Parshas Vayikra
ADAR II, 5779
Have you checked out our "Interpreting Artifacts" video series? We've been highlighting some of the most powerful pre-war artifacts that we have in Amud Aish Memorial Museum and Kleinman Holocaust Education Center's collection. Which one was most meaningful to you? You can see all of the videos so far at: https://vimeo.com/amudaish.
Interpreting Artifacts
As in the gift of Manna, so it is in the memory of artifacts
After the exodus from Egypt, Hashem gifted the Jews with manna, ’heavenly bread’, to consume during their travels in the wilderness.
Hashem furthermore commanded Moshe:
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֗ה זֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֣ה הֹ' מְלֹ֤א הָעֹ֨מֶר֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לְמִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם לְמַ֣עַן יִרְא֣וּ אֶת־הַלֶּ֗חֶם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶֽאֱכַ֤לְתִּי אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּהֽוֹצִיאִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם
“Moses said, This is the thing that the Lord commanded: Let one omerful of it be preserved for your generations, in order that they see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I took you out of the land of Egypt.”
Like the saved Manna, the Torah is providing us with a template to preserve the meaning of the Holocaust artifact.
***********************************************D’VAR TORAH
Dear Friend,
Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin (1818–1898), also known as the Brisker Rav or the Maharil Diskin, was an influential Torah leader. He served as a rav in Łomża, Mezritch, Kovno, Shklov, Brisk and finally Jerusalem, after moving to Eretz Yisrael in 1878. There, he was one of the leading rabbinic figures and combated all attempts to introduce secular institutions to Jerusalem.
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The pasuk in this week’s parsha states:
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר
“And He called to Moshe, and the L-rd spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying”
The Bais Hamikdash is often compared to a cedar tree (לבנון). The Midrash explains that this is because the Bais Hamikdash makes all hearts (לבבות) happy, as stated in Tehillim יְפֵ֥ה נוֹף֘ מְשׂ֪וֹשׂ כָּל־הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ הַר־צִ֖יּוֹן יַרְכְּתֵ֣י צָפ֑וֹן קִ֜רְיַ֗ת מֶ֣לֶךְ רָֽב (The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth- Mount Zion, by the north side, the city of a great King).
Rav Yehosua Leib Diskin questions why does this passuk specifically refer to the Bais Hamikdash as a branch of a tree?
He offers the following insightful explanation:
The fruits of a tree are primarily enjoyed by the owner of the tree. However, everyone who passes under that tree also benefits as the branches provide shade to everybody. Similarly, by the Bais Hamikdash, although Klal Yisrael were the primary beneficiaries from the sacrificing of karbonos, the entire world benefited as this caused מדת החסד to be prevalent in the world. Hence the Bais Hamikdash is like the branches of the tree, causing everyone in the world to be happy as a result.
***********************************************HOLOCAUST RESPONSA
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Feb 25, 1942, Antwerp
Question:
Due to the imposed curfew, it will not be possible to read the Megillah with the community in shul. Can the Megillah be read earlier in the day on Taanis Esther, after Plag HaMincha?
Answer:
Unlike maariv, most poskim rule that Megillas Esther must be read, at least in part, after nightfall. However, in this circumstance, since it is not possible to read the megillah after nightfall, the megillah can be read earlier. However, the berachos should not be recited before and after.
יד מרדכי / סימן יג
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