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, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. The first three pasukim of our parasha are famous, as they portray the beginning of the grand historical journey of Avraham Avinu and the Jewish people: And Hashem said to Avram, “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.” (Sefer Bereishit 12:1-3, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations) Avram fulfilled Hashem’s command with zeal: “And Avram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls they had acquired (hanefesh asher asu) in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.” (12:5) The identities of Avram, Sarai and Lot are quite clear, yet, who exactly were hanefesh asher asu? As in many exegetical questions of this nature, the peshat (direct meaning) and midrashic analysis yield very different answers. Nearly all meforshim (commentators) are in consonance with Rashi’s (1040-1105) peshat-level interpretation of hanefesh asher asu: “the slaves and maidservants that they had acquired for themselves, as in, ‘He acquired (asah) all this wealth’ [an expression of acquisition]; (Sefer Bereishit 31:1), ‘and the Jewish people shall triumph (oseh chayil),’ an expression of acquiring and gathering.” (Sefer Bamidbar 24:18) The classic Torah interpreters are of one opinion, as well, when viewing our phrase on the midrashic-level: “And the souls that they had made in Haran.” Said Rabbi Elazar ben Zimra: “If every person on earth sought to create even one gnat, they could not place a soul within it [and give it life]. And the text states: “the souls that they had made!” Rather, these were the converts that they converted. If it meant “converted” why did the text say “made?” To teach you that anyone who brings an idol worshipper close [to the Almighty] and converts him, is as if he created him. [Moreover,] why did the Torah say, “that they made,” [plural] rather than, “that he made [singular]?” Rav Huna said: “Avram would convert the men, and Sarai would convert the women.” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 39:21, translation and brackets my own) What was the driving force behind Avram and Sarai’s proselytizing efforts? My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, addresses this question in his posthumous work, Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch. He notes that Avraham was, “a social being longing for communication…a loving man with sincere affection for people.” As such: How could he be satisfied with his secluded life, with a hermit-like existence, with loneliness and continual withdrawal, when he was burdened with a great message which he had, willy-nilly, to deliver? He beheld a wonderful vision and was driven by an inner impulse to have others behold it…The creative will in Abraham had to break through the barriers that separated him from society. Now he had to make his inner light visible to his fellow men. (Page 84) The Rav presents Avraham in the classic guise of the navi (prophet) who must deliver his knowledge of Hashem to the entire world, an idea to which he gives clear voice: “…when the message ripened in Abraham, when the new world vision matured in him and the prophecy he had to deliver was pressing for manifestation, he understood that he could not accomplish this task in solitude…” (Page 85) This, then, is precisely why Avram and Sarai worked so tirelessly to bring Hashem’s existence before the entire world: Abraham therefore tried to create a community of the committed and dedicated, a covenantal community. He returned to the very people whose company he had rejected, whose friendship and concern he had refused to acknowledge, and tried to rediscover them, to communicate his great message to them. “Abraham converted the males, and Sarah the females” (Rashi, Gen. 12:5) Abraham, the straying wanderer, became a settler and a citizen—not of the old society, but of a new society... (Page 86) The Rav’s presentation of Avraham and Sarah encourages us to view them in a new light—as role models for generations of future prophets. Centuries later, Yeshayahu urged the entire Jewish people to emulate Avraham and Sarah and become “a light unto nations, so that My (the Almighty’s) salvation shall be until the end of the earth.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 49:6) As the text states: “and My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Ibid. 56:7) May this time come soon, and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org. Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list. *** 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
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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, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Noach is one of the most fascinating people in Tanach, if for no other reason than the Almighty chose him to restart humankind in the aftermath of the Flood. The final verse in Parashat Bereishit sheds light as to why Hashem made this choice: “v’Noach matza chane b’einai Hashem--And Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem.” (6:8). What was the source of this special status? The first verse in our parasha helps us answer this question: “These are the generations of Noach; Noach ish tzaddik haya b’dorotav--Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with the Almighty.” (6:9) The first part of this pasuk contains the word, “b’dorotav (in his generations).” Although the Talmudic sages, Rav and Shmuel, and Rashi (1040-1105), debate whether this term connotes a positive or negative perspective, the Ramban (1194-1270) takes a decidedly positive stance: In my view, the most satisfying explanation, according to the simple meaning, is that he [Noach] was hatzaddik b’dorot hahame—the only righteous person in those generations; there wasn’t a righteous or tamim—perfect person in his generation besides him. Similarly, “For it is you [Noach] that I have seen to be tzaddik--righteous before Me in this generation” (7:1) – there was no one else that was worthy of being saved in that generation. It states “in his generations” because many generations had passed since the time people began to corrupt their ways, and there was no righteous person on earth except for him. (Translation, Sefaria.org with my emendations) Herein, the Ramban cites the second of the two instances in Sefer Bereishit wherein the word, “tzaddik,” is mentioned in reference Noach: “For it is you [Noach] that I have seen to be tzaddik--righteous—before Me in this generation” (7:1) Classic Torah exegesis leads us to ask, “If Noach was given the appellation of, tzaddik in the earlier pasuk, “Noach ish tzaddik haya b’dorotav,” (6:9) why did the text repeat it once again?” My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, addresses this question in his combined analysis of Sefer Bereishit 6:22 and 7:1. In so doing, he draws an easily overlooked parallel between Noach and Avraham Avinu: “And Noah did; according to all that God commanded him…, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man (tzaddik) before Me.” Abraham’s greatness was based on his firm belief in God’s promises…Abraham often found himself in situations where he was ridiculed due to his faith. Therefore, with all of Abraham’s accomplishments, the one attribute that God explicitly praises is his pure belief: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.” (15:6). Noah’s belief was similarly tested—he built an ark for many years, explaining to onlookers that God was set to destroy the world, while they derisively laughed at him. Despite all the obstacles, and the taunts of his contemporaries, Noah did not deviate from God’s command. Once Noah clearly demonstrated his belief by completing the ark, God therefore remarked on his righteousness. (Public lecture, Boston, 1977, cited in Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Bereishit: with Commentary Based Upon the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Dr. Arnold Lustiger, editor, page 51, underlining my own) In the Rav’s view, a significant difference obtains between the two times Noach is labelled a tzaddik: “Noach ish tzaddik haya b’dorotav,” represents “Noach the potential tzaddik." While he had sterling middot (ethical characteristics) and faith in Hashem, Noach had not yet faced the challenge of emunah (faith) under fire, that is, the contempt of the rest of the world for maintaining his seemingly incomprehensible theological positions. Once, however, he did “according to all that God commanded him,” demonstrating his bitachon (emunah in action) by completing the construction of the ark, despite the derision of his peers, his level of tziddkut (righteousness) changed. Now he was “Noach the actual tzaddik,” and “God therefore remarked on his righteousness.” For the Rav, Noach emerges as the precursor of Avraham Avinu for, like Avraham, he refused to be swayed by the innumerable detractors and falsehoods of his age. Despite the obstacles before him, Noach ever “walked with the Almighty.” We, too, live in a time of unceasing challenges. May we, like Noach, have the strength to overcome the impediments in our path, actualizing our emunah into righteous actions, and thereby ever walk with the Almighty. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org. Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list. *** 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 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, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our parasha contains many subjects, beginning with the Almighty’s creation of the Universe through His ominous announcement of the impending destruction of all life on earth. Amid these various themes, we find the narrative of Kayin and Hevel and their respective offerings to Hashem: …Hevel was a shepherd of flocks, and Kayin was a tiller of the soil. Now it came to pass at the end of days, that Kayin brought of the fruit of the soil an offering to Hashem. And Hevel also brought of the firstborn of his flocks and of their fattest, and Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering. But to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn, and it angered Kayin exceedingly, and his countenance fell. (Sefer Bereishit 4:2-5, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations) We learn that Hevel was a shepherd and Kayin was a farmer. Kayin was the first person to offer a korban and his brother, Hevel, the second. As we would readily assume, Kayin’s korban was “of the fruit of the soil,” and Hevel’s from his flocks. Yet, there was also a crucial, qualitative difference between their respective korbanot: Hevel’s offering was a bechor (first born) “and of the fattest,” whereas Kayin’s appears to have been nondescript, as if he had grabbed the produce purely by happenstance. Midrash Bereishit Rabbah strongly supports this reading of Kayin’s behavior, stating that he took his korban “min hap’solet (from the rejected produce), like a bad sharecropper who eats the bakurot (first fruits) and ‘honors’ the king with the unripe and barely edible fruits.” (22:5, translation my own, see, as well, Rashi on Sefer Bereishit 4:3) We now have a better understanding as to why Hashem, “turned to Hevel and to his offering. But to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn.” This is not, however, the end of the story. Even though Hashem refused to accept Kayin’s inadequate korban, to the point that “it angered Kayin exceedingly, and his countenance fell,” Hashem did not reject Kayin, himself, but rather, his misguided actions: “And Hashem said to Kayin, ‘Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen? Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? …you can rule over it.’” (4:6-7) Hashem’s message to Kayin is truly inspiring. In these few words, the Almighty bequeathed the gift of teshuvah to humankind for evermore. Not only is it the case, “that if you improve, it will be forgiven you.” In addition, authentic teshuvah is so powerful that Hashem proclaims, “you can rule over it,” that is, you can conquer this chate, your deviation from the proper path, and return unto Me. This concept was given powerful voice by the founder of the Izhbitza-Radzin Chasidic dynasty, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner zatzal (1804-1854), in his gloss on our pasukim: If you [Kayin] will improve your heart and mind so that you will yearn to perform the avodah (korban service) without jealousy [for your brother], and devoid of any personal agenda, [but rather in My service alone,] then you will be raised up, that is, your spiritual being will rise to higher and higher levels. (Mei HaShiluach, Parashat Bereishit, s.v. halo im taitiv s’ate, translation and brackets my own) May each of us yearn to serve Hashem, b’lave shalem (with complete hearts), and may we be raised through our teshuvah to draw ever closer to Him. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org. Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list. *** 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 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, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. If we paraphrase the first of the Four Questions of the Pesach seder and apply it to Succot, it would probably look something like this: “How is this chag different from all other chagim?” Our answer might well be: “While other chagim also have physical mitzvot objects, Succot is the only chag with a mitzvah that literally surrounds around us, namely, the succah.” There is another unique mitzvah of Succot that we unfortunately cannot perform at this time—the musfei korbanot (Mussaf Offerings) of Succot. At first glance, we might be tempted to question this mitzvah’s singularity. After all, Shabbat, Yom Tov and Rosh Chodesh also have their own Mussaf offerings. If this is so, how are the musfei korbanot of Succot different from these other days? This matter is directly addressed in Talmud Bavli, Succah 55b: Rabbi Elazar said: “For whom were these 70 bullock korbanot [of Succot] offered? On behalf of the 70 nations of the world…” Rabbi Yochanan said: “Woe unto the non-Jews who have lost [so very much] and know not what they have lost. When the Beit HaMikdash was standing, the Mizbeach (Altar) effectuated kapparah (expiation) on their behalf, and now [after the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash], who will bring about their kapparah?” (Translation and brackets my own) According to Rabbi Elazar, Succot was the sole chag when korbanot were offered in the Beit HaMikdash on behalf of the 70 nations of the world. In his Commentary on the Talmud on our passage, Rashi zatzal (1040-1105) explains the purpose of these korbanot: [The offerings that were brought on behalf of] the 70 nations of the world were to bring them kapparah in order for the rain to fall throughout the [entire] world. [They were brought at this time,] since humankind is judged on Succot regarding the water [that is, the rain, that will fall upon the earth in the upcoming year]. (Translation and brackets my own) As the requisite amount of rainfall is a universal human need, the 70 korbanot were brought on behalf of the nations of the world to ensure that they, too, would not suffer the ravages of drought and starvation. In many ways, this act is reminiscent of a famous pasuk in Sefer Yeshayahu: “I will bring them [the nations of the world] to My holy mount, and I will cause them to rejoice in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples--ki vati beit tefilah yi’kareh l’kol ha’amim.” (56:7) This singularly important principle of Judaism is given powerful voice in the Selichot and throughout the tefilot of the Yamim Noraim. My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, incorporates this idea in his thought emphasizing, that in addition to our particularistic Jewish identity, we are “a part of the larger family of mankind,” and, hence, have a distinct universalistic identity: As a citizen of a pluralistic society, the Jew assumes the social and political obligation to contribute to the general welfare and to combat such common dangers as famine, corruption, disease, and foreign enemies. Where the freedom, dignity, and security of human life are at stake, all people—irrespective of ethnic diversity—are expected to join as brothers in shouldering their responsibilities. These are concerns which transcend all boundaries of difference. (Reflections of the Rav: Lessons in Jewish Thought Adapted from Lectures of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Abraham R. Besdin editor, page 170) In line with this approach of the Rav, I believe the Aleinu is the tefilah that best captures the dual identity of our people. The first paragraph focuses upon our unique obligations to the Almighty: It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Molder of primeval creation, for He has not made us like the nations of the lands and has not emplaced us like the families of the earth; for He has not assigned our portion like theirs nor our lot like all the multitudes. But we bend our knees, bow, and acknowledge our thanks before the King Who reigns over kings, the Holy One Blessed is He… In stark contrast, the second paragraph of Aleinu presents a powerful universalistic theme: Therefore, we put our hope in You, Hashem our G-d, that we may soon see Your mighty splendor…to perfect the universe through the Almighty’s sovereignty (l’takane olam b’malchut Sha-dai). Then all humanity will call upon Your Name, to turn all the earth’s wicked toward You… And it is said [Sefer Zechariah 14:9]: “Hashem will be King over all the world—on that day Hashem will be One and his Name will be One.” (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur, pages 159 and 161, brackets my own) As Yeshayahu the prophet proclaimed: “…I will make you a light unto nations, so that My salvation shall be unto the end of the earth.” (49:6) May the time come soon and, in our days, when these stirring words will be realized, and we will lead all humankind in recognizing Hashem’s ultimate kingship. V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org. Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list. *** 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 10/2/2022 Parashat Ha’azinu - Succot 5783, 2022: "The Torah, the Holy One Blessed be He and the Jewish People Are One"Read NowRabbi 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, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. As we grow older, we come to realize the significant personal relationships in our lives do not “just happen.” Rather, they require clear focus and ongoing attention. If this is true on the human level, it is even more so the case when it comes to the Torah and mitzvot. True, simply by our birthright, the Torah is morashah kehillat Ya’akov (the heritage of the Congregation of Ya’akov, Sefer Devarim 33:4). As crucial as this idea is, however, we must undertake a good deal more in order to achieve a vibrant and joyful relationship with the Torah and mitzvot. Perhaps most importantly, we must take a step back and think about this fundamental connection in our lives, so that we may encounter the Torah in an authentic fashion. With this goal in mind, let us turn to two pasukim in our parasha that can serve as guides on this never-ending journey: And he [Moshe] said to them [the entire Jewish people], “Set your hearts (simu l’vavchem) to all of the words which I bear witness for you this day, so that you may command your children to observe to do all the words of this Torah. For it is not an empty thing for you (ki lo davar raik mekem), for it is your life (ki hu chayachem), and through this thing, you will lengthen your days upon the land to which you are crossing over the Jordan, to possess it.” (Sefer Devarim 32:36-37, brackets my own, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Chazal underscored the singular import of these verses in the Ahavat Olam tefilah that we say each evening: “Therefore Hashem, our G-d, upon our retiring and arising, we will discuss Your decrees and we will rejoice with the words of Your Torah and with Your commandments for all eternity. For they are our life and the length of our days and about them we will meditate day and night.” (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur, page 259). As noted in the Sefer Avudraham (14th century), this formulation is reminiscent of a section of another pasuk in Sefer Devarim: “To love Hashem, your G-d, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which Hashem swore to your forefathers to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov to give to them.” (30:20) As we have seen, our parasha uses a thought-provoking expression to describe the Torah and mitzvot: “ki lo davar raik mekem (for it is not an empty thing for you).” In Talmud Yerushalmi, Peah 1:1, Rabbi Mana suggests the following interpretation of this elusive phrase: “And if it is empty to you [that is you fail to understand], it is because of you.” In his Commentary on the Torah on our pasuk, Rabbeinu Behaye ben Asher ibn Halawa (1255-1340) analyzes Rabbi Mana’s aphoristic explanation: “That is to say, if you do not know the reason for a particular matter in the Torah, this deficiency stems from your lack of comprehension, and is the result of your failure to reach the requisite level of understanding.” (Translation my own) Nearer to our own time, the Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, 1847-1905), while not specifically citing Rabbeinu Behaye’s gloss, expands upon his elucidation: This means that the Torah is explained according to the preparation of the minds of the Jewish people…For only if the Jewish people engage in intensive Torah study at all times will they be able to expand upon and reveal the [true essence of] Torah subjects. This is explicitly stated in the verse, “ki lo davar raik mekem,” whose exposition is, “there is nothing in the Torah that will be empty to you [that is, without meaning].” This, in turn, connotes the concept that the Jewish people have a portion in all Torah matters, as it is written (Zohar III, 93b): “Orayta v’Kudsha Baruch Hu v’Yisrael kulahu chad--the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He and the Jewish people are one.” (Sefer Sefat Emet, Sefer Devarim, Parashat Ha’azinu, 1883, translation and brackets my own) This year, as we celebrate Simchat Torah and join together in true Torah joy, may we remember the clarion call of the holy Zohar: “Orayta v’Kudsha Baruch Hu v’Yisrael kulahu chad--the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He and the Jewish people are one.” V’chane yihi ratzon. Shabbat Shalom Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org. Please contact me at [email protected] to be added to my weekly email list. *** 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 |
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