“Hashem said to Moshe: Speak to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say to them: Let none of you defile himself for a dead person among his people. (21:1)” There is a redundancy in the Posuk as Moshe seems to be told to say and then say again. Rashi quotes the Gemara (Yevamos 114A) which explains that this teaches us –that the older people must warn and educate the younger people. We must know that this is the case in regard to the entire Torah those who know more have an obligation to teach those who know less.
The Oznayim LeTorah from Hagaon Rav Zalman Sorotzkin z”l, offers a beautiful explanation which has very practical implications. We know that a child is influenced both by his parents/teachers and by his friends/environment. It is often unfortunate that the influencer does not abide at what he preaches. Trying to educate a child to act in a specific way or to consider certain things to be important when the influencer is not acting in such a way and are treating those things with disregard is exceedingly difficult. You have to personally assume all of those restrictions for yourself. By doing that and setting a proper example, you’ll be able to educate him to act in a way that none of his peers are acting.
This is what Rashi is alluding to: The older people must warn and educate the younger people. This means that the older people must be strict and follow the rules and then setting a standard of being a role model for the children, and then would the influence work.
There is the famous story of a father telling his son not to speak by davening, yet the father himself spoke by the davening. The young boy said: I’ll wait until I become a father, and then I would be able to also talk by davening!
The famous Maggid Rav Shalom Shvadron z”l tells a powerful story of the Ridvaz, Hagaon Rav Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, originally Rav in Slutzk, then in Chicago, and finally in Tzfas. He published two classic commentaries on the Jerusalem Talmud. One day the Ridvaz began to cry as he waited for the prayers to begin in the shul, on the day of his father’s yahrtzeit anniversary of his death. A close friend approached him and asked why he was so upset considering the fact that his father had lived until the age of eighty and had died more than fifty years ago.
The Ridvaz explained: When I was a young boy, my father had hired the best melamed teacher for me. He charged one ruble a month which was a large sum of money in those days, especially for my father who was very poor. My father made a living building furnaces. One winter there was a shortage of cement and lime and my father couldn’t meet the payments for my melamed. Three months went by and he hadn’t paid him. One day, I brought home a note from my teacher which said that if he didn’t receive money by the next morning, he’d be unable to continue teaching me.
My parents were devastated. To them my Torah study meant everything and they felt that nothing should stand in its way. That evening at shul, my father overheard a wealthy man complain that the contractors who were building a house for his son couldn’t get a furnace because of the shortages. He offered six ruble to anyone who would get him a furnace. In Russia, a furnace was vital as it was used for both cooking and heating.
When my father came home from shul he discussed the matter with my mother. They agreed that my father would take apart our furnace, brick by brick and rebuild it for the rich man. They would then have money for my melamed.
My father did just that and received the promised six rubles. These he immediately gave me to pay my mela’med. “Tell the mela’med,” he said proudly, “that three are back pay and the other three are for the next three months.” That winter was bitterly cold and we all froze and shivered in order that I could have the best melamed and grow in Torah.
The Ridvaz took a breath and then continued. “This afternoon it was very cold and I was considering having a minyan for prayer in my home. Then I decided that in honor of my father I should make the extra effort, brave the cold and go to shul. I was crying thinking about the self-sacrifice that my family had for my learning.” This is what the Posuk is saying “Emor v’amarta”–say and then say again. Do as I do. The effects can last for generations.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
