Summation of Chumash bereishit

 At the conclusion of the book of בראשית, we can sum up most of the book as conflict within families; with a focus on the struggles of jealousy between siblings that was usually caused by parents or even in some cases, even God himself(Cain and Abel).

 As a sidebar to this discussion, it is interesting, that even within creation itself  we find the seventh day being chosen over the other days, with it being considered holy(separate).The midrash also tried to insert conflict into creation itself, with the quarrel between the sun and the jealous moon (see the full story/midrash in chulin 60b). 

What's very unique about the book of  Bereishit, is the lack of any strong criticism, whether it be positive or negative, as it regards most of its sibling rivalry. Even with Cain and Abel, the Torah spends more time dealing with the lying of Cain and his internal fears/ conflicts vs  the criticism of the first act of homicide. In fact, the punishment of Cain, seems mild compared to the act( to sum up his punishment-you will no longer find success in farming...).

With the conflict between Sarah, Ishmael and Issac, we do have one of the very few comments from God; with his telling Abraham to listen to his wife's demand, that he send Ishmael and his mother Hagar  away. In fact, God tells Abraham that Issac is the chosen one of all his children.

From this point on, we have the story of  Issac and Jacob trying to imitate their father/grandfather Abraham, by choosing one son over the other/s. The Torah and God are completely silent as the stories with its accompanying tragedies take place. Whether it's Esav that is cast out or the exile of Israel and his family, there is only silence. We do see negative consequences of all the deceiving and manipulating that takes place, as a result of nepotism towards one child over the other/s. We see the pain that it causes the parents and siblings but as far as any type of criticism, there is just silence...

Even more disturbing, is that after all the travails that Yaakov has experienced as a result of fighting Esav and showing favoritism to Joseph over his brothers; he now chooses Joseph's children over the rest of his children. Even within this favoritism, he again chooses one son over the other(Ephraim over Menashe)!

The Ralbag comments/questions, that the blessing of Yaakov to Yosef, that he will have an extra share in the land of Israel as a result 

his sons, Ephraim and Menashe being counted as tribes, is puzzling.  When the land of Israel was finally divided, it was based on the population of each tribe. The larger tribes got bigger pieces of land, while smaller tribes got  less. It really made no difference, if Joseph's sons were counted as separate tribes, as it regards the division of the land.

At the end of the day, do these berachot even matter?  Besides the beracha that one says over his children of ישימך אלהים כאפרים וכמנשה) which is probably insulting, since most of us are probably remnants of Judah and Levi);  what advantages did these berachot bring? We know Yaakov had a problem with Simeon and Levi, and yet the very stories that we are reading, are from the Torah that was given to us by a decendant of Levi! You may want to argue, that Joshua, who is a descendant from Joseph/Ephraim brought us into the land of Israel, but that is still very small in comparison to the contributions of Judah and Levi.  

In fact, we have lots of failings from the tribe of Joseph. Saul, the first king was not only a failure but also a total disaster. He was a one term king with no chance of the eternity of his kingdom. Instead Judah/David became the chosen one for eternal rulership. Even when king Shlomo sinned and as a result, his kingdom was divided by Yerovam(from Ephraim), with his taking over rulership of the ten tribes; this too was very short lived. In fact, Yerovam led the ten tribes into idolatry and eventual doom and destruction. Most of the kings after him were not even from Joseph.  In fact,  as a result of Joseph/Yerovam,  there are no longer ten tribes in existence.  Maybe this destruction of the ten tribes via exile/assimilation is the tikkun or teshuva of the entire chumash of bereishit...

It seems to me, that the lesson of Chumash Bereishit, is the danger of division and infighting that rips the Jewish people apart from not only themselves but also their land. Maybe the creation of the world and the creation of our nation, have a common denominator; that division that is not based on serving God, will only lead to destruction. Just like the moon was made smaller as a result of its jealousy of the sun(midrash), so too, we as a nation are made smaller as a result of favoritism and jealousy. Some events that come to mind are, should some of us risk our lives and the lives of our parents and children by fighting, while the rest of us  study within the safety of the confines of the bet midrash? Should we look at those of us  that are less religious in practice as inferior to those of us that are shomer shabbat? When we oppress the wannabee convert or the poor and  disadvantaged, while we adhere to the most extreme kashrut chumrot, are we really closer to God? By saying tehillim as a mantra or magical challah bakes, are we contributing to our brothers on the front line? When we support leaders that insult and curse our country and its children that are risking their lives, are we acting in the ways of God?

Something to think about with all that has happened to us with the current events...

Parshat Toldot and who are the bad guys

 Who are the good guys and bad guys in this weeks parsha?

Just looking at the pasukim alone, Yitchak and Yaakov come across as not the most ehrlich....

Ok, Esav was a hunter but it seems like he got positive reinforcement from his father; who loved him mostly because of his hunting skills(as per the pasuk). Yitzchak doesn't see too impressive either, with his stomach dictating who and what he loves...In fact, why is Esav such a bad guy for willing to sell his bechor while starving; when his father was also willing to "give up" the blessings, to the one that fed him what he liked to eat...?

At the same time, it's true that Yaakov dwelled in tents(not sure why that is considered a compliment)but still teamed up with his mother to steal the blessings of the bechor. Seems like this was common in Rivkah's family, where Lavan swapped the older with the younger when marrying them off (reverse of what Rivka did with Yaakov and Esav). 

Then you have Yaakov outright lying to his father (where emes is normally the virtue required for getting close to God). I know the mepharshim try to explain that Yaakov really didn't lie. By the fact that they had to defend Yaakov, says it all...

Finally, Yaakov leaves to Lavan, pretty much broke(as opposed to Eliezer who left to find a wife for Yitchak, with a wealthy war chest). The aggadah even creates the story of Eliphaz chasing Yaakov to help explain the lack of wealth/gifts. 

I would like to hypothesize that maybe the  family lived in extreme poverty, thus the extreme hunger on both the part of Esav and Yitzchak.  That is why Esav 's hunting skills was so appreciated and why Yaakov left with no gifts or wealth to seek out a mate.

In fact, unlike eliezer, Yaakov was told exactly where to go, to find a wife. That's because, only family would be willing to marry off a poor nephew/cousin. On the other hand when Eliezer had the wealth of Avraham at his disposal, the entire land was open for a potential mate for Yitzchak. 

I will bring down both pasukim and compare the two...

By instructions of Avraham to eliezer-

כִּ֧י אֶל־אַרְצִ֛י וְאֶל־מוֹלַדְתִּ֖י תֵּלֵ֑ךְ וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ אִשָּׁ֖ה לִבְנִ֥י לְיִצְחָֽק׃

" but will go to the land of my birth and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

By Yitzchak instructions to Yaakov (this weeks parsha)

ק֥וּם לֵךְ֙ פַּדֶּ֣נָֽה אֲרָ֔ם בֵּ֥יתָה בְתוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִ֣י אִמֶּ֑ךָ וְקַח־לְךָ֤ מִשָּׁם֙ אִשָּׁ֔ה מִבְּנ֥וֹת לָבָ֖ן אֲחִ֥י אִמֶּֽךָ׃

" Up  go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take a wife there from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother."

I noticed something interesting in the above pasuk. You have the exact reversal of God's command to Avraham of parshat לך לך. In fact the actual words לך לך are even written in this pasuk- קום לך and וקח לך.

Just like Avraham left everything to follow God's command, so did Yaakov abandon everything to follow his father's command.

Perhaps as a result, Yaakov had more in common with his grandfather than his own father. Could this be why in next weeks parsha the pasuk says 

וְהִנֵּ֨ה יְהֹוָ֜ה נִצָּ֣ב עָלָיו֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֔יךָ וֵאלֹהֵ֖י יִצְחָ֑ק הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ שֹׁכֵ֣ב עָלֶ֔יהָ לְךָ֥ אֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה וּלְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃

And standing beside him was יהוה, who said, “I am יהוה, the God of your father Abraham’s [house] and the God of Isaac’s [house]: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring.

Notice the strange language of אברהם אביך when יצחק was the actual father...

This could be confirming the destiny and adventure of the Jewish people that started with the לך לך of Avraham and was now being  consummated, with the לך לך of Yaakov. 

In fact both Avraham and Yaakov, shared the destiny of God changing their names. That's what happens when you uproot and abandon everything; you reinvent yourself.  Perhaps this was a form of teshuva that Yaakov did for the misdeeds of lying and being deceitful.  That is why the first time that Yaakov receives prophecy is when he is in exile.

This reminds me of the Rambam in Hilchot teshuva -(notice in the English "b" through "f")

ב,ה  [ד] מִדַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה לִהְיוֹת הַשָּׁב צוֹעֵק תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי ה', בִּבְכִי וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים, וְעוֹשֶׂה צְדָקָה כְּפִי כּוֹחוֹ, וּמִתְרַחֵק הַרְבֵּה מִן הַדָּבָר שֶׁחָטָא בּוֹ.  וּמְשַׁנֶּה שְׁמוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁאֲנִי אַחֵר וְאֵינִי אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹתָן הַמַּעֲשִׂים; וּמְשַׁנֶּה מַעֲשָׂיו כֻּלָּן לְטוֹבָה, וּלְדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה.  וְגוֹלֶה מִמְּקוֹמוֹ--שֶׁגָּלוּת מְכַפֶּרֶת עָווֹן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁגּוֹרֶמֶת לוֹ לְהִכָּנַע וְלִהְיוֹת עָנָו וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ.

"Among the paths of repentance is for the penitent to

a) constantly call out before God, crying and entreating;

b) to perform charity according to his potential;

c) to separate himself far from the object of his sin;

d) to change his name, as if to say "I am a different person and not the same one who sinned;"

e) to change his behavior in its entirety to the good and the path of righteousness; and f) to travel in exile from his home. Exile atones for sin because it causes a person to be submissive, humble, and meek of spirit."

Did Eliezer pick the wrong woman for Issac?

 Was Rivka the right match for Yitzchak or did Eliezer drop the ball!

In this weeks parsha it says that Eliezer (the servant of Abraham) arrived at the well(to find Issac a shiduch)-

יב  וַיֹּאמַר--יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם, הַקְרֵה-נָא לְפָנַי הַיּוֹם; וַעֲשֵׂה-חֶסֶד, עִם אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם.

יג  הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב, עַל-עֵין הַמָּיִם; וּבְנוֹת אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר, יֹצְאֹת לִשְׁאֹב מָיִם.

וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ, אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי-נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה, וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה, וְגַם-גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה--אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ, לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק, וּבָהּ אֵדַע, כִּי-עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם-אֲדֹנִי

" And he said: 'O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray Thee, good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.

Behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water.

So let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant, even for Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast shown kindness unto my master.'"

The Rambam writes in Hilchot AZ- perek 11 halacha 4

אֵין מְנַחֲשִׁין כַּגּוֹיִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "לֹא תְנַחֲשׁוּ" (ויקרא יט,כו).  כֵּיצַד הוּא הַנִּחוּשׁ:  כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִין הוֹאִיל וְנָפְלָה פִּתִּי מִפִּי, אוֹ נָפַל מַקְלִי מִיָּדִי, אֵינִי הוֹלֵךְ לְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הַיּוֹם, שְׁאִם אֵלֵךְ אֵין חֲפָצַי נַעֲשִׂין; הוֹאִיל וְעָבַר שׁוּעָל מִיְּמִינִי, אֵינִי יוֹצֶא מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתִי הַיּוֹם, שְׁאִם יָצָאתִי, יִפְגָּעֵנִי אָדָם רַמָּאי.  וְכֵן אֵלּוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹמְעִין צִפְצוּף הָעוֹפוֹת וְאוֹמְרִין יִהְיֶה כָּךְ וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כָּךְ, טוֹב לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי וְרָע לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי.  וְכֵן אֵלּוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִין שְׁחֹט תֻּרְנְגוֹל זֶה שֶׁקָּרָא עַרְבִּית, שְׁחֹט תֻּרְנְגֹלֶת זוֹ שֶׁקָּרָאת כְּמוֹ תֻּרְנְגוֹל.  וְכֵן הַמֵּשִׂים לְעַצְמוֹ סִימָנִים, אִם יֵארַע לִי כָּךְ וְכָּךְ אֶעֱשֶׂה דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי, וְאִם לֹא יֵארַע לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה, כֶּאֱלִיעֶזֶר עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם.  וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֶא בַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ, הַכֹּל אָסוּר; וְכָל הָעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה מִפְּנֵי דָּבָר מִדְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ, לוֹקֶה

" It is forbidden to practice soothsaying as idolaters do, as [Leviticus 19:26] states: "Do not act as a soothsayer."

What is meant by a soothsayer? For example, those who say: Since my piece of bread fell out of my mouth, or my staff fell from my hand, I will not travel to this place today, since if I were to go I would not be able to accomplish my desires.

Since a fox passed on my right side, I will not go out of my door today, since if I were to go out I would meet a deceiver.

Similarly, [this category includes] those who hear the chirping of a bird and say: This will happen or this will not happen; it is beneficial to do this or it is detrimental to do this. [Also, it includes] those who say: Slaughter this rooster that crowed like a raven; slaughter this hen that crowed like a rooster.

Similarly, a person who sets up omens for himself; e.g., if this and this happens, I will do this. If it will not happen, I will not do it, as Eliezer, the servant of Abraham did, and the things of the like - all this is forbidden. Anyone who does one of these things because of such omens is [liable for] lashes."

The Rambam is clearly saying Eliezer practiced soothsaying which is prohibited and he would be liable for malkut(if he was a jew after matan torah). 

The Rambam further says in the same perek-

יח  כָּל הַמַּאֲמִין בִּדְבָרִים אֵלּוּ, וְכַיּוֹצֶא בָּהֶן, וּמְחַשֵּׁב בְּלִבּוֹ שְׁהֶן אֱמֶת וְדִבְרֵי חָכְמָה, אֲבָל הַתּוֹרָה אָסְרָה אוֹתָן--אֵינוּ אֵלָא מִן הַסְּכָלִים וּמֵחַסְרֵי הַדַּעַת, וּבִכְלַל הַנָּשִׁים וְהַקְּטַנִּים שְׁאֵין דַּעְתָּן שְׁלֵמָה.  אֲבָל בַּעֲלֵי הַחָכְמָה וּתְמִימֵי הַדַּעַת, יֵדְעוּ בִּרְאָיוֹת בְּרוּרוֹת--שֶׁכָּל אֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאָסְרָה תּוֹרָה, אֵינָן דִּבְרֵי חָכְמָה, אֵלָא תֹּהוּ וְהֶבֶל שֶׁנִּמְשְׁכוּ בָּהֶן חַסְרֵי הַדַּעַת, וְנָטְשׁוּ כָּל דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמֶת בִּגְלָלָן.  וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה, כְּשֶׁהִזְהִירָה עַל כָּל אֵלּוּ הַהֲבָלִים, "תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה, עִם ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ" (דברים יח,יג).

"Whoever believes in [occult arts] of this nature and, in his heart, thinks that they are true and words of wisdom, but are forbidden by the Torah, is foolish and feebleminded. He is considered like women and children who have underdeveloped intellects.

The masters of wisdom and those of perfect knowledge know with clear proof that all these crafts which the Torah forbade are not reflections of wisdom, but rather, emptiness and vanity which attracted the feebleminded and caused them to abandon all the paths of truth. For these reasons, when the Torah warned against all these empty matters, it advised [Deuteronomy 18:13]: "Be of perfect faith with God, your Lord."

In other words, what Eliezer  did was complete nonsense and in fact "not a sign at alll", that he picked the right woman for his masters son!

This is a pretty wild idea!

Is it possible that this was all a big mistake and as a  result of Eliezers actions, Yitzchak married the wrong woman, which eventually led to the destruction of the first temple...?

Think about it...

Rivka came up with idea that Yaakov should steal the first born. This created eternal animosity between Yaakov and Esav(amalek).

The stealing of  the first born caused future friction between yosef and his brothers; as they thought yosef was trying to do the same as their father. 

Animosity between the brothers/tribes continued all the way to the incident of the concubine of Gibeah. Almost the entire tribe of Benjamin was wiped out as a result. 

Finally the division of the govt of Israel through a Civil War between yerovom and rechovom, was the final nail of the first temple coffin.

Was all this because Eliezer picked the wrong woman...:)

Is this another danger of the consequences of voodoo judaism...? :)

Maybe in the end, Eliezer did make  the right decision, despite his practice of soothsaying.  Did this turn out to be the rachamim of God?

Third option is, that even though Eliezer messed up, we still managed to make a good thing out of a bad thing by later accepting and following the Torah. By now walking in the ways of God, it no longer matters if Rivkah was the right woman. It has nothing to do with genetics but more about continuing the path of Abraham and the denial of idols/voodoo.

We can now judge Eliezer as a result of the Torah and philosophies that we inherited. We can now be critical of Eliezer with halacha and teach future generations the lie of voodoo beliefs and the false actions/beliefs of Eliezer...

Kedushin 29-the demon in the yeshiva

 Strange gemara in today's Daf -קידושין כט

(I will liberally translate/pararaphrase)

כי הא דרב יעקב בריה דרב אחא בר יעקב שדריה

 אבוה לקמיה דאביי כי אתא חזייה דלא הוה מיחדדין שמעתיה א"ל אנא עדיפא מינך תוב את דאיזיל אנא שמע אביי דקא הוה אתי הוה ההוא מזיק בי רבנן דאביי דכי הוו עיילי בתרין אפי' ביממא הוו מיתזקי אמר להו לא ליתיב ליה אינש אושפיזא אפשר דמתרחיש ניסא על בת בההוא בי רבנן אידמי ליה כתנינא דשבעה רישוותיה כל כריעה דכרע נתר חד רישיה אמר להו למחר אי לא איתרחיש ניסא סכינתין

The gemara just finished having a discussion about one's responsibility to learn Torah over teaching one's own son and the exception when one's own child has exceptional potential. 

The gemara then relates a story about R' Acha whose son R Yaakov was sent to the yeshiva of Abaya and turned out to be  a poor student.  As a result R' Acha decided to leave his son at home and instead  would study himself  at the yeshiva of Abaya.

When Abaya heard that R' Acha was coming to his yeshiva he figured  that he could have R'Acha  eliminate(via a miracle)a problematic demon that lived in his yeshiva, which caused harm even when two students were walking together during the daytime (gemara in Berachot says that demons cannot harm people in pairs or during the day). Abaya told the people of the town not to offer R' Acha lodging so that he would sleep in the yeshiva and would then be forced to deal with the demon. 

Sure enough that night while R' Acha was sleeping in the yeshiva, the demon appears to R Acha in the form of a Tanina(serpent, water monster) with seven heads. R' Acha did seven bows (apparently in prayer) and with each bow, a head of the serpent was severed. The next morning R' Acha said to them(not sure who "them" is- abaya, the students, both ?), if it weren't for the miracle, you would have put me in danger.

Many questions with this story. First of all, who cares? It's nice that R' Acha was able to clean house(figuratively) but what does this teach us? How does this make our discussion about the obligation to teach one's child any clearer. Furthermore, why couldn't the great Abaya eliminate the demon himself; he was after all, the teacher that R' Acha was coming to learn from. 

I would like to suggest that the demon story is a continuation of the story of R Acha and his son R' Yaakov(notice the title of rabbi that the gemara still bestows on his son). R' Acha accused his son of not studying properly and therefore R' Yaakov lost the right to learn in the yeshiva of Abaya and instead his father was going to use his resources to study himself.  The gemara then let's us know that the problem was not actually with his son, R Yaakov but the source of the problem was the yeshiva itself.

Abaya had a problem in his yeshiva.  Perhaps it was conflict and turmoil amongst his students; thus the language of inability to prevent harm even when two students were walking together during the day.  As a result, students like R' Yaakov couldn't learn or study  properly in a chaotic environment.  Sometimes, outside help is required to fix the atmosphere or a problem in a school or education system and that is exactly what Abaya was hoping with R' Acha.

The demon in the form of a sea creature or serpent (תנינא or in hebrew תנין),represents chaos or tumult. The number seven usually represents complete or unification in knowledge or the oral law (seven of the menorah). The tumult in the yeshiva represented by this demon, prevented the students from achieving their learning goals

R' Acha successfully solved the problem in the yeshiva either by unification of the students or humbling them (represented by his bowing). 

These are all my interpretations of this strange story but the point is to show that the gemara is not trying to teach us Greek mythology or how rabbis dealt with magical demons but instead real deep messages. 

Finding blame with the student/s and ignoring the education environment or system is a much easier path for most educators and parents to take. A parent or a teacher doesn't need to introspect or reinvent the wheel, when pointing a finger at the child/student. On the other hand, to examine the school and the education system requires alot more energy, introspection and sometimes even outside help. This could be the powerful and worthwhile message of this gemara.  

Even the great Abaya realized that his yeshiva and education system required help/change...

Kedushin 29

 Interesting and beautiful Gemara in this Mondays Daf(kedushin 29). The gemara says the following (I will paraphrase/ loosely translate with explanation)

 פדאו במנה ולא הספיק למושכו עד שעמד במאתים מה שפדה  פדוי ואין נותן אלא מנה

 

The gemara makes a statement,  that if someone attempts to redeem something that was consecrated to  the mikdash worth a hundred dollars and paid the money (which completes the transaction as far as hekdesh is concerned)but he hadn't had time to finish the transaction (via physical transference), before the price of what he was trying to redeem increased to two hundred dollars; he is still only required to pay one hundred dollars

The gemara then asks, 

אמאי הכא נמי נימא לא יהא כח הדיוט חמור מהקדש

Why don't we say(as we said before) that the strength of a regular persons transaction with other people, should not be more powerful than when making a transaction with hekdish. In other words, when a transaction between two ordinary people takes place; if the transaction was not completed(by transferring the object; even if payment was already made),

the buyer loses out and would then need to pay the increased price(if he still wants to complete the purchase). 

Why don't we say the same when one wants to redeem from hekdesh and now force this person to pay the increased price, if he still wants the object from hekdish?

The gemara gives an interesting answer,

אטו הדיוט לאו במי שפרע קאי

Would then a regular person not receive the curse of "he who punished"...

The explanation is that there was a curse for people that gave over money for a transaction and then the seller backs out before the transfer of the object(even though legally that had every right to back out). The curse was " the one that punished the generation of the flood and the generation of the tower of babel will take revenge against those that don't keep their word".

In other words, even the temple/hekdesh needs to keep their word and not benefit from a transaction that both sides committed to and began  but was not yet technically completed.

 Basically God(or the caretakers of his temple) are required to keep his/their word as it regards transactions, because otherwise how can God expect man, to do so himself. After all, aren't we supposed to imitate God :)

Rosh Hashanah

 Excellent job! Worthwhile listen. 

I would add, that if one takes the story of Adam and the garden of eden as an allegory (as I do), then when chazal say that Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world or creation of Adam; a much deeper message is being taught.

The story of Adam and Gan Eden represent the potential of man's perfection as it regards his potential closeness to God via contemplation, behavior and control of his desires (or finding the middle way). It also represents his fall if he abandons all of the latter and just seeks self gratification or voodoo judaism of God serving man ;)

On Rosh Hashanah(as R' Laufer beautifully explains) we relive Matan Torah by perfecting ourselves and drawing close to God. It is the first of the ten days of teshuva (as per the Rambam דרשו ה בהמצאו).

 In striving for perfection we are recreating Adam in ourselves. We are re-entering the garden where we can once again stroll with God. By once again accepting and reliving matan torah via the sounds of the shofer, we are hoping that by  perfecting ourselves with the final conclusion of the final blast on Yom kippur, we will renter the garden via the tree of life(Torah).

As the rabbis said, that man is a world onto himself. Here is a beautiful piece from אבות דרבי נתן(purposely not quoting from the zohar on this one ;))

יצר באדם כל מה שברא בעולמו. ברא חורשים בעולם וברא חורשים באדם - זה שערו של אדם, ברא רוח בעולם, ברא רוח באדם - זה חוטמו של אדם, חמה בעולם חמה באדם - זה פדחתו של אדם; רקיעים בעולם, רקיעים באדם - זה לשונו של אדם.

More from the Midrash Rabbah 

"כי תהיו אתם ארץ חפץ"[2], דרש רבי ברכיה בשם רבי שמעון בן לקיש: כל מה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא באדם ברא לארץ לדוגמא לו. אדם יש לו ראש, והארץ יש לה ראש שנאמר[3] וראש עפרות תבל. אדם יש לו עיניים, והארץ יש לה עיניים, שנאמר[4] וכסה את עין הארץ. אדם יש לו אוזניים, והארץ יש לה אוזניים שנאמר[5] והאזיני ארץ. אדם יש לו פה, והארץ יש לה פה שנאמר[6] ותפתח הארץ את פיה. אדם אוכל והארץ אוכלת, שנאמר[7] ארץ אוכלת יושביה. אדם שותה והארץ שותה, שנאמר[8] למטר השמים תשתה מי

So yes my friends we are reliving recreation on Rosh Hashanah-of ourselves via our connection to god

Pesach time parshat ויקרא

 Since it's Passover time, which historically was and is, the time of year that jews attempt to eliminate paganism from their beliefs and practice; I  would like to share a thought that I noticed in the Rambams Moreh that discuss some of the happenings in Chumash Shemot, which we just finished.

The pasukim towards the end of mishpatim say the following-

ט  וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה, וְאַהֲרֹן--נָדָב, וַאֲבִיהוּא, וְשִׁבְעִים, מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

י  וַיִּרְאוּ, אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו, כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר, וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם, לָטֹהַר

יא  וְאֶל-אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ; וַיֶּחֱזוּ, אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאכְלוּ, וַיִּשְׁתּוּ

9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel;

10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness.

11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand; and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.

On this last pasuk where it mentions "and did eat and drink", unlike his contemporaries,

the Rambam learns this as a criticism of the nobles of the children of Israel.

Here are the words of the Rambam from tbe Moreh-part 1:5

אמנם ׳אצילי בני ישראל׳ הם הרסו ושלחו מחשבותם והשיגו אבל השגה בלתי שלמה; ולזה אמר עליהם ״ויראו את אלהי ישראל ותחת רגליו וכו׳״ – ולא אמר: ׳ויראו את אלהי ישראל׳ לבד כי כלל המאמר אינו רק לדקדק עליהם ראיתם לא לתאר איך ראו. ואמנם, דקדק עליהם תוכן השגתם אשר כללה מן הגשמות מה שכללה – חייב זה הרסם קודם שלמותם. והתחיבו ׳כליה׳ ויעתר להם ע״ה והאריך האלוה להם עד שנשרפו ב׳תבערה׳ ונשרף נדב ואביהוא ב׳אוהל מועד׳ לפי מה שבאה בו הקבלה האמיתית.

But “the nobles of the Children of Israel” were impetuous, and allowed their thoughts to go unrestrained: what they perceived was but imperfect. Therefore it is said of them, “And they saw the God of Israel, and there was under his feet,” etc. (Exod. 24:10); and not merely, “and they saw the God of Israel”; the purpose of the whole passage is to criticize their act of seeing and not to describe it. They are blamed for the nature of their perception, which was to a certain extent corporeal—a result which necessarily followed, from the fact that they ventured too far before being perfectly prepared. They deserved to perish, but at the intercession of Moses this fate was averted by God for the time. They were afterwards burnt at Taberah, except Nadab and Abihu, who were burnt in the Tabernacle of the congregation, according to what is stated by authentic tradition. (Midr. Rabba ad locum.)

At the end of this chapter the Rambam continues-

ואשוב להשלים מה שנכנסנו לבארו ואומר ש׳אצילי בני ישראל׳ עם המכשולים שארעו להם בהשגתם נתבלבלו גם כן בעבורה פעולותיהם ונטו לענינים הגופיים להשתבש ההשגה. ולזה אמר ״ויחזו את האלהים ויאכלו וישתו״. אמנם סוף המאמר והוא – אמרו: ״ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכו׳״ הנה יתבאר בקצת פרקי זה המאמר.

I will now return to complete what I commenced to explain. The nobles of the Children of Israel, besides erring in their perception, were, through this cause, also misled in their actions: for in consequence of their confused perception, they gave way to bodily cravings. This is meant by the words, “Also they saw God and did eat and drink” (Exod. 24:11). The principal part of that passage, viz., “And there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone” (Exod. 24:10), will be further explained in the course of the present treatise (ch. xxviii.).

In other words, the Rambam is explaining that because of their lack of development and preparation, the nobles of Israel perceived God as corporeal. This led to some type of "misleading actions" which the Rambam doesn't specify or explain. It is possible that he could be referring to the consecration of the mishkan where the two sons of Aaron deviated from the avodah; which then led to their demise(as he mentions in the first part of this chapter in the Moreh). 

I would like to propose that the golden calf which happens shortly after this event, is one of the actions, if not the action that the Rambam is referring to. 

By the golden calf the Torah says -

ד  וַיִּקַּח מִיָּדָם, וַיָּצַר אֹתוֹ בַּחֶרֶט, וַיַּעֲשֵׂהוּ, עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה; וַיֹּאמְרוּ--אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלוּךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.

ה  וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן, וַיִּבֶן מִזְבֵּחַ לְפָנָיו; וַיִּקְרָא אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמַר, חַג לַיהוָה מָחָר.

ו  וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ, מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת, וַיַּגִּשׁוּ שְׁלָמִים; וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם לֶאֱכֹל וְשָׁתוֹ, וַיָּקֻמוּ לְצַחֵק. 

And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: 'This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'

And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said: 'To-morrow shall be a feast to the LORD

And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry.

Notice the words "eat and drink" that is mentioned in this parsha. The torah is also very vague about "they said". Who said?  Was it Aaron and the people around him? Was it all of the jewish people? If thats the case, then who are they saying this to?  

Here to, it is  possible that the very same "nobles of Israel" declared to the Jewish people "This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Once one perceives God in physical terms, then it's not impossible that the golden calf that came out of the fire can also represent God. This is the meaning of the "eating and drinking" that was done by the golden calf.  The torah wants to connect the eating and drinking of the golden calf to the eating and drinking of the nobles of Israel. When one eats and drinks, it is done to satisfy and fulfill one's physical needs and desires. When one views God as corporeal, then he can be manipulated to fulfill one's needs. It's no longer about imitation of God's ways but instead about God serving oneself...

Something to think about this time of year, where judaism has become about buying pants of leaders, visiting cemeteries, praying by the dead and many other rituals that are designed to have God serve our needs vs our attempt to imitate the ways of God...