Behar 5774

The classic question asked at the beginning of the parsha is what is the connection between Mt. Sinai and Shemittah, the Sabbatical year.The Yalkut Shimoni (860) quotes a posuk: "Bless Hashem, you His angels who are mighty in strength, who do His bidding to obey the voice of His speech" (Pslams 103:20). This refers to the people who keep the Shemittah year. The Gemara in Shabbos uses the same posuk to describe Bnei Yisroel as they stood before Mt. Sinai. R' Chaim Shmulewitz explains that just as Bnei Yisroel exalted themselves to the level of angels, so too the farmers that keep Shemittah are exalted. They share the message of "na'aseh vinishma"-we will do and we will hear. This is a special level of emunah and bitachon, to put all your faith in Hashem without questioning and worrying.

Emor 5774

Right after the Torah speaks about the omer offering, it immediately discusses the mitzvos of leket and pe'ah, to give the poor produce from your field. Why did the Torah decide to put these two ideas together? The Kil Yakar explains that we would think that our fields are exempt from any other mitzvah after harvesting barley for the omer. The Torah comes to say that we still need to use our field to help the poor. The Midrash adds that Hashem surrounded Bnei Yisroel with mitzvos in every action they do. This includes work done in the field.

Metzora 5774

The Ramban from last week (13:47) explains that Tzara'as isn't a natural sickness, it is a miraculous phenomenon. When Bnei Yisroel are one with Hashem, His presence is upon them and gives them a favorable appearance to their bodies, clothing, and houses. But when Bnei Yisroel sins, they remove Hashem's presence from themselves. This results in a hideous mark on them and their possessions.

Shemini 5774

When the Torah lists the 4 unkosher animals, the camel, the hare, the hyrax, and the pig, it lists which kosher signs they have and which they don't. Why don't just say which they don't have? The Kli Yakar explains that the kosher signs they have make their uncleanliness worse as these animals deceive people into thinking that they're kosher. There is a Midrash that says that the 4 unkosher animals represent the 4 kingdoms (Babylon, Media, Greece and Rome) that ruled over the Jews. When a person eats these 4 animals, their deceptive nature becomes part of the person's nature. The 4 kingdoms deceived the Jews into thinking that they were allies when they never were to begin with.

Tzav 5774

There is a "shalsheles" in this week's parsha. It occurs on the word "vayishchat" - Moshe slaughtered a ram during the inauguration process for Aaron and his sons. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explains that a shalsheles shows internal struggle. Moshe was happy for his brother to become the High Priest, but he still felt a loss of being unable to do the avodah every day. Moshe realized at that moment what his limits were. This is an important lesson for a leader. In order to be a better leader, one must recognize his/her limits; that will, in turn, help him/her recognize what his/or strengths are. By doing so, the leader humbles his/herself and prevents power from going to his/her head.

Vayikra 5774

"When a man from you brings a sacrifice to Hashem..." (1:2). The Kli Yakar explains this posuk in the following manner: We are to be like Adam, the first man, when we bring a sacrifice. Adam had brought a sacrifice to Hashem out of his own motivation from within. This is in contrast to Cain and Abel, who both erred in this regard. Cain brought fruit from his worst produce; Abel brought a sheep, but only did so in response to Cain (his motivation was out of jealousy and competition). The posuk reads clearer now: When you act like Adam and bring motivation from within yourself, only then is your sacrifice considered for Hashem.

Pekudei 5774

The Da'as Zekeinim equates the Mishkan to Creation. Each day of Creation corresponds to a specific posuk said about the Mishkan. For example, the luminaries in Day 4 correspond to the Menorah, which gives off light. Day 6 and the Creation of Man corresponds to Hashem telling Moshe to "bring Aharon and his sons to be priests" (28:1). How do we see Creation of Man in this posuk? I'd like to make a suggestion. Rashi points out in that posuk that Moshe was to bring Aharon once the Mishkan was completed. The comparison can be made to Man, where he was created once the rest of the world was completed. Once he is created, he has a duty to connect to Hashem using the physical world. This is what the priests do with the keilim of the Mishkan.