Tavo 5631 First Ma'amar

This week’s parsha begins with the mitzvos of bikurim/first fruits and bi’ur ma’asros/removing tithes (from our possession after the third and sixth years of the shmitta cycle.) The pasuk immediately following these mitzvos is, “הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-הַחֻקִּים .../This day God, your Lord commands you to do these laws …” This pasuk seems to be extraneous. The requirements for these mitzvos are already clearly stated directly before. What is the purpose of this pasuk here?

The first Midrash Tanchuma on the parsha addresses this question. The mitzvah of bikurim comprises two main components. First, we are required to bring the first fruit of our produce to the priests in the Beis HaMikdash. After bringing the first fruit we are required to thank God for His bounty and pray to Him for our needs. A person who prays upon bringing his first fruit can ask God for his needs and the needs of the nation of Israel and expect to be answered, as the pasuk says, “Hayom hazeh/This day.” The Midrash understands “This day” as if it is connected to the previous pasuk which describes the person’s prayer. The Midrash says that, in fact, a heavenly voice answers that, “You will merit bringing next year as you have brought this day.” The pasuk by adding, “Hayom hazeh/This day” is teaching us just how powerful the person’s prayer really is.

The proper performance of the mitzvah of bikurim is intimately connected to our sustenance for the coming year. Accordingly, not being able to perform this mitzvah could be devastating to our livelihood. How can we still benefit from God’s blessing if we are not able to keep this mitzvah?

The Midrash, addressing this question, says that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw a time when there would be no Beis HaMikdash and we would not be able to observe the mitzvah of bikurim. Moshe Rabbeinu knew the power of prayer from his own experience. When he prayed to enter Israel, God stopped him. If he had continued, God would have acquiesced, as it were, to Moshe’s prayer. Even so, because of his prayer God allowed him to see all of Israel. In order to still benefit from God’s blessing, Moshe Rabbeinu instituted prayer thrice daily.

Why thrice daily? What is the connection between praying three times a day and bikurim? After all, it is already a mitzvah to pray. Why does this not suffice? What extra advantage is there from an officially instituted practice of praying three times a day? The Chiddushei HaRim explains the relationship between praying three times a day and the mitzvah of bikurim. The benefit of bikurim is because we are giving our first fruit to God’s priests. We are thinking of Him before we think of ourselves. This same idea applies to prayer. Moshe Rabbeinu requires us to dedicate the first moments of every daily time change to God, morning, afternoon and evening. Even though one may pray the entire afternoon and the entire night, the halacha encourages us to pray at the beginning of each time period before engaging in other activities. By instituting set times for daily prayer at the beginning of each time change, Moshe Rabbeinu transferred the challenge of bikurim to a different activity – prayer – for when the mitzvah of bikurim is not applicable.

The Midrash continues that if “this day” teaches us the power of our prayers and defines the reach of our expectations through prayer why is it simply not attached to the end of the previous pasuk? Why is there an entire additional pasuk that says once again that God commanded us to perform these mitzvos? The Midrash answers that the Torah is teaching us a new concept. We learn from this extra pasuk to relate to the mitzvos as if they are being newly received each day.

The Sfas Emes is bothered by this statement. It implies that the mitzvos are not really new each day but we should view them as if they are. Is the intent of the Midrash then to mislead us, God forbid?!

The Sfas Emes explains that there is certainly an aspect of renewal in everything that God created because creation is a constant act, not a one time act. The universe and everything in it is constantly being created anew as we say in our morning prayers, “He renews the Creation in His goodness each day constantly.” Furthermore, each physical creation has in it a spiritual life force to which it owes its continued existence whose energy is being constantly replenished. However, this spiritual energy flow and the associated renewal is hidden by the physical as Shlomo HaMelech said in Koheles, “אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשֶׁמֶשׁ/There is nothing new under the sun.” “Under the sun” represents the physical world. The Sfas Emes explains that the renewal is not noticeable in the physical.

The Torah is teaching us that we have the power to reveal and shed light on the renewal aspect of the Creation through performance of the mitzvos. This is the Midrashic meaning of the pasuk. “Hayom hazeh/This day” represents the constant renewal of the creation. According to the (Sfas Emes’s explanation of the) Midrash, the pasuk can be read, “הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-הַחֻקִּים .../The aspect of renewal is what God your Lord commanded you to find with the mitzvos.”

How successful we are at revealing the spiritual in the physical is dependent on the strength of our belief that it is there. Chazal express this idea in another pasuk from this week’s parsha, “וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע .../If you will truly listen …” “Shamo’a tishma/You will truly listen” is a repetition of the word for listen. Why does the pasuk repeat? Chazal explain that if you listen to the old (in the past), you will merit listening to the new (in the future). The Hebrew for listen connotes acceptance. The Sfas Emes understands that the old represents the physical whereas the new represents the spiritual life-force which is the source of renewal in the world. Chazal are teaching us that to the extent that we believe that there is a Godly spiritual life-force hidden within the physical, that Godliness will be revealed to us.

This is the meaning of the Midrash. The mitzvos, along with everything else really are renewed each day and in fact continuously. The renewal is spiritual and hidden, though. How then, can we experience this renewal, this Godly revelation? The Midrash teaches us that we can experience a daily renewal by viewing the mitzvos as if they were given to us today.

We find the idea that God reveals Himself to us according to our belief Him also in the pasuk in Tehillim, “בֹּאוּ נִשְׁתַּחַוֶה וְנִכְרָעָה .../Come let us prostrate ourselves and bow …” Here too, we find a repetition. Prostration is the ultimate symbol of submission. Prostration before God connotes submission to God. It connotes submission to whatever God’s Truth is. The word for bow in this pasuk is in the reflexive form implying a causative connection between the will to submit to God and receiving the benefits of that submission. To the extent we submit to God, we merit a revelation of God’s Truth.

Teitzei 5631 First Ma'amar

“כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיוֹ/When you go to war against your enemies and God, your Lord delivers him into your hands and you capture his captives.”

The Sfas Emes explains this first pasuk of the parsha homiletically as referring to our ongoing battle with the evil inclination to search out and discover the hidden Godliness in the world. This struggle has a time structure. The cycle of weekdays followed by Shabbos entails hard work during the week after which God is revealed on Shabbos. By keeping Shabbos we are testifying that God created the world and that the act of creation is constant. During the week we need to struggle to reveal the Godliness that keeps the world in existence each moment. Even though on Shabbos there is no struggle, God allows Himself to be revealed in direct proportion to the work we did during the week. This is the meaning of Chazal’s maxim that whoever struggles (to prepare) on Erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos. Shabbos can be defined as a state of God’s revelation. This state can be reached to some extent during the week as well. The word “erev/eve” alludes to this because erev also means to mix together. Therefore Erev Shabbos/Shabbos Eve alludes to the idea that we can mix aspects of Shabbos into the weekdays.

Although we work hard during the week to uproot our evil inclination and to discover God, we cannot succeed without God’s help. God does not uproot our evil inclination for us. Rather he gives us the strength to do it. This is the meaning of the second part of the pasuk, “...וּנְתָנוֹ ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ .../… God, your Lord delivers him into your hands …” “Into your hands” implies that God puts the strength needed to deal with the enemy – the evil inclination – in our hands but it is still we who must use this God-given strength to uproot the evil and reveal God.

We see this idea in a Gemara in Maseches Rosh HaShanah. The Gemara cites a pasuk in Tehillim, “וּלְךָ-ה' חָסֶד כִּי-אַתָּה תְשַׁלֵּם לְאִישׁ כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ/And you God have kindness for you repay a man according to his action.” The Gemara notes the apparent contradiction in the pasuk. Repaying a man according to his action does not seem to be an aspect of kindness. Does a person not deserve to be repaid according to his action? However, the question is based on the premise that man can act independently of God. If man’s actions are independent of God then repaying a person according to his deeds is justice, not kindness. When we realize, though, that it is God who gives us the strength to act, the question becomes moot. God repays man according to his action even though the very ability to act comes from God. This truly is kindness.

This realization that even though it is we who perform mitzvos, it is God who gives us the strength and directs us to do so, is key in serving God. We are God’s messengers in this world. He sent us here to perform mitzvos thereby revealing Him in the world. A messenger by definition is one who acknowledges that someone sent him. If the messenger does not acknowledge the sender, he is no longer a messenger. He is acting independently. This is the meaning of the words at end of the pasuk “... וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיו/… and you capture his captives.” These words have the same root as the Hebrew for return - הַשָׁבָה. The pasuk can thus be translated as, “… and you return your actions to Him (by acknowledging that we are doing on His behalf.)” The pasuk is teaching us that it is not enough to overcome the evil inclination and do good. We need to acknowledge that we are messengers and not acting independently. A key part of serving God is affirming our role as God’s messengers and His role in sending us and giving us the ability to act on His behalf.

Elul 5631 First Ma'amar

The month of Elul and the third meal of Shabbos are especially propitious times. During these periods we can attain God’s compassion. The mechanism by which God showers us with compassion is the thirteen attributes of mercy. Why are these needed? God is infinite in every way. We would expect God’s compassion to permeate our world at all times. How, then, can one period be better than another period? Why is it necessary for God’s compassion to be channeled, as it were, through the thirteen attributes of compassion? Why is this tool needed? Why can we not receive God’s compassion directly?

The Sfas Emes explains that we only experience by way of contrast. We will not notice something that is ubiquitous. God is infinite and does not change. We can only notice the bounty that He showers upon us by contrast to periods of time when we do not receive that bounty or when we receive less of it. For us to notice God’s goodness, it must be channeled. By restricting His bounty, we notice it by contrast. The mechanism that God uses to channel His bounty is the thirteen attributes of compassion. Once we understand the idea of God’s goodness being restricted and channeled, if follows that there can be periods during which His goodness is more accessible or less so. What is God’s goodness, after all, if not a connection to Him. He Himself is the ultimate good. During the Elul and the third Shabbos meal, God Himself is more easily accessible.

Even though God’s goodness is more accessible during the month of Elul, actually receiving it is dependent on us. The Sfas Emes explains that to receive the good we must emulate God and restrict our own desires and actions. Excess is the opposite of this. Excessive eating, excessive speech, excessive exercise, excessive idleness are all the opposites of the moderation required to emulate God’s moderation. This is the meaning of the piyut/liturgical poem from the Hoshanas that we say on Succos, “Om ani choma/The nation says, ‘I am a wall.’” The Midrash explains that Avraham Avinu (and by extension his progeny) tells God, “I am a wall.” He sets his good deeds like a wall. The Sfas Emes understands that a wall has a two fold function. First, it protects that which is within it. Additionally it restricts that which is within it. A wall restricts and prevents that which is within from flowing out. Comparing himself to a wall, Avraham Avinu is saying that he will not allow excess in his deeds.

By moderating our actions and practicing balance we can bring the light of the Torah and God’s compassion in the measured doses that we can receive. We thus connect to God even though He is infinite.

Shoftim 5631 First Ma'amar

The pasuk in Mishlei states, “נוֹדָע בַּשְּׁעָרִים בַּעְלָה .../Her husband became known at the gates (of the city) …” The Zohar explains this pasuk as a metaphor for the relationship between the nation of Israel and God. The wife represents the nation of Israel and the husband represents God. The city’s gates represent the gates of the heart. The Hebrew word for gate has the same root as the word for conjecture. The pasuk can be translated metaphorically as, “God becomes known to the nation of Israel according to the level on which we contemplate Him and His greatness.” Each of us have different and unique abilities and talents. Accordingly, each of us contemplate God differently. The way we contemplate God determines the way and level at which He makes Himself known to us.

The Chiddushei HaRim applies the Zohar’s metaphor to the first pasuk of the parsha, “שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֵּן-לְךָ בְּכָל-שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ .../Place judges and enforcers in all your cities (lit. gates) that God your Lord gives you …” The Chiddushei HaRim understands this pasuk homiletically as referring to the gates of the heart.

According to the metaphor the entire pasuk relates to each of us individually. The first word of the parsha, shoftim/judges, implies self judgment. She’arecha/Your cities (lit. gates), refers, as we’ve said, to the gates of the heart. The pasuk is teaching us that after all is said and done, after each of us contemplates God from his unique perspective, the knowledge of and connection to God that follows is His gift to us. This is the meaning of the next part of the pasuk, “... אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ .../… that God, your Lord gives you …”. The connection that God allows us is not based on our merit but rather is His gift to us. When we introspect and realize what we are in relation to God, we understand that God owes us nothing and that any connection and revelation that we achieve is a gift.

The Sfas Emes explains the first pasuk of the parsha a little differently. Our desires and feelings originate in the heart. The pasuk teaches us that we must pay close attention to our desires and feelings when they first pass through the gates of the heart. It is important not to allow our desires and feelings to develop naturally but rather we must notice them, using our minds to make sure that they are toward God alone. If we use our God given understanding and knowledge in this way, we merit that the gates of our hearts will open up to receive God’s enlightenment.

We find this idea in the beginning of the piyut/liturgical poem written by the Ari z”l and sung Friday night. The piyut begins, “אֲזַּמֵר בִּשְׁבָחִין לְמֵעַל גוֹ פִּתְחִין/I will sing with praises to enter inside the gates …” The commentaries explain that Azameir/I will sing also means, “I will cut” as in the pasuk in parshas Behar, “... וְכַרְמְךָ לֹא תִזְמֹר/… and you will not prune your vine.” The Ari z”l is saying that with praises to God we will cut away and remove the outer layers that hide the revelation of God. Once we do that, we will be able to enter inside the gates. The gates of our hearts open to receive revelation from God.

This is also the reason for saying Pesukei DeZimra/Verses of Song before praying each morning. The word zimra/song, as we’ve said, also means “cutting away.” The Sfas Emes explains that when we sing praises to God before prayer we are sending away the Satan – the block that prevents us from connecting with and experiencing closeness to God. This enables us to more easily connect with God when we pray.

Both the Chiddushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes are teaching us the importance of contemplating God’s greatness and its results. The Chiddushei HaRim teaches us that God opens our hearts as a gift so that we can receive His enlightenment. The Sfas Emes teaches us that we need to notice the desires and feelings emanating from our hearts and steer them toward God. Using our God given intellect in this way and praising Him results in a cutting away of the outer layers that separate us from God.

Re'ei 5631 First and Second Ma'amarim

1. “רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה/Look, I place before you today blessing and curse.” The Chiddushei HaRim notes that this pasuk establishes that we are each able to distinguish between good and bad, between blessing and curse, and to choose the blessing. This is the meaning of the first of the morning blessings, “... הַנוֹתֵן לַשֶׂכְוִי בִינָה לְהַבְחִין .../… Who gives the heart understanding to distinguish …” We find this concept in the Midrash on, “... וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים .../… and you shall choose life …” God not only places the choices before us. He also teaches us to choose life. Often, we feel that we are the victims of circumstance. Being a victim implies powerlessness. The Chiddushei HaRim is teaching us that God always gives us a choice and empowers us to choose.

2. The first Midrash on the parsha says that when reading the curses and rebukes in parshas Ki Savo, it is impermissible to stop in the middle. The Midrash explains that God does not want the curses. Rather He wants us to learn from them. When we contemplate the curses and rebukes and then return to God we transform the curses and rebukes into blessing. The Zohar says that a person who accepts his tribulations with love and returns to God transforms those torments into torments of love. He understands that, through the torments, God has shown him a way to return.

Based on this Zohar the Sfas Emes understands the first pasuk in this week’s parsha, not as a choice between two exclusive options. Rather the Sfas Emes understands that God places before us both blessing and curse together. We have the ability to transform the curse into blessing as well. This is why the Midrash teaches us not to stop in the middle of reading the rebukes in the Torah. The rebukes and curses are not separate from the blessing. Everything is potentially blessing.

3. “אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹת ה' אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶם .../The blessing, that you will listen to the mitzvos of God your Lord …” The simple meaning of the words implies that the blessing is mitzvah observance. Conventionally, though, blessing is the result of mitzvah observance. In fact, this is how Rashi understands the pasuk, “The blessing is on the condition that you listen …” The Sfas Emes, however, explains the pasuk according to the simple meaning. He bases his understanding of the pasuk on a Midrash in our parsha.

In Mishlei a lamp is used as a metaphor for both the Torah and mitzvos on the one hand and the soul on the other hand. “כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר .../For a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light …” Here Shlomo HaMelech compares mitzvos to a lamp and the Torah to the lamp’s light. In another pasuk in Mishlei we find, “נֵר ה' נִשְׁמַת אָדָם .../Man’s soul is the lamp of God …” According to the Midrash God says, “My lamp is in your hands and your lamp is in My hands.” If we protect and keep His lamp, he will protect and keep our lamp.

The Sfas Emes develops this metaphor further. He explains that the Torah is the mechanism through which God gives life to every thing in existence including our actions. The spiritual life-giving force flows out of the Torah into every thing and action in the Creation. It is hidden, though. We have an obligation to reveal this inner spirituality which pervades everything. We do this by performing the mitzvos. The Sfas Emes teaches that every action is a potential mitzvah depending on our intent when we act. The metaphor of a lamp is exact. When the Midrash says that God’s lamp is in our hands, it means that we are able to and required to light the lamp. This happens when we observe the mitzvos. Every act, if done with the intent to serve God, unleashes and reveals the latent spiritual light inherent in the act. The revelation of spiritual light is itself the blessing. It heightens our awareness of God, the ultimate Blessing. This is the exact meaning of the pasuk, “אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹת/The blessing: that you will listen to the mitzvos …”