The repentance and the social component
Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald
The Parasha in the everyday life- Shabbat Teshuvah / Yom Kippur and Parashat Ha’azinu - 5781
At the end of the poem in Parashat Ha'azinu, Moshe Rabbeinu commands the people:
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ שִׂ֣ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֔ם לְכָל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מֵעִ֥יד בָּכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר תְּצַוֻּם֙ אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֔ם לִשְׁמֹ֣ר לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
"he said to them: Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching". (Dvarim 32:46)
The phrase 'to heart' refers to the two forces in man's heart, the good inclination יֵצֶרַ הַטוֹב and the evil inclination יֵצֶר הַרַע, both of which are required to succeed in the challenge of keeping the Torah and the mitzvot and to face temptations:
ויזהיר משה בכאן שישים האדם כל מחשבתו בתורה, וזהו שאמר לבבכם ולא אמר שימו לבבם כדי שיעבדו להקב"ה בשני יצרים, ביצר טוב וביצר רע, וכן דרשו רז"ל בראתי יצר הרע בראתי לו תורה תבלין.
"In this verse Moses warns the people that everyone should pay careful attention to the words of the Torah; therefore, he speaks of לבבכם instead of לבכם He urges people to serve Hashem with both parts of our hearts, the good urge as well as the evil urgeיצר הרע This is why, the Sages said in Kidushin 30, quoting G-d: “I did create an evil urge, but I also created the Torah as its antidote.” (Rabbeinu Bahya ibid)
The Yetzer HaTov is the source of motivation in a man's heart, to act his best and observe the Torah and the mitzvot. And the Yetzer HaRa is meant to challenge the person to uphold the free choice and ensure that he is conscious of his actions and they come from his free will. At its core, the evil inclination is meant to challenge the person and not to frustrate him. But in fact, in many cases it does succeed in tripping the person. Therefore, one of its names is a מכשול 'stumbling block'. (Sukkah 52a)
Moshe Rabbeinu commands to pass on the Torah and the mitzvot to the sons and future generations: "he said to them: Take to heart all the words, the revealed and the hidden, which I testify to you today that you will command your sons, because I know that you have heard My words and will not forget, but your sons need a new will, so they can keep all the words of this Torah" (Tzror HaMor on Torah Devarim, ibid)
The challenge of the generations who did not live the desert period and the Giving of the Torah is more complex. They will face other challenges. And so, parents and teachers need to give them the tools that will enable them to deal with these challenges.
Yom Kippur is a day of repentance and soul-searching. Repentance on the obstacles we did not pass through successfully and soul searching for what led to it. In preparation for this, we have Shabbat Teshuvah (the Shabbat that occurs during the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). Among the other things we must address in our soul's reckoning are the tools we are giving our sons and future generations to face the challenges of Torah observance in our generation.
In these past weeks, we have devoted our articles and dealt with various aspects of the phenomenon of not-being-religious-anymore and its magnitude, its causes and how to deal with it.
Maimonides marked the social component as an influential factor:
דרך ברייתו של אדם להיות נמשך בדעותיו ובמעשיו אחר ריעיו וחביריו ונוהג כמנהג אנשי מדינתו לפיכך צריך אדם להתחבר לצדיקים ולישב אצל החכמים תמיד כדי שילמוד ממעשיהם
It is a natural tendency of man to be influenced in his ideas and conduct by his fellows and associates, and to follow the usage of the people of his state. Because thereof, it is necessary for man to be in the company of the righteous, and to sit near the wise, in order to learn from their conduct, (Mishneh Torah Human Dispositions 6:1)
And this because: “Man is social in his nature, and his nature is that he needs to be in a group, and is not like the other animals that do not have to”. (The Guide for the Perplexed Second part, Chapter 40)
In a survey conducted by a Survey Institute led by my friend Dr. Ido Lieberman among thousands of graduates from the religious educational system published about two years ago, there are many findings regarding this phenomenon, its extent and causes.
This is the most recent comprehensive and professional survey conducted in recent years among graduates of the Religious- Zionist public educational system.
It is important to pay attention to his findings so that the soul searching is not 'in the air'.
It turns out that the highest percentage of “becoming non-religious” occurs at the age of military service. The main reason given by the respondents was defined as 'lack of interest in religious life' and only after, the reason of belief ('theology and philosophy').
A clearer picture is obtained. Leaving the 'religious framework' has a very strong influence: the attention and time on the agenda, the regular processes of spiritual empowerment and religious motivation. Frameworks that by their mere nature, reduce the exposure to temptations of a certain kind (even if they don’t prevent them completely). And the social atmosphere as well as the social discourse turns it in the religious direction. (Even if it has significant elements of contemporary general culture).
The transition to frameworks that do not have this element and the exposure to temptations creates a great erosion that leads to 'lack of interest in religious life'.
There is no doubt that this should be considered and given the appropriate tools to deal with the challenge.
Harvest! Ruth!
Parsha and its implementation – Ha'azinu – Sukkot- Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - 5780
Parashat Ha'azinu signs with parting words from Moshe Rabbeinu, in anticipation of his expected death: "
וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר עֲלֵ֡ה אֶל־הַר֩ הָעֲבָרִ֨ים הַזֶּ֜ה הַר־נְב֗וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מוֹאָ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֣י יְרֵח֑וֹ וּרְאֵה֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֛ן לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לַאֲחֻזָּֽה׃ וּמֻ֗ת בָּהָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עֹלֶ֣ה שָׁ֔מָּה וְהֵאָסֵ֖ף אֶל־עַמֶּ֑יךָ כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־מֵ֞ת אַהֲרֹ֤ן אָחִ֙יךָ֙ בְּהֹ֣ר הָהָ֔ר וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃
"That very day Hashem spoke to Moses: Ascend these heights of Abarim to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab facing Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites as their holding. You shall die on the mountain that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin (Devarim 32:48-50)
In the next Parasha, there is a completion of these parting words from Moshe, his death and his burial. One must listen to the verses and the sad, lugubrious atmosphere of the parting described in them. On the one hand, like in some places in the written Torah, death and 'end' of life are called "gathering" - "and gathered to his kin":
"And I have already interpreted that this is a great promise to the righteous that after their death they do not move around like other people but are immediately gathered to their people. They are the holy fathers. When Aaron your brother died and was gathered to his people immediately" (Tzror Hamor ibid). In other words, death is not an "end" in the total sense, although the dead person ends his physical life on earth, but his soul is "gathered" and joins the community of the souls of the fathers, for eternal life in the world of souls.
The language of the Torah seeks to imply further meanings of what is explicitly written, by using words whose letters and roots hint to a different word. These are usually words that have letters in common, or that they share a two-letter root. The same is true of the word 'Assaf' 'gathered' in relation to death, since in another context it also has the meaning of 'end' and 'destruction' (Rashi Yirmiyahu 8:13). The two-letter root is: Samech & Pei. (See also the Assaf value in Ibn Ezra in Bereshit 30:23, and Radak and Hezkuni ibid). The double meaning of the word 'Assaf' is at both ends of the same line. In the farewell from Moshe Rabbeinu, there is, on one side, the end of Moshe Rabbeinu's leadership era, and on the other, the beginning of a new era of entering the country led by Joshua. The melancholy of the 'end' is mixed with an optimistic atmosphere of a fresh start and a new era.
The Sukkot holiday is also called "Chag HaAssif":
וְחַ֤ג שָׁבֻעֹת֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ בִּכּוּרֵ֖י קְצִ֣יר חִטִּ֑ים וְחַג֙ הָֽאָסִ֔יף תְּקוּפַ֖ת הַשָּׁנָֽה׃
"You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of the wheat harvest; and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year". (Shmot 34:22)
Here, too, the "Assif" relates to the 'Sof'-"End" only in the opposite direction: "the time of the year- the end of the year" (Rav Saadia Gaon ibid). And:
...וְחַ֤ג הָֽאָסִף֙ בְּצֵ֣את הַשָּׁנָ֔ה בְּאָסְפְּךָ֥ אֶֽת־מַעֲשֶׂ֖יךָ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃
"…and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field". (Shmot 23:16)
Harvesting takes place at the 'end' of the agricultural year, and then a new agricultural year begins: 'וחג האסיף בצאת השנה' - ותכנס שנה אחרת" "Harvesting at the end of the year, and a new year begins” (Ibn Ezra ibid). Harvesting the crop and the beginning of the New Year, cause the special joy of Sukkot:
חַ֧ג הַסֻּכֹּ֛ת תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בְּאָ֨סְפְּךָ֔ מִֽגָּרְנְךָ֖ וּמִיִּקְבֶֽךָ׃ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ בְּחַגֶּ֑ךָ אַתָּ֨ה וּבִנְךָ֤ וּבִתֶּ֙ךָ֙ וְעַבְדְּךָ֣ וַאֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וְהַלֵּוִ֗י וְהַגֵּ֛ר וְהַיָּת֥וֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֗ים תָּחֹג֙ לַה' אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בַּמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֣ר ה' כִּ֣י יְבָרֶכְךָ֞ ה' אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בְּכֹ֤ל תְּבוּאָֽתְךָ֙ וּבְכֹל֙ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֔יךָ וְהָיִ֖יתָ אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽחַ׃
"After the ingathering from your threshing floor and your vat, you shall hold the Feast of Booths for seven days.You shall rejoice in your festival, with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your communities.You shall hold a festival for Hashem your G-d seven days, in the place that Hashem will choose; for Hashem your G-d will bless all your crops and all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy". (Devarim 16:13-15).
But precisely the joy of the 'gathering' must be considered
וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה׃
"tremble with fright", (Psalm 2:11). There is a need to set boundaries, so the joy will not become the 'end'. This is one of the reasons why the scroll of Ecclesiastes is read during Sukkot, which a big part of it, transmits a gloomy atmosphere that balances and sharpens the real joy.
The great public joy of the holiday was 'the joy of the Shoevah' when all the pilgrims 'gathered' to help and: "he who has not seen the Simchat Bet Hashoevah has never seen rejoicing in his life”. (Mishnah Sukkah 5:1). In order for the 'Assif' of joy not to turn from a blessing to a mistake: “and they would make there a great enactment”. (Mishnah Sukkah 5:2) 'not to falter due to lightheadedness [kalut rosh]. They decreed that the women sat above and the men below”. (Bartenura ibid).
Once every seven years, all Am Israel would gather in Sukkot for the 'Assembly' (Hakhel): "
...מִקֵּ֣ץ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֗ים בְּמֹעֵ֛ד שְׁנַ֥ת הַשְּׁמִטָּ֖ה בְּחַ֥ג הַסֻּכּֽוֹת׃
"… Every seventh year, the year set for remission, at the Feast of Booths" (Devarim 31:10)
"And the term 'end' means: “at the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical year, on the festival of Tabernacles;” this is a reference to the commandment known as הקהל, “assembly.” The word מקץ means “at the end.” Wherever we encounter the expression מקץ it means “at the end. (Rabbeinu Bahya Devarim 31:10). And that is why the unity can be demanded; as the ‘end’ approaches, the people of Israel must be gathered together with all their tribes in order to maintain them
וַיְהִ֥י בִישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
“Then He became King in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people assembled, The tribes of Israel together”. (Devarim 33:5)
In anticipation of the Chag HaAssif, let’s embark on a national campaign of defusing the rifts in the people. Invite your neighbors to your Sukkah for a unity reunion.
Harvest togetherness!