Rabbi's Blog

The cliché "You never know what you have until it's gone" or "You don't know what you're missing until it's gone" is a basic premise the Baalei Mussar try to inject into our thinking. So often we have friends whom we love and are there for us and vice versa, but we never really appreciate the closeness until something happens. It's usually something bad as well. We take things, life and people for granted, expecting them to be there for us whenever we need them, forever. Rationally, we understand this can't be the case, but emotionally we want to hang on to this belief and hope forever.

This week's Parsha T'tzaveh has one hundred and one verses. In most Chumashim, at the end of every Parsha is the number of verses in that Parsha. In addition, a pneumonic word with the numerical value of Pesukim is also given. The name Michael (pronounced Mee-chaw-ale) is given, perhaps giving us some other insight to the Parsha. The word Micha-Ale means 'impoverished God. Why would Hashem feel impoverished at this time?

I would like to suggest it is because Moshe Rabbeinu is not mentioned in the Parsha. Many are familiar with the teaching that when Moshe defended the Jewish people after the sin of the golden calf he said, "If you eradicate the Jewish people, then erase me from your book". Hashem ultimately did not get rid of the Jewish people but nevertheless was forced to keep Moshe's word and threat. Hashem, therefore, left out Moshe's name from this week's portion, as T'tzaveh almost always occurs the week of Adar Seven, which is the day that Moshe died. Moshe was God's appointed leader for His people. Moshe was the man who got closest to Hashem, saw Him face to face on the mountain, and now Moshe is lost. The message Hashem is sending is He is impoverished, intensely feeling the death of Moshe Rabbeinu and the obvious omission of his name in the parsha.

The Vilna Gaon in his commentary on Chumash reveals a totally different angle in Moshe's absence from the Parsha. That which is missing from Moshe's name is one hundred and one! Letters in Hebrew are actually spelled out. For example, Mem is two Mem's , Shin is a shin, yud and nun, and the Hey is Hey and Aleph. The three letters of Moshe are Mem, Shin, and Hey. If you were to take away the letter 'mem' from that word you are left with a mem whose value is forty. If you take away the Shin, you are left with a yud and a nun, giving you sixty. If you take away the Hey, you are left with an aleph whose value is one. By removing the letters from Moshe's name we are left with 40+60+1=101. These numbers are hidden and only revealed after Moshe is taken away.

The lesson the Vilna Gaon teaches us is that the exterior of Moshe, his physical body, is no longer present. The holy physical body of Moshe that was dear to each and every person in Klal Yisrael is gone. Nevertheless, we are to be comforted knowing that the Penimius, the inside fiber of Moshe, the Ruchnius - his spirituality - is still here for now and for the future. Moshe's ruchniyus/spirituality is the part of himself that is missing by which we actually call him. In other words when we take away Moshe's physical name we are left with his spiritual name and essence. The name that he is called by - 'Moshe'- represents the outside of his being. That component of Moshe represents the Torah that he physically brought down from Har Sinai. That which remains from his name after he is gone is the application of the Torah that he taught. It reminds us who Moshe was as a person, leader, and defender of the Jewish people. Those lessons are still alive and well within us and will continue forever and ever, never be destroyed.

The final message of the number of Pesukim in this week's parsha of one hundred and one is the importance of review. Chazal teach us "there is no comparison reviewing something one hundred times to reviewing it one hundred and one times". There is something to be said about that extra time that a person goes over and reviews something. By reviewing one extra time the person is guaranteed not to forget that which he learned. A teacher's desire and dream is for his students to remember and not forget that which was taught. Moshe's title is Rabbeinu, our teacher. Moshe was the ultimate teacher/Rebbe that the Jewish people had. Moshe's desire as a teacher, probably greater than anyone else in the world, is to feel comforted knowing that his teachings are being followed.

The cliche 'You never know what you have until it's gone' only applies to physical things. Spiritual matters are permanent and are always here and accessible. The importance of life, to appreciate the things that are here and not only to feel sorrow when they are gone apply only to things that are truly no longer. Through Moshe we see that he represented not only the physical but the spiritual, and that lasts forever.

In conclusion, the great holiday of Purim always coincides with parshas T'tzaveh. The epitome of that which is seen versus that which is being hidden is found in the story of Purim. The name of Hashem is not clearly stated, although many references to Hashem are made. The name of the main character Hadassa is known to others as Esther, or Ishtar in Persian, meaning hidden. It is only through the hidden that we, the Jewish people, get to see the truly revealed. Things in the world which are Tzanua, modest, is seen as beautiful, not showing off everything and being open to all. Achashveirosh, by showing off all of his treasures and wanting to display his wife Vashti, is the antithesis of modesty, which led to their downfall.

Through the parsha of T'tzaveh and the story of Purim with the Megilla we should be blessed with that which is hidden to eventually be revealed to us in seeing God's revelation to the entire world.

Ah Gut Shabbos Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky