Dvar Torah & Podcast for Parshas Nitzavim

       Midrash can be one of the most enjoyable ways to study the parsha. Its combination of stories, parables and Jewish wisdom are easily given over and understood by people of all ages. The difficulty of learning Midrash is understanding where it comes from. While our knowledge of the information contained in Midrash is ultimately the result of it being passed down through the generations, the stories don’t appear in the text; the lessons seem unconnected to the verses from which they are deduced.  How are Chazal able to deconstruct pesukim in order to know all of this information?

       There is an example in this week’s parsha which helps explain how the meforshim work, how different commentaries read the pesukim in order to arrive at their explanations. The pasuk says, “וְלֹא אִתְּכֶם לְבַדְּכֶם אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת אֶת הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וְאֶת הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת. כִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם” “Not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath, but with those standing here with us today before Hashem, our God, and also with those who are not here with us, this day.” (Devarim 29:13-14). The pasuk seems to indicate that this oath Hashem made with Bnei Yisrael was not just placed on the ones alive at that time, but even those who had not yet been born! Millennia of Jews were subject to a deal they had no part in. Many commentaries question how this was even possible!

       The Midrash offers an answer; Hashem brought the souls of every Jew, including those who had never been born, to be present at this oath. While this would certainly solve the issue, how do we see this in the pesukim? The first half of pasuk 14, when describing those present, says, “with those standing here with us”. The second half, describing those who aren’t present, writes, “also with those who are not here with us”. How come the second half doesn’t describe the people as “not standing”, the opposite of the first half? The Kli Yakar explains that this is the point in the pasuk from which the Midrash learns out the well-known tradition of all Jews being eternally beholden to the covenant with Hashem. The people being referred to in the second half of the pasuk are not standing because they cannot stand. They don’t have a physical form at this point in time; they are unborn and still in their spiritual form known as a soul.

       There are other words in the pasuk and subsequent pesukim that solidify this point even further, but the point has already been made. Midrashim don’t come out of nowhere; they have a solid tradition of being passed down through the generations, the same way all of world history has been passed down. The only difference is we also have proofs to each story and piece of wisdom, buried in the words of the Torah. The ultimate book of wisdom containing the secrets of the universe has our tradition just waiting for us to uncover its mysteries.

Shabbat Shalom!  

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah & Podcast for Parshas Nitzavim

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

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

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayigash & Podcast

       This week's Dvar Torah is dedicated to the memory of my friend, Aron Tzvi ben Moshe Aryeh. Y'hi Zichro Baruch.

       In Parshas Vayigash, we observe the emotional reunion between Yosef and his family. After revealing his identity to his brothers, rendering them speechless, he encourages them to return as quickly as possible to Eretz Yisrael and bring his father down to Mitzrayim. The brothers knew that the shock of finding out that Yosef was alive could kill Yaakov, so they devised a plan to gently break the news. Yosef knew that his father might need a bit of convincing that his brothers were telling the truth, so he made his own arrangements too.

       “וַיִּתֵּ֨ן לָהֶ֥ם יוֹסֵ֛ף עֲגָל֖וֹת עַל־פִּ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה” “And Yosef gave them (the brothers) wagons by Paroh’s word”; “וַיָּ֣פָג לִבּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י לֹא־הֶֽאֱמִ֖ין לָהֶֽם” “but he (Yaakov) had a turn of heart, for he did not believe them (the brothers)”; “וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף לָשֵׂ֣את אֹת֑וֹ וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ יַֽעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶֽם” “And he (Yaakov) saw the wagons that Yosef had sent to transport him, then the spirit of their father Yaakov was revived” (Bereishis 45:21; 26-27). It is clear from Pesukim 26-27 that Yaakov didn’t believe Yosef was alive until he saw these wagons. Interestingly, in Pasuk 21, it says the wagons were sent by the command of Paroh, while in Pasuk 27 Yaakov identifies them as a sign from Yosef. What was the hidden message in these wagons?

       Rashi explains that the last halachos Yaakov taught Yosef before he was sold were about Eglah Arufah, when you find an unidentified body in the wilderness, which city is responsible for it. Yosef convinced Paroh to send these wagons which hinted at a message to his father based on the similarity between the word “eglah” and the Hebrew word for wagon “agalah”. Yaakov made this connection right away and realized that it was indeed his son Yosef, still righteous after all these years, sending him these wagons. This is why the Torah changes from calling them the wagons that Paroh sent to the wagons that Yosef sent.

       The Kli Yakar takes issue with this explanation of Rashi. Rashi is committed to explaining the pesukim with the most fundamental understanding; this is clearly not the case with this explanation. If Yosef only wanted to send a message, why does the pasuk say they were meant to carry Yaakov down to Mitzrayim? Why would Yosef have sent multiple wagons, couldn’t he have made his point with one? Therefore, he understands Rashi that Yaakov saw a different set of halachos hidden in the wagons.

       The message was not the wagons themselves, but the fact that that Yosef had sent something to bring his father back down to Mitzrayim. While the halachos of eglah arufah may have been the final halachos they learned together formally, Chazal teach us the actual final lesson Yaakov gave Yosef was the mitzvah of providing an escort for someone. In fact, these halachos are actually part of the mitzvah of eglah arufah as well. We learn from the pasuk in Parshas Vayeishev (37:13) that Yaakov escorted Yosef part of the way when he sent him to check on the brothers. He must have taken this opportunity to give over this mitzvah to Yosef in the most practical way.

       Yosef didn’t need to provide any mode of transportation for his family; they must have had plenty of their own resources to provide transport. He specifically provided these wagons as a way of showing his father that he still remembered what he had been taught. This proved to Yaakov that Yosef was alive, and furthermore, he was still holding in everything he had been taught 22 years prior. With this realization, “then the spirit of their father Yaakov was revived!”  

Shabbat Shalom!

Please click here to read a tribute I wrote for this week's Dvar Torah dedication 

Click here for a previous Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayigash

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts) 

 The Dvar Torah is now available on parshasheets.com! Check out the site for links to Divrei Torah in both Hebrew and English, written by people around the world

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

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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

AIMeM 

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayechi

       In Parshas Vayechi, Yaakov prepares his sons for his impending death. He makes burial arrangements, blesses each one of his sons, and attempts to prepare them for the exile they are about to spend in Mitzrayim. The Meforshim discuss how each of these preparations can be connected to an event far into the future. The Dvar Torah I would like to discuss, however, deals with an event that was taking place at that time.

       When Yaakov realized he was about to die, he called in Yosef and gave him very specific instructions on where to bury him, including, “אַל־נָ֥א תִקְבְּרֵ֖נִי בְּמִצְרָֽיִם” “Please do not bury me in Egypt” (Bereishis 47:29). He follows that up with further instructions to be buried in Eretz Yisrael (See 47:30). Rashi gives three reasons as to why Yaakov wanted to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. 1) When the plague of Lice would occur, all the soil in Mitzrayim would be turned into lice and crawl all over his body (a very disrespectful end). 2) When Hashem eventually resurrects the dead, anyone buried outside of Eretz Yisrael will roll through underground tunnels until reaching Eretz Yisrael, which would be painful. 3) He was worried that since he had brought prosperity to Egypt, the Egyptians would make his burial spot into a shrine, turning him into an avodah zarah. Because of these three things, Yaakov wanted to make sure he would not be buried in Mitzrayim and yes to be buried in Eretz Yisrael.

       The Kli Yakar explains why all three explanations are necessary for a complete explanation. The first reason of lice by itself is not enough because Hashem could create many miracles to protect Yaakov’s body. Therefore, he explains that the first and third reasons are really connected. The reason the Egyptians would worship him would be because Hashem would inevitably perform a miracle to protect Yaakov’s body and it would not be touched by the lice while all the other graves would be covered with them. They would believe he possessed a special power that allowed him to remain clean.

       However, these two reasons are not enough by themselves because then Yaakov could be buried anywhere outside of Egypt; why would it be so important that he be buried in Eretz Yisrael? Once we factor in the pain of rolling in the tunnels, we understand why he had to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. But this reason is not enough by itself either since Yaakov specifically mentions that he doesn’t want to be buried in Mitzrayim, instead of simply saying that he wants to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. There must be other reasons why he specifically didn’t want to be in Mitzrayim, which we mentioned above.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayechi

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on iTunes)

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

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeitzei

       Parshas Vayeitzei tells us how Yaakov began establishing the nation of Yisrael. In this parsha, we see Him go to Lavan’s house, marry his four wives, have eleven of his twelve children, and attain massive amounts of wealth. Twenty years after leaving his father’s house, he has accomplished all he set out to do, and by the end of the parsha, he begins to travel back to Eretz Yisrael.

       As he reaches the border of Eretz Yisrael, Yaakov is welcomed by some heavenly visitors. “וְיַעֲקֹב הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים. וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם מַחֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים זֶה וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנָיִם.” “And Yaakov went on his way, and angels of God encountered him. And Yaakov said when he saw them, ‘This is a Godly camp!’ So he called the name of that place Machanaim.” (Bereishis 32:2-3). There are several points to bring up here. First, the word “וַיִּפְגְּעוּ” indicates that this was a sudden meeting, that Yaakov didn’t see them coming until they were right in front of him. Secondly, the Torah doesn’t include any details unless they are vital to the story or lesson it is teaching us. The Torah already told us that these were angels, so why do we need Yaakov’s observation that this was a “Godly camp”? Isn’t that obvious if the angels were there? Lastly, the word “מַחֲנָיִם” is the plural of “machaneh”, meaning encampment. Yaakov said this was a Godly camp, what was the second camp?

       The Ohr HaChaim discusses all these questions and explains like this. Looking ahead to the beginning of next week’s parsha, Vayishlach, it begins with Yaakov sending messengers to Esav in preparation for their eventual meeting. The meforshim all discuss whether these were human messengers or angels. The source for the explanation that they were angels is learned out from here.

       As Yaakov came closer to this place, it appeared to be empty. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it was inhabited by angels. This is why the pasuk uses the word “וַיִּפְגְּעוּ,” they literally came out of nowhere to greet Yaakov. This is how he knew immediately that they were angels, even as they appeared to him in the form of men. The combination of his surprise at their appearance as well as his determining that they were actually spiritual beings led Yaakov to exclaim, “This is a Godly camp! These are angelic beings! We are in a holy place.”

       As we are taught in Parshas Vayishlach, Yaakov sent these angels to bribe Esav, and he also prepared his own family for a potential battle. But the angels couldn’t help him with that. So the name “Machanaim” is in reference to the two separate camps operating out of one location, the camp of angels disguised as men who were preparing to meet Esav to bribe him and report back to Yaakov, and the camp of men who were preparing for war.

       Throughout the Torah, we see different explanations that seem to come out of nowhere. We can question where the commentaries came up with these explanations and if they should be seen as legitimate. Every once in a while, I like to write a Dvar Torah of this nature that shows us how the commentaries work; how they arrived at their explanations. Here is a good example; this question at the beginning of Vayishlach is a famous one, were Yaakov’s messengers men or angels. Why would I assume they were angels? What reason do I have to say that Yaakov was able to obtain heavenly messengers for his earthly mission? By reading the Ohr HaChaim at the end of this week’s parsha, we see how it is all determined by the reading of the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom! 

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeitzei

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on iTunes)

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

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Devarim

       This week we begin Sefer Devarim, the final section of the Torah. It mostly consists of Moshe giving direction and advice to the entire nation before he passes on while they continue to Eretz Yisrael. In each parsha in this Sefer, Moshe discusses a point that he feels is important for future generations to know and understand in order to act properly as Jews. (See below for a link to an essay which points out the theme found in each parsha.)

       The end of the parsha discusses the wars fought by the Bnei Yisrael against the various nations surrounding Eretz Yisrael. These wars were important as they were the beginning of the process of settling Eretz Yisrael. The most important of these wars was the one fought against Sichon, the King of Emori, who joined with Moab to fight against Bnei Yisrael. When Moshe tells over the story of Hashem commanding him to go to war, Rashi adds in an interesting fact.

       “הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה אָחֵל֙ תֵּ֤ת פַּחְדְּךָ֙ וְיִרְאָ֣תְךָ֔ עַל־פְּנֵי֙ הָֽעַמִּ֔ים תַּ֖חַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם” “Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you upon the nations that are under the entire heaven” (Devarim 2:25). Rashi explains that the nations of the world are described as being “under the entire heaven”, because during the battle with Sichon, the sun stood still and didn’t set until the fight was over in order to allow Bnei Yisrael to finish the fight during the day. Consequently, by observing the change in the sun’s pattern, the entire world realized that Hashem had done a tremendous miracle for the Jews.

       This wasn’t the only time Hashem stopped the sun for the Jews. In the times of Yehoshua, Hashem stopped the sun during one of the battles he fought while conquering Eretz Yisrael (See Yehoshua 10). However, by Yehoshua, the pasuk tells us explicitly that the sun stopped. How do we know that the sun stopped by Moshe if it’s not written out in the pasuk? By using a method known as Gezeira Shava, finding a common word between the two stories, Chazal make a connection between Yehoshua and Moshe and learn that the sun stopped for Moshe as well. The word used to make this connection is “אָחֵל”, which comes from the root “to begin”.

       The Kli Yakar points out an interesting idea based off this connection. The battle with Sichon is referred to by the pasuk as when the Nations began to fear Bnei Yisrael. According to Chazal, this was a result of witnessing the unbelievable occurrence of the sun stopping its course. What is the significance of this particular miracle being used to commence the settling of Eretz Yisrael?

       One way Chazal explain the order of the Ten Plagues is that they were designed in a way that Hashem would show unequivocally that He was the Ruler of the World. The first step to that was to remove any and all significance of the gods of Egypt. By attacking the gods of the Egyptians, Hashem was striking at the core of their existence and beliefs. Therefore, He first attacked the Nile River, the primary form of worship in Egypt, by turning it into blood. He performed a similar idea with the nations surrounding Eretz Yisrael.

       Many of these nations worshipped the sun; therefore, Hashem decided to “attack” the sun. By changing the normal pattern of the sun, He showed that the gods of these nations were powerless and ultimately false and meaningless. After removing the “power” of their gods, He then told Bnei Yisrael to attack them and destroy them physically. So stopping the sun really was the beginning of the end for these nations, just like the pasuk explains.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Devarim

Click here to learn about the 4th Annual 'Summer of Subscribers'!

Click here for the themes of Sefer Devarim

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

Please Like us on Facebook.

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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

AIMeM 

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeishev

       Some weeks I like to give a Dvar Torah which shows the thought process of the commentaries as they commented on the Chumash. I like to call these “How the Meforshim Work”. This is one of those weeks.

“וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה חָטְאוּ מַשְׁקֵה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וְהָאֹפֶה לַאֲדֹנֵיהֶם לְמֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם” “It came about after these events that the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their master, against the king of Egypt.” (Bereishis 40:1)

       Parshas Vayeishev tells the famous story of how Yosef was sold as a slave by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. After being falsely accused of a crime, he winds up in jail for a total of three years. After his first year in jail, he is joined by the chief steward and baker of King Paroh. Rashi explains on this pasuk that the reasons they were imprisoned were that the steward served a cup of wine to Paroh with a fly in it while the baker served him a loaf of bread full of rocks.

       Interestingly, if you look in the very next pasuk, these two individuals are afforded a bit more respect than in the first one. “וַיִּקְצֹף פַּרְעֹה עַל שְׁנֵי סָרִיסָיו עַל שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים וְעַל שַׂר הָאוֹפִים” “And Paroh was angry at his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.” (40:2) How come in this pasuk the baker and steward are called by their official titles while in pasuk 1 they are just known by their jobs? The explanation to this question shows us how much thought and logic really goes into a commentary’s explanation.

       Rashi’s explanation on pasuk 1comes from a medrash in Bereishis Rabbah. That same medrash provides us with another possibility as to the sin of these two men which is that they approached Paroh about marrying his daughter, the princess. Why did Rashi pick his explanation over this one?

       The Kli Yakar answers both our questions by examining the wording in pasuk 1. Pasuk 1 is the one which mentions that the steward and the baker sinned while not mentioning their titles, only their jobs. The sins which Rashi says happened-- that there was a fly in the wine and rocks in the bread-- are actions that would be considered bad if done to people of any station or prestige. Therefore, they have nothing to do with the fact that these two people were at the top of their professions and serving the king, just the fact that they were in these positions allowed this to happen. However, the only way they could have even had a possibility of marrying the princess was because of their high positions. However, as we mentioned, the pasuk which mentions they sinned does not include their titles, only their jobs! Says Rashi, it must be that their sins had no connection to their high positions and therefore it must be that they let a fly fall in the wine and rocks fall in the flour. This, says the Kli Yakar, is how Rashi knew to pick this explanation from the medrash and not the other.

       It is very easy for us to read a commentary and assume any number of things; that they either made up their explanation, or we do not understand how the explanation makes sense, or we do not understand how commentaries can argue on each other. Reading Divrei Torah like this gives us a deeper understanding and insight into the words of Chazal and perhaps make it a little easier for us to understand and accept their words for what they are, Toras Emes.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeishev 

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

Please Like us on Facebook.

Please check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Lech Lecha

       This week’s parshah introduces us to our forefather, Avraham, as he journeys to Eretz Yisrael. However, soon after he arrives, he is forced to leave due to a famine and instead settles in Egypt. When he arrives there, he makes a request of his wife, Sarah. “והיה כי יראו אתך המצרים ואמרו אשתו זאת והרגו אתי ואתך יחיו. אמרי נא אחתי את למען ייטב לי בעבורך וחיתה נפשי בגללך” “And it will come when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me and let you live. Please say that you are my sister, in order that it will go well with me because of you, and that my soul may live because of you” (Bereishis 12:12-13). They ended up doing exactly this and Paroh took Sarah to the palace. After Hashem punished him for taking Sarah, Paroh figured out that she was really Avraham’s wife. He returned her to Avraham and banished them from Egypt.

       A question is asked concerning Avraham’s behavior. Avraham feared that the Egyptians would kill him if they discovered he was Sarah’s husband, meaning that he did not believe that they would transgress the sin of גילוי עריות, Illicit Relations. However, he did think they would have no problem performing a different sin, murder! How come Avraham suspected the Egyptians would have no problem with one sin but would with another?

      This story is brought as a proof to an important Halachic question. It is permissible to perform an action that would typically be prohibited on Shabbos if you are doing it to help a sick person. (For the full Halachic ramifications of this, please speak to your local Rabbi. Do NOT use this as a Halachic decision.) The question is, if you need to make food for a sick person and you have the option of feeding them from an animal which died of natural causes, which we are prohibited from eating, or slaughtering a new animal, which is not allowed on Shabbos, which one should you use? The answer is that when you eat an animal which died naturally, you are over a Torah prohibition with every mouthful. However, when you slaughter an animal on Shabbos, you are only over a one-time prohibition of performing the actual slaughter. Therefore, we say that it is better to slaughter the animal since this way, you will transgress fewer prohibitions.

       What is the connection to our story from this Halacha? The answer is that Avraham figured the Egyptians would be using this same logic. To steal a man’s wife and transgress the sin of גילוי עריות means you will transgress this sin time after time. However, if you kill the husband, you will only transgress one sin, the sin of murder. Avraham figured that in order to transgress fewer prohibitions, the Egyptians would be willing to kill him. Therefore, he asked Sarah to lie for him in order to save his life. Therefore, he suspected them of murder but not גילוי עריות. Since either way the Egyptians would be taking Sarah, there was nothing he could do to protect her.

       It is hard to know what to take from a Dvar Torah like this as it seems very unlikely that the Egyptians were making calculations based on the laws of Shabbos! However, there is one lesson I think we can learn for sure. We see from this story that a true Torah scholar, someone who is truly a wise man, uses that same logic and thought process from their learning and sees it in every episode of their life. They truly live the Torah as well as learn it. That is why Avraham could look at his situation stuck between a rock and a hard place and come up with this logic. And that is how the great Rabbis who came up with this vort saw it too.

Shabbat Shalom!    

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Lech Lecha

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

Please Like us on Facebook.

Please 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