Rabbi Frand on Parshas Pinchas
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion:
Tape #201, Fasting on Tisha B'Av: Is It For Everyone? Good Shabbos!
The Pitfall of Consistency: Been There; Done That
Parshas Pinchas contains a long list of sacrifices that are brought
on various occasions. The first offering the Torah discusses is the
Korban Tamid - the Daily Sacrifice. When the Temple is standing
there is a Biblical command to offer a Tamid Offering, every single
day -- "One Lamb is to be offered in the morning and one Lamb is to
be brought toward the evening" [Bamidbar 28:4]. This offering is
brought every day of the year, even on Shabbos, even on Yom Kippur.
There is something beautiful about consistency. But consistency does
have one major pitfall.
This pitfall is hinted to, by an incongruous verse in the middle of
the chapter of the Daily Sacrifice. For no apparent reason, the
Torah inserts, into the description of the Korban Tamid, the verse,
"The continual Burnt Offering which was made at Mt. Sinai for a
pleasant aroma, a Fire Offering, before HaShem [Bamidbar 28:6]."
What does the Olah that was brought on Mt. Sinai have to do with this
section about the Daily Sacrifice? That which happened on Mt. Sinai
is history! Why is it mentioned in the middle of the section of the
Korban Tamid?
In the Sifrei and the Talmud [Chagiga 6b], the Tanaaim are all
bothered by the question, "What is this verse teaching us?" One
opinion states that the Olah on Mt. Sinai needed accompanying
libations; one says it did not need libations; one says they did not
offer the Daily offering at Mt. Sinai and that it only started later
on. They are all troubled by the presence of this verse over here.
Rav Yosef Salant says that although the Rabbis of the Talmud are
arguing about a halachic issue, there is also a very important
hashkafic point that we derive from the presence this verse. That
hashkafic point relates to relates to this pitfall of consistency.
When something is done day in day out, as wonderful as it may be, it
eventually becomes done by rote. It becomes stale. It becomes
automatic, without thought.
One only needs to have the nachas of seeing a son put on Tefillin for
the first time, to remember what it was like. We can come in late
and quickly put on our Tefillin in the time between Yishtabach and
Borchu [names of specific prayers] and still have time to answer
'Yehei Shmei Rabba'. That is the amount of time it takes us to put
on Tefillin!
But watch a Bar Mitzvah boy put on Tefillin, making sure they are
straight and making sure they are tight enough and that every strap
is in order. What is the difference? We have been putting on
Tefillin for forty years. On the one hand that is great -- it is
'Tamid'. We can look back and say, we never missed a day! But that
'Tamid' becomes 'old hat' and sometimes lacks the true meaning of the
Mitzvah. That is the pitfall of Tamid.
Therefore, the Torah inserts, "The Continuous Burnt Offering that was
offered on Mt. Sinai for a pleasant Aroma, a Fire Offering before
HaShem," in the middle of the parsha of the Korban Tamid that applies
for all generations.
Remember that first Tamid! Remember the Tamid that was brought on
Har Sinai with all the enthusiasm and all the newness and excitement.
Remember that! There should always be a little of that Tamid in the
Tamid that is brought every single day.
That is the way it should be with our Tefillin and with our Kerias
Shemah and with our Shmoneh Esreis [names of specific prayers]. We
cannot lose the whole value of consistency by letting that very value
become the pitfall.
King David says in Tehillim, "I asked one thing from G-d, that is my
request; to dwell in the House of G-d all the days of my life, and to
visit His Palace." [Tehillim 27:4] The commentaries all ask what
David is saying. First he asks to dwell in G-d's House his entire
life, and then he asks to be a visitor? Which is it -- a Resident or
a Visitor? Is he a "shivti b'veis HaShem"-nik or is he a "L'vaker
b'Heicholo"-nik?
David's request is to have it both ways. He wants to be one who
dwells everyday in G-d's house, but he wants to feel as if he is only
a visitor. He always wants it to feel special and new.
This is a difficult request, because these two qualities are almost
mutually exclusive. When one has 'Tamid' he does not have 'Chiddush'
and when one has 'Chiddush' he does not have 'Tamid'.
But this is the goal and this is the lesson of the Korban Tamid. It
needs to be "One every morning and one every evening" but it also
must be "like the first one which was ever offered, on Mt. Sinai."
Personalities & Sources:
Sifre -- Tanaitic halachic Medrash to Bamidbar and Devorim
Glossary
Korban Tamid -- Continuous (Daily) Sacrifice
Eved HaShem -- Servant of G-d
nachas (ruach) -- pleasure of spirit
halachik -- legal
hashkafic -- ethical, philosophical
Tefillin -- Phylacteries
Chiddush -- newness
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion (#201). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Fasting on Tisha B'Av: Is It For Everyone? The other halachic
portions for Parshas Pinchas from the Commuter Chavrusah Series
are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
