Emor

The passuk says “ויצא בן אשה ישראלית …. ויקב… את השם ויקלל” “And he went out… and cursed Hashem…”  The Gemara brings that one who curses Hashem is as though he denies Hashem. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz asks: how can a person who left Mitzrayim and saw so many nissim and nifla’os come to do such a terrible aveirah of cursing Hashem?

He explains: the passuk says “and he went out.” Rashi asks: from where did he go out?  Rav Levi says “from his world.” Rav Chaim explains since he went out of his world and he wasn’t guarded, controlled by Hashem and His mitzvos, it is no wonder that he fell to such a low level.

What caused him to leave his world?  Rashi brings Rav Brachaya who said he left because of the parsha before this. The lechem hapanim were arranged on Shabbos and they were eaten the following week on Shabbos. He asked, “It is the way for a king to eat hot bread, should he be having cold bread which is 9 days old?” (9 days as it was baked erev Shabbos and eaten the following Shabbos.) Rav Chaim explains Chazal are teaching us that he left because of laitzanus. Once he belittled the lechem hapanim he became hefker, uncontrolled. One laitzanus pushes a person out of the world.

In truth the lechem hapanim had a special nes happen with them every week. The Gemara says they picked up the shulchan and showed the olei regelim the lechem hapanim that was on it. They said, “See the love Hashem has for you. They were taken off as fresh or as hot like they were put on the shulchan.” I heard from Avi Mori shlita in the name of the Ritva that Bnei Yisroel saw from afar the hot steam rising from the lechem hapanim! This was a great nes to last for so many days and yet be fresh and hot as though just baked!

Rav Chaim says the power of leitzanus is so great that it took him out the world and he came to cursing Hashem. Mesilas Yesharim says that laitzanus is like a shield smeared with oil which causes arrows which would have penetrated to slide off. With leitzanus, one can knock away great hisorerus and mussar, and it will make no impression.

May Hashem help us to be misaken the midah of leitzanus and bring us to praise and bentch Hashem.