Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Ki Tavo Honor Hashem Volume 23, No. 44 16 Elul 5769 September 5, 2009 Today's Learning: Negaim 3:1-2 O.C.330:1-3 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Batra 15 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Makkot 7 King Shlomo write in Mishlei (3:9-10), "Honor Hashem with your wealth and with the first of all your produce, then your storehouses will be filled with plenty and the wine of your vats will burst forth." R' Yaakov Sakly z"l (Spain; 14th century) writes that King Shlomo intended in these verses to teach us that everything was created for the purpose of giving honor to Hashem. Indeed, all that exists, even inanimate things, give honor to Hashem in some fashion. R' Sakly continues: In kedushah, we recite "Kadosh" three times, corresponding to three aspects of existence that honor Hashem--the world of spiritual beings, the world of the heavenly bodies, and the lower world (i.e., the world with which we have direct physical contact). Another threesome consists of the three ways that a person can honor Hashem-with the power of speech, with deeds, and with money (property). One honors Hashem with the power of speech by using his tongue only to speak words of holiness and wisdom. One honors Hashem with his deeds by doing only that which is permitted by halachah. Finally, one honors Hashem with his money by giving charity and by conducting his business honestly. One who does this is guaranteed to reap rewards, for example, a good crop. Therefore, writes R' Sakly, the laws of honest weights and measures (near the end of last week's parashah) are followed by the laws of bikkurim / first fruits at the beginning of this week's parashah. (Torat Ha'minchah) ******** "When you have finished tithing every tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give to the Levi, to the convert, to the orphan, and to the widow, and they shall eat in your cities and be satisfied. Then you shall say before Hashem, your G-d, `I have removed [literally `set fire to'] the holy things from the house . . .'" (26:12-13) R' Raphael Moshe Luria shlita (Yerushalayim) writes: The sin of Adam consisted of two parts, and the repentance for each is different. First, because he disobeyed G-d's command, there was an element of blasphemy in his sin; second, because his sin involved an element of deriving improper pleasure from G-d's creation. When one repents from a sin that involves blasphemy, one must distance himself entirely from his past. On the other hand, to repent from a sin that involved improper pleasure, one must elevate his enjoyment of creation to a level where it can be considered a Divine service. Paralleling these two forms of repentance, there are different laws relating to produce. Sometimes--for example, in the case of orlah / fruit of a new tree--the prohibited food must simply be thrown away. In contrast, some mitzvot involve elevating the food--for example, by giving it to a levi as ma'aser or to a convert, orphan, or widow as ma'aser ani. One who has thus elevated the pleasures of this world can truly say, "I have set fire to the holy things," i.e., I have ignited a holy fire, using ordinary items "from the house." (Ori Ve'yishi II, Introduction p.2) ******** "I did not eat of it in my intense mourning, I did not consume it in a state of impurity, I did not give of it for the needs of the dead ..." (26:14) Literally, this verse is a statement that a Jew is required to make upon completing the three year tithing cycle, attesting that he has complied with all the laws of ma'aser. However, in the spirit of the High Holidays, R' Moshe Avigdor Amiel z"l (1883-1945; Chief Rabbi of Antwerp and Tel Aviv) interpreted the verse as decrying the loss of proper focus in many people's service of Hashem. He writes in part: In past generations, Yizkor was never a big deal. It has no source in the Torah or the books of the Prophets. Yet, it has become a major event, and people are very meticulous to observe it. In contrast, many people forget to remember their own souls. We are supposed to recite every day (at the very beginning of the morning prayers), "Elokai / My G-d, the soul which You have placed in me is pure. You created it, You `blew' it into me, You guard it within me, and You are destined to take it from me and return it to me in the World-to-Come." This "Yizkor" has the potential to save man from sin, but it has taken a back seat to a much less important Yizkor. Likewise, Jews in our time take particular care to observe yahrzeits as if that is one of the Thirteen Foundations of our faith. This is another practice that seems to have received very little attention in earlier generations. In contrast, man forgets to observe his own yahrzeit. What does it mean to observe ones own yahrzeit? Our Sages teach: "Repent one day before you die." But, does a person know when he will die? they ask. Indeed not! Therefore, one should repent every day. (Derashot El Ami) ******** Elul What exactly is a Jew's duty during the month of Elul? R' Itamar Schwartz shlita (author of the multi-volume B'lvavi Mishkan Evneh on topics of mussar / character development and kabbalah) explained as follows: There is a well-known saying that the name Elul is an acronym for the phrase, "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" / "I belong to my Beloved (literally, "my uncle") and my Beloved belongs to me." On the simplest level, this refers to the closeness to G-d that one can achieve during Elul. However, the text of our prayers seems to indicate that there is an even higher level of closeness to G-d which is achieved during the Ten Days of Repentance, i.e., the level of "Avinu Malkeinu" / "Our Father, Our King." During Elul, G-d relates to us as an uncle to a nephew. An uncle may come for a visit, even a long visit, but he remains a visitor. Not so a father, who is a member of one's immediate household. A king, too, is a member of the same household as his servants. (This explains, incidentally, why the prayers are so much longer on the High Holidays. People who live together happily tend to talk more to each other. In Elul, the prayers are slightly longer than usual, just as a good host spends some of his time entertaining his guests.) From the above we learn that a Jew's task during Elul is to change from having G-d be a guest in his "home" - i.e., his heart - to having G-d be a member of his household. How is this accomplished? We read in Shir Ha'shirim (5:2), "I was asleep . . . A sound! Dodi / My Beloved knocks! He said, `Open your heart to Me . . .'" A constant theme in Shir Ha'shirim is that G-d knocks on the doors of our hearts, but we don't answer. Instead, we say to ourselves (verse 3), "I have already undressed; how can I dress myself?" Rather, I will open the door for G-d tomorrow. Of course, "tomorrow" never comes. Elul is the time when our "Uncle" knocks and we must open the doors to our hearts. How much must one open the door? Our Sages tell us, "Make an opening for Me the width of a needle, and I will make an opening for you the width of the door of the Temple." If we start to let G-d in, He will do the rest. However, the chassidic rebbe, R' Mendel of Kotsk z"l said, the small opening we make must be genuine. When Avraham's servant Eliezer came to choose a wife for Yitzchak, Lavan said to him (Bereishit 24:31), "Come, O blessed of Hashem! Why should you stand outside when I have cleared the house . . ." When a guest comes to our home, we make room for him. And, the longer we want him to stay, the more space we clear out. An uncle who comes to stay for a few nights does not need too much room. However, if one's father is moving in, one sets aside a respectable amount of space for the father. In Elul, we must make room in our hearts so that G-d can move in. Just as when one clears out a room, he must take out things that are occupying valuable space unnecessarily, so a person who is making room for G-d in his heart must honestly examine his own heart and determine whether any space that could be occupied by G-d is cluttered with other "things." (Heard from R' Schwartz, 15 Elul 5767) ******** This Week in History, Halachah, and Minhag 15 Elul: According to halachah, a landlord who wants to evict a tenant must give thirty days notice during the summer. To evict a tenant during the winter, the landlord must have given notice at least 30 days before Sukkot, i.e., today. The purpose of this halachah is to prevent a person from being homeless during the rainy season. (Bava Metzia 101b; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 312:5) 17 Elul: This day is listed in Megillat Ta'anit as a day when fasting is forbidden in commemoration of the departure of Roman soldiers from Yerushalayim. While the soldiers were in the city, brit milah was prohibited and brides were violated before their weddings. Circumcisions and weddings were held in secret and were announced by the sounds of a millstone and the light of a candle, respectively, at a location in Yerushalayim called "Burny." (Megillat Ta'anit with commentaries) On this date in 5699 (1939), World War II began. 18 Elul: On this date, on his 36th birthday (in approximately 1736), R' Yisrael ben Eliezer z"l (the Ba'al Shem Tov) first began to publicly disseminate the teachings of the chassidic movement. Today is the 400th yahrzeit of R' Yehuda Loewe ben Betzalel z"l (the Maharal of Prague). Best known in popular culture for the "golem," the Maharal was a prolific author of extremely influential works of machshavah / Jewish beliefs and commentaries on the aggadeta sections of the Talmud. He also wrote commentaries on the halachic sections of the Talmud and served as rabbi of Prague and Nikolsburg, Moravia. 19 Elul: On this date in 4949 (1189), R' Yaakov of Orleans was martyred in London during the coronation of King Richard the Lion-Hearted. (Luach Davar B'ito p.1329) 22 Elul: Yahrzeit of R' Yaakov Segal (the Maharil), whose writings form the basis for a significant percentage of Ashkenazic prayer and ritual customs. He died in 5187 (1427).