Peninim on the Torah

כי דור תהפכת המה בנים לא אמן בם

For they are a generation of reversals, children whose upbringing is not in them. (32:20)

When we note that a generation has reversed Hashem’s “mood” from benevolence to anger, we observe that Hashem has raised them to be good, but they have spurned His upbringing – something which is quite apparent in the manner in which they act. Moshe Rabbeinu rebukes the nation for rejecting the Torah, whose purpose it is to teach/educate them. From their actions, it is obvious that they are far from achieving this goal. This is difficult to understand, considering that the Torah is chinuch, educative, from beginning to end. How is it that the Torah did not achieve its mission?…

Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5778

כי יראה כי אזלת יד ואפס עצור ועזוב

Sruly Schnair In 5778, Ha'azinu

When He sees that enemy power progresses, and none is saved or assisted. (32:36)

Hashem’s judgment determines the punishment which Klal Yisrael deserves. When the situation reaches the point decreed by His punishment, the punishment comes to an end. He shall relent his treatment of them, for He will recognize their utter helplessness and their complete dependency on Him. Concerning the last words of the pasuk, “and none is saved or assisted” [Which basically means that Hashem sees that we have thrown in the towel; we realize that ein lanu l’hishaein ela al Avinu she’ba’Shamayim, “we have no one upon Whom to rely other than our Father in Heaven.”], Chazal (Sanhedrin 97a) teach that…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5778

ויקרא משה ליהושע ויאמר אליו... חזק ואמץ כי אתה תבוא את העם הזה אל הארץ

Sruly Schnair In 5778, Vayeilech

Moshe called to Yehoshua, and he said to him… Be strong and of good courage, for you will come with this people into the Land. (31:7)

Moshe Rabbeinu said to Yehoshua (Rashi), “Make sure that the elders of the generation are with you; act according to their opinions and advice. For you will come with (tavo), the people when they come into Eretz Yisrael.” Moshe’s idea of leadership (as implied by the word tavo) is one of consensus, in which everybody is on the same page. Such a leader must successfully navigate the various opinions of the people and establish a workable situation in which his authority is accepted. Hashem seems to have different plans for Yehoshua’s leadership, when He says (Ibid 23), “Be strong and…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5778

ויאמר ד' אל משה הנך שכב עם אבותיך וקם העם הזה וזנה אחרי אלהי נכר הארץ

Sruly Schnair In 5778, Vayeilech

And Hashem then said to Moshe, “You are now going to lie with your fathers, but this people will arise and stray after the gods of the nations of the land.” (31:16)

Horav Shlomo Lorincz, zl, was the Agudath Israel representative to the Knesset. He was one of those unique individuals who had the merit to spend seventy years b’michitzasam, in the shadow of the gedolei Yisrael, Torah giants, primarily of Eretz Yisrael. As such, he was afforded the unparalleled opportunity not only to bask in their greatness, but also to learn from them and impart their lessons to others. He relates the following profound observation from the Brisker Rav, zl, which he sees as a living will, a mandate to every public activist, as well as to every Jew. Rav Lorincz…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5778

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5778, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

Simply, this “song” is a reference to Shiras Ha’azinu, which foreshadows Klal Yisrael’s future. Chazal, however, interpret this “song” as applying to the entire Torah, thereby redefining Torah from a book of law, ethics and way of life, to the song of the Jewish people. Horav Yosef Kahaneman, zl, the Ponevezer Rav, explains that the Torah should be the Jew’s song of life that reaches into his innermost emotions and accompanies him throughout his life’s journey. Torah celebrates with him during his moments of joy and mourns with him as he traverses periods of pain and travail. It is his…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5778

בבא כל ישראל לראות את פני ד'... תקרא את התורה הזאת... הקהל את העם... למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו ויראו את ד'

Sruly Schnair In 5778, Vayeilech

When all Yisrael comes to appear before Hashem… you shall read this Torah… gather together all the people… so that they will hear and so that they will learn, and they shall fear Hashem. (31:11,12)

Since the purpose of the gathering of all of the Jews is for the reading of the Torah, the pasuk should have first stated Hakhel es ha’am, “Gather together all the people,” and then, Tikra es ha”torah ha’zos, “You shall read this Torah.” Reading the Torah is the purpose of Hakhel; therefore, Hakhel should precede the “reading” of the Torah. The Gerrer Rebbe, zl, the Imrei Emes, explains that the (mere) gathering of all Jews b’achdus, in unity, is – in and of itself – Torah. Therefore (now that we have a unified gathering and having achieved the essence of…

Home -> 5778 -> Nitzavim

כי הוא חייך ואורך ימיך

Sruly Schnair In Nitzavim, 5778

For He is your life and length of your days. (30:20)

Torah is our life, without which we are unable to survive. In a famous dialogue between Papus ben Yehudah and Rabbi Akiva (Berachos 61a), the Tanna expressed this idea. It was during the period when the ruling pagan government forbade Torah study. Their decree, which – if ignored – was punishable by death, did not seem to matter to Rabbi Akiva, who maintained his normal routine of studying and teaching Torah. When Papus ben Yehudah questioned his actions, Rabbi Akiva compared it to the wily fox who saw fish swimming quickly from place to place. He asked them from whom…

Home -> 5778 -> Nitzavim

כי קרוב אליך הדבר

Sruly Schnair In Nitzavim, 5778

Rather, the matter is very near to you. (30:14)

Veritably, the term “near” (to you) is relative. One could be standing on top of something, but, if he is unaware of it, the item remains elusive. It could be under him, but, in his mind, it is across the ocean. If one does not know where to look, distance plays no role. I remember during the sixties when many spiritually lost people went searching for religious meaning and spirituality in the mountains of Tibet. They, of course, returned empty-handed, because they did not know what to look for. Had they had an understanding of the meaning of Judaism, they…

Home -> 5778 -> Nitzavim

כי המצוה הזאת אשר אנכי מצוך... לא נפלאת היה ממך ולא רחוקה היא... כי קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו

Sruly Schnair In Nitzavim, 5778

For this commandment that I command you today – it is not hidden from and it is not distant… rather, the matter is very near to you – in your mouth and in your heart – to perform it. (30: 11,14)

This mitzvah? To which mitzvah is the Torah referring? What mitzvah might we think is distant, inaccessible to the average person? Rashi implies that the Torah refers to the mitzvah of limud haTorah, Torah study. Many people err in thinking that Torah erudition is beyond them – almost impossible to master. While it is true that Torah knowledge has no limit, nonetheless, through constant diligent study, one can achieve a high degree of Torah scholarship. Torah is Divinely authored, thus making it impossible for the human mind to grasp its profundities without Divine intervention. When Hashem sees that a Jew…

Home -> 5778 -> Ki Savo

בבוקר תאמר מי יתן ערב ובערב תאמר מי יתן בוקר מפחד לבבך

Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5778

In the morning you will say, “Who can give back last night?” And in the evening you will say, “Who can give back this morning?” for the fright of your heart. (28:67)

Rashi explains this practically, with conditions deteriorating on a daily basis to the point that the anguish of today will be so painful it will make one yearn for the suffering of yesterday. This can also refer to those who wake up too late to realize that the life which they led yesterday (in the past) was the precursor to the tzaros, troubles, which they experience today. Whether it be satisfaction with one’s personal spiritual growth or the lack of nachas, satisfaction and pleasure, derived from one’s children – nothing happens in a vacuum. The decisions that we make today…

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כי דור תהפכת המה בנים לא אמן בם

For they are a generation of reversals, children whose upbringing is not in them. (32:20)

כי יראה כי אזלת יד ואפס עצור ועזוב

When He sees that enemy power progresses, and none is saved or assisted. (32:36)

ויקרא משה ליהושע ויאמר אליו... חזק ואמץ כי אתה תבוא את העם הזה אל הארץ

Moshe called to Yehoshua, and he said to him… Be strong and of good courage, for you will come with this people into the Land. (31:7)

ויאמר ד' אל משה הנך שכב עם אבותיך וקם העם הזה וזנה אחרי אלהי נכר הארץ

And Hashem then said to Moshe, “You are now going to lie with your fathers, but this people will arise and stray after the gods of the nations of the land.” (31:16)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

בבא כל ישראל לראות את פני ד'... תקרא את התורה הזאת... הקהל את העם... למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו ויראו את ד'

When all Yisrael comes to appear before Hashem… you shall read this Torah… gather together all the people… so that they will hear and so that they will learn, and they shall fear Hashem. (31:11,12)

כי הוא חייך ואורך ימיך

For He is your life and length of your days. (30:20)

כי קרוב אליך הדבר

Rather, the matter is very near to you. (30:14)

כי המצוה הזאת אשר אנכי מצוך... לא נפלאת היה ממך ולא רחוקה היא... כי קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו

For this commandment that I command you today – it is not hidden from and it is not distant… rather, the matter is very near to you – in your mouth and in your heart – to perform it. (30: 11,14)

בבוקר תאמר מי יתן ערב ובערב תאמר מי יתן בוקר מפחד לבבך

In the morning you will say, “Who can give back last night?” And in the evening you will say, “Who can give back this morning?” for the fright of your heart. (28:67)

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