TRANSLITERATION
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.
TRANSLATION
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.
- Last week we read about the responsibilities - the mitzvoth - the tzizit remind us of the mitzvoth
- What are the privileges of the covenant, being God's people, people of the Torah?...some examples from the 2nd paragraph of the Shema
(19) and teach them to your children—reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up; (20) and inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates— (21) to the end that you and your children may endure, in the land that יהוה swore to your fathers to assign to them, as long as there is a heaven over the earth. (22) If, then, you faithfully keep all this Instruction that I command you, loving your God יהוה, walking in all God’s ways, and holding fast to [God], (23) יהוה will dislodge before you all these nations: you will dispossess nations greater and more numerous than you. (24) Every spot on which your foot treads shall be yours; your territory shall extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River—the Euphrates—to the Western Sea. (25) No one shall stand up to you: your God יהוה will put the dread and the fear of you over the whole land in which you set foot, as promised.
- These apply to all the people
- Bu this week we read more about thee special status of one tribe, the Levites
Chukath
- Sounds like the Levites are set aside to serve as an example to others...in case the people forget their experiences with God in the wilderness...and what they agree to...
(יט) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁכֹ֤חַ תִּשְׁכַּח֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֗ אַחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַעֲבַדְתָּ֖ם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִ֣יתָ לָהֶ֑ם הַעִדֹ֤תִי בָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵדֽוּן׃ (כ) כַּגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ מַאֲבִ֣יד מִפְּנֵיכֶ֔ם כֵּ֖ן תֹּאבֵד֑וּן עֵ֚קֶב לֹ֣א תִשְׁמְע֔וּן בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ {פ}
(יא) הג"ה.[ וּבֶאֱמֶת כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמָּצִינוּ, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קִדֵּשׁ אֶת שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי וְהִזְהִיר לִכְלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁלֹא לַעֲזֹב אֶת הַלֵּוִי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברים י"ב י"ט): "הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תַּעֲזֹב אֶת הַלֵּוִי כָּל יָמֶיךָ עַל אַדְמָתֶךָ". כְּעֵין זֶה הוּא גַּם כֵּן רְצוֹן ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁנַּחֲזִיק הָאֲנָשִׁים הַפּוֹרְשִׁים עַצְמָם מֵעִנְיְנֵי הָעוֹלָם כְּדֵי לַעֲבֹד אֶת הַשֵּׁם, כִּי הוּא בְּוַדַּאי עַל כָּל פָּנִים לֹא גָּרַע מִלֵּוִי לְעִנְיָן זֶה. שֶׁזֶּה לְשׁוֹן הָרַמְבַּ"ם בְּהִלְכוֹת שְׁמִטָּה וְיוֹבֵל פֶּרֶק י"ג: וְלָמָּה לֹא זָכָה לֵוִי בְּנַחֲלַת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְבִזָּתָהּ עִם אֶחָיו? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֻבְדַּל לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְהוֹרוֹת דְּרָכָיו הַיְשָׁרִים וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו הַצַּדִּיקִּים לָרַבִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ל"ג י'): "יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב וְתוֹרָתְךָ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל". לְפִיכָךְ הֻבְדְּלוּ מִדַּרְכֵי הָעוֹלָם, לֹא עוֹרְכִין מִלְחָמָה כִּשְׁאָר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא נוֹחֲלִין וְלֹא זוֹכִין לְעַצְמָן בְּכֹחַ גּוּפָן, אֶלָּא הֵם חֵיל ה', שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם י"א): "בָּרֵךְ ה' חֵילוֹ". וְהוּא בָּרוּךְ הוּא זוֹכֶה לָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר י"ח כ'): "אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ וְנַחֲלָתֶךָ". וְלֹא שֵׁבֶטּ לֵוִי בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא כָּל אִישׁ וְאִישׁ מִכָּל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנָּדְבָה רוּחוֹ אוֹתוֹ וְהֵבִינוֹ מִדַּעְתּוֹ לְהִבָּדֵל לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְעָבְדוֹ לְדֵעָה אֶת ה' וְהוֹלֵךְ יָשָׁר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂהוּ הָאֱלֹהִים, וּפָרַק מֵעַל צַוָּארוֹ עֹל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת הָרַבִּים, אֲשֶׁר בִּקִּשׁוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם, הֲרֵי זֶה נִתְקַדֵּשׁ קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וְיִהְיֶה ה' חֶלְקּוֹ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים, וִיזַכֶּה לוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דָּבָר הַמַּסְפִּיק לוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁזִּכָּה לַכֹּהֲנִים לַלְוִיִּם. הֲרֵי דָּוִד עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אוֹמֵר (תהילים ט"ז ה'): "ה' מְנָת חֶלְקִי אַתָּה תּוֹמִיךְ גּוֹרָלִי". עַד כָּאן לְשׁוֹנוֹ הַנֶּחְמָד].
(11) [And, in truth, just as we find that the Holy One Blessed be He sanctified the tribe of Levi and exhorted Israel not to forsake it, as it is written (Devarim 16:19): "Take heed unto yourself lest you forsake the Levite all of your days upon your land," so, it is, likewise, the will of the Blessed L-rd that we support men who separate themselves from the affairs of the world in order to serve the L-rd. For this is certainly not inferior to supporting the Levite in this regard. As Rambam writes (Hilchoth Shemitah Veyovel, Chapter 13 Halachah 12 and 13): "Why did the Levite not merit inheritance in Eretz Yisrael and in its spoils with his brothers? For he was singled out to serve the L-rd, to minister unto Him and to teach His just ways and righteous judgments to the people, as it is written (Devarim 33:10): 'They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel.' Therefore, they were separated from the ways of the world. They do not wage war, as do the rest of Israel, they do not inherit, and they do not merit things for themselves with the strength of their bodies, but they are "the army of the L-rd," as it is written (Ibid. 11): 'The L-rd bless his [Levi's] strength.' And the Holy One Blessed be He bequeaths [things] on them, as it is written (Numbers 18:20): 'I am your [Levi's] portion and your inheritance.' And [this applies] not only to the tribe of Levi alone, but to every man of all those who enter the world, whose spirit moves him, and who understands of himself to be separate, to stand before the L-rd, to minister unto Him and to serve Him, to know the L-rd and to walk justly, as G-d made him. And he divests himself of the many "accountings" that men seek, he is sanctified as "holy of holies," and the L-rd becomes his portion and his inheritance for ever and ever. And He bequeaths to him in this world what suffices him, as He did to the Cohanim and the Levites. As David, may peace be upon him said (Psalms 16:5): 'The L-rd is the portion of my inheritance.'" Until here, his (Rambam's) beautiful language.]