פרשת קרח
ברית מלח עולם היא י"ח, י"ט
It is an eternal, salt like covenant
In Parshas Trumah, The Torah writes in relation to the construction of the Aron ועשית עליו זר זהב סביב – You shall make for it a golden crown.
The Gemara (Yoma 72b) explains that the word זר can be translated as “crown” or as “foreign/strange”. Hence the Possuk reads as follows: “If one merits to study and put into practice the Torah, symbolized by the Aron, the Torah will be his crown, i.e. his Torah knowledge will remain intact. Conversely, if one fails to keep the Torah, it will become strange to him, i.e. he will forget his Torah knowledge”.
The נצי"ב applies this concept to the כהונה being compared to salt in our Possuk. Just as salt enhances the taste of food when added sparingly yet can ruin the taste of food when over-applied, so too a כהן when he performs his duties selflessly - לשמה - is deserving of the crown of כהונה. However a כהן who performs his duties שלא לשמה estranges himself from the crown of כהונה.
As mechanchim we too must measure the messages we give our students. The same message in a small dose can be harmful in a larger one.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.