Wednesday, February 28, 2018

PARSHAS KI SISA 5778


STAM TORAH
PARSHAS KI SISA 5778
“RELATABLE GREATNESS”[1]

After the passing of the beloved Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel z”tl, R’ Mordechai Grunwald, executive director of Yeshivas Mir and a close talmid of Rav Nosson Tzvi, was asked to deliver a hesped at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Teaneck. Amongst many stories that he told about Rav Nosson Tzvi, he related the following:
Approximately 15 years before Rav Nosson Tzvi’s passing, there was a family from New York who lost their father, a distinguished Talmid Chochom, and talmid of the Mir. Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel had a particularly fond relationship with the deceased and took it upon himself to ensure that his orphans have a fatherly figure in their lives. He told the children to correspond with him through letters, and that they can ask him any question that they have on their minds. Rav Nosson Tzvi kept photos of these orphans in his pocket as a constant reminder of his “other” family.
The children took advantage of their surrogate father and would correspond with him about everything. Despite the challenges of Parkinson’s disease which ravaged his body, Rav Nosson Tzvi would write back letters in response. This went on for many years until the boys grew up and went to Eretz Yisroel to learn in Yeshivos. Rav Nosson Tzvi helped arrange for the boys to go to Yeshivos that catered to each one’s uniqueness. Every Friday night, the boys could be found enjoying their Shabbos Seudah at the table of the Rosh Yeshiva.
After R’ Mordechai Grunwald completed the hesped, he was approached by one of the kollel yungerleit of the Yeshiva Gedolah of Teaneck who related the following:
“The story about the orphans is unbelievable, but it doesn’t end there. There was an 8-year-old girl among those 4 orphan boys. Unlike her older brothers, she didn’t know how or what to write to Rav Nosson Tzvi, and she was saddened that she didn’t have a close relationship with the Rosh Yeshiva. Then one day her mother handed her a letter from Yerushalayim that was addressed to her. She excitedly opened the letter and pulled out a hand-drawn picture of a large heart shape with a message to her, signed by Rav Nosson Tzvi on the bottom.
Since her father had passed away, she never felt so loved. That little girl is my wife. To this day she recalls how happy that letter made her feel.”

When the Torah describes the attributes of Bezalel, the chief architect of the Mishkan, it says, "Hashem filled him with G-dly spirit, with wisdom (chochmah), understanding (tevunah) and knowledge (da'as)".[2]
Rivash[3] defines "da'as" as basic conceptual understanding, such as ‘the sum of a whole is greater than its parts’.
 Maharal asks that if the Torah lauds da'as as one of Bezalel’s qualifications for constructing the Mishkan, how can it refer to simple awareness of the most rudimentary concepts?
Rav Yochanan Zweig explains that often individuals who possess genius-level talents in a particular field, lack awareness of basic rudimentary procedures or social norms. At times, those who delve and dabble in esoteric or mystical studies, lose touch with reality. Their heads become so lost in the clouds, that they cannot relate to basic earthly matters. Those procedures which are elementary to the average person or basic common sense, become foreign to such people.
The gemara states that after being childless for many years, Chana prayed for a child that would be average. The Navi teaches that her prayers were answered when her son Shmuel was born.
As a child, Shmuel was already issuing complicated Halachic rulings. He was clearly a prodigy who was ultimately blessed with prophecy. He is also compared in stature to both Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohein combined. How is his birth a fulfillment of Chana's prayers for an average child?
What Chana was praying for is a child who would be considered normal by his peers, irrespective of his capacities and talents. This is indeed a blessing for often those who are imbued with special talents and abilities are viewed as eccentric or, even worse, abnormal.
Betzalel was familiar with all of the mystical secrets of Torah. The Gemara states that he had the capacity to recreate heaven and the earth. Yet, the Torah testifies that he did not lose touch with reality; he still possessed "da'as". While this might not appear to be an accolade for the average person, for an individual whose mind is preoccupied with thoughts that remove him from this world, possessing da'as is a great accomplishment. True wisdom must be accompanied by a strong sense of reality. If the wisdom causes the individual to lose this sense of reality, then the wisdom itself is lacking.[4]

In the aftermath of the egregious sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe accused Aharon of unwittingly misleading the nation and causing the sin.[5] Yet, shortly thereafter, Aharon is appointed as Kohain Gadol. Wouldn’t it seem that Aharon not be appointed for that very reason?
When Yaakov Avinu blessed his children at the end of his life, he conferred the blessing of monarchy on Yehuda. Why was it not given to Yosef, who was the king who guided the entire country of Egypt, and his own family, through very challenging times?
Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt’l offered the following explanation[6]:
“Only the person who encounters sin, who is subject to fall for short intervals, and also knows the art of rising, of lifting himself up, will understand the people, will have the compassion with the unfortunate ones, with those who stayed, with those who got lost and fell.
“Yehuda disgraced himself twice and yet rose again, will extend a hand to those who trip and fall. He will help them stand up erect again. The saint would have no understanding of chet (sin), and errors, and his sacrificial soul is too sensitive to insist, to demand, and to defend.”
The primary role of the Kohain Gadol was to draw the nation close to G-d through the holy Service, and to achieve forgiveness for the people from their mishaps and sins. It was impossible to fulfill such a role if he was aloof and disconnected from the nation. The Kohain Gadol had to sense his own need for forgiveness and atonement, so that he could relate, and properly intercede for those he represents.
Aharon was selected not despite his unwitting role in the Golden Calf, but because of it!

My Rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, notes that Shaul, the first king of the Jewish People, forfeited his role after a mere two years. In a sense, the problem was that he was too perfect. The Navi describes him as “an excellent young man; no one among B’nei Yisroel was more handsome; he was a head taller than any of the people.”[7] He was unable to relate to the foibles and shortcomings of the nation, and it caused him to commit some serious mistakes which rendered him unworthy of the monarchy.
Dovid Hamelech on the other hand, had a vastly different life experience. He was shunned and discounted by his own family. His father described him as “the youngest who tended the flock… ruddy-cheeked, bright-eyed, and handsome.”[8] No one thought Dovid was amount to much. But his sincerity and yearning for greatness made him the ultimate leader, whose monarchy is eternal. He did not allow his ow mishaps to destroy him, nor did he ever concede to despair. He is the symbol of hope and persistence and was able to relate to every Jew with patience and righteousness.
The gemara[9] states, “We do not appoint a caretaker upon the public unless he has ‘a box of insects’[10] hanging from behind him, so that if he becomes too haughty they say to him, ‘Turn behind you’.”  A leader who never struggled, at least on some level, will not be able to relate to his followers.
The greatest of leaders are those who are able, not only to lead by example, but also to lead through experience. Those have been there and done that, can show others the path they followed to achieve greatness.

“Hashem filled him with G-dly spirit, with... da'as"
“The youngest who tended the flock”


Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor



[1] Based on the lecture given at Kehillat New Hempstead, Shabbos Kodesh parshas Ki Sisa (Parah) 5777.
[2] Shemos 33:3
[3] Quoted by Maharal on the Mishna in Pirkei Avos which states "if there is no understanding there is no knowledge, if there is no knowledge there is no understanding".
[4] From an essay by Rabbi Mordechai Shifman 

[5][5] See Vayikra Rabba 7:1
[6] The Rav Thinking Aloud - Shemos
[7]Shmuel I 9:2
[8] Shmuel I 16:11-12
[9] Yoma 22b
[10] i.e. the Talmudic equivalent of ‘skeletons in the closet’.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Torah Anytime Tetzaveh Newsletter 5778





PARSHAS TETZAVEH/ZACHOR PURIM 5778

STAM TORAH
PARSHAS TETZAVEH/ZACHOR
PURIM 5778
“EXPRESSION OF LOVE”[1]

   Rav Meir Goldwicht shlita related the following personal story:
“In 1967, I was a young elementary school, student. My father was one of the tzanchanim (paratroopers) who were present when the Kosel was liberated. The afternoon after it was recaptured, he was one of those who davened the first mincha at Kever Rochel, and then maariv at Me’aras Hamachpeilah.
“I didn’t see my father for 6 weeks after the war ended. When he finally came home for half a day, I stayed home from school, to spend the day with him. That day we went to Bayit Vegan, above Har Herzl. At the time, there was a huge open field in front of Bayit Vegan. As we approached the field I saw that there was a tremendous number of boxes scattered throughout the field. I asked my father "מה עם הקופסאות?". He replied that they weren’t boxes, but coffins. The country assumed that there would be 10,000 casualties during the war, and they would need to bury the dead very quickly while the war was still being fought. Just prior to the war, they scattered coffins around the open field, so they could bury people quickly there.
“A few months later, before Succos, the Mayor of Yerushalayim announced that people shouldn’t buy wood for their succos that year. The city was donating the wood.
“Hashem’s message to us was - don’t make coffins; use that wood to make succos!
“That is the essence of the celebration of Purim. Instead of coffins we created place for the shechina!”

When reading Megillas Esther on Purim, there is an accepted custom that at four points during the reading, the Ba’al Korei (reader) pauses to allow the congregation to recite the subsuquent verse, before he repeats it. The Rema writes that the four points are prior to the reading of four specific “pesukim of geulah - verses of redemption”.[2]
It is intriguing that all four pesukim are about Mordechai.[3] If the point of reading these four pesukim aloud is because they are ‘pesukim of geulah’, it seems that there are other pesukim more directly connected to redemption. Why are these considered the ‘pesukim of geulah”?
There is a fundamental idea regarding all relationships: When one fulfills his obligations, and does what’s expected, that does not convey love. Love is expressed in the sentiments beyond the expected norms. When a chosson gives his kallah a diamond ring, that is not a true expression of love, because it’s anticipated. It’s when he does the unexpected that he professes his love and devotion.
The Tsemach Dovid[4] explains that when the miracles of Mitzrayim, including the plagues, occurred, Klal Yisroel was unsure if they were really performed out of love for them. Perhaps they were really meant to be a source of punishment for the Egyptians, and the Jews happened to be the beneficiaries. Even when the nation received the wealth of Egypt, prior to their leaving, they were instructed to take it “so that that Tzaddik (Avrohom) won’t have a complaint.”[5]  
It was for that reason that when they were trapped at the sea, with their enemies in pursuit behind them and the sea before them, that they panicked. Even though they had been privy to so many miracles, they were unsure if they were worthy of personal salvation. Perhaps the Egyptians had been sufficiently punished, and now they would not be saved.  
Kerias Yam Suf however, was a clear revelation of Hashem’s love for Klal Yisroel. The Egyptians were destroyed when the sea reverted to its natural flow – "לאיתנו". That meant that the splitting of the sea and all the miracles that transpired there, were solely performed as a display of love for Klal Yisroel.
During shachris each morning, after we mention Yetzias Mitzrayim at the end of Shema, the main focus of our tefillos (in the paragraph beginning “Ezras Avoseinu”) is about Kerias Yam Suf. There we are referred to as ‘yedidim- beloved friends’, because it was there that we recognized the love and bond that Hashem feels with us. Because Kerias Yam Suf was where we recognized Hashem’s love for us, that it is our main source of pride.

Based on this idea, we can offer the following explanation about the four pesukim of redemption:
During the Purim story, the salvation was incredible. But what really displayed Hashem’s love for us, was that we were not only saved, but we also felt an infusion of confidence and pride. That resurgence of Jewish pride was the result of Mordechai’s political ascent. The fact is that the Purim story could have happened without the parade, and without Mordechai donning in royal clothing, and being promoted to viceroy. But those events were the ultimate display of Hashem’s love for us.
[Perhaps that is the deeper meaning of geulah (redemption). Yeshuah means salvation, when the immediate danger is thwarted, and those in danger are safe. But geulah connotes not merely being saved, but also a restoration of pride and dignity, which results from the manner in which the salvation occurs. 
That is why “V’ga’alti[6], according to Seforno, was achieved at Kerias Yam Suf. That is also why these four pesukim in the Megillah, which discuss the honor accorded to Mordechai, are deemed the pesukim of geulah. Geulah connotes an expression of love which results from a complete transformation, from victim to leader. The first pasuk[7] is a backdrop to Mordechai. It helps to develop the uncanny rise of Mordechai throughout the megillah – from an exiled sage to a glorified and redeemed Torah leader.]
Purim is a celebration not only of the salvation Hashem wrought for us, but also of our pride in who we are as the Chosen People. Through the miracles and incredible events and subsequent celebration, we know that Hashem is always watching us, and loves us. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[8]According to the Sefer HaChinuch, Parshas Tetzaveh contains six mitzvos[9]:
Mitzvah 98 - Arranging the candles in the Mikdash; to light candles to enhance the honor and prestige of the House of Hashem.
Mitzvah 99 – Special vestments of the Kohanim. Aside for the atonement component, wearing the vestments showed honor for the Mikdash and the Avodah.
Mitzvah 100 – The Choshen cannot be removed from the Ephod – there had to be a meticulousness with the order and protocol of the Avodah, so that it be performed on the highest level.
Mitzvah 101 – The Me’il may not become torn; a torn garment demonstrates a lack of respect and would detract from the necessary honor.
Mitzvah 102 – Eating the meat of Korban Chatas and Asham (Sin and Guilt offerings). All the avodah regarding korbanos helped the offeror feel a higher calling and a sense of humility through the honor and greatness accorded to every aspect of the korbanos.
Mitzvah 103 – Burning Ketores – to add honor and prestige to Avodas Hamikdash. The sense of smell brings particular pleasure to a person.
Mitzvah 104 – Not to perform any other service on the inner Mizbeiach than Ketores. This demonstrated the completeness of the avodah, and how each has its proper place and manner of being performed.
The common theme of the parsha is fostering proper honor and respect for the Avodah. That in turn fosters within a person pride to be part of the Divine Service.
As mentioned, the celebration of Purim is not only of the salvation, but also of the increased prestige and pride we felt in being part of Klal Yisroel.
Achashveirosh sought to minimize the honor of the Avodah. He wore the bigdei kehuna and sacrilegiously used the vessels of the Bais Hamikdash. Achashveirosh wanted the Jews to view him as the replacement of the Kohain Gadol, and his palace as the new center of attention, like the Bais Hamikdash. He wanted us to be awed and impressed by his wealth and power, so that we would no longer care for the Bais Hamikdash, whose construction he had halted. 
But through the miracles of Purim we reclaimed our sense of “kavod v’tiferes – honor and pride” in our Avodah to Hashem, and in being part of the eternal people.  

“You shall make vestments of sanctity for Aharon… for glory and splendor”[10]
“The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor”[11]

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor







[1] Based on the lecture given at Kehillat New Hempstead, Shabbos Kodesh parshas Tetzaveh/Zachor 5777. The explanation about the four verses in the Megillah is from a derasha given by Rabbi Yisroel Reisman shlita. I am indebted to my mother who is a dedicated attendee at the video hookup of Rabbi Reisman’s Motzei Shabbos shiurim. My mother shared with me the explanation Rabbi Reisman related. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the recording of the lecture. [Note that the point in brackets is my own addition.]
[2] "הגה יש שכתבו שנוהגין לומר ד' פסוקים של גאולה בקול רם דהיינו איש יהודי וגו' ומרדכי יצא  וגו' ליהודים היתה וגו' כי מרדכי היהודי וגו' וכן נוהגין במדינות אלו (הגהות מיימוני פרק ח' וכל בו ואבודרהם)" רמ''א (תרצ: יז)
 The first is where the megillah introduces Mordechai in the second chapter. The other three are from the final few chapters of the Megillah: When Mordechai leaves the palace bedecked in royal finery after Haman is killed, that the Jews were filled with joy, and the final verse of the Megillah, which speaks about Mordechai’s devotion to the Jewish people.
[3] The Brisker Rav writes that the pasuk of “layehudim haysa ora – To the Jews there was light, joy, happiness, and honor,” is going back on the previous pasuk which describes Mordechai emerging from the palace in royal clothes. In other words, the happiness they felt was a result of seeing the elevated status of Mordechai.
[4] A Dayan in Pre-war Satmar (Rabbi Reisman noted that he found the sefer from this author while he was learning in the library of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Yerushalayim the summer prior).
[5] See Rashi, Shemos 11:2
[6] In Parshas Vaera, when Hashem foretells the exodus utilizing four expressions of redemption. The third one is “V’ga’alti – And I will redeem.”
[7] Which describes Mordechai as being from those who descended into exile with King Yochonia, prior to the destruction of the first Bais Hamikdash
[8] The next segment is my addition to Rabbi Reisman’s previous thought.
[9] In a non-leap year, Purim falls out during the week of Parshas Tetzaveh
[10] Shemos 28:2
[11] Esther 8:16

Thursday, February 15, 2018

PARSHAS TERUMAH 5778

STAM TORAH
PARSHAS TERUMAH 5778
“NATONAL SOCKETS”[1]

Yerushalayim. June 1967.
Moshe Amirav, a paratrooper, describes his first moments arriving at the Kosel, shortly after Har Habayis was conquered from the Jordanians, during the Six-Day War:
“We ran there, a group of panting soldiers, lost on the plaza of the Temple Mount, searching for a giant stone wall. We did not stop to look at the Mosque of Omar even though this was the first time we had seen it close up. Forward! Forward! Hurriedly, we pushed our way through the Magreb Gate and, suddenly, we stopped, thunderstruck.
“There it was before our eyes!
“Gray and massive, silent and restrained.
“The Western Wall!
“Slowly, slowly I began to approach the Wall in fear and trembling like a pious cantor going to the lectern to lead the prayers. I approached it as the messenger of my father and my grandfather, of my great-grandfather and of all the generations in all the exiles who had never merited seeing it - and so they had sent me to represent them. Somebody recited the festive blessing: "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe who has kept us alive, and maintained us and brought us to this time."
“But I could not answer "Amen." I put my hand on the stones and the tears that started to flow were not my tears. They were the tears of all Israel, tears of hope and prayer, tears of Chasidic tunes, tears of Jewish dances, tears which scorched and burned the heavy gray stone.”

Abraham Duvdevani, a soldier, describes his first encounter at the Kosel:
"Narrow alleys, filthy passageways, garbage at the entrances of shuttered shops, the stench of dead legionnaires - but we paid no attention. Our eyes were fixed on the golden dome which could be seen from a distance. There, more or less, it had to be! We marched faster to keep up with the beating of our hearts. We were almost running.
“We met a soldier from one of the forward units and asked him the way and hurried on. We went through a gate and down some steps. I looked to the right and stopped dead. There was the Wall in all its grandeur and glory! I had never seen it before, but it was an old friend, impossible to mistake. Then I thought that I should not be there because the Wall belongs in the world of dreams and legends and I am real.
“Reality and legend, dream and deed, all unite here. I went down and approached the Wall and stretched out my hand towards the huge, hewn stones. But my hand was afraid to touch and, of itself, returned to me. I closed my eyes, took a small, hesitant step forward, and brought my lips to the Wall. The touch of my lips opened the gates of my emotions and the tears burst forth.
“A Jewish soldier in the State of Israel is kissing history with his lips.
“Past, present and future all in one kiss. There will be no more destruction and the Wall will never again be deserted. It was taken with young Jewish blood and the worth of that blood is eternity. The body is coupled to the rows of stones, the face is pushed into the spaces between them and the hands try to reach its heart. A soldier near me mumbles in disbelief, 'We are at the Wall, at the Wall...’” [2]

The joy of connection. We can hardly imagine how much greater will be our emotional excitement when the completed Bais Hamikdash is rebuilt.
Ramban explains that, although the purpose of the exodus was for Klal Yisroel to receive the Torah on Har Sinai, when that occurred the redemption was not yet complete. The exodus had not achieved its purpose until the great spiritual heights that the nation attained at the time of Kabbolas HaTorah, became a permanent part of their existence. That was accomplished with the construction of the Mishkan.
The purpose of the Mishkan was to be a permanent symbolic microcosm of the Sinai experience.[3]
It is for this reason that Sefer Shemos, the book primarily devoted to the exodus, does not conclude until the verse “For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day, and fire would be on it at night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel throughout their journeys.”[4]  When the Divine Presence had a permanent place set aside for it, in midst of the Jewish camp, then the redemption from Egypt was complete, and the book of Shemos concludes.
When Moshe made the original proclamation to the nation about donating materials for the imminent construction of the Mishkan, there were 13 materials that could be offered. Of those materials, as much or as little could be donated. The only exception was the silver.
There was a total of three separate portions of silver donated. The first was the mandatory half-shekel given by every Jew, which was used to create the silver sockets that supported the massive beams which surrounded the Mishkan. The second was the annual mandatory half-shekel given by every Jew which was used to purchase the communal offerings brought in the Mishkan.[5] The third portion was optional donations of silver which were used to create the various silver vessels used in the Mishkan.[6]
It’s understandable why the communal offerings should come from a fund of donations contributed equally by every Jew. But why was it necessary for the sockets to be constructed from donations contributed equally by every Jew? Why was it different than the other silver vessels which were constructed from silver donated at will by anyone who wanted, like all of the other materials used for the construction of the Mishkan?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt’l, explained that there are two facets of a person’s Avodas Hashem: There are the physical actions that we take in the actual performance of mitzvos, and there are the foundational components of our faith, which every Jew is obligated to believe.
Our physical performance of mitzvos is predicated on our personal level. Some perform mitzvos out of rote and listlessly, while others feel a greater connection and are more passionate about their mitzva observance. However, our obligation to believe in Hashem is universal and applies equally to every Jew.
The sockets which were the foundation for the entire structure surrounding the Mishkan, represents the foundations of our faith, which include loving and fearing Hashem, and developing one’s complete faith in Him. Therefore, those sockets had to be donated from funds equally donated by every Jew.[7]

There is an additional explanation based on a thought from Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt’l[8]:
Rabbi Soloveitchik notes that being a Jew means to be holy, and to pursue holiness. Therefore, we need to understand how does one become holy? What is the first step one must take to attain holiness?
The answer is that he must set boundaries that allow for the development of holiness. In other words, he must make place for holiness.
When a couple get married, they do so through the process of kiddushin, which literally mean holiness. By pledging herself to he husband, to the exclusion of anyone else, they enable the holiness of the matrimonial union to rest upon their home. By creating the exclusive ‘space’ for their marriage, they enable it to take effect. 
Prior to the giving of the Torah, the nation was warned more than once not to traverse the delineated boundaries upon Har Sinai. They were warned that if they crossed the line they would immediately die. The underlying message was the kedusha takes effect when boundaries and restrictions are honored. It’s not enough to act and perform mitzvos for the honor of Hashem, one must also inhibit and restrain himself according to the restrictions the Torah has set forth. 
The goal is for a person to respect those boundaries out of a sense of love and awe for Hashem. If one maintains boundaries out of fear of sanctions, that does not necessarily engender holiness. Holiness results when one seeks moral elevation through maintaining those laws and restrictions. When one overcomes his own desires in order to honor the Will of Hashem, that creates holiness.
Holiness permeates where we prepare for it and welcome it. When we construct a shul or bais medrash, and act accordingly inside of it, then it becomes a holy place. However, when we fail to honor the place, then the holiness is disgraced, and the Divine Presence does not remain. 
The sockets which supported the beams that surrounded the Mishkan, marked the area which was then sanctified by the Mishkan inside of it. That same area, which a day prior had been mundane desert land, was now sanctified by virtue of the fact that it was marked off and dedicated for holiness.
To create a place of ‘national holiness’, requires equal contribution by every single member of the nation. In contributing equally to the creation of the silver sockets, they jointly sanctified the area where the Mishkan would be erected.

Greatness results when one sets aside space – in place and in time, to attain it. It begins with faith in G-d, and in ourselves, that we can be the holy people we aspire to become. Then we have to dedicate and give of ourselves to foster that holiness.
When we do our part, G-d will surely do His, and rest His Divine Presence among us.  

“Forty silver sockets under the twenty planks…”[9]
“For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day”


Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor

[1] Based on the lecture given at Kehillat New Hempstead, Shabbos Kodesh parshas Terumah 5777.
[2] From "The Western Wall": published by the Israeli Ministry of Defense
[3] Ramban, Shemos 25:1
[4] Shemos 40:38
[5] This refers to the mandatory half-shekel atonement-tax which is mentioned at the beginning of Parshas Ki Sisa, and is read about as Parshas Shekalim, the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Adar.
[6] Rashi, Shemos 25:3
[7] Quoted in Peninei Menachem
[8] Quoted in The Rav Thinking Aloud – Sefer Shemos
[9] Shemos 26:19