Torah Down Under

The possuk says in this week’s sedrah: כִּי לֹא נַחַשׁ בְּיַעֲקֹב וְלֹא קֶסֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל “For there is no enchantment with Yaakov, neither is there any divination in Yisroel.” Bilaam was not able to curse the benei yisroel because they did rely on nichush to know the future. Rather they relied on neviim who guided them according to the word of Hashem. What is nichush ? The passuk says in Kedoshim: ( ( ויקרא י"ט לא תנחשו ולא תעוננו Rashi explains: " לא תנחשו" - (סנהדרין סו) כגון אלו המנחשין בחולדה ובעופות פתו נפלה מפיו צבי הפסיקו בדרך “You should not divine – like these people who divine through a weasel and through birds. [They say there is a portend in that] his bread fell from his hand or a deer passed him on the road.” The mephorshim ask that there are two cases in Tenach where tzaddikim did what seems to be nichush – Eliezer and Yonasan ben Shaul: Eliezer stood by the well and said that if he asks a girl to give him water to drink and she gives him ...

The issur to fight against Amon, Moav and Edom The Torah at the end of this week’s sedrah refers to the issur of taking land from Edom and Amon: וַיִּשְׁלַח מֹשֶׁה מַלְאָכִים מִקָּדֵשׁ אֶל מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם כֹּה אָמַר אָחִיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת כָּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתְנוּ...נַעְבְּרָה נָּא בְאַרְצֶךָ לֹא נַעֲבֹר בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם וְלֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ נֵלֵךְ לֹא נִטֶּה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול עַד אֲשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר גְּבוּלֶךָ... "Moshe sent messengers from Kodesh to the King of Edom, “So says your brother Yisroel, ‘You know all the trouble that has befallen us… Let us pass through your land, we will not pass through any fields or vineyards and we will not drink well-water. We will go along the highway, we will not stray right or left until we have passed your border…” The benei yisroel did not wage war against Edom because Hashem had said ( דברים ב׳) : אל תתגרו בם כי לא אתן לכם מארצם עד מדרך כף רגל כי ירושה לעשיו נתתי את הר שעיר “Do not attack th...

The possuk says in this week’s sedrah ( במדבר י"ז ד') : וַיִּקַּח אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן אֵת מַחְתּוֹת הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר הִקְרִיבוּ הַשְּׂרֻפִים וַיְרַקְּעוּם צִפּוּי לַמִּזְבֵּחַ. זִכָּרוֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִקְרַב אִישׁ זָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזֶּרַע אַהֲרֹן הוּא לְהַקְטִיר קְטֹרֶת לִפְנֵי ה' וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כְקֹרַח וְכַעֲדָתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לוֹ “Elozor took the copper pans that had been brought by the people who were burnt and he hammered them into a plating for the mizbeach. As a reminder for the benei yisroel that a stranger who is not descended from Aharon should not draw close to bring ketores before Hashem and he should not be like Korach and his gathering as Hashem spoke through the hand of Moshe about him.” Rashi explains: " ולא יהיה כקרח" - כדי שלא יהיה כקרח “And he should not be like Korach” – “in order that he should not be like Korach” According to Rashi – “ ולא יהיה כקרח” – is not a lav – it is a conti...

The possuk in this week’s sedrah says: וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם בְּבֹאֲכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה. וְהָיָה בַּאֲכָלְכֶם מִלֶּחֶם הָאָרֶץ תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה לַה'. רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה כִּתְרוּמַת גֹּרֶן כֵּן תָּרִימוּ אֹתָהּ. Hashem spoke to Moshe saying – Speak to the benei yisroel and say to them; “When you come to the land which I will bring you to. And it will be when you eat from the bread of the land you should take a tithe (this is challah). The first of your dough you should tithe to Hashem, as the Teruma taken from the granary so you should tithe it.” The possuk says that the chiyuv to separate challah only applies in eretz yisroel – אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה. The Rambam ( הל׳ תרומות פרק א׳ הל׳ כ״ב) learns from this passuk that if grain from eretz yisroel is taken out of eretz yisroel then it is not chayav in challah: פירות א"י שיצאו חוצה...