- How is it possible that a healthy adult Jewish male has a kosher pair of tefillin in his possession that he owns, yet he (correctly) only wears the tefillin shel rosh on his head, but not the tefillin shel yad on his arm?
The Rambam (Hilchos Klei HaMikdosh 10:6) rules that a kohen who is serving in the Beis HaMikdosh may not wear tefillin on his arm, for it would create a chatziza [invalidating separation] between his bigdei kehunah [priestly garments] and his skin, which must be in direct contact with nothing interceding between them (Vayikra 16:4). However, the tefillin shel rosh is not considered a chatzitza, and a kohen may wear it while working in the Beis HaMikdosh.
- Which essential objects or items were located in the courtyard of the Mishkan, but are not explicitly mentioned anywhere in Parshas Terumah, Tetzaveh, or Ki Sisa?
On Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh, the Brisker Rav asked this riddle after krias haTorah. He answered that Rashi explains (29:4) that part of the inauguration procedure for Aharon and his sons required them to immerse themselves in a mikvah inside the Mishkan. An additional answer is that Rashi writes (27:5) that there was a ramp on which to ascend the mizbayach, though neither the mikvah nor the ramp are explicitly mentioned in the text. (Peninim MiShulchan Gevoha)
- There are six actions in the Torah that take place, בין הערבים – in the afternoon, three of which are mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh. How many of them can you identify?
The second daily korban tamid was offered בין הערבים (29:39), which is also when the menorah was lit (30:8) and ketores was burned on the mizbayach hazahav. Elsewhere, the Torah stipulates that the korban pesach must be brought בין הערבים on the 14th of Nissan (Rashi Vayikra 23:5), and the Pesach Sheini was also offered at that time one month later, on the 14th of Iyar (Bamidbar 9:11). When the Jewish people complained about the lack of food to eat in the wilderness, Hashem responded by promising to feed them bread in the morning and meat בין הערבים (Shemos 16:12). (Torah Teasers)
- Which two of the shivas haminim (seven species for which Eretz Yisroel is praised – Devorim 8:8) are mentioned in this week’s parsha?
Olive oil was used to kindle the menorah (27:20), and pomegranates were attached to the hem of the robe worn by the kohen gadol (28:33).
- Rashi writes (Shemos 28:30) that the Kohen Gadol was able to ask questions to the Urim V’Tumim inside the Choshen, to which he received heavenly replies as the letters forming the response to his query either lit up or protruded. Was it permitted to consult the Urim V’Tumim on Shabbos?
When Dovid was fleeing from Shaul, he arrived in Nov on Shabbos (Menachos 95b) and encountered the kohen gadol, Achimelech. The Targum (Shmuel 1, 21:10) says that Achimelech consulted the Urim V’Tumim to clarify a halachic issue that arose from their conversation. The sefer Derech HaMikraos records that he asked Rav Chaim Kanievsky why Achimelech was allowed to do so, as he caused the letters of the Urim V’Tumim to light up or protrude to form the words that answered his question. Rav Chaim responded by advising the author to look in the Mishnah Berurah (328:143). There, the Shulchan Aruch rules that it is permissible to use magical incantations on Shabbos to freeze snakes and other dangerous animals so that they will not harm people, and it is not considered a forbidden form of trapping them on Shabbos. The Mishnah Berurah explains that even though the frozen snake is now effectively captured, the snake charmer has not performed a forbidden labor, for this is not considered a natural form of trapping animals. Similarly, Rav Chaim implied that presenting questions to the Urim V’Tumim, even if it will cause the letters to form words, is also deemed unnatural and is therefore permitted. (R’ Ozer Alport)
- There is a fascinating Rabbeinu Bechaye in this week’s parsha (28:43). He writes that the kohen gadol would wear eight garments and a regular kohen four. They weren’t allowed to wear any additional clothes, which meant that in the cold winter, there were no sweaters or extra clothes allowed. He writes: It’s amazing how the kohanim were able to serve in the Beis HaMikdosh in the winter, wearing just a kosenes [thin shirt] and nothing on their feet. He writes, that for this reason, they had a special doctor who would look after them, as many of them would become ill.
However, I don’t understand, as surely the avodah in the Beis HaMikdosh is a mitzvah, and when one does a mitzvah there is a guarantee, that shluchai mitzvah eini nizokin, one doesn’t get harmed when performing a mitzvah, so why did they need a special doctor?
Perhaps, this is peshat in the above. Rabbeinu Bechaye struggles to understand why the kohanim didn’t die, and he writes: פלא שלא מתו מרוב הקור – “It’s amazing that they didn’t die from the cold”. It could be that they should have died, however, shluchai mitzvah eini nizokin, therefore, they were ok.
However, even if they didn’t die, it’s clear that they would get ill. The Mishnah in Shekolim (5:1) lists 15 positions in the Mikdosh, one of them is: בן אחיה על חולי מעים – “Ben Achyah to take care of stomach illnesses”. The Yerushalmi explains, that in the Beis HaMikdosh someone was needed to heal the kohanim as they would walk around bare foot all day, eat lots of meat, and only drink water. All these things caused them to get stomach problems, and they needed a special doctor to take care of them.
The Medrash Talpiyos (Anaf Kohanim) cites the aforementioned Rabbeinu Bechaye then comments: “Nature had its effects and they would get ill, however, the merit of doing the avodah and the simcha that it was done with, saved them from dying”.
The Minchas Elozor in his sefer Divrei Torah (Mahdura 9, ois 65) asks: Since there were ten miracles in the Beis HaMikdosh why did Hashem not make another one, and make sure that the kohanim didn’t get ill. Then he asks, what we asked: Surely one doesn’t get harmed when doing a mitzvah? He then answers: “Hashem wanted the kohanim to serve him, even if it involved some pain. Or perhaps it was the kohanim that did the avodah with gayvah, however, the kohanim that did it lishma were in fact protected”. He ends off: “In the third Beis HaMikodsh which shall speedily be built, there won’t be any illnesses or diseases.” (Otzar Peloas HaTorah)
