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 Am Yisrael and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages, as well as for the good health and security of Kol Am Yisrael. To the Labinsky family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for 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
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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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.
There are two posukim in Parshat Va’etchanan which stand out to this author regarding our current Milchemet Shel Torah:
“Realize it today and ponder it in your heart: Hashem is the Supreme Being in Heaven above and on the earth beneath — there is no other.” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 4, posuk 39 rendered to English in Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s “Living Torah.”)
“Who can assure that such will be this heart of theirs, to fear Me and observe all of My Commandments all the days, so that it should be good for them and for their children forever?” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 5, posuk 26 rendered to English in The Sapirstein Edition: Torah with Rashi’s Commentary)
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his sefer “Growth Through Torah” notes on Perek 4, posuk 39 citing the Chofetz Chayim (pages 394 – 305) :
Internalize the awareness that all that occurs to you is from the Almighty.
The Chofetz Chayim used to stress that this verse tells us that all that happens in our lives is from the Almighty. All of the profits and losses in a person’s life are from the decree of the Almighty.
Similarly, any pain that a person suffers, such as when someone curses or insults the person, is from Heaven to atone for one’s transgressions. The person doing the cursing and insulting is guilty of committing a sin, but the recipient is receiving something that is ultimately beneficial to him.
There are two factors here, said the Chofetz Chayim. One is having the intellectual knowledge of this principle. The other is intellectually internalizing it so that it becomes part of a person and has a practical effect on one’s emotions. Unfortunately, many people just have the intellectual acceptance of this concept and are missing the internalization. (Rabbi Pliskin citing Chofetz Chayim al HaTorah, text and footnote.)
The way to internalize this is to constantly repeat it to one’s self. With every repetition ideas become more and more part of… inner reality.
This author notes that this posuk also appears at the end of the first paragraph of Aleinu. One could surmise (verb – used with object: to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.) that one, or a collective possessing belief that what occurs is from external sources, lacks both the intellectual knowledge and internalized acceptance that “Hashem is Supreme — there is no other.”
Yes, an individual or Am Yisrael must do Hishtadlut — take an action on their collective behalf, as in military high command echelons developing strategies, military intelligence, weaponry and types of munitions necessary to combat an enemy force. But the point here is, with all these components at hand, to not put our faith in things and external sources, but to realize, to internalize the fact that, as the Chofetz Chayim states, what happens in our lives is from Hashem.
Rabbi Pliskin, in his sefer “Growth Through Torah” also notes on Perek 5, posuk 26 (pages 396 – 397) :
Appreciate opportunities to express gratitude.
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.
This author does something on Saturday nights: After thanking hosts for being with them for Shabbos meals and complimenting the Rebbetzin, or the Rabbi — Ba’al HaBayit, as the case may be, for a delicious meal, this author calls them Motsei Shabbos to again thank them for hosting, for being with them and for a great meal.
So too, this author marvels at the miracles that we experienced via the IDF/Mossad successes in the twelve-day war against Iran, as well as the decimation of Iran’s potential nuclear capacity by the United States — all B’Yad Hashem.
However, in the weeks, days and hours before Hamas’ Simchat Torah murderous invasion, the IDF command echelons downplayed the warnings of Gaza border guard personnel, as well as intimidated and threatened them with possible court martial proceedings rather than expressing appreciation to them for alertness and acting appropriately on these warnings and expressing thanks to Hashem. The actions of these commanders would therefore seem to exemplify Rabbi Pliskin’s citing of an arrogant person feeling as if he’d be lowering himself if he were to express gratitude to the border guard personnel, and foregoing benefit for himself, even at the cost of national security,
Israel’s fresh victory-oriented strategies in Gaza and attacks in Iran which demolished much of their nuclear facilities, scientists, military leadership, ballistic missiles and ballistic missile manufacturing facilities exemplify positive changes resulting from the appointments of a new defense minister, foreign minister and military chief of staff who seem to be signaling a more zealous, diligent command structure and strategy based on valid understandings of their adversary’s intentions and concern for Israel’s sovereignty and security. The pre-emptive and ongoing actions against Iran are nothing short of miraculous, B’Yad Hashem. May we see our government and military become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.” And may see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem.
Not withstanding the previous horrendous “ceasefires” and drips and drabs of hostages in exchange for thousands of bloody-handed terrorists, may it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of malfeasance and nonfeasance by their previous high command to date, but now under command of both a new defense minister and chief of staff, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, Islamic Jihad, their other terrorist buddies, UNRWA and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds. May our Chayalim, on multiple fronts, return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages B’Yad Hashem. May we see a Final and Decisive victory by our Chayalim, mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! 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 e 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 fifth 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, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recovery of the remains of Oron Shaul as should the remains of the other chayal 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 5785, 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.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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