Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Bamidbar

2 Sivan 5770/May 15, 2010

Ruth vs. Barack

Ruth had been ruined by her association
with Jews, losing her wealthy young
husband, his brother and father, and the
familys wealth. Her mother-in-law
Naami prepared to abandon her and
return to a place where Moabites were
persona non grata; by rights, Ruth
should have cut her losses and
remained in Moav. Instead, Ruth insisted
on accompanying Naami to that hostile
land, without a perutah to their names.
Naami was astounded; what practical
gain could be in store for an
impoverished, friendless Moabite in a
Jewish land? But Ruth insisted,
, Dont plead with me to
leave you, to cease following you.
Where you will go, I will go. Where you
will sleep, I will sleep. Your nation is my
nation; your Gd is my Gd. Where you
will die, I will die, and there I will be
buried. May Gd act against me, and may
Gd do more against me, if anything but
death will separate us. The megilah
doesnt tell us what inspired Ruth, only
that she was idealistically certain that
this was the nation and the Gd to which
she would commit her life. She
declared, Where you will
go, I will go.

Vol. I Num. 30

R Mordechai Torczyner
Contrast Ruths idealism with the
survivalist pragmatism of Barack, a
Jewish general of approximately 3200
years ago. The Jews of that era lived
under Canaanite oppression until their
prophetess, Devorah, commanded
Barack in the name of HaShem to lead a
rebellion. Devoreh even provided
military counsel.

The Jews at Har Sinai declared

, We will do and we will hear,
blindly pledging allegiance to a law they
did not yet know;

Barack, a realist, was intimidated by

Devorahs charge, and he refused to lead
alone. Instead, Barack offered Devorah a
bargain which reversed the language of
Ruths idealism. He said,
, If you will go with me
then I will go, but if you will not go then I
will not go either.

To borrow a passage from Man of La

Mancha, Maddest of all [is] to see life as
it is, and not as it should be. This
emphasis on idealism, on seeing the
world as it should be, is a most Jewish
concept; Judaism nods to the pragmatic,
but
it
reveres
the
idealistic.
We are now completing a seven-week
journey from Egyptian slavery to Divine
revelation at Sinai, mimicking that
original trek during which an entire
nation was challenged to metamorphose
from Barack-style pragmatists to Ruthstyle idealists.

We tend toward Baracks pragmatism,

focusing on this world rather than
meditate on the rewards of an afterlife.
We recognize the authority of ,
civil government. Our halachic system
recognizes practical needs and .
Nonetheless, we also have a long history
of honoring the quixotic charge of the
idealist:
Avraham and Sarah set up an Eshel at
the northern tip of the Negev desert, and
welcomed travelers in the name of
HaShem;

Parshah Questions

R Meir Lipschitz

(Sources are provided to help the reader research answers)

Why were the Leviyyim not counted as part of the national census?
(Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra and Seforno to Bamidbar 1:49)
Why did Hashem command a census at this point?
(Rashi, Rashbam, Ramban, Malbim, Netziv, and Ohr HaChaim to Bamidbar
1:2)
What is the significance of the and of each tribe?
(Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Targum Yonatan, Chizkuni, Kli Yakar, Malbim,
Alshich, Netziv, Shaarei Aharon, Daat Mikra, and Chida to Bamidbar 2:2)
For children: Why does the Torah say that Moshe counted the Leviim ' ,
on the word of HaShem?
(Rashi to Bamidbar 3:16)
mlipschitz@torontotorah.com

Our vision of mashiach is of an

, a pauper riding a donkey, anointed
for his piety rather than for the pragmatic
values of wealth or social status.

A slave cannot afford ideology; he is too

busy trying to satisfy his master and
avoid harm. Throughout the trip to Sinai
that slavish pragmatism was quite visible;
the constant attention to food and water
reflected a mind that could not see past
its most immediate needs. The same
pragmatism is often present in the way
we live our lives; our nation is frequently
compelled to follow Baracks lead.
Nonetheless, this same nation stood at
Sinai and established that attitude which
would later become Ruths mantra. On
Shavuot we read Ruths story for many
reasons, but surely this is one: To
remember and to incorporate within
ourselves her willingness to
embrace a Torah about which she knew
little. To be a descendant of idealistic
Ruth means that although we sometimes
act as Barack, we must always return to
the Ruth with which our nation and
Mashiach - was born.

torczyner@torontotorah.com


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izolberg@torontotorah.com

The 613 Mitzvot Mitzvah 35 :

Adultery
jealousy, hatred and violence. A strong
marriage, on the other hand, builds
safety, stability, trust and love.
Technically, the biblical command of
applies only to relationships
sanctioned by the Torah, and therefore is
limited to Jewish marriages. However, a
, He shall separate mitzvah of
cling to his wife, applies to Jew and nonJew alike and prohibits violation of any
m o n og am o u s ,
in t er c ou r s e - ba se d
relationship. (Sanhedrin 58a, Tosafot
) Kiddushin 21b

torczyner@torontotorah.com

, prohibits a Jew from Mitzvah 35,

engaging in intercourse with the
spouse of another. The Sefer haChinuch
explains that these types of activity are
inherently harmful, both to the species
and to the individual:
Species - HaShem created each species
and instructed it to reproduce
"according to its type," for the benefit of
the species, and
monogamy is
considered inherently beneficial for the
development of our species.
Disruption of loyal
leads to confusion,

Individualrelationships

HaAm VHaAretz
Yisrael LipschitzTiferet Yisrael
Torah in Translation
Tiferet Yisrael Midot 1:1
Why does it mention here, at the
beginning of Masechet Midot which
discusses the design of the Beit
HaMikdash, the notion of guarding (the
Temple), a service performed there?
It would seem to me that the whole
purpose of studying this Masechet is to
guard within our hearts the design and
method of its construction, so that we will
know how it will be built in the future even if G-d may instruct us in some
changes then.
This is also the approach of the Rambam
in his introduction to this Masechet, and
there is proof to his words from
Yechezkel (43:11): And they will guard
its form and all of its statutes and make
it.
Even though the building in the future
will be built from the heavens
automatically (Rashi, Rosh HaShana 30a,
Sukkah 41a and Tosafot, Sukkah ibid. and
Shevuot 15b), nonetheless, according to
the Rambam who said that this study is to
know how to build it (and according to
Rashi in Yechezkel as well), we are
compelled to say that the Tanchuma that
Tosafot quoted that states that the
Mikdash will be built by Heaven is an
expression of Aggadah and we are not to
take it literally. The explanation must be
that Hashem will miraculously help us
build it
Even according to Rashi who took the
statement literally that the Mikdash will
be built by Heaven, we must guard the
design of the Beit HaMikdash so that we
will see that it has been built,
miraculously, exactly as the prophet
described it thousands of years earlier.
They will thus recognize that the prophet
was speaking the word of Hashem and
yet their ancestors rejected the prophet.
Through this they will become
embarrassed regarding their sins, as the
prophet Yechezkel instructed, And they
will guard its image and be embarrassed
from their sins.

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Russell Levy

Latrun

R Yisrael Lipschitz was born in 1782

in Posen, where his father, R
Gedaliah Lipschitz, was the Chief
Rabbi.

The area known as Latrun is located in Emek

Ayalon (the Ayalon Valley), which is
approximately
15
kilometers
from
Yerushalayim. Due to its proximity to
Yerushalayim Latrun has significant strategic
In his service as the Chief Rabbi of value and has been the site of many battles
Dessau and then Danzig, both part of over its long history.

the nascent Prussian Empire, R

Lipschitz had a great deal of contact
with modern science and dealt with
apparent conflicts between Judaism
and new scientific theories. In his
sefer Drush Or haChaim, a
transcription of a sermon he
delivered in 1842, Rabbi Lipschitz
addressed the possibility that the
universe might be older than 6000
years old. This thought was based on
modern advances in geological
stratigraphy and fossil discoveries.
(Charles Lyells groundbreaking
book on geology, Principles of
Geology, was published in 1830 and
translated to German shortly
t h e r ea ft e r ; s c ie n ti s t s be g a n
searching for dinosaur fossils in
earnest in 1815, and the term
dinosaur was coined in 1842.)

Rabbi Lipschitz also wrote about

evolution, describing how traits
endowed to the first donkey were
expressed in its descendent, the
donkey of Bilaam.
R Lipschitz was known to lead an
ascetic life. He wrote extensively; his
most celebrated work is his
commentary on the mishnah, Tiferet
Yisrael. Also identified as Mishnayot
Yachin uBoaz, this commentary is
subdivided into two parts: Yachin,
which is a more general
commentary, and Boaz, which is
more analytic (see Melachim I 7:21
for the origin of the names Yachin
and Boaz). Rabbi Lipschitz also wrote
Shevilei haRakia on astronomy,
commentaries to Shulchan Aruch
and Mishneh Torah, and many
responsa.

Emek Ayalon was first mentioned in Tanach

in Sefer Yehoshua. It was here that Hashem
made the sun stand still during Bnei
Yisraels war with Amalek, allowing for Bnei
Yisraels victory.
During the Crusades, there was a fortress
there and it was the scene of many battles.
Le Toron Des Cheveliers (The Tower of
Knights), which was the name of the castle,
may have been the origin of the name
Latrun.
In 1861, a monastery was built in the area by
French monks of the Trappist order. The
monks made a living producing alcohol.
Following the Arab riots of 1930-1936, the
British built several police forts around the
country, each with the same structural
design. These forts were built at strategic
sites, Latrun being one of them. The
Jordanian Arabs occupation of the fort had a
big impact on the War of Independence.
This fort was used to shell Israeli traffic on
the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, effectively
placing Yerushalayim under siege. An
alternative route was developed, called
"Burma Road", after the American route in
Japanese controlled China, during World
War II.
Ten days after the War was over, Israel
attacked the fort with the new 7th Brigade
and a battalion from the Alexandroni
Brigade. The attack, codenamed Bin Nun A'
completely failed, and there were many
casualties. A subsequent attack, which took
place a week later (Bin Nun B'), also failed.
Though the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway was
still not secured, the attacks did have a
limited degree of success and thus lifted the
siege from Yerushalayim. The total number
of casualties from these battles was 139.

In the ceasefire agreement of 1949, Latrun

was put under Jordanian control, and a
bypass road was built. In the Six Day War,
Latrun was recaptured by Israeli forces. The
road was reopened and the fort was turned
R Lipschitz passed away on into a museum and memorial for Israel's
September 19, 1860. Among his Armored Corps with over 110 tanks and
fighting vehicles, an indoor museum, an
children was the famed R Baruch auditorium, an amphitheater, and a
Isaac Lipschitz. Beit Midrash Zichron synagogue. The monastery is now a tourist
Dov fellow R Meir Lipschitz is also a site.

descendent.

Schedule for the Week of May 15, 2 Sivan

Shabbat, May 15

7:50AM R Azarya Berzon: Ramban al haTorah, Or Chaim

After Hashkama: R Azarya Berzon, Clanton Park
6:30PM R Mordechai Torczyner: Shiur bIvrit, BAYT
One Hour Before Minchah: R Azarya Berzon: Masechet
Kiddushin, Mizrachi Bayit

Monday, May 16

10:00AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Midrasha,

BAYT
11:00AM R Azarya Berzon: Pesachim, Clanton Park Men
7:30PM R Azarya Berzon: Hilchot Talmud Torah, Clanton Park

Tuesday, May 17
Sunday, May 2

8:45AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Medical Halachah: Issues in

Reproductive Technologies, BAYT Light Breakfast
Served
9:15AM Itamar Zolberg, Shiur BIvrit, Zichron Yisrael
9:00PM R Azarya Berzon, Masechet Kiddushin, Shaarei
Shomayim

9:00AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Kollel,

Clanton Park

Wednesday, May 18

Shavuot: See flyer above

Thursday, May 19
Shavuot: See flyer above

Friday, May 20

9:00AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Tevillat Keilim at Summer Kollel,

We would like to thank koshertube.com for filming our shiurim!

Visit us at www.torontotorah.com