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SIMON
SAYS
Insights and guidance from the Torah
by Rav Dovid Simon
Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                                                                                                Simon Says




Contents
Parshah ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
   Breisheit: Where Are You?...................................................................................................................................................................... 6
   Noach: Protect from Inside and Outside ................................................................................................................................................ 7
   VaYera: Youth.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
   Toldot: Defined by Actions ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9
   Vayishlach: The Promise Of Protection ................................................................................................................................................ 10
   Vayeshev: Bonding ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
   Vayigash: On a Journey ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
   Mikeitz: A Greater Plan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
   Vayachi: Yaakov & Yosef's Legacy ......................................................................................................................................................... 14
   Shmot: Who We Really Are .................................................................................................................................................................. 15
   VaEra: Showing Respect........................................................................................................................................................................ 16
   Bo: To Serve Hashem ............................................................................................................................................................................ 17
   B’Shalach: The Power of One’s Strengths............................................................................................................................................. 18
   Trumah: Involved in Prayer ................................................................................................................................................................... 19
   Tetzaveh: Multiple Opportunities......................................................................................................................................................... 20
   Vayakhel: The Mishkan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21
   Pekuday: Look Inside ............................................................................................................................................................................ 22


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Simon Says                                                                                                                                                                            Rav Dovid Simon



   Vayikra: Sacrifices ................................................................................................................................................................................. 23
   Tazriah: What is Holy ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24
   Kedoshim: Wake Up! ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25
   Emor: True Emunah .............................................................................................................................................................................. 27
   Emor: The Beginning ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28
   Bamidbar: Community .......................................................................................................................................................................... 29
   Naso: Efforts Count ............................................................................................................................................................................... 30
   Balak: Seeing Hashem ........................................................................................................................................................................... 31
   Balak: Restraint ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
   Ki Tetzei: Contemplate Our Actions ...................................................................................................................................................... 33
Holidays ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
   Rosh Hashanah: The Challenge of Parenting ........................................................................................................................................ 35
   Rosh Hashanah: School is Back!!! ......................................................................................................................................................... 36
   Succot: Puts Life Into Perspective ......................................................................................................................................................... 37
   Chanukah: Today’s Battles .................................................................................................................................................................... 38
   Chanukah: Great Potential.................................................................................................................................................................... 39
   Purim: Power of Wine ........................................................................................................................................................................... 40
   Pesach: Good Feelings .......................................................................................................................................................................... 41
   Pesach: True Growth............................................................................................................................................................................. 42
   Pesach: Reconnecting ........................................................................................................................................................................... 43
   Shavuot: Signs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
   Shavuot: Togetherness ......................................................................................................................................................................... 45

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                                                                                                Simon Says



   Tisha B’Av: Overcoming ........................................................................................................................................................................ 46
Education .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47
   Respecting Property.............................................................................................................................................................................. 48
   Davenning With Children ...................................................................................................................................................................... 49
   The Power of Youth .............................................................................................................................................................................. 50
   Letting Go .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 51
   Disagreement with the Right Intentions............................................................................................................................................... 52
   The Power of Speech & Silence ............................................................................................................................................................ 53
About......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54
   Rav Simon.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 55
   Kehillat Bnei Aharon ............................................................................................................................................................................. 55




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Parshah
Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                            Simon Says



                                                             ‫ – ”נאמנה‬how has the town turned into a
Breisheit:                                                   promiscuous place? And Yirmiyahu said: “ ‫איכה ישבה‬
                                                             ‫ – ”בדד‬how is the city sitting all alone and desolate?


Where Are                                                    All of these questions really mean: where are you and
                                                             what has become of you?
                                                             Moshe is saying: this nation that has worshiped the

You?                                                         golden calf is not the same nation of Matan Torah! I
                                                             don’t recognize them! Where is the nation that I
After ‫ אדם‬and ‫ חוה‬ate from the ‫ ,עץ הדעת‬they heard           really know?
Hashem coming and they went and hid. The Torah at            Yeshayahu is similarly asking about the city of
this stage writes: “ ‫ויקרא ה' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו‬         Yerushalayim: where is the special city that used to
‫ – ”איכה‬Hashem called out to Adam and said to him            be so full of great things? All I see know is a
“‫ – ”איכה‬where are you?                                      promiscuous place!
Many ask: Hashem didn’t know where they were that            So too Yirmiyahu is asking: where is that city that I
he had to call out? The Midrash explains that the            knew to be the most beautiful place on earth and
question really means: how is it that yesterday you          know is so barren and desolate?
were with me and now you with the ‫ ?נחש‬In other
                                                             This is the question we have to be aware of. We have
words Hashem is saying to him: I don’t know you!
                                                             a responsibility to our heritage and our uniqueness.
Where is the man I created and formed?
                                                             We have to ensure that Hashem never has to ask that
The Midrash in Eicha writes that 3 people used the           question: “‫ ”איכה‬because it is so clear who we are
terminology of “‫ ”איכה‬while reproving Am Yisrael.            and where we are holding.
Moshe said: “‫ – ”איכה אשא לבדי‬how can I bear the
burden alone? Yeshayahu said: “ ‫איכה היתה לזונה קריה‬

                                                  Kehillat Bnei Aharon
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Simon Says                                                                                                  Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                   where the animals lived. And the top level was where
Noach: Protect                                                     Noach lived with his family. We have to understand
                                                                   the different levels that exist in our lives and make to


from Inside and
                                                                   sure to regulate them to their right places. It is not
                                                                   the garbage that should be on top nor the physical
                                                                   drives, rather it is the great spirituality of man that

Outside
                                                                   should be riding the crest.
                                                                   Just as Noach was commanded to put proofing on
                                                                   the outside and the inside, due to the power of the
One of the most challenging issues we have to deal
                                                                   water outside, so too we have to protect from inside
with is how to protect ourselves and our families
                                                                   and outside.
from the negative influences around us.
                                                                   But most important we need vision, a guiding light to
Probably, the single most important factor in our
                                                                   give us the direction we need, like the light in the ark.
struggle is the way we structure and build our home
                                                                   We need the window to outside world, however we
and environment. How to do so, maybe we can glean
                                                                   have to make sure that it only lets in the light and not
some ideas from this weeks Parsha.
                                                                   the damaging elements.
First we find Noach is commanded to use “Gofer
                                                                   May we all merit to achieve these goals.
wood”. What is unique about wood is that it is a
materiel that can never become ‫ – טמא‬impure. When
we build our home we should make sure that the
atmosphere is one of ‫ – קדושה וטהרה‬holiness &
purity, and not ‫ ח"ו‬the opposite.
The ark was built with 3 different levels. The lowest
level was for all the garbage. The middle level was

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                            Simon Says



                                                               The answer we see from another quote of Rashi. The
VaYera: Youth                                                  verse says: “‫ – ”וירא לוט וירץ לקראתם‬Lot saw them
                                                               and ran towards them. Why did he run? Says Rashi:
For one living in Sodom, there were a number of laws           Because he had learned the art of hospitality in the
that had to be kept. Among them was the prohibition            house of Avraham. We see from here how important
of taking in guests: “‫ .”הכנסת אורחים‬This was                  what Chazal call is: “‫ – ”גירסא דינקותא‬that which was
something that was accepted and understood by                  learned in one’s youth. What a child sees and
every single person. As the verse states “ ‫ואנשי סדום‬          experiences in his youth, is embedded deep into the
‫ – ”נסבו על בית מנער ועד זקן כל העם מקצה‬and the                Neshama, and when the time comes will give him
people of Sdom gathered around the house, from                 tremendous strength and energy to stand up to all
youth to elders, the whole city to its edge.                   challenges, even at the cost of his own life.
In the words of Rashi: from on edge of the city to the         Sadly many people switch things around and tend to
other, they all gathered to protest this infringement          mess about in their youth with the understanding
of the law (of Lot taking in visitors). Lot we know has        that “one day” they will become more serious. One
somewhat “left the fold” when he left Avraham, as              could not be more wrong. The success of an
we see in the fact that the place he chose to live was         individual is with the tools and behavior he has
in Sdom. In addition it is clear he would have been            acquired in his youth. And while this does not
destroyed together with Sdom if not for his                    exclude the ability of an adult to make substantial
connection with Avraham Avinu.                                 changes in his life, they will always be subject to
Being so, why did Lot go out of his way to take care of        those influences that affected him as a child.
the guests knowing full well the consequences of his           As parents our responsibility is to ensure that those
actions? Even to the level of sacrificing his own two          experiences and influences that affect our children
daughters!                                                     are those that are going to have a positive effect on
                                                               the life and not, has v’shalom, otherwise.


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Simon Says                                                                                             Rav Dovid Simon



                                                               This is the great challenge of Chinuch. To understand
Toldot: Defined                                                children when they are younger is an art, but this
                                                               really is the crucial time to recognize, who they are,


by Actions
                                                               what could be the consequences of every action that
                                                               they do. Therefore, instead of waiting for them to
                                                               grow up and then having a relationship, rather spend
The Torah describes Yaakov & Esav growing up, and              some time when they are younger, try to see who
Esav becoming a “Man of the field” whereas Yaakov              they really are, and then you will be able to give them
is a “Ish Tam” a complete human being. Rashi                   the proper direction and the tools they need to
comments on the words: “‫ – ”ויגדלו הנערים‬the boys              continue on the proper path.
grew up – that as long as kids are small their
characters and morals aren’t clearly recognizable.
Only once they have reached the age of 13, one
turned to idol worship while the other turned to the
Beit Midrash.
Therefore adds the Medrash: at the age of 13, a
father says the blessing of: ‫ברוך שפטרני מענשו של‬
"‫”זה‬
In other words: even though as soon as they where
born they clearly showed where their tendencies lay,
it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what their
essence is. Only once, they are adults and they
continue in that behavior, then they can be defined
by their actions.

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                        Simon Says



                                                                          The Rosh Yeshiva understood that the danger was
Vayishlach: The                                                           imminent and continued to ask: what would happen
                                                                          if ‫ ח”ו‬he managed to destroy European Jewry which


Promise Of
                                                                          constitutes the bulk and glory of the Jewish world?
                                                                          There will be no “other camp” left!
                                                                          To this responded the Chafetz Chayim: we find a

Protection                                                                verse for this too in the words of the prophet
                                                                          Ovadya: “‫ – ”ובהר ציון תהיה פליטה והיה קודש‬In the
                                                                          Mount of Zion their will be an escape etc.
In 1932 when Hitler (‫ )ימ”ש‬rose to power and took
control of the government, the Chafetz Chayim was                         The Rav left shaking with the understanding that
asked by one of the Roshei Yeshiva in Radin: Since he                     while the fate of the European Jewry was at stake,
had declared so openly and blatantly what his                             Eretz Yisrael would be saved. And so it was that the
intentions were regarding the Jews and their                              might of the German armies started receding as they
destruction, what is going to be their fate? What is                      approached the shores of Eretz Yisrael.
going to happen in Germany and Poland?                                    In a time when our enemies are raising their heads
Answered the Chafetz Chayim: he will not succeed!                         again, may Hashem continue to protect his people
He will never be able to totally annihilate and restrict                  especially in the Land of Israel, and soon hasten the
the Yiden everywhere. And the source for this is the                      redemption.
Pasuk in the Parsha that states:
“ ‫אִם יָבוֹא עשָׂו אֶל המּחנֶה האַחת והכּהוּ והיָה המּחנֶה הנִּשְׁאָר‬
        ַ ֲ ַ ַ ָ ְ ָ ִ ְ ַ ָ ֲ ַ ַ             ֵ
‫”לפליט‬
ָ ֵ ְ ִ
If Eisav should come and strike one camp, the other
camp will escape a similar fate.

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Simon Says                                                                                                 Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                  himself praises them, he was already exempt from
Vayeshev:                                                         teaching them. But then comes the story of Yosef and
                                                                  we see that a person is never finished with the


Bonding
                                                                  education of his children. Even great people like the
                                                                  sons of Yaakov, still needed their father’s direction on
                                                                  how to behave.
The Parsha starts with the words: “'‫– ”וישב יעקב וגו‬              As we come up to Chanukah this is the time to
And Yaakov settled down etc. Why the emphasis on                  reiterate and strengthen that bond with our children,
Yaakov’s settling down? Says Rashi: that Yaakov after             and to understand how far our responsibility really
all his troubles and issues with Eisav and Lavan, he              goes.
finally wanted to rest a bit and spend some time in
peace. However Hashem sees things differently and
feels that the Tzadikim are not her in this world to sit
back and rest, therefore immediately the story of
Yosef took place.
What does this mean? Is it so bad if the Tzadikim
were able to have a bit of peace in this world in order
to focus more on their spirituality?
No! there is no question that they too are entitled to
have a bit of peace of mind, however what Rashi is
referring to is the aspect of Chinuch and teaching
their children. In this there is no respite.
Yaakov thought that due to the fact that all his
children where great people that even Hashem

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                  Simon Says



                                                                    explain: that implicit in the declaration is the idea
Vayigash: On a                                                      that when a person leaves our house or goes on a
                                                                    journey we are supposed to accompany him part of


Journey
                                                                    the way. This gives him spiritual protection from the
                                                                    elements as if others are with him. Therefore, the
                                                                    Rabbis declare: in our town, we make sure that
After Yosef had revealed himself to his brothers, he                people are accompanied and we had no hand in this
sent them back to their father Yaakov, to bring him                 person going out to face the world without
down to Egypt. In order that Yaakov would realize                   protection.
that it was really him, Yosef sent him ‫ – עגלות‬wagons               If we think for a moment, the last time Yaakov and
which as Rashi explains: was a hint to the last topic               Yosef where together was when Yosef was sent by
that they had learned together, the issue of ‫עגלה‬                   his father to his brothers. As Yosef is about to leave,
‫ .ערופה‬The words ‫ – עגלה‬wagon, and ‫ – עגלה‬calf,                     Yaakov gets up to accompany him. As Yosef protests,
both written the same way.                                          Yaakov says to him: remember the law of ‫עגלה ערופה‬
The obvious question is: where does Rashi get this                  that one should always accompany one who is
from? There are plenty other things that he could be                leaving! So obviously this was the last law they
hinting to?                                                         discussed together.
‫ עגלה ערופה‬refers to the law, if a dead body is found               When we send our kids out into the world, they are
on the outskirts of a town and no one knows how he                  going on a journey with many perils and negative
died, the Rabbis from the closest town have to bring                elements, and they need all the protection they can
a calf as a sacrifice and say: our hands did not spill              get. Therefore lets accompany them as they go out
this blood!                                                         on their way and ensure them the spiritual protection
Do we really think that the Rabbis did this that they               during their journey.
have to come to declare otherwise? The Sages

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Simon Says                                                                                                                   Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                                      reverted back to its normal impoverished state. This
Mikeitz: A                                                                            is what the verse means: “and they looked as bad as
                                                                                      before.”


Greater Plan                                                                          Life is such that there are many up and downs,
                                                                                      whether within our personal lives or in the
                                                                                      interaction we have with others. We don’t know why
The Parsha starts off with the dream of Pharoah                                       Hashem gives wealth to some and poverty to others,
giving a prediction about what is going to be                                         joy to some and sorrow to others, nor what is the
happening in the future. In the dream he sees that                                    main purpose of all that happens around us. We are
although the seven thin cows eat the fat cows, it                                     but like cogs in a big machine.
makes no difference to their state of being. The verse
describes it thus:                                                                    For us, what it means to be aware that everything we
                                                                                      have is because of what we have done and the effort
“ ‫וַתָּ ב ֹאנָה אֶל קִרבּנָה וְ�א נוֹדַ ע כּי באוּ אֶל קִרבּנָה וּמַראֵיהֶן רע‬
    ַ      ְ       ֶ ְ        ָ ִ                 ֶ ְ                                 we put into it. Many times there is a greater plan. If
‫”כּאשֶׁר בּתְּ חלּה‬
 ָ ִ ַ       ֲ ַ                                                                      we understand this, then our perspective on life
“- and they were swallowed up and it made no                                          takes on a much healthier approach and gives us the
impression on them, and they looked as bad as                                         ability to truly focus on what we can learn from life,
before.”                                                                              without getting caught up with life itself..
Explains the Meshech Chochma: when things happen
in the world we don’t necessarily know what the
main purpose is behind it all. The fact that Mitzyarim
was not a wealthy place, rather on the contrary, and
the fact that there was time of plenty in Mitzrayim
was only for the purpose of Bnei Yisrael, and
therefore when they left after 210 years everything

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                              Simon Says



                                                                 For our children to sit between the walls of the Beit
Vayachi:                                                         Medrash and be well educated' that is relatively easy.
                                                                 The challenge is that a person will be able take his


Yaakov &
                                                                 learning and moral behavior and keep to it in all
                                                                 places, even amongst idol worshipers.
                                                                 What Yaakov had taught Yosef was that he had the

Yosef's Legacy                                                   image of his father in front of him at all times, so
                                                                 much so that not only Yosef couldn't do wrong as a
                                                                 result neither could his children.
This week we will be leining the last parsha in
Breishit. As the story of Yaakov comes to a close and            Therefore Yaakov considered them as his sons " ‫לי‬
he is about to give the final blessings to his sons, he          ‫ – "הם‬since it was very apparent that they got to
calls Yosef and tells him: I am about to pass on and             where they were, because of Yaakov himself.
his two sons (Menashe & Ephraim) that were born in               Whereas any other kids grew up with the rest of the
Mitzrayim before I came, they will be considered to              Shvatimand therefore their behavior would be more
me like my own sons – the other Shvatim.                         expected and the greatness of Yaakov doesn't shine
                                                                 out.
This language is very troubling. I would have thought
the opposite: those that were born after Yaakov
came should be more like his sons, verses those that
were born before there was really little connection
between them until Yaakov came to Mitzrayim?
Says R' Moshe Feinstein Zt"l: we see from here how
far the obligation of education goes, and that we
have to ensure it's quality.

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Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                  wisdom understood the makeup of man & woman
Shmot: Who                                                        and put into place the structure that is required to
                                                                  raise the level of human intimacy to a much deeper


We Really Are
                                                                  and meaningful place, so we would be able to fulfill
                                                                  our true roles as examples to the rest of the world.
                                                                  This period is a reminder of who we really are, where
The Parsha this week is the first in what is known as:            we came from and what we became, and therefore
“‫ ”שובבי"ם‬which is an abbreviation of the first 6                 the most appropriate time to once again reassess our
Parshiyot in Shmot: ‫שמות, וארא, בא, בשלח, יתרו‬                    personal lives and evaluate what we can do to
‫.משפטים‬                                                           enhance them.
There is an old tradition that this period is the time to
review once again and heighten our knowledge of
those Halachot dealing with Family Purity and the
holiness of the Jewish home, and encourage more
involvement of those whom until now hadn’t
learned.
What is the connection? Why do we review these
laws specifically at this time?
These Parshiyot deal with the process and growth of
Am Yisrael, all the way from being slaves in Egypt
until finally receiving the Torah at Har Sinai and
becoming a special and unique people. To maintain
that uniqueness of a life of morality requires certain
guidelines and parameters. Hashem in his infinite

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                              Simon Says



                                                                they are in the land of their enemies I have not
VaEra: Showing                                                  forsaken or despised them. Thus when a governing
                                                                nation makes a decree against the Jews, it is only at


Respect
                                                                the behest of Hashem. Therefore the same words we
                                                                would use to praise God are applicable here too.
                                                                As hard as it might sound, when we show respect to
The Midrash tells us that when Moshe & Aharon                   conquering nations, essentially we are showing
came to Pharaoh they were commanded to treat him                respect to Hashem. The Gemarah tell us to run to
with respect (see Rashi). Even though he is not a               show our respects to a king and make the bracha
Jewish king and a wicked one too, still they were told          “‫ – ”ברוך שנתן מכבודו לבשר ודם‬blessed is he whom
to treat him with respect.                                      gave from his honour to flesh and blood. And by
The Gemarah in Masechet Shabbat describes that                  doing so “‫ – ”אם יזכה יבחין‬if one merits he will gain
due to the complexity of running a kingdom or                   perception. What does it mean: If he merits? To see
country, it would be impossible to sit down and write           an evil king?! Rather it means that if he merits
out all that had to be done and taken care of, even             understanding that this king is no more then a mirage
for the course of only one day! The Gemarah when                of what the true king is, and an example that Hashem
saying this, even about non Jewish kingdoms, uses               is showing him how to respect and honour a king.
terminologies of praise comparable to the praises we            Then when the time comes for Mashiach, he will
use for Hashem. The obvious question is: How could              appreciate the contrast and what a true king really is,
this be?                                                        and show the appropriately proper respect and
The truth us when Hashem has given a nation the                 honour.
power to rule over Am Yisrael, they are not really
ruling. As the verse describes: “ ‫ואף גם זאת בהיותם‬
‫ – ”בארץ אויביהם לא מאסתים ולא געלתים‬even when


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Simon Says                                                                                                 Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                    From here, we see the basic fundamental difference
Bo: To Serve                                                        between the way the world views serving G-d, verses
                                                                    the way of Am Yisrael. The Torah demand from a Jew


Hashem
                                                                    to serve Hashem at all times, in all circumstances,
                                                                    every place and every age. Therefore there is no
                                                                    difference whether people are old, young, male or
When Pharaoh was talking to Moshe about letting                     female, everyone has their part.
the Jews go, he asked him: “‫ – ”מי ומי ההולכים‬whom                  Obviously, the responsibility of an older person is
do you want to go? When Moshe answered: “ ‫בנערינו‬                   different from one who is young, it is however the
'‫ – ”ובזקננו נלך וגו‬children, elders etc. will go, Pharaoh          responsibility of those who are older, to find and
answer was: no! Only the men will go since that is                  clarify the role of those who are younger. When each
what you really want.                                               and every person is doing what they are supposed to,
The question is, that Moshe never said only the men,                altogether they make up that unique entity of Am
so from where does Pharaoh get this idea that this is               Yisrael, and then they are fitting for redemption and
Moshe’s request?                                                    the right to live as a nation in Eretz Yisrael.
The answer is that Pharaoh did not really hear it, only
from his perspective he figured that the Jews were
going to bring sacrifices and serve their G-d, and the
ones who normally do so are the men, not the
women & children! So what he meant was: since you
are ultimately asking to go and serve your G-d you
are really only asking for the men, and you don’t
need anybody else!


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                                                               17
Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                               Simon Says



                                                                 battles, there was Chur, and he ultimately died trying
B’Shalach: The                                                   to stop the Golden Calf being built.
                                                                 Therefore the terminology “‫ ”אחד‬is used for both of

Power of One’s                                                   them, each one being a separate and unique entity.
                                                                 Moshe had the ability to merge and mesh these two
                                                                 strengths, however when he wasn’t around (during

Strengths                                                        the time of the Golden Calf) this ability disappeared
                                                                 which was when we saw the differences between
                                                                 Aharon and Chur.
As Moshe Rabeinu was standing over ‫ עם ישראל‬while
they were fighting their battle with Amalek, the                 When it come to Chinuch first and foremost we need
Torah describes how Moshe’s arms became weary                    to know that every child is different and has their
and he sat down with Aharon holding one arm aloft                unique and special gifts. If we take the time to
and Chur the other.                                              discern and clarify this uniqueness then we will be
                                                                 able to really give that special and focused energy
The language the torah uses is :” ‫ואהרון וחור תמכו בידיו‬
                                                                 that our kids are entitled too.
‫ .”מזה אחד ומזה אחד‬The question is - Why is it
necessary to emphasize that from each side their was             Once we have explored and understood these
“One” holding and not use the general statement:                 different strengths, then maybe we can begin to see
“they held up his arms”?                                         a way bring out all of a child’s potential, to make him
                                                                 realize what his capabilities are, and to drive him
Aharon and Chur were two very different people with
                                                                 forward to realize all this latent potential.
very different personalities and characters. Aharon is
known as the “‫אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, – ”איש שלום‬
‫ ,אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה‬whereas Chur was the
“‫ – ”איש מלחמה‬when it came to fighting G-d’s

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Simon Says                                                                                                Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                As we see in the Haftara: “This house that you are
Trumah:                                                         building, if you go in my statues and keep my laws
                                                                and guard the mitzvoth to walk in their ways, I will


Involved in
                                                                keep all my promises…” The conditions for G-d
                                                                presence are no more than keeping the basics.
                                                                We see this in the terminology of the verse: “ ‫ושכנתי‬

Prayer                                                          ‫ – ”בתוכם‬I will dwell in them while it should have
                                                                                        U     U




                                                                said: “I will dwell in it”! We see from here, that just to
                                                                be involved, every person at his/her level, this
People sometimes think that in order to truly elevate
                                                                already brings Hashem’s Shechina into that person
oneself spiritually and bring G-d into this world, you
                                                                and they are considered like a mini Holy Temple.
need to be involved in prayer, holiness etc. and
somewhat removed and disconnected from the
physicality of this world. As a source for this
behavior, there is a verse quoted from the Parsha:
“‫ – ”ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם‬Make for me a Temple
and I will dwell amongst them. In order for G-d to be
in this world, we need to be like a Mikdash.
However, this is not the case. We do not need to go
searching for all types of “Holy” behavior; rather all
we need to do is to keep the Torah & Mitzvot as part
of our regular life, and that in itself will bring the
Kedushah and Shechina to us.



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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                             Simon Says



                                                                to Chessed speak to them more, whereas for others
Tetzaveh:                                                       they relate more to davening in Shul.



Multiple                                                        In order that everyone will be able to find a Mitzvah
                                                                that they can relate to, and dedicate themselves
                                                                totally to it, Hashem gave multiple Mitzvot, multiple

Opportunities                                                   opportunities to connect.
                                                                No one can claim that they do not have a place to
I heard a wonderful idea this week. After we learn,             truly express themselves in Torah and Mitzvot. All it
we customarily say the words of Rabbi Chananya Ben              requires is a bit of thought and introspection, and
Akashiya: “ ‫רצה הקב"ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה‬                 then we can find our unique place in Avodat Hashem
‫ – ”להם תורה ומצות‬Hashem wanted to look for more                with a Mitzvah that is tailor made for us.
merit for Am Yisroel, therefore he gave them much
Torah & Mitzvot. The question is asked: if Hashem
was looking for ways for us to get more credit, why
not just give more for the Mitzvot we do? Why do we
need more?
The answer is: that every person is different and
different things speak to different people. In order
for a person to really merit something, he has to put
all his effort and energy into what he is doing, in a
total selfless way. Not everybody can apply that to
the exact same thing. For some people, acts relating


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Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                 learn Torah at every possible moment: “and you shall
Vayakhel: The                                                    toil in it day and night”. Therefore Am Yisrael brought
                                                                 unlimited donations for the sake of the Torah which


Mishkan
                                                                 is unlimited, until they were told to stop.
                                                                 This is what the Midrash means: Leave it for the ‫משכן‬
                                                                 ‫ – העדות‬don’t use the rest! Leave it in the Mishkan as
The Torah in parshat ‫ ויקהל‬tells us that after ‫ בנ"י‬had          testimony to the fact that the Torah is unlimited
brought all the donations for the Mishkan, there was             without restrictions, rather the source and basis for
still a lot left over. The Midrash tell us that Moshe            whom we are and what we represent.
turned to Hashem and asked him what to do with the
leftovers? And Hashem answered him: leave it for                 This past week I took the 8th grade boys from the
the ‫ – משכן לעדות‬a Miskan for testimony.                         Chinuch Atzmai school for a test on 6 Daf Gemarah
                                                                 by Harav Shteinman Shlita. To see a person in his mid
Where have we ever seen anything about another                   nineties who lives for Torah and is a living, breathing
Mishkan?                                                         example of Torah, dedicate an hour from his time for
The answer is that there is only one Mishkan, and it is          kids, is the greatest testimony I could ever give to
call the “Mishkan Haeidut” because of the Aron that              boys what the Torah is and what it brings to our lives.
resides there which has the ‫ לוחות העדות‬inside. In
other words: the whole sanctity of the Mishkan
comes about as a result of the Torah residing inside.
There is a big difference between the Avoda –
bringing of the sacrifices and the Torah. You can only
sacrifice during the day and there are clear rules and
restrictions on what, when, and how to bring.
However Torah has no limits. We are obligated to

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                  Simon Says



                                                                 the ‫ לוחות‬in first and only then put the ‫ – כפורת‬the
Pekuday: Look                                                    cover on top.
                                                                 The question is: that is obvious! Why do we need the

Inside                                                           Torah to tell us that?
                                                                 The answer is: that without what is inside there is no
                                                                 purpose for the Aron and therefore we have to
In the Parshiyot that we read last week and B”H will
read this week, the topic is the building of the                 emphasize he fact that we put the ‫ לוחות‬in and only
Mishkan and it’s ‫ – כלים‬vessels.                                 then close it. The proof for this is: that in the 2nd Beit
                                                                 Hamikdash when we didn’t have the ‫ ,לוחות‬we didn’t
While it seems to be that we are spending a lot of               have the Aron either.
time focusing on the external details: how everything
should be made, what materials must be used etc.,                This idea is absolutely crucial in the world of Chinuch.
we see from ‫ חז"ל‬that everything in the Mishkan and              We tend to get caught up in what we see on the
its contents in reality are coming to give us different          outside: the behavior, the talk etc., and we forget to
messages for life.                                               look inside of the children and see their special
                                                                 qualities and the true gems that they really are.
This fact in itself: not to get too focused on the
outside and instead try to understand what really is             Let us take a moment of thought before we decide
important, is probably one of the strongest messages             about others, and focus on the special Neshama
itself.                                                          inside, instead of getting caught up with the outside.
We see this hinted over and over again in the verses.
For example: if we take the Aron. The Torah tells us
that we are supposed to put the ‫ לוחות הברית‬into the
Aron. And then the Torah goes and repeats the exact
same thing again! Why? Says Rashi: to tell us to put

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Simon Says                                                                                                 Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                   By a person fulfilling these two aspects to the best of
Vayikra:                                                           his ability, he will then be considered as having
                                                                   brought a sacrifice, himself to Hashem.


Sacrifices                                                         After having reached this stage, one could find it hard
                                                                   to bring himself to even speak to Hashem, therefore
                                                                   we start the Tefilah with words: ‫ה' שפתי תפתח ופי‬
The Gemara in Brachot brings the well known quote                  ‫ – יגיד תהילתך‬asking for the help and strength to
in the name of Rabbi Yehoshu ben Levi that the                     actually pray.
prayers we have today were enacted by the Rabbis in
place of the Korbanot – the sacrifices, more                       May Hashem listen to all our Tefilot and the Beit
specifically the Korban Olah – The Burnt Offering.                 Hamikdash rebuilt ‫.ונואכל שם מהפסחים ומהזבחים‬
In describing the Korban Olah, the Torah tells us to
skin the animal and cut it up into pieces, therefore
these aspects should exist in prayer too.
The Shulchan Aruch talks about the true righteous
people who would spend some time in solitude in
preparation for Tefila until they were able to as if
remove their outside skin and connect more so to
their true inner being.
In addition, for a person to truly daven he is required
to humble himself and understand that in relation to
Hashem he is insignificant and disinterred.



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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                  Simon Says



                                                                    What is the connection between having children and
Tazriah: What is                                                    Havdalah on Motzai Shabbat?
                                                                    The answer is that on Motzai Shabbat every person

Holy                                                                has to use their innate intelligence in order to see
                                                                    and appreciate the difference between the Holy and
                                                                    the profane in every facet of life (as we see in the
In this week’s Parsha we read about a woman who                     words of the Havdalah). Anyone who is able to do
gives birth to a son: "'‫."אישה כי תזריע וילדה זכר וכו‬               this is fulfilling the concept of ‫ = זכירה‬remembering
The Gemarah in Shavuot brings two opinions as to                    one’s purpose. This is the idea of “‫– ”בנים זכרים‬
what we can learn from the juxtaposition of the                     having the ability to know what is right and what is
closing verses of Shemini and the opening verses of                 wrong.
Tazria.                                                             This is also the idea behind the use of wine. Wine,
In Parshat Shmini we have the verses that discuss                   the Gemarah says, has the ability to open up locked
differentiating – Havdalah - between pure/impure,                   and closed hearts. Once a person opens his heart
holy/unholy, closely followed by the verse in Tazria                then he is truly able to see and understand when an
that discuss the birth of a male.                                   action or deed is Holy or ‫ ח"ו‬profane.
These two opinions are as follows;                                  [This is the basis for a Jewish marriage. Knowing and
One who makes Havdalah on wine will have ‫בנים‬                       using our capabilities to find the right and proper way
‫ - זכרים‬male children.                                              to build a home based on Torah and Mitzvot. If we do
                                                                    that then may we all be Zocheh to have ‫בנים זכרים‬
One who makes Havdalah on wine will have ‫בנים‬                       who can teach and transfer onwards through the
‫ - זכרים‬male children who will be fitting to teach                  generations the power of ‫ – זכירה‬remembering to
Torah.                                                              remember and take the time to ask: is this holy or
                                                                    not?]

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Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                  Le’chayim with the grandfather, and he agreed.
Kedoshim:                                                         Seeing a religious person the grandfather called him
                                                                  over and told him this story.


Wake Up!                                                          I was living in Berlin before things deteriorated and
                                                                  the Jews were still living the good life. We were into
                                                                  the culture and atmosphere of revision that prevailed
When one has to deal with a child who is                          in Germany at that time.
misbehaving, before coming down too hard on him, it
is usually preferably to somehow give the kid the                 One Shabbat the Karliner Rebbe came to town and
message that he is not heading in the right direction.            was slated to speak Friday night in the main shul.
If he doesn’t get the hint and as a result somehow                Since a Rebbe was a rare event in Germany, many
modify his behavior, then unfortunately he might                  came to hear him driving too shul the way they were
have to be dealt with in a harsher manner.                        used to.
This is true with the way Hashem deals with us too.               The Rebbe waiting to speak was very perturbed and
                                                                  when he got up to talk he said: this week is Parshat
There are those times in our life that maybe we are               Kedoshim and we see different commands that
not exactly doing what we should be, and Hashem                   Moshe is to tell Am Yisrael.
sends us a hint to wake up and do something! Even if              1) ‫ – קדושים תהיו‬Be Holy
we don’t completely mend our ways, we have to
make some change.                                                 2) ‫ – איש אמו ואביו תיראו‬Be in awe of your mother &
                                                                  father
There was a religious Jew after surgery recuperating              3) ‫ – שבתותי תשמורו‬Keep my Shabbat
at a certain Kibbutz. During one of his walks in the              4) '‫ – אני ה‬I am Hashem.
fields a tractor pulls up and the driver asks him if he
can come and join a Minyan for a brit. Afterwards                 Said the Rebbe: when I speak to my Chassidim I say:
they asked him if he would like to come and make a                Be Holy! And they know that means to keep Shabbat,

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                           Simon Says



eat kosher etc. When I speak to the lay people I have
to be more specific: Be in awe of your mother &
father! When I speak to the more simple folk I have
to lower the expectations and say: Keep Shabbat!
However to you here in Berlin I can’t even tell you
that, therefore my words to you are: I am G-d! Don’t
ever forget that! And the Rebbe gave such a clap on
the Bima that the windows shook.
I came home said the old man and told my wife:
that’s it! We are getting out of Germany.
We left against all our friends’ advice and came to
Israel and I didn’t become any more religious.
However since at least I did something I have merited
to see my grandson having a Brit in Eretz Yisrael.




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Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                 as if he doesn’t belief in the creation either. A
Emor: True                                                       creation without continued guidance is worthless. If
                                                                 the world is without guidance there is no need for


Emunah
                                                                 keeping the Torah and Mitzvot, and if there is no
                                                                 need for Torah and Mitzvot there is no need for the
                                                                 creation.
 “ ‫מועדי ה' אשר תקראו אותם במועדם...ששת ימים תעשה‬                This is the connection between Shabbat and the
‫ – ”מלאכה‬What is the connection between Shabbat                  Chagim. If we ‫ ח"ו‬desecrate one, we are throwing out
and the Chagim? Says Rashi: Whoever keeps the                    the whole package.
Chagim it is as if he has kept Shabbat’ and whoever
desecrated the Chagim it is as if he has desecrated              Therefore the Parsha also writes the whole topic of
the Shabbat.                                                     ‫ – מתנות עניים‬giving to the poor in the middle of the
                                                                 Chagim, in order to show us that this too is an
What does Rashi mean? Keeping Shabbat is the                     essential part of our Emunah. If we belief Hashem is
absolute declaration of our trust and faith in the fact          running the world, there will be no hesitation in our
that G-d is the creator of this world, and therefore             understanding to take care and give from our own to
one who desecrates the Shabbat it is as if he has                the poor. If we think it is all ours and we have no
denied all of the creation. The Chagin is a declaration          obligation to give, or until we are convinced to give,
of the fact the G-d runs this world, even to the level           again we are denying our whole purpose for being in
of changing nature in order to take care of Am                   this world.
Yisrael.
                                                                 May we all merit to experience this true Emunah in
Comes along the Torah and says that these two                    every aspect of our lives
things are inseparable. We cannot believe in one and
not the other. Belief in the creation without the
belief in Hashem’s continued running of the world is

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                  Simon Says



                                                                   proper concentration during the 1st bracha in the
Emor: The                                                          Amida he has fulfilled his obligation even if he didn’t
                                                                   on the rest. Whereas if he had the proper


Beginning
                                                                   concentration on the rest and not the beginning, he
                                                                   has not.
                                                                   We see where we are supposed to concentrate our
When bringing a sacrifice the Torah tells us to make               efforts, both for ourselves and all the more so for our
sure that at the time of Shechita it is done “‫.”לרצונכם‬            children. If we invest more in the beginning: right
Rashi explains: make sure that the sacrifice will fulfill          time, right place, right environment etc, then there is
its purpose as atonement for you. How is this? As the              a chance for our kids to make it and maybe for us
next verse explains: eat it only on that day – have in             too.
mind during the shechita process that you are only
going to eat it during the allotted time. Any other
thought differing from that invalidates the Korban.
This is true for all other aspects of the Korban: make
sure to be thinking and focusing on the right owners,
right time, right place etc.
We see that proper/improper thoughts at the outset
are what define the validity of our actions.
This is the power of the beginning, the proper start
one should make. Bris Mila being the first of the
physical mitzvoth is equated to all the mitzvoth.
Shabbat being the first of the negative mitzvoth is
equated to all the negative mitzvoth. If one has the

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Simon Says                                                                                                Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                   the middle of the Machane was the Aron and the
Bamidbar:                                                          Mishkan, therefore everyone surrounding that
                                                                   Mishkan are essentially all focused together to the


Community
                                                                   same place.
                                                                   This is the key to who and what Am Yisrael are. Each
                                                                   and every tribe has their characteristics that are
One of the main themes in this week’s Parsha is that               unique to them and therefore have to keep that
of the different flags and the tribes that they                    uniqueness. However that can only be if everyone is
represented. Due to the length that the Torah goes                 focusing on ‫ .הקב"ה‬If we are all working to the same
into to describe all the details obviously this is a very          goal then the differences that we have don’t make a
important part of the framework and structure of                   difference, rather on the contrary that shows the real
Bnei Yisrael. If so how come Hashem waited until                   greatness of a people. We can be different but in
now to give over these laws, a year after they left                reality we are really one.
Mitzrayim, and not instruct them immediately as
soon as they had left?
If we think about it, all these different flags and
camps that were part of Am Yisrael in reality are a
cause for separation. Each group had their neighbors
that were separate from all the others. Why then did
Hashem want that this is the way the nation should
camp and travel?
Yes, if the result of such encampment would be a
distancing of the tribes from each other, then for
sure that was not Hashem’s intention. However in

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                 Simon Says



                                                                    wasting time? Or the opposite: I'm not going to
Naso: Efforts                                                       manage in any case, so why bother?
                                                                    The answer is: that the effort one puts into

Count                                                               something is what makes it count. Not whether he
                                                                    actually succeeds or he can manage without it.
                                                                    This is what Hashem is coming to teach us. True we
In the listing of the sons of Levi, the Torah also
describes their responsibilities vis-à-vis what they are            might not need the efforts of the sons of Kehat, but
supposed to carry of the Mishkan when it travels.                   they need to put in the effort or in real terms or in
                                                                    potential terms, in order for them to appreciate their
The tribe of Kehat was responsible the Aron and the                 responsibilities. Therefore the verse emphasizes: not
rest of the Holy vessels. We also know that the Aron                only the sons of Gershon have to be in their prime of
really carried those that seemed to be carrying them.               life, but also the sons of Kehat.
So in true sense, the actual work of Bnei Kehat is not
so difficult verses the son of Gershon who had to                   Remember! Our efforts count, not the results!
carry the wood beams from the walls.
If so, how come the verse when defining the age of
the working Levi'im (30-50 = prime of life) says that
the sons of Gershon where also strong, when it
should be saying that the sons of Kehat were of the
same age even though that their strength was not
needed! And why was that strength really needed?
Many times we ask the question: if I can succeed
without trying to hard, why bother trying and just


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Simon Says                                                                                              Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                his question doesn’t mentioned G-d at all: “What is
Balak: Seeing                                                   this work you are doing? Even though the question is
                                                                the same, however one is prepared to see G-d is


Hashem
                                                                what happens in this world and the other isn’t.
                                                                So too with Yitro the verse describes what he heard
                                                                that Hashem had done, whereas with Balak it only
This week’s Parsha describes how Balak seeing the               refers to the fact that he saw what Bnei Yisrael did.
aftermath of the battle between Bnei Yisrael and the            No mention of G-d
Emorites came to the conclusion that something had
to be done to get rid of Am Yisrael and therefore he            When a person is prepared to see Hashem in
went and hired Bilam to curse them.                             whatever happens in this world, that is what clearly
                                                                defines him as a descendent of Avraham Avinu.
This is in stark contrast to what happened with Yitro.          However one who persistently denies any Godly
When he heard what had taken place with Am                      involvement in whatever happens, is going with the
Yisrael, he decided to convert and join them. The               behavior of Bilam.
question is why? If anything, seeing is supposed to
have a much greater impact on a person then just                May we merit to open our eyes and see the
hearing, so why did they act so differently?                    greatness of Hashem in every small facet of our lives.
In the Haggada for Pesach is seems to be that the
question of the wise and wicked sons are the same:
“Why are you doing all these things?” so why is one
defined as wicked and the other as wise? The Gaon
of Vilna explains the difference. The wise son asks:
What are all these things that Hashem our G-d has
commanded you to do” whereas the wicked son in

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Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                 Simon Says



                                                                   antagonism is ultimately what makes us great and
Balak: Restraint                                                   more spiritual people.
                                                                   As we head out to the summer holidays and the
One of the hardest challenges in today’s society is the            possibilities of more interaction with others are
unwillingness to come out the underdog, or in the                  there, this is time to awaken ourselves to those
commonly used phrased: I will not be Friair!! This is              points which really show the difference between who
the underlying approach to life that if someone                    is a student of Bilam Harasha, and who is really a true
insults me I cannot allow him to get away with it                  student of Avraham Avinu.
without an appropriate response. If someone else is
going to gain, why not me?
This attitude permeates and affects all ages. As a
principal when we try to educate the kids in school,
many times they cannot even understand what is
wrong. He insulted me! He hit me! She started! To
walk away is just unthinkable.
However this is the way a Jew should behave. As the
Mishna in Avot describes to us the difference
between those students of Avraham Avinu and those
of Bilam Harasha, we see that the common
denominator between all the differences is the
willingness to humble oneself, not to expect that
everyone is going to bow down and kowtow to me!
This is what is unique about Am Yisrael. We are still in
Galut and the ability to not respond to every

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Simon Says                                                                                              Rav Dovid Simon



                                                               consequently the disbanding of the Sanhedrin, there
Ki Tetzei:                                                     are still the 4 death penalties in the world, only that
                                                               they happen by what to us would seem natural


Contemplate
                                                               circumstances. Stoning would be equal to for
                                                               example: falling of the roof4. Burning would be equal
                                                               to getting burned or poisoned etc.

Our Actions                                                    That is whar Rav Yonatan means: the concept of ‫בן‬
                                                                ‫ סורר ומורה‬he saw. He saw a grave of a child and he
                                                               found out that he had behaved as a rebellious son
The Gemarah in Sanhedrin states: that due to all the           and consequently had died unnaturally. So too with
required conditions there never was and never will
                                                               the burnt city. But not that the process was actually
be a case of ‫ - בן סורר ומורה‬the rebellious son. A             carried out.
similar statement is made regarding the ‫- עיר הנדחת‬
a city that worships idols and consequently has to be          This is the meaning of the sitting: he sat on the grave
burned to the ground. However, then the Gemarah                and the ruins and contemplated the situation and he
quotes Rav Yonatan who claims to have seen a case              came to the conclusion that G-d will was carried out
of ‫ בן סורר ומורה‬and even sat on his grave, and to             any case.
have seen the burnt down city and sat on the ruins.            While it is may be not our responsibility to stop
How is it that Rav Yonatan happened to be the                  evaluating why other people have died, it is ours to
person whom had the luck to see both these things              thing and consider what is happening to us? And
that the Rabbis claim couldn’t be? Furthermore, why            what is Hashem’s message for us?
the emphasis of sitting on the grave and the ruins?            For this we need to take an example from Rav
Maybe we can explain based on another Gemarah,                 Yonatan: to take the time and effort to contemplate
that after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and           our actions and our lives and then we will be merit a
                                                               proper ‫.כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬

                                                   Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                   www.kbaraanana.org
                                                          33
Holidays
Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                 unattainable for children today, would be somewhat
Rosh                                                             foolish and asking for trouble.
                                                                 Just as we want our kids to realize that maybe what

Hashanah: The                                                    they think or do might not be the correct way, so too
                                                                 we have to be open to the possibility that we too
                                                                 might be in the wrong and are willing to make the

Challenge of                                                     necessary changes.
                                                                 This essentially is the basis for Teshuva. Only once a
                                                                 person realizes that maybe the life they have been
Parenting                                                        living is somewhat flawed and that there is another
                                                                 possibility or approach to life, only then can they
One of the greatest challenges we can have as                    begin the process of Teshuva, of change and
parents or teachers is coming to the realization that            reconsideration of ideals and values that we were so
maybe the approach that I've taken or the method                 convinced in their absoluteness.
employed is flawed or even incorrect.                            May Hashem give us all the insight to see these other
Many of us are convinced that our "derech" is the                possibilities and the strength to actually act on them.
correct one, and while there might be a lot to be said           A ‫ כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬to all of Klal Yisrael and may
for such a derech, it doesn't necessary mean that it is          Hashem bring peace and prosperity to all of Eretz
applicable under all circumstances.                              Yisrael
For example: To lay down boundaries and limits is
definitely something that is important to do (albeit in
today's generation it seems somewhat forgotten),
however to set limits that might be too hard or

                                                     Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                     www.kbaraanana.org
                                                            35
Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                               Simon Says



                                                                  If we try and analyze these different approaches, we
Rosh                                                              can take some very important messages for our own
                                                                  “New Year”.


Hashanah:                                                         How we come into Shul and speak to Hashem, is
                                                                  totally depended on our attitude. If we come in as
                                                                  finalists and a feeling that we have done our part and

School is                                                         now we are just finishing off, the chances are, just
                                                                  like we would waste the entire year with limited
                                                                  achievement, we will end up squandering our

Back!!!                                                           opportunity to meet and talk to Hashem with a result
                                                                  of limited achievement.
From one aspect, the fact that the 1st of September               However if we come in as 1st graders, with a it bit of
this year is so close to Rosh Hashanah, it is quite hard          shyness, with a bit of humility, a bit of uncertainty,
on the teachers due to the fact that by the time the              then the push to succeed will be much greater and so
kids are a finally a little settled, they immediately go          will our achievements.
again on holiday. However from another aspect the                 May all of Am Yisrael have a Ktiva Vachatimah Tova
whole concept of starting a new year is directly
related to Rosh Hashanah.
We see the different ages coming in. those who are
in their last year have a certain attitude towards
school, whereas those who are only starting in 1st
grade have a totally different attitude.



                                                      Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                      www.kbaraanana.org
                                                             36
Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                 realizes that the pleasures of this world are
Succot: Puts                                                     temporary and aren’t around forever, only then can
                                                                 they truly begin to enjoy themselves. This is why we


Life Into
                                                                 go out to the Succah. In order to tell ourselves that
                                                                 life overall is temporary and that at any given
                                                                 moment things can change. This is the message of

Perspective
                                                                 the temporary dwelling, the Succah.
                                                                 At this stage one learns to appreciate what they do
                                                                 have and really begin to enjoy every moment of it.
The main idea behind the mitzvah of Succot
                                                                 This is what the Mishna in Pirkei Avot says: “ ‫איזהו‬
according to the Rambam is to reach the highest level
                                                                 ‫ – ”עשיר השמח בחלקו‬who is true wealthy person? He
of Simcha – Joy that one could. Whilst every Chag has
                                                                 who is happy with his lot!
an aspect of Simcha, Succot is very special in this
regard. This is why Succot is known as: “‫.”זמן שמחתנו‬            This doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy life. On the
                                                                 contrary! If Hashem has given it to us, it is there for
The obvious question is: why then do we leave the
                                                                 us to benefit and enjoy. However the true deep
comfort of our homes and go out to a place which is
                                                                 enjoyment of Zman Simchateinu” can only come
so much less comfortable? Shouldn’t we stay in the
                                                                 once we understand the proper balance of how thing
nice air-conditioning fly free atmosphere and really
                                                                 stand in our world.
enjoy ourselves?
The answer is: that to enjoy true joy first we have to
get our perspectives right. A person, who is wholly
into the physicality of this world, does not necessarily
mean that he is happy. How many people who are
wealthy but are still miserable? Only once a person

                                                     Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                     www.kbaraanana.org
                                                            37
Rav Dovid Simon                                                                                                Simon Says



                                                                 into the hands of a few, impure into the hands of the
Chanukah:                                                        pure, wicked into the hands of the righteous, and
                                                                 those who turned against the Torah into the hands of


Today’s Battles
                                                                 those who guarded it".
                                                                 These are the miracles we should remember and take
                                                                 the message from them for today. We are still
As we approach Chanukah and we begin to smell the                battling those Greek forces and they are trying in all
aroma of the sufganiyot and the latkes, it awakens               ways to infiltrate into the very essence of the Jewish
within us again, all the ideas that Chanukah                     people.
represents.
                                                                 One of the most crucial battlegrounds is the area of
However, most of us focus on the miracle of the jug              religious Jewish education. There is an ongoing
of oil and the fact that we light the candles for eight          infiltration of those Hellenistic ideas that the Greeks
days in order to commemorate that event and                      espoused, that we have are losing track of what
publicize Hashem's greatness. But in reality if we look          Hashem really wants from us and from our children.
a bit deeper, we see that the true miracle of
Chanukah is much greater.                                        This Chanukah we should take a moment to evaluate
                                                                 the true message of Chanukah and ask ourselves: are
In the tefilah of Al Hanissim there is very little               we prepared to be like the Maccabees and take those
mention of the lighting of the candles at all and the            steps that are required, for us and our families to live
direction on the tefilah is elsewhere. The tefilah               the life of : "Mi Chamocha Baeilim Hashem".
describes how we were put in spiritual danger by the
Greeks: "To forget your Torah and to transgress your
will" and then Hashem with great compassion and
caring went to battle and brought about great
miracles of: "Brave into the hands of the weak, many

                                                     Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                     www.kbaraanana.org
                                                            38
Simon Says                                                                                               Rav Dovid Simon



                                                                  deep inside themselves and realize the importance of
Chanukah:                                                         the Torah and what it meant for the nation’s survival,
                                                                  with Hashem’s help and their willingness, all the


Great Potential
                                                                  barriers came down and they merited a great
                                                                  victory.
                                                                  B”H we also will take the Chanukah message to hear
Recently one of my friends had a Down syndrome                    and together with our families, realize the great
child, and he was describing to me how many people                potential inside every single one of us.
(out of the goodness of their hearts) were telling
them about the different difficulties involved with               A Freilicha Chanukah
raising such a child. When he shared this information
with his doctor, the doctor categorically disagreed by
saying: A child will be what we make him! How we
perceive our children’s abilities and guide them to
reach their maximum potential is what makes them
unique, regardless of whatever seemingly limitations
they might have.
This is true for every single one of our children. Every
person has their special talents and at the same time
also certain limitations. How we let those limitations
become handicaps, is entirely up to us.
This is the message of Chanukah. The Jews were
faced with a tremendous danger of spiritual and
physical destruction, but when they were able to dig

                                                      Kehillat Bnei Aharon
                                                      www.kbaraanana.org
                                                             39
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The_Chronological_Life_of_Christ_Part_93_Fear God
The_Chronological_Life_of_Christ_Part_93_Fear GodThe_Chronological_Life_of_Christ_Part_93_Fear God
The_Chronological_Life_of_Christ_Part_93_Fear God
 

Simon Says

  • 1. SIMON SAYS Insights and guidance from the Torah by Rav Dovid Simon
  • 2. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says Contents Parshah ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Breisheit: Where Are You?...................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Noach: Protect from Inside and Outside ................................................................................................................................................ 7 VaYera: Youth.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Toldot: Defined by Actions ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Vayishlach: The Promise Of Protection ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Vayeshev: Bonding ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Vayigash: On a Journey ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Mikeitz: A Greater Plan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Vayachi: Yaakov & Yosef's Legacy ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Shmot: Who We Really Are .................................................................................................................................................................. 15 VaEra: Showing Respect........................................................................................................................................................................ 16 Bo: To Serve Hashem ............................................................................................................................................................................ 17 B’Shalach: The Power of One’s Strengths............................................................................................................................................. 18 Trumah: Involved in Prayer ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Tetzaveh: Multiple Opportunities......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Vayakhel: The Mishkan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Pekuday: Look Inside ............................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 2
  • 3. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon Vayikra: Sacrifices ................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Tazriah: What is Holy ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24 Kedoshim: Wake Up! ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Emor: True Emunah .............................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Emor: The Beginning ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Bamidbar: Community .......................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Naso: Efforts Count ............................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Balak: Seeing Hashem ........................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Balak: Restraint ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Ki Tetzei: Contemplate Our Actions ...................................................................................................................................................... 33 Holidays ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Rosh Hashanah: The Challenge of Parenting ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Rosh Hashanah: School is Back!!! ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Succot: Puts Life Into Perspective ......................................................................................................................................................... 37 Chanukah: Today’s Battles .................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Chanukah: Great Potential.................................................................................................................................................................... 39 Purim: Power of Wine ........................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Pesach: Good Feelings .......................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Pesach: True Growth............................................................................................................................................................................. 42 Pesach: Reconnecting ........................................................................................................................................................................... 43 Shavuot: Signs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 Shavuot: Togetherness ......................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 3
  • 4. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says Tisha B’Av: Overcoming ........................................................................................................................................................................ 46 Education .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47 Respecting Property.............................................................................................................................................................................. 48 Davenning With Children ...................................................................................................................................................................... 49 The Power of Youth .............................................................................................................................................................................. 50 Letting Go .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 Disagreement with the Right Intentions............................................................................................................................................... 52 The Power of Speech & Silence ............................................................................................................................................................ 53 About......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Rav Simon.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 55 Kehillat Bnei Aharon ............................................................................................................................................................................. 55 Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 4
  • 6. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says ‫ – ”נאמנה‬how has the town turned into a Breisheit: promiscuous place? And Yirmiyahu said: “ ‫איכה ישבה‬ ‫ – ”בדד‬how is the city sitting all alone and desolate? Where Are All of these questions really mean: where are you and what has become of you? Moshe is saying: this nation that has worshiped the You? golden calf is not the same nation of Matan Torah! I don’t recognize them! Where is the nation that I After ‫ אדם‬and ‫ חוה‬ate from the ‫ ,עץ הדעת‬they heard really know? Hashem coming and they went and hid. The Torah at Yeshayahu is similarly asking about the city of this stage writes: “ ‫ויקרא ה' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו‬ Yerushalayim: where is the special city that used to ‫ – ”איכה‬Hashem called out to Adam and said to him be so full of great things? All I see know is a “‫ – ”איכה‬where are you? promiscuous place! Many ask: Hashem didn’t know where they were that So too Yirmiyahu is asking: where is that city that I he had to call out? The Midrash explains that the knew to be the most beautiful place on earth and question really means: how is it that yesterday you know is so barren and desolate? were with me and now you with the ‫ ?נחש‬In other This is the question we have to be aware of. We have words Hashem is saying to him: I don’t know you! a responsibility to our heritage and our uniqueness. Where is the man I created and formed? We have to ensure that Hashem never has to ask that The Midrash in Eicha writes that 3 people used the question: “‫ ”איכה‬because it is so clear who we are terminology of “‫ ”איכה‬while reproving Am Yisrael. and where we are holding. Moshe said: “‫ – ”איכה אשא לבדי‬how can I bear the burden alone? Yeshayahu said: “ ‫איכה היתה לזונה קריה‬ Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 6
  • 7. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon where the animals lived. And the top level was where Noach: Protect Noach lived with his family. We have to understand the different levels that exist in our lives and make to from Inside and sure to regulate them to their right places. It is not the garbage that should be on top nor the physical drives, rather it is the great spirituality of man that Outside should be riding the crest. Just as Noach was commanded to put proofing on the outside and the inside, due to the power of the One of the most challenging issues we have to deal water outside, so too we have to protect from inside with is how to protect ourselves and our families and outside. from the negative influences around us. But most important we need vision, a guiding light to Probably, the single most important factor in our give us the direction we need, like the light in the ark. struggle is the way we structure and build our home We need the window to outside world, however we and environment. How to do so, maybe we can glean have to make sure that it only lets in the light and not some ideas from this weeks Parsha. the damaging elements. First we find Noach is commanded to use “Gofer May we all merit to achieve these goals. wood”. What is unique about wood is that it is a materiel that can never become ‫ – טמא‬impure. When we build our home we should make sure that the atmosphere is one of ‫ – קדושה וטהרה‬holiness & purity, and not ‫ ח"ו‬the opposite. The ark was built with 3 different levels. The lowest level was for all the garbage. The middle level was Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 7
  • 8. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says The answer we see from another quote of Rashi. The VaYera: Youth verse says: “‫ – ”וירא לוט וירץ לקראתם‬Lot saw them and ran towards them. Why did he run? Says Rashi: For one living in Sodom, there were a number of laws Because he had learned the art of hospitality in the that had to be kept. Among them was the prohibition house of Avraham. We see from here how important of taking in guests: “‫ .”הכנסת אורחים‬This was what Chazal call is: “‫ – ”גירסא דינקותא‬that which was something that was accepted and understood by learned in one’s youth. What a child sees and every single person. As the verse states “ ‫ואנשי סדום‬ experiences in his youth, is embedded deep into the ‫ – ”נסבו על בית מנער ועד זקן כל העם מקצה‬and the Neshama, and when the time comes will give him people of Sdom gathered around the house, from tremendous strength and energy to stand up to all youth to elders, the whole city to its edge. challenges, even at the cost of his own life. In the words of Rashi: from on edge of the city to the Sadly many people switch things around and tend to other, they all gathered to protest this infringement mess about in their youth with the understanding of the law (of Lot taking in visitors). Lot we know has that “one day” they will become more serious. One somewhat “left the fold” when he left Avraham, as could not be more wrong. The success of an we see in the fact that the place he chose to live was individual is with the tools and behavior he has in Sdom. In addition it is clear he would have been acquired in his youth. And while this does not destroyed together with Sdom if not for his exclude the ability of an adult to make substantial connection with Avraham Avinu. changes in his life, they will always be subject to Being so, why did Lot go out of his way to take care of those influences that affected him as a child. the guests knowing full well the consequences of his As parents our responsibility is to ensure that those actions? Even to the level of sacrificing his own two experiences and influences that affect our children daughters! are those that are going to have a positive effect on the life and not, has v’shalom, otherwise. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 8
  • 9. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon This is the great challenge of Chinuch. To understand Toldot: Defined children when they are younger is an art, but this really is the crucial time to recognize, who they are, by Actions what could be the consequences of every action that they do. Therefore, instead of waiting for them to grow up and then having a relationship, rather spend The Torah describes Yaakov & Esav growing up, and some time when they are younger, try to see who Esav becoming a “Man of the field” whereas Yaakov they really are, and then you will be able to give them is a “Ish Tam” a complete human being. Rashi the proper direction and the tools they need to comments on the words: “‫ – ”ויגדלו הנערים‬the boys continue on the proper path. grew up – that as long as kids are small their characters and morals aren’t clearly recognizable. Only once they have reached the age of 13, one turned to idol worship while the other turned to the Beit Midrash. Therefore adds the Medrash: at the age of 13, a father says the blessing of: ‫ברוך שפטרני מענשו של‬ "‫”זה‬ In other words: even though as soon as they where born they clearly showed where their tendencies lay, it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what their essence is. Only once, they are adults and they continue in that behavior, then they can be defined by their actions. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 9
  • 10. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says The Rosh Yeshiva understood that the danger was Vayishlach: The imminent and continued to ask: what would happen if ‫ ח”ו‬he managed to destroy European Jewry which Promise Of constitutes the bulk and glory of the Jewish world? There will be no “other camp” left! To this responded the Chafetz Chayim: we find a Protection verse for this too in the words of the prophet Ovadya: “‫ – ”ובהר ציון תהיה פליטה והיה קודש‬In the Mount of Zion their will be an escape etc. In 1932 when Hitler (‫ )ימ”ש‬rose to power and took control of the government, the Chafetz Chayim was The Rav left shaking with the understanding that asked by one of the Roshei Yeshiva in Radin: Since he while the fate of the European Jewry was at stake, had declared so openly and blatantly what his Eretz Yisrael would be saved. And so it was that the intentions were regarding the Jews and their might of the German armies started receding as they destruction, what is going to be their fate? What is approached the shores of Eretz Yisrael. going to happen in Germany and Poland? In a time when our enemies are raising their heads Answered the Chafetz Chayim: he will not succeed! again, may Hashem continue to protect his people He will never be able to totally annihilate and restrict especially in the Land of Israel, and soon hasten the the Yiden everywhere. And the source for this is the redemption. Pasuk in the Parsha that states: “ ‫אִם יָבוֹא עשָׂו אֶל המּחנֶה האַחת והכּהוּ והיָה המּחנֶה הנִּשְׁאָר‬ ַ ֲ ַ ַ ָ ְ ָ ִ ְ ַ ָ ֲ ַ ַ ֵ ‫”לפליט‬ ָ ֵ ְ ִ If Eisav should come and strike one camp, the other camp will escape a similar fate. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 10
  • 11. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon himself praises them, he was already exempt from Vayeshev: teaching them. But then comes the story of Yosef and we see that a person is never finished with the Bonding education of his children. Even great people like the sons of Yaakov, still needed their father’s direction on how to behave. The Parsha starts with the words: “'‫– ”וישב יעקב וגו‬ As we come up to Chanukah this is the time to And Yaakov settled down etc. Why the emphasis on reiterate and strengthen that bond with our children, Yaakov’s settling down? Says Rashi: that Yaakov after and to understand how far our responsibility really all his troubles and issues with Eisav and Lavan, he goes. finally wanted to rest a bit and spend some time in peace. However Hashem sees things differently and feels that the Tzadikim are not her in this world to sit back and rest, therefore immediately the story of Yosef took place. What does this mean? Is it so bad if the Tzadikim were able to have a bit of peace in this world in order to focus more on their spirituality? No! there is no question that they too are entitled to have a bit of peace of mind, however what Rashi is referring to is the aspect of Chinuch and teaching their children. In this there is no respite. Yaakov thought that due to the fact that all his children where great people that even Hashem Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 11
  • 12. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says explain: that implicit in the declaration is the idea Vayigash: On a that when a person leaves our house or goes on a journey we are supposed to accompany him part of Journey the way. This gives him spiritual protection from the elements as if others are with him. Therefore, the Rabbis declare: in our town, we make sure that After Yosef had revealed himself to his brothers, he people are accompanied and we had no hand in this sent them back to their father Yaakov, to bring him person going out to face the world without down to Egypt. In order that Yaakov would realize protection. that it was really him, Yosef sent him ‫ – עגלות‬wagons If we think for a moment, the last time Yaakov and which as Rashi explains: was a hint to the last topic Yosef where together was when Yosef was sent by that they had learned together, the issue of ‫עגלה‬ his father to his brothers. As Yosef is about to leave, ‫ .ערופה‬The words ‫ – עגלה‬wagon, and ‫ – עגלה‬calf, Yaakov gets up to accompany him. As Yosef protests, both written the same way. Yaakov says to him: remember the law of ‫עגלה ערופה‬ The obvious question is: where does Rashi get this that one should always accompany one who is from? There are plenty other things that he could be leaving! So obviously this was the last law they hinting to? discussed together. ‫ עגלה ערופה‬refers to the law, if a dead body is found When we send our kids out into the world, they are on the outskirts of a town and no one knows how he going on a journey with many perils and negative died, the Rabbis from the closest town have to bring elements, and they need all the protection they can a calf as a sacrifice and say: our hands did not spill get. Therefore lets accompany them as they go out this blood! on their way and ensure them the spiritual protection Do we really think that the Rabbis did this that they during their journey. have to come to declare otherwise? The Sages Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 12
  • 13. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon reverted back to its normal impoverished state. This Mikeitz: A is what the verse means: “and they looked as bad as before.” Greater Plan Life is such that there are many up and downs, whether within our personal lives or in the interaction we have with others. We don’t know why The Parsha starts off with the dream of Pharoah Hashem gives wealth to some and poverty to others, giving a prediction about what is going to be joy to some and sorrow to others, nor what is the happening in the future. In the dream he sees that main purpose of all that happens around us. We are although the seven thin cows eat the fat cows, it but like cogs in a big machine. makes no difference to their state of being. The verse describes it thus: For us, what it means to be aware that everything we have is because of what we have done and the effort “ ‫וַתָּ ב ֹאנָה אֶל קִרבּנָה וְ�א נוֹדַ ע כּי באוּ אֶל קִרבּנָה וּמַראֵיהֶן רע‬ ַ ְ ֶ ְ ָ ִ ֶ ְ we put into it. Many times there is a greater plan. If ‫”כּאשֶׁר בּתְּ חלּה‬ ָ ִ ַ ֲ ַ we understand this, then our perspective on life “- and they were swallowed up and it made no takes on a much healthier approach and gives us the impression on them, and they looked as bad as ability to truly focus on what we can learn from life, before.” without getting caught up with life itself.. Explains the Meshech Chochma: when things happen in the world we don’t necessarily know what the main purpose is behind it all. The fact that Mitzyarim was not a wealthy place, rather on the contrary, and the fact that there was time of plenty in Mitzrayim was only for the purpose of Bnei Yisrael, and therefore when they left after 210 years everything Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 13
  • 14. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says For our children to sit between the walls of the Beit Vayachi: Medrash and be well educated' that is relatively easy. The challenge is that a person will be able take his Yaakov & learning and moral behavior and keep to it in all places, even amongst idol worshipers. What Yaakov had taught Yosef was that he had the Yosef's Legacy image of his father in front of him at all times, so much so that not only Yosef couldn't do wrong as a result neither could his children. This week we will be leining the last parsha in Breishit. As the story of Yaakov comes to a close and Therefore Yaakov considered them as his sons " ‫לי‬ he is about to give the final blessings to his sons, he ‫ – "הם‬since it was very apparent that they got to calls Yosef and tells him: I am about to pass on and where they were, because of Yaakov himself. his two sons (Menashe & Ephraim) that were born in Whereas any other kids grew up with the rest of the Mitzrayim before I came, they will be considered to Shvatimand therefore their behavior would be more me like my own sons – the other Shvatim. expected and the greatness of Yaakov doesn't shine out. This language is very troubling. I would have thought the opposite: those that were born after Yaakov came should be more like his sons, verses those that were born before there was really little connection between them until Yaakov came to Mitzrayim? Says R' Moshe Feinstein Zt"l: we see from here how far the obligation of education goes, and that we have to ensure it's quality. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 14
  • 15. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon wisdom understood the makeup of man & woman Shmot: Who and put into place the structure that is required to raise the level of human intimacy to a much deeper We Really Are and meaningful place, so we would be able to fulfill our true roles as examples to the rest of the world. This period is a reminder of who we really are, where The Parsha this week is the first in what is known as: we came from and what we became, and therefore “‫ ”שובבי"ם‬which is an abbreviation of the first 6 the most appropriate time to once again reassess our Parshiyot in Shmot: ‫שמות, וארא, בא, בשלח, יתרו‬ personal lives and evaluate what we can do to ‫.משפטים‬ enhance them. There is an old tradition that this period is the time to review once again and heighten our knowledge of those Halachot dealing with Family Purity and the holiness of the Jewish home, and encourage more involvement of those whom until now hadn’t learned. What is the connection? Why do we review these laws specifically at this time? These Parshiyot deal with the process and growth of Am Yisrael, all the way from being slaves in Egypt until finally receiving the Torah at Har Sinai and becoming a special and unique people. To maintain that uniqueness of a life of morality requires certain guidelines and parameters. Hashem in his infinite Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 15
  • 16. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says they are in the land of their enemies I have not VaEra: Showing forsaken or despised them. Thus when a governing nation makes a decree against the Jews, it is only at Respect the behest of Hashem. Therefore the same words we would use to praise God are applicable here too. As hard as it might sound, when we show respect to The Midrash tells us that when Moshe & Aharon conquering nations, essentially we are showing came to Pharaoh they were commanded to treat him respect to Hashem. The Gemarah tell us to run to with respect (see Rashi). Even though he is not a show our respects to a king and make the bracha Jewish king and a wicked one too, still they were told “‫ – ”ברוך שנתן מכבודו לבשר ודם‬blessed is he whom to treat him with respect. gave from his honour to flesh and blood. And by The Gemarah in Masechet Shabbat describes that doing so “‫ – ”אם יזכה יבחין‬if one merits he will gain due to the complexity of running a kingdom or perception. What does it mean: If he merits? To see country, it would be impossible to sit down and write an evil king?! Rather it means that if he merits out all that had to be done and taken care of, even understanding that this king is no more then a mirage for the course of only one day! The Gemarah when of what the true king is, and an example that Hashem saying this, even about non Jewish kingdoms, uses is showing him how to respect and honour a king. terminologies of praise comparable to the praises we Then when the time comes for Mashiach, he will use for Hashem. The obvious question is: How could appreciate the contrast and what a true king really is, this be? and show the appropriately proper respect and The truth us when Hashem has given a nation the honour. power to rule over Am Yisrael, they are not really ruling. As the verse describes: “ ‫ואף גם זאת בהיותם‬ ‫ – ”בארץ אויביהם לא מאסתים ולא געלתים‬even when Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 16
  • 17. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon From here, we see the basic fundamental difference Bo: To Serve between the way the world views serving G-d, verses the way of Am Yisrael. The Torah demand from a Jew Hashem to serve Hashem at all times, in all circumstances, every place and every age. Therefore there is no difference whether people are old, young, male or When Pharaoh was talking to Moshe about letting female, everyone has their part. the Jews go, he asked him: “‫ – ”מי ומי ההולכים‬whom Obviously, the responsibility of an older person is do you want to go? When Moshe answered: “ ‫בנערינו‬ different from one who is young, it is however the '‫ – ”ובזקננו נלך וגו‬children, elders etc. will go, Pharaoh responsibility of those who are older, to find and answer was: no! Only the men will go since that is clarify the role of those who are younger. When each what you really want. and every person is doing what they are supposed to, The question is, that Moshe never said only the men, altogether they make up that unique entity of Am so from where does Pharaoh get this idea that this is Yisrael, and then they are fitting for redemption and Moshe’s request? the right to live as a nation in Eretz Yisrael. The answer is that Pharaoh did not really hear it, only from his perspective he figured that the Jews were going to bring sacrifices and serve their G-d, and the ones who normally do so are the men, not the women & children! So what he meant was: since you are ultimately asking to go and serve your G-d you are really only asking for the men, and you don’t need anybody else! Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 17
  • 18. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says battles, there was Chur, and he ultimately died trying B’Shalach: The to stop the Golden Calf being built. Therefore the terminology “‫ ”אחד‬is used for both of Power of One’s them, each one being a separate and unique entity. Moshe had the ability to merge and mesh these two strengths, however when he wasn’t around (during Strengths the time of the Golden Calf) this ability disappeared which was when we saw the differences between Aharon and Chur. As Moshe Rabeinu was standing over ‫ עם ישראל‬while they were fighting their battle with Amalek, the When it come to Chinuch first and foremost we need Torah describes how Moshe’s arms became weary to know that every child is different and has their and he sat down with Aharon holding one arm aloft unique and special gifts. If we take the time to and Chur the other. discern and clarify this uniqueness then we will be able to really give that special and focused energy The language the torah uses is :” ‫ואהרון וחור תמכו בידיו‬ that our kids are entitled too. ‫ .”מזה אחד ומזה אחד‬The question is - Why is it necessary to emphasize that from each side their was Once we have explored and understood these “One” holding and not use the general statement: different strengths, then maybe we can begin to see “they held up his arms”? a way bring out all of a child’s potential, to make him realize what his capabilities are, and to drive him Aharon and Chur were two very different people with forward to realize all this latent potential. very different personalities and characters. Aharon is known as the “‫אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, – ”איש שלום‬ ‫ ,אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה‬whereas Chur was the “‫ – ”איש מלחמה‬when it came to fighting G-d’s Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 18
  • 19. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon As we see in the Haftara: “This house that you are Trumah: building, if you go in my statues and keep my laws and guard the mitzvoth to walk in their ways, I will Involved in keep all my promises…” The conditions for G-d presence are no more than keeping the basics. We see this in the terminology of the verse: “ ‫ושכנתי‬ Prayer ‫ – ”בתוכם‬I will dwell in them while it should have U U said: “I will dwell in it”! We see from here, that just to be involved, every person at his/her level, this People sometimes think that in order to truly elevate already brings Hashem’s Shechina into that person oneself spiritually and bring G-d into this world, you and they are considered like a mini Holy Temple. need to be involved in prayer, holiness etc. and somewhat removed and disconnected from the physicality of this world. As a source for this behavior, there is a verse quoted from the Parsha: “‫ – ”ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם‬Make for me a Temple and I will dwell amongst them. In order for G-d to be in this world, we need to be like a Mikdash. However, this is not the case. We do not need to go searching for all types of “Holy” behavior; rather all we need to do is to keep the Torah & Mitzvot as part of our regular life, and that in itself will bring the Kedushah and Shechina to us. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 19
  • 20. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says to Chessed speak to them more, whereas for others Tetzaveh: they relate more to davening in Shul. Multiple In order that everyone will be able to find a Mitzvah that they can relate to, and dedicate themselves totally to it, Hashem gave multiple Mitzvot, multiple Opportunities opportunities to connect. No one can claim that they do not have a place to I heard a wonderful idea this week. After we learn, truly express themselves in Torah and Mitzvot. All it we customarily say the words of Rabbi Chananya Ben requires is a bit of thought and introspection, and Akashiya: “ ‫רצה הקב"ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה‬ then we can find our unique place in Avodat Hashem ‫ – ”להם תורה ומצות‬Hashem wanted to look for more with a Mitzvah that is tailor made for us. merit for Am Yisroel, therefore he gave them much Torah & Mitzvot. The question is asked: if Hashem was looking for ways for us to get more credit, why not just give more for the Mitzvot we do? Why do we need more? The answer is: that every person is different and different things speak to different people. In order for a person to really merit something, he has to put all his effort and energy into what he is doing, in a total selfless way. Not everybody can apply that to the exact same thing. For some people, acts relating Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 20
  • 21. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon learn Torah at every possible moment: “and you shall Vayakhel: The toil in it day and night”. Therefore Am Yisrael brought unlimited donations for the sake of the Torah which Mishkan is unlimited, until they were told to stop. This is what the Midrash means: Leave it for the ‫משכן‬ ‫ – העדות‬don’t use the rest! Leave it in the Mishkan as The Torah in parshat ‫ ויקהל‬tells us that after ‫ בנ"י‬had testimony to the fact that the Torah is unlimited brought all the donations for the Mishkan, there was without restrictions, rather the source and basis for still a lot left over. The Midrash tell us that Moshe whom we are and what we represent. turned to Hashem and asked him what to do with the leftovers? And Hashem answered him: leave it for This past week I took the 8th grade boys from the the ‫ – משכן לעדות‬a Miskan for testimony. Chinuch Atzmai school for a test on 6 Daf Gemarah by Harav Shteinman Shlita. To see a person in his mid Where have we ever seen anything about another nineties who lives for Torah and is a living, breathing Mishkan? example of Torah, dedicate an hour from his time for The answer is that there is only one Mishkan, and it is kids, is the greatest testimony I could ever give to call the “Mishkan Haeidut” because of the Aron that boys what the Torah is and what it brings to our lives. resides there which has the ‫ לוחות העדות‬inside. In other words: the whole sanctity of the Mishkan comes about as a result of the Torah residing inside. There is a big difference between the Avoda – bringing of the sacrifices and the Torah. You can only sacrifice during the day and there are clear rules and restrictions on what, when, and how to bring. However Torah has no limits. We are obligated to Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 21
  • 22. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says the ‫ לוחות‬in first and only then put the ‫ – כפורת‬the Pekuday: Look cover on top. The question is: that is obvious! Why do we need the Inside Torah to tell us that? The answer is: that without what is inside there is no purpose for the Aron and therefore we have to In the Parshiyot that we read last week and B”H will read this week, the topic is the building of the emphasize he fact that we put the ‫ לוחות‬in and only Mishkan and it’s ‫ – כלים‬vessels. then close it. The proof for this is: that in the 2nd Beit Hamikdash when we didn’t have the ‫ ,לוחות‬we didn’t While it seems to be that we are spending a lot of have the Aron either. time focusing on the external details: how everything should be made, what materials must be used etc., This idea is absolutely crucial in the world of Chinuch. we see from ‫ חז"ל‬that everything in the Mishkan and We tend to get caught up in what we see on the its contents in reality are coming to give us different outside: the behavior, the talk etc., and we forget to messages for life. look inside of the children and see their special qualities and the true gems that they really are. This fact in itself: not to get too focused on the outside and instead try to understand what really is Let us take a moment of thought before we decide important, is probably one of the strongest messages about others, and focus on the special Neshama itself. inside, instead of getting caught up with the outside. We see this hinted over and over again in the verses. For example: if we take the Aron. The Torah tells us that we are supposed to put the ‫ לוחות הברית‬into the Aron. And then the Torah goes and repeats the exact same thing again! Why? Says Rashi: to tell us to put Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 22
  • 23. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon By a person fulfilling these two aspects to the best of Vayikra: his ability, he will then be considered as having brought a sacrifice, himself to Hashem. Sacrifices After having reached this stage, one could find it hard to bring himself to even speak to Hashem, therefore we start the Tefilah with words: ‫ה' שפתי תפתח ופי‬ The Gemara in Brachot brings the well known quote ‫ – יגיד תהילתך‬asking for the help and strength to in the name of Rabbi Yehoshu ben Levi that the actually pray. prayers we have today were enacted by the Rabbis in place of the Korbanot – the sacrifices, more May Hashem listen to all our Tefilot and the Beit specifically the Korban Olah – The Burnt Offering. Hamikdash rebuilt ‫.ונואכל שם מהפסחים ומהזבחים‬ In describing the Korban Olah, the Torah tells us to skin the animal and cut it up into pieces, therefore these aspects should exist in prayer too. The Shulchan Aruch talks about the true righteous people who would spend some time in solitude in preparation for Tefila until they were able to as if remove their outside skin and connect more so to their true inner being. In addition, for a person to truly daven he is required to humble himself and understand that in relation to Hashem he is insignificant and disinterred. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 23
  • 24. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says What is the connection between having children and Tazriah: What is Havdalah on Motzai Shabbat? The answer is that on Motzai Shabbat every person Holy has to use their innate intelligence in order to see and appreciate the difference between the Holy and the profane in every facet of life (as we see in the In this week’s Parsha we read about a woman who words of the Havdalah). Anyone who is able to do gives birth to a son: "'‫."אישה כי תזריע וילדה זכר וכו‬ this is fulfilling the concept of ‫ = זכירה‬remembering The Gemarah in Shavuot brings two opinions as to one’s purpose. This is the idea of “‫– ”בנים זכרים‬ what we can learn from the juxtaposition of the having the ability to know what is right and what is closing verses of Shemini and the opening verses of wrong. Tazria. This is also the idea behind the use of wine. Wine, In Parshat Shmini we have the verses that discuss the Gemarah says, has the ability to open up locked differentiating – Havdalah - between pure/impure, and closed hearts. Once a person opens his heart holy/unholy, closely followed by the verse in Tazria then he is truly able to see and understand when an that discuss the birth of a male. action or deed is Holy or ‫ ח"ו‬profane. These two opinions are as follows; [This is the basis for a Jewish marriage. Knowing and One who makes Havdalah on wine will have ‫בנים‬ using our capabilities to find the right and proper way ‫ - זכרים‬male children. to build a home based on Torah and Mitzvot. If we do that then may we all be Zocheh to have ‫בנים זכרים‬ One who makes Havdalah on wine will have ‫בנים‬ who can teach and transfer onwards through the ‫ - זכרים‬male children who will be fitting to teach generations the power of ‫ – זכירה‬remembering to Torah. remember and take the time to ask: is this holy or not?] Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 24
  • 25. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon Le’chayim with the grandfather, and he agreed. Kedoshim: Seeing a religious person the grandfather called him over and told him this story. Wake Up! I was living in Berlin before things deteriorated and the Jews were still living the good life. We were into the culture and atmosphere of revision that prevailed When one has to deal with a child who is in Germany at that time. misbehaving, before coming down too hard on him, it is usually preferably to somehow give the kid the One Shabbat the Karliner Rebbe came to town and message that he is not heading in the right direction. was slated to speak Friday night in the main shul. If he doesn’t get the hint and as a result somehow Since a Rebbe was a rare event in Germany, many modify his behavior, then unfortunately he might came to hear him driving too shul the way they were have to be dealt with in a harsher manner. used to. This is true with the way Hashem deals with us too. The Rebbe waiting to speak was very perturbed and when he got up to talk he said: this week is Parshat There are those times in our life that maybe we are Kedoshim and we see different commands that not exactly doing what we should be, and Hashem Moshe is to tell Am Yisrael. sends us a hint to wake up and do something! Even if 1) ‫ – קדושים תהיו‬Be Holy we don’t completely mend our ways, we have to make some change. 2) ‫ – איש אמו ואביו תיראו‬Be in awe of your mother & father There was a religious Jew after surgery recuperating 3) ‫ – שבתותי תשמורו‬Keep my Shabbat at a certain Kibbutz. During one of his walks in the 4) '‫ – אני ה‬I am Hashem. fields a tractor pulls up and the driver asks him if he can come and join a Minyan for a brit. Afterwards Said the Rebbe: when I speak to my Chassidim I say: they asked him if he would like to come and make a Be Holy! And they know that means to keep Shabbat, Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 25
  • 26. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says eat kosher etc. When I speak to the lay people I have to be more specific: Be in awe of your mother & father! When I speak to the more simple folk I have to lower the expectations and say: Keep Shabbat! However to you here in Berlin I can’t even tell you that, therefore my words to you are: I am G-d! Don’t ever forget that! And the Rebbe gave such a clap on the Bima that the windows shook. I came home said the old man and told my wife: that’s it! We are getting out of Germany. We left against all our friends’ advice and came to Israel and I didn’t become any more religious. However since at least I did something I have merited to see my grandson having a Brit in Eretz Yisrael. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 26
  • 27. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon as if he doesn’t belief in the creation either. A Emor: True creation without continued guidance is worthless. If the world is without guidance there is no need for Emunah keeping the Torah and Mitzvot, and if there is no need for Torah and Mitzvot there is no need for the creation. “ ‫מועדי ה' אשר תקראו אותם במועדם...ששת ימים תעשה‬ This is the connection between Shabbat and the ‫ – ”מלאכה‬What is the connection between Shabbat Chagim. If we ‫ ח"ו‬desecrate one, we are throwing out and the Chagim? Says Rashi: Whoever keeps the the whole package. Chagim it is as if he has kept Shabbat’ and whoever desecrated the Chagim it is as if he has desecrated Therefore the Parsha also writes the whole topic of the Shabbat. ‫ – מתנות עניים‬giving to the poor in the middle of the Chagim, in order to show us that this too is an What does Rashi mean? Keeping Shabbat is the essential part of our Emunah. If we belief Hashem is absolute declaration of our trust and faith in the fact running the world, there will be no hesitation in our that G-d is the creator of this world, and therefore understanding to take care and give from our own to one who desecrates the Shabbat it is as if he has the poor. If we think it is all ours and we have no denied all of the creation. The Chagin is a declaration obligation to give, or until we are convinced to give, of the fact the G-d runs this world, even to the level again we are denying our whole purpose for being in of changing nature in order to take care of Am this world. Yisrael. May we all merit to experience this true Emunah in Comes along the Torah and says that these two every aspect of our lives things are inseparable. We cannot believe in one and not the other. Belief in the creation without the belief in Hashem’s continued running of the world is Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 27
  • 28. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says proper concentration during the 1st bracha in the Emor: The Amida he has fulfilled his obligation even if he didn’t on the rest. Whereas if he had the proper Beginning concentration on the rest and not the beginning, he has not. We see where we are supposed to concentrate our When bringing a sacrifice the Torah tells us to make efforts, both for ourselves and all the more so for our sure that at the time of Shechita it is done “‫.”לרצונכם‬ children. If we invest more in the beginning: right Rashi explains: make sure that the sacrifice will fulfill time, right place, right environment etc, then there is its purpose as atonement for you. How is this? As the a chance for our kids to make it and maybe for us next verse explains: eat it only on that day – have in too. mind during the shechita process that you are only going to eat it during the allotted time. Any other thought differing from that invalidates the Korban. This is true for all other aspects of the Korban: make sure to be thinking and focusing on the right owners, right time, right place etc. We see that proper/improper thoughts at the outset are what define the validity of our actions. This is the power of the beginning, the proper start one should make. Bris Mila being the first of the physical mitzvoth is equated to all the mitzvoth. Shabbat being the first of the negative mitzvoth is equated to all the negative mitzvoth. If one has the Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 28
  • 29. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon the middle of the Machane was the Aron and the Bamidbar: Mishkan, therefore everyone surrounding that Mishkan are essentially all focused together to the Community same place. This is the key to who and what Am Yisrael are. Each and every tribe has their characteristics that are One of the main themes in this week’s Parsha is that unique to them and therefore have to keep that of the different flags and the tribes that they uniqueness. However that can only be if everyone is represented. Due to the length that the Torah goes focusing on ‫ .הקב"ה‬If we are all working to the same into to describe all the details obviously this is a very goal then the differences that we have don’t make a important part of the framework and structure of difference, rather on the contrary that shows the real Bnei Yisrael. If so how come Hashem waited until greatness of a people. We can be different but in now to give over these laws, a year after they left reality we are really one. Mitzrayim, and not instruct them immediately as soon as they had left? If we think about it, all these different flags and camps that were part of Am Yisrael in reality are a cause for separation. Each group had their neighbors that were separate from all the others. Why then did Hashem want that this is the way the nation should camp and travel? Yes, if the result of such encampment would be a distancing of the tribes from each other, then for sure that was not Hashem’s intention. However in Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 29
  • 30. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says wasting time? Or the opposite: I'm not going to Naso: Efforts manage in any case, so why bother? The answer is: that the effort one puts into Count something is what makes it count. Not whether he actually succeeds or he can manage without it. This is what Hashem is coming to teach us. True we In the listing of the sons of Levi, the Torah also describes their responsibilities vis-à-vis what they are might not need the efforts of the sons of Kehat, but supposed to carry of the Mishkan when it travels. they need to put in the effort or in real terms or in potential terms, in order for them to appreciate their The tribe of Kehat was responsible the Aron and the responsibilities. Therefore the verse emphasizes: not rest of the Holy vessels. We also know that the Aron only the sons of Gershon have to be in their prime of really carried those that seemed to be carrying them. life, but also the sons of Kehat. So in true sense, the actual work of Bnei Kehat is not so difficult verses the son of Gershon who had to Remember! Our efforts count, not the results! carry the wood beams from the walls. If so, how come the verse when defining the age of the working Levi'im (30-50 = prime of life) says that the sons of Gershon where also strong, when it should be saying that the sons of Kehat were of the same age even though that their strength was not needed! And why was that strength really needed? Many times we ask the question: if I can succeed without trying to hard, why bother trying and just Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 30
  • 31. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon his question doesn’t mentioned G-d at all: “What is Balak: Seeing this work you are doing? Even though the question is the same, however one is prepared to see G-d is Hashem what happens in this world and the other isn’t. So too with Yitro the verse describes what he heard that Hashem had done, whereas with Balak it only This week’s Parsha describes how Balak seeing the refers to the fact that he saw what Bnei Yisrael did. aftermath of the battle between Bnei Yisrael and the No mention of G-d Emorites came to the conclusion that something had to be done to get rid of Am Yisrael and therefore he When a person is prepared to see Hashem in went and hired Bilam to curse them. whatever happens in this world, that is what clearly defines him as a descendent of Avraham Avinu. This is in stark contrast to what happened with Yitro. However one who persistently denies any Godly When he heard what had taken place with Am involvement in whatever happens, is going with the Yisrael, he decided to convert and join them. The behavior of Bilam. question is why? If anything, seeing is supposed to have a much greater impact on a person then just May we merit to open our eyes and see the hearing, so why did they act so differently? greatness of Hashem in every small facet of our lives. In the Haggada for Pesach is seems to be that the question of the wise and wicked sons are the same: “Why are you doing all these things?” so why is one defined as wicked and the other as wise? The Gaon of Vilna explains the difference. The wise son asks: What are all these things that Hashem our G-d has commanded you to do” whereas the wicked son in Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 31
  • 32. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says antagonism is ultimately what makes us great and Balak: Restraint more spiritual people. As we head out to the summer holidays and the One of the hardest challenges in today’s society is the possibilities of more interaction with others are unwillingness to come out the underdog, or in the there, this is time to awaken ourselves to those commonly used phrased: I will not be Friair!! This is points which really show the difference between who the underlying approach to life that if someone is a student of Bilam Harasha, and who is really a true insults me I cannot allow him to get away with it student of Avraham Avinu. without an appropriate response. If someone else is going to gain, why not me? This attitude permeates and affects all ages. As a principal when we try to educate the kids in school, many times they cannot even understand what is wrong. He insulted me! He hit me! She started! To walk away is just unthinkable. However this is the way a Jew should behave. As the Mishna in Avot describes to us the difference between those students of Avraham Avinu and those of Bilam Harasha, we see that the common denominator between all the differences is the willingness to humble oneself, not to expect that everyone is going to bow down and kowtow to me! This is what is unique about Am Yisrael. We are still in Galut and the ability to not respond to every Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 32
  • 33. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon consequently the disbanding of the Sanhedrin, there Ki Tetzei: are still the 4 death penalties in the world, only that they happen by what to us would seem natural Contemplate circumstances. Stoning would be equal to for example: falling of the roof4. Burning would be equal to getting burned or poisoned etc. Our Actions That is whar Rav Yonatan means: the concept of ‫בן‬ ‫ סורר ומורה‬he saw. He saw a grave of a child and he found out that he had behaved as a rebellious son The Gemarah in Sanhedrin states: that due to all the and consequently had died unnaturally. So too with required conditions there never was and never will the burnt city. But not that the process was actually be a case of ‫ - בן סורר ומורה‬the rebellious son. A carried out. similar statement is made regarding the ‫- עיר הנדחת‬ a city that worships idols and consequently has to be This is the meaning of the sitting: he sat on the grave burned to the ground. However, then the Gemarah and the ruins and contemplated the situation and he quotes Rav Yonatan who claims to have seen a case came to the conclusion that G-d will was carried out of ‫ בן סורר ומורה‬and even sat on his grave, and to any case. have seen the burnt down city and sat on the ruins. While it is may be not our responsibility to stop How is it that Rav Yonatan happened to be the evaluating why other people have died, it is ours to person whom had the luck to see both these things thing and consider what is happening to us? And that the Rabbis claim couldn’t be? Furthermore, why what is Hashem’s message for us? the emphasis of sitting on the grave and the ruins? For this we need to take an example from Rav Maybe we can explain based on another Gemarah, Yonatan: to take the time and effort to contemplate that after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and our actions and our lives and then we will be merit a proper ‫.כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬ Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 33
  • 35. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon unattainable for children today, would be somewhat Rosh foolish and asking for trouble. Just as we want our kids to realize that maybe what Hashanah: The they think or do might not be the correct way, so too we have to be open to the possibility that we too might be in the wrong and are willing to make the Challenge of necessary changes. This essentially is the basis for Teshuva. Only once a person realizes that maybe the life they have been Parenting living is somewhat flawed and that there is another possibility or approach to life, only then can they One of the greatest challenges we can have as begin the process of Teshuva, of change and parents or teachers is coming to the realization that reconsideration of ideals and values that we were so maybe the approach that I've taken or the method convinced in their absoluteness. employed is flawed or even incorrect. May Hashem give us all the insight to see these other Many of us are convinced that our "derech" is the possibilities and the strength to actually act on them. correct one, and while there might be a lot to be said A ‫ כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬to all of Klal Yisrael and may for such a derech, it doesn't necessary mean that it is Hashem bring peace and prosperity to all of Eretz applicable under all circumstances. Yisrael For example: To lay down boundaries and limits is definitely something that is important to do (albeit in today's generation it seems somewhat forgotten), however to set limits that might be too hard or Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 35
  • 36. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says If we try and analyze these different approaches, we Rosh can take some very important messages for our own “New Year”. Hashanah: How we come into Shul and speak to Hashem, is totally depended on our attitude. If we come in as finalists and a feeling that we have done our part and School is now we are just finishing off, the chances are, just like we would waste the entire year with limited achievement, we will end up squandering our Back!!! opportunity to meet and talk to Hashem with a result of limited achievement. From one aspect, the fact that the 1st of September However if we come in as 1st graders, with a it bit of this year is so close to Rosh Hashanah, it is quite hard shyness, with a bit of humility, a bit of uncertainty, on the teachers due to the fact that by the time the then the push to succeed will be much greater and so kids are a finally a little settled, they immediately go will our achievements. again on holiday. However from another aspect the May all of Am Yisrael have a Ktiva Vachatimah Tova whole concept of starting a new year is directly related to Rosh Hashanah. We see the different ages coming in. those who are in their last year have a certain attitude towards school, whereas those who are only starting in 1st grade have a totally different attitude. Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 36
  • 37. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon realizes that the pleasures of this world are Succot: Puts temporary and aren’t around forever, only then can they truly begin to enjoy themselves. This is why we Life Into go out to the Succah. In order to tell ourselves that life overall is temporary and that at any given moment things can change. This is the message of Perspective the temporary dwelling, the Succah. At this stage one learns to appreciate what they do have and really begin to enjoy every moment of it. The main idea behind the mitzvah of Succot This is what the Mishna in Pirkei Avot says: “ ‫איזהו‬ according to the Rambam is to reach the highest level ‫ – ”עשיר השמח בחלקו‬who is true wealthy person? He of Simcha – Joy that one could. Whilst every Chag has who is happy with his lot! an aspect of Simcha, Succot is very special in this regard. This is why Succot is known as: “‫.”זמן שמחתנו‬ This doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy life. On the contrary! If Hashem has given it to us, it is there for The obvious question is: why then do we leave the us to benefit and enjoy. However the true deep comfort of our homes and go out to a place which is enjoyment of Zman Simchateinu” can only come so much less comfortable? Shouldn’t we stay in the once we understand the proper balance of how thing nice air-conditioning fly free atmosphere and really stand in our world. enjoy ourselves? The answer is: that to enjoy true joy first we have to get our perspectives right. A person, who is wholly into the physicality of this world, does not necessarily mean that he is happy. How many people who are wealthy but are still miserable? Only once a person Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 37
  • 38. Rav Dovid Simon Simon Says into the hands of a few, impure into the hands of the Chanukah: pure, wicked into the hands of the righteous, and those who turned against the Torah into the hands of Today’s Battles those who guarded it". These are the miracles we should remember and take the message from them for today. We are still As we approach Chanukah and we begin to smell the battling those Greek forces and they are trying in all aroma of the sufganiyot and the latkes, it awakens ways to infiltrate into the very essence of the Jewish within us again, all the ideas that Chanukah people. represents. One of the most crucial battlegrounds is the area of However, most of us focus on the miracle of the jug religious Jewish education. There is an ongoing of oil and the fact that we light the candles for eight infiltration of those Hellenistic ideas that the Greeks days in order to commemorate that event and espoused, that we have are losing track of what publicize Hashem's greatness. But in reality if we look Hashem really wants from us and from our children. a bit deeper, we see that the true miracle of Chanukah is much greater. This Chanukah we should take a moment to evaluate the true message of Chanukah and ask ourselves: are In the tefilah of Al Hanissim there is very little we prepared to be like the Maccabees and take those mention of the lighting of the candles at all and the steps that are required, for us and our families to live direction on the tefilah is elsewhere. The tefilah the life of : "Mi Chamocha Baeilim Hashem". describes how we were put in spiritual danger by the Greeks: "To forget your Torah and to transgress your will" and then Hashem with great compassion and caring went to battle and brought about great miracles of: "Brave into the hands of the weak, many Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 38
  • 39. Simon Says Rav Dovid Simon deep inside themselves and realize the importance of Chanukah: the Torah and what it meant for the nation’s survival, with Hashem’s help and their willingness, all the Great Potential barriers came down and they merited a great victory. B”H we also will take the Chanukah message to hear Recently one of my friends had a Down syndrome and together with our families, realize the great child, and he was describing to me how many people potential inside every single one of us. (out of the goodness of their hearts) were telling them about the different difficulties involved with A Freilicha Chanukah raising such a child. When he shared this information with his doctor, the doctor categorically disagreed by saying: A child will be what we make him! How we perceive our children’s abilities and guide them to reach their maximum potential is what makes them unique, regardless of whatever seemingly limitations they might have. This is true for every single one of our children. Every person has their special talents and at the same time also certain limitations. How we let those limitations become handicaps, is entirely up to us. This is the message of Chanukah. The Jews were faced with a tremendous danger of spiritual and physical destruction, but when they were able to dig Kehillat Bnei Aharon www.kbaraanana.org 39