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Parsha Perspectives

by RABBI MORDECHAI KAMENETZKY

הרף ממני ואשמידם ואמחה את שמם מתחת השמים

“Release Me, and I shall destroy them and release their name from under the heavens….”(Deuteronomy 9:14)

Not often does G-d Almighty tell anybody to leave him alone. But then again, Moses isn’t everybody.

This week, Moses recounts the sad tale of the Golden Calf when the Jews miscalculated Moses’ expected return date from Mount Sinai. Fearing that Moses would never return from his celestial mission, the Jews made themselves a Golden Calf and worshipped it while proclaiming, “This is our god that took us out of Egypt.”

In the aftermath of this calamity, G-d actually wanted to destroy the Jewish Nation and rebuild a new nation with Moses as its patriarchal leader. “Release me,” said G-d, “and I will destroy them and build a new nation from you” (Deuteronomy 9:14)). Immediately after the words, “release me” Moses sprung into action. In the Book of Exodus, it details how Moses pleaded, cajoled, and reasoned with Hashem with a multitude of persuasive arguments that calmed His wrath. The Jews were spared.

What is troubling is Moses’ chutzpah. Didn’t Hashem specifically tell him, “Leave me alone”? What prompted this audacity to defy a direct command of G-d?

Herbert Tenzer served as a distinguished congressman from New York in the 1960s. He was an observant Jew who was a proud activist and was instrumental in providing relief for many Holocaust survivors. A few months before his passing, some years ago, he related to me the following story:

The energetic and often outspoken Rabbi Eliezer Silver of Cincinnati, Ohio was a prominent force in the Vaad Hatzallah Rescue Committee. He worked tirelessly throughout the terrible war years and their aftermath to save and place the victims of Nazi depravity. In addition to his prominence in the Jewish world, Rabbi Silver enjoyed a personal relationship with the very powerful Senator Robert Taft of Ohio.

Rabbi Silver had a very difficult request that needed much political pressure and persuasion to accomplish. He asked Mr. Tenzer to accompany him to the Senator.

“Shenator Taft!” he exclaimed, mixing his distinct accent in which the s would sound as sh, with a high pitched intoning of emotions. I have a very important and difficult requesht!”

Rabbi Silver went on to plead his case of obtaining a certain number of visas for some refugees who may not have met all the criteria. Senator Taft looked nonchalant and non-committal. The Senator thought for a while then grimaced. He slowly and carefully stretched his response. “It would be arduous and burdensome,” he began. “But technically,” he continued, implying all the while that he was not the least bit anxious to get his hands dirty,” it can be done.”

But Rabbi Silver did not hear anything except the last three words. “IT CAN BE DONE?” He shouted with joy. “SHO DO IT!” Needless to say the stunned Senator got to work immediately and obtained the visas for the beleaguered Jews.

Moses heard one line from G-d, “leave me alone, and I will destroy them.” That was his cue. The Talmud in Berachot explains that hearing those words, Moses knew that now it all depended on him. The only way G-d would destroy His people was if Moses left him alone. And he didn’t. Moses badgered, cajoled, and pleaded with the Almighty and we were spared.

In life there are many cues. This week Moses teaches his nation that when you get your cue, don’t miss it. Even if it takes a little chutzpah.

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Parsha Talking Points

by RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. A WELL-HEELED PEOPLE

“If only [i.e. because] you shall hearken to these laws, safeguarding and keeping them, then Hashem your G-d will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.” 7:12

If only you shall hearken to these laws – The Hebrew word is “Eikev” which can mean “if only” or “because.” Understood thusly, the Torah is saying that because we are careful to obey G-d’s commandments, we will merit that He will carefully safeguard the covenant He forged with our ancestors. However, the word “Eikev” can also be translated as “heel.” Its use in this verse alludes to the idea that G-d desires that we observe not only the “big” mitzvot that are well-known and popular, such as eating only kosher, observing Shabbat, and donning Tefillin. He equally desires that we fastidiously observe every facet of the Law, even those mitzvot that people traditionally trample on with their heel. – Rashi

“Rebbi said…‘be as careful to observe a minor mitzvah as you are to observe a major mitzvah, for you do not know the reward of each mitzvah’” – Mishnah, Avos 2:1

Although some mitzvot get all the attention, don’t take that to mean that they’re necessarily more important than others. In G-d’s eyes, all mitzvot are integral to the development of our relationship with Him, and all deserve our attention and dedication. Of course, when starting out, one cannot possibly observe all of them at once, but our goal must always be to steadily grow and add to the number of mitzvot that we practice.

2. BARE YOUR SOLES

“Your garment[s] did not wear out upon you and your feet did not swell, these forty years.” 8:4

Your garments did not wear out…feet did not swell – The Clouds of Glory would rub against their clothing and iron them out, and their children’s clothing would grow along with them. Your feet did not swell like dough in the manner of those who walk barefoot and suffer from swollen feet. – Rashi

Your garments did not wear out – This was a marvelous deviation from the laws of nature, because the clothing of travelers always wears out. – Rabbeinu Bachya

The reason this miracle occurred was in order to allow the nation to remain focused exclusively on the study of Torah, without having to worry about basic needs such as laundry and discomfort. – Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor

Chizkuni (Rabbi Chizkiya ben Manoach) adds that inherent in this miracle was an important lesson for the people that if G-d could take care of them so completely in the desert, where one’s physical needs are usually impossible to attend to, how much more so could He do so when they would settle in the Land of Israel.

3. TAKE TWO TABLETS…

“At that time, G-d said to me, ‘Carve out two stone tablets like the first ones, and then come up to Me on the mountain, and make for yourself a wooden ark.’”10:1

Make for yourself a wooden ark – This ark would hold the new Tablets, as well as the shards of the broken Tablets. Once the Tabernacle was built and Betzalel fashioned a new ark that was gold plated, the second set of Tablets were placed in that one, and the remains of the first Tablets were stored in this wooden ark. When the Jewish people went out to battle, the wooden ark with the shards of the first Tablets accompanied them except when they went to war against the Philistines during the days of Eli HaKohen, when they took the gold-plated ark which was subsequently captured by the Philistines. – Rashi

Make for yourself a wooden ark – Although Rashi based his opinion on the words of the Talmud Yerushalmi [Shekalim 6:1], he was quoting a minority opinion. The majority of our sages however, agree that this ark was only used temporarily until Betzalel constructed a permanent ark. At that time, the second Tablets were placed in that ark along with the remains of the first Tablets and the wooden ark was buried in the ground. – Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, Nachmanides)

Retaining of the remnants of the first Tablets was not intended for the purpose of nostalgia. Instead, it was a stark reminder of the exalted spiritual level the people had occupied prior to the sin of the Golden Calf, and an implicit message that we could not satisfy ourselves with our new lowered spiritual plane. In order to enjoy the full benefits of our relationship with Hashem, we would have to strive to reconnect with Him on the level that we had known during the short life of the first Tablets.

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Partner Talk

TAKING TISHA B’AV HOME

by RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM

Dear Rabbi,

This year I experienced Tisha B’Av for the first time in my life, and it was a profound and meaningful experience. I went with my partner to her synagogue on Saturday night and sat with everyone on the floor, reading Lamentations, a book I had never even opened before in my life. It introduced me to a side of Judaism, that while difficult, seems so real and powerful. Although I went to Hebrew school until my Bat Mitzvah, I never learned about this important day, because it was not on the school calendar year. Now that Tisha B’Av is over, I feel like I want to do something to take the experience with me. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Alice H.

Alice,

I can certainly relate to the barrage of emotions that you felt while experiencing Tisha B’Av. It is truly a day that brings a complex mix of emotions to the surface, and participating for the first time must have been all that more evocative. The most important thing is that you are looking to bring the experience with you, and not just lose all that emotion to the inevitable dilution of time.

We may first need to look at the source of Tisha B’Av to understand what we can do to hold on to our desire to take it with us. The primary thing we mourned on Tisha B’Av was the loss of the two Holy Temples (the places where G-d rested his Divine Presence on earth) that were destroyed on that day. What was the purpose of the Temple, the place inextricably connected with our glory as a nation, and connected in its absence with our hardships in exile. Why was there a Temple? What were its function, origin and goal?

The first time the Jews were commanded to build a house for G-d was in the desert. After the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d wanted a dwelling place amongst the Jews so that He would be able to inspire them to act properly, and keep them away from the negativity that led to the Golden Calf. However, the actual commandment to build this Tabernacle contains the secret to the concept of a Temple.

“And they shall make for me a Tabernacle, and I will dwell in them.” (Exodus, 25:8) Rashi, the primary commentator on the Torah, points us to the obvious question. It should have said “…make for me a Tabernacle, and I will dwell in it” but instead it says, “and I shall dwell in them.” Rashi explains that what G-d really desires is not a magnificent golden Temple; He doesn’t need beautiful buildings. Rather, what G-d really desires is to dwell inside each and every one of us. He want us to make room for Him in our lives, and make Him part of who we are. The external Temple is only a means to that end, a physical location where we can get in touch with our inner spirituality, and become motivated to bring Him back home with us.

The destruction of the Temples only occurred when they were serving no purpose, when the people had no interest in bringing G-d home with them. Then the physical shell, devoid of purpose, lost its pulse.

After experiencing Tisha B’Av, we should be focused on rebuilding, redemption, and return. There are two ways we can do this – externally and internally. Externally, we can use the remaining representations of that Temple – our synagogues- to begin the rebuilding process. Our Sages tell us that our synagogues are microcosms of the Temple, in that they too are places we are supposed to come to in order to get in touch with our inner spirituality, and then bring the G-dliness back home with us.

We need to maximize the power of the synagogue. For some it might entail not talking to others during services, for others it might mean attending more often, and for others it can mean learning more about the prayers so that we can better connect to them. However we do it, the goal is to build up our local synagogues, in the hope that we will merit to see our Holy Temple once again.

The other way to work on rebuilding the Temple is internal, by focusing on the end goal. The Temples existed so we should all have a dwelling place inside of us for G-d, a place where He feels at home. How can we make ourselves into a place in which G-d resides? We can find positive actions that we can do, or negative actions we can curtail, that will make us a place G-d wants to dwell in. Using these ideas, we can hopefully take Tisha B’Av with us and begin our journey back to both personal and national redemption!

All the Best,
Rabbi Leiby Burnham

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Soul Talk

Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, in his commentary to Ethics of the Fathers, (Ruach Chaim 4:1), discusses the meaning of true ענוה, humility. He says that humility is not only the ability to be patient and tolerate embarrassment, but means also that one should consider himself as nothing even in relation to the most lowly of men. Even if one is wise in Torah and considers himself to possess fear of Heaven, humility would require him to think that perhaps his capabilities are such that he has not reached his potential, while the lowliest of men has come closer to his ultimate abilities. This is the true definition of humility.

However, someone who considers himself great, although he might force himself to perform the external trappings of humility (such as enduring shame and being tolerant), is not truly humble. The verse refers to him when it says: “With their mouths they lie, and their hearts are not upright” (Psalms 78:36-37). A truly humble person does not look upon himself as being humble. If he does consider humility to be a quality that he possesses and has mastered, this itself takes him beyond the pale of true humility.

A truly humble person does not consider himself as being humble — he actually considers himself as still being too haughty.

One also has to be careful not to possess any pride or arrogance in his heart. If he does, it will stop him from being wise — for how can someone be so foolish as to think of himself as wise if he is still arrogant?

A humble person also has to distance himself from having people honor him. Even if someone truly possesses a humble spirit and a broken heart, if people constantly treat him with honor, this is also a great impediment to attaining wisdom and serving Hashem, because one who is honored by people perforce is busy and is burdened with many hindrances and distractions.

Even one who is honored against his will must still resolve in his mind that he is not deserving of such honor, and must strive not to let accolades affect him. He must reason: איזהו חכם? הלומד מכל אדם, “Who is a wise man? He who learns from all people” (Ethics of the Fathers 4:1); thus, every person is deserving of honor, and there is no reason to be arrogant because one receives honor.

With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose

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Table Talk

FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

א) Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, more commonly-known as the Baal HaTurim (1270- 1340), writes (8:8) that the verse extolling the land of Israel for its seven unique species contains 10 words, which correspond to the 10 fingers with which one is to hold bread when reciting the blessing over it and to the 10 mitzvot which were involved in the production of the bread. How many of these mitzvot can you name?

ב) Although the Torah requires a person to say the Grace after Meals after eating (8:10), the obligation to recite a blessing prior to eating is only Rabbinical, and by implication, less significant. Why would the blessings said after eating be more important than those said before?

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Hey I Never Knew That

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha

by OZER ALPORT

1) Q: In discussing the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses tells the people (9:21) that “your sin which you committed, I took and burned it in fire.” While Moses indeed took the physical calf and burned it, what did Moses mean when he said that he burned the actual sin, something which has no physical manifestation?

A: Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz, more commonly referred to as the Shelah HaKadosh, explains that every act which a person performs mystically creates a corresponding angel. Mitzvot create good angels, while sins bring about bad ones. Moses recognized that simply burning the calf itself, while necessary, wouldn’t suffice to erase the spiritual effect of their actions. He therefore additionally took the destructive angel which was created through their sin and burned it as well. Moses related this to the people to teach us that when repenting our misdeeds, we must sincerely regret our actions and accept upon ourselves not to repeat them, in order to uproot not only the physical consequences of the sin but the spiritual ones as well.

2) Q: Moses told the Jewish people (10:12), “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you but to fear Him.” Moses seems to emphasize that fearing Hashem is so critical that this is all that Hashem requests of us. Although it is clearly important, why is this selected as the most essential quality for a person to work on?

A: The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, concluded his words of wisdom (Ecclesiastes 12:13) with the following thought: the sum of the matter when everything has been considered: fear Hashem and observe His commandments, for this is the entire person. Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman explains Solomon’s intent by noting that a person who isn’t wise, kind, strong, wealthy, or attractive may be missing a very important quality, but he is still considered a person. On the other hand, King Solomon teaches us that one’s entire “personhood” is defined by his level of fear of Hashem. A person who is completely lacking in fear of Heaven isn’t considered a deficient person. He isn’t even considered a person!

One may possess all the characteristics which are valued by the society around us. He may be handsome, successful, outgoing, and even kind, but if he is lacking in fear of Heaven, he hasn’t even entered the realm of humanity. In the Torah’s eyes, a simple and unassuming person who lives honestly and fears Hashem is infinitely superior. It is for this reason that Moses emphasized that the most important trait which Hashem asks from a person is his fear of Heaven.

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Parsha Summary

Parsha Summaries are coming soon!