לעלוי נשמת חנוך בן אברהם”ויקרא ה’ אל משה וידבר אליו מאהל מועד“

“And He Called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting…” (Vayikra 1:1). At the beginning of Parshat Vayikra, we find the above verse, which recounts the first of many exchanges between Hashem and Moshe in Sefer Vayikra. In the actual Torah scroll, the letter Aleph in the word “Vayikra” is smaller then most other letters written in the Torah. Why would such an anomaly appear next to a normal, even mundane conversation? The Ba’al Ha’Turim answers that the Aleph was miniaturized in order to pacify Moshe. Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu had planned to write the word “Vayikra – And He called” when introducing Moshe’s encounter with Hashem. Moshe, however, wanted the Ribbono Shel Olam to write “Vayikar – And He happened upon.” Moshe found this phrase more befitting since he felt it improper to say that G-d had gone looking for Moshe, a mere mortal. In an act of compromise, when Moshe wrote down the Torah, he made the Aleph unusually small to tell the reader he had wanted it to be “Vayikar.” Many like to point out that the Aleph also serves a symbolic purpose. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; one could say that it is the “leader” of all the other letters in the holiest language in the world. Similarly, Moshe was the head of Klal Yisrael, the holiest nation in the world, but, being the Anav that he was, he always wanted to belittle his significance. Therefore, the Torah changed the size of the Aleph to convey the great humility that Moshe possessed despite the fact that he was the greatest person in the history of Am Yisrael. Even though Moshe tried to make it appear as if he were a mere flash in history, everyone today knows that Moshe was the most crucial human being when it came to making Bnei Yisrael into the great nation it became. That fact will never be forgotten, but sometimes Moshe’s humility can make people forget just how important he really was. In fact, the Midrashim on the Megilah, which we will read next week, tell a story in which Moshe is momentarily overlooked. When Haman tries to pick a month when the Jews do not have good Mazal, he selects Adar despite the fact that Moshe, the greatest leader of Am Yisrael, was born in that month. Ultimately, Moshe’s Zechut contributes to the success of the Jews and Haman’s undoing. One of the hardest dilemmas that pertains to executing the Midah of Anavah is that being humble often means that people cannot always show off their talents. This is not to say that we can never do anything that makes us look good, but we are told to be careful to not showcase ourselves excessively. Understandably, it can be hard to hold back and give the limelight to someone else. The logic behind this behavior makes sense: If one is always flaunting his abilities, he may seem arrogant to those around him. Nevertheless, it can still be hard to put into practice. Maybe there is some consolation in the story of Moshe; we can look to him and see that even the humblest of individuals is still remembered today. Recently, Klal Yisrael lost a true Anav, Mr. Art Thurman, who was a prime example of Moshe-esque humility. Mr. Thurman, a teacher of mine and many of my peers, embodied the “sharing the limelight” philosophy so much that he practically had none left for himself. His talents in and outside the classroom were often overlooked because he was on a selfless mission to expose the gifts of his students. He was a person that would have wanted a small Aleph. B’Zechuto, may we find the strength to suppress our desire to show ourselves off so that we can show off the greatness of those around us.

Editor-in-Chief: Ariel Amsellem ’15

Senior Editor:Eitan Meisels ’15

Michael Somekh ’15

Managing Editors:Jack Levkowitz ’17

Eitan Tennenbaum ’17

Layout Editor: Yair Fax ’14

Marketing: Yosef Hier ’16

Asher Naghi ’14

Distributors:Mitchell Silberberg ’14

Michael Lazovsky ’14

Jordan Lustman ’15

Staff Advisor:Rabbi Arye Sufrin

In Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi לע”נ יעקב אליהו בן אליהו הכהן In Memory of Mr. Max Glass לע”נ שמואל מרדכי בן שלמה זאב יוסף

ליקוטי אורA publication of YULA Boys High School

Likutei Ohr

Our sages say that the precedent for the three Tefillot of the day comes from each of our Avot. Parshat Va’era gives us the source for Tefillat Shacharit. It originated from the patriarch Avraham. Avraham wakes up in the morning and sees what Hashem has done to Sedom, and then "Avraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Hashem" (Bereshit 19:27). The Gemara explains that the word “stood” indicates that Avraham had prayed there.

The Gemara later explains that Yitzchak is the source for Mincha. When Yitzchak went out to the field before his first meeting with his bride to be, Rivkah, the verse states, "And Yitzchak went to meditate in the field” (Bereshit 24:63). The Gemara explains that “meditate,” like “stood,” is a reference to Tefillah.

Finally, the Tefillah of Arvit originated from our patriarch Ya’akov. When he was escaping from his wicked brother Eisav, the Torah writes, "And he arrived at the place" (Bereshit 28:11). The Gemara explains that "arrived" refers to Tefillah.

From these Pasukim in the Torah we derive that the 3 Avot were the foundations of our daily Tefillot.

Tefillah Gems Joshua Partovi ’17

Parshat VayikraMore than Just a Letter Editor - in - Chief Ariel Amsellem ’15

The Flame of Our

Ancestors

“In all your ways know Him, and He will straighten your

paths.”

- Mishlei 3:6

Volume III : Issue IVThe Pamphlet of Light

YULA Boys High School Nagel Family Campus 9760 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 Tel: 310.203.3180

In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Vayikra, we find the discussion on a man’s obligation to bring Korbanot, sacrifices: “When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice to the Lord; from animals, from cattle or from the flock you shall bring your sacrifice.” In the first part of this Pasuk, the second verse of this week’s Parsha, the Torah uses the singular word, “Yakriv,” which translates to, “He brings.” Yet, the second half of the Pasuk writes this verb in the plural form, “Takrivu,” which means, “You (plural) shall bring.” Why is there a change from the singular to the plural when the Torah discusses bringing an offering? The reason the passage begins in the singular form is because normally when a man sins, he believes that his transgressions only impact himself. However, the Torah changes the word to plural to teach us that one’s actions affect everyone and everything around him. A sin does not only affects the sinner, but it also affects the people around the sinner. This important lesson about the consequences of an individual’s actions can be viewed in a parable of passengers on a ship. If one commuter were to bore a hole under his seat, he could protest, “This is my business under my seat.” Yet, his “personal” hole will cause the entire ship, along with all its passengers, to sink. So too, if one man sins gravely all of Klal Yisrael collectively “sinks” to some degree.

The reverse is also true. One person’s Mitzvot and repentance will not only elevate himself as an individual, but they will uplift and enrich the entire community and Jewish nation as a whole.

Therefore, the Pasuk begins with the singular and concludes with the plural to remind us that our families and communities are only as strong as the individuals who create them. This is an important lesson to bear in mind in order to assist in finding meaning and validity in our lives. We often wonder if our sins or good deeds have such an impact on the people around us, and Parshat Vayikra reminds us that through every word that we speak and every action that we do, we have the power to either elevate or demean the world. If we keep that in mind, we will find it easier to meet life’s challenges with honor and dignity.

The Consequences of Our ActionsNoam Gershov ’17

Needing and Pleasing Joshua Resin ’17In Parshat Vayikra, Hashem tells Moshe how the sacrifices are to be offered. This subject brings up the question of why Hashem, a

spiritual and omnipotent entity, would command Bnei Yisrael to sacrifice mere physical animals on an altar? The Rambam explains that in Egypt Am Yisrael had acquired a desire to sacrifice offerings like the Egyptians had. Hashem

understood that this desire needed to be channeled so that rather than having sacrifices contribute to Avodah Zarah, they would offer Korbanot in honor of Hashem. The Ramban displays a different understanding: he insists that sacrifices existed for many years, even before the Mitzriyim adopted the practice. He maintains that sacrifices provided a way for the Jewish people to experience their connection with Hashem and created an opportunity for them to reflect upon the unique relationship that they have with the Ribbono Shel Olam. 

Chazal teach us that since we do not understand why Korbanot should be brought, and we know Hashem does not need physical offerings, it seems counter-intuitive for Bnei Yisrael to bring them. Yet, it is this fact that we do not understand sacrifices but still preform them that explains why these offerings are described as “pleasing to Hashem.”

The Gemara says that since we no longer bring Korbanot, Tefillah replaces the offerings that we should be bringing to Hashem. We each have a unique opportunity to create our own Korbanot through prayer. In the same way that we have difficulty understanding the purpose and power of Korbanot, it is a challenge to understand the purpose behind prayer. Hashem does not need our prayer, but apparently Tefillah is a tool that we cannot live without. The power of Tefillah can be seen through the analogy of looking at something through a window. Everything outside the window is seen indirectly because of the partition between of the person between the exterior and the interior. Similarly, we must trust that our Tefillah has an impact even though only Hashem has the ability to see it directly without the “window barrier.” At first, physical sacrifices and Tefillah seem like silly offerings to Hashem but a deeper look reveals that they are really Hashem’s gifts to us, allowing us a way to connect with and please Him in order to enrich our lives and enhance our world.

On Shabbat morning, one may not eat before Shacharit, but he may drink water. Once Shacharit has begun, one can neither eat nor drink because that is when the Chiyuv for Kiddush begins. The Chiyuv of “Kiddush B’Makom Seudah” is that one cannot have a meal until after Shacharit and Kiddush are completed.

If someone is sick and must eat before Davening, even though we normally say “Lo Tochlu Al Hadam,” the person may eat in this scenario. The Biur Halacha writes that since a person in the above scenario is allowed to eat before Davening, the time for his Seudah comes very early in the morning. Therefore, in order to fulfill “Kiddush B’Makom Seudah,” making Kiddush in the place where one eats, he must say Kiddush before Shacharit. The Mishneh Berurah says that since it is Shabbat day, if one does not have wine or Chamar Ha’Medinah to make Kiddush, he is allowed to say Kiddush on Challah so that he can be permitted to eat his Seudah. This is a minority opinion, but we Paskin that one may make Kiddush on a Challah on Shabbat day.

If someone does not even have Challah, then he really has nothing with which to make Kiddush. How can a person make his Seudah then? If this happens on a Friday night, he should wait a few hours and try to get some Challah or wine from a friend or neighbor to make Kiddush on. If he cannot even do that, then on Friday night and Shabbat morning, he can eat even though he has not made Kiddush yet.

Halachic IlluminationsFrom Rabbi Nachum Sauer

Compiled By Jesse Hyman