Parshas Tetzaveh - Measure for Measure

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Tetzaveh

Measure for Measure

By: Daniel Listhaus

וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת: וְאַתָּה תְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּאתִיו רוּחַ חָכְמָה וְעָשׂוּ אֶת בִּגְדֵי אַהֲרֹן לְקַדְּשׁוֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי

וְחֵשֶׁב אֲפֻדָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ מִמֶּנּוּ יִהְיֶה זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר

“You shall make garments of sanctity for Aharon your brother, for glory and for splendor. And you shall speak to each of the wise-hearted people whom I have invested with a spirit of wisdom, and they shall make the garments of Aharon, to sanctify him, so that he shall be a Kohen to Me.”

-Tetzaveh 28:2-3

“...[And] the cheishev with which he is beautified, which is above it, like its work, of it shall be of gold, turquoise wool, purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen.”

-Tetzaveh 28:8

            There is no doubt that the bigdei kehunah (special clothes that the kohanim had to wear) were spectacular and royal. When it comes to discussing the cheishev (belt), Rashi^[1] writes that the Kohen Gadol's cheishev was the belt above the eiphod (apron) which beautified and enhanced the Kohen, and adorned him.

            There are two issues with the way Rashi is explaining this passuk (verse). First, even though certainly one aspect of the bigdei kehunah was to make the kohen look prestigious, why is it that this aspect is stressed so much in the Torah and this Rashi? It sounds as if this was the most important fact of the bigdei kehunah. Second, this Rashi does not seem to flow so well. Rashi starts by explaining that the bigdei kehunah beautified and enhanced the kohen. Then, Rashi adds in as an after-thought that the bigdei kehunah also adorned him. Why does Rashi not list all three descriptions as part of the same series?

            However, there is an even more potent question, regarding the bigdei kehuna in general, which stems from an understanding of a story in the Gemara. The Gemara^[2] relates a story of a non-Jew who overheard someone teaching his talmidim (students) about the garments that the kohen gadol would wear. This man went over to Shammai and told him that he wanted to convert in order to become the kohen gadol and wear the eight pieces of bigdei kohen gadol. Shammai's immediate response was to chase him out with a stick. This individual then went to Hillel and told him the same thing, that he wanted to become Jewish in order to be able to become the kohen gadol and wear the special garments. Hillel listened patiently and advised this gentile to first learn all the halachos (laws) of being a kohen. The man did so, but when he got up to the passuk (verse), “The stranger that comes near shall be put to death”,^[3] he was very confused. He asked Hillel, “Who does this passuk refer to?” Hillel replied, “This passuk even applies to Dovid HaMelech. Anyone who is not a kohen cannot do the avodah (work in the Beis HaMikdash).” The Gemara then continues to say that despite the fact that this man's aspirations were shot, he ultimately became Jewish anyway because of Hillel's patience.

            The Kli Yakar^[4] is bothered by this whole story. Who did this guy think he was? If he just wanted a good Purim costume, why go through the whole process of becoming Jewish and having to accept the Torah and mitzvos? He should have just went to the local costume store and bought a similar copy made in China! Was this man for real that he wanted to convert just so that he could wear the garments of the kohen gadol?

            The Kli Yakar therefore answers that it must be that this gentile heard more than just the list of special garments that the kohen wore. Rather, he must have overheard a Rabbi describing the following Gemara. The Gemara^[5] lists the four garments of the kohen hedyot (regular kohen) and the additional four garments of the kohen gadol. The Gemara then elaborates that each of the garments acted as an atonement for different great sins.^[6] Upon hearing this, the gentile had an idea. He knew that he had done horrible things in his life, and he wanted to start anew. He thought that achieving the position of kohen gadol and getting the chance to adorn these garments would grant him the quick-fix absolution needed to rest his mind of guilt.

            This whole concept is so hard to understand. What did the bigdei kehunah have to do with atoning sins? Could it really be that because the kohen would dress up in a certain way, that we become “off the hook” for some of the horrible things we have done?^[7]

            In order to answer these questions, let us take a step back and try to understand the role that the bigdei kehunah played in adorning the Kohen in the Beis HaMikdash.

            The Malbim^[8] makes an incredible observation. He writes that a word used to describe the bigdei kehunah is “mada”. The word mada comes from the root meaning measurement. The reason for this is simply because one gets his clothing tailored according to the dimensions of his guf (body). The body's measurements are what one uses to deduce the accurate size of one's clothing.

            Similarly, one's character traits are called middos – referring to the different allocations of qualities that each and every individual uniquely possesses. People are born with different measurements of haughtiness, humility, embarrassment, brazenness, anger, patience, etc. Our job, as the Orchos Tzadikkim^[9] maintains, is to study and analyze each middah and realize where it is inside us. Then, we must work on each and every middah and qualify it in a positive way. Every middah could be directed to be used for good or bad. It is our duty to make sure that our middos are shaped in the right way.

            The Malbim continues to write that the reason for the kohen to wear the bigdei kehunah – the outer measurements which cover his body, was in order to have an effect and guide the inner measurements – the middos surrounding his nefesh (soul).

            Each of the garments of the kohen gadol represented some of the most difficult and important middos of which a person must take control – the direct effects of kinah (jealousy), taivah (desires), and kavod (honor), which Pirkei Avos^[10] describe “remove a person from this world”.

            Somehow, merely wearing the types of clothing that the kohen gadol wore, brought about these good middos from the kohen gadol, and had him thinking along pure thoughts in these areas. It is no coincidence that the sins that the bigdei kehunah atoned for were done due to lack of control in the middos that they each represented. These pure thoughts of the kohen, the representative of the entire Jewish people, when wearing the begadim, received a collective kaparah for the entire B'nei Yisroel.

            Perhaps now we could better appreciate the aforementioned Rashi. The bigdei kehunah served multiple purposes. On the one hand they adorned the kohen – giving him a prestigious and royal look to stand out above everyone else as the one chosen to serve Hashem.^[11] Additionally, the bigdei kehunah  were designated garments only used to serve Hashem, expressing incredible amounts of kavod Hashem. However, a third aspect of the bigdei kehunah was to effect and direct the kohen's thoughts in order to spark a kaparah.

            The clothing we wear has the ability to give power to and bring forth certain aspects of the middos contained within us. Movie producers are well aware of this fact and indeed have their actors wear the clothing of their respective characters for a long time before the actual filming in order to get the full feel of the character. The clothing they wear is able to export different measurements of their born-qualities, thereby creating almost new people within themselves based on their influenced temporary choice of characteristics.

            The clothing we wear has an impact on the way we think and act. Let us choose carefully in order that the measurements of the guf should have a positive impact on the measurements of the nefesh; for indeed the way we dress effects our middos – measure for measure.

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[1]    Shemos 28:8

[2]    Shabbos 31a

[3]    Bamidbar 3:10

[4]    Shemos 28:39. The Kli Yakar later continues to get into a whole discussion about Achashveirosh during the Purim story when he wore the bigdei kehunah and used the keilim from the Beis HaMikdash.

[5]    Eiruchin 16a

[6]    The Gemara lists the following begadim and that for which they atoned:

ñ            Kesones (tunic) – shfichus damim (murder/bloodshed)

ñ            Michnasa'im (pants) – giluy arayos (immorality)

ñ            Mechaperes (turban) – gasei haruach (arrogance)

ñ            Avneit (belt) – hirhur lev (improper thoughts of the heart)

ñ            Choshein (breastplate) – dinim (incorrect judging)

ñ            Eiphod (apron) – avoda zarah (idol worship)

ñ            Me'il (jacket) – lashon harah (evil speech)

ñ            Tzitz (head-plate) – ma'aseh azei panim (brazen acts)

[7]    Berachos 28a

[8]    Shemos 28:15

[9]    He writes this in his introduction to the sefer as well as throughout his sefer when discussing the various character traits.

[10]  Avos 4:28

[11]  See S'forno on Shemos 28:2

Parshas Terumah - Halfway There, Outside In, and Everywhere You Go

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Terumah

Halfway There, Outside In, and Everywhere You Go

By: Daniel Listhaus

וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי אָרְכּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רָחְבּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי קֹמָתוֹ: וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ זָהָב טָהוֹר מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ תְּצַפֶּנּוּ וְעָשִׂיתָ עָלָיו זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב: וְיָצַקְתָּ לּוֹ אַרְבַּע טַבְּעֹת זָהָב וְנָתַתָּה עַל אַרְבַּע פַּעֲמֹתָיו וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעוֹ הָאֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעוֹ הַשֵּׁנִית: וְעָשִׂיתָ בַדֵּי עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתָם זָהָב: וְהֵבֵאתָ אֶת הַבַּדִּים בַּטַּבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעֹת הָאָרֹן לָשֵׂאת אֶת הָאָרֹן בָּהֶם: בְּטַבְּעֹת הָאָרֹן יִהְיוּ הַבַּדִּים לֹא יָסֻרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ

“They shall make an Aron of shittim wood, two and a half amos its length; an amah and a half its width; and an amah and a half its height. You shall cover it with pure gold, from inside and from outside you shall cover it, and you shall make on it a golden diadem all around. And you shall pour for it four rings of gold and place them on its four corners, two rings on its one side and two rings on its second side. You shall make staves of shittim wood and cover them with gold; and insert the staves into the rings on the sides of the Aron, with which to carry the Aron. The staves shall remain in the rings of the Aron; they shall not be removed from it.

-Terumah 25:10-15

            There is no question that the Aron was the center point of the entire Mishkan and all its keilim (vessels); not in terms of location, but in terms of focus. Placed in the Kodesh Ha’kedoshim (Holy of Holies), and housing the luchos (tablets with the Ten Commandments),[1] the Aron was the porthole connecting the Shechina to this world. One who even quickly reads through the details of the Aron, will most likely notice three interesting points. The first is its measurements. The dimensions of the Aron were two and a half amos by one and a half amos by one and a half amos.[2] Interestingly, each of the three dimensions of the Aron, as well as its lid, did not contain whole numbers but rather half-measurements. What is the reason for this?

            The second unique thing that stands out regarding the Aron is its construction. The Aron itself was actually made of three separate Arons: A gold one, a wooden one, and another gold one.[3] The gold ones were on the outside and inside while the wooden one separated them in between. No other keili was made in such an interesting way. What was the reason for such a unique design? Why were three Arons necessary to be placed within each other? And why was there a wooden Aron separating the two main Arons? What does the pattern symbolize?

            The third fascinating thing that stands out about the Aron is the fact that Hashem commanded that the badim (poles) never be removed from the Aron.[4] In general one could split the mitzvos into two categories: ones within our understanding which we could reason and accept easily as logical, and those mitzvos which are beyond us but we are commanded to keep and trust Hashem’s infinite wisdom. However, the commandments having to do with the Aron’s poles elicit mixed feelings. On the one hand, having a set of poles was necessary for the Aron as it was for every large keili in the Mishkan. After all, the B’nei Yisroel travelled in the midbar (desert) for forty years. The Mishkan had to be constructed with flexibility for mobility. The keilim all had to be carried and therefore all required poles. When B’nei Yisroel would travel and arrive at the next destination, they would reconstruct the MIshkan and set up the keilim. Setting up the keilim meant “unpacking” them from their poles and setting them in their proper place in the mishkan. However, the Aron was different. Hashem commanded that the poles must never leave the Aron. What was different about the poles of the Aron from all the other keilim that they were not allowed to be removed?

            In order to approach these questions, we must first come to the realization that each person is a microcosm of the Mishkan itself. As the Kuzari explains, the various keilim of the mishkan represent the different vitals of one's body. The Aron – the life force of the mishkan and the world, is our heart which is needed to pump life to our entire bodies. On another level, each of us as a whole represents an Aron in the sense that we have Torah within us. That being said, perhaps we could extract from the laws of the construction of the Aron three guidelines which we must adhere to in order to build a proper relationship with the Torah.

The first lesson of the Aron is that no measurement is complete. As we know, no matter how much a person learns it is but a drop in the sea of what there is to learn. One could learn Torah from birth to death and will not come close to covering all the information contained in the Torah. After all, it is impossible to accomplish an infinite number of things in a finite amount of time.

This idea is reminiscent to what Zeno, an Ancient Greek philosopher best known for his series of paradoxes, painted as a slightly different version of the “tortoise and the hare” story to ponder. The paradox is as follows. Imagine that a tortoise and a hare are about to have a one mile race. The hare allows the tortoise a head start to be fair because the hare can run much faster than the tortoise can even dream. However, immediately after letting the tortoise go, the hare realizes that it is now impossible for him to overcome his opponent. After all, in order to overcome the tortoise, it must first catch up to the point that the tortoise is at. The problem is that every time the hare catches up to where the tortoise was last, the tortoise will be more ahead. Granted, the space between the tortoise and the hare will get smaller and smaller between intervals, however they will never meet. It is impossible for the hare to win!

Of course, this is not really true and is nothing more than a fun paradox to discuss. However, to use it as a stepping stone moshol (parable), the “race to finish Torah” is even more unachievable. At least if you keep walking half way to a door you will get closer and closer even though you will never reach it; when it comes to Torah, however, the closer one gets the more depth one realizes there is and the distance becomes farther, in a sense. Our job is to do as much as we can based on what Hashem expects of us and what we should expect from ourselves. Certainly we should feel good about our accomplishments, however, feeling great about an accomplishment is very different from feeling satisfied and finished. Happiness is good, but a feeling of completion or full satisfaction is incorrect. Even when one finishes a mesechta (tractate) or even a perek (chapter), the first thing we say is “hadran alach” (we will return to you). This statement is one of realization that not only is there more to learn in upcoming perakim and mesechtos, but even in going back and learning the same exact piece over again there is another layer to uncover which could only be done once having completed a first time. This is the first lesson of the Aron. The measurement is never complete. There is an infinite amount to accomplish in a finite amount of time. As the mishna[5] says, “There is much work, so little time, the workers are lazy, and the master is insistent.”

            The Gemara[6] quotes the passuk (verse) in our parsha which describes that the Aron had to be made of wood with an outer and inner Aron around it both made of gold. The Gemara says that we learn from here that that any talmid chochum whose inside is not like his outside, is not really a talmid chochum. As the Maharsha[7] explains, a talmid chochom is compared to a tree, represented by the wood of the middle Aron; and just like the Aron had a gold inner container which matched its outer container, so too a real talmid chochom is one who has an inner self as golden as his portrayed outer self.

            The demand of a person to have a matching interior and exterior goes beyond just a requirement of “practicing what one preaches”, there could be a talmid chochom who not only teaches to keep the mitzvos and gives off the appearance of a righteous person, but even does so himself. However, even that is all still exterior.

            The Orchos Tzaddikim[8] writes that although Torah is the greatest thing on Earth, without the proper vessel to contain it in, it is worthless, or even worse – detrimental. Imagine you have delicious, expensive wine which you put into a rusty keg or a barrel. No matter how fine the wine is, if poured into a rusty keg it will change taste, and if poured into a barrel with holes – it will leak out.  The same is true when it comes to the Torah. If we learn Torah without first perfecting our middos (character traits), or at least committing to do so, then the Torah we intake will be mis-colored, off-taste, and will leak right out of the holes that form from the imperfections of our middos. The real talmid chochom is one whose inside – his middos – are pure as gold. This is the second lesson that can be learned from the construction of the Aron. In order to be a recipient of real Torah, the vessel must have an inside which is as pure and golden as its’ outside.

            The third aspect about the Aron is the fact that although it had poles on its side, the Aron had the unique associated commandment that its poles must stay in even after the Mishkan is built at a given destination. If we stop and think about this for a second it seems not only purposeless but even improper and disrespectful. First, why did the poles have to remain in the Aron if they were setting down? Why not remove them as they did with all the other keilim? Additionally, it seems disrespectful to leave the poles in the Aron situated in the Kodesh HaKedashim. It gives off the impression of “living out of your suitcase”. As mobile as the Mishkan was, would it not be more proper to take out the poles of the Aron and demonstrate our complete faith in Hashem and in His plan leading us through the midbar? Why the specific commandment to leave the poles in?

            Perhaps we could learn from here a third important lesson in building our relationship with the Torah and Hashem, and that is that the Aron is never set in one place. Even when physically placed in the Kodesh Ha’kedashim inside the Mishkan, the poles must be left in to represent that virtually, the Aron must be everywhere. The Torah is not something only learned in a Beis Medrash, nor is it merely a list of things to do in Shul depending on the season. Rather it is the true approach to life itself and must be carried by every single person every second of the day.

            The details of the construction of the Aron are vital to understand when constructing our own Arons to contain the Torah. The decimal measurements, matching interior and exterior, and the requirement to leave the poles attach teach us that when we build a relationship with the Torah we must ensure that although we should feel accomplished we should never feel fully satisfied, that our middos must be pure and reflect our exterior, and that we must take the Torah with us wherever we go.

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[1] Shemos 25:21

[2] Shemos 25:10, 17

[3] See Rashi 25:11

[4] Shemos 25:15

[5] Avos 2:20

[6] Yoma 72b

[7] Ibid.

[8] In his introduction

Photo Credit: http://www.yashanet.com/library/temple/temples2.htm

Parshas Mishpatim - Pear Pressure

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Mishpatim

Pear Pressure

By: Daniel Listhaus

לֹא תִהְיֶה אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְרָעֹת וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה עַל רִב לִנְטֹת אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטֹּת

“You shall not go after the many to do bad; and you shall not respond to a dispute to tilt after the many.”

-Mishpatim  23:2

            This passuk (verse) in our parsha is alluding to a number of laws relevant to how the sanhedrin and beis din (Jewish court) must conduct themselves. There are many different views as to how to learn this passuk. Rashi^[1] explains that when the passuk says, “Do not respond to a dispute...”, the word for 'dispute' (ריב) is written without the letter yud (as רב) to teach us that a judge cannot argue with someone greater (רב) than him in the court. For this reason, the sanhedrin would start voicing their opinions “from the side” - meaning starting from the lesser members of the court.

            The Ohr HaChaim,^[2] however, does not like Rashi's explanation because it is not the simple reading of the passuk. Instead, the Ohr HaChaim takes a completely different approach in how to interpret it. He explains that the Gemara^[3] brings a statement from Rav Kahana that if beis din unanimously declares someone guilty in a capital case, the accused is actually acquitted. The Ohr HaChaim continues to explain that the aforementioned passuk is coming to counter mistakes that people might rationalize and make in one of two situations. The first scenario is as follows. Imagine all the judges voiced their opinions and so far everyone voted that the person is guilty. Now it is your turn to vote and you think that the man is innocent. So you think to yourself the following, “If I say innocent, then the result will be that the man will be found guilty because both requirements will have been met. First, the overwhelming majority is saying guilty;^[4] and second, there is opposition of at least one person saying innocent – me. If I also say guilty, though, then the second requirement will not be met and indeed the person will come out innocent just as I honestly believe he is. Furthermore, I am anyway probably doing the right thing by saying guilty even though I think he is innocent, because everyone else said guilty and this way I could be mevatel da'ati l'rabim (lower my opinion and instead agree to others)”. This, writes the Ohr HaChaim, is a tremendous mistake to think. It is not your job to outsmart the Torah. Do not fool yourself to follow after the majority just to get your desired outcome. Rather you should say what you think and allow Hashem's system of rules to determine the conclusion that is supposed to be reached.

            The Ohr HaChaim continues to explain another similar circumstance which one might rationalize that it is okay to distort the truth and follow after the majority. Imagine that all the judges have already stated their opinions, and they all think that the person is guilty. Inside your head you also agree that he is guilty. However, you are torn. If you say that you also agree that he is guilty, then because the vote will be unanimous that he is guilty, the one on trial will actually go free. So, instead you think to yourself that you should say that he is innocent in order to create resistance, and as a result, the man will be convicted. Again the Ohr HaChaim expresses the importance of not trying to outsmart the Torah. We must do our job and allow Hashem to do His. Our job is to voice our honest opinion. Hashem's job is to add up the figures and plug the grand total into His Torah's formulas and equations. A judge must remember his role in court. His job is not to make everyone else happy or to ensure that his opinion materializes. Rather, a judge's job is to claim what he honestly thinks.

            The Ohr HaChaim seems to be teaching us that we must constantly be balancing two roles. On the one hand, we are each our own person and responsible for ourselves as individuals. On the other hand, we share a role as part of the rabim (public). We must understand when it is our duty to be independent and when the proper thing is to be mevatel (make oneself secondary) to the rabim. When it comes to the sanhedrin, the Torah says that each individual judge has the task of applying his Torah to the court case and come out with his own unique perspective, independent of what others have said, think, or what one could say to seem to be in consensus with the general public.

            Rashi in Gemara^[5] seems to start off explaining the same way as he does in Chumash, but then seems to add in a little more information than necessary. Rashi starts by saying that the passuk is coming to teach an issur (prohibition) of arguing with the greatest member of the sanhedrin. However, Rashi does not stop here but instead continues to write, “And this is why the sanhedrin starts voicing their opinion “from the side” -  from the least of the members of the sanhedrin, in order that one should not hear one of his colleagues declaring innocent, and agree to him.”

            This Rashi seems to be self-contradictory! What is the reason that the sanhedrin would start from the lesser judge? Is it so that he could not contradict the most prestigious member of the court, or is it because we do not want him to hear what his fellow judges have to say?

            The Mahar'shal^[6] comes to address this issue and explains that Rashi is bothered by the following question. Granted the passuk teaches us (according to Rashi) that one is not permitted to argue with the head of the sanhedrin, and therefore he could not be the one who gives his view first, but still, why not start with the second most esteemed member of the sanhedrin? This is what Rashi is coming to answer and is why Rashi continues to explain that if we would start by other great members of the sanhedrin, the people after him may be swayed to agree. Therefore, we start all the way by the least prestigious member of the sanhedrin.^[7]

            The S'forno^[8] writes a similar idea that the Torah is telling the sanhedrin that if ten people have voted innocent and eleven have voted guilty, the one whose turn it is now to vote should not say that he will vote guilty because that is what the majority has decided thus far. A judge’s decision must be completely independent of what others have said. Each individual's vote must be based on his own s'varos (logic) and applications, nothing to do with the opinions of others.

            Let us stop a minute and think about who exactly we are talking about. We are dealing with the sanhedrin. The sanhedrin was comprised of the most outstanding people. They were not only fluent in all of Torah, not only humongous ba'alei middos and yirei shamayim (G-d fearing people with great traits), but they had overcome and conquered some of man's hardest desires. The judges of sanhedrin had to meet a specific set of qualifications. They had to be wealthy people, G-d fearing, men of truth, and people who despise money.^[9] These Rabbanim were independent thinkers and open-minded within the limits of the Torah. Even the least prestigious of the sanhedrin was still so incredible in terms of his Torah knowledge and yiras Hashem. For example, we know that there were 600,000 Jewish men between 20 and 60. Multiply that by two to include women of the same age bracket, and let us multiply that number by two to include all people from 0 to 20 and 60 to 80, the product is 2,400,000. The 71 or 23 member sanhedrin represented a tiny fraction of the population and every single one of them were really the cream-of-the-crop. Is it really necessary for the Torah to demand of the sanhedrin to start from the least among them in order to ensure that one will not just copy what someone greater than him said, or even worse, just state an opinion arbitrarily based on which direction most of the sanhedrin already voted towards? How could a member of the sanhedrin, with all the incredible qualities previously discussed, actually decide to vote solely based on what he heard his colleagues say so far, or voice his opinion only based on where the majority is standing at this point? How could a member of the sanhedrin consciously do something like this?

            Perhaps the answer to this question could be learned from a pear.^[10] If you ever have an unripe pear that you would like to ripen a lot faster than it wants to, there is a simple solution. You could take a ripening banana and put it in a paper bag with the pear. The reason this works is because bananas produce a lot of Ethylene,^[11] the chemical that stimulates fruits to ripen, when ripening. Therefore if you put a ripening banana in the same bag as a pear, the pear will benefit from the extra supply of Ethylene in the air, and will in turn start to ripen as well. It is incredible. Just by being in the same bag as a ripening banana, the pear will start to ripen as well. The “pear pressure” is just too great to bear. Whether the pear wants to start ripening or not makes no difference, it will find itself unconsciously start ripening under the pressure of its fellow fruit.

            Perhaps this is what the Torah is trying to teach us as well. Of course the sanhedrin consisted of the best people in the world. However, in the end of the day, being in the same room as others, especially when others are greater or one side has more members in agreement, there is an incredible pressure which effects us subconsciously and tells us not to think for ourselves, but instead follow after the crowd. The rationales start to kick in and then mistakes could, G-d forbid, be made. This is a concern even for the greatest members of society. The Sanhedrin must be warned that they are expected to bring their Torah to the table and offer their insights and opinions on the subject based on their individual thoughts and perspective, and the Sanhedrin had to be set up in a way to mitigate this concern.

            Peer pressure is something which effects us whether we like it or not. We are influenced by our family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Like many things, however, this pressure could be used for good or bad. The mishna  in Pirkei Avos^[12] states that Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer are of the opinion that the proper ways a person should cling to in order to ensure reward in olam haba'ah (The World to Come), are to cling to a good friend and a good neighbor, respectively. However, the opposite holds true as well. Being around a bad friend or living in a community with bad values is the worst thing for a person. It will subconsciously change him as a person and effect him in every decision and aspect of life.

            We cannot ignore the fact that people must live and interact with others on a daily basis. At the same time we must also realize that, as a result, one will, by definition, be influenced by those who he or she comes in contact with. The only way that one could prepare oneself for this is if one learns the lesson from the sanhedrin. Just like the smallest of the sanhedrin must state his opinion first before hearing those of his colleagues so that his decision not be swayed, we too must make sure that we solidify our values, beliefs, and opinions so that we could have a proverbial bar setting our standards.

            On the other hand, the powerful force of peer pressure could be harnessed and used for tremendous good. One who takes the time to research those he will spend time with, and follows the advice of Pirkei Avos^[13] to “acquire for yourself a friend”, will allow himself to grow and become an even greater person through sharing with a friend each others' strengths and positive motivations.

            May we take the lesson of peer pressure to realize that our environments and influential circles have a tremendous impact on us whether we be a person or a pear.

             

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[1]    Shemos 23:2

[2]    Ibid.

[3]    Sanhedrin 17a

[4]    Rashi (23:2) in our parsha as well as the gemara Sanhedrin explain that to convict someone in a capital case, there has to be a winning majority of at least two votes. (And if you will ask: Q. How is it possible to have a winning vote of [at least] two in a sanhedrin of 23? The sanhedrin had to consist of an odd amount of members so, mathematically, it is impossible for there ever to be a winning majority of exactly two.  A. The sanhedrin had to consist of an odd amount of members but they were allowed to abstain.)

[5]    Sanhedrin 36a

[6]    Ibid.

[7]    See Mahar'sha there to see his many questions on this Mahar'shal and his alternate explanation.

[8]    Shemos 23:2

[9]    Shemos 18:21

[10]  Okay, I admit you could learn it from other fruits too, but then I lose my pun.

[11]  H2C=CH2 or C2H4

[12]  Pirkei Avos 2:13-14

[13]  Pirkei Avos 1:6