B"H

Wednesday Tammuz 18, 5777 / July 12, 2017

This week’s Parsha, Pinchas, is usually read during the Three Weeks, when we mourn and remember the destruction of the Holy Temples. Last week’s Parsha, Balak, and this week’s Parsha, Pinchas, are both named after a person.

While Parshat Balak is named after Balak the king of Moab, who wanted to have the Jewish people killed, Pinchas through his heroic act, saved the Jewish people.

In reward for saving the Jewish people, G-d gifted Pinchas with, “The covenant of peace.”

The Parsha begins, "And the L-rd spoke to Moshe, saying: Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the children of Israel...  Therefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace (Shalom).  And it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood."

The "covenant of peace," which G-d gave to Pinchas, was that from then on, Pinchas and his descendants will be Kohanim - priests.

Although being a kohen (priesthood) is inherited from father to son and Pinchas was a grandson of Aaron the High Priest, and the son of Elazar, who became High Priest (Kohen Gadol) after Aaron’s passing, yet, Pinchas himself was not a kohen until this time. It did not apply to any of Aaron's grandchildren already born at that time. 

Thus, Pinchas was not a Kohen until G-d rewarded him the priesthood for his heroic act of saving the Jewish people from a plague which had already killed 24,000. G-d then give him the gift of priesthood and made him and his future descendants, kohanim.

The Talmud tells us that from Pinchas came 380 High Priests, who served in the two Holy Temples.

Q.  Why is the priesthood referred to as "the convent of Shalom - peace"?

A. In the first chapter of Pirkei Avot (Chapters of our Fathers) which we will recite this Shabbat, Hillel the Elder gives the following instruction, "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow and bringing them closer to the Torah." One of the special mitzvot a kohen has is to bless the Jewish people (Birkat Kohanim) with love, thus bringing peace to Israel.

The reason we read Pinchas during the Three Weeks is because our sages say that Pinchas is Elijah the Prophet, who will announce the coming of Moshiach and the final redemption. Thus, reading Parshat Pinchas, gives us hope during these Three Weeks of the coming of Moshiach.  

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Friday Tammuz 20, 5777 / July 14, 2017

In the first chapter of Pirkei Avot, which we recite this Shabbat, the Talmudic sage Antignos says, "Do not be like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward, but rather be like servants who serve their master without the intent of receiving a reward."

One of the fundamental principles of Jewish faith is that G-d rewardsus for the mitzvot we do.  In the daily Shema, we read, "...If you will diligently obey My commandments... I will give rain for your land at the proper time... you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil.. you will eat and be sated..."

Antignos teaches us that, although the Torah promises reward for performing the mitzvot, yet, the reward should not be the motivating factor. Rather, we should follow the mitzvot without any ulterior motive only in order to fulfill G-d's will. However, the true reward for the mitzvot is reserved for the World-to-Come.

Later In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Yaakov tells us, "This world is like a lobby before the World-to-Come; prepare yourself in the lobby(this world) so that you may enter the banquet hall (World-to-Come)." 

The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai illustrates the importance of constantly preparing ourselves in this world with acts of goodness and kindness with the following parable: 

A king invited all his servants to a royal banquet, but didn't tell them the time when it would take place.  Everyone was anxious to attend the banquet. 

Not knowing exactly when the king would open the hall, the wise servants said, "The king has everything he needs at his command, therefore, he can call the banquet at any moment."  So they immediately went home, washed, got dressed and returned, ready to enter as soon as the king called them in.

The foolish servants, on the other hand, said, "A banquet takes a lot of preparation.  Surely, we still have time until the banquet begins."  They didn't prepare themselves. Suddenly, the king opened the chamber doors and invited everyone in. 

The wise ones entered dressed for the occasion, while the foolish ones came in their "street clothes."   Naturally, the wise servants were welcomed by the king and invited to partake in the meal, while the foolish ones were not even allowed near the dinner table.

With this parable Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai reminds us that we must constantlyprepare ourselves here, in this world, by performing as many mitzvot as possible.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 8:22 / Shabbat ends: 9:35

B"H

Monday Tammuz 23, 5777 / July 17, 2017

We are now in what we call “The Three Weeks. The Three weeks are, as the name implies, a period of three weeks in which we do not perform any weddings and when we minimize in celebrations.

The reason for this is that these three weeks are associated with the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem.

The First Temple was destroyed in the year 3338 (-423 BCE). The Second Temple was destroyed in the year 3829 (-70 BCE). Many of the great Talmudic sages lived at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple.

One of them was Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiya. In addition to being a great scholar, he was also a very wise person, with whom the Roman Emperor and his family would have many discussions. While Rabbi Yehoshua’s wisdom and piety was exceptional, his physical features were not good looking.

The following is a story from the Talmud: Once, the Emperor’s daughter said to Rabbi Yehoshua, “What a pity that such great wisdom is in so ugly a vessel,” referring to his exterior looks.

Rabbi Yehoshua said to her, “In what kind of vessel does your father keep his wine?”

She: In an earthenware vessel.”

Rabbi Yehoshua: “But ordinary people keep their wine in earthenware vessels. You too keep your wine in earthenware vessels?”

She: “What else should we keep it in?”

Rabbi Yehoshua: “You, who are such wealthy and important people, should keep it in vessels of silver and gold.”

She spoke to her father and he ordered that all his wine should be put in vessels of silver and gold. However, it didn’t take long and all the wine turned sour. Her father asked her, ‘Who gave you such advice?” She told him that it was Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania.

The Emperor called for Rabbi Yehoshua and asked him why he gave his daughter this foolish idea?

Rabbi Yehoshua told him that this was in reply to his daughter’s comment to him, “What a pity that such great wisdom is in so ugly a vessel.” Rabbi Yehoshua explained that the wisdom of Torah is likened to wine. Just like wine is best preserved in simple earthen vessels, so too the Torah is best preserved in people who are humble. Those who place less emphasis on their physical appearance and more on their inner spiritual character and qualities.     

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY