Ki Tavo: The Torah's Harsh Rebuke Leads to Good Things

by Rav Dov Lior, former Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba and Hevron, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The central theme of this week's Torah portion of Ki Tavo (D'varim 26,1-29,8) is the blessings and curses that Israel took upon themselves just days before the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu. This is the covenant made in the plains of Moav, since the covenant made at Horeb (Mount Sinai) nearly 40 years earlier had been broken by them.

The main point of the covenant is the belief in Divine Reward and Punishment. This is one of the foundational principles of faith, as Maimonides enumerates in his Thirteen Principles of Faith. What this requires of us is to observe what is happening around us – that which happens to myself as an individual, and even more so, what happens to our community and nation. We do not have the luxury of thinking that everything is mere coincidence. There are no coincidences, neither for the individual nor for the community; everything that happens is the result of our actions, for better or worse.

Moshe Rabbeinu, as he winds up his parting speech to the Israelites, is very harsh here in Chapter 28. Though he begins with words of blessing, most of it is what is known as tokhe'ha, sharp rebuke and threat of dire punishment if Israel does not adhere to the commandments of the Torah. In verse 59, he uses an unfamiliar term in his depiction of the plagues that could come upon us: "V'hifla [from the root meaning 'wondrous'] your punishments, terrible and relentless…"

The Medrash states: "V'hifla – I do not know what that is. But when the Prophet states, 'I will continue to mafli this nation hafle vafele, and the wisdom of its sages will be lost and the understanding of its wise men will be hidden' [Yeshayahu 29,14, using three different forms of the word in question], we see that it means the loss of tzaddikim."

That is, if Divine Providence brings upon us a plague or punishment of any kind, and there are those in our midst who know how to understand and explain to the public why and because of whom and what the punishment came, this means that the blow achieved its goal, the public will repent, and the punishment will end and disappear.

However, if the righteous have departed us, and there is no one to open the people's eyes to what is happening, then the sins, and the consequent punishments and suffering will continue to exist among us. This is what the Torah refers to here as "relentless plagues" (ne'emanot, literally meaning "faithful" and consistent); the punishments do not end but rather continue indefinitely.

We live in a period in which we cannot easily point to specific people who have the ability to open our eyes, to teach the community why and wherefore various difficulties come upon us. There is no other country in the world that is threatened by its enemies near and far with destruction simply because it exists. Our security inside and outside our homes throughout the country is not guaranteed. Any day that goes by without a terrorist attack or attempted attack is a type of miracle; regarding this, we say in our prayers, "regarding all Your miracles that are with us every day."

Sadly, however, if someone wants to comment on something having to do with the difficulties that we are experiencing, he is immediately labeled an extremist whose words should be ignored. And so we continue to tread water, with no clear path out of the international entanglement, politically and militarily. This, of course, in addition to sociological problems such as increased violence among the youth, a decline in morality, and more.

However: At this difficult time, we have the holy opportunity and mission to rise to the occasion, and redouble our efforts. We must not give in to despair or to weakness. We must rather continue even more strongly to teach and exhibit the ideals of Torah and sanctity of life, to increase our commitment one to another and to our society, and to strengthen the Jewish presence in every part of the Land of Israel. I have no doubt that if we do what we must do, there will be great Heavenly help, siyata dishmaya, and our nation will return to itself and to G-d, and we will merit to see the Redemption of our Nation and Land.

Ki Tetzei: Retrieving Our Lost Strengths

by Rav Yosef Naveh, Hassidic Educator and Torah Coach, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Ki Tetzei (Deuteronomy 21,10 through Chapter 25) begins with this verse: "When you go out to war with your enemy, and G-d gives him into your hand, and you take captives…"  Though this is referring to a physical enemy, as the succeeding verses indicate clearly, it can also be understood, as the saintly R. Simcha Bunem of Pshischa explained, as referring to one's personal battle with his own negative inclinations and urges.

In the work HaLekach v'HaLibuv by R. Avraham Schorr (son of R. Gedalya Schorr), he asks how "taking captives" can be understood in the context of a battle with the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination). He also asks why the Hebrew word here for "captives" is shivyo, implying that the captive we might take was previously captive in the hands of the enemy; how can this be understood?

R. Schorr answers as follows, based on the Sfat Emet: Later in the Torah portion, we read, 'Do not see your brother's ox or sheep wandering lost – and ignore them; return them to your brother… But if you don't know who the owner is, they shall remain with you until he comes to collect them.'" There are different types of things that a person can lose – and must later retrieve.

For in truth, every individual person is granted many strengths from Heaven – strengths of the soul and of the bodily organs – for the purpose of using them to fulfill G-d's will, to fulfill His commandments and learn His Torah. But when a person uses these abilities to satiate his own needs and lusts, or to actually violate G-d's word and will, these strengths are then taken from him, and then much hard work is needed in order to restore them to his domain.

The Talmud states (Betzah 16a): "G-d gives an 'extra soul' (neshama yetera) to a person on Sabbath eve, and it is taken from him when the Sabbath departs – as written (Sh'mot 31,17): "He ceased and rested, shavat vayinafash [the first syllable of the second word is pronounced vay, an expression of sorrow]: Once He ceased, then vay - the soul [nefesh] was lost."

The Baal Shem Tov famously asks: "The verse speaks of the beginning of the Sabbath, so why did the Sages derive from it a lesson regarding the end of the Sabbath?"

The Sfat Emet answers that when the Sabbath arrives, a person senses what he lost during the days of the week, and the thirst to find his lost spiritual items is aroused within him. That is to say, throughout the workweek, a person is lost in his This-Worldly pursuits, and he "forgets" to seek out his lost spirituality. Instead, his desires are for material matters, not those that G-d specifically wills. But on the Sabbath, the "day of souls," a person's grasp of the truth becomes stronger and he remembers that which he lost, and he says, "Vay, my true soul was lost!" And then, by remembering and searching for it, he can retrieve the lost object.

This also explains why the Torah implies here (from the word shivyo) that the "captive" was previously held in the enemy's hands: This is referring to the strengths of the soul that were lost and taken captive by the Yetzer Hara during the work-week when a person was in his weaker state.

But when a person fulfills "When you go out to war with your enemy," and charges out to fight his negative urges – he merits to restore his lost powers, and take back his captives that had been lost to the yetzer hara.

We read in Proverbs: "Distance your way from [the strange woman] ... lest strangers be sated with your strength and your labors be in the house of an alien" (5,8-10). This can be understood to mean that when one sins, strangers – external forces – come and take his strengths and become satiated from them. One who has fallen into this trap is then advised to 'You alone shall have them, and strangers shall have nothing with you" (ibid. 17). Righteous ones tell us that the Hebrew initials of the last four words in this verse spell out Elul, which is the month of repentance – telling us that when we repent completely of our sins and do good deeds, we merit that our spiritual forces remain only for ourselves ("you alone"), and will not be used by evil forces; strangers will no longer have control over them.

As stated, when one's energies have been lost to the Yetzer Hara, they are held captive by it – but when he does teshuvah and seeks back these strengths, he can restore them to his own domain.

Elul is also an acronym for other significant phrases. The Sfat Emet cites the verse (Yeshayahu 48,11), "And I will not give My glory to another" (V'chvodi L'acher Lo Eten). He explained that during the days of Elul, the gates of mercy are opened for our return to Hashem. And the most famous acronym in this regard is "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine" (Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li, Shir HaShirim 6,3).

Therefore, the forces of evil have no ability to hide G-d's countenance; "I will not give My glory to another." For in the month of Elul, man is able to take and restore the lost spiritual forces that were in the "other's" jurisdiction. Elul is the unique time for awakening and seeking out and restoring our lost energies. This is done via the blowing of the shofar during each weekday of Elul, which arouses our will.

For G-d most certainly fulfills the commandment of "returning lost objects," as the Sages said: "A Heavenly voice goes out every day from Horev [Mt. Sinai] and declares, 'Woe unto mankind for the insult to Torah" (Pirkei Avot 6,2) – reminding us to seek out what we have lost.

And this is the special nature of the holy days of Elul: Buried within them is a unique force that arouses man from his slumber, calling on him to seek out that which he has lost over the year, in order to finally merit that which is alluded to in the verse above, "until [you] come to collect it."

Shoftim: Standing Silently By

by Rav Moshe Tzuriel ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Among the many mitzvot (commandments) in this week's Torah portion of Shoftim (D'varim 16,18-21,9), we read: "The testimony of one witness [regarding a crime] may not be accepted; a case must be established through the testimony of two or three witnesses" (19,15).

The Sages ask (Makkot 5b): "If the testimony of two witnesses is sufficient, why did the Torah state 'two or three'"?

Several answers are offered; let us focus on that of Rabbe Akiva, who said: "The purpose is to exact a price on the third witness, and equate his punishment to that of the first two." That is, if they are found to have lied, not only are the first two witnesses punished, but also the third one – and he cannot claim, 'My words made no difference, since there were already two witnesses, so why should I be punished?'"

The Gemara adds there: "If one who merely joins up with other sinners is punished, how much more so is one rewarded for joining up with those who do good deeds!"

In any event, we learn from this a major principle in "national education:" When the authorities commit an injustice, such as the expulsion of residents from Gush Katif and handing over parts of the Land of Israel to foreigners, it is forbidden to take part! That is, even if police and military forces have already gathered in numbers sufficient to complete the mission, and then other soldiers or police officers are recruited to take part as well, the latter cannot claim that they bear no guilt because the plan can be completed without them. Rather, anyone who joined up with the forces, in whatever role, is guilty – and must repent for this sin. His t'shuvah (repentance) must be a personal decision to never again take any part in evicting Jews from their homes, and also by publicly declaring and educating others that such a great sin must never be repeated.

I would add that we are reminded to speak about this specifically now, because the days of t'shuvah are fast approaching and every Jew must correct what he corrupted in the past.

It is interesting to note that a disagreement has developed among several of the rabbis of the religious-Zionist camp. Some say that a soldier must obey all military commands, even regarding the eviction of Jews from their homes, while others claim that it is forbidden to obey orders that directly contradict Torah law. The latter cite the Rambam, who wrote, "If the king decreed to abrogate a commandment, he is not listened to" (Laws of Kings 3,9, based on Sanhedrin 49a). Several rabbis were interviewed in the media this week who instructed their students to obey the army's orders regarding the eviction of Jews from a building in Hebron. It is puzzling to me that I did not hear any of those rabbis relate to the apparent violation of the Rambam's halakhic ruling.

It should also be noted that no Rosh Yeshivat Hesder pre-military academy head is permitted to rule on this "question," because of his personal "interests" (biases) regarding continued funding from the Ministry of Defense for his yeshiva.

Back to the fundamental point: A person will have to account in the Heavenly court for having stood by sinners, and will be punished for not having protested their acts. This concept is also seen elsewhere in the Torah, such as regarding the rebellion of Korach and his gang. When Moshe Rabbeinu heard that there was to be a Divine punishment, he declared before all, "Move away from the tents of these evil people… lest you be consumed by [the punishment for] their sins" (Bamidbar 16,26). This raises the question: Since G-d knows who is guilty and who is not, what's the difference where they all stood? G-d could have punished only those who actively rebelled!

The answer is: "Woe to an evil person, woe to his neighbor" (Mishna Nega'im 12,6). The very fact that the neighbor did not distance himself from an evil person brings upon him punishment. 

Our Sages were clear on this point: "Distance yourself from a bad neighbor" (Ethics of the Fathers 1,7). Rabbeinu Yonah explains that this means that one must not think that he can join up with the evil ones only temporarily, or even just superficially – because he could end up being punished simply for being with him and not protesting.

This of course also applies to being with people who speak gossip, slander, or impure/unclean speech. See also Proverbs 22,14, from which is learned that everyone in the vicinity of a sinner will be punished, unless they protested.

Our military failures in the Second Lebanon War, a year after the Disengagement, refute the position of those young rabbis who instructed their students not to disobey IDF orders during that expulsion of Jews. They claimed that disobeying orders would weaken the IDF. But look at what happened: The result was exactly the opposite of what they thought!

Contrast this with the ruling of the venerable Rabbi Dov Lior about a month ago: When religious soldiers received an order to join the IDF forces preventing citizens from marching on foot to the destroyed settlement of Homesh, they asked his counsel whether to obey the instructions. He answered them that the role of the IDF is to protect us from our foreign enemies, and that it is not its role to prevent Jews from settling their land, and that using the soldiers for this purpose is a political and invalid use of the IDF by the authorities.

How fortunate we are that it is in our power to correct the past through repentance.

Re'eh: The King is in the Field, Ready to Receive Us

by Rav David Dov Levanon, former President of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The month of Elul is approaching, and this Shabbat we will recite the prayer for blessing, peace, sustenance, and all good things during the coming month. In fact, we recite this prayer on the Sabbath before almost every month, which is why we call these Shabbatot the Sabbaths of mevarchim, "[reciting] blessings."

This week, we read the Torah portion of Re'eh (D'varim 11,26-16,17), which begins with a critical choice that G-d places before us: "See, I place before you today blessing and curse [on Mounts Gerizim and Eval, respectively]: the blessing is that you hear [in order to fulfill] the mitzvot…] and the curse is if you do not…" (11,27-28).

The straightforward meaning is that the very hearing of G-d's word is the blessing. And in fact, this remains the theme from here on for several Torah portions. That is, physical and material blessings are promised us only in Parashat Ki Tavo (D'varim 28), while the primary blessing is in simply listening to G-d's words.

The Alter Chabad Rebbe of Liadi wrote in his work "Likutei Torah" of the greatness and loftiness of the month of Elul, during which the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy shine. He even asked: "Why are these days not celebrated as a Festival just like Yom Kippur?" He answered that the days of Elul are days in which "the King is in the field," meaning that it is possible to meet Him anywhere, even while wearing the weekday clothes used for working in the field. That is, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) dwells within Elul, even though it consists of regular weekdays.

It would seem appropriate to explain this parable of "the King is in the field" in connection to Elul and based on a parable in a Medrash cited by the Tur (Orach Chaim 581):

"A city once owed taxes to the king but did not pay him. He came to them with an army to collect it. When he approached within ten parsahs [a unit of distance], the elders came out to greet him, and said, 'We have nothing with which to pay you.' The King granted them a discount of one-third. When he came closer, the middle-level leaders came, and he discounted them another third. Finally, when the King came very close, the entire town came out to greet him, and he erased the final third of the debt. So too, Hashem our King: The townspeople commit sins throughout the year, and then before Rosh HaShanah, the elders fast, and G-d forgives them a third of their sins; during the Ten Days of Repentance, the "in-betweens" fast, and G-d forgives them another third; and on Yom Kippur, everyone fasts, and He forgives them for everything…"

In the parable, the king has left his palace - analogous to the fact that the Holy Temple has been destroyed and the Shechinah itself is in Exile. The time for this, of course, is Tisha B'Av – right after which begin the Seven Weeks of Consolation, in which the King returns to His children and commiserates with them, striving to return to His home.

With this, we see that the words of the Medrash shine with meaning: In the month of Elul, the King is in the field, walking towards His sanctuary, in anticipation that his subjects will come towards Him, He will forgive their sins, and He will renew His kingship over them for goodness and blessing. This explains why the Likutei Torah added that the greatness of the days of Elul lies in the fact that "the King is in the field" – He is in movement, hoping for reconciliation and anticipating that his people will come meet Him. These days are therefore even more exalted than when the King is in His palace, hidden and concealed from all eyes, making it difficult for us to draw close to Him.

Another concept regarding the parable of "the King is in the field" stems from a comparison between Rosh Hashanah and the first day of Nissan, six months later. Nissan is the month in which the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt occurred; hence its name "Nissan" (from Nissim, Hebrew for "miracles"). This is the month in which Israel proudly and gloriously left Egypt, a month attributed to the Jewish people, and also the "head of months," symbolizing renewal and reinvention, just like the birth of the new moon.

In contrast, Tishrei is the beginning of the natural year; summer has ended and the winter is arriving once again. This "new year" hints at the natural world, influenced by the sun, the great driving force of nature. This is why Rosh Hashanah applies to all inhabitants of the world, the day on which the year's rains and personal sustenance are decreed. As such, the commandment of the day on Rosh Hashanah is to crown G-d over the entire universe, meaning over the natural world as well.

Our Sages (Tr. Rosh HaShanah 10b) differed as to the month of the Final Redemption: R. Eliezer says it will be in Tishrei, when the world was created, for he verses feature shofar both on Rosh HaShanah and in the great shofar blast of Future Days. R. Yehoshua says it will be in Nissan, based on Sh'mot 12,42 that speaks of the Exodus night as a 'night of watching' – a reference to a night that was watched and anticipated ever since Creation.

These opinions correspond to the two paths of redemption: miraculous, via the clouds of the heavens, and natural, with the Messiah arriving on a donkey. It would seem that the miraculous Redemption is appropriate for the month of Nissan, the month of miraculous salvations, when Israel merited to be like tzaddikim. But if we do not merit this, because of our sins, we require the month of Tshuvah (repentance), and then the Redemption will be via natural means, as is appropriate for Tishrei. It appears that the type of worship and service required for this is the knowledge that "the King is in the field" – He is everywhere, including in the natural world. And this is the preparation required of us before Rosh HaShanah, the day of judgement for the world of nature.

This returns us to the verses with which we opened, which require sharp and clear seeing and hearing! This is because the Torah is referring to the blessing found in the work of our hands, by virtue of the fact that we strive to contemplate and find G-d's Providence upon us in everything we do.

Ekev: True Trust: Not What it Sounds Like

by Rav Ariel Farajun, Individual and Couples Therapist, Former Rosh Yeshiva, and Senior Lecturer in Jewish Psychology, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Moshe Rabbeinu continues his parting speech to the Children of Israel in this week's Torah portion of Ekev (D'varim 7,12-11,25). This is just before his death and as the nation is about to enter the promised Land of Israel without him. As he emphasizes the importance of keeping the Torah as they begin their national life in the Holy Land, one of the important points Moshe makes is that of bitachon, trust in G-d's providence over Israel.

Moshe says here: "If you say in your heart: 'These nations are stronger than me, how will I be able to defeat them?' Do not fear them; remember that which Hashem your G-d did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt… Do not cringe before them, for Hashem is in your midst, great and awesome…" (7,17-21).

And a bit further on we read: "Hear O Israel, you are passing today over the Jordan to come and inherit nations that are greater than you… Make sure to know today that Hashem is the One Who passes before you, a consuming fire; He will destroy them before you…" (9,1-3)

The mitzvah of having bitachon is a great fundamental in the service of G-d. It is mentioned numerous times in the Torah, and rolls around frequently on our tongues in everyday speech. Yet is seems that its precise definition, even though it is discussed at length among our early commentators, still requires elaboration and precision.

The primary thing we must emphasize is that, contrary to popular misconception, bitachon does not mean to trust in G-d that He will definitely do that which we are hoping for. Rather, it is that we pray and hope to Him, and rely on Him. Perhaps this can be understood on a lesser level in the manner that we feel about having a gun: One who goes into a dangerous neighborhood armed with a gun trusts in it not because it will definitely save him, but rather because it gives him reason to hope…

This is why our Sages always combine bitachon with prayer, which is in fact considered the ultimate expression of bitachon (see for instance, Mechilta D'Rebbe Yishmael, Bshalach 2). In addition, one must always take into account his own sins and know that these have an effect on whether his prayers will be answered. To know that G-d might not grant his wishes is not a lack of bitachon; on the contrary, one who knows that his salvation is in G-d's hands will realize that his own deeds and attitude to G-d are very instrumental. And then, after one truly views the world in this manner, he can feel confident that G-d will protect him and grant him that which is best for him.

Thus, when one is in great need or trouble, he must not strengthen his bitachon by saying that everything will certainly turn out fine. Rather, he must concentrate his thoughts on the fact that Hashem rules His world, and that "no one stubs his finger below unless it was determined beforehand in Heaven" (Tr. Chullin 7b). Internalizing this reality is the true measure of one's bitachon.

At the same time, the Torah does not at all negate one's physical efforts. In fact, we are commanded to work together with the natural law that G-d imbued in His world. This must be done with the understanding that it is not these efforts that will make the ultimate difference, but rather with the idea that G-d's will is that we make both spiritual and physical efforts to achieve the goals for which we strive.

This Torah portion of Ekev comes to warn us that we must remember that G-d fights for us against our enemies, no matter how much stronger they are, and also gives us the strength to succeed. This message is not simply meant to calm and relax us, but rather to teach us how to use the weapons we have. When we understand that the battle is determined by G-d's will, and that our efforts are merely part of the Divine game – this means we have true bitachon, and in this merit, G-d will be with us, no matter what qualitative or quantitative advantages we face!