To Each His Own

Although Naso is the longest parsha in the Torah (176 pesukim), many will notice that the ending is the very repetitive korbanos brought by each of the 12 nesi'im. Many commentaries attempt to understand why each korban is listed separately if each person brought the same thing. Why not simply mention that all nesi'im brought this korban, and spare the ba'al korei his voice?

The Medrash (Vayikra Rabbah 8:3) says:

ר' יהודה אמר חביב קרבן שלנשיאים לפני הקב"ה כשירה שאמרו ישראל על הים. בשירה כת' זה אלי ואנויהו (שמות טו, ב), וכן כת' זה קרבן (במדבר ז, יז)

The korbanos of the nesi'im were as beloved to G-d as the shiras ha'yam the Jewish people sang after leaving Egypt, as each include the word "zeh." What is the connection between these seemingly unrelated events, the Song of the Sea sang by the Jewish people, and the 12 sacrifices brought by the Jewish leaders?

Rav Yakov Meshulam Orenstein (Yeshu'os Yakov) explains that there are two ways of achieving faith and trust in Hashem. One avenue of finding G-d, and perhaps the more common one, is through His performance of miracles. But a person can also find his Creator through intellectual pursuit. [This may parallel the Rambam's two ways of finding G-d: nature, which one can appreciate as being miraculous, and Torah, Divine wisdom.] After witnessing a miracle, all believers will be equal; they all saw the same objective Hand of G-d, and received equal motivation in following G-d. However, intellectual discoveries will lead to different levels, since each person has his own thoughts and emotions, and each will reach a different level of understanding.

Therefore, when leaving Mitzrayim, the original miracles created a situation of "vaya'amen ha'am," the whole nation believed together, all on the same level. However, days later at Yam Suf, they saw Hashem like prophets ("ra'asa shifcha al ha'yam..."). This confrontation with Hashem was much deeper and more personal. In such a subjective experience, each person can only declare "zeh keli," this is my G-d, as I see Him. At the End of Days, when G-d will shower every person with the ability to understand Him in the deepest ways, then we can all come together and say "hiney Elokeinu zeh," this is our G-d.

The Midrashim go through the unique kavanos that each nasi had while bringing his korban. The Ramban  explains that this is one reason that each korban was mentioned separately, and not combined into one pasuk. Since each person had his own ideas and symbolism behind his korban, each is mentioned separately. Therefore, explains the Yeshu'os Yakov, the "zeh" of their korbanos paralleled the "zeh" of shiras ha'yam. Like the Jews at Yam Suf, each nasi had his own personal experience with G-d. And just as Hashem enjoyed the unique service of each Jew at Yam Suf expressed through shira, so too He loved each one of the 12 korbanos offered by the nesi'im.

Practical Solutions

One of the biggest complaints about the recent asifah was the lack of focus on practical solutions, including filtering and monitoring. The promised 100-page booklet was not given to attendees of the asifah, and all we were "left with" was chizzuk. The booklet has now been released. Based on a very quick glance, it seems that it was done thoroughly utilizing Rabbonim, experts in technology, and the secular experts in these fields. Information and specific solutions are offered in this comprehensive guide, available below:

Technology Solutions

Remember When

Right before repeating the Aseres ha'Dibros in Parshas Va'eschonon, the Torah warns (Devarim 4:9-10):

רק השמר לך ושמר נפשך מאד פן תשכח את הדברים אשר ראו עיניך ופן יסורו מלבבך כל ימי חייך והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך: יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' אלקיך בחרב באמר ה' אלי הקהל לי את העם ואשמעם את דברי אשר ילמדון ליראה אתי כל הימים אשר הם חיים על האדמה ואת בניהם ילמדון

We are commanded not to forget that which our eyes saw. We must tell our children about the day we stood at Chorev (Har Sinai). At the end of the Rambam's Sefer Ha'mitzvos, the Ramban lists several mitzvos he feels the Rambam left out. One of them (lo sa'aseh #2) is the prohibition to forget ma'mad Har Sinai, as mentioned in the above pasuk. The Ramban emphasizes the importance of this mitzvah, that if a prophet were to give us the Torah, then another prophet can come and change it. However, since the Torah was given to all of K'lal Yisrael by Hashem Himself, only He can add or detract, to the exclusion of any flesh and blood person. [The Megillas Esther defends the Rambam that believing that Hashem gave us the Torah is included in all mitzvos]. If the Ramban believes that this is a mitzvah, then where do we fulfill this obligation every day?

The Tur (OC 47) explains the meaning of the second (or third) of the birchos ha'Torah, "asher bachar banu":

ועוד יש ברכה אחרת על התורה בא"י אמ"ה אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו בא"י נותן התורה ויכוין בברכתו על מעמד הר סיני אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים וקרבנו לפני הר סיני והשמיענו דבריו מתוך האש ונתן לנו את תורתו הקדושה שהיא בית חיינו כלי חמדתו שהיה משתעשע בה בכל יום 

The Bach explains that the Tur was bothered by the fact that for most mitzvos we have one beracha whereas for the Torah we have two. Therefore he explained that the second one was not composed regarding the mitzvah of Torah; rather it reflects the standing at Har Sinai to receive the Torah. The Bach adds that one should have in mind to give thanks to Hashem for giving us the Torah, and especially for giving it through fire and trepidation.

Rav Matisyahu Salomon points out that these represent two independent parts of Matan Torah. Obviously we received the Torah and are grateful for that, but we also must remember the fear of Heaven instilled at the time of Matan Torah. Shavuos celebrates not only the actual Torah but the special yiras Shamyaim which accompanies it as well.

These two dimensions are each represented in Dayenu which we say every Pesach. First we thank Hashem just for being "keirvanu lifnei Har Sinai," even without giving the Torah, simply for instilling us with unprecedented yiras Shamayim. Then we mention that He gave us the Torah as well.

Rav Salomon adds that this is why we mention "yiras Shamayim" twice every Shabbos Mevorchim. First we ask for yiras Shamayim v'yiras cheit, a fear of G-d and sin. But then we ask for something greater, ahavas Torah v'yiras Shamayim, a love of Torah and a love of the fear of Heaven that accompanied it at Har Sinai just 3322 years ago.

The Shema Heard Round the World

Shlomo Ha'Melech advised many years ago, "Al tochach leitz pen yisna'eka, hochei'ach le'chacham veye’ehavecha" (Mishlei 9:8). Simply put, there is nothing to gain by rebuking a fool, one who scoffs at everything sacred. There is no real benefit in explaining the fallacies in the consistent anti-Yeshiva bloggers and commentors who have no interest in hearing anything other than their own words. Last night's asifah was well received by the many attendees whom I spoke with (I had a conflict and could not attend). Although people were frustrated by the Yiddish speeches and lack of practical guidelines, many people reported being inspired by some of the English speeches, as well as just gathering with tens of thousands of diverse Jews to talk about a struggle in Avodas Hashem, not to mention singing and davening together, and being mekabel Ol Malchus Shamayim as one unified group. While the shortcomings of the event may have been accidents, poor planning, or done intentionally (practical advice may be better dispensed to each community individually), there was clearly a lot of positives to appreciate.

A simple reframing of the event allows us to look at it not as a solution to all of the problems of the Internet, but as an opportunity for thousands of Jews to get together and draw chizzuk in a difficult area. Not coincidentally, the evening was planned for erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, a day on which the Shelah recommends reciting a special tefillah he composed for the spiritual well-being of our children. The event was not harmful in any way, imposed upon anyone, or advertised as the answer to the Internet question; it was simply an evening of inspiration. If they gathered to discuss emunah or tefillah and hear speeches explaining their importance, no one would protest (hopefully). This gathering turned out to be no different, and is a difficult one to protest. As one friend of mine said about the anti-asifah lobbyists, "[People] need to model healthy & spiritually productive Internet use more than [they] need to Hate-On-Yeshivish People."

It is hard to believe that the asifah was not successful in some ways. Rav Wachsman's voice will probably echo in the hearts of those tempted to continue wasting time on the Internet. I know one person who already learned a full daf gemara as part of his "Internet masechta," i.e. a gemara learned during time normally spent on the computer.

Although as mentioned, blog comments are rarely written by Harvard scholars, I found that the following comment succinctly addresses many of these points, and will quote it in its entirety in closing:

"As far as the Asifa itself.

If Jews have an idea, any idea, which can only help Klal Yisrael, why be against it?

Will anyone get hurt by having this asifa?

For those who claim it costs too much money, well, some gvirim are sponsoring obviously and let them and their Rabbanim they ask decide how to spend their money. It's not your business to say it would be better spent on a diff. charitable cause.

The ads in the papers talk about it being a tefila gathering to daven for all the broken people and families that the internet has caused and can cause. Why would anyone be against that?

Again, who does it hurt?

It's a asifa and kenisia l'shem Shamayim. Chazal say great things about that.

Is the asifa a end-all solution?

Of course not.

Does Dovid Teitelbaum's column have an amazing amount of good points?

YES.

But why be against this asifa?

I just don't get it unless someone is looking for an excuse to be anti-Gedolim and anti-establishment.

All the critics seem to have bones to pick and are looking for a fight against Gedolim and the Charedi world.

And those are not good reasons to be against this sincere asifa."

Family Dinners

Working with the theme of recent posts depicting Shabbos as a time of more self-reflection and less companionship than Yontif, a discussion about the importance of family dinners seems in place. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (known as CASA) has been reporting since 2003 (with six additional studies since then) about the importance of family dinners. Many correlations have been found to various substance abuse, with more frequent family dinners being correlated with lower substance abuse.

As mentioned in the context of an "Internet Sabbath," believing that Shabbos meals solve the "family dinner" issue is inaccurate and superficial. First of all, many people share their Shabbos meals with company, a beautiful thing, but insufficient in providing family members with the time and comfort to spend quality time together. Additionally, CASA's most recent study, for example, defines a healthy "frequent" number of family dinners to be at least five to seven, not one or two.

Particularly, in our age which encourages both excessive use of technology (often in isolation), as well as long work days to provide for a family, these daily family meals seem lost. Thankfully, several writers, Jewish and secular, have recently discussed their importance.

In the second issue of Klal Perspectives (available here), Rabbi Moshe Hauer mentions the CASA studies and stresses the importance for our community to heed their implicit meaning. Engaged parents, he notes, provide children with a sense of security, confidence, and self worth. Yonasan Rosenblum, expounding on Rabbi Hauer's article adds his own memories of why these dinners are so important: "But sitting together every night for seventeen years, before we went off to college, meant that we imbibed our parents' opinions on almost every issue of relevance, even if largely by osmosis. Their values and keen sense of right and wrong were conveyed cumulatively in thousands of remarks over those years. We knew that they viewed being Jewish as the most important thing about us, even if they never articulated why.

"And they knew us as well – our activities and friends. And our hour or so together every night insured that they had their finger on the pulse of our occasionally volcanic teenage emotions. Sitting around table created a bond and a sense of the family as a unit. I have little doubt that one of the things that attracted my brothers and me to the chareidi community was its family-centeredness."

In the most recent issue of the Jewish Action (here), Rabbi Steven Weil, when discussing how to manage family time with difficult time constraints notes how effective family dinners can be in fostering the growth of the family unit.

To add a relevant word about technology, several technology writers (such as Larry Rosen) have pointed out the importance of family time, especially during meals, in our wired generation. The aforementioned Internet Sabbath piece refers to taking a break in time from technology, like a form of kedushas z'man. A recent New York Times article by Sherry Turkle advises instituting a kedushas makom as well: "At home, we can create sacred spaces: the kitchen, the dining room. We can make our cars 'device-free zones.' We can demonstrate the value of conversation to our children....Most of all, we need to remember — in between texts and e-mails and Facebook posts — to listen to one another, even to the boring bits, because it is often in unedited moments, moments in which we hesitate and stutter and go silent, that we reveal ourselves to one another."

Standing Still

We previously mentioned (Take Over The World) how every man strives to grow and to accomplish, but must choose in which direction he travels. Most people look to expand horizontally, and see or find out about foreign place. The Kohen Gadol's interest was exploring the Heavens, and attaining kedusha.

This relates to a beautiful idea of the Meshech Chochmah, also on last week's Parshas Emor (23:21). The Meshech Chochmah points out that Shabbos and Yontif are very similar in most respects, however the few differences provide insight into the uniqueness of each, and how each can enhance the understanding of how a person can grow in either direction.

The Meshech Chochmah introduces his idea, by observing that many mitzvos promote personal growth, such as tzitzis, tefillin, and tefillah, and many other mitzvos promote communal growth, such as tzedakah and any form of chessed. Similarly, Yontif represents a time of growing together as a community. The ordinarily prohibited cooking becomes permissible, even at times and with quantities that seem unreasonable for one family, because on Yontif there is always a possibility of having company. Carrying from one property to another is also permitted, further encouraging travel and companionship on the festivals. Shabbos, however, is different. Carrying and any form of cooking are prohibited. When G-d originally commanded Shabbos (in the context of the mann), He specifically declared "al yetzei ish mimkomo," man should not leave his place (known in halacha as the t'chum).

This split between Shabbos and Yontif provides important understanding into both types of movement discussed previously. Regarding horizontal movement and man's natural effort to conquer, it seems that even that energy has a place in Judaism, namely through chessed. One should not be interested in everyone else's business, but should be concerned with helping people far and wide. Some of the most impressive chessed organizations have reached thousands of Jews in the most far-off places. The ideal form of connectivity is chessed, similar to the Yontif paradigm.

On the other hand Shabbos represents a special time, once a week, never more or less, when a person can stop moving and look upward. Excessive travel or company do not easily fit into the laws of Shabbos. The day was designed as a chance for a person to spend a day in his own space, "al yetzei ish mimkomo," and reflect on his relationship with the One Above. Like the opportunity of the Kohen Gadol every day, we have one day a week fully immersed in climbing the spiritual ladder.

Take Over the World

Rav Chaim Shmuelevtiz (Sichos Mussar #30, 78) explains that Dovid HaMelech ordered his son and replacement Shlomo to punish Shimi ben Gera. Yet, all that Shlomo did to Shimi was command him to go to Yerushalayim and never leave. How is that decree, that he must live in the most desirable Jewish city in the whole world, a fulfillment of his father's orders to repay Shimi for cursing Dovid? Rav Shmuelevitz explains that as great as any place in the world can be, Shlomo realized that being forced to be somewhere removes all the joy. Every person wants the freedom to be mobile; taking away that freedom and putting Shimi under house arrest would be devastating any place in the world.

The Rambam (Hil. Klei Mikdash 5:7) says that the Kohen Gadol should have a home in the Mikdash, and his honor and glory ("k'vodo v'tif'arto") should be spending his whole day in the Mikdash, outside of a few hours which he can be at home in Yerushalayim. The Rambam presumably derived this law from the pasuk in this week's parsha, "u'min ha'Mikdash lo yetzei" (21:12), he shall not leave the Sanctuary. Utilizing Rav Shmuelevitz's premise, that man wants to be mobile, Rav Shimshon Dovid Pinkus (Tiferes Torah) asks how the Torah can limit the Kohen Gadol to such a small space, and how the Rambam can find this practice as the pride and glorification of the Kohen Gadol.

Rav Pinkus explains the Rambam by first providing insight into why human nature desires to move and why jail feels so painfully limiting. The gemara (Chagigah 12a) says that originally, Adam Ha'Rishon occupied the entire Earth, but was then condensed into one body which incorporated the entire Earth. Because our ancestor was created from the entire planet, we all have an innate desire to expand across boundaries. Modern technology in particular has allowed us to see how strongly people desire to be connected to places far beyond their normal limits. The news of world events gives us pleasure in connecting to opposite corners of the Earth in the same way that being in prison pains us to be so limited, even if we had all of the physical pleasures while imprisoned.

However, the gemara offers another view about a different dimension to Adam Ha'Rishon's immense origins. Besides containing the entire width of the world in his body, he was also of immense height, making him capable of reaching from Heaven to Earth. Therefore, every person contains an uncontrollable desire to grow and to conquer; however, this desire can be fulfilled through physical pursuits and horizontal expansion, or through spiritual pursuits and vertical growth. Man needs to achieve and to accomplish, but which direction he moves is up to the person.

The Rambam considered the Kohen Gadol's house arrest in the Beis Ha'Mikdash to be a source of pride and dignity because although physically limiting, his spiritual pursuits were immeasurable. A man who would annually enter the holiest place in the world did not need to visit Europe or access the World Wide Web to fulfill his needs to conquer the world. His vertical growth provided more than adequate satisfaction.

[Special thanks to Rav Yehuda Goldin who contributed sources and helped develop both this idea and the one above (Standing Still)].