In Memory of Mr.

Max Glass

In Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi

Likutei Ohr
Volume I : Issue XII
Editor-in-Chief: Asher Naghi 14 Senior Editor: Micah Hyman 14 Managing Editors: Ariel Amsellem 15 Eitan Meisels 15 Michael Somekh 15 Layout Editor: Yair Fax 14 Marketing: Jordan Lustman 15 Yosef Hier 16 Distributors: Mitchell Silberberg 14 Michael Lazovsky 14 Sta Advisor: Rabbi Arye Sufrin

The Pamphlet of Light

Parshat Behaalotcha

A publication of YULA Boys High School

Rabbi Dror Baalhaness

Respecting Leaders

The Flame of Our Ancestors

The test of humility is your attitude to subordinates...

-Orchot Tzadikim

Tellah Gems
Yonah Hiller 14

"Why did you not fear to speak against my servant, against Moshe?" (Bamidbar 12:8). When Miriam spoke negatively to Aaron regarding Moshe's separation from his wife, Tzipporah, Rashi asks why the Torah did not just write against my servant Moshe? If the Torah never wastes words, why would it distinguish between my servant and Moshe when they are the one and the same? Rashi answers that Hashems question was twofold: Why would Miriam not fear speaking against Hashems servant, even if it was not Moshe? Why would she not fear speaking out against Moshe even if he were not Hashems servant? Also, since he was, in fact, Hashems servant, she should have asked herself before speaking, does Hashem love him for no reason? Hashems critique of Miriam, who spoke Lashon Hara of the Gadol Hador, Moshe, rings true with those that degrade todays great sages. Hashems questioning words of did you not fear indicate that we must not only respect our holy Rabbis and leaders, but we must also look at them with awe and reverence. Only then, can we truly be certain not to be carried away every time we find it difficult to see their actions eye to eye. Harav Avraham Pam explains this Rashi through a dispute that occurred between two Torah giants: The Chozeh of Lublin and the Ketzos HaChoshen. The conflict stemmed from the fact that the Chozeh was a Chassidishe Rebbe, and the Ketzos was a Misnagid, meaning that he was a staunch opponent of Chassidic doctrine. The Ketzos was a Rav in a small town in Galicia, which contained a number of Chassidim of the Chozeh of Lublin. One month, the Chassidim publicly said Kiddush Levanah after the latest possible Halachic time of the month. When the Ketzos, as the Rav of the city, criticized their behavior, they shamed him by treating him in a most disrespectful manner. The Ketzos responded, as any decent Rav would, by placing them in Cherem excommunication for thirty days. They were forced to leave the town, and they traveled to their Rebbe in Lublin. They were shocked when their Rabbi told them to return to their village after the Ketzos's Cherem had expired. When the thirty days had passed, the Chassidim came to the Chozeh with a list of complaints about the Ketzos. They were dismayed by the Chozehs rebuke of their unseemly behavior. How could they insult the Ketzos? In order to help the Chasidim understand their faulty behavior, the Chozeh posed a question on the above Rashi: What does Rashi mean when he says that Miriam and Aharon should have respected Moshe even if he were not Hashem's servant? To answer this question, the Chozeh cited an episode from the Gemara in Berachot: Rav Chanina ben Dosa came to study Torah under the tutelage of Rav Yochanan ben Zakai. Shortly thereafter, Rav Yochanan's son became sick, and the Rebbe asked his student, Rav Chanina, to pray for his sons recovery. Rav Yochanan's wife was surprised, "Is Rav Chanina greater than you that you ask him to pray for our son? Are his prayers more powerful than yours?" Rav Yochanan responded, "Rav Chanina is like a servant before a king, while I am a Saar a minister." Rashi explains that while a minister may boast a greater status, his only access to the king is through an appointment. On the other hand, a servant is always in the company of the king and can therefore make requests of him at any time, which is why Rav Yochannan asked Rav Chanina to pray for his son. "The same idea applies here," continued the Chozeh. "The Ketzos HaChoshen is a Saar HaTorah one of the truly great Torah leaders of our generation. Regardless of whether or not he supports Chassidut, he deserves our respect. As Chassidim, we consider ourselves servants of the King, but that does not give us license to be rude and disrespectful. A person should tremble in the presence of such a great Jew, even if his way of life and service to Hashem differ from ours." Rav Pam concludes with an important lesson for us. While one may choose the service to Hashem that he finds most suitable, he must be tolerant of others who choose different, yet Halachically valid paths. Therefore, we must always understand the importance of respecting our Torah leaders, regardless of whether or not we support their different views and perspectives.

Daber El Bnei Yisroel Vamarta Aleichem Vaasu Lahem Tzitzis Speak to Bnei Yisrael and tell them that they should make for themselves Tzitzis (Bamidbar 15:38). In this Pasuk that we recite every day and every night, in both Shachris and Maariv, the Torah instructs us to place Tzitzis on the four corners of our garments. The Pasuk explains that the purpose of this Mitzvah is so that you shall see them and remember to fulfill all of the Mitzvos of Hashem (Bamidbar 15:39). The Tzitzis serve as a physical symbol and reminder of our spiritual connection with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The Mishna Berurah compares Tzitzis to a gift that a king gives to someone who works in his palace: The recipient will constantly gaze at the gift and recall the importance and joy of the day that he received it. We must exhibit the same level of joy in wearing our gift, and we must display our precious Tzitzis to the world.

Aharons Comfort
Roi Rabinovich 14
Speak unto Aharon, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick (Bamidbar 8:2). Why was the passage of the Menorah placed next to the passage of Chanukat HaNesiim the princes dedication to the Mikdash? Rashi explains that when Aharon watched the inauguration of the Nesiim, he lamented because he and his tribe were not involved. Hashem therefore told him that his role was greater than theirs because he had the Mitzvah of the Menorah. Both the Ramban and the Or Hachaim ask multiple questions on this Rashi: What is comforting about the Mitzvah of the Menorah? Why not comfort Aharon with the privilege of the Ketoret or some other Mitzvah exclusive to the Kohanim? Also, why was Aharon so upset if, ultimately, he and his tribe would sacrifice many more offerings to Hashem than the princes ever would? The Ramban answers that Hashem included in his message that there would be a holiday called Chanukah, involving candle lighting, which came about through Aharons children. The Chanukah lights have stood as a testament to the Kohanims resilience and success. It is for these reasons that the aforementioned passages are juxtaposed. The Or Hachaim states that Aharon was upset because he thought that the princes had a greater Mitzvah than he did. Hashem responded that Aharons Mitzvah was better than Princes Mitzvah because he got to prepare the candles and lamps each day. In other words, Aharons Mitzvah found its way his every day life! Furthermore, Aharons actions his replacement and his rekindling of the lights was considered a new Mitzvah every day, and it was, therefore, better than the one-time Mitzvah that the Princes performed. The Netivote Shalom explains that while the Beit Hamikdash may have been destroyed, the Menorahs flame stays bright forever. While the Menorah was hidden during the Churban, its light has not and will not disappear. Like the Menorah, we can also shine bright without the Beit Hamikdash. Aharon merited the special Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, which is a light unto the nations. May we, like the Menorah, merit to stay bright and shining in our faith to Hashem.

Halachic Illuminations
From Rabbi Nachum Sauer
Nowadays, we have calendars that tell us when Shabbos is over, but it is nonetheless important to know the Halachos that determine when Shabbos is over. One cannot start doing Melacha on Saturday night until nightfall, or Tzeit HaKochavim; three medium-sized stars characterize nightfall. Since we no longer know the exact difference between the different size stars, we are Machmir and wait for three small stars, which usually come out last. The Mishnah Brurah says that before one sees the three small stars, he cannot do Melacha because it might be Bein HaShmashot twilight even though you technically only need medium sized stars. When the sky is still light, even if you can see three stars, we consider it to be Bein HaShmashot; the sky needs to be completely dark for it to be considered Motzei Shabbos. Furthermore, it is only considered nightfall if the three stars are close together, a Chumrah that the Mishnah Brurah says is added because we want to elongate Shabbos, fulfilling the Mitzvah of Tosefet Shabbos, which applies both before and after Shabbos. If one sees three stars far apart, it is technically Motzei Shabbat, but one should look for a cluster or at least wait five or ten minutes before doing Melacha. If the night is cloudy and one cannot make out stars, one should wait until he knows without a shadow of a doubt that it is nightfall. The Mishnah Brurah says that if one has a watch that works well, and he knows the proper Zmanim, he can rely on his watch without going out to look for stars; this Halacha applies to how one currently determines when Shabbos is over. In addition, before doing Melacha, one must either say Havdalah or Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh LChol.

Compiled By Your Senior Editor Micah Hyman

Pesach Sheyni: A Second Chance

Ilan Lavian 15

In this weeks Parshah, Parshat Behalotecha, Bnei Yisroel fulfills their Biblical commandment of bringing a Pesach offering. However, a small group of Israelites complain to Moshe about their inability to bring the Korban due to their state of Tumah ritual impurity. When the disgruntled faction expresses its grief over losing a great opportunity to serve Hashem, Moshe asks Hashem what the members of this group should do, and Hashem responds that: If any man of you, or of your future generations, shall be unclean... or be on a journey far off, he shall keep the Passover to God on the fourteenth day of the second month... (Bamidbar 9:10-11). This is where we get the Mitzvah of Pesach Shayni, which is a second chance for one to observe Pesach if he was unable to do so a month earlier. While we express our appreciation to Hashem for His generous gift of an additional opportunity, we cannot help but wonder why Hashem didnt just institute this holiday in the first place. If He truly is omniscient, would He not have known that instituting Pesach Shayni was necessary? Although the Mitzvah of Pesach Sheyni seems to be nothing more than a chance to give the Korban Pesach, a lesson can be learned about Hashems love for us and the importance of second chances. Furthermore, if Hashem were to originally institute a Pesach Shayni, the Israelites would not have grieved over their missed opportunity and thus would not have truly yearned to serve Him. We can apply this lesson to our lives: Not only do we always have second chances, a concept known as Teshuva, but we should also yearn for that second opportunity. We have all sinned or done wrong at some point in our lives, but most of us have not done Teshuva for all of our sins. In order to help us achieve an elevated level of Teshuva, we must consider Hashems mercy his creation of Pesach Shayni. Hashem instituted this holiday as an opportunity for us to do Teshuvah. May we all use this Parshas message to not only strive for meaningful second chances but to also achieve our goal of repentance in the proper way.

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