SP
Short, practical, relevant Weekly Dvar
Wed, Apr 13, 2016 3:48 PM
This Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and
Android). I hope you enjoy and share this Dvar Torah from Dan Lifshitz...
Parshat Metzora discusses the subject of a supernatural discoloration of
the walls of a house that renders the house and its contents ritually
impure. An individual who suspects such a problem in his house must go to a
kohen and say "it appears that I have a nega in the house." They must go
themselves, and cannot send an agent. The Ktav Sofer points out that the
phrase "the house" is somewhat inappropriate in this context, especially
given the fact that the owner must go himself.
We would have expected the phrase to read "in MY house" not "THE house."
The Ktav Sofer explains the choice of words: The Sages teach that house
discolorations is a punishment intended to help make stingy people more
generous. Many details of its laws serve this purpose. Even the choice of
words reinforces this message. To a stingy person, it is MY house, MY car,
MY money. The Torah requires this person to say "in THE house" to begin
teaching them that their possessions are not truly theirs, but rather gifts
from G-d with which to do good.
Shlomo Ressler
Quotation of the Week:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a
habit." - Aristotle
This Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and
Android). I hope you enjoy and share this Dvar Torah from Dan Lifshitz...
_______________________________________________
Parshat Metzora discusses the subject of a supernatural discoloration of
the walls of a house that renders the house and its contents ritually
impure. An individual who suspects such a problem in his house must go to a
kohen and say "it appears that I have a nega in the house." They must go
themselves, and cannot send an agent. The Ktav Sofer points out that the
phrase "the house" is somewhat inappropriate in this context, especially
given the fact that the owner must go himself.
We would have expected the phrase to read "in MY house" not "THE house."
The Ktav Sofer explains the choice of words: The Sages teach that house
discolorations is a punishment intended to help make stingy people more
generous. Many details of its laws serve this purpose. Even the choice of
words reinforces this message. To a stingy person, it is MY house, MY car,
MY money. The Torah requires this person to say "in THE house" to begin
teaching them that their possessions are not truly theirs, but rather gifts
from G-d with which to do good.
Shlomo Ressler
_______________________________________________
Quotation of the Week:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a
habit." - Aristotle