Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Va’etchanan is being sponsored by Baruch and Tammy Labinsky of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated for kol Cholei of Am Yisrael and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages and that they’re brought home without experiencing any further harm, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To the Labinsky family, many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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The Haftorah for our Parshat begins:
“Nachamu, Nachamu Ami yomar Elokeichem” — “Comfort, comfort my people — says your G’d.” (Sefer Yishaiya, Perek 40, posuk 1)
This sentiment seems to be silent, but yet a theme of Parshat Va’etchanan.
This author views these posukim of our Parshat Va’etchanan as connected to each other and that they relate specifically to our times:
“When you beget children and grandchildren and will have been long in the Land, you will grow corrupt… , and you will do evil in the eyes of Hashem, your G’d, to anger Him. (Sefer Devarim, Perek 4, posuk 25 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
“Hashem heard the sound of your words when you spoke to me [me — being Moshe], and Hashem said to me, ‘I heard the sound of the words of this people, that they have spoken to you; they did well in all that they spoke. Who can assure that this heart should remain theirs, to fear Me and observe all My commandments all the days, so that it should be good for them and for their children forever. (Sefer Devarim, Perek 5, posukim 25 – 26 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash provides a citing from Chizkuni on the words “children and grandchildren” in Perek 4, posuk 25 of our Parsha:
There was no danger that the generation entering the Land would be enticed by the Canaanite idols; they had seen too much Hashem’s greatness to be so misled. But the children and grandchildren, for whom the miracles would be history rather than experience, would be susceptible.
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin elaborates further on Perek 4, posuk 25 by citing Rabbi Chayim Zaichyk in his sefer, “Growth Through Torah” (page 394) :
If a person merits having children and grandchildren, why does this lead to his becoming corrupt and doing evil? Shouldn’t the person be grateful to the Almighty for all that He has given him? The answer lies in the word ‘venoshantem’, growing old, that is, a person becomes so accustomed to what he already has that he no longer appreciates it. Taking for granted what one already has and not feeling pleasure in it prevents a person from having gratitude to the Almighty for all the good that He has given you.
In order to have deeper gratitude for the Almighty’s kindnesses develop the attitude of viewing anew all that one has. Each day one should view one’s possessions as if he just received them on that very day.
Rabbi Pliskin also discusses Perek 5, posukim 25 – 26 citing Gemara Avodah Zarah 5a and Tosfos (ibid, pages 396 – 398) :
Gemara Avodah Zarah 5a states that Moshe said to the B’nei Yisrael, “You are ungrateful and the descendants of someone who was ungrateful. When the Almighty said to you, ‘Who will give that the heart that you have now shall be with you (always),'” you should have said, “You give.” The Gemara explains that Moshe called them ungrateful because of their complaining against the manna. They were called such because of Adam’s saying to the Almighty that the woman whom He gave to him caused him to eat what he should not have eaten. Why was their failure to ask the Almighty to give them an elevated heart considered a lack of gratitude? Tosfos explains that they didn’t want to ask Him to give them this elevated heart because they didn’t want to feel grateful towards Him.
A person who appreciates opportunities to express gratitude to others does not mind continually thanking them. But the difficulty for some is that this takes humility. The arrogant person considers it a lowering of himself if he were to show that someone else is above him in some manner. He is even willing to forego something that can benefit him just because he does not want to have to be grateful.
We know from history that during the final years of the British Mandate and Israel’s first years of modern-day sovereignty, there was deep contention between Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, with the forces of the Haganah, and Menachem Begin with the forces of the Irgun and “the Stern Gang” (aka Lehi). But once these forces came to be consolidated into a concrete fighting force — the Israel Defense Forces, there seemed to be little, if any, appreciable (adjective: sufficient to be readily perceived or estimated; considerable) political in-fighting (i.e. airing dirty laundry for the world to see) in the military echelons concerning the conduct of retaliations for terror or war strategy through the various military actions against terror in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Sinai Campaign in 1956 and the Six Day War in 1967. In the Yom Kippur War, there was contention between two of the generals in Sinai, but as this author will recall, from news and historical accounts of the time, the disputes were apparently due to the mental frame of one of the generals and not due to politics, arrogance or power–hunger.
But, in the years and decades subsequent to the Yom Kippur War, certain conceptions built up among the IDF high command, now exposed by the War of Simchat Torah as false, divisive and arrogantly flawed and lusting for power at the expense of Israel’s sovereignty and security. This vort will not rehash the instances cited in previous vorts.
But this author can surmise that the divisiveness and arrogance of IDF high command and certain factions among the Am over these decades could be traced back to familiarity and being accustomed to this familiarity, rather than having a daily mindset of newness. This familiarity and being accustomed seems to breed a lower level of appreciation as to our modern-day history and of Hashem’s Will leading to a nearly complete lack of gratitude for the Land of Israel and possibly disdain for our roots in Judaism.
What follows is a page from a Chovos Halevovos Cheshbon HaNefesh pamphlet published Lilui Nishmas HaRav Chaim Zev ben Avrohom Aharon HaLevi, Zt’l, who was Rav of Kehillah Beit Tefillah Yona Avraham.
Rabbi Malinowitz wrote on Day 24 :
Reflect that the Torah and tefillah knowledge of your youth is insufficient. Study the language and interpretations with renewed and higher understanding, remember and review.
We are pretty satisfied if we’ve learned something in the past, review it regularly, and remember it. Wonderful, no?
NO! Says the Chovos Halevovos. You’ve matured, your intelligence has grown more sophisticated, you’ve acquired more depth, a wider perspective, sharper analytical skills.
Do NOT be satisfied with the Chumash as you learned it in fifth grade… With davening as you davened as a 14 year old, with Gemara or hashkafa which you learned decades ago, as you learned them decades ago. Always review and increase the quality of your learning… or your davening… or your Avodos Hashem.
The Chovos Halevovos provides these citings from scripture which seem particularly poignant relating to our times (page 501) :
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and imagine themselves clever.” (Chovos Halevovos citing from Tanach – Yeshayahu Perek 5, posuk 21); “For they have rejected the word of G’d — what good is wisdom to them?” (Chovos Halevovos citing from Tanach – Yirmiyahu Perek 8, posuk 9); “For the ways of Hashem are straight, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.” (Chovos Halevovos citing from Tanach – Hoshe’a Perek 14, posuk 10)
This author views the words of Rav Malinowitz and the words cited in the Chovos Halevovos sefer as synonymous with the abovementioned posukim. Continuance and broadening of learning, as well as humility and a mindset of newness regarding the connectivity of Torah and Eretz Yisrael are not restricted to Yeshivish or Hareidi Balabatim but relate to ALL Jews.
May it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of their high command, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, their terrorist buddies and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds, that the Chayalim return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages. And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fourth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5784, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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