B"H
Wednesday, Sivan 9, 5778 / May 22, 2018
Shalom. I hope you all had a very wonderful holiday Shavuot.
Shavuot, the holiday of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, was the marriage of the people of Israel and G-d. At Mount Sinai we exchanged vows with G-d, where we swore that we will never exchange Him for any other G-d and G-d vowed that He will never exchange us for any other nation. The Torah is the marriage contract between us and G-d.
We are now in California where we spent the holiday and are now looking forward to celebrating our granddaughter’s wedding next Tuesday, G-d willing.
From the spiritual marriage we all experienced on Shavuot, we are looking forward to the marriage of our granddaughter. May G-d bless you all to merit many happy occasions in your family.
This week’s Parsha, Naso, is read (in most years) on the Shabbat after Shavuot. Naso is the longest Parsha in the Torah. It is befitting that on the Shabbat immediately after Shavuot, the holiday when we received the Torah, we should read the longest Parsha.
In Parshat Naso we find the three-fold priestly blessing which was recited by the Kohanim (priests) in the Holy Temple. "May the L-rd bless you and guard you. May the L-rd make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the L-rd turn His countenance toward you and grant you Shalom-peace. And they [the Kohanim-priests] shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them."
Q. What is the connection between the three-fold-Priestly blessing and the fact that it is read from the Torah on the Shabbat after Shavuot?
A. Blessing in Hebrew is “Beracha” which begins with the letter, Bet, the second letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet. The Torah also begins with the letter “Bet” (“Breishit”).
Our sages ask, why doesn’t the Torah begin with the first letter, Aleph? They reply, “G-d wanted to begin the Torah with the Bet for it is the letter which spells the word Beracha-blessing.” G-d wanted to tell us that through Torah we acquire blessings.
Thus, the Shabbat after the holiday of Shavuot we read Parshat Naso in which G-d gives us His three-fold blessing, to show us that through Torah, which was given on Shavuot, one acquires G-d’s blessings.
Q.The longest Parsha in the Torah and the longest chapter of Psalms and the longest Tractate of the Talmud have something in common. What is it?
A.The longest Parsha, Naso, has 176 verses; The longest chapter of Psalms has 176 verses; The longest Tractate of the Talmud, Baba Batra, has 176 pages.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY