Devarim 2013

Rabbi Moshe Alshich, otherwise known as the “Alshich Hakadosh,” a student of Rabbi Yosef Karo and the teacher of Rabbi Yosef Vital, comments on the famous verses from Shema in this week’s Parsha:

וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל לְבָבֶךָ. וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ, וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ, בְקוּמֶךָ.

And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when thou walk on the path, and when you lie down, and when you rises up.

The Alshich explains that the values, lessons, and ideas contained within the Torah may be seen as worthwhile to an individual, but the transmission of those values to one’s children can only be done if the words of the Torah are upon one’s heart. When the words become a part of our very essence and being, the transmission to others can be done effectively.

Upon boarding an airplane, the safety message from the airline always reminds passengers that they should secure their own personal oxygen masks before tending to their children’s masks. Human nature would certainly dictate that the parent would tend to their children first, and this is exactly the concern of the airlines. They realize that if the parent is solely concerned about the child, then there is a very strong possibility that neither the parent nor the child will be safe. When raising our children, we cannot ignore the need to tend to our own spiritual well-being as well as that of our our children. Children who see that learning Torah, Davening, and Chesed are a part of their parent’s lives will welcome the opportunity to learn how to learn, Daven, and do Chesed from their parents. Ultimately, the totality of the home benefits greatly, and our efforts bring forth the fruits that we so anxiously desire.

In the first words of this week’s Parsha, Moshe informs the Jewish people that he is placing before them today a blessing and a curse. The brocha will be granted if the mitzvot are followed, and the curse will come true if the Jewish people stray off the path and serve other gods.

R' Chanoch Henoch of Alexander, a long time disciple of the Kotzker Rebbe and leader of what was once the largest Chassidic group in the world, gleaned from these verses the following lesson. He explains that Moshe stresses that the blessing and curse are being placed before them today. Moshe was trying to impress upon them the importance of approaching each and every day with the proper attitude, and that attitude will thus translate into a blessing or a curse. The tzaddik views the opportunity of today as a chance to fulfill the words of the Mishnah that “im lo achshav, aimasai—if not now, when.” The tzaddik sees opportunities that can be fulfilled today and takes advantage of the situation. Unfortunately, there are those who view the opportunity of a new day to fulfill the words of Yeshayahu, who describes the wicked who say “eat and drink today, for tomorrow I will die.” The blessing and curse are contingent on our attitude towards opportunities that are placed before us and what we do with those opportunities.

There is no doubt that so many people nowadays walk through their daily schedule feeling swamped with responsibilities. To some, Judaism is just more responsibilities to add on to the already expansive demands of our lives. A healthy perspective, however, realizes that the mitzvot are opportunities—not demands or burdens. Starting one’s day with tefillah enhances that day, and learning Torah brings appreciation and deep meaning to our Jewishly infused routine. Tzeddaka may deplete our bank account, but it is nourishment for our soul, while building personal and communal bonds. This week, we will be bentching Rosh Chodesh Elul, a time in which we can focus on personal growth and preparing for the High Holidays. It is also a wonderful time to consider the immense opportunities that are available that can help us all reach the loftiest of our goals.

This week’s Parsha would definitely qualify as a “loaded” Parsha, with twenty-seven positive commandments and forty-seven negative commandments. In fact, this Parsha contains more Mitzvos than any other Parsha in the Torah, The themes of these Mitzvos vary widely, and they touch on so many aspects of Jewish life. The Parsha contains Mitzvot related to how we build our homes and weave our clothing, treatment of family members, protecting the weak, returning lost property, prohibition of excessive punishment, and many others. When perusing through the Parsha, the obvious question is why the Torah chose to place all of these Mitzvos together in this particular order.

The author of the Etz Chaim suggests that in fact there is a common denominator that links these seemingly incongruous and incompatible Mitzvos. The theme that is trying to be portrayed is the importance and dignity of every human being. Even the most marginal members of society, such as the criminal or the captive, are fashioned in the image of Hashem and must be treated accordingly. We are taught the value of a Jewish life and the spirit of the Torah to never neglect one of our own.

As we approach the High Holidays, we hopefully have begun to contemplate how we will work on mending fences between ourselves and Hashem, as well as between ourselves and our fellow man. The process of mending fences forces us to focus on areas where wrongs have been done, a process that can be very painful. It is so critical to consider that the same way that we may feel badly about our actions, and we hope that another party would accept our apologies, we should likewise be open to efforts of others when they reach out to us, and accept their repentance with open arms.

No one is perfect, and the way that we deal with the realization that others have wronged us speaks volumes about ourselves. If the Torah took the time to grant dignity and respect to the criminal or immoral person among us, how much more so should we forgive those who have made hurtful, but still regretful errors.

As Alexander Pope once famously exclaimed, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Now is a great time to show the divinity that exists within us all.

In the first words of this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes how everyone assembled to hear the words that were about to be disseminated by Moshe. The description of the Torah is quite vivid in describing how the heads of the tribes, elders, officers, women, children, even the water carriers and wood choppers were all present. In perhaps his most innocuous comment on the whole Parsha, Rashi points out that the Torah says “Rasheichem Shifteichem” (your heads – your  tribes), and one letter is missing that clarifies the statement significantly—rasheichem l’shifteichem (your heads to your tribes). All Rashi does is add the lamed that clarifies what the Torah is trying to say. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein explains that many people that are very talented, yet they let their humble nature hinder their ability to share their talents. The missing lamed teaches us that being close to leaders in any field is closer than one make think, especially in the realm of Torah study.

I recall with fondness and admiration arriving at a class in Rabbinical school and finding an elderly gentleman sitting in the class. I figured he was there to audit the class and enhance his knowledge. At some point I was informed that in fact he was trying to obtain Semicha—at the ripe young age of 80. He decided that after becoming a ba’al teshuva not too long beforehand, he was ready for this next step in his learning. To this day, he serves as an inspiration to me as well as many others that have crossed his path.

It is of critical importance that we all recognize the teacher within ourselves. Unfortunately, in this day and age, if we have an inkling of knowledge we are already way ahead of most Jews around us. May we merit recognizing our knowledge and taking the initiative to grow in learning, grow in mitzvah observance, and spread our knowledge to others that can gain from our words.

During the afternoon of Yom Kippur, we spend an exceedingly long time reading the section of Mussaf referred to as the “Avodah.” The Avodah recalls the specific worship performed in the Temple on Yom Kippur. One of the stranger and more unique aspects of the Avodah was the episode relating to the two he-goats. One was called the “Seir La’shem,” which was offered as a sacrifice in the Temple, while the other was referred to as the “Seir L’Azazel” and was sent to the wilderness to be pushed off a cliff.

The Talmud in Shevuot 13b relates that the two goats must be nearly identical is appearance, height, and cost. One may find irony that two goats that are so similar and that originate at the beginning of the day in the same place have such differing fates ahead of them. Yet there is a very important lesson within the details of this service. From the point at which the Kohen Gadol picked lots and placed them on these two similar goats, their fates would direct them in totally different directions. So, too, in our own lives, we find ourselves constantly making decisions that can have drastic consequences. These decisions may drive us in directions that we may or may not intend, and those decisions may end up for the ultimate good or for the ultimate bad. One could almost picture two trains sitting side by side at the station, identical in nature, yet when they start moving they are going in opposite directions. The decision at the station of which train to get on obviously played a large role in that person’s day.

On Yom Kippur, as we read about these two goats, we should recognize that we also find ourselves at the beginning of a new chapter, a chapter called 5774. Will this year be the year in which our goals are achieved or a year in which we seem to be endlessly fighting off one challenge after the next? Sometimes, Hashem just wants to see us start down the right path, and then we can enjoy the ride on the train the rest of the way.