Devarim – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ויחפרו לנו את הארץ

And let them spy out the Land. (1:22)

There are three words which can be used to make the same statement: “And let them spy out the Land”: v’yasuru; v’yeraglu; and v’yachperu. While it is true that, as synonyms, they all have a similar meaning, their connotations are different. In his Pi Ha’Be’er, Horav Lazer Brody, Shlita, draws upon the insights of Horav Nachman Breslover, zl. He explains that va’yachperu denotes a much more penetrating analysis of a given subject than va’yaturu and va’yeraglu. Va’yachperu means to dig deep, to search for something that, under normal circumstances, would be concealed. It can also mean looking for something for…

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ותשובו ותבכו לפני ד' ולא שמע ד' בקולכם ולא האזין אליכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Devarim

Then you retreated and wept before Hashem, but Hashem would not listen to your voice and He did not hearken to you. (1:45)

Moshe Rabbeinu lauds Klal Yisrael for acknowledging their sin and repenting. Nonetheless, their sin could not be expiated, because Hashem had already taken a vow to punish them. Some decrees can be rescinded. If, however, a vow has been taken, it may not be undermined. Hashem’s Name is mentioned twice in this pasuk: “They wept before Hashem, but Hashem would not listen.” Is there a reason for reiterating to them that Hashem would not listen? In Kol HaTzofeh, Horav Tzvi Hirsch Ferber, zl, explains the reason for the apparent redundancy. He first quotes the well-known Chazal which posits that all…

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איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Devarim

How can I bear myself your trouble, your burden, and your arguments? (1:12)

Rashi explains the three terms: tarchachem; masaachem; rivchem. Tarchachem means your trouble. Klal Yisrael was troublesome. If one individual would observe his adversary winning a case, he would say, “I have witnesses to bring; I have proofs to bring, I am adding judges to you.” In short, they caused trouble. Masaachem means your burden. The people were heretics. If Moshe Rabbeinu left his home early on his way to judge people, they would say, “What did the son of Amram see that led him to leave? Perhaps he is not calm in his house?” They were implying that there was…

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אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Chazal teach that Moshe Rabbeinu’s “words” were actually words of rebuke, veiled in a manner not to embarrass Klal Yisrael. Tochachah, rebuke, is a mitzvah. The Torah teaches in Vayikra 19:17, Hocheach tochiach es amisecha, “You shall reprove your fellow.” This is part of caring about and loving our fellow man. Regrettably, some people get carried away with their performance of this mitzvah. While administering rebuke is a mitzvah, it is not one that applies to everyone. In other words, not all of us are capable of – or fit the criteria – for an individual who may express reproof…

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אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

Sefer Devarim is Moshe Rabbeinu’s last will and testament, spoken by him during the last five weeks of his life. He began with an indirect rebuke, alluding to the nation’s sins and, at times, mutinous behavior during the past forty years. His words were cloaked, clouded in allusion, in an effort not to embarrass and offend his listeners. While this is clearly the preferred approach to rebuke, one wonders why in the past he had not manifested such restraint. Indeed, the Maor Va’Shemesh focuses on the word Eilah, “These,” a term which implies a specific designation which excludes previous “words.”…

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איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

How can I alone carry your trouble and your burden and your quarrels? (1:12)

Rashi translates tarchachem, as “your troubles”: Melamed she’hayu Yisrael tarchanim, “this teaches us that the Jewish People were troublesome.” Masaachem, which literally means, “your burdens,” is employed by Rashi to infer that they were apikorsim, heretics. It is understandable for the word tarchanim to imply the troublesome nature of the Jews. Both words are derived from the same root word. How is masa, burden, related to heresy? There seems to be no connection between the two words. Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, explains that, indeed, from a practical perspective, a deep connection exists between the two terms. Apikorsus, heresy, is a…

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כי ירשה לעשו נתתי את הר שעיר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Devarim

For an inheritance to the children of Eisav I have given Mount Seir. (2:5)

The old cliché goes; Es is shver tzu zein a yid, “It is difficult to be a Jew.” While this is a wrong attitude for a Jew to take, it may, from a practical point of view, be considered true. Living an observant lifestyle takes a certain amount of conviction, resolution and forbearance. What we fail to acknowledge is that the cliché might have some validity; there may be a good reason for the manifold challenges that a Jew confronts in life. Horav Aharon Bakst, zl, explains this as a reason for the distinction between Yaakov Avinu and Eisav with…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Devarim

“These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Yisrael…in the wilderness, in the plain, opposite the Sea of Reeds, between Paran and Tophel, and Lavan, and Chatzeiros, and Di Zahav.” (1:1)

In this pasuk, Moshe Rabbeinu bids farewell to his flock. His leadership of the nascent nation is coming to an end, as he is about to leave this world. His predecessor, Yaakov Avinu, blessed his sons before he left this world. His blessing took on the form of rebuke, since rebuke represents true blessing. To guide someone out of love, to point out his shortcomings constructively with the hope that it will steer him onto the correct path of life is a blessing of the highest order. Indeed, when we see another person doing something wrong, we are obligated to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Devarim

“How can I alone carry?” (1:12)

In the annual cycle of parshiyos, we always read Parashas Devarim, on the Shabbos preceding Tishah B’Av, our national day of mourning. This Shabbos is known as Shabbos Chazon, after the opening word of the Haftorah, Chazon Yeshayahu, where the Navi Yeshayahu foretells the great tragedy to befall the Jewish nation. Also, an obvious connection to Tishah B’Av is the word “Eichah,” how, which appears in Megillas Eichah, Book of Lamentations, that is read on Tishah B’Av. The Gaon M’Vilna sees a deeper connection between this parsha and Tishah B’Av in the third word of our pasuk, “levadi” – “Eichah esa…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Devarim

“You answered me and said, ‘The thing that you proposed to do is good.’” (1:14)

Rashi explains Moshe’s critique in the following manner: “You decided the matter to your benefit without considering that you were being disrespectful. You should have responded to the suggestion about instituting sub-leadership by saying, ‘Our teacher Moshe, from whom is it more appropriate to learn: you or your student? Is it not better to learn from you because you suffered over the Torah?’” The last few words, “because you suffered over the Torah,” seem to be superfluous. It would have been sufficient merely to posit that it is better to learn from the master than to learn from the student….

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ויחפרו לנו את הארץ

And let them spy out the Land. (1:22)

ותשובו ותבכו לפני ד' ולא שמע ד' בקולכם ולא האזין אליכם

Then you retreated and wept before Hashem, but Hashem would not listen to your voice and He did not hearken to you. (1:45)

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

How can I bear myself your trouble, your burden, and your arguments? (1:12)

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל

These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael. (1:1)

איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם

How can I alone carry your trouble and your burden and your quarrels? (1:12)

כי ירשה לעשו נתתי את הר שעיר

For an inheritance to the children of Eisav I have given Mount Seir. (2:5)

“These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Yisrael…in the wilderness, in the plain, opposite the Sea of Reeds, between Paran and Tophel, and Lavan, and Chatzeiros, and Di Zahav.” (1:1)

“How can I alone carry?” (1:12)

“You answered me and said, ‘The thing that you proposed to do is good.’” (1:14)

YEARS

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