It's Never Too Late for a Fresh Start...(Num. Ch. 9)

"If any man will become contaminated through a human corpse or [will be] on a distant road...he shall make the pesach-offering for Hashem in the second month on the fourteenth day...(Num. 9:10). Even though the commandment of bringing a pesach offering is on the fourteenth day of the first month, here we are being taught that if one missed the original date, the offering can be "made up" a month later.

If the idea behind this commandment of a "second" pesach offering it is merely to "make up" for a missed opportunity, then why is this the only time and the only commandment where a make up opportunity is available?

But rather the paschal lamb is essentially tied to the idea that we are able to come out of Egypt, come out of what is oppressing and enslaving us (namely to escape from our own limitations and inhibitions) and live a truly free life. This is the idea behind the first paschal offering on the "fourteenth day of the first month". The second paschal lamb is coming to remind us that every day we have to see ourselves as coming out of Egypt again. We can't make Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur annual events- they must be in our consciousness and part of our service to G-d on a daily basis.

Every day of our lives is an additional opportunity to experience the kind of excitement and ecstasy that we experience on the special days, the festivals, that mark the Jewish calendar. Knowing that there is today another opportunity to experience the added completeness and freedom from limitations is a constant challenge. We are challenged to see that reaching beyond ourselves is not something that is reserved only on for special days but rather it is a privilege extended to us anew every day of the year.

A Meaningful Repetitiveness (Numbers Ch.7)

One of the greatest puzzles that readers of the Bible struggle with is why there are certain (very important) realms of Biblical Law that are only hinted to in the written text and expounded on at great length in the oral tradition.  While on the other hand, there are very lengthy passages in the written text that do not seem to teach us very much. The gifts of the Heads of the Tribes to the Dedication of the Altar (Num. Ch. 7) is one such lengthy passage in the written text where the Torah repeats the same information twelve times over with no clear justification.
Each head of a tribe brings the exact same offering as the one before: 1)one silver bowl, 2)one silver basin, 3)one gold ladle 4)one young bull, one ram, one sheep 5) a he goat 6)two cattle 7)five rams five he goats and five sheep. If we compare the basic nature of the offerings, the first three are inanimate in nature while the last four are all animals. There is a contrast here between the inanimate and animate worlds.

The whole function of the altar and the Tabernacle is for bringing up offerings to G-d.  What are we doing when we are bringing an offering? We are raising up the life force, and consciousness of the animal from a mere beast of the field to its spiritual source in the supernal worlds. Jewish Mysticism explains that our main task in this world is to elevate sparks of holiness that are lying dormant and "awaken" their Divine consciousness.  When the animal (or plant) is consumed by us, or offered up on the Altar, if it is consumed with the right intentions, then its divine spark is awakened and gets raised up to its source, which triggers a reaction from above that provides us with the life energy we need.

With a live offering this becomes much more revealed and especially so in the Tabernacle. With every offering, a fire would descend from heaven to consume its earthly matter. "A fire went forth from before Hashem and consumed upon the Altar the burnt offering..."(Lev. 9:24). With inanimate objects this was not the case. An inanimate object that has no life force cannot be transformed in the same revealed way as an animal offering.

The first three gifts of the Heads of the Tribes were inanimate representing the relationship of the world to G-d prior to the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle. Until that point in time, the world was not a fitting vessel for the open transformation and elevation of the mundane up to the holy. While the animal sacrifices represent the increasing revelations and transformations that began to occur once the Children of Israel received the Torah and began their mission of actively refining the world and bringing down light into the earthly reality. This important message about the purpose of the Creation and the role we play in it justifies the repetition of these same sacrifices twelve times.

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Why it's good to be the king

"You shall be to me a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation..."(Ex. 19:6) What is the difference between a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation? A kingdom bases itself around the theme of kingship, of having a king, and of each member of the society being therefore an extension of the king's rulership and power. How do we manifest this kingship in our daily lives? By seeking to emulate the ways of the king.

The one major characteristic of a king which is manifest in all monarchies is that of supremacy and aloofness, rising far beyond the common people. In Torah, this aloofness manifests itself in terms of absolute security in G-d's protection and experiencing many miracles throughout one's life. There have been three kings of the Jewish people who have particularly displayed this supernatural success in all matters. The first king of the Jewish people was Moses, and he is renowned for all the miracles he wrought in Egypt as well as throughout the desert wanderings of the Children of Israel. King David was the first king of the Davidic dynasty and throughout his life experienced many miraculous rescues from the hands of his enemies. Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem was a leader of the Jewish people who also initiated the Chassidic dynasty of leaders of the Jewish people. His life was so miraculous that after him was coined the expression, "a ba'al shemske ma'ase", a miraculous event (literally an deed worthy of the Ba'al Shem Tov).

These three leaders opened up channels of faith in G-d in three different periods. Moses led the Jewish people in times of complete freedom from worries of livelihood, when all their needs were fulfilled by G-d in a miraculous way. King David led the Jewish people in the Land of Israel when the worries of livelihood were already a part of their daily lives, and the Ba'al Shem Tov led the Jewish people in the time of exile when their physical existence was constantly in peril. Each leader in his own period nurtured the faith of the Jews of his time, and strengthened them in terms of their commitment and self-sacrifice for learning of Torah, and the fulfillment of its commandments.

All these three leaders represent for us three ways in which our unswerving commitment to G-d must be expressed at all times. Moses represents every Jew's costant commitment to learning Torah, while King David with his Psalms represents the Jew's faith in G-d's power to intervene at all times as expressed in the act of prayer to G-d. Finally, the Ba'al Shem Tov channeled to every Jew a self-sacrifice for the fulfillment of the practical Mitzvos.