Ki Seitzei – Peninim on the Torah

Remember what Hashem, your G-d did to Miriam. (24:9)

We are admonished to internalize what occurred to Miriam when she criticized Moshe. Her ordeal serves as an eternal warning to refrain from any form of slander or disparaging words, regardless of the provocation. This “zechirah,” remembrance, is one of the six zechiros we say every day. We may question the significance of Miriam’s “lashon hora.” Is it truly that critical for us to remember that Miriam spoke about her brother, Moshe, and his relationship with his wife, Tziporah? Rabbi Elchanan Sorotzkin, zl, cites the Rambam who gives insight into Miriam’s actions. He maintains that we are to develop…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5757

And your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing among you and turn away from behind you. (23:15)

Klal Yisrael lives in exile among the nations of the world, who at any given moment can react to us in any manner. True, democracies and governments are supposedly governed by people dedicated to upholding law and order. This was presumably also the situation prior to World War II, when so many of our people were brutally murdered in the most heinous manner. We must confront the fact that we are in exile. We have only one source of salvation–Hashem. He – and only He – protects us, not permitting our antagonists to hurt us. Why does Hashem…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5757

An Amoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem…Because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water…And because he hired Bilaam ben Be’or….to curse you. (23:4,5)

The Torah mentions two reasons for not accepting the Amoni and Moavi into Klal Yisrael. The first appears to be a character flaw; the second seems more substansive. We can understand taking a strict attitude towards a people that have sought to harm us, but why should their lack of decency play a role in their rejection as converts? Chazal give a number of reasons for this. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, offers a thoughtful insight into their behavior which demonstrates their utter hatred for the Jews. Consequently, he explains why such a people should be eternally excluded from joining Klal…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5757

An Amoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem….because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you were leaving Egypt. (23:4,5)

The character flaw which Moav exhibited was sufficient reason for the Torah to exclude them from Klal Yisrael. We must address how this negative trait was manifest in descendants of Lot, Avraham Avinu’s nephew. Lot was a person who risked his life to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, hospitality to the wayfarer/stranger. His daughter died as a result of his commitment. Their family exemplified a conviction to chesed, kindness to others. How then did they become so degenerate that several generations later the family served as the paradigm of those who lack chesed? Meilitz Yosher explains that the primary…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5757

You shall surely send away the mother…so that it will be good for you and you will prolong your days. (22:7)

Hashem grants success and longevity in response to the performance of the mitzvah of Shiluach Ha’kein, sending away the mother bird. Only the mitzvah of honoring one’s parents effects comparable reward. Why does the Torah single out these two mitzvos for such a significant reward? Also, what is the relationship between these two seemingly disparate mitzvos? Honoring one’s parents is a difficult mitzvah to perform correctly, while Shiluach Ha’kein is a simple task. Horav Zalmen Sorotzkin, zl, comments that actually a strong parallel exists between these mitzvos which accounts for the similarity of the reward. One must set the mother…

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Remember what Hashem, your G-d did to Miriam. (24:9)

And your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing among you and turn away from behind you. (23:15)

An Amoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem…Because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water…And because he hired Bilaam ben Be’or….to curse you. (23:4,5)

An Amoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem….because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you were leaving Egypt. (23:4,5)

You shall surely send away the mother…so that it will be good for you and you will prolong your days. (22:7)

YEARS

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