My apologies for the past two weeks. It's been rather busy. For whatever reason, the summertime is the hardest. My wife and I are winter people.
Anyhow … I'm looking for investors for a new idea I have. I was speaking to a friend of mine who's expecting (a baby) and we were both discussing the sad fact that men have no choice but to actually attend the birth of their children.
So, I was thinking. In Netanya, there is a well-known frum hospital, called Laniado. So, I want to make a hospital for men called Maniado, where men can go and be ... men. Instead of "waiting rooms" there will be rooms with huge televisions with nothing but sports. Every man would be given a cigar on entry, not as a "congratulations," but simply because he's a man. My wife suggested that there be a special room where women would be making Sheva Brachos all day, where the men can walk past and not attend. Just knowing that they're skipping out on Sheva Brachos will make them happy. And the only doctors who will be there, will be administrating shots ... of whiskey!
I mentioned this idea to my rav (we discuss many deep and enlightening things). He responded, "Isn't that called 'a bar'?"
I than went on to describe the building that will be built to look like IKEA, where a man can go and hunt down male IKEA workers with a paintball gun.
So … any investors out there?
"Behold! You have risen up in place of your fathers" (Bamidbar 32:14).
Over the decades, many secular cemeteries have been built for those who are not interested in a Jewish burial.
There was once a case of a man who, in his will, expressed his desire to be buried in such a cemetery. When his time came, and his family followed through with his wishes, two of his sons, who became frum, came to Rav Eliashuv with a question. Being that this burial is completely against Jewish law, are they allowed to participate in it and say Kaddish for their father?
Rav Eliashuv ruled that it was completely forbidden. Such a burial is considered to be nothing less than a rebellion against the Torah. "In this case," said Rav Eliashuv, "the mitzvah of respecting one's father requires that the children NOT go to their father's grave."
A few weeks ago, we saw Pinchus take a spear in his hand, and kill two people who were in rebellion against the Torah. What did Hashem say? "I grant him my covenant of peace."
When his grandfather, Aharon HaCohen Gadol, "participated" in the building of the Golden Calf (he was doing so to help stall them from going too far), we see that the Torah wrote him in a very bad light.
When it comes down mitzvos between man and man, we believe in "meeting in the middle," trying our best to find common ground, where both sides will give up a little, yet come out happy.
However, when dealing with mitzvos between man and Hashem, we do not take that route. There is no "meeting in the middle." Torah is truth and any deviance from truth is simply false. That is why Aharon was punished, because his love of man trumped the need to remain steadfast for Torah. And that is why Pinchus was rewarded, because his desire to remain steadfast for Torah trumped his love of man.
And that is why sometimes, we have rulings like above, which seem on the surface cruel. But, by remaining faithful to the laws of Torah, it is in reality bring peace to the world.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!