Shiur Lag B’Omer, 5780. May 12, 2020.
ויקרא פרק כא
א-וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, אֱמֹר אֶל-הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן; וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם, לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא-יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו. ב כִּי, אִם-לִשְׁאֵרוֹ, הַקָּרֹב, אֵלָיו: לְאִמּוֹ וּלְאָבִיו, וְלִבְנוֹ וּלְבִתּוֹ וּלְאָחִיו
י וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו אֲשֶׁר-יוּצַק עַל-רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה, וּמִלֵּא אֶת-יָדוֹ, לִלְבֹּשׁ, אֶת-הַבְּגָדִים–אֶת-רֹאשׁוֹ לֹא יִפְרָע, וּבְגָדָיו לֹא יִפְרֹם. יא וְעַל כָּל-נַפְשֹׁת מֵת, לֹא יָבֹא: לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ, לֹא יִטַּמָּא.
Kohen Hedyot, first the mother. Kohen Godol, first the father. Why?
1- Women live shorter lives than men!
2- Rebbe’s question to the Rogatchover.
אגרות קודש א, ה . Why the Ramban ‘creates’ a new reason ‘the woman matures earlier than a man due to their shorter life span’.
The Rogatchover’s response.
רשימות קד It’s based on the percentage of their total lives.
3-The שבטים had twin sisters that passed away before the שבטים.
ולדברי האומר תאומות נולדו עם השבטים צריכים אנו לומר שמתו לפני ירידתן למצרים, שהרי לא נמנו כאן.
12 women passed away earlier than their twin brothers.
4- Kohen Godol question. לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ. Why?
Who passed away first? עמרם or יוכבד?
Reb Aron Levin suggests that although Aharon did not have any parents alive at the time this commandment was given to him, nevertheless, he lost his father prior to his mother. Therefore is says לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ!
Reb Aharon Levin. Grandfather of Nat Lewin.
Are we sure that Aharon’s father, Amram, passed away before his mother, Yocheved?
Yocheved was 130 when Moshe was born and 127 when Aharon was born.
[Parenthetically – Why was Moshe’s birth considered a miracle (for Yocheved) when just three years earlier Yocheved gave birth to Aharon?]
5- The famous Eldad and Medad. They were half brothers to Moshe and Aharon! How?
Who were Eldad and Medad’s parents?
Three opinions:
1- פרקי דרבי אליעזר
Eldad and Medad were Yocheved’s children. She married Elazar Ben Parnoch after Amram passed away
2-
תרגום יונתן בן עוזיאל במדבר יא, כו.
Yocheved’s children. She married Elazar Ben Parnoch during the 3 year interval of her divorce from Amram!
3-
Amram’s children!
Amram divorced Yocheved after Matan Torah because she was his aunt! He remarried and had E&M. Quotes a Reb Hillel who saw their tombstones: ‘Eldad and Medad half brothers of Aharon from their father and not from their mother’.
According to #1, Yocheved lived longer than Amron. Thus לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ!
See also here.
5-
ויקרא כה, נה. כִּי-לִי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, עֲבָדִים–עֲבָדַי הֵם, אֲשֶׁר-הוֹצֵאתִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.
[תהילים, פא, ז. הֲסִירוֹתִי מִסֵּבֶל שִׁכְמוֹ; כַּפָּיו, מִדּוּד תַּעֲבֹרְנָה.
רש”י – “מדוד” – מעבודת עבדות לבשל קדירות כדרך שאר העבדים…..
I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the cauldron.
Ancient hieroglyphics show slaves handling boiling cauldrons.]
ב”מ י, א. והאמר רב פועל יכול לחזור בו אפי’ בחצי היום……. דכתיב כי לי בני ישראל עבדים עבדי
הם ולא עבדים לעבדים
No Jew can ever be an eternal slave. Workers have a right to quit in the middle of their jobs! But they need to compensate their boss for any loss incurred.
תוס’ ד”ה כי לי בנ”י.? How is someone allowed to work for someone else?
Answer: A hired worker/laborer can always quit! So he’s not a slave. On the other hand a slave cannot quit.
A Jew cannot be a slave, since slaves can’t quit. But one can be hired as a worker since he can always quit.
Meaning: There is a difference between a ‘worker/laborer/employee’ to a slave. עבד ושכיר
The Mordechai’s opinion.
דברים טו, יח לֹא-יִקְשֶׁה בְעֵינֶךָ, בְּשַׁלֵּחֲךָ אֹתוֹ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ–כִּי מִשְׁנֶה שְׂכַר שָׂכִיר, עֲבָדְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים; וּבֵרַכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה.
When you do set him [the slave] free, do not feel aggrieved; for in the six years he has given you double the service of a hired man. Moreover, the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
The Mordechai’s opinion is that a slave, who is enslaved for 6 years, is a slave for twice time of a hired worker.
So the definition of a שכיר is one that works for one employer a maximum of 3 years – only! Therefore he reasons, working for 3 years max as a worker is fine. You are a שכיר.
Once you go into the fourth year, you enter the realm of a slave, עבד , which is prohibited.
This opinion is quoted by the Ramo and the Alter Rebbe.
As many participants pointed out, this prohibition seems to be only for workers that live/work permanently for more than three years in the home of their employers.
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