B"H

Wednesday, Iyar 14, 5784 / May 22, 2024 (29th day of the Omer)

Today, the 14^th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, is Pesach Sheini.  The literal translation of Pesach Sheini is, “The second Pesach.”  During the days of the Temple, Pesach Sheini was an important day.

Here is the historical background of how this day came about.  The Torah, in Numbers chapter 9, tells us that one year after the Exodus, G-d commanded the Jewish people to celebrate the holiday of Pesach - the holiday of their freedom, by offering the Korban Pesach (Pascal sacrifice).  However, there were people who were spiritually impure as a result of coming in contact with a dead body and thus couldn’t partake in the sacrifice. 

The men then came to Moshe and said, "Why should we be lacking the mitzvah of sacrificing the Passover sacrifice?"  The Torah tells us that Moshe brought their case before G-d. 

G-d told Moshe, "Speak to the Children of Israel saying, 'If a man of you or of your future generations shall be unclean as a result of [contact with] a dead body or will be on a distant journey, they shall make the Pesach offering to the L-rd on the fourteenth day of the second month, toward evening; they shall eat it with matzah and maror (bitter herbs)." 

Thus, the fourteenth of Iyar, became the “second Pesach.” In the days of the Temple, anyone who was impure or far from the Temple at the time of Passover was given a second chance to perform the mitzvah, one month later, on the 14th of Iyar.

Today there are no practical applications for Pesach Sheini, except that we do not say the prayer of supplication and make it a point to eat some matzah, to remember the days of the Temple.  However, the lesson of the significance of this special day is everlasting just as in the days of the Temple.

Pesach Sheini teaches us that we should never say, “We missed our chance and it’s too late.”  Pesach Sheini is all about getting another chance! Indeed, G-d always gives us another chance and another chance.  But it’s up to us to recognize it and take advantage of it.

Another important lesson is that G-d waited for the Jewish people to come forward and request this second chance.  At times, it’s up to us to make that first move to show G-d that we really want that second chance.

The story of Rabbi Akiva is the best example of this.  The Talmud tells us that until the age of 40 Rabbi Akiva was an ignorant shepherd.  Only at the age of 40, with the encouragement of his wife, Rachel, did he get his second chance and began studying Torah. He studied diligently and forty years later, Rabbi Akiva became the greatest Talmudic sage of his time, leading a Yeshiva with thousands of students! This special day of Pesach Sheini, teaches us a very encouraging, practical, and wonderful lesson – IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY

UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW.

B"H

Tuesday, Iyar 13, 5784 / May 21, 2024 (28th day of the Omer)

This week’s Parsha is Behar,one Parsha before the last in the Book of Leviticus.

The Parsha begins with the commandment of the Sabbatical year (Shemitah): “When you will come into The Land, which I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath-rest unto G-d. Six years you shall sow your field and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its produce. But in the seventh year a Sabbath of solemn rest shall be for the land, a Sabbath unto G-d.”

The Torah continues, “If you will say, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year? We did not sow, nor gather in our produce?” To this question G-d answers, “I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year and it shall bring forth produce for the three years.”

During the Shemitah (seventh) year whatever grew in one’s field was not exclusively theirs. It was free for everyone to take, even to the animals. 

This mitzvah applies in Israel to this day.  A field, owned by a Jew, must rest every seventh year.  The seventh year is a holy year – a year of rest, like Shabbat, which is a holy day of rest.

Although, the year of rest comes after the six years of work in the field, the Torah begins with the seventh year of rest. “When you will come into The Land, which I give you, The Land shall keep a Sabbath-rest unto G-d”.  Only afterwards does the Torah tell us about the first six years of work.  

Q.   Why does the Torah begin with the seventh year of rest, before the first six years of work? 

A.  There is a very important lesson in this. Before a person undertakes any work and business venture, they must know their goal and purpose. So too, the Torah tells us that before starting the six working years, we must know the goal for all this work - the goal is, the Sabbatical year, when we dedicate ourselves completely to the service of G-d.  With this attitude, even the six working years are raised to a higher sphere.  The spirit of this mitzvah, knowing that the goal for material success is for spiritual success, is true not only for a Jewish farmer, but also for the professional, for the worker and businessman.  Thus, all our physical work gets elevated to a much higher level.

Q.   What is the reason for the mitzvah of Shemitah?

A.   The Torah says, “When you come into The Land which I give you, The Land shall keep a Sabbath-rest unto G-d.”  Like resting on Shabbat is to give testimony that G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, so too, every seventh year is a year in which a Jew gives testimony that The Land is a gift from G-d (“which I give you”). G-d commanded us to dedicate every seventh year to the service of G-d.  It reminds us that our physical work and our physical success should not be a goal unto itself, rather a means toward a higher objective – to study Torah and serve G-d.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY

UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW.

B"H

Monday, Iyar 12, 5784 / May 20, 2024 (27th day of the Omer)

This Shabbat we read Parshat Behar.  One of the mitzvot in the Parsha is to help someone in need.  The Torah says, "And if your brother becomes poor and his strength fails him, you shall support him, whether he is a stranger (a convert) or a sojourner, that he may live with you..." 

In Pirkei Avot our sages state about the mitzvah of Tzedakah (charity); "There are four types among those who give charity, 1) One who wishes to give but doesn't want others to give - he begrudges others; 2) He who encourages others to give but doesn't give himself  - he begrudges himself; 3) He who gives and wants others should give too, is a Chassid (generous person); 4) One who doesn't give and doesn't want others to give, is a wicked person."  The proper way to perform the mitzvah of Tzedakah is to give and encourage others to give too.

An important condition in the mitzvah of Tzedakah is to make sure that the person receiving the help should not feel embarrassed and inferior. For this reason, many people give Tzedakah anonymously.

The Talmud tells the following story.  Mar Ukva's neighbor was a poor person.  Each day, Mar Ukva threw the sum of four zuzim through a hole in his neighbor’s door so that he would not know his identity.

One day, Mar Ukva and his wife stopped by the neighbor's house to drop in the four zuzim.  But as they did, the man opened the door. Afraid that he would be embarrassed seeing them, they ran and hid in a large oven used for baking bread. The coals in the oven were still hot and Mar Ukva burnt his feet.  However, his wife's feet were not affected. She suggested that he place his feet on hers.

"We both give charity, so why is it that my feet burnt while yours didn't?" Mar Ukva asked his wife.

His wife replied: "The reason is that you perform the mitzvah of charity by giving money to the poor.  But they cannot benefit from this immediately because they must go and buy food.  I am in the house and when a poor person comes, I give them food which they eat right away and benefit immediately!"

The Talmud tells us that Mar Ukva's charity was legendary.  Every Erev Yom Kippur, he would send a poor person a certain amount of money.  Once, he sent the money with his son, but the boy returned with it. He told his father, "The person doesn't need your money!  When I came to his house, I saw him eating a festive meal and drinking good wine!"

"I didn't realize what this man's needs were," Mar Ukva said to his son.  "Obviously he needs more than what I gave him." Mar Ukva immediately doubled the amount and told his son to bring it to the person!

Before Mar Ukva passed away he asked that an accounting of all the money he distributed for charity be brought before him.  It amounted to a very large sum. Yet, Mar Ukva wasn't satisfied.  "I'm taking too little with me for such a long journey!" he stated.  He then took half of his possessions and distributed them to charity. Let’s perform an additional mitzvah and give extra charity for the merit of our captives!

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY

UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW.