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Home -> Vayeilech -> 5786

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Vayeilech

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

The last mitzvah in the Torah is the command to write a Sefer Torah. It is striking that the Torah refers to itself as a Shirah, song.  One would have expected that the seminal corpus of Jewish law, the blueprint for Jewish life and living, the repository of Divine wisdom, which Hashem authored to be described as a Sefer, a body of law, a teaching, even a guide, but a song?  Who would have thought? Perhaps the answer is to be found in the unique nature of music.  Recently, I was exercising together with a friend, each of us listening…

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Home -> Vayeilech -> 5786

וידבר משה באזני כל קהל ישראל את דברי השירה הזאת עד תמם

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Vayeilech

Moshe spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation of Yisrael, until their conclusion. (31:30)

Ad tumam, until their conclusion, implies that the Torah is teaching us a novel chiddush.  Moshe Rabbeinu taught the entire Torah – from beginning to end.  This chiddush begs elucidation.  How could one think that Moshe abridged the Torah, that he did not recite it in its entirety?  Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, explains ad tumam to mean that Moshe’s recitation went beyond verbalization.  He did not just read words; rather, he provided an in-depth explanation, analysis and synthesis of the various approaches toward understanding the Torah’s lessons and message.  He guided the people toward a clear and undiluted understanding of…

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Home -> 5786 -> Nitzavim

כי קרב אליך הדבר בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו

Sruly Schnair
In Nitzavim, 5786

For this matter is very near to you; in your mouth, and in your heart, to perform it. (30:14)

The Torah assures us that serving Hashem is not beyond our reach.  It is neither reserved for the saintly, nor is it attainable only by those endowed with extraordinary spiritual gifts.  It is “very near.” The capacity to serve Hashem resides within every Jew, embedded in his very essence.  It is in his mouth and in his heart. Horav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, zl, explains that every Jew possesses an innate desire to cleave to Hashem.  This yearning is part of his spiritual DNA.  If so, why do so many struggle in their avodas Hashem? Why does serving Hashem often appear…

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Home -> 5786 -> Nitzavim

ושבת עד ד' אלקיך

Sruly Schnair
In Nitzavim, 5786

And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d. (30:2)

Teshuvah is generally understood as returning after one has strayed.  Another often used term is kaparah, atonement, which is associated with wrong-doing. One whose observance is lacking requires a kaparah.  Once he deduces that the time for teshuvah, returm, has arrived, he puts aside all of the excuses which he has used to live a lifestyle devoid of Jewish religious observance.  He makes his decision to return – but to what is he returning? This is a compelling question concerning the many Jews who have been raised with little to no exposure to Torah and mitzvos.  Having never been taught,…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Savo

ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגך ... ובאו עליך כל הקללות האלה והשיגוך

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Savo, 5786

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you … and all these curses will come and overtake you. (28:2,15)

The key word in both pesukim –  blessings and curses – is v’hisigucha, “and overtake you.”  Does it have the same connotation, or are the meanings different?  The Bais Yisrael quotes Horav Bunim, zl, m’Peshischa that the blessings will arrive at a time which is propitious for him to benefit from them.  Otherwise, a person can be blessed with an abundance of good at a time when he is gravely ill and unable to partake in — and benefit from —  them.  If this applies to blessing, how are we to understand v’hisigucha with regard to curse? The Sifsei Tzaddik…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Savo

והיה אם לא תשמע בקול ד' אלקיך ... ובאו עליך כל הקללות האלה

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Savo, 5786

But it will be that if you do not listen to the voice of Hashem, your G-d … and these curses will come upon you. (28:15)

I was reading through the ninety-eight curses which comprise the Tochachah, and I could not help but wonder what kind of actions would warrant such severe punishment.  One would assume that only the most egregious sins deserve such horrible consequences.  Probably the most frightening aspect is that these punishments have all been realized.  Throughout our long exile, we have been subjected to countless pogroms and blood libels.  These have taken their toll on us physically and emotionally.  We have been brutally slaughtered, gassed and burned alive, and expelled from our homes. We have witnessed the decimation of our communities.  We…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Savo

תחת אשר לא עבדת את ד' אלקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב מרוב כל

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Savo, 5786

Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness of heart, when everything was abundant. (28:47)

We often understood this pasuk as an exhortation to serve Hashem with simchah and joy.  Yet, the Torah appears to add another criterion: “when everything was abundant.”  Why does abundance matter?  If one were to ask the average person, “How are you doing?” the response would likely be, “Baruch Hashem, I am blessed. I have what I need. Of course, I could always use more, but I am managing with what I have.”  Implicit in this answer, however, lies a subtle deficiency.  “I could always use more” often translates into “Something is still missing.  I am not fully satisfied.  There…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Savo

תחת אשר לא עבדת את ד' אלקיך בשמחה

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Savo, 5786

Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid joy. (28:47)

We often search for profound philosophical explanations to questions which trouble us.  We plumb the depths and probe for complex answers, when all that is required is a small dose of common sense.  Not every challenge demands an intricate analysis.  Indeed, at times, the most straightforward explanation is the correct one.  Thus, many of the questions that plague us and whose answers appear elusive are easily explained when we open our minds and think common-sensibly. The Torah expects us to serve Hashem amid joy.  Is that too much to ask for?  Certainly not, but, unfortunately, we do see G-d-fearing, fully…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Seitzei

כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Seitzei, 5786

If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son. (21:18)

The Torah does not hide circumstances in Klal Yisrael’s history (especially in the Midbar) that portray human vulnerability and moral and spiritual weakness.  Some may shock the reader; others may provoke anger, but I think no narrative is as tragic as the story of the ben sorer u‘moreh, the boy who rebels against his parents.  What makes the tragedy even more painful is the realization that it was preventable.  Chazal teach that the origin of the boy’s spiritual collapse had its roots long before his rebellion surfaced.  The sequence of the parshios— yefas to’ar, attractive gentile captive, followed by the…

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Home -> 5786 -> Ki Seitzei

ויהפוך ד' אלקיך לך את הקללה לברכה

Sruly Schnair
In Ki Seitzei, 5786

And Hashem, your G-d, reversed the curse to a blessing for you. (23:6)

Hashem transformed what had been intended to be a curse into a blessing. Veritably, differentiating between curse and blessing is a matter of perception. When we refer to something as a curse or adversity, this means that — according to our mortal, limited vision — we are able to see what appears to be a curse.  L’Hisadein B’Ahavasecha notes that the words tzarah, troubles, and tzohar, window/bright light, contain the same three letters: tzadi, hay, reish, only each with a different configuration.  This intimates that what we perceive as tzarah, through the medium of tzohar, may have a much brighter…

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