Thursday, August 30, 2012
Preparing for the diagnosis
10:53 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
By
Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Judges and policemEn
“You
shall set up for yourself judges and officers in all your gates” (16:18)
We must
erect gates to control all our limbs, such as our eyes, ears and mouths, and
ensure that they are subjected to the scrutiny of “judges” (our minds) whose
job it is to decide whether a certain action is appropriate, for example,
whether it is worthwhile to hear or speak a certain thing. Once we have done so
our limbs act like police officers and enforce this “judgment”.
Beware oF externals
“You
shall not plant for yourself an asheirah, [or] any tree, near the altar of Hashem” (16:21)
Chazal say
that someone who appoints an unworthy dayan, it is as if he has planted
an asheirah. (Masseches Avodo Zoro 52b). Why is this compared to
the act of planting an asheirah?
Other
types of avodo zoro, such as a stone or the sun, are static, but an asheirah
is a type of tree, which grows. Similarly, incorrect judgments issued by an
unworthy dayan have both immediate negative consequences and also cause
long-term damage, which constitute a stumbling block for the public.
Furthermore, the asheirah, as a tree, was planted for beauty, and may
have been further embellished subsequently, like the tree used by non-Jews on
their holiday. This teaches us that when it comes to appointing a dayan
or rav we
should not look at external trappings, such as expertise in secular knowledge
or academic titles, but only at his Torah knowledge and yiras shomayim.
Spiritual vitality
“And
you shall not set up for yourself a monument, which Hashem, your G-d hates” (16:22)
The word
"monument" also means "gravestone". A person who performs mitzvos
by rote may be compared to a gravestone. We must maintain our spiritual
vitality by endeavoring to constantly elevating our levels of avodas Hashem.
This possuk warns us to avoid a situation where our davening,
learning, or other mitzvos are not accompanied by any devotion or emotion.
Zoken mamre
“And you
shall abolish evil… and all the people shall listen and fear” (17:12-13)
Rav
Yecheskel Sarna zt”l commented on the
possuk: “Do not be too righteous… do not be too wicked” (Kohelles
7:16-17) that on the face of it, we would think that it is worse to be too
wicked than too righteous, but in reality someone who is too righteous is worse,
because he is less likely to do teshuva, since he may not even be aware
of his need to do teshuva.
Chazal
tell us that the zoken mamre is a major talmid chachom who is
likely to mislead people with his rulings running counter to the views of the
members of the Sanhedrin, and that is why he has to be publicly executed during
a regel so that the message of the paramount of the Sanhedrin can
receive the greatest possible publicity.
Torah interpretations
“He
shall write for himself two copies of this Torah on a scroll out of that which
is before the kohanim the leviyim” (17:18)
The King
had a sefer torah, which he carries on him at all times, in addition to
the Sefer Torah, which every Jew possessed, to remind him to observe all
the mitzvos meticulously.
Many non-practicing
Jews as well as non-Jews study and believe in the Torah, interpreting it at
will in a way that conforms to their false views. The possuk therefore
warns the King that he must only accept the interpretation of the kohanim,
who represented the talmidei chachomim during the time of the Beis
Hamikdosh, because only they, who served Hashem faithfully, know the true
interpretation of the Torah.
False MOshiach
“A
prophet from among you, from your brothers, like me, Hashem, your G-d will set
up for you, to him you shall hearken” (18:15)
In the
days of Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt”l there was a person who managed to convince some Jews that he would soon
reveal himself as moshiach. Rumors of his imminent revelation and an
ensuing mass emigration of the entire Jewish population from his town spread to
the mayor. Fearing for the fate of all the taxes owed by the Jews, he enacted a
regulation forbidding any Jew from leaving the town at any time. This
legislation naturally caused major chaos.
The mayor then decided to visit the greatest local rabbi, Rav Chaim, to ask him what
the rumors were all about. Rav Chaim responded by asking the mayor whether he
believed this fellow was moshiach, and
he responded in the negative. Rav Chaim told him that he also thought the whole
thing was nonsense since our Torah says that the real moshiach the whole
world will believe in without any exceptions, since it says, "you shall
hearken to him”. This is not a commandment, but an indication that there will
not be anybody who will doubt the true moshiach, and that is not the case
with this person. The mayor was convinced by Rav Chaim’s explanation, and
immediately revoked the decree forbidding the Jews from leaving the town.
Utilizing the Siyata Dishmaya of elul
“Be
wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d” (18:13)
One screw
missing in a rocket sent to space may affect the functionality of the whole
system. Similarly, we have to act with completeness and wholeheartedness in our
avodas Hashem. We cannot "cut corners" by being lax in our
observation of certain mitzvos or compromising here and there.
“I am my
beloved’s, and my beloved is mine”. During Elul we must increase our awareness
that our relationship with Hashem depends on our own spiritual status, and is a
reflection of it. According to the Vilna Gaon zt”l the main din on Rosh Hashono, of
which we are apprehensive, is not the one which decides our material fate, our
health, financial status, and, in fact, our very lives. That judgment can be
overturned through teshuva, tefillo and tzedoko.
What we
must be most concerned about in the current period is the annual analysis of
our spiritual status undertaken by Hashem every Rosh Hashono. This may
be compared to the medical diagnosis pronounced by a renowned professor who states
his opinion on the physical reality of the patient as he sees it. Similarly, on
Rosh Hashono Hashem makes
a "diagnosis" of the state of everybody's neshomo. This
is not a judgment, which can be tempered by mercy, but rather the
expression of a spiritual reality.
People of
the stature of the Arizal could detect such a reality even with their physical
eyes. Although this reality cannot be tempered by mercy, it can be changed in
the weeks of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashono. On Rosh Chodesh Elul, we are sent a summons telling us that we are
to appear before the Creator in one month’s time, and that we have 30 days
during which we can change our spiritual reality for the better.
It is a
sobering thought, to say the least, that someone may be keeping all the mitzvos,
and yet be spiritually dead if he is observing them completely by rote; in fact
he may already be in the status known as koreis. Our task in the days
remaining before Rosh Hashono is
to inject vitality and enthusiasm into our avodas Hashem with joy and
gratitude for the opportunity we have to utilize the special siyata dishmaya of this period to rejuvenate our neshomos.
LOOKING AT OURSELVES
By
Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Looking at ourselves
“See, I
set before you today day a blessing and a curse" (11:26).
Re’eh –
“See”
is in the singular: the possuk is addressing each individual,
telling them not to look around to see what level others are on, and thus find
solace in the fact that they are on a higher level than those around them.
Instead, we should look only at ourselves to determine whether we are
fulfilling our own specific potential.
Sometimes
a person feels satisfied after learning for several hours, even though his specific
talents and constitution allow him to learn more than his friend who learns as
much as him but is endowed with less talents or stamina. We should only compare
ourselves to those around us whose level of avodas Hashem surpasses
ours.
I - you must be aware that
Hashem is the Creator, who runs the world, and life and death, and good and bad
in general, are dependent on his Will.
Set
before you - in
the present tense: we should not feel as if the Torah was given to us thousands
of years ago in the wilderness, but as if it is being given to us here and now.
Today
– do not tell
yourself that yesterday I exhausted myself learning, I gave a lot of Tzedaka
and performed other mitzvahs, today I need to relax a bit, and tomorrow I will
get back to my routine. Instead, our task each day is to determine how we can
best fulfill the will of Hashem during the coming day. Sometimes this
will indeed consist in resting or relaxing, but we have to be honest with
ourselves. If we are fully aware that each and every day presents unique and
irreplaceable opportunities for grabbing more Torah and mitzvos and
acquiring eternal life, any urge to rest will be more likely to stem from a
proper desire to strengthen ourselves for our avodas Hashem than from
mere laziness.
Mitzvos
“The
blessing, that you will heed the commandments of Hashem” (11:27)
According
to the plain meaning, this phrase teaches us that the believing person who
keeps the mitzvos feels content. He accepts everything that happens to
him as the Will of Hashem, and is blessed with peace of mind, unlike the person
who does not keep mitzvahs, who becomes frustrated and disgruntled whenever
things do not turn out the way he would like them to.
Furthermore,
the very fact that we are serving Hashem and keeping mitzvos instead of
leading an animalistic existence pursuing vanities is a blessing in and of
itself, even without the expectation of any other recompense.
Meisis
“Neither
shall you pity him, have mercy upon him, nor shield him” (13:9)
Normally, in the Torah’s criminal
law, we have to go out of our way to find something extenuating to save a
defendant's life, but in the case of the meisis
the opposite is the case: we do not look for any merits, nor give him the
benefit of the doubt.
The most dangerous type of meisis pretends to be religious, but
secretly incites others towards heresy (not necessarily idle worship), because
such people constitute a threat to the very existence of the Torah.
Kashrus
“You
shall not eat any carcass… for you are a holy nation to Hashem” (14:21)
A member of a holy nation is concerned with maintaining the highest
levels of kashrus, wherever one may find oneself, be it in a restaurant or a
foreign business trip. The possuk
warns us not to make do with declarations or kashrus certificates, which are of
an insufficiently high standard.
TZEDOKO
“You shall
not close your hand from your needy brother” (15:7)
The Vilna Gaon zt”l explains that when we
clench our hands together all the fingers appear to be identical in size.
Someone who gives the same amount of charity to every person who requests it,
without examining the genuine requirements of the specific individual, is
transgressing this admonition not to close one’s hand. We cannot assume that
each potential recipient requires the same amount from us.
On the
other hand, it is true that every applicant should receive something, and, in
the merit of not turning anybody away, Hashem will reward us by not checking
whether we are indeed "poor" and worthy when we ask Him for help.
“You
shall surely give him” (15:10)
A person
giving charity should feel as if he is becoming a partner with Hashem, and that
the recipient is obtaining what is actually his. Someone who genuinely feels
this will give always give tzedoko with joy, regardless of the amount
with which he is parting.
Every
man shall bring as much as he can afford, according to the blessing of Hashem,
your G-d, which He has given you (16:17)
Rav
Sternbuch once knew a diamond merchant who admitted that during certain periods
he earned almost one million dollars a month, but when Rav Sternbuch asked him
for a donation he said that he was not earning so much at the moment because of
an economic slump, and he refused to give anything. Rav Sternbuch responded
that Hashem had paid him in advance on account, and instead of providing him
with a living in dribs and drabs, He had paid him huge amounts in a short
period from which he could live comfortably also in the future, so that he was
now obliged to pay Hashem back by giving charity out of the funds he had
received in advance - for now.
The
possuk here states that if
someone has been the recipient of a blessing of Hashem “which He has given him”,
i.e. in the past, he must continue to give as he did in the
past, and not claim to be exempt from the commandment of giving tzedoko because he currently has no earnings. Anyone acting in this way would
be showing disrespect and lack of gratitude for Hashem's kindness to him in the
past.
SHEVET LEVI
“And
you shall rejoice before Hashem, your G-d, you… and the Levi who is within your
cities, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are among you” (16:11)
Since the Levi appears in this possuk before the stranger, the orphan
and the widow, he would appear to be more important than them. Why is that so?
When
Rav Sternbuch was a boy in Rav Schneider’s yeshiva during World War II, there
was nothing to eat, and the Rosh Yeshiva sent him to collect money. Some people
gave some donations, but others
refused, saying that the yeshiva bochurim should go out to work like everybody else
and stop being batlonim (idle people).
The Levi has no property of his own,
and is totally dependent on presents from the rest of the nation. In the
rotation of the 24 mishmoros
a Levi worked in the Beis Hamikdosh for one day at a time twice a year,
but he had to remain free and available for avodas Hashem the rest of the time.
The Torah recognizes that people may not appreciate the importance of
supporting levi’im (or full-time Torah learners as the Rambam points out),
and therefore they take priority even over helpless people such as strangers
orphans and widows, because both the spiritual and material existence of the
nation depends on their continued undisturbed avodas Hashem.
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