Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
 
Beyond question, the Akedah represents the ultimate trial that any parent could possibly bear. It must have been exceedingly difficult for Avraham Avinu, who was the personification of gemilut chasadim. With his four-door tent perpetually open to passing wayfarers, his pleas to Hashem on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and countless other deeds, Avraham was the embodiment of chesed in action. As such, Hashem’s direct command to him to bring his son as a korban olah (completely burnt offering), appears astonishing.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, explained the Akedah from the perspective of sacrifice in the service of Hashem: “… the idea of sacrifice is a cornerstone of Judaism, and the Akedah has inevitably introduced sacrificial action as part of our historical drama.” (Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, page 11, so, too, the following quotes)  An analysis of this aspect of avodat Hashem (the service of G-d), is essential to understanding humankind’s relationship with the Almighty. The Rav interpreted avodat Hashem as “service awareness,” that is, our entire being is under Hashem’s control:

Man is a servant of G-d. He belongs completely to G-d — body and soul. G-d owns human existence at every level, physical, spiritual, and social. Every movement of our muscles is related to G-d. Every thought that flashes through our minds belongs to Him. Every feeling, stirring of the soul, every joyful anticipation or sad expectation is not the property of man. (10)
 
The Rav urges us to keenly recognize the Almighty’s total mastery over the universe and ourselves:

G-d is the L-rd of the world and the master of man. Hence, G-d from time to time calls upon man to return to Him whatever is His. He demands that man give not a part but the whole of himself. He requires of man to return divine property to its rightful owner.
(11)
 
In light of this last point, we can gain an important insight as to why Hashem commanded Avraham to bring Yitzchak as a korban olah: Avraham was returning to G-d that which was always His:

The supreme sacrifice is never too much, since G-d owns everything and man possesses nothing. “The soul is Yours, and the body is Your handiwork” (High Holy Day prayers). Total sacrifice was decreed by G-d when He summoned Abraham to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah. (10)
 
When analyzing the Akedah, it is crucial to remember that the Almighty’s commandment to Avraham to sacrifice Yitzchak was absolute and unequivocal in nature:
 
And it came to pass after these things, that G-d tested Abraham, and He said to him, “Abraham,” and he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you.” (Sefer Bereishit 22:
1-2, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Although a direct reading of this passage (peshat) leaves no doubt that Avraham was commanded to offer Yitzchak as a korban olah, toward the end of our narrative, Hashem, through His malach, commands Avraham to refrain from harming Yitzchak and to offer the ram He provided in his place:

And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife, to slaughter his son. And an angel of G-d called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not stretch forth your hand to the lad, nor do the slightest thing to him, for now I know that you are a G-d fearing man, and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw, and lo! there was a ram, [and] after [that] it was caught in a tree by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. (22:10-13)
 
Although one might think authentic sacrifice can only be achieved if we fulfill the literal meaning of this term, the Rav teaches us that there are two ways in which this can be realized, namely, the physical and experiential. Therefore, in his view Avraham did indeed sacrifice Yitzchak; the sacrifice, however, was not physical in nature. It was, instead, experiential. As such, the Rav states, it took place in the innermost “recesses of his personality.” For all intents and purposes, then, Yitzchak, in the persona of Avraham’s son, ceased to exist. True, the physical form of Yitzchak remained; nonetheless his experience had transformed him so profoundly that he was now kulu l’Hashem (totally and completely Hashem’s). Moreover, since this change was spiritual and experiential, rather than physical, the Rav opines that it took place before Avraham ever arrived at Mount Moriah:
Abraham implemented the sacrifice of Isaac not on Mount Moriah but in the depths of his heart. He gave up Isaac the very instant G-d addressed Himself to him and asked him to return his most precious possession to its legitimate master and owner. Immediatedly, with no arguing or pleading, Abraham surrendered Isaac. He gave him up as soon as the command “and offer him there for a burnt offering” (Gen. 22:2) was issued. Inwardly, the sacrificial act was consummated at once. Isaac no longer belonged to Abraham. Isaac was dead as far as Abraham was concerned. (11-12)
 
We are not the Avot and the Emahot, yet, we, too, are presented with untold challenges in our lives. What should our response ideally be? Long ago, Dovid HaMelech said it best when he proclaimed: “I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come? My help is from the L-rd, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter; Your Guardian will not slumber.” (Sefer Tehillim 121:1-3) Just as our ancestor, Avraham, “lifted up his eyes” and saw the ram Hashem had provided, so, too, may we raise our eyes and recognize that the Almighty is watching over us, and is ever our Protector. 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 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: The Rav zatzal
 

 







Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
We most often think of the Avot and Emahot as heroic individuals. Nonetheless, there were times when Hashem comforted each of the Avot with the expression, “al tira” (“do not be afraid”). By way of example, we find in our parasha: “After these incidents, the word of the L-rd came to Avram [later to be called Avraham] in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Avram; I am your Shield; your reward is exceedingly great.’” (Sefer Bereishit 15:1, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Hashem repeated the same words, “al tira,” to Yitzchak in Parashat Toldot (26:24): “And the L-rd appeared to him on that night and said, ‘I am the G-d of Avraham, your father. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed for the sake of Avraham, My servant.’” (26:24) So, too, in the case of Ya’akov Avinu in Parashat Vayigash: “And He said, ‘I am G-d, the G-d of your father. Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up, and Yosef will place his hand on your eyes.’” (46:3-4)
 
Why were the Avot afraid? Based upon a number of midrashim, Rashi (1040-1105) suggests that Avram’s fear was triggered by his incredible military victory against “Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him:”

After this miracle had been wrought for him, that he slew the kings, he was worried and said, “Perhaps I have [already] received reward for all my righteous deeds.” Therefore, the Omnipresent said to him,” Fear not Abram, I am your Shield” from punishment, that you will not be punished for all those souls that you have slain, and as far as your being worried about receiving reward, your reward is exceedingly great.
 
According to Rashi, Avram’s fear was two-fold. He was afraid he would be punished for the lives that he had taken during the military campaign. In addition, since the battle had been so one-sided in his favor, he feared he would receive no further zechuyot (rewards). Therefore, Hashem assured Avram that he had nothing to fear; he would not be punished, and he would continue to receive great rewards.
 
Yitzchak, as well, was haunted by two fears: the fear that G-d might abandon him, and that the Almighty would not bless him and provide him with many children. Hashem, therefore, directly reassured him on both of these accounts: “Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed…” (Sefer Bereishit 26:24) 
 
Ya’akov’s fears are far more difficult to understand than those of either his grandfather, Avraham, or his father, Yitzchak. The phrase, “do not be afraid,” seem strangely out of place. After all, Hashem comforted Ya’akov with the promise “al tira” after he learned his long-lost son, Yosef, was alive and the viceroy of Egypt. My rebbi and mentor, Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known by his students and followers as “the Rav,” provides us with a trenchant insight that enables us to understand Yaakov’s trepidation. He suggests that two separate and distinct covenants (britot) with Hashem have existed within the history of the Jewish people. The first, and historically more ancient one, is the Brit Avot (the covenant of the Patriarchs). The second is the Brit Klal Yisrael (the covenant of the entire Jewish people) that was entered into at Mount Sinai. While the Brit Klal Yisrael encompasses our entire people and, with the exception of those mitzvot that depend upon Eretz Yisrael, must be fulfilled wherever one lives, the Brit Avot was limited to Ya’akov’s immediate and extended family, and was obligatory solely in Eretz Yisrael.
 
The Rav uses this distinction to explain why Ya’akov was terrified of going down to Egypt: Given the geographic limitations of the Brit Avot, Ya’akov felt that his family and future descendants were facing an impending spiritual tragedy. In his view, their soon-to-be exile in Egypt would all but sever their connection to Hashem’s Torah; as such, he was enveloped by mortal fear. The only antidote to this poisonous dread was Hashem’s promise: “Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up….” Once Ya’akov was assured that the Divine Presence (Shechinah) would accompany him, he ceased to be afraid. With G-d by his side, the area in which the Jews lived in Egypt would be transformed into an extended portion of Eretz Yisrael, the Brit Avot would remain in effect, and the spiritual future of Ya’akov’s family would be guaranteed. With Hashem’s promise to take him down and bring him up from Egypt, Ya’akov had nothing to fear.
 
Beyond a doubt, we live in challenging times. We, too, yearn for Hashem’s reassurance and, like our Avot and Emahot of old, long to hear, “al tira.” Avinu Malkeinu, may we hear these words soon and, in our days. 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 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: The Rav zatzal
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
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.” (Sefer Bereishit 6:5-7, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
In these closing pasukim of Parashat Bereishit, Hashem’s grand plan to populate the earth with all manner and variety of life comes to a screeching halt. Yet, like a great bolt of lightning in the darkest night, a sudden bright shining moment of hope bursts forth: “But Noach found favor in the eyes of the L-rd.” (6:8)  The very first verse of Parashat Noach tells us why: “…Noach was a righteous man, he was perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.” (6:9)  Noach, therefore, was a tzaddik who reached the state of perfection of his time, and walked with the Almighty in that he followed all His commands. This notion is made manifest in the final pasuk of chapter six: “And Noach did; according to all that G-d had commanded him, so he did.”
 
In his Commentary on the Torah on the phrase, “found favor in the eyes of the L-rd,” the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) elaborates upon why this was so:

The reason why Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem is because all of his actions before Him were pleasant and pleasing. So, too, do we find [in the case of Moshe where it states:] “And the L-rd said to Moshe: ‘Even this thing that you have spoken, I will do, for you have found favor in My eyes, and I have known you by name.’” (Sefer Shemot 33:17) [Noach, therefore, was similar to Yosef] about whom the Torah states: “The L-rd was with Joseph, and He extended charisma to him, and He gave him favor in the eyes of the warden of the prison.” (Sefer Bereishit 39:21) [In addition, Noach was like Esther] about whom it states: “…and Esther obtained favor in the eyes of all who beheld her.” (Megillat Esther 2:15). Noach having found “favor in the eyes of the L-rd” is mentioned in contrast to the actions of his generation, since all of their actions caused despondency before Him, may He be blessed. [In contrast,] it says regarding him [Noach]that his actions were favorable to Him. Afterwards, [the Torah explicitly states] why he [Noach] was considered good before Him — he was a completely righteous individual. (Translations my own)
 
According to the Ramban, Noach should be seen as someone akin to Moshe, Yosef, and Esther. As such, he was unquestionably a true hero of the spirit and model of righteousness:

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 did not deserve any punishment at all, for he was tamim b’tzedek (perfect in righteousness). The word “tzaddik” refers to someone who is righteous in judgment, the opposite of “rasha,” an evil individual… (Gloss on 6:9)
 
In sum, in the Ramban’s view, Noach emerges as a tamim b’tzedek, the ideal individual to continue humankind in the coming postdiluvian world. Perhaps, Dovid HaMelech had Noach in mind when he wrote:

A song of David; O L-rd, who will sojourn in Your tent, who will dwell upon Your holy mount? He who walks tamim, performs acts of tzedek and speaks emet in his heart. (Sefer Tehillim 15:1-2)
 
With the Almighty’s help and our fervent desire, may we ever strive to walk tamim with Hashem, and may our acts of tzedek and the emet we speak in our hearts enable us to find favor in His eyes. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
This d’var Torah is dedicated to the memory of mori u’rebbe HaRav Dr. Moshe Dovid Tendler zatzal. T’hay nafsho tzururah b’tzor hachayim.
 
Several of our parasha’s most thought-provoking pasukim focus upon Hashem’s plan to create humankind:

And G-d said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” And G-d created man in His image; in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them. And the L-rd G-d formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul. (Sefer Bereishit 1:26-27, 2:7, this and the following Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The phrase, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” has been the subject of intense scrutiny since time immemorial. To whom, after all, did the Holy One blessed be He refer when He employed the terms, “us” and “our?” In his commentary on our verse, Rashi (1040-1105) provides us with a celebrated midrashically-suffused interpretation: Let us make man: From here we learn the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He. Since man was created in the likeness of the angels, and they would envy him, He consulted them… Let us make man: Even though they [the angels] did not assist Him in His creation…”
 
Rashi notes that the angels were jealous and “they did not assist Him in His creation.” Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 8:5 elaborates upon their opposing reactions, and reveals that some angels were completely hostile to Hashem’s grand plan:

Rabbi Simon said: “At the very moment the Holy One blessed be He sought to create the first man, the Ministering Angels gathered together into various groups and caucuses. Some of them declared: ‘Let him be created!’ While others proclaimed: ‘Do not create him!’ This is written in the verse: ‘Chesed and emet have met and tzedek and shalom have kissed [that is, have encountered one another].’” (Sefer Tehillim 85:11, translations my own)
 
At this juncture, the midrash presents the competing claims of chesed, emet, tzedek and shalom that were championed by the Ministering Angels:

Chesed said: “Let him be created! After all, humankind is capable of acting with lovingkindness.” Emet protested: “Do not create him! Humankind is nothing other than a pack of lies!” Tzedek said: “Let him be created! After all, humankind will undertake righteous acts.” Shalom said: “Do not create him! Humankind represents endless fighting [and violence]. What did the Holy One blessed be He do?  He grabbed emet and tossed it to the ground! This is what the verse states: “And He threw emet to the ground.” (Sefer Daniel 8:12)
 
In sum, chesed and tzedek strongly supported the creation of humankind, while emet and shalom were radically opposed. While this midrash certainly conceals more than it reveals, it teaches us that humankind is the ultimate study in contrasts. On one level we have the potential to emulate the malachai hasharat: “Yet You have made him slightly less than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and majesty.” (Sefer Tehillim 8:6) Nonetheless, immediately prior to this paean of praise, the very same David HaMelech declared: “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You have established, what is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him?” (4-5)
 
Many Kabbalistic and Chassidic works focus upon humankind’s dual nature and analyze the battle raging within us between the nefesh behamit (animalistic-oriented soul) and the nefesh Elokit (the divine soul). Perhaps this perpetual psychological and spiritual conflict motivated our Sages to question whether man should have been created:

Our Rabbis taught: Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argued for two and a half years. [This group said,] “It would have been better for man not to have been created than to have been created.” [In contrast,] the other group stated: “It was better for man to have been created than to have not been created.” [Finally, a consensus was reached,] and they concluded: “It would have been better for man not to have been created than to have been created…” (Talmud Bavli, Eruvin 13b, translation and brackets my own)
 
The Maharsha (1555-1631) provides a trenchant analysis of this passage. He notes that man is an essential part of Hashem’s Universe, for if he did not exist there would be no one to perform the Torah’s commandments. Yet, practically speaking, this idea contains a conceptual double-edged sword: The mitzvot lo ta’aseh (negative commandments) are, in the main, fulfilled by simply refraining from performing certain specified actions. Therefore, were we never to have come into being, these mitzvot would have been fulfilled by default, as there would be no one to violate their integrity. With humankind’s creation, however, this calculus changed, and a negative risk-reward valence resulted from the distinct probability of violating the mitzvot lo ta’aseh. The plus side of the equation of our existence, however, is to be found in the potential fulfillment of the mitzvot aseh (positive commandments). As the Maharsha states:

… for if he had not been created, it is incontrovertibly the case that the positive commandments would never be fulfilled. Now that man has been created, it is possible that he will act meritoriously and perform them...
 
These words of the Maharsha are highly reminiscent of a well-known mishnah in Pirkei Avot that stresses the potential greatness we can achieve in this world: “[Rabbi Ya’akov] was known for the following adage:] ‘A single moment of repentance (teshuvah) and good deeds (ma’asim tovim) in this world is greater than all of the World to Come.’” (IV:17)  With Hashem’s help, and our fervent desire, may we strive to fulfill His holy mitzvot and engage in innumerable moments of ma’asim tovim — for this, after all, is why we were created. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world.
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The public reading of Megillat Kohelet is one of the highlights of Shabbat Chol HaMoed Succot. Chazal universally maintain that Shlomo HaMelech authored this work, as he did Mishle and Shir HaShirim. Our Sages differ, however, regarding the order of their composition:

He [Shlomo HaMelech] wrote three works: Mishle, Kohelet and Shir HaShirim. Which one did he compose first? … Rabbi Chiya Rabbah said: “He wrote Mishle first, and afterwards Shir HaShirim, followed by Kohelet.” …Rabbi Natan said: “He wrote Shir HaShirim first, and afterwards Mishle followed by Kohelet.” He brought his proof from the life cycle of humankind (literally, derech eretz): When a man is young, he says words of song [Shir HaShirim], as he grows older, he says parables [Mishle], and when he reaches old age, he proclaims words of futility [Kohelet; literally, divrei havalim). Rabbi Yanai, the father-in-law of Rabbi Ami, said: “Everyone is in agreement that Kohelet was said last.” (Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah Vilna edition, Parasha I, translation and brackets my own)
 
If we apply this midrash to our practice of reading Megillat Shir HaShirim on Pesach and Megillat Kohelet on Succot, a crucial idea emerges: When people are young, they are in the springtime of their lives, the perfect moment to proclaim words of song and joy; therefore, Pesach, the festival par excellence of spring, is the ideal occasion upon which to read Megillat Shir HaShirim. In contrast, while Pesach is in many ways about the springtime and beginnings, Succot, which the Torah additionally calls Chag HaAsif (the Fall Harvest Festival, Sefer Shemot 34:22), represents the end of the growing season and the temporary cessation of creating new agricultural life. As such, it is somewhat analogous to the period of old age, when many people recognize that the hopes, dreams, and visions of their youth which they longed “to grow” remain unrealized. Consequently, it is the most appropriate time of the year to read Megillat Kohelet, whose second verse proclaims the famous poignant words, “Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (“Havel havalim amar Kohelet havel havalim hakol havel;” this and all Tanach and Rashi  translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach).
 
This is one of the many possible approaches to understanding why we read Megillat Kohelet on Chol HaMoed Succot. Yet, an even more fundamental, and seemingly radical, question can be asked: Why do we read Megillat Kohelet at all? In Rabbinic terminology, why is it included in Tanach? I must stress that this is not my original question. It was implicitly asked more than 1400 years ago in Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 30b: “Rav Yehudah the son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilat said in the name of Rav: ‘The Sages sought to place Sefer Kohelet in the genizah (hidden archives) because its words are contradictory.’” The Gemara continues and explains why Megillat Kohelet did not meet this ignominious fate:

And why did they not place it in the genizah? This is because its beginning and conclusion contain words of Torah. Its beginning comprises words of Torah, as it states: “What profit has man in all his toil that he toils under the sun (tachat hashemesh, 1:3)?” And, as it was said in the yeshivah of Rav Yanai: “Tachat hashemesh is where man’s toil has no intrinsic value, before the sun [existed, however,] this is where his exertions have true meaning (Rashi, 1040-1105, explains that the Torah was created before Hashem formed the world; hence, Torah study has inherent worth.)  The end of Megillat Kohelet is also composed of divrei Torah. As it is written: “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear G-d and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man.” (12:13) 
 
In sum, Megillat Kohelet was saved from the genizah, “because its beginning and conclusion contain words of Torah.” In my estimation, the penultimate pasuk of Megillat Kohelet, “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, approach Elokim in awe and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man,” is an aphoristic summation of what we, as a people and as individuals, should do in order to authentically serve Hashem. This is congruent with Rashi’s gloss on our verse:

The end of the matter, everything having been heard, approach Elokim in awe: “What you can, do, and let your heart be to Heaven.”
And keep His commandments, for this is the entire man: “Because for this matter, the entire man was created.”
 
Rashi’s words, “what you can, do,” are reminiscent of Rabbi Tarfon’s epigrammatic phrase: “It is not up to you to complete the work, but because this is so, you are not free from undertaking the task.” (Pirkei Avot II:16, translation my own)  The work and the task in this statement refer to the study of Torah. Moreover, Rashi teaches us that this is not a trivial pursuit. Rather, the mission of Torah study performed with hearts and minds totally dedicated to Shamayim enables us to “keep His commandments” — the ultimate purpose of our creation. Little wonder, then, that the entire congregation repeats our pasuk aloud at the conclusion of the public reading of Megillat Kohelet: “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, approach Elokim in awe and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man.” May our awe of Hashem and dedication to His mitzvot bring us ever closer to Him. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world.
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The majority of our parasha is comprised of an intricate and richly metaphoric shirah (song). As in other such poetic passages in Tanach, the exegetes of our masorah analyze its constitutive elements in multiple ways. A sterling example of this is the word, “tzur,” that appears in the verse: “The deeds of HaTzur are perfect, for all His ways are just. He is a faithful G-d, never unfair; righteous and moral is He.” (Sefer Devarim 32:4, translation, The Living Torah, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zatzal)  The Ibn Ezra (c. 1090-c.1165) suggests that tzur is utilized in our pasuk to convey Hashem’s eternal existence, in that, “He exists forever like a rock.” The Rambam (1135-1204) maintains, as well, that tzur denotes the idea of “the Rock” in the sense that He is the causal agent for all that exists: “G-d, may He be exalted, is designated as the Rock, as He is the principle and the efficient cause of all things other than Himself. Accordingly, it is said: ‘The Rock, His work is perfect.’” (The Guide of the Perplexed, translated by Shlomo Pines, vol. I:16, page 42) 
 
These explanations work well within the basic etymological structure of tzur. Perhaps one of the most novel interpretation of HaTzur, however, was offered by the 19th century Torah scholar and student of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Rabbi Ya’akov Tzvi Mecklenburg (1785-1865). In his Torah commentary, Haketav v’HaKabbalah, he asserts that the appellation, “HaTzur,” derives from the word, “tzarirah,” which connotes the idea of a bundle. Consequently, he translates our term as “He Who combines together.” In addition, Rav Mecklenburg opines that Hashem received this name based upon two facets of His actions that are implicitly found in Ma’aseh Bereishit:

The first feature of this name is that He conjoins and combines the specific aspects of all creatures, in such a manner that they will be united and linked together, one to another, to the point that that they are unified into one complete entity that exists in total perfection. From this perspective, we may view “HaTzur” as a verb…The second feature of this name is that it is a shame hata’are — a descriptive noun, in the sense that everything extant is combined and associated with Him, may He be blessed, as He is the origin and the basis for everything …It is with this intention that He, may He be blessed, is described as the Tzur Olamim (He Who conjoins all Creation, Sefer Yeshayahu XXVI:4, translations my own).
 
In Rav Mecklenburg’s view, HaTzur signifies two crucial concepts regarding the manner in which Hashem relates to our world: Hashem is He Who unifies all life “into one complete entity that exists in total perfection.” Moreover, everything that exists “is combined and associated with Him, as He is the origin and the basis for everything.” In sum, the Almighty emerges as the bedrock of our being. Little wonder, then, that Chana the prophetess, who had been unable to conceive until she miraculously gave birth to her son Shmuel, declared in her shirah so long ago: “There is none as holy as the L-rd, for there is none besides You; And there is no Tzur like our G-d.” (Sefer Shmuel I:2:2, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
We are fortunate, indeed, that the Anshei Kenesset HaGadolah (Men of the Great Assembly, circa 500 BCE) sensitized us, as well, to the immanence of HaTzur in our lives, through the formulation of two phrases in our daily tefilah:

Tzur Yisrael, arise to the aid of Israel and liberate, as you pledged, Judah and Israel. (From the introduction to the Shemoneh Esrai)
 
We gratefully thank You, for it is You Who are Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers for all eternity; Tzur of our lives, Shield of salvation are You… (From the introduction to the Modim section of the Shemoneh Esrai, translations, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur)
 
May Tzur Yisrael ever protect us, and may we recognize His omnipresence in our lives. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
This Shabbat is primarily known as “Shabbat Shuvah,” named after the stirring words of Hoshea the prophet that are found in our haftarah: “Return, O Israel (Shuvah Yisrael), to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with yourselves and return to the L-rd (v’shuvu el Hashem, 14:2-3, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Moreover, given its calendrical placement between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this Shabbat is focused upon teshuvah, so much so that most Chasidic groups label it, “Shabbat Teshuvah.”
 
As many of us have been actively engaged in the teshuvah process since the beginning of Elul, and Yom Kippur is the day upon which it reaches its crescendo, this is the ideal time to analyze the constitutive elements of teshuvah. Fortunately, the Rambam’s (1135-1204) Hilchot Teshuvah is laser-focused upon this task:

And what is teshuvah? This is when the sinner rejects his sin, removes it from his thoughts and concludes in his mind that he will not undertake [this forbidden act] again. Moreover, he regrets what he has done in the past… [to the extent of which] that He Who Knows All Mysteries will attest that he [the sinner] will never return to this sin again…and he must confess with his lips and speak of all these matters that he has concluded in his mind. (II:2, this and all Rambam translations my own)
 
In sum, in the Rambam’s view, teshuvah is comprised of three clearly differentiated cognitive and emotional aspects: recognition and rejection of the sin (azivat hachate), the sinner’s heartfelt resolution not to perform this forbidden act again (kabbalah al he’atid) and profound remorse for that which has been done (nechama al he’avar). In addition, these new-found feelings of spiritual awareness must be given literal voice in the form of vidui (verbal confession).
 
Fascinatingly, the Rambam emphasizes the obligation for all members of the Jewish people to engage in teshuvah on Yom Kippur: 

Yom HaKippurim is the time of teshuvah for every individual and for the community at large. Moreover, it is the end [of the period of] forgiveness and pardon (mechilah v’slicha) for the Jewish people. Therefore, everyone is obligated (chayavim hakol) to do teshuvah and confess on Yom HaKippurim. (Hilchot Teshuvah II:7)
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), suggests a novel interpretation of this passage in his celebrated work, Al HaTeshuvah:

From here we can learn that the Rambam maintains that in addition to the mitzvah of teshuvah that is obligatory throughout the entire year, there is a unique mitzvah of teshuvah and vidui during the Ten Days of Repentance. Consequently, it is logical that [the Rambam asserts] that the teshuvah of Yom HaKippurim is, in fact, a new and unique mitzvah, that is relevant to Yom HaKippurim alone. (Page 39, translation my own)
 
The Rav’s conclusion that “the teshuvah of Yom HaKippurim is, in fact, a new and unique mitzvah, that is relevant to Yom HaKippurim alone,” parallels a statement in Rabbeinu Yonah’s (1200-1263) seminal work, Sha’arei Teshuvah: “And there is a positive Torah commandment (mitzvat aseh min HaTorah) for a person to bestir his spirit and return [to Hashem] in teshuvah on Yom HaKippurim.” Yet, what differentiates the teshuvah of Yom Kippur from the teshuvah of the rest of the year? We are fortunate that Rav Yehudah Amital zatzal (1924-2010), former co-Rosh HaYeshivah of Yeshivat Har Etzion, asks and answers this precisely this question:
​
To explain the words of the Rambam, we need to distinguish between the general mitzvah of teshuvah and the teshuvah of Yom Kippur. In general, making a resolution for the future is an integral part of teshuvah… it seems [, however,] that there is a distinction between the teshuvah of Yom Kippur and the teshuvah of the rest of the year. During the year, we need to repent “by the book,” which includes resolving not to sin again. However, on Yom Kippur, anyone who says, “we have sinned,” is considered a ba’al teshuvah. It is true that this form of teshuvah lacks a true resolution for the future; however, the great power of Yom Kippur is that even this teshuvah is effective… the teshuvah of Yom Kippur, though lacking a resolution not to sin again, is nonetheless accepted by G-d… Ba’alei teshuvah are accepted and purified, as long as they speak sincerely. (When G-d is Near: On the High Holidays, translation, Kaeren Fish, page 202, brackets, and ellipses my own)
 
In my estimation, Rav Amital’s inspiring exposition is reminiscent of Dovid HaMelech’s well-known statement in Ashrei: “Hashem is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity.” (Sefer Tehillim 145:18)  As such, Yom Kippur emerges as the most barrier-breaking and joyous day of the Jewish calendar, for on this day, Hashem is nearest to us, and longingly accepts our teshuvah — even if it is imperfect and incomplete. No wonder that in his description of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Akiva declared so long ago: “Happy are you, O’ Israel! Before Whom are you purified, and Who purifies you? Your Father in heaven.” (Mishnah Yoma VIII:9, translation my own) 
 
Shabbat Shalom, Gamar Chatimah Tovah, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world. 
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Parashat Nitzavim contains a celebrated pasuk that is quite timely for these final days before Rosh Hashanah: “This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life (u’vacharta ba’chayim), so that you and your offspring will live.” (Sefer Devarim 30:19, this, and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Tanach Complete Tanach) As we look back upon the many challenges we have faced this past year, our thoughts naturally lead us to focus upon the meaning of the phrase: “u’vacharta ba’chayim.”
 
Rashi (1040-1105) suggests the following interpretation of this expression in his Commentary on the Torah on our verse:

I instruct you to choose the portion of life. It is like a man who says to his son,
“Choose for yourself a fine portion of my estate,” and then directs him to the best
portion, saying to him, “This [is the portion which] you should choose for yourself!”
 
Implicit in Rashi’s explanation is a crucial lesson regarding the relationship that obtains between Hashem’s instructions and the nature of our bechirah chafshite (free will); namely, even though the Almighty may urge us to follow a certain path, this does not prevent us from exercising our absolute freedom of choice. As such, in this short gloss, Rashi emphasizes the word, “choose,” no less than three times.
 
A century later, in his Commentary on the Torah, the Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi, 1160-1235) makes the transformative nature of bechirah chafshite explicit. In his analysis of Hashem’s statement to Cain following the rejection of his insufficient korban (Sefer Bereishit 4:7), he highlights how the same assertion, albeit in a different formulation, is once again given powerful voice in our pasuk:

And you can rule over it [the evil inclination]: He will rule over you and cause you to stumble if you do not remove [his power] from upon you. And if you so desire, you will rule over it and bring it low before you. And in so doing, the Almighty showed him the possibilities found within bechirah, just as Moshe Rabbeinu, may his memory be blessed, said to us: “Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil… u’vacharta ba’chayim.” (Sefer Devarim 30:15 and 19, Radak translation and brackets my own)
 
Both Rashi and the Radak emphasize the essential role that bechirah chafshite plays within Judaism. Its greatest advocate among all Medieval Jewish thinkers, however, was the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204), who devoted chapters five and six of Hilchot Teshuvah to its explication. Here is an example of the singular import bechirah chafshite held for him:
​
This principle is a fundamental concept and a pillar [on which rests the totality] of the Torah and mitzvot as [Sefer Devarim 30:15] states: “Behold, I have set before you today life [and good, death and evil].” Similarly, [Sefer Devarim 11:26] states, “Behold, I have set before you today [the blessing and the curse],” suggesting that the choice is in your hands. Any one of the deeds of men that a person desires to do, he may do, whether good or evil. Therefore, [Sefer Devarim 5:26] states: “If only their hearts would always remain this way.” From this, we can infer that the Creator does not compel or decree that people should do either good or bad. Rather, everything is left to their [own choice]. (5:3, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger with my emendations)
 
As the Rambam makes quite clear, we are not compelled to behave in a particular manner. The choice to pursue that which is good and righteous or, G-d forbid, the opposite course, is totally within our control: “…the Creator does not compel or decree that people should do either good or bad.” We will surely make mistakes, yet, if we dedicate ourselves to studying and living according to the Torah, we will be well on our way to fulfilling the thrilling words, “u’vacharta ba’chayim!” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world. Kativah v’Chatimah Tovah to one and all.
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 
 

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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, Chana bat Sarah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The concluding section of our parasha begins with an appeal for national reminiscence: “And Moshe called all of Israel and said to them, ‘You have seen all that the L-rd did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land; the great trials which your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders.’” (Sefer Devarim 29:1-2, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Significantly, the following pasuk indicates a break with the continuity of the past: “Yet until this day (od hayom hazeh), the L-rd has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear.” (29:3) The phrase, “od hayom hazeh,” appears 12 times in four of the five books of the Torah, the exception being Sefer Vayikra. In some instances it may be understood at face value, that is, this day, and in other cases, it connotes for all time. Our pasuk follows the first approach, suggesting a sense of immediacy. In other words, on this very day, and not before, Hashem gave our forebears knowing hearts, seeing eyes and hearing ears. Since we had born witness to Hashem’s wonders and miracles against Pharaoh and his people in Egypt with our “very eyes,” how is it possible that, od hayom hazeh, we did not have hearts, eyes, and ears capable of perceiving Hashem’s manifold miracles?
 
In my view, Rashi (1040-1105) focuses upon this question when he brings an unsourced midrash, introduced by the term, “sha’mati” (“I have heard”), to explain od hayom hazeh in our verse:

I have heard that on the very day that Moshe gave the Torah scroll to the sons of Levi, as the verse says, “And he gave it to the kohanim, the sons of Levi,” (31:9) all Israel came before Moshe and said to him: “Moshe, our Teacher! We also stood at [Mount] Sinai and accepted the Torah, and it was [also] given to us! Why, then, are you giving the members of your tribe control over it, so that someday in the future they may claim, ‘It was not given to you, it was given only to us!’” Moshe rejoiced over this matter, and it was on account of this, that he said to them, “This day (hayom hazeh), you have become a people [to the L-rd your G-d]” (27:9). [This means:] “It is today (hayom hazeh) that I understand that you cleave to the Omnipresent and desire Him.”
 
I believe that this midrash is a “game changer” for understanding the relationship of the Jewish people to the Torah and Hashem. Herein, the entire nascent nation demands incontrovertible recognition of their inalienable claim to the Torah, and completely eschews the notion that the Torah should ever be the sole province of the kohanim. Moshe’s reaction is equally telling. With the realization that the entire people long for and seek to cleave to the Almighty, he rejoices in their words and recognizes that they are, hayom hazeh, truly Hashem’s people. 
 
Approximately 200 years after Rashi, we find a somewhat parallel midrash in Midrash Yalkut Shimoni:
​
“Moshe and the Levitic priests spoke to all Israel, saying,” [27:9] What words were spoken there? This comes to teach you that the Jewish people came and said to Moshe: “You have taken the Torah and given it to the kohanim, as the text states: ‘Then Moses wrote this Torah, and gave it to the priests, the descendants of Levi…’” [31:9] Then Moshe said to them: “Do you want me to establish a covenant (brit) that anyone who desires to learn Torah will never be prevented from doing so?” They said to him: “Yes!” They [Moshe and the Levitic priests] stood and took an oath that no one would ever be prevented from reading the Torah, as the text states: “to all Israel, saying.” Then Moshe said to them: “hayom hazeh you have become a people to the L-rd, your G-d [27:9].” (Parashat Ki Tavo, beginning of section 247, translation and brackets my own)
 
The message in both Rashi’s gloss and the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni is clear: Each of us has the right and privilege to study Torah, and to thereby come closer to our Creator. It is truly morasha kehilat Ya’akov (the eternal legacy of the entire Jewish people, 33:4).  
 
We are now on the cusp of encountering the Master of the Universe, during the Yamim Noraim. Let us hope and pray that, once again, He will judge us favorably, and we will be granted the opportunity to continue to demonstrate our commitment to His Torah as His holy people, forevermore. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world. 
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal
 

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, 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, Shayndel bat Mordechai Yehudah, 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.
 
Chodesh Elul is the preeminent period of the year to properly prepare ourselves to encounter Hashem during the upcoming Yamim Noraim. Since this is the case, with what thoughts should we be occupied at this time? The great Chasidic master, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Halevi Epstein zatzal, (1751-1823) suggests the following:

In these holy days from Rosh Chodesh Elul and onward, when the gates of teshuvah are open more than any other time of the year … it is fitting for all thinking people to bestir (l’hitorare) themselves from the stupor of a year of [spiritual] laziness. Moreover, they should open their “blind eyes,” and prepare themselves to encounter the Almighty. (Sefer Maor v’Shemesh, Parashat Ki Tetze, translation and brackets my own)
 
Elul has a two-fold purpose for Rav Epstein: to awaken us from our spiritual lethargy and to prepare us to meet Hashem on the Yamim Noraim. His thoughts are reminiscent of the Rambam’s (Maimonides, 1135-1204) famous words describing the power and purpose of the mitzvah of shofar on Rosh Hashanah:

Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent (v’chizru bi’teshuvah), remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year, [and who] devote their energies to vanity and emptiness which will not benefit or save: Look to your souls. Improve your ways and your deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 3:4, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, brackets my own)
 
At first glance, it may seem difficult to see a connection between our parasha and the concepts presented by Rav Epstein and the Rambam. Our first pasuk, however, has captured the attention of a number of Torah sages in this regard: “If you go out to war against your enemies, and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives.” (Sefer Devarim 21:10, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  One of the first expositorsto demonstrate such a link was the Shelah HaKadosh (Rabbi Yeshayahu ben Avraham Ha-Levi Horowitz, 1555-1630):

[On a certain level,] this verse is speaking about the war against the yetzer [hara, in consonance with the statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Talmud Bavli, Berachot 5a]: “A person should always incite the yetzer tov to fight against the yetzer hara.” [Therefore,] the phrase, “if you go out to war against your enemies,” is referring to the time an individual chooses to go to battle against their yetzer hara. Moreover, the next section of the pasuk, “and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands,” [is teaching us that such a person will be successful, as our Sages state in Talmud Bavli, Yoma 38b] “if one comes to purify themself [from sin,] they will assist him.” (Sefer Itturei Torah, vol. V, page 129, translation and brackets my own)
 
Approximately 200 years later, the renowned rebbe, Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, (1765-1827) scaled these ideas into a direct promise that Hashem will guarantee success to anyone who truly fights their yetzer hara:

Chazal state: “If it was not for the Holy One blessed be He’s help, no one would be able to stand against it [the yetzer hara].” (Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 30b)  We find, therefore, that essence of the outcome [in the battle against the evil inclination,] is from the Holy One blessed be He. [Crucially,] a person needs only to fortify themself and go to war with him [that is, the yetzer hara]. This, then, is the meaning of “if you go” (ki tetze), namely, it is a promise that when you go to war against the yetzer hara, then you can be certain (muvtach) that Hashem will place him into your hand, for He will surely help you…” (Sefer Siach Sarfei Kodesh, Parashat Ki Tetze, translation and brackets my own)
 
The Chatam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Schreiber, 1762-1839) lived at approximately the same time as Rav Simcha Bunim, and was widely considered to be the gadol hador, the Rabbinic leader of his generation. In his Torah commentary on our parasha, Torat Moshe, he quotes the same two Talmudic statements as the Shelah HaKadosh and Rav Simcha Bunim and conceptualizes our pasuk as referring to the war against the yetzer hara. Moreover, he stresses that Hashem’s help in this endeavor is contingent upon our taking an active role in achieving victory over this powerful and perpetual enemy:
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The Sages said: “If it was not for the Holy One blessed be He’s help, no one would be able to stand against it [the yetzer hara].” Based upon this statement, one might think that he need not go out to war against the yetzer hara in order to conquer his inclination, as this entails the necessity of power and heroism…As such, he might think, as well, that he does not to perform any action whatsoever to achieve this outcome, and that it is sufficient to passively sit back and trust that Hashem will help him and fight this great war on his behalf. The truth, however, is not like this, for one who thinks in this manner will never be able to conquer their enemy. Instead, a person must ceaselessly be at war with their evil inclination with all their strength in order to conquer it in accord with their limits and nature — and the rest they will achieve through the help of Heaven. As our Sages have already stated, “if one comes to purify themself [from sin,] they will assist him.” At first, however, a person must begin the purification process, and only then will they be supported [in their task]. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
The words of the Shelah HaKadosh, Rav Simcha Bunim and the Chatam Sofer are comforting indeed. They teach us that we must never give up hope in our battle against the yetzer hara, regardless of how low we may have fallen, or the seemingly insurmountable challenges we face in our desire to reconcile with Hashem. As Yirmiyahu promised us so long ago in the penultimate verse of Megillat Eicha: “Cause us to return to You, Hashem, and we will return! Renew our days as of old.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and all the nations of the world. 
 
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 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: The Rav zatzal