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Home -> 5786 -> Va'eschanan

ואהבת את ד' אלקיך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5786

You shall love Hashem, your G-d. (6:5)

One of the most demanding mitzvos is to love Hashem with all your heart.  Love is an emotion. How can one be commanded to love?  The Torah itself intimates the answer, when it commands a person to think and teach Torah.  When one studies Torah, he is granted a tiny window into Hashem’s Infinite wisdom. When one absorbs this, he revels in Hashem’s wisdom, praise and love for the Author.  Horav Yosef Zundel Hutner, zl (Rav of Alshishok, author of Ulam HaMishpat), wonders why we, sadly, find Torah scholars who, albeit proficient in Torah, have not reached the level of…

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Home -> 5786 -> Va'eschanan

לא תספו על הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם ולא תגרעו ... עיניכם הראות את אשר עשה ד' בבעל פעור

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5786

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it … Your eyes have seen what Hashem did with Baal Peor. (4:2,3)

These two concepts contained in one pasuk clearly have a connection with one another.  The prohibition against adding or subtracting mitzvos is understandable.  How is it connected with the despicable worship of the Peor god-head?   Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, quotes his father, who explains that the avodah, service, performed before the Peor and the underlying motif of this service have one primary commonality with adding and subtracting mitzvos.  They both apply to one who seeks to live an undisciplined life in which he is in charge, he makes the decisions, he determines right and wrong, important and insignificant. One who…

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ואתחנן אל ד' בעת ההיא ... אעברה נא ואראה את הארץ הטובה

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5786

I implored Hashem at that time … Let me now cross and see the good land. (3:23,25)

Moshe Rabbeinu prayed and prayed, ultimately petitioning Hashem 515 times to allow him to enter Eretz Yisrael.  In contrast, as noted by Megaleh Amukus, Aharon did not offer up a single prayer.  He apparently accepted the degree issued by Hashem following the Mei Meirah, waters of strife, debacle, after which Hashem decreed that neither Moshe nor Aharon would enter the Holy Land.  Horav Tzvi Bergman, Shlita, cites Yalkut Shimoni (Chukas) that quotes Hashem saying to Moshe, “Please do me a favor and tell Aharon about his upcoming petirah, for I am ‘embarrassed’ to tell him.”  Obviously, Chazal’s words are, at…

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Home -> 5785 -> Va'eschanan

ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5785

You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources. (6:5)

The Sifri (Parsha 32) comments, Ahaveihu al ha’brios k’Avraham… “Make Him beloved by people as Avraham Avinu did.”  Our Patriarch was not satisfied merely with his relationship with Hashem.  He wanted everyone in the world to have such a relationship with the Almighty.  He taught the world about its Creator because he wanted them to love Hashem and observe His precepts.  This idea of reaching out to others, bringing them closer to Hashem is echoed by Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvos 3 and Sefer HaChinuch 418).  A Jew who loves Hashem cannot remain at ease while others are distant from Him.  His…

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ויאמר ד' אלי רב לך אל תוסף דבר אלי עוד בדבר הזה

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5785

Hashem said to me, “It is too much for you! Do not continue to speak to Me further about this matter.” (3:26)

Simply, Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu, “Enough! Do not continue asking to enter Eretz Yisrael.  It is not happening.  The decision has been made.”  Chazal (Sotah 13) offer an alternative understanding of rav lach: Rav yeish lach —  you have a Rav/Rebbe/spiritual guide—Yehoshua.  On the surface, Chazal’s exposition is enigmatic.  It appears almost as if Hashem was calling attention to the fact that Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisrael – adding that Yehoshua is his Rav.  It is not bad enough that Hashem did not accept his pleas to reverse His decree, that he had to be reminded that he was…

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Home -> 5785 -> Va'eschanan

ואתחנן אל ד' בעת ההיא

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5785

I prayed to Hashem at that time. (3:23)

In the course of relating to Klal Yisrael his numerous efforts to stay Hashem’s decree that he not enter the Land, Moshe Rabbeinu adds, “Hashem became angry with me because of your matters.” Apparently, our leader was laying the blame for his remaining in the wilderness at the feet of the nation.  This is uncharacteristic of Moshe, whose humility, dedication and forbearance serve as a model for future leaders.  It almost seems as if he is bitterly blaming the people for his situation.  In Pri Tzadik, Horav Tzadok HaKohen, zl, offers a novel interpretation of Moshe’s words. When Moshe heard…

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בך בחר ד' אלקיך להיות לו לעם סגלה מכל העמים

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5784

Hashem, your G-d, has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people above all the peoples. (7:6)

We are called the chosen people – an appellation that has, throughout the centuries, caused much Jewish blood to be spilled. Atah B’chartanu mikol ha’amim, “You chose us from among all the nations,” is how we commence our Yom Tov Shemoneh Esrai. We utter these words with utmost pride. Do we really understand their meaning and significance? Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, approaches this concept practically. Imagine, if six thousand years ago, Hashem would have asked mankind if it was worth creating the world. (This is hypothetical, since if there is no world, there would be no mankind.) Perhaps the responses…

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וקשרתם לאות על ידך והיו לטוטפת בין עיניך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5784

Bind them as a sign on your arm, and let them ornaments between your eyes. (6:8)

The mitzvah of Tefillin carries profound symbolism for the continuity and eternity of Am Yisrael. Tefillin serve as a physical embodiment of the Bris, Covenant, between Hashem and His People. It is a mitzvah in which we physically bind the words of the Shema, the central declaration of our faith in Hashem, to our bodies. These two leather boxes, which contain within them pesukim of the Torah, are a daily reminder of Jewish identity and heritage hailing back to the exodus from Egypt. Thus, when a person fulfills the mitzvah of Tefillin daily, he not only serves Hashem, but he…

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Home -> 5784 -> Va'eschanan

כבד את אביך ואת אמך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5784

Honor your father and your mother. (5:16)

The Kuzmirer Rebbe, Shlita, relates that his father (Horav Ephraim, zl), who was the son of the saintly Horav Yechezkel, zl, m’Kuzmir, decided to travel alone, in complete anonymity. He refused to reveal his illustrious pedigree as the Kuzmirer’s son. He entered the shul in a small town and promptly sat down in the rear of the shul together with a few simple men whose relationship with anything spiritual was foreign. (While they might have been spiritually challenged, they all at least made it their business to attend shul.) The Rebbe felt spiritually uplifted sitting where he was, not garnering…

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ששת ימים תעבד ועשית כל מלאכתיך ויום השביעי שבת לד' אלקיך

Sruly Schnair
In Va'eschanan, 5784

Six days shall you labor and accomplish all your work. But the seventh day is Shabbos to Hashem, your G-d. (5:13,14)

The group of friends with whom one surrounds himself speaks volumes about his true character. Such friends often share similar values, interests and beliefs. By observing the dynamics in these relationships, we are able to gain insight into a person’s priorities and attitudes. Furthermore, friends significantly influence a person’s priorities and actions. This impact can be either positive or negative. The litmus test of a person’s true identity may be determined by his circle of friends. With this idea in mind, the Bais Av (Horav Elyakim Schlesinger) explains the verse we recite in the Friday night zemiros, K’challah bein reiosehah…

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