Parshas Tzav
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
The name of this week's Torah portion is Tzav, which means "command", and the very first commandment discussed in the portion is that of the Olah, or elevation-offering, that was brought up on the Altar and whose meat was burned in its entirety.
Most of the Torah's commandments regarding the sacrificial offerings were introduced with Omarta, say, or Daber, speak. The Sages explain that the stronger term Tzav, command, implies that those who are being commanded are being urged to be especially zealous in performing this mitzvah, and that this urging must be repeated constantly to ensure its continuity in future generations. The Sages add that this exhortation is especially relevant to commandments that involve a monetary loss, such as the “elevation-offering†of this passage.
The Maharaâ€l, in his commentary Gur Aryeh, explains the “monetary loss†associated with the olah-offering. He writes that that in order to perform the sacrificial service, Kohanim (priests) must give up their regular means of earning a livelihood. This financial sacrifice is more keenly felt in the case of an elevation-offering, from which the Kohanim receive nothing, since all of its meat is burned on the Altar.
The truth is that nothing has really changed much today – and any mitzvah which involves a “monetary loss†– be it tuition for Jewish Day School, buying food for Passover, or just plain Tzedakah (charity) – is hard to get Jews to do, as it was to get the Kohanim to perform the service of the elevation-offering in the Tabernacle.
To prove my point, I have four short – and humorous – stories to share with you, all of which illustrate in one way or another how difficult it can sometimes be to pull money out of people, today as in ancient times, even though it might be for a very good cause.
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The first story is one that my great-uncle Reb Yehoshua Baumol HYâ€D told about his late Rabbi and Torah teacher, Rabbi Meir Shapiro ZTâ€L (1887-1933), Chief Rabbi of Lublin and Dean of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, when the latter was on a fund-raising campaign for his yeshivah:
A wealthy individual who had long strayed from the Torah's path sat in his palatial living room, listening to Rabbi Meir Shapiro's request for money for the yeshivah. His face took on an expression of boredom and indifference as Rabbi Meir launched into a long speech extolling the virtues of the boys who sit in yeshivah day and night learning Torah, and the rewards of those who support them, enabling them to study without any material worries. With a wave of his hand, the haughty man interrupted, "Listen here Rabbi, you're wasting your words. I have no connection to yeshivos and their students. I never learned in a yeshivah and neither did my sons, and I sincerely hope that my grandchildren too will never do something so superfluous." "So you consider yourself worse than Haman (the wicked villain in the Purim story), I see", shot back R' Meir. Confused, the man was taken aback. "How do I consider myself worse than Haman?" "It says in the Talmud that Haman's grandchildren studied Torah [at a yeshivah] in Bnei Brak," replied R' Meir, "and here you are saying that your grandchildren will never do so — surely you don’t think that you’re worse than Haman?" Left with nothing to answer, the man donated a large sum for the yeshivah. [story courtesy of www.chareidi.org ]
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Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman ZTâ€L (1886–1969) was the founder of the ultra-Orthodox, world-renowned Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, a suburb of Tel Aviv. During his world travels, Kahaneman raised funds to establish many Jewish schools. Upon arriving in one city, he heard about a phenomenally wealthy local Jew. Rabbi Kahaneman told a friend that he intended to solicit him. "It's a waste of time," his friend told him. "The man is violently anti-Orthodox. The moment he sees your long beard and coat, he won't give you a penny." Sure enough, when Rabbi Kahaneman met with the man, he proved to be as hostile to Orthodoxy as his friend had predicted. "But surely," Rabbi Kahaneman entreated, "you want to help Jewish youngsters get a good education?" "I'll tell you what," the man said. "Since education matters so much to you, let me make you an offer. I will give you all the money you need to build a Jewish elementary school, on one condition. The students are forbidden to wear a head-covering at any time, even when they study Torah or make a blessing before eating." "And if I accept this condition," Rabbi Kahaneman answered, "you will personally donate all the money that's needed." The man laughed. "That sort of Jewish school, I'll be happy to build." Rabbi Kahaneman extended a hand. "Agreed." A year later, the man was invited to come to the school's opening. On top of the beautiful building, a large sign proclaimed: "The New Bnei Brak School for Girls" [story excerpted from http://ascentofsafed.com/ ]
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Rabbi Fischel Schachter relates an amusing story that happened when he was accompanying the famous Maggid (itinerant preacher) of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky ZTâ€L (1920-2014), on a fund-raising canvass for his yeshivah:
“We came to one house and Rabbi Galinsky knocked on the door. A little boy opened the door. Rabbi Galinsky asked if Reb Baruch was home. The little boy said, ‘My father said he’s not home.’ Rabbi Galinsky, undeterred, called into the house, ‘Baruch, oh, Baruch! If when you are home, you are not home, what will be when you will actually not be home?’ Suddenly, Baruch came home. I watched from the sidelines as the two sparred with each other. ‘You don’t have an appointment!’ ‘Of course I don’t! When a fisherman goes out to catch fish, does he make an appointment with the fish?’ After further argument and counterargument, Baruch charged that today’s yeshivah students don’t even know the Aseres Hadibros (the Ten Commandments). ‘I see that two of the Aseres Hadibros you know and practice very well,’ responded Rabbi Galinsky. ‘Yeah? Which ones?’, Baruch asked, defiantly. The first two commandments ‘Anochi’ and ‘Lo yihyeh lecha’, answered Rabbi Galinsky, with a big smile on his face’. Eventually, Rabbi Galinsky walked out with an impressive check…
[Ed. Note: The First Commandment, which begins with the word ‘Anochi’, means ‘I am G-d’. The Second Commandment, which begins with the words ‘Lo yihyeh lecha’, literally means ‘you shall not have any …’ Thus Rabbi Galinsky was saying to Reb Baruch, ‘You must know and practice well the first two commandments, because when people ask you for tzedakah (charity), you act like you think you’re G-d, and you tell them ‘you shall not have any’!]
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Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky told Rabbi Schachter about yet another ‘comical’ story that happened to him on a fund-raising mission for his yeshivah when the homeowner answered very graciously that they were in the middle of a Sheva Berachos (celebratory meal during the seven days following the wedding when special blessings are recited in honor of the bride and groom):
“Perhaps the Rabbi would like to come in as a surprise speaker. Would the Rabbi mind waiting in the back patio? I will call you when we are ready. The Rabbi agreed. The problem was that the patio was poorly lit and the host neglected to inform the Rabbi about his backyard pool. The splash was very loud. To compensate, the man offered a really large donation. Rabbi Galinsky jokingly asked him if he could jump in a second time, but no, that wouldn’t add any zeros to the check. Rabbi Galinsky told the embarrassed and apologetic host not to feel bad, as his custom was to immerse himself in a mikveh before speaking. ‘Really?’, asked the host, ‘Since when does the Rabbi have this custom?’ ‘It started tonight’, replied Rabbi Galinsky.
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=610