Sunday, February 25, 2007

Derush on Chur karpas usecheiles

Here is a real Derush. Chur karpas usecheiles achuz bechavlei vutz veargaman al gelilei chesef veamudei sheish mitos zahav vachesef al ritzfas vahat vasheish vedar vesocheres. The word chur alluded to cheirus, freedom, i.e. the Exodus from Egypt. The liberation was from karpas, as the commentators writes that the word karpas is an acrostic for the words perech shishim, back-breaking labor of six hundred thousand Jews. Techeiles alludes to the death of the first-born, as Rashi at the end of Parashas Shelach writes that the word techeiles is derived from the word shikul (Taf in Aramaic and Shin in Hebrew are interchangeable) which means bereavement. Achuz is spelled aleph ches vav zayin. The ches alludes to the eight day of milah, as the Jewish People were circumcised upon their exodus from Egypt. The aleph and zayin spell the word az, which alludes to the Az Yashir that the Jewish People sang by the Sea. The words bechavlei vutz allude to the Medrash that states that what a maidservant witnessed by the Sea, even the great prophet Yechezkel Ben Buzi did not witness. The letters tzadi and zayin are interchangeable. Rashi quotes the Medrash that a maidservant witnessed what the prophets did not witness. The word bechavlei alludes to a group of prophets, as it is said (Shmuel I 10:5) vihi chevoacha sham hair ufagata chevel haneviim, it shall be that when you encounter a band of prophets descending from the High Place. The word veargaman can be scrambled to read ogeir man, they stored the manna, an allusion to the manna that the Jewish People received in the Wilderness. The words al gelilei chesef alludes to the giving of the Torah. The Gemara in Shabbos states that a certain Galilean expounded upon the receiving of the Torah. The word gelilei thus alludes to that Galilean. The word chesef alludes to the desire that HaShem had in giving the Jewish People the Torah. The words veamudei sheish allude to the Gemara in Shabbos 88a that states that it is said (Bereishis 1:31) vayehi erev vayehi voker yom hashishi, and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Why does it say hashishi, the sixth day, whereas regarding all the other days of creation it is said echod, one, sheini, two? This teaches us that the whole world was suspended until the Jewish People accepted the Torah on the sixth day of Sivan. Thus, the word amudei, pillars, alludes to the idea that the foundations of the world were suspended, until sheish, the sixth day of Sivan, when the Jewish People accepted the Torah. The words mitos zahav vachesef, couches of gold and sliver, allude to the sin of the Golden Calf. The word mitah, translated as bed, can be read motah, which means falter, as it is said (Tehillim 94:18) im amarti matah ragli, if I said, “My foot falters.” This alludes to the sin of the Golden Calf, when the Jewish People faltered in their trust in Hashem, and they fashioned an idol of gold and silver. The next words al ritzfas bahat vasheish allude to the atonement for the Golden Calf. The word ritzfas is similar to ratzon, appeasement, as HaShem was appeared on Yom Kippur and He forgave the Jewish People for their sin. Furthermore, it is said (Yeshaya 6:6) vayaf eilay echod min haserafim uveyado ritzpah, one of the Seraphim flew to me and in his hand was a coal. Thus, the word ritzfas can allude to the idea that the path to repentance is by one having a fiery enthusiasm for mitzvos. The word bahat has the word hat, which means incline (see Tehillim 119:36) and this alludes to the idea that the Jewish People turned to HaShem with repentance. Then their sins became sheish, translated as linen, as it is said (Yeshaya 1:18) im yihyu chateiechem kashanim yalbinu, if your sins are like scarlet they will become white as snow. The word vedar is similar to the word deror, which means freedom. On Yom Kippur HaShem forgave the Jewish People and they were so to speak free again, as the one who studies Torah is truly a free man. The word vesocheres can allude to Sukkos, which is referred to in the Torah (Shemos 34:22) as the tekufas hashanah, the changing of the year. The sefarim write that the word tekufah alludes to the hakafos, circles that we perform at Simchas Bais Hashoeva and on Simchas Torah. The word vesocheres contains the root word sochar, which in Aramaic means circle. According to the Vilna Gaon, HaShem restored the Clouds of Glory on Sukkos, and this was another sign that the Jewish People had gained atonement. The word for atonement is mechilah, and another word for circle dances is machol (see Gemara end of Taanis). Thus, this entire verse alludes to the time period beginning with the Exodus from Egypt through Yom Kippur when the Jewish People gained atonement for their sin with the Golden Calf. I would just like to add that I saw in the Maggid Meisharim, where the malach spoke to the Bais Yosef, a different approach in derush regarding this verse.

No comments: