,In Memory of Mr. Max Glass -.$% ('/ "0&1 !

( %#230 &'$01 +*&

0n Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi !"#" $"%&' !( $"%&' ()*% +*&

Likutei Ohr
Volume III : Issue III
!di"r-in-Chief: #riel Amse$em 15 %enior Edi"r: !itan Meisels 15 &ichael Somekh 15 &anaging Edi"rs: Jack Levkowitz 17 !itan Tennenbaum 17 'ayout Edi"r: (air Fax 14 &arke)ng: (osef Hier 16 #sher Naghi 14 *is+ibu"rs: &itche$ Silberberg 14 &ichael Lazovsky 14 Jordan Lustman 15 %ta, Advisor: -abbi Arye Su.i/

The Pamphlet of Light

Parshat Pikudei

A publication of YULA Boys High School!

3$' %4$)%&
Rabbi Joseph Schrieber

Moshe and the Mishkan

And they brought the Mishkan to Moshe !"# $% &'"#! (% )%*+*) (Shemot 39:33). On the above Pasuk, Rashi explains that the Mishkan was brought to Moshe because they were unable to erect it, and since Moshe did no work on the construction of the Mishkan, HaKadosh Baruch Hu left the task of raising it to him [Moshe], for no man was able to erect it because of the weight of the beams. However, Moshe was able to set them upright. One of the most important aspects of the Mishkan was the power that it had to unify Bnei Yisrael. On holidays and at various times throughout the year, all of the tribes and people who were scattered and separated would gather in the Mishkan and be united as one great nation. Similarly, in last weeks Parsha, we are told he [Moshe] made the Briach HaTichon, the middle bar, to extend within the beams from end to end (Shemot 36:33). This Briach HaTichon was symbolic of how the Mishkan was able to bring together and join the Jewish People from one end of the world to the other. Clearly, the Torah is trying to relay the message that the Mishkan is a place for Am Yisrael to come together as one nation. It is interesting to note that even though the Mishkan was a great unifier, there was no one man or any one group of men who were able to erect it and raise it upon its completion. Even the skilled laborers who were divinely inspired and worked tirelessly to construct the Mishkan were unable to set it upright. As Rashi states, only Moshe was able to do so: Moshe was able to set them upright. This seems to contradict the recurring theme and focal axiom of unity among Bnei Yisrael that appears throughout the story of the Mishkan. This deviation from the Parshas principal lesson requires explanation. Why was it that only Moshe was able to erect the Mishkan? Rav Zalman Sorotzkin ztl, in Oznaim LaTorah, explains that Moshe was able to erect the Mishkan because he was the giver of the Torah. This characteristic was symbolic of the fact that the only true unifier for Bnei Yisrael is our Torah. As Rav Saadiah Gaon has stated multiple times, our nation is not a nation without our holy Torah! The fact that Moshe was able to set them upright teaches us this important lesson. Moshes ability to erect the Mishkan also demonstrates for us the power of our spiritual leaders, our portals of Torah. Without our Rebbis, Morim, and Morot, the generations of Jews who have come and gone would have never been able to overcome the forces of assimilation and acculturation. We must remember that only through Torah will we be united as we have throughout our history. This means that we must reacquire the desire for learning that used to define Am Yisrael because the study of Torah and finding its beauty is what really brings us closer to the Ribbono Shel Olam, which then brings us closer to each other. Of course, our nation must find goals that can and will unite us, but we must never forget that only through Moshe, the leaders of each generation, and the learning the Torah that Hashem gave us will we be able to set them upright.

The Flame of Our Ancestors

When one looks truly at the good side of everyone, others come to love him very naturally... - Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook

1e2$ah Gems
(osef Petlak 17

Last week, we learned about the importance of showing the proper respect and reverence in a Bet Knesset. This week we will discuss the specific Halachot that pertain to a persons behavior in a Bet Knesset. There are numerous Halachot regarding the proper conduct once inside a Shul. Many of these Halachot pertain to the way one enters the Shul. For example, one may not use a Shul as a short cut or as a shelter from a rainstorm. If one absolutely must enter a Bet Knesset for a purpose not related to learning or Davening, then he should sit down and recite a verse or learn a little bit of Torah. We learn these Halachot from the way in which people would conduct themselves in the Bet HaMikdash where all of these Halachot applied. These Halachot are extremely important, and we must do our best to make sure we incorporate them into our daily prayer routine.

The Strength of a Sin

Pinchas Gamzo 17
At the end of this weeks Parsha, Parshat Pikudei, the Torah talks about Moshes final steps in building the Mishkan. One of the last procedures he accomplishes is the placing of the Luchot in the Aron. Then, Moshe places the poles of the Aron into their rings. This sequence of events poses a problem: In Parshat Terumah the Torah writes that the insertion of the poles happened before the placement of the Luchot; the order is reversed in Pikudei, which seems to suggest a contradiction between the two Parshiot. The solution to this inconsistency can be found in a Gemara in Messechet Yumah. The Gemara explains that the poles had to be put into the rings forcefully rather than just slipped in because the poles were thick at the ends and thin in the middle. In other words, once someone fit it through the ring, the pole would be stuck there for all eternity. However, this thinking is illogical: If the poles could be placed in the holes, then it should have been possible to take the poles out! The answer to this difficulty lies in the supernatural qualities of the Aron. The Aron was not an object that followed the obvious laws of nature or physics. When those that worked in the Mishkan came to fit the poles through the rings, the rings stretched out and allowed the poles to fit in easily. Yet, this was only done when they stuck the poles in, a deed that was considered a Mitzvah, but had they wanted to remove the poles then the miracle would not have occurred. Now we can solve the contradiction between the texts of Parshat Terumah and Parshat Pikudei. Parshat Terumah took place before the sin of the Golden Calf; at that time Klal Yisrael had not been tainted by the egregious sin. However, by Parshat Pikudei the Children of Israel had already done the Chet HaEgel. Before the Chet Hashem made everything about the Aron miraculous. That is why in Parshat Terumah, before they put the Luchot in the Aron, the rings would spread out; yet, in Parshat Pikudei, which was after the the sin of the calf, the rings would not spread out until the Luchot were already inside. The Luchot symbolically acted as a reminder to Am Yisrael of their terrible misdeed. It was a concrete object that told them nothing, not even a Mitzvah related to the miraculous Aron, would be the same as before the Chet. That is why the Luchot, the reminder, had to be in the Aron before any miracle could be preformed.

H a l a c h i c I l l u m i n at i o n From Rabbi nachum sauer

Cholent is a common item to have at Kiddush or a Shabbat meal nowadays, but where did this tasty custom all start? The Ohr Zarua mentioned Cholent by name in the mid-13th century. Etymologists have been looking into the origin of the word Cholent and have come up with a few hypotheses: One idea is that it descended from the Hebrew-Aramaic word Shelan, literally a food that rests overnight; another hypothesis is that the term comes from the word Shaluk, which means thoroughly cooked; yet, others say it is a combination of the French words Chaud (hot) and Lent (slow). Most Sefardim stick to the name Chamin, the title the Mishnah in Mesechet Shabbat gives to hot food eaten on the seventh day of the week. The origins of this dish lie in the words of the Baal HaMaor, Rav Zerachiah HaLevi from Gerona, who lived in the twelfth century. He writes that it is a Takanat Chachamim to enjoy Shabbat with a hot dish. He adds that one who does not do so is suspected of being a heretic. The reason behind this ruling was that the heterodox Karaim (Karaites), who denied the Rabbinic Mesorah, prohibited eating any hot food on Shabbat. Therefore, the Baal HaMaor explains that one who does not eat a hot dish on Shabbat is suspected of following the heretical interpretation of the Torah and not the interpretation of the Chachmei HaDorot, the great Rabbis of the generations. On the other hand, the Baal HaMaor assures that whoever does make sure to cook, heat up (before Shabbat), and eat a hot dish on the Shabbat will merit to see the end of days. This is surprisingly not a minority opinion as eating Cholent is considered a Mitzvah according to the Rema and a Minhag Yisrael according to the Mishneh Berurah.

Compiled By Jesse Hyman 16

Out of Order?

Nathan Silberberg 16

Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that the Lord had commanded Moshe (Shemot 38:22). In this weeks Parsha, Parshat Pekudei, Rashi writes on the above verse that Moshe had told Betzalel to build the vessels of the Mishkan first before constructing the structure itself. However, this seems quite counterintuitive. After all, when building a home it is most reasonable to make the house first and then furnish it once the construction has already been completed. Betzalel followed this logic when making the Mishkan, Hashems house, and created the walls to protect the vessels from the elements before the vessels were themselves created. Ultimately, Moshe consented when Betzalel decided to change the order because Hashem had actually told Moshe to build the Mishkan before the vessels. Rabbi Levovoitz comments that this Rashi stresses the importance of doing things in proper order. The best way to achieve such an order is through clarifying and re-clarifying our priorities and responsibilities. Such organizational skills are such incredibly important and helpful tools that one must acquire and develop in order to accomplish and fulfill the potential that the Ribbono Shel Olam has given us. One must have a good grasp of his responsibilities in order to identify those that he must meet at this moment and those that he can accomplish at a later date. If we do not prioritize and organize our lives, we will never have enough time to do the things that we want and truly need to do. However, by prioritizing and making ourselves aware of the importance of our goals and aspirations, we will certainly accomplish our objectives. If this sounds like a daunting task, well, it is. Because organization is a lifestyle rather than a nice idea, people reject it out of laziness. Yet, keeping order can be made simple by a few short, easy tasks done every day. Maybe one should make a list of the various diurnal tasks and goals that need to be taken care of. Then, he could decide on a proper order in which to effectively execute those tasks. When we do this, we will be able to accomplish and fulfill our different missions in life just as Betzalel did when he fixed the order of the tasks to be accomplished in the building of the Mishkan.

(ULA Boys High School Nagel Family Campus 9760 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 Tel: 310.203.3180