Chaim, “there is a small stain on your
PARSHA PARABLES
A Nation of One
By Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky
During the final day of Moshe Rab-
beinu’s life, he gathers the entire na-
tion together and addresses them: “You
are standing today, all of you, before
Hashem, your G-d - the heads of your
tribes, your elders, and your officers -
kol ish Yisroel.”
Moshe then details the wide variety of
Jews gathered:
“From your small children, to your
women, to the proselyte in the midst of
your camp, from the hewer of your wood
to the drawer of your water” (Devorim
29-12-13).
Moshe reiterates their covenant
with Hashem and the repercussions of
transgression, and exhorts them with
one final plea to remain faithful to the
tenets of the Torah.
The way Moshe identifies the group
in saying that “everyone is here today”
Giving With Joy
A Different View of Simcha
By Rav Moshe Shternbuch good that Hashem has given you” (De-
The following was written
by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
based on a drasha given by Rav
Moshe Shternbuch, Rosh Av
Beis Din of the Eidah Hacha-
reidis of Yerushalayim.
•••••
GIVING TO OURSELVES
“When you come to the land that the
Almighty has given you as an inheritance
and settle there. And you have taken the first
of every fruit - the bibkurim - from the land
that the Almighty has given you and put it in
a basket…and the Kohen will take the basket
from your hands” (Devorim 26:1-4).
The bikkurim were among the many gifts
that the Jewish people gave to the Kohanim
and Leviim in exchange for their service in the
Bais Hamikdosh. They were also sustained
by gifts of fruits and vegetables in the form
of terumos and maaser, wool from the reishis
hagez, and meat from the zaroyah, lechayim
and keivah. At first glance, the Torah seems
to have assigned the tribe of Levi to an eternal
fate of being “schnorrers,” forever dependent
on the “hand-outs” of their fellows Jews for
every aspect of their existence.
But if we look deeper, we will see that
just the opposite is true. Kohanim are the
agents transferring Hashem’s blessing to the
Jewish people through Birkas Kohanim. By
assigning the Kohanim to be the ones to bless
the Jewish people, the Torah is showing us
that, in truth, when we give to them, we are
actually on the receiving end.
Giving these gifts allowed us to form a
partnership with the Kohanim and Leviim.
The Torah gives us the opportunity to support
the ovdei Hashem and thereby acquire a share
in their holy service. In this sense, the gifts to
Shevet Levi were the ultimate bargain - mere
worldly produce in exchange for a priceless
connection to the Almighty and the World
to Come.
RECOGNIZING GOOD
“And you shall rejoice with all the
22 Elul 5769 • September 11 2009
subtle message that is almost as power-
jacket. Surely you are aware that the
is quite curious. He says “kol ish Yisroel -
all men Yisroel.” He does not say kol ish
b’Yisroel, all men in Yisroel, nor does he
say kol Yisroeli, all Yisroelim. Instead, he
First and foremost, we are Jews. In the
eyes of our Creator and in the eyes of
everyone on earth.
uses a term that literally translates as each
of you is Yisroel!
Why would Moshe use such an ex-
pression?
•••••
The Chofetz Chaim’s son, Rav Aryeh
Leib, related that one time, as a young
man, he was about to leave the house
when his revered father called to him.
“Rav Aryeh Leib,” said the Chofetz
vorim 26:11).
Many of us find ourselves beset by
problems in our lives which, if we let them,
could cause us to sink into a state of despair.
When overwhelmed with responsibilities and
troubles, how can we recognize all of the good
that the Almighty has bestowed upon us?
By giving to others, we can get a real
glimpse into how much we have been
given by Hashem, and this brings us to a
state of simcha.
Since it is not always easy for us to feel
simcha upon giving away our hard-won earn-
ings, the mitzvah of bikkurim is accompanied
by a special viduy. We humbly concede that
we have listened to “the voice of Hashem”
and done all that He has commanded. In order
By giving to others, we can get a real glimpse
into how much we have been given by Hashem,
and this brings us to a state of simcha.
to grant the mitzvah its full impact, we need
to bear in mind that the Almighty has specifi-
cally asked us to give away our money.
The Shulchan Aruch obligates us to give
tzedakah with joy. Whatever we are able to
distribute, we should do it with simcha. Even
if we give a large sum, if we do so with a sour
face, we are transgressing the Torah’s will, and
we do not fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah.
One gaon once said, “It is difficult for me
to give tzedakah, as I do not have any money.
However, it is even harder for me to refuse in
the proper way.” If we can only give a small
donation, we should give it joyously and
express our appreciation for the opportunity
to have a share in this mitzvah.
The Torah obligates us to give charity
for our own benefit, for the giver actually
reaps more benefit than the receiver. For this
reason, these gifts are referred to as tzedakah,
from the word tzedek, justice. Money dis-
tributed to tzedakah is really owed, and by
YATED NE’EMAN
ful as the ensuing soliloquy that follows
Gemara says that if a talmid chochom
goes out in the street with stained
clothing, the chillul Hashem, the
desecration of Hashem’s name, is so
severe that it is as if he committed a
capital crime!”
Rav Aryeh smiled. “But father,” he
countered. “I am not a talmid chochom!”
The Chofetz Chaim became serious.
“For a chillul Hashem,” he responded,
“you are enough of a talmid chochom!”
•••••
Moshe specifies all types of Jews:
men, women, and children. He details
a variety of occupations, water drawers,
and wood-hewers. But he prefaces all
Jews with three simple words: kol ish
Yisroel. Every one of you is Yisroel.
With those three words, Moshe relays a
giving it away, we are merely carrying out
our obligation to distribute it.
Even someone so poor that he is not able
to give tzedakah can find ways to enjoy the
Almighty’s overwhelming kindness. Rav
Shternbuch’s rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Sh-
neider zt”l, related that the talmidim of the
Vilna Gaon learned Torah in a state of dire
poverty, something which could potentially
lower one’s spirits. How did they ensure that
they would stay b’simcha and focus on all the
good that Hashem bestowed on them?
Every Erev Shabbos, they would visit the
local hospital in Vilna. When they saw all of
the sick people there, they felt an overwhelm-
ing sense of gratitude to the Almighty that He
had preserved their health for another week.
In this way, they always recognized all of
the good that they received and remained in
a state of joy.
SEIZE THE MOMENT
“Because you did not serve Hashem with
joy and good-heartedness when you had
everything” (Devorim 38:47).
Based on the above, we can understand
why the Torah promises such harsh treatment
if we fail to serve the Almighty with joy.
Hashem gave us bikkurim and other mitzvos
to help us recognize how much good we
have. If we are not able to appreciate all He
has bestowed upon us, it will be taken away
so that we can look back and realize how
blessed we actually were.
We can apply this concept to the month
of Elul and the upcoming judgment on
Rosh Hashanah. If we recognize now
what is incumbent upon us and prepare
ourselves properly while the opportunity
is still in our hands, we can hope to receive
a year of bracha.
Rav Chaim Brisker offered the fol-
lowing parable to help us wake up and
internalize our situation as we progress
through Elul:
There was once a Jew who hired a
wagon driver to smuggle his entire fortune
in Parshas Nitzavim.
Whatever we do, or however we
identify ourselves on a mundane level,
we must remember the words “kol ish
Yisroel.” First and foremost, we are
Jews. In the eyes of our Creator and
in the eyes of everyone on earth. We
are not carpenters, we are not lawyers,
and we are not doctors. We may not
even be men, women, or children. We
are Jews.
As Winston Churchill told his troops
before they embarked to Dunkirk, “You
are England.”
Moshe tells his nation to remember
that in every aspect of our life, our
Yiddishkeit transcends any other factor.
Though we may do all types of work,
though we may act in all different ways,
though we may think all sorts of ideas,
we are Yisroel!
•••••
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky is the
rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Chaim
at South Shore and the author of the
Parsha Parables series.
over the border. Since the Jew stood to
lose all of his money if his plan failed, he
was plagued by nervousness for the entire
month prior to the fateful day.
The wagon driver, on the other hand,
was used to this type of work, and al-
though he would be punished severely
if caught, he only started worrying a
week ahead.
Only one member of this team was
calm from start to end - the horse that
pulled the wagon. He had no clue that
he was participating in such a danger-
ous operation and that something bad
could happen. Both before and during
the smuggling operation, the horse was
completely calm.
So, too, said Rav Chaim, those tzad-
dikim who recognize how much they have
to lose on Rosh Hashanah start to worry
at the beginning of Elul. They fill the
entire month with prayers and pleading
for Divine mercy. Individuals with less
awareness and less at stake only wake up
a week before, during selichos. Unfortu-
nately, some people are like the horse and
even on Rosh Hashanah have no idea what
is transpiring.
WAKE UP!
Chazal describe two levels of sleep,
sheinah and tenumah. Sheinah is a normal
state of sleep, and if a person is shaken,
he can be woken up. Tenumah is a heavy
state of slumber, and arousing a person in
this state is much more difficult.
The tochachos that we read in Parshas
Ki Savo were meant to shake us out of
our sleep. In our generation, our hearts
are less sensitive and waking up is much
more difficult. Only someone who is ready
to open up his heart and dedicate himself
to Hashem stands a chance of waking up
from the deep slumber that envelopes the
world today.
•••••
Rabbi Travis is a rosh kollel of Kol-
lel Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim, and is
the author of Shaylos U’Teshuvos Toras
Chaim and “Praying With Joy - A Daily
Tefilla Companion,” a practical daily
guide to improving one’s prayers, avail-
able from Feldheim Publishers. For more
information about his work, contact dytra-
vis@actcom.com.
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