Welcome to the Mussar HaTorah Podcast where we learn to be the best version of ourselves through the Mussar we can find in the weekly Parsha. This is Season 1; Episode 2: Parshas Pinchas 5784.One of the things we see in this parsha are the various korbanos musaf that we are required to bring on various holidays. For the Chag of Succos we see an interesting thing the number of cows starts at 13 and decreases by 1 until we get to the last days at 7 cows. Rashi (29:36) quotes a midrash which tells us that the Torah is teaching us the proper way for hosting a guest at your home. Just like the number of sacrafices goes down, there should also be a decline in the type of food offered to the guest. You start with the best things and eventually you serve the guest just vegetables.Why should this be the proper way to treat a guest? *Rav Sholomo Wolbe* gives an explaination from Rav Avroham Grodzinski. This is teaching how we should make a guest feel comfortable and part of the family.At first you have the guest in your dining room where you eat only on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Slowly the guest becomes a member of the family eating what they eat and in a more intimate setting like the kitchen table. There are many opportunities for chesed which need a deft hand so that the person being helped is left with a good feeling. For example: Reuven needs help but it too embarassed to ask for a donation or a loan. Shimon, his good friend, came up with a plan to help Reuven. While visiting Reuven, Shimon starting acting nervously. Reuven asked him what was wrong and Shimon replied that there was an elderly man who he visted that had just passed away. The man had given him a large sum of money to give out to people who needed funds. Shimon was nervous to carry around so much money and he wasn't sure if he would be able to distribute it effectivly. Reuven told him not to worry because he needed the exact amount that Shimon had on him. When Shimon gave him the money, it was Reuven who thought he was doing the big favor!It doesn't matter if you are hosting a total stranger or helping out a good friend. The meaning of chesed is helping a someone in a way that will make them feel comfortable and at east.Have a wonderful Shabbos! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit notarabbi.substack.com

Welcome to the Mussar HaTorah Podcast where we learn to be the best version of ourselves through the Mussar we can find in the weekly Parsha. This is Season 1; Episode 1: Parshas Balak 5784.In the parsha we have amazing scene of Billam having a conversation with his donkey.Where the donkey rebuked Billam because he had a lack of appreciation for everything the donkey did for him. Billam was couldn't come up with a reply to what the donkey told him. Rashi here says that the donkey died right after this because it would be too much of an embarassment for Billam if the donkey stayed alive. If the donkey stayed alive people would point to it and say "This is the donkey that slienced the great prophet Billam"There is a midrash in Bereshis Rabbah (93:10) where Abba Kohen Bardela says about Billam not being able to reply to the donkey "Woe to us on the day of judgement; woe to us on the day of rebuke!". Just like Billam was shamed when had no justification for what his donkey say, so to every person will be shamed when they are called into account for their actions.*Rav Henach Leibowitz (Z"L)* asks the following question. Why did the donkey have to die, this would have been a perfect reminder and an educational tool. People would see the donkey and remember to do teshuva so they are not embarassed on their day of judgement? Was it worth losing this example just to spare Billam HaRasha his dignity?Rav Henach answers by the donkey needing to die we see how careful we need to be when it comes to honoring and respecting another person. Even a rasha like Billam who wanted to curse and destroy HaShem's chosen people, deserved to have his dignity preserved because he was still a human being. Even if we would lose this great example and lesson! We need to bend over backward to give everyone, friends and enemies alike, the respect they deserve.There are time where we are involved in something very important for ourselves or for the rabim and someone may have their honor or feelings slighted while we are accomplishing our goal. We are tempted to say "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" and we would think this is something that is justified to do. However, according to Rashi the ends **do not** justify the means and when if comes to people's honor is at stake. Have a good Shabbos! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit notarabbi.substack.com