5782 – Page 2 – Peninim on the Torah

זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק ... תמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים

Remember what Amalek did to you… you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from beneath the heaven. (25: 17,19)

The parshah begins with a war against our enemies and concludes with the war we are to wage constantly against our archenemy: Amalek. Horav Chaim Shmuelevitz, zl, asserts that Amalek is not merely one solitary nation. Amalek is a concept, symbolizing any group of people bent on destroying the Jew’s relationship with Hashem. They employ every weapon, every idea, that puts questions in the mind of the Jew, to cool off his passion to serve Hashem, to ever so slightly convince him to water down his obedience to the Almighty. Amalek convinces us (or forces us) to believe that we…

Home -> 5782 -> Shoftim

שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך ... ושפטו את העם משפט צדק ...צדק, צדק תרדף

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5782

Judges and officers shall you appoint… and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment… righteous, righteous shall you pursue. (16:18,20)

We are enjoined to establish a justice system in which righteousness is the criterion by which justice is determined and by which reward and punishment is to be meted out. While justice is a concept ingrained in all humanity, the Jewish religion places a premium on justice and considers it the foundation of our existence. Hashem is the Ultimate Judge, the Arbiter who determines what is right and what is wrong. A society that adheres to rewarding good and punishing bad is a just society. A society which disregards good and bad is corrupt. Justice is the lodestar by which…

Home -> 5782 -> Shoftim

כי השחד יעור עיני חכמים ויסלף דברי צדיקים

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5782

For the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked. (16:19)

We think that shochad, bribery, is about taking money to sway judgment. As Horav Shlomo Levenstein, Shlita, points out, it is not always about accepting money. Any favor that, when granted, makes the beneficiary /judge feel indebted is considered a bribe. Indeed, as we see from the following story (“In the Footsteps of the Maggid,” by Rabbi Paysach Krohn), one can never be too careful with regard to the far-reaching effects of taking a bribe/accepting a favor. Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, zl, together with his brother-in-law, Horav Chaim Mordechai Katz, zl, founded Telshe Yeshiva in America. The Rosh Yeshivah had…

Home -> 5782 -> Shoftim

ועשית על פי הדבר אשר יגידו לך ... לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5782

You shall do according to the word that they will tell you … You shall not deviate from the word that they will tell you, right or left. (17: 10,11)

As faithful Jews we adhere to emunas chachamim, faith in our sages – in the sages of each individual generation. Some, although observant, have difficulty accepting the interpretations of the Torah leaders concerning what they believe is fact. In a correspondence to such a misled Jew, Horav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, zl (Michtav M’Eliyahu), addresses the disputant who claimed that the Holocaust might have been at least partially averted had the Torah leaders of Eastern Europe encouraged the masses to emigrate to Eretz Yisrael. He explains that the Torah teaches us to submit in all moral judgment and outlook, even to…

Home -> 5782 -> Shoftim

מקרב אחיך תשים עליך מלך לא תוכל לתת עליך איש נכרי אשר לא אחיך הוא

Sruly Schnair In Shoftim, 5782

From among your brethren shall you set a king over yourself, you cannot place over yourself a foreign man who is not your brother. (17:15)

The Sefer HaChinuch writes that we may not establish one who is not m’zera Yisrael (having the blood DNA of the seed of Yisrael) over us as a king. This applies even if the person is a ger tzedek, righteous convert. The shoresh ha’mitzvah, root of the mitzvah, is due to the fact that zera Yisrael are rachmanim, merciful. It is critical that he show mercy to all Jews and not impose upon them a heavy yoke which they are unable to bear. He should love truth, justice and righteousness, which are qualities that descendants of Avraham Avinu possess. The…

Home -> 5782 -> Re'eh

אחרי ד' אלקיכם תלכו

Sruly Schnair In Re'eh, 5782

Hashem, your G-d, shall you follow. (13:5)

When the Chafetz Chaim, zl, met the Gerrer Rebbe, zl (Imrei Emes), at the first Knessiah Gedolah, he asked him about what appeared to be an inconsistency in Rashi’s commentary concerning the definition of the word acharei. In the above pasuk, Rashi does not view acharei as having any “geographical” impact, while, in 11:30, Acharei derech ma’vo ha’shemesh.” “Far, in the direction of the sunset,” Rashi explains the pasuk does have geographical impact: “Wherever acharei is used, it is muflag, it implies a considerable distance in time and space.” The Chafetz Chaim asked, “According to Rashi’s explanation, how are we…

Home -> 5782 -> Re'eh

כי יהיה בך ... כי פתח תפתח את ידך לו והעבט תעביתנו ד' מחסרו אשר יחסר לו

Sruly Schnair In Re'eh, 5782

If there shall be a destitute person among you… You shall surely open your hand and lend him money, as much as he needs, whatever he is lacking. (15:7,8)

“Whatever he is lacking” is a tall order. In other words, someone who has been quite wealthy and lives a far from frugal lifestyle is suddenly confronted with a reversal of his fortunes. Instead of being on top of the mountain, he is suddenly thrust down to the cellar, with no support. Rather than give him sufficient funds in order to make ends meet and live a lower or middle-class lifestyle, the Torah instructs us to provide for him, “whatever he is lacking.” Should we have the ability, we would be obligated to provide this formerly affluent man with the…

Home -> 5782 -> Re'eh

שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסח ... ועשית חג שבועות לד' אלקיך ... ושמחת לפני ד' ... חג הסוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים ... ושמחת בחגך ... והיתה אך שמח

Sruly Schnair In Re'eh, 5782

You shall observe the month of springtime and perform the Pesach offering … You shall count seven weeks for yourself … You shall rejoice before Hashem… You shall make the festival of Succos for a seven-day period … You shall rejoice on your festival … And you will be completely joyous. (16:1,10,11,13,14,15)

The Baal HaTurim notes that with regard to the Yom Tov of Pesach, the Torah does not mention the mitzvah of simchah, joy. Concerning Shavuos, the Torah mentions simchah once, while regarding Succos, the Torah mentions it twice. He explains that, on Pesach, the crops are still growing in the field. Nothing has been harvested. Understandably, the farmer is (the Jews lived an agrarian lifestyle) nervous, hoping that he will be blessed with a good yield. Until that takes place, however, he is a bundle of nerves. The Torah does not compel him to rejoice. We have a mitzvah of…

Home -> 5782 -> Eikev

שמלתך לא בלתה מעליך ורגלך לא בצקה זה ארבעים שנה

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5782

Your garment did not wear out upon you, and your feet did not swell – these forty years. (8:4)

We take so much for granted, either because we do not think or because we think that we are entitled. We could be in the midst of receiving an incredible act of generosity, a miracle of epic proportion, and allow it to just go over our heads as if it had never taken place. Moshe Rabbeinu reminds Klal Yisrael to look at their clothing. The mere fact that their clothing remained spotlessly clean and as new as the day when they had first received it is, in and of itself, an indicator of Hashem’s Presence within their camp. Furthermore, as…

Home -> 5782 -> Eikev

ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שאל מעמך כי אם ליראה את ד' אלקיך

Sruly Schnair In Eikev, 5782

Now, O Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d. (10:12)

Chazal (Berachos 32B) derive from this pasuk (in which Hashem asks us to fear Him) that everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven. Everything in a person’s nature and circumstance in life — such as his height, complexion, financial success and his intelligence — are in Hashem’s hands. Whether or not one is G-d-fearing (and, by extension, all aspects of spiritual growth), however, is man’s decision. It is not forced upon him. Fear of Hashem is part of man’s free-will. The Talmud asks: Is fear of Heaven a small thing? They respond that, yes, for…

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זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק ... תמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים

Remember what Amalek did to you… you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from beneath the heaven. (25: 17,19)

שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך ... ושפטו את העם משפט צדק ...צדק, צדק תרדף

Judges and officers shall you appoint… and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment… righteous, righteous shall you pursue. (16:18,20)

כי השחד יעור עיני חכמים ויסלף דברי צדיקים

For the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked. (16:19)

ועשית על פי הדבר אשר יגידו לך ... לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

You shall do according to the word that they will tell you … You shall not deviate from the word that they will tell you, right or left. (17: 10,11)

מקרב אחיך תשים עליך מלך לא תוכל לתת עליך איש נכרי אשר לא אחיך הוא

From among your brethren shall you set a king over yourself, you cannot place over yourself a foreign man who is not your brother. (17:15)

אחרי ד' אלקיכם תלכו

Hashem, your G-d, shall you follow. (13:5)

כי יהיה בך ... כי פתח תפתח את ידך לו והעבט תעביתנו ד' מחסרו אשר יחסר לו

If there shall be a destitute person among you… You shall surely open your hand and lend him money, as much as he needs, whatever he is lacking. (15:7,8)

שמור את חדש האביב ועשית פסח ... ועשית חג שבועות לד' אלקיך ... ושמחת לפני ד' ... חג הסוכות תעשה לך שבעת ימים ... ושמחת בחגך ... והיתה אך שמח

שמלתך לא בלתה מעליך ורגלך לא בצקה זה ארבעים שנה

Your garment did not wear out upon you, and your feet did not swell – these forty years. (8:4)

ועתה ישראל מה ד' אלקיך שאל מעמך כי אם ליראה את ד' אלקיך

Now, O Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d. (10:12)

YEARS

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