Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
When we examine the first verse of our parasha, “Va’yomer Hashem el Avram — And Hashem said to Avram, ‘Lech lecha — Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you’”(Sefer Bereishit 12:1), we most often focus on the phrase, lech lecha, the namesake of our Torah portion. In fact,  Rashi (1040-1105) and the vast majority of meforshim do not comment upon the introductory phrase, “And Hashem said to Avram.” Since, however, Avram was the first person to whom Hashem spoke since the time of Noach and his children, the phrase may conceal far more than it reveals. What, then, is the significance of the expression va’yomer Hashem el Avram?
 
One of the earliest exegetes to address this question was Rabbeinu Ya’akov ben Asher (known as the Ba’al HaTurim,1269-1343):

Va’yomer Hashem el Avram: This verse begins with an amirah — a statement of verbal communication [between Hashem and Avram] — utilizing the identical word with which the world was created [va’yomer]. For with ten utterances [of va’yomer] was the world created (Pirkei Avot 5:1). [Moreover,] v’kulo lo nivra elah b’zechut Avraham — everything was created solely in the merit of Avraham, as such, the Torah writes an utterance [using va’yomer Hashem el Avram] in his regard. (Sefer Ba’al HaTurim, Sefer Bereishit 12:1, translation and brackets my own)
 
Fascinatingly, according to the Ba’al HaTurim, kulo lo nivra elah b’zechut Avraham: All of Creation was formed solely for the yet-to-be realized merit of Avraham Avinu. The Ba’al HaTurim suggests that this is precisely why the Torah deployed the expression, “va’yomer Hashem el Avram,” wherein the first two words are those used to create the Universe.
 
Closer to our own time, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, notes that, “Va-yomer [Hashem] means a dialogue, a conversation held face to face. God encountered Abraham and addressed Himself to Him.” (Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, page 139, brackets my own)  Based upon this mode of thinking, the Rav analyzes the significance of the first verbal interchange between Hashem and Avraham in the following manner:

Abraham, the knight of faith, according to our tradition, searched and discovered God in the star-lit heavens of Mesopotamia. Yet, he felt an intense loneliness and could not find solace in the silent companionship of God whose image was reflected in the boundless stretches of the cosmos. Only when he met God on earth as Father, Brother and Friend — not only along the uncharted astral routes — did he feel redeemed. (https://traditiononline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lonely-Man-of-Faith-original.pdf, page 32)
 
In this passage from his classic essay, “The Lonely Man of Faith,” the Rav portrays Avraham’s existential loneliness during the period between his discovery of the Almighty and his first encounter with Him. For Avraham, the recognition of Hashem as the one and only Master of the Universe was necessary but insufficient, for while this was knowledge, it was not yet a relationship. Therefore, “only when he met God on earth as Father, Brother and Friend…did he feel redeemed.” In sum, according to the Rav, the real significance of va’yomer Hashem el Avram, is to be found in the relationship these words created for evermore. We are fortunate, indeed, that the Rav describes the unique nature of this relationship:

In many respects, God was closer to Abraham than He was to Moses. An intangible feeling of tenderness lingers over the relationship of God to Abraham. There is the creative ardor, moving devotion and a lack of tension. All that G-d requests of Abraham is destined to promote the latter’s happiness and greatness. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Emergence of Ethical Man, Michael S. Berger editor, page 155)
 
According to the Rav, Abraham was Hashem’s friend, as we find in the following passage:
God addresses Himself to Abraham not in the commanding, authoritative tone of the Lord but in the comradely, friendly manner of a fellow wanderer. He [God] wants a covenant with him. God, as it were, is lonesome and He is anxious to find a companion. Fellowship between God and man is the motto of Abraham’s life. (154-155, underlining my own)
 
The Rav’s statement that “God, as it were, is lonesome and He is anxious to find a companion” is a theological tour de force. It teaches us that as much as we wish to encounter and draw close to Hashem, He, too, longs for the Jewish people’s embrace.
 
May we ever strive, like Avraham Avinu, to reach out to Hashem in love and devotion, for we, too, need His unceasing presence in our lives. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The penultimate verses of Parashat Bereishit present us with dire foreboding:

And the L-rd saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time. And the L-rd regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart. And the L-rd said, “I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them.” (6:5-7, these and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The final pasuk, however, offers us a ray of hope: “v’Noach matza chane b’einai Hashem — But Noah found favor in the eyes of the L-rd.” (6:8)  Why did Noach find favor in the “eyes of the L-rd,” and what was so unique about him? The first verse in our parasha provides the answer: “These are the generations of Noah; Noach ish tzaddik haya b’dorotav — Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; et heElokim hithalech Noach — Noah walked with G-d.” (6:9)  There are two reasons why Noach was different in kind and degree from the rest of the people of his time: Noach ish tzaddik haya b’dorotav and et heElokim hithalech Noach; as a result, Noach matza chane b’einai Hashem.
 
Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself on a variety of Rabbinic sources, cites the well-known argument regarding Noach’s true persona:

in his generations: Some of our Sages interpret it [b’dorotav] favorably: How much more so if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it derogatorily: In comparison with his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Abraham’s generation, he would not have been considered of any importance.
 
The positive approach focuses on who Noach was in an absolute sense, rather than who he was in comparison to others. As many meforshim (commentators) note, his name is comprised of the Hebrew letters nun and chet, which, when reversed, spell the word “chane” (grace). In other words, in his very being, Noach was an ish tzaddik. In stark contrast, the oft-quoted negative approach suggests that Noach was essentially “a nobody,” and that only in the darkness and depravity of his time did he appear righteous.
 
Like Rashi, the Ramban (1194-1270) analyzes the expression b’dorotav, in his generations. After citing Rashi’s words, he suggests his own interpretation:

In my view, the most satisfying explanation, according to the simple meaning, is that he [Noach] was hatzadik b’dorot hahame — the only righteous person in those generations; there wasn’t a righteous or tamim — perfect person in his generation besides him. Similarly, “For it is you [Noach] that I have seen to be tzadik — righteous before Me in this generation” (7:1)  – there was no one else that was worthy of being saved in that generation. It states “in his generations” because many generations had passed since the time people began to corrupt their ways, and there was no righteous person on earth except for him. (Translation, https://www.sefaria.org/Ramban_on_Genesis.6.9.1?lang=bi with my emendations)
 
It appears that the Rambam is adopting the “chane hypothesis” as cited above, namely, that Noach was an authentic tzadik and tamim in his own right. This is borne out by his earlier comment on Noach ish tzadik haya:

The verse mentions that Noah was zakkai v’shalame b’tzidko — free of guilt and complete in his righteousness, to let us know that he deserved to be saved from the deluge because he didn’t deserve any punishment at all, for he was tamim b’tzedek — perfect in righteousness. The word “tzadik” refers to someone who is righteous in judgment, the opposite of “rasha,” an evil individual…
 
In sum, the portrait of Noach that emerges from the Ramban’s presentation is a person who was tamim b’tzedek in every sense of the term. As such, he was the ideal person to continue the human race in the coming postdiluvian world.
 
Closer to our own time, Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), in his Commentary on the Torah, examines the expression matza chane b’einai Hashem in a manner that complements the Ramban’s presentation:

A person who has found favor in the eyes of Hashem has achieved the highest level of perfection — for such an individual is able to [intellectually and spiritually] come close before Hashem. As we find in reference to Moshe: “In order that I will find grace in Your eyes.” (Sefer Shemot 33:13)…Note that the text does not say, “before Hashem,” rather it states, “b’einai Hashem.” If a person is so worthy that Hashem will shed His grace upon him, he has found chane in His eyes. (This and the following translation from the Hebrew my own)
 
Rav Hirsch continues his analysis and, in so doing, equates Noach with Moshe and the Jewish people:

The expression, “matza chane,” is found solely in regard to those whom Hashem has graced with extraordinary virtues and unique abilities so that they may achieve the most lofty and exceptional of all goals. We find this in reference to Moshe and the Jewish people. As the text states: “matza chane ba’midbar — they found grace in the desert.” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 31:1)  This is the case, as well, regarding Noach whose entire generation destroyed its proper path and was judged for complete destruction; yet, he was fitting in the eyes of Hashem to be utilized as the foundation for all future salvation. [In sum,] everything that Hashem’s “heart” sought to find in mankind was inherent in Noach. [As a result, the Almighty] tasked him with saving all life that was good and bringing it forth into the future.
 
For Rav Hirsch, Noach, like Moshe and the Jewish people, was graced by Hashem “with extraordinary virtues and unique abilities” that provided him with the potential to be “the foundation for all future salvation.” Moreover, “everything that Hashem’s ‘heart’ sought to find in mankind was inherent in Noach.” In my estimation, this concept is inspiring beyond words, for we, after all, are the descendants of Noach and his children and thereby carry the potential for greatness of spirit and action. As David HaMelech so beautifully said: “What is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him? You have made him slightly less than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and majesty.” (Sefer Tehillim 8:6)  With Hashem’s help may we ever use our potential “l’takane ha’olam b’malchut Sha-dai — to perfect the world under the kingship of the Almighty.” (Aleinu)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The Torah begins with the famous words, “Bereishit bara Elokim ate hashamayim v’ate ha’aretz. Translators and meforshim frequently disagree as to how to interpret the word bereishit. Does it mean “b’techilah — in the beginning,” or “bishvil hareishit — for that which is first?” Rashi (1040-1105) hints at this difficulty in his first gloss in his Commentary on the Torah: “Ain hamikra hazeh omare elah darshani — this text proclaims nothing other than, ‘Interpret me!’” He then summarizes part of a passage in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 1:4 that presents bishvil hareishit as the proper way to read our text: “bishvil haTorah sh’nikrate reishit darko, u’bishvil Yisrael sh’nikrau reishit tevuato — for the Torah that is called ‘the beginning of His way,’ and for the Jewish people who are called ‘the first of His grain.’” This reading of Rashi’s gloss is supported by one of his most celebrated supercommentators, Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi (1455-1525): “The letter ‘bet’ at the beginning of ‘bereishit’ is like the bet found in the verse, ‘va’ya’a’vod Ya’akov b’Rachel — and Ya’akov worked [in order] for Rachel [to become his wife].’” (29:20)
 
The Maharal of Prague (died 1609) is another of the great Rashi supercommentators. In his classic work, Gur Aryeh, he cites Rashi’s focus upon Torah and the Jewish people as the reason for Creation and notes that it is crucial to examine his choices. After all, opines the Maharal, is it not the case that “all actions of Hashem are for His own sake…” (Sefer Mishle 16:4)  Moreover, it states in Talmud Bavli, Yoma 38a: “Everything that has been created in this world was created for the Holy One blessed be He, and for His glory was it created.” Then, too, did not Yeshayahu the prophet proclaim: “Everything that is called in my name was created in My honor.” (33:7)  In short, why did Rashi limit his gloss to Torah and the Jewish nation and exclude all other aspects of the Universe, when the rationale for the creation of the world logically could have included everything the Almighty created?
 
The Maharal’s answer speaks to the essence of the unique relationship that obtains between Hashem and the Jewish people:
​
There is no honor from the created entities except when they fulfill His mitzvot and serve Him; and this is only possible with the Jewish nation, regarding whom it is said: “I formed this people in order that they would speak of My praise.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 33:21) … And the Jewish people do not serve the Holy One blessed be He except through His mitzvot when they fulfill His Torah. This, then, is [why Rashi so clearly emphasized], the world was created bishvil Yisrael — for the Jewish people and bishvil haTorah — for the Torah … (Translation my own)
 
Based upon the Maharal’s trenchant analysis we can now understand why Rashi underscored Torah and the Jewish people as the underlying cause for the creation of the world. As Yeshayahu prophesized, our nation was created to praise the Almighty; and as the Maharal notes, this can only be achieved through the Torah and the fulfillment of the mitzvot.
 
David HaMelech declared in Sefer Tehillim 35:10, “kol atzmotai tomarnah — all of my bones will say, ‘Hashem who is like You?’” I believe his message is unmistakable in its meaning, namely, that our very beings praise Hashem when we venerate Him through the performance of the mitzvot found in His holy Torah. As such, let us remember Rashi’s words, “bishvil haTorah u’bishvil Yisrael” did the Holy One blessed be He create the Universe, and may they ever be our guide as we strive to honor and serve Him. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The Torah provides us with the general outlines of Chag Shemini Atzeret in three pasukim:
[For] a seven-day period, you shall bring a fire offering to the L-rd. On the eighth day, it shall be a mikra kodesh — holy occasion for you, and you shall bring a fire offering to the L-rd. It is a [day of] atzeret — assembly; you shall not perform any work of labor. (Sefer Vayikra 23:36)
 
The eighth day shall be a time of atzeret — assembly for you; you shall not perform any melechet avodah — mundane work. You shall offer up a burnt offering, a fire offering for a spirit of satisfaction to the L-rd: one bull, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year, [all] unblemished. (Sefer Bamidbar 29:35-36, these and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)
 
Herein, the Torah informs us that the eighth day (that follows the seven days of Succot) is one of the mikra’ei kodesh, a yom tov. As such, it is a day upon which most melechet avodah is prohibited and korbanot (offerings) are brought to the Beit HaMikdash. While the Torah furnishes us with this information, it does not state a rationale for this chag; for this, we must turn to Chazal and our meforshim (exegetical expositors).
 
Talmud Bavli, Succah 55b hints at the basis of Shemini Atzeret:

Rabbi Elazar stated: “To what do those seventy bullocks [that were offered during the seven days of the Festival of Succot] correspond? [They refer symbolically] to the seventy nations [of the world]. To what does the single bullock [of Shemini Atzeret] correspond? To the unique nation [the Jewish people].” This may be compared to a mortal king who said to his servants, “Prepare for me a great banquet,” but on the last day he said to his beloved friend, “Prepare for me a simple meal sh’eheneh mimcha — that I may derive benefit from you.” (Translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my emendations)
 
In his Commentary on the Talmud on this passage, Rashi (1040-1105) explains the expression “sh’eheneh mimcha” as referring to the Jewish people, Hashem’s beloved friend: “I [Hashem] do not derive pleasure and spiritual satisfaction from the others [nations of the world who are not obligated in the mitzvot], but, rather, only from you [the Jewish people who are commanded to fulfill My Torah].” (Brackets and translation my own)  In words that conceal far more than they reveal, Rashi teaches us that Hashem derives “pleasure and spiritual satisfaction” from the Jewish people when they celebrate the yom tov of Shemini Atzeret, a statement which he proceeds to clarify:

It is a [day of] assembly: [That is, G-d says to Israel,] “I have detained you [in order for you to remain] with Me.” This is analogous to a king who invited his sons to feast with him for a certain number of days, and when the time came for them to leave, he said: “My sons! Please, stay with me just one more day, [for] kasha al’lai paridatchem — it is difficult for me to part with you!” [Similarly, after the seven days of Succot, G-d “detains” Israel for one extra holy day.] (Sefer Vayikra 23:36)
 
This interpretation finds parallel expression in Rashi’s explanation of the phrase “one bull, one ram” in Sefer Bamidbar:

These [korbanot] correspond to Israel. [G-d said,] “Remain with Me a little longer.” It expresses [His] affection [for Israel]. It is like children taking leave of their father, who says to them, “kasha al’lai paridatchem — it is difficult for me to part with you; stay one more day.” It is analogous to a king who made a banquet, etc. [and on the last day, his closest friend makes a small banquet for the king]. (29:36)
 
The lynchpin of these analyses is the phrase, kasha al’lai paridatchem, which exemplifies Rashi’s understanding of the essential nature of Shemini Atzeret. While its precise midrashic origin remains unknown, these words have captured the attention of many commentators who perceive it as strikingly illustrative of the relationship that obtains between Hashem and the Jewish people. A singular example of this approach is found in the writings of Rav Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin (1823-1900):

It is said regarding Tefilat Minchah [which we pray] at the end of Shabbat, that it is the time when the ratzon haelyon — the supernal will — [of the Almighty] is most powerfully revealed. This is the rationale as to why [Hashem] declared kasha al’lai paridatchem on Shemini Atzeret that [in a certain sense] is the conclusion of the Festival [of Succot]. [Additionally,] this is the reason we say [in the Tefilat Minchah of Shabbat]: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your people one united nation on earth…” — [and this last expression] represents hitachdut yisrael zeh im zeh — the intrinsic union of the Jewish people — one to another. (Pri Tzaddik, Kedushat Shabbat, Ma’amar VI, translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, for Rav Tzadok, Shemini Atzeret, like Tefilat Minchah shel Shabbat, represents a time when the ratzon haelyon of Hashem is most pronounced and accessible to His beloved nation. Therefore, Hashem declares “kasha al’lai paridatchem,” for this is the time He chooses to draw near to us. This closeness, in turn, creates the ideal conditions for hitachdut yisrael zeh im zeh — a hallmark of the mikra’ei kodesh, the days of holy occasion.
 
In his classic work, Shem Mishmuel, Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the second Sochatchover Rebbe (1855-1926), asks a powerful question regarding the outcome of kasha al’lai paridatchem:

One must strive to understand [why Hashem desires one more day, that is, Shemini Atzeret, with the Jewish people]. Will this not further cause His manifest love for us to become even greater, and will not this cause the subsequent separation from us to become even more difficult? (Moadim Shemini Atzeret v’Simchat Torah, this and the following translation and brackets my own)
 
Rav Bornsztain begins his answer by noting that every instance of the number seven refers to that which is a normal part of nature. In contrast, the number eight always refers to something that is l’ma’lah min hateva — beyond nature. In addition, he opines that everything within nature is subject to shichacha — forgetfulness. Next, Rav Bornsztain utilizes this key difference between seven and eight to explain the unique nature of Shemini Atzeret in words that are reminiscent of Rav Tzadok:
​
Therefore, during the entire period of the seven days of Succot, which are found within the number that represents nature, there will not remain any sense of permanency for the future. This is the [meaning] of the phrase kasha al’lai paridatchem, that you, the Jewish people will now create distance between yourselves [and this is the polar opposite of the unity that was achieved during Succot]. [In response,] Hashem, holds them back [from returning to their daily activities one more day], for this [eighth] day is l’ma’lah min hateva and [is not subject to being forgotten] and will therefore have a sense of permanency [for our nation]. For now, even when they return to their homes, they will not be separated from each other and their hearts will remain connected to one another [in love and unity].
 
Rav Tzadok’s interpretation is an exegetical tour de force, for now we know that Shemini Atzeret is the chag par excellence of unity and love of one Jew for another. As the great Rabbi Akiva said so long ago, “V’ahavta l’reicha kamocha; zeh klal gadol ba’Torah — And you shall love your fellow Jew like yourself; this is an overarching principle of the Torah.” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim 9:4)  With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may this Shemini Atzeret be the time when this idea is realized, as we grow in our love for, and unity with, our fellow Jews. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
There are many intricate rules concerning the construction of a succah that are presented in the Gemara and codified by the poskim (halachic decisors). Rav Yosef Karo (1488-1575), the author of the Shulchan Aruch, states in Orech Chaim 631:3: “The standard manner of placing the schach (top covering) upon the succah is to do so in such a way as to enable one to see the large stars through it…” In his celebrated work, Mishnah Berurah, the Chafetz Chaim (1838-1933) explains that the large stars in this statement refer to those that can be seen during the day prior to sunset. In addition, he notes that many latter-day authorities rule that even the nighttime stars need to be visible through the schach. Regardless as to which stars are being referenced in these classic Rabbinic sources, we must ask a straightforward question, namely, why did our Sages mandate that the stars should ideally be visible through the schach of the succah?
 
Rabbi Mordechai Yoffe zatzal (1530-1612) discusses this question in his work, Levush Malchut (Orech Chaim 631:3):

And it is highly preferable that its covering [the schach] should not be very thick, rather, [it should be comprised of materials that] allow the large stars to be seen from within [the succah]. Afterall, this is the meaning of the term, “succah” that is stated in the Torah, and standard schach is normally comprised of such [materials]. (Translation my own)
​
The contemporary scholar, Rabbi Raphael Sindler Sadin, in his work, “Pnei HaShulchan,” suggests that Rav Yoffe is indirectly ruling that “one ought not to make a thick covering [of schach], for in that case, [the succah] would then become like a house [and the stars would no longer be visible from under the roof]. (Translation and brackets my own)  In sum, in order to maintain the temporary nature of the succah, its schach should be thin and allow for the large stars to be seen from within.
 
While Rav Yoffe focuses upon the requirement to maintain the temporary aspects of the succah’s construction, Rabbi Yosef ben Meir Teomim zatzal (1727-1792), in his work, Pri Megadim, provides us with a spiritual analysis as to why we ought to be able to see the stars through the schach: “So that one will remember Who created all of this [the stars] and enables us to dwell upon the earth. As it is written: ‘When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You set in place.’” (Sefer Tehillim 8:4, verse and Pri Megadim translation my own)  By extension, Rav Teomim intimates that Chazal wanted the Festival of Succot to be a powerful teaching moment wherein we could become acutely aware of Hashem’s Creation and our place in His universe. As Dovid HaMelech declares in an oft-cited verse: “How great are Your works Hashem, You made all of them in your supernal wisdom, the entire cosmos is filled with Your creations.” (Sefer Tehillim 104:24)  
 
I would like to offer another possible answer to the question, “Why did our Sages mandate that the stars should ideally be visible through the schach of the succah?” Chazal were acutely aware of the need to instill G-d-consciousness in each of us. Without a sense of Hashem’s direct presence and immanence in our lives, it is impossible to feel He is our Yedid Nefesh (the Beloved of our Soul) and protector. The siddur gives powerful voice to this notion during the Friday night tefilah “And spread over us the succah of Your peace. Blessed are You Hashem, Who spreads the succah of peace upon us and upon all His people Israel and upon Jerusalem.” Quite beautifully, and in ways words alone cannot truly express, we ask the Almighty to actively reach out to us in this expression of hashgacha pratit — Divine providence — and surround us with His succah of peace. This, I believe, is one of the feelings that our Sages wanted us to experience when we gaze at the stars from under the frail schach of our succot.
 
May it be G-d’s will, and our heartfelt desire, that this Succot will be a time when we truly feel His Divine presence encircling and protecting us as we gaze at His stars above our succot. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The final three pasukim of Sefer Michah are found in this week’s haftarah, as well as immediately after the recitation of Sefer Yonah on Yom Kippur afternoon:

Who is a G-d like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness. He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins. Titane emet l’Ya’akov chesed l’Avraham asher nishbata l’avoteinu mimai kedem —You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore. (7:18-20, This and all Tanach translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
It appears that Chazal enacted the dual public reading of this passage based upon its ability to convey some of the major ideas inherent in our encounter with the Almighty on Yom Kippur. In brief, it contains the following six ideas:

• Hashem cannot be compared to any entity.
• The Almighty forgives avon — iniquity, and even pardons pesha — rebellious transgression.
• Hashem does not sustain his anger against us, for “He desires loving-kindness.”
• Just as we return unto our Creator (teshuvah), He will return unto us and treat us with great mercy.
• The Holy One blessed be He will hide our iniquities from His view and metaphorically toss them into the depths of the sea.
• “Titane emet l’Ya’akov chesed l’Avraham asher nishbata l’avoteinu mimai kedem.”

 
The first five statements are not unique to Sefer Michah, as they appear in various formulations in the Tanach. In contrast, “titane emet l’Ya’akov chesed l’Avraham,” introduces a new theme regarding our relationship with the Almighty. In his gloss on the 13 Attributes of Mercy presented in his Commentary on the Torah, the Abarbanel (1437-1508) explains our phrase in this manner:

This means that [Hashem] will fulfill His attestation to Ya’akov, namely, the chesed that He had promised to perform for Avraham, for from this chesed will come forth the emet, and the fulfillment to Ya’akov and his descendants who are the offspring of Avraham the chosen one; and this is the inner meaning of [the Torah’s expression [“Hashem] Who is great in chesed v’emet” (Sefer Shemot 34, this and the following R. Abarbanel translation, underlining and brackets my own)
 
Based upon his comparison of the Torah’s description of Hashem as He “Who is great in chesed v’emet,” wherein chesed is stated before emet, to Michah’s phrase, which reverses this order, the Abarbanel suggests that emet l’Ya’akov is the outcome of the chesed that Hashem promised to do on Avraham’s behalf. He expands and clarifies this idea in his commentary on the fourth chapter of Sefer Yonah:
​
And the substance of this verse [titane emet l’Ya’akov] is that the Holy One blessed be He will give the emet l’Ya’akov by bestowing upon Avraham’s descendants the chesed that he gave to him, namely, the inheritance of the Land of the Seven Nations [Israel]. It is as if the verse was stated: “Titane emet l’Ya’akov me’hachesed sh’asita l’Avraham — You shall give the emet of Ya’akov from the chesed that you performed for Avraham. [And] just as You performed chesed for him [Avraham] when he stood at the Brit bein HaBetarim — the Covenant of the Pieces, may the emet [be] the fulfillment of this covenant for all Ya’akov’s future offspring.
 
In this exegetical tour de force, the Abarbanel provides us with a powerful insight into the relationship that obtains between the chesed of Avraham and the emet of Ya’akov. In his view, the emet of Ya’akov, namely, the everlasting gift of Eretz Yisrael to Ya’akov’s descendants, results from the chesed Hashem performed for Avraham at the Brit bein HaBetarim. This unbreakable chut shel chesed — thread of grace — is inextricably interwoven into the very essence of the Jewish people. In addition, given our passage’s inclusion in the haftarah of Shabbat Shuvah and its role as the postscript to Maftir Yonah, it is clear it reflects the intrinsic nature of Yom Kippur as well. Perhaps this is the reason Chazal ordained that we conclude tefilat Neilah with the stirring words, “l’shanah habah b’Yerushalayim.” With the Almighty’s help and our fervent desire, may this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, G’mar Chatimah Tovah, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
In a few days we will be standing before Hashem on Rosh Hashanah. Each of us will ask our Creator’s forgiveness for sins we committed over the course of the preceding year. Since this is the case, we must ask a deceptively simple question: “What is sin?”
 
In broad terms, sin is any violation of Hashem’s will. More specifically, however, three different kinds of sin are mentioned in the Torah passage that follows the most grievous violation we committed as a nation, namely, the Eigel HaZahav —the Sin of the Golden Calf:

And the L-rd passed before him [Moshe] and proclaimed: “Hashem, Hashem, G-d, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving avon —iniquity and pesha — rebellion and chata’ah — sin…” (Sefer Shemot 34:6-7, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emphasis and emendations for the purpose of clarity)
 
In this pasuk, Hashem teaches us that He forgives three distinct types of sin: avon, pesha, and chata’ah. In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) explains avon as a purposeful sin, a sin performed with full knowledge that it is wrong; the person’s better judgment is overcome. Such an individual has lost the battle and has succumbed to base and lowly instincts. Hedonistic pursuits have become master. Avon takes place when an individual loses self-control and is ruled by raw desire. Nonetheless, such people have not forsaken their relationship with G-d, but rather, they have forsaken their relationship with themselves by violating their intrinsic holy status.
 
Pesha is a far more grievous type of sin than avon. Rashi explains that it refers to purposeful acts of rebellion against G-d. In an act of pesha, an individual simultaneously challenges and rejects the Almighty’s role as Master of the Universe. Those who commit a pesha repudiate G-d’s hegemony and power and, instead, place themselves on His throne. Their rebellious actions undertaken with knowledge, forethought and temerity falsely proclaim that they are the ultimate authority in the universe.
 
Chata’ah is different in kind and degree than the previous types of sin for, in such a case, there is no desire to do wrong. There is no pleasure-seeking urge run amok, or desire to dethrone the Almighty. Instead, one who is involved in a chata’ah does so as a result of a lack of the requisite Torah knowledge that would have prevented the forbidden action; as such, it is an inadvertent sin. Chata’ah teaches us that a failure to learn Torah precludes the possibility of correctly living according its precepts. In short, chata’ah occurs when people fail to live up to all that they could have been — if only they would have engaged in sincere Torah study in order to properly follow Hashem’s mitzvot.
 
Teshuvah, returning to Hashem, is our greatest antidote against sin’s destructive poison. It is one of the Almighty’s greatest gifts, as it enables us to return to the correct path and reestablish our relationship with Him. My rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), gave eloquent voice to these ideas:
​
What, therefore, is teshuvah in contrast to sin? Ascent versus descent. Through sin one is an object, while teshuvah allows one to again become a subject. Through sin man is acted upon, while through teshuvah man can act once again. Through sin he is a thing, while through teshuvah he becomes a person. Through sin gravity overwhelms, while through teshuvah gravity is overcome. (From a 1974 lecture, summarized by Dr. Arnold Lustiger in Before Hashem You Shall Be Purified: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik on the Days of Awe, page 34)
 
May Hashem help us encounter our sins so that we may ever ascend, and never descend. Moreover, may we become the masters of our actions, as we grow in our recognition that He is the Master of the Universe. Most of all, when we stand in prayer this Rosh Hashanah, and seek to encounter the King of the Universe once again, may each of us remember Yirmiyahu’s celebrated words: “Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah… — Restore us to You, O L-rd, that we may be restored!” (Megillat Eichah 5:21)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, Kativah v’Chatimah Tovah, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Parashat Nitzavim contains a celebrated pasuk that proclaims the ready accessibility of the Torah: “Lo bashamayim he — It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?’” (Sefer Devarim 30:12, this and all Torah and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself upon Talmud Bavli Eruvin 55a, interprets the phrase “lo bashamayim he” in a direct fashion: “For if it were in heaven, you would have to climb up after it [in order] to learn it.” In other words, nothing whatsoever may stand in the way of the exceptionally important mitzvah of learning Torah.
 
Our Talmudic Sages view lo bashamayim he as the underpinning of one of the most crucial ideas in Judaism, namely, the unchanging and eternal nature of the Torah. Talmud Bavli, Baba Metziah 59b is one of the most famous narratives in Talmudic literature where this idea is given powerful voice:

On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument [in a highly technical dispute regarding ritual purity and impurity], but they [the other Sages] did not accept them… [Said Rabbi Eliezer:] “If the halacha agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!” Whereupon a Heavenly Voice (bat kol) cried out: “Why do you dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halacha agrees with him!” But R. Yehoshua arose and exclaimed: “Lo bashamayim he!” What did he mean by this? — Said R. Yirmiyahu: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice (bat kol), because You [Hashem] have long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai (Sefer Shemot 23:2), “One must follow the majority opinion.” (Translation, The Soncino Talmud with my brackets and emendations)
 
This passage is nothing less than amazing. In one fell swoop, it denies any possibility of a post-Sinaitic Torah Revelation. Moreover, it demonstrates that human reason, in conjunction with the accepted principles of Torah exegesis and majority rule, is the sole determinant in any halachic dispute — even when one of the disputants is a bat kol! Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal (1895-1986) drew upon this interpretation of lo bashamayim he in his analysis of Chazal’s power to determine the halacha:

The Holy One blessed be He gave the Torah to the Jewish people to act according to that which they will understand of the Written Law, and that which was given to them orally (ba’al peh) at Mount Sinai — based upon [the limits of] their comprehension. Moreover, the Holy One never explained nor determined the actual practice of the laws of the Torah, since lo bashamayim he; instead, He agreed from the outset to the understanding and explanations of the Torah Sages… even if this was possibly not in accord with the Holy One blessed be He’s understanding. (Iggerot Moshe, Introduction, translation, brackets and underlining my own)
 
The fundamental import of lo bashamayim he is also the focus of Talmud Bavli, Temurah 16a:

Rav Yehudah stated in the name of Shmuel: Three thousand halachot were forgotten during the period of mourning for Moshe. They said to Yehoshua: “Ask!” He replied: “Lo bashamayim he.” They [the Jewish people] said to Shmuel [the prophet]: “Ask!” He replied: “Aleh HaMitzvot — These are the commandments,” (Sefer Vayikra 27:34) suggesting [that since the Mitzvot have been given] no prophet at this time has the right to introduce anything new [to the Torah]… They [the Jewish people] said to Pinchas: “Ask!” He replied to them: “Lo bashamayim he.” They said to Elazar: “Ask!” He replied: “Aleh HaMitzvot,” suggesting that no prophet at this time has the right to introduce anything new. (Translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
A careful reading of this passage reveals that we have two answers to our ancestors’ demand “Ask!”  Yehoshua and Pinchas both responded with “Lo bashamayim he,” whereas Shmuel and Elazar declared “Aleh HaMitzvot.” At first blush it seems that these replies differ widely from one another, yet, in his commentary on this Gemara, the Maharsha (Rav Shmuel Eidels, 1555-1631) views them as complementary statements:

When the Jewish people requested Yehoshua to “ask,” they wanted him to inquire from Heaven itself to make known to him the halachot that had been forgotten. He then told them lo bashamayim he, for since the time of Moshe’s death, the Torah no longer granted us the permission to ask Heaven directly to clarify doubts [and questions that may arise]…Yet, the Torah did give [Chazal] permission to determine unclear matters in accordance with the principle of majority rule —as found in Moshe’s Torah.
 
And this is the same response that was given by Shmuel… namely, no prophet at this time has the right to introduce anything new [to the Torah]. This means, that since the time of Moshe’s death, no prophet was allowed to create something new [based upon a revelation] from Heaven, for the power to legislate whether something was ritually impure or pure was now given over to the Sages — based upon the principle of majority rule. (Translation my own)
 
Based upon our sources, the concept of lo bashamayim he and the principle of majority rule represent the gold standard for halachic rulings from the moment of the Revelation at Har Sinai. As Rav Feinstein zatzal said: “The Holy One never explained nor determined the actual practice of the laws of the Torah, since lo bashamayim he; instead, He agreed from the outset to the understanding and explanations of the Torah Sages.” This is reminiscent of Hashem’s charge to Adam HaRishon when he became the steward of the world: “Now the L-rd G-d took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.” (Sefer Bereishit 2:15)  Just as Adam was tasked with protecting the entire world, so, too, are we obligated to study and guard Hashem’s holy Torah. With the Holy One’s bracha, and our fervent desire, may this be so. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, Kativah v’Chatimah Tovah, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
One of the better-known sections of our parasha consists of the brachot v’k’lallot — the blessings for keeping the mitzvot of the Torah, and the curses for failing to fulfill its commandments. During his presentation of the k’lallot, Moshe Rabbeinu states an overarching rationale, a klal gadol, as to why these curses will come upon the Jewish people: “Tachat asher lo avadata Hashem Elokecha — Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, b’simcha u’vtuv l’vov meirov kol — in joy and from the goodness of your heart, when you had everything [that you required, Rashi].” (Sefer Devarim 28:47)
 
According to Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory), avodat Hashem, service of Hashem, is comprised of offering the korbanot, the act of praying, and the general performance of the mitzvot. As such, “tachat asher lo avadata Hashem Elokecha b’simcha u’vtuv l’vov meirov kol” is teaching us that even if we brought the mandated korbanot, prayed the obligatory tefilot and fulfilled the mitzvot, we did not do these acts in joy and with a heartfelt desire. I believe that the prophet, Yeshayahu, shed a bright light on our pasuk and its underlying meaning when he declared: “And the L-rd said: ‘Because this people has come near; with their mouth and with their lips they honor Me, but their heart they draw far away from Me, and their fear of Me has become mitzvat anashim melumdah — a command of people, which has been taught.’” (29:13, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) 
 
One of the clearest expositions of Yeshayahu’s elusive phrase, “mitzvat anashim melumdah,” was offered by the Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, 1809-1879):

There are those who perform the mitzvot solely because this is what they have become accustomed to do since their youth and they are used to performing them. They perform them without any cognitive gesture (kavanah) and without thought, even though they may know that they are commandments from G-d…They [the mitzvot] are performed without any understanding and are mere mechanical actions reinforced by past rote behaviors. (Commentary to Sefer Yeshiyahu 29:13)
 
Basing ourselves on this trenchant comment of the Malbim, we can readily say that if one performs the mitzvot devoid of thought and in a robotic fashion, it will be impossible to serve Hashem b’simcha u’vtuv l’vov, as authentic simcha requires total engagement of our entire being. Little wonder, then, that Dovid HaMelech declared: “Ivdu et Hashem b’simcha — Serve Hashem with joy” (Sefer Tehillim 100:2), which the Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi 1160-1235) interprets as, “Your service should not be perceived as a burden, but rather, as an act of pure delight and from the goodness of your heart and mind.” He further underscores this analysis by citing the famous words of Rabbi Ibo in Midrash Shocher Tov 100: “When you pray to the Holy One blessed be He, your heart and mind should be joyous in the knowledge that you are praying to the Holy One blessed be He, and there is none other like Him in comparison to other so-called gods.” (Translation my own)
 
The Rambam gave halachic voice to these concepts in his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shofar, v’Succah v’Lulav VIII:15, citing our parasha’s verse as one his proof texts:
​
The simcha with which a person should rejoice during the performance of the mitzvot, and the love of G-d who commanded them, avodah gedolah he — is a great service. Whoever holds himself back from this rejoicing is worthy of retribution, as the Torah states: “Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, b’simcha u’vtuv l’vov — in joy and from the goodness of your heart.” …because there is no greatness or honor other than celebrating before G-d… (Translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, with my emendations and underlining)
 
With Hashem’s help and our passionate desire, may we grow to understand that “there is no greatness or honor other than celebrating before G-d.” In that way, may we be counted among those who serve the Almighty b’simcha u’vtuv lebainu — in joy and from the goodness of our hearts. May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, Dovid Shmuel ben Chasiyah and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
There are two mitzvot in the Torah whose fulfillment promises arichut hayamim — long life. The first is the mitzvah of kibbud av v’eime — honoring one’s parents, found in the asseret hadibrot. The second is in our parasha, namely, the commandment of shiluach haken — sending away the mother bird prior to taking the baby chicks from her nest:

Honor your father and your mother as the L-rd your G-d commanded you, l’ma’an yarichune yamecha — in order that your days be lengthened, and that it may go well with you on the land that the L-rd, your G-d, is giving you. (Sefer Devarim 5:16)
 
You shall send away the mother, and [then] you may take the young for yourself, in order that it should be good for you, v’ha’arachta yamim — and you should lengthen your days. (Sefer Devarim 22:7, these and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
As noted, both mitzvot contain the parallel phrases l’ma’an yarichune yamecha and v’ha’arachta yamim. This is particularly fascinating, since kibbud av v’eime is widely viewed by Chazal as a mitzvah chamurah — a difficult and often challenging commandment, whereas shiluach haken is a relatively easy mitzvah to perform. Nonetheless, the Torah associates both with long and good lives. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons that Rabbi Yitzchak declared:

Everything that you have been told to do in the Torah — you must keep [and perform, as] you do not know through which commandment you will acquire life. There are instances wherein the reward is [written] next to it [in the Torah text], and there are cases where the reward will only be realized in the future... (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Sefer Mishle, 937, translation my own)
 
A straightforward reading of the Torah’s expressions, l’ma’an yarichune yamecha and v’ha’arachta yamim, in juxtaposition to kibbud av v’eime and shiluach haken, suggests that long and good lives will be the natural outcome of fulfilling these commandments. Yet, this is by no means necessarily the case, as illustrated by the following vignette from the life of the once great Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah (Acher), the close colleague of Rabbi Akiva and the rebbe of Rabbi Meir:

Once he was sitting and learning in the Ginnosar Valley and he saw a man climb to the top of a palm tree and take the mother bird and her young [at the same time], and he went down from there in peace. The next day he saw another man climb to the top of a palm tree, send away the mother and take the young, and when he went down from there, a snake bit him and he died. Scripture states, “You shall send away the mother, and [then] you may take the young for yourself, in order that it should be good for you, and you should lengthen your days.” (Sefer Devarim 22:7). [At this point he thought to himself:] Where is the good of this man? Where is the long life of this man? (Talmud Yerushalmi, Chagigah II:1, translation, http://cojs.org/jerusalem_talmud_haggigah_2-1, with my brackets and emendations,)
 
This story is cited by the Talmud Yerushalmi as one of the reasons Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah rebelled against Hashem and His Torah. At face value, where, indeed, was “the good of this man...[and] the long life of this man?” The answer to this essential question is found in the conclusion of our passage: “He did not know that Rabbi Ya’akov had previously explained that ‘in order that it should be good for you’ refers to olam habah — the world to come that is all good, and ‘and you should lengthen your days’ refers to l’atid sh’kulo aruch — the future [end of days] that is everlasting.” In other words, although it appears that the Torah is all but guaranteeing arichut hayamim as a result of fulfilling the mitzvot of kibbud av v’eime and shiluach haken, this is not the case. Instead, the ultimate positive outcome of these mitzvot will not be realized until the time of olam habah and l’atid sh’kulo aruch.

Tragically, the great Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah was not privy to Rabbi Ya’akov’s interpretation of this aspect of schar v’onesh for, in all probability, if he had known and internalized this analysis, he would never have become Acher — “the Other.” As my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993) teaches us, the authentic Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah “never sinned, never betrayed Knesset Yisrael, never identified with the Romans, and never sought to tear Jewish children away from Torah and the fear of Heaven. It was another person, Acher, who was the traitor… All the while, the real Elisha remained hidden in the depths of his personality, an Elisha who never betrayed G-d or the Jewish people but was a hostage of the pseudo-personality that was Acher.” (This and the following quotation prepared from a 1961 public lecture in Yiddish by Professor Barry Landy of Cambridge, U.K)
 
Why did Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah become entrenched in his Acher persona? The answer, according to the Rav, is that although he acknowledged Hashem’s power, he failed to recognize the power that he had within himself:
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Do you know why Elisha rebelled against the Creator, in spite of his greatness in Torah? Because he did not appreciate his own strength, and thus betrayed G-d. It is as if to say, Elisha knew G-d’s power, but he did not know his own power to overcome his outer Acher, and thus he turned away from G-d. His own weak self-awareness and his failure to “know himself” were the real cause of his tragic sin.
 
We stand today a mere three weeks before Rosh Hashanah, when we and the entire world will be judged. It is an awe-inspiring time during which many of us may question whether we have the power within ourselves to change for the better. As such, now is the time to recognize our inner strength and raise our spiritual self-awareness to the highest heights, and return to Hashem in heartfelt and abiding teshuvah. With Hashem’s help and our most fervent desire, may this be so. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His great mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.