Today's Learning Gittin 1:3-4 Sponsored by O.C. 255:1-3 Samuel & Marion Markovitz Shevuot 38 on the yahrzeits of their fathers Yerushalmi-- Yisroel Moshe ben Sotah 3 Zvi Dov Markovitz A"H and Rabbi Yitzchok Mordechai ben Avraham Gross A"H Watch for the special Yom Kippur issue Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Vayelech Vol. IX, No. 51 (435), 6 Tishrei 5756, September 30, 1995 From the verse in Yishayah (the first pasuk of the haftarah for Tzom Gedaliah), "Seek Hashem when He can be found, call out to Him when He is close," Chazal learn that teshuvah is more effective during the period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. What in this verse alludes to this time of year? Rav Moshe Tirani ("Mabit") zatz'l asks. Also, if this is the time when G-d judges man, how can it be a time to repent? To the contrary, on the day of judgment, repentance should be less acceptable! Mabit explains: This is the time when Hashem can be found because Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of creation. Before creation, G-d existed, but there were no visible or tangible indications of His existence. Now that the world exists and man has been created (on Rosh Hashanah), we testify that Hashem can be found in the universe. This is the reason why G-d accepts repentance at this time of year. He knows very well that He created man imperfect, and that man must necessarily sin. Why bother creating the world if it will be destroyed for man's sins? Thus G-d has, so-to-speak, forced Himself to accept our teshuvah. Nevertheless, teshuvah is not effective on the Day of Judgment itself, i.e., on Rosh Hashanah. This is why Hashem gave us the extra days of which we are now in the midst, the Days of Repentance, to finish the work of teshuvah. (Bet Elokim II 15) ************************************ "Moshe went. . ." (31:1) The Aramaic translation and commentary, Yonatan ben Uziel, says, "Moshe went to the study hall." What does this mean? Rav Simcha Bunim Alter (the "Gerrer Rebbe") zatz'l explains that the "fountains" of knowledge closed before Moshe on the day of his death (so say Chazal). Moshe therefore went to the study hall in order to continue his life of Torah learning until the moment of his death. Alternatively, we may explain as follows: The gemara records that Rabbi Yochanan expressed surprise when he was told that there are Jews in Bavel (Babylon) who live to an old age. After all, the Torah (Devarim 11:21) says, "In order to prolong your days and the days of your children upon the Land." However, when Rabbi Yochanan was told that these people attended the shul and the bet midrash (study hall) regularly, he believed that they lived to old ages. We see from this gemara, says the Gerrer Rebbe, that the bet midrash in some way has the quality of Eretz Yisrael. Since Moshe could not enter Eretz Yisrael, he at least wanted to spend his last hours in a substitute--the study hall. (Lev Simcha) ************************************ "This song shall speak up before it as a witness. . ." (31:21) "This song" is the song of "Ha'azinu" in the next parashah. To what does it testify? Rav Chaim ben Betzalel (aka "Rav Chaim brother of Maharal") zatz'l explains that there are many prophecies in the Torah and in the books of the other prophets which do not have happy endings. Most notably, the horrible curses which were read two weeks ago in Parashat Ki Tavo end without any mention of a brighter future. Not so the song of "Ha'azinu" which ends with the verse, "He will bring retribution upon His foes, and He will appease His land and His people." This is a promise of the long awaited redemption. Thus, says our verse, write the song of "Ha'azinu" as a testimony and reminder to yourselves that the redemption will come. Why do so many prophecies end without consolation? Why do many chapters of the Prophets leave us with unanswered questions about our faith? Rav Chaim explains that this was done intentionally so that we should not think that the prophets served G-d only because they understood His ways. No, they too had unanswered questions, but this did not diminish their love for Him or their service of Him. (Sefer Geulah Vi'shuah ch.6) ************************************ The midrash Yalkut Shimoni says, "If one has a sin in hand and he is embarrassed to repent, let him exchange it (the sin) for good deeds, and repent, and it will be accepted." To what may this be likened? the midrash continues. "To one who has bad coins and he goes to a money-changer and adds a commission and receives good coins." What is the message of this midrash, asks Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zatz'l, and what does the metaphor of the money-changer add? He explains as follows: The mussar works say that when a person has sinned, even his good deeds are less acceptable to G-d until he repents. Rambam alludes to this when he writes (Hil. Teshuvah 7:7), "How is great is teshuvah--yesterday this person was separated from G-d, he called out but was not answered, he performed mitzvot and they were thrown back in his face . . ., and today he cleaves to G-d, he does mitzvot and they are accepted." One might think then that until a person succeeds in returning to G-d with all his heart it is pointless to do mitzvot. However, the lesson of the midrash is that this is not the case. Although the mitzvot that he does are not accepted, they are, so-to-speak, kept in escrow until he repents, and then they are received by G-d. "If one has a sin in hand," says the midrash, "and he is embarrassed (i.e., unable for whatever reason) to repent, let him exchange the sin for good deeds, and repent, and it (i.e., the escrow account of good deeds) will be accepted." This person's mitzvot are like bad coins which are of little use; however, when one adds a little commission, i.e, teshuvah, the "bad coins" can be exchanged for "good coins." (Bet Halevi: Introduction) ************************************ Some people think, said Rav Simcha Bunim of Przyscha zatz'l, that they need only recite the vidui (confession) and then they can start asking for their needs for the coming year. This is not so. Rather, a person must put all of his energy into the vidui with the knowledge that for daring to sin against his Creator he has made himself worthless. Once man does that, Hashem will "pick up the pieces" of his broken heart and breath new life into him. This is what is meant by Chazal's statement that teshuvah was created before the world. The proper way to repent is to reach a feeling that I, having sinned, might as well not have been created. When one successfully places himself (in his mind) back before creation, then he has reached teshuvah and can be created anew. (Torat Simcha No. 291) ************************************ Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook zatz'l told the following story to illustrate the depth of soul-searching that is expected of one who will lead the congregation in prayer: One year, the congregation begged Rav Levi Yitzchak of Bereditchev to lead the prayers on the High Holidays, and he eventually agreed. However, when the time to daven arrived, he was nowhere to be seen. Finally they found him, and they asked him what had happened. "When I set out for shul," Rav Levi Yitzchak said, "the Satan (prosecuting angel, aka the yetzer hara) came to me and asked, 'Who do you think you are that you should lead the congregation?' "'What do you mean, "Who am I?" I am a Torah scholar!' "'How did you become a Torah scholar?' the Satan asked. "'I studied for many years under Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg,' I responded. "'Well, if you are a Torah scholar, then so am I,' said the Satan. "'You? How did you become a Torah scholar?' I asked him. "'I too studied under Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg,' he responded. "'And when was that?' I challenged. "'Every minute that you were there, I was there with you,' said the Satan. "'Well,' I told him, 'I am not only a Torah scholar, I am a tzaddik.' "'How did you become a tzaddik?' the Satan asked. "'I studied for many years under Rav Elimelech of Lishensk,' I responded. "'Well, if you are a tzaddik, then so am I,' said the Satan. "'You? How did you become a tzaddik?' I asked him. "'Same as you,' he responded, 'I too studied under Rav Elimelech of Lishensk.' "'And when was that?' I challenged again. "'Every minute that you were there, I was there with you,' said the Satan. "'In that case,' I said, 'if you're a tzaddik and a Torah scholar, you lead the congregation in the High Holiday prayers'." ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible.