Vort from the Rav

Genesis 4:6 וְכִי תַאֲוָה הוּא לָעֵינַיִם וְנֶחְמָד הָעֵץ לְהַשְׂכִּיל and that it was a desire to the eyes, and the tree was attractive to look at. The Tree of Knowledge is described in purely esthetic categories: 1) תַאֲוָה – the moment of lust, invincible, hypnotic desire that spells ethical atrophy and indifference; 2) נֶחְמָד – in the sense of attractiveness ...

This is the final entry in the series of Vorts from the Rav. I thank Dr. Arnold Lustiger for allowing us this window into the Rav’s commentary and wish him success in his publishing endeavors and all he sets out to do. Note that you can purchase Chumash Mesoras HaRav on Sefer Bereishis here: link –Gil Rav said: [The Megillah] ...

The miracle of Purim is fundamentally different from all other miracles that are commemorated in the Jewish calendar because it is not a revealed miracle. It is a “natural” miracle. There is no incident in the Megillah that one might consider as anything but a natural occurrence. The natural miracle of Purim is the primary theme of Psalms 22, a ...

Exodus 38:21 אֵֶלה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן  מִשְׁכַּן הָֽעֵדת These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony. Rashi, quoting the Midrash Tanchuma, states that the repetition of the word מִּשְׁכָּן  suggests a mashkon (collateral) motif. The word is stated twice, an allusion to the two Batei Mikdash which were taken as collateral through its two destructions for the ...

Exodus 35:22 וַיָּבאוּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים עַל־הַנָּשׁים The men came with the women It is interesting to note the enthusiasm with which the people built the mishkan. At no time during the 40 years in the desert did any of the Children of Israel violate the sanctity of the mishkan. Yet, after only one week in the desert, the Sabbath was violated ...

Exodus 32:19 וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ מִיָּדָיואֶת־הַלֻּחת and he flung the tablets from his hands. There is a disagreement among Chazal regarding the circumstances surrounding the breaking of the Tablets. Most opinions maintain that Moses intentionally broke the Tablets since he did not want to present them to the idolatrous nation. To support this premise, there is a passage in Bava Batra (14b) ...

Exodus 28:6 וְעָשׂוּ אֶת־הָֽאֵפֹד And they shall make the ephod Rashi writes: I have not heard nor have I found a baraisa which explains [the ephod’s] design. However, my heart tells me that it is belted around its back…” Rashi continues with a description of how he believed the Ephod was designed. How could Rashi provide such a detailed picture ...

Exodus 25:10 וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן They shall make an ark. Maimonides in Hilchos Beis Habechira (1:6) states “vessels must be made for the Temple.” Maimonides includes within the mitzvos of building the Temple the fashioning of the various Temple vessels, the reason being that he maintains that both the building of the Temple and housing its vessels constitute one fulfillment, one ...

Exodus 24:22 אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת־עַמִּי אֶת הֶֽעָנִי עִמָּך When you lend money to My people, to the poor person [who is] with you Rashi comments, based on the phrase [who is] with you, that one should look upon himself as the poor person. The fact that you are the giver and the poor person is a receiver is nothing ...

Exodus 19:16 וַיֶּֽחֱרַד כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּֽמַּֽחֲנֶֽה and the entire nation that was in the camp shuddered. The Gemara in Berachos 22a states: Just as at Horeb, there was dread and awe, trembling and fear, so too here [in respect to the teaching and studying of Torah] it must be done with dread and awe, trembling and fear. The purpose of ...