10/23/2019
Dvar Torah - KiTavo
Rb. E. Mansour
The Torah in Parashat Ki-Tabo discusses the Misva of Bikkurim. During the times of the Bet Hamikdash, a Jew who grew fruits was required to bring the first fruits that ripened to the Temple and present them as a gift to the Kohen.
There is a fascinating Halacha relevant to Bikkurim that, while counterintuitive, provides us with a fundamental lesson concerning Torah life. Everyone who brought Bikkurim to the Mikdash had to bring the fruits in a basket. Surprisingly, though, it was only the baskets of the poor that were given to the Kohen together with the fruits. The wealthier Jews brought their Bikkurim in lavish, ornate baskets, and the Kohen took the fruits and allowed the people to keep their baskets. But when a poor man came with his Bikkurim in a simple, ordinary basket, the Kohen kept the fruits and the basket. The Talmud comments regarding this Halacha, "The poor get poorer" – the poor people lose more from this Misva than the wealthy ones do.
The obvious question arises as to why this should be the case. Shouldn’t the multimillionaire be the one to surrender his basket along with his fruits? Why does the Torah impose an additional financial burden specifically upon the poor man?
The answer lies in the well-known rule of "Rahamana Liba Ba’i" – Hashem wants, first and foremost, the heart, the sincere effort. Unlike in our professional lives, where results are what counts, when it comes to Torah the most important thing is the work and effort that we invest. As long as we sincerely work toward achieving results, God values our efforts regardless of our bottom-line achievements.
When a wealthy magnate brings his first fruits to Jerusalem, he walks into a shop in the hotel lobby, sees an exquisite silver bowl, pulls out his credit card to make the purchase, and asks the concierge to bring it to his room and place in it the fruits on the table. He later hops into a cab with his Bikkurim and brings it to the Bet Hamikdash. The poor man, however, walks into a florist shop, asks for some leftover leaves and twigs, and then spends several hours weaving them together into a makeshift basket for his Bikkurim. After all, this is all he can afford to do. When these two people come together to the Bet Hamikdash, the Kohen asks for the poor man’s basket. God cherishes the hard work and sacrifice that the poor man invested into this Misva, and it is therefore specifically his basket that the Kohen, as God’s representative, keeps. The wealthy man has certainly not done anything wrong. To the contrary, he has performed the great Misva of Bikkurim. But there is something special about the poor man’s basket, about the work and effort that he invested, and this is what the Almighty values the most.
Today, a person can arrange three lavish Shabbat meals by just picking up the phone and placing an order. The caterer does all the cooking, setting up, serving and cleaning. Nobody could criticize those who make Shabbat in this way; in fact, it is admirable to spend money for the honor of Shabbat. But at the same time, there is much to be said for the personal effort and toil, working hard to prepare Shabbat. Something is lost when we delegate the work involved in preparing for Misvot.
This is true regarding the Sukka, as well. Today, people don’t want to have a hassle, so everyone has "the guy" who builds their Sukka for them. And, Baruch Hashem, many people bring great honor to the Misva by hiring workers to build them magnificent Sukkot. But we must not overlook the value of personally involving oneself in the hard work of Misvot. Not everything should be delegated. Hashem cherishes not only the final result, but also the work we invest in the process.
The Arizal taught that when a person perspires for the sake of a Misva, those drops of perspiration are stored and serve as a means of atonement for all his sons. One Rabbi I knew would participate each year in the baking of Masot for Pesah, and specifically chose the job of standing next to the scorching hot oven, putting in and removing the Masot. He said that this way he perspires the most, thus maximizing his reward for involving himself in this great Misva.
When it comes to Misva performance, we should not always find the most convenient way, even if we can afford it. It is worthwhile to "weave our own baskets," to personally involve ourselves in the hard work, thereby demonstrating our love for the Misvot and our unwavering devotion to the One who commanded them.
The Elul Immersion
The significance of this month – the month of Elul – can be understood based on the laws of "Bittul," whereby a small amount of forbidden food becomes "nullified" when mixed with a much larger quantity of permissible food.
The basic rule is that when a small amount of forbidden food is mixed with permissible food, the mixture is permissible if the amount of permissible food is 60 times greater than the amount of forbidden food. This famous Halachic concept is called "Bittul Be’shishim."
However, there are a number of exceptions, including that of a "Beriya" – a whole entity. According to the Talmud Babli (Babylonian Talmud), a whole entity, such as an entire insect, cannot ever be "nullified" in a mixture. No matter how small a percentage of the mixture the "Beriya" comprises, the mixture is still forbidden for consumption. The Talmud Yerushalmi, however, presents a different view, establishing that a "Beriya" is "nullified" if the proportion is 960:1. If the whole entity comprises just 1/960th of the mixture, then the mixture becomes permissible.
This concept is relevant also to the "nullification" of our beings. Each person is a "Beriya," and we’ve become contaminated through sin. In order to cleanse and purify ourselves, we must "nullify" our defective beings and emerge as new creatures, embarking on a fresh start with a clean slate.
A Mikveh, which brings purity to somebody who has become defiled, must consist of 40 "Se’a" of water. A "Se’a" is a Talmudic measurement of volume, equal to 24 "Log," and thus a Mikveh requires 960 "Log" of water to bring purity. Immersion in a Mikveh symbolizes our process of "Bittul," the "nullification" of our beings so we can begin creating ourselves anew.
When G-d determined that the world become irreparably corrupted during the time of Noah, He brought a flood that lasted for 40 days, or 960 hours (40 X 24). In order to "nullify" the world so it could start anew, He "immersed" the world it water, submerging it in floodwaters for 960 hours, corresponding to the 960 "Log" of water in a Mikveh.
The period of Elul and the High Holidays functions as a Mikveh. For 40 days, from the first day of Elul through Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishri, we "immerse" ourselves in introspection and repentance. Just as a Mikveh requires 960 "Log," and not a single "Log" fewer, our process of "immersion" during this period requires us to make the most of every hour of these 40 days so we can emerge pure and pristine.
This 40-day period concludes at the end of Yom Kippur, after we read the Book of Yona, which tells how Yona spent 40 days inside the whale, which then expelled Yona onto the shore. After our 40-day period of repentance, we are "expelled" from this "Mikveh." The special opportunity we are given for purification and forgiveness lasts only for these 40 days. We must therefore take full advantage of each and every hour of this critical period.
In the final chapter of Tehillim, which we include in the Musaf prayer on Rosh Hashanah, King David proclaims, "Haleluhu Be’tof U’mahol" – which literally means, "praise Him with drums and dances." Additionally, however, the word "Tof" has the numerical value of 480, and thus the word "Be’tof" may be read as "Bet" – "Tof," meaning, twice the value of "Tof," or 960. If we use these 960 hours properly, then "Be’mahol" – we are granted "Mehila" (forgiveness).
May we all take full advantage of each and every moment of this most precious time of year, so we emerge from Yom Kippur in a newfound state of purity and holiness, prepared to make this year far better than the previous one, Amen.
