Wednesday, May 23, 2012
ACCELERATING THE GEULAH
11:34 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
• • • • •
Sanctity
of Eretz Yisroel
“Speak to Bnei Yisroel
and say to them, when you come to the land which I give to you” (25:2).
For the inhabitants of Eretz Yisroel who are on an
appropriate spiritual level, the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel has a greatly
impact on the quality of their Torah and mitzvos. However, the relationship
between us and Eretz Yisroel is a mutual one: the sanctity of Eretz
Yisroel is not static, but rather increases
in proportion to the quantity and quality of mitzvos which we perform
within it. By using the present tense: "when you come to the land" instead
of the future, "when you will come to the land", the possuk is telling us that the sanctity of this land is in a constant state of
flux. Although it is inherently holy, the extent of its holiness depends on us.
Eternal
investments
“You shall count for
yourself seven sabbatical years, seven years, seven times and it shall be for
you, the days (period) of the seven sabbatical years, forty-nine years” (25:8).
The Dubna Maggid zt”l
brings the parable of a person presented with 10,000 cents. At first, he is
overjoyed at the amount of coins in his possession, but then someone points out
to him that he has been blinded by the sight of all those coins, and that in
reality his “fortune" amounts to no more than $100.
Similarly, some people imagine that the world belongs to them
and that they will live forever. Even a middle-aged person who thinks about his
parents who lived into their 80s and 90s, or considers the current average life
expectancy, and then calculates how many days, months, or even years he is
likely to have left in this world, may not feel that concentrating his energies
on things of eternal value is something of immediate importance. However, if he starts thinking in
terms of seven-year shemita units, he will realize that even in the far
from certain event that all his statistical predictions will materialize, he
still does not have that many time units left, and it is indeed high time to
think of making suitable investments to enhance the quality of his eternal
abode.
HOnesty
pAys
“You shall not cheat one
another, and you shall fear your G-d.” (25:17).
This prohibition appears in the middle of the section on shmitta.
The mitzva of shmitta is meant to reinforce our faith that Hashem runs
the world and that our efforts are not the real cause of our livelihood. If a
businessman dishonestly claims that his goods are of the best quality or the
cheapest, he is displaying a lack of such faith. He may make an easy profit in
the short-term, but it is likely to be at the expense of trouble in the future,
such as financial losses, health issues etc.
Even if the fraudster intends to use his gains for worthy
purposes, the possuk warns him not to chap, and to always remain honest.
That way he will be worthy of receiving Hashem’s enduring blessings.
This aspect of business is often hidden from the eyes of
friends and acquaintances, who may even think that the culprit is the epitome
of honesty. Therefore, the possuk stresses: “and you shall fear your
G-d”: remember that you will have to account for all your deeds to your
Creator.
Chesed
in learning
“If your brother becomes
impoverished and his means fail with you, then you shall uphold him” (25:35)
This mitzvah essentially concerns charity for the
poor, but many people are impoverished not necessarily in a financial sense;
they may be downtrodden for personal reasons or because they are not succeeding
in their learning, and in need of a kind word and encouragement.
The Avnei Nezer zt”l
asks how the Bnai Yisroel observed the mitzvos of tzdoko
and chesed in the wilderness
where everybody's material needs were met through the mon. He answers that they
taught each other Torah and wisdom, and that imparting knowledge is at least as
worthy as parting with one's money for the sake of charity. In fact, someone
who teaches and encourages others with less knowledge or capabilities than
himself is fulfilling both the mitzvah of helping out his impoverished brother
and the positive commandment of tzedoko.
When Rav Sternbuch was in Yeshiva his rov,
Rav Moshe Schneider zt”l insisted on the
brighter students spending time helping out younger or less capable talmidim.
He argued Torah must be accompanied by chesed, and someone interested
only in his own Torah would not enjoy success in learning in the long term.
Bitochon
and HIshtadlus
“You shall not take from
him interest or usury” (25:36)
The Kli Yokor explains that usually in business a
person prays to Hashem that he will succeed in his endeavors, because he is
uncertain whether his deal will succeed, but if someone lends with interest his
income is seemingly fixed and certain, and he is less likely to realize his
dependence on Hashem. That is why this prohibition is stated in juxtaposition
to the mitzvah of shemita, because the essence of shemita too to is
inculcate the mitzvah of bitochon.
According to the Vilna Gaon zt”l we are permitted to refrain from making any effort whatsoever
to gain a living, if our level of bitochon justifies it. That is how the Vilna Goan himself acted in his own life
and Rav Schneider told Rav Sternbuch that he still knew people in Vilna
who were the students of the students of the Vilna Gaon, who had absolute bitochon
and enjoyed corresponding hashgocho.
Even though we are unlikely to reach such spiritual
heights, and in any case, the Chovos Halevovos states that even on the ideal plane a person must make at least minimal
efforts for parnosso, the fact that such people existed
so close to our own times should still serve as a source of inspiration for us.
Lesson
of the Yovel
“He shall reckon with
the one who bought him from the year which he was sold to him until the jubilee
year” (25:50)
At the beginning of the yovel cycle, the redemption
fee which the slave has to pay to redeem himself is high, but it becomes
reduced as the years come closer to the yovel year. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l used this phenomenon to explain how we can expect Moshiach to come if he did not appear in earlier generations, which were on a
much higher level than ours.
Hashem fixed a time for our
redemption, and the early generations needed lots of merits to accelerate it.
We, on the other hand, who are so close to the final chapter of golus are not required to “pay such a
large fee" to merit redemption. Hashem does not expect us to do more than
our utmost, based on our own abilities and circumstances, to merit eternal
freedom. "And the ransomed of Hashem shall return, and come with singing
to Tziyon, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads, they shall obtain
gladness and enjoy, and sorrow and signing shall flee away” (Yeshaya 35:10).
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