צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַ ת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה וגו' וְאֵשׁ הַמִּ זְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ (ו, ב)
Command Aharon and his sons saying: This is the law of the Olah, this is the Olah on the fire...and the fire of the Mizbeach shall burn on it. (6:2)
Torah L’Shma Creates a Nachas Ruach for Hashem:
Sefer Noam Elimelech explains that the word “zos” refers to the Shechinah. Thus, the pasuk is saying “Zos Toras Ha’Olah” – if one learns Torah for “Zos”, meaning that he learns l’sheim Shomayim, he can merit having his Torah ascend upwards like a Korban Olah, and it will provide a nachas ruach to Hashem.
Aharon’s Intentions Were Good:
The Ben Ish Chai asks why the Torah begins the Parshah of korbanos with the Korban Olah, which is brought for bad thoughts, rather than starting with the Korban Chatas, which is brought for bad actions. It would seem that actions are more important than thoughts, and, therefore, the Parshah should begin with Korban Chatas.
He answers that the scoffers of the generation said, “How could Aharon Hakohen bring korbanos to atone for Klal Yisroel when he himself was guilty of making the eigel hazahav?”
They further claimed, “Even if you would say that he only made the eigel against his will, because they threatened to kill him if he didn’t do what they demanded, but he did make a Mizbeach on his own.” (It says in Shemos 32:5 that Aharon made a Mizbeach for the eigel, and it doesn’t say that he was forced to do so.)
The Ben Ish Chai explains this with a moshol:
A group of robbers and murderers were once hiding on the side of a highway, waiting for a victim to fall into their hands. From a distance, they saw the king’s son approaching. This made them very happy, as they assumed he would have a lot of money on him that they could steal. The leader of the group told the others, “The king’s son is a weak person. I can kill him myself. You all go to our hideout and wait. I’ll stay here and kill the prince and take his money, and then I’ll bring it to you for us to divide“.
When the prince reached the place where the robber was hiding, the thief took his money and horse, but he did not kill him. Instead, he yelled at him to run away as fast as he could. He took the money to share with his friends, but he allowed the prince to remain alive.
The prince went home and told his father, the king, what the leader of the thieves had done to him. When the king heard this, he sent his guards to find the man. They caught him and the king sentenced him to death.
Before taking him to the gallows to be hanged, the king’s guards began beating him on the legs. As he was being whipped, the robber cried out, “Oy! My heart! My heart!“
”Why are you screaming about your heart?” the king asked. “They aren’t hitting you on the heart. They are hitting you on the leg.”
The thief said, “But my heart is hurting me!”
He then told the king what had really occurred. He said, “In my heart, I was concerned about your son. I did not want him to be killed. I had no choice but to take his money in order to appease the other thieves, as they would never have allowed me to let the prince go by without robbing him. I only took it in order to push them off“.
When the king heard this, he freed the man and appointed him to an important position in his cabinet.
So too, Hashem knew that Aharon only made the Mizbeach in order to push off the people and delay them from committing a sin. He reasoned that if everyone was involved in building an altar, it would be done very quickly and would be completed that very day, which would allow them to begin serving the eigel right away. He knew that if this happened, there would be no way to save Klal Yisroel. Therefore, he said that he would build it himself, knowing that it would take until nighttime. That is why he told them that the holiday for the eigel would not be until the next day.
And, in truth, Aharon was successful. When the pasuk says that people got up early the next day and served the eigel, it is only speaking about the eirev rav. The rest of Klal Yisroel never had a chance to sin.
Aharon risked his life to save Klal Yisroel from destruction, and, in this merit, he was appointed to serve as Kohen Gadol and offer korbanos to Hashem upon the Mizbeach. This was the answer to scoffers claims of how he could bring korbanos.
Hashem, of course, knew this and, therefore, commanded Aharon first about the Korban Olah, which atones for improper thoughts. This was a hint to the fact that Hashem knew Aharon’s thoughts, and was aware that they were pure.
One Must Do Teshuva for Bad Thoughts:
Rashi states: “’Tzav es Aharon. (Command Aharon)’ The word ‘tzav’ always denotes urging for the present and also for future generations. Rav Shimon said: The Torah especially needs to urge people to fulfill commandments where monetary loss (‘chisaron kis’) is involved”.
The Yismach Yisroel zy”a explains that when people commit aveiros through sinful actions, they do teshuva as soon as they realize what they did. However, when one has sinful thoughts, without committing any improper actions, one often doesn’t even realize that he must do teshuva for sullying his mind. For this reason, Chazal say (Yoma 29A) that “sinful thoughts are worse than sins.” For sinful actions, one does teshuva and removes the stain of the aveirah. For sinful thoughts, however, one often does not do teshuva, and the stain remains.
Accordingly, Rashi says regarding a Korban Olah that one needs to be urged in a place where there is a “chisaron kis.” An Olah is brought for sinful thoughts, which is referred to as “chisaron kis” because a person’s knowledge is referred to as his “kis” (the “wallet” that holds his thoughts), and when one has such thoughts, he has a lack of knowledge that he must do teshuva.
Do Not Sin on Shabbos:
Sefer Ahavas Shalom explains this Rashi by quoting the verse (Daniel 4:24) that says that sins are redeemed through tzedakah. By giving tzedakah, one can push away the middas hadin and his aveiros will not be able to cause him harm.
However, one can only give tzedakah on weekdays. He cannot do so on Shabbos. Therefore, one must be very careful not to sin on Shabbos because if the middas hadin is aroused against him, he won’t have the merit of giving tzedakah to protect him.
Thus, Rashi says that one needs more urging in a place where there is “chisaron kis”, which is a reference to Shabbos, when one is missing “his wallet” and cannot give tzedakah. Therefore, he needs to be urged and encouraged not to sin on this day.
Zeal For a Korban Olah:
Sefer Olalos Efraim explains Rashi by quoting a story related in Talmud Yerushalmi (Maseches Terumos 8:4): Rebbe Yochanon’s goblet was once stolen from his house. On that day, his students asked him a question and he could not answer it. He told them, “The mind is dependent on the heart. If there is a loss of money, there is also a loss of wisdom.”
The same concept applies to the offering of a Korban Olah. The entire sacrifice is burnt on the Mizbeach and the kohanim get no part of it. Therefore, there is a concern that they will not be enthusiastic about offering it. For this reason, they need to be urged to do it.
Aroused to Teshuva by Small Problems:
The Skulener Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Noam Eliezer) explains Rashi by quoting the following maamar from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a:
Chazal say (Eruchin 16B): “What is the definition of tachlis hayissurim (the epitome of suffering)? Even if one sticks his hand into his pocket to take out three coins and he takes out two... (that is considered suffering).” This is hard to understand. How can such a small amount of inconvenience be called “the epitome of suffering”? How can needing to put one’s hand back into his pocket to take out one more coin even be considered suffering at all?
The Baal Shem Tov explains that the purpose of suffering is to arouse a person to do teshuva. It is meant to wake a person up and bring him to examine his ways so that he can rectify them. However, Hashem doesn’t want to cause a person a lot of pain. Therefore, He first sends a small discomfort, such as not immediately finding the correct amount of money in one’s pocket. If one takes it to heart and recognizes that this was not a coincidence, he will recognize that it is a sign from Hashem that he must rectify his ways. He will look into his past actions, see what needs to be fixed, and do teshuva for past sins. Therefore, he won’t need any more suffering, as the small discomfort has already served its purpose.
Unfortunately, most people do not take small inconveniences like this to heart and do not see them as signs to do teshuva. They merely think that they didn’t reach deeply enough into their pocket to take out the right amount of coins. The Skulener Rebbe says that this concept is hinted to by Chazal when they say that a person needs urging in a place of “chisaron kis”. When a person is “missing from his pocket”, meaning that he pulled out the wrong amount of coins, he should urge himself to see this is a Heavenly sign to do teshuva so that he won’t need any larger form of suffering.
Burning Within the Kohen:
It is related that the Chiddushei Harim zy”a was once testing his grandchildren on the Parshas Hashavua. When his grandson, the Sefas Emes zy”a, who was then a young boy, read the verse: “V’aish hamizbeach tukad bo”, he stressed the word “bo” (“in him”). The Chiddushei Harim asked, “In whom does the fire of the Mizbeach have to burn?” And the Sefas Emes answered, “In Aharon Hakohen. The holy fire must burn within the kohen himself.”
The meaning of this is that a Yid must have a fire of passion for avodas Hashem burning within him. However, it must remain “bo”, inside of him, and it should not burst out of him in a way that could harm others.
This idea is seen from the Gemara (Sukkah 28A) that says: “It is said that when Yonason ben Uziel would sit and learn Torah, any bird that would fly above him would be immediately burnt up.” The Sefas Emes asks that Yonason ben Uziel was a student of Hillel Hazakein. If this was the power of the student, the teacher must have been even more powerful. What would happen when Hillel learned Torah?
He answers that when Hillel learned, the birds that flew over him did not die. He was so strong that he was able to keep the burning fire inside of him, and it did not seep out to the outside.
Avoiding Causing Pain to the Workers:
It is said that the Rogatchover Gaon zt”l never personally took part in matzoh baking. Instead, he relied on upright Yidden that he knew to bake his mitzvos with utmost hiddur. He was once asked why he didn’t participate in the baking of the matzohs. Wasn’t the minhag of upstanding Jews for centuries to personally take part in this mitzvah and to oversee the baking to make sure it was done properly?
He answered, “If I go to the baking, I might notice some detail that may bring up a shailoh in halacha or that might contradict a detail in a Rambam. I would obviously ask for this part of the process to be changed, which might cause the workers to feel bad. But if I rely on others whom I trust to oversee the baking, I have the right according to halacha to depend on them. In fact, I am not really relying on them – I am relying on the Torah’s rule that I am allowed to trust them. Thus, I can fulfill the mitzvah l’mehardin without causing anyone any pain.”
A Mitzvah Without Shame:
Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld zt”l, Rov of Yerushalaim, would put a lot of effort into baking his matzohs with the utmost hiddur. One year, a member of his chaburah noticed that one of the workers was not fully paying attention while rolling out the dough. He said to Rav Yosef Chaim, “Should I scream at him?”
Rav Yosef Chaim replied, “Don’t do that. You certainly should not yell at a poor worker and cause him pain just because I want matzohs mehudar. I am ready to do all I can and to pay a lot of money for good matzohs, and I daven to Hashem to merit having the most mehudar matzohs, and I trust in Him to accept my prayers. But I don’t want matzohs mehudar if they come at the expense of another Jew’s pain!”
A Bit of Anger – A Bit of Chometz:
One year, during the baking of the matzohs, the Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz zy”a saw the foreman yelling at one of the workers for doing something wrong. As he yelled, he noticed that the Rebbe was looking at him disapprovingly. He started to defend himself by saying that he yelled at the worker for not being careful enough to make sure that the matzohs don’t become chometz. He added, “The prohibition of chometz is so severe that even a tiny amount is forbidden!”
The Rebbe replied, “Believe me, a tiny amount of anger is worse than a tiny amount of chometz!”
A Mitzvah That Comes Through an Aveirah:
Rav Yitzchok Shlomo Ungar zt”l, Rov of Chug Chasam Sofer-Bnei Brak related (in his Sefer Richumim B’Meshech), “I never once saw my mentor, the Vayaged Yaakov of Pupa zy”a, get angry besides for one time. There was a member of his kehillah who had a job of grinding flour for matzohs. There were some bochurim who wanted to make a few dollars who started to work for him grinding flour. He once was not happy with them because they weren’t working as fast as he would have liked, so he yelled at them, ‘You are lazy! Work faster!’
“When the Pupa Rov heard this, he yelled at him and said, ‘You are not permitted to spill blood to do a mitzvah. How could you scream like that at boys who spend their days learning Torah? How could such flour be used for matzohs?”
Silence for Shalom Bayis:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen (Parshas Tzav) relates that Rav Pinchos of Koretz zy”a would put much effort into baking matzohs that were extremely mehudar and were made with many chumros. He would harvest the wheat himself and then personally examine each kernel. Everything was done with extreme care and, it goes without saying, that the matzohs ended up costing quite a bit of money. Additionally, Rav Pinchos would distribute matzohs to the poor people of the city as Kimchah D’Pischa.
One day, a poor man came to his home to ask for matzohs. The Rebbitzen, who was very busy preparing for yomtov, accidentally gave him the mehudar matzohs that Rav Pinchos had made for himself. After the poor man left, she realized her mistake and did not know what to do. She decided that it was better not to cause her husband any pain, so she did not tell him what happened. Instead, she put other matzohs down on the table for the Seder.
When Rav Pinchos sat down for the Seder, Rav Pinchos immediately realized that the matzohs he was given were not the mehudar ones he had made for himself, but he didn’t say anything and conducted the Seder as if nothing was wrong.
A while later, a shalom bayis question came before Rav Pinchos. The husband related that his father-in-law ate “gebrokts” and he, therefore, did not want to eat in his home on Pesach. His wife, however, was very upset about this and felt it was insulting to her father. Rav Pinchos told the husband what had happened to his matzohs and said, “I knew those were not my matzohs but kept quiet for shalom bayis reasons. You also are permitted to remain silent and to give in for shalom bayis!”
Respect for Others:
After the Mahariyatz of Lubavitch zy”a came to America, he invited numerous people to eat in his house, including some who were not familiar with chasidishe customs. At one seudah on Pesach, a commotion broke out amongst the guests and the Rebbe asked what was wrong. He was told that one man, who did not know that chasidim were strict not to eat gebrokts on Pesach, had dipped his matzoh into his borscht. He said, “It is better for the matzoh to become red (by being dipped in the red borscht) than for a Jew’s to become red from embarrassment!”
Don’t Work Them Overly Hard:
My ancestor, Rav Mord’chele of Nadvorna zy”a, once built a mikvah taharah. He insisted that all of the digging and building be done by Jewish people, and a group of bochurim were appointed to dig the “bor” (pit for the water). He stressed that no bochur should be forced to carry a full bucket of sand on his own. Rather, a few boys should carry each bucket together. He said, “Mordechai does not want to transgress the prohibition of ‘lo sirdeh bo b’farech’ (making a worker work overly hard).”
Not Causing a Loss for Others:
Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l once came to Warsaw to visit the Chiddushei Harim zy”a. The Chidushei Harim greeted him with much honor, and news spread in the city that a great man had come to see the Rebbe and had been honored greatly.
When Rav Yisroel went to daven Minchah, the bais medrash was filled with chasidim who clamored to greet him and to see his face. However, they were surprised to see that he davened a very short Shemonah Esrei, finishing before most of the others.
Rav Yisroel saw that they were surprised, so he explained, “I saw that many workers stopped working and many storeowners closed their stores to come see me. It would be wrong to daven for a long time, as this would cause them a loss of money.”
It Is Better to be Mevatel Torah Than to Embarrass Someone:
The Maharsha writes (Sanhedrin 11A): “Bitul Torah is a serious sin but embarrassing a fellow Jew is much worse. It is better to be mevatel Torah than to embarrass another Jew.”
A Heavenly Revelation for the Maharsha’s Honor:
On this topic, it is appropriate to relate a story that happened with the Maharsha himself:
It is known that the Maharsha had long hair, which some people would laugh at. The reason for this was because he would tie his hair to a hook on the wall so that he would be snapped back awake if he fell asleep while learning.
Every night, the gabbai of the shul would lock the door and learn in the bais medrash by himself. One night, a tall man walked in and asked the gabbai where the Maharsha lived. The gabbai couldn’t understand how the man had come in through the locked door, but he gave him directions to the Mahrasha’s house, and the man left.
The next day, a second man walked in and asked the same question. Again, the gabbai couldn’t figure out how he had gotten in, but he also gave him directions.
On the third night, the gabbai checked to make sure he had locked the door – but he was shocked when a third man walked in and asked when the Maharsha lived.
The gabbai asked, “How did you get in?”
The man replied, “The first man was Shaul Hamelech. The second was Dovid Hamelech. I am Eliyahu Hanavi. We came to publicize how great the Maharsha is. In Shomayim, they value his Torah very much. He learns with extreme exertion and he doesn’t care if people make fun of him!”
Eliyahu Hanavi then said, “However, you should know that as soon as you tell people about this, you will have to leave this
