The Gemara relates: A certain man would regularly say whenever involved in conflict: Adjudicate my case [dunu dini]. The Sages said: Learn from it that he descends from the tribe of Dan, as it is written: “Dan will judge [yadin] his people like one of the tribes of Israel” (Genesis 49:16). He expressed himself that way due to his lineage. The Gemara relates a similar incident: A certain man would regularly walk and say: The bushes on the seashore are cypresses ( ge’onim), i.e., items located by the sea are more beautiful than those found in other places. They examined his lineage and found that he descends from the tribe of Zebulun, as it is written: “Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore” (Genesis 49:13). That explains his love of all things close to the sea.

ื”ึทื”ื•ึผื ื“ึผึฐืึธืžึทืจ: ื“ึผื•ึผื ื•ึผ ื“ึผึดื™ื ึดื™. ืึธืžึฐืจึดื™: ืฉืึฐืžึทืข ืžึดื™ื ึผึทื”ึผ ืžึดื“ึผึธืŸ ืงึธืึธืชึตื™, ื“ึผึดื›ึฐืชึดื™ื‘: ืดื“ึผึธืŸ ื™ึธื“ึดื™ืŸ ืขึทืžึผื•ึน ื›ึผึฐืึทื—ึทื“ ืฉืึดื‘ึฐื˜ึตื™ ื™ึดืฉื‚ึฐืจึธืึตืœืด.

ื”ึธื”ื•ึผื ื“ึผึทื”ึฒื•ึธื” ืงึธื ืึธื–ึตื™ืœ ื•ึฐืึธืžึทืจ: ืึทื›ึผึตื™ืฃ ื™ึทืžึผึธื ืึธืกึตื™ืกึฐื ึดื™ ื‘ึผึดื™ืจึธืืชึธื. ื‘ึผึฐื“ึทืงื•ึผ ื•ึฐืึทืฉืึฐื›ึผึฐื—ื•ึผื”ื•ึผ ื“ึผึฐืžึดื–ึผึฐื‘ื•ึผืœื•ึผืŸ ืงึธืึธืชึตื™, ื“ึผึดื›ึฐืชึดื™ื‘: ืดื–ึฐื‘ื•ึผืœึปืŸ ืœึฐื—ื•ึนืฃ ื™ึทืžึผึดื™ื ื™ึดืฉืึฐื›ึผึนืŸืด.

Maharsha notes:

ืžื‘ื•ืืจ ื›ืœ ืื™ืฉ ื™ื“ืžื” ื‘ืžืขืฉื™ื• ืœื‘ืจื›ืช ืื•ืชื• ื”ืฉื‘ื˜

It is given to understand that each person behaves in accordance with the blessing that were bestowed on his tribe. 

This speaks of the basic concept of human plurality which sometimes is thwarted in the name of religion. Meaning, though there is right and wrong, and religious authorities and governmental authorities must enforce the norms, there must be allowance for individual expression. Some issues are not right or wrong but style. Which mitzvos does one put more energy And devotion toward? Which area of study does one engage in more than another? We can’t do everything with the same degree of effort and talent. It’s important to know a person‘s individual abilities and where they might have blessings.

Rabbenu Bechaye on Devarim 26:1 discusses this idea and sees it as represented in the mitzvah of bikkurim, the offering of the first fruits.  These offerings are a way of showing G-d appreciation for the gifts that are given to you; in this case, the gifts are the first fruits that grow in the season. However, he says that all gifts and talents that we are given should be used capitalized on and shown that we appreciate G-d having given us these talents.

A Midrashic approach, based on Tanchuma Re'ey 12: the words: “honor the Lord from your wealth (ื”ื•ื ืš),” are interpreted as related to ื”ื ืื”, something from which one derives satisfaction or profit. Solomon urges people who have received anything enjoyable from G’d over and above what the average person enjoys (not only their harvest) as obligated to “kick back” something to G’d and to thereby honour His name. As an example of the point just made, consider a person who has been endowed by G’d with an especially beautiful voice, a singer. It behooves such a person to place this gift in the service of the Lord by acting as Cantor in the Synagogue services during communal prayer, provided he does so in order to honor the Lord and not in order to receive personal applause by the congregants in his own honor. If such a person truly intends his vocal contribution to the Synagogue services to be in G’d’s honor, the words of Solomon in Song of Songs 2,15: “Let  Me hear your voice for your voice is sweet,” may be applied to him. On the other hand, if such a well endowed person uses his gift to reap personal honor, Scripture applies to him the verse in Jeremiah 12,8: “She raised her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her.” A similar example would be someone endowed with the ability to be a calligrapher of especial talent. He should  acknowledge having been granted this talent, by using it in the preparation of sacred texts, to write Torah scrolls, phylacteries, etc. If he does indeed write a Torah scroll from pure motives (not because he wants to sell it at a profit), he has acquired an outstanding merit. Our sages (Menachot 30) went as far as describing a person who wrote a Torah scroll from such motives as comparing him to someone who had literally received the Torah from heaven (at Mount Sinai). The same applies to people who possess exceptional skill in performing the art of circumcision. Such people should strive to use their skill regularly, seeing that the performance of that commandment is linked to 13 covenants between G’d and His people. All people endowed with exceptional skills or talents are duty bound to place it in the service of the Lord as a form of acknowledging that their talent is G’d-given.

    The words ื•ืžืจืืฉื™ืช ื›ืœ ืชื‘ื•ืืชืš quoted in Proverbs 3,9 are reminiscent of the fact that the Jewish people are described by G’d as “His first harvest (ืจืืฉื™ืช),” such as in Jeremiah 2,2. It behooves them therefore more than any other nation to know and acknowledge the Lord Who is the First of all Firsts. They must therefore honor the Lord by offering Him the very first of their respective harvests. This is what the Torah had in mind with the commandment governing the bringing of Bikkurim to the Temple as spelled out already in Exodus 23,1. The Torah commanded the Jewish people who have been called ืจืืฉื™ืช to go to Jerusalem, a place which is known as the first in the universe, i.e. ranking first in beauty, as described in Psalms 50,2 and to offer these firstlings of their harvest to the First, i.e. to the Lord of the universe. They deliver these gifts to the priest who represents the “first” of the nation performing service to the Lord in that capacity, etc. This is the meaning of the opening verse of our Parshah

ื•ื‘ืžื“ืจืฉ ื›ื‘ื“ ืืช ื”' ืžื”ื•ื ืš ืžืžื” ื“ื”ื ื™ื™ืš, ื›ืœื•ืžืจ ืžื›ืœ ืžื” ืฉื”ื•ื ืžื”ื ื” ืื•ืชืš ื•ื ืชืŸ ืœืš ื™ืชืจื•ืŸ ืขืœ ืฉืืจ ื‘ื ื™ ืื“ื ื™ืฉ ืœืš ืœื”ื•ื“ื•ืช ืœืคื ื™ื• ื•ืœืชืช ื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืœืฉืžื•, ื›ื’ื•ืŸ ืžื™ ืฉืจืื” ื‘ืขืฆืžื• ืฉื™ืฉ ืœื• ืงื•ืœ ืขืจื‘ ืจืื•ื™ ืœื• ืœื›ื‘ื“ ื‘ื• ืืช ื”ืฉ"ื™ ืฉื™ื ื’ืŸ ื•ื™ืชืคืœืœ ืœืคื ื™ื• ื•ื ืฉืžืข ืงื•ืœื• ื‘ื‘ืื• ืืœ ื”ืงื“ืฉ, ื•ื‘ืœื‘ื“ ืฉื™ื›ื•ื™ืŸ ื‘ืงื•ืœื• ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ื”ืฉ"ื™ ืœื ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืขืฆืžื• ืฉื™ืฉื‘ื—ื•ื”ื• ื‘ื ื™ ืื“ื, ืฉืื ืขืฉื” ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ื”ืฉ"ื™ ืขืœื™ื• ื”ื›ืชื•ื‘ ืื•ืžืจ (ืฉื™ืจ ื”ืฉื™ืจื™ื ื‘ืณ:ื™ืดื“) ื”ืฉืžื™ืขื ื™ ืืช ืงื•ืœืš, ื•ืื ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืขืฆืžื• ืขืœื™ื• ื”ื›ืชื•ื‘ ืื•ืžืจ (ื™ืจืžื™ื”ื• ื™ืดื‘:ื—ืณ) ื ืชื ื” ืขืœื™ ื‘ืงื•ืœื” ืขืœ ื›ืŸ ืฉื ืืชื™ื”. ื•ื›ืŸ ืื ื”ื™ื” ืกื•ืคืจ ืจืื•ื™ ืœื• ืฉื™ื›ืชื•ื‘ ืกืคืจื™ื ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ื”ืฉ"ื™, ื•ืื ื–ื›ื” ืœื›ืชื•ื‘ ืกืคืจ ืชื•ืจื” ื‘ื™ื“ื• ื”ื ื” ืฉื›ืจื• ืขื“ ืฉืžื™ื ื™ื’ื™ืข, ืฉื›ื‘ืจ ืืžืจื• ืจื–"ืœ ื›ืชื‘ื• ืžืขืœื” ืขืœื™ื• ื”ื›ืชื•ื‘ ื›ืืœื• ืงื‘ืœื• ืžื”ืจ ืกื™ื ื™. ื•ื›ืŸ ืื ื”ื™ื” ื™ื•ื“ืข ืœืืžืŸ ืืช ื™ื“ื• ื‘ืžืฆื•ืช ืžื™ืœื” ืจืื•ื™ ืœื• ืฉื™ืชืžื™ื“ ื‘ืžืฆื•ื” ื”ื ื›ื‘ื“ืช ื”ื–ื• ืฉื ื›ืจืชื• ืขืœื™ื” (ื™"ื•) [ืฉืœืฉ ืขืฉืจื”] ื‘ืจื™ืชื•ืช, ื•ื›ืŸ ื‘ื›ื™ื•ืฆื ื‘ืืœื” ืฉื›ืœืŸ ื”ืŸ ืคืขื•ืœื•ืช ื ื‘ื—ืจื•ืช ื•ืœื›ื‘ื•ื“ ื”ืฉ"ื™, ื—ืŸ ื•ืชืคืืจืช ืœืขื•ืฉื™ื”ืŸ. ื•ืžืจืืฉื™ืช ื›ืœ ืชื‘ื•ืืชืš, ื ืงืจืื• ื™ืฉืจืืœ ืจืืฉื™ืช, ืฉื ืืžืจ (ืฉื ื‘) ืงื“ืฉ ื™ืฉืจืืœ ืœื”' ืจืืฉื™ืช ืชื‘ื•ืืชื”, ื•ืจืื•ื™ื™ืŸ ื”ื ืœื”ื›ื™ืจ ื•ืœื“ืขืช ืืช ื”ืฉ"ื™ ืฉื”ื•ื ืจืืฉื™ืช ื›ืœ ืจืืฉื™ืช, ื•ืœื›ื‘ื“ื• ืžืจืืฉื™ืช ื›ืœ ืชื‘ื•ืื•ืชื™ื”ื, ื•ื–ืืช ื›ื•ื•ื ืช ื”ืชื•ืจื” ื‘ืžืฆื•ืช ื”ื‘ื›ื•ืจื™ื ืฉื”ื ืจืืฉื™ืช ืฉื”ืชื•ืจื” ื—ื™ื™ื‘ื” ืœื™ืฉืจืืœ ืฉื ืงืจืื• ืจืืฉื™ืช ืœืœื›ืช ืืœ ื”ืžืงื•ื ืฉื”ื•ื ืจืืฉื™ืช ืฉื›ืœื•ืœื• ืฉืœ ืขื•ืœื ืฉื ืืžืจ (ืชื”ื™ืœื™ื ื ืณ:ื‘ืณ) ืžืฆื™ื•ืŸ ืžื›ืœืœ ื™ื•ืคื™, ืžืฆื™ื•ืŸ ื ืฉืชื›ืœืœ ื™ืคื™ื• ืฉืœ ืขื•ืœื, ื•ืœืชืช ืืœ ื”ื›ื”ืŸ ืฉื”ื•ื ืจืืฉื™ืช ื”ืขื‘ื•ื“ื”, ืจืืฉื•ืŸ ืœืžืฉืจืชื™ ื”ืงื“ืฉ, ื•ืœื”ื‘ื™ื ืืœื™ื• ื‘ื›ื•ืจื™ื ืžืจืืฉื™ืช ื›ืœ ืคืจื™ ื”ืื“ืžื”

for Video Shiur click here to listen:  Psychology of the DAF Pesachim 4

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com