Va’eschanan – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5757

Only beware of yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld, and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children’s children – the day that you stood before Hashem, your G-d, at Choreiv. (4:9,10)

During Matan Torah, the receiving of the Torah, Klal Yisrael reached an unparalleled spiritual level – the level of Adam Ha’rishon before he sinned by eating of the Eitz Ha’daas. This level, however, was short lived. The sin of the Golden Calf mitigated Bnei Yisrael‘s spiritual stature. After Adam sinned, Hashem asked him, “Ayeca?” , literally translated as, “Where are you?” but interpreted by Chazal as “How were you?” This infers that Adam was constantly to reinforce his original persona in his psyche. He was never to forget what he was, how high he had reached, his spiritual level of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5756

“Let me go over, please, and see the good land… the goodly mountain and the Levanon.” (3:25)

Rashi cites the Sifri who interprets the “mountain” as a reference to the Har Ha’Bayis, the mountain on which the Bais Ha’Mikdash stood. The Sifri also views Levanon as an analogy for the Bais Ha’Mikdash. The word Levanon is a derivative of lavan, which means white. The Bais Ha’Mikdash is that place which “whitens” — or provides atonement — for our sins. The Yalkut Shimoni differentiates among the words with which our ancestors referred to the Bais Ha’Mikdash. Avraham Avinu referred to it as “har,” mountain; Yitzchak called it a “sadeh,” field, while Yaakov viewed it as a “bayis,” house….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5756

“And you will find Him, if you will seek Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (4:29)

Chazal teach us that sheker, falsehood, has no “legs/foundation;” ultimately, it must fall. Whatever is built upon a foundation of falsity, be it blatant deceit or merely insincerity, will not endure. If so, why do we find that so many reshaim, wicked people, whose goals are to manipulate the minds and lives of their followers, seem to succeed in their endeavors? In response to this critique, Horav Yisrael Salanter, zl, commented that they act with an emes; these people approach their reprehensible work with a “sincerity” that perhaps has greater veracity to it than the emes that we perform. Regrettably,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5756

“And you shall not covet your fellow’s wife, you shall not desire your friend’s house… or anything that belongs to your fellow.” (5:18)

In the beginning of Parashas Kedoshim, the Ramban demonstrates how the Aseres Ha’dibros are parallel to the mitzvos presented at the beginning of Parashas Kedoshim. He cites the Midrash that equates the prohibition, “Do not covet,” with the positive command, “You shall love your fellow man as yourself.” This is a remarkable chiddush, novel idea. How is not coveting correlated to caring for one’s fellow man? One would think that coveting is a consequence of envy and insecurity. How is it analogous to lack of friendship? Horav Simcha Zissel Broide, Shlita, infers from here that the root of desiring that…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5756

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

Chazal teach us that regarding he who places greater significance upon his material abundance than on his own body, the Torah says, “With all your resources.” For he whose body has greater importance than his money, the Torah says, “With all your soul.” Regardless of what is important to us, we must be willing to sacrifice it in the service of Hashem. The Chofetz Chaim examines this statement. What is the most important possession of a Jew? What takes precedence over everything? The Torah! It is our life. Without it, we simply cannot exist. Yet, declares the Chofetz Chaim, the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5756

“You shall teach them thoroughly to your children.” (6:7)

Rashi cites the Sifri that interprets “your children” as referring even to one’s students, since the Torah views one’s students to be like his children. We may wonder why the Torah did not simply say, “You shall teach your students.” Why should this idea emerge only by inference? Horav Yechezkel Sarne, zl, responded with a profound insight. If one does not view his students as his children – then not only are they not his children – they are not even his students! The definition of a student is simple – a spiritual child related through the medium of Torah….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5755

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of Hashem … Your eyes have seen what Hashem did with Baal Pe’or.” (4:2,3)

The sequence of the pesukim raises two issues. First, the order of the commands demands explanation. One would assume that the admonition regarding subtracting from the Torah would be written first, because it is so obvious. The Torah should have subsequently warned us against trying to become too pious to the point that we feel we know what the Creator is thinking. Horav Dovid Feinstein, Shlita, explains that in truth the “do not subtract” is essentially a corollary of the “do not add.” Whenever one attempts to amend the Torah by adding to it, he is actually subtracting from it….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5755

“Only take care and guard your soul most diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen.” (4:9)

The pasuk teaches us that it is as important to remember and ultimately transmit the experience of Matan Torah to the next generation, as it is to pass down the actual content of the Torah. As Rabbeinu Bachya states, “For if one forgets the experience, he will end up denying the content.” Without the tremendous and awesome experience of Revelation, Judaism can be transformed into an uninspiring secular experience. Judaism is alive! It is a religion with vibrance and vitality, which is transmitted from generation to generation. It has been passed down from that first group of Jews who stood…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5755

“For inquire now regarding the early days that preceded you … has there ever been anything like this great thing or has anything like it been heard? Has a people ever heard the voice of G-d ?” (4:32,33)

These pesukim are among the most powerful and profound in the Torah. They are also among the most demanding. They present to us proof of the Divine essence of our religion. They define the Revelation at Har Sinai as an event unparalleled in the history of mankind. A religion consists of a number of components all of which are prerequisites for establishing a personal belief in a particular religion. The first and foremost foundation is the recognition of a Divine Being to be worshipped. Second are instructions from this Divine Being as to the manner in which He is to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5755

“And you shall teach them diligently to your children.” (6:7)

Rashi cites the Sifri which interprets “your children” to be synonymous with “your students.” Indeed, students are likened to spiritual children. The Talmud Bava Basra 8b interprets the pasuk in Daniel 12:3 — sgu okugk ohcfuff ohcrv hehsmnu, “and those who teach righteousness to the multitudes [shine] like stars forever”, as a reference to Torah teachers. Why is a mechanech, educator, compared to stars? Horav Mordechai Ilan, z.l., suggests two reasons. The rebbe must be pure, his mind and heart unspoiled. Just as the stars are distant from the earth, the rebbe’s essence is distant from “artzius,” earthliness…

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“Let me go over, please, and see the good land… the goodly mountain and the Levanon.” (3:25)

“And you will find Him, if you will seek Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (4:29)

“And you shall not covet your fellow’s wife, you shall not desire your friend’s house… or anything that belongs to your fellow.” (5:18)

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

“You shall teach them thoroughly to your children.” (6:7)

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of Hashem … Your eyes have seen what Hashem did with Baal Pe’or.” (4:2,3)

“Only take care and guard your soul most diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen.” (4:9)

“For inquire now regarding the early days that preceded you … has there ever been anything like this great thing or has anything like it been heard? Has a people ever heard the voice of G-d ?” (4:32,33)

“And you shall teach them diligently to your children.” (6:7)

YEARS

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