Torah Teaser
Q Questions to ask your children
1. “Ayin Tachas Ayin Kasher Yitein Moom BaAdam Kein Yinasein Bo – An eye for an eye, when you maim your friend, the same should be done to you.” (Emor 24:20) The Halacha L’Moshe MiSinai tells us that, despite what the words appear to say, the Torah means that the perpetrator pays for the injury rather than Bais Din maiming him. If so, why does the Torah clearly say that we avenge him in kind? Ans… The Iturei Torah brings from Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik that had the Torah told us the halacha explicitly, we would become less sensitive to the value of a person’s limb. We would see it as a price tag. We would get the feeling that you can injure someone if the math added up and it was worth your while. If the victim will be angry, the perpetrator will ask him why he is so angry since he will compensated financially in full. The Rambam clearly says that a person who maims his friend deserves to lose his own limb, but the Torah allows him to pay Kofer. The Torah is teaching us, that Min HaDin, if someone takes from his friend the incredible gift of sight that Hashem bestowed upon him, justice demands that his ability to see be taken away as well. Even though the Torah limited the punishment to a monetary value, surely it is not a fair trade.
2. A Kohen may become Tamei to his close relatives. A Nazir may not. Why? Ans… The Shem MiShmuel says in the name of his father the Avnei Nezer that the Kedushas Kohen is inherited. It is a family kedusha. Therefore, just like he received his kedusha from the family, he may not turn his back on them, even if dealing with them would make him Tamei. The status of a Nazir is reached purely by the individual, through his holy aspirations. It is not received in any way from other family members. He has no debt to pay and, therefore, may not defile himself to bury a family member. Similarly, to become Kohen Gadol one must elevate himself through his own efforts. Therefore, the Kohen Gadol also may not become tamei to family.
3. When the Mikallel was taken out to be stoned to death for his crime, the Torah says (Emor 24:23), “Vayirgimu Oisoih Aven,” using the singular “one stone”. By the Mikoshesh Eitzim, who was Michallel Shabbos, and was also put to death by stoning, it says, “Avanim,” he was killed with “many stones”. What was the difference? Ans… The Iturei Torah brings from Rav Yeshayahu Mushkat, that there is an opinion that the Mikoshesh was Michallel Shabbos L’Shem Shamayim. He had a point to make and was ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of Heaven to teach the lesson of the sanctity of Shabbos. Some people understood this and threw their stones with a heavy heart and great sadness. Others did not, and threw it with a vengeance. Many stones had many different intentions behind them. When it came time to kill the Mikallel, everyone had the same Kinas Hashem. Their stones may have been different but they were all cut from the same cloth. They all were meant to eradicate the evil sinner.
4. “They shall not marry a woman who has been divorced by her husband.” The Kohan may not marry a divorced woman. Why? Ans… The Shach explains the reason why a Kohen may not marry a divorced woman. He says that a Kohen symbolizes unity. He brings Klal Yisrael close to Hashem. Aaron was Ohaiv Shalom V’ Rodef Shalom. Therefore, he should not marry a woman that went through a process of Pirud – separation. When a woman gets divorced, not only is there separation on this world; the couple’s souls are separated in Shamayim, too.
5. In this week’s parshah, the Torah presents many halachas of Yom Tovim–Pesach, Shavuos, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. R’ Yitzchak Arama z”l (Spain; died 1494) asks: Why does the Torah never mention that Shavuos is the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah? Ans … He offers a few answers. First, the Torah cannot logically command us to observe the day of receiving the Torah as a Yom Tov because there cannot be a commandment to believe in Hashem, for there cannot be a commandment unless there is a commander. Before one has accepted Hashem as the Commander, any commandment to believe in Him would be pointless; afterward, it is unnecessary. Similarly, the Torah, which necessarily was written before it was given, cannot contain a commandment to commemorate the Giving of the Torah as a Yom Tov. Second, accepting the Torah is not an event that happens once a year. Rather, we are supposed to do it every day.
6. Parshas Emor contains the Yomim Tovim, one of which is Shavuos. We all know that Shavuos is the time of z’man Matan Toraseinu. Why is Simchas Torah not on Shavuos? Why do we need two separate Yom Tovim? Ans… Rav Simcha Zissel Brody, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, explains that there are two types of gifts in the world. There are gifts that have value because of the value of the gift (such as a diamond) and there are gifts that are valuable by virtue of the fact of who gives it to you. How do we celebrate this gift? Rav Simcha Zissel says such a celebration requires two separate days — one day to contemplate the gift and one day to contemplate the Giver. Shavuos allows us to celebrate the “cheftza” of Torah (the item itself) and Shmini Atzeres / Simchas Torah allows us to contemplate the greatness of the Giver of the Torah.

Memories
Mr. Willner was flying from Boston to Vermont. As is required nowadays, he removed his shoes and put them in the container that goes through the metal detector. He then experienced the nightmare that everyone prays will not occur. Someone else at the other end of the conveyor belt mistakenly took his shoes. Mr. Willner found a pair of shoes at the other side of the conveyor belt but the fellow who left those shoes was a size 7 and Mr. Willner could not fit into size 7 shoes. He was trying to catch a plane to Burlington Vermont without any shoes. He called over an agent from the TSA, who in turn called the head of security at the airport. They offered him a voucher for a new pair of shoes but he did not have time to look for a new pair of shoes. He would have missed his flight.
A woman who was also in the same line observed all that transpired. She saw a fellow with a suit and tie and no shoes. She told him that she felt very sorry for him and that she had a pair of slippers in her carry on which she offered to give to him. She took out a pair of pink slippers that were made to be worn with the slipper’s tong separating the big toe and the other toes of the foot. Mr. Willner had no choice. He took the slippers and proceeded to walk through the airport with his suit, tie, yarmulke, and pink tong slippers.
The plane was a commuter plane that required boarding by climbing up a set of portable steps. Mr. Willner’s luck was that the slippers fell off his feet while ascending the staircase and fell to the ground. He had to go back down the staircase and put the slippers back on before climbing up the staircase again. He finally arrived at his seat on the plane feeling exasperated by the experience. A non-Jew who was on the plane with him and had witnessed the whole scene from the beginning told him, “I am amazed that throughout the whole ordeal you never lost your cool, you never became indignant, you never raised your voice. You acted with such civility that it astounds me! It is a credit to your religion.” Mr. Willner had no shoes but he had the zchus of making a Kiddush Hashem!

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A man was standing next to the door of one of the rabbanim in Bnei Brak, waiting his turn to speak to the Rav. Suddenly, another man entered, whose countenance reflected that he was under tremendous stress. He requested from the first man to let him speak to the Rav before him, promising him that he would only be with the Rav for a few minutes. The man who was already waiting agreed immediately to the request, behaving with unusual generosity. Later, he related a story to those present, explaining why he had been so quick to agree to concede his place in line.
“I’ll tell you what once happened to me when I didn’t agree to give up my turn in line,” he said. “I was standing in a line for a gemach in order to take out a loan for the wedding of one of my children. This gemach is only open for one hour a day, between ten and eleven at night. After I had waited for a long time, and the closing time was swiftly approaching, a man entered, breathing heavily. The man told me that he lived in Ashdod and he had come especially to Bnei Brak to obtain a loan from the gemach. He pleaded with me to allow him to enter before me, knowing that since I lived in Bnei Brak, I could easily return the next day if I missed my turn. He, on the other hand, would be forced to travel from Ashdod once again if the gemach closed before he could enter.”
“I considered his request, but I decided that I had been waiting in line for a long time, and I was not willing to concede my place. I told that man that I was unable to agree to his request. He continued to plead with me, but I didn’t give in.” “I received a loan of ten thousand dollars, and left the gemach. I needed to change half of the sum to shekels, and I went straight to a money changer. The money changer handed me five thousand dollars in shekels and I began counting the shekels. While I was distracted by counting the money, I failed to notice the man reaching into my pocket and robbing me of the remaining five thousand dollars.”
“It was only when I left the money changer with the shekels in my pocket, that I was dismayed to see that my other pocket was empty. I didn’t have to delve too deeply to understand that it was a punishment from Shamayim for not conceding to the Jew from Ashdod. We all know that Yerushalayim was destroyed because people acted only according to the letter of the law. Now you can understand why I conceded my place with such generosity.” (Aleinu Leshabeach)

This week is B’Zchus all those who learn daily and every evening
in the many shiurim throughout the community.

Distributed by the Chevra Marbitz Achdus D’NMB