Hukat: The Torah - On Beyond our Intellect

by Rav Avraham Shapira zt"l, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion is Chukat (Bamidbar 19,1-22,1), where the word "Chukat" refers to the unexplained decree (chok, pronounced ḥoke) of the Red Heifer and its laws.

That is, even though we do not and cannot understand the reasons that the Torah commanded us to burn a red cow and sprinkle its ashes in a special mixture to purify us from the impurity of death, we must still fulfill it.

While the details of the Red Heifer are spelled out here in Parashat Chukat, it was originally commanded us just after the Splitting of the Red Sea, in a place called Marah. The Torah tells us in Parashat Beshalach: "It was there that He gave them a decree and a law, and there He tested them" (Sh'mot 15,25); Rashi explains that this refers to the decree of the Red Heifer.

The laws spelled out in Chukat were given nearly a year later, on the eighth day of the Levites' miluim inauguration period [on Rosh Chodesh Nissan according to most opinions]. The next verse after these laws immediately takes us 38 years later, towards the end of the Israelites' 40-year sojourn in the desert. (Rashi explains why the Red Heifer was written just before that which happened nearly 40 years later.)

We can add that the Torah thus teaches us, at the end of this long period, that all the mitzvot are a type of "decree and law," and they must all be fulfilled as a form of bearing the yoke of Torah. As the Sages of the Medrash teach: "The mitzvot were given just to refine Israel." And the Rambam emphasized at length (at the end of the Laws of Me'ilah) the importance of fulfilling even the mitzvot that we do not understand.

Regarding the end of the miluim week, the Torah states: "As [was done] on this day, G-d commanded to do…" (Vayikra 8,34) – and the Gemara (Yoma 3) derives that this is referring to the Red Heifer. That is, the emphasis of the Red Heifer is to "do," even without understanding, as we thus accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The laws of the Red Heifer in Parashat Chukat also include the laws of the circumstances that render a person impure. These laws begin with the words (19,14), "This is the Torah – the law – [of] one who dies in a tent [and how this impurity is imparted to others]." From the fact that the word "Torah" is used here regarding one who dies, the Sages derive homiletically that "Torah study cannot endure if one does not 'die' over it" - i.e., he must devote himself totally and whole-heartedly to Torah learning.

This guidance is derived particularly from the passage of the Red Heifer, and applies to the entire Torah as well – for the Red Heifer passage is a prototype of how to fulfill all the mitzvot: by accepting the yoke of Torah. One aspect of accepting this yoke is by working very hard to study and understand the Torah's words, to "die" over it. This is why the Torah begins here by saying, "This is the decree of the Torah" (19,2), and not, "This is the decree of the Red Heifer" – because we must study Torah in this unquestioning but intense manner regarding all the mitzvot.

In Tractate Shabbat (p. 88a-b) we learn:

"A certain heretic said to Rava: "You [Israelites] are an impulsive nation, acting without thinking: Why did you say [Sh'mot 24,7] naaseh v'nishma, that you will keep the Torah before even hearing what it involves?" Rava answered him: "We walk with integrity and simple trust of G-d, as is written, 'The integrity of the upright will guide them' (Proverbs 11,3)."

Rava made clear to the heretic that for us, fulfilling the Torah is not an intellectual pursuit that we do only if we understand it, but rather because it is G-d's will.

The Talmud (Kiddushin p. 31) cites a famous incident in which the Sages of Israel wished to pay 60 myriads for precious stones for the High Priest's breast plate, but the Gentile seller's son did not agree to wake up his father even for such an extravagant sum. Later, G-d merited the Gentile with the birth in his herd of a Red Heifer – for which the Sages paid the same 60 myriads that the seller had "lost" earlier. It is said in the name of the author of the K'tzot HaChoshen that the Gentile was willing to sacrifice a large sum for the mitzvah of honoring his father – a mitzvah that is easily understood – while the Sages sacrificed for the mitzvah of Red Heifer, a decree whose reason was not given to us to understand with human logic.

May G-d grant us the privilege of serving Him with all our hearts and to walk with simple trust in His decrees, Amen.

Emor: Spirituality is Reality!

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

In the weekly Torah reading of Parashat Emor (Vayikra 21-24), just after a brief review of laws of the various festivals, the Torah notes that special oil from hand-crushed olives is required in order to keep the lamp in the Tabernacle burning constantly. The Torah also tells us that the Menorah (candelabrum) is placed "outside the Curtain of Testimony in the Communion Tent" (24,3).

The Talmud asks (Shabbat 22b): "Could it possibly be that he[1] needs light? After all, the Children of Israel walked in the desert for 40 years by G-d's light! Rather, this light is a testimony to all people of the world that the Divine Presence dwells amidst Israel."

What is the source for this point? It is the continuation of the above-cited verse, which states that the lamps shall burn "from evening to morning before G-d always." And even though the word "Testimony" here generally refers to the Holy Ark and the Tablets of the Law, still, since it is mentioned here in the context of the Menorah, the Gemara derives that the Menorah, too, is "testimony."

This must be understood: How does the Menorah teach and attest to the world that the Divine Presence dwells within the People of Israel? After all, the Menorah is inside the Tabernacle or Beit Mikdash, and no one sees it except for the priest who prepares the wicks and oil in the lamps!

The answer is the fundamental principle that "spirituality is reality," even if it is not seen. True, no one sees the priest lighting the Menorah – but the very fact of the lighting effects light throughout the world; it brings the people of the world to know that the Divine Presence is within Israel, even if not seen.

We find a similar idea in the Chapters of the Fathers (Avot 6,2):

"R. Yehoshua ben Levy says: Every day a Heavenly voice goes forth from Mt. Horev [Sinai] and proclaims: 'Woe to mankind for its disregard for the Torah.'"

That is, even though we do not hear that Heavenly voice, we should know, as the saintly Baal Shem Tov explains, that every little thought of repentance that a person might suddenly have – its source is in this Heavenly voice. Various spiritual pipelines of attentiveness and awakening stem from this voice. Our ears do not hear them, most certainly – but our hearts hear them, for they are reality.

Spirituality is reality, and whoever does not believe this, his sin is very grave, to the extent that he has no share in the World to Come. The renowned 19^th-century R. Yisrael Lifshitz explained this point in his classic commentary to the Mishna, Tiferet Yisrael, on the Mishna in Avot. The Mishna states:

"He who desecrates kodshim (sacred Holy Temple items or food)… or shames his fellow man in public… even though he is learned in Torah and does good deeds, has no share in the World to Come."

On this, R. Lifshitz wrote: "He who desecrates kodshim believes, wrongly and foolishly, that there is no holiness in the world and that everything is completely mundane and meaningless… and therefore, he has no share in the World to Come." That is, he denies the mortal ability to sanctify the physical, to elevate to the altar as something holy a lamb that just moments ago was grazing in the field. He therefore has no share in the World to Come.

This is the principle that we learn from the lamps that were kindled in the Holy Temple, and this is also the fundamental that we learn from the Chanukah lights. The Syrian Greeks did not believe in the human ability to sanctify the material, whereas when we light the Chanukah candles, we recite, "These lights that we kindle are sacred." We believe that simply with the power of our speech, we can turn oil, taken from a supply that was used for non-holy purposes, into something different, something spiritual – for "spirituality is reality."

By virtue of this spiritual reality, the Menorah serves as testimony to the people of the world that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. This is not testimony in the sense of the "two witnesses' required for judicial cases, but rather the establishment of the reality within the hearts of men. It is a spiritual reality, which some are privileged to receive and absorb.

From the work "Rav Avraham Shapiro's Classes on Ketuvot and Kiddushin," edited by Rabbi Binyamin Rakover

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[1] This could be referring either to G-d, or to Aharon the High Priest, or the Children of Israel, according to different commentaries. (HF)

Emuna: Nothing Like Prayer with Repentance

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel & Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, Rav Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

In Chapters of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot 2,18) we learn the words of R. Shimon ben Netanel (Rshb"n, mentioned beforehand in Mishna 10):

When you pray, do not perform your prayers by rote, but rather render them [an appeal for] mercy and grace before G-d, as is written: "For He is gracious and full of mercy, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and relenting of the evil decree"(Joel 2,13).

This teaching appears to parallel very closely a teaching by R. Eliezer in another Mishna (B'rachot 4,4): "One who renders his prayers by rote, it is not [an appeal for] mercy."

However, there is a big difference between them: Rshb"n added a verse to prove his point.

But this is very puzzling: What proof is there in the verse from Joel regarding Rshb"n's teaching? The verse speaks of one who did t'shuvah, repentance, whereas Rshb"n was speaking about prayer!

The explanation is this: In the above-cited Mishna 10, Rshb"n was specifically commended as one whose outstanding quality was "fear of sin." That is, he was always replete with fear of sin – even when he prayed. His prayer was one of "fear of sin," which necessarily results in t'shuvah – and that is why he cited, in his teaching about prayer, a verse having to do with t'shuvah.

That is to say: Rshb"n wished to teach us that our prayers must stem from t'shuvah. After one does t'shvuah, all of his good deeds and his mitzvah-actions take on a new light. We see this in the classic work by Rabbeinu Yonah entitled Shaarei T'shuvah (The Gates of Repentance). Its first two "gates" deal with t'shuvah, followed by a section on mitzvot that seem to have nothing to do with t'shuvah. Why is this? Because after a person does t'shuvah, all of his mitzvot receive new meaning.

The same is true for prayer: Once one is engaged in t'shuvah, his prayer is different; it is powered by t'shuvah, and is lit up in the light of t'shuvah. Rshb"n comes to teach us that our prayers must always be of that type – and that is why he cites the verse from Joel.

The Rambam (Maimonides) speaks precisely of this type of prayer. He writes that "one of the ways of t'shuvah is for the returnee to cry out always before G-d." This is actually a novel thought of the Rambam, for we don't find that he holds that there is a special prayer of t'shuvah.

To elaborate on this point: We know that the Rambam and the Ramban (Nachmanides) have a fundamental disagreement on the obligation of prayer. The latter holds that the Torah obligation is to pray during times of trouble, such as, "When there is war in your land, against an enemy who oppresses you…" (Bamidbar 10,9), and as King Shlomo explained (Kings I 8, 33-39). Thus, the Ramban maintains that the mitzvah of prayer is reserved for times of trouble, when one must do t'shuvah and pray that the evil decree be rescinded and that his sins be forgiven.

However, the Rambam's approach is that any type of prayer is a daily Biblical obligation, and there is no need for a special Torah directive to pray specifically when we are in trouble – for we must pray in any event. We therefore would not have thought that there was a special prayer for or about t'shuvah – but when the Rambam tells us that "crying out" is one of the "ways of t'shuvah, this is a great lesson for us regarding his view of the concept of prayer.

In sum: There is a special obligation to pray amid and with t'shuvah - and just like any other mitzvah, prayer that is done in this way is on a much higher level than other prayer. 

Holidays: Preparing to Return

by Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The month of Elul prepares us, as it did in the Sinai Desert, for the Day of Judgement, Rosh HaShanah.

These days of the month of Elul are days of preparation for the Day of Judgement on Rosh HaShanah. This is learned from the Children of Israel's 40 days of preparations to receive the Second Tablets of the Law (after Moshe Rabbeinu broke the first set, in the wake of the Sin of the Golden Calf) – beginning on the first day of Elul when Moshe ascended the mountain for the second time. As it was then, so it has continued every year since then, for 3,336 years.

The preparations for teshuvah (repentance) are themselves a stage in the teshuvah process. Our very willingness to check ourselves and review carefully all of our deeds is itself an important rung on the ascending ladder of teshuvah. 

We find strong support for this concept in the story of Eliyahu the Prophet on Mt. Carmel. As recorded in Kings I, Chapter 18, the nation was wavering between belief in G-d and following false gods such as Baal. Eliyahu conducted a miraculous competition with the false prophets of the day, showing that his sacrifice – and not theirs - would be accepted by G-d and set on Divine fire without any human aid. 

Eliyahu introduced the contest by approaching the people with these words: 

"Until when will you hop between two ideas? If Hashem is G-d, go after Him, and if the Baal, then go after him." And the people did not answer him.

Eliyahu then said to the assembled: 

"Have them [the 450 prophets of Baal] give us two bulls. They will choose one bull for themselves, and cut it up and place it on the wood [to be burnt as a sacrifice] - but they shall not put any fire there. And I will prepare [the other] bull, and I will put it on the wood, and I [too] will not place fire.

"And you [the 450] will call in the name of your deity, and I will call in the name of Hashem, and [whoever] answers with fire - He is God." And all of the people answered and said, "The thing is good." 

As we know, G-d rained down fire only upon Eliyahu's sacrifice, showing His acceptance of it, while that of the false prophets remained untouched. The Jerusalem Talmud teaches (Taanit 3,4) that this miracle occurred in the merit of the People of Israel.

This is quite puzzling, for the People of Israel only acknowledged that "Hashem is G-d, Hashem is G-d" (verse 39) only after the miracle had taken place! What possible merit did they have beforehand, when they were still worshiping idols?

The explanation is that the very fact of their willingness to think about the situation, to check themselves and their opinions and beliefs, and to consider returning to Hashem and not hop between Him and the idols – this very consent to check is the beginning of teshuvah. [When Eliyahu first presented the challenge, they did not argue; they merely listened passively. And when he told them the conditions of the challenge – "[whoever] answers with fire - He is God" – they agreed that this would be a good idea.]

That is, even before they abandoned their idol-worship altogether, their very agreement to listen to Eliyahu and to check the truth, this is the beginning of the teshuvah process. This is what the Jerusalem Talmud meant when it said that these Jews had the great merit of bringing down miraculous fire from the Heavens – because they had started to do teshuvah.

This, too, is our job during these days of Elul – and may G-d grant that we cleave to G-d and do proper teshuvah. 

Re'eh: Entering the Land with Prophetic Guidance

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion – Re'eh, Deut. 11,26-16,17 – tells us that we must "seek G-d's presence" (12,5) in Jerusalem, and specifically at the site of the Holy Temple, known today as the Temple Mount. 

The Medrash Sifri explains that this verse is telling us to "seek" via a prophet. We are obligated to consult with the prophet regarding the construction of the Temple and its precise location.

Concerning the King of Israel we have a similar obligation, about which we will read in next week's Torah portion: We are charged to install a king, in accordance with the prophet's directives. The laws of the king are to be connected with the prophet.

And there is also a third mitzvah in this little group, that of wiping out Amalek: "G-d is at war with Amalek for all generations" (Exodus 17,16). The laws regarding this commandment were given over to King Sha'ul by the Prophet Shmuel (as is also apparent from the words of Psikta Rabati 12). 

In our Kabbalat [Greeting] Shabbat prayer, we recite Psalms 95-99, including these verses: Moshe v'Aharon b'khohanav, "Moshe and Aharon were among His priests, and Shmuel among those who call in His name… In a pillar of cloud He spoke to them, they kept His testimonies and the statutes [that] He gave them." We know that G-d gave the Torah to Moshe, and some of the laws He gave to Moshe and Aharon together – but what laws were ever Divinely instructed to Shmuel?

The explanation is as above: The laws of kingship in Israel were given to the nation via the Prophet Shmuel. This is clearly stated in the Medrash Yalkut Tehillim (853) on the above verse: "We know that Moshe was taught the Torah, and we also know regarding Shmuel, that a Torah scroll was written for him, as is written after Shmuel chose Sha'ul to be king, "Shmuel told the people the rules of the kingdom, and wrote it in the Book and placed it before G-d" (Shmuel I 10, 25).  

We learn from here that these three commandments - to seek out and build the Temple, install a king, and destroy Amalek – are unique in that they must be performed at the directives of a prophet. And these are also the three mitzvot that must be performed when Israel enters the Holy Land, as the Talmud teaches (Sanhedrin 20b): "Israel was commanded to perform three mitzvot when they enter the Land: to install a king, to cut off the descendants of Amalek, and to build the Holy Temple."

At first blush this is strange. We were commanded many mitzvot upon entering the Land - especially those that are agricultural, but not only those! Why are these three specifically noted? 

Rashi explains that these three are inter-dependent, in that they must be performed in a certain order. But we can add another reason, based on what we said above: These three are to be executed in a particular manner, with the guidance of a prophet, and therefore they were listed on their own. 

The Exact Spot

We note that when the Torah speaks of the site where G-d's Divine Presence is to dwell, which is where the Holy Temple is to stand, it does not specify its exact location (as Maimonides notes in his Guide to the Perplexed). It rather refers to it as "the place that I will select." Similarly, when Avraham Avinu is told to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, where the Temple will later be built, the exact location is left vague: "on one of the mountains that I will tell you" (B'reshit 22,2). 

Bottom line: In order to build the Temple, it is incumbent upon us to awaken our desire for G-d's presence among us. This is precisely the Torah's words, l'shichno tidrishu. We must seek G-d, and this very pursuit and search will bring us closer to our inner Temple. As we read in Parashat Terumah: "They shall make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst." This means that man himself constitutes a dwelling place for the Divine Presence, and he must seek to do so in accordance with prophetic guidance. 

Maimonides wrote (in his Epistle to Yemenite Jewry): "It is fitting for the public to rely on the Prophets, those with the true eyes... and after the [era of the] prophets, they must put their trust in the Sages, who study day and night the various explanations and opinions in order to ascertain which are true and which are false." And the Gaon of Vilna wrote similarly in his commentary to Seder Olam Rabba. 

May it be G-d's will that the Beit HaMikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, and that we receive our share in His Torah.

Emuna: Ready, Set, Go: Receiving the Torah

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Shapira , yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Yitro (Sh'mot, chapters 18-20) tells the story of G-d giving the Torah to Israel at Sinai. We read in Chapter 19:

"In the third month after the Children of Israel's departure from the Land of Egypt, on this day they arrived in the Sinai Desert. They traveled from Refidim and came to the Sinai Desert, and they encamped in the desert… opposite the mountain."

From here and from similar sources, the reader might be surprised to find that we learn the importance of preparing for receiving the Torah and for Torah study in general. We learn it as follows: 

"On this day" – Rashi says that it could have been expected to say, "On that day," and the fact that it says "this day" tells us that we should view Torah as an ongoing, present-day experience: "The words of Torah must always be new for you, as if they were given this very day." 

This is very similar to a derivation made from the end of D'varim (27,9), that is, at the end of the Five Books of the Torah. This means that not only at the end of the Torah must we learn to feel that what we have learned is new, but we must feel this even before we receive the Torah! And this insight is part of the introduction to our acceptance of the Torah – because even before we hear what the Torah has to say, we must already begin preparing for it. 

Similarly, in Pirkei Avot (2,16 [19]) we learn that one must be diligent to study Torah – but even before that, in Mishnah 14 [17], we are taught that he must discipline himself to study Torah. That is, one must prepare himself well before beginning to study the Torah. And this is why the Rambam ruled in his Laws of Torah Study (4,1): "Torah should be taught only to a proper student - one whose deeds are attractive - or to a simpleton [whose deeds may be unknown]. However, one who walks in bad ways should be influenced to correct his behavior and follow a straight path; after that, he is checked and allowed to enter the Beit Medrash to be instructed."

The preparation that one does to receive the Torah is a major job. When G-d first appeared to Moshe at the Burning Bush, He told him (Sh'mot 3,12), "When you take the nation out of Egypt, you [plural] will serve [lit.: work] G-d on this mountain [Sinai]" – and this "work" at Mt. Sinai is the work of being prepared to receive the Torah. This is a spiritual task, to prepare ourselves to say, "Whatever G-d says, we will do and we will hear" (Sh'mot 24,7). This is the work and service of G-d: our toil and effort to be ready to receive the Torah even before we knows what it demands of us.

And this preparation to be able to say "We will do and we will hear" is the necessary service of G-d for all generations. Pirkei Avot (3,9 [12]) teaches: "One whose deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom will endure; but one whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom will not endure." Rabbeinu Yonah asks: "How can it be that one's deeds could be greater than his wisdom? If he doesn't know Torah, how can he know what to do?" He answers as follows: 

The Mishna is referring to one's passion for Torah wisdom. This wisdom can endure only if he has a passion for it. And Rabbeinu Yonah adds that when one is ready to fulfill the Torah and its mitzvot, it is as if he already fulfilled them. True, if he hasn't learned, he will not know what to do – but the very willingness to perform what he has been told is itself its fulfillment. His willingness is considered "wisdom." 

Elsewhere (Shaarei Teshuvah), Rabbeinu Yonah cites two sources for this: One is from Sh'mot 12,28 which indicates that Bnei Yisrael carried out a commandment on a certain day when in fact they only did so on a later date – on which the Mechilta states that because they took it upon themselves to do it, it was as if they had already done it. [See Avot D'Rebbe Natan 22 for the second source.]

But we must still ask: True, one's deeds can be greater than his wisdom when he does not know all the mitzvot – but how can it be that his wisdom is less than his deeds, given that he knows what to do [for his deeds are numerous]? 

It must be that the wisdom referred to here is not just general knowledge of the commandments, but rather all the details of the mitzvot that he is required to know in order to fulfill them correctly. And these, of course, are infinite. For as long as a person does not know all the details, but still strives to know them – it is considered that his deeds are greater than his wisdom, and his wisdom will endure. For this is the preparation for Torah that is, as we said, so necessary. 

And this preparation for Torah wisdom – which stems from the recognition of the value and importance of Torah – is the very foundation of "feeling that Torah is new every day." And as we said above, this is something that we were charged to feel even before we received the Torah, for it is part of the preparation for receiving the Torah, and part of the service of G-d that Israel was commanded even before they arrived at Mt. Sinai.

Beshalach: The Staircase of Faith in the Weekly Portion

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Shapira, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Beshalach (Sh'mot 13,17-17,15) is one that is entirely emunah, faith. Faith comes in different levels: there is "smallness of faith," and there is also faith that is "big," on a high level. The renowned 13th-century Rabbeinu Yonah wrote that there is "faith atop faith," and that in Parashat Beshalach, the Israelites rose up from level to level in their faith:

First G-d told them, "Don't be afraid; stand firm and see what G-d will do to save you today" (14,13), and then shortly afterwards, after the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, "They believed in G-d and in His servant Moshe" (14,31). Next was the story of the manna, which became their food and sustenance for the next four decades; this was a classic story of faith in G-d, for they trusted Him every single day for 40 years that the manna would appear in precisely the daily amount they needed.

Next came G-d's promise – "I am G-d, Who heals you" (15,26), which necessitates faith in G-d as the ultimate healer. And the portion concludes with Moshe holding up his arms to fight Amalek: "His hands remained steady [lit: emunah] until sunset" (17,12).

When Israel stood in trepidation at the Sea of Reeds with the Egyptian army hot in pursuit, we read, "The Children of Israel cried out to G-d" (14,10). Rashi explains: "They took hold of their ancestors' craft;" this means that they were not screaming out in simple fear, but were rather showing solidarity with their forefathers, who instilled within us the special value and treasure of prayer to G-d. As we then see less than a day later, when they were already reciting the Song of the Sea in praise of and thanks to G-d for the great miracle, they sang: "This is my G-d and I will glorify Him; G-d of my father, I will exalt Him" (15,2). Rashi explains why they mentioned the G-d of their forefathers: "I [Israel] am not the beginning of sanctity; the holiness and G-d's kingship over me began back in the times of my fathers."

The Prophet Isaiah stated in G-d's name: "This nation I created for Me, My praise it will recount" (Yeshayahu 43,21). The creation of Bnei Yisrael, which began with the Exodus from Egypt, was designed so that we would thank and praise G-d. This is why, in our Sh'moneh Esrei prayer blessing asking for health and healing, we say, "Save us and we will be saved, for You are our praise" – because all of Creation is so that we will acknowledge and praise G-d. The above promise that G-d is He who heals us is part of the process of leaving Egypt, because it is the creation of our nation – and within this process are included all the necessary acts of salvation via which we reach the point of "His praises we will recite."

On the other hand, we don't only pray and passively believe, nor did we latch onto all of our forefather's crafts. At the end of the Torah portion, we read how Israel fought with Amalekh in Refidim. However, our Sages derived from this, in Sanhedrin 106a, that they "weakened" (rafu yedeihem, a variant of "Refidim") themselves and did not pass on their forefathers' tradition of Torah study to their children. That is, in Refidim they were weak, confused, and hesitant, and asked, "Is G-d truly in our midst, or not?" (17,7) The weakness, therefore, was in not being able to pass on the traditions to the succeeding generations – and this brought the danger of Amalek upon them.

The rectification began with Moshe Rabbeinu, who raised his arms and kept them emunah, faithful and steady. The Ibn Ezra explains the connection: "Faith is something that stands steady and true." The Rashbam explains: "Standing in strength, as is Israel's faith throughout the generations." Moshe Rabbeinu established Israel's faith forever, as we see from the Medrash (Mechilta D'Rashbi) in the name of Rabbe Akiva: "When the Torah states that when Moshe's arms were raised, Israel would prevail in the battle with Amalek – meaning that Israel, in the future, will raise up words of Torah that will be given to Israel from Sinai via Moshe."

That is, Moshe prepared Israel to be ready to receive the Torah, to emerge from their weakness, and to rise up to a level of bold strength of faith in G-d. As their trust in G-d grew and their heart became unflinching in G-d's path – they became victorious!

May G-d privilege us to continue along the path set by our Patriarchs, to come ever close to the Torah and its teachers, and to thus strengthen our ties between Fathers and Sons, with perfect faith – Amen.

Hayei Sarah: The Ever-Flowing Spring of Kindness of the Patriarch Abraham

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel and Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, and edited by Rabbi Binyamin Rakover, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion – Chaye Sarah (B'reshit 23,1-25,18) – is one replete with acts of chessed, kindness. Possibly the most famous of them occurred when Rivka gave water not only to Eliezer but to all his camels. In truth, this portion is simply the climax of all the kindnesses of Avraham Avinu. Our Sages enumerate all of Avraham's acts of chessed that are recounted in the Torah. Among them are those of the beginning of Parashat Chaye Sarah, where Avraham put in great efforts to find a burial plot for Sarah, and of course buried her, eulogized her, and wept over her.

But why are these acts considered "kindnesses?" Is it not natural and self-evident that a husband would do this for his wife? 

It must be, then, that Avraham did not do all this simply because he felt he "had to," or because that's what everyone does; he did it from the very source of chessed. 

The very basis and foundation of kindness is not the act of goodness itself; there is rather something that precedes it, and that is the love of kindness. As the Prophet Micha exhorted (6,8): "What does G-d require of you other than to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with G-d." Chessed is not merely a limited human attribute, but is rather an ever-flowing spring. After I thought of this concept, I saw that Rabbeinu Yonah had already written it. One who has a love of kindness is not happy only when he does chessed, but also when someone else does a kindness. As we read in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers, 5,13[16]), one who gives and is happy when others give as well is considered "pious" – and it is also a sign that he is a descendant of Avraham Avinu. The basis of all good attributes is "love," and when one works with love, he is of the seed of Avraham. 

Accordingly, it is clear that Avraham's deeds when his wife died are considered true kindness, for they stem from the very source of chessed, and not just because she was his wife.

Lot, too – Avraham's nephew – performed kindness. The Medrash says that he saved Avraham and did not reveal to Pharaoh that Sarah was his wife. He did this even though it was under dangerous circumstances. However, Lot's chessed did not stem from the very source of kindness, but only because that was what he had learned and that was the custom in his family. It certainly was not rooted in the "love of kindness" that Avraham felt.  

We see this in the way Avraham behaved with the people of Het, from whom he wished to purchase a burial plot. As soon as they said something gracious to him and showed willingness to allow him to acquire the site, he showed them great appreciation by bowing down (B'reshit 23,7). This was not a mere formality, but rather true gratefulness and appreciation of chessed for its own sake. 

The Medrash tells us that the Torah refers to B'nei Het, the men of Het, ten times (including once in Parashat Vay'chi), and that this corresponds to the Ten Commandments. They merited this special status because they acted kindly with Avraham, and "whoever makes a solid deal with a righteous person, it is as if he fulfilled the Ten Commandments." Their leader Ephron, on the other hand, was more concerned with the money that he would receive, as we see from the exorbitant price he exacted; this is why his name was written deficiently, without a vuv, in the verse recounting the payment.

An interesting question arises here: Why did Avraham send emissaries, the people of Het, to their leader Ephron to ask him to agree to the sale? Was this not a violation of the last of the Ten Commandments, namely, "Do not covet?" According to the Medrash P'sikta, this is actually the gravest of all the Ten Commandments, because as the Maharal of Prague explains, the desire and lust for "more" and for things that are not ours is the source of all sin! If not for this lust, there would be no reason to sin! And as we just saw, the men of Het had a connection to the Ten Commandments, so how could Avraham have acted in this way? 

The answer must be that one may not covet something that the owner wants – but in this case, Ephron had no interest in the field, but only in the money that he would receive for it. Avraham wanted the field because he knew that it was the burial place of Adam and Chava, while Ephron had no interest in its special qualities, other than its monetary value. Ephron's guiding principle was money, while for Avraham, it was love of G-d leading to love of kindness.

Emuna: Our Two-Pronged Elul Preparations

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Harav Avraham Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel.

As we know, the month of Elul is one of arousal to teshuvah [the return to the straight and true Torah path]. The source for this is that before the second set of Tablets were given to Moshe Rabbeinu on Mt. Sinai on Yom Kippur, the shofar was sounded daily throughout the preceding month of Elul. The Rosh and the Tur cite the Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer, which states that the Sages mandated that we sound the shofar every day during Elul – in commemoration of the daily Mt. Sinai blasts we heard over the course of more than a month preparing us to receive the Torah for the second time.

That the shofar was sounded during the time of the giving of the Second Tablets tells us of another fundamental aspect of what the shofar means to us. The above-cited Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer states:

"On the first day of Elul, G-d told Moshe, 'Ascend to Me on the mountain' (D'varim 10,1) and sound the shofar in the camp – for Moshe climbed the mountain, in order that they not sin again as they did with the Golden Calf, and G-d 'ascended' that same day with the shofar, as is written, 'G-d was exalted with a teruah shofar blast, G-d with the shofar sound' (Tehillim 47,6). And therefore the Sages instituted that we blow the shofar every year [beginning on] the first day of Elul."

And the Tur adds that the purpose of blowing the shofar in Elul is to warn Israel that they must do teshuvah, as is written: "Can it be that a shofar would be sounded in the city and the populace would not be frightened?" (Amos 3,6)

We thus see that two principles are represented in the sounding of the shofar: repentance and fear of the judgement – two different things. The main reason that the Sages instituted nearly a month of daily shofar blasts is certainly to arouse us to repent for the sins that we committed – but in addition, the fact that the shofar was sounded when we received the Torah teaches us that the shofar's task is also to warn us against failing the tests that the Torah places before us. We must not again fall into the trap of the Golden Calf! This second aspect is part of the fear of the Heavenly judgement.

That is to say: We must know, in every generation, that in addition to the very act of repentance, we must also have fear and trembling of the very judgement. For the Prophet Amos said that people cannot but tremble when the shofar is sounded. We must always be prepared to make an accounting of our deeds! 

And especially when Israel appears to be on trial, and we can sense that it is a time of severe judgement – everyone must examine himself and his deeds, and see if and where he is lacking. As the Gemara teaches: "The reason why the Torah passage of Nazirite follows that of the Sotah (Wayward Wife) is to tell us that whoever sees a Sotah in her guilty, wretched state, should take a Nazirite vow against consuming wine" (B'rachot 63a).

The sounding of the shofar before the giving of the Second Tablets teaches us yet another lesson: Forty days before the Giving of the Torah is not too early to prepare for it! Rather, even then one must check his deeds and make sure he is worthy of receiving the Torah. And so throughout this month of Elul, when we hear the shofar, we must review our status and deeds, and the memory of the fear of judgement that we experienced when receiving the Second Tablets must be renewed. This fear is crucial, because it is part of receiving the Torah in purity. As the Sages stated: "The reason why G-d created thunder is to straighten out [via the fear it instills] the crookedness of our heart."

And the recent events in which our terrorist enemy has managed to snuff out additional precious Jewish lives must also arouse us, all of us, to a general and individual accounting for our deeds and where to improve. Let us pray that, inter alia, in the merit of the shofar, we succeed!

Emuna: The Giving of the Torah Keeps on Going and Going!

 by Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira ZT"l, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Last week's Shavuot holiday is relevant today, as it marks the perpetual renewal of the giving of the Torah to Israel – every generation, all the time.

The holiday of the Giving of the Torah to Israel at Mt. Sinai is, paradoxically, the holiday of the Oral Law. This is because it belongs to the Torah Sages of each and every generation. Every generation, the Torah is given to us anew; the day of Shavuot is the day that symbolizes and manifests this most quintessentially. Every year on this day we reenact that great event of the year 2448 (counting from the creation of the world).

Just like the festival of Pesach is the time of freedom each year, so too Shavuot is the time of receiving the Torah anew each year, each generation. When we celebrate Shavuot, we are not merely commemorating something that happened once long ago, but rather the very essence of the day – and it is renewed every year.

The Jerusalem Talmud (Rosh HaShanah 4,8) teaches as follows: "All the sacrifices mention sin, except for Shavuot." The Talmud here is actually asking a question: Why is it that all the festival sacrifices include a sin-offering – except for Shavuot? (See Bamidbar 28,22; 29,5; 29,11; etc., and compare with Bamidbar 28,30.) 

The Talmud answers: "G-d said: Because you accepted upon yourselves the yoke of Torah, I consider it as if you never sinned at all." The Korban HaEdah commentary explains: "Shavuot every year is like the day on which we stood at Mt. Sinai, and on it we receive the Torah anew. As [the Talmudic Sage] Rav Yosef said: 'If it weren't for this very day that made the difference, I would be just like any other Yosef in the market' – and so, there is no sin-offering on that day."

That is, Rav Yosef was saying that the very day of Shavuot made the whole difference in his life: If not for the Torah that was given on Shavuot and that he spent his life studying, his entire essence would have been different. The reality that renews our acceptance of the Torah each and every year is that which leads to the atonement of our sins every year anew.

We know that Israel's acceptance of the Torah is encapsulated in their response when they first heard words of the Torah: "Everything that G-d said, we will do and we will listen" (Sh'mot 24,7). Every year when we hear these words read aloud from the Torah on Shavuot, we accept the Torah yet again. And every individual Jew also has his own individual acceptance of the Torah. 

In this light, let us understand the afore-mentioned teaching of Rav Yosef in the Talmud about the "very day" of Shavuot and its imprint on him. Why does he say that it made him who he was? After all, the entire world would have been lacking if not for the Torah, not just Rav Yosef!

Answer: What Rav Yosef is teaching is that not only was the Torah given to the world and the Jewish People on that day, but also individually to each person! And therefore, just as Israel's acceptance of the Torah is renewed each year on Shavuot, the same is true for each individual. 

[Translator's note: The end of this article is not available, and so we conclude with the words of Rav Chaim Ben-Shushan, a Ra"m (rabbi and teacher) in Yeshivat Beit El:]

Although Shavuot is only one day a year [it is celebrated for two days outside Israel], but it is something that we must remember every day of the year; we must live it every day. Just like the Torah does not say straight out that Rosh HaShanah is the Day of Judgement, because this feeling is something that must be with us all year, every day - so too the Torah does not tell us that Shavuot is the day of the Giving of the Torah – because the Torah must be with us every single day.