PARSHAS DEVARIM | 4 AV 5769 | 25 JULY 2009

One of the mistakes of which Moshe reminded them was that the Jews readily accepted an education system whereby they would no longer be taught by Moshe himself, but through a series of intermediaries. “And you answered me and said, 'The thing you have spoken is good for us to do.’” (Deut 1:14) Rashi explains that Moshe was intimating to them that instead of readily accepting this system, they should have implored him to continue teaching them himself. Moshe calculated that their acceptance of this system must have been based on the supposition that they could bribe or sway lesser teachers than Moshe. Rashi argues that they should have said, “From whom is it better to learn, from you or your student? Is it not better to learn from you who pained yourself over it?”

Rav Moshe Feinstein, (1896-1986, Lithuania – NYC), in his work Darash Moshe, asks why the last part of the question is necessary. Does

it make any difference that Moshe pained himself over the Torah? Why shouldn’t they simply have said, “We would rather learn from the teacher than from the student”?

Rabbi Feinstein answers that Torah study is unlike any other discipline, in that true understanding of Torah is not based on one’s intellectual acumen, not on the amount of classes one attended or even taught, but rather on the amount of effort one invests in his Torah study. Often, there can be students who become much greater scholars than their teachers, because they put that much more effort into their Torah study, and sacrificed more to delve into the Torah on a deeper level. This is because the Torah, being Divine wisdom, is greater than any individual’s intellect or effort. But the more effort G-d sees someone putting into his Torah study, the more He merits seeing the truth and joy of his study. Moshe was telling the people that they should have demanded that he continue

teaching them, not due to his brilliant mind or extraordinary deductive skills, but because of the effort he expended in studying Torah, the greatest qualification a Torah teacher can have.

Indeed, throughout Jewish history, the greatest Rabbis and scholars have been the people who were completely immersed in and dedicated to their Torah study—not the greatest intellects. The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797), one of the greatest leaders of the last 500 years, was once approached by a man who had been his classmate throughout their cheder elementary school. The man asked him what it was that caused the Vilna Gaon to be so great, while his classmate who had been brighter than him in school lived a life of mediocrity.

The Vilna Gaon responded, “Are you familiar with the Mishna that says that one who learns something 101 times is much greater than one who learns it only 100 times? I took that Mishna literally!”

Similarly, the Chazon Ish (1878-1953, Russia- Israel) who became one of the greatest leaders of Jewry in the nascent state of Israel, also achieved his greatness through persistence and work as opposed to natural ability. He said of himself, “I’ve never met someone more naturally inclined to laziness than myself.” Yet he was known for spending days and nights delving the depths of Torah wisdom. His mother reported that as a child he once told her, “I really don’t enjoy studying at all, but I know it will be good for me!”

For many of us, it is a struggle to put aside time for learning, be it on the phone with our partner or otherwise. But it’s comforting to know that when we push ourselves and make the effort, the reward is incomparable!

Rabbi Burnham can be reached at: rabbiburnham@partnersintorah.org

ותענו אתי ותאמרו טוב הדבר אשר דברת לעשות“And you answered me and said, 'The thing you have spoken is

good for us to do.’” (Deuteronomy 1:14)

I n this week’s parsha, Moshe began his final discourse to the Jewish people, one that lasted a little over a month. The goal of the discourse was to prepare the Jews for their entry into the Holy Land of Israel, which

would herald a whole new way of life for the nomadic Jews. He began by reminding the Jews of some of the drastic mistakes they made, in the hope that they would learn from their errors. Displaying his trademark sensitivity, Moshe did not refer to their sins directly, but rather alluded to them through innuendo and cryptic figures of speech.

Parsha Perspectives RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM

D E V A R I M Talking Points RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. MONEY WELL SPENT “You are crossing into the border of your brothers, the descendants of Esau who reside in Seir…Food you are to buy from them with money and eat; water you are to purchase from them with money and drink. For Hashem, your G-d, has blessed you in all your handiwork; He has been involved with your traversing this great wilderness. It is now forty years that Hashem, your G-d, is accompanying you, and you have lacked nothing.” 2:4-7

For Hashem, your G-d, has blessed you - Therefore do not show ungratefulness by behaving as if you’re poor, but show yourselves to be rich. – Rashi

Blessed you in all your handiwork – In the desert, their situation was so ideal that there wasn’t even handiwork to be blessed. To what then, could this verse be referring? Although they weren’t engaged in life-sustaining activities or building homes, they did depart from Egypt with cattle and other forms of wealth. Not only did the Almighty provide for all their basic needs, but He even made their livestock prosper and they accumulated much wealth thanks to this. – Ramban

You have lacked nothing – Therefore, there isn’t even anything that you would actually need to purchase from them. Nevertheless, go out of your way to do so in order that they should sense friendship on your part, and so that through their interactions with you, they will perceive the amazing kindness and miracles that the Almighty performed on your behalf. - Sforno

Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor adds that the blessing granted to them by the Almighty was unique in another way as well. Usually, a person who bestows kindness upon another, starts out being very generous, but over time he slowly diminishes the amount and quality of his gifts. Throughout our forty years in the desert, the Almighty never restricted the quality or quantity of his blessings. Long after we were already capable of being self-sufficient, the largesse continued to pour forth as before.

2. LONG-RANGE PLANNING “At that time we took the land from the possession of the two Emorite kings who were on the other side of the Jordan…All the cities of the plain and entire Gilad…cities of Og’s kingdom in the Bashan… From Aro’er which is on Wadi Arnon and half of the Gilad hills and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites.” 3:8-12

I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites - "Once the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Menasheh were exiled [from the other side of the Jordan by Sancheriv], the practice of observing the Jubilee year was discontinued. – Talmud, Tractate Eiruchin 32b

This section of the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) essentially records Moses’ rebuke of the Jewish people for their various sins during their time in the desert. That said, what sin is he discussing here in this verse, which seems to be nothing more than a history lesson of their conquests to date? HeEmek Davar explains that the fact that the tribes of Reuben and Gad insisted on living across the Jordan was itself a tragedy and an avoidable one, at that. Their absence from the land of Israel diminished its sanctity in some measure, and they were the first to sin with idolatry, a catastrophic misstep in the eyes of G-d. This is why they were the first of the tribes to be exiled, and as a result, important features of Jewish life, such as the Jubilee, were discontinued. How did all this come about? Because of the sin of the Spies when the Jewish people refused to enter the land directly, which would have avoided their later encountering the tempting lands on the other side of the Jordan. Moses wished to demonstrate to them the long-range effects of their earlier actions and how these too had to be factored into an honest reckoning of their time in the desert.

3. MORALE BOOSTERS “And Joshua I instructed at that time saying, ‘Your own eyes have seen all that the Almighty, your G-d, did to these two kings [Sichon and Og], so shall the Almighty do to all of the kingdoms that you will encounter there. Do not fear them for Hashem, your G-d, He will wage war on your behalf.’” 3:21,22

And Joshua I instructed – Why would Joshua, of all people, have been fearful of the powerful kings in the Land of Canaan? Wasn’t he the one, along with Caleb, who reassured the people that they would have no trouble conquering the Land? Moses never grew comfortable with the request of the Reubenites and Gadites to live across the Jordan, for he foresaw the ease with which they could and ultimately would depart from the traditions. This suspicion never completely disappeared as is evident from numerous incidents in Scripture. Therefore, Moses feared that Joshua may have lost some of his confidence after

witnessing the perfidy of the Reubenites and Gadites. He sought to reassure him that nevertheless, the Almighty would battle on their behalf and he need not fear. – HeEmek Davar

Your own eyes have seen all – There were still 31 kings that had to be vanquished in the Land of Canaan. Witness, however, how the Almighty enabled you to decimate Sichon and Og and understand that you will meet similar success against the rest of them. – Rabbeinu Bachya, Sifsei Kohen

The victories over Sichon and Og were no small triumphs. According to the Midrash, their armies were more powerful than that of even Pharaoh. Ideally, we should have sung a Song of Praise just as we did when the armies of Pharaoh were finally vanquished. Yet, since these conquests occurred during the fortieth year in the desert, just prior to the death of Moses, the mood was not conducive to sing songs. Nevertheless, King David later made up for the missing Song of Praise in Psalms [136:17-20], when he wrote his own Song praising this victory, “To He that smote great kings; for His mercy endures forever; And slew mighty kings, for His mercy endures forever. Sichon king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; And Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever.” Rabbi Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

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Naava,

By way of introduction, I’d like to quote the Talmud [Tractate Yoma 9b] which is the source for this assertion: “However the Second Temple, during whose time they studied Torah, and were engaged in acts of loving-kindness, why was it destroyed? Because among them were people who engaged in baseless hatred. This teaches us that baseless hatred is as destructive as the three cardinal sins of idolatry, adultery, and homicide [which were blamed for the destruction of the First Temple].”

What exactly constitutes “baseless hatred,” and does the Talmud mean to imply that hatred that is motivated by a reason is okay? The answer is that one may no sooner detest someone for offending him, than to detest him for no reason at all. What is meant by “baseless hatred” is when you despise someone for any reason other than the fact that he is guilty of committing certain forms of sin [see Rashi, Yoma 9b.] Only when a person commits certain forms of sin it is permitted to despise him—and even then, one may not harbor any form of visceral or personal animosity toward that person. Instead, he must despise the inappropriate behavior, but remain kindly disposed toward that person. Anything approaching personal animosity toward another person falls under the definition of baseless hatred and is forbidden by the Torah, as expressed in the verse, “Do not hate your brother in your

heart” [Leviticus 19:17].

As to why this character trait is so destructive and unacceptable, I’ll share with you three reasons cited by the Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan zt”l) in his well-known work on this subject, Ahavas Yisroel.

1. It is exceedingly rare to find a sin which one can transgress each and every single moment. Usually, a sin is somewhat limited in its availability or in its duration. Hatred, however, is virtually unlimited in its availability and in the number of times a person can transgress. This is because each time a person thinks about the next person and arouses a feeling of hatred toward him, he violates the prohibition again. If one spends an hour contemplating his negative feelings toward another person, he commits multiple violations of the same prohibition.

2. Hatred is uniquely destructive because of its terrible side-effects. Rarely does one simply engage in hatred toward another person without it leading to many additional prohibitions, such as Lashon Hara [slanderous speech], Rechilus [tale-bearing], Ono’as Devarim [hurtful words], Halbanas Panim [shaming another person], to name just a few. At times, it can even lead to outright murder, as evidenced by Cain’s slaying of Abel. The Chafetz Chaim asserts that the vast majority of trouble experienced in the universe is directly attributable to this negative character trait.

3. Hatred for another person is unique in that the sin is not limited to an outright expression. It extends even to subtle emotions that lay deep in the heart and do not outwardly manifest as blatant acts of hatred. An example of this is the prohibition of netirah [harboring vengeance in the heart], which looks something like this: Dave asks Gary to loan him his car and meets with refusal on Gary’s part. Sometime later, Gary asks Dave to loan him his lawnmower, and Dave accedes to his request, but adding the words, “even though you didn’t loan me your car when I asked.” With these words alone, which demonstrate that his resentment at being refused is not entirely expunged, Dave has transgressed on the prohibition of netirah, which is a subcategory of the prohibition to hate another person. The reality makes it incredibly easy to transgress the sin of harboring animosity toward another person, and that much more widespread.

To further drive home his point, the Chafetz Chaim concludes his words with a plea to dedicate ourselves to eradicating this awful sin that, in his words, “is more responsible than any other sin for the inordinate length of our exile.”

Best Regards, Rabbi Elazar Meisels Rabbi Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

BASELESS HATRED RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

Dear Rabbi,

My study partner and I were discussing Tisha B’av and some of the reasons for the destruction of the Temple. It seems that there was more than one reason, but there was one that she mentioned in particular that jumped out at me. She said that it was because there was “baseless hatred” among Jews. Does this imply that it’s okay to hate someone when you have a reason to do so?

Naava D.

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In Bamidbar chapters 13 & 14, we read about

the sin of the spies (or scouts) who issued a negative report about the Land of Israel. All but

Calev and Yehoshua, who wholeheartedly followed Hashem, were punished by being

denied the chance to enter the Land of Israel.

In chapter 20 (verses 1-13), we read how G-d

instructed Moses "to speak to the rock... so that it shall give its waters." Instead of speaking to

the rock, Moses hit the rock. As the Torah relates, Hashem said, "Because you did not

believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, you (Moses) will not bring this congregation to the Land of Israel."

In our parsha, after Moses recounts the episode

of the spies (1:22-36), he says: "With me, as well, Hashem became angry because of you,

saying: 'You, too, shall not come there (i.e. the Land of Israel)” (1:37).

As Moses's punishment was unrelated (אto the sin of the spies — he was

punished for hitting, instead of speaking to the rock, 38 years later — why does he seem

to associate his punishment with a sin that he did not commit?

What do the two sins have in common (בthat would warrant them carrying the

same punishment?

TABLE TALK FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

Soul Talk Jeremiah the prophet expressed his sorrow over the Churban (Destruction) with an overpowering sense of poverty: אני הגבר ראה עני בשבט I am the man who has been left“ ,עברתוimpoverished by the rod of His anger” (Eichah 3:1). Many other prophets had spoken of the impending Churban, but Jeremiah bemoaned his unfortunate uniqueness — he lived through it. He experienced the poverty, the spiritual desolation, and the material destruction (see Rashi ad loc.). Indeed, it would seem that this theme is appropriate not only for Tisha B’Av, but for all fast days; they are all occasions when it is proper to feel impoverished. Furthermore, it is advantageous, in such a situation, to adopt the mannerisms of the poor. There is much humility to be acquired, much pride to break, and much honest spiritual growth to be realized, if we assume the demeanor of the destitute.

The Shelah (Rabbi Yeshayah Horowitz) quotes earlier sources who analyze the etymology of the word תענית (fast). In their observation, the letters may be rearranged to spell תת עני, which is translated as, “donate to the poor.” This is included in the Talmudic statement: The reward of a fast is in giving charity (Berachos 6b). The reward given is not only for performing chesed (loving kindness); rather, it is for this specific chesed, performed on this specific day. As one hungers from his own fast, he feels the pain of the hungry poor man that much more acutely. He reasons: How can I complain about my lot, when my fellow Jew suffers hunger and deprivation every day? He internalizes the pain of the poor man and makes it his own. This type of fast-day charity is specially rewarded.

The Shelah quotes his father, the author of Emek Berachah: This fasting and charity is of such a

comprehensive nature that it fulfills the commandment (Devarim 6:5): ' ואהבת את ה You“ ,אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדךshall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources.” [Rav Nosson Nota of Shiniva explained: Obviously, this charity involves depleting of resources; that needs no further explanation. It also involves a sacrifice of the soul, because in Satan’s eyes fasting is sinful, for abstaining from the world’s pleasures is not what Hashem intended. Finally, it results in love of Hashem with your complete heart, meaning both yetzer tov (good inclination) and yetzer hara (evil inclination), because fasting subdues the yetzer hara.]

There are those who advise that whenever one fasts, he should donate the meal that he would have eaten to a poor man (to be eaten at the conclusion of the fast). Otherwise, other people may think that he fasted to save money. This may be the intent of the prophet Isaiah’s words Surely you“ ,הלוא פרס לרעב לחמך :(58:7)should break your bread for the hungry.” It is especially meaningful when you give away your bread, that which was reserved for your own meal.

The above-referenced custom is a beautiful one, and its underlying concept is fundamental. This Tisha B’Av, let us try to feel the pain of an עני(poor person) and you will feel the pain of the If we grow from relieving the pain of a . תענית

poor person, we will have grown from the fasting experience. We will become a ‘‘better’’ faster, contributed to rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple).

With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose