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:
​
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:
​
“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:
​
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:
​
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
​

Image: Nirit Logan
ושמחת בחגך מוזהב - נירית לגן (ngan.co.il) 












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 concluding section of our parasha focuses on the moadim (festivals) that we encounter throughout the year. Herein, we are met with two pasukim, the first in reference to Shavuot and the second in reference to Succot, that contain very similar terminology:

And you shall rejoice before Hashem, Elokecha, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite who is within your cities, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are among you, in the place which Hashem, Elokecha, will choose to establish His Name therein. (Sefer Devarim 16:11, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations)
 
And you shall rejoice in your Festival, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities. (Sefer Devarim 16:14)
 
A careful reading of these verses reveals two groups differentiated by the terms, “your” and “the,” respectively; your son, your daughter, your manservant, and your maidservant (personal); and the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow (public). In both instances, we are obligated to provide for the festival needs of these individuals, to ensure that they, no less than we, will celebrate yom tov with true joy (simcha).
 
The Torah’s emphasis on these two classes of people is expanded upon in the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni 897:6:

Rabbi Lulinos of Rome in the name of Rabbi Yehudah bar Siman said, “The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘You [the Jewish people] have four b’nai bayit (family members), namely, bincha, bitecha, v’avdecha v’amatecha (your son, your daughter, your manservant, and your maidservant), and I, too, have four b’nai bayit: halevi, hager, v’hayatom, v’ha’almanah (the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow); and they are all found in one verse: “And you shall rejoice in your Festival, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities.’” (Sefer Devarim 16:14, this and the following midrash translation and brackets my own)
 
Just as we are joined by our b’nai bayit, that is, our extended family, in rejoicing on the yom tovim, so, too, is Hashem joined by His b’nai bayit, the Levite, stranger, orphan, and widow. The midrash continues stressing the reward we will receive when we fulfill this mitzvah:

The Holy One blessed be He said: “I have told you to help that which is Mine and that which is yours to rejoice on the yamim tovim that I have given you. If you have done this, then I, too, will enable that which is Mine and that which is yours to rejoice. For in the future, I will help both to rejoice in My Chosen House (beit habechirah) …
 
It is crucial to understand that ministering to the needs of the down-trodden in society on the yom tovim is more than a midrashic ideal; it is a halachic imperative. As the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) states:

When a person eats and drinks [in celebration of a yom tov day], he is obligated to feed converts, orphans, widows, and others who are destitute and poor. In contrast, a person who locks the gates of his courtyard and eats and drinks with his children and his wife, without feeding the poor and the embittered, is [not indulging in] rejoicing associated with a mitzvah, but rather the rejoicing of his belly. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yom Tov 6:18, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger with my emendations)
 
With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may we strive to fulfill this mitzvah and witness the realization of Hashem’s promise soon, and in our time. As Yeshayahu the prophet declares (56:7), “I will bring them to My holy mount, and I will cause them to rejoice in My house of prayer… for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 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 first pasuk in our parasha contains the well-known phrase, “v’haya eikev tishm’un eit hamishpatim ha’aleh.” There are a variety of classical approaches regarding its translation and interpretation. Onkelos (1st Century CE) suggests, “And it will be in exchange [that is, a quid pro quo] if you accept these laws.” In contrast, Rashi (1040-1105) maintains the phrase refers to a specific set of laws, “If you will heed the minor commandments which one [usually] tramples with their heels [that is, which a person treats as being of minor importance].” (Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). The Ibn Ezra (c. 1089-1092 until c. 1164-1167) asserts that eikev refers to schar b’achronah. As such, he would translate our expression as, “And it will be that the ultimate reward will accrue to you if you hearken to these laws.”
 
Closer to our own time, the Netziv (Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (1816-1893) takes a very different tack, explaining v’haya eikev tishm’un eit hamishpatim ha’aleh as referencing deep-level Torah analysis (sh’yachkaru ba’Torah). He would, therefore, translate this phrase as, “And it will be if you engage in deep-level Torah study.” He focuses on the word tishm’un, as the source of his unique interpretation, noting that it is spelled with a grammatically unnecessary letter nun. This is quite significant, since the nine other times the word, tishm’u, appears in Chamishah Chumshei Torah it is without the letter nun. In the Netziv’s opinion, the nun comes l’haktin, to make smaller or delimit. As he explains, its purpose is to inform us:

… that not everyone within the Jewish people could possibly have been involved in intensive Torah study [at this historical moment,] since the [vast majority] were involved in war [and all it entailed]. Nonetheless, it was necessary for there to be people engaged in Talmud Torah [as this mitzvah was as significant as the actual fighting itself]. (Translation and brackets my own, in addition, see the Netziv’s gloss on Sefer Devarim, 33:18)
 
As the Netziv makes clear in his subsequent glosses on our phrase, such intensive Torah study will lead directly to Hashem’s fulfillment of His promise to bestow chesed and brachot upon the Jewish people. As the Torah states:

… the L-rd, your G-d, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your soil, your grain, your wine, and your oil, the offspring of your cattle and the choice of your flocks, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples: There will be no sterile male or barren female among you or among your livestock. And the L-rd will remove from you all illness, and all of the evil diseases of Egypt which you knew, He will not set upon you… (Sefer Devarim 7:12-15, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
May we witness the complete realization of this promise 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.
 
Our parasha is a continuation of Moshe’s farewell address to the Jewish people. It begins with the words, “Va’etchanan (and I entreated) Hashem at that time...” (Sefer Devarim 3:23, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations) As noted in Midrash Sifrei Devarim on our pasuk, va’etchanan is one of the expressions of tefilah in Tanach. Though this, and countless other acts of tefilah are found throughout Tanach, the efficacy of prayer, in general, remains an authentic mystery. The problem is straightforward: How can finite man communicate with the infinite Creator? This difficulty is alluded to in Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 1:9:

Levi said: “The distance from the earth until the firmament would take 500 years for a man to traverse. The distance from each firmament to the next [of which there are seven] is 500 years as well. Moreover, the thickness of each firmament is a five-hundred-year journey and so, too, for each and every firmament.” Look how removed Hashem is from His world and [nonetheless] a man enters the synagogue, stands behind the prayer stand, silently prays and Hashem listens to his prayer! (Translation my own)
 
Why does the Almighty listen to our tefilot? This is one of the most spiritually significant questions we can ask, as it speaks to the essence of our relationship with Hashem. My rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, wrestled with this issue on numerous occasions. Initially, one might think that Hashem listens to our prayers because of zechut Avot (the merit of the Patriarchs). Based on Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 55a, however, the Rav notes that during the time of Yechezkel the prophet (sixth century BCE), zechut Avot ceased to exist. In his view, the merit of the Avot could extend only so far, since, after many generations, we had radically distanced ourselves from the standards of behavior established by Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. As a result, Hashem no longer viewed us as fitting recipients of their extended merit. (This, and the following material, based upon Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s posthumous work, The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways: Reflections on the Tisha be-Av Kinot, pages 51-56.)
 
If we no longer have zechut Avot, why does Hashem continue to listen to our tefilot? The Rav responded to this question by citing Rabbeinu Tam’s (1100-1171) seminal comment: “Zechut Avot tamah, aval brit Avot lo tamah” (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 55a, s.v. u-Shmuel), meaning, even though zechut Avot is no longer operable, we will always have brit Avot (the Covenant of the Patriarchs). In contradistinction to zechut Avot, brit Avot is not contingent upon our actions. Instead, the Rav asserts, it is an unconditional legal agreement that cannot be annulled. It represents Hashem’s promise to us that, no matter how far we may stray, we are forever the heirs of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. For Hashem, we will always be Knesset Yisrael, the mystical trans-historical entity that began with our forebears at Mount Sinai. Therefore, since each of us is an essential component of Knesset Yisrael, we can be assured the Almighty will listen to our prayers when they are uttered in an earnest and heartfelt fashion. As we say in Ashrei, “Hashem is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity” (Sefer Tehillim 145:18).
 
The Rav’s analysis enables us to better appreciate the Shemoneh Esrai’s phrase, “Shema koleinu Hashem Elokeinu” (“Hear our voice Hashem our G-d”). Understanding that the brit Avot guarantees our tefilot will be heard le’olam vo’ed (for all eternity), allows us to utter these words with new confidence. May this promise inspire us to encounter the Almighty through our tefilot as we strive to move 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.
 
Our sefer and parasha begin with the celebrated pasuk: “These are the words (aleh hadevarim) which Moshe spoke to all of the Jewish people 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.” (Sefer Devarim 1:1, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)  The Midrash Sifrei on our verse asks a straightforward question:

And is it the case that Moshe prophesied only these words; did he not write the entire Torah?! As the text states: “Then Moshe wrote this Torah…” (31:9)  As such, what is the Torah imparting when it writes, “aleh hadevarim which Moshe spoke?” It is coming to communicate that these were specifically words of admonition, as we find in the verse, “And Yeshurun (the Jewish people) became fat [that is, economically and politically powerful] and rebelled…” (32:15 midrash translation my own)
 
Rashi zatzal (1040-1105) expands on the Sifrei’s statement, “it is coming to communicate to us that these were specifically words of reprimand,” and suggests this explanation as to why the Torah employs the phrase, “aleh hadevarim”:

Since these are words of rebuke and he [Moshe] enumerates here all the places where they angered the Omnipresent, it, therefore, makes no explicit mention of the incidents [in which they transgressed], but rather merely alludes to them, [by mentioning the names of the places] out of respect for the Jewish people (mipnei k’vodon shel Yisrael).
 
In his posthumous Torah commentary, Darash Moshe, HaRav HaGaon Moshe Feinstein zatzal (1895-1986) notes that the concept of mipnei k’vodon shel Yisrael in Rashi’s gloss is quite difficult to understand:

For is it not the case that soon thereafter the Torah mentions the Sin of the Spies at great length? And, so, too, in Parashat Eikev, does not the Torah cite the complete narrative of the Golden Calf? If so, why at the beginning [of the sefer] does it utilize allusion alone and concern itself with the respect of the Jewish people (v’chas al k’vodom)? (Rav Moshe Dovid Yitzchak Tendler zatzal, Rav Dovid Feinstein zatzal, and Rav Shalom Reuven Feinstein shlita editors, Parashat Devarim 1:1, page 140, this, and the following translation and brackets my own)
 
Rav Moshe offers the following answer to his question:
​
…while it is true that this generation, [on the verge of entering Eretz Yisrael,] did not commit these earlier sins, and, therefore, could not be directly reproved for them, none the less, they [that is, these sins] are alluded to at this time (amar b’kan b’remez). For even the new generation needed to be admonished regarding the sins that were done by the previous generation, since it is necessary for each person to know that if they see someone sin, they should never say concerning themselves that it would be impossible to sin [in this manner, simply] because one knows that this matter is proscribed and believes in Hashem and His Torah… And this reproach was based on the notion that they, too, could sin; as such, [at the beginning of Sefer Devarim] they were reprimanded through allusion, to maintain their honor, as they had not yet sinned in actual practice.
 
I believe that Rav Moshe is teaching us a crucial lesson for this Shabbat day before Tisha b’Av: “It is necessary for each person to know that if they see someone sin, they should never say concerning themselves that it would be impossible to sin because one knows that this matter is proscribed and believes in Hashem and His Torah.” Instead, we must be vigilant in studying and fulfilling Hashem’s Torah and ever seek to be His true servants, for this, too, is mipnei k’vodon shel Yisrael. 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.
 
Parashat Mattot begins with the topic of hafarat nedarim (revocation of vows) by a father on behalf of his daughter, and by a husband for his wife. The general outlines of this mitzvah were formulated by the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) in this manner: “The 95th [positive] mitzvah that we are commanded is regarding the annulment of vows. This does not mean that we are obligated [per se] to annul vows, but rather that there are certain laws to be followed when so doing [wherein their fulfillment constitutes the mitzvah] …The annulment of vows done by a father [for his daughter] and a husband [for his wife] is explained in detail in the Torah.” (This, and the following quote from the Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandment 95, translation, Rabbi Berel Bell, with my emendations)
 
It should be noted that we no longer engage in hafarat nedarim in our time, since it is unclear as to exactly which nedarim may be revoked by the father or husband. Instead, we actively pursue the Torah She'Ba’al Peh (Oral Law) practice of hatarat nedarim (nullification of vows) that may be undertaken by either a recognized Torah scholar or a beit din. The Rambam speaks directly to the role of the talmid chacham in this Rabbinic act: “Furthermore, we know from the Oral Tradition that a Torah scholar can nullify anyone’s vow or oath.” (See, Talmid Bavli, Ketuvot 74b). Rabbi Herschel Schachter shlita aptly summarized the role of the beit din in this process:

Nowadays, when one seeks to nullify a neder, as is done on erev Rosh Hashanah, he stands before a beis din, which performs hataras nedarim (nullification of vows) based on pesach [an opening, that is], his not realizing how problematic observing the neder would be, and charatah, his regret for ever having undertaken the neder. The beis din then declares [three times], “It is permitted to you,” and the neder is annulled. (Rav Schachter on the Parsha: Insights and Commentary Based on the Shiurim of Rav Herschel Schachter, adapted by Dr. Allan Weissman, page 214, brackets my own)
 
While the practice of hatarat nedarim, whether by a talmid chacham or a beit din, is clearly based upon pesach and charatah, the mishnah in Talmud Bavli Chagigah 10a, boldly declares:

The halakhot of the dissolution of vows, when one requests from a Sage to dissolve them, fly in the air and have nothing to support them, as these halakhot are not mentioned explicitly in the Torah. There is only a slight allusion to the dissolution of vows in the Torah, which is taught by the Sages as part of the oral tradition. (Translation and explanation, The William Davidson Talmud, Koren Press, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor)
 
The notion that the halakhot of hatarat nedarim “fly in the air and have nothing to support them,” since they have no direct textual support, is strong proof of the power invested in Chazal by the Torah She'Ba’al Peh to legislate laws that respond to the practical needs of our people. As such, as Rav Schachter notes, the entire community joins as one during Kol Nidre and performs a public rendition of the dissolution of vows:

We have an old custom to recite Kol Nidre on the night of Yom Kippur, which is really a public hataras nedarim, annulling the nedarim we had taken during the course of the year since the last Yom Kippur… The standard explanation of this custom is based on the following comparison of the Zohar. Just as in the case of hataras nedarim, the beis din serves to uproot the neder retroactively, making it into something that was never binding at all, so too, with powerful teshuvah, the aveiros [sins] will be uprooted from their source, as if they never occurred. (Rav Schachter on the Parsha, page 218, brackets my own)
 
This Shabbat is eight days before Tisha b’Av. With Hashem’s help, as we mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash on this upcoming day, may we engage in heartfelt teshuvah and may our aveiros “be uprooted from their source, as if they never occurred.” This thought is echoed in the words of Megillat Eichah: “Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah, chadash yameinu k’kedem—Cause us to return unto You Hashem and we will return, renew our days as of old.” (5:21)  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, 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