Parshas Nitzovim/VaYeilech – A thought on the first Rashi

“You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God; your tribal chiefs, your elders, and your officers, every man of Israel. Your young, your wives, and your convert who is within your camps; from the wood cutters to the water drawers.”

~ Devarim 29:9-10

You stand, this day. This teaches that Moshe gathered them [every one of the people] before the Holy One, may He be blessed, on the day he [Moshe] died, to introduce them into the covenant.

~ Rashi on Devarim 29:9  

The verse Rashi highlights, in his view, strikes a strong note of inclusiveness. Rashi’s comment resonates for me in two different very recent occurances in my life.

This past Friday a colleague in another department at work called to tell me that she was distressed to learn that I’d begun work to plan an event, which she would be asked to support, without first consulting her. I told her that I had consulted with her boss and was under the impression that he had advised her of this new activity. She was not placated by my reconstruction of the events. As I thought the matter over, it occurred to me that I had put this colleague in an uncomfortable spot by leaving her out of the loop; I had failed to be as inclusive in the decision-making process as I could have been.

Over the weekend I thought it would be a nice thing to invite guests for dinner on Sunday night, both to share the abundant leftovers we had from Shabbos and to help celebrate my daughter’s planned departure, the next day, for her year in Israel. I asked my wife who we could invite and she said: “Ask your daughter.” My initial instinct was to recoil at the added consultation required to set up a social engagement; after all, my wife was the only opinion I needed to consult for the past 18 years – why change now? But, of course, she was right. My daughter is now a young woman and it is a good measure of decency to include her view when making social plans.

Both episodes make me wonder, as I try to look back on this past year – were there other situations where I could have been, should have been, more inclusive and by failing to do so I left people feeling hurt, estranged, or anxious?

Parshas Ki Savo - A thought on the first Rashi

“When it happens that you come to the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you as territory and you inherit it and settle it.”

~ Devarim 26:1

When it happens that you come … and you inherit and settle it. This teaches that they were not obligated to bring the first fruits until they conquered the land and apportioned it.

~ Rashi on Devarim 26:1

Rabbi Avrohom Davis explains that we understand from Rashi’s comment that before the Jewish people finished their conquest and division of the land of Israel, Jews could eat the fruits and vegetables grown there without first bringing first fruits to Jerusalem.

How do we think the Jews of that era viewed their ‘freedom’ from the mitzvah of first fruits, during the interim period? They would have been well aware of the commandment to bring first fruits to Jerusalem, reiterated in this week’s parsha, and would know that the rule was only applicable after the conquest of Canaan was complete.

Perhaps some Jews at that time found the produce sweeter, because it came with fewer restrictions than (they knew) would apply later. Perhaps other Jews ate the fruit yet quietly pined for the conquest to be complete, so they could fully celebrate the bounty of the land by sanctifying a portion to thank God for His great kindnesses.

 

Which attitude do you relate to best? Are you quite comfortable when something happens and you are ‘free’ of certain restrictions in Jewish life? A great example of this, suggested by my teacher Rabbi Eli Reisman, would be when it rains on Succos and you are compelled to eat indoors; Are you quietly (or not so quietly) relieved? Or are you more akin to the almost-Bar Mitzvah boy, who (according to custom) starts putting on his teffilin weeks in advance of the big day, to show his eagerness for the mitzvah yet to arrive?

Parshas Ki Seitzei - a thought on one of the first Rashis

"If you should go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God puts them in your hand and you capture prisoners from them. And you see among the prisoners a beautiful woman; if you desire her, you may take her as your wife."

~ Devorim 21:10-11

You may take her as your wife. The Torah speaks only to go against the evil inclination, because if God would not permit her, he (the Jewish soldier) would live with her illicitly. But if he does marry her, he will ultimately hate her, as it is further stated: "If a man has two wives, etc. " [see 21:15] and ultimately he will father, with her, a wayward and rebellious son [see 21:18]. That is why these chapters adjoin one another.

~ Rashi on Devorim 12:11

Rashi's view is that the Torah grants permission to a Jewish soldier to marry a captivating captive only as a necessary but unfortunate (and ill-fated) concession to human nature. As I'm aware, this is not the only instance of the Torah  making such a concession. For example, it is the opinion of Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook that God granted Noah and his descendants permission to eat meat, after the Flood, (Bereshis 9:3) only as a last resort, in recognition that humankind had become desensitized to violence and could no longer restrain its desire for meat [see Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshis, p. 77].

These two instances are, at least, well within the realm of Torah-approved allowances to our less refined tendencies. Two questions we should ask ourselves, as we prepare for Rosh HaShana, are: What are the allowances we give ourselves that fall outside the realm of Torah-sanctioned concessions? And can we, perhaps, hold ourselves to a higher standard in the upcoming New Year?

Parshas Shoftim - a thought on the first Rashi

“Judges and police officers you shall appoint for yourself in all the cities that HaShem, your God, is giving you for all your tribes; they should judge the people (with) righteous judgment.”

~ Devorim 16:18

Judges and police officers. Judges – the magistrates who render legal decisions. Police officers – who compel the people to abide by their (the judges’) instructions by administering punishment, with clubs and whips, until they accept the judge’s decision.

~ Rashi on Devorim 16:18

Rashi’s comment on this verse suggests that, in an ideal situation, wherever there is an institution that adjudicates legal disputes there must also be a group charged with enforcing those decisions. Without such a pairing, judgment is a hollow exercise and justice becomes a mockery.

Adding to our understanding of this verse, the Seforno points out that the Gemara (Makos 7a) notes the use of the phrase “… in all your cities that HaShem, your God, is giving you for all your tribes” and uses it to qualify the command that you have judges and officers ‘in all your cities.” The Gemara instructs us that this imperative only applies in the lands that the Jewish people conquer within the Land of Israel. If the Jewish people go to war and win lands outside the Land of Israel, they only require judges and officers in every district but not in each city.”

Seforno’s comment, and the Gemara’s ruling, instructs us that in an area of greater holiness (the Land of Israel), greater efforts must be made to offer and administer justice while in an area of lesser holiness, efforts to insure justice need not be as comprehensive.

Having just entered the month of Elul, it is worth asking ourselves if we are making the greatest efforts in the areas of the greatest holiness in our own lives. Or perhaps our levels of vigilance and exactitude are not always aligned with our values. Consider these questions - What is the current balance in your bank account? What is the latest standing of your favorite baseball team (or political party)? What Torah idea did you learn or consider anew this week? To which mitzvah are you giving special attention this month?

If you can answer all four questions substantively, great! But if only two or three of these questions are relevant to you, which ones are they? And what does that say about you?