Shoftim

My apologies for the three-week vacation, but the country was on "vacation."  Thankfully, it was filled up well.  We started with waking up to the muffled explosions and the sounds of aircraft from a big Hezbollah attack.  It was somewhat like some comedy.  Getting up.  Explosions.  No big deal.  Making coffee. Explosions.  No big deal.  Getting dressed. Explosions.  No big deal.  Walking out the door to shul.  Explosions.  No big deal.  Two Iron Dome missiles flying overhead. No big deal.  You know … just a regular day.

We then took our (slightly delayed) October 9th vacation and went away for Shabbos to Beitar, and then two days in an apartment right in front of the Old City in Yerushaliyim.  After that, some smaller day trips and activities.   Then we rented my friends' 7-seater so I could take the kids for some light hikes.

On the way to Mt. Tabor (where Devorah fought Sisra), I heard something like an explosion (it WAS a big deal), as I saw in the rear-view mirror, a large chunk o' car fly off.  Thankfully, nobody was behind me.  It turns out that the structure was weak from a previous incident my friend had, and the entire bumper is now somewhere resting off of Route 65.

And now, thankfully, we're back to normal.  Hezbollah is doing what they are doing.  My oldest daughter is living in Yerushaliyim for seminar, my oldest son is in Bnei Brak in yeshivah, and the rest are at home getting settled into their studies.  And me?  Safe at home in the Beis Medresh where I belong.

"It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the Kohens shall approach and speak to the people, and shall tell them, "Hear, Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: don't let your heart be faint; don't be afraid, or tremble, or be scared of them, for Hashem your G-d is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Devarim 20:2-4).

The Gemara (Sota 42a) quotes Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai saying that even if one is empty of mitzvos, and only has the merit of saying Shema every morning and evening, they will not be delivered into the hands of their enemies.

This is a bit of a statement, since we have other sources that say the opposite, such as a person who sins and speaks between putting on the tefillin of his arm and of his head, should not go to war, since this sin will put him in danger.

Rebbe Yaakov Yosef, the Maggid from Vilna explained that there is a difference between the individual and the nation.  Perhaps the individual, when he goes to war, might have sins work against him, however, the nation as a whole is judged more lightly.  So, in times of war, if the Jewish people take upon themselves even "light" mitzvos, even when coming from nothing, they could bring victory to the entire nation.

In fact, says Rav Yitzchok Elchanan m'Kovno, we have a hint to this.  Every morning in our davening we say, "Watch over Israel, watch over the remnants of Israel, and do not let Israel perish, who says 'Shema Yisroel'"

An interesting story went public shortly after the war began, which I mentioned previously, regarding a young couple who were at the Nova festival.  Needless to say, they did not seem to have much connection with Judaism on October 7th.  He was covered with tattoos and she was not covered with clothes. I saw one of the videos recording the story said by the couple themselves.  It's amazing and emotional.  As he was telling over the story of their miraculous escape, he described how they were in the car driving, approaching a group of terrorists firing on their car.  He pushed his wife's head down, and out of nowhere yelled, "SHEMA YISROEL…."  He had no idea where it came from.  Nor did they have any idea where their decisions to go or not to go came from.

Needless to say, they survived, not ONE bullet hitting their car.

Today they are fully religious.

Today, unfortunately, the State seems to be split again.  The government is doing their best to act like idiots.  Not because of their stance on hostage negotiations.  While it's highly emotional, it's not such a simple black and white issue.  But it seems they have no interest in LEADING and bringing people together.  And then you have the left, who seem to have forgotten who the real enemy is, and also have no care in bringing people together.

However, a few weeks ago, there was another protest in Israel.  Certainly not covered by the press at all.  It seems a group of several hundred people created a protest in a city (forgot which one), where they took control of several major intersections.

However, instead of blocking traffic and causing a commotion, they stood on the sides, waved flags, and signs calling for the unity of the nation.  There was no politics involved.  Not demand to do this or do that.  Simply focusing on the importance of loving and respecting each other.  It was attended by a wide spectrum of Jews.

Another two-sided photo also went around, again, not mentioned in the news.  In one photo, a Chabadskir sat by an intersection, with a yellow blindfold on, tied to a chair, to represent the hostages.  In another photo, he was putting tefillin on a secular man. It turns out that they made a deal, each one would participate in the "protest" of the other.

Tell me something: What brings more merit in Hashem's eyes?  What goes on nearly every night in Tel Aviv? Are these examples of "small" mitzvos?

We don't understand, since it's hard to believe, that even on a national level, small mitzvos can bring in large dividends for the entire Jewish people.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Much to the grief of his mother, my soon-to-be 14-year-old has finally moved out and has begun his journey in the world of yeshivos.

Most kids his age do not move out to yeshiva for another three years or so.  But those kids tend to live in the center of the country where there are more options for them.  However, in this case, the best option for him is in another city.  It's not too far away, just two buses, but given that he will be going weeks without coming home, it's still hard on his mother.  Not his father, of course, because human fathers are like lion fathers, they want to be left alone, preferably sleeping.

Of course the cost is higher than his elementary school, but from everything we have heard and seen from this particular yeshivah and it's rabbeim, we are more than happy to pay, knowing that it's ultimately for his growth.

So, a new chapter has begun for the Winner family, and hopefully it will be good for everybody.

Okay, on to Torah.

The Baal HaTurim brings several hints towards the month of Elul (the month preceding Rosh HaShanah). One of those hints is from a pasuk we say at the end of a special tefillah said throughout Elul, "If only ("Lulei") I would have believed that I would see the goodness of Hashem in the land of living…"

Rav Yaakov Leonard, the Rosh Yeshiva in Nesivos Aharon in Yerushaliyim, wrote that the word "lulei," if only, signifies regret.  If I only stopped smoking when I was younger.  If I only went to this yeshiva instead of that.  If I only took the small risk to get that reward.  Our whole lives can be filled with "lulei."

How many of us can look back in life and say, "Wow … why didn't I do this or do that?  Why did I make this decision, when I really should have made that?"

With the divorce rate being so high, how many are thinking, "Why DID I marry him/her?" And some might be even thinking, "Why DID I divorce him/her?"

How many of us have put our work before our family, distancing ourselves from our loved ones?

How many of us have put our physical desires above our spiritual, year after year, and continue to remain ignorant in Jewish law and belief?

How many of us are not living up to our potentials because we're too afraid to take the first steps?

Our lives are full of "lulei," "if only."

The Vilna Gaon says that the biggest pain a person can feel is that after his 120 years of life, he sees what he was and what he could have been had he pushed himself a little more.

So, what's the hint of Elul in this pasuk? The word "lulei" is spelled lamed-vav-lamed-aleph.  And when you reverse the spelling, you get aleph-lamed-vav-lamed, Elul.

Elul is the opposite of "what if"s and "had I only"s.

On Rosh Hashanah, we're not just celebrating a new year, like the rest of the world does.  Hashem is literally creating a "new world order," if you will.  And during the month of Elul, we have the opportunity to show Him, that we CAN have a place in this new world.

Elul is the time where we take all those doubts, all those "had I only"s and throw them to the side.  It's a time to say, "Yes, I made my mistakes, but I can still change and I can still reach my potential.  I simply need the opportunity to do so."

When a person, for example, has a product he wants to sell, but does not have the capital to build and sell it, he needs to go in front of investors to convince them to invest in him and his product.  So what does he do?  He dresses properly, writes up his speech, creates a prototype, and pitches his idea to the investors with the confidence that a person has when he knows that he's a winner.

Elul is the time where we make ourselves in the prototype that we believe we can become, and on Rosh Hashanah we step in front of The Investor and "make our pitch," explaining that we too are worthy of another year.

Every person is, or rather, should be, filled with regret for actions we have taken in the past (or failed to take) that have hindered our spiritual growth.  And that's normal and healthy.  But it's healthy only to a point that it helps us initiate change.

When Elul comes around, we take stock in our failures, put them to the side and say, "Okay, let's move forward."  We have a month-long opportunity to show that no matter how many slip-ups we've had in the past, we still have the ability to reach our potential and we simply need the investment of another year.

With that, I wish you all a wonderful Shabbos and a successful Elul.

One of the joys of having a baby with older children around (especially older girls), is you barely get to see the baby!  It's a man's dream come true:  "Okay... had a child... what's next?  I'm bored...."



My wife was complaining how all the children seem to look like they come from my side and not hers.  I asked her, "But, don't you find the kids cute?".  "Of course!" she answered.  "Then perhaps that's the reason why!", I responded.



Maybe she'll start talking to me soon....



I ran into an interesting Gemara (Eruvin 18b) this week.

 

On this particular page, there is a series of short teachings from Rav Yirmiyah ben Elazar.  In one of the teachings, he says, "From the time of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, it is enough for the world to use [Hashem's] two letter name (spelled: Yud-Hey).

 

As we know, Hashem has several names that are used to relate His relationship with us.  There is a special name that only Cohanim can use, for example, and we often use a four letter name (Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey) when we daven or say brachos.  But, says Rav Yirmiyah ben Elazar, since the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, the public is to use the two-letter name.  He brings a backing from the pasuk in Tehillim (150), "Let every soul praise Hashem (Yud-Hey), Halleluka."

 

Tosfos cites Rabbeinu Chananel, who says that the word soul in the pasuk (HaNeshama) can also be read: HanShama, which means "desolate".  So the pasuk can also be read "Let every desolate one praise Hashem…"

 

Before she started looking for a husband, my wife went to speak to her rav, Rav Moshe Chakowlski.  He told her that even when one is married and has children, it is important that one remember, that ultimately, each and every person is alone in their relationship with Hashem.  A husband cannot pull a wife up and a wife cannot pull a husband up.  Of course, they can work together and BRING each other up, but ultimately, one's relationship with Hashem is a personal one and cannot be dependent on another person.

 

As we begin Elul, now less than a month away from Rosh HaShanah, it's important to remember this lesson.  Each neshama is desolate.  It's alone in the world.  One can have many friends and/or family, but in the end, each person must give an accounting of themselves and hold themselves responsible for where they are and where they are going.  It's during this period that we use our time to pull away from others, in some way, and begin to think of our own personal journeys and where we want to go, keeping in mind that, ultimately, it's up to us.

 

Have a wonderful and meaningful Shabbos!

We were very fortunate this week.  I was able to get the car for an additional two days.

We spent one day just north of Tzfas hiking the wooded mountains and were fortunate to be able to daven at the graves of Rava and Abaye, two of the most popular scholars found in the Gemara.  We were also able to take the kids to a small botanical garden and then I drove them to the Lebanese border for lunch.  And I did this all while suffering from a painful case of strep (I just got diagnosed last night…it takes a lot for me to go to a doctor).

It was a nice, yet stressful, “vacation,” but I’m happy to be able to finally get back to life on Sunday.

“And it will be as when he sits on his throne of royalty…” (Devarim 17:18).

Rav Mordechai Pragamantzky said on this pasuk, that the Torah could have simply written “And it will be when he sits…”  Instead, it writes “as when he sits,” being that every time a king sits on his throne, he needs to sit on it as if it were the first time.

What does this mean?

Many a leader starts off enthusiastically about his leadership role.  He has ideas and he has plans.  Yet after a while, even if he accomplished many, if not all, of his plans, the job wearies him.  No longer does he lead with fire or energy.  He stops being a leader, and starts becoming a mere figurehead.

Anybody who has a position of leadership, whether at work, or in the family, should keep this in mind.  I’ve seen companies, communities, and families suffer greatly from figurehead leadership.  When there is just a figurehead, other forces at work will be more than happy to take up the real leadership.  But, when a company head, community head, or parent, approaches each day anew, knowing what his goals and plans are, with the same fire they had in the beginning, then success is a lot more attainable.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

My wife was walking with our three-year-old the other morning and passed a gardener loading up his truck.  Naturally, Mr. Three-Year-Old goes up and asks him what he’s doing, and he replies that he’s working.  “You’re working?” my son repeats.  “Yes, I’m working, because I have to support my family.  BUT, I learn Torah two hours every morning and two hours every night!  And YOU?  Your ‘work’ is to learn a lot of Torah and do a lot of mitzvos!”

And he’s some “regular working guy.”  I’m thankful there are still people in this world like this.

“You shall trust wholeheartedly in the Almighty, your G-d” (Devarim 18:13).

One of the biggest questions that one constantly is asking himself is: “Do I have enough emunah (faith), or do I need to do more hishtadlus (human effort)?”

I have learned, and seen, that the answer to this question is constantly in flux.  As one grows, his need for hishtadlus might diminish, for example.  However, it’s a question one constantly needs to ask (perhaps, or probably SHOULD ASK with their rav), and honestly answer, because it’s dangerous to think of oneself as having a lot of emunah and it’s just as dangerous to be doing too much hishtadlus.

Rav Moshe Feinstein was once asked regarding couples testing for the Tay-Sachs disease before they got married.  He responded, “Although the percentage of infants born with this disease is small and one might be apt to apply the verse: ‘You shall trust wholeheartedly in the Almighty,’ in light of the fact that a simple test has been developed for this, one who does not make use of it is like one who shuts his eyes to what can clearly be seen . . . and since the birth of such a child, G-d forbid, causes great anguish . . . it is prudent for all who are considering marriage to undergo this test.”

Once, when doctors told a certain person that he needed a serious operation, the person refused and said that he had emunah that Hashem will take care of him.  When this was told to the Steipler Gaon, he replied, “This person does not have a mastery of the trait of bitachon (faith).  Rather he is just fearful.”

When it comes to health, children, money, etc., one must do his 100 percent hishtadlus, each according to his level, and at the same time have faith that Hashem will take care of everything.  But, again, this requires a person to always ask this question and to always be honest with their answer.

Have a great Shabbos!

Michael Winner

FINALLY!  Back in kollel!!!

The three weeks of "vacation (from school, not work) that we had is finally over!  I’m back in kollel, my son is back in school, and the rest of the kids start this coming week.  It was a very full three weeks.  We made it a point to have guests after guests after guests, and all the kids were happy and agreed it was the best summer they had had.

One family of our guests were friends of ours with their seven children.  Somehow, he managed to rent an eight-seater monster car, so we took the oldest six children on a tour of the Galil and Golan.  He drove and I played the role of the Israeli tour guide, mixing up and destroying the English language, making up facts as I willed it, telling my group how great and strong we Israelis are, and how I personally killed a whole company of Arabs with my bare hands during the Six Day War.  As Israelis, they were able to appreciate my butchering of the languages and the supreme ego trip I was on.

When we arrived at one point, we overheard an Israeli tour guide with a small group of Americans.  My friend turned to me and said, “She does a great impersonation of you doing an impersonation of her!”

All-in-all, it was long, full, and fun.  And just to make Shabbos a bit easier, my eleven-year-old daughter is taking her five-year-old brother on the bus to Yerushaliyim for Shabbos, to be with these same friends.  So, Shabbos will be a little quieter around here, I hope.

Okay, on to Torah!

(And if you need a good Israeli tour guide who speaks "English good really," give me  a call!)

“Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue, so that you will live and possess the Land” (Devarim 16:20).

A man, who had experienced a hard life, once asked Rav Zilberstein, “I know and believe that I will receive reward in the Next World for every mitzvah that I do here in this world.  My question is, is there any way that I can improve my life in this world through the mitzvos I do?”

Rav Zilberstein answered that the Chida writes in Ahavas David, that Hashem does not give reward in both this world and the Next unless a person exerted himself to do a mitzvah.  In that case, Hashem gives the person reward in this world for the exertion.  But, if a person fulfills a mitzvah without exertion, he receives reward only in the Next World.  The obvious exceptions are listed in the Mishnah that we recite every morning, “Honoring one's parents, doing Chesed, coming early to shul, taking in guests who need a place to stay, visiting the sick, etc.” In those cases, one receives reward in this world as well, even if he did not do it with exertion.

The Chida learns out this lesson from this week’s parsha. “Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue . . .” The double-language tells us that we should REALLY pursue righteousness (read: mitzvos).  If so, “. . . you will live and possess the land,” and gain reward in this world.

“Here you have a recipe for how to receive reward in this world,” Rav Zilberstein answered.  “If you exert yourself to perform mitzvos and invest supreme effort into them, Hashem will reward you both here and in the Next World.

“Because you have tremendous hardships, your exertion and effort to perform mitzvos are manifest in your continuing to do everything you have to do without regard for the hardships you are suffering.  There is no greater exertion than yissurim (trials & tribulations), and if you remain strong in your faith and continue to fulfill the mitzvos joyously despite what you are going through, you will merit reward in this world as well.”

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

I hope everybody enjoyed their summer.

We survived, thanks to alcohol.

We enjoyed the pool, the beach, Zichron Yaakov (great outdoor tank museum there), Yerushaliyim (attended the bris of friends who just had their first child after 19 years), drinking alcohol, watching the kids fights, etc.

Actually, without any friends around, the children spent a lot more time together, and it was interesting how all of them interacted with each other. Sometimes this one would play with that one, and that one with this one, and this one with that one. Just watching our 10-year-old daughter interact with her 4-year-old brother was interesting to see.

However, I learned a very important lesson in marriage. If you want to have a healthy marriage, have lots of children. During vacation, when they are home and bored, you will both have no desire other than to escape and spend some quiet time by yourselves.

Okay, on to Torah!
“You shall surely place over yourself a king” (Devarim 17:15).

The Rambam writes (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:1) that the Jewish people were granted three crowns: the Crown of Torah, the Crown of Priesthood, and the Crown of Kingship. The Rambam writes, “And if you will say that the other crowns are greater than that of Torah, behold it is written, ‘Through me (the Torah) do kings rule’ (Mishlei 8:15). From here we learn that the crown of Torah is greater than either of the others.”

Rav Shach notes that only regarding an actual monarch, does the Rambam write “Great honor must be conferred upon him, and trepidation and fear with respect to him must be instilled in the hearts of all the people” (Hilchos Melachim 2:1). Rav Shach continues and asks, "If the crown of Torah is greater than that of monarchy, why is there no similar requirement towards scholars?"

He answered his question by stating that a Torah scholar has inherent honor, as it is written, “The wise shall inherit honor” (Mishlei 3:35).

After seeing this piece, I thought about the elections of the Pope in 2005. The Catholic Church needed a new Pope, so they had some internal elections, and voila, new Pope.

Of course in Israel, official rabbis are also elected to certain positions, but those are government positions. The official Chief Rabbi of Israel might hold that position, might be a big talmud chacham, but will not be recognized as one of the leaders of the Jewish people. There are certain exceptions of course, notably, Rav Ovadia Yosef.

However, those recognized as leaders of the Jewish people were not anointed nor elected. They were recognized by those above them and those below them as spiritual giants. They didn’t run for the position and tended to shy from such a position, yet the honor was heaped upon them.

When a person is genuine, the nation "senses" it, and is drawn to such a person. There is no need for fancy titles or even to be well-known. A true Torah Scholar is recognized for his Torah and needs nothing else.

Have a great Shabbos!

Michael Winner

My apologies for the past few weeks. We were officially on “vacation,” though I use that term lightly considering we spent it with the children. Thankfully, a good friend of ours in Yerushaliyim found somebody to rent our home for three days. During that time, plus more, we stayed by them and at another friend’s empty apartment in Yerushaliyim for five days, all for free. It’s pretty sad when you look at Yerushaliyim as the gashmiyus (physical pleasure) capital of your life. We felt like country bumpkins coming to the big city. My kids loved the idea of playing in the streets on Shabbos and seeing thousands of other frum Jews. I was simply happy walking around with my head up knowing that the chances of my seeing a partially-clothed, overweight, over-aged Russian woman was dramatically reduced.

We ended up taking the money from the rent and putting it directly into a car for two weeks. We took a lot of day trips, including Yokneam, Haifa, Nahariya, Rosh HaNikrah, Teveria, The Golan, The Banyas (where the Jordan river starts), etc. The car rides were fun when the kids were behaving. At one point, to bypass rush hour, we drove through an Arab village. I told the kids that if they don’t behave, I’ll drop them off and leave them with the “Aravim” (Arabs). Chaim piped up and said, “Hey Tova! Hit Rochel Leah right now!!” Smart kid.

All in all, I think everybody had fun . . . though I bit my tongue from reminding my wife that children were HER idea . . . I was happy buying a fish.

As my post-vacation gift, I hereby give forth some photos of the North:

https://www.yousendit.com/download/ZUcxK2VnNDRWRDhsYzhUQw

Okay . . . on to Torah.
“When you approach the place of battle, the Cohen shall step forward and speak to the people. He shall say to them . . . G-d your L-rd is the One who is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and He will deliver you.” (Devarim 19:2-4)

My wife was listening to a speaker a few weeks ago, who was discussing the war. He raised an interesting point. If you were to ask somebody from Hamas who is running the war, chances are they would reply, “Allah is.” If you were to ask somebody from the government or the IDF who is running the war, chances are they would reply, “We are.”

My Rosh Yeshiva once noted that ever since the Yom Kippur war, the State of Israel has gotten smaller and smaller. We have literally lost land. We used to travel anywhere we wanted to, including Chevron (Hebron) and other places well over the green line. Then things got heavy and we couldn’t go without an army escort. Then land was transferred to the Arabs, whether within the West Bank or all of Gaza. Now, the south is full of ghost towns, with the remainder of the population living without any security or any feelings of security. Now, as I type, Al Qaeda has gained control of parts of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights up in the north, and northern residents have been warned to keep a low public profile. Slowly, but surely, Hashem is taking parts of Eretz Yisroel away from us.

During the Gulf War, we had the Patriot Missile System, which successfully knocked down several of Iraq’s SCUD missiles. In this war, we have the Iron Dome, which has performed remarkably. However, we constantly praise ourselves for creating or using such systems, and we look at them as our new god who is protecting us. Yet . . . as we see . . . it hasn’t.

There is one common factor we saw in this last “war.” Anti-Semitism increased dramatically around the world. Not just anti-Israel, but real, good ol’ fashioned anti-Semitism. On top of that, we saw that despite the clear, overwhelming evidence of Hamas’s war crimes and Israel’s constant attempts to keep to the rules of war (better than any other country), Israel took the battering, and was constantly pressured by “friends and allies” to make peace with an internationally recognized terrorist organization. It isn’t the Israeli government that is controlling its foreign affairs. It’s the rest of the world.

Over a hundred years ago Theodor Herzl had a dream to end anti-Semitism. It was to convert en masse to Christianity.

That idea didn’t pan out.

Later he decided that if we had our own country and army, then we would be like all the other nations of the world. We would finally be respected and we would be able to defend and govern ourselves at will.

A certain rav of mine, right before the war picked up, pointed out, “I believe today’s events have proved once and for all that Zionism is dead.”

It’s very clear that we are not respected by the world, nor do we have the ability to govern or defend ourselves. Even when the situation is so black and white, we must answer to the US, UN, and Europe, and we follow what they say. And if we don’t (or even if we do), anti-Semitism throughout the world increases.

Why? Because we never left Golus (exile). We might have physical control of parts of Eretz Yisroel, but we are not a free nation. We are still a nation that lives in exile, whether you live in Chicago, New York, London, Brussels, Sydney, or Jerusalem. We are under the yoke of Eisav, and there is nothing we can (physically) do about it.

Rav Dessler writes in Michtav M’Eliyahu (Vol. III p. 217):
In the days before the coming of Moshiach, "chutzpah, brazenness, will increase" (Sota 49b), then the exile of G-d's presence will be under those Chutzpadik Jews. These "Chutzpadik Jews" have the souls of the Erev Rav (those who cause trouble within the nation), which is the source of impurity and have the characteristics of Amalek. This is the language of the Zohar: "The Erev Rav is Amalek . . . the rulership of the holy people will be given over to the Erev Rav."

Explains the Vilna Gaon: "The Erev Rav will be the head of the nation in the last exile."

Continues Rav Dessler: "The rulership will try to influence the nation with its impurities and its heresy of “Through my strength, I did this . . .”

“This is the test the nation of Israel has been thrown into during these days. Hashem has returned the Jewish people in large numbers to Eretz Yisroel and has allowed them to govern themselves, and they have unloaded themselves from the yoke of Torah, they have claimed that it was through their hands that they have succeeded, their brazenness has increased, and they have taught things that are contrary to Torah . . . THIS IS THE LAST TEST OF THE EXILE, AND IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT TEST.”

Someone recently mentioned, “It’s interesting to note, the same government who’s been waging war against Hamas, has been waging a successful war against religious Jews in Israel for the past year.”

The government, naturally, sees no hand of Hashem in things. They “are in charge” and that is that. They disagree with the Torah’s teachings, so they try to cut it out from our lives as much as possible (and boy, are we feeling it here). However, it’s merely a test for us, and one that is becoming more blatantly obvious.

When we go to war, whether physically against another enemy, or spiritually against our Yetzer Horah, it will not be an Iron Dome to protect us, nor a Prime Minister, nor an IDF . . . rather, “G-d your L-rd is the One who is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and He will deliver you.”

By living with THAT in mind, you will help keep a safe Eretz Yisroel in Jewish hands.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

There are times that you are reminded that Hashem really knows how to put the right people together for marriage. This past week we celebrated my birthday. As tradition in our house, my wife made a very special cake in the form of a cockroach (our official family bug). Each year, the cockroach would be different than the last. One year it was a plain cockroach. Then a family of cockroaches. Then a dead cockroach. This year, it was a “Post-Shoe” cockroach, where it was flattened, with its innards (homemade mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream) spilling out. As a gift, I received a map, ninja envelopes, ninja paper, ninja stickers, and something else from the “two-shekel” store that I forgot about for some strange reason… oh right… it was cheap and useless. I know, you’re all probably jealous (or sickened)… perhaps you can hint to your spouses’ that you want a cockroach cake as well…

Okay, on to Torah!
“You shall not plant an Ashairah, any tree, near the altar of the Almighty” (Devarim 16:21)

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 7b) equates appointing an unqualified judge with an Ashairah, a type of tree used for idol-worship. Rav Chaim Soloveitchik explains that an unqualified judge and an Ashairah have one thing in common: If you looked at them from the outside, you would not notice anything wrong with them. The Ashairah is just a tree. Nothing special. The judge? He looks like a learned man, nothing out of the ordinary.

A person needs to be discerning about things. On one hand, something or somebody might look harmless, or even good; but somebody with proper ‘eyes’ can tell if there is something wrong on the inside.

When we look throughout history, we see many “-isms” that have come and gone: each one promising new heights and greatness for people. While the leaders of each generation saw the truth, many were led astray, because they didn’t look so bad “on paper”. When it comes to spiritual matters, any major decision needs to be discussed with a competent rabbi who knows you well. That individual should have the ability to see what's a tree and what’s an Ashairah. Armed with that, a person can save themselves a lot of mistakes.

Have a great Shabbos!

Sorry about the last two weeks.

We’ve had the kids home for four weeks now, without any “camp” or school. Thankfully, they go back this week. WOW…

In order to help keep everybody behaving, my wife came up with different ideas and prizes. One day, she made “bus tickets” for each child. When they did something, like clean up, take a bath, behave, etc… they would get one “click”, and if at the end of the day they filled it up, they would get a prize. Another day, she handed out 10 argorot coins and the following day, they went to the “shekel store” where they can spend it.

The most recent one was where she made a bunch of cards, each representing a special “prize”, and when the kids did something they can put the hand in the bag and randomly choose one. So… one card had a phone on it, which entitled the winner to make one (1) phone call on her cell phone. Another had a washing machine, which entitled the winner to press the buttons on the laundry that day. Another was a chocolate chip, which entitled them a few chocolate chips. Yet another was a helicopter, which entitled them to a ‘helicopter’ ride on my shoulders. My favourite (and theirs) was a picture of a man punching you. That entitled the winner to receive free “patches” (hits) from Abba. That’s when I put them on my knees, hit their backs and tickle them. When my daughter mentioned this to a friend, she replied, “If ‘patches’ are a prize, what do you get for a punishment?” Rochel Leah thought about it and replied, “I don’t really know…”

Good kids, thank G-d.

Okay, on to Torah!

“You shall come to the Kohnim, the Leviim, etc…” (Devarim 17:9)

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein said that before one goes to consult with doctors and specialists about a problem, we need to go to “the Kohanim, the Leviim”, the great Torah scholars of the generation.

He related that Dr. Michael Schimmel, who works in the neonatology department of Shaare Zedek Hospital, turned to him after a patient refused to have an ultrasound performed on her. She told the doctor that she made this decision with the backing of Rav Chaim Kanievsky in Bnei Brak. Dr. Schimmel wanted to understand this position and asked Rav Zilberstein to explain.

Rav Zilberstein, in turn, went straight to Rav Kanievsky. He explained that when a woman comes to get a blessing for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth, if there are no specific medical problems with either the woman or the fetus, it is preferable for her not to take the ultrasounds routinely. Even though the ultrasound might be beneficial, as long as no particular problem has been diagnosed, prayer is more beneficial.

If, however, a woman has an ultrasound performed, and the ultrasound reveals a defect in the fetus, it will require an open miracle to heal the baby, and not everyone is worth of a miracle.

He brought several proofs for such behaviour. One is located in the Shulchan Oruch (Yoreh Deah 35:10), which states, “Somebody who has an ill patient in his house should go to a sage in the city so that he should pray for him”. It is said in the name of the Klausenberger Rebbe that the Shulchan Oruch is teaching that a person should go to a sage BEFORE he goes to the doctor, for once the doctor says that the patient’s illness in incurable, it is much more difficult for the sage to reverse the patient’s diagnosis. Rav Zilberstein adds that it’s interesting to note that this halachah appears in the Shulchan Oruch before the halachos of healing.

Over and over, my wife and I have heard interesting stories. Unfortunately, the Israeli medical establishment is very quick to recommend abortions for anything they find. We ourselves were given a possible recommendation to abort Chaim. During a routine ultrasound, “something” was found to give the doctors worry. They recommended further study into it and the only “good” that could come from such scans would be an official recommendation to abort. We went to Rav Yaakov Hillel who told us not to put faith in the doctors in this case and to daven. We left with his brachah, and a few months later we were given a healthy baby boy. We have several friends with similar stories, all delivering healthy babies.

There are times for medical intervention and there are times for spiritual intervention. It’s proper to seek the “Kohanim and Leviim” in order to make the proper decision.

Have a great Shabbos!

Wow… the north is definitely different. It’s hot and humid. More trees. Friendly people. LOTS of Arabs. Big mountains.

It’s good.

The move was long but successful. We started in the new kollel and the kids started school this week. A lot of people came up to introduce themselves and offer any assistance that we may need. So far, I’m pretty impressed.

I’ll write more about this later, since I still have a lot of things to do.

On to Torah!
One of the mitzvos in this week’s parsha (Dvarim 17:6) is that a Jewish king is not allowed to have too many horses. Rashi explains that this is so he does not go back down to Egypt to buy the horses (Egypt was the big Horse-Dealer back then), however the Ramban argues on this.

The Ramban explains that if the king owns too many horses, he will rely more on the strength of his army rather than on Hashem. By limiting the size of his army, he is doing his proper hishtadlus (physical effort), but his not doing TOO much hishtadlus.

In anything in life, especially livelihood, we have to balance our emunah with hishtadlus. On one hand, we have to do some action in this world to bring down the brachah from above. For most of us, that’s called “going to work”. Yet, on the other hand, we have to have a proper level of emunah. Each person must measure exactly where he is on the scale. When he knows his level of emunah, he must be careful to not only not have too much emunah, but also, not do too much hishtadlus. Being, we don’t need to expand our entire lives on it. For some people, working 12 hours a day is proper hishtadlus, yet for others, it might be only 4 hours a day.

I believe it was Rav Yisroel Salanter (though I’m probably wrong on that), who bemoaned the fact that people would constantly ask him if they “did enough” to fulfill different mitzvos, yet nobody ever asked him if they “did enough” hishtadlus in their livelihood.
While many people believe in the concept of “G-d helps those who help themselves”, this is not a Jewish concept.

While each person must put in his amount of hishtadlus in all areas of life, he should be careful not to put in too much, lest he come to have more trust in himself over that of Hashem.

With that, I wish you all a great Shabbos!

This week I had one of the pleasures of living in Eretz Yisroel.

My chavrusa (learning partner) had drop off his brother from the States to a place far up north. And because it was family business, his mother paid for the rental car and gas. He planned to drop off his brother, and on the way back stop off at kivrei tzaddikim (graves of the tzaddikim) to daven. Being that I spent three weeks in front of my computer with little spirituality, I decided to invite myself along. He also decided to invite his brother-in-law to come with, since he knows the north very well.

So, I was up at 4:45 am and we were on the road 30 minutes later. We drove through the Jordan valley with sunrise, davened Shachris in Tiberius, drove around the Kinneret, raced up a mountain, and ate breakfast over-looking the entire sea. After that, we drove further north, waited for 15 minutes while the tanks finished their live-fire exercise on one of the roads, dropped off his brother, and raced to Tzvas. We davened by the grave of the Arizal, turned south and went back to Tiberius, where we davened at the grave of the Shlah HaKodesh and the Rambam. The Rambam was especially nice, since the day before, I bought myself a set of Mishna Torah, which he wrote several hundred years ago. So, here I was in Eretz Yisroel davening at his grave.

We came home exhausted, by relaxed. It’s good to be here.
Okay, on to Torah!

Earlier, I promised another blood-boiling dvar Torah, and here it is.

I admit, it’s on the longer side, and it could easily be longer still. However, I encourage the reader to print it out to read it, for I think it contains a very important lesson for us, especially with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur around the corner.

It is in response to the response I received concerning the Emmanuel situation and the mistaken ways that the leaders of our generation are viewed by some (i.e., those without any connection to such leaders).

When discussing the case, we had two ‘sides’. The first was Harry the Armchair Israeli who lives in America, visits once a year (maybe), works during the day, comes home, watches the news, reads the web, perhaps blogs his opinion about things, goes learns for an hour, and feels like the epitome of a well-rounded Jew. On the other hand, we have the Gedolei Hador (the spiritual leaders of our generation), who have spent their lives learning and working on themselves, who have achieved heights that we can only imagine, and who have been “sanctioned” by the leaders of the previous generation, who in turn have been sanctioned by the leaders of their generation, etc…

We’ll start off with a few sources and then go into it.

“You shall come to the Cohanim, the Leviim, and to the judge who will be in yours days… You shall do according to the word that they will tell you, from that place that Hashem will choose, and you shall be careful to do according to everything that they will teach you… you shall not turn from the word that they will tell you, right or left” (Devarim17: 9-11)

“Even if he says to you about right- that it is left; and about left – that it is right….” (Rashi on above)

“That is even if it seems obvious to you that the judges are in error.” (Ramban on the above Rashi)

Concerning our pasuk, where it says that we shall go “to the judge who will be IN YOUR DAYS”, the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 25b) asks, why does it say “in your days”? It’s because you are to go to the leader that is in your days, not an earlier one. It also teaches us that each leader of the generation is compared to Moshe and his generation, and that we shouldn’t complain that the leaders of the earlier generations were better than the later ones.

“All of us have Daas Torah (Torah minds) to a certain degree. Some have perhaps 50%, others 15%, and the rest of the person’s mind is not Daas Torah but perhaps a business mind or his wife’s or children’s opinion, or some other type of understanding… Daas Torah of 100% is only found amongst Gedolei Torah who have cast off the transient vanities of this world and are loyal only to the Torah perspective”
-Rav Elchonon Wasserman

Okay, I think we can start here.

I heard a talk from Rav Shlomo Brevda once. Rav Brevda is an elderly rav born and raised in America, and was close to the leaders of the previous generation. Once, when he was much younger, he gave his un-asked-for opinion to one of the rabbeim in yeshiva on how the yeshiva should be run. Needless to say, the rav “gave it to him” for his “opinion”. He said to Rav Brevda, “Do you know the difference between you and me? You’re an American… When we learned Gemara in Europe, we would learn, ‘Abbaya says this and Rav says this’, and we would bang our heads trying to understand Rav and Abbaya. You? You learn, ‘Abbaya says this, Rav says this, and I say this!’”

How true it is of our generation.

When we are sick, we go to a doctor. We put our trust in the doctor. If he says to do something we do it, even if it seems strange to us. We would never say, “This doctor is obviously a quack. He told me to take this pill and it will magically make me better!” The only time that we might doubt what that particular doctor said is when a doctor of equal or higher standard says something different or contradictory. In that case, we have someone to “lean on” and we can feel comfortable to “side” with the second doctor.

Life is no different.

We have spiritual leaders that have reached levels that we have not. They have dedicated their entire essence to coming close to Hashem. Like our above Gemara says, we are to treat them as if they were the “Moshe of our times”. Therefore, when they come out with an opinion or a ruling, we do not treat it lightly, even if we don’t understand it.

Over the years, I have seen many people write or say things that are very demeaning to such talmidim chachamim. They cannot fathom why such Torah giants could have said “X and Y” that their “uplifted” and “educated” minds disagree with. So, they come up with excuses and reasons that this particular rav is wrong:

“He’s getting old and his mind might not be there”

“It’s a ‘fact’ that he is being controlled by evil groups and people”

“He obviously must have forgotten this particular Gemara which says…”

“He’s disconnected with reality”

“There’s politics involved”

“It’s all about power”

“Clearly, he could not/did not research the issue fully”

“That protest/ban/edit that the “Gedolim” did was a real chillul Hashem (desecration of Hashem’s Name)”

The list goes on and on. And the funny part is they always include the line “I mean no disrespect to the rav… BUT…”

Now, we won’t go into the laws of loshon horah. But stating such lines, ESPECIALLY stating them as ‘fact’, when one does not know it as ‘fact’, constitutes loshon horah. Not just regular loshon horah, but loshon horah against Torah scholars… a big, fat, ‘no-no’.

One of the greatest benefits I have received since moving here is that I have rabbeim who are close to such scholars and leaders. My Rosh Yeshiva is a close student of Rav Shmuel Auerbach; the rav of our neighborhood is a close student of Rav Eliyashuv. Rabbeim as such have spent years around their rabbeim, learning as much as they can from them on how to be a proper Jew. If you look in the Gemara (Brachos 47b), it says that someone who has learned and studied, but has not spent time in apprenticeship with Torah scholars – that person is considered an am ha’aretz – unlearned. Can the Harrys of the world say they have served and CONTINUE to serve Torah scholars? No… they can’t, because they’re too busy with other “important” things. Perhaps they can claim they knew certain rabbis from their yeshiva days (if they had), but if they have and continue to spend time learning from such rabbeim… they would probably be bnei Torah and not armchair Israelis.

Another benefit of having been around such people is this. Unfortunately, there are people who like to come up with their own ‘halachos’ and say that Rav So-and-So agrees with them. They put up signs saying so and that this is permitted or this is forbidden (happens all the time here). When you have such rabbeim, it’s easy to ask them if their rav said such a thing. Most of the time, it’s not true. But instead of believing it and attacking the rabbeim for “making such a decision”, I know that he never said it in the first place and I have no qualms.

Yet another benefit of being around such rabbeim is that they understand what the Gedolei Hador mean and where and when their opinions or rulings apply. Many times a big rav will make a general statement, but it’s not a blanket statement as people mistakenly believe. His students or those who speak to him directly can ascertain when it applies and when it doesn’t.

Another benefit of living here in general is the ability to speak to them in person. I have been lucky enough to go in and see Rav Eliyashuv (long line to get into) and Rav Scheinberg, and my wife and I often consult Rav Yaakov Hillel (a Sephardi! Gasp!) on certain issues.

Harry, halfway across the globe, cannot do any of the above things.

I was recently … informed… and I have seen others write that “shutting off your brain whenever a Gadol says something”, is “alien to the Torah”.

I have yet to see proof from the Torah on this. To counter this idea, I bring the pasuk from this week’s parsha and the Rashi and Ramban that accompanies it:

“Even if he says to you about right- that it is left; and about left – that it is right….” (Rashi)

“That is even if it seems obvious to you that the judges are in error.” (Ramban)

While this pasuk is referring to the Sanhedrin and the judges when the Beis HaMikdash is standing, we see very clearly that “shutting off your brain when a Gadol speaks” IS a concept that the Torah commands. Unless, of course, we wish to say that Rashi and the Ramban are merely introducing something alien to the Torah….

If you hear something in the name of a rav, you have two choices. One, you can dismiss it with one of the excuses listed above. It might make you feel better, but as noted, you might run into loshon horah, and other problems.

The second option is to seek your rav, who in turn, has a rav of his own, etc… and has a general idea of what the Torah wants from us and how the Gedolei HaDor think, since he has spent time with them. He can first ascertain if this was said in the first place. And if so, he can ascertain when such a thing applies and if it applies to you.

The Chazon Ish who was practically the defacto leader of Torah Jews in Israel until his death in 1953 wrote a chilling piece which can be read in his “Emunah V’Bitachon” (Faith & Trust… now in English). It’s as if he had internet blogs back then:

“There is yet another disease of the spirit that the evil inclination uses to keep the belief in Sages from entering people’s hearts, and that is the fickle scale of personal interest. The disciple is to believe that there is no personal interest powerful enough to incline the heart of a scholar to pervert justice… But the evil inclination can undermine this trust, by entrapping those who tend towards convoluted reasoning, and offering them a complete theory, supposedly drawn from the Gemara, that personal interest has definitive power for the petty and the great alike…. According to this “theory”, the scholar, who “gives in to personal interest”, has nothing to be ashamed of, for such is human nature… FOR EVEN IF A PERSON WILL RECOGNIZE THE IMMENSE WIDOM OF THE WISE, HE WILL NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO OBEY HIM, AS HE WILL FIND SOME REASON TO CLAIM THAT THE SCHOLAR’S DECISION WAS SWAYED BY PERSONAL INTEREST. THIS CAN BE CLAIMED BY ANYONE WHO IS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE SCHOLAR’S DECISION, AND SO THE GENERATION BEGINS TO JUDGE ITS JUDGES, AND ANYONE CAN DO AS HE PLEASES. In any important case, clever ones will whisper to one another of some personal interest that cause the sage – sometimes the greatest man in the generation – to judge wrongly. In such a case, the city’s atmosphere, and sometimes the entire county’s atmosphere becomes permeated with malicious words, dispute and feuds – and the source of it all is a lack of faith in Torah scholars.

“Naturally, speaking such thoughts, even if they are true, and all the more so if they are not, is even worse. And if the person being condemned is a Torah scholar, then it is a case of defaming a Torah scholar, and the person doing so is included in the category of a heretic (apikorus).

“People who question the integrity of a sage transgress severely by saying that they have not sinned at all, while they are destroying the foundations of the Torah, and naturally they come up with personal interests that have never occurred to the sage himself. An unintentional sin that results from lack of proper learning is like an intentional one”

The idea of faith in our Sages is difficult in our generation. We are bogged down with everybody’s opinion on this and that. Many of us do not have a connection with such Sages, whether by choice or by circumstance. However, it is a Torah concept to believe and trust in them. They are the “Moshes of our generation”, and we are obligated to treat them as such. As we have seen through the Chazon Ish, this issue is not to be taken lightly, and carries series consequences to those who do not heed them.

Hopefully, we can all stay away from such sources of loshon horah and pettiness, and focus on our relationship with Hashem, and place our respect where it belongs.

With that, I wish you all a good Shabbos!