Ekev: At a Loss for Words?

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, Rosh Yeshivat Orot Netanya, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

A congregational rabbi once told me of a tragedy that happened in his community: a young woman had suddenly died.

On a Sabbath very shortly after the death, the husband and father of the bereaved family asked the rabbi to come to his house. When he arrived, the father took him to the room of his teenaged son, who was lying "out of it" on his bed, totally apathetic. "He's barely woken up or done anything since my wife died," the husband lamented.

The rabbi understood that the father was hoping that he would find some way to reach the boy's soul, to comfort him, to encourage him. But the situation seemed so bleak that the rabbi said to himself, "What can I possibly do? Are there any words that I can use to reach his heart?"

Most unfortunately, this is a common phenomenon. Even under normal circumstances, it is not easy to find the right words for solace and comfort.

The Rabbis teach us that when Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai's son passed away, some of the holy Tannaim (Sages of the Mishna) sought to comfort him, but did not succeed. Only when R. Elazar ben Arakh arrived and found the right words did R. Yochanan find a measure of solace (see Avot D'Rabbe Natan, 14). 

This is why many times, people simply try to avoid making condolence calls, and when they do come, they talk about other things, or wait for other people to begin. [Jewish Law does require that the comforter wait for the mourner to begin speaking, or at least give a sign that he is ready to hear the comforter speak]. 

We have just commemorated the happy day of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av. This day marks what happened to the generation that experienced the Exodus but was decreed to die out (other than those younger than 20 at the time of the Sin of the Spies) before they entered the Promised Land: Tu B'Av was the day on which they ceased dying. It thus represents the passage from the crisis of exile, to national solace and Redemption. 

We are currently in the throes of what we call the Seven Weeks of Consolation (following the Three Weeks of Mourning over the Holy Temples and the exile that concluded with Tisha B'Av). During these weeks, we read Hafarot after the weekly Torah reading that are connected not necessarily with the weekly portion, but with the concept of consolation. That is, we seek – and find – the right words with which to comfort Israel regarding its national calamities. 

It is fascinating to see that one of the famous Halakhists of the 15th century, known as the Maharil, noted an allusion to the fact that even G-d Himself sought, in His way, to pass the job of comforting Israel onto others. The Maharil writes regarding last week's Haftarah: "The Medrashim tell us that G-d told the Prophets to please comfort Israel: 'Nachamu, nachamu ami, Comfort, comfort My nation' (Yeshayahu 40,1) – that is, He asked them to console Israel in His stead."

But Zion could not be consoled. As we read in this past Shabbat's Haftarah: "Zion said, G-d has abandoned me" (Yeshayahu 49). The prophets reported back to G-d that Zion refused to accept consolation. 

G-d then said, as we read in next week's Haftarah, Aniyah so'arah, "O poor tempestuous one, who was not consoled." G-d tells the prophets that Israel was not consoled by them, but rather, as we read in the Haftarah after that, to Parashat Shoftim (Yeshayahu 51)"I, yea I am He Who consoles you." G-d Himself will comfort us.

We thus learn that when Hashem told the prophets to comfort Israel, it did not work – because Zion wanted G-d to speak to us and console us Himself. When Hashem speaks words of comfort, they will certainly find their mark.  

The message for us as individuals is that we, too, must not shy away from the mission. We must, as in warfare, "strive for contact," and try ourselves to find the right words, those which we as friends or even acquaintances sense will be of comfort and strength.

Of course, we may ask regarding the above: The approach of the Maharil appears to be problematic, since if the consolation ultimately comes from G-d Himself, why did He ask the prophets to do it for Him?

Perhaps the message is that Hashem wishes to teach us that though the source of comfort is from G-d, in practice, it is we – the people, the prophets – who must act in this world for our own consolation. We must do all we can to build ourselves up – Nachamu, nachamu ami! – and work for our solace and even Redemption. 

May it be that during these very weeks of consolation, we merit to be truly and finally comforted in the consolation of Zion and Jerusalem!

Emuna: The Tu B'Av Dancers' Song

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

Just six days after the saddest day of the year, Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), comes one of its happiest days, Tu B'Av (the 15th of Av). The Mishna at the end of Tractate Taanit Teaches:

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the Jewish people as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur, for on these days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white clothes - so as not to embarrass those who did not have [their own white garments]… And they would go out and dance in the vineyards. And what would they say? "Young man, please lift up your eyes and choose for yourself [a wife]. Do not set your eyes toward beauty, but rather toward [a good] family, as the verse states (Proverbs 31:30): 'Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears G-d shall be praised' …"  (Taanit 26b)

The Mishna notes here a unique phenomenon in the world of shidduchim (matchmaking). Generally, as the Gemara teaches (Kiddushin 2b), it is the way of a man to pursue a woman for matrimony, and not the other way around, just as one searches for his own lost item [in this case, the rib from which the woman was created]. But here, we see the women chasing after the men. It appears that the dance in the vineyards, and the entire special virtue of shidduchim on these two days, stems from the fact that these are holidays in Israel – days of forgiveness and renewed connection between us and G-d, as in the verse, "on the day of his wedding and the day of his heart's joy" (Song of Songs 3,11). Israel, G-d's bride, sinned, and then - on their own initiative - returned to G-d, the "bridegroom." This then became the model for these special days when the bride pursues the groom. 

Several questions arise, among them: Why does the Mishna cite a verse that emphasizes the importance of fearing G-d as support for the importance of family? In addition, later on in the Gemara we learn that aside from the girls who told their potential husbands to seek good family, other girls had a different message: The pretty ones said the men should look at "beauty," while the less attractive of them said, "Choose for the sake of Heaven, as long as you adorn us with gold." How are we to understand this?

Let us explain this based on the words of the 18th-century Maggid of Kuzhnitz. The "pretty" girls refer to those who are full of Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds; the ones of distinguished lineage [who promoted good family] may not have as much Torah, but they have z'chut avot, the "merit of their forefathers;" and the "homely" ones are those who see mainly their own faults, as King David said, "My sin is before me always" (Psalms 51,5). That is, they are on the level of baalei teshuvah, penitents. And this then explains their words, "as long as you adorn us with gold" – i.e., they seek Divine help and guidance in fulfilling the Torah and its mitzvot so that they can become righteous. 

The general message is that the more one believes himself to be an empty vessel that needs to be filled, the more he will be able to fill himself with spiritual abundance and feel closeness to G-d. In this context, there appear to be three levels, one atop the other: 

The "pretty ones" with good deeds, would certainly be a good choice for those looking for a worthy wife. 

Above them are those who do not count on their own good deeds but rather always ask themselves, "When will my deeds reach the level of my forefathers?" and rely on the merit of their ancestors and families. They seek Divine aid and say (Psalms 121,1), "I lift my eyes to the mountains" – harim, in Hebrew, which can allude to horim, parents. 

And finally we have the top level, that of the homely who fear that they don't even have the merit of their forefathers and therefore rely solely and totally on Hashem in heaven; as the above verse continues, "My aid comes from G-d, the Maker of heaven and earth." This is why they tell their prospective matches, "Choose for the sake of Heaven, as long as you adorn us with gold" – referring to the gold of good deeds. And because this is what they strive for, they will ultimately be beautified. Of all three types, these are the ones who can draw closest to G-d – and this is precisely why the Mishna concludes with a verse praising the "woman who fears G-d," for she is the culmination of all of them. And all the more so will this be true if those who are "beautiful in deeds" or take merit in the "deeds of their forefathers" are excited and moved by this awareness of the importance of the third level, to constantly increase their pure fear of God; if they do so, their good virtues will enable them to reach this level, and even higher! 

The Mishna also notes that the dancing maidens would wear borrowed clothing, so that those who cannot afford their own beautiful dresses would not be embarrassed. This atmosphere of "equality" wherein they do not show off their clothing – that is, their good deeds or special lineage – is the result of the special virtue that the Mishna attributes to the "homely" girls, who are so modest that they do not recognize their own virtues. This is the secret of their machol, circular dance, which has no beginning and no end; rather, everyone is equal.  

In sum: When we have nothing to show off, we can fill ourselves with fear of G-d – which will then raise up all of our other virtues to their highest level.

VaEtchanan: Two levels of faith: Why we add a secret verse after Shma Yisrael

by Rav Yair Strauss, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of VaEtchanan – D'varim 3,23-7,11 – is the continuation of Moshe Rabbeinu's parting speech to the Children of Israel before they entered the Promised Land. It contains not only the Ten Commandments, but also the first paragraph of Kriat Shma, beginning with Shma Yisrael: "Hear O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One." The Medrash tells us that Yaakov Avinu, on his deathbed, wished to reveal the End of Days to his 12 sons - but he saw that his spirit of prophecy had been blocked off. He feared that perhaps one of his sons was not loyal to the tradition, just as Avraham's son Yishmael and Yitzchak's son Esav. His sons sought to comfort him: "Hear, O Israel [another name for Yaakov], our G-d is one; just like in your heart you have no other God, the same is true for our heart." The Medrash continues: "At that moment, Yaakov said, Barukh shem k'vod malchuto l'olam va'ed" – "Blessed be the Glory of His kingdom forever and ever" – which we recite today immediately after saying the verse Shma Yisrael. 

What is the significance of this Medrash? Why did Yaakov respond by saying the words Barukh shem…? Why did our Sages add these words to our daily prayers in Shma Yisrael? And why do we recite them in a whisper?

The attainment of true faith involves two levels. The first one is understanding and knowing the presence of G-d by looking at nature and history. The higher level of faith is what Rav Kook calls tviut ayin, an instinctive inner sense that the world is ordered, that it is directed from without, and that our reality is constantly rising up towards the great G-dliness with ever-increasing harmony and unity. This is daat Elokim, knowledge of G-d – the internalization of the concept of G-dliness within us.

The verse Shma Yisrael expresses the higher level of attaining faith, in which one senses the Divine unity constantly rising and intensifying. Yaakov Avinu's desire to reveal the End to his sons was his will to show them how this unity progresses along up to the point of completion in the End of Days. However, he felt that his sons were not on the appropriate level to understand this. 

The sons reassured him that they believed in One G-d, just as he did – but they emphasized the heart aspect: "We believe in our heart just as you believe in your heart. In the depths of our heart, we are willing to hear the Divine unity." This was not sufficient, however. The heart is important, but what about their bodies and intellects? Those, too, must be linked with the Divine unity. This is why Yaakov was unable to reveal to them the End, but only "the glory of G-d's Kingdom" – only the lower level of faith, that of intellectual perception of G-d's glorious presence in our reality, without a genuine and internalized intuitive grasp of the Divine on the level of Shma Yisrael.

The intellectual comprehension of G-d that arrives from our external world, from the Kingdom of G-d – Barukh shem k'vod malchuto – is a low level. We are forced to use it to reach the higher level of G-d's unity via the spiritual intuition that is expressed in "Shma Israel" – but we are not proud of this. Rather, we recite the words of this lower level quietly, almost in secret. Every day when we recite the Kriat Shma, we pray that our spiritual intuition be restored to us, the sense of cleaving to the harmony and perfection to which the world is ever marching. But at the same time we do not neglect or abandon the intellectual comprehension of Barukh shem k'vod malchuto, from which we are able to reach the higher level of deep internal faith.

Emuna: Gentile Involvement in Our Affairs Does Not End Well

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Yeshivot Ramat Gan and Givatayim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The famous pre-Tisha B'Av story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza has suffered a fate similar to that of other famous Jewish texts. That is, when we assume that we already know the message they intend to give over, their main points are liable to be overlooked.

To quickly review, the Talmud tells us that Bar Kamtza came by mistake to a party given by his enemy (the invitation had really been proffered to someone named Kamtza). Even after Bar Kamtza offered to pay for entire feast in order not to be thrown out in humiliation, the host did not agree, and in fact threw him out in front of all the guests – including Sages. Bar Kamtza then took revenge by informing on the Jews to the Roman emperor, and in fact, as the Talmud concludes, "Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed." (Tr. Gittin 55b)

The heading of this story is the verse, "Fortunate is he who is always afraid; he who hardens his heart falls into misfortune" (Proverbs 28,14). Rashi on the Gemara explains that the Jews of the time did not think or foresee the results of their actions:

·         The host did not think what could happen as a result of embarrassing Bar Kamtza;

·         the Sages did not realize that their silence and failure to protest the injustice would lead to a tremendous drive for revenge by Bar Kamtza;

·         the Sage Zecharia ben Avkulas, who objected to various Halakhic solutions that could have avoided the problems caused by Bar Kamtza, was too "scrupulous", and in fact the Gemara says that it was this trait of his that led ultimately to the destruction and the exile.

·         And even those who burnt the storehouses of food in order to get the Jews to fight did not think that their hunger would lead to destruction. (Note, also, that this part of the story happened at the end, when the conquest of Jerusalem was practically a done deal.)

Whose fault was it, then, that the Temple was destroyed and the nation was exiled? The answer is: Bar Kamtza – a Jew who had a fight with another Jew, was insulted by him and his fellow Jews who didn't come to his aid, and chose to bring the Romans on so that they would take his vengeance upon them. This last point was the ultimate mistake.

Our Sages note that Yaakov Avinu was perhaps the first one to make this sinful error. After a long period of separation from his brother Esav, who had vowed to kill him, Yaakov turned to him of his own initiative. When Yaakov sent him scouts with a message of peace, the Medrash Rabba (75,3) says that G-d said [paraphrased], "He was walking on his way, why did you have to remind him of your existence?"

The Ramban adds that in his opinion, this is a hint that we ourselves actually started our downfall at the hands of the Edomites [Esav's son Edom is traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Christian Roman empire]. He writes that it is recorded in history [by Josephus] that Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, fighting for the crown, each sought Roman support, to the point where the Romans ultimately took over altogether, and ended up destroying the Temple and exiling the Jews.

Also in his commentary to the Torah passages of strong rebuke (the tokhecha of Parashat Bechukotai; Vayikra 26), the Ramban notes that involving the Gentiles in our internal struggles is what caused our destruction: "King Agrippas [the last Jewish king of Judea] went to Rome at the end of the Second Temple period, and for this, the House was destroyed."

Some centuries earlier, after many blood-soaked wars between Israel and Judea, King Pekach of Israel asked the army of Aram to get involved – and King Achaz of Judea followed suit with the Assyrians, despite being warned by the Prophet Yeshayahu not to do so. Ultimately the Assyrians captured Israel, and nearly captured Judea as well if not for the great miracle that felled the army of Nevuchadnezzar. But the Jewish downfall had started, and ultimately the Babylonians captured Judea, destroyed the First Temple, and exiled the Jews.

Actually, even the conflict between Joseph and his brothers was marked by this son. The fraternal conflict did not have to result in such a sharp break, had it not been for the brothers' wretched decision to sell him to Gentiles. The fight between them was certainly not a good thing, but if it would have remained within the family, it could have been solved. Once others got involved, however, the family ties were broken – nearly for good. Though peace was ultimately restored between them, the sale was actually what brought about the Egyptian exile and bondage.

Yes, there were many reasons for our Exile. Fraternal hatred, of course, is very well known, but our Sages have also mentioned Sabbath desecration, Shemittah desecration, Avoda Zarah, sexual sins, murder, and more. But the sin of turning to Gentiles and asking for their help against other Jews – this is not just the sin, but the punishment itself for violating our brotherhood! Though the perpetrators believe that they are accomplishing something positive – such as the Reformers who worked with foreign authorities to close synagogues and Jewish schools that did not agree to participate in their "progress" – they actually thus brought destruction upon themselves.

On Tisha B'Av – the ninth day of the month of Av (August 13^th this year) – we fast in commemoration of the destruction of both Holy Temples 2,500 and 2,000 years ago, respectively. Our fast is also so that we remember "our wicked deeds, and those of our forefathers, which caused them and ourselves those tribulations" (Rambam, Laws of Fasts, Chapter 5).

Now, too, as in the past, there are those who seek support from the Gentiles in order to impose their way on their Jewish brethren. Even if their intentions are for good, there is nothing more contemptible. When the natural brotherly ties between one Jew and another are violated, destruction is already at our doorstep.

As cited above: "Fortunate is he who is always afraid" (Proverbs 28,14).

Mattot-Masei: From Kinot to Tikkun

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

The weekly portion that we read in the synagogue this Shabbat is a double one: Mattot-Masei (beginning in Bamidbar 30,2 until the end of the book). It begins by stating, "These are the journeys of the Israelites who went out of the land of Egypt." The Sfat Emet gives several reasons why the Torah connects these journeys with the Exodus from Egypt: "It would seem that [it is based on the fact that] the Exodus is mentioned 50 times in the Torah, as the Holy Zohar tells us (Part 1, 261b) – alluding to their having left [on their journeys mentioned here] the 49 Gates of Impurity and entering the 50 Gates of Wisdom."

The Sfat Emet continues: "According to the words of our Sages (Rosh Hashana 21b), the 50 Gates of Wisdom were given over to Moshe Rabbeinu except for one, as is written, "You have made him a bit less than G-d" (Tehillim 8,6)." That is, the 50th gate symbolizes divine perfection, and Moshe Rabbeinu, though he was the highest of the human species (Arvei Nachal, Sh'mot 1), was not perfect, but rather necessarily flawed.

According to Rabbe Nachman of Breslov (Likutei Moharan 1, 89), a literal understanding of this verse indicates the remarkable concept that whatever is missing from a person, whether spiritually or physically, is actually a lack in the Divine Presence.

We are currently in the period of the Three Weeks, known as "Between the Straits," in which we mourn for that which is missing from the world. We grieve over the great lack inherent in both the general reality and our personal circumstances. In actuality, Hashem is telling us of what He is missing. This entire situation of "lacking" stems from the fact that He does not have an abode, a Home, in This World in which to have His Presence dwell in our midst – which will be the "completeness of reality" that we long and strive for.

When the letter nun is missing from a word, this shows that something significant is missing and that a rectification is required. How so? Nun is equivalent to 50, and symbolizes completeness and the highest spiritual level – "above all the Gates," in the words of the above-cited Sfat Emet.  Therefore, when it is missing, something has to be fixed.  

This can help us understand the following teaching from the Zohar and Rabbe Nachman. The Zohar states (Raya Mehemna, Tzav, 27b) that whenever there is a teku, an unresolved Halakhic issue, we must be stringent, as teku is tikun without a nun, i.e., it has no rectification. Rabbe Nachman adds that it is missing the nun of completeness and rectification. We also know that there are two types of nun: One at the end of a word, which is a simple straight line, and one in the middle of a word, which is a bent line, like a backwards L. Rabbe Nachman notes that the nun of tikun is a straight line, and when it is missing, thus forming the word teku, "unresolved," the four letters of teku plus the bent-over replacement nun will then spell the word kinot, songs of sadness like the dirges recited on Tisha B'Av. He concludes: "May G-d redeem us and may the kinot be turned into tikun."

Just like teku refers to unclear situations when we don't know what is G-d's will, so too, there are times when we ourselves face contradictory considerations and don't know how to act or what G-d would like us to do. The solution to this, says Rabbe Nachman (Likutei Halachot, Gittin 3), is "to pray very very much to Hashem, that [we] should merit to receive true counsel so that [we] can return and do the right thing." He explains that the "50^th Gate" is the true counsel that certainly exists for every situation and that will guide us as to what precisely we should do in order to fulfill G-d's will without doubts. And when there is no Beit Mikdash, we are all in a state of deficiency and lack, because it was from the Holy Temple that Torah instruction went out to Israel (Taanit 16a).

When Moshe made one of his final demands on Pharaoh to send the Israelites out, he angrily told him what was going to happen (Sh'mot 11,8): "Your servants will come to me and bow down to me and say, 'Get out! You and all your people that follow you!'" The Hebrew words used here literally mean 'all the people on your feet' – and Rabbe Natan says the following remarkable thought: Shoes symbolize walking along a sure path, where one knows his destination with confidence. On Tisha B'Av we mourn for the Beit HaMikdash, whose absence means that we no longer have a sure guidepost to tell us how and what to do – and this is why on Tisha B'Av we are not allowed to wear [leather] shoes!

The tikun for this state of affairs is to recite kinot. Similarly on Tisha B'Av we recite the Scroll of Eichah (Lamentations), which are the same letter as Ayekah, meaning, "Where are You?!" We cry out to G-d and say, "We are lost, we don't know what to do! Where are You?!"

Rabbe Natan concludes: "In the future, everything will be rectified, the teku will be rectified, and all the doubts will be resolved, and the kinot will once again become tikun."