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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport
כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקול אביו ובקול אמו ויסרו אתו ולא ישמע אליהם ותפשו בו אביו ואמו והוציאו אתו אל זקני עירו ואל שער מקמו ואמרו אל זקני עירו בננו זה סורר ומרה איננו שמע (בקלנו זולל וסבא (21:18-20
“If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother, and they discipline him, but he does not hearken to them, then his father and mother shall grasp him and take him out to the elders of his city and the gate of his place. They shall say to the elders of the city, ‘This son of ours is wayward and rebellious. He does not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’”
Our parsha discusses the laws governing the wayward and rebellious son, a child who eats and drinks ravenously and refuses to heed his parents, and who is punished harshly. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky notes that in teaching these laws, the Torah repeatedly emphasizes that each action must be done together by the child’s father and mother.
Upon recognizing that he refuses to listen to their instructions, they must rebuke him together. If that fails, they must together take him and bring him to the Jewish court to be judged. There, they must declare that he has been unwilling to listen to their voices. Why does the Torah repeatedly stress this idea?
The key to answering this question can be found in a story told by Rabbi Moshe Aharon Stern. When he was a young child, his teacher announced that the following week the class would be going on a field trip. Each child was to bring a signed permission slip and money to cover the transportation expenses.
The young boy excitedly ran home to ask his father for permission and money for the trip. Sadly, his family lived in dire poverty, struggling to scrape together money for even the barest essentials, and extra funds for a “luxury” such as a class field trip were nowhere to be found. His saddened father had no choice but to turn down his request for money. The young Moshe Aharon was undeterred and hatched a plan.
He waited until the day of the trip and deliberately took his time getting dressed and eating breakfast. After his father had left for work, he suddenly “remembered” the trip and asked his more compassionate mother for permission and bus money. His mother, unaware of his scheme, responded that she would have to call his father at work to discuss it with him. His plot about to be discovered, the boy revealed the truth. Decades later, he commented that while he may have missed out on the fun of the class trip, the lesson his mother taught him about the need for parents to work together and present a united front to their children was far more valuable and remained with him for life.
Similar in a sense to the message of this story, Rabbi Kanievsky provides the following insight. In emphasizing the need for the parents to do each action jointly, the Torah is hinting to us that in order for the blame to be placed on the child for failing to hearken to his parents’ words, he must be receiving consistent messages from both of his parents.
If he receives conflicting messages from his father and his mother, he can’t help but be bewildered, and the responsibility for his actions is not fully his but lies also with his parents for neglecting to present a unified message.If only one parent wishes to bring him to the court to be judged while the other has mercy on him, he similarly cannot be judged a rebellious child, as his parents’ differing approaches to discipline leave him confused regarding the proper course of action.
This lesson is all the more relevant in our day and age, when children are exposed to unprecedented external influences. The Torah teaches us that the key to raising healthy, balanced children is for the parents to raise them with clear messages and a united front. return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
talking points - parshas ki-se
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
1. Brotherly Love
“You shall not observe your brother’s ox or sheep lost and hide yourself from them; you must surely return them to your brother.” 22:1
- And Conceal Yourself – [Don’t] avert your eyes as if you don't notice it. – Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105)
- Return Them To Your Brother – If your brother is not identified, you must bring the animal into your home and care for it until his owner is located. You must also return the animal even if he wanders off numerous times.
- Return Them To Your Brother – This is all based on the attributes of kindness and mercy that one Jew must practice toward another. Since we are all children of one Father and constitute one family, we must care about one another and do all in our power to prevent another Jew from suffering a financial loss. – Rabbeinu Bachya (Bachya ben Asher 1340)
What differentiates the Jewish people from all other nations is the sense of family that permeates our nation. A Jew must not be considered as merely another individual who coincidentally practices a similar set of beliefs; but rather, as a sibling, whose welfare is our primary concern. This sense of family is so strong, that we must even go so far as to expend an inordinate amount of effort, time, and money, merely to return a lost object to another Jew. This extraordinary commitment to the well being of another person can only be expected of a sibling.
2. Torah Safety Codes
“When you build a new home, you should make a fence for your roof; and do not place blood [liability] in your house…” 22:9
- You Should Make A Fence For Your Roof – This commandment applies to any dangerous structure such as a swimming pool, a well, or a tall stairway, which all require an adequate fence. The fence must be at least ten tefachim [app. 80 centimeters,] and strong enough to lean on. There are many other dangerous situations that our sages insisted we take precautions to prevent our being harmed… – Maimonides Hilchos Rotzeach 11:1-5
- When You Build – This is true not only for one who builds a new home, but also for one who purchases, or receives a home as a gift. – Chizkuni ( Chizkiyah ben Manoach Chizkuni 1250
Just as the Torah expects us to safeguard our spiritual health, we are expected to safeguard our physical health, as well. Observing safety codes may not always appear to be spiritual acts, but in the eyes of the Torah, they too, play an important role in serving G-d. He granted us healthy bodies to enable us to serve Him effectively, and we must preserve this gift fastidiously in return.
3. Measure for Measure
“You shall not have in your home a measure and a measure – a large one and a small one [which would be used to defraud customers]. A fully accurate, honest weight, you shall have, you are to have perfect and accurate measures; in order that you live long on the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you.” 22:14, 15
- You Shall Not Have In Your Home - G-d’s abhorrence for dishonesty extends so far as to prohibit one from even owning inaccurate weights and measures. Doing so may incur His wrath upon us. – Sforno (Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno, 1475-1550)
The Talmud [Tractate Shabbos 55a] writes, “The seal of G-d is truth.” When we dwell in His land, we act as His official representatives. By engaging in deceitful practices, we are in effect, misrepresenting Him, and therefore liable to be dismissed from our positions and expelled from the Land. Conversely, when we conduct our business with the utmost integrity, we faithfully represent His essence and solidify our hold on the Holy Land. .return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.orgThis page is dedicated to, and written for the 6,000 Partners in Torah mentors.
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Tzaddikim In Hiding By: Rabbi Elazar Meisels
Dear Rabbi,
I’ve heard that there is a Jewish tradition that there are no less than 36 righteous people upon whose merit the entire world exists. Is this really so, and is there some special significance to this?
Jed T .
Jed,
Thank you for your question. This tradition is actually found in the Talmud [Tractate Sukkah 45b], which writes, “Abaye said: The world must contain not less than thirty-six righteous men in each generation who merit [the sight of] the Shechinah's countenance, for it is written, ‘Praised are those who yearn lo [for him]’ the numerical value of 'lo' (lamed-vav in Hebrew) is thirty-six.” The Talmud goes on to explain that these thirty-six individuals merit to perceive the Divine Presence with exquisite clarity, which is known in Hebrew as “Aspaklaria Meirah,” a lofty level of Divine perception accessible to only the most spiritual and righteous of men.
The commentary Etz Yosef [Sanhedrin 93b] understands this idea to be referring to heavenly advocates. He explains that every single day the world is judged on its merits by the Heavenly Sanhedrin [High Court], which is comprised of 71 presiding judges. Thirty-five of the judges examine our collective sin and decide against our existence. The remaining thirty-six argue in our favor and since they are the majority, Hashem accepts their opinion and the world is spared Divine wrath.
Most commentators however, understand this to be referring to tzaddikim who reside on this earth, and in whose personal merit the world continues to endure. Essentially, what this means is that there exists in this world an overpowering force of negativity generated by man’s sins that seeks to deny Hashem’s existence in both word and deed. Barring the positive forces generated by the exceptional righteousness of these thirty-six individuals, the world would be overwhelmed by the negativity and lose its right to exist.
Practically speaking, I am not aware of any significant ramifications that this tradition has on our daily life other than to spur us to attain this lofty level whose sum is greater than its parts. To the best of my knowledge, these individuals do not advertise their status, nor is it relevant to us who they are. I would assume that someone who claimed to be a member of this exclusive club, would actually be providing proof positive that he is clearly not, as humility is a defining characteristic of tzaddikim. It is because of the ambiguity surrounding their identity that they are often referred to as, “Thirty-six hidden tzaddikim.”
It is interesting to observe that the number thirty-six finds expression in other areas as well.
For example, in the Torah’s account of the first of the six days of creation, it writes of how Hashem curtailed the intense light that He created on the first day of Creation with the words, “Let there be light.” However, tradition teaches us that He did not immediately reduce the illumination. Rather, He allowed it to shine for thirty-six hours and only then diminished it’s luminescence. The well-known commentator Rashi notes that Hashem did not remove it permanently. Instead, He placed it in safekeeping for only the truly righteous to access. This should not be mistakenly understood to mean that Hashem underwent a change of heart,G-d forbid.. Rather, the world needed this illumination. However, this level of illumination was so powerful that it could not be left for just anyone to access. Instead, the expectation was that through their single-minded devotion to Hashem, each of the thirty-six tzaddikim would access one unit of the thirty-six levels and reflect that to the world at large.
There was a time in our history when even common Jews demonstrated such a high level of devotion to Hashem that they merited a glimpse of this Divine light. That was during the story of Chanukah and for that reason the total number of Chanukah candles that are kindled through the eight days of Chanukah is thirty-six.
Additionally it is interesting to note that the Mishnah in Tractate Krissus enumerates all the sins for which one is visited with the most severe of all divine consequences: Karess, which means, “spiritual excision.” Although difficult to describe, the result of this is that the offenders’ soul is severed from the Jewish people. In total, there are thirty-six sins for which this consequence is prescribed. The commentaries point out that correspondingly, there are thirty-six tzaddikim whose righteousness offsets the disastrous effects of these sins and without which we would be totally severed from our Source.
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Best Regards,
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
Rabbi Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org
Parshas Ki-Seitzei
The rules for war are continued, reflecting incredible humaneness towards a fallen foe and civility towards an enemy. Once regular life has been re-established, there are rules for proper conduct of family life and interpersonal relationships. Many other laws are given, detailing the proper conduct of one’s personal life, family affairs, and home. return to top
The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 6:2) states: R' Abba bar Kahana said: The Holy One, Blessed is He, says, ``One should not sit and weigh the value of the Torah's mitzvahs, saying, `Well, this mitzvah is a bigger one, and has a greater reward — I will fulfill it. This other mitzvah, though, is a small one, without a great reward — I will not perform it.' " What did the Holy One, Blessed is He, do to dispel this notion? Hashem did not reveal to His creations the reward of each individual mitzvah, so that they would execute all the mitzvos completely.
To what can this be likened? A king hired gardeners and had them brought into his orchards to plant seedlings. He did not tell them what wages he would pay for the planting of each type of tree, so that they should not refrain from planting the lesser-paying plants, and focus all their efforts only on the higher-paying ones.
Evening came, and the king individually summoned each worker, asking him, ``Which tree did you plant?" The first answered, ``This one." The king said, ``A peppercorn vine? Its wages are one gold coin." The next one said, ``I planted this tree." The king said, ``It is a white blossom [an aromatic shrub]. You receive half a gold coin for it." He called the third and said, ``Which tree did you plant?" The gardener answered, ``This one." The king said, ``It is an olive tree! Your wages are 200 zuz" [a large sum of money]!
The first two gardeners said to the king, ``Shouldn't you have informed us which trees commanded the best rate, so that we would work at planting those?" The king answered them, ``Had I told you this, what would my orchard look like?"
So, too, Hashem did not reveal the reward for the mitzvos — except for two mitzvos: one of the hardest and one of the easiest. Honoring one's father and mother is most difficult (for their honor is likened to Hashem's honor — Eitz Yosef). Its reward is longevity, as the verse says (Shemos 20:12): כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ, Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened. One of the easiest mitzvos is sending the mother bird from the nest, and its reward, too, is longevity, as the Torah states (Devarim 22:7): וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים, and you will prolong your days.
The Maharzav explains that the Midrash's lesson is not that all mitzvahs receive the same reward. Indeed, the Mishnah (Avos 5:23) specifically tells us that the reward for a mitzvah is directly commensurate with the amount of effort one puts into it. The Midrash therefore cannot mean that Hashem rewards one who performs the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird in exactly the same way that He rewards one who fulfills the much harder mitzvah of honoring one's parents.
Rather, the Midrash is coming to teach us that Hashem specifically withheld from us the reward for all the mitzvos so that we would fulfill them all, without exception. However, Hashem saw fit to share with us that these two mitzvos, although one is so easy and one is very difficult, merit similar rewards (although the rewards are not identical — for the longevity promised for honoring one's parents is of a greater degree than the longevity one receives for sending the mother bird away from the nest). This teaches us that even a mitzvah that appears easy or inconsequential can merit enormous reward. return to top
Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport
Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha
Q:The Torah commands us (25:17) to remember what Amalek did לך – to you. As they attacked the entire Jewish nation, why is this word written in the singular instead of the plural?
A: Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntchitz, better known as the Kli Yakar, writes (Exodus 17:8) that in relating that Amalek attacked the Jewish people in Refidim, the Torah is hinting to the source of their ability to have any power or control over the Jews. As long as the Jewish nation is in a state of internal peace and unity, Amalek has no ability to harm them. Refidim contains within it the letters which form the root of the word פירוד – separation – hinting to the fact that when the Jews camped there, they were stricken by strife and discord.
Rabbi Yitchok Meir Alter, better known as The Chiddushei HaRim, suggests that this is also alluded to by the Torah’s emphasis on what Hashem did to (the singular) you, as Amalek holds no sway over a united Jewish nation. Rashi writes that Amalek struck at those who had been expelled by the Clouds of Glory from the Jewish camp as a result of their sins. Those individuals didn’t enjoy the merit of being part of the community, and they were therefore susceptible to Amalek’s attacks.
Q: In order to effect a divorce, a man must give his wife a divorce document (24:1) which is called a get (גט). Why was this peculiar name chosen?
A: Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer, more often referred to as The Vilna Gaon explains that a divorce document is called a גט because these letters aren’t found next to each other in any other word in the Hebrew language and aren’t pronounced with the same part of the mouth and therefore symbolize separation.
Based on this concept, the Margalios HaTorah – a student of the Vilna Gaon – notes that in the section of the Torah (Genesis 49:29-32) which details the final instructions of Jacob to his sons immediately prior to his death, every letter in the Hebrew alphabet is used except for ג and ט. As long as Jacob remained alive, unity reigned between his children, as symbolized by the fact that the letters which connote separation aren’t used to describe his final moments with his sons. However, the following verse (49:33), which relates the death of Jacob, contains both the letter ג and the letter ט, to hint that upon the death of the unifying figure who inspired peace, the brothers immediately began to have feelings of distrust and hatred.
Similarly, the section in the Torah (Numbers 28:1-8) which discusses the Korban Tamid, the continual offering which was brought twice daily on the altar, contains every letter in the Hebrew alphabet except for ג and ט. He suggests that this hints to the statement of the Talmud (Gittin 90b) that when a man divorces his first wife, the altar sheds tears. As a result, the portion which describes the sacrifice which was brought on the altar most regularly omits the two letters which are used to describe a Jewish document of divorce! return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
Table Talk: For discussion around the Shabbos Table
א)The Torah prohibits (23:4-5) a person who is born to Jewish parents to marry an Ammonite or Moabite because they failed to give the Jewish people bread and water after the Exodus from Egypt. Why was there a need for them to do so when the Manna and the well provided them anything they wanted to eat or drink? (Rabbeinu Bechaye)
ב)A sinner may be punished with up to 40 lashes (25:1-3). Moses remained on Mount Sinai for 40 days receiving the Torah (Exodus 24:18). The rain which created the flood that destroyed the generation of Noah lasted 40 days (Genesis 7:12). Our Rabbis teach that a fetus is considered formed 40 days after conception. What is the significance of the number 40, and how does it apply in each of these cases? return to top
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