All over the world Yidden on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur shed thousands of tears when we say the tefilah of “Unisaneh tokef”. If we think about it it seems as if we don’t understand what is the important part of the davening. All that tefilah is just a mussar shmooze, just telling us what happens on these exalted days. It’s not at that moment that we are being judged and it’s not the highlight of the tefilos. If anything we should be crying when we crown Hashem by saying Malchios, zichronos and shofros or when we blow the shofar. What is it about this small tefilah before Kedusha that became the highlight of our Mussaf?
Ezra implemented the reading of Parshas Ki Savoh- the Parsha that contains 98 curses, before Rosh Hashanah because “Tichlah shanah v’kililosehuh” the year and it’s curses shall come to an end. What does that mean just because we read the Parsha how does that translate into a year of blessing?
The Rma”z (one of the big chachmai kabola) writes that if one reads the curses with yiras shamaim it’s as if he lived through them. The Beer Moshe (Ozlevah Rebbah) explains, that the point of bad things befalling Klal Yisroel is that we should come to fear Hashem. To come to the realization that everything we get or don’t get, the good and the bad all come from our father in heaven. We say on Yom Kipper “Ki atah tzadik al kol haboh aleinu” For you are righteous on all that befalls us. We can translate this to mean that we put our full faith in Hashem that anything that will happen to us is coming from Hashem and is just. Standing less then two weeks away from the day of judgment, we read about curses and what can happen to us if we don’t listen to Hashem. What we have to believe is that the only thing that keeps us removed from all those terrible things stated in the Parsha, is Hashem’s loving kindness. That on our own standing we don’t deserve anything that we have or the good we ask Hashem to send us in the new year. “Whatever Hashem sends our way is righteous”. Ezra told us a deep secret, if we read the curses before Rosh Hashanah and picture ourselves going through all of it and then believing that Hashem is the one that’s saving us from every curse and in his infinite kindness gives us all the good, then there is no need to live through it.
This special gift of being able to come to Yiras Hashem just through visualizing the potential calamities was put into our Rosh Hashana mussaf by Reb. Amnon. When we say the beautiful yet frightening words of Unesanah Tokef the point is to experience the words “who will live and who will die,…who with water and who with fire….” To realize that on the day of judgment we stand there in front of Hashem deserving nothing and that anything we get is overflowing with his kindness.
Based on a shmooze given by, Reb Elyah Brudny Shlit"a.
31 August, 2007
28 August, 2007
Elul- The Answer
The real question is that why did Klal Yisroel need a reminder of the shofar not to sin again couldn’t they learn from their mistake? They just got burned for making an eigal now a mere forty days later they weren’t going to do the same thing all over.
The Maharal says that Klal Yisroel were only able to make the Eigal at the exact moment that Moshe was getting the Luchos from Hashem. The nisayoin of the eigal wasn’t just a desire to worship an idol it was a cosmic mistake. Klal Yisroel thought that this was the right way to worship Hashem. Klal Yisroel grew to a level where they needed something to hold onto, something spiritual to connect them to Hashem and that lead them to the Eigal. The connection they felt they were missing was in reality being given to them at that second, Hashem was giving the Luchas to Moshe right then. They felt a connection- which was real, but was still in heaven. They wanted to see and feel it right away and not wait until Hashem gave them what he knew was the connection they were yearning for.
The second time Moshe went up to heaven there was no risk of Klal Yisroel making a Eigal for the risk was only there when the luchas were there, when there was a yearning for a higher connection. But they had lost that level when they made the eigal and Moshe broke the luchas.
Along came Rosh Chodesh Elul. Moshe was going up once again this time with two tablets of stone for the luchas to be written on. For forty days Klal Yisroel was to prepare themselves and come closer to Hashem through teshuvah. Along with this closeness came along the Yetzar Harah to jump closer to Hashem than permissible. The defense for this was the shofar to wake them up and remind them not to make false connections to Hashem.
Just like the first Elul we relive that closeness every year. The Gemora says that Yom Kipper is special for it’s the day we are forgiven and it’s the day we got the luchas. The teshuvah aspect of Elul and Yom Kipper is only secondary to the closeness we should be striving for. The point of these forty days is just the same as they were in the desert, to inch forward one step at a time to Hashem and his Torah. The way to do it in Elul is through teshuvah, but we cannot lose sight of the goal.
The Maharal says that Klal Yisroel were only able to make the Eigal at the exact moment that Moshe was getting the Luchos from Hashem. The nisayoin of the eigal wasn’t just a desire to worship an idol it was a cosmic mistake. Klal Yisroel thought that this was the right way to worship Hashem. Klal Yisroel grew to a level where they needed something to hold onto, something spiritual to connect them to Hashem and that lead them to the Eigal. The connection they felt they were missing was in reality being given to them at that second, Hashem was giving the Luchas to Moshe right then. They felt a connection- which was real, but was still in heaven. They wanted to see and feel it right away and not wait until Hashem gave them what he knew was the connection they were yearning for.
The second time Moshe went up to heaven there was no risk of Klal Yisroel making a Eigal for the risk was only there when the luchas were there, when there was a yearning for a higher connection. But they had lost that level when they made the eigal and Moshe broke the luchas.
Along came Rosh Chodesh Elul. Moshe was going up once again this time with two tablets of stone for the luchas to be written on. For forty days Klal Yisroel was to prepare themselves and come closer to Hashem through teshuvah. Along with this closeness came along the Yetzar Harah to jump closer to Hashem than permissible. The defense for this was the shofar to wake them up and remind them not to make false connections to Hashem.
Just like the first Elul we relive that closeness every year. The Gemora says that Yom Kipper is special for it’s the day we are forgiven and it’s the day we got the luchas. The teshuvah aspect of Elul and Yom Kipper is only secondary to the closeness we should be striving for. The point of these forty days is just the same as they were in the desert, to inch forward one step at a time to Hashem and his Torah. The way to do it in Elul is through teshuvah, but we cannot lose sight of the goal.
24 August, 2007
Elul- The Question
The origin for blowing shofar in Elul, says the Tur- is related to the first Elul the Jews were in the desert. Moshe Rabbeinu went up to the Heavens for forty days and nights after Matan Torah, to bring down the Luchos to Klal Yisroel. On the seventeenth of Tamuz Klal Yisroel miscalculated and thinking that Moshe wasn’t coming down, made the golden calf. Moshe came down and saw that Klal Yisroel sinned, he dropped the Luchos and they shattered at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The next day Moshe went back up for a second set of forty days and nights to beg Hashem for forgiveness for Klal Yisroel. On the last day of Av Hashem told Moshe bring me two tablets and I shall rewrite the Luchos for Klal Yisroel. Moshe came down and related all that happened to Klal Yisroel and on Rosh Chodesh Elul he went back up for a third and final set of forty days and nights this time to bring down the second Luchos. That first day of Elul they blew the shofar to notify all when Moshe went up and that they shall not come to make the same mistake that they made the first time Moshe went up. Since that Elul we blow shofar every day in Elul to commemorate and try to relive those special days Klal Yisroel had in the Midbar.
The question is why did they only blow shofar the third time Moshe went up? Why weren’t they scared of making the same mistake on the eighteenth day of Tamuz, the second time Moshe went up?
What do you think?
Parshas Ki Sietzai
“When you vow a vow onto Hashem, do not defer to pay it, for Hashem will surely demand payment of it from you, and there would be sin upon you”. The Torah is talking about when one promises a Korban you should bring it as soon as possible. The same is true with Tzedakah in general that if one pledges to give charity, it’s as severe as he gave it already and the Torah says that Hashem will demand it from him. Why is it that the Torah put such an emphasis on paying up something you merely promised - that Hashem will be ‘doresh’-demand it? After all it’s only words, you didn’t do or not do anything. If I promise to buy you a gift and don’t give it to you, you might have a right to be upset, but you cannot demand it from me, you cannot take me to court just because I promised you a gift. So why does Hashem come and demand that we pay up the gifts we pledge to hekdish?
When we promise something to Hashem in the form of tzedakah, when he demands it, it’s in our benefit. Hashem can take care of the tzedakah himself he doesn’t need our contributions, rather it’s a zechus- opportunity that he gave us to take part in the building of his institutions. The reason we would promise something is that at that moment we are unable to give for whatever reason, but we’re inspired to give so we promise. Hashem at that moment looks at our will to give and gives us credit as if we gave. If we get credit for the promising then obviously he has a right to make a demand for the actual gift. The Dubbno Maggid gives a parable. I borrow something from you and give it to a judge as a gift. If you take me to court to get me to return the item to you, the judge will obviously do anything that will let him keep the object and try to tilt the judgment in my favor. So too Hashem, when we promise something since he sees it as he got it already and he’s enjoying our gift, he will do everything he can that will let him hold on to it and make sure you come through on your pledge.
When we promise something to Hashem in the form of tzedakah, when he demands it, it’s in our benefit. Hashem can take care of the tzedakah himself he doesn’t need our contributions, rather it’s a zechus- opportunity that he gave us to take part in the building of his institutions. The reason we would promise something is that at that moment we are unable to give for whatever reason, but we’re inspired to give so we promise. Hashem at that moment looks at our will to give and gives us credit as if we gave. If we get credit for the promising then obviously he has a right to make a demand for the actual gift. The Dubbno Maggid gives a parable. I borrow something from you and give it to a judge as a gift. If you take me to court to get me to return the item to you, the judge will obviously do anything that will let him keep the object and try to tilt the judgment in my favor. So too Hashem, when we promise something since he sees it as he got it already and he’s enjoying our gift, he will do everything he can that will let him hold on to it and make sure you come through on your pledge.
17 August, 2007
Parshas Shoftim- Reb Sabra
In Vilna at the turn of the 20th century the enlightened Jews put up a
skit making fun of the Torah and those who kept it. The script was
taken out of this weeks parsha and was about how the Torah tells us to
choose our army for wars to be fought.
The curtains rose and you see a crowd of people standing around as if
prepared for a battle when the commander gets up to make an
announcement. Whoever built a new home and did not live in it yet
should return home for he might be killed in battle and someone else
will live in his home. At this announcement some of the people on
stage jump up and run off the stage joyously "yay we don't have to
fight". the commander continues "whoever planted a vineyard and didnt
harvest it return home, for he might fall in battle....." at this some
more people jump off stage. the announcements continue "whoever
betrothed a woman but has not yet lived with her(or is in the first
year of his marriage shall return home". and at this some more people
jump off shouting "matchmaker i need a shidduch". and the audience is
laughing at this ridiculous way of choosing an army.
But it gets even funnier; at this point there is about half of the
original "army" on stage when the commander gets up and says "whoever
is scared and fainthearted let him return home lest he lose his heart
in war and cause his brothers to fall" at this all the rest of the
"army" jumps off stage "I'm scared, I'm frightened", and on stage are
left three old men, the Chofetz Chaim, R' Chiam Ozer(the rabbi of
vilna) and R' Chaim of Brisk. With this the curtain falls and the
audience is in tears from laughter at the ridiculous way the ancient
jews did war.
Someone who saw this play came to report back to R Chaim of Brisk
about this play, and asked him whats the answer to them, from what it
looks like this is the way the Torah commanded us to do war, so are
they right or is there another way of explaining the subject? R' Chaim
answered him their 100% right this is what the Torah wants our army to
look like, and this is the way the Jewish army was when they were in
Eretz Yisrael and had their own army, three old Torah scholars vs. an
entire army of elephants(eg. the Macabees were 13 soldiers taking on
the entire Greek army, and we all know the outcome of that). However
said R' Chaim they missed one point, they missed showing the end, the
end result that they missed that these three old men with their canes
go on to win the war. That is something they didnt show and wouldn't
show for that would take away the humor of their fun poking.
We look at the world and see everything works with cause and effect,
the more effort put in the better the result, the bigger and stronger
usually win, no pain no gain etc. However looking at the world this
way sometimesw makes us forget that Hashem s running the world and is
in charge of bringing out the final product of our efforts. We do our
jobs, and we must do our jobs, but then how it all ends up working out
is ultimately up to Hashem.
The Gemara brings that a Roman once asked R' Akiva what does Hashem do
all day? R' Akiva replied He acts as matchmaker.
the basic understanding of this answer is that he matches up couples
for marriage. but a deeper way of understanding the Gemara is that
everything we do in life in order for it to succeed needs help input
and the skills of others. for example, lets say you have great
marketing idea for your company, you'll need the right person to tell
him your idea and hopefully he'll see it as a good idea too. then you
need to find the right graphic designer to bring out the idea just the
right way. you'll also need approval from the entire marketing team
and board of directors before your idea even gets a chance to make out
into the world, not to say who said that the public will like it. For
all the pieces to fall into place, for you to meet just the right
person and that he should know just the right place to get things done
you need a "Matchmaker" Who will allow all the circumstances to work
out, if He deems it to and if He doesnt approve of it as great as your
idea is you just won't bump into the right people or be in the right
places, for the "Matchmaker" wasn't working with you.
So let us remember that ultimately Hashem is running the world (and
He doesn't need our help running it). And if He deems fit even three
old bent over Torah scholars will beat an entire world with its most
sophisticated weapons.
So trust in Hashem live according to His dictactes and He will match
you up with the things that will lead you to suuccess
skit making fun of the Torah and those who kept it. The script was
taken out of this weeks parsha and was about how the Torah tells us to
choose our army for wars to be fought.
The curtains rose and you see a crowd of people standing around as if
prepared for a battle when the commander gets up to make an
announcement. Whoever built a new home and did not live in it yet
should return home for he might be killed in battle and someone else
will live in his home. At this announcement some of the people on
stage jump up and run off the stage joyously "yay we don't have to
fight". the commander continues "whoever planted a vineyard and didnt
harvest it return home, for he might fall in battle....." at this some
more people jump off stage. the announcements continue "whoever
betrothed a woman but has not yet lived with her(or is in the first
year of his marriage shall return home". and at this some more people
jump off shouting "matchmaker i need a shidduch". and the audience is
laughing at this ridiculous way of choosing an army.
But it gets even funnier; at this point there is about half of the
original "army" on stage when the commander gets up and says "whoever
is scared and fainthearted let him return home lest he lose his heart
in war and cause his brothers to fall" at this all the rest of the
"army" jumps off stage "I'm scared, I'm frightened", and on stage are
left three old men, the Chofetz Chaim, R' Chiam Ozer(the rabbi of
vilna) and R' Chaim of Brisk. With this the curtain falls and the
audience is in tears from laughter at the ridiculous way the ancient
jews did war.
Someone who saw this play came to report back to R Chaim of Brisk
about this play, and asked him whats the answer to them, from what it
looks like this is the way the Torah commanded us to do war, so are
they right or is there another way of explaining the subject? R' Chaim
answered him their 100% right this is what the Torah wants our army to
look like, and this is the way the Jewish army was when they were in
Eretz Yisrael and had their own army, three old Torah scholars vs. an
entire army of elephants(eg. the Macabees were 13 soldiers taking on
the entire Greek army, and we all know the outcome of that). However
said R' Chaim they missed one point, they missed showing the end, the
end result that they missed that these three old men with their canes
go on to win the war. That is something they didnt show and wouldn't
show for that would take away the humor of their fun poking.
We look at the world and see everything works with cause and effect,
the more effort put in the better the result, the bigger and stronger
usually win, no pain no gain etc. However looking at the world this
way sometimesw makes us forget that Hashem s running the world and is
in charge of bringing out the final product of our efforts. We do our
jobs, and we must do our jobs, but then how it all ends up working out
is ultimately up to Hashem.
The Gemara brings that a Roman once asked R' Akiva what does Hashem do
all day? R' Akiva replied He acts as matchmaker.
the basic understanding of this answer is that he matches up couples
for marriage. but a deeper way of understanding the Gemara is that
everything we do in life in order for it to succeed needs help input
and the skills of others. for example, lets say you have great
marketing idea for your company, you'll need the right person to tell
him your idea and hopefully he'll see it as a good idea too. then you
need to find the right graphic designer to bring out the idea just the
right way. you'll also need approval from the entire marketing team
and board of directors before your idea even gets a chance to make out
into the world, not to say who said that the public will like it. For
all the pieces to fall into place, for you to meet just the right
person and that he should know just the right place to get things done
you need a "Matchmaker" Who will allow all the circumstances to work
out, if He deems it to and if He doesnt approve of it as great as your
idea is you just won't bump into the right people or be in the right
places, for the "Matchmaker" wasn't working with you.
So let us remember that ultimately Hashem is running the world (and
He doesn't need our help running it). And if He deems fit even three
old bent over Torah scholars will beat an entire world with its most
sophisticated weapons.
So trust in Hashem live according to His dictactes and He will match
you up with the things that will lead you to suuccess
10 August, 2007
Parshas Re'ai
ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה "See, I place before you this day; blessing and curse." The Mefoshrim all ask what does the posuk mean by 'see'? What is it that we should see? Wouldn't the verb 'hear' be more appropriate?
The Baal Haturim explains the pasuk to mean, See- the time when Hashem said 'anochi'- the beginning of the ten commandments. Hashem is telling us the secret in making the right decisions, to make sure we choose blessing over curse, is that we should visualize the moment of the giving of the Torah when we saw the glory of Hashem. When we stood at the foot of Har Sinai we were able to see the sounds. What was the need for that miracle of seeing what we were hearing? The Nesivous Shalom explains that 'seeing is believing' when someone sees something no one can disprove it and convince him that it never happened. Hashem made us see the glory of matan Torah so when a time comes and your not sure what to do visualize that moment of history when you saw what's right and what's wrong. That is what the Baal Haturim means 'Look', visualize for your self a time that you did see and it wasn't just hearing what someone told you. You actually saw Hashem's glory and by seeing it you cannot forget it and no one can steer you off the right path.
The Baal Haturim explains the pasuk to mean, See- the time when Hashem said 'anochi'- the beginning of the ten commandments. Hashem is telling us the secret in making the right decisions, to make sure we choose blessing over curse, is that we should visualize the moment of the giving of the Torah when we saw the glory of Hashem. When we stood at the foot of Har Sinai we were able to see the sounds. What was the need for that miracle of seeing what we were hearing? The Nesivous Shalom explains that 'seeing is believing' when someone sees something no one can disprove it and convince him that it never happened. Hashem made us see the glory of matan Torah so when a time comes and your not sure what to do visualize that moment of history when you saw what's right and what's wrong. That is what the Baal Haturim means 'Look', visualize for your self a time that you did see and it wasn't just hearing what someone told you. You actually saw Hashem's glory and by seeing it you cannot forget it and no one can steer you off the right path.
01 August, 2007
Married to Hashem
V'ata yisroel mah Hashem Elokecha doresh mimcha. Now Yisroel what does Hashem ask of you, all He asks for is to Fear Him, go in His ways, love Him and serve Him with all your heart an soul.
Imagine some one telling you "all I ask you to do is my laundry, wash my car, giv me food and give me money" you would tell him go take a hike, I'll do you a favor but what you're asking for is to give up my day for you and you tell me all I as you is....?
So to in the passuk above "all" Hashem asks for is a whole lot not a little favor?
another interesting thing is that Chazal tell us that there is an allusion to the Rabbinic mitzvah of making 100 brochos a day in the above passuk. For instead of reading the word as mah, what, read it as meah, 100, an allusion to 100 brochos a day. the question is what does 100 brochos have to do with the above passuk?
In order to answer the question let us go back to our friend asking us all he needs from us is.....
Now lets imagine the friend who is asking you this is your wife, or your husband. When you asked your wife "will you marry me?" and she excitedly said YES!!!, in effect what both of you were saying was You'll be cooking for me, doing my laundry, cleaning my house and so on. And when she said yes, she was saying, you'll be going to work and support me, give me my needs whatever they may be. These were things that are laying behind a simple question and answer, but no one thinks of that why? because we're dealing with marriage, and all these things are just part of the deal called marriage, and are even minor things when we look at the whole picture.
Now imagine this couple is married and he is bringing home the money, taking out the garbage and all his other jobs, she is cooking, cleaning and running a very efficient home, but they don't talk to each other. That's not a marriage you'll say, why, everyone is doing what their supposed to be doing? The answer is because one of the keys of marriage is communication speaking to each other and sharing life's experiences with each other, if this is lacking no matter how good you do our job you don't have a marriage.
So to Klal Yisroel's relationship with Hashem. Hashem doesn't need us to work for Him, do Him favors or for us to kiss up to Him. What Hashem wants from us is a bond, a connection something we call a bris. When Hashem tells us all I ask of you is to fear Me, go in My ways etc. , He is saying that I want you to live your life together with Me, be "married" to Me, and then it will be all I ask of you, because we are working on something so much more than these minor details.
And this is why there is an allusion to 100 daily borochos. because since a bond is developed through communication, in order for us to "communicate" with Hashem we make brochos. We tell Hashem thank you for preparing such a wonderful world for me, I'm going through this and this issue please help me or just saying hi I'm connected to you. Saying these things is what makes us live with Hashem, and that is why 100 brochos is so important. And this is the reason why it is alluded to in this passuk, it is telling us how to live with Hashem that all the things we do for Him are "all He asks of us".
May we all be zoche to really live our lives married to Hakodosh Boroch Hu.
Imagine some one telling you "all I ask you to do is my laundry, wash my car, giv me food and give me money" you would tell him go take a hike, I'll do you a favor but what you're asking for is to give up my day for you and you tell me all I as you is....?
So to in the passuk above "all" Hashem asks for is a whole lot not a little favor?
another interesting thing is that Chazal tell us that there is an allusion to the Rabbinic mitzvah of making 100 brochos a day in the above passuk. For instead of reading the word as mah, what, read it as meah, 100, an allusion to 100 brochos a day. the question is what does 100 brochos have to do with the above passuk?
In order to answer the question let us go back to our friend asking us all he needs from us is.....
Now lets imagine the friend who is asking you this is your wife, or your husband. When you asked your wife "will you marry me?" and she excitedly said YES!!!, in effect what both of you were saying was You'll be cooking for me, doing my laundry, cleaning my house and so on. And when she said yes, she was saying, you'll be going to work and support me, give me my needs whatever they may be. These were things that are laying behind a simple question and answer, but no one thinks of that why? because we're dealing with marriage, and all these things are just part of the deal called marriage, and are even minor things when we look at the whole picture.
Now imagine this couple is married and he is bringing home the money, taking out the garbage and all his other jobs, she is cooking, cleaning and running a very efficient home, but they don't talk to each other. That's not a marriage you'll say, why, everyone is doing what their supposed to be doing? The answer is because one of the keys of marriage is communication speaking to each other and sharing life's experiences with each other, if this is lacking no matter how good you do our job you don't have a marriage.
So to Klal Yisroel's relationship with Hashem. Hashem doesn't need us to work for Him, do Him favors or for us to kiss up to Him. What Hashem wants from us is a bond, a connection something we call a bris. When Hashem tells us all I ask of you is to fear Me, go in My ways etc. , He is saying that I want you to live your life together with Me, be "married" to Me, and then it will be all I ask of you, because we are working on something so much more than these minor details.
And this is why there is an allusion to 100 daily borochos. because since a bond is developed through communication, in order for us to "communicate" with Hashem we make brochos. We tell Hashem thank you for preparing such a wonderful world for me, I'm going through this and this issue please help me or just saying hi I'm connected to you. Saying these things is what makes us live with Hashem, and that is why 100 brochos is so important. And this is the reason why it is alluded to in this passuk, it is telling us how to live with Hashem that all the things we do for Him are "all He asks of us".
May we all be zoche to really live our lives married to Hakodosh Boroch Hu.
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