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.

Vayak'hel 5774

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks compares Bnei Yisroel from last week to this week. Last week, Bnei Yisroel were gathered together in a state of chaos to make the golden calf. This week, they are gathered together in an orderly fashion to donate to the mishkan. Moshe took their original motivation and turned it into avodas Hashem. As Rabbi Sacks puts it, "If you want to bond human beings so that they act for the common good, get them to build something together." This is an important message for a community. We all must work together in an orderly fashion. We must put aside our own personal agendas for the greater good. We shouldn't shun others due to selfish motives. Together, we can help our community grow.

Tetzaveh 5774

Why is the golden altar for incense mentioned after the priestly clothing and priestly inauguration and not along with the other vessels in the mishkan mentioned last week? R' Gedalia Schorr gives the following explanation: The Hebrew word for incense, "ketores," comes from the word "kesher," connection. The ketores has the ability to connect the lower world with the upper world by turning the bad into good. This is why the incense contains a foul-smelling spice called galbanum, to turn its bad smell into a pleasant smell. Aharon and the priests worked "from evening to morning" (27:21), which is another term for turning the bad in this world to good. Since Aharon had this middah, the Torah saw it fit to connect the golden altar with the priests.