PARASHAT BEHALOTCHA

Parashat Behalotcha

By Dan Cohen

Parshat Baalotcha 2024 - G’ds Free Will

(June 26, 2024)Gd has free will. Gd puts it to use to bring light and goodness into the world. Even right here, right now, as you read this. 

Let that sink in a moment. Maybe it's obvious to you, but it stopped me when I read Rav Hirsch saying it. No matter what I thought I wanted to write about, this idea stayed with me and pushed its way to the front of the line to ensure it's what I spoke with you about.

At the start of Chapter 9, Verses 1 and 2, we read about Pesach and its sacrifice, saying, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, in the second year of their exodus from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying: The children of Israel shall make the Passover sacrifice in its appointed time.”

Rashi reads in its “appointed time” by saying, “Even [if it were to fall] on Sabbath; “in its appointed time” [also implies,] even [if the majority of the people were] in a state of ritual uncleanness.” 

Rav Hirsch reminds us that we are one year after the Exodus chronologically. Thus, it's an ideal time to teach these laws. He also points out that Pesach fell on Shabbat that year. The Torah and its commentators examine the relationships between the prohibitions of Shabbat and our requirements to bring the Pesach offering. 

Rav Hirsch brings various explanations from the Talmud on the debate about bringing the sacrifice at its “appointed time” and what that means. He shows how Pesachim 77 builds on this Rashi, that no matter what, even if the appointed time is on Shabbat and even if the majority of the community is “unclean,” we must offer sacrifices. Hirsch adds that our sages say this applies to all community sacrifices, including our three main holidays—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Consider the profound significance of these holidays. They are not mere dates on a calendar, but times specifically designated by Gd for us to connect with Him. Each of these moments is infused with a unique act of Gd’s providence, imbuing them with a special significance for our spiritual growth. Long after he created the world, He set these dates aside for us.

Here’s what got me. Hirsch says:

“Each one of these holidays, then, reveals Gd as a free, personal, and omnipotent Gd. Who not only created the world but also rules it after the creation, shaping it by free rule.  … all holidays…are connected to the revelatory acts of the period of Israel’s founding.  They attest to the fundamental fact of Gd’s creation AND GUIDANCE (my emphasis) of the world and attest to it based on the historical experience of our own development.”

I took this understanding from his quote. It is a mitzvah to honor Hashem and even prioritize him with a sacrifice on the holidays. These three special days mark not only his creation of the world but also honor his real-time actions in our existence. Hirsch reminds us that ours is a living Gd who cares, acts, intervenes, and believes in us. 

In this Torah example, Gd takes regular time and makes it holy. This is the special act of a free Gd affirming himself as active in this world. 

Hirsch adds that when Gd affirms himself as a free and personal Gd, this is the indispensable precondition for man's free personality. His actions validate us and demand that we utilize our free will.

When Gd calls to us on these holidays, His freedom serves as the basis of our freedom. In doing so, He guarantees us our moral freedom, which we exercise when we make an offering to Him. Gd’s free act, to designate these days, summons us to a free human act, whose natural and appropriate expression is the Korban, the sacrifice. 

Here, Rav Hirsch underscores the communal aspect of our religious practices. Only the community, not individuals, can offer these sacrifices year after year at the designated time. Our individual times may pass, but the community endures. 

Our collective spirituality and Gdliness, not our individual roles, define us as a divine community. An individual who dedicates himself to the community lives and endures through the community's actions long after his time. The individual’s work endures forever.

A concept I’ve learned in my growth journey is to stand in choice. A song lyric from the band Rush says, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

We can make decisions in one of two ways. We can just let stuff happen, and in doing so, we’ve decided not to act. Hirsch might say we’ve surrendered our Gdliness in these moments.

Another option is intentionally choosing a path forward with full awareness of the natural and imagined consequences and long-term repercussions. Gd is asking us to actively engage with the divine tools that He has given us, such as our wisdom, intellect, and emotions. 

Gd is also modeling the behavior for us. He could have stopped with the creation of the world. Instead, He demonstrated that He can and will continue to be an active participant in our lives, in this case, by designating these holidays. 

So here’s our choice. At any moment, we can be friendly, engage in service to another, take particular time to acknowledge Hashem, or mark a moment with a specific action. These acts, especially if they inspire others, will endure long after we depart from this stage.  

Gd gave us free will. We know this because He exercised His in creating the world and guiding us through our calendar and His holidays. He is not only asking us but urging us to use our free will to its highest purpose and has given us the tools, and even the times, to do so.

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Parashat Nasso

Parshat Nasso - I swear I didn’t do it!

By Dan Cohen

For decades, my grandfather (my dad’s dad) had his dental practice in two rooms at the front of his row home in Philadelphia. The rule in my Mama & Papa’s home was not to go into the waiting room when patients were there. 

Unfortunately, as a curious young child, I was fascinated by my grandfather’s dental practice, especially the patients waiting in the waiting room. The giant double doors opened quickly from their dining room into the waiting room…and were inviting. 

So, one time, I snuck in, schmoozed the patients, and got busted. I was given a stern talking-to. I might have even “swore to Gd”, a serious act of making a promise or oath, that it wasn’t my fault. 

As part of my punishment, my grandparents made me say what I had done wrong…out loud.  

Looking back, the request to verbalize what I’d done seemed odd because we all knew what I had done.  Yet, I admitted something like, “I snuck into the waiting room and shouldn’t have done it.”  

Confession is a universal experience. We've all likely found ourselves in situations where we’ve transgressed, whether it's a mitzvah or a personal interaction. We know we’ve sinned, the person we've wronged knows, and perhaps others are aware. But why do we feel the need to vocalize it?

Admitting our responsibility is not just an act; it's a powerful act we are commanded to perform. It's about taking ownership of our actions and their consequences.  

In the parsha, we are instructed in Chapter 5, Verses 5-7, 'The Lord then spoke to Moses saying: Tell the children of Israel: When a man or woman commits any of the sins against man to act treacherously against God, and that person is [found] guilty, they shall confess the sin they committed, and make restitution for the principal amount of his guilt, add its fifth to it, and give it to the one against whom he was guilty.'

In practical halachic terms, this plays out as follows. If a man first denies his responsibility under oath (after swearing to Hashem), and then his responsibility is proven, he pays the full restitution and adds one-fifth. That extra fifth is dropped if he is “convicted” on the testimony of witnesses without having sworn to Hashem.  Why pay more if he admits guilt? 

Rav Hirsch explains, "Every sin against a fellow man is also a breach of trust against G-d.”  He adds that this is especially true when one has sworn to Gd to prove his honesty. That’s why the extra payment is required. The debt he owed is one to Gd now, not just a fellow man, and is elevated to a sacred status. Thus, he must add an offering to make amends.

If Hirsch focuses on a lack of admission, Rambam looks at when a person does confess his misdeed. He says the confession must be sincere. To confess without meaning it withholds any rectification. 

The Sefer HaChinuch goes one step further. In it, he says the sinner reveals his inner thoughts and feelings through verbal confession. By mentioning it out loud, he will feel remorse and be even more careful the next time.

I’m not sure that was the case when I was a young pup peering into my grandfather’s dental practice. However, I can assure you that as I’ve gotten older, admitting when I was wrong, acknowledging an error in my judgment, and verbalizing how I might have hurt another person was a critical step in ensuring that it didn’t happen again. That holds true in my relationships at home, work, and community.

But I’m human, and you are too. What about the times when our confessions may have been insincere? Do they count? 

The Rebbe’s Chumash delves into the Rambam's teachings, highlighting the three-part teshuvah process. It begins with insincerity, moves to partial remorse, and culminates in complete remorse. This underscores the importance of acknowledging our mistakes, feeling genuine guilt, and committing to change. It's a powerful reminder of the gravity of our actions and the need for sincere remorse to pave the way for true transformation.

First, the Rambam would find it somewhat unhelpful to confess insincerely but not entirely useless. An insincere confession, the Rambam says, is still a step in the right direction.  There may be benefits if you are uncomfortable and embarrassed, even if you don’t plan to end your conduct or change your ways. 

He says this discomfort is part of teshuvah. In my case, even if I intended to sneak back into that fantastic dental waiting room, saying it out loud would bring shame and hopefully start the recognition process.

Second, when a person has sincerely resolved not to sin again in his heart, confession allows him to express his resolutions outwardly. Rambam is teaching us that if we have determined to change our behavior, saying aloud that we feel remorse and will change our conduct may be more likely to “stick” if we verbalize it. 

Third, confession effectively inspires the person to remorse further, and he will be more careful on other occasions not to stumble. Temptation is tough. We can all talk a big game about remorse, but what happens when the opportunity presents itself again? I don’t recall ever peeking into the waiting room again after the discipline occurred. I guess that out of the experience I mentioned, I resolved not to do it again, no matter how tempting.

I can still see myself looking up at those giant doors (to a small child) and feeling something extraordinary was on the other side. But I can also still feel the pain and disappointment that registered in my grandparents because of my poor behavior. 

Our path to making amends and teshuvah starts with honoring both feelings. We will all be challenged continually to weigh the attraction to sin and the recognition of the cost of our actions to help us make wiser choices.

4 Israeli Hostages Rescued from Hamas, a B'nei Menashe Soldier Part of the Rescue Team

An IDF unit in action at Gaza.

(June 9, 2024). In a dramatic development yesterday, the IDF, Shin Bet and Yamam, a Police special force rescued 4 hostages alive from the clutches of Hamas in Nuseirat, central Gaza. The four are Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. All were abducted on the 7th October the Nova music festival at the southern community at Re'im. They were rescued from two different buildings at Nuseirat at homes of Palestinian civilians. Following that, they were taken to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up where they were declared to be in good condition. The operation came at a steep price; Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora of Tamam unit fell, caught in a hail of bullets. He was taken to the hospital but the doctors couldn't save him.

File photo of the hostages rescued yesterday.

It may be recalled that Noa Argamani was seen abducted by Hamas gunmen on a motorcycle. She is back with her family, including an ailing mother who is suffering from a terminal disease. The rescued hostages were met by the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog spoke to them by phone.

Our newsletter was informed late last night that an unnamed B'nei Menashe soldier was part of the team that rescued the hostages.