​Parashat Devarim 5785, 2025:
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Bridging Torah Shebichtav and Torah Sheb’al Peh
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
If you were asked to list the Hebrew names of the Five Books of the Torah, you would readily respond with Bereishit, Shemot, Bamidbar, Vayikra and Devarim. These are not, however, the only names by which these holy seforim are known. Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 25a, calls Sefer Bereishit “Sefer HaYashar,” based upon the righteous Avot and Emahot we find therein. The Ramban (1194-1270) named Sefer Shemot “Sefer HaGeulah” since, in his view, the redemption of the Jewish people is its overarching theme. Chazal universally use the term “Torat Kohanim” as an alternate name for Vayikra, as the laws regarding Kohanim comprise most of its content. Our Sages agree, as well, that Sefer Bamidbar should be known as “Chumash Pekudim—the Chumash of Counting,” since it contains two instances wherein Hashem commanded Moshe to take a census of our forebears. Lastly, Talmud Bavli, Megillah 31a, refers to Sefer Devarim as “Mishneh Torah,” a phrase that appears in Sefer Devarim in the context of a king’s obligation to write his own Sefer Torah: “And it will be when he sits upon his royal throne that he will write for himself this Mishneh Torah upon a scroll…” (17:18) This verse, however, does not clarify why Chazal chose Mishneh Torah as the name of this section of the Torah.
 
One way to shed light on this problem is to focus on the linguistic similarity between mishneh and mishnah. We see this reflected in the suggestion of my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), when he states that Sefer Devarim is the pivot point between Torah Shebichtav (Written Law) and Torah Sheb’al Peh (Oral Law) and is consequently called Mishneh Torah:
Originally, Sefer Devarim was given as Mishnah, as Torah Sheb’al Peh, the Oral Law. Only later, the last day of Moses’ life, do we read that Moses finished writing the words of this Torah in a scroll, until their very completion (31:24). Sefer Devarim, which to that point had the status of Torah Sheb’al Peh, became incorporated into Torah Shebichtav, the Written Law. The phrase Mishneh Torah therefore means Mishnah (Oral Law) which is also Torah (Written Law).  (This and the following quotes, Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Devarim: with Commentary Based Upon the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Dr. Arnold Lustiger, editor, pages 2-3)
 
According to Rav Soloveitchik, Sefer Devarim is the very beginning of Torah Sheb’al Peh; yet it is a unique kind of Torah Sheb’al Peh in the sense that when “it became part of Torah Shebichtav, it did not lose its Torah Sheb’al Peh character.” How is this dual nature and “double sanctity” expressed? In the Rav’s view, the Torah Sheb’al Peh essence of Sefer Devarim is presented in two crucial ways:
​
In the first four books of the Torah, God addresses the community, while in Sefer Devarim it is Moses who is addressing them. In the first four books, Moses is the medium through which God addresses the people: Moses served in the role of the prophet, repeating verbatim what God told him. In Devarim, however, Moses is not [acting in the role of] a prophet but a teacher: Moshe Rabbeinu. He imparted bei’ur haTorah, the explanation of the Torah, and thus it is Moses himself who addresses the people.
 
Rav Soloveitchik suggests that Sefer Devarim is Mishneh Torah precisely because Moshe takes on a new role in this sefer, namely, teacher of the entire Jewish people. As the Rav said on many other occasions, a navi can act in two very different capacities, as the shaliach of Hashem or as a talmid chacham. In the first four seforim of Chamishah Chumshei Torah, Moshe is the navi of Hashem par excellence. In the Mishneh Torah, however, he is the greatest talmid chacham in Jewish history, and he remains Moshe Rabbeinu, the rebbe of Klal Yisrael, forevermore.
 
The unique nature of Sefer Devarim is now quite clear. It is the only one of the Five Books of the Torah that is simultaneously Torah Shebichtav and Torah Sheb’al Peh, serving as the crucial bridge between the Torah and the world of Rabbinic thought and Halacha. Truly, “Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu, u’mah nayim goraleinu—We are fortunate, how good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, and how beautiful our heritage.”
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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
 
Cheshbon hanefesh (introspection) is a crucial aspect of the Nine Days. One way we can begin this spiritual journey is to focus on a well-known passage in Talmud Bavli, Yoma 9b:
The first Holy Temple, why was it destroyed [at this time]? This took place because of three different aspects that had become part of its very nature: idol worship, illicit physical relations and murder...The second Holy Temple wherein they were involved with Torah study, mitzvot observance, and acts of loving-kindness, why was it destroyed? It was because of groundless and baseless hatred (sinat chinam). This comes to teach us that baseless hatred is the equivalent of the three cardinal prohibitions of idol worship, illicit physical relations, and murder. (Translation my own)
 
Is our age similar to the time of the Second Beit HaMikdash? On the positive side, there is ample evidence to suggest that we are studying more Torah today than at any time in Jewish History. Mitzvot observance continues to expand and acts of loving-kindness (gemilut chasadim) are performed by more institutions and individuals than one can possibly count.
 
On the negative side, however, sinat chinam, the equivalent of the three atrocious sins that destroyed the First Beit HaMikdash, and the sin that destroyed the Second Beit HaMikdash, seems to be growing stronger each day. Powerful and disruptive rifts fracture our Jewish communities throughout the world. Little wonder, then, that we have not merited the building of the Third Beit HaMikdash.
 
Fortunately, there is a strong countermeasure to sinat chinam. Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook zatzal (1865-1935), the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine under the British Mandate, offers us an invaluable ray of hope. He proposes ahavat yisrael, unconditional love for the Jewish people, as the antidote for sinat chinam, and conceptualizes it in this manner:

Listen to me, my people! I speak to you from my soul, from within my innermost soul. I call out to you from the living connection by which I am bound to all of you, and by which all of you are bound to me. I feel this more deeply than any other feeling: That only you, all of you, all of your souls, throughout all of your generations, you alone are the meaning of my life. In you I live. In the aggregation of all of you, my life has that content that is called ‘life.’ (This, and the following translation, Shemonah Kevatzim 1:163, translation, Chanan Morrison)
 
 Rav Kook continues his love song for the Jewish people with these stirring words:

Without you, I have nothing. All hopes, all aspirations, all purpose in life, all that I find inside myself, these are only when I am with you. I need to connect with all of your souls. I must love you with a boundless love.... Each one of you, each individual soul from the aggregation of all of you, is a great spark, part of the torch of the Light of the universe which enlightens my life. You give meaning to life and work, to Torah and prayer, to song and hope. It is through the conduit of your being that I sense everything and love everything.
 
It is crucial to realize that Rav Kook’s unlimited love for all Jews was far more than mere theory, as he embodied ahavat yisrael in every aspect of his life:
​
A vocal group of ultra-Orthodox Jerusalemites vociferously opposed Rav Kook, due to his positive attitude towards secular Zionists. Often, they would publicize posters along the city streets, attacking the Chief Rabbi and discrediting his authority. One day, Rav Kook returned from a brit milah ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City, accompanied by dozens of students. Suddenly a small group of hotheaded extremists attacked the rabbi, showering him with wastewater. The chief rabbi was completely drenched by the filthy water. Emotions soared and tempers flared.
 
By the time Rav Kook had arrived home, news of the attack had spread throughout the city. Prominent citizens arrived to express their repugnance at the shameful incident. One of the visitors was the legal counsel of [the] British Mandate. He advised Rav Kook to press charges against the hooligans and promised that they would be promptly deported from the country. The legal counsel, however, was astounded by Rav Kook's response. “I have no interest in court cases. Despite what they did to me, I love them. I am ready to kiss them, so great is my love! I burn with love for every Jew.”
(http://ravkooktorah.org/KDOSHM62.htm)
 
For Rav Kook, the opposite of sinat chinam is not ahavat chinam, love without cause for one’s fellow Jew, since, within his worldview, such a concept could not exist. Rather, this great and holy soul considered every Jew to be worthy of love and respect. As such, he is famous for the following powerful statement: “There is no such thing as ‘ahavat chinam,’ groundless love. Why groundless? He is a Jew, and I am obligated to love and respect him. There is only ‘sinat chinam,’ hate without reason. But ‘ahavat chinam’? Never!” (Adapted by Chanan Morrison from Rav Kook’s work, Malachim Kivnei Adam, pages 483-485)
 
In these days preceding Tisha B’Av, it is particularly appropriate to engage in depth-level soul-searching to try and remove every aspect of sinat chinam from our thoughts and minds. Then, and only then, will we be able to embrace Rav Kook’s noble words, and replace sinat chinam with ahavat yisrael. With Hashem’s help may this be so. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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
 
Last week’s parasha, Parashat Balak, concludes with the frightening story wherein 24,000 men of klal Yisrael pursued the women of Moab and their god Ba’al Peor:

Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of the Moabites. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods. Israel became attached to Ba’al Peor, and the anger of Hashem flared against Israel. (Sefer Bamidbar 25:1-3, all Bible translations, The Judaic Press Complete Tanach)
 
If this was not bad enough, Zimri ben Salu, the prince of the tribe of Shimon, publicly consorted with a Midianite woman: “Then an Israelite man came and brought the Midianite woman to his brethren, before the eyes of Moshe and before the eyes of the entire congregation of the children of Israel...” (25:6)
 
When Pinchas witnessed this gross public immorality, he acted on the Torah’s mandate and executed Zimri and the Midianite woman. In our parasha, Pinchas’ actions were rewarded with Hashem’s highest approbation, namely, he received the brit shalom—the brit kehunat olam (Eternal Covenant of the Priesthood):

Pinchas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. Therefore, say, “I hereby give him My covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an Eternal Covenant of the Priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the children of Israel.” (11-13)
 
Likewise, as Rashi (1040-1105) notes in his gloss on Sefer Bamidbar 25:6: “At the incident of the Golden Calf, Moshe [successfully] confronted six hundred thousand as it says, ‘He ground it [the Golden Calf] until it was powder…’” Clearly, Moshe, no less than Pinchas, avenged God’s glory. Yet, Pinchas alone received the brit shalom. This is an exegetical challenge that has captivated our commentators’ attention throughout the ages.
 
In my opinion, Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941) suggests one of the most cogent solutions to this problem:

It is true that Moshe removed Hashem’s anger from the Jewish people on a number of occasions, including the episodes of the Golden Calf and the Spies. Yet, this was for only a relatively short period of time. As a result, the reconciliation between God and the Jewish people that Moshe achieved was not on the level of complete peace. In stark contrast, Pinchas was able to bring about a complete reconciliation that totally removed any anger from Hashem toward our people. Therefore, Pinchas, and Pinchas alone, was rewarded with Hashem’s brit shalom. (Torah Temimah, Sefer Bamidbar, chapter 25, comment 24)
 
The peace that Pinchas was able to bring about motivated Chazal to identify Eliyahu the Prophet (9th century BCE) as Pinchas’ spiritual reincarnation:
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: “Pinchas is Eliyahu.” The Holy One Blessed be He said to Pinchas: “You have placed peace between Me and the Jewish people in this world; so, too, shall you do so in the future.” As the text states: “Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers… [Sefer Malachi 3:23-24]” (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Pinchas I, translation my own)
 
Chazal further underscore the role of Eliyahu as the herald of shalom ba’olam in a parallel text to our midrash, found in the concluding mishnah of Mishnah Eduyot:

And the Sages said: [Eliyahu] will come to bring about peace in our world. As the text states: “Lo, I will send you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers…” [Sefer Malachi 3:23-24]”
 
Our Sages teach us time and time again that Eliyahu’s ultimate purpose is to herald the coming of the Mashiach. What will this soon-to-be-realized period be like? Yeshayahu, the great 8th century BCE prophet and sage, offered one of the most famous descriptions of this longed-for time:
​
And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the L-rd’s house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,” for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Sefer Yeshayahu 2:2-4)
 
May Mashiach Tzidkanu come soon and in our days and bring everlasting peace to all mankind. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[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
 
Many of us upon entering shul recite the pasuk: “How goodly (mah tovu) are your tents, O’ Ya’akov, your dwelling places, O’ Israel!” (Sefer Bamidbar 24:5, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The noted posek, Rabbeinu Yechiel Michal ben Aharon Yitzhak Halevi Epstein (1829-1908), gave his stamp of approval to mah tovu’s daily recitation in Aruch HaShulchan, Orech Chaim 46:17: “The text of tefilah to be recited prior to Baruch She’amar is printed in the prayer books. When one initially enters the synagogue he should say, mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov… (“How goodly are your tents Ya’akov…”)
 
Over many years, mah tovu has become one of the best-known verses of both our parasha and the Torah. How and why did it achieve this distinction? After all, it contains the words of the despicable diviner Bilam, whose two-fold goal was to lead the Jewish people away from Hashem and simultaneously destroy them. This is clear from his machinations leading to our people’s licentious behavior with the daughters of Moab, and the subsequent punishing plague (Sefer Bamidbar 25:1-9 and 31:16). As such, it seems counterintuitive that Bilam’s statement would become one of the most oft-cited pasukim of the Jewish people.
 
One way of understanding the popularity of mah tovu is found in Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 105b. It identifies the phrase, “mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov,” with batei tefilah and batei midrash and clarifies why it is shagur b’pive ha’am—recited by one and all:

R. Johanan said: From the blessings of that wicked man [Bilam], you may learn his intentions; he wished to curse them so that they [the Jewish people] should possess no synagogues or houses of study, [this is deduced from] “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob.” … R. Abba b. Kahana said: All of them [the blessings] reverted to a curse, except the synagogues and houses of study, for it is written, “But the Lord, your God, did not want to listen to Bilam, so the Lord, your God, transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord, your God, loves you” (Sefer Devarim 23:6) (Translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my underlining and emendations)
 
In his commentary on the Torah, Torah Temimah, Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941) asks and answers a fundamental question regarding the above passage:

One of the curses was transformed into a permanent blessing, yet, it is not at all clear how R. Abba b. Kahana would know that it was solely this blessing (mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov) that was never converted into a curse. Perhaps we can answer this question in the following manner. Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 5a states in general, “Were it not for the Torah’s existence, the heavens and earth would cease to exist.” Therefore, since the continuation of the world is contingent upon the perpetuation of the Torah and its transmission through the synagogues and houses of study, perforce, they can never cease to exist. (Gloss on Sefer Bamidbar 24:5, note 9)
 
The great Chasidic Master, Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk (1717–March 11, 1787), in his seminal work, Noam Elimelech, offers a creative approach as to why mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov was the sole bracha that never changed into a curse, and the reason for this unique status:

This is the explanation of the verse: “Bilam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel; so he did not go in search of omens as he had done time and time again, but turned his face toward the desert.” (Sefer Bamidbar 24:1) This means that Bilam fully understood that the Holy One Blessed be He desired to bless the Jewish people [through his prophetic utterances] and not just to nullify his curses alone… Therefore, Bilam decided that he, too, should bless the Jewish people and thus thought positive thoughts concerning them. As a result, the Holy One Blessed be He placed the blessing of mah tovu in his mouth. Consequently, it alone, of all the blessings, retained its status, as a bracha, since it was the only one that did not have an evil intention inherent therein. (Brackets and underlining my own)
 
I believe that Rav Elimelech is teaching us a profound and powerful lesson. Beyond a doubt, Bilam was nothing other than a conduit through which Hashem’s bracha flowed. Yet, even he realized the singular nature of our people and our unique relationship with Hashem. As such, in a rare moment of introspective reflection and honesty, Bilam acted according to “… what is proper and good in the eyes of the Lord” (Sefer Devarim 6:18) and wholeheartedly delivered his eternal blessing to our nation.
 
Baruch Hashem, the fulfillment of mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov is undoubtedly one of the reasons we exist today. With Hashem’s help, may ever have the zechut to daven to Him in our batei tefilah and study His Torah in our batei midrash. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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.