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זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Uncategorized, Ki Seitzei, 5776

Remember what Amalek did to you. (25:17)

It is a positive command to blot out the memory of Amalek mitachas ha’Shomayim, from beneath the Heavens. On a purely cursory level, one would be hard-pressed to explain what it was about the war with Amalek that earned him and his descendants the ignominious title of archenemy of the Jews. It is not as if Amalek drowned Jewish babies (as did the Egyptians), bathed in their blood, and subjected our entire nation to captivity and persecution for over two centuries. He attacked us as we commenced our journey to Eretz Yisrael. Definitely not a good thing, but does it…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Seitzei

זכור את אשר עשה ד' אלקיך למרים בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Seitzei, 5776

Remember what Hashem, your G-d, did to Miriam on the way, when you were leaving Egypt. (24:9)

Rashi comments: Remember what was done to Miriam who spoke against her brother, Moshe (Rabbeinu) and (as a result) was stricken with tzaraas (spiritual leprosy). Targum Yonasan ben Uziel comments: Take care not to be suspicious of your friend (not to suspect him of wrongdoing). Remember what Hashem, your G-d, did to Miriam because she suspected Moshe of something which was unfounded: she was stricken with tzaraas. Rashi attributes Miriam HaNeviyah’s illness/punishment to speaking ill of Moshe Rabbeinu. Targum Yonasan seems to feel that her shortcoming was in incorrectly suspecting Moshe of a wrongdoing. Horav Kalmen Pinsky, zl, observes (from…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Seitzei

ורגמוהו כל אנשי עירו באבנים ומת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Seitzei, 5776

All the men of his city shall pelt him with stones and he shall die. (21:21)

The ben sorer u’moreh receives the ultimate punishment: execution by stoning. He is put to death while he is still innocent, having not yet committed a sin which carries the penalty of capital punishment. It is better that he should die now as a rebellious glutton, rather than allowing him to be driven by his base desires to plunder and even murder in pursuit of filling his obsessive appetite. The punishment of stoning seems excessive, since, even if our fears for his future evil would be realized – and he would murder – the punishment would still be hereg/sayif, beheading…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Seitzei

כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה... ואמרו אל זקני עירו בננו זה סורר ומורה איננו שמע בקלנו זולל וסובא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Seitzei, 5776

If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son… they shall say to the elders of the city, “This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not listen to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.” (21:18,20)

The ben sorer u’moreh, wayward and rebellious son, has to be one of Jewish society’s greatest tragedies. A child so evil that his parents bring him to bais din, rabbinical court, where, upon confirmation of his nefarious acts of gluttony and derogation of his parents, he will be executed, is unusual and tragic. His actions indicate a complete lack of restraint necessary to lead an observant and holy life. While this concept is quite difficult for anyone not steeped in Torah to understand, let alone accept, it is primarily due to their not being steeped in Torah that grasping the…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

והיו חייך תלואים לך מנגד ופחדת לילה ויומם ולא תאמין בחייך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

Your life will hang in the balance, and you will be frightened night and day, and you will not be sure of your livelihood. (28:66)

Blessing and curse are a matter of perspective. Two people can view the same situation through different prisms, allowing them to derive separate conclusions. The Torah writes that, as a result of the nation’s break with Hashem, they will be subject to various curses: “Your life will hang in the balance… you will not be sure of your livelihood.” Rashi explains that Jews will not be sure of their safety. Concerning their livelihoods, they will be forced to subsist on what they can purchase daily. They will never be sure that the markets will not be shut down – in…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

בניך ובנותיך נחנים לעם אחר... בנים ובנות תוליד ולא יהיו לך כי ילכו בשבי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

Your sons and daughters will be given to another people… you will bear sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. (28:32,41)

At first glance, these two separate curses appear redundant. Upon closer perusal, however, one sees a striking difference. In the first pasuk, the Torah refers to the children as your sons and daughters. In the second pasuk, it is simply sons and daughters to whom you will give birth. Furthermore, in the first pasuk, your sons and daughters are “given” over to another nation. In the second pasuk, the children are taken away from you, captive of another nation. These are two curses which I think are progressive. At first, the children still belong to us. They are at home…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגך כי תשמע בקול ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your G-d. (28:2)

A common attitude of (which we will refer to as) spiritual entitlement exists among some of us, which is indicative of feeling of spiritual superiority and self-righteousness: “Es kumt es mir; “I deserve it/it is coming to me” is a notion that some of us maintain, although we do not explicitly articulate it. The attitude is, “I am good, and, thus, I deserve to be the recipient of abundant reward.” This applies to those who observe Torah and mitzvos and expect a Heavenly check in the mail, as well as to those who have been victims of various forms of…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

אלה יעמדו לברך את העם על הר גרזים בעברכם את הירדן שמעון ולוי ויהודה ויששכר ויוסף ובנימין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

These shall stand to bless the people on Har Gerizim, when you have crossed the Yarden: Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissachar, Yosef and Binyamin. (27:12)

As soon as the nation entered the Land, the people were to assemble at two mountains to re-accept the Torah. Twelve commandments would be enumerated, which the people would acknowledge publicly, affirming their understanding that those who observed these commandments would be blessed and those who reneged them would be cursed. Representatives of six tribes would stand on one mountain (Har Gerizim) for blessing, and representatives of the other six tribes would stand opposite on the other mountain (Har Eival) for curse. The twelve commandments which were Divinely selected are such acts that can be carried out covertly. A subtle…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

מפני שיבה תקום והדרת פני זקן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

Before an old man you shall rise, you shall honor the presence of a sage. (19:32)

The pasuk appears to be redundant – unless a difference exists between zaken and seivah. The Talmud Kiddushin 32b, explains that a zaken is zeh she’kanah chochmah, “one who has acquired wisdom.” Wisdom and age are not necessarily synonymous. Some young people have– either due to sheer brilliance or great effort– achieved the title of zaken. They are erudite scholars who are able to hold their own with the sages of “old.” Alas, some elderly Jews — due to their advanced age– deserve the title seivah; they are not by definition, zekeinim, since they are not erudite, as they have…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

ואהבת לרעך כמוך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

You shall love your fellow as yourself. (19:18)

How does one define friendship? Obviously, varied responses might address this question. The one which I feel is most appropriate is: “A true friend is consistently willing and prepared to place the happiness of the other above the friendship.” A good friend does not fear being brutally honest concerning his friend’s shortcomings if he thinks that it will save him from failure. It goes without saying that the friend will use common sense in conveying his message. A good friend will not refrain from telling his friend something that he might not want to hear – something that might even…

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