection to the

Torah.

The following essays, written by different members of our YICC community, demonstrate how each of

us relate to the Torah in a myriad of ways. Each author was asked to share a Dvar Torah related to

Shavuot. The range of ideas, concepts and themes that followed, demonstrate beautifully how we

each relate to diverse elements of Torah and how different insights and lessons speak to us all. It is our

hope that this compendium of Divrei Torah not only educates and enlightens, but also helps inspire

readers to further search out their own Chelek in Torah and identify those concepts which resonate

with them most poignantly.

Another motivation behind this project was to help bind the community together during this

prolonged period of separation. There is no greater bond than through the sharing and learning Torah

together. Shavuot is synonymous with communal learning and we have attempted to facilitate this

both through our online programming and the production of this collection of essays. We are truly

grateful to all those who have given of their time and effort by contributing an article, thus making

this project a reality. May their words, lessons and insights enhance our Shavuot by inspiring us to find

our own unique “Chelek” in Torah.

Wishing you and your families a safe, healthy, and uplifting Chag Sameach

Elazar Muskin

James Proops

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Contents

My Personal Receiving of the Torah – Jeff Astrof ...................................................................... 3

Talmud Torah – Seth Berkowitz .................................................................................................. 6

Second Day Yom Tov & The Moon – Jamie Frankel .................................................................. 7

Defeating a Faceless Enemy – Aryeh Goldberg ......................................................................... 9

Megillat Ruth- A Story About How We React To Our Circumstances – Ilana Goldschein ... 11

Megilas Ruth: A Relevant Story – Meyer Graff ........................................................................ 13

Remembering Sinai – Rabbi David Mahler ............................................................................... 14

Shavuos – Every Day is a Holy Day – Ari Mark ......................................................................... 16

Boaz: Progenitor of Moshiach – Sheryl Neuman , MD ............................................................ 20

Seudat Yom Tov – Sarah Proops ............................................................................................... 21

United For Matan Torah – David Schultz ................................................................................. 23

The Two Loaves – Daniel Silverman ......................................................................................... 25

Matan Torah: Consent or Coercion – Alan Tsarovsky ............................................................. 26

Gleaning Tidbits about Megillat Ruth – Marsha Wasserman .................................................. 28

Why Isaac Newton Studied Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah – Zach Wertheimer ..................... 30

David HaMelech & Shavuot – Mrs. Geri Wiener ....................................................................... 32

Lifnim Mishurat HaDin: A Core Jewish “Imperative” – Dr. Alan Willner .............................. 33

Follow My Decrees and Safeguard My Commandments – Aric Zamel .................................. 36

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My Personal Receiving of the Torah Jeff Astrof

We didn’t have Shavuos when I was growing up. It existed of course, I’m not that old, but it wasn’t one of the Big Three holidays typically observed by Reform Jews. And while no one would say we celebrated Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur or Pesach in a kosher way, they were definitely on our calendar. So why was the holiday commemorating the single biggest revelation in history relegated to only a passing reference—a day for us lactose intolerant dessert wanderers to eat dairy? I once heard Rabbi Frand say, “If you want to be Conservative or Reform, you should first know what you’re conserving and reforming”. The truth is, as a frum Reform Jew, I didn’t know what I really believed, and more importantly, what I didn’t. This came into sharp focus for me around 17 years ago as I was beginning my “Jewish journey”. I had just experienced my first Orthodox Shabbaton with a program called Arachim, which is akin to the Aish Discovery program. For forty eight hours at the Marriott in Irvine I listened to various rabbis bring proofs to the divinity of the Torah. Believe it or not, it was not something I had ever even considered. But my biggest revelation happened the next day. On the way to work I got a call from my best friend at the time, who happened to be a Reform rabbi. I told him about the Shabbaton and how exciting it was to learn that the Torah actually came from G-d! But my excitement was not matched. In fact, he told me he was disappointed, and that if I gave him a weekend, he would prove to me that the Torah was a product of man. I remember my excitement draining from me like a punctured bouncy

house (my kids were young at the time). At that moment, I was cut off by an all-white Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the license plate: HALACHA. I trailed the Jeep as it drove towards my office and continued on my path following Halacha. I would soon realize that the White Jeep was just one of many instances of Divine Providence where Hashem “showed” me I was on the right path. Now that I accepted that the Torah came from G-d, I could celebrate the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah, as prescribed by G-d, Himself, in His Torah. The problem, of course, is that the Torah never says that Shavuos is a commemoration of Matan Torah! In fact, it never even mentions what day Matan Torah took place. The most we are told is that Bnei Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai in the third month “On this day.”1 Is that an oversight? Or perhaps Hashem felt it was so obvious that there was no need to add that detail. Except, as R’ Menachem Leibtag points out, “When the Torah wishes to inform us of the ‘historical’ reason for an event, it certainly knows how to do so. Take for example the two other pilgrimage holidays ‘chag ha matztot & succot’… [which] are presented from their agricultural… [and] historical perspectives as well.” He continues, “It is baffling that the Torah presents Shavuot… without mentioning even a word about its connection to events of Matan Torah!”2 To solve these difficulties we must turn to Chazal. Our Sages (in Masechet Shabbat 86B) tell us that Matan Torah took place on the sixth or seventh of Sivan. Furthermore, Rashi quotes the Midrash that says “On THIS day”

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comes to teach us that we should treat the Torah, not as an event to memorialize, but as if we are constantly receiving it. R’ Liebtag explains, “In other words, we should not view Matan Torah as a one time event. Rather every generation must feel...that G-d’s words were spoken to them no less than to earlier generations.” 3 So that was my answer. Growing up there was no Chazal, no Tanaim or Acharonim. I had not heard of Rashi or the Rambam. Judaism was cultural and historical. And if we didn’t believe the written Torah came from G-d, there was no reason to believe the Oral Law was divine. My personal journey into Talmud started late, in fact, only four years ago. I had decided the one thing missing from my learning schedule was Gemara (that I believed there was only one thing missing tells you that there was a lot more missing). I had heard there was a Rabbi in the La Brea area—Rabbi Morgan z”l-- who had a method of teaching that could help literally anyone understand Gemara, no matter how old, or what his background. As I was ten years older than R’ Akiva was when he saw the dripping water gnaw away at the rock, I figured Rabbi Morgan would meet its match. My love was immediate. Not only for the Talmud, which opened up parts of my mind and soul I never had access to, but for Rabbi Morgan who brought it all to life for me. His method was to teach word by painstaking word—to give me the skills not only to be able to understand what he called the “systemics of the Gemara” but to eventually be able to learn inside myself. Week after week we met in his dining room, the walls of which were covered with pictures of Gedolim who were watching over me as I broke my teeth over Rashi’s and Tosafos—not to mention learning how to write Hebrew letters in cursive! And with every move

I figured out, or word or concept I grasped, I was greeted by a booming “Gevaldik!” from Rabbi Morgan, who made me feel like my picture should be up on that wall. As the Gemara teaches us, we don’t get sated by Torah, the more we learn, the heartier our appetite. Learning with Rabbi Morgan led me to studying Hilchos Shabbos, and doing daf yomi for the first time in my life. I joked with Rabbi Morgan that with him I was doing “daf yearly” to which he responded, “Halavei we should get through a daf in a year!” It was true, in four years, we were up to our third daf. And the culmination of my yearly journey happened every Shavuos, when David Weiss, another of R’ Morgan’s talmidim and I would stay up all night, chazering the Gemara, getting into heated arguments over whether or not a sign that was likely to get trampled was actually a sign. (I’m not kidding, last year things got out of hand in the YULA beis midrash). The last thing that Rabbi Morgan and I learned together was a Braisa from Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar who said that if you find a lost object (with a sign) in an area where there are a lot of people, you are allowed to keep it because the owner gives up hope. The question was whether or not Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar was speaking about an area where there were mostly Jews or non-Jews. Rabbi Morgan left me with a cliffhanger, telling me there was an unbelievable Tosafos on this braisa. Sadly, we never got to it. Rabbi Morgan contracted Covid-19 and passed away shortly afterwards. The hole left in my heart—and in the community—is impossible to overstate. At his shloshim, one of Rabbi Morgan’s sons, Chaim, mentioned that Chazal tell us that Hashem will never take a Rebbe until he knows his Talmidim are taken care of. It’s hard to

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imagine, but Rabbi Morgan taught me to trust in Chazal. When asked to write a piece on Shavuous, I struggled to find what I could add to a congregation that was much more learned than I. I then turned around in my office and saw the picture of the only tzaddik I had on my wall—a photo David Weiss had taken of Rabbi Morgan shortly before he was niftar. I called Rabbi Morgan’s wife and asked her if the Rabbi had anything to say on Shavuous I could share, and she said she’d get back to me. Two weeks passed and when I didn’t hear from her, I decided to write the only thing I was an expert on: my own story. There would be no “White Jeep” to bail me out. Then, as I was finishing this essay, which I decided would be built on the notion that we must constantly be receiving the Torah, Mrs. Morgan called to tell me that her late husband spoke about Shavuous to one of his groups last year, one of hundreds of shiurim that he had recorded. With a bit of research, I found a class Rabbi Morgan gave June 6th of last year; two days before Shavuos. Rebbetzin Morgan told me that the vort on Shavuos was at the end, but of course, a chance to hear my Rebbe’s voice, was too good to resist so I started at the beginning. He started in his customary way, “Alright, so we want to begin!” and then continued where

this group had left off in the Gemara: a braisa from Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar that said if you find a lost object with a sign, you are allowed to keep it because the owner gives up hope. It was the last thing Rabbi Morgan and I had learned together. He finished by saying there was a wonderful mind-blowing Tosafos ahead. There was my white Jeep. Through tearful eyes I then listened to his dvar Torah about Shavuos. He explained that Shavuos is more than an anniversary, we are actually receiving the Torah again. He talked about how proud of us he was for taking time out to learn every week, and we—I-- should continue learning this Shavuos about Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar and everything else we learned up until that point, and iYH, in the merit of all of our learning we will bring Moshiach. I said “Amen”. Why would I ever want to reform that? Chag Sameach. 1. Shemot 19:1 2. Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, Orthodox Union, Shavuot and Matan Torah: An Uncommemorated Event”, October 3, 2017. 3. Ibid.

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Talmud Torah Seth Berkowitz

As a child, I always thought that Talmud Torah was one mitzvah, maybe two at best: learning and teaching. As an adult, in reading Rabbi Yerucham Fishel Perla, I came to understand that Talmud Torah may encompass as many as seven independent mitzvos. In unpacking the major pesukim that relate to Talmud Torah, there are invariably different points of emphasis and context unique to each reference. Through careful study of them, one can develop an understanding, at the most basic level, of the complex of associations tied to Talmud Torah. Chapter 5 of Deuteronomy opens with the verse “ולמדתם אותם ושמרתם לעשותם.” On the simplest level, this means that one should learn the antecedents in the verse (chukim and mishpatim, statutes and laws) and keep them, in order to perform said statutes and laws. In our phraseology, this would be “ לעסוקי שמעתא

It emphasizes the very practical ”.אליבא דהלכתאneed – in the language of the Chinuch in Mitzvah תיט -- “to know how to perform the mitzvoth and to guard against what the Lord would have us avoid, and to know the laws of the Torah in the proper fashion.” But there is another aspect of this verse that we wouldn’t naturally appreciate but for Rabbeinu Sa’adia. Saadia Gaon, in his introduction to Sefer Mishlei, says that “the power of memory is that one remembers what he learned in one period and recalls it at a different time, and this is called “shemirah” as the Torah says in our verse “ושמרתם לעשותם.” In other words, we are instructed to learn the laws and statutes, but also to commit them to

memory, such that we can call upon them in practice. In the first paragraph of Keriyas Shema, the Torah tells us “ושננתם לבניך.” Contemporary translations render this as you should impress upon your children. The verse continues, that you should recite the things ”,ודברת בם“that I will command you when you stay at home, when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Rashi introduces a new dimension to the mitzvah based on the Sifrei. “ושננתם” doesn’t mean simply to impress upon one’s child the axiological importance of Torah, but also to sharpen his or her intellect. Ibn Ezra brilliantly illustrates this through a simile: “Just as one sharpens an arrow, by filing it and honing it on each of its sides repeatedly, so too one needs to review what one learns with their child from every angle until they know it intimately.” However, the Ibn Ezra continues with a breath taking statement: כי עיקר כל האדם עבודת השם

It seems, he says, that the .ועבודתו להכיר פעליוessence of life and personhood is Avodas Hashem, and the way to serve Hashem is through recognizing his ways, and the medium to accomplish this is through constant review and discussion of God’s commandments. The actual command to teach one’s own children comes from the verse in the second paragraph of Keriyas Shema. The Torah tells us Rashi quoting ”.ולמדתם אותם את בניכם לדבר בם“the Sifrei explains that when the Torah says you need to teach your children to speak about the commandments, it is a temporal statement: from the moment your child learns to speak, you need to instruct him. From here

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the Rabbis learn that when a toddler begins talking, the father should speak to him in Loshon ha-Kodesh and teach him Torah. Finally, the Torah says that we should take the utmost care and watch ourselves scrupulously, so that we do not forget the things that we saw with our own eyes and so that they do not fade from our mind as long as we live. And we need to make them known to our children and our children’s children: "והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך"

(Deuteronomy 4:9). From here we learn the commandment that grandparents are obligated to teach their grandchildren. What is it that needs to be made known? The Torah answers that it is the day we stood before the Lord our God at Chorev, when the Lord said to Moshe, “Gather the people to me that I may let them hear my words in order that they learn to revere me as long as they live on earth, and may so teach their offspring.” The Ramban explains that learning about the source of our belief in the Torah – through remembering the singular day at Chorev that

we received the Torah directly from Hashem without any mediating factors – constitutes Limmud ha-Torah itself. And this special experiential element is entrusted especially to Masoretic transmission from Grandparents to their grandchildren. Something to ponder this year in particular. In the second parsha of Keriyas Shema, just after we’re told that we will lose our grip on the land, “ואבדתם מהרה,” Hashem commands us, to place the words of ",ושמתם את דברי אלה"Torah on our hearts and souls. Rashi, again quoting the Sifrei, notes that even after the Jewish people was exiled, it needed to be expert in the commandments, so that they not be new and unfamiliar when we return to the Holy Land. As the verse in Jeremiah (31:21) says: “Erect markers for yourself” הציבי לך

,After the recent cycle of Yom Ha-Shoah .ציוניםYom Ha-Zikaron, Yom Ha-Atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim, and what has been endured, we can only hope for redemption in our time.

Second Day Yom Tov & The Moon Jamie Frankel

By the second day of Shavuot, you might be asking yourself “Why do we have to keep 2 days of the Chag? By now, don’t we pretty much know when exactly the holiday is?” The answers are: (Quote from Fiddler on the Roof): “Tradition”, (Quote from all of my Bnei Akiva madrichim): “That is your punishment for not

living in Israel”, and “Yes, but it doesn’t matter”. So why the second day? To answer this, we need to first talk about the moon. We all know that the Jewish Calendar is based on the lunar as opposed to the solar calendar, but what exactly does that mean?

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Hashem gave us a great gift, a clock right up in the sky for all of us to see, that starts every 29 1/2 days, called the moon. When the new moon starts as seen in Yerushalayim, so too does our new month (Hence moon/month). When it’s mid-month and the moon is full and giving us the most light (15th of our month) is when we start our 2 biggest festivals: Sukkot and Pesach, just when we need as much outdoor light as possible (especially on Sukkot). Problem 1 – Counting to 29 1/2: If per the above the new moon occurs every 29 1/2 days, back in the days of the Beit HaMikdash, if we knew when the last new moon was, we also knew that the next new moon would be either 29 or 30 days later, but we were never sure which one it would be. So when 2 witnesses in Yerushalayim would see the new moon, they would testify so before the Sanhedrian, and the new month would be declared. To spread the word to the rest of Am Yisrael, a bonfire would be set on Har Zeitim, the mountain next to the Beit Hamikdash. People on other mountains and hilltops would see the fire and light one of their own. In a very short time, all of Israel could be informed. Seven mountains later, the large community in the Galut of Bavel could know as well. This didn’t need to be done all the time. If there was no holiday coming up that month, there was no need to do this. Or if a bonfire was not lit on the 29th night, then by definition, the new month would start the 30th night. Problem 2 – Need to Reconcile to Solar Calendar: It takes 365 days for the earth to travel around the sun, which is by definition also of the 4 seasons. The 365 days are comprised of 12 months (roughly the days in the new moon cycle).

12 months: 1 month of 28 days + 4 months of

30 days + 7 months of 31 days = 365 days The average month is around 30 1/2 days, almost a full day off the 29 1/2 days of the new moon.

365 / 12 = 30.416 Based on all of the information so far, a Jewish year based on 12 months would be 354 days, which is 11 short of what would be needed to complete the solar / 4 season year:

12 X 29 1/2 = 354 365 – 354 = 11 Because we always want Pesach to end up in the Spring, we need to reconcile our lunar calendar to the solar calendar. Otherwise, over a number of years, Pesach and the rest of our holidays would end up floating around all of the seasons. So in order to achieve this, we add 7 Leap Months every 19 years:

11 days short (over a year) X 19 (Jewish leap year cycle) = 209 days added (every 19 years)

which equates roughly to

7 (leap months over the same 19 year cycle) X

29 1/2 days (per lunar cycle month) = 206.5 days

Extra days are used to adjust month start dates over the years to accomplish directives like making sure Yom Kippur does not end up on the day before or after Shabbat, etc. So again, why 2 days of Yom Tov outside of Israel? Because the bonfire system may be useful in Israel, but to get the word to other far away communities was not feasible. Since in

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galut we were not sure which day was the true first of the month in Yerushalayim, we had to have our holidays on the days assuming that the new month started on both the 29th and 30th day, hence 2 days. Now if you are to say that today, we can calculate that out over the next 10,000 years, I refer back to the other reasons: 1. Tradition, and 2. This is our punishment for not living in Israel. Therefore, my bracha to us this Shavuot is the same bracha to us as recited on Pesach: L’Shana HaBa B’yerushalayim! Other related interesting items:

• Am Yisrael is compared to the moon for reasons like: a. The moon does not create its own light. Rather, it simply reflects the light given off by the sun. Similarly, Am Yisrael reflects to the rest of the world the light of the Torah of Hashem. b. Just when the moon almost disappears monthly, it then blooms

again to full brightness. Similarly, just when Am Yisrael has had had very low moments, we always come back even stronger.

• Samaritans in their distain for us set their own fires in order to confuse us and our Rosh Chodesh communication system.

• Rosh HaShana is 2 days, even in Israel, because unlike Sukkot and Pesach which are on the 15th of the month, Rosh HaShana is on the first, leaving no ability to communicate, certainly not by bonfire, when the new month is starting, so it is 29 and 30 days after the prior Rosh Chodesh.

• Based on all of the above, Yom Kippur in Chutz LaAretz should be 2 days, and maybe even in Israel as well. The chachamim ruled against this and set it to 1 day because they appreciated the difficulty we would have in keeping a 2 day Yom Kippur.

Defeating a Faceless Enemy Aryeh Goldberg

“In the Third Month of the Exodus of Bnei Yisroel from Mitzrayim, on this day, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai” (Shemos 19:1) Rashi, in Maseches Rosh HaShanah (11b) comments that the astrological sign for the “Third Month”, or Sivan, is Gemini – twins. Yalkut HaGershuni further explains that

this is symbolic of the need for the Jewish nation to be united together in brotherhood and friendship in order to receive the Torah. The Torah cannot be given to an isolated individual for it is impossible for a secluded individual to observe all the commandments of the Torah. The communal construct seems to be woven into the very fabric of our people

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serving as a prerequisite for fulfilling the collective tenets of the Torah. Throughout our history, though we’ve faced existential persecution on many occasions, it is rare that we’ve faced an enemy who has subtly tore at the communal fabric that binds us together and the infrastructure that has enabled us to persevere. For example, Haman, and similarly Hitler, sought to exterminate the Jewish people entirely. The Y’vanim of Chanuka fame endeavored to eradicate our faith. Never have we been forcefully isolated from each other, each Jew from another. In fact, just the opposite as in many instances we were confined together, such as in the ghettos of the 1930’s and early 1940’s. Today, we are facing a subtle, faceless enemy. While we are distracted by the health and economic impacts of the virus and its global response, COVID-19 has the potential to pose an existential threat to our nation like never seen before. By forcing us into seclusion, the virus has begun to uproot the tangible and fundamental perpetuating force that is at the very core of our nationhood – our communal interactions. Whether it be daily minyanim, face-to-face chavrusa learning, hachnasas orchim, widespread bikur cholim visits, communal influence on increased Torah observance, or even shidduch dating and simchas, these are the scaffolding that have maintained our community for thousands of years, but yet were essentially quashed in an instant just after Purim a few months ago. Upon arriving at Har Sinai, “Yisrael encamped there opposite the mountain” (Shemos 19:2). Rashi hones in on the use of the singular(1) to describe the encampment of the Jews, saying, “k’ish ehad, b’lev ehad

– as one person with one heart”. This in contrast to all other encampments in the midbar where Bnei Yisrael argued. What specifically about their time at Har Sinai motivated Am Yisrael to subjugate their differences and come together as one – the acceptance of the Torah? Rav Yeshaya Zimmerman suggests there are two types of experiences that can inspire a person to overcome his own desires and even his needs so that he can devote himself to something far greater. The first is the influence of a great person. The strength of that person’s character incites those around him to follow in his footsteps, regardless of their previously identified agendas. At Har Sinai, Am Yisrael was to be in the presence of G-d – what greater character could there possibly be? The second experience is the perception of a great truth. Hereto, what greater perception of truth could there be than that of the Torah? The Maharal, in his work, the “Nesivos Olam”, articulated that the universe was created according to the mandate of the Torah. Planets, gravity, electrodynamics, the nature of the cell, and energy all follow the principles and laws laid out in the Torah. The Gemara in Masesches Shabbos (87b) points out that the universe was created for the sake of the sixth day – the sixth of Sivan – when the Torah would be given. While the effects of the Coronavirus may have removed the “trappings” of Jewish communal life, many distractions of everyday life have also been similarly minimized or removed. Thus, as Jewish families across the globe have been quarantined at home, we’ve been able to distinguish between and reflect upon the noise of contemporary society and the

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Torah values that we hold dear. Without daily commutes, we’ve been able to dedicate more time to regular Torah study. The mass global proliferation of Torah over the internet has exploded in response. Our community has grown hungry to return to daven with a Minyan, while in the interim we’ve realized how meaningful our davening itself can be. Our family relationships have been strengthened. These are just a few examples of how we’ve each grown closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and have strived to perceive the Torah’s greater truth. When we are all, individually and collectively, able to focus on that greater truth - the Torah and our underlying purpose in life of growing closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu - we are able to overcome both the absence of our supportive communal infrastructure and the devastating impacts of the Coronavirus.

This sixth of Sivan, let us return to our Sinaitic roots and metaphorically gather at the foot of the mountain, to recapture the experience when we, Am Yisroel, stood as one person with one heart, k’ish echad b’lev echad, in the presence of G-d and his Torah. Emboldened by that strength, together, we will defeat this faceless enemy. Based on Divrei Torah learned from my Rebbe, Rabbi Ben-Zion Rand, in his sefer, “Birkas Moadecha, A Yom Tov Digest” (Feldheim, 2019). (1) The pasuk here uses the singular form “va’yichen –

and he encamped”, whereas earlier in the same pasuk the plural form was used to describe Bnei Yisrael’s actions: “va’yisu – and they journeyed”, “va’ya’vo’u – and they arrived”, “va’ya’cha’nu – and they encamped”

Megillat Ruth- A Story About How We React to our Circumstances

Ilana Goldschein

Megillat Ruth is a story of ethical dilemmas. Its message surrounds how different people react to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Several of the characters seem to serve as foils for one another- Boaz can be seen as a foil to Elimelech and also a foil to Ploni Almoni. Ruth can be seen as a foil to Orpah. Each of these sets of characters are met with similar situations,

but choose to respond to them in opposite ways. Elimelech responds to the famine in Beit Lechem, an ironic name for a city without bread, by leaving. Rashi tells us that Elimelech was a rich man, but as people approached him for help, he not only ignores their pleas, but he even skips town- and for this he was punished. Leaders

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should not flee in times of crisis. That much should have been obvious. By contrast, Boaz was a landowner who was generous, allowing the poor to come and collect fallen stems of wheat in his field. Boaz also deigns to speak to his workers, calling out to them “HaShem Imachem,” “G-d be with you,” and as all B’nei Akiva chanichim know well, the workers answer back to him: “Yevarechechah HaShem,” “G-d should bless you.” Boaz also asks “L’mi Hanaarah Hazot?” “To whom is this young woman?” Yael Ziegler interprets the Iben Ezra’s explanation that Boaz is implying that if she is married, Ruth looks neglected, as she is forced to fend for herself. David Hamelech, a descendant of Boaz and Ruth, has a similar type of humanitarian concern for an abandoned slave who had not eaten in three days, in Shmuel Alef Perek Lamed. David asks the Ish Mitzri “L’mi Ata,” again with the same type of concern for the immoral treatment of someone being neglected who cannot fend for himself or herself, regardless of what nation that person comes from. For David and his ancestor Boaz, ethical behavior is second nature. Boaz is also a foil to Ploni Almoni- the closer relation to Ruth’s husband Machlon who had the first duty to redeem and marry Ruth as a widow in the family. However, Ploni passes on the opportunity for the mitzvah of helping to continue the line-

despite that both Machlon and Kilyon have died, leaving Ruth and Orpah as widows. Ruth and Orpah also react completely differently to their similar circumstances. Orpah responds by returning to Moav, while Ruth decides to stay with Naomi. It says “v’Rut davka bah”- “And Ruth held fast to her”- the word “davka” gives us the image of sticking like glue, devek, emphasizing Ruth’s resolute decision to be a Jew, and to remain loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi. What lessons can we learn from these character comparisons? During Corona and quarantine, we have all been dealt with a set of challenges as we face a new reality. An important theme is that although we cannot control what is going on around us in the world, we can control our response to what is going on. Do we become hardened and hide away like Elkana, or do we embrace community and seek ways to help and connect with our family and friends like Boaz? Do we run from our problems like Orpah, or do we run toward the challenge and immerse ourselves in creative solutions, like Ruth? We must take the example of Boaz and Ruth who both took a chance with an eye toward the future. Their union resulted in David HaMelech and ultimately someday, Mashiach Ben David. With that example in our minds, we must take heart, borrow from their courage and forge ahead with hope and community.

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Megilas Ruth: A Relevant Story Meyer Graff (shared by my sister, Malka Ita Rubenstein)

Why do we read Megilas Ruth on Shavuos? Many answers are given to this question:

1. The story of Ruth becoming a convert takes place at “the beginning of the barley harvest” (Ruth 1:22) and at “the end of the wheat harvest” (Ruth 2:23). This time refers to and includes the holiday of Shavuos, also called Chag Ha’asif, the holiday of collecting the wheat harvest.

2. Just as Matan Hatorah, the giving of the Torah, inaugurated the birth of the Jewish people because at that time they officially entered into a holy covenant with God, so too, Megilas Ruth tells how Ruth miraculously and spontaneously entered into this same covenant with Hashem.

3. The Talmud in Yerushalmi (Chagigah 2:3) states that Shavuos is the traditional birthday and Yahrzheit of David Hamelech. Therefore, Megilas Ruth, the story of the ancestry of David Hamelech is read on Shavuos. Although Ruth was the daughter of the king of Moav, she is regarded as the protype of the righteous convert. When Naomi tried to dissuade Ruth from accompanying her, Ruth replied “Wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge, I will lodge and your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” Ruth did not say this out of

pity towards her mother-in-law, Naomi. Rather, by accompanying Naomi to Eretz Yisrael, she showed her tremendous commitment to the Jewish Nation.

The story of Ruth superficially looks like a chain of natural happenings one evolving from the other, yet in the end it shows the inscrutable hand of Hashem’s plan. The Navi says “There is no chance happening in this world; whatever happens is caused by Hashem” (Samuel 2:16). Megilas Ruth serves as a clear illustration for the marvelous ways which Hashem leads man towards his destiny. Ruth chooses to glean in Boaz’s field (2:3); and her decision ends up causing the birth of David Hamelech. The last few verses of Megilas Ruth trace the genealogy of David Hamelech, specifically the last sentence of Megilas Ruth, which continues with the delineation of Ruth’s descendants and ends with the momentous birth of David. As mentioned, David Hamelech descended from Ruth and Boaz and from David Hamelech’s seed will come Moshiach – the time for eternal bliss and Joy on earth. We hope that Moshiach will come speedily in our days.

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Remembering Sinai Rabbi David Mahler

Memory is a necessary part of a meaningful life. Additionally, it is an integral part of many mitzvot. It is the backbone of many of our commandments and a necessary component in many of their fulfillment. Webster’s Dictionary defines memory as “the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms”. This seems correct yet Rav Soloveitchik explains that truthfully, in essence, there are two types of memory: intellectual and experiential. We will focus on experiential memory. The Rav writes, “In order to understand what experiential memory is, we must recognize that there are two kinds of memory. The first is an intellectual memory which mechanically recalls and assembles factual data. The other memory recalls experiences by evoking the feelings of the past event. Judaism insisted that Jews recall not only the factual events of the past, but that in addition the experiences of the past retain their vigor undiminished despite the passage of time. Whatever was horrible and frightening should be remembered as horrible and frightening, no matter how much time has elapsed since the event transpired. The memory of what once was therapeutic and redemptive should forever possess those qualities. In short, when remembering the past, the Jew relives the event as if it were a present reality.” (Shiurei HaRav, p. 127) The Magen Avraham (O.C. 60) writes that there are 6 specific historic events that a Jew must recall each day. These 6 mitzvot

are listed after Shacharit in many of our siddurim. It is not enough to simply recall the event but rather the memory of the event must be a catalyst for experiencing them. Included in the Shesh Zechirot is the requirement to remember Ma’amad Har Sinai, that we received the Torah at Mount Sinai. The basis for this are the pesukim in Sefer Devarim, “Only beware and guard yourself carefully lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, lest they stray from your heart all the days of your life, and you are to make them known to your children and to your children’s children – the day you stood before Hashem, your G-D, at Sinai” (4:9-10). There are a myriad of approaches as to the rationale of remembering the scene at Sinai and the Matan Torah experience. More acutely, there are a few which, when applied appropriately, can serve as tremendous Chinuch lessons. Kedushat Levi The Kedushat Levi (Sefer Zichronot) writes that the purpose of this mitzvah is to make us constantly aware of the abundant love Hashem has for the Jewish people. He gave the Torah to Klal Yisrael alone and it is exclusively ours. Even though the angels fought for it to be kept in heaven and not given to anyone else for fear of its desecration, Hashem insisted that it should be given to us. This idea can assist in understanding why Hashem waited generations for the Torah

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to be given. According to the Semak, Hashem deliberately waited for other civilizations to develop, other nations and systems of belief to be actualized, so that the Torah could be given to Klal Yisrael as our exclusive heritage. It is crucial our children feel that we have been given something precious. The Torah is truly a gift and that idea must permeate our homes. We are fortunate and lucky to have received the love and attention of Hashem. Our children, and ourselves, need to hear the message that Hashem loves every Jew, and because He loves you, He wants you to learn Torah and perform mitzvot. Our world should not be hearing, if you learn Torah and perform mitzvot, Hashem will love you. Pachad Yitzchak Rav Hutner (Shavuos, Ma’amar #8), in addition to the aforementioned pesukim from Devarim, quotes the mishna in Pirkei Avot which seems to learn from the pasuk that there is a prohibition to never forget one’s Torah. Essentiall, Rav Hutner writes, the idea behind remembering Har Sinai is the acknowledgement that Torah is one’s top priority and must be the most important part of one’s life. Torah is the most vital part of our lives and people never forget those things that are most important to them. Generally, when we do not place value on something, we forget about it. The opposite should be true with Torah. Therefore, Zechirat Ma’amad Har Sinai and the issur of forgetting one’s learning, stress the same idea, that of the eminence of Torah in our lives.

Our children will imbibe the level of Chashivat HaTorah we create in our homes. If the school has one level and our homes a different one, our children might be off kilter. Learning Torah, valuing people who learn and live Torah is something that is not preached but practiced. Our children must hear us engage in Torah conversations, must be made aware when we leave the house to go and learn and must hear us speak with reverence about people who make Torah their highest priority. Rav Yaakov Emden In his siddur, Rav Yaakov Emden, writes that the purpose of Zechirat Ma’amad Har Sinai is to recall the feeling of complete unity Klal Yisrael experienced as they stood ready to accept the Torah. At the end of davening each morning, before we begin our day, mingling and interacting with all different types of people, we remind ourselves and request from Hashem, to rekindle in our hearts that special experience of love which each Jew felt for his fellow Jew at the foot of the mountain. We hope and pray that we will be able to regain that unity. This was a unique and profound type of achdut that other nations and groups rarely, if ever, experience. May we be zoche to raise families where each child internalizes that he/she is uniquely cherished by Hashem, where the valued currency is menschlichkeit and Torah knowledge, and where harmony and solidarity among Klal Yisrael is a cultivated and preserved.

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Shavuos – Every Day is a Holy Day Ari Mark

One of the many unique contributions of Judaism is the idea of kedushas hazman – the sanctity of time. In the secular world time is merely an arbitrary mathematical sequence used as a tool of measurement but contains no inherent substance. In Judaism however time has essence and sanctity1. The sanctity of time is most evident in the context of the Jewish calendar and specifically Shabbos and Yom Tov. First and foremost, it finds its halachic expression in the prohibition of labor- issur melacha2. It also finds expression in unique ritual obligations which are invested with sanctity and meaning on specific dates and at specific times. The obligation to eat Matza is no different than eating crackers unless it happens to be the 15th of Nissan. Sitting in the Sukkah is simply sitting under a pergola unless it happens to be the 15th of Tishrei. Blowing the shofar is blowing a horn unless it is the first of Tishrei. These otherwise mundane activities have no spiritual significance until they become invested with sanctity and meaning on the specific dates prescribed by the Torah. The various obligations engendered by different time periods and holidays throughout the year inform and express the unique essence and personality of those days.

1 Rav Soloveitchik has a magnificent shiur on this

topic which can be found on Yutorah.com –

https://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecture.cfm/767746/

rabbi-joseph-b-soloveitchik/kedushas-hayom-

shabbos-yom-tov-purim-chanuka/. See also Taanis

29a. 2 Arachin 10b 3 See Vayikra chapter 23 and Bamidbar chapters 28-

29 where the Torah states the different dates of all of

the holidays.

The holiday of Shavuos however seems to be a striking anomaly. The Torah never prescribes a specific date for the holiday3 and there are no ritual obligations. The Torah states that one is to count seven weeks from “when the sickle is first put in the standing crop” (Dvarim 16:9-10). The simple reading implies that the holiday is not contingent on any specific date or time but rather on an agricultural event that can vary. This verse is somewhat clarified by an earlier verse that states that the count begins “from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the Omer.” (Vayikra 23:15). This verse also fails to cite a specific date4 however our Sages teach that it refers to the second day of Pesach5. They also teach6 that the count begins after the barley grain is harvested for the Omer offering which takes place on the second night of Pesach, once again connecting the holiday to an agricultural event. The requirement to harvest the barely grain for the Omer is so critical that it supersedes the general prohibition against labor on Shabbos and Yom Tov7. Shavuos is also unique in terms of ritual obligations. The only obligation associated

4 This is the basis of the famous dispute between the

Sages and the Tzaddukim and Baitusim regarding the

day to celebrate Shavuos. See Menachos 65a. 5 See Rashi Vayikra 23:15 and Menachos 65a. 6 See Rashi Dvarim 16:9. See Rambam Hil Tmidim

Umusafim chapter 7. 7 See Rambam ibid.

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with the holiday of Shavuos is the offering of the Shtei Halechem which marks the first wheat harvest8. Hence the Torah refers to the holiday of Shavuos as Chag Hakatzir (Festival of the Harvest), Chag HaAsif (Festival of the Ingathering), and Yom HaBikkurim (Day of the First Fruits). This is in stark contrast to the other holidays that are rich with ritual obligations beyond their service in the Beis Hamikdash. Finally, although Shavuos is most famously known as the day that celebrates the giving of the Torah9 this theme is entirely absent from the Torah’s descriptions of the day. In fact, from the Torah’s perspective the day is exclusively associated with the most mundane of activities - farming and agriculture, the equivalent of going to work in today’s parlance. The Torah’s description, the time of its celebration, and its only obligation exclusively celebrate agricultural accomplishments10. “And the Holiday of the Harvest (Chag Hakatzir) , of the first fruits of your labor that you sow in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering (Chag HaAsif) at the end of the Year, when you gather in your work from the field” (Shmos 23:16) “And you shall observe the Festival of Weeks with the first offering of the wheat harvest; and the Festival of the Harvest shall be at the changing of the year.” (Shmos 34:22) “You shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the rest day, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waiving seven weeks, they shall be complete. Until the morrow of the seventh week you shall count,

8 See Rashi Bamidbar 28:26 9 See Pesachim 68b

fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal-offering to Hashem. From your dwelling places you shall bring bread that shall be waive, two loaves made of two tenth-ephah, they shall be fine flower, they shall be baked leavened; first-offerings to Hashem.” (Vayikra 23:15-17) “On the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal-offering to Hashem on your Festival of Weeks, it shall be a holy convocation to you; you shall not perform any laborious work.“ (Bamidbar 28:26) “You shall count seven weeks for yourselves; from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you shall observe the Festival of Weeks (Chag Hashavuos) for Hashem your God; the voluntary offerings that you give should be commensurate with how much Hashem your God has blessed you.” (Dvarim 16:9-10) This begs the question - what is the character, essence, and sanctity of the day considering that what is generally thought of as a spiritual and sacred day, when the Jewish people received the Torah, does not seem to be very spiritual and sacred? Perhaps this can be understood based on a famous passage in the Talmud that compares the Torah to the days of the year and the limbs of the body – “Rabbi Simlai expounded: 613 mitzvos were states to Moshe, 365 prohibitions corresponding to the number of days in the solar year and 248 positive commandments corresponding to the limbs of the body” (Talmud Bavli Makkos 23b)

10 It also marks the beginning of the Bikkurim

celebration. See Mishna Bikkurim 1:3

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Rav Moshe Twersky Z”L HY”D explained that Rav Simali analogized the Torah to the days of the year and the limbs of the body because the Torah and its mitzvos infuse meaning and sanctity into the totality of the human experience. Every moment and every action are governed and impacted by the principles and values of the Torah. There is no aspect of human experience ignored by the Torah. From the minutia of how one gets dressed and ties their shoes to life altering decisions of defining death. War, relationships, business, food- literally every aspect of the human experience is impacted by the Torah and its mitzvos. Judaism rejects the notion that sanctity and righteousness are reserved for select individuals, places, or times. The Torah teaches that sanctity and righteousness can be found in every individual, every action, and every moment of every day11. Perhaps there is no specific date or ritual obligation for celebrating the gift of receiving the Torah because it is a privilege of every moment and action of our lives. Shavuos celebrates elevating the ordinary and mundane to extraordinary and sanctified. Shavuos celebrates the opportunity to turn everyday into a holy day12.

11 See Akeidat Yitzchak Vayikra 23 and Aruch

Hashulchan OC 4924:2 12 See Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion in Pesachim 68b with

commentary of the Beis Haleivi to Yisro who has a

beautiful explanation that further supports this

general idea. 13 See Rambam Hil Tmidim Umusafim 8:2 and

Rambam Hil Bikkurim 2:1 14 See Rambam Hil Kiddush Hachodesh Ch1 15 See Rambam Hil Kiddush Hachodesh 2:8 and 3:9 16 See Mishna Rosh Hashana 1:3 17 See Rambam Hil Kiddush Hachodesh 3:11. See

Shulchan Aruch OC 496 who rules that this law only

This theme is evident in the Torah’s focus on the mundane activities of farming and harvesting because it is precisely in the most mundane everyday activities that the Torah provides the greatest opportunity to elevate and sanctify. However, the agricultural aspects of the holiday are exclusive to the land of Israel13. There is also a unique rabbinic halacha in the diaspora that reflects this theme which emerges specifically from the fact that Shavuos is not associated with a specific date. During the times of the Beis Hamikdash new months were established every 30th or 31st day based on eyewitness accounts of the new moon14. Once these accounts were confirmed by the Beis Din HaGadol in Yerushalyim the new moon was established, and messengers were sent throughout Israel and the nearby diaspora communities to inform them of the new month15. This was critical in order to establish the correct dates for observing the holidays16. However, since the messengers could not reach the entire Jewish diaspora prior to the holidays, diaspora communities were required to observe a second day of Yom Tov due to the uncertainty regarding the date of the holiday. This decree is known as Yom Tov Sheini shel Galios17. Even after the Jewish calendar was permanently established, and

applies in diaspora communities. See also Ritva to

Sukkah 43a and Rosh Hashana 18a who rules this

way as well. However, the Rambam Hil Kiddush

Hachodesh 5:9-11 assumes that Yom Tov Sheini

applies anywhere that the messengers did not reach

or did not travel to because there were no Jewish

communities there are the time. According to the

Rambam there were diaspora communities that were

near Israel that the messengers reached that do not

observe Yom Tov Sheini and there are communities

currently in Israel that were not settled at that time

and therefore they would be required to observe Yom

Tov Sheini currently. Although normative law is like

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there was no longer any doubt regarding the correct date of holidays, the obligation to observe Yom Tov Sheini in the diaspora remained as a rabbinic commemoration of the custom of previous generations18. Despite the fact that the initial uncertainty never applied to Shavuos because it is determined based on the seven-week count from the second night of Pesach, the Sages nevertheless applied the decree of Yom Tov Sheini to Shavuos19. It is based on this that the Chasam Sofer20 ruled that Yom Tov Sheini of Shavuos must be treated more stringently then Yom Tov Sheini of the other holidays. He argues that the rabbinic institution of Yom Tov Sheini on Shavuos was never based on uncertainty or doubt rather it was an absolute rabbinic decree to observe an additional day of Yom Tov. What emerges is quite remarkable. The Sages in their infinite wisdom, and I would suggest with the general theme of Shavuos in mind, included an absolute rabbinic obligation on Shavuos to take an ordinary, mundane, every day and transform it into an extraordinary, sanctified, holy holiday. That is exactly what receiving the Torah and Shavuos celebrate. In fact, the Magen Avraham21 suggests based on a complex calculation

rooted in the Talmud that the Torah was actually given to the Jewish people on the 51st day of their count after leaving Egypt. He questions how we can celebrate the receiving of the Torah on the 50th day when in fact it was given on the 51st. He suggests that perhaps the Torah was purposely given to the Jewish people on what would be the second day of Shavuos to provide a biblical hint for the rabbinic decree of Yom Tov Sheini22. According to the Magen Avraham the Torah was not actually received on the day mentioned by the Torah as a holiday but on a regular every day, and it serves as the original source for the obligation of Yom Tov Sheini, the obligation to observe a secular day in a sanctified manner. Ultimately, Shavuos celebrates the day the Jewish people were given the privilege and responsibility of sanctifying every moment, and every action, of every day23 by fulfilling God’s Torah. In doing so we fulfill God’s promise to us on the eve of that great day to be His sanctified nation - “And now if you listen well to My voice and observe My covenant, you will be a treasure to Me from among the nations for all the earth is mine. You will be to Me a kingdom of ministers and a sanctified nation.” (Shmos 19:5-6)

the Shulchan Aruch and Ritva there are those who act

stringently in consideration for the opinion of the

Rambam. See Piskei Teshuvos V5 P328-329. 18 See Rambam Hil Kiddush Hachodesh 5:4-6 and

Beitza 4b. 19 See Ritva to Rosh Hashana 18a and Rambam Hil

Kiddush Hachodesh 3:12. 20 See Responsa Chasam Sofer OC 1:145, YD 2:250,

and Chiddushim Beitza 4b. 21 OC 494 22 See Chasam Sofer to Beitza 4b where he suggests

that the Magen Avraham’s hint also relates to a

permanent institution of Yom Tov Sheini. What he

terms Yom Tov Sheini shel Geula.

23 Remarkably Shavuos is the only biblical holiday

that can fall out on different dates. When new months

were established on the 30th or 31st day of the

previous month based on eyewitness accounts of the

new moon it was possible for Shavuos to fall on

either the 5th, 6th, or 7th of Sivan. The only other

holiday in the Jewish calendar that can fall out on

different dates is the rabbinic holiday of Purim. See

Megillah 2a. This is particularly fascinating in light

of the fact that the Talmud teaches that Shavuos

celebrates the acceptance of the written Torah and

Purim celebrates the acceptance of the oral Torah.

See Shabbos 88a. Perhaps this is meant to highlight

this very idea.

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Boaz: Progenitor of Moshiach By, Sheryl Neuman, MD,

based on Ruth From Alienation to Monarchy, by Yael Ziegler The book of Ruth (18-4:22) ends with a family tree that starts with Peretz (a son of Yehuda), continues through Boaz, and ends with David. Although the text ends here, our tradition teaches that it is from this family that Moshiach will ultimately come. Thus, Boaz is situated in the center of an august lineage. All the way back, Yehuda’s tribe had long been singled out for leadership. Boaz’s grandfather Nachshon is the famous individual who leapt into the sea and caused it to split. Over the course of the Megillah, Boaz clearly establishes his own place in his family tree and demonstrates his worthiness to be the ancestor of Moshiach. Rashi claims that Boaz is the judge Ivzan (Bava Batra 91a), a leading sage of his generation (Ruth Raba 5:15), but we first meet Boaz when Ruth comes to glean in his field. The Zohar says that the book of Ruth should have opened with Boaz since Hashem provides the cure before the catastrophe. When everything looks bleak and forlorn for Naomi and Ruth, Boaz heroically steps in to provide not only sustenance, but also continuity of the family name. Described as an ish gibor hayil, Boaz displays courage and wisdom as a man who stayed on his land during the famine, in sharp contrast to his uncle Elimelech, who fled to Moav. Boaz has several characteristics that make him a suitable candidate to carry on the seed of Moshiach, most notably his piety and humility. As a wealthy landowner, Boaz greets his reapers “G-d bless you” to which they respond, “May G-d bless you.” The Midrash says that Boaz and his court

instituted that one should inquire of another’s welfare in Hashem’s name (Ruth Rabba 4:15). There is a suggestion that he would frequently check that his reapers were working according to halacha, leaving the corner of the field, and not picking up fallen sheaths. He also shows a strong work ethic, visiting his fields daily, doing his own winnowing, and sleeping on his threshing floor to guard his harvest. Kindness is another key trait that Boaz displays, especially when he learns of the selfless way Ruth treated her mother-in-law, Naomi. Much impressed with Ruth’s modesty, Boaz tells her to come only to his field, and instructs the reapers to drop more of their sheaths for her to glean. He even invites Ruth to dine with the paid reapers, completely validating Ruth in a public fashion. Moabites were usually shunned by Israeli society for their stinginess and unkind ways, having declined B’nei Israel’s request for food and water after leaving Egypt. By singling Ruth out and addressing her by name, Boaz helps her gain respectability and acceptance in her new country. Yet another striking quality, Boaz displays almost superhuman strength by restraining himself when Ruth comes to seduce him at his threshing floor at night. Helping to fight his natural impulses, he immediately takes an oath to bind himself to the decision not to touch her. The Gemara claims that he displayed even greater restraint than Yosef did in resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife (Sanhedrin 19b). Furthermore, he sees only the good in Ruth’s actions – the fact that she is willing to marry an 80 year and

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risk her reputation for the sake of family continuity. Boaz shows he is a man who does not shirk responsibility and wants to do the right thing. He goes through the proper channels to give his uncle Peloni Almoni (aka Tov) the opportunity to redeem Ruth, but Peloni Almoni will not chance ruining his inheritance marrying a Moabite. Boaz on the other hand does not hesitate to do his duty. Clearly, Boaz has a major role to play in this story, but Hashem’s hand can be seen guiding the situation to allow him to actualize his potential. There are three hashacha pratis situations: first, Ruth just “happens” to pick his field to glean from, Boaz just “happens” to come to his field when Ruth is there, and lastly Boaz “happens” to run into Peloni Almoni as soon as he needs him. Hashem sets the scene, and Boaz gallantly plays his part.

Seeing how Boaz dives into the task at hand, Hashem uses him as His agent to provide food and fertility, both of which are considered under divine control. Boaz is an individual who shows tremendous chesed, a trait Hashem cherishes. Man’s chesed is meant to model and act as the vessel for Hashem’s chesed—notably bringing Moshiach to us so that we can fulfill our ultimate destiny to have Hashem’s present felt in the world. As we have seen, Boaz clearly deserves his place in the lineage of Moshiach: he is someone who has stellar character traits, brings up those around him and steps up when the situation demands. All these make him uniquely suited to be the forefather of Moshiach.

Seudat Yom Tov

Sarah Proops

Whether a meaty- feast or a dairy buffet, there is an obligation to enjoy a Seudat Yom Tov, a festive meal, in honor and in celebration of Shavuot. The Gemmara in Pesachim discusses how we should allocate time on any Yom Tov between Torah study and eating. The halacha ultimately follows Rabbi Yehoshua that on all Yom Tovim there is a mitzvah to both study and eat festive meals. However according to Rabbi Eliezer, on Yom Tov a person’s day should

be primarily dedicated to Torah study and eat only enough to avoid hunger. Nevertheless, regarding Shavuot even he agrees that one must indulge in a Yom Tov seudah since “it is the day in which the Torah was given” (Pesachim 68b). What special significance is attributed to Shavuot that even for the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer we are obligated in a festive meal?

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We might think that on the contrary Shavuot, the day on which the Torah was received, we would be commanded to study more and eat less than on other Chaggim. What then is the connection between Matan Torah and food? A simple answer is that we enjoy a celebratory meal to show how grateful we are to receive the Torah. Taking part in a festive meal expresses our true joy at receiving the Torah, hence why there is an obligation to eat. Another approach found in the Achronim is that our eating and drinking on the day of Matan Torah is more than just a statement of celebration but really an expression of a fundamental Torah principle of how we are to live our lives. The message conveyed in the obligation to eat on Shavuot, is that the entire purpose of the Jews receiving of the Torah, is to apply it here in the physical world. The Torah is not merely an ancient story book with a detailed account of our ancestry, but it serves as a guidebook to enable us to live life in the most meaningful and spiritual way possible. Therefore when we eat the Yom Tov meal we have the opportunity to both fulfill the practical halakhot related to the meal, such as the laws of Kashrut and Brachot, as well as infusing the meal with Torah in a number of other ways. For example, ensuring that we refrain from speaking Lashon Hara,

Hachnassat Orchim and sharing Divrei Torah. Shavuot serves to remind us of the primary

purpose of the Torah and the ultimate life

goal of a Jew. It is at this time that we

should ask ourselves “Do I allow the Torah

to permeate all areas of my life or do I keep

my religion separate from my day to day

routine?”. The lesson of the Shavuot meal

is that while intense Torah study is crucial,

signified by the custom of Tikun Leil, to

learn all night on Erev Shavuot, our primary

goal must be to draw the Torah out of the

Bet Midrash and shuls and bring it into our

homes.

In the past few months of isolation, we

have had to live this principal more than

ever before. Our homes have become our

shuls, schools and places of learning. If we

allow it to, this Shavuot can serve as an

opportunity to evaluate and ensure that

Torah values and halacha guide our homes,

decisions and life choices and how we live.

May the lesson of the Seudat Shavuot serve

as a reminder that the Torah was given to

be applied here in the physical world. We

must be proactive in all areas of our lives to

help develop our relationship with God and

to live a more meaningful, spiritual,

purpose filled existence.

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United For Matan Torah David Schultz

If you look carefully at the story of מתן תורה found in פרשת יתרו, you will notice that the discussing the story go back and forth פסוקיםbetween referring to בני ישראל in the singular and referring to them in the plural. First, פרק :states as follows י׳ט פסוק ב

ר וי דב יחנו במ י ו ינ ר ס דב או מ ים ויב יד סעו מרפ ל וי א שר ם י חן־ש

ר ה נגד ה The Torah uses the plural words סעו או ,וי ,ויב and יחנו as they traveled בני ישראל to describe ו to Sinai, but uses the singular word, ויחן, to describe how בני ישראל encamped by הר סיני. Almost immediately thereafter, however, the Torah reverts back to the plural. In פסוקיםו–ד , when Hashem tells Moshe what to say to

ר “ :he says the following ,בני ישראל ם אש ית ם רא את

ם י צר י למ ית ש “ ”ע שמעו מוע ת ם־ש ה א ם את־ ועת י ושמרת ל בק

ים עמ ל־ה כ ה מ י סגל יתם ל הי י ו ית י “ and ”בר היו־ל ם ת ואת

וש ד ים וגוי ק הנ כת כ ,in the plural בני ישראל ,You ”.ממלsaw what I did to Egypt and if you, in the plural, listen to me and observe my covenant, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

When Hashem finally announces the עשרת however, the Torah ,הר סיני at בני ישראל to הדברותreverts back to the singular . פרק כ פסוק ב states as follows:

ה א י יהו כ נ ית א ב ם מ י צר רץ מ יך מא ר הוצאת יך אש לה

ים ד עב I am Hashem, your [singular] G-d, who took you [singular] out of Egypt. The rest of the commandments are also delivered in the singular form: “ ת לק ום השב ור את־י וזכ דש ,”

ך“ מ יך ואת־א ב ד את־א ח“ ”,כב רצ א ת etc., are all ”,ל commandments directed by Hashem to the individual, rather than to בני ישראל as a group.

What is going on here? Why does the language of the Torah veer back and forth? I believe that by analyzing the changes carefully, and looking at both Rashi and the Ramban, we can learn some very important lessons about observance and treating other Jews, particularly during this unique celebration of Shavuot.

In his commentary to the phrase “ ם חן־ש וי

ל א שר ד בלב “ :Rashi states ,פרק י׳ט פסוק ב in ”י יש אח כאד הר סיני came before Hashem at בני ישראל – ”אחas if they were one person, with one heart. Only when the Jewish people were united as one were they deserving of receiving the Torah. So too, we are deserving of Hashem’s favor when we put our differences aside and behave as if we are united as one.

If so, why does the Torah then revert to the plural when Hashem tells Moshe what to say to בני ישראל? I believe the Torah is teaching us another important lesson. In addition to coming before Hashem in a united manner, all of us, in the plural, have to listen to Hashem and observe his commandments. It is not enough for us to be united as one if we do not follow Hashem’s covenant. Only if we do so may we be considered a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. But if we all have to follow Hashem’s commandments in order to become a holy nation, why are the עשרת הדברות delivered in the singular rather than the plural? In his commentary to פרק כ פסוק ב, the Ramban

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explains that the commandments were delivered in the singular to warn בני ישראל that each person who fails to follow these commandments will be punished, and that person will not be able to avoid punishment by hiding behind the majority of בני ישראל who are following the commandments. In other words, what the Ramban is teaching us is that although all of us have to listen to Hashem and observe his commandments, we each have an individual responsibility to perform the מצות—we will not become a holy nation if each of us drops the ball and instead relies on the remaining majority to follow Hashem’s commands. As the above discussion sets out, the Torah goes back and forth between the singular and the plural to teach us three everlasting lessons about unity, collective obligation, and individual responsibility. Perhaps the most important lesson we can derive at this time, however, is the one that appears to me to be most hidden. Although many of us are familiar with the first half of Rashi’s commentary on “ ם חן־ש וי

ל א שר discussed above, we are less familiar ”יwith the second half of the Rashi. Citing the Mechilta, Rashi states as follows: ל ר כ ל שא אביות בתרעומות ובמחלקת Rashi tells us that at all .החנthe other encampments in the desert

besides בני ישראל ,הר סיני were involved in complaints and arguments. Why does Rashi add this point? Wouldn’t it have been sufficient for Rashi to explain that means like one man with one heart? I ”ויחן“believe that the second half of Rashi is trying to convey a profound lesson. It is very easy for a nation or a group to be united and act as one when facing a special occasion, such as מתן תורה. Likewise, it is easier for a nation or a group to be unified when it is facing a traumatic experience such as today’s COVID-19 pandemic. Our real test comes at the other times—can we similarly be united and act as one when we are involved in our simple day-to-day lives and not living through extraordinary events such as מתן תורה or a pandemic? Our current pandemic will end sometime in the near future, and we hopefully will be able to return to our “normal” lives. The lesson we should learn is that, just as we are attempting to be united during this year’s unique celebration of Shavuot and מתן תורה, so too must we all remain united members of the Jewish people, observing Hashem’s Torah and mitzvot, once we are able to resume our regular, everyday existence.

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The Two Loaves Daniel Silverman

This short d’var Torah is based on a translation done by Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg of a ma’amar by the Slonimer Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Noam Berezovsky z’tl, better known as the Nesivos Sholom. Born in Baranovich, Poland in 1911 with yichus to the family of the first Slonimer Rebbe, he became a talmid at the Slonimer yeshiva, called Toras Chesed. He was close to, and was mentored by, the Yeshiva’s mashgiach (spiritual advisor), Rabbi Moshe Midner (who was a grandson of the 1st Slonimer Rebbe as well as a student of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, aka The Brisker Rav). The Slonimer yeshiva was different from other chasidishe yeshivot in that they combined a Lithuanian style of learning (incisive and penetrating academic depth) with a joyful Chassidic approach. After the devastation of the Holocaust, the Slonimer Chassidim rebuilt in Israel through the efforts of Rabbi Shlom Noach. He was appointed the 7th Slonimer Rebbe after his father in law’s passing in 1981. Rabbi Sholom Noach was nifter in 2000, and his son currently serves as the Slonimer Rebbe. The Nesivos Sholom states that when you think of Pesach, matzah is probably one of the first things that pop into your mind. Similarly, for Sukkot, a Lulav and Esrog set. When you think of Shavuot though, you probably would be thinking of learning all night because of the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai. Yet, when you look at the passage about Shavuot in Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23:15-17), the most prominent aspect is actually the special meal offering

of two loaves from the new wheat crop. Even the name of the Holiday in Parshat Pinchas (Bamidbar 28:26) is referred to by Hashem as Yom HaBikurim (the day of the first “fruits” is a reference to the new wheat crop). Interestingly, these two loaves of Shavuot were leavened unlike ALL other meal offerings during the year that were unleavened. So how is it possible that, just seven weeks after Pesach, when we tried to eradicate all traces of Chametz and its spiritually detrimental essence, are we now celebrating it? Where’s the learning? What’s going on? To begin our understanding of the deeper message, we must realize that there is an underlying double meaning to the two loaves. They represent the two areas of our physical pursuits of pleasure: 1) gastronomical, and 2) physical (see Rashi on Bereishit 39:6 where Potiphar protected his “bread” from Yosef was actually a reference to protecting his wife). By bringing the two loaves of bread as a sacrifice on Shavuot, Hashem is telling us that we have to elevate and consecrate the mundane – our physical desires – to a level that we can receive the Torah on Har Sinai. But what is the process to accomplish this difficult task of elevating the mundane? There are only two ways: either abstinence (which is easier said than done), or engagement of the pleasure in a manner that transforms the experience. As Moshe said to Pharaoh in Shemot 10:26: we are taking our cattle with us to serve Hashem.

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The Nesivos Sholom says that cattle are really a reference to our various physical possessions and desires. Were we ready for that head on challenge from the get-go? The answer is a resounding NO! In Mitzrayim, Bnei Yisrael were at the 49th level of tumah (impurity), and at that point in time the ONLY way to begin a spiritual journey was to abstain from chametz by G-d’s command. Gradually though, through the 7-week period of the Sefirah, they progressed in their development and were able to refine, purify and sanctify their essence. By Shavuot, Bnei Yisrael were ready for not just an offering from a new grain (wheat as opposed to the barley Omer), but for a new type of offering – a Mincha Chadasha.

Now, Bnei Yisrael could measure up to the challenge of the loftier form of Avodah (worship). As the Nesivos Sholom says, on Shavuot, the very essence and focus of Shavuot is embodied in the two loaves, because they encompass the principal of physical pursuits that are elevated and consecrated in the service of Hashem. Through the learning of Torah and enjoying the physical pleasures of two loaves on our table (and some delicious cheesecake), may we merit to welcome the coming of Moshiach, bimheira biyameinu.

Matan Torah: Consent or Coercion By Alan Tsarovsky

The primary theme of Shavuot is celebrating Am Yisrael’s receiving of the Torah and accepting the obligation to fulfill all of its Mitzvot.

In describing this historically unique experience, the Gemara famously states that Hashem suspended Har Sinai over the Jewish people.24 Tosfos struggle with the inconsistency of this description of the

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Shabbat 88a

events with the statement that the Jewish people actually made when accepting the Torah, saying, “Naseh V’Nishma.”25 While the Gemara describes the Jewish people’s acceptance as coerced, this pasuk indicates that they accepted the Mitzvot voluntarily.

25 Shemot 24:7

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In the Midrash Tanchuma,26 Rav Dimi attempts to resolve the same problem by stating that the Jewish people said “Naaseh V’Nishma” only in reference to the Torah SheBichtav, the Written Torah, but not in reference to the Torah Sh’BeAl Peh, the Oral Torah. According to Rav Dimi, the Written Torah is more concise and substantially less difficult to understand. In contrast, the Oral Law contains vastly more detailed rules and demands and therefore requires the compulsion of the hanging mountain. When examining specific Mitzvot such as Shabbat, one may find Rav Dimi’s approach quite intuitive. According to the Written Law, Shabbat is a day of rest which we are required to guard (“Shamor”) and remember (“Zachor”), and on which we cannot perform a general category of work called melacha. Such a description sounds romantic and uplifting for the soul, an easy task to get excited about initially. Yet, when one adds the restrictive guidelines of the Oral Law, suddenly we find our behavior so comprehensively governed that we cannot even open a package of food or pour a cup of tea without consulting the Halacha. At this point it is easy to imagine the flames of excitement quickly extinguished. Therefore, for the commitment to endure, the mountain was raised over their heads.

The question of voluntary performance of Mitzvot is raised elsewhere in the Gemara. Rebbi Hanina27 famously declares “Gadol ha-mitzuveh ve-oseh, me she-aino metzuveh ve-oseh – someone who is commanded to perform a mitzvah and does so is greater than someone who performs the commandment without being obligated to do so.” Through this statement, Chazal

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Noach 3:4 27

Kiddushin 31a

express an increased appreciation for those that act, not because they are internally inspired to, but rather because they are externally directed to. Tosfos, addressing the basis for this statement, note that when there is an obligation present, a person is inclined to worry about whether he will be able to accomplish the task at hand. However, one who is not obligated, if they so wish, can simply abandon the task. Accordingly, overcoming the angst of possible failure and staying loyal to the performance of the Mitzvah merits a greater reward.

The Gemara and the Midrash are both concerned that if a Jew accepts Mitzvot on a purely voluntary basis, the acceptance is fragile and potentially unsustainable. However, each addresses a different element of the equation. For the Midrash, the focus is on the content of the actions itself, whose complexity may be so overwhelming, that a voluntary commitment alone is simply unsustainable. For the Gemara, the focus instead is on if the Mitzvah performer’s mental state. The flippant psyche of a person renders any act he voluntarily commits as fundamentally unreliable, since it is subject to their individual whims. As Tosfos concluded, “he who has ‘bread in his basket’ can abandon it if he wishes.”28 In other words, if it is not need or obligation motivating the action, then the option to abandon is ever present.

In light of this perspective, the account of the “hanging” mountain was necessary to convey the entirety of the scene at Sinai. The proclamation of “Naaseh” by itself was incomplete. It was spontaneous and

28 Kiddushin 31a

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voluntary, and if so, perhaps it was inherently fragile? The depiction of the “hanging” mountain completes the picture for us and shows us this was not the case. The external proclamation of “Naaseh” was the reaction to the challenge of being offered the Torah. However, to understand the motivation, Chazal gave us the other side of the story. The description of a suspended Har Sinai conveys that Klal Yisrael understood both the heavy weight of the Mitzvot (i.e. the content) and that they understood that they were responsible (i.e. obligated performers) to “prop” up the mountain with their Mitzvah performance. If they did not satisfy their obligation, then the nation would have been destroyed under the collapsed mountain.

Rav Yehuda Amital, z”l, himself a survivor of the Shoah, arrived in Israel and inspiringly built Yeshivat Har Etzion where he served as

Co-Rosh Yeshiva until the end of his life. He noted that the idea of absolute obligation must be built into our generation’s observance of Mitzvot.29 Where there is obligation and commitment there is loyalty and continuity. He did not live to see the current circumstances that have enveloped our lives, but what a historical testimony of devotion we are making right now as we proudly fulfill our obligations as Jews, even b’Hadrei Chadarim, in the privacy of our homes under no one’s watchful eye but the Almighty’s alone. It is our personal acceptance of the national expectations placed upon the Jewish people in these trying times, which will forge yet another link in the chain that began at the “suspended” Har Sinai and will end in the eventual redemption that we pray for each and every day.

Gleaning Tidbits about Megillat Ruth Marsha Wasserman

This dvar Torah, entitled “Gleaning Tidbits”, is comprised of snippets, ideas I never encountered as I read and studied Megillat Ruth in the past. I hope you enjoy them. Chag Shavuoth Sameach.

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Sichot of the Roshei Ha Yeshiva, Shavuot 5760

1. What’s in a word?

When the Megillah first introduces us to Naomi and Elimelech’s sons, Mahlon and Chillion, they are called “banav,” translated as “his sons.” This term is used three times. The fourth time that the Megillah mentions

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them, they are called “yeladeha,” her children. Why? The word “banav” has the same shoresh (root) as “boneh,” “builder.” A son represents continuity of the family name and values, a builder of the family. In the beginning of the Megillah, Mahlon and Chillion have the potential for perpetuating their parents’ name. Once they marry the Moabite women, their Jewish lineage ends. They lose the potential to build. They return to the state of childhood. (from Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky, Torah.org) 2. What’s in a name?

When Naomi returns to Bet Lechem and is greeted by the crowd of women, she tells them to call her Mara instead of Naomi. Rashi says that when she left Bet Lechem with Elimelech, she was “full” meaning that she was rich, had a husband, two sons, and was pregnant. She had been blessed. Her name meant “pleasant.” The name “Mara” means “bitter.” However, that is when it is spelled with the letter “heh” at the end. The Megillah is spelling it with an “aleph.” Why? Naomi left with 5 but is returning as one, alone, an “aleph.” (from Aliza Margolies, Bais Yaakov High School in Chicago) Professor Nechama Price in YUTorah explores the idea that Naomi is an “aleph.” Why does Naomi persist in urging Ruth to return to her land, her family, her gods? Rather than being magnanimous, Naomi ‘s persistence may be attributed to guilt about having a Moabite daughter-in-law. Until Naomi’s return, the “crowd” in Bet Lechem did not know that Elimelech had moved his family to enemy territory. When Naomi returns, she proclaims that she is alone, even though Ruth is standing by her side. Ruth has become invisible because of

Naomi’s feeling of guilt for having deserted her people. 3. What’s in the DNA?

In a midrash the Zohar says that the purpose of Megillat Ruth is to trace the genealogy of King David, the great grandson of Ruth and Boaz. Why did Ruth, a Moabite, merit having such a descendent? Jewish women were forbidden to marry Moabite men because : the Moabites had denied chessed to the Jews as they traveled from Egypt to Canaan, refusing them bread and water; the Moabites led lives of sexual promiscuity. The Zohar suggests that Ruth is doing teshuva for these injustices and immoralities. Rabbi Avraham Wein in YUTorah draws parallels between the stories of Ruth and Lot. Although the Moabites were descended from Lot, Ruth’s standards are very different from Lot’s as explained below.

a. Lot’s uncle, Avraham, had told Lot to choose east or west but he chose to travel straight, to Sodom. What attracted Lot to Sodom? Rashi says that Lot may have been running from Hashem, attracted to the low morals of Sodom. Ruth, a Moabite princess, comes from a similar society of low morals. Yet, she refuses to return to that society. Instead, she is seeking Hashem.

b. Lot had offered hospitality to strangers as Avraham taught him to do. However, when the people of Sodom storm his house in an

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attempt to capture his visitors, Lot’s perverted sense of chessed causes him to offer his daughters instead. On the other hand, Ruth exemplifies extreme chessed to Naomi by never leaving her side, by housing and feeding her, and by giving Naomi her son Oved to raise.

c. Ruth is a remedy for Lot. Throughout the Megillah she is doing teshuva for him. In fact, the word “shuv,” meaning “return,” appears twelve times.

Hashem rewards people in different ways. Ruth is rewarded with a “great” grandson, David Hameleh, who was truly “great.”

Why Isaac Newton Studied Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah

Zach Wertheimer

“Are you in possession of truth, or are you searching for truth?” This was the question Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, a Reform rabbi from Manhattan posed to Rabbi Yosef Reinman, an Orthodox rabbi from Lakewood, New Jersey in their riveting book “One People, Two Worlds.” Is learning Torah a direct encounter with Hashem, or is Torah only the roadmap to finding Him? This question has enormous implications for understanding what we received at Har Sinai, and in truth, the answer is not totally clear. A mystical teaching attributed to the Zohar states that Hashem, the Jewish nation, and Torah are one unified entity. Yet, the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni (Tehillim 432) teaches:

“They asked ‘Wisdom,’ what will befall a sinner, and it answered, a

sinner will suffer. They asked ‘Prophecy,’ and it answered, a sinner will perish. They asked ‘Torah,’ and it answered, a sinner’s guilt-offering will atone. They asked ‘Hakadosh Baruch Hu,’ and He answered, a sinner’s repentance will atone.”

While the Zohar equates Torah with Hashem, the Midrash sees them as distinct!

Our celebration of Matan Torah on 6th Sivan seems puzzling. It’s true that Shavuot commemorates the first time Hashem gave the luchot to Moshe on 6th Sivan. But, the Torah also relates that these luchot were destroyed on arrival due to the sin of the golden calf. Only after Moshe’s second

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attempt, which culminated on Yom Kippur, did the luchot land safely and securely on earth. Why then, do we celebrate receiving the Torah on 6th Sivan, a date that marks the failed first attempt and the luchot which were shattered?

1967 was a significant year in Israel’s history. Most notably, Israel achieved its miraculous victory in the Six Day War. But, 1967 also marked a lesser known victory for Israel, after Connecticut’s Supreme Court granted Israel’s National Library ownership of 7,500 pages of theological writings penned by Sir Isaac Newton. This ‘Father of Modern Science’ was surely a brilliant mind, but it’s only natural to wonder why the Jewish state had any interest in his theological theories. It turns out that these were Newton’s personal notes from his studies of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: Sefer Avodah, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Zohar. It also included a manuscript called ‘Notes on the Temple,’ in which Newton explained the sacred geometric construction of the Second Temple. Perhaps the better question is, what made Newton gravitate to these Jewish texts? Dr. Milka Levy-Rubin, the Israel National Library’s curator explained, that Newton “believed God was the author of two books: the book of science and the Bible, and that if he could properly interpret the secrets encrypted in the sacred texts, he could reach the truth.” What motivated Newton’s profound interest in Jewish sacred texts despite his scientific acumen, was his sense

that there was more to know than what he had already discovered.

Being open to amazement, allowing ourselves to stretch beyond the limitations of what is familiar, to concede the possibility that there is always more than we already know, is the precondition to meaningful Torah study.

Perhaps this can explain why we observe Shavuot on 6th Sivan, which oddly incorporates the broken luchot into our celebration of Matan Torah. The revelation of God at Har Sinai caused a revolution in the religious consciousness of the Jewish nation. The Rambam states in Moreh Nevuchim, that prior to Har Sinai the Israelites had been exposed only to the pagan practices of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. So, it was unsurprising that when pressed to seek God while Moshe delayed on the mountain, they channeled their religious impulse into worshipping an idol. But in doing so, the Israelites demonstrated that they would only be capable of engaging the Torah within the limits of their understanding. By breaking the luchot and refusing to solidify the relationship to Torah on these terms, Moshe emphasized that the ability to attain a true encounter with Hashem through Torah demands the courage to not be deterred by Hashem’s incomprehensibility, a willingness to transcend what we already know and embrace the opportunity for wonder. If we do that, we might be amazed by what we find.

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David HaMelech & Shavuot Mrs. Geri Wiener

According to most accounts, Shavuot is the Yahrzeit of David ha-Melech. In addition to his many talents, David was a great talmid chacham. I would like to discuss one episode in David's life which relates to our learning on Shavuot. A brief background: Following King Shaul's failure to follow HaShem's command regarding Amalek, an "evil spirit" from HaShem descends upon him. HaShem commands Shmuel ha-Navi to anoint David in secret as king of Israel. David becomes Shaul's musician and armsbearer and then slays Golyat. Shaul becomes jealous of David, suspecting that David will replace him as king. Shaul gives his daughter Michal to David as a wife in the hope that she will hinder David, but David proves himself as an outstanding warrior and gains great popularity among the people. Shaul's jealousy becomes so severe that he plots to kill David. Following a number of attempts by Shaul on David's life, David flees from Shaul's court and makes his initial escape to Shmuel. And then in I Shmuel 19:18-19 we learn:

18 Now David had fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him, and he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.

א יח ט ויב מל ח וי ד בר ודוגד־ תה וי ל הרמ אל־שמוא שה־לו ר ע ת כל־אש ו א ל

לך הוא ל שאול וי ושמוא יות שבו בנ )כתיב וי

ת( וי : בנ

19 And it was related to Saul, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah."

ה יט נ ר ה אמ ויגד לשאול ל ות ד בני )כתיב דו

ת( ה: בנוי ברמ

One might ask: Why would David flee to Shmuel -- and not run further away -- when David was running for his life? And is there any special significance to the fact that David and Shmuel went together and stayed "at Nayot in Ramah"? Abarbanel points out that David sought out Shmuel since Shmuel had anointed both Shaul and David. David needed to understand the suffering and persecution that he was experiencing at the hand of Shaul, and wanted advice and comfort. The Hebrew term Nayot can be interpreted in a number of ways. Radak explains that the root of the word could be "naveh," meaning place. As a place, Nayot refers to a location in the town of Ramah or one of its suburbs. Kli Yakar posits that Nayot could be a grazing area near Ramah where David and Shmuel could speak in private. Targum Yonatan ben Uziel translates the term Nayot as ״בית אולפנא״ - or a study hall. This study hall is where Shmuel's students would come to learn from him. On a more figurative level, the Gemara (Masechet Zevachim 54b) interprets Nayot -- from the root ״נוי״ or beauty -- not as referring to a specific place, but rather to Noyo Shel Olam -- "the adornment of the world," i.e., the Beit HaMidash. David and

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Shmuel studied in detail to learn the location of the future Beit haMikdash. The verse above also mentions Ramah, where Shmuel lived. The Gemara explains that Ramah could also be understood as a "high place," i.e., the Beit HaMikdash was to be built on a high place. Moreover, Midrash Shmuel tells us that Shmuel and David stayed up the entire night learning together about the future location of the Beit HaMikdash. They were engrossed in discussing the beauty and glory that will be the future of the Jewish people, thus assuring and comforting David. David's highest priority, even more than escaping further away from Shaul, was to learn Torah. By choosing Torah, David learns about the bright future.

We are now living through very challenging times. How appropriate that we, together with our brothers and sisters worldwide, spend this night -- and/or day -- learning Torah as we commemorate the yahrzeit of David HaMelech. Just as David HaMelech and Shmuel HaNavi learned Torah throughout the night and, as a result, were able to look forward to glorious days for the Jewish people with the building of the Beit HaMikdash, so may we follow their example. We acutely feel the need to escape an invisible enemy, but, through our learning and acts of chesed, we can look forward, Be'H, to many future days of glory for Am Yisrael. Chag Shavuot Sameach!

Lifnim Mishurat HaDin: A Core Jewish “Imperative” Alan Willner, Proud YICC Member since 1998

One of the reasons as to why Megillat Ruth is read on the Chag that celebrates the giving of the Torah is its fundamental connection to acts of Chesed, loving-kindness. The Torah begins, ends and is replete with loving-kindness,[1] and Megillat Ruth is rooted in a recounting of one of the greatest collections of Chesed in Tanach.[2] Some examples of Chesed in Megillat Ruth are:[3,4]

a. Ruth stayed with and cared for Na’ami in a way that was fully giving and selfless.

b. Ruth was not mandatorily obligated to pursue Yibum [5] (i.e., the Levirite Marriage for the sake of her dead husband) to the extent of a distant relative such as Boaz. Conversely, Boaz himself was not mandatorily obligated to perform Yibum with Ruth. c. Boaz instructed his workers to leave over and provide more food for Ruth and Na’ami than what was strictly required.[6]

It is not uncommon for contemporary thinkers to associate Megillat Ruth with the

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concept of “Lifnim Mishurat HaDin”, which can be loosely translated as a person going “beyond the letter of the law”.[3,4] That is because many acts of loving-kindness in Megillat Ruth seem to have a connection to “beyond the letter of the law”. The Torah itself alludes to Lifnim Mishurat HaDin in Parshat V’Etchanan (Devarim 6:18) when it states “V’Asita HaYashar V’HaTov B’Einei Hashem” (“You should do what is straight and good in the eyes of Hashem”). Curiously, the Parsha already told Bnei Yisroel to do the Mitzvot enumerated in the Torah, so therefore this extra statement should carry additional meaning about acts that are “straight and good”. Rashi comments succinctly that this refers to Lifnim Mishurat HaDin as exemplified by cases in which a person does not assert their full legal rights against another person (e.g., in a court case) but instead practices a kinder “compromise” position. Several sources define Lifnim Mishurat HaDin as being related to laws that are inter-personal (Bein Adam L’Chaveiro), often in the form of monetary matters.[7] Classic examples of applying Lifnim Mishurat HaDin to legal matters include the following:

a. Poor servants accidentally broke some vessels of an owner. The Court ruled that the wealthy owner not only cannot demand payment for the broken vessels but must go so far as to pay the poor workers’ their normal wages.[8] b. A finder of a lost object might in actuality know who the true owner is, but that owner might lack legitimate proof of ownership. Under certain

circumstances, the finder might nonetheless be required to return the object to its “rightful” owner (Hashavat Aveida).[9] c. A person wants to sell a piece of land. The owner of the neighboring property should have preference to buy the land from the seller, since the neighbor would have more of an affinity towards the land being sold (Bar Metzra).[10]

An interesting issue relates to the legal “obligation” of Lifnim Mishurat HaDin. Is it simply an act of extreme piety (Midot Chasidut), a voluntary obligation (Kiyum Mitzvah), or a mandatory obligatory (Chiyuv Mitzvah)? There are many sources that can support each of these approaches, with one practical issue being whether a court can compel a person to act “beyond the letter of the law”.[11,12] In a theological context, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein struggled with the question as to whether “beyond the letter of the law” is part-and-parcel of the law itself, i.e., is it an ethical imperative part of or distinct from Halacha.[13] Beyond the legal ramifications, Lifnim Mishurat HaDin is brought down in different contexts that suggest it is a core value to living life as a G_d-fearing Jew. Below are three such examples. First, the Ramban gives crucial insight into two core Torah concepts, those of “Kedoshim Tihyu” in Parshat Kedoshim (Vayikra 19:2) and “V’Asita HaYashar V’HaTov B’Einei Hashem” in Parshat V’Etchanan (Devarim 6:18). The Ramban elevates the concept of “beyond the letter of the law” in V’Etchanan to the same plane as when Hashem tells the Jewish people to “be holy because I am holy” in Kedoshim.

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According to the Ramban, these two concepts represent two indispensable aspects of the G_d-fearing Jew:

a. Kedoshim Tihyu represents acts Bein Adam L’Makom, between a person and Hashem. b. V’Asita HaYashar V’HaTov represents acts Bein Adam L’Chaveiro, between a person and other people.

Second, the Gemora in Yoma 9b attaches Lifnim Mishurat HaDin to one of the most defining moments in Jewish history, that being the destruction of the Second Bait HaMikdash. Every year on Tisha B’Av, we recount that the Second Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred (Sinat Chinam) among Bnei Yisroel. Less well known, however, is another Gemora in Bava Metzia 30b that gives the reason for the destruction as being that Bnei Yisroel did not practice Lifnim Mishurat HaDin but rather insisted on exerting their full, non-compromising legal rights. A beautiful thought by Rabbi Mordechai Willig [14] is that these two Talmudic passages are interconnected. Specifically, if people do not treat each other with acts of loving-kindness “beyond the letter of the law”, then baseless hatred and ultimate destruction can be the tragic results. Third, we are told in Parshat Reeh (Devarim 13:5) to emulate the ways of Hashem (“After Hashem your G_d shall you go”), including His acts of loving-kindness such as visiting the sick and comforting the mourner.[15] Interestingly, it is recounted that Hashem himself prayed that He should act with Bnei Yisroel in accordance with Lifnim Mishurat HaDin rather than strict Din [16]. Should we not emulate Hashem and strongly exhort

ourselves to follow “beyond the letter of the law” when dealing with other people? The Jew is likely to often encounter various situations that require introspection concerning Lifnim Mishurat HaDin. Indeed, there are numerous possible ways in which people interact, and yet there are only a finite number of Mitzvot that can be specified in the Torah. Our Ramban (Devarim 6:18) states that Lifnim Mishurat HaDin is an overarching approach that people can use in almost any inter-personal situation not outlined specifically in the Torah. I’ve always wondered how a person can know what is “straight and good in the eyes of Hashem” without more specific guidance. The Ramban again gives insight, stating that a person can intuit what is “straight and good” if they are intimately familiar with and deeply internalize the other Mitzvot in the Torah. Personally, I like to also try to dig deep and connect with my inner Tzelem Elokim, the image and piece of Hashem that is my Neshama. During the Chag of Shavuot, we typically feel the awe and grandeur of the intimate meeting with and revelation from Hashem at Har Sinai. However, the awe and grandeur of Hashem resides no less in how we treat His creations and our fellow people, as exemplified by Megillat Ruth. Warmest wishes for a Chag Shavuot Bari V’Sameach! Acknowledgement: I thank Rabbis Muskin and Proops for leading this wonderful YICC Torah activity, as well as Rabbi Dr. Wiener for his keen insights on this topic and my cherished family for their valuable feedback.

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References 1. Talmud Sota 14a. 2. Midrash Ruth Rabbah 2:14 3. Yehuda Kil, “On Megillat Rut,” Daat, Michlelet Herzog, http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/tanach/megilot/al1-2.htm. 4. Rabbi Ezra Zion Melamed, “A Halachic View of Megillat Rut,” Daat, Michlelet Herzog, http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/sinay/megilat-4.htm. 5. Devarim 25:5-6. 6. Vayikra 19:9-10. 7. Nehama Leibowitz, “Doing the Right and Decent Thing,” Studies in Devarim, World Zionist Organization, pp. 57-63, 1980. 8. Talmud Baba Mezia 83a. 9. Talmud Bava Metzia 24b. 10. Talmud Bava Metzia 108a.

11. Shmuel Shilo, “On One Aspect of Law and Morals: Lifnim Meshurat Hadin,” Israel Law Review, vol. 13, pp. 359-390, 1978; and references therein. 12. Moses L. Pava, “The Talmudic Concept of ‘Beyond the Letter of the Law’: Relevance to Business Social Responsibilities,” Kluwer Journal of Business Ethics vol. 15, pp. 941-950, 1996; and references therein. 13. Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, “Does Jewish Tradition Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakha?” in Modern Jewish Ethics, ed. Marvin Fox (Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 1975), 62-88. 14. Rav Mordechai Willig, Beit Yitzchak 26:140, as discussed by Rabbi Chaim Jachter, “Acting Lifnim Mishurat Hadin,” Kol Torah, Torah Academy of Bergen County, Halachah, Volume 7, April 1997. 15. Talmud Sotah 14a. 16. Talmud Berachot 7a.

Follow My Decrees and Safeguard My Commandments

Aric Zamel

Chazal have often wondered why the Torah was given on a mountain. The Lubavitcher Rebbe once explained that after all, both level ground and a mountain are made of dust and earth, and that the difference between the two was not qualitative – a mountain is just more earth collected and heaped together into a larger mass. The fact the Torah was given on a mountain teaches us that a Jew’s purpose in this world is take that which is physical (like the dust and earth of flat land) and to elevate

and raise it up to a higher level of holiness (i.e. the mountain being an elevated level of earth). Our roadmap for understanding how to take that which is physical in this world and elevate it to a higher level is the Torah, which we have an obligation to study each and every day in order to maximize our own spiritual potential in Olam Hazeh (and Olam Habah). The Midrash in Toras Kohanim explains that the source for our obligation to study the Torah every day is in

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the opening pasuk of Parshas Bechukosai which interestingly is read just before Shavuos, the holiday which celebrates the giving of the Torah. The pasuk states: “Im bechokosai telechu v’es mitzvosai tishmeru v’asitem otam” (if you will follow my decrees and safeguard my commandments). The Midrash states that the word bechukosai refers to toiling in the study of Torah whereas mitvosai is self-explanatory as the commandments. The Ohr Hachaim picks up on this idea and profoundly offers forty-two explanations on this opening verse. He explains the reason our “toiling” in Torah study is called a “chukah”, or decree, is because the mitzvah to study and learn includes the obligation to constantly review even that which one has already learned before. Learning Torah is not to be viewed as merely a means to acquiring knowledge, but rather as an end itself, and so there is an obligation to constantly be learning. Furthermore, since the word bechukosai י) ת חק is written without a vav in between (בthe kuf and tav, the word can actually be pronounced as “bechukatee (My decree). The reason the word in our pasuk is pronounced “bechukosai” (my decrees) in the plural form (rather than bechukatee, My decree) in the singular is because the verse alludes to two ideas, both the Written Torah and Oral Torah. The possibility that we could have read the word in the singular indicates that the two Torahs are fundamentally one unit, and that “the Oral Torah is included in the Written Torah.” The plural “My Decrees” is also a reference to two periods of learning, both day and night, whereas the singular spelling

signifies that these two periods of learning (day and night) should take place within a single calendar day. Of all the holidays enumerated in the Torah, Shavuot is the only one without a specific date in the calendar. We are told that after seven complete weeks from Pesach the Torah was given on Har Sinai. Chazal explain that no specific date was given in order not to limit that event to a particular day. And unlike other holidays like Pesach or Sukkot which commemorate individual events, the giving of the Torah, and more specifically, the study of its laws and decrees was meant to be celebrated and cherished every day and not just once a year. There is a hint to this in one of the prayers we recite for learning Torah each day. The bracha refers not to “He who gave the Torah” but to “He who gives the Torah” and “He who teaches Torah to His people.” R’ Eliyahu Schlesinger (Eileh Heim Mo’adai) teaches that we use the present tense and not the past tense because the revelation at Sinai wasn’t a moment in time but rather a constantly unfolding event. It follows that if one’s purpose in life is to elevate that which is physical in the world to a higher level of holiness, then the way that we accomplish this is through both our ongoing commitment to learning and through our performance of the mitzvos in the Torah. Shavuos is the holiday which marks the actual giving of the Torah after seven weeks of leaving Egypt, but the daily obligation to learn and adhere to its mitzvos are our raison d’etre as a people and our guide for living a more meaningful life in this world.