These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly portion: #1480 – Someone Dropped the Sefer Torah in Shul – Does Everyone Have to Fast? Good Shabbos.

Here We Are Allowed to Claim Our Reward

Parshas Ki Savo contains “Vidui Ma’sros,” which is a ceremony at the end of the third year of the three-year cycle of ma’aser (tithes), whereby a person makes a declaration that he kept all the halachos of ma’aser. “I gave the Levi his ten percent and I gave to the ger (convert), yosam (orphan), and almana (widow) their portion, etc.” The declaration continues proclaiming having kept all the laws associated with ma’aser.

Finally, the declaration includes a tefilla (prayer): Ribono shel Olam, “Hashkeefa m’m’eon kodshecha” (Look down from Your heavenly abode) and bless Your nation Israel and the land you gave us, as you have promised to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.” This seems to be an innocent pasuk. We say to the Ribono shel Olam, “Listen, I kept the mitzvos, please reward me appropriately. Look down from Your heavenly abode and bless me, etc.”

Rashi, however, says something a little strange over here: Rashi says that the statement “Hashkeefa m’m’eon kodshecha” is not a plea, but rather it is a demand: We have done what You commanded us to do, now it is Your turn to do what You promised to do for us.

Can you imagine coming to your boss after you’ve completed an assignment and saying to him, “Listen, I did mine, now you do yours?” That is not the way you talk to a superior. It is certainly not the way you talk to the Ribono shel Olam!

The Chasam Sofer strengthens this question: The Ribono shel Olam does not like when a person advances a claim for what he believes is coming to him. Where do we see that? The pasuk says in Sefer Nechemia, “Zachra li Elokai l’tova kol asher aseesi al ha’am hazeh” (Nechemia 5:19). Nechemia says to the Ribono shel Olam, “I have taken care of Your people, now I want to get honorable mention.” What was the honorable mention that Nechemia was referring to?

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 93) says that most of what we call Sefer Ezra really contains the words of Nechemia. It really should be called Sefer Nechemia. Why is it not called by his name? The Gemara says that it is a punishment because Nechemia tried to take credit for his actions. He felt he deserved honor for carrying out his Divine mission, and said as much. The Gemara says that it is not appropriate to make such a request of Hashem. It was his duty to carry out the mission for which he was put on the earth. He should not expect credit for performing that duty.

And yet here, by Vidui Ma’asros, we do say “We have done that which you have commanded us, now give us the bracha (blessing) we have coming…” How do we reconcile this? We know from Nechemia that this is unacceptable behavior, and yet this is exactly what we do in the Vidui Ma’aser proclamation!

The answer may be derived from an interesting Rashi in Parsha Re’eh. The pasuk says “And you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d – you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, the Levi who is in your gates, the ger, the yasom, and the almana who are among you…” (Devorim 16:11). When we come to Yerushalayim, we are commanded to be happy together with our family members and our servants and the Levites who are in our midst…and the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana.

Rashi writes on the words “the Levite and the ger and the yasom and the almana” – “My four corresponding to your four!” I have four groups of people that I want you to worry about. They are the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana. You take care of Mine and I will take care of yours!

The previous Rashi emphasizes: “I have rejoiced and I have caused others to rejoice.” When I make others happy and I give to the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana (the four people the Ribono shel Olam Himself worries about) the Ribono shel Olam will make my family happy as well. This is an exception to the rule. This is a place where a person has a right to advance a claim towards Heaven. Normally, the expression “hashkeefa” has negative connotations. It is different here because the person has given tzedaka. Tzedaka greases the wheels, so to speak. Here it is legitimate to ask for a quid pro quo. The Ribono shel Olam has promised it: You take care of Mine and I will take care of yours.

Answer the Prayer of the Righteous and Answer the Prayer of the Masses

I would like to share a ha’ara from the Netziv, not from his He’emak Davar but from his Har’chev Davar. The Netziv elaborates on his commentary to Tehillim 102. “Ata sakum terachem Tzion ki es l’chanena ki va moed.” (Tehillm 102:14). These are famous pesukim because they had the zechus (merit) of becoming a song. Any pasuk that is zoche to become a song is well known. The translation is “You shall arise and have mercy on Tzion (Eretz Yisrael), for it is the time to give it favor, the time has come.” The next pasuk continues, “For Your servants have cherished her stones and favored her dust.”

These pesukim are followed by an expression “Paneh el tefilas ha’arar” (Turn to the prayer of the arar) (ibid. 102:18), which is difficult to translate. What is the “arar?” ArtScroll translates it as “the devastated one.” Then the pasuk continues “and don’t discard their tefillos.” The Netziv asks a grammatical question: Why does the pasuk switch from singular to plural? Then the pasuk continues: “You listen to the cries of the imprisoned one, to liberate those doomed to die.” Once again, why does the pasuk switch between singular and plural?

The Netziv says something that is especially meaningful before Rosh Hashanna. Dovid Hamelech saw b’nevua (prophetically) that there would come a time in the “Final Generation” that we will be in a galus of persecution and we will say “And grant Your fear upon all Your creatures…Reveal Your honor upon us” (from the Rosh Hashanna amidah).

However, the intention of this tefilla is not the same for all people. There are some people who love G-d with all their heart and daven (pray) that His honor should be magnified. Such people are sincerely bothered by the fact that the Shechina (Divine Presence) is in galus and is not properly recognized. Those people sincerely daven that the Shechina should return to Eretz Yisrael. However, there are others who have no sense of feeling galus. They don’t care about the fact that the Shechina is in galus. They recite these words without emotion, by rote.

This is what Dovid Hamelech is saying: Ribono shel Olam, there are going to be thousands and thousands and millions and millions of Jews who are going to daven that you should reveal your Shechina without really meaning it. All they really want on Rosh Hashanna is “parnassa” (financial livelihood). They ask for wealth, for a shidduch, or for a refuah for a sick family member. Yet, they just mouth the words “Speedily reveal the honor of Your kingdom upon us.”

The Netziv says that Dovid Hamelech foresaw this scenario. Therefore, He said, “Ribono shel Olam, turn to the tefilla of the arar.” Listen to the tefillos of those devastated ones who really mean what they say and really want the giluy (revelation of the) Shechina. However, at the same time, do not discard the tefillos of the regular people either.

There is a famous story of a Rebbe who got up after davening and gave a bracha to the people. But he forgot to include the word “parnassa” in his bracha. Everyone in the audience yelled out “parnassa!” and the Rebbe said, “Oh yeah, and parnassa!”

While it is true that many people are primarily interested in themselves, nevertheless there are people who really care about the honor of the Shechina. Dovid Hamelech is requesting that the tefillos of the masses should be included with the tefillos of the righteous. Just like You answer the tefillos of the righteous, so too, please answer the tefillos of the masses.

Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]

Technical Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]

This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Ki Savo is provided below:

• #021 – The “Ins and Outs” of Mezzuzah
• #066 – Learning Hebrew: Mitzvah or Not?
• #111 – Allocating Your Tzedaka Dollar
• #157 – The Prohibition Against Erasing G-d’s Name
• #204 – Giving a Sefer Torah to a Non-Jew
• #251 – Shidduchim and Parental Wishes
• #294 – Geirim and Davening: Some Unique Problems
• #340 – The Pushka in Halacha
• #384 – The Prohibition of Chodosh
• #428 – Mentioning G-d’s Name in Vain
• #472 – Teffilin Shel Rosh
• #516 – Hagbeh
• #560 – Selichos
• #604 – Reading the Tochacha
• #648 – The Onain and Kaddish
• #692 – The Staggering Cost of Lashon Ho’rah
• #736 – Your Aliya: Must You Read Along?
• #780 – Can You Sue Your Father?
• #824 – Hitting An Older Child
• #868 – Loshon Horah Vs Lying – Which Is Worse?
• #912 – Shaimos What I Do With All Those Papers?
• #956 – The Phony Tzedakah Collector
• #999 – Can Your Mother Serve You Dinner?
• #1043 – Checking Mezzuzos: What Do You Do While They Are Down?
• #1087 – Saying A Borei P’ri Ha’Adama On Fruit
• #1130 – The Silent Shmoneh Esrei – Must It Be Silent
• #1172 – Can One Remove His Mezzuzos When Moving To A New Home?
• #1216 – Are Women Obligated in Yishuv Eretz Yisroel?
• #1260 – Mezzuzah – Case of No Case; Kissing the Mezzuzah – Good Idea or Not?
• #1304 – Erasing a Tatoo of the Shem Hashem – Davening for Personal Needs on Rosh Hashana
• #1348 – All You Ever Wanted to Know About Hagbah
• #1392 – Wearing Tephillin on a Toupee or a Cast
• #1436 – But If We Punish Him He May Not Remain Frum
• #1480 – Someone Dropped the Sefer Torah in Shul – Does Everyone Have to Fast?
• #1524 – Kissing the Mezzuzah: Is it a Good Idea?
• #1566 – Your Maaser Money – What Tzedaka Must it be Used For?
• #1605 – Should You Stand When the Chasan and Kallah Walk to the Chupah?

A complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further information.

<!–DEVICE–>

These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly portion: #1480 – Someone Dropped the Sefer Torah in Shul – Does Everyone Have to Fast? Good Shabbos.

Here We Are Allowed to Claim Our Reward

Parshas Ki Savo contains “Vidui Ma’sros,” which is a ceremony at the end of the third year of the three-year cycle of ma’aser (tithes), whereby a person makes a declaration that he kept all the halachos of ma’aser. “I gave the Levi his ten percent and I gave to the ger (convert), yosam (orphan), and almana (widow) their portion, etc.” The declaration continues proclaiming having kept all the laws associated with ma’aser.

Finally, the declaration includes a tefilla (prayer): Ribono shel Olam, “Hashkeefa m’m’eon kodshecha” (Look down from Your heavenly abode) and bless Your nation Israel and the land you gave us, as you have promised to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.” This seems to be an innocent pasuk. We say to the Ribono shel Olam, “Listen, I kept the mitzvos, please reward me appropriately. Look down from Your heavenly abode and bless me, etc.”

Rashi, however, says something a little strange over here: Rashi says that the statement “Hashkeefa m’m’eon kodshecha” is not a plea, but rather it is a demand: We have done what You commanded us to do, now it is Your turn to do what You promised to do for us.

Can you imagine coming to your boss after you’ve completed an assignment and saying to him, “Listen, I did mine, now you do yours?” That is not the way you talk to a superior. It is certainly not the way you talk to the Ribono shel Olam!

The Chasam Sofer strengthens this question: The Ribono shel Olam does not like when a person advances a claim for what he believes is coming to him. Where do we see that? The pasuk says in Sefer Nechemia, “Zachra li Elokai l’tova kol asher aseesi al ha’am hazeh” (Nechemia 5:19). Nechemia says to the Ribono shel Olam, “I have taken care of Your people, now I want to get honorable mention.” What was the honorable mention that Nechemia was referring to?

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 93) says that most of what we call Sefer Ezra really contains the words of Nechemia. It really should be called Sefer Nechemia. Why is it not called by his name? The Gemara says that it is a punishment because Nechemia tried to take credit for his actions. He felt he deserved honor for carrying out his Divine mission, and said as much. The Gemara says that it is not appropriate to make such a request of Hashem. It was his duty to carry out the mission for which he was put on the earth. He should not expect credit for performing that duty.

And yet here, by Vidui Ma’asros, we do say “We have done that which you have commanded us, now give us the bracha (blessing) we have coming…” How do we reconcile this? We know from Nechemia that this is unacceptable behavior, and yet this is exactly what we do in the Vidui Ma’aser proclamation!

The answer may be derived from an interesting Rashi in Parsha Re’eh. The pasuk says “And you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d – you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, the Levi who is in your gates, the ger, the yasom, and the almana who are among you…” (Devorim 16:11). When we come to Yerushalayim, we are commanded to be happy together with our family members and our servants and the Levites who are in our midst…and the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana.

Rashi writes on the words “the Levite and the ger and the yasom and the almana” – “My four corresponding to your four!” I have four groups of people that I want you to worry about. They are the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana. You take care of Mine and I will take care of yours!

The previous Rashi emphasizes: “I have rejoiced and I have caused others to rejoice.” When I make others happy and I give to the Levi, the ger, the yasom, and the almana (the four people the Ribono shel Olam Himself worries about) the Ribono shel Olam will make my family happy as well. This is an exception to the rule. This is a place where a person has a right to advance a claim towards Heaven. Normally, the expression “hashkeefa” has negative connotations. It is different here because the person has given tzedaka. Tzedaka greases the wheels, so to speak. Here it is legitimate to ask for a quid pro quo. The Ribono shel Olam has promised it: You take care of Mine and I will take care of yours.

Answer the Prayer of the Righteous and Answer the Prayer of the Masses

I would like to share a ha’ara from the Netziv, not from his He’emak Davar but from his Har’chev Davar. The Netziv elaborates on his commentary to Tehillim 102. “Ata sakum terachem Tzion ki es l’chanena ki va moed.” (Tehillm 102:14). These are famous pesukim because they had the zechus (merit) of becoming a song. Any pasuk that is zoche to become a song is well known. The translation is “You shall arise and have mercy on Tzion (Eretz Yisrael), for it is the time to give it favor, the time has come.” The next pasuk continues, “For Your servants have cherished her stones and favored her dust.”

These pesukim are followed by an expression “Paneh el tefilas ha’arar” (Turn to the prayer of the arar) (ibid. 102:18), which is difficult to translate. What is the “arar?” ArtScroll translates it as “the devastated one.” Then the pasuk continues “and don’t discard their tefillos.” The Netziv asks a grammatical question: Why does the pasuk switch from singular to plural? Then the pasuk continues: “You listen to the cries of the imprisoned one, to liberate those doomed to die.” Once again, why does the pasuk switch between singular and plural?

The Netziv says something that is especially meaningful before Rosh Hashanna. Dovid Hamelech saw b’nevua (prophetically) that there would come a time in the “Final Generation” that we will be in a galus of persecution and we will say “And grant Your fear upon all Your creatures…Reveal Your honor upon us” (from the Rosh Hashanna amidah).

However, the intention of this tefilla is not the same for all people. There are some people who love G-d with all their heart and daven (pray) that His honor should be magnified. Such people are sincerely bothered by the fact that the Shechina (Divine Presence) is in galus and is not properly recognized. Those people sincerely daven that the Shechina should return to Eretz Yisrael. However, there are others who have no sense of feeling galus. They don’t care about the fact that the Shechina is in galus. They recite these words without emotion, by rote.

This is what Dovid Hamelech is saying: Ribono shel Olam, there are going to be thousands and thousands and millions and millions of Jews who are going to daven that you should reveal your Shechina without really meaning it. All they really want on Rosh Hashanna is “parnassa” (financial livelihood). They ask for wealth, for a shidduch, or for a refuah for a sick family member. Yet, they just mouth the words “Speedily reveal the honor of Your kingdom upon us.”

The Netziv says that Dovid Hamelech foresaw this scenario. Therefore, He said, “Ribono shel Olam, turn to the tefilla of the arar.” Listen to the tefillos of those devastated ones who really mean what they say and really want the giluy (revelation of the) Shechina. However, at the same time, do not discard the tefillos of the regular people either.

There is a famous story of a Rebbe who got up after davening and gave a bracha to the people. But he forgot to include the word “parnassa” in his bracha. Everyone in the audience yelled out “parnassa!” and the Rebbe said, “Oh yeah, and parnassa!”

While it is true that many people are primarily interested in themselves, nevertheless there are people who really care about the honor of the Shechina. Dovid Hamelech is requesting that the tefillos of the masses should be included with the tefillos of the righteous. Just like You answer the tefillos of the righteous, so too, please answer the tefillos of the masses.

Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]

Technical Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]

This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Ki Savo is provided below:

• #021 – The “Ins and Outs” of Mezzuzah
• #066 – Learning Hebrew: Mitzvah or Not?
• #111 – Allocating Your Tzedaka Dollar
• #157 – The Prohibition Against Erasing G-d’s Name
• #204 – Giving a Sefer Torah to a Non-Jew
• #251 – Shidduchim and Parental Wishes
• #294 – Geirim and Davening: Some Unique Problems
• #340 – The Pushka in Halacha
• #384 – The Prohibition of Chodosh
• #428 – Mentioning G-d’s Name in Vain
• #472 – Teffilin Shel Rosh
• #516 – Hagbeh
• #560 – Selichos
• #604 – Reading the Tochacha
• #648 – The Onain and Kaddish
• #692 – The Staggering Cost of Lashon Ho’rah
• #736 – Your Aliya: Must You Read Along?
• #780 – Can You Sue Your Father?
• #824 – Hitting An Older Child
• #868 – Loshon Horah Vs Lying – Which Is Worse?
• #912 – Shaimos What I Do With All Those Papers?
• #956 – The Phony Tzedakah Collector
• #999 – Can Your Mother Serve You Dinner?
• #1043 – Checking Mezzuzos: What Do You Do While They Are Down?
• #1087 – Saying A Borei P’ri Ha’Adama On Fruit
• #1130 – The Silent Shmoneh Esrei – Must It Be Silent
• #1172 – Can One Remove His Mezzuzos When Moving To A New Home?
• #1216 – Are Women Obligated in Yishuv Eretz Yisroel?
• #1260 – Mezzuzah – Case of No Case; Kissing the Mezzuzah – Good Idea or Not?
• #1304 – Erasing a Tatoo of the Shem Hashem – Davening for Personal Needs on Rosh Hashana
• #1348 – All You Ever Wanted to Know About Hagbah
• #1392 – Wearing Tephillin on a Toupee or a Cast
• #1436 – But If We Punish Him He May Not Remain Frum
• #1480 – Someone Dropped the Sefer Torah in Shul – Does Everyone Have to Fast?
• #1524 – Kissing the Mezzuzah: Is it a Good Idea?
• #1566 – Your Maaser Money – What Tzedaka Must it be Used For?
• #1605 – Should You Stand When the Chasan and Kallah Walk to the Chupah?

A complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further information.