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Parsha Perspectives

by DOVID BASLAW

‘בנים אתם לה

“You are children of G-d” (Deuteronomy 14:1)

The Talmud describes the teaching practice of a Rabbi Preida, who serves as a model for parents and educators in their awesome task of instructing children. Rabbi Preida had a student who had great difficulty comprehending anything he was taught. Perceiving what was necessary to facilitate this student’s comprehension, Rabbi Preida incredibly reviewed each point of his lesson with this student four hundred times. Many centuries later another great educator, Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel commonly referred to as the Alter (elder) of Slabodka, would fast upon seeing any one of his students failing in his studies, until that individual was well on the road to success.

In his analysis of how such levels of dedication could be attained, Rabbi Yaakov Naiman, in his book entitled Darchei Mussar, recalls being a Shabbat guest in the home of his mentor Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein. At the dining room table, his host was testing a young boy from the local elementary school in his studies. When asked whose son is this boy, Rabbi Rosenstein whispered and said “He is the son of Hashem”. Noting Rabbi Naiman’s look of surprise, he added, “If I told you that he boy is the son of Chaim Cohen or Moshe Levy, would you know any more about who this child really is? When I say that he is the son of Hashem, do you not more fully appreciate who this child really could be?” Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, counselors and anyone else who has a hand in the development of children need only to place the message of Rabbi Rosenstein in the forefront of their minds when exercising their influence on the lives of children.

Most people are enchanted with, and harbor a natural love for children. Rabbi Rosenstein offers an insight as to why this is so. A child’s soul is strongly connected to its source; completely pure and as yet untainted by transgression. Perceiving this purity engenders a profound sense of privilege, reverence and love toward the child. Rabbi Rosenstein maintains that the extent to which the parent and educator cultivates that awareness will be the degree to which the child will want to return that love. With this reciprocal process in place, a child’s potential can be fully realized.

This approach should not be limited to children. The following conversation recorded in the Talmud broadens its application to adults as well. Rabbi Yochanan once told his son to go out and hire workers to complete a certain project. Upon recruiting and bringing them to the work site, Rabbi Yochanan’s son began to prepare some food for all the employees. Rabbi Yochanan later told his son that even if he would have prepared a feast fit for King Solomon, the obligation that he owes these workers would still have not been fulfilled in light of the fact that they are the direct descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The greatness that flows in the blood of every Jew was the awareness that Rabbi Yochanan was hoping to transmit to his son.

Adopting and maintaining such an attitude to child and adult alike will enable us to live the message recorded in this weeks Torah portion: “You all are the children of Hashem.”

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Parsha Talking Points

by RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. SERMON OF THE MOUNT

“When Hashem your G-d, has brought you to the land that you are coming to inherit, you shall place the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Eival.” 11:29

On Mt. Gerizim…Mt. Eival – As soon as they entered the Land, they assembled at these two mountains and twelve commandments were enumerated. The people publicly acknowledged that blessings await those who observe them and curses await those who violate them. Six tribes stood on each mountain, with the Kohanim (Priests), the Ark, and the elders of the Levites in the valley between them. The Levites proclaimed the blessings and curses and the people shouted, “Amen.”

On Mount Gerizim – They turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim, and opened with the blessing, “Blessed is the man who does not form a sculptured or molten, etc.” All the curses in that chapter were first recited with the word “blessed.” They then turned their faces towards Mount Eival, and opened with the curse. – Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, 1040-1105)

Mt. Gerizim…Mt. Eival – The blessings and curses were similar in that just as the blessings were pronounced in a loud voice, so too, the curses were proclaimed out loud. – Sifri (Midrashic commentary)

What lesson can be gleaned from the fact that curses, too, were declared publicly and in a loud voice? Perhaps we can explain that whereas praise is often offered in public, rebuke is shared only in private, so as not to shame the target of our censure. That rule, however, holds true only when reprimanding an individual. When addressing a large multitude, the rebuke must be stated without hesitation, and without worrying about their feelings, or it will fail to leave its intended impact.

2. GOOD MOURNING

“You are children to Hashem, your G-d; do not lacerate yourselves and do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head as a sign of mourning. For you are a sacred people to Hashem, your G-d, and Hashem has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people from all the nations who inhabit the surface of the earth.” 14:1

Do not lacerate yourselves – Do not inflict lacerations and gashes on your flesh over the dead, as is the custom among the Emorites, for you are G-d’s children, and must therefore appear suitably becoming, rather than lacerated and hairless. - Rashi

As a sign of mourning – Do not overly mourn the fate of the deceased, because you are a “sacred people” and a share in the World to Come is surely part of his destiny and far outranks any pleasures life on this earth could offer him. – Sforno (Rabbi Ovadia ben Yaakov Sforno, c. 1470-c.1550)

Do not lacerate yourselves – Although mourning is an acceptable practice in Judaism, one must not take it to extremes because if one truly believes that only the body is laid to rest, whereas the soul continues to its eternal reward, there is no reason to be overwrought at this prospect. – Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, Nachmanides)

Ramban adds that although crying over the departure of a loved one is surely a normal expression of grief, Judaism teaches that it is more an expression of our own pain than that of the deceased. A Jew knows that if we dedicate our earthly existence to serving Hashem, we earn a share of the World to Come, and death is a welcome opportunity to reap the rewards of our lifetime of devotion. Only one who ignored his spiritual needs and dedicated his earthly existence to the pursuit of pleasures need see death as a final stage in his existence.

3. THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

“Give, you shall give him, and let your heart not hurt when you give him; for, as a consequence of this thing, Hashem, your G-d, will bless you in all your work and in all your commerce.” 15:10

Give, you shall give him – Even if you have given [the same person] one hundred times. – Rashi, Rabbeinu Bachya

Give, you shall give him – The reason the word “give,” is repeated twice is to teach us that if one finds it difficult to give charity, he must work on overcoming that feeling and the way to do so is by giving a little and then giving some more. Once he does so enough times, the verse promises, “And let your heart not hurt when you give him,” it will no longer be difficult for you to part with your money. – Kli Chemdah

Give – the Hebrew word for “give” is “natan,” and it can be spelled with a “Vav” and without. In this case, it is spelled with a “Vav” because the numerical equivalent of the letter “Vav” is six, and it teaches us that a person who dispenses charity merits six unique blessings. – Baal HaTurim (Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, 1270-ca 1340)

Ibn Ezra adds another explanation for the repeated word, “give.” If one gives, he need not worry that his resources will be depleted and that he’ll be left without anything more. “Give,” says the Torah, “and you shall give him again.” Giving leads to blessing from Above that ensures that we’ll be capable of giving repeatedly.

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Partner Talk

GOING FOR THE GOLD

by RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

Dear Rabbi,

I’m a youth director at Temple Beth Tikvah, and in response to the growing problem of intermarriage, I joined with a few other directors to form a task force to stem intermarriage. We were at a brainstorming session last night to generate ideas on how to prevent it, and one of the rabbis suggested we contact an Orthodox rabbi to see what tricks you folks employ to deal with the problem. So, I’m writing to see if you’d be willing to share your techniques. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Respectfully,
Daniel R.

Daniel,

Working with Jewish youth and inculcating them with an appreciation for their heritage is one of the highest callings to which a person can aspire, and I applaud your efforts to educate them regarding the dangers of intermarriage. Before I directly respond to your question, I’d like to ask you a hypothetical question related to the current Olympics.

Imagine for a moment that you’re 22 years old, single, and an Olympic caliber swimmer slated to participate in the next Olympic games. Swimming has always been your passion and a good portion of your youth was devoted to pursuing your dreams of winning a gold medal. This entailed long hours of daily practice, maintaining a special diet, missing social events to compete, spending a small fortune travelling to various competitions around the country, and much more. In addition to dreaming about winning a gold medal, you’re also very much looking forward to meeting a nice girl with whom you can build a relationship and family that will be mutually satisfying and supportive.

You let your wishes be known, and shortly, a good friend suggests a possible date for you. The girl is truly lovely, talented, kind, and generous. She too, aspires to build a family, and by all accounts she sounds like a person of quality. When you meet her, you find her to be absolutely charming. The two of you spend a lovely evening chatting, and it’s clear from the conversation that you have much in common. However, in the course of conversation she mentions something that may prove to be a real issue. She claims to have zero interest in athletic pursuits, doesn’t swim, and hates to fly. She abhors competition, and prefers to stay home with her family more than anything else. In a flash you’re struck with the realization that while she may make a great life-partner, any hopes of pursuing your dreams as an Olympic medalist will have to be tucked away forever if you choose to pursue a serious relationship with her.

What should you do? Will you choose to pursue the relationship and forgo your life’s dreams, or will you gently inform her that while she makes for delightful company, your interests in life are not mutually compatible? My guess is that you’ll reason that since swimming in the Olympics is such an integral part of your life, it’s not wise to further this relationship, and you’ll set out to find someone who has all the aforementioned qualities along with a real appreciation and support for your Olympic aspirations. Furthermore, I’m willing to venture that you probably wouldn’t have dated this girl in the first place had you known before that she wouldn’t be a supportive companion to your dreams. Since there are many wonderful young ladies out there who possess many of the same qualities as she, in addition to appreciating your passion for swimming, there’s really no reason to compromise on this point.

Now let’s address your question about how one goes about preventing intermarriage. The key obviously, is to educate the children to be truly passionate about their Judaism; to the extent that marrying someone not of the Jewish faith would be seen as a contradiction to their life’s goals. If all Judaism means to these kids is that they visit and support Israel occasionally, eat falafel, speak some Hebrew, and attend synagogue on the High Holidays, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll view intermarriage as a contradiction to their passion. After all, even non-Jewish spouses can tolerate a falafel or two, a visit to Israel every five years, and attending services once a year. Where they’ll fall far short is in agreeing to make Judaism an integral aspect of daily life.

The trick then is to make your charges as passionate about Judaism as our hypothetical swimmer is about his swimming. It’s got to be something that they live for with all their being. Judaism must rank as high on their list of priorities as all their other passions. When that is the case, the thought of marrying someone unsupportive of, or even ambivalent about Judaism, simply won’t cross their mind. They’ve got too much invested in Judaism to forgo it that easily.

Daniel, I wish you great success in teaching and reaching these precious children and may your efforts bear many fruits!

Regards,
Rabbi Elazar Meisels

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Soul Talk

Rabbi Yishmael explains that the Torah, in saying לא תעשון כן לה’ אלהיכם, You shall not do this to Hashem, your G-d, does not mean to forbid the Jews to destroy the Altar of Hashem (as they had been bidden to do to idolatrous altars). Rather, it means to warn them not to sin, so that Hashem will not be forced to destroy the Altar as punishment for their sins.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein raises a difficulty with this explanation. The reason that the verse is not explained as simply forbidding Jews to destroy places of worship is because it is unnecessary for the Torah to forbid that which no Jew would seemingly think to do. Why, he asks, is this question any less pertinent according to Sifri? The Talmud tells us that the First Temple was destroyed because the Jews committed the grievous sins of idolatry, illicit relations, and murder. If the Torah is telling us here not to commit those sins, is this not seemingly an unnecessary warning? Surely the Jews already knew that they should not commit these grievous sins!

Rabbi Feinstein explains that indeed, the Torah does not mean to warn us against those sins. Rather, it is warning us against the sins that are similar to the destruction of the Altar — sins that prevent other people from doing what is right, and from discerning Hashem’s Presence. One who sins by not serving Hashem properly has affected only himself. But one who does not allow others to serve Hashem, or attempts to conceal Hashem’s role in the world, has committed a very grievous sin — and this can cause Hashem to destroy the Altar as a punishment, measure for measure.

Rabbi Feinstein finds support for this idea in the Talmud (Tractate Succah) that relates the punishment that was meted out to the Kohanic (Priestly) family of Bilgah. The Talmud (56b) relates that the entire watch was penalized because of one of the members of the family, Miriam bas Bilgah, who became an apostate and married a Greek official. When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, Miriam scornfully kicked the Altar and exclaimed, “Wolf! How long will you consume the money (i.e., sacrifices) of Israel, and not help them in their time of need!” Rabbi Feinstein notes that, in truth, the fact that Miriam became an apostate was a bigger sin than the scornful words that she uttered. Nevertheless, it was not for the greater sin that the entire watch was punished, but for the sin of embarrassing the Altar. For she, too, wished to “destroy the Altar” by convincing others not to serve Hashem. This sin showed her total lack of a proper Torah upbringing, and it shed light on the conduct of the entire family. Accordingly, the entire family was punished.

With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose

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Table Talk

FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

א) The Torah promises (11:27) a blessing for a person who listens to the mitzvot and a curse (11:28) to one who doesn’t listen to the commandments and strays from the Torah path. Why does a person receive a blessing merely for listening, while the curse isn’t given to one who chooses not to listen until he actually veers from the Torah path? (Tiferes Yehonason by Rabbi Yonason Eibeshutz)

ב) Why would the Torah require a person to remember the Exodus from Egypt twice daily (16:3), for which it is sufficient to orally recite verses which refer to it, while one is obligated to remember the wicked actions of Amalek (25:17-19) only once annually, yet one must read these verses from a Torah scroll? (Darash Moshe by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein)

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Hey I Never Knew That

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha

by OZER ALPORT

1) Q: The Torah commands a person (14:22) עשר תעשר את כל תבואת זרעך– aser t’aser- (you shall surely tithe) the entire crop of your planting. The Talmud (Taanis 9a) interprets the verse by playing on the similarity between the letters “shin” and “sin,” and renders our verse עשר בשביל שתתעשר –aser (tithe) so that t’aser (you will become rich). What source is there for the Talmud’s teaching that tithing will make a person wealthy?

A: The Vilna Gaon explains that the Talmud (Bava Metzia 31a) frequently interprets a repeated verb as requiring a person to repeatedly do the action referred to, “even 100 times.” (That is, a person is not absolved from the obligation by performing it once; he must repeat it as often as is necessary.) Our verse, then with its doubled command to tithe, should be understood as requiring a person to tithe his money –even 100 times. However, the Talmud (Ketubot 50a) also notes that the Rabbis instituted that a person shouldn’t give more than one-fifth of his money to charity. If so, the Talmud in Taanis questioned how a person could be permitted to tithe by giving one-tenth of his money even three times, as this would require him to give more than one-fifth of his assets to charity. To resolve this concern, the Talmud answered that the Torah guarantees that one who does so will become rich and will therefore have enough money to continue tithing – even 100 times – without ever falling below the threshold of having given one-fifth of his original possessions to charity!

2) Q: The Torah requires (15:7-8) a person to be compassionate toward the poor, commanding a person not to close his hand to the destitute, but rather to open it. If it is forbidden to close one’s hand to the poor, doesn’t it go without saying that one is required to open it? What is the Torah trying to teach us by emphasizing this point?

A: The Vilna Gaon explains that while a person is obligated to give charity, he is not supposed to disperse it equally to each poor person. There are laws governing to whom one must give precedence when distributing charity, such as family members or people in his community, and the needs of each pauper must be assessed when determining how much to give them. Our verses allude to the requirement to take these considerations into account when giving tzedakah. When a person closes his hand and looks at his fingers, they all appear to be equal in length. Opening one’s hand reveals that each finger is a different size. The Torah already commanded a person to be merciful to our needy brethren. It emphasizes that the manner in which we do so should not be one in which we indiscriminately give equal amounts to each poor person, as symbolized by a closed hand, but rather we should open our hands and realize that each person’s needs are different. Our obligation to each pauper therefore varies, and we should disperse our charity accordingly.

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Parsha Summary

Parsha Summaries are coming soon!