Brotherly Love versus Sibling Rivalry

Most years, the Haftara of Parashat Toledot is the opening chapter of the prophecies of Malachi, because of the verse [2] which states: “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Says God...,” however, this year, since Shabbat is the eve of Rosh Ḥodesh, the haftara is “Maḥar Ḥodesh” [I Samuel 20:14-42]

We can discern a connection between the content of our Parasha and that of the haftara, even if only by contrast.

Among the similarities :

Y Esau is instructed by Isaac to take his bow [Genesis 27:3], while Jonathan fires arrows [I Samuel 20:36-38

Y Each of these biblical stories involves a meal: Isaac instructs that a meal be prepared for him [27:4], and King Saul and his entourage partake of a festive meal in honor of Rosh Ḥodesh [20:24].

Y Each of the stories involves crying: “Esau raised his voice and began to weep” [27:38], while both David and Jonathan cried [20:41]

 Y In each chapter, there is a plot of two conspirators against the father: Rebecca and Jacob against Isaac and Jonathan and David against Saul

Y In each, one of the main characters decides to kill another: “Esau said to himself, 'The days of mourning for my father will be here soon. I will then be able to kill my brother Jacob.'” [27:41], and King Saul decided to execute David [20:30-32]. (And Saul apparently actually tried to kill Jonathan (20:33).)

Y In each of the stories there is a stark contrast: what is beneficial for one of the central characters is decidedly the opposite for another. Isaac informed his first born son: “you will serve your brother,” and Saul informed his eldest son [v. 31] “for all the days that the son of Jesse is alive, you and your kingdom cannot be established.”

The essential difference between the two biblical stories is the abyss of internecine hatred (even if it is not reciprocal, Esau feels and expresses his hatred of his younger twin), versus the lofty love between friends. Jonathan no doubt knew the truth of his father’s words, that as long as David lived, he Jonathan would not reign. Jonathan understood that David’s success meant that he could not ascend to the throne of Israel. Nonetheless, out of his deep love for David, Jonathan acted against his own interest.

This essential difference receives expression in the crying of Esau versus that of David and Jonathan. Esau cried for himself, for his loss of his father’s blessing to Jacob, while Jonathan cried for his beloved friend “because his father had put him to shame.” [v.34] David and Jonathan did not weep for themselves, rather “one for the other.” [v.41]

It is not by chance that our Sages [Pirkei Avot 5:16] cite David and Jonathan as the prime example of love which is independent of anything tangible.

The Ins and Outs of the Clouds of Glory

It is taught: “I made the people of Israel reside in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt ..." [Leviticus 23:43]; (sukkot) were Clouds of Glory, says Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Akiva says: “They made themselves actual sukkot (huts).”     Babylonian Talmud, Sukka 11b

According to Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion, it is easy to understand the reason the Torah mandates sitting in sukkot. However, based upon Rabbi Akiva’s opinion, there is no apparent reason for the mitzva; after all, the Israelites were forced to provide themselves with some form of protection from the difficult conditions of the wilderness. Why then does the Torah consider this something worthy of annual commemoration?

Rabbi Simḥa B.Z.A. Rabinowitz, in his work Piskei Teshuvot, suggests that in fact there were two groups among the Israelites: those who observed mitzvot were protected by the Clouds of Glory, while the sinners were cast out of the Clouds of Glory [Rashi, Deuteronomy 25:18, based upon Midrash Lekaḥ Tov], and hence forced to make actual sukkot for themselves.

Based upon this suggestion, it is possible that Rabbi Akiva does not disagree with Rabbi Eliezer, rather, he adds that sitting in sukkot requires one to remember that the sinners of Israel, despite their sins, remain part of the Nation of Israel. (This is similar to our Sages’ comment about ḥelbana, the foul-smelling ingredient of the incense, which, when mixed the other ingredients gave the incense its outstanding aroma: “Any [public] fast which does not include the sinners of Israel is not a [valid] fast.” [Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 6b])           

We may add that this approach connects the two mitzvot of the “Festival of Ingathering.” [Exodus 34:22] One of the accepted explanations of the symbolic meaning of taking the four species is that they symbolize the entire spectrum of the Nation of Israel:

Of the four species used for the lulav two are fruit-bearing and two are not; those which bear fruits must be joined to those which bear no fruits and those which bear no fruits must be joined to those which bear fruits. And a man does not fulfill his obligation unless they are all bound in one band. And so it is with Israel's conciliation with God, (it is achieved) only when they are all in one band. Babylonian Talmud, Menaḥot 27a

Thus, each of the mitzvot of the holiday of Sukkot    teaches the great lesson of the ultimate importance of the unity of Israel.

Perhaps it is not surprising that it is specifically Rabbi Akiva, who sees sitting in the sukka as hinting of Israel’s unity, who taught:

“Love your neighbor as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18] – this is the great rule of Torah.    Midrash Sifra, Kedoshim 2:4

           

Covering the Sea

For these reasons, all Israel, their prophets and their Sages, have yearned for the Messianic age so they can rest from the (oppression of) the gentile kingdoms who do not allow them to occupy themselves with Torah and mitzvot properly. They will find rest and increase their knowledge in order to merit the World to Come, for in that era, knowledge, wisdom, and truth will become abundant as the verse states, “The earth will be full of the knowledge of God.” [Isaiah 11:9]

                            Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 9:2

            In discussing the World to Come, in the penultimate chapter of his Laws of Repentance, Maimonides quotes a verse from Isaiah’s vision of the Messianic era, which reads in full:

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea.

            Isaiah’s formulation seems inaccurate: water does not “cover” the sea, rather defines it.

            It is likely that this point is exactly what the prophet wishes to convey: just as water is the defining characteristic of the sea, so too the defining characteristic of the Messianic era will be a direct and personal knowledge of God.

Actualizing the Time of Freedom

In the liturgy, Pesaḥ is referred to as “the time of our freedom” (zman ḥeiruteinu).

            We may note that in fact, Pesaḥ was the time of our freedom only potentially. Israel achieved its freedom only fifty days after leaving Egypt, when we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and accepted Torah, as our Sages taught: “none is free, save he who deals (osek) with Torah.” [Eliyahu Zuta, 17] Had Israel not accepted Torah, the exodus from Egypt would have been a meaningless and purposeless act.

            Based upon this, we can stress that it was the actions of the Israelites who left Egypt which actualized Pesaḥ as the time of our freedom.

            We can also note that freedom is a privilege, and we realized that privilege only when we accepted the obligations of Torah and mitzvot. The Torah’s approach is consistently that privilege stems from accepting responsibility.

The Song of the Sea: Archetype of Israel's Songs

Then Moses and the Israelites sang (yashir) this song to the Lord, saying (leimor): “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.”                          Exodus 15:1

            Ba’al haTurim cleverly notes that the word “yashir” can be divided into “yod (the letter whose numeric equivalent is 10) shir” (meaning ten songs) and sees this fact as a hint at the ten songs which appear in the Bible: the song of the Sea; of the well [Numbers 21:17-20]; Ha’azinu [Deuteronomy 32:1-43]; Joshua at the Ayalon Valley [Joshua 10:12 (though it should be noted that the verses do not specifically refer to a “song”, but “Joshua spoke to the Lord…”)]; Deborah [Judges 5]; Ḥanna [I Samuel 2:10 (where the language of the verse is “Ḥanna prayed …”)];David [Psalms 18]; the Dedication of the House [Psalms 30]; King Hezekiah [Isaiah 38:10-20 (in these verses as well, the word “song” is missing)]: the Song of the Days to Come [Isaiah 42:10]

            (It is to be noted that Ba’al haTurim’s list differs slightly from that in Mechilta d’Rebbi Shimon bar Yoḥai. [Parashat Beshalaḥ 1]

            Numerous commentators wonder about the apparent redundancy of the word “leimor,” “which is (apparently) not understandable, since the song is not addressed to others,” as Alshikh phrases the question. Or haḤayyim explains that the use of the word “leimor” conveys that the song is to be sung by all Israelites in complete unison, “as a single person.” That is, the Song of the Sea expresses the untiy of the people of Israel, out of which the song springs. This elucidation also explains the use of the singular “I will sing” as opposed to the plural “We will sing.”

            According to Ba’al haTurim’s list, the Song of the Sea is the first song sung by Israel, and it can be seen as the archetype for all the nation’s songs, leading to the tenth and final song, the Song of the days to Come. As such, the secret of the ultimate song lies in the first song: it is the unity of Israel which will bring the final redemption, at which we will be privileged to sing a new song to God. [Isaiah 42:10]

Shabbat and the Land: Encompassing the Jew

And Jacob came in peace (shalem) to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city.                                                 Genesis 33:18

(Jacob) entered on Erev Shabbat, in twilight, while there was still daylight.              Breishit Rabba 79:6

            Rashbam explains that “Shalem” is actually a place name (on the borders of the Land of Israel). Rabbeinu Beḥayye agrees with Rashbam on the level of p’shat (the simple meaning), but adds that our Sages understood the word to mean “complete,” rather than as a place name.

            Tzror haMor expands the Sages’ approach and specifies that Jacob achieved completion by virtue of having returned to the Holy Land:

The verse hints that so long as Jacob was outside the Land, he was incomplete, since he was in an impure land and the Shechina is not manifest outside the Land. Thus, the verse says “And Jacob arrived complete (in) the city of Shechem,” since it is within the Land of Canaan.

            Netivot Shalom (Ḥassidic Master Rabbi Shalom Noaḥ of Slonim [1911 – 2000]) elucidates the Midrashic comment that Jacob entered the Land as Shabbat was about to commence in the context of Jacob achieving his personal completion:

Jacob entered the Land literally as Shabbat was about to commence, and thus Shabbat and the Land were united. When Jacob entered the Land at twilight of Erev Shabbat, the choice soul (Jacob himself), the choice time (Shabbat) and the choice Land were united. Thus, Jacob achieved the completion which is (reflected in) God’s desire to have a dwelling place in the lower world. This is the intention of the verse “Jacob arrived complete:” he achieved the level of completion which is the Divine will, specifically within the Land.

            In entering the Holy Land as the holy day approached, Jacob, “the choicest of the Forefathers,” [Midrash Sechel Tov, Genesis 33:17] was able to combine the sanctity of man, of time and of space, and thereby achieve his personal completion.

            The Master continues and explains the conceptual connection between Shabbat and the Land:

All other mitzvot are limited, for a person is connected to them only while actively engaged in their fulfillment. However, the sanctity of Shabbat and of Eretz Yisrael encompass the Jew’s entire reality. The internal light of Shabbat engulfs his entire being; once Shabbat enters, the Jew completely enters her, not only his Torah study, prayers and good deeds are infused with the sanctity of Shabbat, but even his eating, sleeping and all his pleasurable activities are within the shade of the wings of Shabbat. Similarly, Eretz Yisrael encompasses his entire being. The sanctity of the Land hovers over the Jew who is within the Land of Israel, and he is totally immersed in the atmosphere of sanctity. (Emphasis mine) This is the matter of completion contained within these two mitzvot, Shabbat and the Land of Israel: the Jew’s connection to them is not limited, but encompasses his entire essence and being, without limitation.

Preventing the "Angry Heart"

You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an angry heart (lev ragaz), failing eyes, and a despondent spirit.                                                                       Deuteronomy 28:65

“There the Lord will give you an angry heart” – this refers to Babylonia.  Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 22a

            Based upon the Talmudic statement, Panim Yafot writes [in his comments on Genesis 37:13]:

“There the Lord will give you an angry heart,” but not in the Land of Israel, for the Land’s sanctity prevents anger.

            Further, Panim Yafot comments [Leviticus 26:6] that our Sages taught that one who expresses anger drives away the Shechina.

            Combining the two comments of Panim Yafot, we may suggest that being within the Land of the Shechina prevents driving away the Shechina, and thus prevents anger.

            Indeed, in his comments on Numbers 35:28, Panim Yafot explains that the factor which prevents experiencing the angry heart within the Land is the proximity to the Shechina:

The closer one is to God’s Temple, where true unity is found, the more the angry heart is reduced; thus the verse refers to Jerusalem as “a city united” [Psalms 122:3], for there all Israel are united.

Mankind's Second Sin

The man replied, "The woman you gave to be with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate."                                                               Genesis 3:12

Adam the First was sent out of the Garden of Eden because he was ungrateful, as the verse states: “The man replied, ‘The woman you gave to be with me…’”

                        Mishnat Rebbi Eliezer 7, p. 135

         The second sin of Adam, and of mankind, was failure to express gratitude. Rather than appreciating Eve, who was his helpmate [Genesis 2:18], Adam placed the blame for his first sin on her. The severity of this sin is magnified in light of our Sages’ understanding that the first two sins occurred after Eve had given birth to Cain and Abel. Certainly, after Eve had born his sons, Adam had a deep obligation of gratitude towards his wife.

       The second sin is more severe than the first, since in the first, Adam sinned “only” against the Creator, between man and God, while in the second, he sinned against his fellow-man, and any sin between man and fellow-man is by definition also a sin between man and God, since He is the source of mitzvot between man and fellow-man.

      Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe writes that the obligation of expressing gratitude applies simultaneously between man and God, between man and fellow-man and between man and himself. Based upon this insight, when Adam responded to God’s question “Did you eat from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat?" by saying “The woman you gave me to be with, etc.” thereby failing to express his gratitude, he sinned against God, against his wife and against himself.

            Mishnat Rebbi Eliezer teaches that the primal couple was removed from the Garden of Eden not because of their first sin, but because of Adam’s second sin: failure to express gratitude. This approach is understandable based upon Rabbi Wolbe’s deep and enlightening insight.

These words are dedicated to my wife’s memory. During the years I was privileged to share with Gloria, I tried to fulfill my obligation of expressing gratitude to her, and after her death, I continue to be grateful to the Divine matchmaker and to Gloria for having given me so much. In expressing my appreciation and gratitude to Gloria, I sincerely hope that I am fulfilling my obligation to her, to God and to myself.

Seize the Day and the Hour

And Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying: "Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God.”                                                           Deuteronomy 27:9

“You have become the people of the Lord your God” – every day should be in your eyes as the day you entered into the covenant with Him.                Rashi

            Rebbi Natan, the disciple of Rebbi Naḥman of Bratslav, notes that throughout the book of Deuteronomy, whenever Moses cautions the Israelites about fulfilling the Torah, the Master of all Prophets mentions the word “today,” since a Jew must feel renewal of Torah every day and every hour of every day.

            Similar to Rashi’s comment, the Midrash states:

(The statutes and ordinances) shall be beloved to you as if you received them this day at Mount Sinai; they should be memorable in your mouth as if you heard them today.      Midrash Tana’im, Deuteronomy 11:32

            On the simplest level, relating to accepting mitzvot and entry into God’s covenant as an experience constantly being renewed should kindle the flame of enthusiasm in fulfilling mitzvot, but Rebbi Natan adds the practical aspect of the addition of the word “today”:

Every day you should relate to them (mitzvot) as new, for in truth, all confusion and descent and falling (from the path of Torah) which people experience is due to thoughts about days past and the day to come…

            There is a risk of despairing of the possibility of repentance:

Each one considers himself as being set in his ways, to which he has been accustomed for many days, to the point where it appears to him that it is not possible to repent and return to a better way, and thereby on despairs of the possibility of achieving closeness to God, and this can lead to one’s total loss.

            One who despairs of the possibility of renewal despairs of the possibility of repentance (teshuva, which literally means “return”), the essence of which is renewal, on the plane of “Return us, Lord, to Yourself and we will come back; renew our days, as they were in the past.” [Lamentations 5:22] 

            Thus, one who daily and hourly feels that he receives Torah anew and each day and each hour enters the covenant with God, not only will fulfill mitzvot with greater enthusiasm, but will prevent himself from descent into despair as the result of his previous sins, and will leave open for himself the path to repentance, the path of the land of the living.

The Ultimate Shabbat of the Yaer

            

            Parashat Nitzavim (or the combined parashot Nitzavim – vaYelech) is always read on the Shabbat preceding Rosh haShana.

            Yalkut Shimoni [940] teaches that Nitzavim deals with the unity of the nation of Israel:

“You stand this day, all of you before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,” [Deuteronomy 29:9] – when is this true? When you are a single society, and so you find that Israel will be redeemed only when they are a single society.

            Similarly, Midrash Tanḥuma [Nitzavim 5:5] teaches:

When a single person sins, the entire generation is punished, as we find with Achan; it was (only) Achan son of Zeraḥ who transgressed by taking from the spoils of Jericho, which were to be destroyed, yet God’s anger was against the entire congregation of Israel [Joshua 22:20]. The measure of retribution is mild, and yet the entire generation was affected; the measure of goodness, which is great, how much more so, (therefore) even if there is but one righteous person among you, all will stand (before God) in his merit, and not only you, but the entire world, as the verse states: “… but the righteous are established forever” (the phrase can be translated “the righteous establish the world,” which is the midrashic understanding) [Proverbs 10:25].

            Tanḥuma‘s comment hints at what is, in my opinion, the single most important halacha in the sixty-nine halachot contained within the ten chapters of Maimonides’ Laws of Repentance [3:4, based upon the Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 40b]:

Therefore, throughout the entire year, every person must always see himself as equally balanced between merit and sin and the world as equally balanced between merit and sin. If he sins a single sin, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of guilt and brings destruction upon himself. [On the other hand,] if he performs one mitzva, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others. This is implied by the verse "The righteous establish the world," that is, he who acted righteously, tipped the balance of the entire world to merit and saved it.

            If, indeed, we reflect on the influence of our actions, for good and for bad, not only upon ourselves, but on the totality of Israel and on the entire world, it is likely that we will perform more mitzvot and sin fewer sins.

            Based upon this elucidation, the content of Parashat Nitzavim is certainly appropriate for the commencement of the days of judgment.

            It should be noted that the verse quoted by Maimonides (which is absent in the Talmudic source) is that quoted by Tanḥuma.

Daily Renewal: Torah and the Land

The Lord your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and all your soul.                                         Deuteronomy 26:16

“The Lord your God is commanding you this day” – whenever Israel is engaged with Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He considers them as having received Torah from Sinai on that day.            Midrash Tana’im

            Our Sages taught that we must cherish God’s mitzvot “as if we heard them today,” [Midrash Tana’im, Deuteronomy 11:32] and in their comment on our verse, they teach that the practical way of demonstrating our endearment of the mitzvot is to be engaged with them. Torah study and practice of mitzvot actively demonstrate Israel’s feeling of continually renewed receipt of receiving Torah.

            Our Sages taught that our attitude towards the Land of Israel, as well, must be one of daily renewal:

(The Land) should not be in your eyes as an inheritance from your fathers, but you should see it as a gift which was given you now.                               

                            Mechilta d’Rebbi Shimon bar Yoḥai

            Applying the comment of Midrash Tana’im teaches that concerning the Land as well, the practical sign that the Children of Israel indeed relate to the Land as a gift of God renewed on a daily basis is being engaged with the Land; through study of the centrality of the Land to the Nation of Israel, fulfilling the mitzvot which are dependent upon the Land and practical development.

Remaining Near Jerusalem

If the place chosen by God your Lord to be dedicated to His name is far from you, you need only slaughter your cattle and small animals that God will have given as I have commanded you. You may then eat them within your gates in any manner you desire.             Deuteronomy 12:21 “Far from you” – but you are not far from the place                                                 Alshikh

            In the four (Hebrew) words of his comment, Alshikh teaches an important lesson about the attitude of Jews towards the place which God chose, the Holy City of Jerusalem. Even when a Jew is physically far from Jerusalem, he must never be emotionally or spiritually far from her. As God Himself has inscribed Jerusalem on the palms of His hands and has her walls continually before Him [Isaiah 49:16], so too, we, the sons of His chosen nation, must always “see” and remember Jerusalem. [based upon Rashi’s elucidation of the verse]

            Indeed, for a traditionally observant Jew, the maximum amount of time which can pass without mentioning Jerusalem is from the recital of Shema on one’s bed until the morning prayers. The names Jerusalem and Zion (the second most frequent of Jerusalem’s seventy names) appear in the daily prayers approximately thirty times! As well, one who says the Grace After Meals prays for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Under the bridal canopy, the groom raises Jerusalem above his greatest joy [Psalms 137:6] and breaks a glass as a sign of mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. Even those who are less traditionally observant do not ignore Jerusalem. The majority of Jews celebrate some form of the Paschal Seder and sing “next year in Jerusalem.” As well, in synagogues throughout the world, at the end of the Yom Kippur prayers, before breaking the fast, Jews dance around the synagogue singing “next year in Jerusalem.”

            One who studies Jerusalem realizes that one of the most consistent lessons of the city’s history is that all those foreigners who captured her sooner or later disappear from history, while we, Jerusalem’s children, have been privileged through God’s grace to return to her. Indeed, in our parents’ generation, we returned following an absence of almost fifty generations. To me it is clear that the reason we have been privileged to return is the simple fact that we never left Jerusalem. Even during the period when the law forbade Jews entering Jerusalem, under penalty of death, we did not forget the place which is “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth” [Psalms 48:3], the light of the world [Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 501], God’s city. [Psalms 48:9]

            Shai Agnon expressed the point well in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, when he said:

As a result of the historic catastrophe in which Titus king of the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and exiled Israel from its Land, I was born in one of the cities of the Diaspora. But always, and at all times, I have considered myself one who was born in Jerusalem.

Agnon’s words are the practical application of Alshikh’s enlightening comment.  

A Tale of Two Mountains

When God your Lord brings you to the land which you are about to occupy, you must declare the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal.      Deuteronomy 11:29

                Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal delimit the city of Sh’chem. Mount Ebal on the north and Mount Gerizim on the south.

                There is a noticeable difference between the two mountains: Mount Gerizim, the mount of the blessings, is green and fertile while Mount Ebal, the mount of the curses, is relatively arid and barren. (This is true at least for the slopes facing Sh’chem.)

                Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains the symbolism of the choice of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim as the places for the curses and blessings. Man is faced with the choice between “The blessing (which will come) if you obey the commandments of God” [v. 27] and “The curse (which will come) if you do not obey the commandments of God.” [v.28] It is this choice which determines whether there will be the fruitfulness and plenty of Mount Gerizim or the desolation of Mount Ebal. The difference between the two mountains symbolizes “the extreme choice between attaining the highest degree of spiritual ascent and the deepest animalistic degradation, the choice between blessing and life and curse and death.”

                Ultimately, the blessing and curse are dependent upon “our behavior towards that which is to bring blessing,” namely observance of God’s mitzvot. “By our own moral behavior, we have to decide for ourselves for a Gerizim or Ebal future.”

                We were commanded upon entering the Promised Land, to build an altar specifically on Mount Ebal, the mount of the curse [Deuteronomy 27:5], while we would expect to build the altar on the mount of blessing, Mount Gerizim.

                Ḥizkuni (1250 - 1310) suggests that building the altar on Mount Ebal was, as it were, compensation for the six tribes who stood at the foot of Mount Ebal for the curses [Deuteronomy 27:13], “to comfort and calm them.”

                Rabbi Hirsch, following his own approach, notes that as the Torah was given in the wilderness, a place of desolation, so too, the first altar which the nation of Israel built in its Land was built in a place of desolation, Mount Ebal. Rabbi Hirsch suggests the symbolic significance of the choice of Mount Ebal for the location of the altar:

It was on Ebal, the bleak mount, that the altar of the Torah was built, for completely without prior conditions for it, is an Ebal to become a Gerizim through Torah. Land and people belong intimately together, neither really blossom without the other.

                The great lesson of the altar on Mount Ebal is that “the altar of Torah can be built on the most desolate soil,” and fulfillment of Torah can turn that desolate soil into fertile and blessed land.

                The choice is ours!

The Hafetz Hayyim and Mongolia

You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people…                                           Leviticus 19:16

It is a negative commandment not to tell anyone things that another person said about him. There is an even greater sin included within this prohibition, and that is evil gossip, which refers to one who speaks disparagingly of his fellow-man, even if he tells the truth. The Concise Book of Mitzvot compiled by Ḥafetz Ḥayyim [Negative Mitzva #77]

       My friend Barry, who took early retirement from his position as advisor to the Governor of the Bank of Israel and now works as an international consultant, recently returned from a trip to Mongolia.

Upon meeting Barry and noting his kippa, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Mongolia asked Barry if he is familiar with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, adding, “You might know him as the Ḥafetz Ḥayyim.”  Barry expressed curiosity about his interlocutor’s familiarity with the rabbi.

The Deputy Governor explained that he completed his doctorate in the United States where his mentor was a Jewish professor. At some point the Deputy Governor told his mentor that staff meetings at the Central Bank of Mongolia were totally unproductive, as the participants spent most of their time screaming at each other. The professor gave his student an English translation of the Ḥafetz Ḥayyim’s Shmirat haLashon (“Guarding the Tongue”), which the student read. The Deputy Governor returned to Mongolia with copies of Shmirat haLashon, and insisted that all participants in meetings read it.

Since then, the meetings at the Central Bank of Mongolia have become more civilized and productive.

This is sent in honor and appreciation of my friendship with Barry and Carol, which has already entered its fifth decade.

By the Rivers of Babylon

By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept as we remembered Zion.                    Psalms 137:1 Jeremiah said to them (the Israelite exiles):”I take heaven and earth as my witnesses, if you had cried but once while still in Zion, you would not have been exiled.”          Midrash Tehilim 137

      At first glance, Jeremiah’s comment is difficult to understand, since the time for crying would seemingly be after  the Temple’s destruction and Israel’s subsequent exile from its Land.

However, there are cries of sorrow and cries of joy. Jeremiah’s intention is: had the Israelites cried tears of joy (even once) during the time they were in Zion, thereby expressing their joy at the Temple’s existence, then they would not have been exiled.

        Two verses later, we find the Babylonian captors’ taunt of the Levites (who were responsible for musical accompaniment of the Temple service):

For there our captors asked us to sing; our tormentors requested songs of joy: "Sing us a song of Zion!" they said.

The Midrash [Breishit Rabbati, Parashat vaYetzei] provides the Levites’ response:

World class fools; had we but sung (the song of Zion) we would not have been exiled from our Land.”

    The first Midrash elucidates the second. Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus comments that crying flows from within a person and therefore is an expression of a deep attachment. Accordingly, we can understand the Levites’ response to be: had we but sung a song of Zion which originated from within us, from our hearts and souls, we would not have been exiled.

      In truth, the exiled Israelites took Jerusalem with them to Babylonia and to all corners of the earth to which we were subsequently exiled. It is unique in world history for a nation to have been exiled from its land and return to re-establish its sovereignty, and we have done it twice, with the second exile having lasted 1878 years! It is clear that the reason we Jews were privileged to return to Jerusalem is the simple fact that we never abandoned her. Throughout the years of exile, three times daily and whenever reciting the Grace After Meals, we continued to pray for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the Holy City is prominent in all our rituals. This connection to our eternal capital has allowed us to return, while all those who tried to keep us from her have disappeared from history.

      May the tears of sorrow we shed over Jerusalem in her destruction bring us to be privileged to cry tears of joy at her rebuilding, and may we merit singing songs of Zion which originate from the depths of our hearts and souls, within the rebuilt Jerusalem.

This Dvar Torah is dedicated to the memory of my wife. Sunday, 14 Menaḥem Av, would have been our 44^th wedding anniversary. It was the tears of joy which Gloria shed in Jerusalem which first attracted me to her. Through God’s grace, we had more than 41 years together to cry tears of joy and of sorrow within the Holy City, with the joyful tears exceeding the sorrowful ones.

Matot, Masei and the Three Weeks

         

We (naḥnu) will pass over as the vanguard before the Eternal into the land of Canaan …          Numbers 32:32

The sons of Gad and Reuven use the unusual form “naḥnu” rather than the common “anaḥnu,” which Ba’al haTurim relates to two other verses which also use the form “naḥnu”:

We are all the sons of one man …  Genesis 42:11

We have sinned and rebelled… Lamentations 3:42

My father explained the connection among the verses. Whether it is the vanguard going to fight God’s battles or the sinners of Israel, “we are all the sons of one man.” Every Jew must feel a sense of responsibility for all fellow Jews. Through this bond of unity and feeling of mutual responsibility, the sons of Gad and Reuven were empowered to enter the Promised Land as Israel’s vanguard. Ultimately, the tribes’ acceptance of their communal responsibility, rather than focusing on their narrow personal interests, is the guarantee of their success in liberating the Holy Land.

This message of the importance of feeling common kinship and unity is especially timely, as Parashat Matot is always read during the period of three weeks of mourning the destruction of the Temple, since the second Temple was destroyed as the result of baseless hatred (sin’at ḥinam) among the Jews.

            The Hassidic master, the Rebbi of Skolin noted that Parashat Masei is always read during the Three Weeks, the period of national mourning from the 17^th of Tammuz until the 9^th of Av, and explained that there is a valuable lesson to be learnt from this timing.

            All the journeys of the Children of Israel and all their travail in the desert were for the purpose of reaching the Promised Land. So too we must be aware that all of Israel's journeys through the long and bitter exile are for the purpose of purifying us until we reach the final redemption which will bring Israel's return to its Land.

The Great Treachery

            In no fewer than four parashot, Tzror haMor attacks the “treachery” of the Tribe of Gad, who “despised the Desirable Land, the Land flowing milk and honey, and chose to settle in an unclean land, full of idolatry and the spirit of impurity.” Gad was guilty of two evils: “failure to see the sanctity of the Land of Israel and to love it,” despising the Land which is “desired by all nations, and give (to Israel) by the hand of God,” “not wanting to enter the Land of Israel, the Holy Land;” and “they failed to see the impurity and ugliness” of the land outside the Holy Land.”

            The Request of the Tribe of Gad to remain east of the River Jordan was “against the Divine will and against that of Moses’” and in making this request, the sons of Gad followed the approach of the spies in despising the Land, as well as the approach of Koraḥ, who dissociated himself from the congregation.

            In despising the Land, the sons of Gad “turned away from God, and were comparable to idolaters, as our Sages taught ‘Anyone who lives outside the Land is considered as one who does not have a God.’” [Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 110b] Indeed, the nine and a half tribes who settled west of the Jordan suspected the tribes of the eastern side of the River Jordan of “rebellion against the Lord.” [Joshua 22:16]

            Tzror haMor sees the name “Gad” itself as conveying the treachery. Concerning the naming of Gad, we read:

Good fortune has come (ba gad) and she (Leah) named him Gad.                              Genesis 30:16

The words “ba gad” are written in the Torah as a single word and without the letter aleph, the spelling of the word which means treachery. Tzror haMor suggests that Leah’s choice of name conveyed a prophetic insight of the “great treachery” destined to be committed by the Tribe of Gad in choosing to remain in an impure land and abandon the desired Land, the Holy Land.

            Tzror haMor labels Gad’s preference for an inheritance east of the River Jordan not only as “treachery” but as well as a “great rebellion” against the Divine will. The motivation for Gad’s choice was the fact that the tribe was shepherds and their fear that the Land would be insufficient for their needs. In this consideration, Gad “failed to see that ‘No one ever said the place is too narrow.’” [Avot 5:5]  As well, Gad “failed to see that ‘the Land expands when Israel is upon her and contracts when they are not.’” [Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 57a]

            In addition, the Tribe of Gad ignored the fact that the Land is called “the desirable Land because the fathers of the world (our Patriarchs) desired it and it was given to them by (Divine) oath, as Scripture states ‘to your descendants will I give this Land’.” [Genesis 12:7]. As well, Gad ignored “all that Moses had done in order to enter the Land.”

            (The reason that the Tribe of Gad, and not Reuben is the subject of Tzror haMor’s strong criticism is the fact that “the sons of Gad advised Reuben to join them, and they (Gad) initiated the treachery. Thus Gad sinned and encouraged Reuben to sin along with him.” The verses are consistent in presenting Gad as the spokesperson, indicating that he was the initiator.)

            We may comment that Tzror haMor attacks Gad for choosing the eastern side of the River Jordan, which, though it is not the Land of the Shechina, has the sanctity of the Land. That is, “the eastern side of the Jordan is part of the Land of Israel, though its level of sanctity is below that of the main part of the Land (west of the Jordan).” [Talmudic Encyclopedia – Eretz Yisrael 208]

            Given this fact, what would Tzror haMor have to say about our brethren who choose to remain on foreign soil, in places completely devoid of sanctity, which are totally outside the Land!?!

Numbers and Joshua

Bemidbar, the fourth book of the Torah, deals with the preparations for Israel’s entry into its Land, and as such, presents a quantum change, from a lifestyle which is centered on miracles (the clouds of glory, manna, Miriam’s well, etc.) to one which must be lived on a natural level.    

            Bemidbar, in a real sense is the precursor to the Book of Joshua (since Deuteronomy is essentially Moses’ review of the experience of forty years in the wilderness). The events described in the early chapters of Joshua convey a gradual weaning of the Israelites from dependence upon overt miracles.

            To enter the Promised Land, Israel crossed the River Jordan in a miraculous manner:

… When the feet of the Kohanim who carried the ark dipped in the edge of the water (of the Jordan), the waters flowing from above stood and rose up in one heap …                Joshua 3:15-16

The Israelites took no part in the miracle of crossing the Jordan; it was exclusively God’s work.

            Israel’s first conquest in the Land, Jericho was accomplished miraculously, as we read:

Encircle the city and march around it once. Do this for six days. And seven Kohanim shall carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, circle the city seven times, with the Kohanim blowing the shofarot. Have them blow a long blast on the shofar, and when you hear the blast, have all the people shout a mighty shout, and the wall of the city will collapse…  And the vanguard went before the Kohanim who blew the rams’ horns, and the rearguard went after the ark …            Joshua 6:3-5,9

            While the conquest of Jericho was miraculous, the Israelites participated in effecting the miracle.

            The second conquest in the Land, the capture of Ai, was achieved without relying on an overt miracle, as described in Joshua 8:3ff.

            Thus, we see a progression from overt Divine intervention with no human component to God and the Israelites acting together to the Israelites acting without overt Divine intervention. It is to be noted, that lack of overt intervention by God, of course, does not imply lack of His providence over His chosen people. (In fact, God instructed Joshua: “Stretch out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand,” [Joshua 8:18] which was the sign to begin the attack on Ai.)

            In the battle which Joshua fought after capturing Ai, the Battle of the Ayalon Valley, he and the Israelites benefitted from two overt miracles: at the Bet Ḥoron descent, God cast stones from the heavens upon the fleeing Amorites soldiers, killing more soldiers than were killed by Joshua’s troops, [ibid. 11] and the sun stood still long enough for Joshua to complete his victory over the coalition of five Amorite kings. [Joshua 10:12-13] This apparently reverses the trend and reverts to God’s open intervention. 

            However, as Yigal Ariel noted in his commentary on the Book of Joshua, Joshua did not request the first miracle. Thus the message is that when Israel is ready to its part, God, as it were, is not averse to performing miracles in support of Israel. It seems clear that had Joshua not acted in a natural manner, God would not have intervened on his behalf.

Focus of the Seven Lamps

And God spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and say to him: when you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light towards the body of the menorah.”   

                                          Numbers 8:1-2

          “The body of the menorah” is the central branch [Rashi, verse 2], and therefore Kli Yakar posits that the verse should have stated “the six lamps shall give light towards the body of the menorah,” since the verse teaches that the wicks of the six lights are turned toward the light of the central branch of the menorah.

       My father suggested that the verse teaches that even the central light, which represents the light of Torah, must be turned, as it were, internally, that Torah is to be studied for its own sake.

          The six branches of the menorah represent “wisdoms” other than Torah, and this concept provides an additional answer to Kli Yakar’s question: it is only when all seven lights shine together, with Torah at the center, that the other “wisdoms” can be of real value.