Sruly Schnair

כי תצא למלחמה על אויביך

When you will go out to war against your enemies. (21:10)

Rashi comments that the Torah is speaking about a milchemes reshus, discretionary war. With regard to milchemes mitzvah, a war which we are commanded to wage, such as against the sheva umos, seven pagan nations that inhabited Eretz Yisrael, we are enjoined not to take prisoners. Thus, the subsequent law regarding the yefas to’ar, beautiful captive, would not apply. The Baal Shem Tov also applies this pasuk as a metaphor for the never-ending battle we must wage against our internal enemy: the yetzer hora, evil inclination. We have no shortcuts in this battle. It is constant, so that it demands…

Home -> 5784 -> Ki Seitzei

כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקול אביו ואימו

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5784

If a man has a wayward and rebellious son, who does not obey his father or his mother. (21:18)

In the list of potential familial tragedies, the ben sorer u’moreh, wayward and rebellious son, is certainly in the upper stratum. This is clearly a tragedy, given that parents do so much and give all of themselves to raise their children along the proper and straight course. It happens, however, for various reasons or just because Hashem wills it. In other words, parents can do everything right, follow all the guidebooks and sefarim on chinuch, even daven and recite Tehillim, and Hashem can still decree upon them to have a ben sorer u’moreh. I would like to address the circumvention…

Home -> 5784 -> Ki Seitzei

ותפשו בו אביו ואמו והוציאו אותו אל זקני עירו

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5784

Then his father and mother shall grasp him and take him out to the elders of his city. (21:19)

What is the source for the responsibility of parents to bring their wayward son to bais din? Simply, the Torah explains that they are the ones bringing the complaint against their son. He does not listen to them, and he has stolen from them. Since they are the ones who are primarily affected, they are able to absolve him of punishment. Horav Eliyahu Baruch Finkel, zl, offers a powerful insight into the parents’ responsibility and why it is specifically they who are to bring him to bais din. The ben sorer u’moreh is executed because of how he will one…

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כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך ... שלח תשלח את האם והבנים תקח לך

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5784

When a bird’s nest happens to be before you on the road… you shall surely send away the mother and take the young for yourself. (22:6,7)

This mitzvah (shiluach ha’kein) is an extension of the mitzvah not to slaughter oso v’es b’no b’yom echad, not to slaughter an ox or a sheep and its offspring on the same day. On the surface, the Torah seeks to teach us to be compassionate even to the feelings of an animal. Chazal (Berachos 33a) teach that one silences the individual who says, Al kan tzipor yagiu rachamecha, “Your mercy extends even to a bird’s nest,’ because he insinuates that the attributes of Hashem are exclusively mercy, when, in fact, they are exclusively decrees. Hashem did not enact decrees, such…

Home -> 5784 -> Ki Seitzei

כי תבנה בית חדש ועשית מעקה לגגך

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5784

If you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your roof. (22:8)

Noting the juxtaposition of the law of maakeh, fence for a roof, upon the previous law of shiluach ha’kein, Rashi comments, “If you fulfilled the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird from the nest, your end will be to (merit to) build a new house and will fulfill the mitzvah of maakeh, for mitzvah goreres mitzvah, a mitzvah engenders another mitzvah after it.” One wonders: Is it possible to live without a house? Obviously not. If so, why does Rashi emphasize that the house is the result of mitzvas shiluach ha’kein, which will now engender the mitzvah of maakeh?…

Home -> 5784 -> Shoftim

והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5784

It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life. (17:19)

The Torah enjoins the Melech Yisrael, Jewish King, to write two copies of the Torah for himself: one to keep in his treasury; and the other to keep with him at all times. The imperative that the Torah be a constant part of his life will serve as a reminder that, although he publicly holds an august position, he is a servant of Hashem. As such, he must adhere to all 613 mitzvos in the same manner as every Jew. He should not fall prey to the allure of power, wealth and fame. His position obligates him to take greater…

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נביא מקרבך מאחיך כמני יקים לך ד' אלקים תשמעון

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5784

A prophet from your midst, from your brothers, like me, shall Hashem, your G-d, establish for you – to him shall you listen. (18:15)

The Navi is obviously very special, since Hashem has chosen him for this function. How are we to know if he is truly Hashem’s choice? Apparently, the credentials of this tzaddik, righteous person, are impeccable, characterized by positive attributes and virtues to which everyone agrees. Nonetheless, everyone has his personal opinion and his own litmus test. What passes muster for one person does not necessarily pass muster for another. Is there a clear- cut criteria which define a righteous leader? Rashi comments that he must be mumchah hu lach, proven to you, to be a tzaddik gamur, such as Eliyahu…

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ודברו השוטרים אל העם לאמר מי האיש אשר בנה בית חדש ולא חנכו ... ואמרו מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישוב לביתו

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5784

The officers shall speak to the people saying, “Who is the man who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? … Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house.” (20:5,8)

In times of war, individuals may experience distractions that impede their ability to concentrate on the battle before them. While the observant Jew understands that Hashem is the Supreme General and that the war will play itself out in accordance with His will, the soldier must still endeavor to execute his mission and not undermine the battle plan. He must maintain his focus on the dangers ahead. His weakness affects not only him, but all the members of the battalion. The Torah recognizes three types of individuals whose circumstances may cause them to divert their attention from the battlefield. One…

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כי האדם עץ השדה

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5784

For man is like a tree of the field. (20:19)

With the above three words, the Torah conveys the notion that a man is to be likened to a tree. From a superficial perspective, a man can be compared to a tree in a number of areas. Trees are known for their strong trunks and deep roots. This provides for – and bespeaks – stability. A person’s character should be firm and grounded, able to withstand the winds of change that could sway him away from Hashem. Second, trees grow and develop. Over time, they branch out far beyond their original appearance. They reach toward the sky and spread outward…

Home -> 5784 -> Re'eh

השמר לך פן תעזב את הלוי

Sruly Schnair In Re'eh, 5784

Beware for yourself lest you forsake the Levi. (12:19)

Chazal (Chullin 85a) relate that Rav tells us that every day a Divine Voice emerges from Har Chorev and says: “The entire world is sustained by the merit of Chanina ben Dosa, My son, and for Chanina, My son, a kav of carob is sufficient to sustain him for an entire week, from Shabbos to Shabbos.” Rashi comments that this is referring to the holy Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa in whose lifetime this Heavenly Voice emerged. The fact that people were unaware of Rabbi Chanina’s dire poverty is very telling. Imagine, one of the greatest Torah giants of all time…

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כי תצא למלחמה על אויביך

When you will go out to war against your enemies. (21:10)

כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקול אביו ואימו

If a man has a wayward and rebellious son, who does not obey his father or his mother. (21:18)

ותפשו בו אביו ואמו והוציאו אותו אל זקני עירו

Then his father and mother shall grasp him and take him out to the elders of his city. (21:19)

כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך ... שלח תשלח את האם והבנים תקח לך

When a bird’s nest happens to be before you on the road… you shall surely send away the mother and take the young for yourself. (22:6,7)

כי תבנה בית חדש ועשית מעקה לגגך

If you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your roof. (22:8)

והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו

It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life. (17:19)

נביא מקרבך מאחיך כמני יקים לך ד' אלקים תשמעון

A prophet from your midst, from your brothers, like me, shall Hashem, your G-d, establish for you – to him shall you listen. (18:15)

ודברו השוטרים אל העם לאמר מי האיש אשר בנה בית חדש ולא חנכו ... ואמרו מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישוב לביתו

The officers shall speak to the people saying, “Who is the man who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? … Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house.” (20:5,8)

כי האדם עץ השדה

For man is like a tree of the field. (20:19)

השמר לך פן תעזב את הלוי

Beware for yourself lest you forsake the Levi. (12:19)

YEARS

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