Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Ki Savo

The Greatness Within

As part of the kerias bikurim we recount how we went down to Mitzrayim and became a great nation there. The Egyptians were terrible to us and subjected us to harsh labor; we know what took place during our exile there. The question is what does the Torah mean when it says that we became a great nation in Mitzrayim? We know that at the most, only one fifth of the Jews made it out of Mitzrayim; the majority of the nation was not worthy of redemption and perished during the plague of darkness. It would seem, then, that Mitzrayim was a terrible time in the history of our nation! Yet, the Torah says that we used Mitzrayim to become great! What does this mean? The answer is that Hashem brought us to Mitzrayim and placed us among a people that would hate us, specifically to help us carve out our identity. The Egyptians forced us to work, and beat us into submission. Hashem wanted to show us that we did not want to be like these people. The hatred and the servitude we experienced caused us to recognize a stark contrast between the lives of the Egyptians and the lives we wished to lead. People governed by their own lusts and their own man-made morals can, and ultimately will, come to haughtiness and immorality. When a person’s sole reason for ethical behavior is based upon his own philosophies and whims, this quickly deteriorates into enslaving and belittling others! The Jews became a great nation in Egypt because they recognized with clarity that this was not the way to live. The actions perpetrated against them served to crystallize in their minds how only a higher guidance and purpose can truly stand to lead man to a righteous place. The question then becomes, if they all came to this realization - that man must apply himself to a higher purpose to guide and mold him upward - why did only one fifth of Klal Yisroel survive? The answer to this question is that it is one thing to realize that the Egyptian lust for self-fulfillment was wrong, but it is a much higher level to want to leave Egypt behind completely! The Jews started on the path to greatness when they realized what Egypt stood for, and they cried to Hashem that the Egyptians should leave them alone, and that they wanted to serve Hashem. This was truly great, but not enough for them to merit salvation. One fifth of the nation came to the madreigah where they cried out and asked Hashem to remove them from the Egyptian influence completely so that they could cultivate proper Yiras Shamayim, and to live with the ethics and morals of Hashem. These were the ones who Hashem took out; those who were ready to become a new nation, with only Torah at the helm! We must ask ourselves this very question. When Hashem presents us with the terrible challenges of Galus, do we daven that He make it stop so we can continue our lives in Exile, where we are devoid of true connection to Him, and are sullied by the immorality rampant in our times? Or do we cry to Him that he redeems us and bring us to a time and place where we can truly serve Him, without the muck of Galus that we find ourselves submerged in! Do we care that our Divine service is so different and so burdened by these influences, or as long as we aren’t suffering all is well? May the declaration of Bikkurim serve as a reminder to us that our goal is to realize the fallacy of every facet of Galus - to truly become great. A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Ki Savo

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Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Ki Saitzay

A Gentle Push

In this week’s Parshah we find an interesting mitzvah. The Torah writes, Take care regarding an affliction of tzaraas, to be most careful and to do according to everything that they shall teach you, the Kohanim the Leviim, as I have commanded them — you shall be careful to do. And immediately afterward it states, Remember what Hashem, your God, did to Miriam etc. Now, we all know what happened to Miriam. She mistakenly said something negative about Moshe Rabbeinu and was afflicted from head to toe. Furthermore, the entire nation did not travel while Miriam was outside the camp. Seemingly, the Torah is telling us that we better be careful not to speak lashon hara, for even the great Miriam was punished so harshly. But this does not seem to fully explain the entire passage. If this was the only intended meaning here, why would the Torah state this warning specifically in the context of tzaraas, with no direct mention of evil speech; and furthermore, this point could have been made in a more concise fashion: “Be careful of tzaraas because of Miriam”, without mentioning listening to the Kohanim at all? The answer is that the Torah is teaching a different lesson as well. A person may find himself in a machlokes and fall to sin with evil speech. When he sees the tzaraas on his body, he will be terribly embarrassed and think to himself, “I cannot show this to the Kohen! He will pronounce me tamei, and everyone will know that I sinned!” He therefore may attempt to hide the tzaraas, and avoid the problem! Regarding this pitfall, the Torah warns us not do so! Listen to the Kohanim, and follow all that I have commanded them to do, for if you attempt to hide and ignore my message, I will do to you as I have done to Miriam, who was not able to hide her shame! Miriam was afflicted in a way where her symptoms were impossible to ignore. Hashem is warning us here to listen to His message and avoid being exposed in an even more open way. And the Torah is talking here to us as well. Sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes we have done something that needs to be rectified. Hashem will send us a message, by calling our attention to our shortcomings, urging us to correct them. A person must keep his eyes open for these subtle messages and use them as a springboard for further growth. But if we choose to hide from our flaws and weaknesses, this will serve to halt our growth! Hiding behind an appearance of spiritual perfection and bolstering it with one’s ego will only cause Hashem to send a harsher and more painful message! If the tzaraas wasn’t enough, the next message will be louder and clearer. Additionally, there is a positive angle to this concept. A person should always be focused on growth in a way that when something small doesn’t go his way, he takes the message to heart. He understands that these things do not happen by coincidence, and that Hashem is demanding something of him. When we live with Hashem in this way, He will not need to send us harsher and more painful messages to spur on our growth. A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Ki Saitsay

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Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Re'ah

The Evil Within

In Parshas Re’eh, the Torah teaches the law of the Ir HaNidachas, the city that goes astray to serve other gods. The Gemara brings a dispute whether this scenario as detailed by the Torah can actually ever take place, and one opinion there is that this entire passage was written only for us to learn and receive reward. Now, the Torah is wide as the ocean, brimming with lessons and morals for us to learn. So, wherever the Torah conjures up an imaginary scenario for us to expound, it means that there is something integral here; a vital lesson that we need for our life’s journey. And so, let us explore these pesukim carefully. It is interesting to note that when detailing the individuals who begin the process of leading the city astray, the Torah states, Lawless men have emerged from your midst. Why does the Torah speak specifically of wicked men among us, pointing out that they lead to the Ir HaNidachas? Therein lies a powerful lesson for us all. Doing the right thing and living a life of Torah is not enough. We must ensure that the vocal minorities of immorality and assimilation are quieted. Part of our job is to not remain a silent majority and allow these movements to grow around us, for the consequences can be devastating. In the context of Ir HaNidachas, this vocal minority suddenly gained traction and people from your midst staged a full-fledged rebellion against Hashem and His Torah! We must learn and teach the Torah in a way that these minorities cannot thrive; when they crop up, they should be immediately quieted! This leads to a second lesson we can glean from this passage. We are familiar with the concept of arvus, where each Jew is responsible for the growth and pitfalls of all of his brethren. And many people think that although this does bring our nation together, it is unfortunate that one be held accountable for the sins of others. Why would the Torah want that one can be extremely righteous, but suffer because of the deeds of his neighbors? The answer is as we see here; that the Torah made this shared responsibility in order to protect us. If we had no connection or accountability for the deeds of others, groups and movements against the Torah would largely go unchecked. These movements would then slowly grow, and drag down good people. The story of the Ir HaNidachas shows us that the Torah created arvus to protect us, not to harm us. We are instructed to always keep a watchful eye on the doings of other Jews, and to make sure not to chas veshalom become swallowed up in somebody’s rebellion. So, our lesson is thus twofold. There are many ideas and hashkafos prevalent beneath the surface of society in our times, dangers so subtle that it can be hard to notice them. Things like people who live without a Rebbe, using their own whims to guide their lives and their learning. There are unfortunately those who allow the influence of the world around them to touch their lives in ways that are inappropriate. These concepts are the movements growing among us that we must speak up against and work to eliminate. First of all, because their traction grows steadily if they are not challenged. And second, we must remember that arvus was given to us to protect us. We have a responsibility to help others improve, and to steer clear of the mistakes being made around us. A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Reah

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