The Parsha tells us that after אליעזר encounters רבקה and she draws water for him and his entourage, he immediately presented her with gifts of jewelry that she accepted. Why did רבקה accept the and not decline by saying she wants no reward for her kindness ?

To answer this question we need to properly understand what true חסד is. Certainly, if it’s only about giving, there is no room for accepting anything as a reward for the חסד done. However, there is another way to look at this.

The רמב”ם writes when describing the various forms of צדקה

מעלה גדולה שאין למעלה ממנה, זה המחזיק ביד ישראל כשמך, ונותן לו מתנה או הלואה…או ממציא לו מלאכה כדי לחזק את ידו עד שלא יצטרך לבריות.

The highest form of צדקה is actually not by giving charity, but rather by helping someone sustain himself, by giving him a job or a loan so that he will not need to come charity.

We see from the רמב”ם that true giving is providing a person with the means that he himself can earn his keep, without coming to be dependent on others. And so רבקה, seeing the great wealth of אליעזר, as evident by his grand entourage, realized that he would only be comfortable receiving her kindness if he was able to give something in return. She therefore accepted his gifts, even though it was against own will. A true giver knows that’s it’s not about their own feelings but rather about the recipient’s feelings.

The great contemporary בעל חסד Rabbi Zalman Ashkenazi dedicated his life to support the עניים of ארץ ישראל, through his organization משמחי לב. One of their projects is giving tens of thousands of pairs of brand new shoes to children before Pesach each year. Interestingly, their is a nominal fee for each pair. When asked why he charges something for the shoes, Rabbi Ashkenazi explained: When the parents pay the nominal fee, they no longer feel like beggars, but rather like real customers who purchased their children’s shoes. And that feeling of respect is the ultimate goal of Chesed. Not giving for the sake of giving, bit for the sake of fullfiling the needs of the recipient.

Based on Shiur by Harav Aharon Lopiansky

In Parshas לך לך we read about the begining of the history of Klal Yisrael. Hashem selects אברהם אבינו to be the father of the people who will be His nation.

As the פסוק says:

והקימותי את בריתי אתך ולזרעך אחריך אחוזת עולם

The Ramchal in Sefer דרך עץ החיים writes that a person who’s an עובד השם should ask himself:

מה עשו הראשונים שכה חשק בהם השם?

What did the אבות and our other leaders like משה רבינו do, that caused Hashem to desire them so strongly?

Perhaps the answer to that question can be explained as follows. Theרמב”ם writes when describing אברהם אבינו

כיון שנגמל איתן זה התחיל לשוטט בדעתו…עד שהשיג דרך האמת…וידע שיש שם אלוק אחד…והיה מהלך וקורא ומקבץ העם מעיר לעיר

Since he was a young child, אברהם אבינו searched for the truth, until he came to the realization that there is only Hashem. And once he came to this realization, he made it his life’s mission to spread the word of Hashem and to bring more and more people תחת כנפי השכינה.

The נביא יחזקאל says: אחד היה אברהם

In ספר ליקוטי מוהר”ן, Reb Nachman writes that the uniqueness of אברהם אבינו was that that he went with his truth all the way and did not hesitate to stand against the entire world and declare the truth to them. He sensed that he was אחד- unique in his life’s mission.

Continues Reb Nachman, every Yid is a decendent of אברהם and has that ability in him as well, to stand up proud and strong for the truth, even in the face of the entire world standing up against him.

Perhaps this is the understanding of why Hashem chose אברהם from all the other צדיקים of his time, to be the father of His nation. It’s because of his firm and strong commitment to stand up for the truth in all circumstances. And it’s this uniqueness that he inherited to us, his descendants כלל ישראל.

A survivor of the Simchas Torah pogrom speaks about the moment he was rescued by Jewish soldiers. ” When the attack began, we hid in our sealed room. After 22 hours of hiding in terror, we heard voices in Hebrew telling us to come out. Not being sure if they were Jews or terrorists, I called out to them ” Complete this פסוק for me…שמע ישראל!!! And they replied :

ה’ אלוקינו ה’ אחד!!

It was then that I knew they were our own forces and finally opened the door.”

Only כלל ישראל knows the secret of our uniqueness and Hashem’s Oneness. May we merit seeing ישועות and בשורות טובות בקרוב

The Parsha starts off with Hashem praising Pinchas for his act of killing זמרי and כזבי.

פנחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל

Rashi notes that the תורה mentions not only the name of Pinchas’ father, אלעזר, but also his grandfather אהרן too.

לפי שהיו השבטים מבזין אותו: הראיתם בן פוטי זה שפיטם אבי אמו עגלים לעבודה זרה והלך והרג נשיא שבט מישראל

People were degrading Pinchas who, from his mother’s side, was a grandson of יתרו, a former עובד עבודה זרה, by saying ” Look at this upstart who’s own grandfather would fatten and sacrifice animals to עבודה זרה. He had the audacity to kill a נשיא.”

Continues Rashi

לפיכך בא הכתוב ויחסו אחר אהרן

The Torah, therefore, tells us that not only was he a grandson of יתרו, but also a grandson of אהרן.

The מהר”ל asks: Every person has 2 sets of grandparents. Everyone knew that Pinchas was also a grandson of אהרן. Yet that did not stop them from degrading him. What does the תורה gain by specifying that he was the grandson of אהרן?

Explains the מהר”ל: Animal breeders will at times force feed them to make them grow extra plump. This is done by stuffing the food directly down the animals’ gullet in an effort to make them grow. In our times, this is done with the delicacy known as Foi Gras. The breeders force open the mouths of geese and directly place the food in their throats for a month’s period. During this time their liver grows to 10 times its normal size. Eventually the geese are slaughtered and the liver sold at high prices.

So this act of making the animal large is not an act of kindness but rather an act of cruelty against the animal. Says the מהר”ל, every person has within themselves a genetic component which they inherited. It includes their physical makeup, but also their personal traits as well.

When the שבטים were degrading פנחס for his act, they claimed that it was done out of cruelty. And that cruelty was a trait he inherited from his grandfather יתרו, who likewise was cruel to his animals by force feeding them. Says the תורה

, פנחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן

Pinchas was also a grandson of אהרן, the great אוהב שלום. And the act of killing זמרי and כזבי, was an act of love, a trait he inherited from his grandfather אהרן. Pinchas realized that כלל ישראל was dying in the מגיפה as a result of מעשה זמרי,and out of his great love of כלל ישראל, he saved them through his actions.

Concludes the מהר”ל, because his act was done out of love, פנחס received the gift of כהונה. The כהן Bentches כלל ישראל with love. As the ברכה goes:

וצוונו לברך את עמו ישראל באהבה.

Great Yidden have the fire of love within them, and through that, impact כלל ישראל.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. The Chofetz Chaim was visiting an inn and was being served his supper in the dining room. Suddenly, the door burst open and a massive, burly man stormed in. Taking a seat, he barks at the proprietor ” Bring me my food, now!” And accompanies his demands with a litany of vulgar words. Once served, the man proceeded to stuff himself with the food, in obscene fashion, without making Brachos or washing his hands. The Chofetz Chaim was shocked at this behavior of a fellow Yid, when the proprietor explained to him that the man was actually a former Cantonist, a Jewish boy who was forced into the Czar’s army, for many years. ” It’s the result of those years in the army that he acts like this” he concluded.

After hearing this, the Chofetz Chaim approached the former soldier. He held his hand and gently said:

” Reb Yid, I envy you. You were taken away as a child, and placed in the worst possible environment. Yet despite all that, you remained a Yid! Imagine, if you come back to Torah observance, how proud Hashem will be of you!”

The burly man started to cry. Never in his adult life had someone spoken to him with such love and concern. And with the ongoing support of the Chofetz Chaim, he went on to become a complete בעל תשובה.

Acts done with love for our fellow Yidden will always have a great impact.

Have a Good Shabbos

In Parshas חקת we read about the episode of מי מריבה.The תורה tells us that that after מרים הנביאה died, there was no water and כלל ישראל complained. Hashem told משה and   אהרן to speak to the rock. Says the Passuk

: ויאמר משה אל העם שמעו נא המורים המן הסלע הזה נוציא לכם מים

Moshe alluded to בני ישראל as “המורים- rebellious.”

He then proceeded to hit the rock twice, after which water came forth. As a result, he was punished as the פסוק says:

יען לא האמנתם בי …לכן לא תביאו את העם אל הארץ אשר נשבעתי

In what way was כלל ישראל rebellious, and what exactly was the חטא of משה רבינו for which he was punished so severely?

The נתיבות שלום explains, based on the פסוק in תהילים

  בטח בה’ ועשה טוב שכן ארץ וראה אמונה

The זוהר הקדוש explains that in order to merit settling in  ארץ ישראל it’s necessary to 1st acquire ביטחון. When ביטחון is strong, we merit Hashem’s protection and are able to live securely in ארץ ישראל.

The episode of מי מריבה happened at the end of the 40 years in the מדבר, as כלל ישראל was about to enter the land. As such, they needed to practice a high level of ביטחון, to show their readiness to enter ארץ ישראל. And so הקב”ה said

ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם ונתן מימיו

Speaking to the rock, and expecting it to give water, shows complete ביטחון In Hashem, as it does not involve any means of natural השתדלות. Had they done so, it would have demonstrated that כלל ישראל is indeed prepared to enter ארץ ישראל.

However,  משה רבינו doubted that כלל ישראל was on such a high level. He did not believe that they were holding by complete ביטחון, having led them for 40 years, and witnessing how they often complained. And so he called them  ‘המורים- rebellious,’ and proceeded to hit the rock, showing that  based on their level, השתדלות was still needed. 

Hashem then punished משה and אהרן: 

יען לא האמנתם בי להקדישני לעיני בני ישראל

The reality is that deep inside the heart of every Yid, is a wellspring of אמונה and ביטחון,waiting to be unearthed. All כלל ישראל needed was for their leaders to believe in THEM, that they really did have ביטחון, and then their true levels would shine forth. 

Concludes the נתיבות שלום, that this serves as a lesson to every Yid, in any situation and at any level. We should believe in ourselves that deep inside we are מאמינים and בעלי ביטחון. And even if we don’t feel it, it’s still there, as strong as ever, just hiding beneath the surface.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, which accured with the Kloisenberger Rebbe זצ”ל, who’s יארצייט falls this week. In 1955 The Rebbe moved to ארץ ישראל and established קרית צאנז in נתניה. Some time later, the Rebbe met with the Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion. The Prime Minister asked the Rebbe to share his impressions on the State of Israel, to which he responded:

” I’m thrilled that I live in a country where ,unlike in Europe, I can walk around on Shabbos with my Shreimel, and nobody will harass me. Yet, I still look forward to the day when every Jew, including you, Mr. Prime Minister, will also return, and wear a Shtriemel too!”

The Rebbe trusted and believed that every Yid has inner greatness,  and as such, can eventually come back to Hashem and His תורה.

Have a good Shabbos.

Rashi tells us that קרח and his עדה came to משה רבינו with 2 taunting questions: Is a טלית made of תכלת required to have strings of ציצית? And is a house that has ספרי תורה in it required in מזוזה?

The response from משה רבינו to both questions was in the affirmative, to which they scoffed: “If 4 strings of תכלת are good for a regular טלית, certainly a טלית made entirely of תכלת is already good, without the need for strings of ציצית. And if 1 מזוזה is good for an entire house, even when there are no ספרים in the house, certainly when the house contains ספרי תורה in it, which have in them the פרשיות of the מזוזה it would not require a מזוזה. ”

What exactly were they trying to highlight in their questions, and why were they wrong?

Harav Yosef Ber Soliveichik explains: When fullfilling a מצוה one can have many כוונות. However, the most basic and fundamental כוונה, is to do the מצווה because Hashem told us to.

This is very important to recognize, as there are those who claim to serve Hashem based on their feelings. “I feel a certain way, and that’s how I connect to Him.” This is not the Torah approach. Certainly, having feelings of connection and דביקות are important. However, that is not the main part of the מצוה. We do what Hashem says because he told us to. And the feelings we have or don’t have, are only important once the מעשה המצווה was done.

And this understanding is crucial in the life of a Yid. Not always do we feel inspired and connected when performing מצוות, or when Davening and learning. Nonetheless, we are still obligated to carry out the מצווה to the best of our abilities, with the hope that eventually, we will begin to experience a גישמאק in our עבודה השם. But till that happens, we carry on, with the knowledge that this is exactly what הקב”ה wants from us at this time.

We can now understand the debate קרח had with משה, and the response he was given. קרח approached the מצוות with the understanding that it’s a means of feeling connected to Hashem and inspired. As such, if he’s wearing a טלית of תכלת he already feels that strong inspiration even without putting on the strings of ציצית. Likewise, if he has ספרי תורה in his house, he already feels the presence of Hashem, so why bother with a מזוזה. However, he failed to recognize that while feelings are important, it’s doing the act itself which is the main part of the מצווה. And as such, regardless of our feelings, we always need to perform the מצוה as commanded by Hashem.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. A young American woman attended Neve Yerushalayim, a Kiruv seminary in Israel where she became a Baalas Teshuva. The lady had a younger sister who was also a spiritual seeker, and had an interest in exploring religions of the Far East. Wanting to be מקרב her younger sister, she invited her to join the Neve Seminary. As the sister was planning a trip to India, she agreed to a short stopover in Israel and to sit through 1 class at the seminary. As it was, the class was on the topic of השבת אבידה, with a discussion of the various applicable הלכות. The spiritual seeking sister was greatly disappointed. ” What’s spiritual in these boring laws?” And with that, gave her fairwells and traveled off to India. Yet, just a few short months later, the בעלת תשובה sister was surprised to receive a message that her sister is returning to the seminary in Isreal.

She explained: ” I began learning the secretes of spirituality from an Indian guru. On one of our strolls, while deep in an esoteric conversation, the guru spotted a wallet on the floor. It turned out to be full of cash and personal information. The guru quickly pocketed the cash and threw the wallet back on the floor. Surprised, I said to him ” Obviously, we can identify the owner. Why don’t you return the money to him?” To which the man replied.”He’ll be using the money for material matters while I will use it for spirituality.” Concluded the sister “I recalled the lecture on השבת אבידה, and realized that real spirituality is found in the laws of the Torah, not by supposed mystics elsewhere.”

Have a Good Shabbos

We read in the Parsha how כלל ישראל complained about the מן and cried that they lacked the variety of foods they enjoyed in מצרים. This caused משה רבינו to say to הקב”ה

לא אוכל אנוכי לבדי לשאת את כל העם הזה

It’s too difficult for me to carry all כלל ישראל alone.

Immediately following that episode, when אהרן and מרים speak לשון הרע on משה רבינו, the Torah describes Moshe’s greatness:

פה אל פה אדבר בו ומראה ולא בחידות ותמונת ה’ יביט

Hashem Speaks to him mouth to mouth, greater than any other נביא.

Although he struggled by being alone, it seems clear that this is what caused רבינו משה to be the greatest man to ever live. How do we understand this?

The Ramchal in ספר דרך עץ החיים writes, that a person who wants to grow in his רוחניות should try to spend time thinking about where he’s standing in his רוחניות, and what can he do to grow even more.

This concept, which is known as התבודדות is already found in the תורה, where the פסוק says about יצחק אבינו

וילך יצחק לשוח בשדה

Yitzchok went out on his own to the fields to be מתבודד and connect to Hashem. The ביאור הלכה in הלכות תענית writes:

יום אחד בשבוע יתרחק מבני אדם ויתבודד בינו לבין קונו ויתקשר מחשבתו בו…וידבר לקל יתברך כאשר ידבר העבד אל רבו ובן אל אביו.

This is what התבודדות is all about. Leaving all the distractions behind and spending time alone. Alone with oneself, and alone with Hashem. And while it’s true that social interactions and companionship are necessary in a person’s life, there is also the need to, at times, disconnect from everything else, and connect only with oneself and with Hashem.

And it’s through התבודדות that a person can develop himself to greater heights.

We can now understand why after highlighting Moshe’s solitude, the תורה goes on to express his greatness. It’s through his ability to disconnect and be מתבודד that he became the greatest man to ever live.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Harav Yaakov Galinsky was a young boy learning in 1 of the many branches of the Novardok Yeshiva in prewar Poland, when he began feeling a רפיון- a weakness in his drive to learn.

Frustrated, he turned to his Rebbe, who advised him to travel to the large Yeshiva in Bialestock, where one of the senior boys would hopefully engrain him with some חזוק. Upon reaching Bialestock and introducing himself to the senior בחור, he was advised to start off by going to a small empty Shul down the block and learning Mussar by the candellight.

Says Rav Galinsky ” I entered the dark Shul and sat down to learn, when I heard a soft and haunting voice coming from the עזרת נשים upstairs. Someone was learning Mussar there. That voice was repeating a גמרא in Shabbos: אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה

. שיננא, חטוף ואכול, חטוף ושתי, כי האי עלמא דאזלינן מיניה כבי הילולא דמיא.”

Said Shmuel to his Talmid Rav Yehuda: Grab and eat, grab and drink, as this world is like a wedding party- its only the time that you have here in which you can aquire נצחיות.

The voice from upstairs repeated these words over and over again, penetrating the heart of the young Rav Galinsky. He returned to the senior בחור and said, ” I don’t need any more חזוק, I already received it.” And with that he returned to his Yeshiva, eventually going on to become a great בעל מוסר.

It was only later that he learned that the individual learning מוסר, was none other than the great Steipler Gaon.

Indeed, practicing התבודדות is a key to becoming an elevated person.

Have a Good Shabbos >

Parshas נשא discusses the דינים of the נזיר. The פסוק says:

כי נזר אלוקיו על ראשו

The Crown of Hashem is upon him.

Harav Avigdor Miller asks: To be a נזיר can mean taking upon oneself נזירות for just 1 month. Yet for the duration of that month the תורה states that he is wearing the crown of Hashem. What is so unique about the נזיר that he merits so lofty a title?

This can be explained with a משל. A man purchases a large plot of empty land in midtown Manhattan. He proceeds to utilize the space by setting-up a newspaper stand on the empty lot. A friend hears about this, and admonishes him. ” You own a plot of prime real estate! It can be used to build a skyscraper, which will make you a millionaire. Don’t waste it with just a newspaper stand!”

Each person owns a plot of prime “real estate”- his own mind, the most precious gift bestowed to us by the רבש”ע.

We can utilize our mind by filling it with unimportant thoughts, such as sports, politics, or other wordly matters. Or, we can fill our minds with a ” skyscraper”- thoughts of spiritual growth, of connecting and coming closer to Hashem.

An example of such thoughts would be the 6 מצוות תמידיות, all of which are fulfilled in the mind, through our thinking:

Believing in Hashem

Rejecting the possibility of another God

Believing in Hashem’s Oneness

To fear Him

To Love Him

Not to stray after forbidden thoughts and desires.

When a person is able to, even to a small degree, busy himself with thoughts of רוחניות, he is utilizing his mind, his prime real estate in the proper way.

We can now understand why the נזיר is considered as wearing the crown of Hashem. Here is someone who decided on his own to uplift himself and take on extra limitations, all for the sake of Hashem. Such a person is indeed using his mind for what is what meant to do- becoming a better person. And that is certainly a crown of glory, which the רבש”ע appreciates and values.

Have a Good Shabbos

Parshas קדושים starts with the פסוק

קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה’ אלוקיכם.

The obvious question is, how can we, ordinary people, be expected to be קדושים?

Sefer נתיבות שלום quotes תנא דבי אליהו:

קדושת הקב”ה, קדושת שבת וקדושת ישראל שלשתן חשובות כאחד

. There are 3 equal קדושות:

הקב”ה, שבת, כלל ישראל.

How can we understand this comparison?

We know that unlike יום טוב, which is dependent on כלל ישראל determining its day, the קדושה of שבת is not dependent on anything external, rather הקב”ה himself infuses שבת each week with קדושה.

Similarly, says the נתיבות שלום, the קדושה of each and every Yid is also not dependent on anything external. Rather it was infused in us by the רבש”ע. As we say אשר קדשנו במצוותיו Hashem gave us of His own קדושה.

We can now understand how we can be given the commandment to be קדושים. The expectation is not for us to generate קדושה on our own. Rather we just need to tap into and connect to the great קדושה that was already put into us by the רבש”ע, in our role as His nation.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Rav Yisrael Reisman was recovering from surgery in a local hospital when he was approached by the surgeon.

” Rabbi, is it true that you give a lecture every Saturday night that’s attended by hundreds of men and women?” After Rav Reisman answered in the affirmative, the doctor continued, ” Do the attendees get any certification or continuing education credits by coming? When answered in the negative, the doctor astonishingly asked: ” If there’s no credits or certification, why in the world do hundreds of people leave their homes on a Saturday night to attend?” Replied Rav Reisman, ” Doctor, this is something you’ll never understand.”

Indeed, the nations of the world cannot understand our connection and attachment to תורה and קדושה. But we do understand it:

קדושים תהיו- כי קדוש אני ה’ אלוקיכם

May we merit to live a life of קדושה every day of out lives.

We’re holding in the midst of the days of ספירת העומר. Sefer החינוך explains the idea behind the counting of days from Pesach to Shavous:

להראות בנפשינו החפץ הגדול אל היום הנכבד הנכסף ללבנו כעבד ישאף צל וימנה תמיד מתי יבא העת הנכסף אליו שיצא לחירות.

We show our great yearning to the great day of קבלת התורה. Like a slave who counts the days till his release to freedom.

We need to understand: if this is counting towards the great day of Shavous, why then do we count up day after day, instead of counting down, showing how many days are left?

The Ramban writes that the days of ספירת העומר are like days of חול המועד. Just like there’s חול המועד סוכות which is followed by שמיני עצרת, so too, the 49 days of the עומר are like חול המועד, followed by שבועות.

We see that there’s a direct connection between פסח and שבועות. Through ספירת העומר we build ourselves up each day as we get closer to קבלת התורה.

We can now understand why we count up and not down during ספירה. If someone is told that in 50 days he’ll be getting a million dollars, he certainly will count down the days till he gets the money. But if he’s told that the million dollars will be earned, bit by bit, with each day accumulating more and more, he certainly will count up, as each and every day he becomes richer and richer, till he finally reaches his goal of a million dollars. So too, during these days of ספירה, we’re meant to build ourselves up and each and every day as we approach שבועות. And every day us another step in reaching קבלת התורה. And so we count up for 49 days.

We’ll conclude with a story that illustrates this point, told over in the recent biography on Harav Elya Meir Sororzkin זצ”ל. Rav Sororzkin once returned home looking very pained. When his Rebetzin inquired to the reason for it, he replied that he had me an old friend he hadn’t seen in many years, and he was exactly the same way he was years earlier. He hadn’t changed at all. To to this Rav Sororzkin added” My greatest fear is that I should be today as I was yesterday and tomorrow like I am today!”

May these days of ספירה be days of עליה and real preparation for קבלת התורה.

In Parshas פקודי, the Torah gives us an exact accounting of the funds raised for the משכן, and how they were used. We know that direct counting is usually discouraged in The תורה, as it leads to עין הרע. Why then are we not concerned over עין הרע when counting the funds raised for the משכן?

The משנה in אבות says

כל מי שיש בו שלשה דברים הללו הוא מתלמידיו של אברהם אבינו…. עין טובה, ורוח נמוכה, ונפש שפלה

The character traits of Avraham Avinu include looking positively at the success of others, not wanting much, and being humble .

The משנה continues:

ושלשה דברים אחרים הוא מתלמידיו של בלעם הרשע… עין רעה, ורוח גבוהה, ונפש רחבה.

Bilam’s traits include looking negatively at the success of others, wanting everything, and being conceited.

The קדושת לוי explains the difference between these 2 outlooks: Everything in the world exists by the will of Hashem. When we look at someone’s success with an עין טובה, we acknowledge that this is Hashem’s will, and as such add ברכה to it. That is the trait of אברהם אבינו.

But when looking at other’s success in a negative way, it’s like saying “It’s not fair that he has it and not me.” Such a look causes a disconnect between Hashem’s will and the recipient. This destructive force is known as עין הרע, which is the trait of בלעם הרשע. Through his greed and unsatiatible desires, he caused a פירוד, a separation between the will of Hashem, and those who merited Hashem’s ברכה. This עין הרע leads to losing the ברכה of Hashem.

We can now understand why there was no concern over עין הרע by the הקמת המשכן. The פסוק says:

מרבים העם להביא מדי העבודה למלאכה אשר צוה ה’

All of כלל ישראל joined together in unison in contributing towards הקמת המשכן. There was no separation, as nobody looked askance at the contribution of everyone else. Everyone understood their unique role in building the משכן and were happy with their own role and the role of others. And when we’re happy with others, there is no separation, and therefore no concern over עין הרע.

When we internalize the idea that Hashem runs runs the world, and that He gives every person what they need, we are able to look at the success of others with an עין טובה, and ‘Fargin’ their success.

Indeed, there is no English translation to this word, as seemingly, this is a trait that’s unique to us- כלל ישראל, the children, and תלמידים, of אברהם אבינו.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. In winter 1976, a beloved מחנך in Brooklyn, Rabbi Meir Fogel, passed away suddenly, at a young age. He did not merit leaving behind any children. A close friend of his by the name of Meir Zlotowitz, decided to commemorate his friend’s memory, by writing an English translation on מגילת אסתר. No such work existed yet at the time, and Rabbi Zlotowitz worked hard to complete the translation by the end of the שלושים for his friend, which fell just before Purim.

His intention was to print it in 50 copies and give it out to Rabbi Fogel’s family and friends. Right before publishing, he showed the manuscript to Harav Dovid Cohen שליט”א. After reviewing it, Rabbi Cohen called R’ Zlotowitz back enthusiastically. “Meir, this is an absolute masterpiece! You must publish this for the public and sell it jn all the Seforim stores. Klal Yisrael needs this type of work.”

Sure enough the book was published and within a week, over 2000 copies were sold. Seeing the thirst and demand for Torah literature in English, within a short period Rabbi Zlotowitz proceeded to create the now world- renowned, Artscroll- Mesorah Publishing. To date Artscroll has published thousands of Jewish books, most notably, The Schottenstein Talmud, which has made Gemara learning accessible to all.

And all of this is thanks to that 1 enthusiastic comment, ” Meir this an absolute masterpiece!”

When we Fargin, we can build entire worlds!