This week's dvar Torah is dedicated l'aliyas neeshmas (elevation of the soul) of my mother-in-law, Ruth Goodman, Pesa Reeva bas Shmuel Yosef v'Eta z"l, whose soul left this world on Purim katan and who was laid to rest on Shushan Purim katan (this past Tuesday and Wednesday); may her memory be for a blessing. Like Esther and Mordechai of the Megillah, she was a giver to her family and community, a doer with areas of accomplishment that benefited many, and a fearless advocate. She lived fully and made the world a better place. Her daughter (and my eishes chayil), Sima-Leah Cohen, will be sitting shiva in Baltimore from this motzei Shabbos through Tuesday morning at our home 3313 Shelburne Road.     This week's divrei Torah are by Rabbi Yisachar Frand with several emendations; thanks to R' Eliyahu Singer for sending them to me.

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There is an interesting Midrash Tanchuma on this week's parsha. The Torah says that when Moshe descended from Mt. Sinai, he was unaware that beams of light (karan ohr) were shining forth from his face. The Midrashasks: On what basis did Moshe merit these unique beams of glory? One opinion is that Moshe received them when he was hidden in the cleft of the rock and the Glory of G-d passed before him [Exodus 33:22]. However, theMidrash brings a variant opinion, attributed to Rav and Shmuel: When Moshe was writing the original Sefer Torah which G-d dictated, there was a little drop of ink left over; G-d took that drop of ink and rubbed it on Moshe's head. The subsequent beams of glory that shone forth from Moshe's head were the result of that drop of ink!

In Parshas Be'Ha'aloscha, the Or HaChaim Hakadosh zt"l (1696-1743) asks a simple question: How is it that in the original 'Sefer Torah Project' there was left-over ink? Obviously, in human projects there are always surplus raw materials - i.e. when ordering bricks for a building project, it is impossible to plan the exact number of bricks that the project requires, down to the last brick. Inevitably, there will always be bricks remaining and left over. But when G-d is preparing to write a Sefer Torah and he 'orders the ink', he knows exactly how much ink is necessary, down to the last drop. How was it that there was ink left over!?

The Or HaChaim gives a Midrashic explanation for the source of this 'extra' ink. In Parshas Be'Ha'aloscha, when Moshe Rabbeinu wrote the pasuk where G-d testified that Moshe was the most humble man who ever walked the face of the earth [Numbers 12:3], Moshe, in his utter humility, could not bring himself to write that complete sentence, dictated by G-d. So, because of his humility, he left out a letter and wrote the word for humble person (anav) defective without the yud. I.e. he spelled it ayin-nun-vav, rather than the way that it is normally written, ayin-nun-yud-vov. What did G-d do with the 'leftover' ink that should have been used to write the word anav fully (with a yud)? He used it to dab onto Moshe's forehead, resulting in the 'light beams' of glory.

This Midrash teaches us two lessons: First of all, this is a classic example of the rabbinic teaching that one who flees from honor is pursued by honor [Eruvin 13b]. In the worst way, Moshe did not want to write the accolade about himself that he was the most humble of men. Because of this humility and fleeing from honor, he was 'pursued' by having an even greater honor overtake him.

The Shemen Tov zt"l points out another lesson: We learn according to this Midrash that there are parts of the Torah that were never written down. That yud was supposed to have appeared in the Torah - but it did not. That is the lesson, that not everything in the Torah is written down! Sometimes we tell someone "You should not do that," and they immediately retort, "Well, where in the Torah does it say that this thing cannot be done?" In reality, sometimes the Torah does not need to say it; sometimes it's stam the essence of Torah and of what a Jew is all about that 'says' it all! Sometimes it might not appear in Shulchan Aruch; it might not even appear in the Torah - not because it's not true, but because not all of Torah is written down.

This is what we are taught through the missing Yud. This is what is often referred to as the "fifth cheleck (section) of the Shulchan Aruch" - the 'unwritten' Shulchan Aruch that applies to every Jew simply because he is a Torah observing Jew.

A Tale of Two Grandfathers

“Va'ya'a'mod Moshe b'sha'ar ha'ma'chaneh va'yomer 'Mi la'Shem ei'lai'; va'yai'asfu ei'lavd kol b'nei Levi - And Moshe stood in the gate of the camp and said, 'Whoever is for G-d, come to me!' And there gathered together to him all the sons of Levi"  Exodus 32:26

The following is a true story relating a conversation between the Chofetz Chaim zt"l and Rav Shimon Schwab zt"l:

Rav Schwab once visited the Chofetz Chaim, and the Chofetz Chaim asked him if he were a Kohen, Levi or Yisroel. Rav Schwab answered that he was a Yisroel. We all know that the Chofetz Chaim was a Kohen.

The Chofetz Chaim said to Rav Schwab, "You know what the difference between me and you is? Soon the Beis HaMikdash will be rebuilt. Everyone will go for the first time, crowding the doors to get into the Courtyard of the Beis HaMikdash. There will be a guard at the door who will ask the people whether they are Kohanim, Leviim, or Yisraelim. The Kohanim will get to go inside and do the Service of the Temple. I will be one of those people. You, Rav Schwab, with all the other Yisraelim will be left outside. All the Yisraelim will be terribly jealous of me. They are going to want to do the Service, but the Halacha will be NO! -- Kohanim inside; Yisraelim outside. The Yisraelim will be angry and upset and jealous."

The Chofetz Chaim continued and said to Rav Schwab, "You know why it's going to be like that? Because of something that happened thousands of years ago. Thousands of years ago there was something called 'the sin of the Golden Calf.' The Jewish people sinned with the calf. Only 3,000 people participated in that heinous act of idolatry. But when Moshe Rabbeinu called out and asked everyone else to come and put out the fire... When he issued those famous words - "

Mi la'Shem ei'lai -

Whoever is for G-d, come to me!" -

 do you know what happened? Only the tribe of Levi showed up! My grandfather came and responded to that call and your grandfather sat there and did nothing. Therefore the Kohanim who come from the tribe of Levi, will go into the Beis HaMikdash, but you, Yisraelim, are going to be on the outside because you sat there and didn't respond."

The Chofetz Chaim then looked at Rav Schwab and said to him, "What do you think? Am I trying to make you feel bad, to rub your face in it (so to speak)? Chas V'Sholom! But I want to teach you a lesson. Many times in life you will hear a little voice go off in your head that will say, '

Whoever is for G-d, come to me.

' There is going to come an event, there is going to come an issue, something, that everybody is going to be told 'Stand up and be counted.' In whose camp will you be? I want you to know that questions like that and challenges like that have implications not only for you but for generations and generations after you! Because your grandfather did not answer 'Yes', you are a Yisrael and are excluded from the Temple Service; and because my grandfather did answer 'Yes', I am a Kohen and I am going to do the have the privilege of performing the Temple Service."

"Never forget", the Chofetz Chaim told Rav Schwab, "everybody has his moments of 'Who is for G-d, gather around me.' When you hear that voice, stand up and be counted!"