In light of the recent violence on the national scene, Federation asked the rabbis of Greater Metrowest New Jersey to provide their latest divrei torah, drashot, or other insights on the situation. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent those held by Federation.   Dialogue and debate are positive and necessary methods to promote change.   As such, we hope you can find comfort and guidance in the words of our spiritual leaders.  

 

ZIRUZ FOR ALL OF ISRAEL

Amidst the many current problems abounding today, both here in the USA and in Israel, one thing is clear: the world is in need of strong, courageous leaders, who can direct their constituents on the path of righteousness, law and order, and who will not be intimidated otherwise by various pressures.  We hope that such leaders will continue to lead the Free World countries and Israel. 

In the soon upcoming portion of  Pinchas,  we will read "Command the children of Israel and say unto them: "my offering to serve as My Bread you shall observe to bring it to me in its proper time"" (Bamidbar 28:2) This verse deals with the daily communal offerings of two lambs in the Beis Hamikdash-The Holy Temple.  Rashi comments: "What is stated earlier in the text "let G-d establish (lit. "command") a (new) leader over the congregation".  Said G-d to him:  to the extent that you "command" me (appoint a new leader), rather command my children about Me.  This is exemplified with the parable of the king's daughter who was about to leave this world, and was giving instructions to her husband about her sons etc.."  One can ask: why does Rashi seek a connection between this verse and the preceding topic ("let G-d appoint a leader").  Rashi does not usually make such connections -- unless some question is answered by making the connection.  The truth is that there is such a question:  we have learned several times before this point in Chumash that whenever the expression "command the children of Israel and say unto them" is used, the word "command" underscores a certain "ziruz", an “additional stress” to strengthen the matter at hand (which is the reason why this expression is not deemed repetitious).

Here, however, what kind of "ziruz" can be given to "all the children of Israel", if the persons involved in offering this daily two korbonos (offerings) are only the Kohanim??!

To answer this, Rashi therefore makes the connection to the previous verses to indicate that this ziruz indeed does touch all of Israel as a whole and is G-d's retort, tit for tat, to Moshe's request that G-d appoint a new leader after he's gone. Moshe said "let G-d command (establish) a leader; parallel to this G-d said "command the children of Israel".  Moshe said "a leader for the entire congregation"; G-d said "command all of Bnai Yisroel" (not only the kohanim), so that the nachas ("sweet aroma" pleasing to G-d) generated by the korbonos should be attributed to all of Israel, and therefore the ziruz is applicable to all of them.

MORE IMPORTANT THAN A TRUE LEADER?

However, two questions still remain: a) how did Moshe have the seeming audacity to address G-d in a commanding manner "G-d, do appoint a man upon the congregation!" b) why did G-d respond "rather than commanding Me regarding my children, do command them regarding (their relationship with) Me? Does giving G-d nachas through the korbonos carry more weight than the need of the Jewish people to have a suitable leader to follow in the footsteps of Moshe Rabeinu? Can you imagine what such a leader would do today: he would fearlessly protect Jewish lives and provide security by annexing all territories that are part and parcel of the G-d-given Holy Land, and once and for all, after putting all terrorists out of the way, he would impose a just and lasting solution for many Arabs now used as mere pawns by their coreligionists? Isn't this the most important, i.e.  that "the congregation (of Israel) should not be like (meek) lambs (led to their slaughter by terrorists due often to the meekness of some of their jelly fish leaders) which do not have (a true) shepherd (concerned first and foremost about their security)! (Bamidbar 27:17)

DAILY DAVENING: G-D'S BREAD!

To answer these two questions Rashi also quotes the example of the princess from Midrash Tanchuma.  In this example, the princess, married to a commoner, can clamor to her husband to look after her children in such a strong manner only when she is about to die and is giving final instructions (since she is subjugated to her husband during her married life). Likewise, Moshe, corresponding to the princess, clamors close to his demise that his people not be bereft of a proper leader.  The husband retorts that these children, whose mother is the king's daughter, are the king's grand-children, and what if they start ignoring him in his days of future need, when he may be looking for a morsel of bread. Instead, says he to his dying wife, command the children to look after me in my old age.  G-d, though the Supreme King, is still compared here to a husband who is a commoner, vis-a-vis the Jews who have repeatedly sinned and indeed take Him to be a mere "commoner": yes, G-d is entitled to some attention amidst their many other interests, which, frankly, are a bit more interesting and with which they fill their busy daily schedule.  They'll make room for Him on Shabbos morning in Shul and during the Kiddush that follows.  After that, they say “let's get on with real important business that makes the world revolve”.  From such a position, G-d retorts to Moshe, rather command them regarding Me, for I also need the "morsel of bread": the verse here refers to the daily communal offerings as "My Continuous Bread", literally translated.  You, Moshe, are right in demanding that your children not be bereft of true leaders, but you have no idea what is accomplished by the Service of Korbonos, which, just as bread connects soul to body and sustains the connection between them, so, too, did I decide that the way to have My Infinity connected to this limited physical world should be through the korbonos which I consider My bread.  So that if you Moshe, dear princess and wife, see to it that the Jewish people continue this service and the daily prayer services which today replace the korbonos (and are the true elements that make the world revolve), I, G-d, your dear husband, will see to it that all your needs, including that of  fearless, unintimidated, Jewishly-proud, Torah-observant G-dly leaders, will be met.  And I’ll see to it that other world leaders will be the right ones, working in tandem with My plan of establishing Divine Revelation throughout the whole world.

 

Rabbi Yeheskel Lebovic
Congregation Ahavath Zion
Maplewood, New Jersey