Bilaam finally ‘convinces’ Hashem that he should be allowed to accompany the entourage sent by Balak to curse the Jewish nation. He is warned not to say anything except that which Hashem permits him to but he erroneously believes that he can ‘outsmart’ the Master of the Universe, a common mistake that many evil people make!
This week’s parsha introduces a novel concept that is really incredibly difficult to comprehend. In fact, it is so complex that even the great mind of King Solomon, the wisest of all men could not grasp this mitzvah. Our Sages tell us that only Moshe was able to fully understand the depth of this mitzvah.
The upheaval that Korach caused went far beyond his actual claims against Moshe. His dispute centered upon the seat of power in the nation. He contested Moshe’s authority, Ahron’s appointment as the Kohen Gadol and of course that his cousin was selected to be the head of his particular branch of the Levites. Many prominent members of the people mistakenly supported his mutiny and their punishment was not deferre and it was swift and exacting. However, there were also secondary damages that occurred due to his insurgency.
The main cause for the appearance of tzora’as, a skin infection, is due to loshon hora, or slanderous speech. The offender is sentenced to remain isolated outside the entire camp of Israel until he repents and then miraculously, the malady will disappear and he will be allowed to enter. Why is his punishment so severe?
This Shabbos we will read the parsha that discusses the upcoming month of Nissan. It is considered the first and foremost of the months of the year. What indeed is so significant about this month. Of course, we bring the special Passover sacrifice in this month, however why would that make the month itself so important?
After an enjoyable and lively Purim, we begin our ascent to the Yom Tov of Pesach. Of course, there is a lot more work that Pesach entails such as clearing the house of any remaining chometz and kashering the kitchen and buying only specially made food products for Pesach. There is another facet to this wonderful Yom Tov that is not extant at this time.
Purim is here with the masks and hamantashen. However, what is behind those masks. What is the essence of this incredibly exciting and joyous Yom Tov? R’ Yitzchok Luria better known as the AriZl suggests an amazing understanding of this special day. In Hebrew, the word Yom Kippur contains within its spelling the word Purim. Therefore, he states that even Yom Kippur, which we all view as the most auspicious and hallowed day of the year, is only like Purim.
Chasam Sofer cites Rabbeinu Bachya that the length of duration of the first and second Beis Hamikdash is alluded to in the beginning of this parsha. The opening verse states that these are the accountings of ‘the Mishkan’ the ‘Mishkan of Testimony.’ The words ‘the Mishkan’ in Hebrew is one word ‘HaMishkan’ which using ‘Gematriya’ the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letters equals 415 and since there are five letters in that word that total sum is 420, the span of time of the second Beis Hamikdash.
This is the only parsha in the Torah that begins with this word “vayakhel” which means to gather together. The Midrash comments that Hashem instructed Moshe to assemble the people jointly on Shabbos and lecture them on the laws of Shabbos. It continues that future generations will derive from this practice to also congregate and teach their communities the different laws pertaining to what is permissible and what is prohibited in general but not necessarily related to Shabbos.
We know that Moshe was the supreme prophet in our nation. He descended from Mt. Sinai with the tablets upon which were inscribed the Ten Commandments and he conveyed to the entire nation the Oral Law which in great detail explains the Written Law, the Torah. There is a facet to this narrative which requires a depth of explanation.