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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

אשר תצוום את בניכם לשמר לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת ...כי לא דבר רק הוא מכם כי הוא חייכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

With which you are to instruct your children, to be careful to perform all the words of this Torah. For it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life. (32: 46,47)

We are commanded to instruct our children to observe the Torah and perform its mitzvos, because it is our life.  Simply, this refers to the Torah which is the source of our life, for without it one does not truly live.  He exists in the physical sense, but if the meaning of life eludes him, can he be considered truly alive?  Alternatively, “it” refers to our children whom we have instructed in the ways of Hashem and who carry on the legacy of our instruction.  In the Talmud Taanis 5B, Chazal state, Mah zaru b’chaim, af hu b’chaim;  “Just as…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

לשמור לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

To be careful to perform all the words of the Torah. (32:46)

The Jew is obliged to observe the Torah, adhere to its mitzvos and carry out our acts of human kindness, regardless of the circumstances in his life which might impede him.  Commitment is not always easy.  Observance is not a walk in the park.  This does not change one’s responsibility to Hashem.  Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, relates that he once had a conversation with a yet-unobservant Jew concerning the significance of mitzvah observance in contemporary times.  “So much has changed,” the man insisted.  “We have moved on from the dark ages.  I am not against observing the Torah, but change…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

הרנינו גוים עמו כי דם עבדיו יקום

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

O’ nations – sing the praises of His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants. (32:43)

Shiras Haazinu ends with the promise that with the advent of the Final Redemption, the world will see Klal Yisrael restored to its original glory, its enemies punished for the suffering that they caused for us. The nations of the world will recognize our greatness and will venerate us as G-d’s People.  Ramban views Shiras Haazinu as a historical perspective for us to follow, from which we should learn how to live.  It depicts the truth about how we were quick to take Hashem’s favors, but –when we had enough– we rebelled.  Our lack of fidelity incurred Heavenly punishment in…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

כי דור תהפכת המה בנים לא אמן בם וירא ד' וינאץ מכעס בניו ובנתיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

Hashem will see and be provoked by the anger of his sons and daughters. (32:19) – For they are a generation of reversals, children whose upbringing is not in them. (32:20)

In the preface to his Shev Shmaitsa, Horav Aryeh Leib Cohen, zl, quotes the Zohar HaKadosh who teaches that the term bas, girl/female, is used in connection to yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, while ben, boy/male, is used to denote the Torah.  Thus, the Zohar explains the well-known statement in the Talmud, Bas techilah – siman yafeh l’banim, “If a daughter is born first, it is a good sign for the children to be born.”  This alludes to Chazal’s statement in Pirkei Avos, Perek 3:11 where the Tanna teaches, “He in whom the fear of sin takes precedence over his…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

הלד' תגמלו זאת עם נבל ולא חכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

Is it to Hashem that you do this, O vile and unwise people? (32:6)

Moshe Rabbeinu wonders how Klal Yisrael could have been so vile and unwise as to sin against Hashem.  The words, Am naval v’lo chacham, “A vile and unwise people,” is translated by Targum Onkelos as, Ama d’kabila oraisa v’lo chakimu, “A nation that received the Torah who is unwise.”  Thus, Onkelos defines naval, which normally means vile or abominable, as, “who accepted /received the Torah.”  Should it not be quite the opposite?  One who rejects Torah should be considered vile, not one who receives it. The Kotzker Rebbe, zl, explains that the definition is relative, with the reality of our…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

הצור תמים פעלו... קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

The Rock! Perfect is His work… G-d of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He. (32:4)

Hashem created a perfect world in which every creation receives everything that is necessary, not only for it to subsist, but also for it to attain its maximum potential in this world.  Thus, if a person has not been granted certain qualities essential for success in a certain field or endeavor, this is a clear indication that he does not need them to achieve success.  On the other hand, if he has been blessed with certain abilities that exceed the average, it is proof that Hashem wants him to use these gifts to serve Him. The custom in Radin on…

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