שבת טעם החיים עקב תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Eikev 5770
Returning to Egypt can also be viewed as returning to a high level of spirituality
Introduction
ובני ישראל נסעו מבארות בני יעקן מוסרה שם מת אהרן ויקבר שם ויכהן אלעזר בנו תחתיו, the Children of Israel journeyed from Bieiros-binei-yaakan to Moserah; there Aharon died and he was buried there, and Elazar his son ministered in his place. (Devarim 10:6)
In this week’s parasha it is said (Devarim 10:6) uvinei Yisroel nasu miBeiros binei yaakan Moserah sham meis Aharon vayikavier sham vayichahein Elazar bino tachtav, the Children of Israel journeyed from Bieiros-binei-yaakan to Moserah; there Aharon died and he was buried there, and Elazar his son ministered in his place. Rashi here is troubled by a number of issues. First, what is the connection of this verse to the preceding verses that discuss the giving of the second Luchos? Second, Rashi wonders, why the Torah here states that the Jewish People traveled from Binei Yaakan to Moserah when elsewhere (Bamidbar 33:31) the Torah states the opposite, that they traveled from Moseira to Binei Yaakan? Last, why does the Torah here state that Aharon died at Moserah, when elsewhere (Ibid verse 38) the Torah states that he died at Hor hahar? To answer these questions Rashi cites the Yerushalmi that states that subsequent to Aharon’s death, the clouds of Glory departed and the Jewish People became exposed to the gentiles. The king of Arad battled them and many Jews fled with the intention of returning to Egypt. The tribe of Levi chased after the other Jews a journey of eight camps until they arrived at Binei Yaakan and Moseira and there the Leviim killed some Jews and some Leviim also fell in battle. It was in Moseira that the Jewish people mourned Aharon’s death as it was his death that ultimately led to this massacre and it was as if he had died in Moseira. Moshe juxtaposed this incident to the incident of his breaking the Luchos to teach us that Hashem deems the death of the righteous to be akin to the breaking of the Luchos. The Furthermore, we learn from here that Moshe was as troubled by the Jewish People’s declaration to return to Egypt in the same vein as when they had worshipped the Golden Calf.
How could the tribe of Levi kill their own brethren?
One must wonder regarding the justification of the tribe of Levi to chase after the Jewish people and to cause death to other Jews and to their own tribes. After all, the Jews were scared after losing their protection, so they sought to return to Egypt. Why was this action considered so grievous as to warrant being massacred by their own brethren?
Understanding the sin of the Golden Calf
Rashi writes that Moshe was troubled by the Jews’ desire to return to Egypt in the same manner as when they had worshipped the Golden Calf. We cannot assume that the analogy to worshipping the Golden Calf is merely a cliché. Rather, we must understand what transpired when the Jewish People worshipped the Golden Calf and then we can gain a better insight as to why upon Aharon’s death they sought to return to Egypt.
The Jewish People worshipped the Golden Calf to demonstrate the power of repentance to future generations
The act of worshipping the Golden Calf appears to have been a spontaneous reaction from the Jewish People. Yet, the Gemara (Avodah Zara 4b) states that the Jewish People worshipped the Golden Calf to demonstrate to future generations the power of repentance. How are we to understand this enigmatic statement? Is it possible for an entire nation to sin so future generations can appreciate the power of repentance?
Initial enthusiasm sustains a person even in the down times
The Sfas Emes (Ki Sisa 5639) writes that the first Luchos were given with much fanfare, whereas regarding the second Luchos HaShem told Moshe that it is better to be discreet. The Sfas Emes writes that although the Jewish People were prepared to publicize HaShem’s existence throughout the world, the evil Amalek came and prevented the nations from receiving this benefit. This act of Amalek ultimately caused the Jewish People to fall from their lofty spiritual level and this was the catalyst for the worshipping of the Golden Calf. It was for this reason that HaShem determined that the second Luchos have to be given discreetly. Nonetheless, the initial publicity and enthusiasm that the Jewish People displayed was a necessary component for the second Luchos to be given discreetly. This, writes the Sfas Emes, is a lesson for future generations. One’s initial entry into spiritual matters must be with fiery enthusiasm, and even if one cannot sustain this enthusiasm, the initial enthusiasm will help in the time so concealment. Based on the words of the Sfas Emes, we can suggest that the Jewish People worshipped the Golden Calf so that future generations would understand that while one may fall from his previous spiritual level, there is always hope for return. This return is actually facilitated by one’s initial enthusiasm in his spiritual ascent.
All beginnings are a source of strength
With this premise in mind, we can better understand why the Jewish People panicked when Aharon died and the Clouds of Glory disappeared. The Jewish People were once gain exposed to the cunning and diabolical plans of Amalek. Indeed, the Medrash states that the Canaanites who attacked the Jewish People at this time were really Amalekites who disguised their speech and clothing to deceive the Jewish People. The Jewish People reacted by wishing to return to Egypt. In the simple sense this means that they wished to return to the comforts of living in Egypt. We can, however, interpret this statement allegorically to mean that they wished to return to the state of spiritual existence that they had experienced prior to fashioning the Golden Calf. While their rationale had merit, in the physical world they had to be punished just like when they worshipped the Golden Calf. This is the meaning of the statement that Moshe was troubled by their desire to return to Egypt like when they had worshipped the Golden Calf. The Medrash states that kol haschalos kashos, all beginnings are difficult. The Kotzker Rebbe interpreted the word kashos homiletically to mean strong, i.e. all beginnings are commenced with strength. Similarly, we can suggest that the Yerushalmi that states that the death of the righteous is difficult like the breaking of the Luchos means that the death of the righteous is a source of strength of the Jewish People. The death of the righteous is akin to the breaking of the Luchos, which facilitated the atonement for the Jewish People. Similarly, the wording huksha lo, that Moshe found the return of the Jews to Egypt difficult, can be interpreted as their strength, i.e. they sought to return to their original strength of spirituality.
The Shabbos connection
Throughout the week we are influenced by society around us, and we may feel that we have fallen from our spiritual plateau. We should bear in mind that our original enthusiasm and fervor in serving HaShem will keep us strong during the times of difficulty. The Gemara states that all opinions agree that the Torah was given on Shabbos, and the Chidushei HaRim writes that the letters from the commandments to observe the Shabbos never left the Luchos. These statements demonstrate that at the giving of the Torah and even after the sin of the Golden Calf, we can capitalize on the holiness of Shabbos to give us strength and encouragement in our continuous service of HaShem.
Shabbos Stories
Silent revolution
Thursday evening in the Moscow apartment of Lova Aivazov. The year was 1980. Forty-five young people had just ended a class in the weekly Torah portion. Still to come, after a short break, would be a lesson in Psalms.
Nine p.m. The cookies and samovar had just been produced when there was a knock on the door. A latecomer no doubt, come to enjoy the second half of the class.
The door opened. There was no latecomer there, grinning shyly. There was only the KGB.
About 16 people entered the small apartment: five uniformed policemen, ten plainclothes KGB officers, and one woman from the Moscow District Council.
The woman pounced delightedly upon the books piled neatly on the dining room table. "Illegal activities," she shrieked, grabbing the books and scooping them into the capacious handbag she had brought just for the purpose. Through the haze of the first shock, Rabbi Eliyahu Essas could not help but compare her to a hungry Moscow shopper who'd found a rare hoard of chickens in a store.
But his irreverent thoughts quickly flew back to the situation at hand. The KGB men, clearly in charge of the situation, had begun checking the internal passports of each of the participants, carefully noting down their names, addresses, and places of employment. The first to be arrested would be anyone who lived outside Moscow who had not obtained the proper permit to be in the capital overnight. Rabbi Essas' eyes swept over the group ― thank God, tonight there were only Muscovites in attendance.
But as he gazed at his students, he saw increasing signs of fear and some panic. Rabbi Essas, too, felt afraid ― but only of one thing: Perhaps this was the end of the Torah network he'd created in the heart of the Soviet Empire. Later, other fears arose, but at this moment he could think of nothing else.
His first task was to calm his students. But it was forbidden to talk to each other until the end of the KGB "Operation." Rabbi Essas had a message to give his students. But how could he talk to them of faith in God, here, under the eyes of the KGB?
He took a deep breath and approached the KGB agent who was clearly in charge of the operation. "You must do your job here, and I cannot change your mind," he said to him in a voice loud enough to be heard all throughout the apartment. "But remember, first of all ― our people existed for 3,000 years before you ― and we will live long after yours have ceased to exist. Second, such names as Yagoda, Ezhov, Beria (all of them were heads of the KGB) and all of them, today, are gone, killed one by one by their successors. Do what you have to do ― but do not be arrogant before us."
The KGB agent's face was a mask of granite. But Essas hadn't really sought to elicit a reaction. He had wanted to send a message to his students, encouraging them to continue to be strong ― no matter what.
The message got through. Faces lightened, hope replaced fear. And after the scare was over, after the interrogations that took place within the next two weeks, 43 out of the 45 people who'd been in attendance continued to come to classes and study Torah, though in a reorganized format ― in smaller groups, reshuffled each week to another place.
Other than that one raid, and one other that followed it almost immediately, the Torah network that was growing in Moscow found itself strangely untouched by the foul KGB hands. Individuals did get their share of interrogations, scares, midnight visits, and refused visas, but as a group they seemed to have been left quite alone.
Years later, a former member of the Moscow Synagogue helped explain the special protection they had, [in the following story:]
A FEW MADMEN
A KGB agent in Moscow had just received disquieting news. A refusenik, already known to their office for his emigration activities, had begun a class in, of all things, the Jewish Bible and Jewish laws. It was a small class, obviously, but did it pose a threat to the Soviet State? That was his job to decide.
The thing seemed outlandish, a holdover from a past so remote that it hardly seemed worth bothering about. Still, it had to be looked into. The agent searched for a pen, and began to write.
Not long afterwards, the president of the Moscow Synagogue received a letter. It was ostensibly from the State Committee on Religious Affairs; the president knew better than that. The KGB was making inquiries.
"We have been informed that a group of young people are coming together to study Jewish law. What is the synagogue's evaluation of the future of such an endeavor?" it read.
The answer was simple, and quickly penned. There is no danger in these activities, the president assured the "State Committee." Judaism is a religion of strict observance, and the laws are almost impossible to keep for young people in the Soviet Union. Students, for instance, must attend university on the Jewish Sabbath. The Soviet diet, too, is already quite restricted, and no one would voluntarily restrict it further by keeping the laws of kashrus.
"This will end with three or four madmen who can't do any harm to our state," the president assured the Committee.
As a result of the letter, the KGB let the classes continue, unharmed. And by the time they realized that "three or four madmen" can turn into hundreds of observant Jews, the network had turned into a movement, had gained momentum, and had become so well known that it could no longer be destroyed.
THE SPY
Things looked grim for Valentin. A student in Moscow University, he'd been caught attending classes in Judaism. Now he was in trouble. Big trouble. Retribution was swift, and soon Valentin found himself expelled from the university's hallowed halls. He was now an able-bodied man without a university exemption, and there was only one place for him ― the army.
Within weeks, Valentin had been drafted and shipped out to a small Siberian town, far, far away from the Talmud classes, kosher food, and fellow Jews. All the mitzvahs that he'd so recently taken on had become impossible to observe. Valentin determined to hold on to one thing, at the very least. Every morning, he told himself grimly, he would put on his Tefillin. No matter what.
It wasn't easy to drag himself out of his bed on the frigid Siberian mornings. And yet Valentin managed to be up half an hour before reveille, don his Tefillin, and pray to his Creator.
One day, one of his fellow soldiers who had happened to waken early was astonished to see Valentin standing quietly in a corner, carefully winding straps around his arm, carefully placing a box upon his forehead. The next morning the soldier, his suspicions awakened, again awoke early, and again witnessed this mad ― or possibly traitorous ― behavior.
By the third day, the soldier had done his patriotic duty, and when Valentin roused himself from his all-too-short night's sleep, there were two officers on hand to witness these strange goings-on. The officers, both embittered remnants from Stalinist times, were not impressed with Valentin's protestations that the Tefillin were religious objects. Prayer they could understand, although they didn't like it; but these straps? Clearly, Valentin was a spy, and the straps and box some sort of transmitting device.
Their first step was to confiscate the dangerous transmitter. Valentin, still protesting, insisted upon accompanying the Tefillin to the lab where they would be examined. Curiously enough, the officers agreed, though insisting that a military guard escort him.
In the lab in a small Siberian town, the technicians had never seen such a device. The boxes, they surmised, served as transmitters, while the straps were antennas. As Valentin watched, horrified, they actually opened up the Tefillin boxes. Gleefully, they pulled out the writing. A secret code! It is Hebrew, he protested. A language that has been dead for 2,000 years, they answered. A perfect code!
Getting more and more angry, and not a little scared, Valentin urged his captors to contact the small local Jewish community in the city of Novosibirsk to verify his words. The next day, the investigators duly visited the synagogue. They returned, unimpressed: No one had been wearing the straps and boxes. It was... Saturday.
Eventually the president of the synagogue heard about the hapless Jewish soldier and came forward to verify his story and explain that no Jew put on his straps on their Sabbath. The officers, not particularly eager to press charges of espionage, partly because it would look bad on their unit's records, and partly because they simply didn't want the trouble, were prepared to drop the charges. Instead, they told Valentin, he would be discharged on psychiatric grounds. "Because, if you're not a spy, you certainly must be crazy."
Instead of two years, Valentin finished his army service in two months, and soon was ready to rejoin his family and friends ― Jewish friends ― back in Moscow. Later, because he hadn't spent much time in the army, he was allowed to leave Russia and emigrate to Israel, without having to undergo the ordeal of being a refusenik. Valentin, now living in the Negev, knows where his "good luck" came from: his devotion to the mitzvah of Tefillin. (www.innernet.org)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Eikev 5770
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vaeschanan 5770
שבת טעם החיים ואתחנן תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vaeschanan 5770
Abundant blessing amidst catastrophe
Introduction
כי תוליד במים ובני בנים ונושנתם בארץ והשחתם יעשיתם פסל תמונת כל ועשיתם הרע בעיני ה' אלקיך להכעיסו, when you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long in the Land, you will grow corrupt and make a carved image of anything, an you will do evil in the eyes of HaShem, your G-d, to anger him. (Devarim 4:25)
In this week’s parasha it is said (Devarim 4:25) ki solid banim uvnei vanim vinoshantem baaretz vihischatem vaasisem pesel temunas kol vaasisem hara bieinei HaShem Elokecho lihachiso, when you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long in the Land, you will grow corrupt and make a carved image of anything, an you will do evil in the eyes of HaShem, your G-d, to anger him. The Torah uses different terminology here when introducing the forewarning that the Jewish people will sin in the future. Normally the Torah commences a topic by stating, when you enter the land. Here the Torah begins by stating that you will have children and grandchildren. Why is it necessary to state that you will have children and grandchildren? The answer to this question can be found in the Sefer Mayaan Bais Hashoeiva from Rav Shimon Schwab zt”l. In Parashas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:22) it said vichi yinatzu anashim vinagfu isha harah viyatzu yiladeha vilo yihiyeh ason anosh yeianeish kaasher yashis alav baal haisha vinasan biflilim, if men shall fight and they collide with a pregnant woman and she miscarries, but there will be no fatality, he shall surely be punished as the husband of the woman shall caused to be assessed against him, and he shall pay it by order of judges. Rav Schwab wonders why the Torah used the word yiladeha, which is in the plural form, as opposed to the singular form. The answer, Rav Schwab writers, as that although the Torah is discussing a calamitous situation, nonetheless the Torah promises that there will be a proliferation of children being born. In a similar vein we can suggest that although the Torah here is describing the catastrophe that will occur when the Jewish People sin, the Torah still promises that there will be a birth of children and grandchildren.
Praying for Eretz Yisroel and actually residing there
One of the Kinnos that we recite on Tisha BaAv was authored by the famous Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, entitled “Tziyon halo sishali lishlom asirayich, Zion, you will certainly inquire about the peace of your captives. The commentary points out that Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi authored the classical philosophical work called the Kuzari, where the king of Khazar taunts the wise Jew regarding the fact that they appear to pay lip service insincere lip service to Zion, their homeland. While they pray three times a day for the restoration of Zion, they are not actually willing to leave behind the prosperity and comfort of the exile to reside in Eretz Yisroel. This reprimand caused the Jewish sage to reevaluate his situation and he resolved to leave the lands of the gentiles and to settle in Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Yehudah Halevi himself took these words to heart and made his way to Eretz Yisroel, where, according to tradition, he fell to the ground near the Temple Mount and was subsequently trampled by an Arab horseman.
Moshe’s prayers to enter Eretz Yisroel serves as an inspiration for us
This incident is reflected in the beginning of this week’s parasha. Moshe entreats Hashem to allow him entry into Eretz Yisroel, and HaShem refuses his request. I have long wondered what the purpose of these prayers were if Hashem did not satisfy Moshe. Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that this was a catastrophic situation for Moshe, given the fact that he was not allowed entry into Eretz Yisroel. Nonetheless, when Moshe prayed, he described the beauty of Eretz Yisroel, and this depiction alone should be sufficient to stir within us a yearning to return to our homeland. Thus, the Torah and the Kinnos that we recite on Tisha BaAv are constant reminders to us that Hashem gave us a beautiful land, and we must constantly pray for our return to Eretz Yisroel.
The Shabbos connection
Every week we greet the Holy Shabbos, which is a semblance of the World to Come. The Shem MiShmuel writes that while the atmosphere in the exile is contaminating, Shabbos is akin to Eretz Yisroel and can atone for all of the impurities that we are exposed to. This week is referred to as Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of Consolation. HaShem should console us with the Ultimate Redemption and the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
The Filthy Nation?
Of the hundreds of heroic stories told by the Bluzhever Rebbe about his harrowing experiences in the Janowska labor camp during World War II, one episode is not well known at all. It is the story of Dr. Shimon Ringel. It is the courageous tale of a valiant man and his fight to preserve the honor of his people.
Arriving at the labor camp on August 26, 1942, Shimon, a young man in his 30s, carried with him a spirit of defiance and an inner strength. He was shocked at how the Jews all followed the orders of their German superiors; he desperately tried to convince the other inmates that eventually all of them would be killed, every last one. So why follow the Germans' orders and work for their cause? Why not spread the word to the thousands of other inmates? But a number of factors prevented him from doing this.
First of all, it was difficult to ever speak to a large number of people. The Nazis watched their every move carefully, ensuring that no one spoke to anyone else unless it was for a purpose. After work it was nearly impossible to find someone who had either the physical strength or the will to converse. They were shattered both in body and spirit. The only thing they wanted was to rest their bruised and weary bodies. Who had time or interest to speak about hope and pride? They were by and large walking skeletons, living out their days until the time came to die. And when it would, they would gladly leave this nightmarish existence.
So the voices of the Shimon Ringels had no chance of being heard. But Shimon would speak to the Bluzhever Rebbe. In him he found someone who would listen and at least try to share in his hope.
The labor camp was a scene of subhuman conditions ― appalling sanitation, little food, and constant harassment and beatings. Daily, they were forced to endure lineups where the SS guards would degrade and humiliate them.
"Which nation are the biggest liars and cheaters?" the SS guards would call out in glee, almost suppressing a snide smirk as they waited anxiously for the answer. "We the Jews are!" would be the cry of the degraded prisoners. Anyone daring not to scream out this answer would suffer by being chosen to stand in the middle of the courtyard and be beaten ― beaten until he died ― while his fellow Jews watched.
But Shimon could not bear to watch this horrible sight. He could no longer tolerate these barbarians mocking G-d and His holy nation. It is one thing to beat someone physically, but to humiliate the soul of a Jew, that was just too much. The humiliation and shame hurt so badly that Shimon decided to do something about it.
One of the daily rituals in the camp was the trip the inmates would take to the bathhouses. Although they were given the opportunity to bathe themselves, it was on a strict schedule. They had, to undress, bathe and redress all within a period of 5 minutes. Anyone not keeping to the schedule would be killed instantly. And tragically, often more blood would flow from those bathhouses, than water.
Afterward, again, the humiliating ceremony would begin. "Who's the filthiest nation on earth?" the Nazi guard would call out. "It is we the Jews who are infested with lice and filth."
"And why are you no longer dirty?"
"Because the kind and benevolent commandant has allowed us to cleanse ourselves."
The scene was sickening and shameful. But woe to the individual who dared to defy the sadistic guard. And for the longest time no one dared to do so. Until Shimon Ringel.
Shimon armed himself with a small dose of cyanide and one middle-sized rock. As the routine was about to begin, he turned to the Bluzhever Rebbe with tears in his eyes and he begged, "Please forgive me, Rebbe. I know that after what I am going to do, you will suffer together with the rest of the inmates. But I can no longer tolerate the shame they are causing to G-d and the Jewish people. I don't know if you will survive but promise me that if you do, you will tell this story to let people know that someone did not allow them to shame G-d's people."
The Rebbe tried to convince Shimon not to do it. But it was too late. The routine began. "Who is the filthiest nation on earth?"
Shimon refused to answer, while the rest of them struggled to proclaim that they were the filthiest nation, when they knew that the exact opposite was true. It did not take long for the Nazi guards to notice that Shimon was not responding to the questions in the same manner as everyone else.
"Why are you not answering, Jew?"
This time it was the Commandant Kolinko who spoke with a mixture of anger and confusion. "How dare you not answer the way you have been taught?" The commandant was visibly shaken and surprised that this Jew was so defiant!
"Because it is not true. The Jewish people are not filthy and we are not a lowly nation. It is you who should be ashamed of yourselves, you dirty dog. You kill innocent women and children. It is you who should be embarrassed for who you are."
And as soon as Shimon finished his diatribe, the commandant, shocked by his impudence, approached him and stepped right up to his face. Suddenly Shimon spit at him and smashed the rock he had hidden against the commandant's head.
Immediately chaos ensued. The SS guards pounced on Shimon and beat him mercilessly as the commandant bled profusely. But Shimon did not feel it at all. He was now in a place where no one could hurt him.
Miraculously, somehow, someway, the matter was swept aside. One of those who survived was the Bluzhever Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Spira, who retold this story.
On the Edge
There is always the question of whether to leave the phone on full volume or to lower it before retiring. After all, no one relishes being awakened in the middle of the night. In our house, however, the decision is usually made to keep it plugged in "just in case." Thus, it was at 3:00 a.m. when I was jarred awake by the shrill sound of the phone ringing. I grabbed it after one ring.
"Hello, is this Rabbi David Goldwasser?" The voice on the other end of the line was not only unfamiliar, but had a gruff edge to it.
"Yes, this is he."
Then in a very businesslike manner, "Rabbi, I'm Officer Costanza of the N.Y.P.D. I've got a young lady here who is standing on the roof of her apartment building, ready to jump. She says you're her rabbi, so maybe you could talk to her. She's serious, Rabbi. She won't let us come within two feet of her, and she looks like the real thing. She just wants to speak to you first. Her name is Elaine Smith."
I had never received a phone call like this before. From the midst of a deep sleep I had been thrust into the middle of a life-and-death situation that required the sharpest mind, the most persuasive tongue, and the greatest help from heaven. I could only pray that all three would materialize in time. I did not recognize the young lady's name, but before I even had a chance to answer, I heard him hand the phone to Elaine.
She at once began to speak in a slow and steady monotone. "I can't go on anymore. I just want to end it all. The difficulties I've been having... they're just too much to bear. I can't take it any longer. I just want it to end. The pain I'm in... Going to school didn't help. My existence ― it's too painful. I'm alone. Don't you see that? I've tried to help myself, but I just can't seem to do it. I just can't. Nobody understands me. I want to put an end to this misery..."
Elaine continued her diatribe for what seemed like a very long time. As she spoke, I paced back and forth with the phone pressed hard against my ear, alternately sweating and shivering. A human life hung in the balance. I trembled at the knowledge that such a dejected soul needed a reason to continue and that I had to supply her with that reason. Ironically, the only thing that stood between Elaine and a horrible death 30 stories below was the instrument of communication that she and I held in our hands.
She paused for a second. Quickly, before she could start again, I said, "Elaine, don't ever give up. A Jew doesn't give up. Our sages said that as long as a person lives there is hope. You have not exhausted every possibility of hope. You are young and you have many years ahead of you ― happy years, fruitful years. Don't let this moment of desperation cloud everything you've accomplished in your life so far..."
She charged in loudly and with bitterness, "That's not true! I haven't accomplished anything. I'm not a good person. I don't deserve to live." Then quietly with a stifled sob, "Help me! I'm in pain."
I could tell from her voice that Elaine was becoming more dejected by the minute. My mind raced. What could I say? How could I veer her thoughts away from this demoralizing trend? Suddenly it came to me. I had met her once at a symposium for Jewish professionals in upper Manhattan, where I had delivered a lecture about four years ago. I remembered a mention of parents, so I quickly asked in as casual a way as possible, "Elaine, how are your parents?"
To my complete horror, she began yelling, "Why do you ask me about my parents? What do they have to do with this? Why did you mention them?" She kept on and on while I futilely tried to calm her down.
"Elaine, I only wanted to ask how your family was doing. Your parents have nothing to do with this. You're absolutely right. I only..."
Abruptly, she interrupted me. "Why aren't you here?"
"Give me 15 minutes and I'll be there," I answered quickly.
Again she started screaming, "No! Don't go. Don't hang up. Don't get off this phone." Then she began rambling along in the same vein: She was worthless. She wanted to end it all. No one understood her. Then, "Why aren't you here?"
I repeated my offer to jump into a cab and be there in 15 minutes.
Then she announced, "That's it! I'm going to end it. I've had enough of this talk." She sounded completely sincere. Desperately, I wondered what I should say. Should I take a chance on reminding her about how she would be hurting her parents? No. Obviously that was a sensitive subject. Should I quote the Torah about the sacred value of a human life? My mind was a miasma of thoughts and questions.
I forced myself to retain at least a veneer of calmness. "Elaine, I accept your decision. But I still have one question I would like to ask you. What shall I tell your future fiancé?"
Suddenly she became still. There was absolute silence for a second. Then Elaine answered, in a subdued voice, "I don't have one."
"That's not true!" I countered. "[Our sages say that] 40 days before a baby is formed, a Heavenly voice proclaims: The daughter of this person will marry that person. Every Jewish soul that comes to this world has a match somewhere. So that means that there is a groom somewhere waiting for you, too. And I just want to know what to tell him in case he asks me about you."
"You mean even I might one day stand under a chuppah?"
"Elaine, I honestly believe so."
The next thing I heard over the phone was bitter crying and a great deal of shuffling sounds. Then the original gruff voice came back on the line, only this time there was an undercurrent of strong emotion. "Okay, Rabbi, we've got her. She's fine. We've got her. You did a good job, Rabbi, and G-d bless you...
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vaeschanan 5770
is sponsored in honor of the marriage of Shua and Esther Miriam Krupenia. Mazel Tov to the parents and grandparents and they should be zoche to build a Bayis Neeman BiYisroel
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
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Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vaeschanan 5770
Abundant blessing amidst catastrophe
Introduction
כי תוליד במים ובני בנים ונושנתם בארץ והשחתם יעשיתם פסל תמונת כל ועשיתם הרע בעיני ה' אלקיך להכעיסו, when you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long in the Land, you will grow corrupt and make a carved image of anything, an you will do evil in the eyes of HaShem, your G-d, to anger him. (Devarim 4:25)
In this week’s parasha it is said (Devarim 4:25) ki solid banim uvnei vanim vinoshantem baaretz vihischatem vaasisem pesel temunas kol vaasisem hara bieinei HaShem Elokecho lihachiso, when you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long in the Land, you will grow corrupt and make a carved image of anything, an you will do evil in the eyes of HaShem, your G-d, to anger him. The Torah uses different terminology here when introducing the forewarning that the Jewish people will sin in the future. Normally the Torah commences a topic by stating, when you enter the land. Here the Torah begins by stating that you will have children and grandchildren. Why is it necessary to state that you will have children and grandchildren? The answer to this question can be found in the Sefer Mayaan Bais Hashoeiva from Rav Shimon Schwab zt”l. In Parashas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:22) it said vichi yinatzu anashim vinagfu isha harah viyatzu yiladeha vilo yihiyeh ason anosh yeianeish kaasher yashis alav baal haisha vinasan biflilim, if men shall fight and they collide with a pregnant woman and she miscarries, but there will be no fatality, he shall surely be punished as the husband of the woman shall caused to be assessed against him, and he shall pay it by order of judges. Rav Schwab wonders why the Torah used the word yiladeha, which is in the plural form, as opposed to the singular form. The answer, Rav Schwab writers, as that although the Torah is discussing a calamitous situation, nonetheless the Torah promises that there will be a proliferation of children being born. In a similar vein we can suggest that although the Torah here is describing the catastrophe that will occur when the Jewish People sin, the Torah still promises that there will be a birth of children and grandchildren.
Praying for Eretz Yisroel and actually residing there
One of the Kinnos that we recite on Tisha BaAv was authored by the famous Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, entitled “Tziyon halo sishali lishlom asirayich, Zion, you will certainly inquire about the peace of your captives. The commentary points out that Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi authored the classical philosophical work called the Kuzari, where the king of Khazar taunts the wise Jew regarding the fact that they appear to pay lip service insincere lip service to Zion, their homeland. While they pray three times a day for the restoration of Zion, they are not actually willing to leave behind the prosperity and comfort of the exile to reside in Eretz Yisroel. This reprimand caused the Jewish sage to reevaluate his situation and he resolved to leave the lands of the gentiles and to settle in Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Yehudah Halevi himself took these words to heart and made his way to Eretz Yisroel, where, according to tradition, he fell to the ground near the Temple Mount and was subsequently trampled by an Arab horseman.
Moshe’s prayers to enter Eretz Yisroel serves as an inspiration for us
This incident is reflected in the beginning of this week’s parasha. Moshe entreats Hashem to allow him entry into Eretz Yisroel, and HaShem refuses his request. I have long wondered what the purpose of these prayers were if Hashem did not satisfy Moshe. Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that this was a catastrophic situation for Moshe, given the fact that he was not allowed entry into Eretz Yisroel. Nonetheless, when Moshe prayed, he described the beauty of Eretz Yisroel, and this depiction alone should be sufficient to stir within us a yearning to return to our homeland. Thus, the Torah and the Kinnos that we recite on Tisha BaAv are constant reminders to us that Hashem gave us a beautiful land, and we must constantly pray for our return to Eretz Yisroel.
The Shabbos connection
Every week we greet the Holy Shabbos, which is a semblance of the World to Come. The Shem MiShmuel writes that while the atmosphere in the exile is contaminating, Shabbos is akin to Eretz Yisroel and can atone for all of the impurities that we are exposed to. This week is referred to as Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of Consolation. HaShem should console us with the Ultimate Redemption and the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
The Filthy Nation?
Of the hundreds of heroic stories told by the Bluzhever Rebbe about his harrowing experiences in the Janowska labor camp during World War II, one episode is not well known at all. It is the story of Dr. Shimon Ringel. It is the courageous tale of a valiant man and his fight to preserve the honor of his people.
Arriving at the labor camp on August 26, 1942, Shimon, a young man in his 30s, carried with him a spirit of defiance and an inner strength. He was shocked at how the Jews all followed the orders of their German superiors; he desperately tried to convince the other inmates that eventually all of them would be killed, every last one. So why follow the Germans' orders and work for their cause? Why not spread the word to the thousands of other inmates? But a number of factors prevented him from doing this.
First of all, it was difficult to ever speak to a large number of people. The Nazis watched their every move carefully, ensuring that no one spoke to anyone else unless it was for a purpose. After work it was nearly impossible to find someone who had either the physical strength or the will to converse. They were shattered both in body and spirit. The only thing they wanted was to rest their bruised and weary bodies. Who had time or interest to speak about hope and pride? They were by and large walking skeletons, living out their days until the time came to die. And when it would, they would gladly leave this nightmarish existence.
So the voices of the Shimon Ringels had no chance of being heard. But Shimon would speak to the Bluzhever Rebbe. In him he found someone who would listen and at least try to share in his hope.
The labor camp was a scene of subhuman conditions ― appalling sanitation, little food, and constant harassment and beatings. Daily, they were forced to endure lineups where the SS guards would degrade and humiliate them.
"Which nation are the biggest liars and cheaters?" the SS guards would call out in glee, almost suppressing a snide smirk as they waited anxiously for the answer. "We the Jews are!" would be the cry of the degraded prisoners. Anyone daring not to scream out this answer would suffer by being chosen to stand in the middle of the courtyard and be beaten ― beaten until he died ― while his fellow Jews watched.
But Shimon could not bear to watch this horrible sight. He could no longer tolerate these barbarians mocking G-d and His holy nation. It is one thing to beat someone physically, but to humiliate the soul of a Jew, that was just too much. The humiliation and shame hurt so badly that Shimon decided to do something about it.
One of the daily rituals in the camp was the trip the inmates would take to the bathhouses. Although they were given the opportunity to bathe themselves, it was on a strict schedule. They had, to undress, bathe and redress all within a period of 5 minutes. Anyone not keeping to the schedule would be killed instantly. And tragically, often more blood would flow from those bathhouses, than water.
Afterward, again, the humiliating ceremony would begin. "Who's the filthiest nation on earth?" the Nazi guard would call out. "It is we the Jews who are infested with lice and filth."
"And why are you no longer dirty?"
"Because the kind and benevolent commandant has allowed us to cleanse ourselves."
The scene was sickening and shameful. But woe to the individual who dared to defy the sadistic guard. And for the longest time no one dared to do so. Until Shimon Ringel.
Shimon armed himself with a small dose of cyanide and one middle-sized rock. As the routine was about to begin, he turned to the Bluzhever Rebbe with tears in his eyes and he begged, "Please forgive me, Rebbe. I know that after what I am going to do, you will suffer together with the rest of the inmates. But I can no longer tolerate the shame they are causing to G-d and the Jewish people. I don't know if you will survive but promise me that if you do, you will tell this story to let people know that someone did not allow them to shame G-d's people."
The Rebbe tried to convince Shimon not to do it. But it was too late. The routine began. "Who is the filthiest nation on earth?"
Shimon refused to answer, while the rest of them struggled to proclaim that they were the filthiest nation, when they knew that the exact opposite was true. It did not take long for the Nazi guards to notice that Shimon was not responding to the questions in the same manner as everyone else.
"Why are you not answering, Jew?"
This time it was the Commandant Kolinko who spoke with a mixture of anger and confusion. "How dare you not answer the way you have been taught?" The commandant was visibly shaken and surprised that this Jew was so defiant!
"Because it is not true. The Jewish people are not filthy and we are not a lowly nation. It is you who should be ashamed of yourselves, you dirty dog. You kill innocent women and children. It is you who should be embarrassed for who you are."
And as soon as Shimon finished his diatribe, the commandant, shocked by his impudence, approached him and stepped right up to his face. Suddenly Shimon spit at him and smashed the rock he had hidden against the commandant's head.
Immediately chaos ensued. The SS guards pounced on Shimon and beat him mercilessly as the commandant bled profusely. But Shimon did not feel it at all. He was now in a place where no one could hurt him.
Miraculously, somehow, someway, the matter was swept aside. One of those who survived was the Bluzhever Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Spira, who retold this story.
On the Edge
There is always the question of whether to leave the phone on full volume or to lower it before retiring. After all, no one relishes being awakened in the middle of the night. In our house, however, the decision is usually made to keep it plugged in "just in case." Thus, it was at 3:00 a.m. when I was jarred awake by the shrill sound of the phone ringing. I grabbed it after one ring.
"Hello, is this Rabbi David Goldwasser?" The voice on the other end of the line was not only unfamiliar, but had a gruff edge to it.
"Yes, this is he."
Then in a very businesslike manner, "Rabbi, I'm Officer Costanza of the N.Y.P.D. I've got a young lady here who is standing on the roof of her apartment building, ready to jump. She says you're her rabbi, so maybe you could talk to her. She's serious, Rabbi. She won't let us come within two feet of her, and she looks like the real thing. She just wants to speak to you first. Her name is Elaine Smith."
I had never received a phone call like this before. From the midst of a deep sleep I had been thrust into the middle of a life-and-death situation that required the sharpest mind, the most persuasive tongue, and the greatest help from heaven. I could only pray that all three would materialize in time. I did not recognize the young lady's name, but before I even had a chance to answer, I heard him hand the phone to Elaine.
She at once began to speak in a slow and steady monotone. "I can't go on anymore. I just want to end it all. The difficulties I've been having... they're just too much to bear. I can't take it any longer. I just want it to end. The pain I'm in... Going to school didn't help. My existence ― it's too painful. I'm alone. Don't you see that? I've tried to help myself, but I just can't seem to do it. I just can't. Nobody understands me. I want to put an end to this misery..."
Elaine continued her diatribe for what seemed like a very long time. As she spoke, I paced back and forth with the phone pressed hard against my ear, alternately sweating and shivering. A human life hung in the balance. I trembled at the knowledge that such a dejected soul needed a reason to continue and that I had to supply her with that reason. Ironically, the only thing that stood between Elaine and a horrible death 30 stories below was the instrument of communication that she and I held in our hands.
She paused for a second. Quickly, before she could start again, I said, "Elaine, don't ever give up. A Jew doesn't give up. Our sages said that as long as a person lives there is hope. You have not exhausted every possibility of hope. You are young and you have many years ahead of you ― happy years, fruitful years. Don't let this moment of desperation cloud everything you've accomplished in your life so far..."
She charged in loudly and with bitterness, "That's not true! I haven't accomplished anything. I'm not a good person. I don't deserve to live." Then quietly with a stifled sob, "Help me! I'm in pain."
I could tell from her voice that Elaine was becoming more dejected by the minute. My mind raced. What could I say? How could I veer her thoughts away from this demoralizing trend? Suddenly it came to me. I had met her once at a symposium for Jewish professionals in upper Manhattan, where I had delivered a lecture about four years ago. I remembered a mention of parents, so I quickly asked in as casual a way as possible, "Elaine, how are your parents?"
To my complete horror, she began yelling, "Why do you ask me about my parents? What do they have to do with this? Why did you mention them?" She kept on and on while I futilely tried to calm her down.
"Elaine, I only wanted to ask how your family was doing. Your parents have nothing to do with this. You're absolutely right. I only..."
Abruptly, she interrupted me. "Why aren't you here?"
"Give me 15 minutes and I'll be there," I answered quickly.
Again she started screaming, "No! Don't go. Don't hang up. Don't get off this phone." Then she began rambling along in the same vein: She was worthless. She wanted to end it all. No one understood her. Then, "Why aren't you here?"
I repeated my offer to jump into a cab and be there in 15 minutes.
Then she announced, "That's it! I'm going to end it. I've had enough of this talk." She sounded completely sincere. Desperately, I wondered what I should say. Should I take a chance on reminding her about how she would be hurting her parents? No. Obviously that was a sensitive subject. Should I quote the Torah about the sacred value of a human life? My mind was a miasma of thoughts and questions.
I forced myself to retain at least a veneer of calmness. "Elaine, I accept your decision. But I still have one question I would like to ask you. What shall I tell your future fiancé?"
Suddenly she became still. There was absolute silence for a second. Then Elaine answered, in a subdued voice, "I don't have one."
"That's not true!" I countered. "[Our sages say that] 40 days before a baby is formed, a Heavenly voice proclaims: The daughter of this person will marry that person. Every Jewish soul that comes to this world has a match somewhere. So that means that there is a groom somewhere waiting for you, too. And I just want to know what to tell him in case he asks me about you."
"You mean even I might one day stand under a chuppah?"
"Elaine, I honestly believe so."
The next thing I heard over the phone was bitter crying and a great deal of shuffling sounds. Then the original gruff voice came back on the line, only this time there was an undercurrent of strong emotion. "Okay, Rabbi, we've got her. She's fine. We've got her. You did a good job, Rabbi, and G-d bless you...
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vaeschanan 5770
is sponsored in honor of the marriage of Shua and Esther Miriam Krupenia. Mazel Tov to the parents and grandparents and they should be zoche to build a Bayis Neeman BiYisroel
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
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View Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim
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Thursday, July 15, 2010
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Devarim 5770
שבת טעם החיים דברים תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Devarim 5770
Eicha: a Time to Give, not to receive
Introduction
איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? (Devarim 1:12)
In this week’s parasha it is said (Devarim 1:12) eicha esa livadi tarchachem umasachem virivchem, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? The Medrash (Eicha Rabbah 1:1) notes that there are three instances in Scripture where the word eicha appears. One instance is here in Devarim. The second instance is when Yeshaya (1:21) declares eicha haysah lizonah kiryah nemanah, how the faithful city has become a harlot! The third instance is in the beginning of the Book of Eicha (1:1) which we read on Tisha BaAv, where the prophet Yirmiah laments eicha yashvah vadad, alas – she sits in solitude! The Medrash draws a distinction between these three instances of eicha. Moshe witnessed the Jewish People in their glory. Yeshaya knew the Jewish People when they were in a state of rebellion, and Yirmiah observed the people when they were in a state of degradation. This Medrash poses a number of difficulties. First, if Moshe saw the Jewish People in their glory, why did he bemoan the fact that they were contentious and quarrelsome? Second, what is the significance of the word eicha that warrants the Medrash to highlight these three time periods in Jewish history?
The difference between eich and eicha
In order to understand the significance of the word eicha, it is worthwhile to examine the meaning of the word itself. The word eicha is similar to the word eich, with one notable difference. The word eich is in the masculine form, whereas the word eicha appears in the feminine form. The reasons for this difference is beyond the scope of this essay. Nonetheless, the fact that one is in the masculine form and the other is in the feminine form is reflective of a profound insight into the conduct of the Jewish People. When Moshe wondered how he could bear the burden of the Jewish People alone, he was expressing his disappointment in the people’s inability to rise above the pettiness and struggles of one who is always needy. Thus, Moshe was bemoaning the fact that the Jewish People had everything delivered to them on a silver platter, but they could not resist quarrelling with each other and provoking HaShem to anger. Yeshaya, however, saw the Jewish People in a state of rebellion, where they had already fallen from their glory and were wallowing in the gutter. Yirmiah witnessed the Jewish People in their state of degradation, when there was apparently no more hope. Thus, while all three leaders saw the Jewish People in different states of existence, they essentially observed the people when they were on the receiving end and not on the giving end.
Being satisfied with what we have will help us avoid baseless hatred
What message is the Medrash conveying to us? Do we not know that the Jewish People sinned and this brought about the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash and the Land? The answer to this question is that we are being taught a powerful lesson in human nature. When HaShem bestows us with wealth and comforts, it behooves us to appreciate what we have and to be satisfied with our lot. While we always look to HaShem as the Source of all blessings, we cannot become weakened like one who is in constant need of fame and riches. Desiring more than what we have only leads to contentiousness and quarrels with one another. The Gemara (Yoma 9b) states explicitly that the second Bais HaMikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred, and one of the catalysts for this hatred is desiring more than what we have.
The Shabbos connection
This Shabbos is referred to as Shabbos Chazon, the Shabbos of vision. We are required to gaze inwards and contemplate the luxuries that HaShem has provided us with and to appreciate those comforts. We can then use our possessions to help others in need, thus fulfilling the verse that states (Yeshaya 1:27) Tziyon bimishpat tipadeh vishaveha bitzedakah, Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness. When we realize that we have everything that we need in the physical realm, we will begin to crave higher levels of spirituality. HaShem will then hear our pleas to restore the glory of Yerushalayim to the days of old, with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu and the rebuilding of the Third Bais HaMikdash, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
The Talmud records that the Jewish people went into exile 2,000 years ago because they lacked love one for another. The road of return, therefore, is paved with gentle caring and compassion for each other.
I know that it is Tisha BaAv today and I am eating anyway
One of the outstanding mitzvos is “Love of others,” love for another person. The Baal Shem Tov said that inasmuch as God is abstract and in tangible, it may be difficult to develop love for Him. The royal road love to God, said the Baal Shem Tov, is Love of others. Many righteous people excelled in love of others. Perhaps most prominent in Chassidic folklore is Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who was constantly interceding with God on behalf of His people.
For example, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak once encountered a man who was eating on Tisha B’Av. “My child,” he said, “you must have forgotten that day is Tisha B’Av.”
“No, I know it is Tisha B’Av,” the man replied.
“Ah, then you have been instructed by your doctor that you may not fast because of poor health.”
“I am perfectly healthy,” the man said.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak raised his eyes toward heaven. “Master of the universe,” he said. “I have given this man two opportunities to exonerate himself for eating on Tisha B’Av, but he is so dedicated to truth that he rejected my offer, even at the risk of incriminating himself…”
Better to be bitten by insects now
The "Tzaddik of Stitchin" would welcome wayfarers into his home and provide them with a place to sleep, even if they were dressed in tattered clothes and covered with the dust of the road. When it was pointed out to him that they might be carrying insects that would infest his bedclothes, the tzaddik said, "The Talmud states that the dead body actually feels the pain of being worm eaten. At that time I will not be able to do anything to the insects that will be irritating me. Is it not better that I take the risk of being bitten by insects in this world, where I can at least brush the insects away, and hope that by merit of the mitzvah of hosting guests, I will be spared the misery after death?"
The Ten Thousand Fund
It started one afternoon when the Rottenbaum family sat down to lunch and they heard a tremendous crash of something heavy falling. They ran to the window, looked out onto the garden below them, and heard a rough voice call from above: "Don't stick your heads out the window or you'll be sorry!"
They closed the window and in front of their very noses saw a metal trellis fall heavily to the ground. They recognized it as one of the porch trellises of the Gutman family who lived on the floor above them. Eli Rottenbaum explained excitedly, "Srulie Gutman told me at school that his family are starting to enlarge their apartment. Today the workers came, and from now on they're sleeping in another apartment." True, the Gutmans were seen leaving with their suitcases, but they did not say to where or for how long.
Another trellis fell heavily to the ground, on the beautiful garden the Rottenbaums had so lovingly cultivated. Then the thud of heavy equipment shook the entire building, and ear-splitting drilling made everyone cover their ears. The roof shook, and the acrid smell of dust soon filled the air. The apartment building contained only a few families, and the neighbors had always gotten along well. But Mrs. Rottenbaum felt that some part of her neighborly feeling was being torn to bits, together with the clotheslines that were lying on the ground under the weight of the trellises.
"They're building, they're building!" exulted the children. But the parents furrowed their brows. The Gutmans had nine children and lived in cramped quarters; it was wonderful that they were finally enlarging their narrow living space. Everyone knew that both Mr. and Mrs. Gutman worked long hours and that making a livelihood was not easy for them. But still, couldn't they have given advance warning to their neighbors? "If we had known, we could have asked them to tell the workers to take the trellises down safely and put them near the garbage bins... we could have come to an agreement about a break in the work during afternoon rest hours...
The Rottenbaums had no midday rest, neither that day nor the next. Mr. Binyamin Rottenbaum, a teacher, really needed his afternoon rest, as his teaching hours continued late into the evening. He went upstairs and tried to talk to the workmen, but encountered total obduracy on their part... Two more days passed, two very difficult days: construction work lasted from 11 A.M. until 6 P.M., and already their decorative living-room window had cracked deeply and shattered. "Who knows how much the Gutman construction is going to cost us!" someone muttered.
That night, Binyamin Rottenbaum ran into Yankele Gutman. Yankele poured out his heart: he had made the decision to start construction at the last minute because he'd found a contractor who gave him a really good price, but the catch was that they'd have to begin immediately or the price would go up. That's why they'd left in such a rush and didn't have the chance to talk to their neighbors. He'd signed a contract with a shrewd contractor who promised to complete the work as soon as possible, maximum three months.
"Friends told me," said Yankele, "that the contractor is liable to take advantage of the fact that I don't have certification and all the proper papers yet, by taking on inexperienced workers, since I won't be able to lodge a complaint against him. But so far, everything seems to be going smoothly."
Going smoothly! Maybe for the Gutmans, but certainly not for the Rottenbaums. Binyamin bit his lip, but Yankele continued with his list of woes, mainly money problems. He looked terribly haggard and troubled, and Binyamin felt sorry for him. A few days later when the two ran into each other, Binyamin did try to talk to his neighbor and explain how the unbearable noise and dirt were affecting the other tenants. He even told him that the work was slovenly, negligent and careless ― in short, much worse than the norm. But Yankele's eyes were darting from side to side; it was clear that the man was distracted and in over his head. He told Binyamin he'd see what he could do.
This same scenario repeated itself a few more times, and Binyamin became resigned to the fact that Yankele did not seem able to deal with the situation. "That's the way it is," Binyamin understood. "Yankele is wrapped up in his own troubles and money issues with his contractor, and just can't seem to deal with this."
One evening, Binyamin was called to the neighbor who lived upstairs... "We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work," said the upstairs neighbor grimly. "We have to declare war against the chutzpah going on under our very noses. Yes, I gave Gutman the go-ahead to build, but not like this! I saw your shattered window, and I've also had some breakage. We have to file a lawsuit before this gets even more out of hand."
This tone did not suit Binyamin at all, and he cut the conversation short. Later that night, he opted to walk home from his nephew's wedding instead of taking the bus so that he could think. War? Confrontation? What kinds of words were those? He, Binyamin Rottenbaum the teacher, was he going to get involved in such shady business? All his life he had avoided gossip and slander, conflict and strife. Among his wide circle of friends and acquaintances, there was not even one that he "didn't talk to." When one of his children came home with a story of anyone being criticized for doing such-and-such, he would firmly cut off the discussion by saying, "We don't discuss such things in the Rottenbaum household..."
But, still: the racket every day, the shattered window, rest hours, drilling, rudeness. Wasn't there a limit?
But how could he continue to tell his children, "We don't discuss such things in the Rottenbaum household," if the Rottenbaum household was full of resentment and anger? Furthermore, what kind of relationship would they have with the neighbors once construction was finished and the Gutmans returned? Binyamin was not naive. He knew full well what transpired in many apartment buildings after someone started renovating and there were problems ― grievances before rabbinical courts, evacuation orders, neighbors who did not speak to one another. Even if the work continued for months, Binyamin reasoned, with the drilling and dust and whatnot, there would be many more years afterward when they would need to live in peace and harmony with the neighbors. Was it worth spoiling all that?
After all the years of working on their character traits, now they were being put to the test. It's no problem getting along with others when things are pleasant. It's only under difficult circumstances that we are really tested, and this is precisely when we must restrain ourselves, understand the other person's actions, and maintain our inner balance. As Binyamin neared home and the end of his walk, he arrived at his decision.
Later, Binyamin sat down with his wife and discussed everything with her. "But what about the monetary damage? Only ten days have gone by, and look how much this has already cost us," she said.
Binyamin had already anticipated his wife's question, and had prepared an answer. "We will take it out of the 'ten thousand'," he said.
After Binyamin's father passed away, they had received an inheritance of ten thousand dollars. Binyamin decided immediately to put the money away; they would need it in a few years for the bar mitzvah of their twin boys, and then for their daughter's wedding. His monthly salary was not enough for serious savings, and the inheritance would provide the seed money...
As time went on, the Rottenbaums were able to add several thousand dollars more to their savings, but it always retained its original code name: the "ten thousand." This was a subconscious source of peace of mind, as whenever the Rottenbaums talked about future expenses, they knew that the "ten thousand" would help them out...
And so the Rottenbaum parents talked to their older children and explained their course of action: to maintain their silence, keep the peace, and never let the Gutmans know how much they suffered. They would cover all the damage with their savings, and that was that. Binyamin took out a plastic bag with some earplugs. "These are available any time you need some peace and quiet; or if you really need to, you can go to Grandma's house to do your home work. And the garden? When this is over, we'll take from the "ten thousand" to buy new flowers."
And so it was. Binyamin made it clear to his upstairs neighbor that he would not take part in any actions against the Gutmans, and explained his rationale. Time passed. The Rottenbaum's solar water heater was ruined by the construction work and needed to be replaced; a careless worker bashed in their front door with his machinery and that too needed to be replaced. There were some very difficult moments, such as the "spritz" episode. One Friday, the workers sprayed the outside of the building with white "spritz" ― spackle material ― right through the Rottenbaums' open window! It took the entire family hours of work on Shabbat eve to scrub the stuff off the furniture. "If worst comes to worst," Binyamin reassured his wife, "we'll pay someone to remove it professionally. After all, we have the means to cover the expense."
Four thousand dollars. Yes, four thousand dollars of the money that had been set aside for bar mitzvahs and weddings was spent to cover the damages caused to the Rottenbaum family by Gutman's construction work.
And they never let on to the Gutmans. "Of course, Mrs. Gutman, it was no problem at all with the construction work. We look forward to your return as our dear neighbors when it's all over. And after it was all over ― thank God! ― the Rottenbaums organized a welcome-home celebration for the Gutmans, with cakes, signs, hugs and kisses.
After the construction was completed, the four thousand dollars that Mr. Rottenbaum had spent was returned to him in amazing ways so that, in effect, he never "lost" that money. That, too, is a wonderful story, but it is really "beside the point." (www.innernet.org)
Once In a Yovel
A wealthy wood merchant once came to Rav Chaim of Volozhin for advice, explaining that all his wealth was in danger of being lost. He had sent a huge ship laden with wood to a foreign country, but the authorities were not allowing the wood to enter the country. In fact, they were threatening to sink the ship if it didn’t leave the border of the country.
Rav Chaim reassured the man, “Don’t worry, you’ll see. The salvation of Hashem is like the blink of an eye!”
On that day, the price of wood rose dramatically, and later that day, the authorities finally allowed the merchant’s ship to enter the country.
The wealthy man returned to Rav Chaim, beaming with happiness. He said, “Rebbi, today I experienced hashgachas pratis! If the authorities hadn’t delayed me, I would have received the original price for the wood. The delay actually turned out to be beneficial; I ended up earning significantly more money because of it.”
Rav Chaim sighed, “This is the difference between a rich man and a poor man. The poor man sees the hashgachas pratis of HaKadosh Boruch Hu every day. The rich man sees hashgacha only once every few years.” (Ukarasa LaShabbos Oneg)
Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer's Sad Goodbye
R' Shneur Kotler, the Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood, escaped Europe and managed to survived the Holocaust after experiencing great miracles. Eventually, he arrived in Eretz Yisrael, joining his grandfather R' Isser Zalman Meltzer with whom he shared a very close relationship. Once he was in Eretz Yisrael, news reached him that his kallah who he was engaged to before the war was still alive. However, she was unable to join him in Eretz Yisrael so R' Shneur made plans to travel to her to finally get married.
On the day of his departure R' Shneur went to his grandfather's house to part from him. R' Isser Zalman expressed his great joy on his grandson's upcoming marriage and began accompanying him down the stairs. Surprisingly, after descending only two steps from his second floor apartment he turned around and went home. Everybody present was shocked and puzzled by his behavior. Was this a fitting way for R' Isser Zalman to part from his dear grandson who he would probably never see again?
One of his students dared to ask him why he had not accompanied his grandson all the way down the stairs. R' Isser Zalman said, "As I was walking down the steps, I saw a vision of the thousands of Yidden who did not merit living long enough to marry. I returned home to join in their pain." (Source: Stories My Grandfather Told Me) (www.Revach.net)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Devarim 5770
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
For sponsorships or to subscribe weekly by email please send email to ShabbosTaamHachaim@gmail.com
View Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim
and other Divrei Torah on www.doreishtov.blogspot.com
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Devarim 5770
Eicha: a Time to Give, not to receive
Introduction
איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? (Devarim 1:12)
In this week’s parasha it is said (Devarim 1:12) eicha esa livadi tarchachem umasachem virivchem, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels? The Medrash (Eicha Rabbah 1:1) notes that there are three instances in Scripture where the word eicha appears. One instance is here in Devarim. The second instance is when Yeshaya (1:21) declares eicha haysah lizonah kiryah nemanah, how the faithful city has become a harlot! The third instance is in the beginning of the Book of Eicha (1:1) which we read on Tisha BaAv, where the prophet Yirmiah laments eicha yashvah vadad, alas – she sits in solitude! The Medrash draws a distinction between these three instances of eicha. Moshe witnessed the Jewish People in their glory. Yeshaya knew the Jewish People when they were in a state of rebellion, and Yirmiah observed the people when they were in a state of degradation. This Medrash poses a number of difficulties. First, if Moshe saw the Jewish People in their glory, why did he bemoan the fact that they were contentious and quarrelsome? Second, what is the significance of the word eicha that warrants the Medrash to highlight these three time periods in Jewish history?
The difference between eich and eicha
In order to understand the significance of the word eicha, it is worthwhile to examine the meaning of the word itself. The word eicha is similar to the word eich, with one notable difference. The word eich is in the masculine form, whereas the word eicha appears in the feminine form. The reasons for this difference is beyond the scope of this essay. Nonetheless, the fact that one is in the masculine form and the other is in the feminine form is reflective of a profound insight into the conduct of the Jewish People. When Moshe wondered how he could bear the burden of the Jewish People alone, he was expressing his disappointment in the people’s inability to rise above the pettiness and struggles of one who is always needy. Thus, Moshe was bemoaning the fact that the Jewish People had everything delivered to them on a silver platter, but they could not resist quarrelling with each other and provoking HaShem to anger. Yeshaya, however, saw the Jewish People in a state of rebellion, where they had already fallen from their glory and were wallowing in the gutter. Yirmiah witnessed the Jewish People in their state of degradation, when there was apparently no more hope. Thus, while all three leaders saw the Jewish People in different states of existence, they essentially observed the people when they were on the receiving end and not on the giving end.
Being satisfied with what we have will help us avoid baseless hatred
What message is the Medrash conveying to us? Do we not know that the Jewish People sinned and this brought about the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash and the Land? The answer to this question is that we are being taught a powerful lesson in human nature. When HaShem bestows us with wealth and comforts, it behooves us to appreciate what we have and to be satisfied with our lot. While we always look to HaShem as the Source of all blessings, we cannot become weakened like one who is in constant need of fame and riches. Desiring more than what we have only leads to contentiousness and quarrels with one another. The Gemara (Yoma 9b) states explicitly that the second Bais HaMikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred, and one of the catalysts for this hatred is desiring more than what we have.
The Shabbos connection
This Shabbos is referred to as Shabbos Chazon, the Shabbos of vision. We are required to gaze inwards and contemplate the luxuries that HaShem has provided us with and to appreciate those comforts. We can then use our possessions to help others in need, thus fulfilling the verse that states (Yeshaya 1:27) Tziyon bimishpat tipadeh vishaveha bitzedakah, Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness. When we realize that we have everything that we need in the physical realm, we will begin to crave higher levels of spirituality. HaShem will then hear our pleas to restore the glory of Yerushalayim to the days of old, with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu and the rebuilding of the Third Bais HaMikdash, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
The Talmud records that the Jewish people went into exile 2,000 years ago because they lacked love one for another. The road of return, therefore, is paved with gentle caring and compassion for each other.
I know that it is Tisha BaAv today and I am eating anyway
One of the outstanding mitzvos is “Love of others,” love for another person. The Baal Shem Tov said that inasmuch as God is abstract and in tangible, it may be difficult to develop love for Him. The royal road love to God, said the Baal Shem Tov, is Love of others. Many righteous people excelled in love of others. Perhaps most prominent in Chassidic folklore is Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who was constantly interceding with God on behalf of His people.
For example, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak once encountered a man who was eating on Tisha B’Av. “My child,” he said, “you must have forgotten that day is Tisha B’Av.”
“No, I know it is Tisha B’Av,” the man replied.
“Ah, then you have been instructed by your doctor that you may not fast because of poor health.”
“I am perfectly healthy,” the man said.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak raised his eyes toward heaven. “Master of the universe,” he said. “I have given this man two opportunities to exonerate himself for eating on Tisha B’Av, but he is so dedicated to truth that he rejected my offer, even at the risk of incriminating himself…”
Better to be bitten by insects now
The "Tzaddik of Stitchin" would welcome wayfarers into his home and provide them with a place to sleep, even if they were dressed in tattered clothes and covered with the dust of the road. When it was pointed out to him that they might be carrying insects that would infest his bedclothes, the tzaddik said, "The Talmud states that the dead body actually feels the pain of being worm eaten. At that time I will not be able to do anything to the insects that will be irritating me. Is it not better that I take the risk of being bitten by insects in this world, where I can at least brush the insects away, and hope that by merit of the mitzvah of hosting guests, I will be spared the misery after death?"
The Ten Thousand Fund
It started one afternoon when the Rottenbaum family sat down to lunch and they heard a tremendous crash of something heavy falling. They ran to the window, looked out onto the garden below them, and heard a rough voice call from above: "Don't stick your heads out the window or you'll be sorry!"
They closed the window and in front of their very noses saw a metal trellis fall heavily to the ground. They recognized it as one of the porch trellises of the Gutman family who lived on the floor above them. Eli Rottenbaum explained excitedly, "Srulie Gutman told me at school that his family are starting to enlarge their apartment. Today the workers came, and from now on they're sleeping in another apartment." True, the Gutmans were seen leaving with their suitcases, but they did not say to where or for how long.
Another trellis fell heavily to the ground, on the beautiful garden the Rottenbaums had so lovingly cultivated. Then the thud of heavy equipment shook the entire building, and ear-splitting drilling made everyone cover their ears. The roof shook, and the acrid smell of dust soon filled the air. The apartment building contained only a few families, and the neighbors had always gotten along well. But Mrs. Rottenbaum felt that some part of her neighborly feeling was being torn to bits, together with the clotheslines that were lying on the ground under the weight of the trellises.
"They're building, they're building!" exulted the children. But the parents furrowed their brows. The Gutmans had nine children and lived in cramped quarters; it was wonderful that they were finally enlarging their narrow living space. Everyone knew that both Mr. and Mrs. Gutman worked long hours and that making a livelihood was not easy for them. But still, couldn't they have given advance warning to their neighbors? "If we had known, we could have asked them to tell the workers to take the trellises down safely and put them near the garbage bins... we could have come to an agreement about a break in the work during afternoon rest hours...
The Rottenbaums had no midday rest, neither that day nor the next. Mr. Binyamin Rottenbaum, a teacher, really needed his afternoon rest, as his teaching hours continued late into the evening. He went upstairs and tried to talk to the workmen, but encountered total obduracy on their part... Two more days passed, two very difficult days: construction work lasted from 11 A.M. until 6 P.M., and already their decorative living-room window had cracked deeply and shattered. "Who knows how much the Gutman construction is going to cost us!" someone muttered.
That night, Binyamin Rottenbaum ran into Yankele Gutman. Yankele poured out his heart: he had made the decision to start construction at the last minute because he'd found a contractor who gave him a really good price, but the catch was that they'd have to begin immediately or the price would go up. That's why they'd left in such a rush and didn't have the chance to talk to their neighbors. He'd signed a contract with a shrewd contractor who promised to complete the work as soon as possible, maximum three months.
"Friends told me," said Yankele, "that the contractor is liable to take advantage of the fact that I don't have certification and all the proper papers yet, by taking on inexperienced workers, since I won't be able to lodge a complaint against him. But so far, everything seems to be going smoothly."
Going smoothly! Maybe for the Gutmans, but certainly not for the Rottenbaums. Binyamin bit his lip, but Yankele continued with his list of woes, mainly money problems. He looked terribly haggard and troubled, and Binyamin felt sorry for him. A few days later when the two ran into each other, Binyamin did try to talk to his neighbor and explain how the unbearable noise and dirt were affecting the other tenants. He even told him that the work was slovenly, negligent and careless ― in short, much worse than the norm. But Yankele's eyes were darting from side to side; it was clear that the man was distracted and in over his head. He told Binyamin he'd see what he could do.
This same scenario repeated itself a few more times, and Binyamin became resigned to the fact that Yankele did not seem able to deal with the situation. "That's the way it is," Binyamin understood. "Yankele is wrapped up in his own troubles and money issues with his contractor, and just can't seem to deal with this."
One evening, Binyamin was called to the neighbor who lived upstairs... "We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work," said the upstairs neighbor grimly. "We have to declare war against the chutzpah going on under our very noses. Yes, I gave Gutman the go-ahead to build, but not like this! I saw your shattered window, and I've also had some breakage. We have to file a lawsuit before this gets even more out of hand."
This tone did not suit Binyamin at all, and he cut the conversation short. Later that night, he opted to walk home from his nephew's wedding instead of taking the bus so that he could think. War? Confrontation? What kinds of words were those? He, Binyamin Rottenbaum the teacher, was he going to get involved in such shady business? All his life he had avoided gossip and slander, conflict and strife. Among his wide circle of friends and acquaintances, there was not even one that he "didn't talk to." When one of his children came home with a story of anyone being criticized for doing such-and-such, he would firmly cut off the discussion by saying, "We don't discuss such things in the Rottenbaum household..."
But, still: the racket every day, the shattered window, rest hours, drilling, rudeness. Wasn't there a limit?
But how could he continue to tell his children, "We don't discuss such things in the Rottenbaum household," if the Rottenbaum household was full of resentment and anger? Furthermore, what kind of relationship would they have with the neighbors once construction was finished and the Gutmans returned? Binyamin was not naive. He knew full well what transpired in many apartment buildings after someone started renovating and there were problems ― grievances before rabbinical courts, evacuation orders, neighbors who did not speak to one another. Even if the work continued for months, Binyamin reasoned, with the drilling and dust and whatnot, there would be many more years afterward when they would need to live in peace and harmony with the neighbors. Was it worth spoiling all that?
After all the years of working on their character traits, now they were being put to the test. It's no problem getting along with others when things are pleasant. It's only under difficult circumstances that we are really tested, and this is precisely when we must restrain ourselves, understand the other person's actions, and maintain our inner balance. As Binyamin neared home and the end of his walk, he arrived at his decision.
Later, Binyamin sat down with his wife and discussed everything with her. "But what about the monetary damage? Only ten days have gone by, and look how much this has already cost us," she said.
Binyamin had already anticipated his wife's question, and had prepared an answer. "We will take it out of the 'ten thousand'," he said.
After Binyamin's father passed away, they had received an inheritance of ten thousand dollars. Binyamin decided immediately to put the money away; they would need it in a few years for the bar mitzvah of their twin boys, and then for their daughter's wedding. His monthly salary was not enough for serious savings, and the inheritance would provide the seed money...
As time went on, the Rottenbaums were able to add several thousand dollars more to their savings, but it always retained its original code name: the "ten thousand." This was a subconscious source of peace of mind, as whenever the Rottenbaums talked about future expenses, they knew that the "ten thousand" would help them out...
And so the Rottenbaum parents talked to their older children and explained their course of action: to maintain their silence, keep the peace, and never let the Gutmans know how much they suffered. They would cover all the damage with their savings, and that was that. Binyamin took out a plastic bag with some earplugs. "These are available any time you need some peace and quiet; or if you really need to, you can go to Grandma's house to do your home work. And the garden? When this is over, we'll take from the "ten thousand" to buy new flowers."
And so it was. Binyamin made it clear to his upstairs neighbor that he would not take part in any actions against the Gutmans, and explained his rationale. Time passed. The Rottenbaum's solar water heater was ruined by the construction work and needed to be replaced; a careless worker bashed in their front door with his machinery and that too needed to be replaced. There were some very difficult moments, such as the "spritz" episode. One Friday, the workers sprayed the outside of the building with white "spritz" ― spackle material ― right through the Rottenbaums' open window! It took the entire family hours of work on Shabbat eve to scrub the stuff off the furniture. "If worst comes to worst," Binyamin reassured his wife, "we'll pay someone to remove it professionally. After all, we have the means to cover the expense."
Four thousand dollars. Yes, four thousand dollars of the money that had been set aside for bar mitzvahs and weddings was spent to cover the damages caused to the Rottenbaum family by Gutman's construction work.
And they never let on to the Gutmans. "Of course, Mrs. Gutman, it was no problem at all with the construction work. We look forward to your return as our dear neighbors when it's all over. And after it was all over ― thank God! ― the Rottenbaums organized a welcome-home celebration for the Gutmans, with cakes, signs, hugs and kisses.
After the construction was completed, the four thousand dollars that Mr. Rottenbaum had spent was returned to him in amazing ways so that, in effect, he never "lost" that money. That, too, is a wonderful story, but it is really "beside the point." (www.innernet.org)
Once In a Yovel
A wealthy wood merchant once came to Rav Chaim of Volozhin for advice, explaining that all his wealth was in danger of being lost. He had sent a huge ship laden with wood to a foreign country, but the authorities were not allowing the wood to enter the country. In fact, they were threatening to sink the ship if it didn’t leave the border of the country.
Rav Chaim reassured the man, “Don’t worry, you’ll see. The salvation of Hashem is like the blink of an eye!”
On that day, the price of wood rose dramatically, and later that day, the authorities finally allowed the merchant’s ship to enter the country.
The wealthy man returned to Rav Chaim, beaming with happiness. He said, “Rebbi, today I experienced hashgachas pratis! If the authorities hadn’t delayed me, I would have received the original price for the wood. The delay actually turned out to be beneficial; I ended up earning significantly more money because of it.”
Rav Chaim sighed, “This is the difference between a rich man and a poor man. The poor man sees the hashgachas pratis of HaKadosh Boruch Hu every day. The rich man sees hashgacha only once every few years.” (Ukarasa LaShabbos Oneg)
Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer's Sad Goodbye
R' Shneur Kotler, the Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood, escaped Europe and managed to survived the Holocaust after experiencing great miracles. Eventually, he arrived in Eretz Yisrael, joining his grandfather R' Isser Zalman Meltzer with whom he shared a very close relationship. Once he was in Eretz Yisrael, news reached him that his kallah who he was engaged to before the war was still alive. However, she was unable to join him in Eretz Yisrael so R' Shneur made plans to travel to her to finally get married.
On the day of his departure R' Shneur went to his grandfather's house to part from him. R' Isser Zalman expressed his great joy on his grandson's upcoming marriage and began accompanying him down the stairs. Surprisingly, after descending only two steps from his second floor apartment he turned around and went home. Everybody present was shocked and puzzled by his behavior. Was this a fitting way for R' Isser Zalman to part from his dear grandson who he would probably never see again?
One of his students dared to ask him why he had not accompanied his grandson all the way down the stairs. R' Isser Zalman said, "As I was walking down the steps, I saw a vision of the thousands of Yidden who did not merit living long enough to marry. I returned home to join in their pain." (Source: Stories My Grandfather Told Me) (www.Revach.net)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Devarim 5770
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
For sponsorships or to subscribe weekly by email please send email to ShabbosTaamHachaim@gmail.com
View Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim
and other Divrei Torah on www.doreishtov.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Matos-Masei 5770
שבת טעם החיים מטות-מסעי תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Matos-Masei 5770
Vows and clarity
Introduction
וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר אשר צוה ה', Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying: this is the thing that HaShem has commanded. (Bamidbar 30:2)
In this week’s parasha the Torah discusses the laws of Nedarim, vows. It is said (Bamidbar 30:2) vayidabeir Moshe el roshei hamatos livnei Yisroel leimor zeh hadavar asher tzivah HaShem, Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying: this is the thing that HaShem has commanded. The Sifri notes that whereas all other prophets prophesized with the words koh amar HaShem, thus says HaShem, Moshe was unique in that he prophesized with the words zeh hadavar, this is the thing. There are a number of questions that must be addressed regarding this Medrash. First, what is the fundamental difference between the words koh amar and the words zeh hadavar that reflect a distinction between the two forms of prophecies? Second, why does the Medrash specifically point out this distinction between prophecies regarding the laws of vows? Third, we find that the words zeh hadavar are already mentioned regarding the prohibition of offering sacrifices outside of the Bais HaMikdash. Why did the Medrash not highlight there the distinction of the words koh amar and the words zeh hadavar?
The Netziv’s explanation regarding the difference between Moshe’s prophecy and other prophets
The Netziv, in his commentary to the Sifri, explains that the difference between the prophecies of all other prophets and the prophecy of Moshe is that the other prophets transmitted their prophecy after the Divine Spirit had left them, whereas Moshe uttered his prophecies while HaShem was talking to him. Thus, the words of Moshe were essentially the words of HaShem. The Netziv does not explain, however, the uniqueness of the words zeh hadavar to the laws of Nedarim. Upon examining the rationale of Nedarim we will discover the reason why the Medrash points out the uniqueness of the words zeh hadavar specifically regarding these laws.
The articulation of a vow reflects clarity
When one makes a vow, he is doing something different than telling people of his intentions. A vow reflects a clarity that the person did not have until this moment. Thus, by uttering a vow to perform an action, one is demonstrating that it is clear to him why he is performing this act. The Gemara (Nedarim 8a) evidences this concept by stating that one who declares that he will learn a chapter of Torah has pronounced a great vow to the G-d of Israel. The commentators explain that this declaration is not necessarily a true vow. Rather, one who declares that he will study a certain section of Torah is akin to one who vows to donate to charity. Nonetheless, one who articulates his intention to study or to donate to charity is surely demonstrating his inner conviction of performing the will of HaShem. While people, may be cognizant of the requirement to study Torah and donate to charity, it is much more valuable when one declares his intentions to study and to donate.
Moshe’s prophecy was akin to the clarity of a vow
Given the fact that a vow reflects the idea of clarity, we can better understand why the Medrash chose to highlight the distinction between Moshe’s prophecy and all the other prophets’ prophecy specifically regarding the laws of vows. Other prophets are akin to one who has good intentions but does not necessarily articulate his true wishes. Moshe’s prophecy, however, reflects the determination of one who is willing to act on his convictions. Thinking good thoughts are noble, but acting on them is clearly a higher level of dedication to HaShem and His Torah.
The Shabbos connection
Throughout the entire week we are faced with trials and tribulations that may at times impede on our efforts to perform good deeds and study Torah. With the arrival of Shabbos, however, a great light descends upon the world. Through the prism of this light HaShem allows us to clearly see our mission in this world, which is to study Torah and perform good deeds. HaShem should shine upon us the light of Tziyon, with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
Accepting rebuke with love
The Sfas Emes' father died when the Sfas Emes was young. The Chidushei HaRim, who was the Sfas Emes’ grandfather, raised the young orphan, who was a child prodigy. At a very young age, the Sfas Emes once stayed up almost the whole night learning Torah with a study partner.
The Sfas Emes fell asleep right before morning prayers and came into Shacharis late. The Chidushei HaRim approached his grandson after davening and laced into him. He told him, "If the Rebbe's grandson comes late to davening, what type of impression does that make on the people?" He told him his actions were a Desecration of G-d's Name. He went on and on, cutting the young boy to pieces.
The Sfas Emes kept totally quiet. He did not offer the obvious excuse that he was up all night learning. His chavrusa, who was up with him and knew what had happened, approached his young study partner and asked, "Why didn't you just tell your grandfather you were up all night studying?"
The Sfas Emes answered, "To hear mussar from a great person is a wonderful experience. It was worth it to hear the admonitions and chastisement of the 'Zeida' even though I am 100 percent innocent."
We can't relate to this idea. When we are right and someone accuses us falsely, we are the first to jump and correct the misimpression. The Sfas Emes wanted to hear the chastisement.
The Sfas Emes brought a proof to the correctness of his position (of listening silently to the unjustified rebuke of a great person) from the Tribes of Gad and Reuven.
When they came to Moshe Rabbeinu and asked to live in Trans-Jordan, Moshe Rabbeinu jumped at them. He accuses them of being cowards, of refusing to fight, of repeating the sin of the Meraglim, and on and on. Then they clarified their original position. However, in the meantime, they sat there and listened to Moshe Rabbeinu's whole tirade. They patiently took in all the mussar that he was giving them, before they corrected his misimpression of their proposal.
It is worthwhile to hear mussar from a great teacher. It is worthwhile to hear oneself being cut up and put in one's place by a great individual... even if the criticism is not correct. The Sfas Emes explained that it was worth hearing his grandfather's mussar, whether or not he was at fault. (www.Torah.org )
Chazon Ish - Whose Guest Is He?
The Chazon Ish in his Sefer Emunah U'Bitachon tells a story of a Chosid who invited a guest to his home for Seudas Shabbos. His whole family joyously prepared for the meal because they loved hosting guests.
However the person making arrangements for the guest didn't realize that the Chosid had invited him, so he sent him to a different family for the Seudah.
When the Chosid finished Davening on Friday night the guest was nowhere to be found. The Chosid finally got to the bottom of the story and when he returned home without the guest the family was greatly disappointed. The Chosid said to them, "Is our guest your personal property to do business with? I only worried that he should have a place to eat and enjoy Seudas Shabbos. What is the difference if this is done in our house by someone else?"
Selflessness is considering another person's needs. Selfishness is using other peoples' needs as a way to satisfy your personal desires, whatever they may be.
The Brisker Rav & Rav Dessler - Waiting For Moshiach At The Door
The Rambam (Melachim 11:1) writes that anyone who does not believe in the coming of Moshiach or does not wait for him... is Kofer in Toras Moshe. The Brisker Rav points out that even if you believe in Moshiach but are not awaiting his imminent arrival, you are a Kofer. This is further emphasized by the Rambam by writing in the 13 Ikarim, "Achakeh Lo BiChol Yom SheYavo". The waiting is not simply a word about our yearning for Moshiach. It is part and parcel of believing in him. If you are not waiting, you do not believe.
So how does one wait? Rav Eliyahu Dessler in Michtav MeiEliyahu writes that when a person is deathly ill and waiting for a special expert Doctor who promised to come from far, when the patient hears every knock on the door he jumps expecting it to be the Doctor. Even if the Doctor hasn't shown up for days, the patient never gives up hope and is convinced that each knock is finally him.
It is said on the Chafetz Chaim that often when he woke up, he would urgently ask, "Did Moshiach arrive, while I was sleeping?"
Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky Dances Right On Time
The following story gives a glimpse of the greatness of Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky and gives new meaning to the obligation to feel for another Jew. One time when Rav Avrohom was in Warsaw he went to visit some relatives. All during the visit he kept asking what the time was. At one point after they told him the time he got up and started dancing. His hosts asked him what he was doing, but he was oblivious to his surroundings as he danced with great fervor. After finishing dancing he sat back down again as if nothing happened.
When his relatives asked him what this odd behavior was all about he explained that one of the talmidim was getting married in Slabodka that night. He really wanted the Mashgiach Rav Avrohom to be there. "While unfortunately I was unable to be there for his simcha", said Rav Avrohom. "There is no reason that I could not share in his simcha." (Gedolei HaDoros)
Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky Hy"d was the Mashgiach of the Slabodka Yeshiva. He was the sole leader of the Yeshiva present at the outbreak of the Holocaust, as the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Isaac Sher was abroad at the time. Years earlier the Yeshiva had split into two with the establishment of Slabodka in Eretz Yisroel and while Rav Avrohom was actually sent with the initial group, he was recalled to Slabodka to hold up the Yeshiva when the Alter himself traveled to Eretz Yisroel.
Rav Avrohom was the spiritual leader in the Kovno Ghetto, which was situated in the suburb of Slabodka. He dispensed chizuk and emuna to the broken hearted remnants of the Yeshiva and the rest of the Kovno/Slabodka community during those bleak days. Rav Shloime Volbe and Rav Chaim Kreiswirth were married to his daughters. Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky was his brother-in-law. (www.Revach.net)
A Soul for a soul
Winter in Israel can be the coldest of times, especially out, unprotected and vulnerable, in the frigid air of the Casbah. As Yoni patrolled the deserted streets and marketplaces, he felt a longing for the simple, uncomplicated existence he had enjoyed before being drafted to the Golani Brigade. He thought back to his high school days, to the summers spent at a little bungalow high in the hills of the Galil. He let his mind take him far away. Anywhere was preferable to where he was right now. "Any shadow could be a terrorist, every rock a mine waiting to be stepped on." Why, oh why, had he wanted to join an elite combat unit?...
Not more than one hundred feet away, perched high in the minaret of the nearby mosque, Jamal steeled himself against the bone-numbing coldness of the damp stone wall. Next to him stood the rifle, snout poking through the small window high in the tower’s side. He peered at his watch, a present from his uncle for his seventeenth birthday, and he knew that it would soon be time...
Wait! There he was, the Israeli soldier, out on the evening’s patrol. Jamal’s finger tensed, teasing the trigger, caressing it gently. As the Israeli soldier moved directly into his line of vision, equipment weighing him down, Jamal al Khadouri pressed down gently on the trigger, sending out a bullet which sped straight at the unsuspecting soldier. The bullet struck its target. The soldier crumpled to the ground, and Jamal knew that he’d been successful...
If there was one thing that Doron Halpern hated about being a soldier, it was the fact that the barracks were so crowded. It was too hard to find a little space for yourself in a room with so many other soldiers. Sometimes the only recourse was to get into his heavy army overcoat and go for a stroll outside. Just for a few minutes and not too far away ― one never knew who was waiting in the dark streets and squalid alleyways.
There had been a special delivery of shwarma that evening, which one of the soldier’s mothers had sent up to them from Tel Aviv, and the excitement was high, the mood festive. Their platoon had almost finished its time here, and the feeling of liberation was palpable. It was party time in the barracks and Doron wanted no part in the festivities.
He shrugged into his coat, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and prepared to brave the inclement weather. He opened the door leading to the street and left the building, strolling past the guardhouse where the soldiers stood alert and ready. He breathed in deeply, tasting the fresh night air and began walking down the quiet street in the direction of the Casbah, the city square. He had been walking for seven minutes when he heard the shot.
It came from somewhere to his left and his training kicked in immediately. Without pausing for a second, his rifle was off his shoulder and his eyes were sweeping from right to left as he ran in the direction of the shot. They timed it well, he thought as he ran. No one was supposed to be out now. On and on he ran, through the darkened streets and empty lots full of vandalized cars. And then he turned a corner and ran through the courtyard of the mosque and out through the parking lot. Doron nearly went flying over the prostrate form of the soldier who’d been shot.
Fresh blood gushed out of his wound, and Doron realized that time was of the essence if he wanted to save the young soldier’s life. He dialed the base’s emergency line, giving the soldier on the other end his location, and he then got down to work. First, he ripped a thick piece of material off his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the area of the wound, stanching the bleeding somewhat.
The soldier’s face was turning paler and paler, and it seemed like forever before Doron heard the welcome relief of the sirens. The medics jumped out of the ambulance, pulled out the stretcher and practically threw the soldier inside. The doors slammed closed and the ambulance sped away to the nearest hospital, leaving Doron with torn clothing and bloody hands. With nothing more to be done, Doron ran back to the base, changed out of his clothes and, without telling anyone what had happened, went to bed and tried to sleep. He had never been one to boast.
And so, when the parents of Yoni Harel came to the hospital to visit their son ― who was recuperating beautifully ― and inquired as to the identity of their son’s savior, nobody had anything to tell them. There were a few platoons stationed in the city, and there was no telling from which patrol Yoni’s anonymous guardian angel had come. When a few more days had gone by and the brave soldier had still not come forward, the army gave up the search for the hero.
Yoni’s parents, however, went home to the grocery store they owned in Kiryat Malachi and posted a sign on the wall with the date and details of the story. Israel is a small country, and they figured that sooner or later somebody was bound to walk in who knew the soldier, or who knew someone who knew someone who knew the soldier. But the sign hung there, month after month, with no one volunteering the information they sought.
It was late December the following year when the woman walked into the store. She glanced around, as if to reacquaint her memory with her present surroundings, and she picked out a bottle of orange soda which she carried to the checkout counter. There were a number of customers in the store, and the woman had the chance to observe the owners in action. Every person was greeted as if he or she was a long lost friend. There were smiles, plenty of them, along with warm wishes and soothing energy. Small or large purchase, it mattered not; what was important was how each person was feeling.
As the woman waited in line to pay, she happened to glance at the old sign on the wall opposite the cash register. She scanned the bold, black print with obvious interest and, with mounting excitement, motioned at the owner’s wife to come over to her. The owner’s wife finished wrapping up a purchase and came over to the excited woman.
"Yes?" she inquired.
"This story," said the strange woman pointing at the sign, "I think it was my son. Yes, I remember, almost exactly a year ago, he arrived home from his army base for the weekend and told us the entire story. Wait," she whipped her phone out of her bag, "I’ll call Doron right now and ask him if this is the story." She dialed the number and the storekeeper’s wife stood nearby, watching intently...
"Listen, Doron," said his mother. "I’m here in this grocery store in Kiryat Malachi and there’s a sign on the wall..." She told him the entire story.
"That sounds like my story," Doron confirmed. "Tell them that I found the soldier lying wounded in the parking lot next to the Salheda ibn Salhera mosque." Yoni’s mother heard every word, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"That was the place," she confirmed through the sudden mist, and the two women suddenly discovered an intense bond between them and their families.
The celebration party was set for the following Saturday evening at the home of the Harel family in Kiryat Malachi. Lights blazed from all the windows, and passersby wondered at the sounds of rejoicing coming from inside. The festivities were just beginning as members of the Harel family streamed to their home from all around the country, to meet the young man who had saved their son/cousin/brother or nephew. Trays and trays of luscious food kept on putting in an appearance, and the music was loud and heartfelt. In the midst of all the goodwill and happiness, Doron’s mother called Yoni’s mother over to the side for a private chat. They strolled together outside behind the house and into the nearby park. After walking around the park for ten minutes, they sat down on one of the benches and Doron’s mother began to speak.
"The truth is," she began, "that I didn’t just happen to walk into your store. It wasn’t just random."
"I know," replied Yoni’s mother. "You live in Kfar Saba, and Kiryat Malachi isn’t much of a tourist attraction."
"The truth is," said Doron’s mother, "that I came especially to Kiryat Malachi to come to your store."
"Why on earth would you do something like that?"
"The reason for my visit to your store goes back many years," Mrs. Halpern said, and her eyes took on a faraway look. "About twenty years ago," she continued, "a young woman walked into your grocery store. She had just happened to pass through the city and just happened to stop in your store for a drink. She was very troubled about something and it showed in her eyes.
"The woman behind the counter was very busy, but she became unbusy when she caught sight of the young woman’s face. In a soft, caring voice, she began questioning the stranger, expertly drawing out her story. She was able to make the stranger feel comfortable enough to confide in someone she had never met before.
"The young woman related how she was expecting a child, but instead of joy, she felt only bitterness and heartbreak. Their desperate financial situation wasn’t sufficient to support a larger family, and she and her husband had begun to argue over the upcoming child’s arrival.
"All the fighting had made her sick, and the more the tension escalated, the more weak and frail she became. The doctors all concurred that the longer the situation stayed the same, the more danger she was in. They painted the blackest of pictures of what would happen to her if she continued with the pregnancy.
"The young woman found herself in the harshest of predicaments. On one hand, she was truly frightened over what would happen to her if she didn’t listen to the doctors’ advice. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine doing what they were advising her to do. And so, she was walking around torn from within, terribly sick from without.
"The store-owner’s wife suddenly, miraculously, found herself without anything to do, and she bundled her young and troubled charge out of the store and into her home where, over hot coffee and fresh cake, they sat and talked, for what felt to the young woman like a few minutes, but what was in reality quite a while. And during the course of that conversation, her confusion lifted. The young woman suddenly knew that she was not going to listen to the doctors and their advice: she would find a new doctor who would support her in doing what felt right to her. The young woman’s fresh resolve and newfound confidence was all because of that store owner’s wife, who saw a troubled soul and reached out to her in her time of need.
"Five months later," continued Doron’s mother, "that young woman had a baby boy. His parents named him Doron." As quoted on Arutz Sheva (www.innernet.org)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Matos-Masei 5770
Is sponsored by Mrs. Sybil Carmen and her children in loving memory of her dear departed husband, Mr. Moshe Carmen, Moshe ben Shlomo zt”l, niftar Rosh Chodesh Av
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
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Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Matos-Masei 5770
Vows and clarity
Introduction
וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר אשר צוה ה', Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying: this is the thing that HaShem has commanded. (Bamidbar 30:2)
In this week’s parasha the Torah discusses the laws of Nedarim, vows. It is said (Bamidbar 30:2) vayidabeir Moshe el roshei hamatos livnei Yisroel leimor zeh hadavar asher tzivah HaShem, Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying: this is the thing that HaShem has commanded. The Sifri notes that whereas all other prophets prophesized with the words koh amar HaShem, thus says HaShem, Moshe was unique in that he prophesized with the words zeh hadavar, this is the thing. There are a number of questions that must be addressed regarding this Medrash. First, what is the fundamental difference between the words koh amar and the words zeh hadavar that reflect a distinction between the two forms of prophecies? Second, why does the Medrash specifically point out this distinction between prophecies regarding the laws of vows? Third, we find that the words zeh hadavar are already mentioned regarding the prohibition of offering sacrifices outside of the Bais HaMikdash. Why did the Medrash not highlight there the distinction of the words koh amar and the words zeh hadavar?
The Netziv’s explanation regarding the difference between Moshe’s prophecy and other prophets
The Netziv, in his commentary to the Sifri, explains that the difference between the prophecies of all other prophets and the prophecy of Moshe is that the other prophets transmitted their prophecy after the Divine Spirit had left them, whereas Moshe uttered his prophecies while HaShem was talking to him. Thus, the words of Moshe were essentially the words of HaShem. The Netziv does not explain, however, the uniqueness of the words zeh hadavar to the laws of Nedarim. Upon examining the rationale of Nedarim we will discover the reason why the Medrash points out the uniqueness of the words zeh hadavar specifically regarding these laws.
The articulation of a vow reflects clarity
When one makes a vow, he is doing something different than telling people of his intentions. A vow reflects a clarity that the person did not have until this moment. Thus, by uttering a vow to perform an action, one is demonstrating that it is clear to him why he is performing this act. The Gemara (Nedarim 8a) evidences this concept by stating that one who declares that he will learn a chapter of Torah has pronounced a great vow to the G-d of Israel. The commentators explain that this declaration is not necessarily a true vow. Rather, one who declares that he will study a certain section of Torah is akin to one who vows to donate to charity. Nonetheless, one who articulates his intention to study or to donate to charity is surely demonstrating his inner conviction of performing the will of HaShem. While people, may be cognizant of the requirement to study Torah and donate to charity, it is much more valuable when one declares his intentions to study and to donate.
Moshe’s prophecy was akin to the clarity of a vow
Given the fact that a vow reflects the idea of clarity, we can better understand why the Medrash chose to highlight the distinction between Moshe’s prophecy and all the other prophets’ prophecy specifically regarding the laws of vows. Other prophets are akin to one who has good intentions but does not necessarily articulate his true wishes. Moshe’s prophecy, however, reflects the determination of one who is willing to act on his convictions. Thinking good thoughts are noble, but acting on them is clearly a higher level of dedication to HaShem and His Torah.
The Shabbos connection
Throughout the entire week we are faced with trials and tribulations that may at times impede on our efforts to perform good deeds and study Torah. With the arrival of Shabbos, however, a great light descends upon the world. Through the prism of this light HaShem allows us to clearly see our mission in this world, which is to study Torah and perform good deeds. HaShem should shine upon us the light of Tziyon, with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
Accepting rebuke with love
The Sfas Emes' father died when the Sfas Emes was young. The Chidushei HaRim, who was the Sfas Emes’ grandfather, raised the young orphan, who was a child prodigy. At a very young age, the Sfas Emes once stayed up almost the whole night learning Torah with a study partner.
The Sfas Emes fell asleep right before morning prayers and came into Shacharis late. The Chidushei HaRim approached his grandson after davening and laced into him. He told him, "If the Rebbe's grandson comes late to davening, what type of impression does that make on the people?" He told him his actions were a Desecration of G-d's Name. He went on and on, cutting the young boy to pieces.
The Sfas Emes kept totally quiet. He did not offer the obvious excuse that he was up all night learning. His chavrusa, who was up with him and knew what had happened, approached his young study partner and asked, "Why didn't you just tell your grandfather you were up all night studying?"
The Sfas Emes answered, "To hear mussar from a great person is a wonderful experience. It was worth it to hear the admonitions and chastisement of the 'Zeida' even though I am 100 percent innocent."
We can't relate to this idea. When we are right and someone accuses us falsely, we are the first to jump and correct the misimpression. The Sfas Emes wanted to hear the chastisement.
The Sfas Emes brought a proof to the correctness of his position (of listening silently to the unjustified rebuke of a great person) from the Tribes of Gad and Reuven.
When they came to Moshe Rabbeinu and asked to live in Trans-Jordan, Moshe Rabbeinu jumped at them. He accuses them of being cowards, of refusing to fight, of repeating the sin of the Meraglim, and on and on. Then they clarified their original position. However, in the meantime, they sat there and listened to Moshe Rabbeinu's whole tirade. They patiently took in all the mussar that he was giving them, before they corrected his misimpression of their proposal.
It is worthwhile to hear mussar from a great teacher. It is worthwhile to hear oneself being cut up and put in one's place by a great individual... even if the criticism is not correct. The Sfas Emes explained that it was worth hearing his grandfather's mussar, whether or not he was at fault. (www.Torah.org )
Chazon Ish - Whose Guest Is He?
The Chazon Ish in his Sefer Emunah U'Bitachon tells a story of a Chosid who invited a guest to his home for Seudas Shabbos. His whole family joyously prepared for the meal because they loved hosting guests.
However the person making arrangements for the guest didn't realize that the Chosid had invited him, so he sent him to a different family for the Seudah.
When the Chosid finished Davening on Friday night the guest was nowhere to be found. The Chosid finally got to the bottom of the story and when he returned home without the guest the family was greatly disappointed. The Chosid said to them, "Is our guest your personal property to do business with? I only worried that he should have a place to eat and enjoy Seudas Shabbos. What is the difference if this is done in our house by someone else?"
Selflessness is considering another person's needs. Selfishness is using other peoples' needs as a way to satisfy your personal desires, whatever they may be.
The Brisker Rav & Rav Dessler - Waiting For Moshiach At The Door
The Rambam (Melachim 11:1) writes that anyone who does not believe in the coming of Moshiach or does not wait for him... is Kofer in Toras Moshe. The Brisker Rav points out that even if you believe in Moshiach but are not awaiting his imminent arrival, you are a Kofer. This is further emphasized by the Rambam by writing in the 13 Ikarim, "Achakeh Lo BiChol Yom SheYavo". The waiting is not simply a word about our yearning for Moshiach. It is part and parcel of believing in him. If you are not waiting, you do not believe.
So how does one wait? Rav Eliyahu Dessler in Michtav MeiEliyahu writes that when a person is deathly ill and waiting for a special expert Doctor who promised to come from far, when the patient hears every knock on the door he jumps expecting it to be the Doctor. Even if the Doctor hasn't shown up for days, the patient never gives up hope and is convinced that each knock is finally him.
It is said on the Chafetz Chaim that often when he woke up, he would urgently ask, "Did Moshiach arrive, while I was sleeping?"
Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky Dances Right On Time
The following story gives a glimpse of the greatness of Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky and gives new meaning to the obligation to feel for another Jew. One time when Rav Avrohom was in Warsaw he went to visit some relatives. All during the visit he kept asking what the time was. At one point after they told him the time he got up and started dancing. His hosts asked him what he was doing, but he was oblivious to his surroundings as he danced with great fervor. After finishing dancing he sat back down again as if nothing happened.
When his relatives asked him what this odd behavior was all about he explained that one of the talmidim was getting married in Slabodka that night. He really wanted the Mashgiach Rav Avrohom to be there. "While unfortunately I was unable to be there for his simcha", said Rav Avrohom. "There is no reason that I could not share in his simcha." (Gedolei HaDoros)
Rav Avrohom Grodzinsky Hy"d was the Mashgiach of the Slabodka Yeshiva. He was the sole leader of the Yeshiva present at the outbreak of the Holocaust, as the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Isaac Sher was abroad at the time. Years earlier the Yeshiva had split into two with the establishment of Slabodka in Eretz Yisroel and while Rav Avrohom was actually sent with the initial group, he was recalled to Slabodka to hold up the Yeshiva when the Alter himself traveled to Eretz Yisroel.
Rav Avrohom was the spiritual leader in the Kovno Ghetto, which was situated in the suburb of Slabodka. He dispensed chizuk and emuna to the broken hearted remnants of the Yeshiva and the rest of the Kovno/Slabodka community during those bleak days. Rav Shloime Volbe and Rav Chaim Kreiswirth were married to his daughters. Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky was his brother-in-law. (www.Revach.net)
A Soul for a soul
Winter in Israel can be the coldest of times, especially out, unprotected and vulnerable, in the frigid air of the Casbah. As Yoni patrolled the deserted streets and marketplaces, he felt a longing for the simple, uncomplicated existence he had enjoyed before being drafted to the Golani Brigade. He thought back to his high school days, to the summers spent at a little bungalow high in the hills of the Galil. He let his mind take him far away. Anywhere was preferable to where he was right now. "Any shadow could be a terrorist, every rock a mine waiting to be stepped on." Why, oh why, had he wanted to join an elite combat unit?...
Not more than one hundred feet away, perched high in the minaret of the nearby mosque, Jamal steeled himself against the bone-numbing coldness of the damp stone wall. Next to him stood the rifle, snout poking through the small window high in the tower’s side. He peered at his watch, a present from his uncle for his seventeenth birthday, and he knew that it would soon be time...
Wait! There he was, the Israeli soldier, out on the evening’s patrol. Jamal’s finger tensed, teasing the trigger, caressing it gently. As the Israeli soldier moved directly into his line of vision, equipment weighing him down, Jamal al Khadouri pressed down gently on the trigger, sending out a bullet which sped straight at the unsuspecting soldier. The bullet struck its target. The soldier crumpled to the ground, and Jamal knew that he’d been successful...
If there was one thing that Doron Halpern hated about being a soldier, it was the fact that the barracks were so crowded. It was too hard to find a little space for yourself in a room with so many other soldiers. Sometimes the only recourse was to get into his heavy army overcoat and go for a stroll outside. Just for a few minutes and not too far away ― one never knew who was waiting in the dark streets and squalid alleyways.
There had been a special delivery of shwarma that evening, which one of the soldier’s mothers had sent up to them from Tel Aviv, and the excitement was high, the mood festive. Their platoon had almost finished its time here, and the feeling of liberation was palpable. It was party time in the barracks and Doron wanted no part in the festivities.
He shrugged into his coat, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and prepared to brave the inclement weather. He opened the door leading to the street and left the building, strolling past the guardhouse where the soldiers stood alert and ready. He breathed in deeply, tasting the fresh night air and began walking down the quiet street in the direction of the Casbah, the city square. He had been walking for seven minutes when he heard the shot.
It came from somewhere to his left and his training kicked in immediately. Without pausing for a second, his rifle was off his shoulder and his eyes were sweeping from right to left as he ran in the direction of the shot. They timed it well, he thought as he ran. No one was supposed to be out now. On and on he ran, through the darkened streets and empty lots full of vandalized cars. And then he turned a corner and ran through the courtyard of the mosque and out through the parking lot. Doron nearly went flying over the prostrate form of the soldier who’d been shot.
Fresh blood gushed out of his wound, and Doron realized that time was of the essence if he wanted to save the young soldier’s life. He dialed the base’s emergency line, giving the soldier on the other end his location, and he then got down to work. First, he ripped a thick piece of material off his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the area of the wound, stanching the bleeding somewhat.
The soldier’s face was turning paler and paler, and it seemed like forever before Doron heard the welcome relief of the sirens. The medics jumped out of the ambulance, pulled out the stretcher and practically threw the soldier inside. The doors slammed closed and the ambulance sped away to the nearest hospital, leaving Doron with torn clothing and bloody hands. With nothing more to be done, Doron ran back to the base, changed out of his clothes and, without telling anyone what had happened, went to bed and tried to sleep. He had never been one to boast.
And so, when the parents of Yoni Harel came to the hospital to visit their son ― who was recuperating beautifully ― and inquired as to the identity of their son’s savior, nobody had anything to tell them. There were a few platoons stationed in the city, and there was no telling from which patrol Yoni’s anonymous guardian angel had come. When a few more days had gone by and the brave soldier had still not come forward, the army gave up the search for the hero.
Yoni’s parents, however, went home to the grocery store they owned in Kiryat Malachi and posted a sign on the wall with the date and details of the story. Israel is a small country, and they figured that sooner or later somebody was bound to walk in who knew the soldier, or who knew someone who knew someone who knew the soldier. But the sign hung there, month after month, with no one volunteering the information they sought.
It was late December the following year when the woman walked into the store. She glanced around, as if to reacquaint her memory with her present surroundings, and she picked out a bottle of orange soda which she carried to the checkout counter. There were a number of customers in the store, and the woman had the chance to observe the owners in action. Every person was greeted as if he or she was a long lost friend. There were smiles, plenty of them, along with warm wishes and soothing energy. Small or large purchase, it mattered not; what was important was how each person was feeling.
As the woman waited in line to pay, she happened to glance at the old sign on the wall opposite the cash register. She scanned the bold, black print with obvious interest and, with mounting excitement, motioned at the owner’s wife to come over to her. The owner’s wife finished wrapping up a purchase and came over to the excited woman.
"Yes?" she inquired.
"This story," said the strange woman pointing at the sign, "I think it was my son. Yes, I remember, almost exactly a year ago, he arrived home from his army base for the weekend and told us the entire story. Wait," she whipped her phone out of her bag, "I’ll call Doron right now and ask him if this is the story." She dialed the number and the storekeeper’s wife stood nearby, watching intently...
"Listen, Doron," said his mother. "I’m here in this grocery store in Kiryat Malachi and there’s a sign on the wall..." She told him the entire story.
"That sounds like my story," Doron confirmed. "Tell them that I found the soldier lying wounded in the parking lot next to the Salheda ibn Salhera mosque." Yoni’s mother heard every word, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"That was the place," she confirmed through the sudden mist, and the two women suddenly discovered an intense bond between them and their families.
The celebration party was set for the following Saturday evening at the home of the Harel family in Kiryat Malachi. Lights blazed from all the windows, and passersby wondered at the sounds of rejoicing coming from inside. The festivities were just beginning as members of the Harel family streamed to their home from all around the country, to meet the young man who had saved their son/cousin/brother or nephew. Trays and trays of luscious food kept on putting in an appearance, and the music was loud and heartfelt. In the midst of all the goodwill and happiness, Doron’s mother called Yoni’s mother over to the side for a private chat. They strolled together outside behind the house and into the nearby park. After walking around the park for ten minutes, they sat down on one of the benches and Doron’s mother began to speak.
"The truth is," she began, "that I didn’t just happen to walk into your store. It wasn’t just random."
"I know," replied Yoni’s mother. "You live in Kfar Saba, and Kiryat Malachi isn’t much of a tourist attraction."
"The truth is," said Doron’s mother, "that I came especially to Kiryat Malachi to come to your store."
"Why on earth would you do something like that?"
"The reason for my visit to your store goes back many years," Mrs. Halpern said, and her eyes took on a faraway look. "About twenty years ago," she continued, "a young woman walked into your grocery store. She had just happened to pass through the city and just happened to stop in your store for a drink. She was very troubled about something and it showed in her eyes.
"The woman behind the counter was very busy, but she became unbusy when she caught sight of the young woman’s face. In a soft, caring voice, she began questioning the stranger, expertly drawing out her story. She was able to make the stranger feel comfortable enough to confide in someone she had never met before.
"The young woman related how she was expecting a child, but instead of joy, she felt only bitterness and heartbreak. Their desperate financial situation wasn’t sufficient to support a larger family, and she and her husband had begun to argue over the upcoming child’s arrival.
"All the fighting had made her sick, and the more the tension escalated, the more weak and frail she became. The doctors all concurred that the longer the situation stayed the same, the more danger she was in. They painted the blackest of pictures of what would happen to her if she continued with the pregnancy.
"The young woman found herself in the harshest of predicaments. On one hand, she was truly frightened over what would happen to her if she didn’t listen to the doctors’ advice. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine doing what they were advising her to do. And so, she was walking around torn from within, terribly sick from without.
"The store-owner’s wife suddenly, miraculously, found herself without anything to do, and she bundled her young and troubled charge out of the store and into her home where, over hot coffee and fresh cake, they sat and talked, for what felt to the young woman like a few minutes, but what was in reality quite a while. And during the course of that conversation, her confusion lifted. The young woman suddenly knew that she was not going to listen to the doctors and their advice: she would find a new doctor who would support her in doing what felt right to her. The young woman’s fresh resolve and newfound confidence was all because of that store owner’s wife, who saw a troubled soul and reached out to her in her time of need.
"Five months later," continued Doron’s mother, "that young woman had a baby boy. His parents named him Doron." As quoted on Arutz Sheva (www.innernet.org)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Matos-Masei 5770
Is sponsored by Mrs. Sybil Carmen and her children in loving memory of her dear departed husband, Mr. Moshe Carmen, Moshe ben Shlomo zt”l, niftar Rosh Chodesh Av
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
For sponsorships or to subscribe weekly by email please send email to ShabbosTaamHachaim@gmail.com
View Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim
and other Divrei Torah on www.doreishtov.blogspot.com
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Pinchas 5770
שבת טעם החיים פינחס תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Pinchas 5770
Hashem loves the Jewish people no matter how much they have sinned
Introduction
פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל בקנאו את קנאתי בתוכם ולא כליתי את בני ישראל בקנאתי, Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon the Kohen, turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel, when he zealously avenged My vengeance among them, so I did not consume the Children of Israel in My vengeance. (Bamidbar 25:11)
At the end of last week’s parasha we learned how Balak had facilitated the Moabite women to seduce the Jewish men. HaShem became angry at the Jewish People and they were threatened with annihilation. Pinchas, the grandson of Aharon HaKohen, saw that there was a need to act and he killed Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Shimon, and Kazbi, the Midianite woman, and through this zealous act he appeased HaShem’s wrath. In the beginning of this week’s parasha HaShem informs Moshe that Pinchas will receive HaShem’s covenant of peace. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 105b; Brachos 7a) presents a perplexing statement regarding this time period in the Wilderness. It is said (Micha 6:5) ami zichar na mah yaatz Balak melech Moav umeh anah oso Balaam ben Beor min hashitim ad haGilgal limaan daas tzidkos HaShem, My people, hear, now, what Balak, king of Moav, schemed, and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, [and all the events] from Shittim to Gilgal - in order to recognize the righteous acts of HaShem. The Gemara explains that this verse teaches us that HaShem was informing the Jewish People that if He had become angry from the time that the Jewish People arrived in Shittim until they reached Gilgal in Eretz Yisroel, the entire Jewish nation would have been destroyed. The Gemara is referring to HaShem’s wrath against the Jewish People for having sinned with the Moabite women. This Gemara, however, is difficult to understand, because the Torah states explicitly that HaShem did become angry and almost annihilated the Jewish People. In fact, if not for Pinchas’ act of heroism, the Jewish People would have been destroyed. How, then, could the Gemara state that HaShem did not become angry at that time? The Netziv in his commentary Heemak Davar at the end of Parashas Balak and in Harchev Davar at the beginning of Parsahas Pinchas offers a solution to this difficulty by stating that there is a distinction between charon af and cheimah, two forms of anger. Thus, although HaShem did not display charon af, He did display cheimah [Both words are translated as wrath in English.] The Netziv’s commentary is difficult to comprehend, as the Torah states clearly that HaShem became angered with the Jewish People. Rashi (Bamidbar 23:8 and Sanhedrin 105b s.v. kol osan hayamim) indicates that the anger the Gemara is referring to is at the time that Balaam attempted to curse the Jewish People, but the verse that states “from Shittim until Gilgal” does not reflect this explanation.
All of Balaam’s attempts to cause HaShem to despise us were in vain
The Gemara is difficult to reconcile with the verses in the Torah and in Micha. Nonetheless, we can glean from the Gemara an important lesson in how HaShem views His relationship with His Chosen Nation. Balaam was attempting to curse the Jewish People, and when Hashem thwarted his efforts, Balaam employed a different tactic. Balaam’s strategy was to cause the Jewish People to sin and thus incur HaShem’s wrath. HaShem did get angry but He would not allow Balaam the satisfaction of seeing his actions bear fruit. Thus, the Gemara states that HaShem did not become angry during the entire time that Balaam sought to destroy the Jewish People.
The Shabbos connection
We may think that Hashem has left us to the elements, and we are under the jurisdiction of the forces of nature. When Shabbos arrives, however, we see clearly that Hashem has bestowed upon us His greatest gift, which is the Holy Shabbos. Even during the period of the Three Weeks, when the Jewish People are in a state of mourning for the loss of the Bais HaMikdash and for the ongoing exile, HaShem has not abandoned us. HaShem loves us more than anything else in the world, and He will demonstrate this love for us when He brings us the redemption with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
All paid up
Rav Shmuel Shtrashan of Vilna (1819-1885) was a wealthy banker as well as a renowned Torah scholar. In addition to his commerce, he maintained a free-loan society to provide interest-free loans to the needy. One time he granted a one-year loan of 300 rubles to Reb Zalman the tailor and carefully recorded it in his ledger. One year later, to the date, with 300 rubles in an envelope, Reb Zalman knocked on the door of Rav Shmuel's study. The Rav was in the midst of a deep Talmudic contemplation and hardly interrupted his studies while tucking the money away in one of the volumes he had been using. A few weeks later, while reviewing his ledgers, Rav Shmuel noticed that Reb Zalman’s loan was overdue. He summoned him to his office to inquire about the payment. Of course, Reb Zalman was astonished. He had paid the loan in full on the day it was due! The Rav could not recall payment and insisted that they go together to Beis Din (Rabbinical Court).
Word in town spread rapidly, and people began to shun Reb Zalman. His business declined, and his children and wife were affronted by their peers. The only recourse the Beis Din had was to have Reb Zalman swear that he had repaid the loan. Rav Shmuel did not want to allow a Jew to swear falsely on his account and decided to forego the procedure by annulling the loan. This latest event brought even more scorn to the tailor, and eventually he felt forced to leave Vilna and establish himself elsewhere.
A year later, Rav Shmuel was analyzing a section of the Talmud and opened a volume he had used sometime in the past. He could not believe his eyes when he saw a thick envelope with Reb Zalman's return address, containing 300
rubles. Quickly, he ran to find the hapless tailor who had been so besmirched. After unsuccessfully searching Vilna, he found that the tailor had moved. Rabbi Shtrashan traveled to Reb Zalman to beg forgiveness. The tailor, a broken man, explained that there was no way that anyone would believe the true story. They would just say that the pious scholar had shown mercy on the unscrupulous tailor. Finally, they decided that the only way to truly atone and give back the tailor his reputation was for the scholar to take Reb Zalman's son as his son-in-law. The shocked town of Vilna rejoiced at the divine union that helped re-establish a reputation. (www.parsha.net)
Pinchas and Pinchas
R' Pinchas Shapiro of Koretz zt"l (1726-1791; student of the Baal Shem Tov and early chassidic rebbe) lived in terrible poverty. His house was shabby and it looked ready to fall at any moment.
Once, R' Pinchas' chassidim in another town invited him to spend Shabbat with them. In honor of the occasion, they bought him a new suit and prepared a beautiful apartment in which he would stay.
On Friday night, R' Pinchas was in high spirits. He said: "Here, where I am a guest, they feed me on silver platters like a wealthy man, whereas at home, the poverty reaches every corner of my house. I assume that my chassidim learned to treat me this way from the Torah itself."
He explained: "Parashas Pinchas contains a description of the sacrifices for all of the holidays, yet this parashah's regular place (its 'home') is during the depressing Three Weeks. On the other hand, when this parasha comes as a guest, it is Yom Tov (i.e., on each of the holidays, we read the day's sacrifices from Parashas Pinchas as a maftir).
"Similarly, I, Pinchas, make my home in depressing surroundings, but when I come as a guest, it becomes a Yom Tov." (Quoted in Otzros Tzaddikei Ugeonei HaDoros p. 489)
R' Yeshaya Bardaky zt”l
Died 18 Cheshvan 5623 / 1862
R' Bardaky was a son-in-law (in his second marriage) of R' Yisrael of Shklov, who refers to his son-in-law as, "an important man and a talmid chacham, the sharp and erudite rabbi who is more G-d-fearing than most . . ." R' Bardaky was born in Pinsk and taught Torah there, but he decided to settle in Eretz Yisrael after his first wife died. When the ship carrying R' Bardaky, his son, Shmuel Akiva, and his daughter, neared the port of Akko, it was wrecked, and all the passengers were thrown into the sea. R' Bardaky, however, was a powerful swimmer, and, with his two children on his back, he swam ashore.
Upon reaching Yerushalayim, R' Bardaky was appointed head of the Ashkenazic community. He also was appointed vice-consul of the Austrian Empire as a result of the following incident: The Austrian Emperor took ill and sent a message to Yerushalayim that R' Bardaky, who was known as a holy man, should pray for the Emperor at the Kotel hamaaravi. Until that time, R' Bardaky had never visited the Kotel because he was afraid that when he touched the wall he might inadvertently put his finger into a deep crevice in the wall, thus inadvertently trespassing on the Temple grounds in a state of ritual impurity. However, to fulfill the Emperor's request, R' Bardaky did pray at the Kotel, and the Emperor was cured.
A pauper once visited R' Bardaky, who was in charge of distributing stipends, and asked for an advance on the following month's payment. R' Bardaky responded that regrettably he had no money to distribute at that moment. The pauper became agitated, and when R' Bardaky continued to demur, the pauper slapped him. "Wait here," R' Bardaky said in response, and he ran out of his house. Returning a while later with money that he had just collected, R' Bardaky apologized to the pauper: "I'm sorry, I did not realize how great your need was."
The entry in Yerushalayim's Chevrah Kadisha journal recording R' Bardaky's death states: "Zion will cry bitterly over the destruction which G-d has wrought in Zion, how the ark of G-d was taken . . . the famous rabbi and gaon whose name went from one end of the world to the other." (Source: Gedolei HaDoros p. 638 (www.Torah.org)
What Not To Do At The Shabbat Table
The Broodo family of Dallas, Texas is now a well-established Orthodox family. They’re leaders and role models in their community. However one event during their first Shabbat experience almost derailed their teshuva journey. If it was not for the quick thinking of their hosts, their lives might have been very different today.
Ken and Beth Broodo were both raised in non-Orthodox Jewish homes. Ken is a lawyer, and several years ago a local Jewish organization, the Dallas Area Torah Association (DATA), the “community kollel,” sponsored a onetime lunch-n-learn at his law firm. It was delivered by a big-name visiting rabbi. Ken attended the event and enjoyed it, but didn’t feel particularly changed by it.
The event put the Broodos on DATA’s mailing list, and six months later they received an invitation to a DATA seminar on the upcoming holiday of Purim. The Broodos acknowledged that they knew very little about their Judaism and were very curious to learn more, so they decided to attend the event.
At the event, DATA rabbis spoke about various topics of Purim. One topic, the Hidden Mask of Nature, peaked their curiosity. The speaker, Rabbi Aryeh Feigenbaum, surprised them by pointing out that HaShem’s name is never mentioned in the Megillah but His hand is apparent throughout the whole story.
“Only when you look back do you see HaShem’s hand in it. Even when I say it now I get chills. I had never heard something of that depth about the Torah. It was an interesting phenomenon to me,” Ken said.
Ken was fascinated by the presentation and impressed by Rabbi Feigenbaum. Ken stayed afterwards to drill him with a slew of other questions.
Following the seminar, the Broodos began attending other classes sponsored by DATA. Ken began studying one-on-one with Rabbi Feigenbaum each week. He and his wife began seeing the truth and beauty of Judaism and began to realize that this was the spirituality they were craving in their lives. However they were somewhat intimidated by the observances and cautious about jumping into anything too religious.
Rabbi Feigenbaum had given them an open invitation to come to synagogue on a Friday night and to his home for Shabbat dinner. The Broodos were intrigued by the opportunity to learn more and to get closer to the Feigenbaums. They were uncertain about what the experience would be like, but were excited about the opportunity. One Friday night they decided to take him up on it.
As soon as they entered the Feigenbaum’s house, the Broodos were made comfortable by their hosts’ warm welcome, the beauty of their Shabbat table and the obvious love and holiness that filled the home.
“It was my first Shabbat dinner. I was very taken by the whole scene – the white tablecloth, the silver Kiddush cup, the candles, the singing and the Divrei Torah,” Ken said.
Ken especially loved Mrs. Feigenbaum’s homemade Challah. He had never eaten homemade challah before, and he found it to be absolutely delicious.
After finishing his first piece, Ken craved a second slice. The challah was sitting in a metal wire basket in the middle of the table, amidst all sorts of dishes and just on the other side of Mrs. Feigenbaum’s beautiful silver Shabbat candlesticks. Ken tried asking other people to pass him the bowl, but he couldn’t get anyone’s attention. So he decided to lean across the table and pick up the challah bowl himself.
The challah basket was lined with a napkin. As he carried the basket over the items on the table, Ken lifted it over the Shabbat candles, and within a second, it caught fire and turned into a giant bowl of flaming challah!
Ken dropped the burning basket onto the table and was about the douse it with his glass of water, when the rabbi leaned over the table and said ‘Stop!’ Rabbi Feigenbaum picked up the basket, carried to the front porch and let it burn out.
Ken felt extremely embarrassed that he had set the Feigenbaum’s challah on fire. He was ready to leave the meal at the first opportunity and never come back again. But when Ken and wife finally did put on their coats to leave, without missing a beat, Mrs. Feigenbaum responded in a way that immediately turned around his negative feelings.
“Stop worrying about it,” she said to Ken. “The next time you want toast for Shabbat, just let me know in advance!”
Mrs. Feigenbaum’s quip put a smile back on Ken’s face and helped the Broodos stay on their path of growth towards Jewish observance.
“When Mrs. Feigenbaum said that, we all laughed. I realized that no one judged me for making such a ridiculous mistake. Then I felt accepted” Ken explained. “When you’re not frum and you’re around people that are, the one thing you feel sure of is that you are being judged and not accepted.”
The burning challah episode was a critical point in the Broodos’ life. If their hosts had handled it in any other way, they might have never come back. Instead they returned for many more meals in the Feigenbaum home and grew extremely close to the family. They began attending additional classes and started coming to the community frequently for Shabbat.
The Broodos eventually moved into the neighborhood. Several years later, the new local Orthodox synagogue was founded in their living room, and they remain extremely involved to this day. They also now frequently host newcomers to the community. And for anyone who seems uncomfortable by being in an Orthodox home for Shabbat, Ken eases their worries by telling them the story about the Shabbat night that he set the rabbi’s challah on fire. (http://michaelgros.com/category/stories-of-kiruv/)
Where are you from?
I once knew a baal teshuva whose name was Shlomo Zalman Satanofsky zt"l and he told me the following story. When he was becoming frum, still rather early on, he was traveling one Erev Shabbos and got stuck in Williamsburg. He knew at that point in his life that he could not drive on Shabbos so he quickly parked the car and found a place to stay. The next day, he came to one of the Satmar shuls (in a green suit and purple tie) and began to daven. He happened to look up and saw three little chassidishe kids, with curly payos, looking at him very intently.
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from a place called Los Angeles. Have you ever heard of Los Angeles?"
One of the kids looks up at him and says "We only know three places: Williamsburg, Monroe, and Mitzrayim." (www.kiruv.com)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Pinchas 5770
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
For sponsorships or to subscribe weekly by email please send email to ShabbosTaamHachaim@gmail.com
View Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim
and other Divrei Torah on www.doreishtov.blogspot.com
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Pinchas 5770
Hashem loves the Jewish people no matter how much they have sinned
Introduction
פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל בקנאו את קנאתי בתוכם ולא כליתי את בני ישראל בקנאתי, Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon the Kohen, turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel, when he zealously avenged My vengeance among them, so I did not consume the Children of Israel in My vengeance. (Bamidbar 25:11)
At the end of last week’s parasha we learned how Balak had facilitated the Moabite women to seduce the Jewish men. HaShem became angry at the Jewish People and they were threatened with annihilation. Pinchas, the grandson of Aharon HaKohen, saw that there was a need to act and he killed Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Shimon, and Kazbi, the Midianite woman, and through this zealous act he appeased HaShem’s wrath. In the beginning of this week’s parasha HaShem informs Moshe that Pinchas will receive HaShem’s covenant of peace. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 105b; Brachos 7a) presents a perplexing statement regarding this time period in the Wilderness. It is said (Micha 6:5) ami zichar na mah yaatz Balak melech Moav umeh anah oso Balaam ben Beor min hashitim ad haGilgal limaan daas tzidkos HaShem, My people, hear, now, what Balak, king of Moav, schemed, and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, [and all the events] from Shittim to Gilgal - in order to recognize the righteous acts of HaShem. The Gemara explains that this verse teaches us that HaShem was informing the Jewish People that if He had become angry from the time that the Jewish People arrived in Shittim until they reached Gilgal in Eretz Yisroel, the entire Jewish nation would have been destroyed. The Gemara is referring to HaShem’s wrath against the Jewish People for having sinned with the Moabite women. This Gemara, however, is difficult to understand, because the Torah states explicitly that HaShem did become angry and almost annihilated the Jewish People. In fact, if not for Pinchas’ act of heroism, the Jewish People would have been destroyed. How, then, could the Gemara state that HaShem did not become angry at that time? The Netziv in his commentary Heemak Davar at the end of Parashas Balak and in Harchev Davar at the beginning of Parsahas Pinchas offers a solution to this difficulty by stating that there is a distinction between charon af and cheimah, two forms of anger. Thus, although HaShem did not display charon af, He did display cheimah [Both words are translated as wrath in English.] The Netziv’s commentary is difficult to comprehend, as the Torah states clearly that HaShem became angered with the Jewish People. Rashi (Bamidbar 23:8 and Sanhedrin 105b s.v. kol osan hayamim) indicates that the anger the Gemara is referring to is at the time that Balaam attempted to curse the Jewish People, but the verse that states “from Shittim until Gilgal” does not reflect this explanation.
All of Balaam’s attempts to cause HaShem to despise us were in vain
The Gemara is difficult to reconcile with the verses in the Torah and in Micha. Nonetheless, we can glean from the Gemara an important lesson in how HaShem views His relationship with His Chosen Nation. Balaam was attempting to curse the Jewish People, and when Hashem thwarted his efforts, Balaam employed a different tactic. Balaam’s strategy was to cause the Jewish People to sin and thus incur HaShem’s wrath. HaShem did get angry but He would not allow Balaam the satisfaction of seeing his actions bear fruit. Thus, the Gemara states that HaShem did not become angry during the entire time that Balaam sought to destroy the Jewish People.
The Shabbos connection
We may think that Hashem has left us to the elements, and we are under the jurisdiction of the forces of nature. When Shabbos arrives, however, we see clearly that Hashem has bestowed upon us His greatest gift, which is the Holy Shabbos. Even during the period of the Three Weeks, when the Jewish People are in a state of mourning for the loss of the Bais HaMikdash and for the ongoing exile, HaShem has not abandoned us. HaShem loves us more than anything else in the world, and He will demonstrate this love for us when He brings us the redemption with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos Stories
All paid up
Rav Shmuel Shtrashan of Vilna (1819-1885) was a wealthy banker as well as a renowned Torah scholar. In addition to his commerce, he maintained a free-loan society to provide interest-free loans to the needy. One time he granted a one-year loan of 300 rubles to Reb Zalman the tailor and carefully recorded it in his ledger. One year later, to the date, with 300 rubles in an envelope, Reb Zalman knocked on the door of Rav Shmuel's study. The Rav was in the midst of a deep Talmudic contemplation and hardly interrupted his studies while tucking the money away in one of the volumes he had been using. A few weeks later, while reviewing his ledgers, Rav Shmuel noticed that Reb Zalman’s loan was overdue. He summoned him to his office to inquire about the payment. Of course, Reb Zalman was astonished. He had paid the loan in full on the day it was due! The Rav could not recall payment and insisted that they go together to Beis Din (Rabbinical Court).
Word in town spread rapidly, and people began to shun Reb Zalman. His business declined, and his children and wife were affronted by their peers. The only recourse the Beis Din had was to have Reb Zalman swear that he had repaid the loan. Rav Shmuel did not want to allow a Jew to swear falsely on his account and decided to forego the procedure by annulling the loan. This latest event brought even more scorn to the tailor, and eventually he felt forced to leave Vilna and establish himself elsewhere.
A year later, Rav Shmuel was analyzing a section of the Talmud and opened a volume he had used sometime in the past. He could not believe his eyes when he saw a thick envelope with Reb Zalman's return address, containing 300
rubles. Quickly, he ran to find the hapless tailor who had been so besmirched. After unsuccessfully searching Vilna, he found that the tailor had moved. Rabbi Shtrashan traveled to Reb Zalman to beg forgiveness. The tailor, a broken man, explained that there was no way that anyone would believe the true story. They would just say that the pious scholar had shown mercy on the unscrupulous tailor. Finally, they decided that the only way to truly atone and give back the tailor his reputation was for the scholar to take Reb Zalman's son as his son-in-law. The shocked town of Vilna rejoiced at the divine union that helped re-establish a reputation. (www.parsha.net)
Pinchas and Pinchas
R' Pinchas Shapiro of Koretz zt"l (1726-1791; student of the Baal Shem Tov and early chassidic rebbe) lived in terrible poverty. His house was shabby and it looked ready to fall at any moment.
Once, R' Pinchas' chassidim in another town invited him to spend Shabbat with them. In honor of the occasion, they bought him a new suit and prepared a beautiful apartment in which he would stay.
On Friday night, R' Pinchas was in high spirits. He said: "Here, where I am a guest, they feed me on silver platters like a wealthy man, whereas at home, the poverty reaches every corner of my house. I assume that my chassidim learned to treat me this way from the Torah itself."
He explained: "Parashas Pinchas contains a description of the sacrifices for all of the holidays, yet this parashah's regular place (its 'home') is during the depressing Three Weeks. On the other hand, when this parasha comes as a guest, it is Yom Tov (i.e., on each of the holidays, we read the day's sacrifices from Parashas Pinchas as a maftir).
"Similarly, I, Pinchas, make my home in depressing surroundings, but when I come as a guest, it becomes a Yom Tov." (Quoted in Otzros Tzaddikei Ugeonei HaDoros p. 489)
R' Yeshaya Bardaky zt”l
Died 18 Cheshvan 5623 / 1862
R' Bardaky was a son-in-law (in his second marriage) of R' Yisrael of Shklov, who refers to his son-in-law as, "an important man and a talmid chacham, the sharp and erudite rabbi who is more G-d-fearing than most . . ." R' Bardaky was born in Pinsk and taught Torah there, but he decided to settle in Eretz Yisrael after his first wife died. When the ship carrying R' Bardaky, his son, Shmuel Akiva, and his daughter, neared the port of Akko, it was wrecked, and all the passengers were thrown into the sea. R' Bardaky, however, was a powerful swimmer, and, with his two children on his back, he swam ashore.
Upon reaching Yerushalayim, R' Bardaky was appointed head of the Ashkenazic community. He also was appointed vice-consul of the Austrian Empire as a result of the following incident: The Austrian Emperor took ill and sent a message to Yerushalayim that R' Bardaky, who was known as a holy man, should pray for the Emperor at the Kotel hamaaravi. Until that time, R' Bardaky had never visited the Kotel because he was afraid that when he touched the wall he might inadvertently put his finger into a deep crevice in the wall, thus inadvertently trespassing on the Temple grounds in a state of ritual impurity. However, to fulfill the Emperor's request, R' Bardaky did pray at the Kotel, and the Emperor was cured.
A pauper once visited R' Bardaky, who was in charge of distributing stipends, and asked for an advance on the following month's payment. R' Bardaky responded that regrettably he had no money to distribute at that moment. The pauper became agitated, and when R' Bardaky continued to demur, the pauper slapped him. "Wait here," R' Bardaky said in response, and he ran out of his house. Returning a while later with money that he had just collected, R' Bardaky apologized to the pauper: "I'm sorry, I did not realize how great your need was."
The entry in Yerushalayim's Chevrah Kadisha journal recording R' Bardaky's death states: "Zion will cry bitterly over the destruction which G-d has wrought in Zion, how the ark of G-d was taken . . . the famous rabbi and gaon whose name went from one end of the world to the other." (Source: Gedolei HaDoros p. 638 (www.Torah.org)
What Not To Do At The Shabbat Table
The Broodo family of Dallas, Texas is now a well-established Orthodox family. They’re leaders and role models in their community. However one event during their first Shabbat experience almost derailed their teshuva journey. If it was not for the quick thinking of their hosts, their lives might have been very different today.
Ken and Beth Broodo were both raised in non-Orthodox Jewish homes. Ken is a lawyer, and several years ago a local Jewish organization, the Dallas Area Torah Association (DATA), the “community kollel,” sponsored a onetime lunch-n-learn at his law firm. It was delivered by a big-name visiting rabbi. Ken attended the event and enjoyed it, but didn’t feel particularly changed by it.
The event put the Broodos on DATA’s mailing list, and six months later they received an invitation to a DATA seminar on the upcoming holiday of Purim. The Broodos acknowledged that they knew very little about their Judaism and were very curious to learn more, so they decided to attend the event.
At the event, DATA rabbis spoke about various topics of Purim. One topic, the Hidden Mask of Nature, peaked their curiosity. The speaker, Rabbi Aryeh Feigenbaum, surprised them by pointing out that HaShem’s name is never mentioned in the Megillah but His hand is apparent throughout the whole story.
“Only when you look back do you see HaShem’s hand in it. Even when I say it now I get chills. I had never heard something of that depth about the Torah. It was an interesting phenomenon to me,” Ken said.
Ken was fascinated by the presentation and impressed by Rabbi Feigenbaum. Ken stayed afterwards to drill him with a slew of other questions.
Following the seminar, the Broodos began attending other classes sponsored by DATA. Ken began studying one-on-one with Rabbi Feigenbaum each week. He and his wife began seeing the truth and beauty of Judaism and began to realize that this was the spirituality they were craving in their lives. However they were somewhat intimidated by the observances and cautious about jumping into anything too religious.
Rabbi Feigenbaum had given them an open invitation to come to synagogue on a Friday night and to his home for Shabbat dinner. The Broodos were intrigued by the opportunity to learn more and to get closer to the Feigenbaums. They were uncertain about what the experience would be like, but were excited about the opportunity. One Friday night they decided to take him up on it.
As soon as they entered the Feigenbaum’s house, the Broodos were made comfortable by their hosts’ warm welcome, the beauty of their Shabbat table and the obvious love and holiness that filled the home.
“It was my first Shabbat dinner. I was very taken by the whole scene – the white tablecloth, the silver Kiddush cup, the candles, the singing and the Divrei Torah,” Ken said.
Ken especially loved Mrs. Feigenbaum’s homemade Challah. He had never eaten homemade challah before, and he found it to be absolutely delicious.
After finishing his first piece, Ken craved a second slice. The challah was sitting in a metal wire basket in the middle of the table, amidst all sorts of dishes and just on the other side of Mrs. Feigenbaum’s beautiful silver Shabbat candlesticks. Ken tried asking other people to pass him the bowl, but he couldn’t get anyone’s attention. So he decided to lean across the table and pick up the challah bowl himself.
The challah basket was lined with a napkin. As he carried the basket over the items on the table, Ken lifted it over the Shabbat candles, and within a second, it caught fire and turned into a giant bowl of flaming challah!
Ken dropped the burning basket onto the table and was about the douse it with his glass of water, when the rabbi leaned over the table and said ‘Stop!’ Rabbi Feigenbaum picked up the basket, carried to the front porch and let it burn out.
Ken felt extremely embarrassed that he had set the Feigenbaum’s challah on fire. He was ready to leave the meal at the first opportunity and never come back again. But when Ken and wife finally did put on their coats to leave, without missing a beat, Mrs. Feigenbaum responded in a way that immediately turned around his negative feelings.
“Stop worrying about it,” she said to Ken. “The next time you want toast for Shabbat, just let me know in advance!”
Mrs. Feigenbaum’s quip put a smile back on Ken’s face and helped the Broodos stay on their path of growth towards Jewish observance.
“When Mrs. Feigenbaum said that, we all laughed. I realized that no one judged me for making such a ridiculous mistake. Then I felt accepted” Ken explained. “When you’re not frum and you’re around people that are, the one thing you feel sure of is that you are being judged and not accepted.”
The burning challah episode was a critical point in the Broodos’ life. If their hosts had handled it in any other way, they might have never come back. Instead they returned for many more meals in the Feigenbaum home and grew extremely close to the family. They began attending additional classes and started coming to the community frequently for Shabbat.
The Broodos eventually moved into the neighborhood. Several years later, the new local Orthodox synagogue was founded in their living room, and they remain extremely involved to this day. They also now frequently host newcomers to the community. And for anyone who seems uncomfortable by being in an Orthodox home for Shabbat, Ken eases their worries by telling them the story about the Shabbat night that he set the rabbi’s challah on fire. (http://michaelgros.com/category/stories-of-kiruv/)
Where are you from?
I once knew a baal teshuva whose name was Shlomo Zalman Satanofsky zt"l and he told me the following story. When he was becoming frum, still rather early on, he was traveling one Erev Shabbos and got stuck in Williamsburg. He knew at that point in his life that he could not drive on Shabbos so he quickly parked the car and found a place to stay. The next day, he came to one of the Satmar shuls (in a green suit and purple tie) and began to daven. He happened to look up and saw three little chassidishe kids, with curly payos, looking at him very intently.
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from a place called Los Angeles. Have you ever heard of Los Angeles?"
One of the kids looks up at him and says "We only know three places: Williamsburg, Monroe, and Mitzrayim." (www.kiruv.com)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Pinchas 5770
Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler
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