Today's Learning Gittin 3:4-5 Sponsored by O.C. 260:2-261:2 Abe and Helen Spector Shevuot 45 in honor of the first birthday Yerushalmi-- of their grandson Sotah 9 Raphael Yosef Spector AMV"SH Gayle, Tom & Jessica Selman in honor of Elisheva Bresler's bat mitzvah Next Issue: Parashat Bereishit October 21, 1995 Have a Chag Sameach Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Ha'azinu Vol. IX, No. 53 (437), 13 Tishrei 5756, October 7, 1995 Chazal say that this parashah contains allusions to the past, the present, and the future (of this world), and the World-to-Come. Our sages divided it into six parts (plus the concluding verse read by the seventh person), represented by the initials 'HZY"V L"CH.' Rav Yitzchak Karo zatz'l (uncle of Rav Yosef Karo) explains that the reason the midrash divides up the aliyot of this parashah, whereas it does not do so for any other parashah, is that this parashah contains alternating curses and blessings. If the gabbai or reader stopped in a place that the person receiving the aliyah didn't approve of, a fight would ensue. Alternatively, each one of the six sections is an allusion to a different historical period. [Rav Karo's explanation would not fit in this space.] Also, Rav Karo explains, this parashah ordinarily (though not this year) is read during the period of judgment. Thus, the midrash attempts to brighten our week with the allusion, "The light is yours." (Toldot Yitzchak) ************************************ "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth." (32:1) The midrash contrasts the above verse with the prophet Yishayah's statement (Yishayah 1:2): "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. . ." Moshe, who was closer to the heavens, said, "Give ear, O heavens"--i.e., speaking like a friend who whispers in another's ear. Yishayah, who was closer to the earth, said, "Give ear, O earth." What does it mean that Yishayah was closer to earth? Was he not also a prophet of G-d who "visited" the heavenly realms? We offer three answers: Rav Dov Meir Rubman zatz'l explains that the midrash is not contrasting the levels of Moshe and Yishayah, but the levels of their generations. Moshe's generation, the generation which received the Torah, was closer to the heavens. Yishayah's generation, approaching the destruction of the Temple, was closer to the earth. (Zichron Meir) ************************************ Rav Nachum Mordechai Friedman (the "Tchortkover Rebbe") zatz'l explains that Moshe's statement and Yishayah's statement are complementary. In truth the prophets are "closer to the heaven," where they hear the word of G-d. Moshe chose to emphasize this aspect in his prophecy. Yishayah, however, chose to respond to heretics who say that G-d is only in the heavens; therefore, he said that the earth too can "give ear" to the word of G-d. (Doresh Tov) ************************************ Rav Moshe Feinstein zatz'l explains the difference between Moshe's words and Yishayah's as follows: "Heavens" refers to the nation's leaders, while "earth" refers to the common man. In Moshe's time, the leaders were righteous, and Moshe could speak to them and entrust them to carry his message to the people. In this sense, Moshe was close to the "heavens". Yishayah lived in a generation when the leaders were evil. (One example of this is Yishayah's own grandson, King Menashe, who killed his grandfather rather than listen to his rebuke.) Yishayah could not take his message to the leaders; he had to speak directly to the nation. Yishayah was close to the people--the "earth"--and he said to them, "Do not do all that your leaders do, for they do not follow the Torah, and you should not follow their example." (Darash Moshe) ************************************ "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth." (32:1) Rashi explains that with these words, Moshe called upon the heavens and the earth to bear witness to Hashem's covenant with the Jewish people. At first glance, Rav Shmuel of Socatchov zatz'l writes, it is difficult to see how the heavens and earth can be witnesses, when they do not speak. Nevertheless, the heavens and earth can bear witness, as we see in the following midrash: "Rav Meir said, 'In the beginning when the Jewish people were meritorious, they testified for themselves. Later, when Bnei Yisrael degraded themselves, the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin testified for everyone. Even later, the prophets had to testify for everyone. After that, the heavens and earth had to testify.'" The midrash continues in this vein until it reaches the small ant, which now "testifies" for everyone. What does this mean? Kohelet (8:1) states, "A person's wisdom lights up his countenance." When a person purifies himself, a certain radiance appears on his face, not unlike the rays of light which surrounded Moshe when he came down from Har Sinai. This is the "testimony" that Bnei Yisrael provided for themselves. However, when Bnei Yisrael sinned, only the worthier tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin could still "testify" in this way. Later, only the prophets merited this shining countenance. Even later, when prophecy ceased, the heavens and earth took their place, in that the continued existence of the heavens and earth testifies to the fact that the Jews are keeping the Torah. In light of the above idea, we can understand why the source for the Mitzvah of birchot haTorah is found for the first time in this parashah. The Avnei Nezer [a major 19th-century posek and the father of Rav Shmuel of Socatchov] said that the purpose of birchot haTorah is to introduce G-dliness into Torah study by distinguishing that study from the pursuit of ordinary wisdoms. However, Rav Shmuel notes, this only became necessary as Moshe was about to die; as long as he was alive, Hashem's "voice" emanated from Moshe's throat (as Chazal say), and the radiance of Moshe's countenance left no doubt as to the G-dliness of the subject matter. We, however, must recite the berachot in order to raise our Torah study to a truly meaningful level. (Shem Mishmuel, year 5672) ************************************ Rav Moshe ben Nachman ("Ramban") had a disciple named Reb Avner, who left the path of Torah and became a disbeliever. After a period of time, it became his fortune to be appointed to high office, and he became both well-known and feared throughout the land. One Yom Kippur he had Ramban brought before him. With his former teacher standing before him, the renegade student butchered a pig and cooked and ate it. After completing his meal, Avner asked Ramban, "How many times does the Torah hold me liable for karet (spiritual excision) for what I have just done?" "Four," Ramban answered [i.e., lighting a fire, slaughtering an animal on Yom Kippur, cooking on Yom Kippur, and eating on Yom Kippur]. As if his brazenness was as yet insufficient, Avner attempted to refute Ramban's reply, "No, I have committed five sins for which the punishment is karet, not four." At this, Ramban no longer could contain his feelings. He gazed at Avner with such intense anger that the former disciple's reverence for his master returned, and he was speechless. After a while, Ramban asked Avner what had caused him to turn away from his faith. "You once taught us that all of the mitzvot and all of the events of history are alluded to in the Song of Ha'azinu," Avner answered. "Knowing this to be impossible, I dismissed the idea along with everything else you taught me." "I still maintain that this is true," said Ramban. "Test me with anything that you desire to know." Avner stood astonished. "All right. Where is my fate alluded to in the Song of Ha'azinu?" After a brief prayer for Divine guidance, Ramban pointed to the five-word verse (32:36), "I said I would scatter them; I would erase their remembrance from mankind." Combining the third letter of each word, he showed, spells out "Reb Avner." Upon hearing this, Reb Avner paled. "Is there any cure for my condition?" "You understand the meaning of the verse," Ramban said, and he left. Soon after, Avner set out on a sea voyage with neither oarsman nor oar. He was never heard from again. (Seder Hadorot) ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible.