Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Shoftim Prepare! Volume 23, No. 42 2 Elul 5769 August 22, 2009 Today's Learning: Ohalot 16:4-5 O.C. 328:17-19 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Metzia 119 Begin Masechet Bava Batra on Sunday Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Shevuot 37 King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (6:6), "Go to the ant, lazy one; see its ways and become wise. For it has no commander, policeman or ruler, yet it prepares its bread in the summer and stores away its food at the harvest." R' Yehoshua ibn Shuiv z"l (Spain; 14th century) explains that this verse teaches two important lessons, one relating to the body and one to the soul. First, man must make appropriate efforts to provide for his own needs. One should avoid laziness and practice diligence. Our Sages have taught: If you make an effort, you will be blessed; otherwise, you will not. At the same time, one may not take pride in his wealth because even diligence is unavailing without G-d's blessing. Second, this verse teaches that man must prepare provisions in this life for the World-to-Come. One must be diligent about this, for one does not know when he will run out of time. This is why our Sages taught: Repent one day before you die, which means every day, for one never knows when he will die. Moreover, even if one did know how long he has, should he therefore waste his best years? R' ibn Shuiv continues: To accomplish the above goals, Hashem gave us three types of intelligence, referred to in the fourth berachah of Shemoneh Esrei as "De'ah," "Binah" and "Haskel." These refer respectively to the ability to understand nature, the ability to understand the Torah, and the ability to attain prophecy. These are alluded to as well in our parashah by the mitzvah to appoint a king to deal with worldly matters, the mitzvah to appoint a sanhedrin to decide Torah matters, and the mitzvah to obey a prophet. (Derashot R"Y ibn Shuiv) ******** "You shall arise and ascend to the place that Hashem, your G-d, shall choose." (17:8) Rashi quotes a midrash: "This [the word `ascend'] teaches that the Temple was situated higher than all other places." R' Elya Meir Bloch z"l (1894-1955; founder and rosh yeshiva of Telshe in Cleveland) observes: Of course we know that there are taller mountains than Har Ha'moriah, where the Temple stood. What the midrash means is that because the earth is a sphere, any point can be designated as "the highest point." Har Ha'moriah deserves that designation because it is the holiest point in the world, and it is the place to which all people ascend to experience spiritual growth. (Peninei Da'at) ******** "The officers shall continue speaking to the people and say, `Who is the man ha'yarei / who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, and let him not melt the heart of his fellows, like his heart'." (20:8) R' Meir Horowitz z"l (1819-1877; the Dzikover Rebbe) notes that the word "ha'yarei" appears twice in the Torah - here and in Shmot (9:20), regarding the plague of hailstones: "Ha'yarei / Whoever among the servants of Pharaoh feared the word of Hashem chased his servants and his livestock to the houses." What is the significance of this pairing? At first glance, we would assume that a person who is afraid of everything, even his own shadow, so-to-speak, does not fear G-d. A G-d- fearing person knows that we have nothing to fear but G-d Himself. However, our initial presumption might be wrong. A righteous person does fear something else - his own sins and their consequences. Our Sages say that when the officers announced that whoever is fearful and fainthearted is exempt from army service, they referred to those who were fearful of dying in battle because of their sins. [In particular, the Gemara singles out the sin of talking in the middle of davening.] Our Sages' interpretation is alluded to by the two appearances of the word "ha'yarei." Do not think that the fearful person in our verse is one who does not fear G-d. He is fearful because he fears G-d. (Imrei Noam) ******** "They shall speak up and say, `Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see'." (21:7) These words were said by the elders of a city in proximity to which a corpse was found. Our Sages ask: Would we think for a moment that the elders murdered a hapless traveler? Rather, the elders are saying: We did not see this traveler. Had we seen him, we would have given him provisions for the road, which might have saved his life. R' Chaim Yosef David Azulai z"l (Chida; died 1806) quotes a certain R' Ephraim who notes that the Hebrew words "lo shafchu" are an acronym for "Levayah / accompaniment, achilah / food, shetiyah / drink, parnassat kol ha'derech / provisions for the whole way." (Nachal Kedumim) ******** Elul Rambam z"l writes: "If one transgressed any mitzvah in the Torah -- whether an affirmative commandment or a negative commandment, whether intentionally or negligently -- when he repents and returns from his sin, he is obligated to confess before G-d, Blessed is He." (Hilchot Teshuvah 1:1) Many commentaries observe that, according to Rambam, there does not appear to be a mitzvah to repent. Rather, when one is ready to repent, there is a mitzvah to follow a certain procedure, which Rambam outlines. R' Yosef Gruenwald z"l (the Pupa Rav; died 1984) explains, citing the work Yismach Moshe, that one cannot be commanded to repent, because the essence of repentance is regret, which is a feeling. Feelings cannot be commanded; either one has them or he does not. However, R' Gruenwald notes, the Sefer Chareidim does list repentance as a mitzvah. [The Chareidim lists two aspects to this mitzvah -- one part which occurs in the individual's mind, i.e., regret, and a second part which is spoken, i.e., confession.] R' Gruenwald explains that although feelings cannot be commanded, one can be commanded to perform actions that awaken feelings. In this case, the action that awakens the feeling of regret that leads to teshuvah is studying mussar works and the laws of teshuvah. (Quoted in Imrei Vayechi Yosef p.99) R' Menachem Simcha Katz shlita (Brooklyn, N.Y.) notes that many works state that strengthening one's study of Torah is an element of repentance. Why is this so? He explains: We read in Yirmiyah (16:11), "They forsook Me, and My Torah they did not observe." Is it not obvious that if the nation forsook Hashem, that it did not observe the Torah? Therefore the midrash comments: "G-d says, `Would that they had abandoned Me but kept My Torah. [Why?] Because the light of the Torah would have brought them back." Commentaries explain that Torah study enlightens one's eyes to see where he has room for improvement. This is especially true, R' Katz notes, if one follows the advice of Ramban z"l, i.e., that whenever one rises from his Torah studies, he ask himself what he has learned that he can implement in practice. R' Katz adds: Another reason that Torah study aids repentance may be gleaned from the words of the Kotker Rebbe z"l who said: "I want you to not sin, not because sinning is prohibited, but rather because you do not have time to sin [being too busy studying Torah]." (Simcha L'Ish p.78) ******** This Week in History, Halachah, and Minhag 1 Elul: It is customary to blow the shofar beginning today and continuing until the day before Erev Rosh Hashanah. One reason for this custom is to awaken the members of the congregation from their slumber so that they will repent prior to the Day of Judgment. On this date, the prophet Chagai rebuked the nation for its laziness in rebuilding the Bet Hamikdash (Kaf Ha'chaim 581:15) On this date in 4798 (1038), the armies of R' Shmuel Hanaggid, vizier of Granada (Spain), won a major victory, leading R' Shmuel to declare the day as a holiday for his descendants (Luach Davar B'ito p. 1284). In addition to serving as a statesman and general, R' Shmuel wrote Mevo Ha'talmud ("Introduction to the Talmud") which is printed in the back of the standard edition of Masechet Berachot. 5 Elul: On this date, approximately five years before the destruction of the First Temple, Yechezkel prophesied the prophecy recorded in Yechezkel chapters 8-10. One of the lessons of that prophecy is that one who is in a position to rebuke sinners but fails to do so will be punished with them. 6 Elul: Yahrzeit of R' Yom Tov Lipman Heller z"l (1579-1654), author of the mishnah commentary, Tosafot Yom Tov, and other works. Following the Chmielnicki massacres in 1648-49, R' Heller composed a "mi she'berach" blessing those who do not speak in shul, which is still recited in some congregations. On the subject of speaking in shul, R' Elazar Rokeach of Worms (1160- 1238) describes the severity of many common sins and the repentance for each. Regarding one who talks in shul, he states that such a person is a trespasser in G-d's home. The repentance for this sin is to sit humbly in shul, to sing the prayers with great joy, and to enhance one's concentration during prayers. (Rokeach: Hilchot Teshuvah * 26) 7 Elul: On this date, the spies who had spoken ill of Eretz Yisrael died. (Shulchan Aruch, O.C. 580:2) On this date, the Upper City of Yerushalayim fell into the hands of the Romans, one month after the destruction of the Second Temple. (Luach Davar B'ito p. 1300)