Parashas Balak – The Merit of Yaakov Avinu

  וירא בלק בן צפור את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי

Balak son of Zippor saw all that Yisrael had done to the Emorite (22:2).

  ויגר מואב מפני העם מאד כי רב הוא ויקץ מואב מפני בני ישראל

Moav feared the nation greatly because it was numerous, and Moav was disgusted on account of the Children of Yisrael (22:3).

In the first verse above the Torah refers to the Jews as ישראל Yisrael, but in the second verse it refers to them as בני ישראל, the Children of Yisrael. What is the significance of these two titles?

This can be explained on the basis of Ramban’s comment on why Yaakov Avinu described Eretz Yisrael as a land אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי, which I have taken from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and with my bow (Bereishis 48:22). Noting the past tense of the words “I have taken,” Ramban explains that already during his lifetime, more than two hundred years before the Jews entered Eretz Yisrael, Yaakov conquered the Land on a spiritual level, by waving his sword and shooting arrows toward it. After Yaakov subdued the Canaanites spiritually, it was easy for his descendants to do so physically after the Exodus.

Accordingly, we understand the two descriptions of the Jewish people. When Balak saw what “Yisrael had done to the Emorite,” it does not mean that he saw the physical conquest of Sichon and Og. Rather, it means figuratively that he understood, that Yisrael — our forefather Yaakov — must have been behind the Jewish victory over the Emorite kings. They were the mightiest kings of the region, and other nations sought their protection, yet the Jews had managed to defeat them without a single casualty. It could only be that these kings had already been defeated on a spiritual level, and that the Jews had simply completed the task on the practical level. He therefore dreaded the advance of the “Children of Yisrael.” Having recognized that their victory over the Emorites was not due to their military prowess, but rather the product of Yaakov’s symbolic conquest of the Land, he was concerned that his army would be no match for the Jews, as his own defeat might have already been accomplished by Yaakov.

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    On the basis of this, we can resolve a number of difficulties with the second verse above: The Torah indicates that Moav experienced two distinct sentiments with regard to the Jews: they feared them and they were disgusted on account of them. What is the idea behind each of these sentiments? Also when discussing Moav’s fear, the Torah refers to the Jews as “the nation,” but when discussing how Moav was disgusted on account of them, the Torah calls them “the Children of Yisrael.” Why the difference? Finally, the Torah says that Moav feared the Jewish nation “because it was numerous,” but it doesn’t give a reason to explain why Moav was disgusted! Is no reason necessary? On basis of the above, these difficulties disappear. Moav feared the Jews on the practical level, because they were so numerous that they could overwhelm the much smaller Moavite army. With regard to this concern, though, there was a solution: Moav could form an alliance with another nation, and together achieve victory. But, as the verse continues, Moav was “disgusted, on account of the Children of Yisrael,” meaning, on account of the descendants of Yaakov, who would be coming with the merit of their forefather, who had spiritually conquered the Moavites just as he had conquered the Emorites. They were therefore disgusted with themselves, as they realized that they had no prospects for victory. No alliance could help them overcome the spiritual defeat they had already suffered. Thus, the words “on account of the Children of Yisrael” are indeed the reason for their disgust. The Moavites were disgusted with their own prospects, because they would be fighting against the descendants of Yisrael. In response to their fear of the Jews’ might and Yaakov’s merit, the Moavites took two actions. On the mundane level, they formed a military alliance with Midian. In addition they engaged the services of Bilaam, whose spiritual powers, they hoped, would nullify the merit of Yaakov (Chasam Sofer al HaTorah, p. 113 ד”ה וירא א.)

In Memory of
R’ Yakov ben R’ Shmuel Yosef
and R’ Shimon ben R’ Moshe ע”ה 
© Copyright 2019 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.

To download a printable copy, click here: Chasam Sofer – Balak

CHASAM SOFER – CHUKAS

The Divine Wisdom

זאת חקת התורה

This is the decree of the Torah (19:2).

            Inpresenting the laws of Parah Adumah, the Red Cow, the Torah describes it as the “decree of the [entire] Torah.” Why doesn’t it say simply “This is the decree of the Parah Adumah”?

            We can explain this on basis of the verse אמרתי אחכמה והיא רחוקה ממני, I thought I could become wise, but it is beyond Me (Koheles 7:23). The Sages (Yoma 14a) teach that Shlomo HaMelech said this in reference to Parah Adumah. He said that although he had understood the reasons and significance of all the other mitzvos, the meaning of this mitzvah eluded him. It seems, however, that when Shlomo said, “… but it is beyond me,” he did not merely mean that this one mitzvah was too deep for him to grasp. He meant, rather, that his failure to fathom this mitzvah proved to him that even his comprehension of the other mitzvos was incomplete. He realized that the depth of Divine wisdom in each of the mitzvos is beyond the capacity of human intellect. Thus, Shlomo said, “I thought I was wise,” because I had a comprehension of all the mitzvos and thought that I understood them fully. “But”— in truth — “it is beyond me”; I now recognize that even what I thought I understood is actually beyond me. The mitzvos have depths of meaning that even the wisest of men could not fathom.

            This is why the parashah begins with a statement that reflects on the entire Torah — This is the decree of the Torah. As Rashi explains, the term חקה, decree, indicates that the subject defies human comprehension: It is Hashem’s decree, which we must follow even though we cannot understand it. But it is not only the mitzvah of Parah Adumah that is Hashem’s decree. This mitzvah shows us that the entire Torah is actually His decree, for even if we think we understand something, the depths of Divine wisdom are in truth unfathomable (Toras Moshe HaShalem, p. 86 ד”ה זאת חקת התורה (ג)).

In Memory of
R’ Yakov ben R’ Shmuel Yosef
and R’ Shimon ben R’ Moshe ע”ה 
© Copyright 2019 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.

To download a printable copy, click here: Chasam Sofer – Chukas

CHASAM SOFER – KORACH

What’s in a Name

וְיִקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן־יִצְהָר בֶּן־קְהָת בֶּן־לֵוִי

Korach took — the son of Yitzhar, son of Kehas, son of Levi (16:1).

       The name Korach first appears in the Torah in Parashas Vayishlach (36:5), as the name of one of Eisav’s sons. Since that Korach presumably followed in the wicked ways of his father, it seems astonishing that Yitzhar, a righteous member of the Levi family, would give his son the same name. The Gemara (Yoma 38b) states that one should not give his child the name of a wicked person! It seems reasonable to suggest that Yitzhar in fact erred in giving his son the name Korach, for it planted seeds of evil within him, which ultimately led him to instigate the ill-fated rebellion against Moshe.

      Accordingly, we can explain why the Torah identifies Korach by listing three generations of his forebears — his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather — and why the Torah uses the particular expression וְיִקַּח קֹרַח, Korach took. The Gemara teaches that once a family has three consecutive generations of righteous people, it is natural for the succeeding generations to also be righteous (see Bava Metzia 85a; Kesubos 62b). As the verse says, וְהַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק, A three-layer cord is not quickly severed (Koheles 4:12). Since Korach was descended from three generations of righteous men (Yitzhar, Kehas, and Levi), one would expect him to be righteous as well. Why did he turn out otherwise? Our verse addresses this question and says, ויקח קרח, Korach took. What did “Korach” take?בן יצהר בן קהת בן לוי, the son of Yitzhar, son of Kehas, son of Levi. The verse means to tell us that the name Korach, because it was originally a name of a wicked person, “took” — i.e., robbed — from this child all the sanctity that he should have attained by being the son of Yitzhar, son of Kehas, and son of Levi. His name caused him to be deprived of the merit of his illustrious forebears and to turn out the way he did (Chasam Sofer al HaTorah p. 75-76 ד”ה קרח בן יצהר).

In Memory of
R’ Yakov ben R’ Shmuel Yosef
and R’ Shimon ben R’ Moshe ע”ה 
© Copyright 2019 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.

To download a printable copy, click here: Chasam Sofer – Korach

CHASAM SOFER – SHELACH

The Revealed and Inner Meanings of the Word שלח

שלח לך אנשים

Send forth men for yourself (13:2).

            As the Torah will relate (14:1), when the meraglim (spies) returned from Eretz Yisrael with their evil report, the people wept throughout the following night. The Gemara tells us that it was the night of Tisha B’Av (the ninth of Av), and because the Jews wept needlessly on that night, Hashem established that night as a national night of mourning, for generations. The Beis HaMikdash was therefore destroyed on the ninth of Av (Taanis 29a).

            The word שלח, which is the first word of Hashem’s command to Moshe to send the meraglim, contains an allusion to the idea that sending the meraglim would lead to the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash.

            In Parashas Va’eschanan (Devarim 4:25-28), Moshe warns the Jews that if they become overly comfortable in Eretz Yisrael and turn corrupt, this will cause them to be exiled and destroyed. He says that this will occur כי תוליד בנים ובני בנים ונושנתם בארץ, When you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long (ונושנתם) in the Land. The Gemara (Gittin 88a) teaches that the word ונושנתם alludes to when the Beis HaMikdash would be destroyed. Its gematria is 852, which indicates that 852 years after entering Eretz Yisrael, the Jews “will have been long” in the Land and will be exiled from it.[1]

            Now, the gematria of שלח is 338. However, there is another form of gematria based on spelling out each letter of the word — i.e., writing the letter ש as שי”ן, the letter ל as למ”ד, and the letter ח as חי”ת. This way of writing a word, with each of its letters spelled out, reveals the “hidden” content of the word, and the gematria of the word in this form offers insight into its inner meaning. Now, the gematria of שי”ן is 360, the gematria of למ”ד is 74, and the gematria of חי”ת is 418. If we add up the values of the three letters, the total gematria of the “hidden” form of the word שלח (360+74+418) equals 852. This is precisely the number of years alluded to by the gematria of ונושנתם! Thus, although according to the plain meaning of the word שלח, Hashem was instructing Moshe to send the meraglim, according to the inner meaning of the word, He was hinting at the terrible consequences that would result from their mission (Toras Moshe HaShalem, p. 52 ד”ה שלח לך אנשים).

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[1] The Beis HaMikdash was actually destroyed 850 years after the Jews entered Eretz Yisrael. It was built 480 years after the Exodus from Egypt (see I Melachim, 6:1), and stood for 410 years (see Yoma 9a). Thus, the Destruction occurred 890 years after the Jews left Egypt. Since they entered Eretz Yisrael 40 years after the Exodus, the Destruction took place 850 years after they entered the Land. The Sages explain that Hashem brought the Destruction two years before the deadline indicated by ונושנתם, at a time when the Jews were not yet fully corrupt, so that they would be spared the complete destruction that the verse foretells (Gittin 88a; Rashi, Devarim 4:25).

In Memory of
R’ Yakov ben R’ Shmuel Yosef
and R’ Shimon ben R’ Moshe ע”ה 
© Copyright 2019 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.

To download a printable copy, click here: Chasam Sofer – Shelach

CHASAM SOFER – BAMIDBAR

1. One Census, Two Meanings

שְׂאוּ אֶת ראש כל עדת בני ישראל

Count the heads of the entire assembly of the Children of Israel (1:2)

The term used for “count the heads” is שְׂאוּ אֶת ראש, which literally means raise the head. This indicates that the census served to elevate the Jewish people and ascribe greatness to them. However, the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 1:11; cited by Ramban to v. 3) notes that שאו את ראש can also mean, remove the head, as in the verse (Bereishis 40:19), יִשא פרעה את מעליך ותלה אותך על העץ, Pharaoh will remove your head from you and hang you on a tree. According to this interpretation, our verse alludes to the fact that the men counted in this census were destined to die in the Wilderness, as punishment for the sin of the Spies. Ramban asks, however: Since the simple meaning of the phrase שאו את ראש follows its positive connotation of “raise the head,” why does the Midrash interpret it in a negative manner?

We may resolve this by noting that when the Torah excludes the Leviim from the count, it states (1:49): אך את מטה לוי לא תפקד ואת ראשם לא תשא, which seems to mean, But the tribe of Levi you shall not count “and their head you shall not raise.” Now, if שאו את ראש denotes “elevation,” why would the Torah exclude the Leviim from being counted and gaining this blessing? The Midrash therefore reasons that שאו את ראש must also carry the negative connotation of “remove the head.” Because the Leviim were dedicated to Hashem’s service, Hashem said, ואת ראשם לא תשא, which according to the Midrash means, and their head you shall not remove. They were excluded from the decree of death that would ultimately be imposed on all those counted in this census (Toras Moshe HaShalem, p. 1, ד”ה שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל).

2. Seeing the Good

             As mentioned, the phrase שאו את ראש can be interpreted “remove the head.” While this interpretation seems negative, it actually contains a positive message as well, and complements the message of elevation and grandeur conveyed by “raise the head.”

What was the reason for the census? The apparent reason was that Moshe and the Nesiim needed to determine the number of people in each tribe so that Eretz Yisrael could be divided fairly among the tribes. The time of this census was appropriate for that purpose, because at this point the Jewish people had not yet committed the sin of the Spies, and they were ready to travel to Eretz Yisrael.

However, Hashem knew in advance that the Jews would eventually commit the sin of the Spies and that this generation would therefore die in the Wilderness. Thus, the people counted in this census would not not enter Eretz Yisrael and would not divide the Land. Obviously, then, the division of the Land cannot have been Hashem’s reason for commanding Moshe to take the census. What, though was His reason? It is, as Rashi explains, that Hashem wanted to count the Jews simply to demonstrate His love for them.

This idea is alluded to in the double meaning of the phrase, שאו את ראש. The literal meaning is raise the head, but according to the Midrash it means remove the head. The latter interpretation is negative only on a superficial level. In truth, though, it contains the basis of the positive interpretation. The expression remove the head alludes that Hashem knew that those counted in this census would die in the Wilderness. But if they would not live to divide the Land, why did Hashem want them to be counted? It must be because He loves them. In this sense, the census is an elevation for the Jews and serves to raise their head! It is thus the negative meaning that makes us realize the message contained in the positive meaning: Hashem counts the Jews because He loves each and every one of them (Toras Moshe HaShalem, p. 1, ד”ה שאו את ראש א).

In Memory of
R’ Yakov ben R’ Shmuel Yosef
and R’ Shimon ben R’ Moshe ע”ה
© Copyright 2019 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.

To download a printable copy click here: Chasam Sofer – Bamidbar