Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in Hebrew & English: Parshas Vayikra –7 Nissan 5785
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Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Vayikra –7 Nissan 5785
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Klal Yisroel finds itself in a challenging situation today that has not been experienced for generations. The Maggid of Mezrich would say the Shabbos Torah reading has a direct connection to the events of the following week. May it be His will that the month of Nissan will bring us salvation and redemption to both the individual ‘Prat’ and to the group ‘Klal’, both in materialism ‘Gashmiyus’ and spirituality ‘Ruchniyus’. However, this is only possible when the ‘Prat’, which are the individual members of Klal Yisroel attach themselves to the ‘Klal’, which are the Gedolei HaDor, the righteous Tzaddikim of the generation.
The Sfas Emes quotes the Tanchuma on the beginning of this week’s Parsah which cites the Pasuk, “Bless Hasem, O His Malachim, the strong warriors who do His bidding, to obey the voice of His word” (Tehillim 103:20). It then expounds the Pasuk that Malachim, which can mean both ‘angels’ or ‘messengers’, refers to prophets whom Hashem sends as his agents, as we find, “And he sent his messenger (Moshe Rabbeinu) and he took us out of Mitzrayim” (Bamidbar 20:16). Rav Huna disagrees and maintains that Malachim here refers to Yisroel who put the ‘doing’ of the Mitzvos before the ‘listening’ to the Mitzvos. For by completing the Mishkan, Yisroel merited to hear the voice of Hashem.
At the end of Pikudei, Moshe Rabbeinu finished the construction of the Mishkan since Yisroel were not able to erect the Mishkan by themselves (Tanchuma Pikudei 11). This is why Vayikra starts with “And Hashem called out to Moshe…” (Vayikra 1:1), since it was in the merit of Moshe who was able to complete the ‘doing’ for the entire nation, Hashem’s Shechinah was able to come down from Heaven. This is in accord with the general principle that one who comes and completes a task is credited as if he accomplished the entire task (see Sotah 13b).
We also find by the dedication of the Mishkan on the first of Nisan after the Jews were taken out of Mitzrayim, “The leaders of Yisroel, the heads of their fathers’ household, brought offerings, they were the leaders of the tribes, ehy wer those who stand over those who are counted” (Bamidbar 7:2). The completed Mishkan uplifted the all of the people, but especially the Nisiim. This power to lift us up is present in every month of Nisan, since as the Mishnah (Rosh Hashana 1:1) teaches, it is the Rosh Hashana of Jewish Kings. The leaders of Klal Yisroel must feel this spiritual arousal in these days because they ‘stand over those who are counted’, the ‘Prat’, all of the members of the nation. The strength of the ‘heads’ comes from the masses. The ‘Klal’ needs the ‘Prat’ and the ‘Prat’ needs the ‘Klal’, as we state in the seventh of R’ Yishmael’s Thirteen Rules of elucidating the Torah. Indeed, Moshe was uplifted because of the merit of Klal Yisroel.
“The month will be for you the Rosh of all the months” (Shemos 12:2). Aside from Nisan being the first or ‘the head’ of all the other months, the HaEmek Davar explains that ‘Rosh’ also means the ‘choicest’ or ‘best’. In other words, specifically for Bnei Yisroel Nisan is the best of the months. Tishrei, which is also the Rosh Hashana for non-Jewish kings (Rosh Hashana 1:1) is important for the needs of the world as a whole, since all of mankind was created on the first of Tishrei. The themes and focus of the Succos, which occurs in Tishrei, is the impending rain and rejoicing over the harvest during the Festival of Gathering. The strength of nature is apparent at this time since this was the time of the year immediately following the Creation of the Natural World.
Nisan’s strength is in the creation of Yisroel as a nation and the spiritual Mitzvos given to the nation as a whole. Through the Mitzvos of Pesach, we increase our trust and belief in Hashem, and celebrate the supernatural miracles before, during and after the Exodus from Egypt, during the generation of the Desert with Moshe Rabbienu as their leader.
The Imrei Emes cites the Piyut ‘the Month that is ‘Maykif’ with salvation’. The simple translation of ‘Maykif’ is to surround or circumscribe, meaning that Nisan is surrounded with examples of salvation. As we know, Haman’s downfall and Mordechai’s rise happened on Pesach. However, the Imrei Emes in the name of the Sfas Emes understand the word ‘Maykif’ to me ‘extending credit’ as we find in the Mishnah (Avos 3:20) ‘the Shopkeeper extends credit’. He suggests that even when Klal Yisroel is unworthy, but we take upon ourselves with a full heart to accept the yoke of Heaven upon ourselves in the future after we have been redeemed, then we are given salvation by Hashem, the Shopkeeper, ‘on credit’ so to speak.
In conclusion, we must strengthen ourselves in Nisan, the month of Salvation and the month that the Mishkan was erected by Moshe Rabbeinu. May it be Hashem’s will that He will have mercy upon his nation and send us Moshiach, his ‘messenger’, so that we may offer the Korban Pesach in purity this Pesach, in the newly rebuilt Yerushalayim