Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Aikov

Money From the Sky

In the beginning of Parshas Eikev, Moshe Rabbeinu tells of the seemingly impossible journey through the Wilderness. Hashem carefully guided and nurtured His children to mold them into the people fit to enter the Promised Land. The pasuk tells us, He afflicted you and let you be hungry, then He fed you the mon that you did not know, nor did your forefathers know, in order to make known to you that not on bread alone does man live, but rather by all that emanates from the mouth of Hashem does man live. The mon was given to us to teach us a lesson integral to our growth as servants of Hashem. The common understanding of the verse is that Hashem sought to teach Klal Yisroel that food is not what keeps us alive, but His will alone. But, if this was the concept we were meant to learn here, Hashem could have arranged it so that we would survive with no food at all in the Wilderness! This would seemingly have been the ultimate proof that a person does not really need food to live! It would seem from Hashem’s choice of giving Klal Yisroel the mon that people do require food, except that Hashem made it miraculously appear for us each day. So, why did Hashem choose to provide for His children in this most unique way? The answer lies in a careful look at the words of the pasuk. The verse does not say that man should learn that he does not need bread; rather, is says that he should realize that he does not specifically need bread. We do need some sort of food to live, because that is the way Hashem arranged the natural order of the world. But we must learn that this sustenance does not need to be bread, or for that matter, anything that we recognize. We can live just as well through any means that Hashem decides to sustain us with, even something that we could never dream of! When we needed food in the Wilderness, Hashem could have provided an oasis with food that we recognized. Instead, Hashem gave us something wondrous and unbelievable. He gave us food that fell from Heaven, to cultivate within us this point; man does not need to know or recognize his sustenance, but rather only to trust and follow in the ways of Hashem! We must tap into this great lesson of the mon today as well. Many times, a person can fall into despair; he may feel that his situation is impossible, and he cannot think of any way out. His mortgage is a mess, his tuition payments are overdue, etc. etc., and there just seems to be no hope. But there is always hope! Because Hashem wants a person to believe, to trust. Hashem wants a person to live with the realization that it is not only bread that sustains us, but whatever Hashem has in mind. And Hashem has a million avenues to send you what you need! Never despair! Parnassah can come from places that you would never imagine! It is the very limitation that we place on Hashem’s powers in our own minds which prevent Him from bettering our “impossible” situation! Trust in Hashem, and he will send you mon.  A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Aikev

.pdf

Download PDF • 68KB

Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas V'eschanan

The Bitachon of Shabbos

In Parshas Vaeschanan we review the awesome events of Mattan Torah, centered around the Aseres HaDibros, the Ten Commandments, which are central to our faith. These ten mitzvos were carved upon the luchos we received at Har Sinai, and indeed represent the way the Torah wants a person to live. I would like to explore a most interesting pasuk, written only here, in the Aseres HaDibros as they appear written in our Parshash. We know that the verses of Parshas Yisro describe the commandment to remember the Shabbos (zachar), while the verses here in Vaeschanan describe the command to guard the Shabbos (shamar); yet in truth, they were both said at Sinai (zachar veshamar b’dibur echad ne’emru). This being the case, we must know that whatever we find in our Parshah was certainly said at Mattan Torah, and is equally a part of the mitzvah of Shabbos. The verse states, But the seventh day is Shabbos to Hashem, your God; you shall not do any work; you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, your ox, your donkey, and your animal, and your convert within your estate, in order that your slave and your maidservant may rest like you. What is this reason that the verse concludes with “in order that your slave etc. rest like you? The reason they must keep Shabbos is because they too are included in the command to rest and to remember! What is the Torah telling us here, deep within the mitzvah of Shabbos? Now, presumably, the verse is warning against an instance where the owner of the slave demands that he do forbidden work on the Shabbos. Normally, if one transgresses the Torah at the command of his fellow, we hold him liable just the same, for he should have listened to Hashem rather than listening to his fellow. But, perhaps, when it comes to a slave and a maidservant the law is different. Because they are owned by their master, if they were to desecrate the Shabbos at his command, it could be that they would not be found guilty! This is because they are not free to do as they wish but are bound by the whims of their owner. And if this is the case, technically speaking, a person would be able to command his slaves to work for him on Shabbos and they would have to do so! To deal with this issue, the Torah concludes the verse with the words, “in order that your slave and your maidservant may rest like you”. The Torah tells the owner that he should not attempt this loophole and try and continue growing his fortune on Shabbos. Hashem is teaching here the Bitachon aspect of the Shabbos. This was similar to when the mon fell on Friday, and Moshe allowed the nation to collect it as usual only to find a double portion appear seemingly from nowhere. This was to show them that the portion of Shabbos requires no extra hishtadlus. One should use Shabbos as a day of rest and reflection; it is not needed to amass wealth! And this third lesson of Shabbos will take us through the week. For not only does Shabbos show that Hashem can provide for that day, but all other days and circumstances as well! We must not get sucked into the rat race, and spend our days running after money. Hashem decreed that we must do hishtadlus, but it is nothing more than an excuse to shower us with His berachah when and where He sees fit. We must not make the mistake of connecting our actions and expertise with our parnassah; and we must let Shabbos be a true day of rest. A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

V-eschanan

.pdf

Download PDF • 71KB

Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Devarim

Returning Out of Love

We have spent much time speaking about the sin of the Meraglim and how it changed the course of history. Hashem was ready to bring His chosen nation into the Promised Land and build the Bais HaMikdash. And we are taught that the holiness of a Sanctuary built by Moshe would have been so great that it would never have been destroyed! Of course, this would come with tremendous responsibility, and we know it is ultimately not what happened, for our own benefit. But at that moment, Hashem’s plan for humanity was finally coming to fruition! And then it all came crashing down. Klal Yisroel’s inability to trust in Hashem and fearlessly conquer the land created the first Tisha B’Av, and the sufferings have not yet ceased. Klal Yisrael went from the highest madreigah; when they were on the precipice of eternal redemption from their exile, back to the beginning. What I would like to point out at this time is something interesting which we find here in Parshas Devarim that may not be so clear in the pesukim of Parshas Shelach. When Moshe reviews the events that occurred after the nation sinned, in pasuk 41, he states clearly that the intention of the nation was to do teshuvah for their mistake. Then you spoke up and said to me, “We have sinned to Hashem! We shall go up and do battle according to everything that Hashem, our God, has commanded us!” The clear intention here was repentance and a firm resolve to follow Hashem’s command. Which begs the question; why in fact was this teshuvah not accepted? This was perhaps the greatest generation in Klal Yisrael’s history; those who witnessed Yetzias Mitzrayim, Krias Yam Suf, and were physically present at the great revelation on Har Sinai! Why did Hashem not heed their cries and instead punished them with death; choosing instead to raise a new generation of their offspring and bring them to Eretz Yisroel? Now, assuming that the Meraglim was not on the same level of sin as the Egel, where full forgiveness was unfortunately impossible, there may well be another important lesson here for us to learn. As we know, there are two ways that one can return in repentance unto Hashem. The first is teshuvah m’yirah, repentance born of fear. When one feels suffering, or sees the great opportunity he has missed out on, and this spurs him to repentance, he is exhibiting teshuvah m’yira. His madreigah does not grow, and in fact his internal deficiencies may not change at all. He just glimpsed a bit of the truth and was inspired to repent. Of course, this is also a form of teshuvah, but many times it does not bode well for the future. On the other hand, there is also teshuvah m’ahavah, repentance out of love. Here, a person realized that he ruins his relationship with Hashem with his actions and repents because his only wish is to please his Maker. He constantly works to eradicate the shortcomings that created this lapse and builds anew on the foundation of his past mistake. After Klal Yisroel sinned with the spies and were presented with the death sentence, they immediately changed their tone, and expressed willingness and even eagerness to fight for Eretz Yisroel. But it was not enough. This repentance was based on fear, and was not what Hashem desired in his nation. Teshuvah m’yirah could not carry us up to the madreigah we needed to be on to merit the eternal Redemption, because this type of repentance does not truly eradicate the root of evil within. Let this be a lesson for us as we may perhaps sit and mourn another Tisha B’Av . Our shortcomings will not disappear with just any repentance. Hashem wants us to really improve, to uproot the evil in our hearts! We must change our course, and reshape our priorities. And if we do this, we will truly be fit to experience the Geulah, A Gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

devarim

.pdf

Download PDF • 72KB