Parshas V'eschanan- Shema Yisroel

Shema Yisroel Hashem Elokainu Hashem echod. This sentence is usually one of the first and the last uttered by all Jews- the posuk of kabolas ol malchas shamaim. The words 'Hashem Elokainu Hashem echod' are generally accepted as the main part of the declaration of Hashem's kingship and the first two words are just a prefix. Is that true? Or are the words Shema yisroel a vital part of kabolas ol malchus?

After tachnun we address Hashem as 'Shomer'- we daven that he watches over us- with three different merits. The first is for we are Yisroel and we say "Shema Yisroel". The second is for we are one nation as we say "Hashem echod" and the third protect the holy nation who say "kadosh kadosh kadosh". Let us concentrate on the first two. When we ask Hashem to protect us in the merit of saying "Shema Yisroel" what does that mean? Are we referring to the verse as a whole and we just say only the words "Shema Yisroel" for they fit poetically, but in essence we mean the words that follow which are "Hashem Elokainu Hashem Echad"? If so what it is the same as the second merit. Or is there a deeper meaning to the specific words "Shema Yisroel"?
I once heard in the name of R' Y. David Shlita (then found it in a wonderful book 'tachnun') a beautiful answer. To accept Hashem's kingship is the first thing every Jew must do, but there is one thing which we must do before we can even start. In order to talk of Hashem we must first and foremost be part of Knesses Yisroel, we must belong to the nation which is one with Hashem. After we accept upon us the achdus of the entire nation of Yisroel may we address Hashem and accept his oneness. We start the most awesome verse with a prefix "Shema Yisroel" - I am a part of the great nation of Yisroel and I am ready to proclaim to the world "Hashem Echad". Our first tefillah is to protect us because we are the nation of Yisroel- that alone is a reason for meriting divine protection.

Story Time- Nechama

On Friday the 17th day of Av 1929 truckloads of Arabs carried out a terrible massacre on the Yidden of Chevron. By the 20th of Av, the florishing yishuv of Chevron had ended.
The first Rosh Hashana after the massacre the survivors of Chevron with their families, gathered together to daven in yerushlaim. The room wore an air of pain and deep anguish, of dejection bordering on despair. The mashgiach R' Lieb Chasman asked a bucher R' Betzalel Shikovitzky to lead the Yeshiva with marriv the first night. After the conregation finished the second bracha- Ahavas olam, the chazzen began "V'ahavascha al tasir mimenu l'olamim"- And never, ever remove your love from us. Tears choked his throat as he said the words once and then a second time and kept on repeating the words- Hashem always did and continues to love us- over and over again. Like one person all present all the ones that had witnessed that terrible tragedy repeated along with the chazzen "V'ahavascha al tasir mimenu l'olamim". It was that tfillah that gave them strength to accept Hashem judgment with love.

Parsha Point to Ponder

We find that Moshe davened 515 tefillos trying to reverse the decree that he cannot go into Eretz Yisroel.
Why do we not find Aron - who recieved the same decree at the same time- davening at all for the privilge to enter the holy land?

Story Time

A few Hours late but today was the Yartziet of Reb Shlome ben Ben-Tzion Halbershtam- the Rebbie of Bobov Zatzal.
On a normal weekday the Bobover Ruv- R' Shlome Halbershtam, would daven shachris with the balai batim in the main Shul of Bobov. Being that most of the minyan was made up of people that had to be at work, the Ruv made sure to daven at a regular pace in order to be finished on time. When he was on vacation he was able to spend more time on Shachris and made sure to take advantage of it. It is said that Birchas Krias Shema- that usually takes five to ten minutes would take him at least twenty! One day while on vacation the Gabbi realized that the RUv was crying when he said the words 'Baal milchomos'- praising Hashem that he is the leader of war. The Gabbi was perplexed by this behavior for it was a time that the world was at peace and no war was being held, so he asked the Ruv what was he crying about? The Ruv answered that when he was in New York around the Chassidim the Chassidim had someone to look up to and be inspired by and thus their fight against the Yetzar Horah was easier. Being that he is away for awhile it's easy for the chassidim to forget him and loose some power in the fight for good and growth. When he praised Hashem that he leads wars he wasn't referring to the physical wars that go on in the world, he was praising Hashem and begging him to help his Chassidim back home to stay connected and be able to overcome the yetzer horah and not falter one bit from their connection to Hashem.

Striking Point Parshas Massai

Those who were jailed in the Ir Miklat (city of refuge for one that killed someone by accident) were freed upon the death of the Kohen Gadol. The only such clause in the Torah were one has to wait for someones death.

The ONLY death recorded in the Torah with a date of his petira, is that of Ahron- the Kohen Gadol.
Both are mentioned in this weeks Parsha.

The Three Weeks Part 2

"Al naharos Bavel shom yushavnu gam bochienuh" As we sat on the shores of Bavel our first experience of galus as a nation. We were driven from our homeland in brutal fashion with hundreds of thousands dead, our nation in ruins. What were they crying for? Dovid Hamelach continues the Pasuk "Bezachrainu ess Tzion." At the moment they got to Bavel they didn't cry for themselves in exile far from their home, not for all the pain and suffering they went through, not for the uncertainty that lay ahead or even all their lost and tortured brethren. They cried for one thing "Tzion". All that was bothering them was that they didn't have the Bais Hamikdosh and that they were so far removed from Hashem. They- the Yidden that had lived and breathed the air of the Bais Hamikdosh- knew what they had lost, they knew what the Bais Hamikdosh was. All they yearned for was that closeness to Hashem that they had lost when they witnessed Hashems House go up in flames. They knew what was the cause to all their misfortune and troubles.

The Three Weeks

A story is told of a Jewish couple living in Russia. The husband comes home from the Ein Yaakov shiur and tells his wife, "The rav says that we should pack our bags, we are going to Eretz Yisroel, Moshiach is coming any day!" His wife asked him, "Who is Moshiach. Why are we going with him?" He answered, "The Rav said that he's going to rebuild the Bais Hamikdosh where we'll bring Korbonas. The Leviem will sing the shira, were going to live with spiritual bliss". The wife answered, "Why do I have to go to Eretz Yisroel to be happy? I have my cow that gives me milk, the chickens for some food, I even have time to daven and say some Tehillem - I'm perfectly happy here." The yid not knowing what to answer ran to the Rav and told him that his wife doesn't want to come along with Moshiach. "Tell her", said the Rav, "that when Moshiach comes the Cossacks won't come along with us and they won't bother us anymore". He runs home to tell his wife this wonderful news to which his wife starts thinking, maybe that's a good idea after all no Cossacks means we will be able to live in peace. Then she came up with a brainstorm, she tells her husband, "Go tell the Rav that when Moshiach comes he should take the Cossacks to Eretz Yisroel and we will live in peace without even moving!"
What are we mourning in the three weeks? Are we just crying over all the lives we have lost and over all the torture we've been through? Or are we crying for the Shechina that's also in Galos?

Reb Elchonon Wasserman Zatza'l on His Yahrtzeit. His last Shmooze.

R' Efraim Oshry was an eyewitness to R' Elchonon Wasserman Zatzal's last shmooze before he was taken away by the cursed Lithuanians and shot Al Kiddush Hashem H'yd. It was the 11th of Tamuz 1941. As the reshoim were going door to door rounding up the Jews of the Kovno ghetto, R' Elchonon closed the gemora he was giving a shiur from. R' Oshry (printed in the introduction to Kovetz Shuirim) recounts; "R' Elchonon spoke calmly and slow, just as usual, even his voice did not falter. His face displayed the same seriousness as usual. He didn't use a special tone of voice nor did he take leave of his son Naftuli - lying in bed with a broken leg. He spoke to all - to the entire Klal Yirsoel. "In heaven they must think of us as a righteous people, for they want us to atone for klal Yisroel with our bodies. We must do teshuva right here and now. Time is short, the ninth fort - the place the kedoshai Kovno-Slabodka were taken to be killed - is close by. We have to bear in mind that we will be the ultimate Korban. If we do teshuva we will be able to save our brothers and sisters in America. None of us should have a bad intention that can void our korban. We are about to fufill the greatest mitzva. The fire that will consume our bodies is the very fire that will be used to rebuild Klal Yisroel." It was with these words that the leader of Klal Yisroel was taken away to be brutally killed. May Hashem avenge their blood.
Living in a time that Klal Yisroel was being brutally uprooted from the continent that they were living in for hundreds of years, R' Flchonon was able to look past it and past the nightmare going on around him and see America as the next home for Klal Yisroel. Klal Yisroel is eternal and is not tied down to a land. Even the land of Eretz Yisroel is only ours to be able to fufill the special mitzvos of the land, but once we stop doing Hashem's will there is no need for us to have our own country.
Billam said of Klal Yisroel 'They are a nation that dwells alone and among nations they aren't counted'. הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב. R' Elchonon is quoted to say a pshat. הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, as a nation we have no one to rely on except for Hashem. No nation in the world can be relied upon to come to our asisstance. Just look through our long history, where repeatedly the nations of the world turned a blind eye to the pains and needs of Yisroel. It is only Hashem that we can turn to and he in turn will never forsake us. The definition of גּוֹיִם is a nation that shares a land, that has a country that unites them and not just a set of ideals. וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב unlike the nations of the world Yisroel does not need a land in order to be called a nation. We have survived and grown for two thousand years away from our homeland. R' S. R. Hirsch says that the reason why when we went out of Mitzraim and we didn't go directly into Eretz Yisroel is to teach us that what unites us is not the land but rather the Torah. We become a nation- not just a religon, when we are united in hearing the call of the Torah and doing the will of Hashem.
Zichuso Yagen Aleinu.

Parshas Chukas- Kedushas Sefer Torah

The Maharal Diskin as a young boy would sit at the entrance of his father's study and any question that would come before his father would be told to him first. After his father had ruled he would compare his own psak with that of his father's. He once said that he always thought of the same psak as his father, except for once. A qustion came before his father regarding a Sefer Torah that was burned. As the questioner was leaving the Maharal asked what was his father's answer. He said that his father upon hearing that a Sefer Torah was burnt fainted, it hurt him just as if a close friend was killed. That reaction of closeness to the living Sefer Torah the Maharal Diskin didn't have as a young child.
On Erev Shabbos Parshas Chukas Tzadikim fast for it was a day that twenty crates of Seforim were burnt in France. The Rishonim said that it was the the week of Chukas and not the day of the month that caused the tragedy. The Ramchal explains that the highest leval of tumah is death - the departure of the soul from the body. This tumah can only be rectified through Parah Adumah. The Ramchal says that in today's day when we are in exile and we ourselves distance our souls from our bodies through sin, there are two options instead of the Parah Adumah. The first punishment would be death c'v. Hashem in his infinite mercy is moser nefesh himself for our sake. The Marsha says that the Torah is made up of Hashem's names and is in essence Hashem himself. When a Torah is burnt Hashem himself is letting himself be burnt for Klal Yisroel's sake- just like the Parah Adumah in the times of the Bais Hamikdosh. The way we could save the Torah is if we are moser nefesh for Hashem and his Torah, as the Gemora derives from the Parsha of Parah Aduma- that Torah cannot be acquired only if one kills himself for its sake. This seems like an impossible level to attain, if one is dead how does he acquire torah?
The Chazon Ish (Igress Chazon Ish chelek aleph pg. 27) explains that Chazal aren’t referring to death in its actual meaning, rather a superficial death. A person is defined by his actions, the character traits he was born with. If one by nature is easily angered, by definition he’s an angry person. Every time this person doesn’t get angry he’s in essence ‘killing’ himself. With every bad middah we overcome we leave our previous lives and live a new life on a higher plane then before. That is what the Chazal teach us, Torah can only be acquired if we work on our middos, kill the bad traits we were born with and live the life that the Torah prescribes for us.
This week - Parshas Chukas in Eretz Yisroel- eight Sefri Torah were burnt. Did we even feel the pain? Was our reaction anywhere near that of fainting? Can you hear Hashem calling to us children look i'm putting myself into the fire just to protect you! Are we ready to sacrifice anything for His sake?

Mazel Tov to family Hollander on the birth of their adorable little girl.

Parshas Korach

The fifth Perek of Avos deals with numbers- the world was created with ten utterances, ten miracles happened at krias Yam suf and so on. The last few Mishnas of the chapter deal with subjects that apparently are off topic. The 20th Mishna states that any controvery that with a noble purpose- like those of Hillel and Shammai, will in the end endure. But one that is not for a noble purpose- like the argument of Korach, in the end will not endure. What is this Mishna doing in the chapter that deals with the numbers of creation?

The world was created with opposites- dark and light, fire and water, sun and moon etc. The Maharal explains that the reason for this is that we are supposed to be looking at the two opposing forces of nature and through that realize that there is one creater that brings them together to work in harmony. That is why the Mishna regarding machlokes is at the end of the perek that deals with numbers. This teaches that the fact that there are two opinions is a way of the world- just like the ten utterances of creation- and a vital part of Torah study. It is all a way to bring us to believe in Hashem Echod- that only the creator is One. When two people are arguing for the sake of heaven, like Hillel and Shammai, when both opposites are true- 'eylu veylu divrie Elokim chaim', it is that that shows us the Oneness of Hashem. That his Torah is supernatural where two opposite opinions are both true. On the other hand when there is an argument that's for personal gain- like that of Korach, it brings to the forefront that the individual is important and that it is 'I' that makes a difference in the world, that diminishes the kavod of Hashem.

If there is an 'I' in a contoversy it is a clear sign that it intent is personal gain. Hillel and Shammai had no problem getting along peacefully with eachother, even though when you look thru the Mishna they come across as fierce enemies. It all shows that thier arguments did not have a personal agenda, it was pure Torah study. As opposed to Korach (note there is no mention of Moshe in the Mishna) his agenda was why not him, why was he not the one that was chosen. He might of been right that he was ready for the role of leadership in Klal Yisroel but he got caught up in the kovod of it. Just look at the difference between him and Moshe. Moshe spend seven days begging Hashem not to send him, that he was not big enough to lead the holy nation. Korach was the exact opposite he asked why not I? Thus Moshe was able to say "for me and Aron are nothing" we are void of any personal agendas and Korach went down in history as a classic example of machlokas.