Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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.
 
This Sabbath is Shabbat Shuvah, a time when our spiritual efforts are focused upon teshuvah (returning to Hashem). The Rambam’s (1135-1204) Hilchot Teshuvah is one of the most celebrated works on teshuvah. Therein, he notes that teshuvah is comprised of four essential elements:

What constitutes teshuvah? A sinner should abandon his sins and remove them from his thoughts, resolving in his heart never to commit them again, as the text states, “May the wicked abandon his ways....” (Sefer Yeshayahu 55:7)  Similarly, he must regret the past, as the text states, “After I returned, I regretted.” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 31:18) … [And] he must verbally confess and state these matters which he resolved in his heart. (II:2, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger).
 
In sum, teshuvah consists of four inextricably connected parts: Abandonment of the sin, regret for having performed the prohibition, confession before Hashem, and heartfelt acceptance and determination that he or she will never commit the transgression again.
 
While nearly all classic halachic authorities accept this definitional structure of teshuvah, they differ as to whether or not there is a mitzvah to engage in the teshuvah process. As is well-known, the Rambam does not consider teshuvah a mitzvah, in and of itself, instead, he conceptualizes it as a complement to vidui (confession):

The 73rd mitzvah we are commanded is to verbally acknowledge the sins we have committed before Him, exalted be He, when we come to do teshuvah (to repent). This is vidui (verbal confession), the idea of which is to say, “O Hashem, I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have transgressed and done ...” (Sefer HaMitzvot, translation, Rabbi Berel Bell)
 
This approach was embraced by a number of illustrious Acharonim (later halachic authorities), including the Avodat HaMelech (1869-1929), the Minchat Chinuch (1800-1874) and Rav Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook (1865-1935), the first Chief Rabbi of Palestine under the British Mandate.
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, the Ramban (1194-1270) champions the contrasting view that teshuvah does, in fact, constitute a mitzvah. His bases this approach on his interpretation of the pasuk: “For this commandment (ki hamitzvah hazot) which I command you this day is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.” (Sefer Devarim 30:11, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In general, Chazal view the  phrase, “ki hamitzvah hazot,” as referring to the entire Torah because of its proximity to the expression, “lo bashamayim he” (“it, that is, the Torah, is not in Heaven”), as found in the next verse. The Ramban, however, suggests that this approach is grammatically incorrect, for if “ki hamitzvah hazot” did refer to the totality of the Torah, it should have stated, “kol hamitzvah” (“every commandment”), as we find in the pasuk: “Every commandment (kol hamitzvah) that I command you this day you shall keep to do, that you may live and multiply, and come and possess the land that Hashem swore to your forefathers.” (Sefer Devarim 8:1)  Based on this reading, he opines that since the Torah writes, “ki hamitzvah hazot,” it must refer to a single mitzvah, namely, teshuvah:

…the expression, “ki hamitzvah hazot,” however, is mentioned in reference to teshuvah, as we find in the [earlier verses of our chapter], “you will consider in your heart (v’hashavota el levavecha) among all the nations where Hashem your G-d has banished you,” (30:1) and you will return to Hashem, your G-d, (v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha) with all your heart and with all your soul (30:2).  This [that is, teshuvah,] is the commandment that we are commanded to perform. (Translations, brackets and underlining my own)
 
The single greatest factor militating against the Ramban’s view that teshuvah constitutes a mitzvah is the manner in which teshuvah is presented in these verses. Normally, a commandment is stated in an imperative construct. For example, in reference to Yom Kippur we find: “It is a Shabbat of rest for you, and you shall afflict yourselves. It is an eternal statute.” (Sefer Vayikra 16:31) In our verses, however, teshuvah is presented in a narrative format lacking any mandated action. This challenge, however, does not deter the Ramban from maintaining the mitzvah-status of teshuvah, as he suggests that this mode of presentation gives powerful voice to Hashem’s promise that nothing stands in the way of teshuvah, and that in the future, the entire nation will return to Him:

And this [mitzvah of teshuvah was stated] in a narrative formulation to hint at the fulfillment of the promise that in the future the matter will be so [that is, the Jewish people will universally undertake the teshuvah process]. The underlying reason for this is to inform us that even if we are scattered about to the very ends of Heaven, and we are under the hegemony of the non-Jews, we will be able to return to Hashem and fulfill all of the mitzvot that “I command you this day.” For the matter of doing teshuvah is not beyond us or distant from us, rather it is very close to us indeed—and we may begin the teshuvah process at any time and in any place…
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, was very fond of the Ramban’s theological positions. Little wonder, then, that he often stresses the idea found in Tachanun that Hashem is the pota’ach yad b’teshuvah (the Holy One blessed be He continuously reaches out to us with the promise of teshuvah). Like the Ramban, the Rav emphasizes that “we may begin the teshuvah process at any time and in any place…”
 
May the time come soon and, in our days, when the Jewish people will join together as one, and return to Hashem in heartfelt teshuvah. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and G’mar Chatimah Tovah
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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.
 
This is the time of year when our friends ask: “How are you? Are you ready for another Rosh HaShanah? Can you believe its Rosh HaShanah again?” These, and similar kinds of questions are “on the mark,” and exactly where our thoughts should be. In truth, “How are you?” can be taken either as another blasé social pleasantry—or something far more. In my estimation, we can view it as a modern-day restatement of Hashem’s question to Adam after he violated the one mitzvah that Hashem gave him, namely, the prohibition of eating from the pri eitz hada’at (Tree of Knowledge): “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise; so she took of its fruit, and she ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Sefer Bereishit 3:6, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  This, in turn, led the Almighty to ask: “Where are you?” (3:9)  An odd question by all accounts, since Hashem knew full well where Adam and Chava were located, as such, what was the Holy One Blessed be He really asking?
 
I believe Hashem was asking an existential question, or perhaps, the existential question: “Now that you have sinned against Me, what is your place within the great scheme of Creation? What is your value to the world now that you have torn our covenant asunder?” In short, Hashem was asking some of the very same things we should be asking ourselves in preparation for Rosh HaShanah.
 
These types of questions should motivate us to pause and reflect upon our past actions and spur us on to depth-level change. Moreover, they should lead to the logical conclusion that it is time to do teshuvah. The Rambam (1135-1204) defines teshuvah in this manner:

What exactly is teshuvah? [It is the act that demands] the sinner to reject his sin, remove it from his thoughts, and determine in his mind that he will never do it again...So, too, he must feel badly for what he has done in the past...and he must bear testimony to He who knows all secret matters that he will never repeat this sin again... In addition, he must verbally confess [his sin] and speak aloud of those things he has determined in his mind. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 2:2)
 
In sum, the teshuvah process is comprised of:
​

1. Rejection of the sin: takes place in the present (azivat hacheit).
2. Feeling badly about what has been done: refers to past actions (charata al ha’avar).
3. Resolving to change: refers to the future (kabbalah al he’atid).
4. Confessing (verbally) to Hashem to never be involved in this sin again (vidui devarim).

 
Authentic teshuvah, therefore, is a holistic process that involves the individual’s entire being. It incorporates a radical shift in the mindset of one who has gone astray so that they will be able to return to the proper path of Torah observance. It requires unflinching honesty and the will to reject rationalizations for our sins. In addition, the ba’al teshuvah (master of teshuvah) needs to feel badly about what he or she has done, reject their prior action, and resolve never to repeat this deed in the future. Lastly, all of this must be accompanied by a heart-felt oral confession before Hashem of what they have done.
 
It stands to reason that the more pronounced a particular sin has become within a person’s repertoire of behaviors, the greater degree of difficulty they will encounter in trying to free themselves from its powerful grip. This is why tefilat tachanun that we recite on Mondays and Thursdays contains the hopeful phrase: “hapoteiach yad b’teshuvah l’kabale poshayim v’chataim—You Who opens a hand for repentance, to welcome rebels and sinners...” (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur, page 130)  In other words, Avinu Malkeinu is at one and the same time, Av HaRachamim, and stands ready to receive our heartfelt teshuvah, in love and divine mercy. Perhaps, most of all, we are not alone in this endeavor, as Yirmiyahu the prophet declared so long ago: “Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah, chadeish yameinu k’kedem—Enable us Hashem to return in teshuvah unto You, and we will return, renew our days [with You] as they were in earlier times.” (Megillat Eicah 5:21, translation, my own)  May this time come soon, and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Kativah v’Chatimah Tovah and Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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.
 
This Motzai Shabbat we begin the recitation of Selichot in order to prepare ourselves to meet the Master of the Universe on Rosh Hashanah. As such, it is no mere metaphor that the initial pasukim of our parshiot state:

You are all standing this day (atem nitzavim hayom) before 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 Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

As we can readily see, the statement, “You are all standing this day,” is written as “atem nitzavim hayom,” instead of the standard “atem omdim hayom.” This unusual word choice becomes clearer when we examine two instances of the word “n’tziv” (“standing,” and its variants) that appear in Sefer Bereishit. The first concerns Lot and his wife. They are warned not to look behind themselves so as not to behold the destruction that will befall S’dom and Gomorrah (Sefer Bereishit 19:17). Instead of listening to the words of the malach, Lot’s wife casts a furtive glance behind her and is turned into a pillar of salt—a n’tziv melech (19:26). A n’tziv is something permanent and unmoving. It is fixed in place and will remain there forever. Lot’s wife’s transformation from a living and breathing person into a silent pillar of salt is a permanent reminder of her failure to heed the words of the Creator.

The second instance of the verb “n’tziv” occurs when Avraham’s servant, Eliezer, is waiting by the well and prays to Hashem to reveal the identity of Yitzchak’s future wife to him. The Torah uses the expression, “Henah anochi nitzav al ain hamayim...Behold I am standing at the well,” (24:13). Here, too, why doesn’t Eliezer simply say: “Henah anochi omed al ain hamayim?” Why does he employ the uncommon verb “nitzav?” I believe that he uses this word to teach us a crucial lesson regarding the nature of emunah. In my estimation, he is publicly proclaiming his loyalty to his master Avraham, and, ultimately, to the Ribono shel Olam (the Master of the Universe). Eliezer had taken a shavuah (oath) that he would expend every possible effort to find Yitzhak a bride from Avraham’s country of origin. Therefore, he did his utmost to fulfill that shavuah and would not be moved right or left for any reason. He had one course and one course only: nitzav—to stand and wait patiently for Hashem's divine revelation to unfold. Thus, like Lot’s wife, he was standing in place, albeit, based upon an entirely different reason. I believe this is why “nitzav,” rather than the common verb “omed,” is used.

We can now view the phrase, “atem nitzavim hayom,” as imparting an essential message: No matter how powerful and persuasive certain cultural norms and ideas may be, if they are opposed to the essence of the Torah and Halacha and represent the antithesis of our being an am kodesh (a holy nation) and the am segulah (the Chosen People), then: “atem nitzavim hayom!” In short, no force on earth should ever move us from being nitzavim of emunah (pillars of faith) in the house of Hashem. As Dovid HaMelech said so long-ago: “Achat sha’alti m’ate Hashem oto avekash shivti b'beit Hashem kol yimei chayai...One [thing] I ask of Hashem, that I seek—that I may dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life...” (Sefer Tehillim 27:4)  This, then, is the goal of our people—to ever be “nitzavim hayom” (standing today), machar (tomorrow) and l’atid lavo (forever more) before Hashem. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom and Kativah v’chatimah tovah!  
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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 two terms that are found nowhere else in Tanach, namely, “he’e’marta” and “he’e’mircha:”

Today you have declared allegiance (he’e’marta) to Hashem, making Him your G-d, [pledging to] walk in His paths, keep His decrees, commandments, and laws, and to obey His voice. Hashem has similarly declared allegiance to you (he’e’mircha) 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, with my emendations)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) notes the unique character of these two words, and then proceeds to suggest his own explication:

We do not find any equivalent expression in the Scriptures [which might give us a clue to the meaning of these words]. However, it appears to me that [the expression he’e’mir] denotes separation and distinction. [Thus, here, the meaning is as follows:] 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, the first century translator of the Torah into Aramaic, suggests a different understanding of he’e’marta and he’e’mircha. In his view, these terms connote the Almighty’s declaration of love for us, and our love for Him. As such, he translates he’e’marta as “chatavta” and he’e’mircha as “chatvach,” both of which have their basis in the Aramaic word, “chativah,” which may be defined as an object of love. Based on this interpretative translation, the relevant segments of our pasukim would read, “Today you have declared your singular love (he’e’marta) to Hashem… [And] Hashem has similarly declared His unique love (he’e’mircha) to you today…” Fascinatingly, Talmud Bavli, Berachot 6a follows Onkelos’ approach in its exposition of our terms:

“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: “Listen 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, all translations my own)
 
While our obligation to love Hashem is clearly found in the words, “v’ahavata ate Hashem Elokecha,” (Sefer Devarim 6:5), explicit statements of His love for us are far more elusive. If we sensitize ourselves to the words of the tefilot, however, we can readily find His message of devotion to us. For example, the second bracha before the recitation of the morning Shema begins with the phrase, “ahavah rabbah,” and states: “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 act lost in the sands of time. Instead, our Sages formulated the prayer in the present tense, that is, Hashem continuously chooses us in love.
 
Additionally, two explicit statements of Hashem’s abiding love for us are found in the Shmoneh Esrei. In the first bracha, we encounter the phrase, “l’ma’an sh’mo b’ahavah—for His Name’s sake, with love” and, in Birkat Re’tzeh, we find the phrase: “u’tefilatom b’ahavah tikabale b’ratzon—and their prayer accept with love and favor.” In sum, if we but listen to what we are saying in our daily tefilot, we will feel Hashem’s loving presence surrounding us. Little wonder, then, that Megillat Shir HaShirim is the ultimate metaphor for the relationship that obtains between Hashem and our people, for the Holy One blessed be He is our beloved soulmate who unceasingly searches for us in love and devotion. In a world that is so often frightening and alienating, this is a powerful message indeed.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we grow in our love and devotion to Him, and may we always be deserving of His everlasting love. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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.
 
One of the major shul-based practices of the month of Elul is listening to the clarion call of the shofar prior to the recitation of Psalm 27, “L’David Hashem ori v’yeshi—A psalm of David, The L-rd is my light and my salvation.” The Rambam (1135-1204) notes a number of actions that the sounding of the shofar should ideally engender:

Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year and 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, Sefer HaMada, Hilchot Teshuvah III:4, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
In sum, the shofar’s blast is multidimensional and capable of evoking a variety thoughts and deeds. Then, too, it challenges us to remember the eternal truths of the Torah and eschew “vanity and emptiness which will neither benefit nor save.” The Rambam wrote in the 12th century, and decried those “who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year…” If this was a common problem during his historical period, it is exponentially the case in our pleasure-seeking, digitally focused culture that caters to a public with an unquenchable thirst for that which is scandalous, obscene, and demeaning. What accounts for this endless attraction to the ugliest side of the human condition? I believe our prasha provides us with a strong foundation for answering this question.
 
The first phrase in our Torah portion, “Ki tetze l’milchamah al oivecha—When you go to war against your enemy,” precedes the words: “the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him [your enemy] into your hands, and you [will] take his captives.” (Sefer Devarim 21:10, translation, with my emendations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  The Chasidic masters universally understand the expression, “your enemy,” as referring to the yetzer hara (the evil inclination). Not too surprisingly, the first rebbe to suggest this interpretation was none other than the founder of Chasidut, the holy Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer (1698-1760), known to the world as “the Baal Shem Tov.”

The Baal Shem Tov notes that even though the verse is speaking about going to war, which necessitates a massive public undertaking, it is nonetheless written in the singular construct (lashon yachid). He opines that this is the case, since “every member of the Jewish people has no greater enemy than the evil inclination.” (This, and the following quotations, Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, Itturei Torah, volume VI, page 129; translations my own). The Baal Shem Tov continues his analysis and states, “If you go to war against him [that is, the yetzer hara],” then the Torah promises, that “the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands.” Perhaps most powerfully, he interprets the expression, “and you take his captives,” as a further assurance that “even the powers of the evil inclination will be able to be harnessed in the service of Hashem.”

Without a doubt, the yetzer hara is the most cunning and corrupting influence in our lives. It intuitively knows “what buttons to push” to lead us away from the Torah and Hashem and coerce us into doing its bidding. Clearly, we must wage an unceasing war against it, for as the Baal Shem Tov said, we have “no greater enemy...” Fortunately, the Mishnaic sage Ben Zoma taught us that it is possible to be a spiritual hero and overcome even our strongest yetzer hara-suffused desires:

Who is strong? One who overpowers his [evil] inclination. As is it is stated: “One who is slow to anger is better than a mighty man, and one who rules over his spirit [is better] than one who conquers a city.” (Pirkei Avot IV:1, translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus)
 
With the Almighty’s help, may we hearken to the shofar’s call and do our best to reject the nearly ceaseless negative influences of our time. In this way, may we harness “even the powers of the yetzer hara…in the service of Hashem.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.

Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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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Picture: Sefira Lighstone (https://www.sefiracreative.com/blog-1)

Rabbi David Etengoff
 

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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 Torah employs the phrase, “Ki tetze l’milchamah al oivecha—When you go forth to war against your enemy,” twice in Sefer Devarim.  The first instance appears in our parasha (20:1), and the second in Parashat Ki Tetze (21:10). In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) presents a thought-provoking comment on the phrase, “al oivecha:” “Let them be in your eyes as enemies; have no pity on them, for they will have no pity upon you.” This gloss is midrashically-suffused, and is based upon Midrash Tanchuma, Sefer Devarim 15. Yet, the original language of this passage does not contain Rashi’s formulation, “Let them be in your eyes as enemies,” and states, instead: “Go forth against them as if they are your enemies--tz’u aleihem k’oiveim.” Why does Rashi change the midrash’s language with the additional words, “in your eyes?” After all, it seems that whenever soldiers go to war, they view the opposing army as their mortal adversaries. What, then, is Rashi teaching us?
 
I believe we can answer this question by focusing on another of Rashi’s comments. In the course of his analysis of the pasuk in the Shirah “Hashem is a Master of war; Hashem is His Name,” (15:3) Rashi suggests this explanation of the latter half of the pasuk:

Hashem, [denoting the Divine Standard of Mercy,] is His Name - Even when He wages war and takes vengeance upon His enemies, He maintains His behavior of having mercy on His creatures and nourishing all those who enter the world... (This and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations). 
 
This means that Hashem is ever merciful, even when He wages war against His enemies. As His uniquely chosen people, we in turn, through the mitzvah of imitatio Dei, have the obligation to model ourselves, both in our being and actions, after Hashem’s ways. This principle is powerfully presented in a celebrated passage in Talmud Bavli that highlights the Almighty’s acts of rachmanut (mercy) that we are obligated to make our own: 

Just as Hashem clothed the naked [in the case of Adam and Chava] … so, too, should you clothe the naked. Just as Hashem visited the sick [in the case of Avraham after his brit milah] … so, too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He comforted the mourners [in the case of Yitzhak after Avraham’s passing] … so, too, should you comfort the mourners. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He buried the dead [in the case of Moshe] … so, too, should you bury the dead. (Sotah 14a, translation and brackets my own)
 
This passage is the basis for of one of the Rambam’s (Maimonides, 1135-1204) famous halachic rulings that helps establish the fundamental parameters of Jewish communal living:

It is a positive commandment of Rabbinic origin to visit the sick, comfort mourners, to prepare for a funeral, prepare a bride, accompany guests, attend to all the needs of a burial, carry a corpse on one’s shoulders, walk before the bier, mourn, dig a grave, and bury the dead, and also to bring joy to a bride and groom and help them in all their needs. These are deeds of kindness that one carries out with his person that have no limit. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Avel 14:1, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
Rachmanut emerges as a quintessential aspect of the Jewish persona, since in acting mercifully, we emulate our Creator’s actions. This idea is so pronounced that the Talmud Bavli in Yevamot 79a states that there are three markers for someone who claims to be a member of our people, namely, “harachamim, v’habyeshanin, v’gomlai chasadim—they are the merciful, modest ones and practitioners of loving-kindness.” As such, it is literally Jewish nature to act in a merciful manner toward all whom we encounter.  
 
I believe we can now understand Rashi’s earlier addition, “in your eyes.” He is teaching us that those with whom we go to war must be viewed as absolute enemies, even though this very notion is antithetical to who we really are, and our humanitarian approach to the nations of the world. Closer to our own time, Prime Minister Golda Meir (1898-1978) gave voice to this idea in her oral autobiography: “When peace comes, we will perhaps, in time, be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.” (A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography, 1973, edited by Marie Syrkin, p. 242)
 
May we be zocheh to witness the coming of the Mashiach and the fulfillment of Yeshayahu’s vision: “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.” (2:4)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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 begins with the celebrated words: 

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse (re’eh Anochi notane lifnaichem bracha u’klalah). The blessing, that you will heed the commandments of Hashem, your G-d, which I command you today; and the curse, if you will not heed the commandments of Hashem, your G-d, but turn away from the way I command you this day, to follow other gods, which you did not know. (Sefer Devarim 11:26-28, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaic Press Complete Tanach)
 
In his commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer zatzal (the Katav Sofer, 1815-1871) opines that if we look around us, we will find nations that control other nations, either through out and out force, or by placing them under their sphere of influence. Then, too, there are those nations who are self-governing and free. The Jewish people are different, however, since for most of our storied existence, we have found ourselves at the “mercy” of the general society and, on occasion, we have lived in abject servitude and unimaginable suffering. In stark contrast, the Torah promises us that one day we will rule over the nations of the world and be: “… supreme, above all the nations that He made, [so that you will have] praise, a [distinguished] name and glory…” (26:19).  Unfortunately, notes Rav Sofer, there is no middle ground for our people, we are either the “tail or the head of the nations.” (See Sefer Devarim 28:13 and 44)
 
Why is this the case, why do our people, and our people alone, live such an either/or existence? Rav Sofer suggests the following answer:

The reason is quite simple. The nations of the world live under mazal (that is, devoid of Hashem’s direction). As such, sometimes this mazal forces them to rise to the top, be in the middle or fall to a lowly level. This is not the case with the Jewish people, we do not live under mazal, rather the Holy One blessed be He [constantly] guides us. Therefore, if we do His will, then we are segulah mi’kol ha’amim—chosen and beloved more than any other nation—for it is for us that the world was created, and we will consequently rule over all other nations. If, however, if we do not perform the will of the Creator, we will go forth as captives in complete misery. (Translation, parentheses and brackets my own)
 
In Rav Sofer’s view, this is precisely why our pasukim begin with the word, “re’eh—behold, look deeply and see:”

This word, “re’eh,” is asking us to think deeply about this matter and note, “Anochi notane lifnaichem bracha u’klalah,” which means, either a bracha or a klalah and there is no middle ground between them. This is because they [our forebears, as well as ourselves) were promised that bracha would ensue if they demonstrated loyalty to the Torah, and klalah if they failed to do so. For we are not like the rest of the peoples of the world wherein everything depends upon mazal, rather, the Holy One blessed be He ever surrounds us with His Divine Providence (hashgacha pratit).
 
The Katav Sofer’s penetrating explanation of our pasukim is predicated upon Rabbi Yochanan’s famous question in Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 156a:

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that ain mazal l’Yisrael—there is no [literally] constellation of stars for the Jewish people [and that we live, instead under His hashgacha pratit]? As it is stated: “So says Hashem: of the way of the nations you shall not learn, and from the signs of the heaven be not dismayed, for the nations are dismayed from them.” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 10:2) [This means,] the nations will be dismayed by them, but not the Jewish people. (Translation, The Koren Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor with my emendations)
 
In his commentary on this passage, Rashi (1040-1105) elaborates upon the meaning of, “ain mazal l’Yisrael:” “Through tefilah and merit, he [that is the Jewish people] can change his mazal for the good.” In other words, unlike the nations of the world, we have a dynamic relationship with the Holy One blessed be He that gives us the ability to change the present and future through our heartfelt entreaties (tefilah) and the merit (zechut) we accrue through the performance of the mitzvot. Moreover, when we add teshuvah to tefilah and zechut, we have the grand triumvirate to which Chazal gave powerful voice so long ago: “u’teshuvah, u’tefilah u’tzdakah ma’avirin roah hagezerah—and repentance, heartfelt prayer and charitable donations will remove the evil decree from upon us.” May we see the complete fulfillment of this prayer 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 rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshimof 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 a phrase that is found in the first bracha of the Shemoneh Esrei: 
G-d your L-rd is the ultimate Supreme Being and the highest possible Authority. HaA-le great (HaGadol), mighty (HaGibor) and awesome (v’HaNorah), who does not give special consideration or take bribes. (Sefer Devarim 10:17, translation, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zatzal, The Living Torah, with my emendations)
 
In addition, we find that Ezra HaSofer deploys this expression in his prayer before the Jewish people: “And now, our G-d, HaA-le HaGadol, HaGibor, v’HaNorah, Who keeps the covenant and loving- kindness…” (Sefer NechemiahIX:32, this and the following Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  
 
In his commentary on Talmud Bavli, Berachot 33b (s.v. va’takninahu b’tefilah), Rashi (1040-1105) maintains that Ezra’s prayer is the source of our phrase’s inclusion in the Shemoneh Esrei. His assertion, however, is not universally accepted, since the Sha’agat Aryeh (Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Asher Gunzberg 1695-1785), among others, maintains that Ezra’s use of this expression was a momentary event, whereas its permanent placement in our liturgy is based on our pasuk. (Turei Even, Talmud Bavli, Megillah 25a, s.v. hashta hachi telata)  In either case, the phrase, “HaA-le HaGadol HaGibor v’HaNorah,” has become an integral part of our tefilot.
 
We might think that since we declare, “HaA-le Hagadol HaGibor v’HaNorah,” it should be permissible to add other descriptions of the Almighty during the recitation of the Shmoneh Esrei. In early Talmudic times, an anonymous shaliach tzibbur followed this approach, and quickly found himself under the critical scrutiny of the great Rabbi Chanina bar Chama: 

A certain [reader] went down in the presence of Rabbi Chanina and said, “O’ G-d, the great (HaGadol), mighty (HaGibor), awesome (v’HaNorah), majestic, powerful, awe-filled, strong, fearless, sure and honored.” He [Rabbi Chanina bar Chama] waited until he had finished, and when he completed [his prayer] he said to him, “Have you concluded all the praise of your Master? Why do we want all this?” (Talmud Bavli 33b, translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
Rabbi Chanina was clearly unimpressed with the shaliach tzibbur’s seven additions. As such, he asked him the same rhetorical question that David HaMelech expresses in Sefer Tehillim, “Who can narrate the mighty deeds of Hashem? [Who] can make heard all His praise?” (106:2) Moreover, Rabbi Chanina teaches us that even our phrase, “HaA-le HaGadol HaGibor v’HaNorah,” would have been prohibited, “had not Moshe Rabbeinu mentioned them in the Torah and had not the Men of the Great Assembly come and inserted them into the order of prayers.” Little wonder, then, that Rabbi Chanina subsequently proclaimed to the would-be creative shaliach tzibbur, “And you say all these and still go on!” 
 
The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) codified these ideas in the following halacha: 

A person should not be profuse in his mention of adjectives describing G-d, and say: “The great, mighty, awesome, powerful, courageous, and strong G-d,” for it is impossible for man to express the totality of His praises. Instead, one should mention [only] the praises that were mentioned by Moshe, of blessed memory (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot TefilahIX:7, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
The Rambam’s reasoning as to why one is proscribed from adding new expressions in honor of Hashem in the Shemoneh Esrei is clear, “for it is impossible for man to express the totality of His praises.” Quite simply, finite man is incapable of properly representing the majesty and greatness of the Creator. Therefore, we must limit our words to the exact phrase found in the Torah.
 
We are now ready to analyze the three descriptions of Hashem’s actions in our pasuk. I believe each may be viewed as corresponding to one of the three Avot: That is, Avraham’s destiny is inextricably interwoven with the word, “gadol,”Yitzchak’s to “gibor,” and Ya’akov’s to “norah.” 
 
The word gadol, and its verbal variant, appear in reference to Avram/Avraham in Parshiot Lech Lecha and Vayera: 

And I will make you into a great (gadol) nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great (va’agadlah), and [you shall] be a blessing.” (Sefer Bereishit 12:2 with my emendation)
 
And Avraham will become a great (gadol) and powerful nation, and all the nations of the world will be blessed in him. (Sefer Bereishit 18:18)
 

In addition to gadol as a description of Avram/Avraham, there is an amazing midrash that presents him as he who enabled the entire world to recognize the greatness (gedultao, a variant of gadol) of Hashem:
​
And there are those who say that he [Mordechai] was the equivalent to Avraham in his generation. Just like our father, Avraham, allowed himself to be tossed into [Nimrod’s] fiery furnace, and in so doing enabled the people of the earth to return to and recognize the greatness (gedultao) of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is written: “and the souls that they made [that is, Avraham and Sarah converted] in Haran…” (Midrash Esther Rabbah VI:2, translation my own)
 
As such, Avraham is forevermore connected to the expression HaA-le Hagadol.
 
Yitzchak was in many ways the epitome of gevurah (great might), in the manner in which Chazal utilized the term in Pirkei Avot (IV:1): “Who is a hero (gibor)? One who overpowers his desires.” On measure, it was precisely this middah that enabled Yitzchak to submit to the Almighty’s will at the Akeidah. Little wonder, then, that both Kabbalistic and Chasidic literature perceive him as personifying this quality. 
 
Ya’akov has a very clear connection to “norah.” This is the case, since he declared, “Mah norah hamakom hazeh!” (“How awesome is this place!” Sefer Bereishit 28:17) after discovering he had inadvertently slept on the makom HaMikdash (the place of the future Beit HaMikdash). Consequently, since that grand moment in time, Ya’akov is associated with the norah aspect of the Almighty.
 
With Hashem’s help, and our fervent desire, may we, as heirs of the Avot, come to acknowledge Him as “HaA-le HaGadol HaGibor v’HaNorah.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshimof 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 phrase, “And you shall love Hashem your G-d” appears twice in the Torah; the first instance is in our parasha(Sefer Devarim 6:5), and the second is found in Parashat Eikev (11:1). Our Torah portion’s verse famously states: “And you shall love Hashem, your 
G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” (This and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) 
 
Acknowledging Hashem’s immanence in the world forms the foundation for being able to love Him. The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204), suggests the following approach to recognizing His presence:

When a person contemplates His wondrous and great deeds and creations and appreciates His infinite wisdom that surpasses all comparison, he will immediately love, praise, and glorify [Him], yearning with tremendous desire to know [G-d’s] great name, as David stated: “My soul thirsts for Hashem, for the living G-d.” (Sefer Tehillim 42:3, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah II:2, these and all Mishneh Torah translations, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
In the Rambam’s view, awareness of Hashem stems from a thoroughgoing appreciation of the beauty of the natural world and its infinite complexity. This, in turn, leads to a burning desire to “immediately love, praise, and glorify Him,” and to “know His great name.” Thus far, the Rambam is emphasizing man’s intellectual relationship with the Almighty. As such, he employs the terms “contemplates” (“she’yitbonane”) and “to know” (“lei’da”). Yet, how does one transition from a purely intellectual gesture of love for the Almighty to its practical application? The Rambam addresses this question in his Hilchot Teshuvah:

One who serves [G-d] out of love occupies himself in the Torah and the mitzvot and walks in the paths of wisdom for no ulterior motive: not because of fear that evil will occur, nor in order to acquire benefit. Rather, he does what is true because it is true, and ultimately, good will come because of it…G-d commanded us [to seek] this rung [of service] as conveyed by Moshe: “And you shall love Hashem your G-d.” When a man will love G-d in the proper manner, he will immediately perform all of the mitzvot motivated by love. (X:2)
 
Clearly, for the Rambam, love of G-d is expressed in a two-fold fashion: the diligent study of Torah coupled with the fulfillment of the mitzvot—in a manner wherein “he does what is true because it is true.” The Rambam expands upon this idea by asking, “What is the nature of the proper love [of G-d]?” His answer informs Jewish thought until the present moment: 

That a person should love G-d with a very great and exceeding love until his soul is bound up in the love of G-d. Thus, he will always be obsessed with this love as if he is lovesick. [A lovesick person’s] thoughts are never diverted from the love of that woman. He is always obsessed with her; when he sits down, when he gets up, when he eats and drinks. With an even greater [love], the love for G-d should be [implanted] in the hearts of those who love Him and are obsessed with Him at all times as we are commanded “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” (Hilchot Teshuvah X:3)
 
In the Maimonidean world view, therefore, the love of Hashem is one of powerful passion and obsessive desire, as is metaphorically reflected in King Solomon’s Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) wherein he states, “Sustain me with flasks of wine, and spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick.” (2:5) How does one develop such a holistic and deep love for the Creator? Once again, let us turn to the Rambam: “It is a well-known and clear matter that the love of G-d will not become attached within a person’s heart until he becomes obsessed with it at all times as is fitting…” (Hilchot Teshuvah 10:6) Obsession (shugah bah) with the Almighty, therefore, is the key element that enables a person to pursue his love of Him. Little wonder, then, that the Rambam likens the feeling of overwhelming love for one’s beloved to the love one has for the Master of the Universe.
 
At this juncture, the Rambam returns to the connection between man’s knowledge and love of the Almighty: 
​
One can only love G-d [as an outgrowth] of the knowledge with which he knows Him. The nature of one’s love depends on the nature of one’s knowledge. A small [amount of knowledge arouses] a lesser love. A greater amount of knowledge arouses a greater love… (Hilchot Teshuvah X:6)
 
On measure, the Rambam is teaching us a crucial lesson regarding the relationship that obtains between G-d and man, namely, that this bond, as in all human relationships, takes ongoing work and effort, and must not be taken for granted. Knowledge of Hashem arouses our love for Him; our engagement in serious Torah study, prayer, and mitzvot observance will enable us to know His ways. As Shlomo HaMelech taught us so long ago: “Know Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths.” (Sefer Mishle III:6)  With Hashem’s help, may this be so, and may our knowledge of Him enable us to fulfill the pasuk, “And you shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com 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 HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, 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.
 
Talmud Bavli, Baba Batra 14b-15b teaches that the Tanach was written by a community of writers:

Who wrote the Tanach? Moshe wrote his own book and the portion of Bilam and Iyov. Yehoshua wrote the book, which bears his name, and [the last] eight verses of the Torah. Shmuel wrote the book which bears his name, and Shoftim and Megillat Rut. David wrote Tehillim, including in it the work of the elders, namely, Adam, Melchizedek, Avraham, Moshe, Heman, Yeduthun, Asaph, and the three sons of Korach. Yirmiyahu wrote the book, which bears his name, Sefer Melachim, and Megillat Eicah. Chezkiyahu and his colleagues wrote Yeshayahu, Mishle, Megillat Shir HaShirimand Kohelet. The Men of the Great Assembly wrote Yechezkel, the Twelve Minor Prophets, Daniel and Megillat Esther. Ezra wrote the book that bears his name and the genealogies of Divrei HaYamim up to his own time. (Translation, Soncino Talmud, with my emendations)
 
The phrase, “Moshe wrote his own book,” refers to the Torah. In fact, the Nevi’im and Nehemiah call the Torah, “Torat Moshe,” as we find in Sefer Yehoshua 8:31:

As Moshe, the servant of Hashem, commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moshe (b’sefer Torat Moshe) an altar of whole stones, upon which no (man) has lifted up any iron. And they offered upon it burnt-offerings to Hashem and sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of Torat Moshe, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. (This, and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)
 
While the entire Torah is Torat Moshe, Sefer Devarim stands out most prominently as Moshe’s book. The very first pasuk proclaims the personal nature of this final volume of the Torah. Instead of the oft-found phrase, “And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying,” we encounter: “These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel on that side of the Jordan in the desert, in the plain opposite the Red Sea, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Hazeroth and Di Zahav.” In other words, this sefer, is at one and the same time, divrei Elokim emet and the heartfelt expression of Moshe’s unique love and concern for klal Yisrael.
 
Chazal refer to Sefer Devarim as Mishneh Torah. Tosafot (11th-13th centuries) and the Ramban (1194-1270) explain this term as “repetition of that which was already stated.” In essence, it is primarily a review, or summary, of previously known narrative and halachic passages. In contrast, the Netziv (Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, 1817-1893), maintains:

[The name “Mishneh Torah”] may be properly interpreted and explained as referring to [understanding the Torah] in a holistic fashion—in regard to the specifics and details of its terms and language. Since this is the case, the entire book and its substance is, [in reality,] coming to encourage us to be extensively involved in Torah study so that we will be able to explain the nuances of the text (dikdukei hamikra), as this is [the fundamental nature of] Torah study. Moreover, all of the ethical exhortations (musar), and multiple rebukes of Moshe, were solely for the purpose of [encouraging us] to accept the yoke of Torah study upon ourselves. This idea is based upon the many principles of faith and belief that will be explained within the sefer itself. It is for this reason that it is called by its name “Mishneh Torah,” since it refers to exactitude in Torah study (shinun shel Torah). (HaEmek Davar, Introduction to Sefer Devarim, translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, according to the Netziv, our Sages coined the name Mishneh Torah to connote Sefer Devarim’s emphasis on meticulous Torah study. Consequently, mishneh, in this instance, means depth-level analysis and knowledge of the Torah, inclusive of its language, laws, and musar. 
 
The Netziv cites a fascinating midrash that gives voice to the preeminent position of Sefer Devarim within Rabbinic thought: 
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Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: “Sefer Mishneh Torah was the standard (signon) of Yehoshua. [We know this because] at the very moment the Holy One Blessed be He revealed himself to Yehoshua, He found him sitting [and learning] with the Mishneh Torah in his hands.” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah, Parashat Bereishit, section 6, translation my own)
 
Why was Yehoshua deeply engaged in studying Sefer Devarim rather than one of the other books of the Torah? After all, they, too, incorporate crucial halachot (laws) and ethics. The Netziv’s answer helps us understand the unique nature of Mishneh Torah: “We may learn [from this midrash] that this sefer, in particular, incorporates the entire gamut of moral and ethical principles [that are found throughout the Torah].” 
 
In a few days, we will commemorate the heartbreaking events that befell our people on Tisha b’Av. Based on the Netziv’s interpretation of Mishneh Torah, Sefer Devarim emerges as the most appropriate sefer of Chamisha Chumshei Torah to read and study on the Shabbat preceding this day. Beyond question, Tisha b’Av teaches us the necessity to treat our fellow Jews with compassion and understanding—whoever and wherever they may be. This lifelong quest is fraught with innumerable trials. As such, we are blessed that Torat Moshe in general, and Mishneh Torah in particular, provide the roadmap we need to guide us on this challenging journey. Like Yehoshua, may Hashem grant us the wisdom to implement its eternal message as our own. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and a truly meaningful fast.
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
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*** 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