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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport
(הנסתרת לד' אלקינו והנגלת לנו ולבנינו עד עולם לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת (29:28
“The hidden sins are for Hashem our G-d, but the revealed sins are for us and our children forever, to carry out all the words of this Torah.”
In discussing the difference between sins performed privately and those which are public knowledge, the Torah writes the words לנו ולבנינו – for us and for our children – with dots on top of each letter, something which is done quite rarely. Although there are complex legal rules for interpreting the meaning of these dots whenever they occur (see Rashi), the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan finds a beautiful symbolic message in this anomaly.
The Chofetz Chaim notes that when writing a book or a letter, an author who wants to stress or draw attention to a certain phrase or point will draw attention to it by underlining the salient words. Similarly, when discussing the importance of educating our children and raising them with proper values and outlooks, the Torah saw no more fitting way to do so than to place dots on the words referring to us and our children, essentially “underlining” these words. Hashem did this to emphasize the unparalleled significance in Judaism of teaching our children to be proper G-d-fearing Jews.
The following story shows just how far this lesson can be taken. One year on the night of Kol Nidrei, the most awe-inspiring night in the Jewish calendar, the Jews of Grodna, a large community then part of the Russian empire, were all assembled in the town’s great synagogue, ready to begin the solemn services. Only one critical element was conspicuously absent: Rabbi Binyomin Diskin, renowned for his punctuality, was nowhere to be seen. After waiting several tense minutes, a delegation was dispatched to his house to find out what the delay was.
Upon arriving at the house of their beloved Rabbi fearing for the worst, they were shocked when they peered through the window and observed him calmly seated by the table, studying together with his young son, seemingly oblivious to the date and to the entire congregation that was anxiously awaiting him in the synagogue.
Seizing up his courage, one of the elders of the community knocked and gently explained that the congregation was concerned about his uncharacteristic delay. Understanding that they were seeking an explanation for his behavior, the elderly Rabbi explained that with the arrival of the day on which a person’s fate for the upcoming year is sealed, he found himself nervous about his lack of merits. Desperately seeking to accrue mitzvos which could tip the scale in his favor, he could think of no greater merit than teaching Torah to his young son, who (not surprisingly) grew up to become the saintly Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin!
The lesson for us is clear. Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech is read annually close to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. At the time when the entire world passes before Hashem in judgment, the Torah goes out of its way to uncharacteristically “underline” a phrase to emphasize to us the importance of looking after our children and raising them properly. Indeed, our Rabbis teach that a person is judged and held responsible not only for his own actions, but also for those of his descendants (to the extent that he could have influenced them to behave otherwise). At this critical time, let us remember the Chofetz Chaim’s message and the actions of Rabbi Diskin and accept upon ourselves a recommitment to educating and influencing our families in a direction which would make Hashem proud.
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Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
talking points - parshas Nitzavim-vayelech
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
1. Don’t Forget The Children
“You are standing today…before Hashem your G-d…your elders…your small children…for you to pass into the covenant of Hashem…” 29:9-11
- Your Small Children – Although as minors they could not technically participate in the covenant, Moshe insisted they too, be present, to impress upon the parents that not only did they have to live up to the covenant, but they were responsible to educate their children in its tenets, as well – Sforno- Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno, 1475-1550.
- “Our sage taught, a father is obligated to teach his son Torah…” – Talmud-Tractate Kiddushin 29a
- A father is obligated to hire a tutor for his son [if he is unable to teach him for whatever reason, and if a father neglected his duties, the son must teach himself once he grows older. – Rambam -Hilchos Talmud Torah 1:2,3
A covenant forged with adults alone, lacking a provision mandating that the children be similarly educated, would be virtually meaningless, as recent history has so vividly demonstrated. Sadly, this lesson has been lost on many in the Jewish community who spend inordinate amounts of money constructing museums commemorating the past, instead of supporting day schools to ensure the future. There is no greater gift a parent can give a child than a meaningful Jewish education.
2. Return Tickets
“If your dispersed will be at the ends of heaven, from there, Hashem, your G-d, will gather you in and from there, He will take you.” 30:4
- “Remember the matter about which I commanded Moshe Your servant saying, ‘If you will breach [the commandments that we are bidden to uphold] I will disperse you among the nations. [When] you will return to Me and observe My Mitzvos and fulfill them, if your dispersed ones will be at the edges of the heaven, from there I shall gather them in and I shall transport them to the place that I have chosen to rest My Name there.’” – Sefer Nechemiah 1:8,9
- At The Ends Of Heaven – Is there really an “end” to Heaven? Rather, this refers to one who believes that G-d is limited, and the Torah calls such a person “hopelessly lost, or dispersed.” Yet, even this person will return to Hashem and His Torah.
These verses speak of the Messianic Era, and assure us that there is no Jew beyond redemption. Even if one is at the “edges of the heaven”, a metaphor for a completely assimilated Jew, it is not beyond G-d’s capacity to help this person find the way back. We are fortunate to live in an era where anyone who desires to return to a life of Torah can do so. Resources abound to assist him in his journey and one can live as a Jew without fear, virtually anywhere Jews are found today. All that’s needed is for one to invest in the time needed to explore, and he too, will merit the realization of this extraordinary prophecy. There’s no need to wait for Mashiach to arrive. Our birthright is waiting to be claimed today.
3. The Secret of Our Strength
“I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in…Hashem, your G-d – he will cross before you. He will destroy these nations…Yehoshuah –he will cross over before you…” 31:2,3
- Hashem, Your G-d – This verse begins and ends with the word, “Hashem.” [The subject of the verse is Hashem’s protection of the Jewish people and] this indicates that He will guard us from the front and the back, and leave no part of the nation exposed to harm. This is alluded to in the verse, “For Hashem goes before you, and he brings up the rear, G-d of Israel. (Yeshayahu 52:12)” – Baal HaTurim- Rabbi Ya'akov ben Asher, 1270-1340.
- Hashem, Your G-d – He Will Cross Before You – Moshe explained to them that they had no reason to fear the loss of his leadership, for they had something even better to look forward to. Hashem Himself would lead them into the land and destroy their enemies. Yehoshua would lead them, but he was only an emissary of Hashem, Who was the true leader. – Sforno- Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno, 1475-1550.
The people were about to lose Moshe and they feared that minus his leadership they’d never succeed in conquering the powerful nations that inhabited the Land of Israel at the time. Yehoshua was as yet, an unproven leader, and they lacked confidence in his ability to lead them in war. Moshe reassured them saying that all Jewish leaders are only as good as the power vested in them by Hashem, Who is the true warrior as the verse says, “Hashem is [the] Master of war…[Shmos 15:3].” Without His assistance, no leader will be powerful enough to lead you to victory. With His assistance, Yehoshua can be no less successful than I.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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Apples and Honey By: Rabbi Reuven Drucker
Dear Rabbi,
In our preparations for Rosh HaShanah, my mentor told me about the practice of eating symbolic foods on Rosh HaShanah eve as an omen for good things to happen in the coming year. Is this really part of the Jewish religion?
Eagerly awaiting your response,
Glen D .
Dear Glen,
Torah Jews do not believe in superstition nor do we believe in the efficacy of a rabbit’s foot to bring good luck. Nevertheless, this practice that you refer to has its origins in the Talmud and is a time-hallowed tradition among the Jewish people. We dip our challah and an apple into honey to symbolize a sweet New Year. During the meal, many eat small amounts of a number of foods, whose names have some connection with good things that we are hoping for. For example, carrots in Yiddish are called “merrin,” which also means “more.” We ask G-d that we should be granted many more opportunities to serve Him and thereby amass “more” reward. The author of the book Chayei Adam, which is a major halachic work, refers us to Ramban in Bereishis as a way to explain this custom of eating symbolic foods.
The truth is that Ramban does not directly discuss this practice, but rather discusses other symbolic acts that we read about in different areas in Scripture. For example, when Abraham traveled to the Land of Israel at G-d’s request, he first sojourned to the city of Shechem, in order to presage that the first place in the Land which would be taken under Jewish control will be the city of Shechem.
Referring to the Kabbalistic literature, Ramban explains that an event which is decreed in Heaven has no physical or concrete substance. In order for it to take effect in the physical world, there needs to be a linkage created between the spiritual and the material. By performing a physical act which symbolically captures the essence of the Heavenly decree, the spiritual decree can then attach itself to the physical. Abraham first went to the city of Shechem in order to actualize the decree that the Jews should first take possession of that city.
Similarly, the Chayei Adam most probably means that the symbolic foods that we eat and recite petitions over, are items that symbolize Heavenly declarations that we hope will be made for us and the Jewish people on Rosh HaShanah, which is the Day of Judgment. In effect, we are saying to G-d,: If the only thing which is preventing Your declaration for good from taking effect for us during this coming year is that it remains in the realm of the spirit and cannot yet permeate the physical, then let this food, which symbolizes the declaration we hope for, provide the means by which it can take effect.
So instead of being an act of superstition, the symbolic foods are a way by which we can inject the physical world with the decrees from the spiritual world.
Glen, let me wish you and your family a good and healthy New Year, filled with joy, prosperity, and Torah!
RD return to top
Rabbi Drucker can be reached at rabbidrucker@partnersintorah.org
Parshas Nitzavim-vayelech
Parshas Nitzavim teaches the crucial concept that all souls, even those unborn, were present at the giving of the Torah, establishing a permanent time-transcending link between the generations. The way to redemption is detailed by way of Teshuvah – total repentance.
In Parshas Vayeilech, Moses speaks to the nation, reassuring them of G-d’s Providence, even when His presence is not obvious in the world and warns of future temptations and tribulations. The commandment to write down the whole of the Torah is given, which completes the 613 Mitzvos of the written Torah. The promise is made that the Torah will not and cannot be forgotten and will stand as a witness to constantly return the Children of Israel to their Divine mission. The entire congregation of Israel is gathered together to be taught the final “poem” which is to guide them throughout the ages.return to top
R' Yaakov Neiman (in Darkei Mussar) explains, based on Midrash Tanchuma, that the word כֻּלְּכֶם in the verse: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם,
You are standing today, all of you, alludes to the fact that only when the entire people are כֻּלְּכֶם, together, can we remain נִצָּבִים, standing, i.e., surviving. The punishment delineated in the verses following can be avoided if the people would but remain united.
This lesson is especially timely in these days, as we approach Rosh Hashanah, The Day of Judgment. The Alter of Kelm used to say that one of the most effective ways to be found worthy in this judgment is for the individual to connect himself to the whole of the Jewish people. The Alter based this on the Midrash cited in connection with the laws of preparation for Rosh Hashanah (Tur Orach Chaim §581). As with any festival, we are to wash and groom ourselves in preparation for Rosh Hashanah — despite the fact that the nature of the day is somber and the life of each individual is hanging in the balance. The Midrash comments, ``Which nation is as this one, who knows the ways of its God? Ordinarily, when one faces a judgment he wears black and neglects his own grooming, in his anxiety regarding the outcome. Israel, however, is not that way. They groom, wear white (festive clothing), eat, drink, and rejoice on Rosh Hashanah, for they know that Hashem will perform a miracle for them."
Surely there is no guarantee that each individual will pass his own personal judgment! What, then, is the miracle to which the Midrash refers in which we can be so confident? The Alter explains that this refers to the judgment of the Jewish people as a whole. The nation collectively is guaranteed that they will survive and flourish.
It follows, then, that one way of receiving a favorable outcome for one's own personal judgment is to attach oneself to a larger community of God-fearing people, who represent the collective of the Jewish people. For example, if one is in a position where he, due to his public service — whether it be teaching Torah or taking charge of the community's charities or institutions — becomes a vital part of the community, he is seen in Heaven in the same light as the community that he serves. And the community is judged on an entirely different level than a lone individual.
At the time of the Mirrer Yeshivah's sojourn in Shanghai during the Second World War, the yeshivah merited to see the hand of Providence clearly guiding their every step, protecting them from the many dangers that constantly assailed them. During that period, R' Chaim Shmulevitz (who was one of the roshei yeshivah) heard that some students were not learning in the beis midrash (study hall) with the rest of the yeshivah, but in the adjacent women's gallery. His reaction was sharp and swift. The following message was sent to those students:
``Know that each community is judged in Heaven as a community, and that this judgment is conducted differently than that of an individual. For us, as long as everyone is learning together in the same place, each of us can be considered part of that community and merit that more favorable judgment. However, those who abandon the community and go to learn by themselves can be seen only as individuals. And who can say that as an individual and standing by himself he has enough merits to be saved in such dangerous times?" return to top
Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport
Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha
Q: As the Torah is the blueprint for the entire Creation, our Sages teach that it inherently contains within it hints and allusions to everything which will ever exist or occur in the universe. How is this information stored, and what does it have to say about recent and current events in Jewish history?
A: The Vilna Gaon explains that the Torah’s recounting of the episode of Creation contains the events which transpired in the first 1000 years of history, with the second 1000 years hidden in the remainder of the book of Genesis, the third 1000 years in Exodus, the fourth 1000 years in Leviticus, the fifth 1000 years in Numbers, and the final 1000 years in Deuteronomy. As Deuteronomy contains 10 portions (counting Nitzavim and Vayeilech as one, as they are often read together as a double portion), each portion hints to the events of one century of the 6th millennium, beginning from Devarim and ending with V’Zos HaBeracha.
Based on this explanation, it has been noted that the early years of the Holocaust, the greatest national tragedy in modern history, fall out in the century which is hinted to in Parsha Ki Savo, which contains words of rebuke and hair-raising threats of terrible suffering which will befall the Jewish nation. However, consolation may be found by recognizing that we are currently living in the century which corresponds to Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech, which is commonly referred to as the portion of repentance, and not surprisingly the years since World War II have seen waves of unaffiliated Jews returning to their roots at unprecedented rates, precisely as predicted by the Torah. This should serve as an inspiration for all Jews to examine and improve their ways as Rosh HaShana draws nearer with every passing day.
Q: The Talmud (Sotah 13b) derives from 31:2 that the righteous die on the day on which they were born, as Hashem completes the years of the righteous from day to day and from month to month. If Moses finished out his years, shouldn’t he have died on 6 Adar – the last day of his 120th year – and not on 7 Adar, which was the first day of a new year which he didn’t live to complete?
A: In his commentary Chochmas Shlomo on the Choshen Mishpat section of Shulchan Aruch (35:1), Rabbi Shlomo Kluger uses this very question as a novel support for an original position. Most commentators assume that a child becomes a legal adult as a Bar or Bas Mitzvah at sundown on the day of his or 13th or 12th birthdays, respectively. Rabbi Kluger, however, maintains that this occurs not at sundown but only at the time of day when the child was actually born. He suggests that although Moses was born on 7 Adar, he couldn’t die on 6 Adar, as this wouldn’t be considered a finished year. Rather, he died on 7 Adar just at the time he was born, completing his 120th full year. It should be noted that while interesting, for practical purposes the law is decided in accordance with the majority of commentators who disagree with this opinion. return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
Table Talk: For discussion around the Shabbos Table
א) Moses reminds the people of the detestable and abominable idols which they saw in Egypt and other lands through which they passed. Why was it necessary to warn them (29:17) against worshipping these idols, if they themselves had witnessed how deplorable they were? (Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik quoted in Nesivos Rabboseinu, Shiras Dovid by Rabbi Dovid Goldberg)
ב) Maimonides writes (Hilchos Chagiga 3:1) that the purpose of gathering the people together to hear the reading of the book of Deuteronomy (31:11) is to strengthen their religious commitment and fear of Hashem. With such important objectives, why is this mitzvah performed only once every seven years and not annually? (Even Yisroel by Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Fisher) return to top
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