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Cortesy of Partners-in-Torah Moses prays to G-d that he be allowed to
complete his ultimate mission and enter the Promised Land with his people.
However, G-d does not grant this request, but allows him to view the land from
afar. Moses elevates the people by describing the glory of being as close to G-d
as they are, yet warns them that this relationship entails great
responsibilities. The Ten Commandments are repeated, this time in the form of
the Second Tablets (the first set was broken by Moses after the sin of the
golden calf). The famous and now-beloved Shma is given to the people, the
single sentence spoken by Jews throughout the ages when giving their lives to
G-d Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One. This verse is followed
by the first paragraph of Krias Shma which is termed by our Sages as the
Acceptance of the Yoke of Heaven. "(Israel is) a land that Hashem your G-d seeks out. The
eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year until
the end of the year.".
(11:12) The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 16b) homiletically
derives from our verse that any year which is poor at the beginning will be
rich and full of blessing at the end. As Rosh Hashana grows ever closer, how can
we use this valuable message to ensure that the coming year will be a prosperous
one for us and our loved ones? Commenting on this Talmudic statement,
Rashi explains that a poor year refers to one in which a person makes himself
poor on Rosh Hashana to beg and supplicate for his needs. In order to follow
this advice, we must first understand what it means to make oneself like a poor
person. Rabbi Chaim Friedlander (1923-1986),
Mashgiach (spiritual leader) of the Ponovezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, explains
that it isnt sufficient to merely view oneself as if he is poor for the day.
Rather, a person must honestly believe and internalize that his entire lot for
the upcoming year his health, happiness, family and financial situations
will be determined on this day. In other words, at the present moment, he has
absolutely nothing to his name and must earn it all from scratch. This may be a difficult task for a person
who is fortunate enough to have a beautiful family, a good source of income, and
no history of major medical problems. How can such a person honestly stand
before Hashem and view himself as a poor person with nothing to his name? Rabbi Friedlander explains that if a person
understands that all that he has is only because Hashem willed it to be so until
now, he will recognize that at the moment Hashem wills the situation to change,
it will immediately do so. Although we often assume that this couldnt happen to
us, we all personally know of such stories which might help us better relate to
this concept. I recently learned this lesson the hard
way. Last year, I was excited to travel to Israel. Shortly after arriving in
Jerusalem, I took a taxi to the Kosel (Western Wall). My enthusiasm quickly
turned to shocked disbelief when I suddenly realized that Id forgotten my
wallet in the back seat of the cab. After numerous frantic calls to the taxis
company bore no fruit, instead of proceeding to pray at the Kosel, I had to
first stop to call my bank to cancel my credit cards. Looking back a year later,
I realize that I learned an important lesson; just because I have something and
assume it to be firmly in my possession, I cannot rely on this belief and take
it for granted. On Rosh Hashana, Hashem decrees what will
happen to every person at every moment of the upcoming year, including what they
will have and to what extent they will be able to enjoy it. Therefore, each
person must begin the year with a clean slate and merit to receive anew
everything that he had until now. If we view ourselves standing before Hashem
like a poor person with no truly secure assets, we will realize that our entire
existence in the year to come is completely dependent on Hashems kindness. A
person who honestly feels this way cant help but beg and plead for Divine
mercy, and the Talmud promises that Hashems mercy will indeed be aroused to
give him a decree of a wonderful year. May we all merit to experience such
blessings in the year to come! Perhaps you may say to yourself, These
nations are far more numerous than I, how can I inherit them? Do not fear them.
Remember well what Hashem, your G-d, did to Pharaoh and to all the Egyptians.
7:17, 18 Sforno admonishes us to feel not fear,
but confidence, when confronting our numerous enemies, because we know that we
can rely upon Divine assistance. Although this verse speaks specifically of
times past, the lesson is as pertinent today as it was then. If our goal is to
live in the Land of Israel and abide by His Torah, we can feel safe and secure
regardless of how many of our enemies openly express their desire to drive us
into the sea. Do not bring abomination into your house
[lest] you become cheirem [banned] like it; thoroughly revile and abominate it,
for it is cheirem [off-limits]. 7:26 It is rather difficult for us to
imagine just how offensive idolatry is given that we dont often encounter it in
modern times. Yet, given the Torah expends so much effort decrying its worship,
even according it prestigious mention in the Ten Commandments, we can surmise
that it was not only a false approach to life, but also highly dangerous and
unproductive. In order to ensure that we would never be ensnared by it, the
Torah bids us to mock and thoroughly reject it in any form whatsoever. What this
approach lacks in political correctness, it more than makes up for with its
strict insistence on moral integrity. Do not think in your heart, when Hashem, your
G-d, crushes them before you, saying: Because of my righteousness Hashem
brought me to inherit this land, and because of the wickedness of these nations
Hashem is expelling them before you. Not because of your righteousness and the
uprightness of your heart are you coming to inherit their land. Rather, because
of the wickedness of these nations is Hashem, your G-d, expelling them before
you, and in order to fulfill the promise that Hashem swore to your forefathers:
Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. 9:4, 5 Even before we ever entered the land for the first
time, the Torah already cautioned us against thinking that our entitlement to
the Land of Israel is an inalienable right. It isnt, and never was. Were there
owing to a combination of factors, some out of our control, but others very much
within our jurisdiction. The biggest mistake a Jew can make is to think that
regardless of how we act, the Land is ours simply because we were born to a
Jewish mother. Dear Rabbi, Madeline, In response, some suggest that the word
Baruch is rooted in the word, breichah which means pond. A pond represents
a source: a pool of energy, growth, and creativity. When we recite the words
Baruch Attah, depending on the context, we are acknowledging that G-d is
either the source of our food and pleasure, the spiritual infusion that comes
from the performance of Mitzvos, or of good tidings. In other words, we are not
blessing G-d. Rather, we are recognizing and conceding that He is the source
of everything and we are beholden to Him. This explanation of the word Baruch,
helps us understand an otherwise difficult Talmudic passage. In Tractate Brachos
54a, the Talmud writes, It is incumbent on a person to bless [G-d] for the bad
tidings, just as for the good tidings. The Talmud follows that up with an
explanation in the name of Rava, who clarifies this to mean that, "One must
accept [the challenges of life] with gladness." Certainly, Rava was not suggesting that we
throw a party each time we encounter pain and adversity. Rather, he is
explaining that we must always recognize that all that happens in life is
directed by G-d. Just as we must recognize and appreciate the blessings that G-d
gives us that make our life easier and more pleasurable, so too, we must
recognize and appreciate the challenges that G-d places before us. The knowledge
that they emanate from Him serve as a reassurance that although not pain-free,
they are entirely for our benefit. This is the essence of the blessing that
one must recite over bad tidings. Another definition for the word Baruch
is increase, as seen in the verse in Exodus 23:25, And He will bless
[increase] your bread and water. When we bless G-d, we are in effect asking
that He increase the blessing He has granted us. Similarly, when we bless
another person, we are expressing our hope that they will merit increase and
abundance in that particular area. It is fascinating that this explanation is
hinted to in the gematria (numerology) of the root letters [Beis, Reish, and
Chof] of the word Baruch. The numerical equivalent of these letters is 2 [Beis],
20 [Chof], and 200 [Reish]. Interestingly, each of these numbers is found in a
separate numerical category, single digits, tens, and hundreds. Each is also the
second in its category. The mystics teach that the number two, represents
increase, as it is the first number that follows the number one, which
represents the lack of increase. It is therefore highly appropriate that all of
the letters that comprise the word Baruch which means, increase, are
representative of this number. Contrast that with the Hebrew word for
curse, which is Arur, and begins with an Aleph, whose numerical equivalent
is 1. The number one symbolizes lack of increase, which is the essence of
curse, as evidenced by the curse Adam received for the sin of eating from the
Etz HaDaas [Tree of Knowledge] that the earth would no longer give forth its
produce as before. May we always merit to receive Hashems increased blessings
in our lives. Regards , R' Avraham Danzig (1748-1820) is best known
today for his compendiums of Jewish law, Chayei Adam and Chochmas Adam. [He also
wrote the well-known Yom Kippur eve prayer, Tefillah Zakkah.] R' Danzig was
financially self-sufficient for most of his life, often conducting business at
the fairs in Leipzig and Konigsberg. He refused to accept any salaried
rabbinical or communal position (for which he was well qualified) until a
business downturn left him insolvent. The following (paraphrased) extracts from
the introduction to his work Chochmas Adam speak about the necessity for one to
desire to study the Torah and fulfill the mitzvos, even though circumstances do
not allow him to do so. "I know that people will murmur about me,
We know that he was one of the merchants of Frankfurt and Leipzig for over
fifteen years when did he learn Torah?' Indeed, the Talmud (Tractate Eruvin
55a) tells us that one does not commonly find Torah knowledge in businessmen and
merchants. "Know this, my brothers: Learning Torah is
an intellectual pursuit. The Sages (Tractate Yevamos 34b) say that a woman who
is not married for ten years will no longer be capable of bearing children
yet, they add, that if she but desires to get married she will not lose her
capacity for childbirth, even after many more years. "Likewise, if a Jew abandons the Torah, it
leaves him and his intellect loses the capacity for it. However, if one does not
study Torah because of circumstances beyond his control and does not intend to
leave it, the Torah waits for him to come back to her, and he does not lose his
ability to learn it. "Accordingly, I say about myself: Although
I traveled far and was engaged in trade, my Torah still stayed with me because I
would think of it when I traveled, and I would think of it when I sat in a shop.
To my credit, even while I was engaged in a business transaction I would often
be thinking of an inkling of a Torah interpretation or question. "My fellow merchants can testify that even
while traveling in Leipzig I took along a Gemara (Talmud), a Mishnayos and a
Chumash; almost every day I learned one-and-a-half dafim (pages) of Gemara, in
addition to Mishnah even during the fair. "I swear by my life that I am not writing
this to be arrogant or to boast. I write this only to say that the merchants who
travel (and specifically during the fair) are making a big error. They joke that
they are not bound by the mitzvos. This is not the way of the Torah! The
obligation to learn Torah applies at all times, as the verse says (Devarim 6:7):
while you sit in your home, and while you walk on the way.'' Q: In discussing the
sin of the golden calf, Moses tells the people (9:21) that your sin which you
committed, I took and burned it in fire. While Moses indeed took the physical
calf and burned it, what did he mean when he said that he burned the actual sin,
something which has no physical manifestation? A: Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz,
more commonly referred to as the Shelah HaKadosh, explains that every act which
a person performs mystically creates a corresponding angel. Mitzvos create good
angels, while sins bring about bad ones. Moses recognized that simply burning
the calf itself, while necessary, wouldnt suffice to erase the spiritual effect
of their actions. He therefore additionally took the destructive angel which was
created through their sin and burned it as well. Moses related this to the
people to teach us that when repenting for our misdeeds, we must sincerely
regret our actions and accept upon ourselves not to repeat them in order to
uproot not only the physical consequences of the sin but the spiritual ones as
well. Q: Moses stressed (11:10-12) that the land of Israel would
be different than the land of Egypt from which the Jews were coming. Whereas the
fields of the land of Egypt were watered by irrigation from the Nile river,
those in Israel received their water from the rain supply. Although Rashi notes
that a natural water supply is advantageous in that it requires substantially
less exertion, what deeper message was Moses trying to impart? A: Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus
symbolically explains that Moses wasnt merely relating an agricultural fact,
but was teaching that the Egyptians were a totally natural people. It never
rained in their country as it did in Israel, so they never had to look skyward
to see when the clouds were changing. As a result, their hearts also never gazed
toward the Heavens, thus effectively cutting them off from perceiving any
dependence on or relationship with the Almighty. Everything which occurred in
their lives could be explained scientifically, appearing to be totally
natural. In light of this, the Exodus from Egypt to Israel wasnt merely a
physical redemption from agonizing enslavement. It also allowed the fledgling
Jewish nation to exchange a worldview devoid of spirituality, through which
everything is understood and explained according to science and nature, for one
in which we confidently declare that Hashem runs every aspect of the universe
and that we are dependent on Him for every detail of our daily lives. Table Talk: For discussion around the
Shabbos TableParsha PartnerTM
Parshas EIKEV
Parsha
At-a-Glance
By
Ozer Alport
Parsha
Perspectives
By
Ozer Alport
Talking
Points
Rabbi
Elazar Meisels
1. Minority Status Is Nothing To
Fear
2. Calling Evil By Another Name
3. For How
Long Our Land?
Partners
Talk
Endless Blessings - Part 2
Thank you
for your response in last weeks edition of Partner Talk. It was very
informative and I intend to follow it up with further study. There is one more
thing Id like to ask you regarding blessings. What does the word Baruch, the
first word of most blessings, actually mean? In the prayerbook its translated
as, Blessed [are You] but I find that translation mystifying. Are we supposed
to bless G-d? Does He really need our blessings?
Thank you, Madeline D.
You followed up a good question last week with a great one this week! The
meaning of the word Baruch is discussed by many of the commentators who raise
the very same point as you. Can a mere mortal truly bless G-d, the source of
everything?
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
Soul
Talk
Hey,
I never knew that!
Amazing
Insights About the Weekly Parsha
By Ozer
Alport
a) Moses told the
Jewish people (8:5) that just as a father chastises his son, so too does Hashem
rebuke them. What could we learn from this comparison about the way a parent
should punish his child? (Ramban)
b) The Talmud (Berachos 35b) teaches that eating
without reciting the appropriate blessing is considered a form of stealing. Why
wouldnt non-Jews, who are also forbidden to steal, be obligated to recite
blessings before and after their meals?
Torah Umesorah, the National
Society for Hebrew Day Schools
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