Anonymous On The Parsha

Once again, I would like to give a tremendous thank you to the "anonymous commenter" on the last post, who so graciously offered these beautiful Divrei Torah :

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל-הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא-יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו

Rashi says on this Posuk is teaching us to warn the adults regarding the minors. What does this mean? The Chasam Sofer offers a few answers .The Cohen's children are of a special status genealogically. The reason for this is because of the Laws of the Kehunah. The reason by a non-Cohen a child is believed to be of his Parents is because of the law of majority. This in legal reasoning is a weak argument. This means we believe the mother to say who the father of the child is on her word. This by a Cohen says the Chasam Sofer is different. There is a law in Kehuna that if the wife of a Cohen is attacked, the wife is no longer allowed to live with her husband. The reason for this is if there is a child sired thereafter it has a special status of a Chillul. This child loses the special status of Kehunah and can not do the service in the temple. It also brings shame to the family to prevent all of this we know that the wife of the Cohen will admit right away that she was attacked, and will not consider continuing living with her husband. Therefore her children have the special strong genealogical status so Rashi says you have a special connection with your children henceforth you the Cohen must be extra careful about your minors. The second less legalistic reason is also to do with the Technical aspects of Kehuna .Kohanim do not receive a plot of land in Israel as do the other tribes. The Kohanim also subsist on Terumos and Masseros .It is for these reasons the Kohanim have a special warning from Rashi to watch out for the younger ones. That is because there was no regular source of income not land or regular finances. Therefore Rashi specifies that special care must be taken of the Minors as they have no source of income. A third reason given by the Chasam Sofer has to do with the special Genetic trait that all Kohanim are supposed to have that is they are a "Lovers of Peace and a pursuers of Peace" as there grandfather Aharon HaKohen was. Therefore they are especially meant for doing Hashem's work of bringing the Jews closer to Hashem. This being defined as Kiruv with this holy work says the Chasam Sofer comes great responsibility. That is to "warn the adults regarding the minors" meaning to warn them not to got overly involved in the others peoples lives seeing that they can influence you the other Kohanim in the negative so it is your job to forewarn them that is to be לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא-יִטַּמָּא

וְכִי-תִזְבְּחוּ זֶבַח-תּוֹדָה לַיהוָה לִרְצֹנְכֶם תִּזְבָּחוּ

The Posuk structure is very strange what does it mean "When you give a Korban it should be willingly? The answer is Profound the Korban we are referring to is a Todah which is given after going through a life threatening experience. The person might say to himself, why should I thank God After all the reason I got out of this situation is because God put me into this situation? The Posuk foresees this situation and says no that is not the case you must give it לִרְצֹנְכֶם, and you must recognize that even though in your limited life view it was a negative experience your belief in Hashem tells you needed it.

בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הַזֶּה חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים לַיהוָה
וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ-עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי-נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים

The Sefer Bnei Yissachar has some very interesting Remazim for Succos. It is said that the Lulav includes all of the Torah. The Bnei Yissachar Illustrates this point .The Torah starts with the word בְּרֵאשִׁית and ends with the words לְעֵינֵי כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵלthe navi starts with וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי מוֹת מֹשֶׁה and ends in Divrie Hayomim with אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וְיָעַל you put together the last and first letters you get Lulav. It is also interesting to note that Lulav is an Acronym for the words וטהר לבנו לעבדך באמת take the first letters and again you have Lulav. Another interesting one comes from the word Sukkah the structure of the letters can actually teach you the Halachos of how many walls are required to have a kosher Sukkah. There are 3 types of Kosher Succos one a Samech which has 4 walls first letter of the word Sukkah. Then a Mem which has three and half walls the second type of kosher Sukkah and then a Heh 2 and a partial wall the Third type of Kosher Sukkah and making up the word Sukkah.

וּקְרָאתֶם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כָּל-מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם בְּכָל-מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם

The Posuk makes a very strange comment "and you call in middle of this day" what is its significance? The Brisker Rav answers based on a Rambam months are sanctified based on two witnesses. It would happen every once in a while that the witnesses would come late and say a while back I saw the moon and it was Rosh Chodesh. The Rambam says in this situation we declare the day the witnesses saw the moon Rosh Chodesh. This means in middle of the day it can theoretically become a day of Yom Tov. This Posuk is talking about Shavous which is not based on Rosh Chodesh but on Sefirah meaning once Pesach happened count Sefirah and in the end is Shavous. Therefore our Posuk says בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה on Shavous is the only day you can be מִקֹדֶשׁ in middle of the day because it is definitely Shavous because Rosh Chodesh does not affect it.

דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר-תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֵלֶּה הֵם מוֹעֲדָי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ כָּל-מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ שַׁבָּת הִוא לַיהוָה בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם

Why did this Parsha in the first Posuk start talking about Yom Tov and in the next Posuk talk about Shabbos? The Vilna Gaon provides the answer there are שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים that are from the Torah but you are allowed to do Melacha for food. The first and last day of Pesach make 2 days and a third is one day of Shavous a Fourth is a single day of Rosh Hashanah and then again 2 days of Succos adding up to 6 days that the Torah gave us But then the last Yom Tov is שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן Yom Kippur and Hence the connection of the two Posukim is Explained.

וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת-שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The Posuk seems to be repetitive "do not desecrate my name and I will be holy"? The Posuk is issuing a special warning. The Posuk is addressing certain special situations where there is potential for booth. The airplane minyan has a lot of potential for people who have never seen a davening before to see it first hand and take part aוְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי ְ but on the flip side it also has potential to be תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת-שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי with people being inconsiderate to the people sitting in this seats closest to the Minyan. Therefore Hashem in this Posuk is telling us see the Posuk when you go to make a Kiddush Hashem make sure וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת-שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי.