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Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The mitzvah of dwelling in the succah appears quite straightforward, as the Rambam (1135-1204) states:

What is the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah? One should eat and drink and dwell in the succah for the entire seven-day period both at night and during the day in exactly the same manner that he dwells in his house during the other days of the year. Throughout the entire seven-day period, a person should treat his house as a temporary dwelling and his succah as his permanent dwelling. As it says in the verse: You shall dwell in succot for seven days (Vayikra 23:42). (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Succah 6:5, translation my own)
 
The Rambam emphasizes the ma’aseh hamitzvah of succah, the actual manner in which the commandment should be performed. In contrast, the Tur (Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, 1270-1340), focuses on its rationale:

“You shall dwell in succot for seven days…in order that you should know throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot when I led them out … [from Egypt]” (Vayikra 23:42). The Torah demonstrates that the mitzvah of succah is contingent upon the Exodus from Egypt. So, too, in the case of many other mitzvot. This is so, since this is a matter that we saw with our eyes and heard with our ears and no one is able to deny it. It teaches us about the truth of the existence of the Creator, may He be exalted, and that He created everything according to His will. It also teaches us that He has the power, the dominion, and the ability, both in the upper and lower worlds, to do with them as He so desires… (Introduction to Hilchot Succah, translation my own)
 
The Tur underscores the conceptual link that obtains between the mitzvah of succah and essential principles of Jewish thought, such as the existence of the Creator and His omnipotence in both the Heavens and the earth. In so doing, he suffuses the act of sitting in the succah with notable theological significance.
 
The Bach (Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, 1551-1640) scales the Tur’s analysis and reveals further levels of meaning. He asserts that the Tur’s core point is highlighting the indispensable role that kavanah plays in performing the mitzvah of succah, namely, viewing the succah as the symbol of Yetziat Mitzraim. The Bach elaborates on this point in his conclusion:
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The purpose of the mitzvah of succah is to remember Yetziat Mitzraim. This is accomplished through one’s dwelling in a succah where the shade is greater than the sun. This, in turn, is a reminder of the Clouds of Glory that protected them … through their wanderings in the desert.
 
In addition, the Bach asserts that the highest form of fulfilling this commandment requires us to carefully focus on the Torah’s phrase, “… in order that you should know (yaydu) throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot.” The Bach maintains that this “will enable one to fulfill the mitzvah in its most proper fashion (k’tikunah).” Therefore, for the Bach, if a person desires to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah on its deepest level, he must have kavanah regarding two major points: this mitzvah’s inextricable link to Yetziat Mitzrayim, and Hashem’s great kindness in allowing us to dwell in succot following the Exodus.
 
May Hashem soon fulfill the stirring words of our Friday night tefilot “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 Yerushalayim.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** 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
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Rav Yosef Karo zatzal (1488-1575) is best known as the author of the Shulchan Aruch. Toward the end of Hilchot Yom HaKippurim (623:6), he states that we are obligated to sound four shofar blasts at the conclusion of Neilah: tekiah, shevarim, teruah and a final tekiah. In contrast, the Rema zatzal (Rav Moshe Isserles, 1530-1572), in his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, notes that the widely accepted Ashkenazi minhag is to sound only one tekiah. Somewhat unusually, neither of these Torah giants discuss the reason why we sound the shofar at this time.
 
One of the earliest sources to address the rationale for sounding the shofar at the conclusion of Ne’ilah is a gloss of Tosafot in the name of Rashi’s great grandson, Rabbi Yitzhak ben Shmuel zatzal (known as the “RI” or the “RI-HaZaken,” 1115-1184):

The sole reason why we sound the shofar at the conclusion of Yom HaKippurim is to publicize that it is now fully nighttime so that people may proceed to feed their children who have fasted. In addition, this is to inform the Jewish community that it proper to prepare the meal for the night that has followed the Yom HaKippurim day, for it is similar in kind to a Yom Tov… This is in contradistinction to the incorrect opinion of the Machzorim where it is written that the tekiah is a reminder of the Jubilee year (yovel). [If this were to be the case,] why would we sound the shofar year after year [at this time?] Is it possible for the yovel to be each and every year?  (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 114b, s.v. V’amai, translation and brackets my own)
 
The RI maintains that in a world without accurate clocks and rapid communication, the shofar blast at the end of Neilah publicizes the end of Yom HaKippurim and the permissibility to eat, drink and cook once again. Moreover, he summarily rejects any notion of a link between the conclusion of this day and the sounding of the shofar as a reminder of the Jubilee year.

Approximately 400 years later, Rabbi Mordechai Yoffe zatzal (1530-1612) presented three additional reasons as to why we sound the shofar at the end of Yom HaKippurim:

We sound the shofar with one tekiah blast as a sign of the Shechinah’s departure, namely, that the Schechinah has left [this world] and has gone up to the firmament, just as it had done at the time of the giving of the Torah. As it is written: “No hand shall touch it [that is, Mount Sinai], for he shall be stoned or cast down; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the ram’s horn sounds a long, drawn-out blast, they may ascend the mountain.” (Sefer Shemot 19:13) It is also written: “God shall rise with the trumpet blast; Hashem, with the sound of the shofar.” (Sefer Tehillim 47:6, with my emendation)

The tekiah is a symbol of joy and victory: This means we have been victorious over the Satan (Evil Inclination).

The sound of the tekiah is the symbolic representation of freedom, for on this day we have made our souls free from sins and our bodies have become free from enslavement and punishments. (Sefer Levush Malchut, Levush HaHod 623:5, translation, brackets, underlining and parentheses my own)
 
Closer to our own time, Rabbi Yechiel Michal ben Aharon Halevi Epstein zatzal (1829-1908) offers a new interpretation for sounding the shofar at the conclusion of Ne’ilah: “We sound one tekiah as a sign of good fortune to proclaim the news that Hashem has received our prayers.” (Aruch HaShulchan, Orech Chaim 623:8, translation my own)  In Rav Epstein’s view, the tekiah is a declaration of success, a sound that signifies we have encountered the Almighty through the medium of prayer and in His great chesed and rachamim, He has accepted our heartfelt tefilot.

In stark contrast to the opinion of Rav Epstein, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his students and disciples, asserts that the sounding of the shofar at the end of Yom HaKippurim is symbolic of our failure to communicate our depth-level spiritual longings to the Master of the Universe through our words:

… the Rav said that on Yom Kippur, at the conclusion of the Ne’ilah service, he often felt that despite having spent the entire day in prayer, he had not articulated even a tiny fraction of what he had wanted to express… [He was convinced that on the existential level, every] Jew has similar feelings at the conclusion of Ne’ilah, the final prayer on Yom Kippur: [they have] spoken, yet said nothing.
 
What can we do when such a feeling of defeat descends upon us? Rav Soloveitchik provides us with this groundbreaking answer:

In order to adequately express his deep longing when words have cruelly failed him, he feels the compulsion to release an instinctive, inarticulate cry. In the seconds before the Holy One Blessed Be He once again retreats into obscuring clouds, man must urgently express what he could not verbalize in an entire day of prayer. He thus sounds the shofar as a response to the ultimate futility of verbal prayer to express his needs. (Before Hashem You Shall Be Purified: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik on the Days of Awe, summarized and annotated by Dr. Arnold Lustiger, page 24, underlining and brackets my own)
 
In short, for the Rav, when words fail us, the shofar blast at Neilah represents a radically different approach: In essence, we are expressing to our Creator our deep desire to renew our spiritual relationship with Him as it was in the past.
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In conclusion, interpretations of the sounding of the shofar in the final moments of Yom HaKippurim range from the sublime to the practical, and from the assertion of man’s greatness to the recognition of the futility of words in reaching out to the Almighty. Fortunately, no matter which perspective we take, we can rest assured that, “For through this day, He shall grant atonement for you to cleanse you. Before Hashem you shall be purified from all your sins.” (Sefer Vayikra 16:30, emendation my own)
 
G'mar Chatimah Tovah and Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** 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.
 
 

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Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The final three pasukim of Sefer Michah are found in this week’s haftarah and following the recitation of Sefer Yonah on Yom Kippur afternoon:

Who is a God 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 Ya’akov, the loving-kindness of Avraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore. (7:18-20, This and all Tanach translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
In my view, Chazal enacted the public readings of these pasukim because of the six key concepts they convey: Hashem cannot be compared to any entity; He forgives iniquity, and even pardons rebellious transgressions; He does not sustain his anger against us, for “He desires loving-kindness;” just as we return to Him in teshuvah, so too will He will return to us, rekindle our relationship with Him and treat us with great mercy; Hashem will hide our iniquities from His view and metaphorically toss them into the depths of the sea; and lastly, “titane emet l’Ya’akov chesed l’Avraham asher nishbata l’avoteinu mimai kedem.”
 
The first five statements are not unique to Sefer Michah, since they appear in various formulations in Tanach. In contrast, “titane emet l’Ya’akov chesed l’Avraham” introduces a new theme regarding our connection to Hashem. In his Commentary on the Torah, Rabbeinu Abarbanel zatzal (1437-1508) suggests this interpretation:

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.” (Interpretation of the 13 Attributes of Mercy, Sefer Shemot 34, Abarbanel translations, 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” to Michah’s phrase, that places emet before chesed, the Abarbanel suggests that emet l’Ya’akov is the outcome of the chesed that Hashem promised to do on Avraham’s behalf. He elaborates on this chidush in his Commentary on Sefer Yonah:
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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. (Chapter four)
 
In this exegetical tour de force, the Abarbanel provides us with powerful insight into the relationship that obtains between the chesed of Avraham and the emet of Ya’akov. According to his analysis, the emet of Ya’akov is none other than the everlasting gift of Eretz Yisrael to Ya’akov’s descendants. This, he maintains, is an extension of the chesed Hashem performed for Avraham at the Brit bein HaBetarim.
 
May the Schechinah return to Eretz Yisrael soon, and in our days, so that we may experience the joy of Hashem’s holy presence once again. L’shanah habah b’Yerushalayim. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and G’mar Chatimah Tovah
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** 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.

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Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The opening verses of Parashat Nitzavim enumerate nine different categories of people. This level of specificity is markedly different than most passages in the Torah:

You are all standing this day before the Hashem, your G-d, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, that you may enter the covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and His oath, which Hashem, your G-d, is making with you this day. (Sefer Devarim 29:9-11, this, and all Torah translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
I believe two pasukim in Sefer Bereishit help us understand the rationale for this unusual listing: “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heaven and over the animals and over all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.’ And God created man in His image; b’tzelem Elokim (in the image of God) He created him; male and female He created them.” (1: 26-27).  Chazal understand b’tzelem Elokim in a variety of ways. Some, such as Hillel in Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 34, and Rabbi Bena’a in Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 58a, believe that “God created man in His image” is to be taken at face value. In their view, we literally look like Hashem. The more widely accepted approach, however, is to reject any physical comparison to Hashem, as He has no form, and focus instead on the abilities that He gifted us that make us “similar” to Him. According to the Rambam (1135-1204), the most prominent of these is our intellect:

Since man is distinguished by a most unusual trait found in no other sublunary being—rational awareness, which does not depend on sense perception or any limb or organ —our awareness is likened to God’s, which uses no organ, although it is not like it really but only at first impulse. It is because of this, the divine mind that touches us, that man is said to be in the image and likeness of God — not that God has a body and shape. (The Guide to the Perplexed I: 1, translation, Lenn E. Goodman and Phillip Lieberman, page 21)
 
My rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), builds upon this passage and suggests the following:

There is no doubt that the term “image of God” in the first account [that is, Sefer Bereishit 1: 26-27] refers to man’s inner charismatic endowment as a creative being. Man’s likeness to God expresses itself in man’s striving and ability to be a creator. Adam the first who was fashioned in the image of God was blessed with a great drive for creative activity and immeasurable resources for the realization of this goal, the most outstanding of which is the intelligence, the human mind, capable of confronting the outside world and inquiring into its complex workings. (The Lonely Man of Faith, Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, Volume 7, No. 2, 1965, underlining and brackets my own)
 
Whatever the exact meaning of tzelem Elokim may be, one idea is quite clear: every human being is potentially holy, since he or she has been created in the image of the Almighty. In addition, the final mishnah in Masechet Sanhedrin focuses upon the irreplaceable nature of all members of the Jewish people:
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Therefore, man was created alone to teach you that anyone who destroys even one soul from the Jewish people is considered by the Torah as if he has destroyed an entire world. [So, too,] anyone who saves even one soul from the Jewish people is considered by the Torah as if he has saved an entire world. (Translation my own)
 
The Maharsha (1555-1631) analyzes this mishnaic statement and suggests: “The phrase in the mishnah is very exact when it states: ‘nefesh achat m’yisrael—one soul from the Jewish people,’ since the form of man was created alone in the image of God, the One of the world…” I believe this emphasis on the words “nefesh achat” is urging us to recognize the stamp of Hashem that is engraved upon each member of the Jewish people. This concept is filled with profound ramifications, for when we interact with our fellow Jews, we must remember we are communicating with someone who has the stamp of the Almighty upon him.
 
This notion forms the foundation for our understanding of the Torah’s enumeration of nine categories of people in our opening passage: Irrespective of whether our fellow Jew is a leader of our people or a common manual laborer, that is, regardless of a person’s social and economic status, he is kadosh, since he represents God’s presence in this world. As such, he embodies unlimited value and deserves to be treated accordingly.
 
We live in a time when many of us place a great deal of emphasis on the mitzvot that are obligatory between ourselves and Hashem (mitzvot bein adam l’makom). Therefore, we often meticulously observe Kashrut, Tefillin, Succah, Mezuzah, and Shabbat. When it comes to commandments between our fellow Jews and ourselves (mitzvot bein adam l’chaveiro), however, we may be far less conscientious. As a result, hurtful sarcasm, biting cynicism, lashon hara, and even public embarrassment of others are often commonplace. It is vital, therefore, that we remember our parasha’s opening verse: “You are all standing this day before Hashem, your God.” Each one of us is created in His divine image. Surely this is one of the most important messages of Chodesh Elul, one we must take to heart as we prepare our neshamot to encounter the Hashem on the approaching Yamim Noraim.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Kativah v’Chatimah Tovah
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
 
*** 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.
 
 
N.B. Part of my summary of the various approaches to understanding the term “tzelem Elokim” is based upon Rabbi David Silverberg’s excellent article entitled: “Tzelem Elokim: Image or Imagery?” which may be found at: http://haretzion.org/alei/1-5tzele.htm.
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains two expressions that are not found anywhere else in Tanach, “he’e’marta” and “he’e’mircha:”

Today you have he’e’marta—declared allegiance to G-d, making Him your G-d, [pledging to] walk in His paths, keep His decrees, commandments and laws, and to obey His voice. G-d has similarly he’e’mircha—declared allegiance to you today, making you His special nation as He promised you. If you keep all His commandments. (Sefer Devarim 26:17-18, translation, The Living Torah, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zatzal)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) notes the unique nature of these words and suggests this interpretation:

We do not find any equivalent expression in the Tanach [which might help us understand the meaning of these words]. It appears to me, however, that [the expression he’e’mir] denotes separation and distinction. [As such, this connotes:] From all the pagan deities, you have set apart Hashem for yourself, to be your G-d, and He separated you to Him from all the peoples on earth to be His treasured people. (Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Onkelos suggests an intriguingly different understanding of he’e’marta and he’e’mircha. In his estimation, these terms suggest a declaration of love between the Almighty and the Jewish nation. Consequently, Onkelos translates he’e’marta as “chatavta,” and he’e’mircha as “chatvach.” Both of these terms have their basis in the Aramaic word, “chativah,” which may be defined as an object of love. Based on this interpretation, the relevant segments of our verses would read, “Today you have declared singular love to G-d… [And] G-d has similarly declared His singular love today to you…
 
Talmud Bavli, Berachot 6a follows Onkelos’ approach in its exposition of these expressions:

“Et Hashem he’e’marta hayom v’Hashem he’e’mircha hayom:” The Holy One blessed be He said to the Jewish people: “You have made Me a singular beloved object in the world, and I will make you, as well, a uniquely cherished entity in the world.” [From where do we know that you,] the Jewish people, declared Hashem to be your most beloved object in the world? As the Torah states: “Know O’ Jewish nation, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is one.” (Sefer Devarim 6:4) [From where do we know that] I (Hashem) have declared the Jewish people to be My one precious nation in the world? As the text states: “And who is like Your people of Israel, a remarkable and unequaled nation in the world?” (Sefer Shmuel II, 7:23, translations my own)
 
We find many instances of the mitzvah of loving Hashem in Sefer Devarim. Here is a small sample:

And now, O’ Israel, what does Hashem, your G-d, demand of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to worship Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul (10:12); [Therefore] you shall love Hashem, your G-d... (11:1); And it will be, if you hearken to My commandments that I command you this day to love Hashem, your G-d… (11:13); For if you keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, to love Hashem, your G-d, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him. (11:22, Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
While our obligation to love Hashem is quite clear, His love for us may appear elusive. If we sensitize ourselves to the words of the daily tefilot, however, we can readily hear His message of devotion to us. For example, the second bracha before the recitation of the morning Shema begins with the phrase, “ahavah rabbah”: “With an abundant love have You loved us, Hashem, our G-d…” It concludes with: “Blessed are You Hashem, Who chooses His people Israel with love.” (Translation, Artscroll Siddur)  Significantly, the text does not state “Who chose His people Israel with love,” which would reference an ancient historical choice. Instead, Chazal formulated the prayer in the present tense, that is, Hashem continuously chooses us in love. This illustrates the ongoing extent of the care and concern our Creator has for us.
 
In addition, two explicit statements of Hashem’s deep connection to us are found in the Shemoneh Esrei. In the first bracha, we encounter the phrase, “l’ma’an sh’mo b’ahavah—for His Name’s sake, with love.” In addition, in Re’tzeh we encounter the phrase: “u’tefilatom b’ahavah tikabale b’ratzon—and their prayer accept with love and favor.” In sum, if we carefully listen to our daily tefilot, we will sense Hashem’s loving presence enveloping us. Little wonder, then, that Megillat Shir HaShirim is the ultimate metaphor for the relationship that obtains between Hashem and the Jewish people. It proclaims to us that we are never alone; for no matter how difficult our daily struggles may be, Hashem is our beloved soulmate who continually reaches out to us b’ahavah. In a world that is so often frightening and alienating, this is a message we long to hear.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we ever grow in our love and devotion to Him, and may we continue to be deserving of His everlasting love. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Shichaha, the commandment to leave behind a forgotten sheaf of grain for the needs of the poor, is a key agriculturally based mitzvah that appears in our parasha:
When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to take it; it shall be [left] for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that Hashem, your G-d, will bless you in all that you do. (Sefer Devarim 24:19, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The anonymous author of the Sefer HaChinuch (13th century) sheds light upon the underlying rationale of this mitzvah, enabling us to gain a deeper appreciation of its singular import:

Regarding the fundamental basis of the commandment: When the poor and destitute... in their [grinding] poverty look at the produce [of the field] in a [desperate and] dependent manner, while gazing upon the field’s owner sheaving their sheaves...they [consequently] think in their [heart of] hearts:  “Who will give [in order] that it will be like this for me, [so that, I, too, can] gather sheaves into my house, for if I could bring [in even] one [sheaf], I would rejoice in it.” As such, [this commandment stems] from Hashem’s kindnesses towards His creatures, may He be blessed, in order to fulfill their desire when it so happens that the owner of the field forgets it [the sheaves].
(Mitzvah 592, translations, https://www.sefaria.org/, with my emendations)
 
The Sefer HaChinuch focuses upon the Almighty’s great kindness in providing for the needs of His creations, in this case, through the agency of the owner of the field. This is congruent with the celebrated pasuk in Ashrei: “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing [with] its desire.” (Sefer Tehillim 145:16)  In addition, our anonymous author emphasizes the benefits that accrue to the owner of the field:

There is also a benefit for the owner of the field, in that he acquires through this a goodly soul; for truly through the trait of generosity, and a blessed soul that does not place its heart upon the forgotten sheaf and leaves it to the destitute, on those with such a soul, does the blessing of G-d descend forever.
 
The Sefer HaChinuch teaches us a profound two-fold lesson: The mitzvah of shichaha simultaneously provides for the vital needs of the most vulnerable in society and shapes the moral and spiritual persona of the one who performs this act. This is the case, since this commandment, unlike most mitzvot, takes place as a result of pure accident; that is, the owner of the field must decide to abandon the forgotten sheaf and leave it for the needy. This notion is given powerful voice in the following story found in Tosefta Peah:

The following incident occurred to a righteous individual (chasid echad) who forgot a sheaf of grain in the midst of his field. He said to his son: “Go and offer a steer as a completely burnt offering and another steer as a free-will celebratory offering in my name.” His son then said to him: “Father, what have you seen in this mitzvah that causes you to rejoice more so on its behalf than any other mitzvah that is stated in the Torah?” He responded to him: “The HaMakom (the Omnipresent One) gave us the majority of the Torah’s mitzvot to be performed l’da’atainu (in a planful manner); this commandment, [however,] was given to us to be performed solely in an unplanned scenario. This is the case, since if we purposefully [and consciously leave sheaves in the field] in order to attempt to fulfill this mitzvah before the Omnipresent, it will not account to us as a fulfillment of the commandment...
 
At this juncture, the chasid echad explains to his son the ultimate reason for his overwhelming joy in fulfilling this mitzvah:
​
The Torah states concerning this commandment: “so that Hashem your G-d, will bless you in all that you do,” that is, the text establishes a [special] bracha for one who fulfills this commandment. Can we not, therefore, establish a kal v’chomer statement regarding these matters? Namely, since it is true that an individual who does not intend to acquire merit [as in shichaha] nonetheless achieves reward to the point that the Torah considers it as if this was his intention all along, all the more so would this be so regarding one who is well-aware that his actions will bring him reward [and will ultimately receive that which is promised]. (Professor Saul Lieberman edition, III:8, translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, the chasid echad ecstatically performs the mitzvah of shichaha and expresses his joy through sacrificial offerings, since the commandment of shichaha provides proof that Hashem is He Who promises and surely fulfills.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to emulate such bitachon--trust in Hashem in our daily lives. May the Mashiach come soon and in our time, and may we fulfill the mitzvah of shichaha once again in our land.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains a compendium of prohibited behaviors associated with human sacrifice and the magic arts:
​
When you have come to the land Hashem your G-d is giving you, you shall not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire [Rashi: avodat hamolech], a soothsayer, a diviner of times, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido’a sorcerer, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to Hashem, and because of these abominations, Hashem your G-d is driving them out from before you. (Sefer Devarim 18:9-12, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, brackets my own)
 
In stark contrast to this extensive listing, the Torah presents a terse statement as to how we should encounter the Almighty: “tamim tihiyeh im Hashem Elokecha—You should be wholehearted (tamim) with Hashem, your G-d.” (18:13)  
 
The Ramban (1194-1270) maintains that tamim tihiyeh im Hashem Elokecha requires us “to join our very being solely unto Him and believe that He, and He alone, does everything [in this world] and knows the truth concerning the future [for all time].” Therefore, we are to “seek information from Him alone regarding what will be from His prophets or from His righteous ones, that is from the Urim v’Tumim, and [we may not] seek this from the astrologers and others of their kind, for no matter what we must not believe them.” (Hassagote HaRamban, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Mitzvot the Rambam Did Not Include, number eight, translations my own) In addition, he cites a pivotal pasuk in Sefer Yirmiyahu that magnifies the understanding of our verse: “So says Hashem: ‘Of the way of the nations, you shall not learn, and from the signs of the heavens [Rashi, eclipse of the sun or planets] be not dismayed, for the nations are dismayed from them.’” (10:2, translation, The Judaica press Complete Tanach) 
 
In the Ramban’s view, Yirmiyahu’s nevuah teaches us that a causal relationship obtains between our degree of closeness to Hashem, as demonstrated by our rejection of “the way of the nations,” and the future that awaits us. Little wonder he opines that Avraham Avinu achieved the highest heights of temimut when the Almighty commanded him: “hithalech lifanei v’heyeh tamim—walk before me and be wholehearted.” (Sefer Bereishit 17:1)  As a result of his unlimited dedication to the Holy One blessed be He, Avraham was promised descendants who would inherit Eretz Yisrael.
 
May we soon live in Eretz Yisrael amid permanent peace and tranquility, and may the stirring words of Yirmiyahu finally be realized with the arrival of Mashiach Tzidkeinu: “There shall again be heard… in the cities of Yehudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim… the sound of mirth and the sound of joy, the voice of a bridegroom and the voice of a bride…” (33:10-11)  V’chane yihi ratzon
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
If I were to ask which one of the 248 Mitzvot Aseh requires the greatest amount of rigor and exactitude in its observance, I am sure there would be many different answers. Some would respond Brit Milah and Korban Pesach, as these are the only two positive mitzvot that have karet (excision) as their punishment if not fulfilled at a time when it is possible to do so. Others may suggest Talmud Torah, since Chazal famously declared, “v’talmud Torah k’neged kulam—and the act of Talmud Torah supersedes them all.” (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 127a)  Then, too, some might propose Kriat Shema or Tefilah, since the first declares the absolute unity of the Master of the Universe and the prohibition of idol worship, and the second allows us to speak to Him as if He was standing “physically before us,” as we find in the celebrated statement: “da lifnei Mi atah omed—know before Whom you stand.” (Based on Rabbi Eliezer’s statement, Talmud Bavli, Berachot 28b)
 
The Rambam (1135-1204), however, suggests a different mitzvah that is found in our parasha (15:7-8, 11): “Chayavine anu l’hizaher b’mitzvat Tzedakah yotare m’kol mitzvot aseh—We are obligated to be punctilious in the mitzvah of Tzedakah more so than in any other Positive Commandment.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Matnot Aniyim 10:1)  He bases his p’sak on Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 9a and the following line of reasoning:

[This is the case, since] the act of Tzedakah is a sign of a righteous person, and one who is a descendant of Avraham Avinu. As the Torah states: “For I [Hashem] have known him [Avraham] in order that he will command his children after him la’asot Tzedakah--to perform acts of Tzedakah. (Sefer Bereishit 18:19)  And neither will the throne of the Jewish people be established nor the true faith stand [that is, remain forever] except through Tzedakah. As the text states: “In Tzedakah you shall be established.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 54:14)  [Moreover,] the Jewish people will not be [finally] redeemed except through Tzedakah. As the text states: “Tziyon will be redeemed through judgment, and those who return to her through Tzedakah.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 1:27, translations and brackets my own)
 
In sum, the Rambam focuses on several different aspects “la’asot Tzedakah”: Giving Tzedakah is the sign of a righteous individual and descendant of Avraham Avinu, the throne of the Jewish people will be established and our faith in Hashem will last forever through Tzedakah, and finally, the Jewish people will be redeemed as a result of our performance of Tzedakah.
 
Based on the Rambam’s opening words in this halacha, “chayavine anu l’hizaher b’mitzvat Tzedakah yotare m’kol mitzvot aseh,” I might have thought that if and only if one performs this mitzvah l’shame shamayim (with the intention of serving Hashem and for no other purpose), then he or she will fulfill this commandment. While this is certainly a very high level of giving Tzedakah, in practice, failure to perform this mitzvah l’shame shamayim does not prevent its fulfillment. This position is presented in the Sefer Ba’al Shem Tov in the name of HaRav Shmuel Kaminker zatzal who presented this idea before the holy Ba’al Shem Tov zatzal (1698-1760):

The giving of Tzedakah is accepted completely, and in a pleasing manner, even when the funds are not given l’shame shamayim. [Tzedakah is an outcome-driven concept, as such, we must realize] before anything else, [even when the money is not given in the ideal fashion,] the poor person will be able to eat as the result of the distributed funds. Then, too, [on the psychological level,] the poor person’s very soul is enlivened through receiving Tzedakah… Clearly, then, it is permissible to give Tzedakah even if it is not given l’shame shamayim. [Perhaps this is so, since] the one receiving money will always receive the sum [as if it were given] l’shame shamayim. This is the case, as the poor person is not accepting the money for the purpose of becoming enriched, chas v’shalom, but rather, he is only going [to ask for and receive] that which is necessary to keep both he and his family alive according to their actual needs. (Parashat Terumah, s.v. dabare el b’nai Yisrael v’yikachu li terumah, translation and brackets my own)
 
The Ba’al Shem Tov accepted this idea as torat emet. As such, let us remember that even if we cannot reach the level of performing the mitzvah l’shame shamayim, our fulfillment is not diminished, since in the heart of the recipient, it will be accepted l’shame shamayim.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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
​
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The mitzvah of cleaving to Hashem (hadvakute b’Hashem) appears in our parasha, as well as two other times in Sefer Devarim:

For if you keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, to love Hashem your G-d, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him (u’l’davka bo). (11:22)

You shall hold Hashem, your G-d in awe, worship Him, and cleave to Him and swear by His Name. (10:20)

But you who cleave to Hashem, your G-d, are alive all of you this day. (4:4, all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
A celebrated statement of Chazal suggests that hadvakute b’Hashem is well-nigh impossible, since Sefer Devarim 4:26 states: “For Hashem, your G-d, is a consuming fire…” (Talmud Bavli, Ketubot 111b)  In his Torah commentary, Torah Temimah, on Sefer Devarim 11:22, Rabbi Baruch HaLevi Epstein (1860-1941) asks why our Sages presented this position, since:

It is plausible to explain the [concept of hadvakute b’Hashem] in a direct language-based manner, namely, it is referring to devekut hanefesh m’ahavah v’chibah yitarah—the soul cleaving to Hashem from abundant love and affection. As Dovid HaMelech writes, “davka nafshi acharecha—my soul has clung after You…” (Sefer Tehillim 63:9) 
 
Why did Chazal refrain from a soul-based approach? Rav Epstein’s answer gives voice to the incredibly high level of spirituality that devekut hanefesh m’ahavah v’chibah yitarah represents and the difficulty of attaining this goal: “We can answer that this middah [that Dovid HaMelech was able to reach] is the highest possible level of love of Hashem, and thereby set aside solely for unique individuals and people who have reached the loftiest peak of spirituality. As such, it is impossible to demand this from general members (hamon ha’am) of the Jewish people…” If this level of hadvakute b’Hashem is beyond the grasp of the hamon ha’am, what kind of devekut is available to one and all?
 
In his Torah commentary, Biur al HaTorah, Rabbi Ovadiah ben Ya’akov Sforno (1475-1549) answers this question through his interpretation of the phrase “u’l’davka bo” (Sefer Devarim 11:22): “All of your actions should be undertaken with the intention to perform His will, as it is said: ‘In all your ways know Him, and He will direct your paths.’” (Sefer Mishle 3:6)  In my view, the Sforno’s analysis coupled with this pasuk evens the spiritual playing field and makes hadvakute b’Hashem accessible to the entire Jewish people. Little wonder then, that the great Tanna, Bar Kappara, taught: “Which is a brief passage upon which all fundamental principles of Torah are dependent? ‘In all your ways know Him, and He will direct your paths.’” (Talmud Bavli, Berachot 63a, translation, The Koren Talmud Bavli) 
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Kriat Shema is one of the best-known mitzvot in Parashat Va’etchanan. The Rambam zatzal (1135-12-04) rules that “Shema Yisrael,” the first pasuk of this mitzvah, has singular halachic status: “One who recites the first verse of Kriat Shema, that is, ‘Shema Yisrael,’ without intention--v’lo kivane libo—does not fulfill his obligation. [However, one who recites] the rest without intention fulfills his obligation.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kriat Shema 2:1, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)  Rav Yosef Karo zatzal (1488-1575) follows this opinion nearly verbatim in his Shulchan Aruch (Orech Chaim 60:5). 

​The words, “v’lo kivane libo,” are difficult to understand, as neither the Rambam nor Rav Karo elucidate their meaning. Fortunately, Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan zatzal (1838-1933) explains this elusive phrase:

The [type of] kavanah (intentionality) that is required in this matter [the recitation of the pasuk, “Shema Yisrael,”] is for one to intensely think about and focus upon (l’hitbonane u’lasum al libo) what he is saying. Failure to do so in the reading of the first verse prevents one from fulfilling the mitzvah [of Kriat Shema], since it contains the essence of kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim (accepting the yoke of Heaven) and His Unity may He be blessed. (Mishnah Berurah, Orech Chaim 60:5, subsection 11)
 
In sum, for Rav Kagan, the kavanah that is required in the first pasuk of Kriat Shema is l’hitbonane u’lasum al libo the words one is reciting in order to attain the requisite level of kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim. Moreover, failure to do so renders the mitzvah null and void.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, defines kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim as “hichnayah lifnei Hashem—submission to Hashem’s authority.” (This and the following quotations, Al HaTefilah, Rabbi Reuven Grodner shlita, editor, page 73, translation and brackets my own)  Basing himself on one of Rashi’s glosses (1040-1105) in Talmud Bavli, Berachot 12a (s.v. sh’ne’emar l’hagide ba’boker chasdecha), the Rav maintains there are actually two distinct types of kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim: kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim shel boker (of the morning), as depicted in the tefilah, emet v’yatziv and kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim shel erev (of the evening) as found in the prayer, emet v’emunah.

According to the Rav, kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim shel boker is an active process of hichnayah lifnei Hashem that is performed through the “recognition of the good and [giving] thanks to the Holy One blessed be He” that he describes in this fashion:

A person realizes that he is not independent, the opposite is the case, as he is dependent upon others, and most of all, he is dependent on the Holy One blessed be He. He begins by recognizing the good bestowed upon him by his parents and his teachers and in the end, recognition of all the good from the Holy One blessed be He. [As Dovid Hamelech said:] “l’hagide ba’boker chasdecha—to declare your kindness in the morning.” (Sefer Tehillim 92:3)
 
In contrast, for the Rav, kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim shel erev is a combination of our trust (bitachon) and faith (emunah) in the Holy One blessed be He, that leads to recognizing our dependence upon Him. This degree of faith encapsulates more than the present moment, as it is “emunah b’atid mitoch tikvah--faith in the future that is based upon hope.” [As Dovid Hamelech said:] “v’emunatcha ba’lailot—and Your faith at night.” (Sefer Tehillim 92:3)

With Hashem’s help, and the Rav’s thoughts as our guide, may our recitation of Kriat Shema ever be one of authentic kabbalat ol malchut Shamayim, and may we thereby give voice to Dovid HaMelech’s stirring words: “l’hagide ba’boker chasdecha v’emunatcha ba’lailot.” V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
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 would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** 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.