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.

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.

Re'eh: Uprooting Idolatry and Outreach (Kiruv)

 by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

The Torah's prohibitions against idolatry and idol-worshipers are very strong indeed. In this week's Torah portion of Re'eh (Deut. 11,26-16,17), we read: "You shall utterly destroy all the places that the nations worshiped [idols]… Smash their altars, break their pillars, burn their Asherah trees, cut down the idols of their gods, and erase their name…" (12,2-3).  

The early commentators explain that the idolatry must not only be destroyed, but its very roots must be devastated; it must be mocked and humiliated, leaving no trace thereof. 

We who live in the 21st century C.E. view these commandments with a mixture of confused and even shocked emotions. Even if we understand that the Torah does not always fully accept the modern notions of democracy, pluralism, containment, 'to each his own,' and laissez faire, this does not necessarily lead to mass destruction and degradation. And even if we remember that idolatry is a most grave sin, one of the three for which one must agree to be killed rather than violate, we still have great trouble wrapping our heads around these commands. Sure, idolatry can be outlawed, its establishments closed down, and the like – but to burn, devastate, raze, and refer to it with mockery and scorn – what's going on? This type of reaction appears to signal panic and insecurity in our beliefs. Isn't our clear faith in One G-d strong enough that we need not resort to such a hostile response to those who believe the opposite?

But this is not all. We are also commanded in this Torah portion to destroy an ir nidachat – that is, a city whose inhabitants become idol-worshipers: they and their livestock must be slaughtered, and the city and everything in it must be burnt to the ground and may never be rebuilt. The accepted explanation for this is that a city whose inhabitants are so evil that they came to a joint decision to turn to the wickedness of idolatry, must be utterly blotted out. (Let us note that the Sages say that this commandment applies only under certain very restrictive conditions – such as that there must not be even one mezuzah there – and therefore was never actually meant to be fulfilled.) 

And again we ask: To burn an entire city and its residents? How can this possibly be grasped, given that G-d Himself, even when "angry," remembers His compassion (Tr. P'sachim 87b)! How can a nation that is termed "merciful sons of merciful and bashful sons of bashful" be expected to act so ruthlessly? 

In truth, these questions primarily show the tremendous distance and difference between the world of spiritual exile in which we live, and the world of Torah and the true reality. 

We recall that at Mt. Sinai, G-d spoke only two of the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, and Moshe Rabbeinu told over the next eight. What were the only two that we heard from G-d Himself at this historically sublime occasion? "I am the Lord your G-d," and "You shall not have any other gods in My stead" (Sh'mot 20,1-2).  

It is the most fundamental of fundamentals to know that there is One G-d, creator of absolutely all, Whose existence grants being to every single aspect of the universe. Knowing this is a positive Torah commandment - "I am the Lord your G-d" (Sh'mot 20,1). Conversely, whoever considers that there are other gods in the world stands in violation of "You shall not have any other gods in My stead." The Rambam explains that belief in One G-d is the "main point" on which everything else hinges. 

When a person lives with deep and true faith according to the teachings of Torah, and understands that our entire existence is based on our trust and faith in G-d and remaining totally apart from anything even reminiscent of idol-worship, he understands that when we are with G-d our lives have meaning and value, as well as Eternal Life in the World to Come, and that without Him we have only darkness, emptiness and futility. In this light, it is clear that idolatry is the most destructive force in the universe, and that there is no more lethal weapon for mankind, there is no more terrible disease than idolatry, and that idol worshipers are a genuine threat to mankind. And in the face of such a threat, there is no greater act of compassion than to obliterate and remove the threat, with any and all means available. 

No doubt, the destruction of idolatry does not photograph well in the media – but neither does the aerial bombing attack of a city filled with terrorists and weapons. (Neither did Hiroshima, for that matter.) But in truth, there is no greater mercy than removing this menace to the welfare of the world – and it is these extreme measures that the Torah demands of us, in order to save the world. 

On the other hand, these commandments to wipe out idolatry are applicable only when the Jewish Nation is settled in its Land and the Sanhedrin High Court of 71 judges is in place. But in our times, in the world in which we live, not only are we not commanded to wipe out idolatry in this manner, we are forbidden to do so! This is because such actions today would have precisely the opposite effect than that which the Torah desires. As the Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, d. 1953) wrote regarding a similar law of moridin v'ein maalin: 

"It appears that this law applied only when G-d's providence over all was seen and revealed, when miracles and a Heavenly Voice were prevalent, when the righteous of the generation were under clearly-seen Divine Providence, when the heretics were [therefore] particularly brazen in directing their desires towards sinful lust and wantonness, and when Divine retribution was prevalent and everyone knew that sinfulness brought war and disease upon the world. But nowadays, when the truth is "covered," and faith has been cut off from the simple people, and [taking offensive measures] against sinners does not help the situation, but rather makes it worse, in that they will see us merely as agents of violence and destruction – the law does not apply, for it no longer serves our purpose of rectification. Rather, we must bring [the sinners] close with love and rays of light, as much as we can."

The purpose of all mitzvot is to rectify the world and bring it to its ultimate and highest purpose. It is therefore clear that under the appropriate conditions, we must uproot and destroy idolatry and its practitioners, in order to remove the threat from the world – but when the circumstances dictate otherwise, we must seek to improve the world with love and light.