Dvar Torah Parashat Ha'azinu / Shabbat Shuva / Yom Kippur
Dedicated in Honor of the Brit Milah of Victor Elliot Setton _______________________________________________________ Parashat Ha'azinu / Shabbat Shuva / Yom Kippur Heaven and Earth
This week’s parasha is written as a song to Bnei Yisrael. In the previous parshiot, Moshe spoke to the Jewish people about all the good that Hashem would bestow upon them if they followed the ways of the Torah. Moshe described the ultimate joy that will come to them as they enter the land of Israel and keep the ways of the Torah until our final redemption!
About to begin the song of Haazinu, Moshe says, “Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter (32:1)!” The heavens began to tremble. An incredible commotion erupted above the world because a human being dared to silence the universe.
Rashi asks why Moshe called upon Heaven and Earth, rather than humans, to bear witness to what would happen if Bnei Yisrael kept the Torah or not. Rashi gives multiple answers. “Moshe thought, ‘I am a being of flesh and blood (mortal); tomorrow I shall be dead. If the Israelites would say, ‘We have never accepted the covenant.’ who can come and refute them?’” Therefore, he called heaven and earth as witnesses against them — witnesses that endure forever (Sifri Devarim 32:1).” Moshe chose witnesses that would be around forever, instead of humans, who die off.
Rashi also says, “And a further reason was that if they should act worthily, the witnesses might come and give them their reward.” The midrash explains that the witnesses will keep an eye out to enforce the mitzvot, and they will reward in kind. The heavens would testify before Hashem if the people were keeping the mitzvot related to it, such as sanctifying the new moon and observing the holidays, while the earth would testify if the people kept the laws of tithing and other halachot of agriculture. If the mitzvot are held, the skies will give rain, and the soil will be fruitful and productive.
Open Door Policy
Moshe sings, “For the name of Hashem I proclaim; Give glory to our G-d (32:3)!” Rabbi Naftali Reich explained that Moshe was telling Bnei Yisrael how privileged they were to be able to call out to the Almighty whenever they needed Him. Hashem, in all His glory, allows His people to raise themselves spiritually and connect to the Divine.
A king was once very displeased with the behavior of one of his sons. Despite being warned many times, the young prince persisted in his mischievous ways, and the king could no longer tolerate the situation. With a heavy heart, he banished the prince to a distant province and decreed that he live the rest of his life as a commoner without any of the privileges of royalty.
On the day the prince was to leave the palace, the king came into his room and handed him a tiny, sealed box. “Take this, my son,” he said. “Although you are banished from the palace, this box may help you in times of dire need.”
Years passed. The prince managed to survive without the protective cocoon of privilege, but not without exceedingly great difficulty. In the hardest of times, however, he knew in the back of his mind that when all else failed, he could break open the sealed box and use its riches.
One time, he was in such a desperate situation that he had no choice but to open the box. He fully expected to find it filled with diamonds, but to his surprise, it contained a piece of paper folded over many times. With trembling hands, he unfolded the paper and read it. Then he burst into tears. It was a letter from the king allowing the banished prince to enter the palace and present any request directly to him. This letter, the prince realized, was a more precious gift than a boxful of the finest jewels.
In our own lives, when we stand before Hashem and pour out our hearts in prayer, we need to realize that the very act of prayer is its own reward, that the relationship we form with Hashem through intense spiritual communication is far more important than many of the things for which we pray. Hopefully, during this season of hope and prayer, Hashem will grant us all long life, health, prosperity, and joy. But it is important to remember that even before all these blessings are delivered to our doorsteps, we have already been immeasurably enriched through prayer.
Humble Beginnings
“Moshe came, together with Hoshea, son of Nun, and recited all the words of this poem in the hearing of the people (32:44).” Moshe gathered all the people to sing the song about the nation’s future, along with Yehoshua, who was taking over as the new leader of Bnei Yisrael. However, as they stood side-by-side, which signified Yehoshua’s capability and righteousness, something interesting occurred: The Torah referred to him as Hoshea.
Years earlier, when the spies were going to embark on their mission to scout the Land of Israel, Moshe changed Hoshea’s name to Yehoshua. The yud represented Hashem’s name and the protection of Yehoshua from the spies’ not-so-pure intentions. Now, at the height of Yehoshua’s career, as Moshe transferred the position of power and leadership, the Torah called him Hoshea, diminishing his stature. Why?
Rabbenu Bahya comments, “The moral lesson we learn from this is that although Moshe had changed Yehoshua’s name [added a letter to it to show his eminence], and although he had already been appointed as Moshe’s successor, this promotion did not go to his head, did not make him arrogant, but he was content to function as Hoshea ben Nun.”
Rashi takes this even further, saying, “Although this dignity had been conferred upon him, he assumed a humble bearing as at the commencement of his career.” Yehoshua had been Moshe’s prized disciple—a great rabbi and gadol. But his mentor was about to join the Creator, this huge undertaking was being placed on Yehoshua’s shoulders, and the training wheels were coming off. To excel as a leader, Yehoshua had to start this new position by remembering exactly where he came from, his humble beginnings as a young student of Moshe Rabbenu.
Small Changes
Yom Kippur is quickly approaching. Rabbi Akiva says in the Mishnah Yoma, “Praiseworthy are you Israel, before whom do you cleanse yourselves?... Your father in Heaven! … And I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be cleansed… Just as a Mikveh purifies the contaminated, so does Hashem purify Israel (8:9).” Rabbi Akiva is saying that just as one may submerge his whole body in a Mikveh to be purified, it is also beneficial to be sprinkled with the pure water. This means that if we take it upon ourselves to make small changes each year, it will tremendously impact our growth throughout our lifetime. Small, subtle changes will lead to big ones.
For instance, we may not be able to commit to never speaking lashon hara again, but we may be able to stop ourselves at certain hours of the day or make other pledges for slow growth.
There is a true story about the Cohen family who recently had a very strange problem. One day, out of nowhere, a bird began to peck continuously at his window. As days and weeks went on, the bird came every morning and relentlessly pecked at the window. The family tried many ways to drive it away, both physically and spiritually, and still, the bird returned every morning.
The father, Rabbi Aaron Cohen, understood that this was some sort of message from Hashem, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. After weeks with no solution in sight, he went to the Kotel to pray and beg Hashem to show him what to do to solve the problem.
While he was praying and saying Tehillim, he suddenly remembered a Targum Yonatan from Parashat Metzora. The Torah describes the purification process of the metzora—a person afflicted with leprosy after speaking lashon hara. The metzora brings two birds to the Kohen. One is slaughtered, and the other is set free. On this passuk, the Targum Yonatan comments that if the metzora speaks lashon hara again, the bird that was set free will come to his house as a reminder to do teshuva.
Rabbi Cohen remembered something else. His family had a routine to learn two halachot of lashon hara every day, but that had gone to the wayside because one of the daughters had recently gotten married, and with all the preparations and commotion before the wedding, they had neglected to learn the daily halachot. The wedding had passed a month earlier, and they never restarted their nightly ritual.
He rushed home, convinced this was the answer, and the family immediately resumed their previous custom to learn two halachot of lashon hara every day. The day they started again, the bird came to the window, but it just sat there and watched without pecking. After that, it left and never returned.
The laws of lashon hara are very intricate, but if we just start by reviewing the halachot, it can make a tremendous impact on our daily lives. Whether deciding to review the halachot of LH or to wear a kippah just at work as a start, small changes can be just as purifying as any big ones and likely even more successful. Rav Shach, a gadol hador, once publicly committed to saying birkat hamazon from a siddur instead of by heart. We all have ways to improve ourselves; we have to think, and we’ll find them. Let It Go
It says in Masechet Rosh Hashanah, “Kol hamaveir al medotav, maavereyn lo kol pashav – Anyone who relinquishes his measures of retribution (tolerantly drops a disputed matter – Rashi), the Heavenly courts will relinquish all his sins for him (17a).” In other words, “If one doesn't judge others and can walk away, Hashem will also judge him favorably!”
The very fact that the chance to do teshuvah was gifted to us by Hashem teaches us to take advantage of that opportunity. There's a story in Gemarah Yoma that illustrates this point. When Rav Zeira had grounds for a grievance against someone, he would repeatedly pass by the wrongdoer, making himself available to him to appease him and ask for forgiveness.
Once, Rav Zeira was offended by a particular butcher, and the butcher had not yet come by to ask forgiveness. So on the day before Yom Kippur, the rabbi went to the butcher to make himself noticed to catalyze a reconciliation. When the butcher saw him, he said, “Go away; I have nothing to discuss with you!” as he broke the bones of an animal’s head. A cracked bone hit him in the throat, and the butcher died on the spot! The story teaches that when you have the chance to make peace with a friend, take advantage of the opportunity! The butcher had to face Hashem with that unresolved dispute ben adam lechavero – between man and his friend.
Over the next few days, please take this opportunity. Don’t wait until the last minute. Pick up the phone and make the call to a family member, a neighbor, or an old friend who might have been hurt by something you said or did. I guarantee you will feel it is the right thing to do. It will also help bring out all the blessings Hashem has in store for you this coming year.
May we never hesitate to knock on Hashem’s door, pray, and connect to our Creator. May we always remember our humble beginnings like Yehoshua, no matter how far we advance in life. May we all realize the amazing gift of Yom Kippur that Hashem gave us. May we all realize deep in our hearts that Hashem is our King and the ultimate judge, but He is also our Father in Heaven who will always be there for us no matter how desperate we think our situation may be. There is no predicament from which Hashem can't save us. There’s no financial or health issue He can’t conquer; all we have to do is pray and shed tears that will break through the Heavens, and Hashem will surely answer by inscribing us in the Book of Life, Success, and Good Health! Amen! Shabbat Shalom! Tizku Leshanim Rabot!
Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey
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This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
Rabbi Sananes and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Sincerely, Rabbi Amram Sananes and Jack E. Rahmey AmramSananes@me.com and jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com (917-226-6276) |
Le’ilui Nishmat…
Eliyahu Ben Rachel Rabbi Shimon Chay Ben Yaasher Avraham Ben Garaz Sarah Bat Chanah Esther Bat Sarah Avraham Ben Mazal Shulamit Bat Helaina Rabbi Meyer Ben Chana Rahamim Ben Mazal Batsheva Bat Sarah Esther Rafael Ben Miriam Ovadia Ben Esther Rav Haim Ben Rivka Moshe Ben Mazal Moshe Ben Yael Yitzchak Ben Adele Avraham Ben Mazal Meir Ben Latifa Chanah Bat Esther Yaakov Ben Rachel Malka Bat Garaz Moshe Ben Garaz Avraham Ben Kami Yaakov Ben Leah Mordechai Ben Rachel Chacham Shaul Rachamim Ben Mazal Natan Ben Rachel Saadia Ben Miriam Eliyah Ben Latifa Simhon Margalit Bat Mazal Ovadia Haim Ben Malaky Rabbi Aharon Chaim Ben Ruchama Luratte Bat Masouda Esther Bat Menucha Uri Ben Rahel Rivka Bat Dona Shalom Ben Zahra Rachel Bat Sarah Shalom Ben Zahra Chava Yvette Bat Jamile Yehoshoua Ben Batsheva Aharon Ben Matel Yehudis Yitzchak Ben Mazal Chana Baila Bat Fruma Refuah Shelemah…
Rachel Bat Devorah Gimol Sarah Ester Bat Batsheva Haim Ben Miriam Rachmim Ben Leah
Anyone interested in dedicating this Divre Torah Le'ilui Nishmat or Refuah Shelemah or In Honor of someone, can email me at jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com. Checks can be made out to “A Life of Torah” for $101 and mailed to 2387 Ocean Ave Suite 1G, Brooklyn, NY 11229 (please put in the memo “Divre Torah”). Anyone interested in past parshiot please go to the website ParashaPerspective.org |
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