----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Rabbi Moshe Revah" <htcnews@htc.edu>To: "mates57564@aol.com" <mates57564@aol.com>Sent: Thu, Jan 18, 2024 at 4:00 PMSubject: Dvar Torah from the Rosh HaYeshiva
Dear Yeshiva Family:
In this week's parshah, the very first mitzvah (given in commandment form) is introduced. This is the mitzvah of "Kiddush HaChodesh," the mitzvah of setting up the Jewish calendar by determining, declaring, and thereby sanctifying Rosh Chodesh, the new month. A lunar month can either be 29 or 30 days and each month Bais Din (the Rabbinical court) would determine, based on testimony on the position of the moon, whether the month would last 29 or 30 days. Unlike Shabbos, which comes weekly regardless of Bais Din's involvement, the kedusha, holiness, of Rosh Chodesh—and subsequently, the kedusha of the Yomim Tovim, determined based on the days of the month—wait for Bais Din's determination to sanctify the day.
(Prior to the dissolution of the Bais Din, the great sage 'Hillel' [circa 350 CE] sanctified all future Roshei Chodoshim until the coming of Moshiach, out of concern that we would not be able to perform this mitzvah monthly).
Why was this mitzvah chosen as the first mitzvah given to Klal Yisrael? What is the special significance of sanctifying the new moon that even while we were still in Mitzrayim, years away from performing this mitzvah properly with a Bais Din in Eretz Yisrael, it was nevertheless deemed vital to be given to Klal Yisrael at that time? Why was it so important for us to have this mitzvah immediately upon becoming a nation?
A possible approach is that in this mitzvah we see the incredible power Hashem gave to Klal Yisrael through the Torah. Through this mitzvah, Bais Din has the ability to control the days and months of the year. The ability to declare a day to be a holy day, and thus the starting date of Pesach would follow two weeks later, means that the power to invest those days with all of the tremendous kedusha of Yom Tov is in our hands. The Medrash relates that on Rosh Hashana, Hashem waits in shamayim for Bais Din to say "Today is Rosh Hashana" in order to start the judgement of Rosh Hashana.
A similar power is given to Bais Din to invest a physical space with kedusha. Bais Din has the power to add onto the area of the Bais Hamikdash if required. A space that just yesterday was not holy can today be imbued with kedusha through the power of Bais Din.
Herein lies the power of Torah Sheba'al Peh, the oral Torah: the power of delivering a ruling. Torah was given to Klal Ysrael, and the way we rule and explain it becomes the truth. If Bais Din declares a specific day to be Rosh Chodesh, it becomes the law and the truth, even if a different calculation could have been made. This is the power invested in the Chachamim who learn and teach the Torah.
This power is not relegated only to setting the calendar. The Torah commands us to listen to the ruling of Bais Din even if it appears completely wrong, for once they have ruled on something, that becomes the law and it becomes part of Torah.
When there is a dispute amongst the earlier authorities, we say "eilu veilu divrei Elokim Chayim," that both opinions are the words of Hashem. But how can both be right? You can't be exempt and liable at the same time. You can't be tamei and tahor, pure and impure, at the same time. The answer is that Torah was given to this world and if a scholar came to a legitimate conclusion using Torah methodology, be it the original intent or not, then his conclusion has the power of Torah, and therefore both opinions are henceforth considered Torah, even though one opinion may be accepted as final law to be followed in practice, for Torah was given to us!
It is possible that the reason why this mitzvah was given first was to kindle a spirit of hope in the fledgling Jewish nation. We had just come out of more than two hundred years of slavery, were being introduced to Torah, and were beginning to develop our Mesorah (traditions). Hashem wanted us to be confident in ourselves. This Mitzvah gave us the message of Hashem's confidence in us, "Look at the power that you can have if you learn and carry out Torah properly". This confidence in ourselves is integral to learning Torah and being a healthy Jew.
I believe that one of the biggest problems facing some of our struggling youth is not the lack of belief in Torah or the Chachamim, but the lack of belief in themselves. A student who may be quick to allow a distraction to his own learning might still say they would never do anything to disrupt the learning of someone like Rav Chaim Kanievski, zt"l. This demonstrates that they know Torah is important, even if they don't yet feel their learning is at that same high level. Now if these students knew that their learning, if done with the same effort, even if not the same level of scholarship, is as precious to Hashem as Rav Chaim's Torah, they would feel incredibly excited to learn! This message of lack of personal confidence was certainly plaguing Klal Yisrael back in Mitzrayim; the message Hashem sent them with this first mitzvah was the message of how amazing they could be if they just tried. Believe in yourselves and you can change the world. That burst of confidence is what Klal Yisrael needed to start their journey as a nation on their way to receive the Torah.
May we merit to use this power Hashem has invested in us for the good, believing in ourselves and utilizing the power invested in us to learn Torah and to increase our dedication to a Torah life.
Rabbi Moshe Revah
Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah
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