BRIS MILA - THE INDIVUAL'S COVENANT WITH HASHEM

The Sefer Hachinuch notes a unique aspect of the mitzvo of bris mila. There are a significant number of negative mitzvos for which transgression incurs the onesh (punishment) of kares. However, there are only two positive mitzvos for which the punishment is kares for one who fails to observe them; bris Mila and Korban Pesach (known as the Pascal lamb), the offering that is given in Temple times on the festival of Pesach. What is the significance of these two mitzvos that makes them unique in this aspect?

In order to answer this question, it is first necessary to explain why negative mitzvos are more associated with kares than positive mitzvos. In a relationship between two people such as marriage, there are certain actions that can damage the relationship but not cause it to be completely destroyed. However, there are things that are so serious that they could indeed end the relationship. Similarly, committing a sin causes a breach in the relationship between a person and Hashem. The significance of the breach is determined by the seriousness of the sin. There are some sins which damage the relationship to such a degree that they cause irrevocable harm. These often incur the onesh of kares.

In contrast, neglecting to perform a positive mitzvo can damage a relationship in that it prevents possible ways of increasing one's closeness to Hashem. However, it is very difficult to envisage how a lack of positive actions can irrevocably damage one's relationship with Hashem. This explains why failure to carry out most positive mitzvos does not incur kares. What makes bris mila and korban Pesach different? In order to begin a marriage a person must undertake a commitment to join in unity with his wife. Without such a commitment there is no genuine relationship - one can do all kinds of nice deeds but, in the Torah's eyes, they are not married until they perform the wedding ceremony prescribed by the Torah. In a similar way, a person needs to make a commitment to Hashem to undertake his relationship with Hashem. Without such a commitment he cannot begin to have a true relationship. Bris mila and korban Pesach are both types of covenants with Hashem, whereby a Jew commits to keeping the Torah.

This connection is demonstrated by a verse in Yechezkel. The Prophet reminds the Jewish people of the time that they were helpless slaves in Egypt, and how Hashem brought them out. He does this through an analogy of a stranded baby being saved. The verse states "And I passed over you and I saw you covered in blood, and I said to you, "by your blood you shall live, by your blood you shall live." The Rabbis explain that these two mentions of blood, refer to the blood of bris mila and korban Pesach. Through the merit of these two mitzvos, the Jews were redeemed from slavery and brought to Sinai to receive the Torah. It seems that it is no coincidence that it was these two mitzvos that Hashem commanded the people to perform. They represented the people's willingness to commit to becoming the Am Hashem.

Another connection between these two mitzvos is that there are two occasions when Eliyahu HaNavi visits the Jewish peopel; at a bris mila and on Seder night, the night when we remember the korban Pesach. This is because Eliyahu, exasperated at the Jewish people's continued sinning, declared that there was no hope for them. In response, ordered him to visit every bris mila which would show that , no matter how much the people may sin, they still keep the covenant between them and Hashem. Similarly, Eliyahu comes at Seder night, to see the Jewish people celebrate their birth as a nation.

The question remains, why is it necessary for there to be two mitzvos that involve the basic commitment to doing Hashem's will, why wouldn't it be sufficient for one mitzvo to fulfill this role? The answer is that the two mitzvos represent different aspects of a commitment. Bris mila was first commanded to a single individual, Avraham Avinu, to form his the covenant with Hashem. Thus, bris mila represents a person's commitment to his individual relationship with Hashem and all that entails. The korban Pesach represents our commitment to Hashem as part of the Jewish people. The laws of the korban Pesach emphasize the importance of fulfilling the mitzvo in groups, stressing the national aspect of the mitzvo. Accordingly, it is necessary to have two forms of covenants; one between the individual and Hashem, and one between a person as a member of the Jewish people, and Hashem.

This understanding can help us explain an unusual law pertaining to the korban Pesach. It is forbidden for an uncircumcised Jew to participate in the korban Pesach. Why is this the case? The fact that a person does not keep one mitzvo, in no way exempts him from keeping the other mitzvos! The answer is that a person cannot genuinely commit to Hashem as part of a nation when has had made no such commitment on an individual basis.

This teaches us an essential lesson. Many people identify strongly as Jews, and as part of the Jewish people. They commit to the state of Israel, and would willingly give up time and effort, and perhaps even risk their lives, for the Jewish people. They stand up to defend Israel when it comes under verbal attack from the numerous anti-Semitic forces in the world. However, on an individual basis, there is far less commitment. One may identify as being part of the Jewish nation, but he must also strive to commit to his individual relationship with Hashem. The exact way in which to apply this lesson varies according to each person, however, in a general sense, it seems that each person should see in what way he can increase his personal commitment to his relationship with Hashem. It could involve speaking to Hashem, learning more of His Torah, striving to keep more aspects of Shabbos or kosher food, and so on. The main point is to try something. It is vital to remember that Hashem WANTS a relationship with each and every individual, in his own right. May we all merit to strengthen our covenant with Hashem.
　
　

A NEW LEVEL OF EXISTENCE-LECH LECHA

“And Hashem said to Avraham, go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you, And I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.” The first command ever made to the father of Klal Yisroel, Avraham Avinu, was to leave his surroundings and to begin a new nation that would be the Am Hashem. The Ramban writes that everything that happened in the life of the Avos is a portent for the future of Klal Yisroel, and their behavior teaches us how we should conduct our lives. This concept seems to pose a difficulty: How does the command of ’lech lecha’ apply to all of us, Avraham was alone in his belief in G-d, and therefore it was necessary for him to leave everything behind and form a new nation. But nowadays there are many Jews who accept the Torah and who live in observant societies - given this fact it seems that the command of ’lech lecha’ does not really apply to us!

On deeper analysis it is clear that the command of ‘lech lecha’ is still very relevant to all of us. Hashem’s command to Avraham was deeper than simply an instruction to leave his surroundings. We are given a hint to this by Rashi; He explains why Hashem promised Avraham fame, money and descendants as a consequence of leaving Charan. “Because traveling causes three things, less [likelihood of having] children, less [likelihood of acquiring] money and less [likelihood of having] fame. Therefore he needed these three brachos.. children, money and fame.” The simple understanding of this is that Hashem was compensating Avraham for a course of behavior that would normally cause damage to a person. However, it seems that there is a deeper message implicit in this instruction. Hashem was hinting to him that if he undertook the challenge of ’lech lecha’ then he would no longer be subject to the normal laws of nature (derech hateva), rather he would live according to a whole new mode of existence - ‘ beyond derech hateva’. Consequently, even though traveling should, b’derech hateva cause loss of wealth, fame and children, Avraham would not be subject to that system of cause and effect. Instead he would live on a whole different level of existence and would benefit in all these areas.

This idea is also alluded to by the Medrash Tanchuma quoted by Rashi in the first passuk in the parsha where Hashem promises Avraham that “I will make known your teva in the world.” Why couldn’t the Medrash have simply stated, “I will make you known in the world”, what is the significance of the word, ‘teva‘ here? We can answer with this yesod; that Hashem was promising Avraham that he would live on a whole new level of teva that was hitherto unknown in the world. Avraham would have the merit to share this new form of existence with the world, teaching them a whole new approach to life. Derech drush it is also possible that this message was alluded to in the very words, “lech lecha.” The gematria of “lecha” is 50; 49 is a multiple of 7 that represents this world, whilst 8 represents beyond this world. 49 also represents this world, as is seen in the 49 levels of tuma and tahara, whilst 50 represents beyond that, as epitomized by the fact that the 50th day after Yetsias Mitzrayim was the day of Matan Torah - the occasion where the world took on a whole new level of supernatural existence. Hashem was telling Avraham, ’go to the level of 50’, a new level of existence, beyond teva.

Hashem promised Avraham that if he would live according to a metaphysical reality then he would no longer be bound by the physical reality of cause and effect that drives teva. Indeed, after Avraham successfully passes this test Hashem reveals to him at the Bris Bein Habesarim that he will live according to a different set of rules: The passuk says that He took Avraham outside, Rashi explains that Hashem was telling him to leave the confines of the mazalos, and live on a new level of existence, and that is how he and Sarah could have children even though their mazal was to never procreate. The Zohar says that this promise would only be fulfilled on condition that Avraham and his descendants be osek in Torah and mitzovs. Keeping Torah and mitzvos is the expression of living beyond derech hateva.

A person who lives according to Torah and mitzvos is, automatically living according to a different set of rules from the rest of the world. For example, in many areas of business, the busiest day is Shabbos; a person who lives according to the normal laws of cause and effect will never give up that day’s business in order to observe Shabbos. Only a person who recognizes that the Torah prescribes a different mode of cause and effect, can confidently close his business on Shabbos with the assurance that his parnasa will not suffer as a consequence. Another example of this is found in the Gemara in Bava Metsia. The Gemara discusses a certain scenario where somebody has lent his friend an item and there is now disagreement as to the value of the item. The Gemara concludes that the borrower must take a shevua to validate his claim, whereas the lender is not required to swear. Why is the borrower required to swear whilst the lender is not? The Gemara answers that the borrower trusts the lender because he is wealthy, and that the cause of his wealth is surely the fact that he is honest and trustworthy, because if this was not the case, then “they would not have given him wealth from shamayim.” It is pashut to the Gemara that honesty is the cause of wealth - if we were to ask the average person what is the cause of wealth, honesty would surely be one of the least likely answers he would suggest! According to derech hateva, honesty is not the key to wealth, indeed, many people believe that dishonesty will provide them with money. But, Klal Yisroel lives according to a completely different mode of existence, where shemiras hamitzvos and exemplary midos are the cause of success.

This has been a pattern throughout history; The Jewish people have always been faced with the challenge of living according to the ‘laws of the goyim’ or the ‘laws of Klal Yisroel’. Unfortunately this has proved a most difficult challenge to overcome. The meraglim, for example, fell prey to the tendency to approach the world according to the laws of nature. When they saw the giant inhabitants of the land they felt that it was impossible to overcome them. Their mistake was that they did not accept that if they trusted in Hashem then He would override all the laws of nature for them just as He did at Yetsias Mitzrayim and Krias Yam Suf. This principle is fundamental to the spiritual level of a Jew. It is possible to strive to observe the Torah and yet live, to some degree, according to the regular laws of teva just like the goyim. A person can easily fall into the trap of believing that the amount of time he works is the main factor in determining his financial situation. Consequently, he may increase his work hours at the expense of his learning schedule or spending precious time with his family. There is a frightening consequence to such conduct. Hashem acts mida ceneged mida with us, if we show that we do not trust in Him, rather we rely on our own efforts, then, Hashem hides Himself and we are left more to the laws of nature. This explains why a common pattern of history has been that when the Jewish people turn away from Hashem, He consequently turns away from us, and as a result we are left unprotected from the wrath of the goyim.

Another area of Avodas Hashem in which this concept applies greatly is a recognition that spiritual , and not physical, factors are the sole cause of success or failure. This attitude was epitomized by our Gedolim. Rav Moshe Aharon Stern, zt”l, Mashgiach of Kamenitz Yeshivah, was once walking behind Rav Elyah Lopian zt”l and Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l; so he hurried to be close enough behind them to hear what these two tzadikkim discuss between themselves. Reb Chatzkel noticed that Reb Elyah had a bandage over one eye and asked him what happened. Reb Elyah responded that he must have looked at something forbidden and it damaged his eye. Inspired by the question and response, Reb Moshe Aharon stepped closer to hear Reb Chatzkel’s response. To his surprise, he did not respond, he simply accepted Reb Elyah’s explanation as a point of fact, not noting anything novel or particularly righteous in Reb Elyah’s explanation. Reb Moshe Aharon explained that Reb Elyah understood that when Reb Chatzkel inquired about his eye, he was not asking about the physical condition of the eye, but the spiritual reason behind the injury. Reb Elyah understood that this was the only point of Reb Chatzkel’s question and responded accordingly. These Gedolim understood that spiritual factors were responsible for the cause-and-effect in their lives, they lived with a deep recognition that a Jew’s reality is not defined by the same laws as those of goyim.

We asked how the command of ’lech lecha’ is relevant to us today. The answer is that lech lecha was not merely a command to Avraham to leave his evil surroundings, it was a call for him to live according to a different set of rules, defined by the spiritual world, and his reward would be that Hashem would in turn treat him beyond the regular set of laws that define the physical world. This lesson is very much relevant to all of us. The Sfas Emes asks, why Hashem only said lech lecha to Avraham Avinu and not to the rest of the world. He answers by bringing a Zohar that Hashem says lech lecha to everyone, but only Avraham responded to it. In the world today Hashem says lech lecha - the goyim ignore it but we cannot; and our reward for responding to is that we will rise above the limits of this world.
　
　

AVRAHAM’S SECOND TEST - LECH LECHA

“There was a famine in the land, and Abram descended to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.”
The Parsha begins with Hashem instructing Avraham Avinu to uproot his whole life, leave his nation, society, and family, and go on a journey to an unknown destination. Soon after passing this test and traveling to Eretz Yisroel, Avraham endures a terrible famine and is forced to leave for Eretz Mitzrayim. Chazal and the Rishonim write that this famine constituted one of the ten tests that Avraham had to pass in order to achieve his full potential. What was the exact nature of the test? Rashi says, “in order to test him if he would question the words of HaKadosh Baruch Hu - Hashem told him to go to the land of Canaan and now He caused him to leave!”

According to Rashi the main aspect of the test was not the challenge of having no food, but that Avraham was unable to fulfill Hashem’s instructions of ’lech lecha’. Hashem had told him to go to the land of Eretz Yisroel and there he would be able to fulfill his spiritual potential, and yet he was immediately met with a tremendous obstacle which forced him to take a course of action which seemed to contradict the whole tachlis of his mission. He believed that his task was to be in Eretz Yisroel and yet he was forced to leave as soon as he arrived there! He could have wondered why he was forced to seemingly abandon his spiritual journey but he did not become frustrated and did not question Hashem in any way. He recognized that he did not truly understand how his journey of ‘lech lecha’ should proceed - that was in Hashem’s hands. He could only do his hishtadlus and accept that anything beyond his control was from Hashem and there was no need to be discouraged. He knew that the famine came from Hashem and that Hashem must have some reasoning behind the plan. Indeed, in hindsight, the events that took place there and the challenges that he faced, do seem to have had many benefits.

The Ramban writes that all the experiences of the Avos are a simun for his descendants. We also face the challenges that he faced and the way that he dealt with those challenges will give us the ability to withstand them in our own lives. Accordingly, the test of the famine is very relevant to all our lives. A person may embark on a spiritual journey based on his understanding of Ratson Hashem. This may involve a major life change such as moving country, or changing ones career, getting married, having children or even a smaller commitment to spiritual growth in learning or mitzvos. Regardless of the form that the ‘journey’ takes, a person will likely have his expectations of the challenges that he will face and how he needs to overcome them. However, very often, he will be met with unforeseen difficulties or obstacles that seem to contradict his whole plan. At that point, there will be a strong inclination to become frustrated that he is unable to grow in the way that he desires.

What is the reason that a person becomes frustrated when his efforts to grow do not work out as he planned? He feels that he knows what would be the ideal way for him to reach his potential - by taking this course of action he will become a better person. Therefore, when he is placed in a situation where his planned course of action his impossible, he feels frustrated because it prevents him from attaining his goal. The mistake he is making is that he feels he knows how he will best reach his potential. Instead he should recognize that only Hashem knows what circumstances a person should face in his life and that whatever obstacles he faces are only there for his growth. He may have thought that such an obstacle was not ideal for his growth, however, evidently Hashem knew otherwise.

My Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Berkovits Shlita gives a common example of this kind of nisayon. A yeshiva bachur or Avreich hopes to begin a new ’zman’ of learning free of outside disturbances that will adversely effect his ability to learn. Talmud Torah is the ultimate way of connecting to Hashem and growing as a person and therefore he hopes he will be able to invest all his energies into the learning. However, on occasion, it may occur that unavoidable distractions do arise, such as the need to attend a family wedding abroad, or health issues. At this point, the person may feel frustrated that he is unable to grow in the way that he wants to - he may see these disturbances as nuisances that prevent him from connecting to Hashem. The mistake being made here is that he thinks he knows the best way for him to grow and that annoying distractions are preventing him from doing so. Instead, he should learn from Avraham Avinu and recognize that these ‘nuisances’ emanate from Hashem and evidently they offer the exact challenge that he needs at this moment. Then he can avoid the harmful attitude of frustration and focus on facing this challenge with simcha and bitachon.

Avraham Avinu’s tests teach vital lessons that apply to our everyday life. May we all be zocheh to emulate his behavior in reacting to challenges.
　
　

ESCAPE OR REBUILD? - NOACH

“And Noach, the man of the earth, debased himself and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent.” When the flood had ended and Noach returned to the earth, he faced the daunting task of starting the world anew. He began by planting a vineyard which had terrible consequences. Chazal strongly criticize Noach’s decision to first plant a vineyard. Wine can cause man great simcha and can help him to feel closer to Hashem, however Noach should have begun planting something that was more immediately necessary for the rebuilding of the world.

The difficulty about this incident is that Noach was a very great tzaddik, and it is impossible to approach his mistake here in a superficial way. The commentaries strive to explain Noach’s reasoning in planting the vineyard. The Yalkut Shimoni explains that when Noach drank from the wine he felt great simcha. Based on this, Rav Meir Rubman zt”l in his sefer, Zichron Meir, explains that when Noach returned to dry land he was met by incredible destruction, the whole world that he had lived in was completely destroyed and every living creature dead. He naturally felt devastated and disheartened by this shocking scene. He knew that such feelings were not conducive to bringing spirituality to this new world, because the shechina can only be present amidst the simcha of doing Hashem’s will. Knowing that wine has the ability to gladden a person he decided to plant a vineyard, and use the wine that he would drink as a means to bring the shechina down to earth.

This explanation, however, poses a new difficulty - if his intentions were noble then how could such a kilkul arise out of his actions? Rav Simcha Wasserman zt”l explains that there were other, less noble intentions, effecting Noach’s decision of how to begin the new world. Facing such incredible pain, Noach felt the need to distract himself from the terrible situation he now faced, and as a consequence he chose to plant a vineyard, whose wine offered a way to escape the terrible pain he felt. This choice was considered a failing for someone of Noach’s great stature and accordingly, it had damaging results. Chazal criticize him and say that, when facing a destroyed world he should have first focused on rebuilding, rather than escaping. Rav Wasserman points out that Chazal do not say that Noach did not commit a terrible sin here, rather he did something that was ‘chol’, (from the lashon of ‘vayachel’ used to describe Noach’s mistake) lacking in holiness and greatness.

About sixty years ago, many people faced an incredibly great nisayon. The Holocaust destroyed millions of lives, and whole communities were uprooted; many people lost all their families. Facing this catastrophe, there was surely a very strong inclination to ‘escape’ on some level. However, certain individuals rimmediately undertook to rebuild the Jewish people. Great people such as the Ponevezher Rav zt”l and the Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l lost their families in the Holocaust and yet somehow embarked upon the immense challenge of rebuilding. Rav Yissachar Frand Shlita offers another, moving example of someone who avoided the temptation to escape in the post-Holocaust world. Rav Joseph Rosenberg zt”l. He found himself in USA after the war, and noticed that there was one particular mitzva which had been completely neglected - Shatnez. He single-handedly created Shatnez checking laboratories and for several decades checked hundreds of thousands of garments for Shatnez. He faced more than one churban. One, the Holocuast, was physical in nature, and one was a spiritual churban - the loss of one mitzva.
Baruch Hashem, in this generation we do not have to contend with destruction comparable to that of the Flood or the Holocaust. However, we also face churban on a number of levels. In a national sense, we know that Klal Yisroel is met with the greatest spiritual churban in its history, with countless Jews intermarrying every day. It has been estimated that more people have been lost to Judaism in the past 60 years than were lost in the Holocaust! This churban is less apparent and shocking than the Holocaust but the damage it is causing is immense. Every observant Jew is forced to face this churban whenever he leaves his community and is surrounded by secular people. There are many different avenues that a person can take to help secular Jews but most important is the decision not to escape the problem and say ‘shalom aliyich nafshi’.

On a more personal level, we all know people who are faced with their own individual churbans. There are people who cannot provide a parnasa for their families, people who suffer fromterrible health problems, young men and women who cannot find shidduchim, divorced or widowed people who feel alone and helpless, the list is endless. When we encounter any of these people we also have the choice of escape or build. Rav Frand argues that it is not enough to merely feel bad for them, and to say, ‘nebuch’. We must strive to help in any way that we can. For example, if someone loses his job, then we can try to use our contacts to see if we can help him find new employment. Or If someone cannot find a shidduch then we can spend a small amount of time thinking if we know any suitable prospective partner.

Of course, through the course of our lives most of us are faced with tragedies or catastrophes of some sort. These traumatic events are very challenging and there is the natural temptation to want to escape the pain of the situation. However, a sign of greatness is to make a concerted effort to rebuild and move ahead with our lives. In one emotive shiur before Yom Kippur, Rav Frand suggests that people ask themselves four fundamental questions about their spiritual level. One of them is the question that the ‘rav hachovel’ (the head sailor) asked Yonah - there was a terrible storm threatening to destroy the whole ship and amidst this turmoil the sailors found Yonah asleep. The rav hachovel asked Yonah, “Why are you sleeping, rise up and call to your G-d..” The rav hachovel was telling Yonah, how can you sleep through such a situation as this, do something! So too, Rav Frand exhorts us to ask ourselves, why are we sleeping through the tumultuous events that surround us. May we all be zocheh to strive to rebuild and not escape when we face challenge and pain.

NOACH AND AVRAHAM - NOACH

“These are the offspring of Noach, Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.” Noach was the greatest person in his time, the only one who deserved to be spared from the flood. And yet Noach is unfavorably compared to Avraham Avinu by Chazal in a number of places. What is the difference between these two great men?

Rashi brings a Medrash that contrasts Avraham and Noach. With regard to Noach, the Torah says “Noach walked with G-d.” This means that he needed help in his Avodas Hashem. But to Avraham, Hashem says “Walk before me.” This means that Avraham could strengthen himself on his own. The commentaries explain that Avraham was pro-active and self-motivated. He did not need external events to stimulate him to serve Hashem and do kindness. Noach needed external circumstances to push him forward in his righteousness.

Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt"l expands on this idea. He writes that Noach is called “ish tzaddik"(man of righteousness), whilst Avraham is “ish chessed"(man of kindness). Noach performed incredible acts of kindness in the ark, feeding hundreds of animals for several months. However, says Rav Dessler, “This was only tzedek - he fulfilled his obligation.” It did not stem from an overflowing desire to give, but was rather a reaction to the needs of others. Avraham, in contrast, did not perform kindness out of obligation, but because of a burning desire to give. This divergence between Noach and Avraham is not restricted to kindness in the physical realm, but also extends into the spiritual realm. The Seforno writes that Noach did rebuke the people in his generation but he did not go any further. “He did not teach them to know G-d and how to go in his ways.” Consequently, he did not possess enough merit to save the generation. In contrast Avraham went far beyond the call of duty to teach the world to know Hashem.

The commentaries also discuss why Noach’s great descendants, Shem and Ever, did not merit to attain Avraham’s greatness. The Rambam describes how Avraham fought against the idolatry prevalent in his times. “He began to call out in a loud voice to the whole world and taught them that there is one G-d in the world and it is He that one should serve… He would continually call out and gather the people from city to city and from kingdom to kingdom until he reached there, as it says, “and he called out in the name of Hashem the eternal G-d. And when the people would gather and ask him what he was preaching, he would teach to every one of them, each according to his ability, until he would bring them to the true way, until tens of thousands of people gathered to follow him.” The Raavad writes on this Rambam, “I am astonished, for Shem and ever were there at this time. how could they not protest [against the idolatry that surrounded them. The Kesef Mishnah answers, “Shem and Ever were teaching the way of Hashem to their students, but they did not rouse themselves to call and teach in the way that Avraham did. Because of this he rose to a higher level than they did.”

This seems difficult to understand. We know that Shem and Ever had a yeshivah in which they taught Torah for a very long time. Why then are they considered on a lower level than Avraham Avinu, to the extent that he is the spiritual father of the Jewish people, but they are not? We can answer this question with Rav Dessler’s principle. There are two ways to give. A person can be re-active, waiting for people who want to learn Torah and grow in their Yiddishkeit, or one can be pro-active, seeking out people who would not otherwise want to learn Torah or develop any kind of relationship with Hashem. Noach, Shem and Ever were limited to the first type of giving. This is a high level, but, as Rav Dessler explains, it does not qualify as true kindness. Avraham, however, was pro-active. He did not wait for people to come to him. He sought out people who did not even know that they were lacking anything and taught them about Hashem. This is true chessed. This is what caused Avraham to rise to a higher level than Noach, Shem and Ever.

Why would a person reach the level of reactive kindness but fail to progress to the higher level of giving pro-actively? The clue to this can be found in Noach’s name. We know that a person’s name teaches us about his essence. The word, 'noach' means 'comfortable'. It is not easy to take responsibility for something without first being called upon to do it. The negative inclination (yetser hara) will find numerous excuses to avoid taking on a challenging endeavor when the genuine reason for doing so is desire for comfort.

The great author of The Chovos Levavos reveals to us that he was subject to this very challenge. He writes in the introduction that after planning to write the sefer he changed his mind, citing a number of reasons. “I thought my powers too limited and my mind too weak to grasp the ideas. Furthermore, I do not possess an elegant style in Arabic, in which the book would have been written… I feared that I would be undertaking a task which would succeed [only] in exposing my shortcomings…Therefore I decided to drop my plans and revoke my decision.” However, he recognized that perhaps his motives were not completely pure. “I began to suspect that I had chosen the comfortable option, looking for peace and quiet. I feared that what had motivated the cancellation of the project had been the desire for self-gratification, which had driven me to seek ease and comfort, to opt for inactivity and sit idly by.” To the eternal benefit of Klal Yisroel he decided to write the Sefer and it is difficult to imagine Klal Yisroel being bereft of its spiritual guidance. The reasons that he initially cited in support of his decision not to write the sefer seem fair and logical. But he recognized that, on his level, they were tainted by a desire for comfort. We too have plausible reasons why we choose to ignore opportunities to help Klal Yisroel. But we must be extremely careful to make sure that we are not in fact just being lazy. Imagine how many great works or bold initiatives may never have reached fruition because of this yetser hara.

Another hindrance to pro-activity is misplaced bitachon. A person may have the hashkafa that Hashem will send him his tachlis on a plate. History proves that the great builders in Torah did not have this attitude. They looked at the problems in the world and decided to take action to rectify them without waiting to be told to do so. People such as Rav Aharon Kotler, the Ponevezher Rav and Rebbetsin Sarah Shenirer emulated Avraham Avinu and took the initiave to build Torah institutions. These institutions reinforced Torah, and enabled us to survive the spitirual onslaught of the Enlightenment and the physical onslaught of the Holocaust.

A less well-known example of a proactive builder is Joseph Rosenberg. He lived in the post- -Holocaust generation. He saw a world in which one particular mitzvo was largely ignored - the mitzvo of Shatnes. He single-handedly created Shatnes checking observatories and for several decades checked hundreds of thousands of garments for Shatnes. What was the key to his greatness? It was not necessarily his knowledge of Torah but it was his willingness to pro-actively go out and fix a problem he saw in Klal Yisroel.

In our generation, one does not have to look far to find opportunities to improve the word in some form. But he must not wait to be asked to step forward. If he does wait, the opportunity may never materialize. Hashem may want us to open our eyes and take action without being prompted to do so. As we have seen, there are people who have already done so, showing us that it is possible.

Noach was a great man but he is not the progenitor of the Chosen People. He did kindness, but only after he was instructed to. He rebuked the people, but only after Hashem had told him to do soas a reactive person, who needed external circumstance to arouse him to action. By contrast, Avraham Avinu did not need to be motivated to serve Hashem. He did not wait for people to come to him in order to teach them Torah. He reached the level of true chessed through great effort. It is incumbent upon us, his descendants, to emulate him and seek and pursue opportunities to make a difference to Klal Yisroel.

BRIS MILA - WHY ON THE EIGHTH DAY

One of the most well-known and observed mitzvos is that of Bris Mila (circumcision). A very high proportion of Jews who are distant from their heritage, nonetheless observe this mitzvo and have their sons circumcised on the eight day after their birth. One of the obvious questions that arises with regard to bris mila is what is the significance of having the bris on the eight day in particular. This is such an important aspect of the mitzvo that the Torah teaches us that one must even perform the bris on Shabbos despite the fact that it involves activities that are normally prohibited on Shabbos.

In order to answer this question it is instructive to analyze the significance of certain numbers in Jewish thought. The world was created in six days, and on the seventh day, Hashem 'rested', thereby creating the concept of Shabbos, the day that we refrain from physical creation and focus on more spiritual pursuits. Accordingly, the number 'six' symbolizes the physical world, whereas seven represents the infusion of spirituality into the physical world. On Shabbos we strive to elevate physicality through using it leshem shamayim (for the sake of Heaven). Thus, there is an emphasis on eating good food, and dressing nicely, but not for selfish reasons, rather to use the physical world as a cli (tool) for connecting to Hashem. The number, 'eight' symbolizes spirituality that is beyond this world, going beyond the laws of nature. Removing part of our body represents elevating ourselves beyond our natural physical drives. Some commentaries write that one of the reasons for bris mila is that it weakens man's natural physical lusts (see Moreh Nevuchim, Rabbeinu Bachaye). In this vein, bris mila represents a Jew's disassociating himself from the regular laws of olam hazeh (this world), and clinging to a completely different level of existence.

The idea that bris mila represents transcending olam hazeh is seen in the Torah's account of Hashem's command to Avraham Avinu with regard to this mitzvo. Hashem tells Avraham, "walk before me and be complete." Rashi explains that Hashem was instructing Avraham to perform bris mila and thereby attain completion. Immediately after this, Hashem tells Avraham that He is changing his name, which up till that point, was Avram, to Avraham. Hashem was taking Avraham to a whole new level of existence, and bringing him out of the limits of mazal which had thus far prevented him from having children. It seems clear from the pessukim that this promise and the promise of an eternal bris between Hashem and Avraham z's descendants, were dependent upon Avraham making his own bris with Hashem, that of bris mila. Thus, we see that bris mila is intrinsically connected to the fact that the Jewish people live on a whole different plane of existence.

Rav Dessler zt"l applies this explanation of the difference between '7' and '8' to clarify a difficult Yalkut. The Yalkut tells us: "Shabbos and mila argue with each other. Shabbos says, 'I am greater than you' and mila says, 'I am greater than you'... from the fact that mila overrides Shabbos, we know that mila is greater than Shabbos." Rav Dessler explains that there are two ways in which a person can go about his avodas Hashem. One is to be involved in the physical world and elevating it for the sake of Heaven. There are numerous mitzvos that fit this category, for example, giving tzedoko (charity) is a way of using one's money to connect to Hashem. Shabbos is the primary example of this, as we said earlier. The second way of growing in spirituality is by removing oneself from physicality, and thereby separating from his natural taivas. Mila represents this form of avodas Hashem.

Rav Dessler points out that there is a great danger in the first type of spirituality where one tries to elevate gashmius (physicality) in that a person can easily fall into the trap of thinking he is elevating the physical world. However, in truth, he is really being pulled after his physical desires and the yetser hara is tricking him into thinking that he is doing it leshem shamayim. The second form of spirituality of removing oneself from gashmius does not pose this threat because one avoids the risks of being trapped. Rav Dessler writes further, that the only way that a person can be sure that he can use gashmius in the correct way is by also somewhat removing himself from it for a time.

With this understanding, Rav Dessler explains the meaning of the Yalkut. Shabbos represents the form of avodas Hashem where one uses the gashmius for spiritual purposes, whereas mila represents serving Hashem by weakening one's attachment to the physical world. Mila 'overrides' Shabbos in that it avoids the risks of being trapped by the yetser hara into becoming overly attached to gashmius whilst performing seemingly spiritual activities.

We have seen that bris mila represents separation from the physical world as a way of becoming closer to Hashem, and how this form of avodas Hashem is essential to one's spiritual growth. In this vein, my Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Berkovits shlita points out that despite the stress on being involved with the physical world for spiritual reasons, the main way of achieving greatness is through involvement in purely spiritual endeavors. Gedolim did not become great through eating leshem shamayim all the time. They became great by developing an overriding interest in spirituality and a disinterest in the physical world. Numerous stories are told of how unimportant food to gedolim such as the Chazon Ish zt"l and Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l. May we merit to emulate them and learn from the mtizvo of bris mila to focus on learning, davenning, and growth, as the main ways of becoming great.
　
　

HOW TO KEEP THE YETSER HARA AWAY - BEREISHIS

In the midst of the famous story of Kayin and Hevel the Torah offers us the very first lesson about the yetser hara (negative inclination); after Hashem ignores Kayin’s offering and turns to that of Hevel, Kayin reacts very badly. “Kayin was very angry and his countenance fell.” In response to this reaction, Hashem warns Kayin about the possible consequences of his reaction; “And Hashem said to Kayin, why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? Is it not true that if you do good, you will be forgiven? But if you do not do good, sin crouches at the opening; its longing is toward you, yet you will rule over it.”

The Kli Yakar explains this enigmatic verse with a Gemara in Brachos; the Gemara compares the yetser hara to a fly. He explains that a fly does not have enough power to open a person’s skin when there is no wound there, however when he finds an opening, he has enough power to strike and open the wound further. So too, the yetser hara does not have enough strength to expose a weakness of a person who has not faltered in his Avodas Hashem. However, when a person weakens he creates an opening through which the yetser hara can enter and cause the person to sin further. This is the explanation of the Gemara in Shabbos that says; “of the one who comes to sin it is opened for him.” The Kli Yakar explains that the opening referred to is that he has opened the door for the yetser hara to enter and widen the opening until the wound becomes impossible to heal.

The yetser hara stands at the opening, waiting for a person to falter, but if he does not then he will rule over the yetser hara because it does not have the strength to cause him to sin if he stands steadfast in his avodas Hashem. However, if a person does falter, even in a small way, then the yetser hara can enter the opening and it will be far more difficult to now overcome it’s temptations. Hashem was telling Kayin that he was on the brink of falling into the trap of the yetser hara by opening the door to him. Kayin did not heed Hashem’s advice, and instead he confronted Hevel, allowing his yetser hara to overcome him and lead him to commit the terrible sin of murder.

Based on this understanding the Kli Yakar suggests that a person who has foresight should strive not to give the yetser hara any opening through which it can enter and cause great damage. From here we learn the importance of consistency in one's avodas Hashem. It is well-known that when a person undertakes some kind of self-discipline, such as a diet, or giving up an addiction, it is essential that he strive to avoid faltering in any way. This is because of the Kil Yakar’s principle - once a person shows a sign of weakness, then he triggers a process of deterioration that is very hard to stop. It seems that people who have tried to give up something, and failed, in many instances did not make a conscious decision to renew their bad habit. Rather they had a moment of weakness where they made an exception to their discipline, however that one moment of weakness began the process whereby they fell back into the traps of that addiction.
Very often, people who commit terrible sins began with a very minor transgression. One Rabbi suggested that this was the case with the tragic cases of ‘observant’ butchers who descended to the point where they were selling non-kosher meat. How could someone fall to such a low level to the extent that he causes so many people to sin? He explained that they probably began with a very minor ‘short-cut’ that saved some money, and in time this slowly escalated until the yetser hara has completely taken over the person.

Not everyone will necessarily fall to this level when they falter, however there is still a great need for a person to try to remain consistent in his lifestyle and avoid even minor failings as much as possible. This applies in all areas of Avodas Hashem. In one’s own observance of mitzvos, small lapses can lead to bigger ones. It similarly applies with regard to one’s relationships - very often a relationship can deteriorate as a result of one thoughtless comment and after the damage is done it is far harder to rectify the situation. It is especially applicable in the area of learning - Chazal emphasize that a person must have set times for learning that are never missed; by consistently learning at a set time a person can overcome the yetser hara’s attempts to take him away from his learning. However, if he does not consistently adhere to his schedule then it is far easier for the yetser hara to drag him away from learning on a constant basis.

The story of Kayin teaches us about the importance of remaining steadfast in one’s Avodas Hashem as a prime way of overcoming the yetser hara and the terrible consequences that can occur if we do not. May we all be zocheh to defeat the yester hara and reach our full potential.
　
　

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION - BEREISHIS

After Kayin’s heinous act of murdering his brother Hevel, Hashem decreed upon him to be a wanderer around the earth, he was never to have a permanent dwelling. It is a basic tenet of Torah that any ‘punishment’ that Hashem decrees upon a person is not arbitrary, rather it is intended as a tikun for that person’s aveiro. By adhering to the conditions of the onesh a person can rectify his initial mistake; living in this state of galus was intended to be the tikun for Kayin. However, it seems that Kayin did not adhere to the form of tikun that Hashem decreed for him, rather he tried to avoid it. Immediately after receiving his onesh the Torah tells us how Kayin proceeded. “And Kayin was a city builder..” The Ramban notes that the lashon of the Torah hints to the fact that Kayin was constantly building cities but they would immediately collapse because of the curse that he be in constant exile. However, instead of learning from this and accepting his status as a wanderer, Kayin continued to build cities throughout his life.

Kayin’s actions seem to have generated a trend in his descendants to avoid the tikunim that Hashem had ascribed to mankind to metaken the chet of Adam HaRishon. He told Adam after the chet that the tikun for him was to work the land with his own hands in order to earn his livelihood. However, Kayin’s descendants preferred to avoid working the land and turned to other forms of earning a livelihood: The Torah describes how they did this: “”And Adah bore Yaval; he was the first of those who dwell in tents and breed cattle. The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the first of all who handle the harp and flute. And Zilla, too - she bore Tuval-Kayin, who sharpened all cutting implements of copper and iron..” Rashi explains that these innocuous passukim are of great significance because they represent the development of some of the basic aspects of modern civilization. Yuval chose to be a shepherd, avoiding Hashem’s instructions to work the land. It is also possible that the ‘dwelling in tents’ in the passuk represents the development of business activities, also something not consistent with the tikun that Hashem ascribed to mankind. Yuval was the first to develop the art of music; this represents how mankind tried to avoid the pain of working the land by distracting itself with entertainment. And Tuval-Kayin was the first to develop weapons which enabled man to survive by overpowering others, another way in which he could avoid the klala to work the land. Thus we have seen how the development of mankind was based on a desire to avoid the method which Hashem had given them to rectify the chet of Adam HaRishon in favor of an easier lifestyle which would not metaken chet Adam HaRishon. Consequently, mankind developed in a state of ignoring Ratson Hashem, which culminated in their subsequent moral degeneration and destruction in the Great Flood.

There was one person who did attempt to deal directly with Hashem’s directive to work the land; “Lamech .. begot a son. And he called his name Noach, saying, ’this one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed.’” Rashi tells us that Noach invented farming tools and this made the working of the land more successful. Noach was the first person who did not try to avoid the klala of Adam HaRishon, rather he faced it directly and this helps explain why Noach was also the one person who Hashem did not destroy. Unlike the rest of the world, his life was dedicated to fulfilling Hashem’s ratson, therefore he was not subject to the moral degeneration that plagued mankind.

There are two significant lessons that can be learned from this brief tour of early world history. Firstly, we have discussed how the development of civilization was characterized by a desire to avoid Ratson Hashem. This too is a great nisayon in today’s society; we are blessed with constant advances in technology - these can be used to provide great spiritual benefit for mankind if used with the correct intentions, however, often this is not the case. This even seems to be true to an extent among observant people. The cell phone, for example, is a device that can have great benefits, however, all too often these are outweighed by its damage. For example, Gedolim have decried, amongst other things, the tremendous bitul Torah caused by people having their cell phones at hand even during learning. Moreover, cell phones have brought a new dimension to disrespectful behavior both for Hashem and people. We are all familiar with the sound of a cell phone during davenning, weddings, and speeches. Rav Frand Shlita even mentions a case in which a person neglected to turn of his phone during a levaya, but what is far worse is that he actually answered it and spoke whilst the levaya was taking place! This does not necessarily mean that we should not utilize the great potential of modern technology but we must be vigilant that ensure that we are using it to further Ratson Hashem and not negate it.

A more general lesson that can be derived from here is that very often Hashem places us in a situation from which He wants us to grow but we have a tendency to avoid seizing that opportunity. The Toras Avraham writes that Hashem communicates us through yissurim - this does not just refer to major tragedies, but also to the general difficulties that we all face in life. A good example of this is marriage; how can a person know which area of growth to focus on in his marriage? By noting in which area there is the most friction in the marriage and how his failings contribute to this problem. Clearly Hashem is sending him these yissurim as a way of telling him that he should work on this area of his midos. However, even a person who is willing to work on his marriage may prefer to focus on aspects of growth that come more naturally to him; for example, a person who has a leaning to the bein Adam le Makom aspect of Avodas Hashem is more likely to focus on working on tefilla than rectifying his issues in Bein Adam Lechaveiro. Obviously, it is a great thing to work on tefilla, however even this can emanate from atsas hayetser hara that wants to divert us from focusing on the most needed aspects of our growth.

Parshas Bereishis is far more than a historical description of the early generations in history. It is an account of how Hashem communicated to mankind how they should rectify their mistakes and how the vast majority of them refused to heed His instructions. It is upon us to heed their mistake and directly learn from Hashem’s hashgacha how we can do His Ratson.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION - BEREISHIS

After Kayin’s heinous act of murdering his brother Hevel, Hashem decreed upon him to be a wanderer around the earth, he was never to have a permanent dwelling. It is a basic tenet of Torah that any ‘punishment’ that Hashem decrees upon a person is not arbitrary, rather it is intended as a tikun for that person’s aveiro. By adhering to the conditions of the onesh a person can rectify his initial mistake; living in this state of galus was intended to be the tikun for Kayin. However, it seems that Kayin did not adhere to the form of tikun that Hashem decreed for him, rather he tried to avoid it. Immediately after receiving his onesh the Torah tells us how Kayin proceeded. “And Kayin was a city builder..” The Ramban notes that the lashon of the Torah hints to the fact that Kayin was constantly building cities but they would immediately collapse because of the curse that he be in constant exile. However, instead of learning from this and accepting his status as a wanderer, Kayin continued to build cities throughout his life.

Kayin’s actions seem to have generated a trend in his descendants to avoid the tikunim that Hashem had ascribed to mankind to metaken the chet of Adam HaRishon. He told Adam after the chet that the tikun for him was to work the land with his own hands in order to earn his livelihood. However, Kayin’s descendants preferred to avoid working the land and turned to other forms of earning a livelihood: The Torah describes how they did this: “”And Adah bore Yaval; he was the first of those who dwell in tents and breed cattle. The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the first of all who handle the harp and flute. And Zilla, too - she bore Tuval-Kayin, who sharpened all cutting implements of copper and iron..” Rashi explains that these innocuous passukim are of great significance because they represent the development of some of the basic aspects of modern civilization. Yuval chose to be a shepherd, avoiding Hashem’s instructions to work the land. It is also possible that the ‘dwelling in tents’ in the passuk represents the development of business activities, also something not consistent with the tikun that Hashem ascribed to mankind. Yuval was the first to develop the art of music; this represents how mankind tried to avoid the pain of working the land by distracting itself with entertainment. And Tuval-Kayin was the first to develop weapons which enabled man to survive by overpowering others, another way in which he could avoid the klala to work the land. Thus we have seen how the development of mankind was based on a desire to avoid the method which Hashem had given them to rectify the chet of Adam HaRishon in favor of an easier lifestyle which would not metaken chet Adam HaRishon. Consequently, mankind developed in a state of ignoring Ratson Hashem, which culminated in their subsequent moral degeneration and destruction in the Great Flood.

There was one person who did attempt to deal directly with Hashem’s directive to work the land; “Lamech .. begot a son. And he called his name Noach, saying, ’this one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed.’” Rashi tells us that Noach invented farming tools and this made the working of the land more successful. Noach was the first person who did not try to avoid the klala of Adam HaRishon, rather he faced it directly and this helps explain why Noach was also the one person who Hashem did not destroy. Unlike the rest of the world, his life was dedicated to fulfilling Hashem’s ratson, therefore he was not subject to the moral degeneration that plagued mankind.

There are two significant lessons that can be learned from this brief tour of early world history. Firstly, we have discussed how the development of civilization was characterized by a desire to avoid Ratson Hashem. This too is a great nisayon in today’s society; we are blessed with constant advances in technology - these can be used to provide great spiritual benefit for mankind if used with the correct intentions, however, often this is not the case. This even seems to be true to an extent among observant people. The cell phone, for example, is a device that can have great benefits, however, all too often these are outweighed by its damage. For example, Gedolim have decried, amongst other things, the tremendous bitul Torah caused by people having their cell phones at hand even during learning. Moreover, cell phones have brought a new dimension to disrespectful behavior both for Hashem and people. We are all familiar with the sound of a cell phone during davenning, weddings, and speeches. Rav Frand Shlita even mentions a case in which a person neglected to turn of his phone during a levaya, but what is far worse is that he actually answered it and spoke whilst the levaya was taking place! This does not necessarily mean that we should not utilize the great potential of modern technology but we must be vigilant that ensure that we are using it to further Ratson Hashem and not negate it.

A more general lesson that can be derived from here is that very often Hashem places us in a situation from which He wants us to grow but we have a tendency to avoid seizing that opportunity. The Toras Avraham writes that Hashem communicates us through yissurim - this does not just refer to major tragedies, but also to the general difficulties that we all face in life. A good example of this is marriage; how can a person know which area of growth to focus on in his marriage? By noting in which area there is the most friction in the marriage and how his failings contribute to this problem. Clearly Hashem is sending him these yissurim as a way of telling him that he should work on this area of his midos. However, even a person who is willing to work on his marriage may prefer to focus on aspects of growth that come more naturally to him; for example, a person who has a leaning to the bein Adam le Makom aspect of Avodas Hashem is more likely to focus on working on tefilla than rectifying his issues in Bein Adam Lechaveiro. Obviously, it is a great thing to work on tefilla, however even this can emanate from atsas hayetser hara that wants to divert us from focusing on the most needed aspects of our growth.

Parshas Bereishis is far more than a historical description of the early generations in history. It is an account of how Hashem communicated to mankind how they should rectify their mistakes and how the vast majority of them refused to heed His instructions. It is upon us to heed their mistake and directly learn from Hashem’s hashgacha how we can do His Ratson.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

SHEMINI ATZERES AND SIMCHAS TORAH

The chagim of Tishei culminate with Shemini Atseres. Chazal enacted that we also celebrate Simchas Torah on this day by completing the annual cycle of reading the Torah. The commentaries ask why Chazal chose to coincide the completion of the Torah with Shemini Atseres in particular, as opposed to the other chagim. In order to explain this, it is first necessary to understand the essence of Shemini Atseres.

Chazal bring an analogy to explain the difference between Sukkos and Shemini Atseres. They compare Sukkos to a large feast, in which all the King's servants are invited. After the feast ends, the King invites his closest friend to join him for a small meal one last time. Similarly, on Sukkos we offer up 70 paros to Hashem on behalf of the 70 nations, whereas on Shemini Atseres we only bring one, on behalf of the Jewish nation to demonstrate our unique relationship with Hashem.. In giving these instructions, Hashem tells the Jewish people, "it is difficult for Me that you are separating from me, stay one more day." Shemini Atseres is that extra day dedicated purely to the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. Rav Chaim Friedlander zt"l asks a very strong question on this Chazal: The reason that Hashem makes this extra day of Shemini Atseres is because it is difficult for Him to separate from the Jewish people. How does this allay the pain of separation, all it achieves is to prolong the festivities for one more day, and then the separation will take place. Indeed this the extra day will likely make the ultimate parting even more painful.

In order to explain this, the Sifsei Chaim outlines the difference between Sukkos and Shemini Atseres. He brings the Sefer HaChinuch who tells us that Sukkos is a time of natural joy because it is when we gather in the produce and bring it into our homes. Hashem wants us to direct that joy to spirituality by providing us with numerous mitzvos, such as holding the arba minim (four species), and dwelling in a Sukkah. By engaging in physical actions dedicated to Hashem, we are supposed to direct our natural physical joy to connection to Him. However, on Shemini Atseres there is no mitzvo of arba minim or sukkah, because there is no need for all these 'tools' for bringing us close to Hashem, the connection is intrinsic. After the holy days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and then the 7 days of Sukkos, a person is supposed to have brought himself so close to Hashem that there is no necessity for external tools in developing that connection. Accordingly, there is no need for extra mitzvos on Shemini Atseres. This helps understand how the extra day of Shemini Atseres allays the pain of Hashem's separation from the Jewish people. The Sifsei Chaim explains that the extra day without any external tools teaches us that there is in fact no separation at all. By spending that extra day alone with the Jewish people, Hashem shows us that we don't need the mitzvos of arba minim and sukkah on a permanent basis in order to have a relationship with Him, He is constantly involved in our lives and desires that we come close to Him.

There is one 'tool' that we do need to maintain that connection with Him - that of the Torah. Without the Torah it is impossible to build a relationship with Hashem. This is because the Torah is Hashem's means of communicating with us. Without the Torah, one can have no understanding of what Hashem wants from us, or how He views the world. We can now understand why Chazal saw fit to celebrate the completion of the Torah on Shemini Atseres. Shemini Atseres is the day that teaches us that there is never any separation from Hashem. We can permanently be connected to Him, but only through the means of the Torah. Accordingly, we express our joy at the Torah on this day, to remind us that by continuing to study it, we can maintain our closeness to Him through the long winter days.

We now understand the relevance of Torah to Shemini Atseres. However, one may ask why there is such an emphasis on expressing our joy through dancing with the Torah. Would it not make more sense to spend the entire day engrossed in the actual study of Torah? It seems that the emphasis on expressing our joy at the Torah teaches us a fundamental lesson about our relationship to Torah. It is of course, essential that a person learn Torah as much as possible, however it is also essential that he develop a sense of joy through his learning Torah. There would seem to be a lacking for a person who spends all his time learning Torah and never appreciating the actual Torah that he is learning. There are a number of reasons for this: One is that if a person doesn't truly enjoy his learning as a spiritually uplifting experience, then there is always the risk that other, more temporal pleasures may draw him away from his learning. It is well-known that young men who truly love learning Torah, are far less likely to be lured by the temptations of the secular world. A second reason for the importance of feeling joy at learning Torah is that a person's learning will be far more effective when he enjoys it.

A third, key reason for feeling the joy of learning Torah is demonstrated by the following story involving two Gedolim, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky zt"l and Rav Elazar Shach zt"l. Rav Shach tragically lost his eldest daughter to illness when she was only 14 year of age. Soon after her death, Rav Shach went to visit Rav Chaim Ozer. Rav Chaim Ozer quoted to him a passuk from Tehillim, "Were your Torah not my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." Rav Chaim Ozer then told Rav Shach, "without Torah, there would be no meaning to my life." From that time on, Rav Chaim Ozer would repeat that verse every time he saw Rav Shach.

Many years later, Rav Shach offered an explanation of what Rav Chaim Ozer had said: He gave an analogy of two prisoners both sitting in jail in a state of utter humiliation, their heads shaved, wearing prison uniforms. However, despite their identical appearance, their is a difference between them. One smiles and says a friendly word to someone now and then, whereas the other is always grim and silent. The difference between the two prisoners is that one knows that his present situation is temporary, soon he'll be released and allowed to go home. The other has been sentenced to life imprisonment and so there is nothing for him to look forward to. In a similar way, two people can endure tragic situations and react in very different ways. One who has no Torah has nothing to hold on to, nothing to comfort him. Accordingly, he may well be unable to recover from such a blow. Rav Shach pointed out that this was, in fact the case with many people who were not connected to Torah and suffered tragedies. In contrast, one who has love of Torah, can cling to the realization that he can continue to learn and grow closer to Hashem through the Torah. This attachment to Torah, Rav Chaim Ozer was telling Rav Shach, can keep a person sane whilst enduring terrible pain. Thus, the joy of learning Torah enables a person has the vital benefit that it enables a person to withstand great suffering.

We have seen how Shemini Atseres is a day of great connection to Hashem, and that the Torah is the means to achieving this connection. It is essential that we bring this lesson with us into the long winter. One possible way of developing one's love of Torah is discovering which areas of Torah and styles of learning most appeal to him. Three Gedolim were once asked what was the correct way of learning. They all answered that there is no single 'correct' way', rather a person must find what his heart desires and learn in that way. This is because a person will not be able to thrive if he derives no enjoyment from his style of learning. It is instructive, with the advice of one's Rav, to find areas of Torah that he relates to.
Simchas Torah is a time of great joy at the gift of Torah. May we take this joy and apply it throughout the year.
　

VEZOS HABRACHA - SIMCHAS TORAH By Yehonasan Gefen

The Torah concludes with a stirring eulogy for Moshe Rabbeinu, ending with praise for, “the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel.” The Medrash, cited by Rashi, explains that the phrase, “before the eyes of all Israel” refers to Moshe’s decision to break the luchos that he had just received, in front of all the Jewish people. Why, of all Moshe Rabbeinu’s great deeds, does the Torah choose to single this one out at its finale as perhaps the greatest of them all? The Ateres Mordechai offers a profound insight to answer this question. Moshe had invested great effort over many years in bringing the Jewish people out of slavery in Mitzrayim to the point of Matan Torah, and now he had just spent forty days without food or drink fending off the angels and securing the Luchos for the Jewish people. When he returned from the mountain and saw the people worshipping the Golden Calf he realized that they were not on the level to receive the Luchos and that he must destroy them. However, imagine what a nisayon it must have been to forsake all that effort and energy that he had invested to get to this moment. He surely could have rationalized that although they did not deserve the Luchos now, perhaps things would change soon and it wasn’t necessary to destroy them right away. But Moshe did not do so, he showed great integrity and intellectual honesty to break the luchos purely because that was the correct course of action.

Very often in life, we are placed in similar situations to that of Moshe Rabbeinu - we invest time or energy into something and then we are faced with the possibility that we have made a mistake and need to start again or that there has been a new turn of events that makes our original stand obsolete. There is a great temptation in such instances to dig our heels in and stand by our initial plan against our better judgment. It is very hard to admit that we are wrong or need to start again after putting in so much effort into something. And perhaps the most difficult aspect of knocking down what we have already built is that we are showing that we have made a mistake - it is extremely difficult for people to admit that their opinions, lifestyle or attitude is wrong. Indeed, one of the main factors that prevents non-religious people from changing their lifestyle is that to do so would mean admitting that all of their life up till this point was based on a mistake.

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l brings an example from Tanach of how a person can become so set in his ways that he cannot change even when placed under the greatest pressure. After the destruction of Yericho, Yehoshua placed a curse on anyone who would rebuild it. In the time of Achav, a man named Chiel decided to defy the curse and rebuild Yericho. When he laid the first brick, his first-born died, and as he continued building his sons continued dying one by one until when he completed the city his youngest son also passed away. How can a person be so foolish to continue in a path that causes his misery?! Rav Shmueleviz answers that he was so convinced in the rightness of his actions that he could not admit that he was wrong and he preferred to bury all his sons over admitting that he was wrong!

In contrast the Gemara shows an example of the greatness involved in admitting one’s mistakes. The Tanna Shimon HaAmsoni used to explain every word ‘es’ in the Torah as providing an secondary meaning to the object mentioned. For example, in the mitzvo of honoring parents, there is an ‘es’ from which he derived the inclusion of older siblings, and consequently a person must honour his elder sibling as well as his parents. However, when he came to the passuk, “Es Hashem Elokecha tira” he was unable to find a secondary recipient of the fear that we must feel for Hashem. His talmidim asked him, “what will come of all the instances where you have explained the word ’es’”? He replied, “just as I have been rewarded for expounding them, so shall I rewarded now for abandoning them.” Then Rabbi Akiva came and taught that the ’es’ in the passuk teaches us that a person must feat G-d and also talmidei chachamim. The Alter of Kelm notes the greatness of the tanna Shimon who did not hesitate to abandon the theory that he had held and developed throughout his life when he felt that he could no longer justify it. Moreover, he taught his talmidim a priceless lesson - that his abandoning of his theory which was done in a moment was as great as all the investigating and explaining he had done all his life!
This lesson is strongly connected to the day of Simchas Torah with which Vezos Habracha always coincides. We end the Torah and then immediately restart it again, reading the opening passukm of Bereishis. This alludes to us that even though we have completed the whole Torah, we should not feel that we do not need to repeat it again. We can relearn it and develop new insights, sometimes even contradicting our present understanding and we should not feel embarrassed to acknowledge that we were wrong. This does not only apply to pshatim on the Gemara but also to our outlook on life - if we see that a part of our outlook on life seems to not fully fit with Torah hashkafa than must be willing to honestly assess how we can change it.

Rav Frand suggests that this idea is also alluded to in the marriage ceremony. The custom is that the chassan breaks a glass, and most commentators explain that this is a remembrance of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. However, he notes that one commentator connects this custom to the breaking of the Luchos. Why do we need to be reminded of that event during a wedding? He answers that perhaps it is to teach the new couple that in order for their marriage to work, a they must strive to emulate Moshe Rabbeinu’s actions in breaking the luchos. In order for a marriage to work, both husband and wife must be willing to act with great honesty and admit their mistakes rather than stand on their pride. Both need to be prepared to let go of their preconceived notions and prejudices and strive for truth. These are not easy demands, but if we see that Moshe was ready to break the most valuable thing in the world because it was the right thing to do, then we too can surely be prepared to make changes when it is clearly the ratson Hashem.
　
　
　

VEZOS HABRACHA AND SIMCHAS TORAH

The very final Parsha in the Torah contains the first Passuk that we teach our children; “Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe, Morasha, Kehillas Yaakov.” This passuk is the source of the concept that there are 613 Mitzvos (Taryag Mitzovs); The Gemara says that the gematria of the word, ‘Torah’ is 611, which teaches us that Moshe Rabbeinu instructed Klal Yisroel in 611 mitzvos and Hashem directly told them the remaining two, those of belief in G-d and the prohibition to follow other gods, bringing the total to 613.

This Gemara causes the commentaries great difficulty in defining which commands in the Torah are included in the 613, because, in truth there seem to be far more commands than these 613. The brother of the Vilna Gaon zt”l addresses this problem in ’Maalos HaTorah’. He quotes the Gaon himself explaining that the Torah is compared to a tree; a tree has roots and has many branches that sprout from the roots. So too, the Torah has 613 roots which comprise the Taryag Mitzvos, but that there are numerous branches that sprout from each root, all of which are Torah obligations. He goes further and writes that all the stories in the Torah are replete with ‘mitzvos’ that obligate us in numerous ways. Each lesson derived from the actions of the characters in the Torah constitutes a Torah obligation, consequently the number of ‘mitzvos’ in the Torah becomes incredibly great. The Gra explains that this is the explanation of Chazal’s saying that Hashem wanted to benefit the Jewish people by giving them many mitzvos - it does not just refer to the 613 of Taryag, rather to the thousands of obligations that arise from all the stories in the Torah.

With this understanding we can approach learning Torah with a new perspective. When the Torah tells us an account of an event, it is not merely telling us an interesting historical incident, rather it is teaching us valuable lessons about how we should live our own lives. Rav Noach Weinberg Shlita explains that the Torah is not merely a ‘history book’, rather it is called ‘Torah Chaim’, which is literally translated as ‘Instructions for Living.’

This lesson is highly relevant as we complete the annual cycle of learning and celebrate the gift of Torah. Torah is not merely a highly intelligent and interesting book, it is Hashem’s detailed instructions of how to conduct our lives. This applies to all aspects of Torah, including the Gemara and Halacho. However, it is perhaps most apparent with regard to the Chumash. One talmid chacham pointed out that it is possible for a person to miss this vital point and instead primarily look to the Chumash as a source of a ‘good vort’ on the Parsha to be said over at the Shabbos table! There is nothing wrong with having a good vort, however, it is important to remember that the Chumash is Hashem’s instructions about how to live our lives.

Rav Tzvi Kushelevsky Shlita makes this point in a haskama to a sefer that emphasizes the relevance of Torah to our daily lives. He quotes the Ramban in his Iggeres: “When you rise from studying a sefer, ponder carefully what you have learned in order to see what there is in it that can be put into practice.” Rav Kushelevski comments:

“The above words, written by the Ramban in a famous letter to his son, instructs us to search for the practical application of everything we learn in Torah. As lofty and essential as this goal is, however, it is one that often eludes us. We tend to perceive our Torah study as an intellectual pursuit, divorced from the reality of our lives.”

Simchas Torah is a day when we celebrate the great gift of Torah. May we all be zocheh to utilize this gift to its fullest.

SUKKOS AND YAAKOV AVINU

The sefarim tell us that each of the shalosh regalim of Sukkos, Pesach and Shavuos correspond to the three forefathers (avos). Pesach corresponds to Avraham Avinu, Shavuos to Yitzchak Avinu, and Sukkos to Yaakov Avinu. The scriptural source for this is the passuk in Vayishlach, which tells us that after Yaakov's encounter with Esav, he went to a place called, 'Sukkos' and he made sukkos for his animals. This teaches us that there is some kind of connection between Yaakov and the festival of Sukkos. What is the link between the two?

In order to answer this, it is instructive to examine an interesting feature of Sukkos. On Sukkos, even the most mundane activities, such as eating and sleeping, become Mitzvos. The mere act of sitting the in the Sukkah turns these activities that are normally devarim shel reshus into mitzvos, that obligate one to say the bracha of 'leysheiv basukkah'. Therefore, a person who spends most of his time in the sukkah, is constantly performing the mitzvo of living in the sukkah. In this way, Sukkos has a tremendous power in that it elevates a person's daily activities into acts of great kedusha (holiness).

This aspect of Sukkos can help understand some differences between Sukkos and the other chagim. The Kol Bo notes that one says the bracha for being in the Sukkah throughout the whole chag. In contrast, on Pesach, the Kol Bo holds there is also a mitzvo to eat Matzo for the whole 7 days, and yet we only say a bracha on the first day- why do we not say every day? He answers that when a person eats matzo on the later days of Pesach, it is not apparent that he is doing so because it is a Mitzvo. He could be eating the matzo simply because he is hungry and has no option to eat bread. In contrast, on Sukkos, there is no practical reason to eat in the sukkah, one could equally easily eat in his home. The fact that he davke eats in the sukkah indicates that he is doing so purely for the sake of the mitzvo. He can say a bracha throughout the whole of Sukkos, because he demonstrates that he is only performing the normally mundane acts in of sleeping and eating because it is a mitzvo to do so in the sukkah.

The Ben Ish Chai applies the concept that merely living in the sukkah is a mitzvo to answer a different question about Sukkos. Unlike Pesach and Shavuos, Sukkos is described as zman simchaseinu,(the time of our joy). The other chagim also represent times of great happiness, so why is Sukkos considered more joyful than them? He answers that the extra joy of Sukkos is because of the mitzvo to sit in the sukkah that applies throughout the whole festival. This constant ability to perform mitzvos for the honor of the festival arouses a great sense of joy. He writes that this on the other festivals there is no essential difference between a person's daily life from the rest of the year. Accordingly, one may not have the constant awareness of the festival that he has on Sukkos, resulting in a lower level of joy. This is the reason that Sukkos in particular is mesugal for simcha. Thus, we see that Sukkos is unique in that it elevates normally non-holy activities into mitzvos, and enables us to have a constant awareness and joy of the festival.

How is this aspect of Sukkos connected to Yaakov Avinu? Of all the avos, Yaakov Avinu was the one who was most required to be deeply involved in the daily vicissitudes of life such as dealing with dishonest people, spending long hours at work, and bringing up a large family. For many years he was forced to deal with areas of reshus, unable to devote all his time to learning and prayer. One aspect of Yaakov's greatness is that he was able to live in such an environment and elevate his daily activities into acts of holiness. This is what he declares to his brother, Esav, when he returns from his long years in exile. "I lived (garti) with Lavan". Chazal tell us that the word, garti, spells, taryag, which represents the 613 mitzvos. Yaakov was alluding to the fact that he had remained steadfast in his avodas Hashem, despite living in adverse conditions.

It seems that many aspects of Yaakov Avinu relate to the fact that he was able to elevate the mudane into kedusha. Chazal tell us that the avos desribed the Beis Hamikdosh, (and avodas Hashem by extension), in different ways. Avraham described the Beis Hamikdosh as a har (mountain), Yitzchak as a sadeh (field), and Yaakov as a bayis (house). These various descriptions represent the different ways that the avos related to avodas Hashem. Why does Yaakov describe it as a house? A house is the location of all the mundane activities that a person performs throughout his daily life, including eating, sleeping, and forms of work. Yaakov elevated all such activities because he saw them all as opportunities for holiness. Accordingly, he viewed a house as a vehicle of avodas Hashem.

In a similar vein, the avos represent the three daily prayers. Avraham corresponds to shacharis, Yitzchak to mincha, and Yaakov to maariv. Maariv is different from the other prayer services in that it is described as a reshus, a non-obligatory prayer. Why is Yaakov, in particular associated with an optional prayer? In light of the aforementioned explanation of Yaakov's ability to turn non-obligatory activities into mitzvos, we can also understand why maariv corresponds to Yaakov It represents the fact that a person wants to connect to Hashem even though he is not obligated to do so.

Yaakov also corresponds to the third bracha in the shemoneh esrei, that of kedusha. This also fits in with the above explanation. The Torah definition of kedusha is not merely avoiding the physical world, rather it is sanctifying it so that it too can be used a tool of avodas Hashem.

With this understanding of Yaakov and Sukkos, their connection is obvious. Both represent taking optional activities and making them holy. It is easier to feel pious when involved in obviously spiritual activities such as learning and praying. However, it is far more difficult to connect to Hashem whilst eating, sleeping and working. Sukkos is the only time of the year when such actions become mitzvos merely by doing them in the sukkah. Of course, this does not mean that we can indulge in gluttony and over-sleeping whilst being in the sukkah. Rather it obligates us to focus on the fact that our mere dwelling in the sukkah is a great opportunity to help us develop our awareness of Hashem and to be more lishma in our going about our daily lives. If we do this, then we can take the recognition that mundane acts are great opportunities for kedusha, into our daily lives even when the festival has left us.