Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in Hebrew and English: Parshas Yisro – 24 Shvat 5784
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Yisro – 24 Shvat 5784
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
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"A Mizbayach of earth shall you make for Me, and you shall slaughter near it your Olos offerings and your Shlamim offerings, your flocks and your cattle, wherever I permit My Name to be mentioned I shall come to you and bless you. And when you make for Me a Mizbayach of stones, do not build them from hewn stones, for you will have raised your sword over it and desecrated it." (Shemos 20:21-22). When is the Mitzbayach made of earth and when is the Mizbayach made of stones?
Tana D'Bay Eliyahu (Eliyahu Zuta 2) writes, "From the place where the dust of Adam HaRishon was taken is the place where the Mizbayach should be built, as it says, 'And Hashem formed the man of dust from the ground' (Beraishis 2:7), and it says, 'A Mizbayach of earth shall you make for Me' (Shemos 20:21). From here it is expounded that as long as the Beis HaMikdash exists, the Mizbayach is an atonement for Yisroel in all of their dwelling places. Outside the land of Israel the Chachamim and their students are the atonement for Yisroel in all of their dwelling places, as it says, 'You shall offer them as Bikkurim to Hashem' (Vayikra 2:14), and it says, 'A man came from Baal Shalishah and he brought to the prophet food from the Bikkurim' (Melachim II 4:44). Was Elisha a Kohen? This was a place where there was no Beis HaMikdash, no Mizbayach and no Kohen Gadol. Rather, Elisha was a Navi with many Torah Scholars sitting before him. From here it is expounded that anyone who provides the needs for the Chachamim and their students will be deemed by the Torah as if one has offered Bikkurim and fulfilled the will of their Father in Heaven".
I was once asked how the Mizbayach in the Mishkan was able to bring about atonement if it was not in the place where the earth was collected to make Adam HaRishon. This can be answered with a statement from Arvei Nachal (Devarim Shabbos Shuvah – Drasha 7): Our Chachamim tell us that the Shechina does not dwell in Chutz L'Aretz, however there was no greater concentration of Hashem's Shechina than there was at Har Sinai, and this was in the desert outside of Eretz Yisroel. The answer given is that since Hashem wanted to reveal his Shechina at Har Sinai, he uprooted Eretz Yisroel from its place and brought it to the Camp of Yisroel. This is why Hashem surrounded them with the Clouds of Glory, as if they were the boundaries of Eretz Yisroel and outside of the Clouds of Glory was Chutz L'Aretz. This is why the Airev Rav dwelled outside the Clouds of Glory".
This statement answers our question. Since even according to the opinion that Bnei Yisroel did not inherit Eretz Yisroel until they entered the Land, nevertheless, immediately at Matan Torah, when all of Eretz Yisroel came to them and was surrounded by the Clouds of Glory, and from that point forward they acquired Eretz Yisroel. However, the converts lived outside of the Clouds of Glory, as if they were in Chutz L'Aretz. Thus, immediately when Hashem promised that his Shechina would not dwell on idol worshippers, Hashem's word stopped immediately, and all of Eretz Yisroel remained in the possession of Yisroel.
We can add that every place that Bnei Yisroel traveled in the desert, Eretz Yisroel and the place of the Beis HaMikdash traveled with them. Therefore, there was an obligation to put dust into the copper Mizbayach, since the dust was from the place that Hashem took dust to create Adam HaRishon. This also help elucidate the statement of Rashi (Shemos 20:22): "R' Yishmael said, Every time the word אם appears in the Torah it is optional (may be translated as 'if' ) except for three cases: ואם מזבח אבנים... 'And when (not 'if') you make for Me a Mizbayach of stones'. The word must be understood as 'when' (and not 'if') since it is obligatory to build a Mizbayach of stones, as it says, "Complete stones shall you build" (Devarim 27:6). Similarly, 'When (not 'if') you will lend money' (Shemos 22:24) since it is obligatory as it says, "You will provide him a loan" (Devarim 15:8), it also means 'when' (not 'if'). Also, "When you will bring a Mincha offering of the Bikkurim" (Vayikra 2:14), which refers to the Mincha of the Omer which is an obligation. Thus, you must say that these examples of אם are not optional, but rather are mandatory, and they are used in the sense of 'when' (not 'if'). And the intention of Rashi is to refer to the building of the Mizbayach and the Beis HaMikdash
May it be His will that we shall merit the atonement of our sins with the building of the Beis HaMikdash and the coming of the Go'el Tzedek, speedily in our days.
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