Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills, 409 Foothill Road . Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rabbi Yosef Shusterman 310/271-9063
PARSHAT BEHAR - BECKUKOTAI
SUMMARY: The kohanim are commanded to avoid contact with corpses in order to maintain a high standard of ritual purity. They may attend the funeral of only their seven closest relatives: Father, mother, wife, son, daughter, brother, and unmarried sister. The Kohen Gadol (High Priest) may not attend the funeral even of his closest relatives. Certain marital restrictions are placed on the kohanim. The nation is required to honor the kohanim. The physical defects that invalidate a kohen from serving in the Temple are listed. Terumah, a produce tithe given to the kohanim, may be eaten only by kohanim and their household. An animal may be sacrificed in the Temple after it is eight days old and is free from any physical defects. The nation is commanded to sanctify the Name of Hashem by insuring that their behavior is always exemplary, and by being prepared to surrender their lives rather than murder, engage in licentious relations or worship idols. The special characteristics of the holidays are described, and the nation is reminded not to do certain types of creative work during these holidays. New grain may not be eaten until the omer of barley is offered in the Temple. The Parsha explains the laws of preparing the oil for the menorah and baking the lechem hapanim in the Temple. A man blasphemes Hashem and is executed as prescribed in the Torah
.(From: Ohr Somayach web site)"When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall under it's mother for seven days and from the eighth day on, it is acceptable for a fire-offering to G-d. (22:27). QUESTION: Why must one wait until the 8th day after birth before sacrificing an animal? ANSWER: As soon as an animal is born, it is complete and fully formed. The course of age only adds to its size and strength. Man, however, at time of birth is fully formed but lacking in development. He does not speak, walk and is uneducated. Throughout the years of his life he continuously gains maturity and education and grows in his service of Hashem. Consequently, one may think, since time plays no relevant role in the maturity of an animal, it is suitable for a sacrifice to Hashem as soon as it is born. The Torah negates this theory and requires waiting until the 8th day before it may be offered. The significance of the number eight is that it ascends above the realm of this mundane and earthly world and alludes to the exalted and holy. In the natural world, time is based on a seven-day week and all occurrences are controlled by sheva kochavei lechet (the seven orbital planets). Hashem transcends all this, and therefore the number eight represents His lofty Holiness. Therefore, once the animal reaches it's eighth day, it is suitable to be consecrated as a sacrifice for Hashem.
In the era of Mashiach, we will merit a higher revelation of G-dliness and therefore Mashiach's harp will consist of eight strings one more than the seven-stringed harp of the Beit Hamikdash (Arachin 13b).
"The festivals of G-d, which you shall proclaim them to be holy convocations, these are My festivals" (23:2) QUESTION: The word "otam" -- "them" -- is superfluous ? ANSWER: According to the Rambam (Yom Tov 6:17), on yom tov one is obligated to rejoice and assure that the needy also rejoice by inviting them to our festive meals. Hashem is not content with one who celebrates privately with his family and does not extend hospitality to the needy. The word "otam" -- "them" -- in this posuk refers to the underprivileged who need to be invited. Hashem told Moshe to tell the people of Israel, "I consider it My festival when you will call them, the needy, to participate in your festive meal and rejoice together with you."
"And you should count for yourselves from the day after Yom Tov."(23:15) QUESTION: Why do we count sefirah between Pesach and
Shavuot? ANSWER: The ultimate purpose of leaving Egypt was to receive
the Torah on Mount Sinai. Every Jew is required to occupy himself as much as possible in the study of Torah, but -- unfortunately, people waste much time that could be used for Torah study, because they do not appreciate the value of time. Counting sefirah before Shavuot is a preparation for kabbalat haTorah and it emphasizes the importance of time and its value. It serves as a reminder that we should use every free moment for the study of Torah.
Alternatively, another lesson we learn from sefirah is the following: When counting sefirah, we recite a berachah every night, yet when an entire day goes by and a person forgets to count he can no longer recite the berachah on the following days. This teaches us that although each day is an independent entity, it also makes a unique contribution to all other days. Thus, the counting of Sefirah before Shavuoth emphasizes the importance of each day and that one wasted day of Torah learning also affects all future days.
"An eye for an (tachat) eye." (24:20) QUESTION: According to the Gemara (Bava Kamma 84a), when one damages another's eye, he is required to make financial restitution. How do we know not to interpret this literally, "an eye for an eye"? ANSWER: If it means "an eye for an eye," grammatically it should have said, ayin be'ad ayin". The word "tachat" means "under," which teaches that when one takes another's eye, his punishment consists of "tachat ayin" the letters that are "under" the word "ayin". In the Hebrew aleph beit, if the letters are stacked, then under the "ayin" is a "peh", under the "yud" is a "chaf", and under the "nun" is a "samech". These letters spell the word "kesef", which means money. (From: Vedibarta Bam by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky)
"Any man from the house of Israel... who shall offer an offering to G-d...an animal that has a blemish you shall not offer, for it will not be found desirable..."(22:18-20) While in the city of Slutzk, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov once passed a study hall. The large room was filled with talmudic scholars, all studying with great fervor and gusto. "This room is filled to capacity with Torah," said the Baal Shem Tov. In fact, it is so full that I cannot enter - there is no room left even to squeeze myself in." The Baal Shem Tov later explained his remark: "The Zohar tells us that the love and awe of G-d are the two wings of the mitzvah, the means by which we imbue our every positive act with the ability to `fly' heavenward and be received as a desirable offering to G-d. "One may perform a mitzvah in the most technically impeccable manner, so that the `body' of the deed is fully developed; but if it is not motivated by and permeated with the love and awe of G-d, it lacks the two limbs needed to carry it aloft. So it remains very much below and part of the person's pedestrian, self-bound existence."
(From: Once Upon a Chassid by Rabbi Yanki Tauber)
PIRKEI AVOT
"Be wary of those in power, for they befriend a person only for their own benefit; they seem to be friends when it is to their advantage, but do not stand by a man in his hour of need." (Avot 2:3)
Here also, a non-literal interpretation provides an important lesson in our divine service. "Those in power" can refer to our conscious egos, thoughts and feelings. Although we must rely on these powers to control the functioning of our lives, we must be aware of their fundamental self-interest, that they are concerned only for their own benefit. Our essential selves, by contrast, are pointed towards self- transcendence. And it is through such self-transcendence that a person achieves what is truly to his benefit a good far higher than can be perceived by intellect. (Sichos Shabbos Parshas Tazria-Metzora, 5739)