Answers to this Week’s Riddles
(For riddles see back page)
1) The Ramban’s Reason for the Census
In this week’s parsha, Moshe is instructed to count Klal Yisroel (1:2). The Ramban (1:45) discusses at great length what the purpose of this mitzvah is. One of the reasons the Ramban suggests is:
ועוד כי הבא לפני אב הנביאים ואחיו קדוש ה 'והוא נודע אליהם בשמו יהיה לו בדבר הזה זכות וחיים כי בא בסוד העם ובכתב בני ישראל וזכות הרבים במספרם וכן לכולם זכות במספר שימנו לפני משה ואהרן כי ישימו עליהם עינם לטובה יבקשו עליהם רחמים ה 'אלקי אבותיכם יוסף עליכם ככם אלף פעמים ולא ימעיט מספרכם והשקלים כופר על נפשותיכם .
The Ramban is suggesting: The reason for counting Klal Yisroel is so that everyone would come in front of Moshe and Aharon, and Moshe and Aharon would think about them, and ask for mercy for them, and this would be for the good of Klal Yisroel.
The Shefa Chaim (Year 5742, Matos – Maasei) writes that this Ramban is a rebbishe Ramban, as the Ramban is saying the entire Klal Yisroel would pass before Moshe and Aharon and mention their name and their fathers name, and Moshe and Aharon would look at them, and be mashpia on them good. The Shefa Chaim writes: “Here is a mekor for the chasidim who mention their name to the rebbe and ask the rebbe to be mashpia good on to them”.
2) Shevet Naftoli – Mostly Women?
There is an unbelievable Baal HaTurim in this week’s parsha (1:42). By all the shevotim the pasuk says, לבני שמעון, לבני גד etc., however, when it comes to Shevet Naftoli the pasuk says בני נפתלי.
The Baal HaTurim writes:
בכולן אומר לבני לבד מנפתלי שאומר בני לפי שבשבט נפתלי היו בנות יותר מבנים ולכך רמז בברכת נפתלי אשה אילה שלוחה הנותן ר "ת אשה.
By all the shevotim it says, לבני, except for Naftoli where it says בני. The reason for this is, because Shevet Naftoli had more girls than boys. We also find in the berachos given to the shevotim a hint to this, as Naftoli is blessed: אילה שלוחה הנותן which has the roshei teives of אשה, a woman.
[R’ Avraham Unger shlita suggests that the letter “lamed” (ל) stands for limud Torah, and since only men are commanded to learn Torah and not women, the extra lamed of לבני by all other shevotim hints to Talmud Torah, however, by Naftoli which is mostly girls who don’t have this mitzvah, it misses out the “lamed”.]
It's interesting to note that the Pesikta Zutraso says the exact opposite. He says that from the fact it says לבני by all shevotim and by Naftoli it says just בני, we see: “They were made up of males and there were no females”. Similarly, the Medrash HaGadol writes that from this change we see that Naftoli was mostly made up of males.
3) Fulfilling Peru Urevu by Teaching Torah
R’ Shlomah Kluger (Chochmas Shlomah, Even HaEzer 1:1) discusses this. He writes that from the lashon of Chazal כאלו ילדו – “it’s as if he gave birth to him”, it seems that it is considered one’s child and that one can fulfil peru urevu with it. On the other hand, perhaps it’s only כאלו ילדו – “as if one gave birth to him”, but it’s not literal.
R' Shlomah Kluger concludes that this would depend on the chakirah [analysis] in the Achronim if every time in Shas it says כאלו, if we mean the two things that are being compared together are literally the same or not. If כאלו means they are literally the same then one would be able to fulfil peru urevu in such a manner, if however, כאלו doesn’t literally mean that the two are the same, then it may well be that one cannot fulfil peru urevu by teaching the son of his friend Torah.
The chiddush that one can fulfil peru urevu in such a manner has already been suggested by the Noda B’Yehudah. His son the Ahavas Tzion (Derush 9) quotes in the name of his father the Noda B’Yehudah the following peshat in the Gemara in Yevamos (63b). The Gemara brings in the name of Ben Azai, “Anyone who doesn’t busy himself with peru urevu, is as if he has committed murder and spilt blood.” The Gemara then brings: “The Chachomim told him, some people say good derush and keep what they say, and some say good derush but don’t keep what they say. You, Ben Azai say good derush, but don’t keep what you say (Ben Azai never got married).” Ben Azai responded: “What can I do, my soul desires Torah so much”.
The simple peshat in this Gemara is, Ben Azai was saying I agree that I am doing something wrong but what can I do, I love Torah too much, and getting married is too distracting for me. However, the Noda B’Yehudah explains Ben Azai as follows: Ben Azai held that if one teaches his friend’s son Torah, it’s as if he gave birth to him literally and one can fulfil peru urevu in such a manner. So, Ben Azai was saying, I teach Torah to others, and it’s as if I gave birth to them, therefore, I have children and I am fulfilling the mitzvah of peru urevu, and I have no need to get married.
R' Yosef Engel (Gilyonei HaShas, Yevamos) says a similar answer: The halachos that are nischadesh [come to light] through learning are considered one’s children, and these were Ben Azai’s children. He cites proof from the Gemara in Berachos (47b). The Gemara says: Two Talmiday Chachomim which are sharpening each other with halachah can join together for zimun” (the two of them are considered three). The Tosfos HaRosh explains: The halachah is considered the third person. We see that halachah can be considered a person. Therefore, although Ben Azai never married, he had children - the Torah that he was mechadesh.
4) The Segulah of Pidyon Haben
The Sefer Zocher HaBris (35:6) writes: There is tradition that if one eats at a seudah of a pidyon haben it’s as if he fasted 84 fasts. If we aren’t neviim, we are the sons of neviyim, and presumably there is a kabbalah past down from generation to generation about this. I heard there is a hint to this in the pasuk: ויקח משה את כסף הפדיום (Bamidbar 3:49), which stands for, פ''ד יום. Those who attend the meal take something home to give to family and friends.”
However, the Sdei Chemed (Klalim, Maareches 60, Klal 54) writes: “When I was in Yerusholayim in the year 5659, I was invited to a pidyon haben and I never went. They told me it says in the seforim that partaking of a pidyon haben is in place of 84 fasts, and I never knew this. Then I saw in the sefer Shu”t HaDar that he writes: “People say the seudah of a pidyon haben is in place of 84 fasts”. It seems to me however, there is no source for this, and it’s just a nice thing people say.”
After the Sdei Chemed brought out his sefer, and people saw what he said, people were in great shock and very surprised. It was known by everyone the segulah of attending a pidyon haben, and no one could believe that the Sdei Chemed who was a boki [expert] in the rishonim and achronim had said there was no mekor, and they weren’t willing to accept this.
At that time there was a pidyon haben that took place in Yerusholayim and the Rov of Yerusholayim, R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld was in attendance. At the seudah they were discussing the Sdei Chemed and the controversy that had been stirred, and someone said: “We have here R’ Yosef Chaim, who is well known for his expertise in all areas of Torah, Rishonim, Achronim etc. let’s ask him his opinion”.
R’ Yosef Chaim gave a big smile and said with his great wisdom: It’s true there is no mekor [source] in the seforim, however, there is a remez to this in the Torah. In Parshas Bo it says (Shemos 13:13): וכל בכור אדם בבניך תפדה, this stand for -אם דבר מה ב פדיון בן נהנית י חשב כאילו תענית פ''ד התענית – “If you benefit from something at the pidyon haben, it is as if you fasted 84 fasts.”
R’ Yosef Chaim then added: There is another segulah which if one does it’s as if he fasted 84 fasts, and that is to learn a ד''ף of Gemara. If one learns a daf of Gemara it’s as if he fasted 84 fasts, as ד''ף is gematria 84, however, for this segulah people aren’t jumping as much.
