FINDING THE TRUTH - BEREISHIS

“And G-d said, let Us make man in Our Image and in Our likeness.” After creating the world, HaShem proceeds to outline the creation of the being for whom this world was created – man. However, the Medrash tells us that the very creation of man was subject to a very strong disagreement amongst the Malachim . “Rabbi Simmon said, ‘at the time that HaKadosh Baruch Hu came to create Adam HaRishon, the serving Angels went into various groups and factions; some of them said [that HaShem] should not create him… Chessed said, ‘create him’ because he will do kindness; Emes said, ‘do not create him because they [men] will be full of lies’. Tzedek said ‘create him, because he will do tzedaka’. Shalom said, ‘do not create, because he is full of disputes’. What did HaKadosh Baruch Hu do? He took Emes and threw him to the land…” This Medrash is telling us that two of the ‘Malachim’, Chessed and Tzedek, were in favor of creating man, whilst another two, Emes and Shalom, were against it. Chessed and Tzedek argued that man would do kindness and give charity. In contrast, the claim of Emes was that creating man would lead to more falsehood, whilst Shalom argued that they would cause much argument. Viewing this dispute, HaShem, who evidently did want to create man, threw down Emes from Heaven, onto the land. Consequently, the single Malach of Shalom was now left alone, outnumbered, facing the two Malachim of Chessed and Tzedek. As a result, HaShem could now proceed to create mankind. There are numerous difficulties with this Medrash, but we will focus on two of the most pressing questions. Firstly, it seems clear that HaShem wanted to create the world, and therefore wanted Emes and Shalom to be defeated, therefore He chose to send Emes to the land, in order to place Chessed and Tzedek in the majority. But why did He particularly throw down Emes instead of Shalom? Secondly, it would seem that HaShem did not agree with the arguments of Emes and Shalom. What was wrong with their argument and what did throwing down Emes achieve in overriding his case? Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l addresses these questions. He begins by explaining the reasoning behind the claims of Emes and Shalom. Emes argued that there was only one ultimate ‘Truth’ in the world, which was the way in which HaShem viewed the world. Accordingly, any other opinion was by definition’ sheker (untrue) in that it contradicted the single Emes. By creating human beings, HaShem would create numerous beings who would inevitably espouse numerous different opinions and beliefs. Since there was only one ‘true’ belief, anything else would constitute falsehood. Therefore, the Malach of Emes argued that man would be full of falsehood and should not be created. Rav Kamenetsky elaborates further that the argument of Shalom stemmed from the same reasoning as that of Emes. Since there was only one true way, anything else would be viewed as wrong. Consequently, there could never be true peace because each person would believe that their fellow was espousing an untrue belief system and way of life. Therefore, Shalom also believed that the creation of man would only have negative consequences. In response to these arguments, HaShem took Emes from the Heavens, and threw it to the land. Rav Kamenetsky explains the meaning of this enigmatic statement. HaShem acknowledged the arguments of Emes and Shalom. However, He knew that they were based on the fact that there was only one was truth. He changed this by removing the concept of Emes from the Heavens and place it on the Earth. This means that He now gave man the ability to define Emes according to his own reasoning. It was very conceivable that man’s conclusions may differ from those of HaShem, but, as long as they were within certain boundaries, it was now possible for man to create his understanding of Emes. Consequently, many people could formulate a variety of opinions and beliefs, and they could all fall within the category of Emes. By throwing Emes to the ground, and creating the possibility of there being more than one truth, HaShem also allayed the argument of Shalom that creating man would cause much dispute. The reason for such dispute was that since there was only one truth, there could never be true peace because each person would believe that his fellow was espousing a false ideology. By creating the possibility of there being more than only truth, HaShem made it possible for people to have different opinions without having to believe that their fellow man’s beliefs were untrue. Rather, they represented a different, but valid way of looking at the world. We can now answer the aforementioned questions. We asked why HaShem threw down Emes instead of Shalom. The answer is that the arguments of both Emes and Shalom stemmed from the same point – that there was only one truth. By throwing down Emes and changing that reality and creating the possibility of more than one ‘truth’, HaShem dispelled the argument of Shalom as well. We can now also answer why HaShem seemingly ignored the arguments of Emes and Shalom. The answer is that He did not ignore them at all, rather by creating the possibility of more than one Truth He responded to their arguments in such a way that would satisfy them. There are numerous applications to the concept of there being more than one valid truth. One is that a person must be very careful before dismissing approaches to Torah that differ from his own. As long as they are within the realms of Torah thought, they constitute a valid form of Avodas HaShem (service of HaShem). Moreover, if one’s children or other family members choose a different path in their Avodas HaShem, it is important to accept that there is more than one ‘correct’ way of expressing one’s Judaism. We see this from the following story involving Rav Kamenetsky. A family close to Rav Kamenetsky was shocked when the youngest of their seven sons informed them that he wanted to be a Skverer Chassid. They went together with the boy to Reb Yaakov expecting him to convince their son that boys from proper German-Jewish families do not become Chassidim. To their surprise, Rav Kamenetsky spent his time assuring them that it was not a reflection on them that their son wanted to follow a different path of Avodas Hashem. Obviously, their son had certain emotional needs which, he felt, could be filled by becoming a chassid and they should honor those feelings. Rav Kamenetsky even recommended a step more radical than the parents were willing to consider - sending the boy to a Skverer Yeshiva ! Similarly, a person himself who has been brought up within one stream of Orthodox Judaism, may feel that he can enhance his Avodas HaShem by delving into other streams who emphasize different aspects of Avodas HaShem. By recognizing that there are many valid paths he may be able to revitalize his Avoda and utilize certain talents or drives that are otherwise untapped. May we all merit to find the path that enables us to fulfill our potential.

HASHEM’S MENUCH

HASHEM’S MENUCHA “And Elokim completed on the seventh day His work which He had done and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” The Torah tells us that G-d completed His creation on the seventh day, Shabbos: The commentators ask that He did not ostensibly create anything on Shabbos so what does it mean that He ‘completed’ His work on the seventh day – it should have said that He completed His work on the sixth day? Rashi offers two explanations that address this issue. In the second he writes: “What was the world lacking – menucha – Shabbos came and menucha came, [then] the work was completed and finished.” Rashi is answering that HaShem did indeed create something on Shabbos – the concept of menucha. This teaches us an important point – one may have thought that the concept of ‘rest’ is as a passive mode of behavior, and not something that needs to be created, however, we see from here that the Torah concept of menucha is something that HaShem actively created by refraining from regular melacha. Accordingly, HaShem’s ‘menucha was not merely refraining from creative activity, rather it also involved a cessation of activity that ‘enabled’ HaShem to, so to speak, reflect on and appreciate the fruits of the incredible activity of the previous six days. As we know, by ‘resting’ on Shabbos we emulate HaShem’s original ‘rest’. We learn from Rashi that the menucha that we are required to participate in does not simply mean that we should not do any melacha, rather it requires an active effort. What does this active effort involve? Just like HaShem stepped back and reflected upon all His work of the previous six days so too we are supposed to actively contemplate our achievements of the previous six days and appreciate what we have achieved. Thus an important aspect of the Avoda of Shabbos is contemplation of where we are holding in life which should enable us to enter the next week with a sense of direction of how to build on our accomplishments of thus far.

INSIGHTS IN RASHI - BEREISHIS

Rashi, Bereishis, 1:1: “Rebbe Yitzchak said, ‘[G-d] need only have begun the Torah from ‘This month shall be to you” which is the first Mitzvo which Israel was commanded. For what reason did it begin with ‘Bereishis’?...so that if the nations of the world will say to Israel, “you are bandits, for you conquered the lands of the seven nations’ Israel will say to them, ‘the whole earth belongs to the Holy One, Blessed is He; He created it and He gave it to the one found proper in His eyes. By His wish He gave it to them, and by His wish He took it from them and gave it to us.” Rashi opens his monumental commentary on the Torah, quoting Rebbe Yitzchak , who tells us that the Torah should have begun with the first Mitzvo of sanctifying the new moon, and it only opened with the story of Creation and the subsequent events in order to teach us that the Jewish people have a G-d-given right to Eretz Yisrael. The commentators ask why this point is so significant to the extent that the order of the Torah is drastically changed because of it. The Levush Haorah answers that if it is true that the Jewish people stole Eretz Yisrael then the whole Torah is undermined because in the Torah there are Mitzvos prohibiting stealing and hasagas gevul (encroaching on the property of another person). Accordingly, the nations of the world will say that the Jews who claim to follow the Torah do not keep to its commands because they stole the land from the Seven Canannite nations. And if the Jewish people will answer that HaShem allowed them to steal it from the nations, then that is even more problematic as it demonstrates that even HaShem Himself, does not, so to speak, observe His own commandments such as ‘do to not steal’ and hasagas gevul. This would cause a great Chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d’s name) and undermine the whole message of the Torah. Rebbe Yitzchak explains that the Torah addresses this argument, saying that there is no thievery here at all as HaShem created the whole world and He determines who owns which land; It was His will that the nations have it at first, and it was His decision to take it from them and give it to the Jewish people. The Levush Haorah teaches us a fundamental lesson with this explanation; Chillul HaShem is so serious that it is necessary to alter the nature of the Torah in order to avoid this possibility. This is because the whole purpose of Creation is Kiddush HaShem, the sanctification of G-d’s name, the antithesis of Chilul HaShem. This is expressed in Pirkei Avos: “Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created in His world, He only created for His honor.” The Mishna is teaching us the purpose in our lives should be to elevate HaShem in the eyes of the world. The exact opposite of this is Chilul HaShem – acting in such a way that causes people to, chas v’Shalom see the Torah or the Creator in a negative light, That is why it is so important that the Torah immediately assert the G-d given right of the Jewish people to own Eretz Yisrael. Thus the Torah begins with a vital message for all of us – just like HaShem is extremely careful to be seen to be consistent with His Torah, so too we must be careful that our actions also be consistent with the Mitzvos of the Torah.

וזאת הברכה ושמחת תורה

בס"ד וזאת הברכה ושמחת תורה יהונתן גפן הפסוק הראשון אותו מלמדים לתינוקות נמצא בפרשה האחרונה בתורה; "תורה ציוה לנו משה, מרשה קהילת יעקב" . פסוק זה הוא המקור לכך שישנן תרי"ג מצוות; הגמרא אומרת שהגימטריה של המילה "תורה" היא 611, אלה הן 611 מצוות שלימד משה רבינו את כלל ישראל, מלבד מלבדן יש עוד שתי מצוות אותן הקב"ה ציווה ישירות לעם ישראל במעמד הר סיני – להאמין בו, ושלא ללכת אחר אלוהים אחרים. כך יוצא שישנן 613 מצוות . דברים אלה של הגמרא יצרו משימה לא פשוטה למפרשים – להגדיר אלו מצוות נכללות במניין תרי"ג המצוות, כיוון שלכאורה ניתן למצוא בתורה הרבה יותר מ-613 מצוות. אחיו של הגאון מוילנא מתייחס לקושי זה בספרו 'מעלות התורה'. הוא מצטט את דברי הגאון המדמה את התורה לעץ; לכל עץ ישנם שורשים שמתוכם מסתעפים ענפים רבים. באותה מידה בתורה ישנם 613 שורשים, הם תרי"ג המצוות, ומתוך כל מצווה מסתעפים ענפים רבים מאד שגם הם מהווים חיובי תורה. יתירה מכך, הוא כותב שגם מתוך סיפורי התורה יש ללמוד מצוות רבות המחייבות אותנו בדרכים שונות. כל לימוד הנלמד מהנהגתם של הדמויות בתורה כולל בתוכו בעצם חיוב מהתורה, כתוצאה מכך מספרן של המצוות בתורה הופך גדול עד מאד. הגאון מסביר שזהו הפירוש לדברי חז"ל "רצה הקב"ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצוות" – לא מדובר אך ורק על תרי"ג המצוות, אלא הכוונה לעוד אלפי מצוות וחיובים שעולים מבין השיטין של סיפורי התורה . על פי הבנה זו נוכל לגשת ללימוד התורה מתוך מבט חדש לגמרי. כאשר התורה מספרת לנו על התרחשות עניינים כלשהי, אין זה מסתכם אך ורק בתיאור מעניין של עובדות הסטוריות, אלא מונח לפנינו שיעור יקר ערך ויקר מציאות על הדרך בה עלינו לחיות את חיינו אנו. ר' נוח ויינברג שליט"א מתבטא כך ואומר שהתורה איננה רק 'ספר הסטוריה' חלילה אלא היא נקראת 'תורת חיים' – על פיה אנו חיים כל רגע מחיינו. לימוד זה משתייך מאד לזמן בו אנו מסיימים את מחזור הלימוד השנתי של כל יהודי וחוגגים ושמחים עם מתנת התורה. תורה אינה אך ורק ספר מרתק ומחכים ביותר. היא ההדרכה המפורטת שנתן הקב"ה לבני האדם כיצד לנהל את חייהם. וזה נכון לגבי כל היבטיה ופניה של התורה, כמו גם הגמרא וההלכה, אך בעיקר מבחינים בכך בחומש. על עניין זה התבטא תלמיד חכם אחד ואמר שייתכן שאדם יחיה בלי לדעת נקודה מהותית זו, הוא עלול לראות בחומש אך ורק מקור לוורט יפה על הפרשה כדי לאמרו על שולחן השבת! אין כל רע באמירת וורטים על הפרשה, אולם חשוב לזכור שהחומש הוא ציוויו והדרכתו של הקב"ה כיצד נחיה כל רגע מחיינו. ר' צבי קושילבסקי שליט"א התייחס לנקודה זו בהסכמתו לספר המדגיש את חשיבות התורה ושייכותה לחיי היום יום בתקופתנו. הוא מצטט את הרמב"ן באיגרתו: "וכאשר תקום מן הספר תחפש באשר למדת אם יש בו דבר אשר תוכל לקיימו" ועל כך כותב הר' קושילבסקי: "מילים אלה, שנכתבו על ידי הרמב"ן במכתבו המפורסם לבנו, מורות לנו לחפש דרך מעשית ליישם את כל מה שאנו לומדים בתורה. אכן זוהי מטרה נשגבה וחשובה לעין ערוך, אולם קורה לעיתים והיא חומקת תחת ידנו. אנו נוטים להתייחס ללימוד התורה שלנו כהשכלה אינטלקטואלית המנותקת כלילת ממציאות החיים שלנו . שמחת תורה הוא היום בו אנו חוגגים ושמחים במתנת התורה. ייתן ה' וכולנו נזכה לנצל מתנה זו בדרך הטובה ביותר.

SHEMINI ATZERES AND SIMCHAS TORAH

SHEMINI ATZERES AND SIMCHAS TORAH By Yehonasan Gefen 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 AND SIMCHAS TORAH

VEZOS HABRACHA AND SIMCHAS TORAH By Yehonasan Gefen 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.

VEZOS HABRACHA - SIMCHAS TORAH

VEZOS HABRACHA - SIMCHAS TORAH 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 maasim, 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 explain this . 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 madreiga 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. 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 him such misery?! Rav Shmuelevitz answers that he was so convinced in the rightness of his actions that he could not admit that he had seriously erred 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 Chumash or 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, 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.