Shelach - The Man Who Tried to Save Shabbos and Broke It
From Nitzotzos: Inspiration to Keep Your Spark Alive with Rav Mordechai Burg by Nitzotzos
June 4, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
Rav Burg explores the complex motivations behind Tzelafchad's actions regarding Shabbos and the implications for leadership and control.
Why would Tzelafchad desecrate Shabbos for the sake of Heaven? Chazal reveal that the mekoshesh eitzim was not acting out of rebellion, but out of desperation. Klal Yisrael thought that after the decree not to enter Eretz Yisrael, perhaps they were no longer bound by mitzvos. Tzelafchad wanted to create a moment so shocking that it would force clarity. But that is exactly where the danger lies. Shabbos teaches us that the world does not need to be held together by our anxiety, our force, or our need for control. Public chillul Shabbos is compared to avodah zarah because it relocates power from Hashem to man. And tragically, in trying to protect Shabbos by forcing the issue, Tzelafchad cracked the very consciousness that Shabbos was meant to create. In his shiur, delivered in Sharfmans, Rav Burg explores the deep psychological message of the mekoshesh, the frightening words of Tosafos that had Klal Yisrael kept that second Shabbos no nation could ever have ruled over them, and the beautiful tikkun found in the daughters of Tzelafchad. A powerful shiur about Shabbos, anxiety, control, leadership, emunah, and learning how to care deeply without trying to control everything.
People in this episode
Host: Rav Mordechai Burg
Topics covered
- Shabbos
- anxiety
- control
- leadership
- emunah
- psychological message
Keywords
- Shabbos
- Tzelafchad
- Klal Yisrael
- Chazal
- anxiety
- control
- emunah
- leadership
- Tosafos
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sharfmans
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