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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.
 

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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:
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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:
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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.