Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Devarim Volume 24, No. 39 6 Av 5770 July 17, 2010 Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Lewin on the yahrzeit of his mother, Mrs. Peppy Lewin (Pessel bat Naftali, a"h) Today's Learning: Nach: Mishlei 25:26 Pe'ah 5:1-2 O.C. 512:2-513:1 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Shevuot 20 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Shevi'it 3 The Midrash Rabbah notes that three prophets used the word "Eichah." Moshe said (in our parashah-1:12), "Eichah / How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels?" Yeshayah said (in our haftarah-Yeshayah 1:21), "Eichah / How has she become a harlot! -- faithful city that was full of justice, in which righteousness used to lodge, but now murderers?" Finally, Yirmiyah used the word multiple times in the book of Eichah. The midrash comments: This may be compared to a noblewoman who had three different servants. One saw her in her glory, one saw her in her decline, and the third saw her in her disgrace. R' Yitzchak Shmelkes z"l (rabbi of Lvov, Galicia; died 1905) asks: The midrash seems to equating these three servants, but do they really have anything in common? They did not serve their mistress in like circumstances! By analogy, why did Moshe, Yeshayah and Yirmiyah all prophesy in similar language? He explains: There are three levels of qualifications among physicians. The least qualified does not recognize a disease until the symptoms are full-blown. A better doctor recognizes the disease when the symptoms first appear. The best doctor recognizes the disease before the symptoms appear. Moshe, Yeshayah and Yirmiyah all prophesied about the same event, i.e., that the Jewish People were destined to be exiled. Moshe Rabbeinu could see their "disease" long before the first symptoms appeared. That is why he asked that assistants be appointed to help him keep Bnei Yisrael "on track." Yeshayah saw the Jewish People early in their decline, and he cried out: How can we let this continue? Yirmiyah did not see the Jewish People until their decline was complete. (Bet Yitzchak) ******** "Hashem, our G-d, spoke to us in Chorev, saying, `Enough of your dwelling by this mountain'." (1:6) R' Avraham ibn Ezra z"l (1089-1164) writes: "Chorev is Sinai." R' Moshe ben Nachman z"l (Ramban; 1194-1270) disagrees. He writes: In my opinion, Chorev is the name of the place close to Har Sinai where Bnei Yisrael camped for a year. The desert is a large place, and it contains the mountain that Hashem desired - Har Sinai. Therefore, the whole desert is also called Sinai. Perhaps, writes Ramban, they both take their name from the shrub known as "sneh." In any case, the specific location where Bnei Yisrael camped opposite the mountain is a nearby place--maybe even a town--called "Chorev." We read near the beginning of the Book of Shmot (3:1), "[Moshe] guided the sheep far into the wilderness, and he arrived at the Mountain of G-d, toward Chorev." Says Ramban: Moshe was shepherding Yitro's flock at, or in the direction of, Chorev when he saw from a distance the sneh that was burning on the Mountain of G-d, i.e., Har Sinai. That is why Moshe said there (verse 3), "I will turn aside now and look at this great sight -- why will the bush not be burned?" [Moshe had to turn towards Har Sinai to investigate this sight because he was not already on the mountain as people assume.] Ramban concludes: This explanation is proven by the Midrash which comments on the verse (Yishayah 48:8), "You have not heard nor have you known, nor was your ear opened to them from before . . ." The Midrash comments: "You have not heard - at Sinai; nor have you known - at Chorev; nor was your ear opened to them from before - in the Wilderness of Moav." This indicates that Sinai and Chorev are two distinct places. Specifically, Chorev was the encampment near Sinai where the Mishkan stood and where Hashem spoke to Moshe during the year after the Torah was given. This is what is meant by the verse (Malachi 3:23), "Remember the teaching of Moshe, My servant, which I commanded him at Chorev . . ." (Peirush Ha'Ramban Al Ha'Torah) ******** "Enough of your circling this mountain; turn yourselves tzafonah / northward." (2:3) "Tzafon" / "North" also is the root of the verb "to conceal." Thus the Midrash comments, "Conceal yourselves! Where can one conceal himself? If one sees that the enemy is attacking, one should conceal himself in the Torah." R' Yitzchak Eliyahu Landau z"l (Lithuania; 19th century) explains: Our Sages say that as long as the voice of Yaakov may be heard in the bet midrash, the hands of the idol worshippers (represented by Esav) cannot get the upper hand. Chazal have similarly said, "The sword and the book came down from Heaven together." Therefore, when the enemy attacks, run to Torah study. (Kiflaim Le'teshuah) ******** "You slandered in your tents and said, `Because of Hashem's hatred for us He took us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Emorites to destroy us." (1:27) Rashi z"l comments: Really, He loved you, but you hated Him. A common proverb says: What is in your own mind about your friend, you imagine is what is in his mind about you. R' Shlomo Wolbe z"l (1914-2005) elaborates: In the hearts of the Generation of the Desert there was a very subtle hatred of G-d. They would never have admitted it, for the simple reason that they were not aware of it. They truly believed that Hashem hated them, and this pained them a great deal. They believed that they loved Hashem with all their hearts, and they could not understand why He seemed not to return their love. But all of this pain and concern was wasted, for, in reality, Hashem loved them dearly. This illustrates how carefully one must shine a light deep in the recesses of his heart to discover the areas in which he needs to improve. (Alei Shur I p.163) ******** "Only Calev son of Yefuneh--He shall see it, and to him shall I give the Land on which he walked, and to his children, because he followed Hashem wholeheartedly." (1:36) In the part of our parashah to which this verse belongs, Moshe Rabbeinu reviews the incident of the Spies and describes its consequences. But, Calev was not the only one of the Spies who gave a good report and merited to enter Eretz Yisrael? Why is the other "good" spy, Yehoshua, not mentioned here? R' Aharon Lewin z"l Hy"d (the Reisher Rav; killed in the Holocaust) explains: In other verses that recall the incident of the spies (for example, in last week's parashah-Bemidbar 32:12), Yehoshua is mentioned along with Calev. However, our verse contains a detail which precludes mentioning Yehoshua; it says, "and to his children." Calev was promised that his sons would inherit his land after him. Yehoshua, however, had no sons. R' Lewin questions his own answer: Does not the Gemara (Megillah 14b) state that Yehoshua did have daughters? When one has no sons, his daughters inherit their father's land, as we read in last week's parashah! Therefore, Yehoshua also could have been mentioned here. The answer, R' Lewin explains, is that our verse is a flashback to the time of the Spies, before the law that daughters inherit had been taught. Of course, Hashem already knew that law. However, He was not ready to reveal it because it was destined to be publicized through the merit of the daughters of Tzlofchad. (Ha'drash Ve'ha'iyun) ******** Shabbat: Queen or Bride? R' Mattisyahu Solomon shlita (mashgiach ruchani of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J.) writes: We find that our Sages sometimes refer to Shabbat as royalty and sometimes as a bride. These metaphors allude to two different aspects of Shabbat. He explains: The Gemara (Bava Kamma 32b) states that one who causes harm while running on Erev Shabbat is not liable for the damage because one is permitted to run in public on Erev Shabbat, as we find that Rabbi Chanina said, "Let us go out to greet the Shabbat, the royal bride." Rabbi Yannai, on the other hand, would wrap himself in his [Shabbat] cloak and would say, "Come here, bride! Come here, bride!" [Until here from the Gemara Bava Kamma.] According to another Gemara (Shabbat 119a), Rabbi Chanina did not say, "the Shabbat, the royal bride," but only "the Shabbat queen." Rabbi Chanina's way of greeting Shabbat -- going out to meet it as one would go out to greet royalty -- reflects the fact that every Shabbat we renew our acceptance of G-d as our King, R' Solomon explains. On the other hand, Rabbi Yannai's way of greeting Shabbat -- in the privacy of his home or shul -- reflects the neshamah yeteirah (literally, "extra soul") which enters a person on Shabbat. This is a private, inward- looking aspect of Shabbat, analogous to bringing one's bride into the privacy of his home. The difference between a bride and a king is that a bride causes her husband to grow spiritually. Thus, this alludes to the growth that one experiences by observing Shabbat. In contrast, one who goes to meet a king must give honor to the king without receiving anything from the king. This aspect is the primary source for the obligation to repent on Erev Shabbat to prepare to greet our King, Hashem. R' Solomon adds: It is clear from halachic sources that when the Gemara permitted running in a public place on Erev Shabbat, it was not referring to hurrying in order to get one more job done. Rather, the reference is to hurrying in order to be ready to receive Shabbat in an honorable manner. (Matnat Chaim: Shabbat pp.9-10)