Torah Down Under

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (10:35 – 36) וַיְהִ֛י בִּנְסֹ֥עַ הָאָרֹ֖ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֑ה קוּמָ֣ה ׀ ה' וְיָפֻ֙צוּ֙ אֹֽיְבֶ֔יךָ וְיָנֻ֥סוּ מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ וּבְנֻחֹ֖ה יֹאמַ֑ר שׁוּבָ֣ה ה' רִֽבְב֖וֹת אַלְפֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל And it was when the aron ha’kodesh travelled that Moshe said, “Arise Hashem and may your enemies be scattered and may those who cause You to be hated flee from before You.” And when it rested he would say, “Return Hashem to the myriads and thousands of Yisrael.” The Zohar comments on this passuk וַיְהִי בִּנְסוֹעַ הָאָרוֹן. אֲמַאי אִתְהַדָּר לְבָתַר כְּגַוְונָא דָּא . תָּא חֲזֵי, נ בְּאַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְבֵי בֵיתֶךָ לָא אִתְּמַר, בְּגִין דְּהִיא בְּגָלוּתָא. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא דִּכְתִּיב, (עמוס ה׳, ב׳) נָפְלָה לֹא תוֹסִיף קוּם בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'. Why is there a backwards nun before this passuk? Come and see, in Ashrei we do not have a nun because the benei yisrael are in galus , and the nun stands for נפ...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (4:23) מִבֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה עַד בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה תִּפְקֹד אוֹתָם כָּל הַבָּא לִצְבֹא צָבָא לַעֲבֹד עֲבֹדָה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד From 30 years old and upwards until the age of 50 you should count them, all who are subject to work in the performance of tasks required for the ohel mo’ed . The Medrash Rabbah comments on this passuk כל הבא לצבא צבא, שהיו שוערים. לעבוד עבודה באהל מועד, שהיו משוררים. “All who are subject to work,” this refers to the Levi’im who opened and closed the gates of the בית המקדש . “In the performance of tasks,” this refers to the Levi’im who would sing when the korbanos were brought. In other words, different Levi’im were assigned to different specific tasks in the בית המקדש . The gemara in Eruchin (11b) explains that because the Levi’im were assigned to specific tasks, it was אסור for one Levi to perform the work of a different Levi. The gemara brings a machlokess if one Levi who perfo...