From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 3:37
AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas Pinchas,
5766
The Focal
Point
By Rabbi Joshua (focally known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
In
this week's parsha, God again tells Moshe that he will not enter the land with
the rest of the people. Moshe asks God to appoint an appropriate leader to stand
in his place, and He appoints Moshe's loyal student, Yehoshua. This appointment
is followed in the Torah by a section on the sacrifices brought in the mishkan
daily and on Shabbos and Yom Tov. We have discussed the connection between
Yehoshua'a appointment and the section of sacrifices a number of times (see
Netvort to parshas Pinchas, 5763, available at Torahheights.com, and also
Netvort to parshas Pinchas, 5760 and 5762, for those who have their own Netvort
files). We have noted that one connection between these sections is that,
according to the midrash, God told Avrohom at the covenant between the pieces
that it would be through the merit of the sacrifices that his children would
retain their hold on Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Naphtoli Zevi Yehudah Berlin, in his
Ha'amek Davar, elaborates on the function of the sacrifices brought in the
mishkan and the Temple as a means of connecting the nation to God and in turn
providing for their sustenance in Eretz Yisroel. Since, then, Yehoshua was to be
the one to lead the nation into the Eretz Yisroel, the means for sustaining them
in the land is presented in the Torah directly after his appointment. We may add
that the section of sacrifices begins with the section of the twice-daily
sacrifice that was brought, the korban tamid, which highlights the reason for
Yehoshua's choice as Moshe's successor, which was because he was constantly in
contact with Moshe, never leaving his tent. This aspect of constancy would be
necessary in leading the nation in Eretz Yisroel, constantly reminding them of
their need to trust in God.
One aspect of the section of the
sacrifices and its connection to the preceding section that we have not
discussed in the past is the inclusion of the sacrifices brought on Rosh
Chodesh, or the new month, among the various other sacrifices. Rabbi Amnon
Bazak, in his work Nekudas Pesicha, writes that the Rosh Chodesh sacrifices
appear between Shabbos and Yom Tov, and are a kind of intermediary point between
them, coming on a more regular basis than the Yom Tov sacrifices, but on a less
regular basis than those of Shabbos. In addition, he notes, Rav Avrohom Ibn
Ezra, in his commentary cites, with approval, Rav Moshe HaSefardi as saying that
the first mention of Rosh Chodesh in this section refers to the beginning of the
month of Nissan, and that the subsequent reference to Rosh Chodesh is to the
rest of the months of the year. Rav Bazak observes that since the Torah, in
parshas Bo, tells us that the calendar year begins with the month that would
later be called Nissan, Rosh Chodesh, as mentioned in our parsha, can, again, be
seen as the focal point from which all other dates on the calendar emanate. I
believe, however, that there is an additional aspect to Rosh Chodesh, not
mentioned by Rav Bazak, that highlights its centrality to the Jewish calendar,
and helps explain the connection between the section on sacrifices and the
appointment of Yehoshua to lead the nation into Eretz Yisroel.
The Torah in parshas Bo commands us to sanctify the new
moon through the process of Kiddush HaKodesh. This involves a process in which
witnesses observe the appearance of the new moon and testify to that effect in
beis din, the Jewish court sitting in the Temple. If their testimony is
accepted, the new month is declared. The sanctification of the first month of
the year is of special importance, because the cycle of the holidays follows
from it. This process, known as Kiddush Hachodesh, or sanctification of the new
month, can only be done in Eretz Yisroel. The Rambam, in a remarkable passage in
his Sefer HaMitzvos, or Book of the Commandments, writes that, today, when the
high court no longer exists, there must be a minyan of Jews in Eretz Yisroel in
order for Kiddush HaChodesh to be effective. Although the appearance of the new
moon is no longer determined by beis din, but rather by the calendar fixed by
Hillel over 1500 years ago, still, says the Rambam, as understood by the Avnei
Nezer, this determination can only take effect through the Jewish people living
in Eretz Yisroel. Without a minyan of Jews living there, the new moon would not
be sanctified, and our entire calendar would be in disarray. However, continues
the Rambam, there is a divine assurance that there will always be a minyan of
Jews living in Eretz Yisroel, and, so, we need not worry about the effectiveness
of the calendar.
Rashi, in the beginning of his
commentary to the Torah, asks why the Torah doesn't begin with the mitzvoh of
Kiddush HaChodesh, since it is the first mitzvoh that was given to the Jewish
people. He answers that there was a need to establish the right of the Jewish
people to the land of Israel. Perhaps the meaning behind this is that since the
Torah can only be kept, in its entirety, in Eretz Yisroel, before the mitzvos
are mentioned, the right of the Jewish people to the land must be established.
Interestingly, according to the remarks of the Rambam in his Sefer HaMitzvos,
the mitzvoh of Kiddush HaChodesh itself is rooted in a divine assurance that
there will be a continual presence of the Jews in Eretz Yisroel. Based on the
Rambam's contention, then we can find an additional connection between the
appointment of Yehoshua to succeed Moshe and the section of sacrifices. Yehoshua
was to be the one who would lead the nation into Eretz Yisroel, and the section
of sacrifices focuses around the sacrifices of Rosh Chodesh, whose offering
depends upon the performance of the mitzvoh of Kiddush HaChodesh. That mitzvoh,
in turn, is rooted in a divine assurance that there will always be Jews in the
land. Thus, the appointment of Yehoshua as the leader who would bring the nation
into Eretz Yisroel is followed by a section that revolves around a mitzvoh whose
continued performance is dependent on at least a minyan of Jews, serving as
representatives of the entire nation, remaining in Eretz Yisroel. There is, in
turn, a divine assurance that such a minyan will always exist in the land, and,
therefore, the section of sacrifices, following immediately after the
appointment of Yehoshua, serves as an indication of the long range effect of
Yehoshua's mission.
Please address all
correspondence to the author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address -
JoshHoff @ AOL.com.
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