Vayeilech

I hope everybody had a good Rosh HaShanah.

My oldest daughter joined me for the first time for the davening in the morning. I was pretty impressed, considering that wake-up was 4:30am, followed by a 30 minute walk to the special minyan I daven with on Rosh HaShanah, followed by a 40 minute walk, uphill, in the 90 degree heat, after nearly seven hours of davening.

She’s a tough little chick.

And best of all, she agreed that the davening was much better there than at the shul I usually go to throughout the year.

It’s good to have a child who can appreciate that.

“And Moshe called Yehoshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel, ‘Strengthen yourself and be powerful’” (Devarim 31:7)

Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen wrote that that this pasuk is to teach us that any leader needs to be powerful. On one hand, it’s important for a leader to be humble. After all, even a Jewish king must be humble. And he must certainly be careful never to become arrogant. However, as a leader, he must also be careful not to be trampled upon. When a person is in a place of authority, he must find a balance of being humble, but also by making sure his authority is accepted.

Once, a certain baker owed twenty napoleons to a woman for flour he had bought from her. The baker was a tough person, and even the local beis din (Jewish court) was unable to get him to pay. Upon hearing this, Rav Shmuel Salanter, rav of Yerushaliyim asked him, “Why don’t you pay her the thirty napoleons that you owe her?”

“I only owe twenty!” shouted the baker.

Now that he got the confession he wanted, Rav Salanter said, “I am only giving you until tomorrow at this time to bring the money”. Needless to say, the baker did not show up the next day. So, Rav Salanter sent him the following message: “You should know that I never start something without finishing it. If you don’t bring the money right away, I will immediately send out a message to publicly announce that all of your merchandise is forbidden, and it is forbidden to include you in all religious matters”.

As soon as the baker heard this, he immediately appeared with the money in hand.

Once, even in our community, somebody did something very publically going against the wishes of the rav of the city. That week, the rav got up in shul and just “gave it” to that unnamed person. He basically said, “You all know that when it comes to personal issues, you are free to go to your own rav… but when it comes to this city… I am the rav of the city, and I make its [halachic] policies”. In general, he stays out of things and remains silent, but even he must, now and then, rise up and defend his position with power. With a strong leader, a community is able to maintain its structure and integrity.

Have a great Shabbos and a meaningful

Wow… busy week. I hope my writing today is comprehendable.

We made a bris on Rosh Hashanah.

What made it more interesting was that there are no mohels in our city. There is one in a nearby moshav, but he could not come in on Rosh Hashanah. After many people made many calls, a mohel was found in Bnei Brak. So, we found an empty apartment for him and his family, and thankfully, he brought his own food. I picked up my wife from Haifa on Thursday, only to be told to bring the baby back on Friday, since he was a bit yellow. Thankfully, somebody lent me his car, saving me 700 shekels in cab fare. I then had to buy food for the Shalom Zachor (a “l’chaim” held Friday night), plan and arrange the bris, get our home organized, etc, etc…

All in all, everything worked out well. It was the Rav’s (of the city) first Rosh Hashanah bris since he came here over 30 years ago. It seems there’s a big thing to having a bris on Rosh Hashanah, followed immediately by the blowing of the shofar. So, we’ve become mini-celebrities, and may it serve as a merit for the community.

Also, for those interested, we named the baby, Simcha. It was a name we liked and is also mentioned in the Rosh Hashanah davening, where we ask Hashem to bring “simcha l’artzecha”, gladness to the Land. Being that we have personally felt some of that “simcha l’artzecha”, we found it appropriate to thank Hashem for it.

And one other thing, before I forget: Thank you to all who sent their best wishes. It was really appreciated by the Mrs. and myself.

Okay, on to Torah!
I saw a wonderful piece by Rav Aryeh Brueckheimer today.

In this week’s parsha, Hashem tells us that when we stray from Him, He “hides His face” in return (Devarim 31:17-18). Rashi explains this to mean that Hashem removes His hashgacha, His ‘personal management/protection’ from the Jewish nation, leaving us open to the whims of nature.

The Ramban, in his essay on Sefer Iyov (36:7) explains that this idea is not just limited to the nation as a whole, but also to individuals. The more one acknowledges Hashem in his everyday life, the more Hashem takes control over that person’s life. The more one distances himself from Hashem, Hashem distances Himself in response, allowing nature to take its toll. That is why, according to the Ramban, that it is impossible for harm to come to tzaddikim unless it’s been decreed by Heaven. These tzaddikim are under the umbrella of Hashem and are therefore under His protection. Nothing in nature can harm them unless Hashem allows it. Nature, for a normal person however, will have more power over a person, since he has distanced himself from Hashem’s umbrella.

From Rosh Chodesh Elul until the last day of Sukkos, we say L’David Hashem after davening, twice a day. In it we say, “I seek Your face, Hashem. Do not hide Your face from me”. Just as we seek to come closer to Hashem, we ask that Hashem reciprocates.

During this season, it behooves us to keep the relationship in mind. The more we make Hashem our King, the more He Himself becomes our King.

Have a great Shabbos and an easy, meaningful Yom Kippur!

I got a good laugh this week.

There are a few bus lines in Jerusalem that run only through religious neighborhoods. Those lines are known as "Mehadrin" lines, where men and women seat separately, with any couples who want to, sit in the middle.

When I first came here, I thought the idea was rather strange, but shortly after, I came to appreciate the idea due to the fact so many women today must have allergic reactions to fabric on their bodies. Plus, with all the pushing and shoving and packages and strollers, it just makes things much easier and more... modest.

These are only a couple of routes that a vast majority of riders are ultra Orthodox, and nobody seems to have any issues with it... well, almost nobody.

I have been riding on these busses for five years now. Mostly, if anything, the lines are sexist against men, since women tend to take up 75% of the bus space even if they constitute 40% of the riders. The men stay silent and stand while the women tend to sit and take over even the middle. Fine, no complaints from anybody.

A group of Women Rights groups have decided to take it to court to stop such lines (even though these folks don't ride such lines). They claim that if a woman sits even near the men section, she will be physically assaulted and verbally abused (I've been riding them for years, and have never seen an incident). Since they have made these claims so public, they decided to try to actually prove it. So, one day, they decided en masse to board Mehadrin busses of all sorts and sit right up front to assert themselves. The results?

On a couple of occasions, somebody would go up and say,
"Did you know that this was a Mehadrin bus?" and they would reply proudly, "YES!"

"Oh... okay..." and would move on.

That's it. No threats, no violence.

Boy... were they really disappointed.
"And now write for you this son and teach it to the Children of Israel, place it in their mouth" (Devarim 31 19)

The Gemara (Eruvin 54) shows us the importance of repeating lessons until students fully understand them. It quotes the famous story of Rav Praida who repeated each lesson to an individual four hundred times until the student finally understood.

Once, in the middle of such a lesson, somebody else interrupted them asking to speak to Rav Preida. Rav Preida replied that only after he was done he would speak with him. After the customary four hundred times, Rav Preida asked his student if he understood. The student replied, "No... I was afraid that you would leave soon, so I couldn't concentrate well".

"Don't worry", said Rav Preida, "Even if I have to repeat the lesson another four hundred times, I would do so until you understand it"

When you repeat lessons over and over again, not only does the listener understand better, but so do you. That is why repetition and review are so important. Or in the wise words of a high school teacher of mine, "Repetition is the ugly stepmother of learning". If you want to learn something, go over it again and again and again.

This is also important to remember when dealing with children. They rarely grasp a lesson after its first taught and it needs to be constantly repeated. While at times this is frustrating, in the end you are building a strong foundation of Torah values.

Have a great Shabbos!

Mayoral elections are next month. The current mayor, who is not running for another term, is “ultra-“ Orthodox and is widely liked by both the secular and religious communities for his fairness to both camps. Since his seat is going to be open, a couple of parties are running and you can see how each ones’ advertisements reflect the individual running.

One party, Meretz, is a far-left wing group whose basic stance is “If it’s Torah, we don’t like it”. That’s their whole platform. No kidding. In fact, their ads on the bus is a picture of the party chairman (I think) looking over Jerusalem with big words stating: “Ultra-Orthodoxy or Freedom?” (doesn’t sound as good in English). They’re playing off the fear of the growing religious population, because they’re losing ground and have nothing to stand on. Ironically, in the picture, you see a lot of construction cranes which is a result of great growth in the city… all under an Ultra-Orthodox mayor…

Rabbi Porush is the candidate from one of the ultra-orthodox parties that the current mayor is part of. He knows that since he has a big, black kippah, and a big, white beard, the secular community is going to be afraid of a religious fanatic. So what’s his ad? A small cartoon of him standing there with a little smile on his face, waving his hand to everybody in a friendly gesture.

It’s interesting to see how each candidate needs to speak to their audience.

Okay, enough politics, on to Torah!
“Gather together the nation, the men and the women and the children, and the stranger who is in your gates, in order that they should hear, and in order that they should learn and they will fear the Almighty, your G-d, and they will observe and fulfill this entire Torah” (Devarim 31:12)

This pasuk is in reference to the mitzvah that is required once every seven years where the entire nation is to gather in one spot and the King would publically read from the Torah.

It’s worthwhile to note that children were involved with this mitzvah. One would think that they should not come. After all, they are too young to understand what is going on and will only end up playing as children do, and not paying attention. Nonetheless, says the Torah, we see that it’s important to bring them with. Why? So they should see such a tremendous gathering coming together to hear and obey the Torah. While they might not understand the details, the environment itself will make an everlasting impact on a child’s life.

I’ve seen it here as well. When the rebbes of larger Chassidish groups make a wedding, bar-mitzvah, or other major simcha, the entire group flocks to Jerusalem, slows down my bus and celebrates with the Rebbe’s family. Some people will say it’s a huge waste of money. Yes, no, I don’t know. Not really my business. However, there is something to be said when you see the streets full of men in full “dress uniform” with their children walking down the street. Perhaps the children don’t understand exactly what’s going on, but they know that a mitzvah is taking place, and everybody is involved and celebrating.

If we want our children to grow up to actually enjoy the Torah and mitzvos, we must try to make a positive impression on them at a young age. …. During the week, sit down with them for a few minutes a day and learn a little something, one-on-one. On Shabbos and Yom Tov give them treats they don’t get during the week. On Simchas Torah, take them to dance and sing. On Purim, let them drink until… wait, never mind. Scratch that one.

If you want your child to grow as a Ben Torah, you must show that Torah is sweet for you, and make sure they have a taste of that sweetness as well. Instead of treating mitzvos as a burden, we should treat them with simcha; for even at such a young age our children will pick it up.

Have a great Shabbos!

I hope everybody had an inspiring Rosh Hashanah. I certainly did!

My wife and I went to a friend's home for the first night's meal. What made it interesting is that they are Chassidish; and anybody who knows anything about Chassidim, is that when they do something, they tend to go all the way. So, while many folks, at most, will put out a fish head as one of the 'new year signs', they had the sheep head out. Pretty disgusting, no? Well, we don't do that sort of stuff. Instead my family tradition, which I started two years ago, is to eat gummy fish heads. Unfortunatly, no candy store had gummy fish, so I found one that sold gummy dolphins. So, while Jewish homes everywhere were using sheep or fish heads, my wife and I were using gummy dolphin heads. Not very traditional...

"And Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Israel" (31:3)

The pasuk says, "And Moshe went". So exactly where did he go?

Rav S.Y. Levin distinguishes between amidah (standing) and halichah (walking/moving). Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Moving forward can bring great reward, however, only if a person is moving in the right direction towards his or her desired goal. If they are moving away from their goal, they are doing themselves a bigger disfavour than if they were to simply stand where they are. On the other hand, standing in one place will get you nowhere and serves little purpose. In the case where a person is lost though, it is better that he/she simply stands in place to get the bearings straight.

Human beings are called "holchim", those who move; and angels are called "omdim", those who stand. While angels remain standing on one spiritual level, human beings are constantly moving up and down, depending on their actions. While angels remain inactive, we are constantly striving to move up. That is man's purpose in life: to strive and grow.

So, when is it appropriate to move and when is it appropriate to stand? When one is facing the right direction, he is obligated to move forward. Any stonewalling on his part would be spiritual inaction and would be contrary to a person's mission in life. However, there are times when one becomes lost and needs to stop to check his compass. At this point, a person needs to consult with his or her spiritual advisor who has the map in their back pocket. After getting their bearings, the person is once again obligated to move forward.

A non-spiritual anecdote would be looking back into US history. Up until the end of 1863, the Union was taking a beating from the Confederates. It wasn't so much because of the tactical skills of General Lee; it was more of the lack of movement from the Union commanders. Every time they would take a hit, imaginary or real, they would pull back the troops and move no further. This despite a usual 2 to 1 advantage in man-power. For years the lack of will amongst the several Union commanders resulted in horrific losses and morale. Finally, Ulysses Grant took over and pushed his army like never before. Even after taking heavy losses, Grant continued to move south, continued his push until Lee was forced to surrender. (How many people can slip a piece of history into a dvar torah like THAT?)

Moshe was the Jewish leader. He was constantly on the move. The Torah did not have a need to say from where or to where he was going; we already know that by the fact that "he went". His whole life was spent moving in the proper direction. This is the lesson to be learned. There are times when we need to take our bearings, but we must try our best to be constantly on the move, despite the opposition we might come across; and there is no better time than Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur to take this lesson to heart. With that, I wish you all a good Shabbos!