BAIS HAVAAD ON THE PARSHA 5773~ PARSHAS KI SISA ~WHO IS A MISHUMED

In this week's parsha we read about the episode in which Moshe sees the Jewish people serving the eigel and then breaks the luchos. The Gemara (Shabbos 87a) explains that Moshe reasoned that if the Torah forbids a mumar to eat from the Pesach offering, then certainly a mumar shouldn't receive the entire Torah, the essence of which is contained in the luchos. Tosfos questions this reasoning because disqualifying a mumar from eating the korban pesach isn't detrimental. Preventing a mumar from learning Torah, however, is very detrimental because it will prevent the mumar from possibly doing teshuva and returning to Hashem. The Sefer Erech Moshe explains that the reason why a mumar may not eat the korban pesach is because the korban pesach is a gift from Hashem and it is unbecoming for one who is distant from Hashem to eat from it. So too, the luchos are called the "luchos of testimony" because, as Rabeinu Bachye explains, they testify that Hashem's shechina is among the Jewish People. It follows, therefore, that one who is a mumar is not worthy of having the luchos as Hashem's shechina is not among such people. If a mumar can't even eat the korban pesach then he certainly can't have the shechina reside with him!(AUDIO HERE) PRINT VERSION CLICK HERE.