Va’eschanan – Page 3 – Peninim on the Torah

כי קל רחום ד' אלקיך לא ירפך ולא ישחתך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5777

For Hashem, your G-d, is a merciful G-d, He will not abandon you nor destroy you. (4:31)

Lo yarpecha, “He will not loosen His hold on you.” Rashi adds, “From holding onto you with His Hands… He will not separate you from being next to Him.” Hashem will never let go of us. Great! So, why are so many people lost in a spiritual maze, floundering, alone, without direction, with little to no faith? Is He still holding on? Horav Shlomo Wolbe, zl, derives a frightening lesson from Rashi. Hashem holds on to us with both Hands. He never lets go/abandons a Jew. How is it possible for a Jew to disengage from Hashem? Only one way:…

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אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5777

I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt. (5:6)

The Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, the foundation of the entire Torah, begins with these words.. The Shlah HaKadosh writes that the Aseres HaDibros is comprised of 620 words, of which 613 correspond to the taryag, 613, mitzvos. And the last seven correspond to the seven mitzvos d’Rabbanan, Rabbinic mitzvos (berachos; Shabbos candles; eiruv; netilas yadayim; Chanukah; Purim; Hallel). Horav Elimelech Biderman, Shlita, suggests that the final words, v’chol asher l’reicha, “And everything that belongs to your fellow” (regarding the prohibition of, Lo sachmod, “Do not covet”), is a summary of the entire Torah. V’chol asher l’reiecha means that one is…

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כבד את אביך ואת ואמך כאשר צוך ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5777

Honor your father and mother, as Hashem, your God, commanded you. (5:16)

One would think that honoring parents is a logical mitzvah which requires no specific command from Hashem. It should be the result of overwhelming gratitude to parents for all that they do to nurture and support their children. In his Haaemek Davar commentary to the Torah, the Netziv, zl, notes that there are circumstances (including difficult children) in which hakoras hatov, gratitude, is sadly not a primary focus in life, when a child feels that respecting parents is a stretch beyond which they can tolerate. Let us face it: not all parents are perfect; neither are all children; not all…

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לא תנסו את ד' אלקיכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5777

You shall not test Hashem. (6:17)

One does not test Hashem to see whether He will fulfill His promises, because we are clueless as to the workings of the Divine. So many factors are included in the Heavenly calculations of which we are unaware. It is ludicrous to second-guess the Almighty, since we know so little of the true past and even less of the future – all of which are factored into everyone’s reward and punishment. There is one mitzvah, however, explains Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, that we are allowed — nay, encouraged — to test Hashem: tzedakah, Maaser/tithe/charity. The Navi Malachi (3:10) quotes Hashem…

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אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים בעבר הירדן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5776

Then Moshe set aside three cities on the bank of the Jordan. (4:41)

The parshah of the arei miklat, cities of refuge, which Moshe Rabbeinu designated, seems to be misplaced. Up until now, Moshe has been rebuking Klal Yisrael, reminding them of their special relationship with Hashem, and informing them of the consequences of straying from this relationship. Later, in Perek 5, he exhorts them to listen to the Torah and to observe its precepts. He then underscores this admonition with a presentation of the Revelation at Har Sinai and repeating the Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments. Nestled in between the earlier rebuke, and later presentation and encouragement to follow the mitzvos, is the…

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אנכי עמד בין ד' וביניכם בעת ההיא להגיד לכם את דבר ד' כי יראתם מפני האש ולא עליתם בהר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5776

I was standing between Hashem and you at that time, to relate the word of Hashem to you – for you were afraid of the fire and you did not ascend the mountain. (5:5)

Moshe Rabbeinu served as an intermediary between Hashem and the people in the days leading up to the Revelation. During the Giving of the Torah, Moshe’s services were even more necessary, since the people drew back in fear of the awesomeness of the experience. According to the commentators, the pasuk is informing us that Klal Yisrael did not ascend the mountain because they were afraid of the fire. In Shemos 19:12, the Torah teaches that the people were commanded to set boundaries around the mountain. They were enjoined, “Beware of ascending the mountain or touching its edge.” The question is…

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שמור את יום השבת לקדשו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5776

Safeguard the day of Shabbos to sanctify it. (5:12)

The vernacular of this pasuk is ambiguous. If Shabbos is holy, why do we have to sanctify it? It is already holy. If it is a mitzvah like all mitzvos, one that imbues us with its kedushah, holiness, what role does remembering play in the scheme of shemiras Shabbos, Shabbos observance? Perhaps we may suggest the following: secular society recognizes that Shabbos is designated for the Jewish People as a day of rest. This does not necessarily mean that they view it as a day replete with unusual holiness. The kedushah is something that we infuse into the Shabbos. Otherwise,…

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כבד את אביך ואת אמך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5776

Honor your father and mother. (5:16)

To render honor to one’s parents is an awesome task. Honor means much more than respect. It means: to value; to cherish; to appreciate; to understand that one’s presence in this world is attributed to his parents. The Sefer HaChinuch writes: Heim sibas heyoso b’olam, “They are the cause of his being in this world.” When one realizes that his basic “being” is due to them, he should be filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Honor should be the result of this emotion. Sadly, this emotion, or lack thereof, can backfire, when one has determined for himself that he…

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לא תספו על הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם ולא תגרעו ממנו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5775

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it. (4:2)

The Torah is Divinely authored and, as such, it is perfect. To add or subtract from the written word of G-d is to imply that it lacks perfection and is somehow not applicable in all venues or under all circumstances. When Hashem commands that Tefillin have four parshios, He does not mean that four is a minimum, allowing for us to add a fifth parsha at will. Every number that Hashem gives us is the requisite for this mitzvah. To add or subtract is to distort and demean the pristine nature of the Torah. To do so is to deny…

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אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5775

I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. (5:6)

A well-known question was posed by Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi (Kuzari 1:25): Since the first mitzvah of the Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, is the enjoinment to believe in Hashem, why not mention that Hashem created Heaven and earth? Why does our liberation from Egypt play such a critical role in our hashkafah, philosophy/outlook. He explains that, while the creation of the world is the penultimate experience, no one was around to see it. Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Exodus, was witnessed by millions. There is no question that something witnessed is something remembered. Yetzias Mitzrayim left a lasting influence on the psyche of…

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כי קל רחום ד' אלקיך לא ירפך ולא ישחתך

For Hashem, your G-d, is a merciful G-d, He will not abandon you nor destroy you. (4:31)

אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים

I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt. (5:6)

כבד את אביך ואת ואמך כאשר צוך ד' אלקיך

Honor your father and mother, as Hashem, your God, commanded you. (5:16)

לא תנסו את ד' אלקיכם

You shall not test Hashem. (6:17)

אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים בעבר הירדן

Then Moshe set aside three cities on the bank of the Jordan. (4:41)

אנכי עמד בין ד' וביניכם בעת ההיא להגיד לכם את דבר ד' כי יראתם מפני האש ולא עליתם בהר

I was standing between Hashem and you at that time, to relate the word of Hashem to you – for you were afraid of the fire and you did not ascend the mountain. (5:5)

שמור את יום השבת לקדשו

Safeguard the day of Shabbos to sanctify it. (5:12)

כבד את אביך ואת אמך

Honor your father and mother. (5:16)

לא תספו על הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם ולא תגרעו ממנו

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it. (4:2)

אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים

I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. (5:6)

YEARS

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