Tazria 5782 – Striving For Greatness
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Shiur presented in 5772
Sponsored By: The Rechanik Family In honor of the volunteers that make Sichos Yisroel possible
Visit YTATorah.org
Shiur presented in 5772
In their great challenge against Moshe, Korach and his company made a showdown. Moshe Rabeinu told them, “We’ll meet you here, at the Mishkan tomorrow at noon. Bring your fire pans and we’ll bring our fire pans and we’ll have the showdown. May the best man win.”
In this week’s parshah, there are a lot of powerful lessons to be learned. Yosef comes face to face with his brothers, and he reveals himself to them. Now, the passuk (Bereishis 45:4) says, אני יוסף אחיכם, I am Yosef your brother, אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה, whom you sold to Mitzrayim. My Rebbi (HaRav Meir Halevi Soloveichik, zt”l) asked the following question: what was Yosef coming to add when he said אני יוסף אחיכם?
In the gemara (Bava Kamma 92) there is a gantze sugya about the source for certain sayings that the world says. Mei heicha teisi you have to find a mekor in Torah for sayings that people say? הפך בה והפך בה דכולה בה – turn it over and over, for all is therein (Avos 5:22). So in the medical field, we find a concept of American Heart Awareness Month or American Heart Day.
The Ramchal writes, in Derech Hashem, about the concept of gilgulei neshamos, how a person could come back in different forms. As a matter of fact, one person can even have a number of neshamos. There are many people who don’t understand what motivates them and where they get their koach from. The gemara tells us, for example, that Rabbi Yochanan said: “I come from the offspring of Yosef.”
Special Topics: Moshe Rabbeinu and Elazar Hakohen were commanded to count the Bnei Yisrael (Bamidbar 26:4). The next passuk says: Reuven, the eldest son of Yisrael: the children of Reuven; Chanoch, the family of the Chanochi: of Pallu, the family of the Pallui. The obvious question: If it says Chanoch, do you think it’s Mishpachas Finkelstein?! Obviously, Chanoch is Mishpachas Hachanochi! Obviously Palu is Mishpachus Hapalu’i!
The foundation of being an ehrliche Yid and the foundation of somebody being a talmid of Avraham Avinu is based on having good middos (Avos 5:19). And if you lack those good middos, then you’re one of the talmidim of Bilaam Harasha. He’s your rosh yeshivah, he’s your rebbi, and that is what you are drawn to.