Without being judgmental, I thought about how either one of these giants could have – with one sentence – changed the path of Jewish history in a way not done since the times of Moshe Rabbeinu or Ezra Hasofer. I cannot know what went on in the minds of these two great people, but the facts speak for themselves.
What we call “humanity” is very much a part of the bestial, animal world. I know that this is a difficult concept to accept, especially in view of the “righteous gentiles” who endangered their lives to save Jews…
Aharon remained silent because he understood the message that HaShem had sent to the Jewish people. It is incumbent upon each Torah Jew to try and understand the messages HaShem is constantly sending us, as Aharon was able to do at the demise of his two sons.
R. Yoshiah says do not read the word “matzot” to mean only matzot, but read it to refer also to the mitzvot (commandments), and just as one must not procrastinate while baking the matzot and thus cause them to be chametz, one should not procrastinate in keeping a mitzva but must fulfill the mitzva immediately.
Many Jewish communities in the galut can be likened to the Shelamim, but in Eretz Yisrael we are like the Olah sacrifice – it’s all “for the Boss”. Eretz Yisrael is the Jews’ last stop – it is home. Here we must stand firm in defense of our emunah (faith) and eternal destiny.
Israel is soon to host the President of the United States. This is not a political visit – it is a challenge to our faith and a denial of the God of Israel. In the four parshiot of Teruma, Tetzaveh, Vayakhel and Pekudai there is a repetition of the Mishkan’s details, so uncharacteristic of the Torah’s constrictive textual style. Why?
