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שבת שלום - פרשת ויקרא

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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Scott Kahn about ברכת החמה

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The yeshiva's winter zman ended this past Wednesday evening. Over the final five days of the zman, we were honored to host numerous siyumim. Yedidya Gorsetman and Yosef Mitchneck finished Seder Moed for the third time on Shabbat, and marked the occasion with a siyum at the kiddush following Musaf. (Yosef also made another siyum on Tuesday evening, after finishing Moed a fourth time.) Yosef and Yedidya had pledged 613 perakim of Mishnayot or dapim of Gemara on Simchat Torah, but finished the zman having learned a total of approximately 1600, between Mishnayot and Masechet Kiddushin. Jon Rosenbloom completed Seder Nezikin on Monday afternoon, and Yaakov Merkin was mesayeim Trei Asar, which he learned b'iyun, on Wednesday evening. Yaakov learned portions of Trei Asar with our Menahel Ruchani, Rav Moshe Simkovich. Finally, we were honored to host a very special siyum on Tuesday at lunch, as Dov Muchnick made a siyum on all Shas Mishnayot. Dov began this project after Simchat Torah, and has worked diligently over the past six months to complete all six sedarim of Mishnayot. He has already begun a complete review, and completed Seder Zerayim (for the second time) on Wednesday. This accomplishment is all the more impressive, given that Dov learned Mishnayolt in his spare time, as he maintained full attendance at his other shiurim. We wish mazal tov to all the mesaymim, as well as to all our students, at the completion of a very successful and meaningful zman. May we all continue to grow in Torah over bein hazmanim, and in the summer zman coming up after Pesach. Click here to view more photos for our siyumim

The Small א
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki

The opening word of this week's parashah is Vayikra. The last letter of the word is an Aleph. In this one instance of the word, the Aleph written into the Torah is smaller than the other Alephs in the Torah.

The Baal HaTurim comments:

"The Aleph of 'vayikra' is small because Moshe wanted to write 'vayikar' - i.e. without the Aleph - as it states regarding Bilaam. (Bamidbar 23:4) This would imply that G-d only appeared to him by chance. G-d told Moshe to write in the Aleph, so he wrote it small."

The word "vayikar" means "he happened upon..." It is used regarding G-d's appearance to the evil prophet Bilaam. According to this comment of the Baal HaTurim, this indicates the derogatory nature of the prophecy. What does this mean? Why would Moshe want to record himself as being called by G-d as was the wicked Bilaam? What is meant by G-d appearing "by chance" to Bilaam? Why here, at the beginning of Vayikra, of all places? Furthermore, why did Moshe want to disobey G-d regarding the writing of the word?

The Kli Yakar explains that the word "vayikar" - "he happened upon..." used regarding Bilaam expresses a significant feature of Bilaam's prophetic experience.

It is difficult to achieve a spiritual level requisite to experience prophecy. One who reaches this level merits the prophetic experience as a result of his own efforts. "Vayikar" implies that the prophecy happened to him; something that came to him externally and not of his own volition or merit.

Since Bilaam did not merit the prophecy that he experienced - it was actually above his level - the word "vayikar" is used; thus implying a somewhat derogatory connotation.

Moshe - the humblest of all men - did not believe that his prophetic experience was commensurate with his own spiritual level. He felt that G-d revealed to him more than he actually deserved. Thus he wished to use the term "vayikar."

I'd like to suggest that the opening word of the book of Vayikra is the appropriate place for this humble sentiment. The book of Shemot ended with the erection of the Mishkan and the Cloud of Glory resting in the Mishkan. From that point forward, all prophecies to Moshe were only to take place inside the Mishkan. G-d told Moshe that once the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, prophecy would come to him via the Cheruvim on top of the Ark.

The Mishkan and the Ark were built by Bnei Yisrael as a people. Moshe felt that once the Mishkan was erected, all of his prophecies would be attributable to the existence of the Mishkan and the Ark built by Bnei Yisrael; that all of Bnei Yisrael had a share in this prophetic experience. Thus he felt unworthy.

It is humility such as this that made Moshe the ideal giver and transmitter of the word of G-d. He truly believed that his lofty status was not his own. It was in the merit of Bnei Yisrael and therefore meant for their purposes. Such a humble person would never even consider injecting his own thoughts, opinions, or interpretations into the word of G-d. After all, he did not believe he was worthy to hear these words to begin with.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the shining of Moshe's face. The Torah states that when Moshe came down with the second tablets his face was shining, "and Moshe did not know that his face shone when He spoke to him." (34:29)

The Midrash states: "Rabbi Yehuda bar Nachman in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said that when Moshe finished writing with the quill, some ink remained. He [G-d] smeared it on Moshe's face and his face shone." (Shemot Rabbah 47:6)

Perhaps it is the ink remaining as a result of a smaller than normal Aleph - i.e. the product of Moshe's humility - that led to the shining face of Moshe. His humility was his glory.