Parshas Re'ey - a thought on one of the first Rashis

“Look, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, that (if) you heed the commandments of HaShem your God that I am commanding you today. And the curse, if you do not heed the commandments of HaShem your God and you veer from the course which I command you this day, to follow other gods which you did not know.”

~ Devarim 11:26-28

From the course which I command you this day, to follow etc. This teaches that anyone who worships idols has strayed from the entire course commanded to Israel. From here we learn that anyone who admits to idolatry denies the entire Torah.

~ Rashi on Devarim 11:28

Rashi’s explanation underscores the frightful gravity of the offense of worshipping gods beside HaShem, which is a viewed as a direct affront to God and a rejection of the entire Torah. This message is communicated repeatedly in Sefer Devarim (see, for instance, the reiteration of the Ten Commandments, Devarim 5:6-18, and later in our Parsha, 12:28-13:17).

This pointed injunction against the worshiping of other gods can prompt us to consider its correlates in interpersonal situations.

I’m confident that, if I asked what constitutes a similar unforgivable betrayal in a marriage, most people would answer “adultery.” If I considered what was the most painful betrayal for a child, it might be a situation where his/her parents violated his trust or acted in a way that showed they had no confidence in her skills or judgment.

In the same vein, what would be a painful betrayal of a good friend? Or a professional colleague you work with frequently? Or an aging, sometimes forgetful, and occasionally difficult parent? 

And if we accept that every potential offense exists on a continuum, from slight to severe, are there small betrayals we commit without thinking more commonly?

Our answers to these questions may differ, of course, as personalities and circumstances vary. The important thing is to ask ourselves the questions.

Parshas Ekev - A thought on the first Rashi

“And it will be, as a consequence of (Ekev) you heeding these laws, and you guard them and fulfill them; HaShem your God will guard for you the covenant and the kindness that he swore to your forefathers.”

~ Devorim 7:12

And it will be, as a consequence of (Ekev) you heeding these laws. If you will heed even the smaller commandments, which a person [sometimes] tramples on with his heels (B’EhKayVav), then … HaShem, your God will guard, etc. He will keep his promise to you. 

~ Rashi on Devorim 7:12

Rashi points out the use here of the uncommon word Ekev (as a consequence of) and draws on a comment from the Midrash Tanchuma, which ties this to another word with a similar root, EhKayVa (heel). The lesson, he suggests, is that our heavenly reward is contingent on our adherence to all the mitzvot, not just those we favor but also those that we might downplay, fulfill half-heartedly, or even ignore.

This raises an interesting challenge, which each of us faces individually:

What are your ‘smaller mitzvot’?

For each of us, the answer will be different by dint of our individual preferences.  

We recently concluded the mournful and introspective season of the three weeks and entered the seven-week period that leads to the High Holydays. Perhaps now is a fine time to start considering which ‘little’ areas of observance we each have neglected and what we might resolve to improve upon in the new Jewish year.

Parshas Ve'etchanan - a thought on the first Rashi

This weeks parashah of וָאֶתְחַנַּן [Va’etchanan] begins:

    וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל יְה בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר

 Va’etchanan el Hashem v’ayt ha he laymor

“And I implored [or entreated] Hashem at the time, saying…”

 Breaking down the sentence into three components we can see the following.

Rashi teaches us that the word Va'etchanan “And I implored” is a derivative of the word chinan, which always signifies [the request for] an unearned gift.   Moses we all know is one of if not the most righteous Jews to have lived or ever is likely to live. Even though the righteous could justify their requests based on their good deeds, in their humility they only request unearned gifts from G-d. It is said that it is probable that this is because the righteous would prefer to receive any form of reward in the world to come, rather than in this life.

“At that time.”   Rashi goes on to explain that to a certain extent Moses may have actually thought he had avoided his long feared fate of not being able to enter the land of Israel.   Perhaps he was thinking that “after I had conquered the land of Sihon and Og, I thought that perhaps the vow [which G-d had made, that I should not enter the land] was nullified, [since the land I entered has become part of the land of Canaan].

“Saying,” This is one of three occasions in which Moses said before G-d, “I will not let You go until You let me know whether or not You will grant my request.”  Of course we know better.   Moses was not to be allowed to enter the land to which he had led the children of Israel for more than 40 years, despite this heartfelt petition.   In fact G-d if anything becomes angry with Moses for the repeated asking.

In our generation, many of us feel entitled, to be given things - as a reward for our good deeds, whether it be for an act of chessed [kindness], performing a mitzvah [good dead] or “just because.”     What we should realize, especially in this generation, is that we are the recipients of so many gifts, on so many levels each and every day.   Both on a personal level, on a communal level, in the land of Israel, and as a nation of Am Yisrael.

We should all strive to be on the level of Moses, to be humble enough to recognize that what we pray for each day is not the repayment of our great righteousness but, rather, the continued gifts of a very gracious God.

Shabbat shalom.

Guest posting by

Marc Turansky

(a commentary on his Bar-Mitzvah parsha!)

Parshas Devarim - a thought on the first few Rashis

“These are the words that Moshe addressed to all of [the Children of] Israel across the Jordan, in the wilderness, on the Arava plain facing Suf, between Poron and Tofel, and Lovon and Chatzeiros and Di Zohov.”

~ Devarim 1:1

Rashi notes that the place names in this verse do not correspond to the location of the Israelite camp when the Book of BaMidbar (Numbers) ended, when they were encamped in the plains of Moav. Additionally, some of the place names (such as Tofel and Lovon) appear nowhere else in Scripture. Rashi concludes that these geographic identifiers actually serve as coded rebukes of the Jews for previous bad behavior – “in the wilderness” alludes to the episodes when the Jews grumbled against God in the desert, “Facing Suf” hints at the complaints of the Jews as the Egyptian army approached them by the Yom Suf (Red Sea), Tofel and Lovon are plays on Hebrew words to intimate the Jews’ malicious criticisms of the manna (which was white, lovon), and so on.

As a teacher, I interpret Moshe Rabbeinu’s struggles with the Jewish people by considering his role as our preeminent teacher. He was given a lesson plan to follow – food and water regularly provided by acts of Divine kindness, miracles such as the splitting of the Red Sea and tremendous military victories to demonstrate God’s benevolence, and an all-encompassing code of laws to guide the people’s daily lives. It was a comprehensive, all-encompassing lesson plan. Yet, as we know from reading Shemos, VaYikra, and BaMidbar, the students continuously rebelled.

It took tremendous patience and sensitivity of a man of Moshe’s stature to reason with the Jewish people, recognize and accept their shortcomings, and (at times) persuade God not to obliterate them. All teachers would be well served by reading this week’s parsha carefully, to be reminded that even history’s most masterful teacher faced frequent complaints and serious challenges to his lesson plan; we should expect no less.

It would do us all a lot of good to remind ourselves of role models to teaching success, who reflect Moshe Rabbeinu’s skills and resilience. For me, one such role model was Mrs. Chaya Newman – the principal of Bruriah High School for Girls (and my boss) for over three decades. Like Moshe, she faced complaints from all quarters – students, teachers, parents, and other administrators. I used to marvel at her ability to wade through and sift the complaints, to determine which were legitimate concerns and which were not. She must have read Parshas Devarim many times.

Guest posting by

Joel Glazer

Author of “It Happened in my Classroom”

Social Studies teacher in Bruriah High School for Girls

1 Av 5773

July 8, 2013