Toras Avigdor Junior
Parshas Pinchas
Honorable Mention
Torah Prep School, University City, Missouri
“Good morning, boys!” said Rabbi Bromberg as he entered the classroom. “How is everyone doing today?”
“Good morning, Rebbe!” said Yosef excitedly. “Did you hear the news about Mayor McGillicuddy?”
“What now?” asked Rabbi Bromberg with a sigh. “Is he making another parade?” (See Toras Avigdor Junior Parshas Shelach)
“No,” said Yair. “This is even more exciting than that!”
“Yeah,” Nachi chimed in. “He’s writing another book! This one is going to be all about the great things that he did for the children of U. City!”
“He did things for the children?” Rabbi Bromberg asked, puzzled. “Like what?”
“Well, for one he made that parade a few weeks ago!” said Chanani. “That was so much fun! But there’s more than that – he’s having a big raffle for all of the kids in town. And the winners will get to visit his fancy office in City Hall and be interviewed by him so they can be mentioned in the book.”
“Oh, how I hope I win,” said Yosef, a far-away look in his eyes. “Can you imagine – I could be meeting with the mayor in his office!”
“And just think how awesome it would be to have my name in a book!” said Noach. “I’ll be famous, just like ‘Shimshy Shimowitz and the Shimmering Shield’ or ‘Malky’s Magical Latke’; everyone would be reading about what I said to the mayor!”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” said Rabbi Bromberg. “Don’t you boys realize that you already have the chance to be in a much more important book? And you don’t need to win a raffle to get in!”
The classroom got quiet as everyone scratched their heads, trying to figure out what book Rabbi Bromberg was referring to.”
“You mean the article in the upcoming Ari Magazine about the Menahel, Rabbi Golombeck?” asked Yair. “I guess we are technically in that article because it talks about our school. But it probably won’t have our names in it or anything. This could actually have our names in it and is going to be a real book, not a magazine!”
“No, no,” Rabbi Bromberg said with a smile. “I’m not referring to that. I’m talking about a real book, a more choshuv book than any mayor or politician ever wrote.”
The boys all stared at Rabbi Bromberg, as he continued. “I’ve told you boys many times how, when I used to live in New York, I would go to the shiurim of Harav Avigdor Miller Zatza”l. Well, listen to this fascinating thing he said about Parshas Pinchas.
“You all know how in Parshas Pinchas, the Bnos Tzelafchad went to Moshe Rabbeinu to ask for a cheilek in Eretz Yisroel, since their father died, and didn’t get a cheilek. But there’s something very interesting. The Torah mentions each of the five girls by name. Now these were young girls, not big rebbetzins. But, since they were such special girls who did Mitzvos and Maasim Tovim, they got to be mentioned in the Chumash.
“Can you imagine that? What is more special than being mentioned in the Chumash???”
Yosef raised his hand. “But Rebbe,” he said. “The Torah was already written. It’s too late for us to get our names into the Torah, no matter how many Mitzvos we do.”
“Ah,” said Rabbi Bromberg. “But there is another Chumash that is still being written.”
“Really?” the boys all asked. “Who’s writing it?”
Rabbi Bromberg smiled again. “The Midrash tells us that Eliyahu Hanavi and the Melech Hamoshiach will write this new Chumash, and it will contain all of the Mitzvos that Yidden do nowadays. And then, the Midrash says, Hashem himself will sign it, kivyachol!
“Now think, what use is being mentioned in a book written by some arrogant goyishe mayor? But, l’havdil, to be mentioned in Hashem’s Torah? Can you just imagine that? Think about what that means! Just by following Hashem’s Mitzvos and living lives of true Torah Jews, we all can be written down forever in Hashem’s Sefer.
“Long after everyone has forgotten all about this Mayor McGillicuddy, people will still be reading about us Torah Yidden forever and ever. And if we work hard enough and do enough Mitzvos, we will have our own names written there, just like the Bnos Tzelafchad; Machla, Noah, Choglah, Milkah and Tirtzah!”
“Rebbe?” asked Nachi, raising his hand. “Do you think that we’ll read this new Torah in shul on Shabbos? And maybe there will even be a ‘Parshas Nachi’?”
“I don’t know, maybe!” answered Rabbi Bromberg. “But one thing is for sure. There is no greater kovod in the world than to have your name written in a Sefer signed by the Ribono Shel Olam himself, saying that you were a tzadik and a true Eved Hashem.”
Have a Wonderful Shabbos!