Dvar Torah for Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech

       Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech comes on the heels of the curses of Parshas Ki Savo. The parshah begins, “אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם” “You are all standing this today before Hashem, your God” (Devarim 29:9). Rashi explains what this pasuk means in the context of the Torah. “After Yisrael heard these 100-minus-two curses, besides for the forty-nine curses they heard in Sefer Vayikra, they turned pale, and said ‘Who could possible endure these?’ Moshe began to appease them. (He said) ‘You have angered the Omnipresent many times, yet He has not destroyed you. And behold, you still stand before Him (today).” (Rashi to Devarim 29:12).

       The Kli Yakar asks a few questions on this Rashi. First of all, Hashem warns Bnei Yisrael that not keeping the Torah can result in these curses and understandably, they are very scared by this. So how is Moshe doing consoling them by saying that even with all the terrible things they have already done, Hashem has still not destroyed them so they have nothing to worry about? Either the curses are real and Moshe is giving them false hope, or the curses will not come true and Moshe has now guaranteed that Bnei Yisrael will never have to worry about not keeping the Torah since they have seen that nothing will happen to them anyway! And if you want to suggest that the curses will happen but they will not result in complete destruction, Hashem already promised Bnei Yisrael that He would never destroy them completely (See Vayikra 26:44), so why would Moshe have to repeat it here?

       The second question is when the Torah lists the curses in Sefer Vayikra, we do not see them having the same effect on Bnei Yisrael as the ones here in Parshas Ki Savo. Why not? And finally, why does Rashi write “100-minus-two” when describing the curses? Why doesn’t he just say “ninety-eight” (the same way he wrote “forty-nine” in the very same Rashi)?  

       The Kli Yakar explains; by both sets of curses, those here and the ones in Sefer Vayikra, a stubborn person could come up with some way of bypassing the curses. For example, one of the curses is that the heavens will turn to iron, preventing rain from falling. This stubborn individual could claim that the curse only applies to the skies over Bnei Yisrael. The goyim however, will remain unaffected by the curse, allowing us to get food from them! He will ignore the true message of the curses, to repent, and instead look for loopholes to every single one. The only way to combat a person like this is to not tell him exactly what the punishment will be for his sins, giving him no chance to look for loopholes and instead have to focus on repenting in order to escape the curses.

       Besides for the strange way it’s written, if you go back and count up the curses, there actually are 100 written in the Torah. So why does Rashi say there are only ninety-eight? The answer is that all 100 are written in the pesukim, but two of them are not explained fully as to what they actually are. This way, the stubborn man we mentioned before has no way of nothing what to prepare for thereby causing immense confusion and fear (and the need to repent). This is what Moshe had to relax Bnei Yisrael about. He explained to them that Hashem does not expect anyone to be as stubborn as this individual we have alluded to, and therefore you do not need to worry about an extra unknown punishment that might be coming.

       So what is the purpose of including these curses if we don’t even know what they are? Furthermore, if He was going to put them in anyway, why didn’t Hashem just explain them clearly to us? The Kli Yakar explains that these are potential punishments that would be given in Olam Haba (The World to Come). Since it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend what exists in that completely spiritual realm, the Torah hid these curses from us, the same way it does not mention the reward of Olam Haba as well. So when Moshe gave a number, he only gave the number ninety-eight, the amount of curses Bnei Yisrael could fully comprehend, while at the same time explaining that there are really 100. He was also warning them that this world is not the end; our actions are also taken into account for the World to Come where we will be rewarded and punished as well.      

       The last part of Rashi says, “Just as this day exists, that it becomes dark (for a time) and becomes light (following the dark), so too God has made it light for you and will make it light for you again in the future”. (ibid) The Kli Yakar explains that this is referring to Olam Haba. Even though the sun sets on you, when you die, it will return when you reach Olam Haba. “The curses and sufferings preserve you and enable you to stand before Him”; Moshe is explaining how, in the end, even the curses are a good thing. Because only with these punishments given in this world, can we can be assured of a place in Olam Haba. With this knowledge, Bnei Yisrael were able to relax and fully appreciate Hashem’s commitment to them.    

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Nitzavim (doubles as a prep for Rosh Hashanah)

Click here for an essay on the themes of Sefer Devarim

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email us at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Ki Savo

       As we have discussed the past few weeks, we see in Sefer Devarim how Moshe prepares Bnei Yisrael to enter Eretz Yisrael; Parshas Ki Savo is no different. The parshah begins with the mitzvah of Bikkurim, The First Fruits. After the land has been conquered and all the tribes have settled in their territories, there is a commandment to bring the first branch that blossoms of any tree belonging to the seven special fruits of Eretz Yisrael (see Devarim 8:8) to the Beis Hamikdash. This mitzvah is performed once a year between Shavuos and Succos (with the potential to extend until Chanuka).

       The pesukim go on to explain how you would come to the Beis Hamikdash with your fruits and present your fruits to the attending Kohen. You would then proceed to give a speech acknowledging everything that Hashem has done for the Nation from taking us out of Mitzrayim to bringing us to Eretz Yisrael. The speech ends with a declaration that you are bringing these fruits to the Beis Hamikdash in order to show recognition that just as everything until we entered Eretz Yisrael was because of Hashem’s kindness, so are these fruits (and not a result of our own efforts).

       “ וּבָאתָ אֶל הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם...” “And you will come to the Kohen who will be in those days…” (Devarim 26:3). This pasuk describing the donator’s arrival to the Beis Hamikdash begins with a strange statement. What other Kohen will be there if not the one who is there at that time? Do you expect someone from the past or the future to be there? We see a similar wording in Parshas Shoftim by the commandment to set up a court system (See 17:9) that you should go see the judges “that will be there in those days”. Rashi explains here the same way he does in Parshas Shoftim; even if the current Kohen is not as great as those in previous generations, you must still fulfill the mitzvah and bring him the Bikkurim.

       The Ramban asks that while this explanation fits very well in Parshas Shoftim, it does not go as smooth here by Bikkurim. By court cases, if a person feels the judge is unworthy of his position, he might be tempted to not go to Beis Din at all and take care of the case by himself; therefore, the pasuk must warn him to use the Beis Din. However, by Bikkurim, what other option do you have? Whether or not you feel the Kohen is up to par, your only option to fulfill the mitzvah of Bikkurim is to bring it to the Beis Hamikdash. Therefore, this cannot be the pshat in the pasuk. Rather, says the Ramban, the pasuk is telling us that you must give the Bikkurim to a Kohen who is on duty at the Beis Hamikdash when you arrive and not to a Kohen who isn’t. For example, if you have a good friend who is a Kohen and you would prefer to give him the Bikkurim instead.

       The Kli Yakar tries to answer the Ramban’s question on Rashi with a gemarah in Kesubos (105b) which says that if you bring a present to a Talmid Chacham, it is considered as if you brought Bikkurim. Because of this connection, you might assume that you could only give the real Bikkurim to a Kohen who is also a Talmid Chacham. And if there is no Talmid Chacham in that mishmar, shift, then you must wait until there is a Talmid Chacham present to bring your Bikkurim. Says the Kli Yakar, this is what Rashi was trying to prevent with his explanation; you must respect the Kohen of those days and bring him the Bikkurim regardless of whether or not he is a Talmid Chacham.

       The Seforno gives a different explanation. The end of the pasuk states, “וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִגַּדְתִּי הַיּוֹם לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי בָאתִי אֶל הָאָרֶץ” “…and say to him, ‘I declare this day to Hashem, your God, that I have come to this land…” (Devarim 26:3). The phrase “Hashem, your God” is only directed at someone who is known as a very wise or highly honorable individual such as a Navi or the king. Even if the present Kohen does not fill these lofty qualifications, because of the great importance of the gift of the Bikkurim, which is the acknowledgment of Hashem as the cause and producer of all sustenance, it is proper that you address the receiver of this gift, the Kohen, with this lofty phrase.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for a previous year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Ki Savo

Click here for an essay on the themes of Sefer Devarim

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email us at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Ki Seitzei

       “כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ”  “When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your God will deliver him into your hand…” (Devarim 21:10). Our parshah begins with a grammatically confusing pasuk. The pasuk begins with when the Bnei Yisrael will go out to war against their enemies, “אֹיְבֶיךָ”. From the fact that there are two letter “yuds” in this word, we know that the word is a plural. However, later in the pasuk, it says that Hashem will “deliver him into our hands”, in the singular tense. Why the change in tense? The medrash says on the later part of the pasuk that if you keep all the laws in the pesukim that follow, then Hashem will deliver your enemies into your hands. But those pesukim speak about the laws of a captive woman and if you are not successful in war then there will be no captives! So how can fulfilling the laws of a captive make you successful in war when the war is already over by the time the captives have been taken?

       The Kli Yakar explains that the pasuk is referring to only one enemy: the Yetzer Hara (the Evil Inclination); the most dangerous, frightening, and personal enemy a person can have.  We see from pesukim in last week’s parsha that wartime is when he is at his strongest (See commentaries to Devarim 20:1). The pasuk here is promising that Hashem will help you defeat the Yetzer Hara in your battle against him. But still the question arises; Rashi explains that the reason we allow a soldier to bring a woman captive home with him is because the Yetzer Hara will be too strong to resist so Hashem would rather he do it with permission. So how can Hashem tell us that He will help us defeat the Yetzer Hara and then allow us to do something only because our Yetzer is too strong? If it has already been defeated, what is there to worry about? Where is Hashem’s promise of victory?

       In order to understand this better, let us go through the laws of a captive woman. When you first bring her home from battle, you must shave her head and have her grow out her fingernails. She must not wear fine clothes and she must mourn in your house for her family that she has left behind. All these measures are taken to insure that you will come to dislike her (as we did not want her to be taken back from the war in the first place). The juxtaposition of this topic with the next one, which is someone who loves one of his wives and hates the other, teaches us that if you do end up marrying this captive, you will grow to hate her.

       The Kli Yakar explains that following these instructions will help you conquer your Yetzer Hara. Any feelings you might have had for her during the war will be wiped out by the time she is finished with her mourning, thereby removing your one remaining desire from your Yetzer Hara! Chazal tell us that when you battle your Yetzer Hara, if you cannot defeat him, the final attempt should be to remind yourself of your eventual death. When you contemplate the fact that one day you will have to answer for all your deeds in front of the Heavenly Court, you will surely be able to overcome your current desires and inclinations. When she is mourning for her family in your house, it becomes a shiva house, a place where you can be reminded of your mortality on a constant basis.

       We can now explain the beginning of the pasuk as well. The multiple enemies written about at the beginning of the pasuk are both the external and internal enemies we face when we go to battle. The reason why the end of the pasuk mentions our defeating only one enemy is because that in order to defeat our external enemies, we must first defeat our internal one: the Yetzer Hara. While we are still mired in sin, we cannot hope to defeat our enemies around us. However, we do have a promise from Hashem to help us succeed. As long as we begin the battle, Hashem will finish it for us. In fact, by the physical battle we potentially do not have to do anything at all! Once we have defeated our Yetzer Hara, Hashem takes charge of our external enemies, and the war is over before it has even begun.

       Currently, we are also in a battle, the battle of Elul. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we must prepare ourselves for judgment. But as we try to get better, our Yetzer Hara tries even harder to make us slip up and fail. Let us internalize the lesson of this week’s parshah that as long as we follow the Torah and commit ourselves to becoming better, we have a guarantee from Hashem that we will succeed; He will battle for us. However, we must take the first step. If we show Hashem that we are committed to changing ourselves, only then will He help us defeat the Yetzer Hara. But if we do make that commitment, then we are guaranteed to succeed.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Ki Seitzei

Click here for an essay on the themes of Sefer Devarim

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email us at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Shoftim

       Every so often, I like to give over a vort that besides for giving a deeper insight into the pasuk, it also shows how the commentaries learned the pasuk in order to bring out those insights. Understanding how they saw the pesukim allows us to gain a deeper understanding of how to read and dissect pesukim so we can create our own great insights! This week is one of these vorts.

       This week’s Parshah discusses a portion of how the Torah court system works. One topic discussed is the testimony of false witnesses and their punishment. The last pasuk dealing with this topic says, “וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ וְלֹא יֹסִפוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד כַּדָּבָר הָרָע הַזֶּה בְּקִרְבֶּךָ” “And those who remain shall hearken and fear; and they shall not continue again to do such an evil thing in your midst” (Devarim 19:20). Rashi comments on the words “יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ” “hearken and fear”, that from these words we learn that before you kill the witnesses (if they are guilty of death), you must announce to the general public that they are being killed as a result of their testifying falsely in Beis Din.

       The Sifsei Chachamim explains Rashi’s thought process for this explanation. Last week in Parshas Re’eh, we discussed the fate of a Meisit, someone who convinces other people to serve Avoda Zara, and who is then killed. When the Torah discusses his punishment, the pasuk says, “וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּן” “All Israel shall hear and fear…” (13:12). How come by the meisit the pasuk says that all of Israel should hear while here by the false witnesses, only those “that remain” should hear and fear? The answer lies in who we are addressing. Not everyone can testify in Beis Din. There are many people, such as gamblers, thieves, and others, who are halachically not allowed to be witnesses for any case. To become a meisit however, the potential rests with everybody. Therefore, when the pasuk discusses the fate of a meisit, it says that the entire nation should hear since it is applicable to the entire nation. But by the false witnesses, there are many people who never have to fear from this punishment as they will never be allowed to testify in the first place! When our pasuk says to address those that remain, it is referring only to the ones who remain kosher to testify. Therefore, Rashi has to explain to us two things; first, why the wording in our pasuk is different than in Parshas Re’eh, and secondly, that we still need to announce why these people are being killed even though it is not applicable to the whole nation.

       This will also answer another difference in Rashi. Earlier in the parshah, when discussing the general laws of Beis Din, Rashi explains the same words of “וְכָל הָעָם יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ”, that we wait until the next Holiday when the entire Nation will be together in Yerushalayim to kill those deserving of death. The reason why Rashi did not explain our pasuk like that as well is because that while we will still wait until the Holiday to kill the false witnesses, the warning does not apply to the entire nation and therefore the focus of having everyone together does not apply as well like it does at the beginning of the Parsha.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Shoftim

        

Click here for an essay on the themes of Sefer Devarim

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email us at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Re'eh

       In Parshas Re’eh, Moshe gives over to Bnei Yisrael many mitzvos which show how we are different from the other nations of the world. Among them are an obligation to destroy places of Avoda Zara, the laws of Bamos (private alters), the laws of eating korbanos and other consecrated foods, and maaser (tithes). All these mitzvos are obligations which show how we are different; a very important idea as Bnei Yisrael get closer to Eretz Yisrael and its’ seven nations of Goyim.

       The parshah ends with a discussion of the שלש רגלים (Shalosh Regalim), the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Reading the pesukim, we see an interesting pattern developing. By the eight pesukim which discuss Pesach, not a single mention is made of the obligation to be happy on the Holiday. However, by the holiday of Shavuos, the pasuk mentions it once, “וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ”  “And you shall rejoice before Hashem, your God” (Devarim 16:11); and by Succos it’s mentioned twice, “ושמחת בחגך …" והיית אך שמח “And you shall rejoice in your festival…and you will only be happy” (16:14-15)! If all the holidays are meant to be celebrated with extra happiness, why is happiness not mentioned by Pesach and also, why do we need these extra mentions by Succos and Shavuos?  

       The Meforshim have several explanations but they all center on the status of the crops. The Baal Haturim says that on Pesach the crops have not yet been harvested and therefore your simcha is not complete as you are still worried about them. Will there be a plague? Will pests get into them? This will weigh down your mind and prevent you from fully experiencing the happiness of the holidays. On Shavuos, the fields have been harvested but not the vineyards; therefore there is only one mention of simcha. On Succos, when everything has been harvested, your simcha is finally complete and therefore, the pasuk mentions it twice. The Chizkuni adds in a small point that one of the reasons that the Shalosh Regalim are at these times of the year is because these are times of harvesting and we are happy as a result of it. The main idea of Pesach though, is the Exodus from Egypt and therefore does not deserve an extra mention of simcha like Shavuos and Succos.

        Sefer Devarim is the sefer where the mitzvos changed from ideas to reality for Bnei Yisrael. We see that in this parshah and specifically this mitzvah of the Festivals. With all the ideas and themes surrounding these Holidays, we see a new one here; even a holiday set up to celebrate Hashem, His city, and His holy nation, still revolves around your personal simcha of your everyday life. Have your crops come in? Are you set up financially for the coming season? Is everything okay with you? In that case, let us celebrate! I believe that this combination of spirituality and real life issues was Moshe’s way of preparing Bnei Yisrael for life beyond the border and into Eretz Yisrael. May we see the Beis Hamikdash rebuilt speedily in our days and celebrate the festivals together in the holy city of Yerushalayim!

Shabbat Shalom!

       

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Re'eh

Click here for an essay on the themes of Sefer Devarim (Updated!)

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email us at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM