Rabbi L. Scheinbaum

“My doctrine shall drop like rain, My saying like dew.” (32:2)

The Alshich explains this posuk as a prayer. Moshe asks that the effect of his words shall resemble that produced by rain and dew, in that they lead to the growth of crops. Similarly, may his words have a positive effect in developing the people to bring them closer to Hashem. The Chezkuni explains that the effects of rain are not immediately noticeable. It is only after some time has elapsed and grass begins to sprout, flowers bloom, and fruits grow that its worth is appreciated. Similarly, a man cannot be impatient in the study of Torah. He should not…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5751, Vayeilech

“And now write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Bnei Yisroel and put it in their mouths.” (31:19)

The Talmud in Sanhedrin (21b) states: Rava says, even if one were to inherit from his ancestors a Torah scroll it is still incumbent upon him to write a Sefer Torah or have one written for him. The Talmud bases its statement upon the above posuk which mandates the writing of a Sefer Torah. The Rambam and various other codifiers of halacha maintain this statement. There are many reasons given for the imperative to have a personal Torah written. The Sefer Hachinuch states that the reason for this mitzvah is to increase the number of Torah scrolls and, for that…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5751, Vayeilech

“And there shall come upon them many evils and troubles and they will say that day, “Is it not because our G-d is not among us that these evils have come upon us?” (31:17)

Rabeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuvah (2:2) states that the primary vehicle to awaken an individual to perform teshuvah is his realization that it is his sins and misdeeds that have caused his misfortunes and troubles. This realization brings about his eventual return to Hashem. We may conclude from this that in a situation of “Hashem is in his midst” no evil will befall a person. Rabbi Meir Chadash Z”tl questions this statement. Is not Hashem amongst every Jew? One of the most notable statements of Chazal is on the posuk in Parashas Terumah “And they shall make for Me a…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5751, Vayeilech

“And Moshe called to Yehoshua and said unto him before the eyes of the Bnei Yisroel – Be strong and of good courage for you shall go with this people into the land… And you shall cause them to inherit it.” (31:7)

Rashi describes an apparent difference between Moshe’s imperative to Yehoshua regarding his leadership over the Bnei Yisroel as being in accordance with the direction and counsel of the elders, as opposed to Hashem’s charge to Yehoshua, as being clearly independent of everyone, relying totally upon his own judgement and understanding. Even though there clearly seems to be a sort of contradiction between Moshe’s words to those of Hashem, we must note that in actuality they complement each other. Yehoshua, upon taking the reins of leadership of Bnei Yisroel should definitely consult with the elders seeking their advice and guidance…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5751, Vayeilech

“Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be in awe of them. For Hashem your G-d, He is that goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.” (31:6)

Why does the posuk open its statement in the plural voice -uezj umrg, ktu utrh, kt umntu and closes in the singular voice tk lczgh tku lprh ? What reason is there for this change? Perhaps we may suggest the following thought. A leader’s relationship with his congregation is founded to a great extent in the perspective by which he is viewed by them, and in that respect, his demise is noted by them. Individuals of various stations of life will note their mentors’ passing which cause their personal vested interests to be affected. Moshe, as he is taking leave…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5751

“To love Hashem your G-d.” (30:20)

The Torah commands us to serve Hashem out of a sense of love and adoration. The Talmud in Nedarim (62a) comments on the above posuk – One should not say, “I will study scripture so that I will be called a wise man, I will study Mishnah so that I will be called a Rabbi, I will study Mishnah so that I will become an elder and sit in the yeshiva.” Rather, learn out of love for Hashem and eventually honor will come. One should not study Torah for personal reasons and ulterior motives, but rather Torah should be studied…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5751

“See, I have set before you this day, (the) life, and (the) good, and (the) death, and (the) bad.” (30:15) – “I have set before you the blessing and the curse, therefore choose life so that you shall live, you and your children.” (30:19)

The Torah clearly equates good and blessing with life, and evil and curses with death. It therefore seems peculiar that the Torah enjoins us to “choose life” with its various fringe benefits as opposed to selecting evil and curses which are compared to death. If this mandate is stated to a G-d fearing and morally upright Jew then the enjoinment to “choose life” is hardly necessary. It is unnecessary to convey this message to a non-believer, for he evidently does not embrace this positive definition of life. We also wonder at the posuk’s sequel, “so that you shall live, you…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5751

“For this commandment… is not concealed from you… neither is it far off… it is not in heaven… nor is it beyond the sea… But the word is very near unto you, in your mouth and in your heart that you may do it.” (30:11-14)

It is puzzling to find these distances expressed as such extremes. Why are we told that it is not in heaven nor beyond the sea, but actually it is to be found within us? It should be sufficient to state simply that this mitzvah is not beyond our reach. This statement is, however, far from extreme, and conveys a basic truth. Man is composed of two contrasting entities, the physical and spiritual. He has the ability to soar to the most sublime spiritual heights, or to sink to the nadir of decadence and depravity. Indeed the range of man’s perception…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim

“If any of you are dispersed in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there will Hashem your G-d gather you, and from there He will take you.” (30:4)

This posuk may be explained in a novel way. Even if one will sink so low in pursuit of gratifying his physical and material desires, thus distancing himself further and further from Hashem, there is still hope for his return. As long as “those that are dispersed” are still “in the uttermost parts of heaven“, they still maintain a thin spiritual link, however flimsy and remote; a spark which can still be stoked, then Hashem will gather them and take them back. The spark of a “yiddishe neshoma” cannot be extinguished.

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5751

“And you shall be mad at the sight of your eyes which you shall see.” (28:34)

In today’s society, when the world is filled with so much distortion of the truth, and overwhelmed with deceit and hypocrisy, it is indeed viritually impossible for people to see the truth. There are, however, individuals who, because they maintaining a Torah true observance, have access to a clear perspective of what society should be. Their clarity of vision is nonetheless denounced, their message is distorted and treated as the ramblings of madmen. This can be the interpretation of the above posuk. Those who, because of their ability to see, have chosen not to follow the decadent course taken by…

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“My doctrine shall drop like rain, My saying like dew.” (32:2)

“And now write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Bnei Yisroel and put it in their mouths.” (31:19)

“And there shall come upon them many evils and troubles and they will say that day, “Is it not because our G-d is not among us that these evils have come upon us?” (31:17)

“And Moshe called to Yehoshua and said unto him before the eyes of the Bnei Yisroel – Be strong and of good courage for you shall go with this people into the land… And you shall cause them to inherit it.” (31:7)

“Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be in awe of them. For Hashem your G-d, He is that goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.” (31:6)

“To love Hashem your G-d.” (30:20)

“See, I have set before you this day, (the) life, and (the) good, and (the) death, and (the) bad.” (30:15) – “I have set before you the blessing and the curse, therefore choose life so that you shall live, you and your children.” (30:19)

“For this commandment… is not concealed from you… neither is it far off… it is not in heaven… nor is it beyond the sea… But the word is very near unto you, in your mouth and in your heart that you may do it.” (30:11-14)

“If any of you are dispersed in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there will Hashem your G-d gather you, and from there He will take you.” (30:4)

“And you shall be mad at the sight of your eyes which you shall see.” (28:34)

YEARS

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