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The
festival of Shavuot began Thursday night, the 28th of May. Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah. In referring to Shavuot, we say: “Z’man Matan
Torateinu”, זמן מתן תורתנו.
Looking at the word מתן (giving), you can see in it
the word for “gift”, מתנה.
In our weekly Talmud class where are studying Tractate Bava Basra, we participated in a discussion at 65a: A person owns a house that has two apartments, an inner one and a surrounding outer one. If the apartments are sold, the buyer of the inner apartment does not acquire the right to walk through the surrounding outer apartment.
However if at the time of the sale of the outer
apartment, the owner of the house simultaneously makes a gift of the inner
apartment the situation changes. There
is a presumption that when a gift is given, it is given with generosity. Therefore the recipient of the gift acquires the
right to walk through the outer apartment and thereby to enjoy his gift.
In much the same fashion, when Hashem gave us the gift of the Torah, He gave it to us with generosity. It is as if along with the Torah we acquired the wherewithal to enjoy our gift. What that wherewithal is I leave it up to you. There are a multitude of possibilities. I like to think it is the ability to have Torah and dwell in the Land of Israel in peace and harmony is a gift from Hashem.
Consider Three Passages from Parshat Behaalotecha:
11:1
The people were looking to complain, and it was evil in the ears of the Lord. The Lord heard and His anger flared, and a fire from the Lord burned among them, consuming the extremes of the camp.
11:33-34
The meat was still between their teeth; it was not yet finished, and the anger of the Lord flared against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very mighty blow. He named that place Kivroth Hata'avah [Graves of Craving], for there they buried the people who craved.
12:8-10
… So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses ? The wrath of the Lord flared against them and He left… behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow;
What is the message here? Is it a lesson in anger management or something else?
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Both the Parashah and the Haftarah discuss the seven branched Menorah. The Haftarah portion is from Zechariah: The lights of the Menorah symbolize God's eyes, keeping watch on the earth. At 4:10 –
“These seven, are the eyes of the LORD, that roam throughout the entire earth.”
שִׁבְעָה-אֵלֶּה; עֵינֵי יְהוָה, הֵמָּה מְשׁוֹטְטִים בְּכָל-הָאָרֶץ
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MAX’S PARSHAT BEHAALOSCHA QUIZ QUESTIONS
My friend Max from Nahariya has come up with a quiz that relates to Parshat Behaaloscha. Attached are his questions. Do your best. The answers may be found at the end of this post.
1-WHAT SEGULAH WAS THERE IN LIGHTING MENORAH IN THE MISHKAN?
2-WHO ENJOYED EATING MANN 500 YEARS AFTER THE MIDBAR?
3-WHY THE INVERTED NUN IN THIS PARSHA?
4-HOW FAST DID AHARON ELEVATED EACH LEVI DURING INAUGURATION?
5-HOW OFTEN SHOFAROS & TRUMPETS BLOWN IN THE TEMPLE?
6-IN WHICH PASUK DOES THE TORAH MENTION JEWS FIVE TIMES?
7-WHICH TZADIKIM RAN AWAY FROM GLORY, BUT AT THE END RECEIVED?
8-WHY WAS MIRIAM PUNISHED WITH TZARAAS?
9-WHICH 5-THNGS WERE MISSING IN THE SECOND TEMPLE?
10-HOW HASHEM MAKE AHARON FEEL MORE IMPORTANT THAN NESIIM?
11-WHO USED SILVER TRUMPETS LIKE MOSHE RABBEINU?
12-WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT THE CLOUD THAT TRAVELLED WITH JEWS?
13-HOW DID HILLEL KNOW TO SLAUGHTER KORBAN PESACH ON SHABBAT
14-HOW LONG WAS THE JEWISH NATION ENCAMPED NEAR HAR SINAI?
15-WHY WAS TZIPORAH UPSET WITH THE CHOSEN 70 ELDERS?
16-HOW HIGH WAS THE MENORAH IN THE MISHKAN?
17-WHY MOSHE'S TRUMPETS WERE MADE OF SILVER AND NOT OF GOLD?
18-HOW DO WE KNOW THAT FISH DO NOT REQUIRE SHECHITAH?
19-WHAT DID MOSHE RABBEINU WISH FOR FOR THE JEWS?
20-WHAT DID ELDAD AND MEIDAD PROLHESIZE ABOUT GOG & MAGOG?
21-WHY DID THE JEWS WAITED 7-DAYS FOR MIRIAM BEFORE TRAVELING?
22-WHAT GEM DID THE MANN LOOK LIKE?
23-WHICH PESACH ARE YOU PERMITTED TO HAVE CHOMETZ?
24-HOW WERE THE NEVIIM ELDAD & MEIDAD RELATED TO MOSHE?
25-HOW DID THE CLOUD PROTECT BNEI YISROEL DURING THEIR TRAVEL?
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In this week's Parshat we have the mystery of the inverted letter nun, ׆.
This phenomenon appears as brackets at 10:35, before and after the familiar verse that is read on Shabbat when the Ark is opened and the Torah is taken out:
וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה: קוּמָה יְהוָה, וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶי מִפָּנֶיךָ
"It was when the Ark traveled, Moses said, Rise up Hashem, Your enemies they be scattered and they who hated You, flee from You".
In the Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 115b-116a there is a discussion on the implication of the inverted nun brackets. There are two opposing views: Rabbi Judah the Prince says that the brackets show the passage to be a separate book of the Torah. Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel says that the brackets are there to show that the passage has been dislocated and belongs in another place.
Go figure.
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MAX’S PARSHAT BEHAALOSCHA QUIZ
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Max has come up with a quiz that relates to
this week's Parshah, . Attached are his
questions and answers. How did you do?
Maybe you have to study more; I do.
> [_WHAT SEGULAH WAS THERE IN LIGHTING
MENORAH IN THE MISHKAN
IF YOU ARE CAREFUL TO LIGHT MY MENORAH, I WILL
GUARD YOUR SOUL
> 2-WHO ENJOYED EATING MANN 500 YEARS AFTER
THE MIDBAR?
YONA THE NAVI, WAS GIVEN MANN TO EAT INSIDE
THE BIG FISH
> 3-WHY THE INVERTED NUN IN THIS PARSHA?
DESIGN TO SEPARATE THE HAPPY TIME FROM THE BAD
TIME
> 4-HOW FAST DID AHARON ELEVATED EACH LEVI
DURING INAUGURATION?
THERE WERE 22,000 LEVIIM,AND 43,200 SECONDS, 2
SECONDS PER LEVI
> 5-HOW OFTEN SHOFAROS & TRUMPETS BLOWN
IN THE TEMPLE?
MINIMUM OF 21 SOUNDS PER REGULAR DAY, AND MAX
OF 48 HOLIDAYS
> 6-IN WHICH PASUK DOES THE TORAH MENTION
JEWS FIVE TIMES?
IN PASUK 8:19 HASHEM MENTION BNEI YISROEL FIVE
TIMES, HIS LOVE
> 7-WHICH TZADIKIM RAN AWAY FROM GLORY, BUT
AT THE END RECEIVED?
ELDAD AND MEIDAD WERE OUTSTANDING TALMIDEI
CHACHOMIM
> 8-WHY WAS MIRIAM PUNISHED WITH TZARAAS?
SHE SPOKE ILL OF HER BABY BROTHER MOSHE, WITH
GOOD INTENTION
> 9-WHICH 5-THNGS WERE MISSING IN THE
SECOND TEMPLE?
DAILY FIRE, ARON KODESH, SHECHINAH, RUACH
HAKODESH, URIM TURIM
> 10-HOW HASHEM MAKE AHARON FEEL MORE
IMPORTANT THAN NESIIM?
HASHEM ASSURED AHARON THAT LIGHTING MENORAH
TRANSCEND TIME
> 11-WHO USED SILVER TRUMPETS LIKE MOSHE
RABBEINU?
ONLY KING DAVID MERITED THE STATUS TO USE
SILVER TRUMPETS
> 12-WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT THE CLOUD THAT
TRAVELLED WITH JEWS?
IT IS THE SAME CLOUD HASHEM USED AT HAR SINAI
> 13-HOW DID HILLEL KNOW TO SLAUGHTER
KORBAN PESACH ON SHABBAT
HE DEDUCED
BECAUSE KORBAN TAMID IS DONE SHABBAT, SO PESACH
> 14-HOW LONG WAS THE JEWISH NATION
ENCAMPED NEAR HAR SINAI?
THEY RESIDED AT HAR SINAI FOR 344 DAYS
> 15-WHY WAS TZIPORAH UPSET WITH THE CHOSEN
70 ELDERS?
SHE FELT THAT THEY WILL ALSO HAVE ABSTINENCE
FROM THEIR WIVES
> 16-HOW HIGH WAS THE MENORAH IN THE
MISHKAN?
MENORAH STOOD 18-TEPACHIM (ABOUT SIX FEET)
> 17-WHY MOSHE'S TRUMPETS WERE MADE OF
SILVER AND NOT OF GOLD?
GOLD WAS NOT USED SO AS NOT TO RECALL EIGEL OF
GOLD
> 18-HOW DO WE KNOW THAT FISH DO NOT
REQUIRE SHECHITAH?
MOSHE RABEINU DID NOT MENTION SLAUGHTER WHEN
IT CAME TO FISH
> 19-WHAT DID MOSHE RABBEINU WISH FOR FOR
THE JEWS?
MOSHE WISHED THAT ALL JEWS SHOULD BE PROPHETS
> 20-WHAT DID ELDAD AND MEIDAD PROLHESIZE
ABOUT GOG & MAGOG?
THEY PREDICTED THE DOWNFALL OF GOG AND MAGOG,
SOON WE HOPE
> 21-WHY DID THE JEWS WAITED 7-DAYS FOR
MIRIAM BEFORE TRAVELING?
MIRIAM WAITED PATIENTLY TO WATCH FOR BABY
BROTHER SAFETY
> 22-WHAT GEM DID THE MANN LOOK LIKE?
MANN LOOKED LIKE JEWEL CRYSTAL (HEAVENLY
MARSHMALLOW)
> 23-WHICH PESACH ARE YOU PERMITTED TO HAVE
CHOMETZ?
ONLY PESACH SHENI YOU ALLOWED TO HAVE CHOMETZ
IN HOUSE
> 24-HOW WERE THE NEVIIM ELDAD & MEIDAD RELATED TO MOSHE?
THEY WERE MOSHE RABBEINU HALF-BROTHERS
> 25-HOW DID THE CLOUD PROTECT BNEI YISROEL
DURING THEIR TRAVEL?
CONSISTED OF 7-PARTS, 4-DIRECTIONS, UP
&DOWN , AND ONE LEADING
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