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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
 
The Netaneh Tokef prayer is one of the most emotionally expressive tefilot in the Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard machzorim, so much so that one of its passages brings many of us to tears each time it is recited:

On Rosh Hashanah it [that is, our judgment] will be inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed—how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by stoning, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted. (Translation, www.Sefaria.org with my emendations)
 
Following the chazan’s repetition of this section, the entire congregation cries aloud: “u’teshuvah u’tefilah u’tzdakah ma’avirin et roah hagezerah--but repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil of the decree!” (Translation, ArtScroll Machzor)  This is an incredibly powerful affirmation of the transformative nature of teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah when they are combined into one spiritual unit, for, then, even a negative decree against us, as individuals and as a nation, can be nullified.
 
In Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 2:4, the Rambam (1135-1204) renders a p’sak (halachic conclusion) that is congruent with the phrase, “u’teshuvah u’tefilah u’tzdakah ma’avirin et roah hagezerah”: “Among the paths of repentance is for the penitent to constantly call out before G-d, crying and entreating, and to perform charity according to his potential…” (Translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)  My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, examines this statement in a deeply penetrating manner. In so doing, he elucidates the meaning of “to constantly call out before G-d, crying and entreating”:

Herein it is explained that there is a special kind of tefilah to be undertaken by the ba’al teshuvah, namely, tefilah shel tza’akah—prayer of crying out [from the depths of one’s being], and the unique category of this form of prayer appears to be none other than the selichot (penitential prayers), which are, [by definition,] tefilah shel tza’akah, rather than standard prayer. As such, we are accustomed to say the selichot aloud, as this is a part of the fulfillment of the crying out of the ba’al teshuvah.
 
Following this, the Rav analyzes the phrase, “to perform charity according to his potential”:
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It appears to me that this is the very reason why the parsha concerning the Mishkan (Portable Desert Sanctuary) appears immediately after the parsha of the Chet HaEgel (Sin of the Golden Calf), since it is one of the paths of teshuvah [for the ba’al teshuvah] to give tzedakah. [As such,] the voluntary offerings that went toward the work of [constructing] the Mishkan were in the category of tzedakah to bring about kapparah (expiation) upon their souls. (Sefer Harrerei Kedem, vol. 1, page 76, translations and brackets my own)
 
These insights provide a trenchant interpretation of the relationship of teshuvah to tefilah and tzedakah. Tefilah of teshuvah is given voice in the selichot, which are the ultimate representation of tefilah shel tza’akah. Tzedakah of teshuvah engenders kapparah al nafshoteinu, expiation for our very being.
 
With Hashem’s help, may our heartfelt teshuvah, tefilah shel teshuvah, and tzedakah shel teshuvah unite to remove the roah hagezerah from upon us, so that we may be inscribed in the Sefer HaChaim (the Book of Life). V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom v’Gamar 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 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.
 
Parashat Nitzavim, the concluding parasha of 5782 and the prelude to Rosh Hashanah, promises that Hashem will gather us unto Him, regardless of how far away we may be: “Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, Hashem, your G-d, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there.” (Sefer Devarim 30:4, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations)  The reason Hashem will bestow this kindness upon us is presented earlier in Parashat Va’etchanan:
And from there you will seek Hashem your G-d, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are distressed, and all these things happen upon you in the end of days, then you will return to Hashem, your G-d, and obey Him.” (4:29-30) 
 
This theme of teshuvah is reiterated in our parasha, as well: “And you will return to Hashem, your G-d (v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha), with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children.” (30:2) In his Commentary on the Torah, the Ramban zatzal (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) suggests the following explanation of this pasuk:
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The meaning thereof is that you will return “with all your heart, and with all your soul,” and you will take it upon yourself and upon your children throughout their generations to do “according to all that I command you this day,” just as they did at the second redemption [that is, the redemption from Babylon], as it is written, “They joined with their brethren, their noblemen, and entered the curse and the oath to follow the Law of G-d, which was given through Moshe, the servant of G-d, and to keep and perform all the commandments of Hashem our L-rd, and His ordinances and His statutes.” (Sefer Nechemiah 10:30, Ramban translation, Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel, with my emendations)
 
In sum, for the Ramban, the essence of teshuvah consists in fealty to the Torah: “to keep and perform all the commandments of Hashem our L-rd, and His ordinances and His statutes.”
 
Another way to understand the connection that obtains between teshuvah and the Torah is to focus on the incredible power of returning to Hashem. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudlikov zatzal (1748-1800), grandson of the holy Bal Shem Tov zatzal (d. 1760) and author of Degel Machane Ephraim, cites a “game changing” interpretation of the phrase, “v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha” from his saintly grandfather:
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“And you will return to Hashem, your G-d…” I heard from my master, my grandfather, may he be remembered for a blessing and life in the World to Come, that this is similar in kind to an individual who brings a light to a place of darkness. [At that point,] the darkness goes completely away, and it is no longer recognized at all. So, too, is it the case when one returns in teshuvah, even though he was originally in a place of darkness. For when one kindles the light of Torah, then the darkness [of who he once was] goes completely away. (Likutim Parashat Nitzavim, translation and brackets my own)
 
This is the time of the year when we long for the fulfillment of Yirmiyahu the prophet’s stirring words: “Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah— Cause us to return unto You, Hashem, and we will return!” (Megillat Eichah 5:21)  With the Almighty’s help, may the light of the Torah we kindle drive the darkness from our lives, and bring the Mashiach soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom v’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 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 a statement that poses a distinct exegetical challenge: “This day (hayom hazeh), Hashem, your G-d, is commanding you to fulfill these statutes (chukim) and ordinances (mishpatim)...” (Sefer Devarim 26:16, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Since countless chukim and mishpatim are found in preceding parshiot of the Torah, what does the phrase, hayom hazeh, signify?
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105) maintains that our phrase teaches us: “each and every day they [the mitzvot] should be in your eyes as if they are new (chadashim) [to you], as if you were commanded [for the first time in their regard] today.” (Translation and brackets my own)  This interpretation has powerful ramifications since, by actualizing its message, we can avoid the robotic fulfillment of mitzvot decried by Yeshayahu the prophet as mitzvat anashim m’lumdah. (Sefer Yeshayahu 29:13)  His words find their clearest exposition in the commentary on Sefer Yeshayahu of the Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, 1809-1879):

There are those who perform the mitzvot solely because this is what they have become accustomed to do since their youth and they are used to performing them. They perform them without any cognitive gesture (kavanah) and without thought—even though they may know that they are commandments from G-d. They, however, do not perform them in any way because Hashem commanded them to do so. Instead, they perform them because this is what they were dictated to do by their teachers and parents. They [the mitzvot] are performed without any understanding and are mere mechanical actions reinforced by past rote behaviors… (29:13, translation and underlining my own).
 
Perhaps Rashi had this in mind when he focused on the notion of ensuring the daily newness of the mitzvot. The Midrash Tanchuma offers additional insights, emphasizing the beloved nature (chavivut) of the Torah: “And what does the phrase, ‘hayom hazeh,’ come to teach us? In truth, Moshe said to the Jewish people: ‘Each and every day the Torah should be chavivah to you, as if this very day you received it from Har Sinai…’” (Warsaw edition, Parashat Ki Tavo I, translation my own)  Two additional approaches are presented by the Midrash Tannaim. The first addresses the way the Jewish people willingly and eagerly received the teachings of Moshe Rabbeinu:

“This day (hayom hazeh), Hashem, your G-d, is commanding you,” yet, is it not the case that the Jewish people already had the mitzvot for 40 years! Nonetheless, the Torah deploys the term, “hayom hazeh!” This is coming to teach you that since Moshe taught them the Torah and they accepted it with equanimity (b’safer panim yaffot), the Omnipresent One considered this as if it was the very same day they accepted the Torah from Har Sinai. (This and the following translation my own)
 
The next midrashic statement gives powerful voice to the direct relationship between Revelation and Torah study:
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Whenever the Jewish people are actively engaged in Torah study, the Holy One blessed be He considers it as if they received the Torah from Sinai on that very day; therefore, the text states, “This day (hayom hazeh), Hashem, your G-d, is commanding you.”
 
May the insights provided by our sages guide us on our path of Torah observance. May Hashem’s mitzvot ever be new and beloved in our eyes, and may our Torah study enable us to reexperience the Revelation at Har Sinai anew, each and every day. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom v’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 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 begins with the well-known verse: “When you go out to war against your enemies (oivecha), and Hashem, your G-d, delivers him into your hands, and you take his captives.” (Sefer Devarim 21:10, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)  In his Commentary on the Torah on our pasuk, Rashi zatzal (1040-1105) presents the position of the Midrash Sifrei (Sefer Devarim 21:1) noting that it is referring to a volitional war (milchemet reshut), rather than an obligatory war (milchemet mitzvah), in which one is proscribed from taking captives. As is often the case, Rashi’s gloss sets the stage for our verse’s interpretation by many other exegetes.
 
An alternate mode of analysis focuses on the spiritual ramifications of our pasuk that are particularly apropos during Chodesh Elul, the month dedicated to teshuvah (returning to Hashem). One of the champions of this approach is the Katav Sofer zatzal (Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, 1815-1871), who, like others in this school of thought, identifies the term “oivecha” in our verse with the yetzer harah (evil inclination). He cites a statement from Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 30b that depicts the power of the yetzer harah: “Rabbi Shimon ben Levi says: ‘… And if not for the fact that the Holy One, Blessed be He, assists each person in battling his evil inclination, he could not overcome it.’” (Translation, The William Davidson Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor)  The Katav Sofer suggests that a person might easily misconstrue the intent of this epigrammatic phrase and think: “He should not go out to war against the yetzer harah. Moreover, he should not undertake any actions to conquer him; instead, he should trust in Hashem, Who will help him by waging His great war [against the evil inclination] on his behalf.” (Sefer Katav Sofer, Parashat Ki Tetze, this and the following translations and brackets my own)  The Katav Sofer immediately dismisses such a passive strategy to conquering the yetzer harah:

Aval haemet lo kane hu—But the truth is not like this at all, for one who thinks like this will never conquer the yetzer harah from controlling him. Rather, a person must ever be at war with his evil inclination according to the limits of his power, and engage in every possible tactic, for then, he will be helped min hashamayim (from Heaven). As our Sages state (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 104a): “One who comes to purify themself [from their sins] will be helped [from Heaven in so doing].”
 
In sum, according to the Katav Sofer, a person must begin the process to purify himself from sin and then and, only then, Heaven will help him. In his estimation, there are two partners in the war against the yetzer harah, and by extension, the teshuvah process, namely, Hashem and the Jewish people. Crucially, however, while we are confident that Hashem will come to our aid, we must be the ones to initiate this spiritual transformation.
 
I believe we can apply the Katav Sofer’s mode of thought to the concluding mishnah of Masechet Yoma:

Rabbi Akiva said: “How fortunate are you, Israel; before Whom are you purified, and Who purifies you? It is your Father in Heaven,” as it is stated: ‘And I will sprinkle purifying water upon you, and you shall be purified.’ (Sefer Yechezkel 36:25). And it says: ‘The hope (mikvei) of Israel is Hashem.’ (Sefer Yirmiyahu 17:13). Just as a mikvah purifies the impure, so too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, purifies Israel. (Translation, The William Davidson Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor, with my emendations)
 
Rabbi Akiva teaching that, “just as a mikvah purifies the impure, so too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, purifies Israel,” is parallel to our earlier citation from Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 104a: “One who comes to purify themself [from their sins] will be helped [from Heaven in so doing].” Just as we must first immerse ourselves in the mikvah so that Hashem will remove our spiritual impurity, so, too, must we begin the teshuvah process so that Hashem will join and aid us in returning unto Him. This idea is reminiscent of two pasukim in parashat teshuvah: “And from there you will seek Hashem your G-d, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul… For Hashem your G-d is a merciful G-d; He will not shun you or destroy you; neither will He forget the covenant of your fathers (brit avotecha), which He swore to them.” (Sefer Devarim 4:29 and 31)
 
May the time come soon and, in our days, when the entire Jewish people will return to Hashem, so that we may witness the complete fulfillment of brit avotecha. 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 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 includes the celebrated verse: “Justice, justice you shall pursue (tzedek tzedek tirdof), that you may live and possess the land Hashem, your G-d, is giving you.” (Sefer Devarim 16:20, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)  As this commandment is given to the entire Jewish people, we must have a shared understanding as to what the term tzedek means. Fortunately, in his Aramaic elucidation of the Torah, Onkelos (35-120 CE) helps us find just such common ground. He interprets tzedek tzedek tirdof as, kushta kushta hevai radif (“Truth, truth you shall pursue.”)  This explanation is buttressed in two pasukim in Sefer Tehillim wherein “justice” and “truth” appear in juxtaposition:

He who walks uprightly and works justice (tzedek) and speaks truth (emet) in his heart. (15:2)
 
And your glory is that you will pass and ride for the sake of truth (emet) and just (tzedek) humility, and it shall instruct you so that your right hand shall perform awesome things. (45:5)
 
Onkelos’ penetrating insight into the authentic nature of tzedek, reveals that it is inseparable from emet: That which is just, is that which is true.
 
Why, did the Torah deem it necessary to repeat the word tzedek, when it appears “tzedek tirdof—you should pursue justice” would have been sufficient? In his Commentary on the Torah on our pasuk, the Ibn Ezra (c. 1089-1092 to c. 1164-1167) offers the following multi-level answer:

The reason [why the Torah states] “tzedek” twice [in our verse, is three-fold in nature]: [Regardless] as to whether you benefit or suffer a loss [from pursuing tzedek, you must unhesitatingly do so]; another reason for this repetition is [to teach us] that [achieving] tzedek is a lifelong quest; then, too, it is to strengthen our resolve [to make tzedek the touchstone of our lives]. (Translation and brackets my own)
 
The Ibn Ezra interprets the repetition of tzedek as a charge to individuals, in the sense that it must be our unfailing objective no matter how we may be affected on a practical level. Moreover, in his view, we must realize that in order to make tzedek an intrinsic part of our lives, we must ever be vigilant.
 
Closer to our own time, in his Commentary on the Torah on our verse, Rabbeinu Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) expands upon the Ibn Ezra’s position and views the repetition of tzedek as the Torah’s attempt to shape the behavior of the entire Jewish people, both on the individual and national level:
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Justice should be the highest and singular goal of the entire nation. Moreover, one ought to aspire for justice in and of itself. All other considerations must be subordinated to achieve this purpose. Justice is that which shapes all connections and attachments of the individual and the community in order to conform to the requirements of Hashem’s Torah. The role of a Jewish individual is to pursue that which is just in an unceasing manner coupled with complete dedication. (Translation and underlining my own from the Hebrew edition of the German text)
 
This concept has been part of Jewish consciousness for centuries. As Yeshayahu the prophet declared so long ago: “And I [Hashem] will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning; afterwards you shall be called City of Righteousness (ihr hatzedek), Faithful City. Tzion shall be redeemed through justice and those who return unto her through righteousness (bitzdakah).” (1:26-27)  With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, 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 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
​