Netzavim

Our parsha opens with the words אתם נצבים היום, you are standing today. The commentaries explain that this parsha is always read the Shabbos before Rosh Hashana, therefore these words are referring to us, that we are all standing today; we made it through this past year & are ready to ask Hashem to forgive us for all our misdeeds this past year & for Him to grant us another year filled with blessing. 

One of the most important things we have to do going into the new year is to have all our sins forgiven so we can start with a clean slate, as the posuk says ושבת עד ה אלקיך ושמעת בקלו, and you will return to Hashem & listen to His voice.   

The gemara tells us that whoever does a sin & is embarrassed because he just sinned, is forgiven for his sins. How does that work? The Ben Ish chai explains: we know that Chazal tell us, whoever embarrasses his friend in public is considered as if he killed him because, the gemara explains, when a person gets embarrassed and all the blood drains from his face, it's as if he took away his lifeline. 

This is how he explains the gemara, for when a person who sins gets so embarrassed on his own, it's considered like death for him. Since one way to erase ones sins is through suffering & death, when a person gets embarrassed which is equivalent to death, one gets forgiveness for his sins, provided, of course, that one did teshuva, regretting his sins. 

The חיד"א writes ‎that every person knows the sins that he did & wants to repent, however if he were to be told that in order to repent he had to do many fasts or other inflictions of pain to get that repentance, he wouldn't be able to cope with it. There is another way which is,  להעביר על מדותיו שמעבירים כל פשעיו, ‎one who is able to look away when someone wrongs him, Hashem too will look away and forgive his sins. 

He continues by saying that when the mishna states, לא מצאתי לגוף טוב משתיקה,  I have found nothing better for the body than silence & the Rav explains ‎that's referring to one who listened to someone degrade him & was silent. By doing that, one has his sins forgiven.  That’s why, explains the חיד"א , it specifies לגוף that it's good for the body, for then a person can still eat & drink & doesn't need any illness to have his sins forgiven, there is nothing better than that. Therefore, if one is quiet when slighted, it's good for the body for it won't have to suffer to gain forgiveness.  

There's a story told by ר' בנציון גרינפוס ,one of the students of the Chafetz Chaim‎. Once, he walked into the home of the Chafetz Chaim & saw him crying & all upset. He asked what's wrong & what had happened that he was so upset? The Chafetz Chaim answered, I just finished learning the sefer Raishis Chachma where it says that anyone who has embarrassment on this world & is silent, has his punishment in Gehenom removed because his sins are forgiven. So now I'm upset & wondering why heaven is punishing me that no one embarrasses me; don't I too deserve to have my sins forgiven?

‎The sefer Raishis Chachma lists ten different things one gets for overcoming the natural tendencies to get angry when slighted & concludes with this thought. After one realizes how much one is rewarded for this midah, one should be ready to suffer a little embarrassment to gain great reward. It's like one who is holding two jugs, one with water & one with expensive perfume. Something happens & he has to drop one of them. Obviously he should drop the water to retain the expensive perfume. So, too, with anger, if a person will take the small hit to his ego and ignore the hurt he will gain so much more with the forgiveness of sin & all the other blessings that come with it. Let's take this lesson to heart as we approach Rosh Hashana, to be saved from any other hardship & be blessed with a great new year!     

Ki Savo

‎ The Jews’ entrance to Eretz Yisrael created the obligation to fulfill the Mitzva of bikkurim, bringing the first fruits to the Bais Hamikdash & giving them to the Kohen; ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לה' אלקיך, You shall come to the Kohen who will be in those days‎, and you shall say to him "I declare today to Hashem that I have come to the land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us. 

‎The Malbum questions the wording of the posuk: how is it that the one who comes to bring his Bikkurim starts by saying הגדתי היום, I declared today in the past tense? He hasn't said anything yet; the whole declaration comes after he waves the bikkurim, so why does the posuk utilize the past tense like he already declared something? 

He answers that when the Torah says הגדתי, I declared, it doesn't necessarily mean something that you declare by mouth. Rather, even something that's shown by your action can be considered a declaration. The person comes with his bikkurim willingly & with joy demonstrating that the whole point of his coming is to show that he recognizes & gives thanks to Hashem who gave us the land.  

An anomaly we see by bikkurim is that the poor people give the fruit that they bring with the basket they brought it in, while the rich people just give the fruit & take home the basket. The מהרי"ד מבעלז explains ‎that the posuk says ושמרת ועשית, which Rashi explains to mean that when one brings the bikkurim, a heavenly voice blesses him that he should come again next year to bring the bikkurim. Therefore, the rich man who brought his bikkurim in a gold basket, gets his basket back so that he will be able to use it again next year. However, we take the poor man’s cheap reed basket as if to say to him, next year you should merit to bring the bikkurim in a gold basket. 

This demonstrates two things.  First, that we show our gratitude to Hashem for giving us the land & recognizing that the fruits come from Him. Second, that for doing that, we get the blessings of wealth. What does one have to do with the other? The sefer באר מים חיים explains with a parable. 

If a child is wise, he will understand that when a father gives ‎a gift to him, the father is not obligated to do so; the father gives it because of the love he has for the child. When the child thinks like that, then the bond & the love the child has to the father will be strengthened & the child will be very happy & thankful to the father.  

‎When the father sees how happy & thankful his child is, he will be filled with joy & want to give that child more & more. On the other hand, if the child is not so bright & feels that everything is coming to him, when he gets something, he is not thankful, for he feels that it is incumbent upon the father to give him presents.  He feels that whatever he gets is not enough, so he is never happy, This type of child actually dissuades the father from giving gifts; the father has no desire to keep giving. 

This is the way Hashem treats us when He sees that we are acknowledging that the land is His & everything we get is from Him. We bring the first fruits happily to the Kohen. We are showing our gratitude; therefore, both the rich man & the poor man get the blessing of wealth. Since we are thanking Hashem for everything we have, He will want to give us more ‎& more. So let's count our blessings & be thankful so that Hashem will shower us with only good!

Ki Seitzei

Towards the end of a long list of mitzvos, the parsha states אבן שלמה וצדק יהיה לך איפה שלמה וצדק יהיה לך, a perfect & honest stone shall you have, a perfect & honest measure shall you have. למען יאריכו ימיך על האדמה, so that your days shall be lengthened on the land.

Rashi says if you will do that then you will have much. 

Why is this mitzva so important that it promises ‎long life & financial success?

  

Chazal tell us that the first question one is asked at the final judgment is whether ‎or not he dealt honestly in business. The gemara tells us that someone who deals honestly in business is considered as if he kept the whole Torah.     

The Chafetz Chaim says that one shouldn't say that since everyone else is cheating in business, I can too. Rather, one should know that cheating in business is a lack of trust in Hashem. We know that Hashem sets what we're going to make over the year on Rosh Hashana.  Hashem definitely did not establish that the way you will earn your money is through cheating, so one who trusts that Hashem is in charge of his livelihood, will have no reason to try to get it dishonestly. 

Chazal tell us that for all other sins Hashem doesn't pay us back right away but waits until the measure of the sin is filled up. For one who deals with false measures, Hashem punishes right away. Why? Because Hashem works mida k'neged mida which means Hashem treats us as we treat others. Therefore, if one didn't measure properly & cheated people with measurements, Hashem won't deal with his measure the way He deals with other people by waiting to punish until the measure of sin is filled up. Rather, He will punish right away. Therefore, it says if you use the proper measures then you will have long life because Hashem will not rush to punish. 

The sefer Mordechai Avraham relates a story that many years ago in Bavel, there was a famine.  It hadn't rained in months; the whole country was dried out from thirst. The king, who knew that the Jews had the power of prayer, called the rabbis together & said if it doesn't rain in the next seven days, all the Jews have to leave the country. 

The rabbis made a day of fasting & prayer but the rains didn't come. It was approaching the seventh day & still no rain so they sent out a call around the town that everyone - men, women & children -  should come to the main shul. They would storm the heavens. Thousands of people came to pray to Hashem for rain so that they don't get expelled from their homes into the desert. After hours of prayer & no answer, the rabbi called out, “if there is anyone here that could save us & doesn't do it, great is his responsibility”. 

Suddenly, one man calls out, “wait for me” & runs out of the shul. This man was a simple man who sold vegetables. He ran to his store & brought his scale, put it on the table & called out, "Hashem, in the merit that all my life I was careful to use the correct weights & never cheated anyone & was careful never to take money that wasn't coming to me, in the merit that my hands are clean from thievery, have mercy on Your people. As he finished speaking, the heavens filled with clouds & the rains came. 

We see the power of honesty in business.  Even a simple man that is honest has the power to make miracles, for honesty shows that you have complete trust in Hashem that He will take care of you. ‎Perhaps this is why we are promised long life and financial success for being honest. It’s not just doing one mitzvah; it's the epitome of emuna; it's the rock solid trust that whatever you need‎ Hashem will take care of and that's equal to all the mitzvos.  If you are doing everything for Hashem, so of course Mida k'neged Mida He will do everything for you!

Shoftim

The greater part of this sidra deals with laws intended to implement Torah standards in the society the Jews will ‎establish in the land of Israel. The first requirement is to establish a court system, to administer justice and protect the interests of all segments of the community. (Torah treasury)

One of the key qualifications of the judges of this new court system is to be of high moral standards, not accepting bribes. ‎כי השחד יעור עיני חכמים ויסלף דברי צדיקים, for the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked. Earlier in the Torah when it talks about bribery, it says that it will blind the eyes of the shrewd, while here it says that it will blind the eyes of the wise. The Vilna Goan ‎explains that a judge must master two talents. First he must know all the halachic laws that apply to the case & second he must possess enough practical knowledge to understand the nuances of the case. He must be wise & shrewd. 

There was once a young man who came before an old rabbi to get tested for semicha. After testing him on all four parts of halacha and finding him very knowledgeable, the rabbi asked him if he knew the fifth part. The young man looked at him puzzled, "I only know of four parts; what's the fifth?" The rabbi answered, common sense. Without that, you can't put the other four parts to use.  

Right after telling us about the judges, the Torah ‎says not to plant a tree that will be used for idol worship. Reish lakish says that the relationship between these two laws tells us that whoever appoints a judge that isn't up to par is as if he planted a tree for idol worship. Now, what's the connection between the two? An idolatrous tree is worse than a regular idol because a regular idol, you see it & know what it is, so one will stay away from it. However, the idol tree just looks like a regular tree from the outside; there is no way to tell that it's an idol. So, too, a judge that's not qualified; from the outside he might look like a respected rabbi but on the inside he's contaminated & will corrupt the people. 

Then the Torah tells us not to erect a single stone as an altar even if he intends to use it to sacrifice to Hashem. Even though, during the times of our forefathers, this type of worship was beloved by Hashem, once it was taken up by idol worshipers, it became detestable to Hashem. Another reason this type of alter is forbidden says the Igra D'kalla, is because a monolith is a symbol of immovable strength. While strength & unbending commitment are generally positive traits, they can sometimes be counterproductive. Life's challenges are constantly changing & each generation has its own challenges that weren't there before. One must translate the timeless lessons of the Torah into effective strategies for one’s own time & not render oneself a spiritual monolith, unable to adapt to the unique challenges of his life & time. 

In the early days of the state of Israel, the Chazon Ish suggested changing the language used to teach in the schools from Yiddish to Hebrew. Although he generally encouraged Yiddish speaking in the schools, he felt that if they taught in Yiddish, many of the children who didn't understand the language would be lost. Some die hard traditionalists questioned his decision. He replied with a story. There was once a great general who won a major victory by devising a brilliant strategy. As could be expected, he became a national hero. Years later, the country was again at war & they brought back the aging general to lead the troops to war. However, this time his strategy failed miserably & he was stripped of his old glory. 

 Shocked by his defeat, he attempted to understand what happened. A close friend explained, your strategy is brilliant but the battlefield has changed. The new situation demands a new strategy. 

The Chazon Ish‎ concluded, there was a time when Yiddish was our protective shield against the outside world. However, today the battle is different which demands a new strategy. Today the challenge is to ward off ignorance; therefore, we must teach in the common tongue, which is Hebrew.    

‎How much more so is this true in our time when the world has changed so much.  We can't be fooled by those who masquerade as rabbis & give us all a bad name. Rather we must devise a strategy that works in our time to instill in ourselves & our children a love for yiddishkeit!

Re'eh

The Torah addresses the special status of the Jewish people as Hashem’s children & enumerates various things that people of such an exalted status can & cannot do. Among the items mentioned are the birds that we cannot eat, one of which is the chasidah, which Rashi tells us refers to the stork. It’s called the chasidah? because it does chesed with its friends by sharing food with them. 

‎There is a gemara that says that mice are wicked creatures for when one spots a pile of fruit he summons all his friends to come partake in the feast. Why do we praise the stork for sharing ‎its food & criticize the mouse?

Maayana Shel Torah explains the difference. The stork gets its food from nature, eating fish or other small insects that are ownerless, ‎so when it shares its food it's sharing from its own. However, the mouse is stealing other people's food. It goes into people's homes, finds food & calls all his friends to join in the theft. So while they are both sharing their find with their friends, the mouse's comes at the expense of others & kindness done at another's expense is actually wickedness. 

Right after the laws of what we can & cannot eat, the Torah tells us עשר תעשר את כל תבואת זרעך, tithe, you shall tithe the entire crop of your planting. The gemara tells us that in instances where the wording is doubled, that it means you should keep doing it even up to 100 times. Here, however, it seems problematic to say that you should give a tenth 100 times because we know that a person shouldn't give more than a fifth of his money to charity.  If you’re going to give 100 times, it will be way more than a fifth. 

The Vilna Goan explains that really here, too, it could mean 100 times, for we know that there is a special blessing on one who gives charity. עשר בשביל שתתעשר, give so that you will get wealthy. Therefore, if you give a tenth then you will get more money & be required to give again. When you give again, then you will get more  & the cycle will keep repeating itself even 100 times.  

There's a story told about רבי חיים מטשרנוביץ when he was a rebbi for school children. One of his students recounted that one Thursday, the rebbi was teaching them this parsha & kept going over this concept of giving to someone even 100 times. He kept repeating it & said, “if someone comes to you again & again, don't say I already gave you; rather keep giving & give again”. He went over it so many times that one of the students thought to himself, if the rebbi keeps stressing this to us, he must be on this level to want us to be on that level, too. Just to be sure, when this boy came home, he asked his father to give him the rebbi's pay for the month so that he could give it to him. The father gave him the money;  the boy took it & cashed the money into 100 ten dollar bills. 

‎Then he went to the local town beggar and told him that the rebbi has a lot of cash.  He should keep going to him to ask for money at least 100 times.  

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Then the boy went to the rebbi, gave him the cash & the rebbi took it and put it in his drawer . A few minutes later, the beggar comes knocking on the door & the rebbi gives him a 10, then goes back to his learning. A few minutes later, another knock on the door. It's the beggar again. The rebbi smiles at him & gives him another 10. This scene repeats itself all through the day until all the money is gone. The boy, seeing that his rebbi was really a tzaddik & practiced what he preached, felt bad that now the rebbi would have no money for the month. He went back to his father, crying & told him what he had done. The father, seeing that his son really felt bad, gave him the money again to give to the rebbi with an apology. 

The boy went back to the rebbi with the money & with real remorse tells him what he did & begs the rebbi's forgiveness for putting him in that situation & challenging him like that. The rebbi forgives him and says, “don't worry; it was no challenge”. That is what Hashem said to do & if you do it, there is no way to lose out. 

We need to take this lesson to heart & know that if we follow what the Torah tells us to do, we won't lose out. However, that only works if we do it for ourselves. To be pious on someone else's account is not what the Torah wants from us. As we come into Elul, we should all try to improve ourselves, but sure that on our climb up, we’re not hurting anyone else!    

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