The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash

Surf A Little Torah
Yeshivat Har Etzion

Prepared by Rav David Silverberg

The special sacrifice offered on Shavuot is called "korban shetei halechem," the sacrifice of the two loaves. Unlike any other korban offered upon the altar, this sacrifice consisted of chametz. Wherein lies the significance of this unique exception?

It has been suggested that the answer lies in a well-known Gemara in Kiddushin (30). Hashem tells Benei Yisrael, "I created an evil inclination; I created Torah as a sweetener." That is, Torah constitutes the most effective antidote to the forces of the evil inclination. If so, then the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai marked a fundamentally new stage in Benei Yisrael's mode of avodat Hashem. Whereas up until that point they could serve God only with their "yetzer hatov" - their inclination for good, they can now worship the Almighty with their yetzer hara, as well, with the help of the Torah. Said otherwise, Torah effectively prepares the entire individual for the service of God. Rather than being fragmented into divisions of admirable and objectionable tendencies, one becomes, through the study and practice of Torah, a total, integrated being devoted to avodat Hashem.

Therefore, chametz appears on the sacrificial menu in the Temple on Shavuot. As opposed to matza, which represents the natural state before any processing or manipulation, chametz signifies the introduction of human endeavor, aspirations and desires, generally associated with the evil inclination. Torah presents one with a framework for every facet of existence. Every area of life is governed by an intricate system of laws, morals and values. As such, not one aspect of the scrupulous Torah observer's life remains totally exposed to the threats of one's natural inclination to sin. With Matan Torah, even the "chametz" of our personalities can devote themselves to God, and, as such, they may be placed upon the altar in the Mikdash.

On Shavuot we read the second half of Parashat Yitro, the account of Ma'amad Har Sinai and the Ten Commandments. After the commandments, God admonishes the people, "You shall not make with Me any gods of silver or gods of gold." A somewhat frightening "derush" (homiletic interpretation) of the verse is presented by Rabbenu Bachye. He understands "with Me" as referring to times of prayer, when an individual stands in the presence of God, as it were. During these moments, we are to refrain from making silver or golden images, meaning, we are to avoid engaging in thoughts involving the mundane, specifically issues relating to financial concerns, the thoughts most likely to disrupt one's concentration during prayer. One who does dwell upon these matters during tefila, Rabbenu Bachye writes, is considered as having worshipped graven images!!

From a strictly legal-halakhic standpoint, this is clearly not the case. However, the idea presented here is a powerful one. Although a human being by necessity must involve himself in all types of activities throughout the day, his primary focus must remain on the spiritual, on God and one's obligations to Him. Prayer affords us the opportunity to retain this focus, as we leave what we're doing and concentrate exclusively on our connection to our Creator. If even at such moments, specifically designated for the redirection of our minds towards God, our minds wander off back to the office, board meeting, television or bank, then clearly we have reversed our priorities. The mundane has earned its place as our primary pursuit and interest, while the service of God has been relegated to a necessary activity that we perform amidst our ongoing involvement in our more "important" duties.

Clearly, Rabbenu Bechaye did not mean that one who thinks about work during the repetition of shemonah esreih is an idolater. However, shifting one's focus away from Torah and mitzvot onto mundane pursuits, and the role reversal of work and leisure into the dominant feature of our lives, perhaps mark the first step in the direction of idolatry. Idol worship means the failure to recognize the power that steers the natural world, the limiting of one's appreciation to the natural forces themselves. Similarly, one who affords mental or emotional predominance to his worldly occupation fails to see beyond life itself to the meaning of life.

Indeed, shortly after Matan Torah God bids Moshe to tell Benei Yisrael, "Return to your tents," which Chazal understand as a reference to the resumption of normal family life. Appropriately, then, an order is issued regarding the maintenance of a proper attitude towards the balance of the sacred and secular. We must never forget what in our lives is primary and which elements remain on the periphery, which goals should receive the lion's share of our ambition, and which goals merely facilitate the realization of loftier aspirations.

Parashat Naso introduces the mitzvah of "birkat kohanim," the special blessing administered by the kohanim to the rest of the congregation. As its name suggests, this mitzva is charged only to the kohanim. Moreover, the Gemara in Ketubot 24b implies that a non-kohen who administers the birkat kohanim violates a positive commandment. Thus, not only is a non-kohen exempt from this mitzva, he is forbidden from reciting the blessing.

This halakha calls into question a perplexing Gemara in Shabbat 118. The Gemara records Rabbi Yossi as testifying to his obdience to the wishes of his colleagues. So careful was he to obey his colleagues' commands that despite the fact he was not a kohen, if they would ask him to "ascend the platform," i.e. to recite the priestly blessing, he would do so. How was Rabbi Yossi prepared to violate a Torah transgression by reciting birkat kohanim?

We present here a sampling of the many answers suggested:

1. The Rema, in Darkhei Moshe O.C. 128, suggests that the prohibition for a non-kohen to recite the blessing applies only when he recites the berakha alone. No prohibition exists regarding his joining other kohanim for the berakha.
2. The Magen Avraham (O.C. 128:1) contends that the Gemara in Ketubot never intended a prohibition against the recitation of the priestly blessing itself. Rather, it refers to a non-kohen who also recites the introductory blessing to birkat kohanim, which specifically mentions the reciter's having been commanded to administer this blessing. Obviously, in the case of a non-kohen, such a statement is absolutely false. Therefore, this berakha recited by the non-kohen constitutes a "berakha levatala," a wasted berakha, which the Gemara sees as a violation of a positive commandment.

3. Another argument is advanced by the Ba'al Ha-hafla'a, in his comments to the Gemara in Ketubot. He builds off the view of the Sefer Charedim (4:18) that just as the kohanim are under an obligation to bless the people, so are the people themselves obligated to receive the blessing. The Gemara in Ketubot that rendered a non-kohen's blessing a Torah violation referred to the non-kohen's failure to listen and receive the blessing by joining the kohanim in their recitation. The recitation of the berakha itself constitutes no violation; only neglecting the obligation of being blessed. Thus, it may be that Rabbi Yossi spoke of a situation where no kohanim were present. Since in any event he was not presented with an opportunity to receive the blessing, he violated no mitzva by reciting the berakha himself.
1. The Penei Yehoshua suggests two answers of his own, both related to the halakha's distinction between the recitation of birkat kohanim in the Mikdash, and that conducted elsewhere. Only in the Bet Hamikdash would the kohanim enunciate the "Shem Hameforash," the actual Name of God, as part of their blessing. The Penei Yehthus suggests that this distinction may indicate that outside the Temple, the requirement of birkat kohanim is of a lower level of obligation (possibly on the level of rabbinic enactment). It may be, therefore, that the prohibition banning non-kohanim from conducting the blessing applies only with regard to the primary blessing, that recited in the Bet Hamikdash. Alternatively, the Penei Yehoshua suggests, it may be that in fact both recitations - in and out of the Mikdash - share equal stature. However, the prohibition for a non-kohen to recite birkat kohanim relates specifically to his recitation of the Shem Hameforash as part of the berakha. Only the kohanim in the Mikdash were authorized to utter the Sacred Name, and herein lies the problem of a non-kohen participating in birkat kohanim. Consequently, the prohibition applies only in the Mikdash, when the Shem Hameforash is used.

Iy"h in tomorrow's S.A.L.T., we will present four other approaches to resolve this difficulty.

Yesterday, we cited Rabbi Yossi's testimony in the Gemara (Shabbat 118) that he was so intent on fulfilling the wishes of his contemporaries that if they would ask him to "ascend the platform" for birkat kohanim, he would consent, despite his not having been a kohen. We then provided several answers to explain how Rabbi Yossi could have been prepared to recite birkat kohanim, given the assertion in Ketubot 24b that recitation of birkat kohanim by a non-kohen constitutes a Biblical violation. Today we will cite four additional answers:

1. The Bach (beginning of O.C. 128) suggests that the prohibition against the recitation of birkat kohanim by a non-kohen applies only when the non-kohen conducts himself precisely as a kohen would during birkat kohanim. Rabbi Yossi was prepared to administer the priestly blessing, but he would not have agreed to lift his hands during the recitation, as the kohanim themselves do. Therefore, since he was willing only to recite the blessing without lifting his hands, he would have violated no prohibition.
2. The Magen Gibborim (quoted by the Mishna Berura 128:3) claims that a non-kohen does not violate this prohibition so long as he has no intention of fulfilling the mitzvah of birkat kohanim, an obligation binding only upon the kohanim.
3. The Lubavitcher Rebbe is cited as providing a different answer. Rabbi Yossi spoke of his comrades' request that he "ascend the platform," the elevated area from where kohanim administer the blessing. It may be that Rabbi Yossi would have consented only to position himself with the other kohanim. He would not, however, have actually recited birkat kohanim, as doing so would constitute a Torah violation.
4. The Torah Temima (in our parasha) raises a possible answer on the basis of a different version of the text in the Gemara. He notes that Rabbenu Yerucham cites this Gemara in the introduction to his work, only there Rabbi Yossi does not say, "I know I am not a kohen." Rather, this text records him as saying, "I know I am not worthy." Based on this version of the text, the Torah Temima suggests that Rabbi Yossi was not referring to birkat kohanim at all. Rather, he meant that although he deemed himself unworthy of delivering a public lecture, nevertheless if his colleagues would ask him to "ascend the platform" and lecture, he would acquiesce in deference to their authority. Thus, this passage has nothing at all to do with the issue of birkat kohanim.

In the Torah reading for Shavuot, we read of the "Covenant of Sinai." God assures the people, "Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples; indeed, all the earth is Mine." Many suggestions have been offered to explain the juxtaposition between Benei Yisrael's stature as God's "treasured possession" and the fact that He owns the entire universe. On a simple level, God reinforces the notion that as the one, true God, He alone decides which nation earns the title as "treasured people." However, the need for such a reminder at this point is far from clear.

The Chatam Sofer poses an entirely different understanding of the verse. The phrase "indeed, all the earth of Mine" refers to the Messianic Era, when all peoples in the world will recognize and honor God's divine authority. Under such circumstances, the singularity of the Jewish people becomes less apparent. After all, all nations acknowledge the Almighty! Therefore, God in this verse reassures Benei Yisrael that even when the entire world unites in deference to His exclusive authority, we will retain our status as God's treasured people.

Recall, however, that a covenant, by definition, requires bilateral, mutual obligation. If God guarantees us special status even in a universally monotheistic world, it is only because we promised a level of devotion that far exceeds the mere acknowledgement of His existence and authority. We will always be treasured by God because - and only because - we will always treasure His laws. We therefore cannot complacently resign ourselves to the moral, ethical and spiritual standards of the world around us. Benei Yisrael, the "am segula," is charged with a unique responsibility of setting the standards, rather than following those established by others.

On Shavuot we reaffirm our unwavering devotion to the Covenant of Sinai. This commitment requires far more than awareness or acknowledgement. It demands our ongoing drive to the highest levels of knowledge and character, such that we set an example for other people to follow.

The Midrash (Shemot Rabba 12) invokes an intriguing metaphor for Matan Torah: "To what may this be compared? To a king who decreed and declared that the inhabitants of Rome may not travel to Syria and the inhabitants of Syria may not travel to Rome. Similarly, when the Almighty created the world, He decreed and declared, 'The heavens, the heavens belong to God, and earth He has given to the humans.' When He sought to give the Torah, He annulled the initial decree and said that the lower world will ascend to the upper world and the upper world will descend to the lower world…"

It may be no exaggeration to claim that this Midrash captures the very essence and primary function of Torah. In the absence of Torah, an impenetrable barrier separates heaven and earth. No metaphysical content whatsoever could possibly be introduced into earthly existence, and the lives of all living organisms in the world - humans included - would resemble one another. The Torah is the single point of intersection between heaven and earth, the sole combination of the spiritual and the physical. It alone mandates how God can be introduced into our otherwise mundane existence, and how we can elevate ourselves towards him.

People at times find it difficult to discern the spiritual quality of Torah study, particularly the engagement in rigorous legal detail. This sense often evolves from a fundamental misconception of Torah. These people see religion as an attempt to divest themselves of the physical and become purely spiritual, rather than exploring the intersection between the two realms. The spiritual and the physical meet at a place called the Shulchan Arukh. It is there where, on the one hand, day-to-day life becomes infused in its entirety with Godliness, and, on the other, where the pristine Divine Will is translated into worldly terms. Torah means living our physical lives according to the demands of God, the ultimate spiritual being. When we learn the intricacies of Shabbat, tefila, monetary dispute, or any other area of Jewish law, we are studying the very purpose for which we chosen - the merging of the sacred and the mundane, the way in which the Almighty wants us to bring Him into our lives.

"Moshe ascended to God"; "God descended upon Mout Sinai…" Before God gave us the Torah, He Himself (figuratively, of course) came down from the heavens, and the most qualified representative of earth made his way up to God. This symbolizes what the receiving of the Torah is all about - the disintegration of the barrier between heaven and earth, mankind'sability to imbue human life with sacred quality, and God's ability and willingness to enter the daily lives of those who invite Him.

In an earlier S.A.L.T., we spoke of a verse towards the end of the Torah reading for Shavuot: "You shall not make with Me any gods of silver or gods of gold." The Chafetz Chayim suggests (Ahavat Chesed, chapter 10) that this verse prohibits - if only through allusion - turning one's gold and silver into gods.

This may in fact constitute an important theme of Shavuot. On this day, we not only commemorate our receiving of the Torah, but we celebrate our receiving the Torah. We rejoice in the knowledge that on this day we received the most precious gift in the world - the Torah, the means by which we can become God's treasured people. No other asset in the world can possibly mean more to a person than our gift at Ma'a'mad Har Sinai. Wealth must be viewed as the critical means by which we capitalize on this special privilege, not an end unto itself. Indeed, the Chafetz Chayim in this context cites a comment in the Yalkut to Parashat Re'ei associating miserly conduct to idolatry. One who places all his trust in his property, to the point that he refuses to assist others, necessarily undermines his faith in the Almighty. He has truly made gods of silver and gold.

This perhaps may explain the relationship between "Zeman Matan Toratenu" and "Chag HaBikkurim." Shavuot not only celebrates the receiving of the Torah, but also marks the festival of the first fruits, when the farmers bring their early produce to the Bet Hamikdash as an offering. The farmer thereby declares that, in essence, everything he "owns" in fact belongs to God, and by His grace alone we plow, sow and reap. Rather than right away eating the first fruits, we donate them to the Almighty. By contrast, we herald Matan Torah by remaining awake through the night taking in as much as we can before sunrise. In this way, we remind ourselves that Torah is, by far, our most precious commodity.

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