Friday, August 28, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Ki Seitzei

       Parshas Ki Seitzei contains one of the most famous passages in the entire Torah, the commandment to never forget how the nation of Amalek attacked the Jewish people as they left Mitzrayim, and to eradicate Amalek from the face of the Earth. Immediately preceding this passage is the commandment to be honest and use proper scales and weights for business. The commentaries attempt to explain the connection between these two mitzvos to understand why they would be placed together.
       Rashi explains that the pasuk is teaching us that if you cheat with your measurements and weights, you should worry about enemies coming to attack you. He learns is out from a pasuk in Mishlei, “מאזני מרמה תועבת ה' בא זדון ויבא קלון“Deceitful scales are an abomination to Hashem…When willful wickedness comes, then comes disgrace” (11:1-2). But what is the connection between these two things? Did Amalek attack Bnei Yisrael because they lied about their weights? And what is the explanation of the pasuk that Rashi brings as a proof?
       The Kli Yakar explains that when a person is using an improper weight, you can’t tell that the weight is not the correct one. The pasuk uses the word “מרמה” that refers to someone who cheats but it can’t be proven they are cheating. Therefore, the proper punishment for this person must come publicly so the fact that he sinned is revealed to everyone. When an enemy comes to attack, there purpose is to be as open and public as possible about their conquest (even if their approach may be in secret); therefore, it is the perfect punishment for someone who uses improper weights.
       So what did the Bnei Yisrael do in order to deserve being attacked by Amalek? According to the Kli Yakar, in Parshas Beshalach right before Amalek attacks Bnei Yisrael, the pasuk tells us that the nation displayed a lack of faith in Hashem by doubting that He could provide for them in the desert. Says the Kli Yakar, in order to support themselves, some of the nation may have taken to cheating others out of provision, but they only would have used ways that were not obvious; a nation just out of Mitzrayim wouldn’t have stood for open theft. Therefore, Hashem brought Amalek to bring out the sin in public.
       Amalek was and continues to be our worst enemy. They represent not only the physical confrontations we face, but the spiritual ones as well. As we continue through Elul and approach Rosh Hashanah, let us work on ourselves to be the same inside and out, and conquer the spirit of Amalek that moves around us.

Shabbat Shalom!


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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Shoftim

AIMeM thanks Uri Kirshstein for filling in this week.
       In Pirkei Avos (1:1), we are taught to, “raise up many students”; not to teach or inspire, but to raise up. The primary goal isn’t simply to educate our students and children, but to educate them to the point where they can think for themselves and become intellectually and practically independent. Chazal tell us about the interactions between Rabbah and his student, Abaye, that Rabbah used to test Abaye by purposely giving over wrong and illogical information. By receiving wrong information, Abaye was forced to have to examine each situation by himself, and wouldn’t just accept information given to him. From here we see the incredible importance of being independent and thinking for ourselves.
       However, a pasuk in our Parsha, Parshas Shoftim, seems to contradict this important teaching. The pasuk commands us to listen to the Beis Din, “According to the teachings that they will teach you, and according to the judgement that they will say to you, shall you do. You shall not deviate from the word they will tell you, right or left” (Devarim 17:11).
       Rashi, quoting a Sifri, explains that this obligation is so strong that, “Even if the judge tells you that right is left and left is right [you must listen to them]; how much more so if he tells you that right is right and left is left” (Ibid). Chazal seem to be teaching us that our personal opinion and logic does not matter, that we must do as the Rabbis ask of us regardless of our understanding. What happened to the importance of thinking independently?
       To further complicate this matter, there is a gemarah in Horayos that discusses a case involving the Sanhedrin mistaking a piece of cheilev, forbidden fat, for a piece of shuman, permitted fat. One sage opposes what he believes is a mistaken ruling by the Sanhedrin, and follows his own opinion. If the dissenting sage eats this fat, he is obligated to bring a sin offering, usually brought for one who sins mistakenly. The gemarah asks why is his action is viewed as a mistake when he was simply following the decision of the Sanhedrin? The gemarah answers saying that he mistakenly thought that he must follow the views of the Sanhedrin, based on our pasuk, even if they were wrong! The words of the pasuk do not apply in this case.
       We see that there is a time and place for both of these principles, independent thinking and complete reliance on the Sanhedrin. But when does each one apply?
       The answer to this question lies in the nature of the ruling. When it comes to judging the merits of one thing over something else, we must defer to our sages because they are far more educated in the ways of the Torah, and have a better perspective than we do on what the Torah wants. But in a case where the reality of a situation is in question, like the case in Horayos, a person could be far less educated and still know the reality; so we would be obligated to act as we know it to be, even if it contradicts the statement of the Rabbis.
       We are all responsible to maintain intellectual curiosity, but we are also obligated to have the humility to listen to those who have a better understanding on Torah than we do. Still, just because we subjugate ourselves to the Rav, our viewpoint is not gone; what we see, our literal views, still make a difference. However, by any halachic decision, we defer to the Rabbi’s opinion, forfeiting our own logic and personal views, because we recognize that we are not experts in this matter, and that our perspective might not be as pure and Torah motivated as a Talmud Chacham’s.  

Shabbat Shalom!


Uri Kirshstein lives in Charleston, South Carolina. He has studied at Yeshivas Derech Etz Chaim in Jerusalem and Lander College for Men in Queens, New York. This is his second contribution to AIMeM Torah.


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Friday, August 14, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Re'eh

       AIMeMTorah would like to thank Mark Cheirif for filling in this week.
       This week’s Parasha, Re’eh, starts off in a sort of peculiar way. Before entering the land, Moshe tells Benei Yisrael about the brachot and klallot, blessings and curses, which go along with keeping or transgressing the mitsvot. He commands Benei Yisrael to place the tribes that represent the bracha on Mount Gerizim and those that represent the klalla on Mount Eval.
רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה: אֶת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְו‍ֹת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם: וְהַקְּלָלָה אִם לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְו‍ֹת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדַעְתֶּם: וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ וְנָתַתָּה אֶת הַבְּרָכָה עַל הַר גְּרִזִּים וְאֶת הַקְּלָלָה עַל הַר עֵיבָל:(Devarim 11:26-29).
       But why should the bracha and klalla be pinned to topography? What does geography have to do with brachot and klallot regarding all of the mitsvot?
       There are many ways to classify the mitsvot of the Torah, one being מצוות התלויות בארץ versus מצוות שאינן התלויות בארץ. In other words, some mitsvot are applicable only in the Land of Israel, and some are obligatory regardless of location. Perhaps the brachot and klallot only apply to mitsvot of the Land, making the connection between the brachot specifically on Mount Gerizim and klallot on Mount Eval fitting.
       The only problem with this explanation is that if one reads the brachot and klallot written later on in Parashat Ki Tavo (actually, only the klallot are mentioned explicitly), they are not all based on the Land of Israel itself; Idol worship, cursing one’s father and mother, are both worthy of klalla, as are moving one’s fence or border back, thereby stealing land. (Actually, the latter happens to be the only klalla that pertains directly to the land.)
       So why must the mitsvot, even those regarding monetary and interpersonal relationships, be tied to the land? And why must the land be connected to those mitsvot? Which is more fundamental to Torah, the land or the mitzvot?
       This isn’t merely a technical issue for ancient scholars, the land and mitsvot dichotomy is manifested through modern Jewish society. Generally speaking, there are two groups of thought in the world today. The stereotype is that members of one group emphasize the importance of the land over the performance of other mitsvot, while the other believes the opposite. Obviously, this is a gross oversimplification, but the duality exists on some level.
       In reality, the juxtaposition of all the mitsvot and the Land of Israel are a theme throughout the Torah, not just the opening of our parasha. But it isn’t entirely clear if mitsvot or the land should be the emphasis. Rashi on Genesis 17:8 famously comments:
לאחוזת עולם: ושם אהיה להם לאלקים, אבל הדר בחוצה לארץ דומה כמי שאין לו אלוק:
       Astonishingly, according to this comment, even if one does mitsvot and worships Hashem perfectly out of the Land of Israel, it is as if he “has no God”! Similarly, Ramban comments on Leviticus 18:25:
ומן העניין הזה אמרו בספרי ואבדתם מהרה... אע"פ שאני מגלה אתכם וכו' והנה הכתוב שאמר ואבדתם מהרה ושמתם את דברי וגו' אינו מחייב בגלות אלא בחובת הגוף כתפילין ומזוזות, ופרשו בהן ובתפילין ומזוזות כדי שלא יהו חדשים עלינו כשנחזור לארץ כיעיקר כל המצוות ליושבים בארץ ה'....
       That is to say, that even mitsvot that don’t directly relate to the land, such as Tefillin and Mezuza, although still required in exile, were really intended to be fulfilled in the land of Israel!
       But on the other hand, living the land of Israel is not a given for Benei Yisrael. As we see in several places in the Torah, Hashem always intended that some members of the Jewish people would reside outside of Israel. Additionally, the mitsvot can’t be secondary to the land because our dwelling upon it is contingent upon our keeping the Torah. Anything less and the land will spit us out.
       It seems that both the land and the mitzvos are interdependent. Benei Yisrael are a nation that collectively engages in relationship with God; they are a people governed by a symbiosis of national homeland and commandments. One without the other would create a fragmented, incomplete people.
       May we, as a people, soon have the ability to bridge our social and existential gaps, finding our place in Torah and our inheritance in the land. After all, as Rashi explains in his first explanation on the Torah, Benei Yisrael were meant to always be in Israel and the world was created through the Torah; thereby showing that both Torah and Israel are the thrust and direction of Creation and history.

Shabbat Shalom! 


Mark Cheirif originally hails from Dallas, Texas. He has studied in Yeshivas Derech Etz Chaim in Jerusalem and currently studies in Lander College for Men in Queens, New York. This is his second time contributing to AIMeM.




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Thursday, August 6, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Eikev

       This week begins the 6th year of Ancient Ideas for the Modern Mind. Thank you to all of those who continue to support this project. May we share many more Divrei Torah for years to come!

       In Parshas Eikev, Moshe continues to impart his wisdom upon Bnei Yisrael; giving over to them the most important lessons and messages they learned on their journey through the desert, and the information they needed to survive in Eretz Yisrael. Included in this week’s parsha, is a pasuk that I find to be among the most confusing in the entire Sefer.
       “וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ וְלַעֲבֹד אֶת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ“And now, Yisrael, what does Hashem, your God, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your God, and to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and soul” (Devarim 10:12). Hashem only wants us to do all these things; but these are far from simple things! And yet, Moshe makes it sound as if this is the easiest thing to do. We know from experience, it takes a considerable amount of time for someone to reach a level of complete love of Hashem where he is serving Him with all his heart and soul, so how can the Torah make it sound so simple? What is the meaning of this pasuk?
       Rashi’s explanation on the Torah is meant to clarify confusing sections; however, on this pasuk, his explanation doesn’t seem to add anything and only seems to add confusion. There is a very famous statement from Chazal (See Brachos 33b) that everything in this world is controlled by Hashem except for fear of Hashem. (An interesting statement in its own right that needs explanation.) Rashi explains that we learn this statement out from the fact that our pasuk asks us to fear Hashem. The fact that Hashem is asking us to fear Him seems to prove this statement, but how do we know that everything else comes from Him too?
       Following the logical steps in this thought process, the answer should be clear. Moshe says that all Hashem asks from us is to fear Him and to do the mitzvos. We’ve been reading this pasuk with the wrong emphasis; the pasuk is not just asking us to fear Hashem, it wants to tell us that this is really all we have to do! Everything else in our lives will be taken care for us by Hashem (referring to our wants and needs)! If we trust in Hashem, He will provide for us. However, He can’t force us to love Him, we still need to do that on our own. This is a proof to Chazal’s statement; everything is in Hashem’s hands except for our level of fear and love.
       Understanding now how to read the pasuk should make it easier for us to fulfill it. With all Hashem does for us, He asks this one thing in return. While it remains difficult to accomplish, Hashem is reminding us that He will take care of everything else in our lives, thereby filling us with love and gratitude, giving us a ‘head start’ on fulfilling this pasuk, and letting us know that we have more time to work on these things since we don’t have to worry about anything else.


Shabbat Shalom!   




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