Eikev – Peninim on the Torah

ואשר עשה לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5785

And what he did to Dasan and Aviram sons of Eliav. (11:6)

Noticeably, the Torah mentions only Dasan and Aviram concerning the Korach rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership. It seems to gloss over Korach, the leader of the rebellion. He was the scoundrel who attempted to usurp Moshe’s authority. In Parashas Pinchas (Bamidbar 26:9-11), the Torah does, likewise, mention Dasan and Aviram who were part of Korach’s congregation, but falls short of mentioning Korach. The Ramban (commentary to Devarim 11:6) asks this question. The Ohr HaChaim (commentary to Parashas Pinchas) explains that while Korach was the leader and the one whose name is identified most with the controversy, it was Dasan and…

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והוא תהילתך והוא אלקיך

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5785

He is your praise, and He is your G-d. (10:21)

Hashem should be the sole recipient of our praise. The Mezritcher Maggid, zl, was wont to say concerning this pasuk: If you want to determine the level of yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, that you have achieved, you must authenticate your level of emunah, faith in Hashem. Analyze your davening, benching and other forms of tehillah, praise, to Hashem. Is it passionate, warm, with deveikus, desire to cling to the Almighty? The manner in which one expresses his praise of Hashem attests to his belief in Him – and vice versa.” The Maggid, zl, m’Warsaw would often use the following…

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והסיר ד' ממך כל חלי וכל מדוי מצרים הרעים אשר לא ידעת ישימם בך

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5785

Hashem will remove from you every illness and all the bad maladies of Egypt that you knew – He will not put them upon you. (7:15)

Lo yesimam bach; “He will not put them upon you.” If Hashem will not put the illness on us; if we will not be affected by maladies, what reason is there for V’heisir Hashem mimcha kol choli, “Hashem will remove from you every illness”? If no illness is affecting them, what exactly will He remove? Horav Yehoshua, zl, m’Kutna explains, citing the Yerushalmi (Shabbos 75B): “Kol choli, every illness, this applies to worry and anxiety. When a person worries that he might be ill with a specific illness, the worry alone will fester and germinate in his mind until he…

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והיה עקב תשמעון

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5785

When you listen to these ordinances. (7:12)

Rashi explains that the Torah uses the word, eikav, which also means heel, to allude to the sort of mitzvos that people regard as relatively unimportant. Thus, they tend to “tread upon them with their heels” figuratively. The Torah assures the nation that rewards will be in store for making an effort to observe mitzvos – especially those which, on the surface, appear insignificant. Do we have a concept of a mitzvah that is on the lower rung of significance? I think if we view the mitzvos from their Source – they are all from Hashem. This alone renders each…

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ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5784

You should place these words of Mine upon your heart. (11:18)

Rashi comments that, even after Klal Yisrael has been exiled, they should distinguish themselves through the performance of mitzvos. For example: put on Tefillin; make mezuzos, so that, when we ultimately return from exile, these mitzvos (and others) should not be new to us. Throughout our tumultuous journey in exile, we have confronted oppression and degradation with pride in the practice of mitzvos. Our perseverance and fidelity to Hashem have provided continuity, identity and a connection to the traditions that prevailed in various Jewish communities. We distinguished ourselves through our religious values which we maintained regardless of the challenging circumstances…

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לאהבה את ד' אלקיכם ולעבדו בכל לבבכם

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5784

To love Hashem, your G-d, and to serve Him with all your heart. (11:13)

The mitzvah of ahavas Hashem, loving the Almighty, is recorded in the Torah thirteen times. (Interestingly, the gematria, numerical equivalent, of ahavah, love, is 13. Another word that has such a gematria is echad, one. True love transforms two people into one. When we love Hashem, we abrogate ourselves, thus becoming completely attached to Him.) In the previous parashah, the Torah teaches that this love must extend to: b’chol levavcha, with all your heart; b’chol nafshecha, with all your soul (life); and b’chol me’odecha, with all your material assets. Chazal add their own interpretation to these three expressions of love….

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פסל לך שני לוחות אבנים כראשונים

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5784

Carve for yourself two stone Tablets like the first ones. (10:1)

Hashem instructs Moshe Rabbeinu to replace the two Tablets which he shattered. These Tablets contained the Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments. Apparently, the replacement Tablets represented a pivotal moment for the Jewish People, since, when Moshe shattered the first Tablets, Hashem concurred with his decision. This is evinced in the closing pasuk of the Torah, U’l’chol ha’yad ha’chazakah… asher asah Moshe l’einei kol Yisrael, “And by all the strong hand… that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael” (Devarim 34:12). The yad chazakah, strong hand, is in reference to Moshe’s shattering of the Luchos, to which Hashem responded, Yiyasher kochacha…

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ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שאל מעמך כי אם ליראה

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5783

Now, O’ Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear. (10:12)

Horav Chaim Soloveitchik, zl, offers an outstanding insight into the enjoinment that one fear Hashem. Every moment of one’s life one must ask himself, “What does Hashem ask of me – now?” An hour later, he should ask himself again, “Now, what does Hashem ask of me?” This is the depth of the meaning of v’atah, now. Every moment of one’s life, throughout every circumstance, the question that he should ask is: “What does the Almighty want of me now? How should I act in this situation?” Fear of Hashem is a way of life. One does not simply punch…

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זכר אל תשכח את אשר הקצפת את ד' אלקיך במדבר ... ממרים הייתם עם ד'

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5783

Remember, do not forget that you provoked Hashem, your G-d, in the wilderness… You have been rebels against Hashem. (9:7)

Moshe Rabbeinu lists some of the indiscretions and unacceptable behavior of Klal Yisrael during their wilderness journey. They are enjoined to remember, to never lose sight of these infractions. Their past sinful behavior must be expunged from their characters, lest it return to haunt them later. The only way to prevent recurrent problems is to ingrain in one’s mind the past, their deficiencies, and how they acted. Remembering the sin of the Golden Calf is on top of the list of iniquitous behavior which led to open rebellion. Thus, it is included among the Sheish Zechiros, Six Remembrances, incumbent upon…

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כי על כל מוצא פי ד' יחיה ... וזכרת את ד' אלקיך כי הוא הנתן לך כח לעשות חיל

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5783

Rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of Hashem does man live… That it was He (Hashem) who gives you the strength to make wealth. (8:3,18)

The Torah reiterates numerous times (of which the above pesukim are a mere sample) that everything – large or small – comes from Hashem. Man endeavors, but Hashem decides the end result. The first step toward living with faith and trust in the Almighty is acknowledging that He is the only reality. Everything else is a façade. The department of education oversaw a county which had, among its schools, a private yeshivah high school. The superintendent had serious issues with the school’s general studies program, or lack thereof. In order to receive a federal subsidy, the school was required to…

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ואשר עשה לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב

And what he did to Dasan and Aviram sons of Eliav. (11:6)

והוא תהילתך והוא אלקיך

He is your praise, and He is your G-d. (10:21)

והסיר ד' ממך כל חלי וכל מדוי מצרים הרעים אשר לא ידעת ישימם בך

Hashem will remove from you every illness and all the bad maladies of Egypt that you knew – He will not put them upon you. (7:15)

והיה עקב תשמעון

When you listen to these ordinances. (7:12)

ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם

You should place these words of Mine upon your heart. (11:18)

לאהבה את ד' אלקיכם ולעבדו בכל לבבכם

To love Hashem, your G-d, and to serve Him with all your heart. (11:13)

פסל לך שני לוחות אבנים כראשונים

Carve for yourself two stone Tablets like the first ones. (10:1)

ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שאל מעמך כי אם ליראה

Now, O’ Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear. (10:12)

זכר אל תשכח את אשר הקצפת את ד' אלקיך במדבר ... ממרים הייתם עם ד'

Remember, do not forget that you provoked Hashem, your G-d, in the wilderness… You have been rebels against Hashem. (9:7)

כי על כל מוצא פי ד' יחיה ... וזכרת את ד' אלקיך כי הוא הנתן לך כח לעשות חיל

Rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of Hashem does man live… That it was He (Hashem) who gives you the strength to make wealth. (8:3,18)

YEARS

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