~ Something to Think About ~
פרשת ויקרא
Parsha Stumpers
By: Daniel Listhaus
- (1:1) The Baal Haturim writes that the
small aleph in “Vayikra” was a compromise between Moshe and Hashem.
Moshe only wanted the Torah to say “Vayakar” to express that Hashem
only happened to appear to Moshe as the Torah expresses when Hashem went
to Billam. So, the compromise was to have the aleph but in smaller font.
The question is though: Granted Moshe was the humblest man who ever lived,
however, humility does not mean sinking to a low-life level of Billam. The
middah of anavah sometimes requires one to utilize his full
self esteem and specifically do things to show that he represents the will
of Hashem. So, how could Moshe suggest that The Torah recall his
encounters with Hashem in the same way it does for Billam?
- Besides for in this week's parsha by
Hashem talking to Moshe by the Ohel Moed, there are two other times
in the Torah when Hashem “calls” Moshe before speaking to him. When were
they?
- (1:2) The passuk says, “When a person from
among you will bring a karbon...” Rashi comments that the
Torah uses the word “Adam” to teach us that just as Adam, the first man,
did not bring any offering from that which was stolen since everything was
his, so too any person must never bring an offering of a stolen animal.
Why would the Torah go out of its way to give such a dramatic example? The
idea of not being allowed to bring a stolen animal is one that is already
taught in the passuk, and the concept of mitzva ha'ba'ah
b'aveira (not being allowed to do a mitzva brought about
through a means of doing an aveirah) is already known. So why is
this extreme example also necessary?
- There is a concept in this week’s parsha (Rashi
1:3) as well as many times throughout the Gemara that we sometimes
force people to do things against their will until they say “okay, I'll do
it”. At that point it is actually considered as if it is indeed their
will. How could that be if they were forced to say it?
- Where is there a hint in the parsha to the
concept that an idea becomes a reality and “created” in a sense only when
a person speaks out the idea verbally?
- Why does Rashi repeat multiple times
regarding karbon chatas (sin offering) that it must be
brought with the intent for the sake of being a sin-offering?
