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5770 פרשת נצבים- וילך
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes to us how after Moshe Rabbeinu told Bnei Yisroel how they will be accepting a covenant with God that aside from bringing with it responsibilities brings with it the joy of being God’s chosen people he told them that he would be dying and would not be going with them into Eretz Yisroel. When Moshe was telling Bnei Yisroel that he was going to die, he said the following: “I am 120 years today and I no longer have the strength to go in and go out and God told me that I can’t go into Eretz Yisroel.
The Siforno says that the reason that Moshe said he was going to die in this manner was that he did not want Bnei Yisroel to be sad at the time when they were accepting the covenant with God. The Siforno continues and explains that when Moshe said “I am 120 years old” he was saying don’t be sad as this is the maximum age a person can live. When Moshe said “I can no longer go in and out” he was saying don’t be sad as even if I could live I would not be able to lead as I am too old and weak. When Moshe said “God told me that I can’t go into Eretz Yisroel” he was saying telling Bnei Yisroel not to be sad that it is good for me to die so that you can go into Eretz Yisroel
If we look at this Siforno we can ask the following question. I can understand how the first two ideas that Moshe told to Bnei Yisroel make sense that it would be a comfort to them. The realization that Moshe had reached the maximum age that a person can live is certainly a comfort. The same can be true about the fact that Moshe did not have any more strength to be active is also a comfort to them that Moshe only passed away when he could no longer function in the way he was accustomed. However, the third idea that Moshe said doesn’t seem to be much of a comfort. The fact that in order to go into Eretz Yisroel that Moshe had to first die would not seem to be much of a comfort. Bnei Yisroel would still be sad that even though they have a great gift that they can go into Eretz Yisroel they would still be sad that Moshe died and couldn’t go with them into Eretz Yisroel.
It would seem from the Siforno that the Torah is teaching us a very important lesson. A person has the ability to look at a situation in many different ways. In this case, even though Bnei Yisroel could have viewed the situation as a sad one, Moshe was telling Bnei Yisroel that they should view the situation as something to their benefit which will keep them from being sad.
Many times in our lives we encounter situations that we could view in two different ways. It is incumbent upon us to view every situation that occurs to us in a positive light that God is doing for our benefit. The more we can focus and view our lives in a positive light the closer we will be to God and the greater desire we will have to serve Him properly.
פרשת נצבים – וילך5769
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes to us how Moshe Rabbeinu gathered together all of Bnei Yisroel and told them that as part of being the nation of God they are accepting on themselves not only the blessings that comes from doing the Mitzvos but also the curses that come from doing sins. After describing to Bnei Yisroel that in the future their descendents would leave the path of the Torah and they would be punished and Eretz Yisroel would be left barren, the Torah continues and says the following:
“When all of these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I placed in front of you, then you should repent.”
The Ohr Hachayim asks that the Pasuk seems to be redundant. It says “all of these thing,” “the blessing and the curses,” however, the words “all these things “mean the blessings and the curses, so why do you need to say both?
The Ohr Hachayim explains that the word “Vehaya” used to mean when means to be happy, and the Torah is telling a person that the same way he would accept the Berachos he would have to accept the curses and the punishment. If the Torah would have said when you receive the blessings and the curses a person would naturally assume that the joy relates to the good times and that when the curses come he is allowed to feel sad and angry and upset. It is for this reason that the Torah adds the words “all these things” to tell us that the blessings and the curses must be viewed equally and responded to with the same level of joy.
If we look at this Ohr Hachayim, we can ask the following question. We can understand that the Torah can expect a person to accept suffering without complaining; however it is difficult to understand how the Torah would expect someone to respond with the same level of joy as someone who just received tremendous good.
In order to answer this question we first need to understand why a person is happy when something good happens to him. The reason is that he feels that he now has something he felt was missing. Even if a person doesn’t actively feel that he is lacking something when he receives something and it makes him happy it is because subconsciously he felt lacking. On the other hand, if someone gets something he already has and which another one of the same thing won’t benefit him he will not feel the same sense of happiness since he is not filling any lack.
This being the case we can now begin to understand how the Torah can expect a person who is going through a difficult time to respond with joy. The reason can be that if a person realizes that the reason he is going through a difficult time is for his benefit because he is lacking something in his spiritual growth that now he has he should be ecstatic and jumping for joy. This is especially true since reward in the next world is worth so much more than any pleasure in this world.
In order for us to reach this level which apparently according to the Ohr Hachayim is expected of us we need to do two things. The first thing we need to do is to constantly remind ourselves that everything that occurs to us is from God and that everything He does to us is for our benefit and the second thing is to realize that we are truly lacking in our spiritual level and that lack should be making us feel that there is truly something missing so when we get it even if it comes in the form of a curse it will truly make us happy.
5768 פרשת נצבים
In this week’s Parsha the Torah brings down one of the most famous Pasukim:
This commandment is not distant from you …. Rather it is in your mouth and in your hearts to do it.
Rabbeinu Bechai explains that this Mitzvah is talking about the Mitzvah of learning Torah. He continues and explains what the Pasuk is trying to tell us with the words “In your mouth and in your hearts to do” the following way:
There are three types of Mitzvos that a person does. There are those Mitzvos that a person does with his heart (prayer), those that a person does with his mouth (learning Torah) and those that are done through physical actions (other Mitzvos). The Mitzvos that are done with the heart are a greater source of worship to God than those of the mouth, and those of the mouth are greater than those that are just physical actions.
If we look at this Rabbeinu Bechai a little more closely we can ask the following questions:
Chazal tell us that the Mitzvah of learning Torah is equal to performing all the rest of Torah, so how can Rabbeinu Bechai say that the Mitzvah of Tefilah is greater than the Mitzvah of learning Torah? Furthermore, why is Tefilah considered to be the type of Mitzvah that falls under the category of Mitzvos of the heart even though the performance of the Mitzvah requires use of the mouth?
In order to answer these questions, we first must look back at the Rabbeinu Bechai who when explaining why the Mitzvos relating to the heart are a much greater service of God than even learning Torah ,brings down the Halacha that a person must interrupt his learning to say the first Pasuk of Shema within the proper time of day.
Tosfos in Gemara Berachos explains that the concept of Shema is that there is no one like God. When we say Shema we are supposed to be coming to the realization that God runs the world and that everything that occurs in our lives is only from God. With this idea we can now begin to answer both of our questions.
When a person davens; he is inherently doing two distinct actions that both lead him to the same place. The first is praising God through seeing his hand both throughout the history of Bnei Yisroel as well as in the world around us (ie by seeing nature). The second thing is requesting that God should take care of our personal needs. Both of these actions lead us to the realization the God is running our lives. When we praise God’s control of this world it brings us to the realization that God is in control of the world even of the things that seem to run by themselves like nature. Also by asking God for assistance it makes us realize that God is in control.
This idea is one of the most difficult to inculcate into ourselves but is also the most basic fundamental of Judaism. What God wants from us is to build a relationship with Him and to become close to Him. God gave us the Torah and Mitzvos to assist us in reaching this goal. Every time we do a Mitzvah or learn Torah it brings us closer to God. Without Torah and Mitzvos we can never reach the ultimate relationship, however it is only through proper Tefilah that a person can feel the ultimate relationship with God.
The reason why Tefilah, even though it is using the mouth is considered to be a Mitzvah that relates to the heart is that proper Tefilah is connecting to God and that is done through the feelings of the heart in conjunction with the speech. This can also be why it is considered to be the greatest of all the Service of God. Since proper Tefilah is the most difficult but also the Avodah that brings us the closest to God.
Now that we are coming to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we should all strive to work on our Tefilah in order that we should become close to God and merit to have a good year.
פרשת נצבים – וילך 5767
In the beginning of this week’s Parsha, the Torah tells us that God made a covenant with Bnei Yisroel that God will never forsake us as a nation no matter what our actions are. However, when Bnei Yisroel does not follow the Torah then the result is hardships meant to bring us back to the right path and to cleanse us from our sins. Bnei Yisroel accepted this covenant and the responsibility it entails with a full heart.
The Torah then tells us that there might be people who accepted the covenant only verbally but not in their heart. About them the Torah says the following:
And when he heard the words of the curse and he will think in his heart saying I will be well. He does this in order to add “Harava es Hatzemaya”.
The question that all the commentaries try to explain is what is the meaning of the words ”Harava es Hatzemaya”?
The Chizkuni explains the words as follows:
In order to increase the sins that his soul was satiated from, meaning sins that the yetzer hara does not desire like wearing “shatnez” and other similar sins with the type of sins that the yetzer hara does desire like stealing and adultery.
On the surface this Chizkuni is very difficult to understand. The Chizkuni seems to be saying that a person who does sins from desire will inherently desire to increase his sins for which he has no desire.
Now, if you would say that a person who does sins to anger God and is already doing sins that his Yetzer hara does not crave would want to go off and involve himself in sins that his yetzer hara has a desire for would make sense. However, why would someone who just does sins due to his desires want to do sins for which his yetzer hara has no inherent desire?
The answer can be that when a person starts to do sins even only sins for which his yetzer haraa desires, there is a natural downward progression in which that person will desire to do even sins that they would have otherwise had no desire to do.
This Chizkuni can teach us a very important lesson. Many times we think to ourselves, I will only do this one sin for what I have a desire for. We think that we can only do this one sin even one as small as talking during davening or not davening with a minyan and that it won’t have any impact on our general spirituality. However, the opposite is true even the small sins can cause us to enter a downward spiral that can bring us to do many other sins. Now that we are coming to Rosh Hashanah we shouldn’t look to try to change the big things, (it is often very difficult), but rather the little things since those are the sins that can really drag us down spiritually. However, Chazal tell us that not only can small sins drag a person down spiritually, if we work to correct the small sins we will be able to use that to help us also change the big things. If we are able to start correcting even one small thing, God should judge us for good and give us a good year.
5766 פרשת נצבים – וילך
In this week’s Parsha we have one of the most famous groups of Pesukim. The Pesukim say:
This Mitzvah that I commanded you today is not hidden from and it is not far away. It is not in the heavens…. it is not accross the sea…. but rather it very close to your mouth and to your heart to do.
There are 2 possible explanations of these Pesukim:
The first expalnation brought down by the Sipurno and the Ramban that the above mentioned Pesukim were discussing the Mitzvah of Teshuvah.
The second explanation that is brought down in the Gemara says that these Pesukim are discussing the Mitzvah of learning Torah. It is this Gemara I will discuss today:
The Gemara says the following:
Rava said, set aside time to learn Torah. This is like what Rav Avdimi learned from this Pasuk that Torah is not in the heavens that you would have to go up to get it and it is not across the sea that you would have to go there to get it.
The Maharsha asks what is the connection between setting aside time to learn Torah and the above mentioned Pesukim?
The Maharsha explains that the only way that Torah can stay with a person is through review. However, there are people who don’t spend the time learning Torah. The Maharsha brings down two ways that the Yetzer Hara can cause a person to give up hope and to stop learning Torah:
- The thought that the Torah is too deep for him to understand and therefore why should he spend the time learning Torah.
- A person feels that he is just not smart enough to learn Torah.
The Torah was coming to tell us that these ideas are not valid.
The words ”The Torah is not in the heavens” are coming to offset the first trick of the Yetzer Hara by saying that the Torah is not in the heavens – meaning that even though the Torah is incredibly deep, it can still be understood by everyone at their own level.
The words ” Thr Torah is not on the other side of the ocean” are telling us that even though we are limited just like we can’t cross the seas by ourselves learning Torah is not that way. Our physical limitations should not stop us from learning Torah.
The idea of the Maharsha is very important. Throughout our lives we will always encounter people who are better than us in learning or come to shiurim where we don’t feel we understand the shiur as we should. The Yetzer Hara likes to jump at these situations to plant seeds of doubt in our minds about whether we should be spending our time learning Torah.
From the Maharsha we learn what to answer the Yetzer Hara. The answer is that the Torah was given to be learned by all. It is meant to be understood on every level. The only thing that is important is that we learn like it says in the Pasuk:
Torah is very close to your mouth and heart to do it.