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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
Candle Lighting: 8:06 Havdala: 9:12
Note: The Halachic times listed here are from www.myzmanim.com.
How to Build the Beit HaMikdash By Seth Weiss, 12 th Grade
In Parashat Emor we read about the
Kohanim and various Korbanot offered in the
Beit HaMikdash. Towards the end we hear about
the different holidays we are commanded to
observe. It seems to me that this Parashah
consists of what goes into a Beit Hamikdash-not
exactly the physical things, but more of the
people, offerings and timings. Seems like
everything connects just fine. Except there is this
one part of Emor in Perek 23 Pasuk 22, just as
Revii is about to close, that discusses the concept
of Pe’ah. Pe’ah is the idea that one should not
collect the crops grown in the corners of a field,
but instead should leave them for the poor and
the strangers.
One could understand this mitzvah as it
is talking about Tzedaka, which is pretty much
what it is in the end, but it doesn’t really fit in
with the idea of the Beit Hamikdash. So what it is
doing here? Pe’ah actually falls into the category
of two other similar mitzvot. They are Leket and
Shichecha, both similar to the idea of leaving
food in your field for the poor and strangers of
the land. Rashi quotes R. Avdimi ben R. Yosef
who has the same question we do. Why is this
mitzvah of Pe’ah placed right before we hear
about Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh HaShanah, and
Yom Kippur? And why is it placed right after we
have talked about the Kohanim and the various
Korbanot?
They answer this question by telling us
that one who keeps the mitzvot of Pe’ah, Leket,
and Shichecha are as if they themselves have
built the Beit Hamikdash and offered Korbanot.
That’s a creative answer, but how does that
concept make sense? How is keeping the mitzvot
of Pe’ah, Leket, and Shichecha equal to building
the Beit Hamikdash and giving a Korban?
Emor Friday, May 2, 2014 / ד"תשע אייר' ב
Special Yom Haatzmaut Edition!
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
The Be’er Yitzchak answers this by telling
us that Korbanot are not truly gifts to Hashem.
Rather they are for the purity of our hearts.
Sacrifices or gifts for the poor and strangers go
hand in hand. As long as our hearts are pure and
we acknowledge that nothing is ours and
everything comes from Hashem, Pe’ah and
sacrifices to Hashem are no different. When one
is more successful than his fellow, he must
realize that all that he has comes from Hashem
and share it with the less fortunate. It is just like
when we learn Torah. Sure we should all aspire
to be great chachamim, but we must also
remember to teach others so we can grow as a
whole nation, and not just as one person. Once
we are building up our nation and giving to
others it is like we are building the Beit
Hamikdash and giving Korbanot ourselves.
Avoiding Distractions By Zak Fleischman, 10 th Grade
In this week’s Parashah, Parashat Emor a
multitude of subjects are discussed from holidays
to the Omer. However, the most interesting and
somewhat controversial topic in the Parashah is
the Halachot of disallowing kohanim from
service in the Beit HaMikdash. In Sheni, the
Torah speaks of Kohanim who are disallowed
from service when they have physical
impairments. Kohanim are banned from service
if they have an odd nose, limp, or even overly
bushy eyebrows. This seems odd and even
contradictory to what we know about Hashem
and how he views us. We believe that hashem
views us all equally so why should one eyebrow
length or thickness change that?
The answer is not what we would like to
admit, but it is because we are concerned with
our physical likeness. In the morning when we
wake up we don’t think about our spirituality or
our Middot which we plan to do. We think about
if our hair look good, if we are feeling well, or we
have a clean shirt. A Kohen who has an odd
physical trait will not always be distracted by
their oddity but it will always linger. If a Kohen
does become distracted then he cannot do his job
correctly; a Kohen with an odd physical trait will
be more likely to do this than others.
If a person brings a Korban they are
supposed to have their mind set on happiness or
wanting forgiveness and having someone who
has interesting features could distract them. The
Torah is saying the truth and it’s necessarily so
easy to cope with. It is saying that although there
is nothing wrong with you as a person, you
cannot do something in the exalted position of
Kehuna, because your mindset will not always
be 100% focused. While the reality is unfortunate,
we must strive to be the best people we can
spiritually and always stay focused to our
spiritual aspirations.
בס"ד
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
The Beauty of Bein Adam L'Chaveiro By Jenna Fox, 12 th Grade
At the end of this week’s Parashah we are
told a short story about somebody cursing G-d's
name. It says: "And the son of the Israelite
woman pronounced G-d's name and cursed."
The Parashah goes on and says that Bnei
Yisrael brought this person to Moshe, and Moshe
asked Hashem what he should do to punish him.
Hashem commanded Moshe to take this person
outside of the camp and to have the entire
community stone him.
But this is when I think the Parashah gets
a little confusing. After we hear what this
person's sentence should be, the Torah goes on a
rant about a bunch of other sins, and what their
punishments are. It says: "And if a man strikes
down any human being he shall be put to death.
And one who slays an animal shall pay for it the
value of a life that he took." (24:17-18) And it
continues on.
Why are we taking this break from the
story just to add in random Halachot that
seemingly have no connection to the story?As we
all know, the Torah never randomly sticks things
in places without a reason so what is the reason
here?
I think the reason that these Halachot
were placed here is because they are all Halachot
of Bein Adam L'Chaveiro. Since we are all
learning about the great punishment one receives
when he curses G-d's name, we take a step back
to add in the important lesson that just as
respecting Hashem is important, respecting the
animals and people around us is also important.
Once we learn that lesson, we can continue to
read the end of the story.
I think this is a lesson that we all can take
for ourselves. As members of the Jewish nation,
naturally every move or action we make is
examined by everyone around us. This could be
a bad thing, but it is also a great thing! It is
important to follow Halacha and try everyday to
be the best Jews we can be but more importantly
the best people we can be. We should hold the
door for the person who has too many things in
their hand to do it themselves. We should
welcome in new people with open arms and a
kind heart. Getting excited about Judaism and
having a positive attitude is easy and we should
take advantage of every opportunity we get to
help others do the same. We have the power to
influence people in a positive way, and it's a
bonus that while we do this, we are fulfilling
Mitzvot that are Bein Adam L'Chaveiro.
Shabbat Shalom!
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
Come Home By Zach Zlatin, 11 th Grade
When I was younger, every time our class
went on a field trip we were told one very
important thing, to make a Kiddush Hashem.
This phrase was meant to act as a guard for our
mouths and actions. It stopped us from
screaming and going crazy and made sure that
we were mensches while we were out in public.
We were forced to think about everything we did
and to make sure we didn't desecrate Hashem's
name, or make a Chillul Hashem.
It says in this week's parsha: ".... תחללו ולא
ם את י ש קדש " "You shall not desecrate My Holy
Name..." Our sages teach us that Chillul Hashem
is such a paramount מצוה, that one can only atone
for it by making a Kiddush Hashem, to sanctify
His name. The greatest Kiddush Hashem is that
which involves all Jews.
There is a less familiar story of אל that יחזק
truly shows the ultimate Kiddush Hashem. At
the time of יחזקאל, Bnei Yisrael had been exiled
from ישראל ארץ and their enemies mocked them
that Hashem could not even save them. Hashem
could not stand His name being desecrated, so he
went and took Bnei Yisrael out of exile and back
to ישראל ארץ , their homeland. Hashem proved
that He is omnipotent and did not abandon His
people.
The reason Bnei Yisrael was mocked, and
why we are still mocked today, is because we are
strangers in the land in which we live in. We are
not native to the land, and it is not our
homeland. Regardless of how developed and
open-minded a country is, deep down they know
that we, the Jews do not belong with them. And
the fact that we are still living among them gives
off the impression that Hashem is weak and can't
even take His people out of exile. To reverse this
disturbing Chillul Hashem we can only do one
thing.
We, as Jews of the Diaspora, have the
responsibility to make Aliyah and to move to the
land that Hashem has promised us, ישראל ארץ . It
is not always easy to make Aliyah, but it is our
duty to do so, and make a Kiddush Hashem. To
show the rest of the nations that AM YISRAEL is
STRONG! We must show them by our admirable
actions and by our accomplishments that even
the smallest of nations, to put it simply, can be
great. Our actions will speak for themselves and
prove to the non-Jews that Hashem is truly
omnipotent and really hasn't given up on his
people. This would be the greatest Kiddush
Hashem of all.
It is my wish that each and every one here
in this community looks internally and asks
themselves, what is keeping me from making
Aliyah? There will always be excuses for you not
to go. There isn't a perfect government, or there
isn't a guaranteed job in Israel, or your kids are
too young or old. But nowhere is there a perfect
government. At least come and interview for jobs
like everyone else in Israel, and your kids will
adjust, make friends and learn the language
faster than you. You have to take risks in your
life that will be better in the long run, and there is
no better reward than being in the land that
Hashem has promised us and being part of a
Kiddush Hashem, instead of a Chillul Hashem.
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
Let go of the weight that keeps you in the
Diaspora. Get out of your slavery to comfort and
materialism. Open your golden cages that you
have imprisoned yourself in and come home.
Come home to your brothers and sisters that wait
for you.
Carrying Yourself By Yonah Bar-Shain, 9th Grade
We were all taught in elementary school
that no word in the Torah is superfluous,
however, it seems as if 3 phrases in the seventh
Aliyah this week are really just not needed.
2 'Command the children of
Israel that they bring unto
thee pure olive oil beaten for
the light, to cause a lamp to
burn continually.
ל, -צו את ב בני ישרא
ליך שמן זית זךויקחו א
ית להעלת למאור: --כת
יד. נר, תמ
3 Without the veil of the
testimony, in the tent of
meeting, Aaron shall set it
up from evening to morning
continually; it shall be a
statute forever throughout
your generations.
דת ג חוץ לפרכת הע מ
ד, יערך אתו באהל מוע
ערב עד פני -אהרן מ בקר ל
יד: --ה' חקת עולם, תמ
יכם. לדרת
4 He shall order the lamps
upon the pure candlestick
before the LORD
continually.{P}
הרהעל ד נרה הט , המ
ני הנרות, -רך אתיע לפ
יד. ה' }פ{ , תמ
These three phrases are: “Zach” (pure),
“Lifnei Hashem” (before G-d), and “Menorah
HatTehorah” (the pure menorah). Why would
Hashem need to tell us these seemingly obvious
things regarding the laws of the Mishkan? Isn’t it
a given that everything we do in the mishkan has
to be holy and pure. And if it is Hashem’s house
won’t it always be before Hashem?
There are two main reasons for having
these words here. Firstly, they are here to
emphasize the mentality we should have in the
Mishkan and the way we must approach things
there. Hashem didn’t want these ideas to be in
the back of our minds while serving in the
Mishkan, rather he wanted these things to be
part of the backbone of how we see serving
Hashem.
The second reason for having these extra
words is to teach us how to act in real life.
Although we can’t always be perfect human
beings, Hashem wants us to always have these
three ideas on our mind where ever we are.
Knowing that you have to always be pure, holy,
and in front of Hashem can change the way we
lives our lives in a great way. If you are ever at a
fork in the road between something good and
bad, and you have these three ideas on your
mind, you will most likely choose the way of
Middot and good deeds rather than the way of
something bad and wrong deeds.
בס"ד
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
Safe at Home! By Ari Bar-Shain, 12 th Grade
In Parashat Vayeshev, Yosef is unfairly
heaved by his brothers into a pit teeming with
scorpions and vermin. The Rambam in Hilchot
Rotzeach UShmirat Nefesh Perek Gimmel
Halachot 9 and 10 outlines different scenarios in
which one who pushes someone else into a place
of unavoidable death is considered a murderer.
Some examples include: "he placed a colleague in
a house or a cave and filled it with smoke until
he died," "he uncovers the roof of the building
where he was staying; or he causes a snake to
bite him." According to the Rambam, what Bnei
Yaakov do to their brother in Parshat Vayeshev
is tantamount to fratricide!
Rav Chaim Volozhiner offers an
explanation that humanizes the brothers a bit
more, and discredits the egregious capital crime.
He comments that one is safer in a pit infested
with dangerous scorpions and snakes in Eretz
Yisrael than they are in the palatial havens of
Chutz LaAretz. Rav Chaim's suggestion needs to
be studied. What exactly is he saying?
I think that he is proposing that we are
better off living in Israel surrounded by danger
than we are dwelling in a seemingly safe
America. While the brothers cast Yosef into the
chasm it might have actually been for the better.
It certainly teaches us an important lesson. Safety
is all relative in our eyes. We can't see the big
picture. The truth is that Hashem watches out for
us more when we are in His Land-Eretz Yisrael.
Due to our proximity to Hakadosh Baruch Hu
we are more secure in Israel.
This holds true now even more than ever
before as people constantly complain about how
dangerous Israel is, and how it's full of terrorists.
While some parts of this might be true, we
ultimately have to remember that Hashem
shelters us more in His Land than he does for
anyone else.
Based off of Rav Moshe Lichtman’s "Eretz Yisrael
in the Parasha."
Shabbat Shalom and Moadim L'Simcha!
Kohen? By Rav Rick Schindelheim
ם תחללו ולא( לב י את־ש י קדש ל בני בתוך ונקדשת יקוק אני ישרא
שכם ארץ אתכם המוציא( לג: מקד צרים מ לאלקים לכם להיות מ
יקוק אני :
“And you shall not desecrate my holy name;
and I shall be sanctified amidst the Children of Israel.
I am Hashem who sanctifies you, who brought you out
of Egypt to be for you a God, I am Hashem.”
(Vayikra 22:22-23)
Who is sanctifying whom? On the one
hand, the Israelites are told that God's holiness is
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
in their control. They are warned not to desecrate
His holy name and are told that His Kedusha
will come from "within Bnei Yisrael". On the
other hand, "I am Hashem who sanctifies you."
How are we to understand the meaning of this
circular Kedusha?
The Rabbis referred to the book of
Vayikra as "Torat Kohanim," "Laws of the
Priests." One could assume that this is because
Vayikra deals with laws that pertain to the
Kohanim such as the sacrificial order and the
beginning of this week's parashah, which
describes the way kohanim must live their lives.
However, upon further review, it becomes clear
that Vayikra contains many more laws
concerning the entirety of Am Yisrael than those
referring only to the kohanim. For example, a
large portion of this week's parashah discusses
the holidays. Vayikra also teaches the laws of
kashrut, sexual regulations, laws relating to the
Promised Land and still others that are not
directed specifically towards the kohanim. If so,
why is it called Torat Kohanim? Why did the
Rabbis choose a name that seems misleading?
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, among others,
suggests that the answer to this question lies in
Sefer Shemot. Just before revealing Himself to
the Nation of Israel at Har Sinai, God tells Moshe
to relay the following message:
ם־שמוע ועתה( ה שמעו א י ושמרתם בקלי ת ית לי והייתם את־בר
ים סגלה כל־העמ היו־לי ואתם( ו: כל־הארץ כי־לי מ ממלכת ת
לה קדוש וגוי כהנים ים א ל אל־בני תדבר אשר הדבר ישרא :
“And now, if you will listen to my voice and guard
my covenant and be for me a treasure from all the
nations—for the entire earth is mine; then you will be
for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These
are the words you shall speak to the Children of
Israel.” (Shemot 19:5-6)
The designation "kohanim" does not
strictly apply to the descendants of Aaron, but
can apply to the entire nation of Israel as well. So
what does it mean for the people of Israel to be a
"kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation"?
It emerges from various parts of Vayikra
that kedusha is attained through separation and
restriction for an elevated purpose. Yom Kippur
is the holiest day of the year due to its many
restrictions. This holiness enables us to achieve
atonement for our sins. The Kodesh Kodashim or
Holy of Holies (inner sanctum of the Temple) is
thus named due to the fact that entrance to it is
restricted to the Kohen Gadol—only, on Yom
Kippur—only. The kohanim are set aside as well,
through their restrictive lifestyle, for the purpose
of serving as the intermediaries between God
and His nation.
The same way that Parshat Emor
describes how the kohanim will become kadosh
by living with these restrictions, the majority of
Sefer Vayikra describes how Bnei Yisrael will
become kadosh by living with their own
restrictions. We now understand how Hashem
makes Bnei Yisrael holy—by living our lives
according to His commandments we become
kadosh, designated for an exalted purpose. That
purpose is to serve as a "kingdom of priests and a
holy nation." God has sanctified us by shining
the light of His commandments upon us. We can
now become God's partner and sanctify Him by
shining that light on the rest of the world.
Shabbat Shalom!
בס"ד
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A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication
Shabbat Table Discussion Questions: By Avi Hartstone, 10 th Grade
1. Why is a Kohen not allowed to become impure for his sister if she is married? (21:3)
2. If we are supposed to respect everyone regardless of their physique, why can’t Kohanim with blemishes
serve in the Beit HaMikdash? (21:21)
3. Why can't blemished animals be offered? (22:17-25)
4. Why is Shavuot not mentioned as the time Hashem gave the torah? (23:15- 21)
5. Why are the halachot of harming people or animals placed in the middle of the blasphemer story? (24:15-22)
Email us at [email protected] with your answers or submit them on our website, fmsdvartorah.weebly.com, and you could be featured in
next week's edition!
Brought to you by:
Staff:
Editors in Chief- Ari Bar-Shain and Zev Karasik
Associate Editors- Eli Meyers, Etan Soclof, and Yosef
Coleman
Faculty Consultant-Rav Rick Schindelheim
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Head Writers-Avi Hartstone and Zak Fleischman
Student Writers: o Alan Soclof
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o Bentzion Goldman
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