Four times in the Book of Bamidbar, where tribal matters are discussed, the verses which deal with Binyamin and Dan are written consecutively. In the Book of Yechezkel, Binyamin and Dan appear in the same verse. The two closing chapters in the Book of Shoftim (Judges) deal with episodes involving the tribes of Binyamin and Dan.
Why this affinity between these two tribes who were born from different mothers – Dan from Bilhah and Binyamin from Rachel?
The parsha contains HaShem’s dreaded warning (tochacha) regarding the fate of the Jewish nation if we breach the holy covenant by abandoning the Torah way of life.
The humble number of ten million or so halachic Jews in the world after 3500 years of nationhood, is concrete evidence of the tochacha’s lethal reality. Whatever evil and suffering that could befall a nation has happened to the Jewish people, including several human catastrophes not mentioned in the tochacha, like gas chambers and crematoria.
Throughout our galut experience, the Jewish nation has sought a light at the end of the tunnel; a sign that our suffering is drawing to a close, a rapprochement with our Father in Heaven. It was to happen through a human being who would lead us out of the galut to return home to Eretz Yisrael; to continue our intimate relationship with the Creator, so dramatically and drastically interrupted when our holy Temple was destroyed.
The title given to the long awaited savior of our people was and is “Mashiach”.
There are days and events whose essence is the unity and uniqueness of the Jewish people, like Yamim Nora’im (the days of Awe – Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur), the days of fasting or the death of an illustrious personality. However, there are days which should unite the Jewish nation, but unfortunately rip asunder the ties which bind us, revealing the ugly side of our divisive nature. They are Yom Hazikaron, where one cannot but notice that an important religious segment of our nation in the Holy Land are simply not present in any of the many military cemeteries, and Yom Ha’atzma’ut when that segment disregards the miraculous essence of the day.
Why is a Kohen Prohibited from Marrying a Divorcee?
Our parsha’s prohibition on marriage between a Kohen and divorcee has caused great consternation throughout the ages, especially in light of the Torah’s rationale that a Kohen is required to be “kadosh” (holy), implying that a divorcee is an inappropriate wife for one who is holy!
Indeed! Why does the Torah penalize a woman who had a bad marriage through no fault of her own, and has now met a Kohen who wants to give her a new life? Did not Amram, father of Miriam and Aharon, remarry Yocheved after divorcing her, who then gave birth to the holy Moshe Rabbeinu?
Before Pesach, I was presented with a copy of a “Torah magazine”(?) called Kuntris, as stated on the front cover.
The issues dealt with are Torah related ones, and are penned by rabbis who are well known in yeshiva circles in the United States.
So far so good!
However, there is one “minor” detail that caught my eye almost immediately, which could not be a remarkable co-incidence, but an intentionally planned out editorial policy.
The Hagada instructs every Jew to see himself and herself as if they were enslaved in Egypt and were freed by the hand of HaShem. The most effective way is to stand before a mirror and imagine that you are looking at a Jewish slave.
After reading the following story of two brothers, stand before a mirror and ask yourself two questions: Which of the two brothers and their respective families are living a life closer to the word and spirit of the Torah? Where do you and your family fit into the story?
