To Honor Others
The parashah begins with the korbanos that were brought to bring the Shechinah into the Mishkan. Aharon was to bring two korbanos, as it states (9:2) וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל אַה ֲרֹן קַח לְךָ ע ֵגֶל בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַט ָּאת וְא ַיִל לְעֹלָה, "[Moshe] said to Aharon: 'Take yourself an egel for a chatas and a ram for a chatas..." Rashi writes, "This was to reveal that with this ע ֵגֶל Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgave him for the egel he made."
4. The Midrash adds that Klal Yisrael also brought an ox, as it states וְשׁוֹר וָא ַיִל לִשְׁלָמ ִים, This was to atone for the egel that appeared like two animals. It appeared like an ע ֵגֶל, a young calf, as it states עָשׂוּ לָהֶם ע ֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה, and it appeared like a שׁוֹר, as it states (Tehillim 106:20) וַיָּמ ִירוּ אֶת כְּבוֹדָם בְּת ַבְנִית שׁוֹר אֹכֵל עֵשֶׂב, "They exchanged their Glory for the likeness of a grass-eating ox." Therefore, bring a שׁוֹר to atone for the sin of the שׁוֹר and an עֵגֶל to atone for the egel.
Bnei Yisrael brought more korbanos, as it states (9:3) וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּד ַבֵּר לֵאמֹר ק ְ חוּ שְׂע ִיר עִזִּים לְחַט ָּאת וְע ֵגֶל וָכֶבֶשׂ בְּנֵי שׁ ָנָה תְּמ ִימִם לְעֹלָה, וְשׁוֹר וָא ַיִל לִשְׁלָמ ִים לִזְבֹּחַ לִפ ְנֵי 'ה וּמ ִנְחָה בְּלוּלָה בַש ָּׁמֶן כִּי ה ַיּוֹם 'ה נִרְאָה אֲל ֵיכֶם, "To Bnei Yisrael, speak as follows: Take a goat for a chatas and a calf and a sheep in their first year – unblemished – for an olah. And a bull and a ram for a shlamim to slaughter before Hashem, and a minchah mixed with oil; for today Hashem appears to you."
Yalkut Shimoni (remez 521, quoted in Ramban) writes, "Why did Yisrael bring more korbanos than Aharon? Moshe told them, "You [Klal Yisrael] have an aveirah at the beginning, and you have an aveirah at the end. In the beginning, you have the aveirah of [selling Yosef, as it states] (Bereishis 37:31) וַיִּק ְ חוּ אֶת כְּתֹנֶת יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁח ֲטוּ שְׂע ִיר עִזִּים וַיִּט ְ בְּ לוּ אֶת ה ַכֻּת ֹּנֶת בַּדָּם, 'They took Yosef's tunic, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.' And you have an aveirah at the end, as it states (Shemos 32:8) עָשׂוּ לָהֶם ע ֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה, that they made the egel. Therefore, bring a שעיר to atone for the aveirah of the שעיר [when they dipped Yosef's clothes in a goat's blood, to make the impression that he was killed], and bring an ע ֵגֶל to atone for the egel.
Aharon was associated with the sin of the egel; therefore, ע ֵגֶל בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַט ָּאת, he brought an egel to atone for the egel. Klal Yisrael brought more korbanos. They had to bring a שעיר as well. Because in addition to the egel, they had to atone for the aveirah of selling Yosef, when they dipped Yosef's tunic in the blood of a שעיר, goat, and gave it to their father and said (Bereishis 37:32) ה ַכֶּר נָא ה ַכְּתֹנֶת בִּנְךָ הִוא אִם לֹא, "Identify it, if you please: Is it your son's tunic or not?"
We understand that the sin of the egel needed to be atoned for. A primary purpose of the Mishkan was to prove that Hashem remains with Yisrael, and that He forgave them, despite their sin with the egel. As Rashi at the beginning of parashas Pekudei (28:21) explains that the Mishkan is called משכן העדות, the "Mishkan of Testimony" because העדות לישראל שויתר להם הקב"ה על מעשה העגל, שהרי השרה שכינתו ביניהם, "The Mishkan testified for Yisrael that Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgave them for making the egel, because, behold, the Shechinah resides among them."
But why was it necessary to atone for the aveirah of selling Yosef specifically at this time? Reb Yosef Nechamyah Kornitzer zt'l answers the question wondrously. Chazal say, כל המעביר על מדותיו מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו, "Whoever goes beyond his limits, and he forgives others, Hashem will forgive all his sins." The way to attain atonement for the egel was for the nation to forgive one another, be mevater one another, and be in unity with one another. Just as they forgive one another, Hashem will forgive them, and the Shechinah will reside with them.
This is the reason they had to attain atonement for the aveirah of selling Yosef. This sin of sinas chinam had to be corrected, and there had to be love and unity among Yidden. When that was attained, Hashem could look beyond their faults and forgive them for their aveiros, and for the aveirah of the egel.
Reb Yosef Nechemyah bases his lesson from the ספרא on a pasuk (9:6). The pasuk states, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה ה ַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה 'ה תַּעֲשׂוּ וְיֵרָא אֲל ֵיכֶם כְּבוֹד 'ה, "Moshe said: 'This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do; then the glory of Hashem will appear to you." What did they have to do?
The ספרא states: אמר להם משה לישראל אותו יצר הרע העבירו מלבכם... וירא אליכם כבוד 'ה, "Moshe said to Yisrael, 'That yetzer hara, remove it from your hearts... and Hashem's honor will become revealed to you." "That yetzer hara" refers to the yetzer hara for machlokes. Remove that yetzer hara from your heart, and the Shechinah will reside in Klal Yisrael.
The ספרא elaborates: ותהיו כולכם ביראה אחת ובעצה אחת לשרת לפני המקום כשם שהוא יחידי בעולם כך תהא עבודתכם מיוחדת לפניו... עשיתם כן וירא אליכם כבוד 'ה, "You should all have the same fear of Heaven and the same counsel to serve Hashem. Just as Hashem is one in the world, your service to Him should be one... if you will do so וְיֵרָא אֲל ֵיכֶם כְּבוֹד 'ה, "the glory of Hashem will appear to you."
It seems from his words that the problem was division, that was אותו יצר הרע העבירו מלבכם, "that yetzer hara" that they had to remove from their hearts. Only then will the Shechinah reside with them.
This discussion is especially applicable now, during the days of Sefiras HaOmer, for it is a time when we rectify our relationship with our fellow man. At this time, the students of Reb Akiva were niftar because they didn't honor one another, and we rectify this aveirah with increasing honor to our fellow man, and increasing peace, forgiveness, and tolerance towards our fellow man.
The Chida (Lev Dovid 30:12) writes, "During Sefiras HaOmer a person must be extra
5. Some explain that this is why we learn Pirkei Avos on Shabbos during these weeks. The lessons in Pirkei Avos train us to improve our middos and to live in harmony with our fellow man. When the Steipler Gaon's son-in-law, the gaon Reb Shaul Barzam zt'l, was niftar, the Steipler advised his granddaughters, children of Reb Shaul, to learn Pirkei Avos l'iluy nishmas their father. Women are permitted to learn Pirkei Avos, and it would be a benefit for their father's neshamah. Therefore, it would be a good idea for a father to teach his daughters Pirkei Avos during these long Shabbos afternoons. This is a part of Torah that women are encouraged to learn. Today, there are sefarim that make this study easier to understand, and it will train the family to go on a good path.
Once, during Shalosh Seudes, Reb Moshe Mordechai of Lelov zt'l became filled with hislahavus. He threw himself back on his chair, his head tilted backwards, and shouted, "A person can be a talmid chacham, a respected person, but if he harms the smallest hair of another Yid, he loses all his worth. He isn't worth anything." This is because respecting one's fellow man is a primary foundation of the Torah, and of being a Yid.
At another time, Rebbe Moshe Mordechai said that when a person has yesurim, his first assumption should be that it came because he failed in his obligation to honor his fellow man. If he examines his ways and he sees that he isn't guilty in that aveirah, then he can assume that it was because of bitul Torah. He explained that good middos is before Torah, as Chazal (Tana d'Bei Eliyahu Raba 1:1) say דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה, and therefore, why should one jump to consider that the aveirah that brought on the yesurim was bitul Torah? It is more likely that it came from the prerequisite and introduction for Torah, which is good middos.
With this lesson, he explained the Chazal (Brachos 5a) אם רואה אדם שיסורין באין עליו יפשפש במעשיו שנא' נחפשה דרכינו ונחקורה ונשובה עד ה' פשפש ולא מצא יתלה בבטול תורה שנאמר אשרי הגבר אשר תיסרנו ה"י ומתורתך תלמדנו, "If a person sees that yesurim are coming to him, he should examine his deeds, as it states (Eichah 3:40) 'Let us search and examine our ways and return to Hashem.' If he checked and he didn't find any aveirah to cause the yesurim, then he should assume that it is due to bitul Torah as it states (Tehillim 94:12) 'Praiseworthy is the man who whom Hashem disciplines, and whom You teach Your Torah." But the first assumption isn't bitul Torah. The first suspect is the lack of דרך ארץ, good middos, which come before the Torah.
Reb Chaim Vital zt'l said that middos aren't written in the Torah because they are קדמה לתורה, they come before Torah. They are the foundation upon which the Torah rests.
Therefore, we understand that to attain the great kedushah of matan Torah on Shavuos, it all begins with good middos. There is immense kedushah at matan Torah, and those who have the foundation can receive it.
