Friday, March 31, 2017

Vayikra - The Da'as Of Moshe

SHHHAAAALLOOOM SWWEEEETEST FREINDS!!!

LOTTSSS OF MAZEL TOOVVS TO LOTS OF BELOVED FRIENDS. A PARTIAL LIST....


A HUUUUUGE MAZEL TOV to R' Yehuda Yaakov And Chana Rochel Spindler, who are always like a home away from home for me and are my best friends on the birth of ESTHER [Sarah?]. MAY SHE HAVE THE HAPPIEST SWEETEST LIFE EVER AND GIVE HER SPECIAL PARENTS OODLES OF NACHAS!!


A HUUUUUGE MAZELLLLL TOOOVVVV MAZELLL TOOOVVVVV TO R' Shmuel Tzvi ["Jeremy"] and Rebbeca["Chaya Rivka"] Rauch on the birth of their TWIN SONS!!! May they have nachas from them and all their children and may the Rauch family keep putting out twins. We love them and are soooo fortunate when we get two for the price of one!!! 


A HUUUUUGE MAZEL TOV to the very sweet R' Yoni and Aviva Orlofsky on the birth of their adorable son Gavriel Binyamin!!! LIMITLESS NACHAS FROM HIM AND THEIR DAUGHTER AVITAL כן ירבו!!!



A HUUUUGE MAZEL TOOV to R' and Mrs. Kivi Naiman on the birth of Moshe Elimelech!! May he grow up to be a tzadik like Moshe Rabbeinu and a chosid like Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk and a mekubal like his father Shlita!!!


A HUUUUGE MAZEL TOOOV to R' Shalom Yitzchak Chaim ["Geoff"] and Daniella Dworkin on the birth of Asher Gavriel!! May he always be happy [מאושר] and strong [גבריאל - גבורה] and love Torah like his special parents!! Nachas from him and his siblings!!!


A HUUUUGE MAZEL TOOOV to R' and Mrs. Moshe Shimon ["Michael"] Frohlich on the birth of their son - the clean up hitter [4th in the lineup]. May he be the type of kid that cleans up after himself and be the greatest man that ever lived!!


[I put the fathers names first but BELIEVE ME - the mother's deserve 99 percent of the credit....]


------------


The Torah says ויקרא אל משה - Hashem called Moshe to come onto the Mishkan. Chazal note that he waited to be called and didn't go in on his own. From here we learn that one who lacks da'as is worse than a carcass [כל תלמיד חכם שאין בו דעת נבילה טובה הימנו]. 


"Da'as" is connection. וידע אדם את חוה אשתו. Intimate connection. To have da'as is to deeply connect on a visceral level with what you know [your chochma]. In order to connect deeply to Hashem we need a "mitzva". Mitzva comes from the word "tzavta" - connection. If a person thinks that he can make up his own rules and practice his man made religion and get close to Hashem he is sorely mistaken. He is also worse than a carcass. A carcass isn't at fault that he gives off such a foul odor. This person IS guilty. 


Moshe, despite all of his greatness knew that to connect with Hashem he first needed a "mitzva". Only then could he get close and enter. He connected on a da'as level to the mitzva. It wasn't just an empty, external act.


Moreover, a dead animal has all of the same qualities as a living animal, legs eyes, horns etc. There is one difference - chiyus, vitality. To be a true scholar is to have da'as meaning to have internal chiyus in one's mitzvos.


[Based on the Sfas Emes]


We live in a generation when people often like to make up there own rules. It is self serving but does nothing real beyond that. For connection, Hashem gave us the Guide. May we always follow it with chiyus and simcha!!!




Bi-ahava rabba and wishes for a good shabbos,
Me