Newsletter Parshas Tzav in memory of the 8 bochurim of Mercaz Harav zt"l

B"H

Q & A on the Parsha

Pasuk: And the Cohen shall don his fitted linen tunic...and he shall remove the ashes(Shmos 6:3)
Question: What is the significance of the mitzva of removing the ashes from the altar?
Answer: When a person sins, he must offer a korban and also do teshuva. He regrets his past and resolves to be better in the future. According to Halocha(Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 228:4) it is forbidden to remind a penitent of his past. The Torah alludes to this with the mitzva of the removal of the ashes. After the karban has been sacrificed on the alter, only the ashes are left. Removing, the ashes teaches us that a person can start over with a clean slate, with no trace remaining of sin
Pasuk: And the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace-offering; on the day of his offering it shall be eaten(Shmos 7:15)
Question: Ussually an offering of lesser sanctity(kadashim kallim) such as the karban shelamim-peace offering-may be eaten for two days and one night; Why is the karban toda-thanksgiving peace offering-limited to one day and the succeding night?
Answer: A thanksgiving peace-offering is brought in recognition of a miracle that was done by Hashem on behalf of the individual. Miracles happen daily and continuously, as we say in the Amidah "and for the miracles which are with us daily," Limiting the time when the karban toda may be eaten teaches that each day one should see and appreciate the new miracles Hashem constantly performs on his behalf.
Pasuk: And Aharon and his sons did all the things which G-d commanded through Moshe(Shmos 8:36)
Question: Rashi writes "This declares their praise that they did not turn to the right or to the left" What kind of praise is this for such distinguished spiritual luminaries, that they fulfilled the will of Hashem?
Answer: Often when a person is asked to be a shliach tzibur or to deliever a Torah thought, he humbly shakes his head, expressing a sense of unworthiness. By moving his head to the left and to the right, he is in effect sying "who am I to perform such a prominant task?"
The praise of Aharon and his sons was that when they received a command, they immediately set out to do it without moving their heads "to the right and to the left", demonstrating pseudo-humility and expecting to be prevailed upon a second time.

Chassidic Thought for the Week:

Regard yourself as nothing, as the Gemara (Sotah 21b) interprets the verse "Wisdom shall be found from 'nothing.'" (Job 28:12).This means that you are to regard yourself as if you are not in this world, thus "what is there to gain from people esteeming you?"

Halachos of the Week: Laws of Rosh Chodesh

On Rosh Chodesh it is permitted to perform melacha(work) and women who have a custom not to perform any work is a good minhag(custom)

Laws of fasting on Rosh Chodesh:
1: Its forbidden to fast on Rosh Chodesh
2: We don't decree a fast on the community on Rosh Chodesh Chanuk and Purim and if it was decreed to fast a certain amount of days we start them before Rosh Chodesh.
3: If an individual took upon themself to fast a certain amount of days and Rosh Chodesh came up or if he took upon himself to fast on Rosh Chodesh, if he accepted the fast in the language of taking upon yourself the fast he doesn't need a hatara(permission), but if he accpeted it in the language of "Harai alai" which is the language of promises he needs a hatars chocham(permission from a Rabbi not to fast)

General:
* Its a mitzva to increae your meal on Rosh Chodesh(festive meal)
* We mention yaale v'yavo in bentching and if one forgot we don't remind him. If he remembered before he started the brocha of "hatov v'maitiv" he says boruch shenosan(shenatan) roshei chodashim l'amo yisroel l'zikaron.

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