Martin Hakimian Parasha in a Nushell & Dvar link-click here

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Aaron’s grandson, Pinchas, is rewarded for his act of zealotry in killing the

Shimonite prince Zimri and the Midianite princess: G-d grants him a covenant of

peace and the priesthood.

A census of the people counts 601,730 men between the ages of 20 and 60. Moshe

is instructed on how the Land is to be divided by lottery among the tribes and

families of Israel. The five daughters of Zelafchad petition Moshe that they be

granted the portion of the land belonging to their father, who died without

sons; G-d accepts their claim and incorporates it into the Torah’s laws of

inheritance.

Moshe empowers Joshua to succeed him and lead the people into the Land of

Israel. The Parshah concludes with a detailed list of the daily offerings, and

the additional offerings brought on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and the festivals of

Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.

” Dvar Torah ”

After almost forty years of wondering in the desert, the Jews finally reached

the borders of Israel and were allowed to move in. At this point, Moshe decides

to distribute the land among the Children of Israel and a portion is given to

each tribe. And each tribe distributes its land among the heads of each family,

which obviously were the men of the house. However, Zelafchad, a man from the

tribe of Menasheh, died in the wilderness and left no sons behind. He was not

part of Korach’s rebellion and his daughters wanted to make sure that they

receive his share in his name. They implore Moshe, Eleazar the priest and the

whole assembly, “Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he

had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s brothers!” Moshe, not sure of

the law regarding father’s inheritance towards daughters, brings the issue

before G-d, and G-d responds saying “The plea of Zelafchad’s daughters is just:

you should surely give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen;

transfer their father’s share to them”.

But in tracing the background of the daughters of Tzelafchad, the Torah seems to

provide redundant information. The pasuk says:

“The daughters of Tzelafchat, son of Hefer, son of Gilad, son of Machir, son of

Menasheh, son of Joseph came near, …….. And they stood before Moshe…” The

Chachamim ask why was it necessary to trace them back to Yosef, and not to Yacov

or even Avraham?? Rashi explains that the Torah is trying to show to us that the

love for Eretz Israel is genetic. Yosef loved the Land of Israel and insisted

that his bones be returned there. This love for Eretz Israel ran in his family

all the way down to Tzelafchad’s daughters, who insisted that they be given

their fair portion in the Land.

But you may argue that how do we know their love for Eretz Israel was genuine,

and they were not interested in the land as a financial benefit?

To answer this question, we first need to find Tzelafchad’s identity. There are

difference of opinions regarding Tzelafchad’s identity. Some say that he was the

wood-gatherer who desecrated Shabath, while others believe that he was among the

group who tried to force their way into Canaan after the decree of the spies.

Either way, Tzelafchad’s death occurred some 38 years before the events of this

week’s Parsha. If Tzelafchad’s daughters were interested in their father’s

estate from a strictly financial point of view, why would they have waited 38

years to ask for it? Also, inheritance is not limited to land. What about his

cattle? What about his other properties? Apparently, they were not interested in

that. It was only now, when they were on the doorstep of Eretz Israel that they

came pressing their claim for inheritance of their father’s portion. This is the

demonstration of their love for the Land. They were silent regarding the cash

and movable properties. However, their inheritance in the Land of Israel

mattered greatly to them. They inherited this affection to the Land from their

great grandfather, Yosef!

Yes my friends, you don’t need to live in Israel to love Israel! Loving Israel

is in our blood! We all try to go to Israel as much as we can and we try to help

Israel in anyway possible. When Israel is at war, we are ALL at war. When an

Israeli soldier gets injured, we ALL get hurt! Throughout the history of Jewish

religion, love for Israel never seized to exist. Avraham left the comfort of his

hometown, where he was well known and successful, to move to Israel. Even Moshe

Rabeinu pleaded with Hashem several times to at least let him walk across the

land, but unfortunately was denied. Ruth, a gentile woman, followed her mother

in law who had nothing to offer her, except the land of Israel!

So, what is it about this land that everybody is so crazy about? Is it because

the land is holy and you feel closer to Hashem? Is it because even the first

time you step foot on this land, it feels like its your hometown? Is it because

everyone around you is Jewish and you feel safe and secure living among your

brothers? Is it because, this is the land that Hashem has given to us jews, and

he protects and blesses it, as long as we keep his commandments? Is it because

the land prospers miraculously, when it’s in the hand of us Jews? Or, could it

be all of the above???

The Chachamim go as far as to say, that just breathing the air in Eretz Israel

has a mitzvah. It is a privilege to live in our times; the time that we can walk

freely on our land and see for ourselves the land flowing with milk and honey.

As I’m sitting in my Jerusalem’s hotel’s balcony watching the beautiful stone

buildings around me, it makes me feel proud to be a Jew. I thank Hashem a

thousand times to have given me the opportunity to come and visit this beautiful

land with my family, the land that Moshe envied so much to just step his foot

upon it!

In Iran, there is a city called Esfehan, and because of its beauty and

character, its been given the title of “half of the world”! But I’m afraid that

they’ve got it all wrong, since the WHOLE world is here in Israel!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards from Jerusalem, Israel;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Moshe is taught the laws of the “Red Cow”, whose ashes purify a person who has

been contaminated by contact with a dead body.

After 40 years of journeying through the desert, Miriam dies and the people

thirst for water. G-d tells Moshe to speak to a rock and command it to give

water. Moshe gets angry at the rebellious Israelites and strikes the rock. Water

issues forth, but Moshe is told by G-d that neither he nor Aaron will enter the

Promised Land.

Aaron dies at Har Hahar and is succeeded in the High Priesthood by his son

Elazar.

Venomous snakes attack the Israelite camp after yet another eruption of

discontent in which the people “speak against G-d and Moshe”; G-d tells Moshe to

place a copper serpent upon a high pole, and all who will gaze heavenward will

be healed.

Moshe leads the people in battles against the Emorite kings Sichon and Og (who

seek to prevent Israel’s passage through their territory) and conquers their

lands, which lie east of the Jordan.

” Dvar Torah ”

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah talks about the final days of the Bnei

Yisrael’s journey through the desert. Forty years have passed and most of the

generation of Exodus who were twenty years and above have passed away and a new

younger generation are about to enter the Land of Israel.

But not to our surprise, the Torah mentions that once again, the Benei Yisrael

complained to Moshe saying: “Why did you bring us to die in this desert with no

food or water and our souls are disgusted with the taste of the manna!” Hashem

punishes the Benei Yisrael by sending ‘fiery serpents’ to bite them and kill

them. The people realize that they have sinned and beg Moshe to pray to Hashem

to stop the serpent, and so he did. Hashem commands Moshe to make a copper

serpent and to place it on a high pole and whoever was bitten shall gaze at the

snake and will be cured. And so it was. Moshe made the copper snake. Those who

were bitten looked at the snake and were healed. In the Mishna the following

question is raised: Does a snake actually cure? The answer is: of course not! It

explains that it was not the snake that healed but rather the snake was placed

on a high pole so that the people would gaze heaven ward and repent. It was

Hashem who was indeed the healer!

But the question that still remains is: if Hashem is the healer, why did He ask

Moshe to make a copper snake in the first place? Why to put doubts in people’s

mind whether the snake has powers or not? Indeed, several hundred years later,

the Jews began to attribute special powers to the copper snake that Moshe had

used. They began to worship it and offer sacrifices to it. In order to stop this

practice, King Hezekiah crushed the snake. Despite the fact that as a result the

Jews no longer had the copper snake to remind them of the miracle that took

place in the desert, the sages approved of what Hezekiah did. So, why didn’t

Hashem just tell Moshe to tell the people: “whoever has been bitten should pray

to me directly and I will heal them”?! Why, for example, couldn’t a fire come

directly from the Heaven and strike the bitten ones and they’ll get cured

immediately?!

Rabbi Kamenetzky gives a beautiful explanation. He says that Hashem is not a

“show off”! He doesn’t like to perform His miracles directly for human beings.

He usually uses a mediator to perform his miracles. He may use Moshe the

greatest prophet of all times to perform his miracles, or he may use a copper

snake who does not even have a body or soul. All the miracles are done in such a

way that they may seem as an act of individual or as an act of nature. And the

reason is that Hashem is testing us to see if we truly believe in him or not. If

all the miracles come directly from the Heaven above, then there is no challenge

to believe or not. Hashem wants to be able to distinguish between the true

believers and those who lack in faith! And this was the test for the people who

got bitten by the snakes. Those who were true believers knew that it was G-d who

is healing them, and those who lacked in faith, unfortunately thought that the

copper snake has the power to heal. So, all those who wanted to be cured had to

look at the copper snake on the pole, but they were supposed to look beyond it

too, at the heaven above, and realize where the real healing is coming from!

Yes my friends, we should realize that all the healings and cures come from the

Heaven above. It’s a miracle from Hashem that people get cured. Although we

don’t have the copper snake these days anymore, to stare at in order to get

cured, but there are other mediators who can perform the miracle of “healing”.

And these mediators are called “Doctors”! The view of Jewish law regarding

visiting a doctor is as follows. It is mandatory for an ill person to go to a

doctor to be treated, and not rely on prayers only. One who does not do so is

considered to be spilling blood. The patient should seek out the biggest medical

expert in the field of his illness to treat him. Once the doctor treats him and

he is cured, although he should thank him greatly and be grateful to him, but he

should realize that it was Hashem who has healed him. The doctor is just the

mediator; just like the copper snake!

The “Blue Cross Blue Shield” health insurance company uses the copper snake as

their logo. They think that they’ve found a perfect logo. A healing source

directly from the Bible! But I’m afraid that they’ve got it all wrong! It’s not

the snake who heals, but rather, it’s the G-d Almighty himself! Before making

their logo, maybe they should have consulted with the U.S. Treasury department,

since, at least, they’ve got their logo right. Because on every dollar bill it

says: ” In G-d we trust”!!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Moshe sends twelve spies to explore the Land of Canaan. Forty days later they return, carrying a huge cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig, to report on the land of Israel. But ten of the spies warn that the inhabitants of the land are giants and warriors “more powerful than we”; only Caleb and Yehoshua insist that the land can be conquered, as G-d has commanded.  The people weep that they’d rather return to Egypt. G-d decrees that Israel’s entry into the Land shall be delayed forty years, during which time that entire generation will die out in the desert. A group of remorseful Jews storm the mountain on the border of Land and are defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites.  A man violates the Shabbat by gathering sticks and is put to death. G-d instructs to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of our garments so that we should remember to fulfill the mitzvot of Hashem.

” Dvar Torah ”

Do you know what does a tourist and an inspector have in common? Well, they both explore their surroundings with only one difference; one looks to capture the beauty and the perfection of the world, while the other looks for faults and troubles surrounding him! In this week’s Parsha, we read about the very sad story of the spies. An entire generation of the Jewish People perished as the result of the incident of the spies. The Torah says that right before entering the land of Israel, Moshe sent out twelve spies to spy out the land. Hashem didn’t command Moshe to send out the spies, but it was the people who demanded for the land to be checked out first before entering it. So, Moshe picked one from each tribe, all of them Princes, men of renown, G-d fearing people and physically strong. Their mission was, to see the Land — how is it? And the people that dwells in it — are they strong or weak? Are they few or numerous? And how is the Land in which they dwell in it — is it good or is it bad? And how are the cities in which it dwells — are they open or are they fortified? And how is the land — is it fertile or is it lean? ……. and so on! After forty days, the spies returned and ten out of twelve spies, unfortunately, brought an evil report. They said that ” we have no chance in concurring the land. The people that we saw in it were huge! We were like grasshoppers in their eyes. The land that we passed through, inhale its inhabitants “! And the people believed the spies and they wept that night. And they said to one another, ” let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt! ” And Hashem got angry at the spies and at the people. All the spies who brought the evil report died in a plague, and all the people who wept that night had to wonder for forty years in the desert and die in the desert. Only their children were allowed to enter the land afterwards What bothers the Chachamim is why were the people punished so harshly? True, the Jewish People showed lack of faith in G-d’s ability to bring them safely intothe Land, but that was only after the spies caused panic amongst the people with their negative report. It’s difficult to reconcile the punishment with the crime. After all, if all of the twelve spies would have brought a good report, the people would have never asked to return to Egypt. So why did Hashem decree such a punishment that everyone who listened to the spies had to die in the desert and could never ever see Eretz Yisrael, the land which was promised to our forefathers as an inheritance?! Well, the answer is quite simple. It was the people who wanted the land to be checked out, not Moshe, nor the scouts! They were not content that the spies be mere day-trippers returning with a few souvenirs and some happy memories. They wanted a thorough inspection! They wanted chapter and verse and an in-depth survey: can we conquer the land? Can we defeat the enemy? Is the land fertile or barren? Is it possible to make a living? Are the locals going to be difficult todeal with? The demands of the nation to find faults set up the spies to stumble and fall. The spies had no chance to succeed. Their mission was to look for troubles only and they found them quite alright! But the inspection wasn’t necessary since G-d had already promised them that the land is good and he wil conquer it for them. That’s why G-d was angry with the entire people and they found themselves on the longest day-trip in history — forty years, each year corresponding to the forty-day trip of the spies. You see, when you want to buy a new house, you need to have it inspected, but when Hashem guarantees you that the house is very good, then you don’t need to hire an inspector! You can just walk through the house and enjoy the good things it has to offer. In principle, G-d was not opposed to the spies entering the Land, as we see later on, about forty years later, that Yehoshua also sends spies before conquering the land. However, the trip of the spies to Eretz Yisrael was supposed to be no more than a “tourism” trip, sufficient to breathe the holy air of the Land, absorb its sanctity, and return refreshed and inspired. Itshouldn’t have been an “inspection” trip, just looking for faults!! Yes my friends, we can go through life as a tourist or as an inspector! We can either enjoy the beauty of our surroundings and appreciate all the blessings that Hashem has bestowed upon us, or we can just look for faults and make our lives miserable. For example, we can either enjoy the companionship of our spouse and appreciate what they do for us, or we can just be an inspectorlooking for faults. Why was the food a little over cooked? Why did you make the same food for Shabbat two weeks in a row? Why didn’t you buy Diet Coke?….. Why? Why? Why? But if we only look at the faults, then we won’t be able to see the good things the spouse has to offer! Then we won’t be any different than the generation of spies. Remember that having a spouse is a blessing from Hashem. Many people dream of having a spouse and have someone to go home to at nights. We should be thankful to Hashem and look to find the good characteristics in each other and not just the faults! So my friends, now that we know the advantage of being a tourist, let’s continue the journey of our lives as if we are on a long vacation. Let’s appreciate the beauties around us and let’s be thankful to G-d for all of his blessings!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin