RABBI DAVID ETENGOFF: PARASHAT HASHAVUAH
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5784&5785
  • Sefer Shemot 5784&5785
  • Sefer Vayikra 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5784 &5785
  • Sefer Devarim 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770

9/15/2019

Parashat Ki Tavo 5779, 2019: "The Hidden Message of Mikrah Bikkurim"

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture



 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, 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, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains a passage that has gained considerable fame due to its inclusion in the Haggadah:
​
And you shall call out and say before the L-rd, your G-d, “An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. So, we cried out to the L-rd, G-d of our fathers, and the L-rd heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the L-rd brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders.” (Sefer Devarim 26:5-8. All Bible translations The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The recitation of this Exodus-themed passage constitutes the mitzvah of Mikrah Bikkurim (the Declaration of the First Fruits), and is performed when we fulfill the commandment of bringing the Bikkurim to the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) in Jerusalem. The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) formulates it in this manner:
 
The 132nd [positive] mitzvah is that we are commanded when bringing Bikkurim to make a proclamation regarding the kindness that G‑d has bestowed upon us. Namely: How He saved us from the early difficulties [forced upon] our patriarch Ya’akov and from the slavery and afflictions of the Egyptians, to thank Him for all this, and to ask that He continue His blessings forever. The source of this commandment is G‑d’s statement, “You shall then make the following declaration before G‑d your L‑rd: ‘An Aramean tried to destroy my ancestor....’” until the end of the entire section. This mitzvah is called Mikra Bikkurim. (Sefer HaMitzvot, translation, Rabbi Berel Bell, with my emendations)
 
According to the Rambam, Mikra Bikkurim may be conceptualized as “a proclamation regarding the kindness that G‑d has bestowed upon us.” How was this proclamation performed? At first, the mavi Bikkurim (individual bringing the Bikkurim) was obligated to read the declaration cited above, plus two more verses, in the original Hebrew. If, however, he was unable to do so, the Kohane would read each word aloud and the mavi Bikkurim would repeat after him. Over time, many people ceased to bring Bikkurim because they were embarrassed to engage in this rote repetition. At that juncture, our Sages ruled that going forward, the Kohane would read the passage, and all mavi’ei Bikkurim would repeat after him — including those who were capable of correctly reading it themselves. In this way, everyone would feel comfortable when bringing the Bikkurim to the Beit HaMikdash, and no one would be embarrassed by their illiteracy. (Mishnah Bikkurim, III:7, according to the explanations of Rav Ovadiah Bartenura and the Tifferet Yisrael)
 
This Rabbinic enactment to prevent the embarrassment of the unlettered among the mavi’ei Bikkurim is in consonance with the Torah prohibition that forbids us from humiliating one another, that is, “melavane p’nai chaveiro b’rabim” — the public embarrassment of a fellow Jew. The Rambam codified this halacha in his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 6:8:

… it is forbidden for a person to embarrass a [fellow] Jew. How much more so [is it forbidden to embarrass him] in public...it is a great sin. Our Sages said: “A person who embarrasses a colleague in public does not have a share in the World to Come.” Therefore, a person should be careful not to embarrass a colleague - whether of greater or lesser stature - in public, and not to call him a name, which embarrasses him, or to relate a matter that brings him shame in his presence. (Translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
Not too surprisingly, many sources in Rabbinic literature give voice to the seriousness of this aveirah (sin). By way of illustration, we find the following well-known statement in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers): “Rabbi Elazar of Modi’in would say: ‘One who...humiliates his friend in public — although he may possess Torah knowledge and good deeds, has no share in the World to Come.’” (III:11, translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus)  Then, too, Talmud Bavli, tractate Babba Metziah, views this sin as the equivalent of engaging in forbidden relations:

All those who go to Gehenom will eventually arise — except for three [whose behaviors are so reprehensible] that they go down to Gehenom and never arise, and these are they: One who is physically intimate with another man’s wife, the melavane p’nai chaveiro b’rabim, and the person who gives their fellow Jew a pejorative [and destructive] nickname. (58b, translation and brackets my own)
 
It is crucial to note that the Talmud’s statement, “they go down to Gehenom and never arise,” is applicable only if a person steadfastly refuses to engage in the teshuvah (repentance) process. For as the Rambam teaches us, “nothing can stand in the way of teshuvah:”
​
When does the statement that these individuals do not have a portion in the world to come apply? When they die without having repented. However, if such a person repents from his wicked deeds and dies as a Baal-Teshuvah [penitent], he will merit the world to come, for nothing can stand in the way of Teshuvah. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah III:14, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
We are nearing the end of Elul and the onset of the Selichot period (Penitential Prayers). Both of these events remind us of the need to spiritually prepare for the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), and redouble our efforts to connect with the Almighty. This is most surely the time for us to try to act toward others as we long to be treated — with chane, v’chesed, v’rachamim (grace, kindness and mercy). It is comforting to know that if we have failed to do so, even if we have committed the serious sin of melavane p’nai chaveiro b’rabim, we should never lose hope. As the Rambam assures us, if we undertake heartfelt teshuvah, the Holy One blessed be He will surely forgive us. 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 for Women 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.


Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Author

    Talmid of Rabbi Soloveitchik zatzal

    Categories

    All
    Parashat Hashavuah

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5784&5785
  • Sefer Shemot 5784&5785
  • Sefer Vayikra 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5784 &5785
  • Sefer Devarim 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770