P S | 2 ELUL UGUST Parsha Perspectives I (Deuteronomy 18:13)

PARSHAS SHOFTIM | 2 ELUL 5769 | 22 AUGUST 2009

The story of Rabbi Akiva in the Talmud (Berachos, 60B) illustrates this point beautifully. Once while traveling, he came to a town where no one would give him lodging for the night. He said, “Whatever Hashem does is for the best,” and went out into the nearby fields to sleep. As night fell, a strong wind came and blew out his only candle, leaving him in the dark. Then a large cat crept up and ate his rooster (alarm clock, circa. 70 CE). A few minutes later a lion came and ate his donkey, leaving him with nothing. After each loss, he said again, “Whatever Hashem does is for the best.”

In the morning, it turned out that a band of violent raiders had swept through town, pillaging the city, and taking the people as captives to be sold. Had Rabbi Akiva slept in town, had the raiders seen his candle or heard his animals, he would have been taken

along with them. Rabbi Akiva’s total calmness in the face of challenging situations is the epitome of being wholehearted with Hashem.

Chafetz Chaim, one of the greatest leaders of pre-war European Jewry, points out that there is a very important flip side to this verse. The verse implies that it is only on Hashem whom we must wholeheartedly rely. With human beings, however, we need to be cautious and judicious. While we have a commandment to give people the benefit of the doubt, it does not apply to areas that can affect us financially. In those situations, we need to carefully investigate the ”facts” presented to us. The Torah recognizes this reality and doesn’t pretend that we live in Utopia.

There is a story told about a number of students in the Chofetz Chaim’s yeshiva who had lost almost everything they

had in a financial scam. The Chofetz Chaim remarked that those students who had possibly applied the same trust they have in Hashem to people as well. Our verse tells us that Hashem is the only One Who warrants our wholehearted trust.

We see this concept very clearly with our forefather, Jacob. The Torah contrasts him with his crafty brother, Esau. “The lads grew up, and Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field, but Jacob was a wholehearted man, living in tents” (Gen. 25:27). The Sages explain that while Esau was a “hunter,” ensnaring people in his deceit, Jacob followed Hashem unconditionally and studied in the tents of the yeshiva of Shem and Eiver.

Yet it was this very same Jacob who did not trust the ultimate scammer, Lavan. He gave Rachel a secret code to try to prevent Lavan from switching his bride on him. He devised a method to ensure that he would receive his fair share of Lavan’s flock. Jacob may have epitomized the value of trusting in Hashem, but he is the same person who teaches us how careful we need to be before putting our resources on the line.

In Hashem we trust; all others require a healthy background check!

Rabbi Burnham can be reached at: [email protected]

אלקיך' תמים תהיה עם ה “You shall be wholehearted with Ha-shem, your G-d.”

(Deuteronomy 18:13)

I n this week’s parsha, the Torah delineates the relationship we are expected to foster with Hashem. “You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d.” (Deut. 18:13) Rashi explains that this means

that we should trust in what Hashem has in store for us. Even one who has the means to predict the future should not do so. Instead, one should confidently and wholeheartedly rely on Hashem.

Parsha Perspectives RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM

S H O F T I M Talking Points RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS

1. MONUMENTAL MISTAKES “And do not erect for yourself a monument that Hashem, your G-d, abhors.” 16:22

That G-d abhors – He abhors a stone monument when it is used for Divine worship. It is permitted however, to erect a stone monument in memory of a deceased person as Jacob did for Rachel and David for Absalom. – Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor

Do not erect for yourself a monument – A single-stone monument for sacrificial offerings, even for the sake of Heaven. That G-d abhors – An altar made of stones or an earthen altar is acceptable, but he detests a single-stone monument, because it was in the canon of the Canaanites. Although He cherished it during the times of the patriarchs who built many such monuments, He now detests it, since they included it in the idolatrous ritual. – Rashi

Although the Canaanites also used multi-stone altars in their idolatrous worship, this did not become forbidden, for it is not a practice unique to them. The only practice abhorred by the Almighty was one that they were unique in practicing, not a universal practice that they too, utilized. – Maharal

Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (1817-1893), better known as Netziv, explains in his commentary titled Heemek Davar, that the difference between altars and single-stone monuments is that altars were only used to facilitate idol worship, but they didn’t become the object of worship themselves. Monuments, however, were deified by the Canaanites, and that’s why the Almighty detested them so strongly. There are many parallels to this law in modern life, and while it’s important to be loyal citizens of our host countries, we must also be vigilant against allowing ourselves to become influenced by pagan practices that are anathema to our belief system.

2. FAITH TIME “You must remain totally faithful to Hashem your G-d.” 18:13

Remain totally faithful – Walk with Him in perfect trust, in anticipation of Him. Do not explore the future, rather, whatever befalls you, accept with perfect trust. Then, you will be with Him, and He will take you as His portion. - Rashi

Totally faithful – Do not combine your service of Him with that of another deity. Your faith must be in Him alone. – Chizkuni (Rabbi Chizkiya ben Manoach)

Totally faithful – The Hebrew word for this is “Tamim,” and its first letter, Tav, is enlarged. This symbolizes that one who is totally faithful to the Almighty is considered to have fulfilled the entire Torah represented by all the letters of the Aleph Beis that begins with the Aleph and end with the Tav. – Baal HaTurim

Nachal Kedumim points out that the phrase “Tamim Tehiyah” – remain totally faithful, has a numerical value of 910. This is the same numerical value as the Jewish month of Tishrei, hinting to the fact that especially during this auspicious time of year, it is imperative to be as loyal and faithful to the Almighty as possible. The more one does so, the greater his chances of a favorable judgment on Rosh Hashanah when Hashem reviews our faithfulness. 3. GOOD REPS AND BAD RAPS “If a corpse is found in the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you to inherit, fallen in the field, it is not known who smote him. Your elders shall go out, and your judges, and measure in the direction of the cities around the corpse…” 21:1, 2

Measure in the direction of the cities – In every direction, in order to determine which is closest. – Rashi

Your elders shall go out – The purpose of this elaborate ritual involving the leading members of the Sanhedrin along with many others was to publicize the events and to hopefully generate tips to help locate the murderer. The Elders had to publicly state that they had no knowledge

of the identity of the culprit, and this was a strong deterrent against the possibility of their withholding information in the interests of political considerations. – Rabbeinu Bachya

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt”l explained that the entire Parshas Shoftim deals with various obligations of judges and magistrate whose duty it was to uphold the words of the Torah. In order to do so effectively, they had to be men of impeccable character. That is why Parshas Shoftim concludes with the laws of Eglah Arufah (the special procedure to be followed when a person is killed by an unknown murderer and his body is found in a field), for those laws emphasize the need for the Elders to zealously guard their reputations. By forcing them to publicly state that they had no hand in this murder, even in an indirect manner, it becomes abundantly clear that they must go to great lengths to avoid any behavior that can sully their reputations.

Rabbi Meisels can be reached at: [email protected]

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Dear Samantha,

It’s great to hear that you are getting more involved in learning about our rich heritage. The genesis of the concept of this month goes back over 3,300 years. Forty days after the Jews received the Torah, they committed the sin of the Golden Calf, and Moses destroyed the (first set of) tablets that contained the 10 commandments. The next day, Moses went back up the mountain to plea on behalf of the Jewish people, begging G-d to forgive them for this most egregious failing. G-d agreed to forgive the people, but, as explained by Rashi (Exodus 33:11), retained a measure of anger.

Moses again ascended the mountain for a final forty days, starting with the first day of the month of Elul, and continuing through to the tenth day of Tishrei. At the end of that period, G-d fully forgave the people, marking the tenth of Tishrei as the very first Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. As such, the month of Elul has been linked to the High Holidays, from the very first year of Jewish history. As Moses spent those forty days trying to recreate the bond between G-d and the Jewish

people, we too spend the forty days from the first of Elul to the tenth of Tishrei engaged in the same noble pursuit. Our sages tell us that this time is especially auspicious for mending any mistakes we have made during the year (Ohr Hachaim, Deut 21:11-14).

On the practical level, the shofar is blown every morning after the morning services throughout the month of Elul (except the last day of the month). This too has its roots in the original Elul. When Moses went up to get the second set of luchos, there was concern that the people might make the same mistake they made the first time he left them, when they sinned with the Golden Calf. To prevent this from happening, they blew shofars in the camp on the morning Moses ascended the mountain (the first of Elul) to remind everyone to remain true to G-d. To this day, we start blowing the shofar on that day to remember that event (Ramban, Exodus 33:7).

While that only explains the blowing of the shofar on the first day of Elul, the author of the Shelah (Tractate Rosh Hashana, Chap.1) quotes the Pirkei D’Reb Eliezer

who says that we continue blowing the shofar throughout the whole month because the piercing sound of the shofar reminds us to be introspective and to focus on the difficult process of repentance. It is said that in the yeshivas of Europe, one could palpably feel Elul in the air. The anticipation of the upcoming Day of Judgment was so strong that they were filled with trepidation because of the diminishing amount of time they had to right their wrongs of the previous year.

There are also numerous verses hinting to the month of Elul as a month during which we try to develop a closeness with G-d. One example is the verse, אני I am to my beloved“ ,לדודי ודודי ליand my beloved is to me” (Song of Songs, 6:3), which forms the acronym אלול (ELUL). This points to the unique character of Elul, when G-d is considered closer to us than during any other time of the year (Bavli, Rosh Hashana, 18A), and when we can create or repair our bond with Him.

Wishing you a very meaningful Elul and a Healthy and Sweet New Year,

Rabbi Leiby Burnham

Rabbi Burnham can be reached at: [email protected]

THE ELUL FILE RABBI LEIBY BURNHAM

Dear Rabbi,

My partner and I will begin studying next week about the upcoming holidays. She explained that we will start discussing the month of Elul, as it is the month designated for High Holiday preparations. I’m sure she’s not referring to the food preparation – though with my family, it just might be. :) I attended Hebrew school and was confirmed at age 16, but don’t recall learning that there was anything special about this month. What am I missing?

Thanks for your help, Samantha W.

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We read in this parsha about the two-part speech recited to those poised to go out to battle.

“Who is the man who has built a new house and not

inaugurated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in war and another man will inaugurate it. And who is the man

who has planted a vineyard and has not redeemed it? Let him

go and return to his house, lest he die in war and another man will redeem it. And who is the man who has betrothed a

woman and not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in war and another man will marry

her.“ (Devarim 20: 5-8)

In this first section, the Torah addresses three (א

categories of people: those who had initiated a house, a field, or a marriage, but had not yet benefited from

the fruits of their efforts. These people are exempt from battle lest they die in battle before ever actualizing these endeavors. If

the person would anyway die in battle, why would the fact that

he had or hadn’t actualized their efforts make a difference?

What makes the three categories unique that would (ב

exempt them from battle?

The Torah continues, “Who is the man who is fearful and

fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, and let him not melt the heart of his fellows, like his heart.” (Devarim 20:8)

A fourth exemption is offered here for those who are (ג

afraid of battle, lest their sense of fear spread and

dishearten others. The Talmud (Sotah 44a) cites the opinion of Rabbi Yosi Haglili that this “fear” is a fear of his sins,

i.e., he fears being hurt in battle because of his sins. The purpose of the other three exemptions, as understood by Rabbi

Yosi Haglili, is to provide a cover, i.e., so as not to bring

attention and embarrass the person opting out because of his sins. Rabbi Yossi’s solution seems deficient. Why wouldn’t the

Torah be equally concerned that someone legitimately leaving for one of the first three reasons be pegged (by others not

know his personal circumstances) as a sinner?

Rabbi Lam can be reached at: [email protected]

TABLE TALK FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

RABBI LABEL LAM

Soul Talk The Sefer HaChinuch (The Book of the 613 Mitzvos) states that the deeper meaning of the Torah requirement that a single witness not be believed (and is thus not permitted to testify in beis din, Jewish court), is because only when a group of at least two people testifies together may we accept their words as absolute truth, for it is extremely rare, if not impossible, for two people who are generally recognized as honest enough to be accepted as witnesses in beis din to together contrive to lie in court. However, it is possible for a single witness, who is driven by monetary gain or the desire to take revenge on the person against whom he is testifying, and who does not require the assistance or even approval of another person, to be driven to lie in court. Thus, to ensure the absolute honesty of all testimony in beis din, the Torah warns (19:15): לא־יקום עד אחד באיש לכל־עון ולכל A single witness shall not stand up against ,חטאת any man for any iniquity or for any error.

Although testifying in beis din is not something that most of us do every day, the Sefer HaChinuch notes that the message of this mitzvah is one that is relevant to us all, every day of our lives. The Torah prohibition restricting one witness from testifying, out of fear that he will fabricate testimony, is one that applies to every single person, even to the biggest sage or tzaddik (righteous person). This is because each person has a yetzer hara (evil inclination), which, when given the slightest opening, will always drive him to sin, even in an area in which the person has acted appropriately for many, many years. This sad fact is seen in the Talmud in Berachos (29a), which tells us that Yochanan the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) served as Kohen Gadol for eighty (!) years, and each year merited to exit the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur alive, and nevertheless, toward the end of his life, succumbed to his yetzer hara and became a Sadducee who rejected the Oral Law that was instructed to Moses at Sinai. Similarly, the Talmud

(Sanhedrin 90a) tells of Chanania ben Azur, who spiritually perfected himself to the degree that he was a prophet who received communication from Hashem. Even so, he eventually sinned, and falsely prophesied that the proper thing to do was to serve idols. Thus, says the Sefer HaChinuch, even in a case where an established sage wishes to testify as a single witness against a person who is known to be a sinner (and it is thus probably true that he committed the wrongdoing of which he is being accused), nevertheless the sage may not do so.

The Sefer HaChinuch offers insight as to why the testimony of a single witness is forbidden: the only thing possibly stopping this person from lying is himself, which is not necessarily enough to prevent a person from sinning. It is only when two people are testifying together that they are believed, for the honesty of each one of these people serves as a deterrent for the second person, who is ashamed to suggest that the two of them lie in court together. When reinforced by a second person, each one of this set of witnesses becomes inherently believable.

We may learn from the Sefer HaChinuch a twofold message. First, we see that no matter what good deeds a person has already accomplished in his life, he may never assume that he has conquered his yetzer hara, but must always continue to remain on guard to continue to improve his spiritual standing. Second, the Sefer HaChinuch is perhaps advising us of the way in which we can continue to protect ourselves, namely, by joining with others who are also devoted to serving Hashem. In this way, each person will not need to rely on his own inherently fallible conscience and self-restraint. Instead, each person’s current desire to do good reinforces the other person, and ensures that he continues to serve Hashem in the proper way.

With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose