219. Ki Savo

Issue

219

‫בס"ד‬

‫הריני בא ללמוד תורה לשמה לעשות נחת רוח לאבינו שבשמים‬ ‫מוצאי שבת ר"ת‬

‫מוצאי שבת‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

‫כ”א אלול תשע"ט‬ 21 Sep 2019

‫קבלת שבת‬

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Being Chased by Good Things

Rabbi Chaim Burman Rabbi and Educator, Kollel Rabbonim Tzvi Ashkenazi, Mesilah Community Development, Amsterdam

One of the big ironies of the life’s pleasures is that the more one indulges in them, the less likely one is to be satisfied by them. Actually, the opposite happens, they become unpleasant. Too much ice-cream becomes sickly, too much sleep gets frustrating. The greatest berocho one can hope for regarding one’s material possessions is not to have plenty of high standard and desirable things, but to be satisfied and continue to take pleasure from what one has.

“All these berachos will come upon you and they will pursue you and reach you”

It is strange to refer to blessings as something that chases us and catches us.

It almost sounds as if we’re being hunted by them. It’s totally understandable that the Torah refers to the curses in this way since suffering catches people even when they’re running away from it. But why refer to the blessings as if they’re hunting us and chasing after us? (See Tiferes Yonoson and Degel Machane Ephrayim.)

on us even when that’s not what we were actually trying to achieve. In the middle of a day dedicated to working hard to achieve positive goals consistent with our ultimate vision, we might well have a moment when we feel the sweetness of what we have.

Only then do we experience an enduring pleasantness of olam hazeh.

When the opposite is true, when people set their sights on worldly goals and chase after them passionately, the pleasure that they seek evades them. Even when they achieve material success the initial joy swiftly dissipates. The novelty and buzz that accompanies a new car or promotion doesn’t last for long. That’s dangerous because it leaves people at risk of feeling the need to set the bar even higher than before and that means investing even more time and money for even more luxurious items or status symbols that are not consistent with their ultimate goal.

The answer is that real berocho, the kind that we really feel satisfied by and that don’t have an unpleasant aftertaste, is the kind of thing that creeps up on us when we weren’t even looking for it. Only when we set our focus on the ideal way to live our lives; dedicated to limmud hatorah; keeping mitzvos carefully and bringing up a Torah true family then life’s blessings catch up

‫ספר במדבר‬

“Goodness and kindness should chase after me (‫ )ירדפוני‬all the days of my life and I will sit in the House of Hashem for long days” Perhaps the understanding in this possuk is as we mentioned above. When we make sure to spend a good time of our day in the Houses of Hashem (Shul and Beis Hamedrash), then we can be sure that goodness and kindness will catch up with us from unexpected places at in unexpected moments even when we weren’t actively pursuing them. M

‫ספר שמות‬

Please daven for

‫לרפואה שלימה בתוך חולי ישראל‬ ‫לע''נ ר' מרדכי בן ר' שלום ז''ל‬ ‫נלב''ע ט''ו סיון תשס''ב‬

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‫ספר בראשית‬ ‫לע"נ‬ ‫אריאל יהודה ז״ל‬ ‫בן ר׳ פינחס צבי נ״י‬ ‫קליין‬

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‫ספר ויקרא‬

‫הב' אברהם יוסף אריה‬ ‫בן רוחמה אילה נ"י‬

‫לע"נ מרת טויבא רחל נאה ע''ה‬ ‫בת ר' שמואל שמעלקא הי''ד‬ ‫נלב''ע כ''ה מנחם אב תשע''ז‬

N OW R E AC H

Dovid Hamelech writes in Tehillim:

Just like when we chase after kovod, it runs miles away from us, when one gets the 100 that they so desperately wanted, the stakes are raised to 200 (Koheles Rabbah 1).

‫ספר דברים‬

‫לע"נ ר' יקותיאל זלמן נאה ז''ל‬ ‫בן ר' חנניה יו''ט ליפא הי''ד‬ ‫נלב''ע ט''ז אדר תשע''ז‬

But, when we’re just looking to do the right thing, to serve Hashem modestly in the way He wants, we find that life’s beracha catches up on us unexpectedly, and then it’s so sweet.

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Amongst the berachos that are mentioned in this week’s parasha is a very confusing one: ָ ‫פּוך ו ְִה ִּׂש‬ ָ ָ‫"ּורד‬ )‫מה‬:‫יגּוך" (כח‬ ְ

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Oneg Shabbos Issue 219

What The Willow Twig Basket Taught Us

I

magine you want to create and form a human figurine.

First, you’d go to the store and buy some clay. Then, you’d spend some time forming, detailing, and perfecting it. The time then comes that you’ve finished your masterpiece and it’s looking good. So you take the final product and place it in a nice open and sunny spot on the grass in your garden. But then it hits you – I want to experience what my little creation is experiencing. I want to feel the sun on its face. The grass tickling its feet. The cool breeze gently blowing through its hair. I want to put myself in that creation. I want to experience the world as it does. Welcome to day 1 of the creation of man.

The Gemara in Sanhedrin states that all of the universes and worlds, both physical and spiritual, were created for the sake of man. But why did Hashem create man? What is our purpose in this grand scheme of existence? Or put more plainly, why are we here?

The Creator could have left us as wholly spiritual souls with a wondrous view and perception of the revealed Essence of Hashem. No cover ups, no veils, no trials and tribulations – just revealed and open spirituality. But the Creator wanted more than that. He wanted better than that. He didn’t want to light a match in a bright and sunny room. He wanted to light it in the darkest and most harsh of places so that the potential of its brightness would shine forth as never before. So he took from the dusts of the earth, created this figurine of man, and, to experience this world as Hashem on earth, He blew into man from His Essence.

Now He would be able to reveal G-dliness in this world with the torch of the human’s soul, an actual part of Hashem Himself.

Now He would be able to experience this world through the eyes of the created.

Parshas Ki Savo opens with the Mitzvah of bikkurim, the first fruit offering that was brought in a basket called a teneh and given to the Kohen in the Beis HaMikdash. Bikkurim had to be brought from the finest and choicest. It was an act of acknowledging that everything we possess belongs to the Creator. We give to Hashem what is in truth His. But we see something strange when it come to the ten, the basket that contained the fruits. The fruits were of the best quality. Yet, when it came to the basket, it is described in the Mishnah (Bikkurim 3:8) as a simple one, made of peeled willow twigs. Yet both the basket and the bikkurim were given to the Kohen. Why such a simple basket for such a glamorous display of fruits?

After thinking about the idea we discussed above, we can possibly understand this unusual set up. The purpose of the

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creation of all mankind, and the universe as a whole, is not for the sake of the higher worlds. Rather, the purpose is this lowest world. The challenge of life is to transform this world into a dwelling place for Hashem, and this lesson is taught to us by the simple willow twig basket.

Yes, we are pure and beautiful souls. Our neshama is the choicest of all of creation – the choicest of all the fruits of the field. But we must constantly remember our purpose here.

To be Hashem’s “spacesuit” in this outer space from revealed spirituality. To reveal Hashem specifically in this physical and corporeal world. To bring spirituality into the workplace and into our stone and wood homes. To take those beautiful fruits and put them into the simple willow twig basket. Only then can we truly present a beautiful gift to Hashem. M

21 September 2019

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‫כ“א אלול תשע"ט‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

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t was a joyous day in the small shtetl. A new Sefer Torah had been donated to the shul, and the townspeople, together with the local Yeshiva bachurim, gathered to give the sefer a fitting welcome. As the celebration reached its crescendo, a wagon drew up and a bochur holding a suitcase got out.

Mottel had been away from Yeshiva for a few weeks due to an illness, and had returned amidst the joyous dancing of the Hachnosas Sefer Torah.

Looking around him, Mottel knew that this dancing could only mean one thing. “Moshiach is Gekummen!” – “Moshiach has come!” he cried out joyfully. People looked around and, unfortunately, some sniggered at his mistake. Later that day, the Rosh Yeshiva addressed his talmidim. “There is only one bochur in this Yeshiva who is really awaiting the coming of Moshiach,” he admonished them. (Heard from Rabbi M. Miller ‫זצ"ל‬.)

If we think about it, it would appear much more logical that the outpouring of joy witnessed at events like a Hachnosas Sefer Torah would in fact be reserved for the coming of Moshiach. What is the meaning of the simcha that we experience on such occasions?

A similar question can be asked regarding the bringing of Bikurim –the first fruits, at the beginning of Parshas Ki Sovo. The Mishna in Bikurim (ch3) describes how this mitzvah would be performed: “A man would enter his field and see a fig that had appeared; a bunch of grapes… a pomegranate…, he would tie a string around it…

“How would they bring the Bikurim up (to Yerushalayim)?”

The Mishna describes how people would gather to bring Bikurim in groups.

“An ox would walk before them, its horns overlaid with gold… the flute would be playing before them until they approached Yerushalayim…

All the craftsmen of Yerushalayim would arise before them and greet them… The flute would play before them until they reached the Har HaBayis… They reached the courtyard of the Beis HaMikdosh, and the Levi’im broke out in song…”

What a celebration! Over what? A few figs!

One could have easily imagined that the scenes of simcha described here would befit a Hachnosas Sefer Torah, if not the arrival of Moshiach himself! Why would Yerushalayim come to a virtual standstill over a group of farmers bringing their humble first fruits to the Beis HaMikdosh?

Later on in the Parsha, in the Tochacha, a wellknown possuk tells us that if, chas vesholom, we would be deserving of the calamities described there, then this would be '‫תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה‬ ‫אלקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב‬... – “On account of your not serving Hashem, your G-d, in joy and goodheartedly…” Of all the possible reasons why Yisroel may have deserved the tochacha’s fulfilment, lack of joy in serving Hashem would not have seemed the most obvious. Why is this cause singled out?

Rav Avigdor Miller ‫ זצ"ל‬explained that achieving joy is far more important to our service of Hashem than we may have thought. Given that Avodas Hashem is founded upon gratitude to Him, an individual who feels dissatisfied with his lot will lack the vital ingredient upon which all Avodas Hashem is based. In the midst of the Tochachah, the Torah reveals that if we would develop the middah

of someach bechelko, being happy with our lot, we would be spared the spiritual collapse that would warrant the Tochachah’s fulfilment, chas vesholom.

Being happy with one’s lot begins with thinking about the miracles that we are surrounded with, which we know as the laws of the natural world.

Rav Avigdor Miller taught that before we even think about spiritual matters, there is a wealth of happiness that we can gain from observing the world around us - the air that we breathe, the healthy functioning of our bodies, how Hashem provides all our nutritional needs, etc. Thinking even about some “small” details of the miraculous system that Hashem has created is sufficient to elicit feelings of happiness and gratitude. However, if we fail to engage in the thought processes that could lead us to recognising Hashem with simcha and gratitude, Hashem has another way of getting us to recognise Him – and that is through the Tochachah, when all that we had would be taken away. Therefore, explains Rav A. Miller, the Torah uses the word ‫“ – תחת‬Instead” of recognising

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Rabbi Shimon Cohen Author of The Majesty of Rosh HaShanah (Mosaica Press)

foremost, he has witnessed a miracle unfolding before his very eyes. He sees Hashem’s creation producing succulent and nutritious fruit, every aspect of which announces Divine design and involvement. On another level, as a member of Hashem’s nation, he has just received an instruction; an invitation to elevate this physical piece of fruit into a veritable sacrifice; an opportunity to elevate his physical existence into the realms of the spiritual and eternal. The fig that has just made its appearance on a branch of his tree has been transformed into something akin to a Sefer Torah, for this Jewish farmer has just made the connection, made the commitment, that link himself and all those around him with the Creator. ‫“ – ושמחת בכל הטוב‬You shall rejoice with all the good…,” with which the Parsha of Bikurim concludes, refers to our physical and spiritual bounty alike (see Ohr HaChaim.)

When we celebrate our connection to the Torah, be it at a Hachosas Sefer Torah, on Simchas Torah, or on any other occasion, the joyous celebration is about far more than the occasion at hand.

It is about Yisroel’s eternal connection with Hashem through the Torah, and our certainty that through this very connection we will merit Ge’ulah.

The Bochur who exclaimed “Moshiach is gekummen!” so excitedly was right after all. Moshiach had not arrived just yet, but the sight of simchas HaTorah that his eyes beheld proclaimed that Moshiach is yet sure to come, for the essence of our joy over the Torah pronounces and declares the eternal joyous relationship between Klall Yisroel and the Creator.

Our joy in our connection with Hashem lies behind a great deal of our Avodah on Rosh HaShonoh. We say in Oleinu, which introduces Malchuyos, ‫שלא שם חלקנו כהם‬... – Hashem did not make our portion like that of the other nations. What does “our portion” refer to? The commentaries say that our portion is none other than Hashem Himself. He is our Portion, and we are His. We are joyous in our Portion and He is joyous with His. On Rosh Hashonoh we set ourselves and our needs aside almost entirely, and we daven for Him; for His glory, for His Torah, for His Shechinah. We listen to His call and return to Him, joyous in our portion, joyous in His Kingship.

In turn, He reciprocates by recognising Yisroel as His portion, in which He rejoices for all eternity.

May the coming year be the one in which the cry of “Moshiach is Gekummen!” rings out for all to hear!

Rejoicing IN OUR Portion Hashem through simcha and goodheartedness, amidst bountiful blessings, we would need to be aroused to this recognition by those blessings being withheld.

Besides for these abundant reasons to feel simcha bechelko, happy with one’s lot, which are due to the blessings that Hashem showers all of mankind with, K’lall Yisroel has a further cause for simcha. We learn in our parsha: (26, 17-19) “This day, you have set Hashem aside to be for you as G-d, to follow in His ways, to observe His statutes, His mitzvos… And Hashem has set you aside, to be for Him a treasured nation as He has spoken to you and to observe all His mitzvos. To make you most high… so that you will be a holy nation to Hashem, your G-d…”

Now there’s a reason to be happy. This day – meaning each and every day (Rashi), every single member of Klall Yisroel has the gift of taking Hashem alone as his G-d. Of making Hashem’s Name great (Ramban); of making Him King (Targum Yerushalmi). And every day, Hashem takes each one of us to Him, as part of His treasured nation of Yisroel, giving us the sanctity and closeness that is reserved for His Am Segulah.

The mitzvah of Bikurim combines all of these reasons for simcha into one. The Jewish farmer who discovers a ripening fig or pomegranate, immediately comes face to face with Hashem’s Providence, in several different ways. First and

M

Rabbi Shimon Mordechai Cohen is a Torah writer and translator. He writes for the Machon Ohr Olam Mishnah Berurah project, and is the author of The Majesty of Rosh Hashanah (Mosaica Press). He can be contacted at shimco13@gmail.com or 07971 015052.

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Oneg Shabbos Issue 219

This page is sponsored ‫לע''נ ביילא בת ר׳ משה ע''ה‬

Just missed it…

“Rebbe, if I finish the last eight Blatt, can I make a Siyum?”. It was two weeks before the nine days and he wanted to try and finish in time for a Siyum during the nine days.

“How many Blatt do you have left?”, I questioned.

“Well, uh... seven in Yevamos”. Perhaps, it was what he learned in Yeshiva this past year, and this would give him the push to finish. “And how long have those seven Blatt been sitting?”, I asked, hoping the answer would be favourable. “Oh, a very long time. Well, actually it has been a few years. … But wait, I also have six Blatt left in Nedarim. Maybe I can make a Siyum on Nedarim?”. Now I was starting to get intrigued, “You also have six Blatt in Nedarim??” I decided to go out on a limb, “Are there any other Mesechtos you also have waiting unfinished?!”. He stopped and thought for a minute, “yeah, there is four left in Kiddushin. Eight left in Kesubos. And, I think I never finished the last Blatt in Gittin”.

There are different numbers that share different connotations. In this week’s Parshah one such number is found. The curses are listed, eleven curses in total, and upon reflection it becomes clear that which we find in the words of the Maharal, eleven is the ‘unlucky’ number.

Eisav traveled with eleven ministers. The Shevatim were twelve, and Torah is specific to ensure that the total number is twelve and never eleven. For example, when Menashe and Ephraim are listed, then Levi is not listed. Av is the eleventh month. The number eleven is associated with the eleven stars in the dream of Yosef – the event that catapulted the entire exile in Mitzrayim. The Gemarah explains that the word in Hebrew for eleven is the source that we learn that whenever one adds he detracts.

In case it all sounds like a coincidence, that which we find in the Rokei’ach dispels that notion. The Rokei’ach writes that

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he always wanted to come to Eretz Yisroel. Finally, they wanted to hire him as Rav. When they finalised details, they wrote that they would agree to pay him 1,100 zuzim. He responded that inasmuch as he has been waiting for his entire life to come to Eretz Yisroel, he cannot accept this salary. He explained: there are two occurrences in Nach, one when the wife of Shimshon tried to find his secret, and the second when the Aodah Zarah was created in the times. In both of these occurrences, the payment was 1,100 Zehuvim!

Eleven is the ‘unlucky’ number, because it is one off, it is the one that just missed it!

The first ten people in the Minyan receive the reward of the entire Minyan. No one feels bad if they are the twentieth person to show up, but when one is the eleventh man to walk in!? To blow the stop sign and fail the road-test happens. But, to scrape the curb and not pass by one point!?

All to often we are in the perfect situation, but we just miss it. Two people show up to the same davening, or sit down by the same sefer. One utilises the time properly and emerges a bigger person, while the other squanders the time and gets nowhere. The difference is so small, but the ramifications are light and day. All to often we are the one that just missed it!

The story quickly becomes clear, most of Seder Nashim he has completed, with merely a few Blatt remaining in a few places. I ask him, “are you able to finish up all those remaining few Blatt”? He thinks, does a quick calculation and responds, “yeah I think I can finish up those 30+ Blatt in the next week or two”. With a big smile I tell him, “finish those Blatt and then you certainly can make a Siyum”. Confused he asks, “on which Mesechta”?

“None in particular” I explain, “rather a Siyum on the entire Seder Nashim! And, more importantly, a Siyum for finally finishing. For not being the eleventh man!” M

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21 September 2019

‫כ“א אלול תשע"ט‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

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The golden thread of Torah

This d’var Torah is prefaced with the disclaimer that it is not intended to espouse any political opinion chas vesholom. Politics has no place in a Torah publication, still less in one intended for Shabbos reading.

However, now that I have your attention, you may as well read on!

I

t is undoubtedly a trite observation that power and wealth have been the root causes of most man-made machlokes and strife that the world has ever seen, whether on a macro-level amongst countries, ethnic groupings and the like, or on a micro-level, in communities and within families.

The Torah describes in some detail the procedure for the Author of Likutei Mimini Michoel, farmer bringing his bikkurim weekly email on the Parshah and Mo’adim [26:2-11]. In a departure from the norm, we are even told the verbal exchange that takes place between the supplicant and the kohein. The farmer offers his choicest first fruits and says, higadeti hayom laHashem Elokecho ki vosi el ho’oretz asher nishba Hashem la’avoseinu lossess lonu – “I have declared this day to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land which Hashem promised to our forefathers to give to us”. The kohein’s actions are then described as ve’hinicho lifnei mizbach Hashem Elokecho – he sets the basket down before the altar of Hashem, your G-d.

Of note is the fact that, in both cases, the Torah refers to Elokecho – your G-d, instead of Elokeinu – our G-d, which in this context seems rather surprising.

Chazan Michael Simon

One might have surmised that we, the Jewish people, with our abiding loyalty to Hashem and all facets of His Torah, would be impervious to such machinations, but sadly it pervades many of our communities around the globe. Over the centuries authentic Yiddishkeit has regularly faced many challenges from multifarious sources, both external and internal. Yet, in the past number of years, the phenomenon of widespread public and polemical antagonism and disrespect amongst ostensibly frum factions has reached seemingly unprecedented levels. Of course, it may just be that the immediacy and ease of dissemination of information has created an impression about the situation that belies the extent of its previous existence. Alternatively, I may simply be naiver and more uneducated than those who know me give me credit for.

In any event, the skewing of Torah-true Jewish values for personal or factional gain evident in so many frum spheres (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Litvish, Chassidish and beyond) is not only a terrible chilul Hashem. Just as importantly it does nothing to foster the ahavas Yisroel that should be at the core of all of our lives.

Being don lekaf zechus, such factions probably believe that their actions are entirely leshem shomayim. Yet the permissibility of compartmentalising mitzvos bein odom laMokom and those bein odom lechaveiro is a complete fallacy, as is demonstrated by an outstanding example in this week’s parshah.

The Shinover Rebbe explains that this passage underlines the symbiotic relationship between Jewish leaders and those they lead. In order for a community to function properly, it requires a leader who guides and motivates his people. Simultaneously, a true leader must recognise that without the community, their leadership capability is as nought. The mutual respect engendered through the recognition by each of the other’s role in Hashem’s definition of community is what causes it to flourish. The kohein and the farmer acknowledge this publicly using the deferential term Elokecho. The farmer, representing the community, proclaims that societal virtues and accomplishments are the product of its leader’s guidance along the path of righteous existence. The kohein as leader, in turn, responds that success in his endeavours has only been possible, because the community is comprised of people who search for a better way of life and a deeper appreciation of Hashem. The Torah is the ‘golden thread’ at all times. M

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Oneg Shabbos Issue 219

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Rabbi, Great Ormond Street Hospital

T

his week’s parasha contains the tochecha- the punishments that Bnei Yisroel will receive for violating the Torah. The penalties are frightening. What aveiros bring about these appalling consequences? The Torah is clear: “They [the punishments] shall be a sign and a wonder upon you and your offspring, forever. Because you did not serve Hashem b’simcha, with joy, and goodness of heart, mei’rov kol, through abundance of everything.”

Is the absence of simcha an aveiroh?

Many commentators find this suggestion unpalatable. The first Kotzker Rebbe, for example, suggests that a solution would be a different emphasis when reading the Torah. The posuk should not be read “because you did not serve Hashem with joy” but, instead, “because with joy [i.e. joyfully] you did not serve Hashem.” The nation will be punished not for the absence of joy in their fulfilment of Hashem’s law but for the presence of joy in their defiance of that law.

Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher, on the other hand, explains that “simcha in the performance of a mitzva is a mitzva unto itself, meriting its own distinct reward “An individual who fulfils Hashem’s will grudgingly transgresses a fundamental commandment and becomes liable for punishment.

This approach is consistent with the approach of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin

who explains the essential nature of simcha in the performance of mitzvos.

Service performed grudgingly at another’s behest, Reb Chaim suggests, carries the character of “the avodah of avodim- the service of slaves” executed to satisfy the whim of a taskmaster. An individual who observes Hashem’s will reluctantly, therefore, treats Hashem as an “enemy” and will ultimately experience the consequences and pay a heavy price.

On a similar theme the Sochatchover Rebbe, argues that the presence of simcha and personal gratification in any societal enterprise is critical to the success and continuity of the enterprise itself. Without simcha, all communal endeavours run the risk of descending into dissension, rivalry and strife. Only a generation lacking joy in their service of Hashem could have evidenced the sinas chinam that caused the destruction of the Bayis Sheini. The Rebbe continues to say that even nowadays being sameach choson v’kallah remains a critical mitzva. All effort must be made to ensure that this couple’s initial step towards the creation of a Jewish home and the perpetuation of the Jewish nation will be rooted in sustaining simcha.

completely, will merit destruction. The second group, however, those whose aveiroh is limited to a failure to serve Hashem with simcha, will be punished less severely.

On a halachic basis the Rambam in Hilchos Lulav codifies the requirement to perform mitzvos b’simcha, saying that doing so takes a lot of work. A sentiment that certainly resonates on cold, wet, dark winter mornings as we make our way to Shacharis. In Hilchos Teshuva the Rambam adds that if we fulfil the Torah with simcha, Hashem will facilitate further observance by removing all obstacles to avodas Hashem, such as sickness, war, hunger etc. He will give us the support system we need to live by the Torah.

How do we serve Hashem with simcha?

The Maggid Mishneh says that we should do mitzvos not out of a feeling of coercion but because we know it is right. The Torah is emes. Keeping the Torah is THE ideal way of life. If we remember that then the Torah won’t be a burden and we can comply and serve Hashem with simcha. M

Rabbi Moshe Alshich considers the possible contradiction in the pessukim.

Will the people be punished, asks the Alshich, for failing to observe Hashem’s law entirely, as is suggested by an earlier possuk which says ‘’all these curses will come to you and pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you have not listened to the voice of Hashem, to observe the mitzvos and His statutes that He has commanded you.”

Alternatively, will the people be punished for failing to observe Hashem’s law with simcha, as the later possuk suggests?

To resolve this contradiction the Alshich maintains that throughout the tochecha the Torah speaks about two distinct populations. The first of these groups, those who “have not listened to the voice of the L-rd” and have thus turned their backs on the mitzvos

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21 September 2019

‫כ“א אלול תשע"ט‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

“Let Your Feet Do The Talking”

J

ewish farmers. Yes, please suspend your disbelief! In Temple times, we Jews were mostly farmers. The Torah commands us to express our gratitude to the Hashem by bringing our first fruits to the Beis Hamikdash (Devarim 26: 1-11) Here is the “play by play” of what it looked like. Jewish farmer comes with first fruits in a basket and presents it to the Kohen who then puts his hand underneath the farmer’s hand, and together they wave the basket together in all directions. (Rashi 26:4) Then the farmer takes back his basket and makes a moving declaration of historical breadth and depth showing gratitude to Hashem that these fruits are the culmination of Hashem’s taking us out of Egypt. (These are the four central pesukim we recite in the Haggadah on Pesach to fulfil the mitzvah of telling the story of leaving Egypt.) After this moving speech, our trusty farmer places the basket by the mizbeach, and it becomes a marvellous gift to the Kohen who is the Hashem’s representative in this world.

Clear? Well, there’s an issue to the “observant Jew” (pun intended) reading

these pesukim. In 26:3, the Torah tells our beloved farmer upon his ARRIVAL to tell the Kohen, “I have declared today to Hashem, Your G-d, that I have come to the Land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us.” Why does the Torah use the past tense “Higadeti,” “I have declared” when the farmer hasn’t declared ANYTHING yet! He only launches his grand declaration starting two pesukim later in posuk 5.

My Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Mendel Weinbach zt’’l, brought the Malbim to solve this conundrum. The Malbim explains that there were actually two declarations. One in action and one in speech. The greater declaration was the fact the farmer DID what he was supposed to do! He arrived with his first fruits! He dedicated the best of the best to Hashem. He let his feet do the talking.

Only then does the Torah command the farmer to appreciate the significance of his actions with the verbal declaration.

But the true declaration is the fulfilment of the mitzvah itself… with his actions.

Let me share a personal story of the power of this message. It was the autumb of 1996 when 16 young men at the top of their academic and career trajectories put all of that on hold to dedicate a year in yeshiva at Ohr Somayach’s brand new Centre Program. Every young man in the room had to overcome something significant to choose to be there: family resistance, alluring careers, academic advancement etc. We all basically felt we had made the right decision, but there was a nagging voice of doubt that perhaps we had veered from our path to success.

Rav Weinbach zt’’l spoke to us at a Melave Malka and shared with us this

7

Rabbi Shalom Garfinkel Director Project 613 for Young Professionals in Chicago

idea. “Boys, I know what sacrifices you made to be here in yeshiva. I know you might have doubts. But please know that you have all made the most important declaration you can ever make! You have let your feet do the talking about what is most important to you- learning Torah in the land of Israel. Please know how beloved your declaration is to Hashem. He is SO proud of you.” After grabbing for a tissue or two, I felt a surge of such confidence and determination that literally carried me through an entire year of challenging study.

Frum Yidden do mitzvos all day. From davening three times a day, eating kosher food, learning Torah, teaching it to our children directly and through our choice of Jewish schools, to business ethics, to not speaking Lashon Harah, to carpools, to working to provide for our Jewish lifestyle etc… Do we realise that each of these activities is a bold and proud declaration of allegiance to the CEO of the Universe? Each act of observance is like our first fruits of our personal efforts showing Hashem that we are ‘letting our feet do the talking’. If we could only keep Rav Weinbach’s message in mind that Hashem is SO proud of our efforts for that which we are already doing daily, then I truly believe it would be a tremendous boost of confidence and passion for all of us in our Jewish observance.

Who would have known what a Jewish farmer could teach us?!

Wishing everyone a very “fruitful” Shabbos! M

8

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‫לע''נ אריאל יהודה ז''ל בן ר' פינחס צבי נ''י קליין‬

Oneg Shabbos Issue 219

Restoring the primacy of Choshen Mishpat Under the auspices of Harav Chaim Kohn ‫שליט"א‬

Rabbi Meir Orlian Halachah Writer, BHI

CHOLENT IN THE GARBAGE The Stein family was celebrating Shabbos sheva brachos. A large pot of cholent was simmering in the shul kitchen.

On a shelf nearby stood a cup of milk, left over from the morning. Someone walked by and knocked it over. Milk spilled onto the cover and down the side of the cholent pot. “Oh, no!” cried Mr. Fleishman, the caterer. “Milk got on the pot! What do we do?”

Mr. Fleishman turned to Boaz, his waiter. “Rabbi Isser lives down the block,” he said. “Go ask him about the cholent.”

Boaz ran to Rabbi Isser and told him about the accident. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing to do,” said Rabbi Isser. “The milk on the side of the pot gets absorbed. It’s all prohibited and needs to be disposed of!”

Boaz returned. “Rabbi Isser ruled that the cholent is prohibited,” he told Mr. Fleishman.

Mr. Fleishman decided to consult a more senior Rabbi. “I’m running out for a few minutes,” he told Boaz.

“Keep the meal moving.”

The caterer consulted Rabbi Posek. “We had a problem with the cholent, and Rabbi Isser said that it is prohibited,” said the caterer. “Is there any room for leniency? It’s a terrible loss!”

Rabbi Posek considered the issue. “In a case of great loss, there is room to be lenient, if the milk is less than a sixtieth,” he said. “Let me discuss it with Rabbi Isser” (See Rama, Y.D. 92:6-8; 242:31).

After some discussion, Rabbi Isser agreed. The caterer ran back to Boaz. “The cholent is permissible,” he exclaimed.

“Sorry, I already dumped it into the garbage,” said Boaz.

“Rabbi Isser said that it had to be disposed of.”

“Who asked you to do that?” exclaimed Mr. Fleishman.

“I sent you to ask the she’eilah, but never expected you to dump the cholent! I’m going to hold you liable for the cholent and deduct from your pay; you damaged me!”

“What do you want from me?” argued Boaz. “I followed Rabbi Isser’s ruling!”

The two went to Rabbi Dayan. “Is Boaz liable for the cholent?” Mr. Fleishman asked.

“Shevus Yaakov (1:61) addresses a similar case,” replied Rabbi Dayan. “A person was sent with food that was questionable to ask the Rav, who ruled that it was completely prohibited. The person then disposed of the food. It turned out that the Rav had made a mistake, and the food was in fact permitted. The owner claimed payment from the Rav and/or the person.

“Shevus Yaakov rules that neither is liable,” continued Rabbi Dayan. “Shulchan Aruch (C.M. 25:1) writes that the Rav is not liable, since he did not damage directly and did not intend to damage (grama).

Although the Rema cites an opinion that the Rav is liable, it remains a doubt and we cannot extract money when there is doubt (muchzak). Furthermore, the Shach (25:5) sides strongly with the Shulchan Aruch’s opinion.”

“What about the person who asked the question?” asked Mr. Fleishman. “He actively threw the food away and wasn’t told to do so!”

“Shevus Yaakov writes that the person is also exempt, since he disposed of the food based on the Rav’s ruling,” answered Rabbi Dayan. “Although he actively damaged, he is considered completely anuss (the damage is beyond his control). He carries less liability than a Rav who mistakenly ruled and also actively disposed, who is liable” (Pischei Teshuvah, Y.D. 242:17).

“Are there other examples of exemption for one who acted based on a halachic ruling?” asked Boaz.

“We find, similarly, that a guardian who transferred an entrusted item to others based on an erroneous ruling of beis din is exempt,” answered Rabbi Dayan. “Radvaz (1:299) explains that he is considered anuss. Similarly, renters who paid the wrong landlord based on beis din’s instructions are exempt” (Rema 297:1; Nesivos 140:10; Pischei Choshen, Pikadon 3:31).

“Thus,” concluded Rabbi Dayan, “since Boaz disposed of the cholent based on Rabbi Isser’s ruling, he is exempt.”M

Provided by Business Halacha Institute. The BHI is a non-profit organization based in New York that educates and guides people in up to date applications of monetary halacha. For more information or to browse the BHI archives, visit www.businesshalacha.com

21 September 2019

‫כ“א אלול תשע"ט‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

MIDDOS ‫דרגה יתירה‬ Rabbi Zalman Guttman Ramat Shlomo

‫תחת אשר לא‬ )‫מז‬-‫עבדת את ה’ אלקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב (כח‬ The posuk tells us that the mitzvah of bikkurim takes effect when Bnei Yisroel enter Eretz Yisroel, however, in reality, the mitzvah only began to apply after the conquest and division of the land, unlike other mitzvos which were kept immediately upon entering the land, such as challah. Why was it necessary to wait fourteen years to express joy and thankfulness to Hashem?

R’ Avraham Pam zt’’l explains that the nature of human beings is to forget how fortunate we are and complain about things that we really should be grateful for! When people bemoan the fact that they have a headache, it is because they literally “lose their head” - they forget that they are so fortunate to have a head that works (most of the time!) and B”H they usually feel fine! For example, a chosson who dates for a number of years, with many aggravations and disappointments, finally finds the right one, and is thrilled with all the wonderful information he hears about his new kallah. During sheva brachos he is even more excited to see the beautiful middos of his wife. He is the happiest man in the world! He has no words to express his appreciation to Hashem.

But after a number of months things begin to change. His wife’s many virtues become “normal” and he starts to take her for granted, or worse, complains about her and becomes resentful. The key to a happy life is to remember the difficulties, the loneliness, the worry, the anguish and the pain of whatever situation one is taking for granted now.

The mitzvah of bikkurim could only be fully realised after fourteen years of trouble and toil. Hashem wanted us to be appreciate what we have, and to never forget the fact that we weren’t always so lucky. Eretz Yisroel must never be taken for granted!

9

AHAVAS YISROEL

FOOD FOR RK SPA O T T H G U O TH ION CONVERSAT Simcha, a talmid of the Yeshivah of Philadelphia, told me: One morning during the last winter zeman, the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, arrived at breakfast a bit earlier than usual.

Seeing that the bachur who normally brings him breakfast wasn’t there yet, Simcha jumped at the opportunity to serve the Rosh Yeshivah. He went over to Rav Shmuel and asked him what he would like. But as he started towards the counter to get what the Rosh Yeshivah requested, a different bachur, who knew what Rav Shmuel generally preferred, was already making his way over to the Rosh Yeshivah with his breakfast.

Simcha stopped midtask, sighing at the fact that his efforts to serve the Rosh Yeshivah had been for nothing. The other bachur had simply beaten him to it. Simcha went to his seat to resume eating his breakfast, and the incident was forgotten.

That night, as Simcha was walking in the yeshivah, he passed Rav Shmuel. The Rosh Yeshivah stopped and with a smile said, “Thank you for trying.” “Trying what?” asked Simcha. “At breakfast,” Rav Shmuel prompted him.

Simcha paused. Then he understood.

The Rosh Yeshivah was referring to his willingness to bring him breakfast that morning. “The elderly Rosh Yeshivah meets and talks to tens if not hundreds of people a day, in person and on the phone, both bachurim in the yeshivah and people far beyond,” Simcha told me. “As a leader of Klal Yisrael, he is involved in many communal matters and has a lot on his mind. And yet he was gracious enough to remember and express his thanks for something I myself had forgotten about, a small amount of effort I expended in trying to help him.”

The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Reviewed by Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Lowy. For discussion only; actual halachic decisions should be made by a rav or halachic expert on a case-by-case basis.

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Oneg Shabbos Issue 219

THE MOMENT WHEN THE MEAT IS PERMITTED FOR THE KOHANIM ‫היתר שחיטה שנינו‬ In the Mishnah, R’ Yehoshua taught a rule that once kodshei kodoshim arrived at a moment when they become permitted for kohanim, me’ilah no longer applies, even if the offering subsequently becomes disqualified. The Gemara probes to understand what is meant that “there was a moment when it was permitted for kohanim.” Bar Kappara told Bar Pedas to research the subject so that they would be able to discuss it in the Beis Midrash the next day. The issue was whether the animal’s being permitted at the moment of shechita is enough, or whether it is necessary that the animal be permitted for the kohanim to eat, which means that it be permitted also at least until the moment of collecting of the blood. This suggestion uses the rule “all that is fit to be sprinkled is considered as if it is already sprinkled,” and the meat is immediately ruled to be permitted. A third possibility was also introduced for consideration and that is that the animal be permitted for eating, meaning that not only does the blood have to be ready to be sprinkled, but it must also actually be sprinkled properly in order for the offering to be considered ready to be eaten.

The Sefer Mikdash Dovid explains the various sides of this inquiry. All agree that we must perform a service whereby the meat becomes permitted to the kohanim. The first opinion, that this refers to the shechita, feels that it is only the shechita that is a service with the meat of the animal, as opposed to collecting the blood and sprinkling it, which are services done with the blood. The second opinion holds that permission to eat the meat is directly a function of collecting the blood in order to sprinkle it. Because collecting the blood is an inherent part of the later eating of the meat, this is also considered a service of the meat.

However, this view agrees that the actual sprinkling of the blood is a blood service, and not one of the meat.

The third view is that although the sprinkling of the blood is not done with the meat, this is still an essential service of all offerings which is done before the meat is eaten. Therefore, it is only after the sprinkling of the blood that the meat is considered to be permitted for the kohanim, and at which time the me’ilah ceases. Tosafos questions how can we understand the possibility that we say that the intent of the Mishnah is that the meat is permitted for the kohanim with the shechita? At that point the meat is clearly not yet permitted to be eaten. Tosafos explains that perhaps this refers to the law that after the shechita, all services must be performed by kohanim, and not the owners. We can therefore say that once the shechita takes place, it is in the hands of the kohanim to finish the job and bring it to the point that it may be eaten. In this sense, it is with the shechita that the offering is no longer ”'‫ "קדשי ה‬and me’ilah no longer applies.M

105 DAYS

CO U

’‫מעילה ד‬

Distinctive Insight

E TH

Daf Yomi WEEKLY

DOWN TO NT

Siyum Hashas

Stories from the Daf HUMAN NATURE "...‫"דמייתי לידי פיגול‬ Today’s daf discusses the issur of piggul.

Rav Aharon Leib Steinman zt’’l, once discussed the terrible scourge of sinas chinam in a moving manner. Speaking in a pained tone of voice, he said, “It is sad that when a Jew wants to expand his apartment, his neighbour—even if the construction doesn’t affect his apartment in the slightest—will often find an ‘underground’ way to stop construction. Such a person often won’t even allow his neighbour to put up a sukkah for seven days a year. But why should he care? In many situations the protestors’ apartment is in the north and the construction is in the south.

Although there is no earthly reason why such construction should annoy them, they still protest. This is especially despicable when they oppose the building of a shul, claiming that this will cause the price of their apartments to drop.

“Firstly, this is definitely false. Quite the contrary, in a religious neighbourhood, building a shul can increase the value of apartments in the vicinity. But the most important reason why such conflict is wrong is more basic: why should they care?

Why not rejoice in your neighbour’s good fortune instead of complaining? But what can we do; human nature is such that we tend to resent the success of others and it is hard to be giving. “This explains why we find in Avos that one of the ten miracles in the Beis HaMikdash was that the kohanim didn’t think thoughts that would render sacrifices piggul. Why is this a miracle? Clearly the kohen did not profit by invalidating the sacrifice of another Jew! This is one of the miracles because the nature of people is to be mean-spirited and act out of spite. Even in the holiest place on Earth, it required a miracle to protect people’s sacrifices from being ruined because of innate bad middos!”M

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21 September 2019

‫כ“א אלול תשע"ט‬

‫פרשת כי תבוא‬

Sages through Ages THE

11

Dr Benji Schreiber

The Ramchal Padua, Italy 1707 – Acco, Israel 1746 ‫כ”ו באייר‬ Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Ramchal, was born and bred in Padua, Italy where he received a classic Torah education alongside education in science, Latin, Italian, French and Greek. His father, Rav Yaakov was a talmid chacham and merchant. His mother was called Diamenta. His Rebbe, Rav Yeshayahu Bassan, left Padua when Ramchal was 15 years old. By then it was said he knew shas, the writing of the Arizal and the Zohar by heart. He joined a small kabbalistic group called ‘‫מבקשי ה‬.

Around this time he wrote poetry, a collection of some 150 songs in the style of tehillim, plays and he wrote about writing and oration.

The Maggid In 1727 he first reported hearing a heavenly voice teaching him kabbalistic secrets. He wrote in a letter to a great Kabbalist of the time, Rav Binyamin HaCohen: On the first of Sivan in the year 5487 (1727), as I was reciting a certain Yichud, I fell into a trance. When I awoke, I heard a voice saying: ‘I have descended in order to reveal the hidden secrets of the Holy King’. For a while I stood there trembling, but I soon took hold of myself. The voice kept on speaking and revealed a particular secret to me.

He then wrote about visits from Eliyahu HaNavi and Malachim. He wrote these teachings in the language of the Zohar as ‫זוהר תניינא‬, the second Zohar. It seems he believed he was a gilgul of Moshe Rabbeinu. In 1731 he married Tzipporah Finzi.

The Storm As news spread, so did his fame and popularity. However, the leading Italian rabbis and particularly Rav Moshe Chagiz (1672-1750) from Jerusalem who had fought valiantly to root out any vestiges of the Sabbatean movement (following Shabtai Zvi, 1626-1676) were shocked at

this development and determined to stop the young Ramchal. He later joined forces with Rav Yaakov Emden (1698-1776) in opposing Ramchal.

He left Italy for Amsterdam In 1735, and while passing through Germany he appealed to the rabbinical authorities there to advocate for him to the Italian rabbis. They refused and instead forced him to sign a statement denouncing his own experiences. Most of his writings were burned, though some did survive.

He was able to pursue his studies of kabbalah relatively unhindered while in Amsterdam, and was accepted as a great man there. Earning a living as a diamond cutter, he continued writing but refused to teach.

Writings

While in Amsterdam he wrote the most famous of his seventy or so works: Mesilas Yesharim (The Path of the Just) became the core text of the mussar movement founded a hundred years later

by Rav Yisrael Salanter (1810–1883).

Derech Hashem (The Way of G-d), details the basic principles of Jewish belief regarding the existence of Hashem, the purpose of creation, Divine providence (Hashgacha), prophecy

etc using the concepts but not the terminology of kabbalah.

Da’as Tevunos (‘Knowing G-d’s Plan’), deals with fundamental questions like the existence of good and evil, Divine justice and the Messianic era.

The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797) was reported to have said that were Ramchal still alive, he would have walked from Vilna to learn at his feet. The Maggid of Mezritch (1704-1772) praised the “Chassid of Paduah” and his works. And to this day Ramchal is praised from all corners of the Jewish world as a great mystic, moralist, teacher, tzaddik and writer.

He left Amsterdam for Israel in 1743 and settled in Acco. Three years later, he and his family died tragically in a plague epidemic. He was buried near Rabbi Akiva in Tiberias.M

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