bs"d
Reading the second part of Parshat Vayelech was somewhat depressing.
First Hashem tells Moshe, Perek 31 Pesukim 16-19. "Hashem said to Moses, "Behold, you will lie with your forefathers, but this people will rise up and stray after the gods of the foreigners of the Land, in whose midst it is coming, and it will forsake Me and annul My covenant that I have sealed with it. May anger will flare against it on that day and I will forsake them, and I will conceal My face from them and they will become prey, and many evils and distresses will encounter it. It will say on that day, Is it not because my G-d is not in my midst that these evils have come upon me? But I will surely have concealed My face on that day because of all the evil that it did, for it had turned to gods of others."
Here is the last talk Moshe gave the people before his death.
"So it was that when Moses finished writing the works of this Torah into a book, until their conclusion. Moses commanded the Levites, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem, your G-d and it shall be there for you as a witness. For I know your rebelliousness and your stiff neck, Behold while I am still alive, with you today, you have been rebels, against Hashem - and surely after my death. Gather to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers and I shall speak these words in to their ears and call heaven and earth to bear witness against them. For I know that after my death, you will surely act corruptly, and you will stray from the path that I have commanded you, and evil shall befall you at the end of days . If you do what is evil in the eyes of Hashem to anger him through your handiwork."
The heavens and earth are called upon as witnesses. Perek 32 pasuk 1. "Haazinu Hashamayim VeAdabera, Vesishma Haretz Imrai Fi". Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.
Perek 31 Pasukim 19-21. Heaven and earth are witnesses to the fact that G-d brought us to the Land promised to our forefathers and heaven and earth are witnesses when we have annulled the Covenant.
May G-d save us from natural disasters. Can we prove Moshe wrong? Please G-d, You are a righteous judge. It's not really fair if our rebelliousness is pre ordained. Let us really focus on the Mitzvoth and let these lessons come via the Mitzvoth such as Shemittah and Maaser and not through curses. Curses are in fact also for our ultimate good. The whole picture is hidden to us. We don't see the silver lining. We bless G-d for the good and for the bad. Curses however, are very painful. For an example on how we learn lessons by keeping Shemittah that is equivalent to lessons learned from a "curse" such as the expulsion of Gush Katif, please read previous blog on the Mitzvah of Hakhel and the blog about how pooling our resources to help the people of Gush Katif is similar to the Shemittah year.
G-d is a fair judge and gives us free choice. He asks us to choose life. We have had a taste of the curse from the expulsion of Gush Katif. That's enough. Let us focus on the Mitzvoth and reap the blessings!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Vayelech - Mitzva of Hakhel
bs"d
This weeks parsha talks about the Mitzvah of Hakhel.
Devarim Perek 31 Pasuk 9
"Moses wrote this Torah and gave it to all the Kohanim, the sons of Levi, the bearers of the Ark of the covenant of Hashem, and to all the elders of Israel.
Moses commanded them saying, "At the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical year, during the Succos festival, when all Israel comes to appear before Hashem, your G-d, in the place that He will choose, you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears, Gather together the people - the men, the women, and the small children, and your stranger who is in your cities - so that they will hear and so that they will learn, and they shall fear Hashem, your G-d, and be careful to perform all the words of this Torah. And their children who do not know - they shall hear and they shall learn to fear Hashem, your G-d, all the days that you live on the land to which you are crossing the Jordan, to possess it."
http://torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5760/netzavim.html
The Rambam [Hilchos Chagiga 3:3] lists the sequence of the chapters in Devorim that were read at Hakhel: Read "From the beginning of the book of Devorim until the end of the parsha of 'Shma' [Hear Oh Israel]. Then read 'V-haya im Shamoa' [And it will be if you will listen], followed by 'aser t- aser' [You shall surely tithe]. Then, continue in sequence until the end of the 'Blessings and Curses' until the words 'besides the Covenant which He entered into with them at Chorev' and then stop (u'posek).
Once every seven years - on the first day of Chol HaMoed of Succos that followed the Sabbatical Year - the entire nation was commanded to come together at the Temple to listen to the king read to them from Deuteronomy. He read from the beginning of the Book to the end of the first paragraph of the Shema (6:9), the second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21), and 14:22-28:69.
Many ask the question "Why davka after the Shemittah year are these passages read?" I can tell you my own personal revelation. During the Shemittah year, many of the Mitzvoth of the Torah were suspended. There is no Maaser, there is no Maaser Sheni or Maaser Ani. There is no Bikurim. There is no Leket Shikcha and Peah. In the Shemittah year we are all equal and the the fields are open for all to take. All fruits are hefker. It is a year where all our established givens of property, mine vs yours are suspended because all belongs to Hashem. For a year it was great. It was fun. But frankly after a year we've had enough. We appreciate the Mitzvoth of mine and yours and setting aside for the Leviim a tithe. These passages that the king reads are precisely the passages that relate to private ownership of those that own property and those that don't. These are the laws of tithes and gifts to the Cohaninim, Leviim, converts, widow and orphans. The Torah takes on a whole new meaning because we now have first hand knowledge of what it's like when all property rights are in limbo and fused under everything belonging ultimately to the Rebbono Shel Olam. These Mitzvoth of the Torah are not relevant in the Shemittah year. Our appreciation of the Torah is now magnified many times over because we've experienced living life without these Mitzvoth. We are like a Baal Teshuva whose love of Torah is so great because he/she knows what it's like to live without certain Mitzvoth and the chaos that results. We are born again at Har Sinai and are mekabel the Torah again with love. When we keep Shemittah properly G-d would not have to send the Goyim to force us to assimilate only to perhaps generations later make us alive once again as a Baal Teshuva. Being a Baal Teshuva is a direct consequence of keeping Shemitta.
Why are all men, women and children told to come? My experience gave me the understanding that all men, women and children experienced life without certain Mitzvoth.
My father A"h used to say "You'll learn the hard way".
So don't clean your knapsack. You'll see what happens. Sometimes it takes a really, really messy knapsack to appreciate an orderly one. G-d kivyachol gives us a year reprieve to have that messy knapsack to the point when we will crave for the orderly one. And that ultra neat kid who is obsessed with an orderly knapsack will find true freedom to simply let loose and for the sake of the Mitzva loosen up. Now that's freedom as well. It's a topsy turvy year. There will be first hand knowledge of Torah by even very small children who were allowed to pick fruits without asking permission. Now they will need to relearn the correct way to live when it's not a shemittah year.
This weeks parsha talks about the Mitzvah of Hakhel.
Devarim Perek 31 Pasuk 9
"Moses wrote this Torah and gave it to all the Kohanim, the sons of Levi, the bearers of the Ark of the covenant of Hashem, and to all the elders of Israel.
Moses commanded them saying, "At the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical year, during the Succos festival, when all Israel comes to appear before Hashem, your G-d, in the place that He will choose, you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears, Gather together the people - the men, the women, and the small children, and your stranger who is in your cities - so that they will hear and so that they will learn, and they shall fear Hashem, your G-d, and be careful to perform all the words of this Torah. And their children who do not know - they shall hear and they shall learn to fear Hashem, your G-d, all the days that you live on the land to which you are crossing the Jordan, to possess it."
http://torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5760/netzavim.html
The Rambam [Hilchos Chagiga 3:3] lists the sequence of the chapters in Devorim that were read at Hakhel: Read "From the beginning of the book of Devorim until the end of the parsha of 'Shma' [Hear Oh Israel]. Then read 'V-haya im Shamoa' [And it will be if you will listen], followed by 'aser t- aser' [You shall surely tithe]. Then, continue in sequence until the end of the 'Blessings and Curses' until the words 'besides the Covenant which He entered into with them at Chorev' and then stop (u'posek).
Once every seven years - on the first day of Chol HaMoed of Succos that followed the Sabbatical Year - the entire nation was commanded to come together at the Temple to listen to the king read to them from Deuteronomy. He read from the beginning of the Book to the end of the first paragraph of the Shema (6:9), the second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21), and 14:22-28:69.
Many ask the question "Why davka after the Shemittah year are these passages read?" I can tell you my own personal revelation. During the Shemittah year, many of the Mitzvoth of the Torah were suspended. There is no Maaser, there is no Maaser Sheni or Maaser Ani. There is no Bikurim. There is no Leket Shikcha and Peah. In the Shemittah year we are all equal and the the fields are open for all to take. All fruits are hefker. It is a year where all our established givens of property, mine vs yours are suspended because all belongs to Hashem. For a year it was great. It was fun. But frankly after a year we've had enough. We appreciate the Mitzvoth of mine and yours and setting aside for the Leviim a tithe. These passages that the king reads are precisely the passages that relate to private ownership of those that own property and those that don't. These are the laws of tithes and gifts to the Cohaninim, Leviim, converts, widow and orphans. The Torah takes on a whole new meaning because we now have first hand knowledge of what it's like when all property rights are in limbo and fused under everything belonging ultimately to the Rebbono Shel Olam. These Mitzvoth of the Torah are not relevant in the Shemittah year. Our appreciation of the Torah is now magnified many times over because we've experienced living life without these Mitzvoth. We are like a Baal Teshuva whose love of Torah is so great because he/she knows what it's like to live without certain Mitzvoth and the chaos that results. We are born again at Har Sinai and are mekabel the Torah again with love. When we keep Shemittah properly G-d would not have to send the Goyim to force us to assimilate only to perhaps generations later make us alive once again as a Baal Teshuva. Being a Baal Teshuva is a direct consequence of keeping Shemitta.
Why are all men, women and children told to come? My experience gave me the understanding that all men, women and children experienced life without certain Mitzvoth.
My father A"h used to say "You'll learn the hard way".
So don't clean your knapsack. You'll see what happens. Sometimes it takes a really, really messy knapsack to appreciate an orderly one. G-d kivyachol gives us a year reprieve to have that messy knapsack to the point when we will crave for the orderly one. And that ultra neat kid who is obsessed with an orderly knapsack will find true freedom to simply let loose and for the sake of the Mitzva loosen up. Now that's freedom as well. It's a topsy turvy year. There will be first hand knowledge of Torah by even very small children who were allowed to pick fruits without asking permission. Now they will need to relearn the correct way to live when it's not a shemittah year.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Shannah Tovah
I'd like to wish all of you a wonderful year, lots better than the last one. Read about the last days of mine.
Gmar Chatima Tovah!
Gmar Chatima Tovah!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
List of Organizations Helping Gush Katif People
bs"d
You may ask what is the connection between helping Gush Katif People and Shemittah. The answer is that just like in Shemittah we give with an open hand (Patoach Tiftach ) not worrying that we may never get paid back, helping the Gush Katif people with an open hand, and seeing to it that all their needs are met is what now needs to be done.
This Beatle song sums it up.
"Is there anything that you want? Is there anything I can do? Just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you".
I received the following list from Marvin Belsky who heads a Coalition to Help the People of Gush Katif.
bs"d
Here is a (partial) list of some of the most active volunteer organizations and individuals helping the displaced people of Gush Katif. There is also an active email list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gush_Katif/ for up-to-date postings in English of offers and requests for help.
Many of the requests are for cash, since hundreds of families have still not received any compensation at all and still have to pay for food, travel, clothing, tuition, medicine etc. (Please remember that these families were formerly independent and themselves very charitable. They are very uncomfortable at having been placed in a situation where they are temporarily reliant upon the goodwill of others.)
1) The Council of Gush Katif Settlers - is the central umbrella organization representing and assisting the evacuees and headed by Rabbi Yigal Kaminetsky (Chief Rabbi of Gush Katif) in conjunction with Lemaan Acheinu.
Lemaan Acheinu is responsible for coordinating volunteer activities and distributing practical aid throughout the country. To volunteer or donate, call 02-509-0111 between 9:00 AM and 11:00 PM. Fax 509-0110. Donation hotline: 1599-55-77-78. Direct deposit: Bank Account: Bank Mizrachi, Branch 491, Account number 11296
2) Keren HaTzaddik (in memory of Rabbi Aryeh Levin):
Food distribution to tent cities and other evacuee groups around the country. To donate, telephone: 02-6513111 or 1800-203-320 . www.tmicha.orgjewish@netvision.net.il
3) Lemaan Achai Ramat Bet Shemesh
www.lemaanachai.org - Establishing a free-loan fund for evacuees from all communities, plus counseling and other activities. Currently assisting evacuees from Atzmona housed in Shaalvim dormitories through provision of food and practical supplies. Also, Israel Tax Deductible Donations should be made out to "Lema'an Achai", earmarked "Gush Katif Fund", and sent to: Lema'an Achai (RBS), 40/7 Nachal Lachish, Ramat Beit Shemesh 99093, ISRAEL.
US Tax Deductible checks to: "American Friends of Lema'an Achai"; on Memo Line indicate: "Gush Katif Fund" c/o Simon Fleischer,35 West 96th St #1F, New York, NY 10025 and 24hr Credit Card donations through (9722)999-9933 or Contact Yehudit Shaulzon (+9722)999-1553. creditcard@lemaanachai.org.
4) One of the main problems is unemployment. A list has been set up to try to find new employment for evacuees.
To post a job vacancy, email jobkatif@hotmail.co.il or call 08-6727703 .
5) Rachel Sapperstein (ex-Neveh Dekalim and currently in the Jerusalem Gold Hotel) has established a"Band-Aid" Fund to provide anonymous cash donations of 500-1000 shekels to meet immediate expenses of evacuee families: To contribute, send checks to: The Central Fund of Israel, Jay Marcus, Rehov Hagoel 13, Efrat, Israel 90435; earmarked for Rachel-Operation Band-Aid.
6) Ruthi Brenner is seeking sponsors for evacuee university students who were unable to work this summer to put themselves through college and may have to forfeit their studies as a result. Brenner says that $5,000 paid directly to the university would cover a full year of college tuition and she would be happy to put sponsors in contact with their "adopted" students. Contact her at: luveretz@netvision.net.il or telephone: 972-2-561-1962
7) Bracha Jaffe is helping the mostly secular families who were or still are housed in the Green Beach Hotel, near Netanya. She can been contacted for offers of help and donations for the families, at (054) 761-7988 or bracha@tdsoft.com.
8) Katherine (Gita) Weiner is helping those in for the City of Faith - a tent/trailer city set up by 35 Atzmona families, needs help with construction and caravan repairs, microwaves and or toasters to give at least some independence to families as far as food is concerned,equipment for preschool/kindergarten and monetary donations. Contact Katherine Gita Weiner at izgnanie@yahoo.com
9) Barbara Silverman (02) 623-2548 and attorney Jan Sokolsky (02)566-6388 are raising funds for new winter coats for evacuees in Jerusalem (so far they have purchased 275), plus more winter clothing, winter shoes and prayer books for the upcoming Jewish holidays. They also need volunteers to take groups of children away from confining hotel rooms and to parks.
10) Sarah Alpert is working together with Anita Tucker to provide financial help for the families of Netzer Chazani in the Golan and elsewhere, for the purchase of winter clothing, travel expenses and other practical needs. She can be contacted at salpert@jfsisrael.org
11) Seeking used (but working) laptops, preferably with word, excel and wireless ability to assist community leaders in their administrative work and enable the physically scattered evacuees to reconnect and coordinate with one another through virtual communities. Please contact wisemon@actcom.net.il
12) In the US, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Director of the National Council of Young Israel has agreed to assist in this effort and made a recent trip to Israel in order to see the situation for himself. Checks can be make out to YOUNG ISRAEL CHARITY FUND. Gush Katif Fund, NCYI, 3 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.
You may ask what is the connection between helping Gush Katif People and Shemittah. The answer is that just like in Shemittah we give with an open hand (Patoach Tiftach ) not worrying that we may never get paid back, helping the Gush Katif people with an open hand, and seeing to it that all their needs are met is what now needs to be done.
This Beatle song sums it up.
"Is there anything that you want? Is there anything I can do? Just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you".
I received the following list from Marvin Belsky who heads a Coalition to Help the People of Gush Katif.
bs"d
Here is a (partial) list of some of the most active volunteer organizations and individuals helping the displaced people of Gush Katif. There is also an active email list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gush_Katif/ for up-to-date postings in English of offers and requests for help.
Many of the requests are for cash, since hundreds of families have still not received any compensation at all and still have to pay for food, travel, clothing, tuition, medicine etc. (Please remember that these families were formerly independent and themselves very charitable. They are very uncomfortable at having been placed in a situation where they are temporarily reliant upon the goodwill of others.)
1) The Council of Gush Katif Settlers - is the central umbrella organization representing and assisting the evacuees and headed by Rabbi Yigal Kaminetsky (Chief Rabbi of Gush Katif) in conjunction with Lemaan Acheinu.
Lemaan Acheinu is responsible for coordinating volunteer activities and distributing practical aid throughout the country. To volunteer or donate, call 02-509-0111 between 9:00 AM and 11:00 PM. Fax 509-0110. Donation hotline: 1599-55-77-78. Direct deposit: Bank Account: Bank Mizrachi, Branch 491, Account number 11296
2) Keren HaTzaddik (in memory of Rabbi Aryeh Levin):
Food distribution to tent cities and other evacuee groups around the country. To donate, telephone: 02-6513111 or 1800-203-320 . www.tmicha.orgjewish@netvision.net.il
3) Lemaan Achai Ramat Bet Shemesh
www.lemaanachai.org - Establishing a free-loan fund for evacuees from all communities, plus counseling and other activities. Currently assisting evacuees from Atzmona housed in Shaalvim dormitories through provision of food and practical supplies. Also, Israel Tax Deductible Donations should be made out to "Lema'an Achai", earmarked "Gush Katif Fund", and sent to: Lema'an Achai (RBS), 40/7 Nachal Lachish, Ramat Beit Shemesh 99093, ISRAEL.
US Tax Deductible checks to: "American Friends of Lema'an Achai"; on Memo Line indicate: "Gush Katif Fund" c/o Simon Fleischer,35 West 96th St #1F, New York, NY 10025 and 24hr Credit Card donations through (9722)999-9933 or Contact Yehudit Shaulzon (+9722)999-1553. creditcard@lemaanachai.org.
4) One of the main problems is unemployment. A list has been set up to try to find new employment for evacuees.
To post a job vacancy, email jobkatif@hotmail.co.il or call 08-6727703 .
5) Rachel Sapperstein (ex-Neveh Dekalim and currently in the Jerusalem Gold Hotel) has established a"Band-Aid" Fund to provide anonymous cash donations of 500-1000 shekels to meet immediate expenses of evacuee families: To contribute, send checks to: The Central Fund of Israel, Jay Marcus, Rehov Hagoel 13, Efrat, Israel 90435; earmarked for Rachel-Operation Band-Aid.
6) Ruthi Brenner is seeking sponsors for evacuee university students who were unable to work this summer to put themselves through college and may have to forfeit their studies as a result. Brenner says that $5,000 paid directly to the university would cover a full year of college tuition and she would be happy to put sponsors in contact with their "adopted" students. Contact her at: luveretz@netvision.net.il or telephone: 972-2-561-1962
7) Bracha Jaffe is helping the mostly secular families who were or still are housed in the Green Beach Hotel, near Netanya. She can been contacted for offers of help and donations for the families, at (054) 761-7988 or bracha@tdsoft.com.
8) Katherine (Gita) Weiner is helping those in for the City of Faith - a tent/trailer city set up by 35 Atzmona families, needs help with construction and caravan repairs, microwaves and or toasters to give at least some independence to families as far as food is concerned,equipment for preschool/kindergarten and monetary donations. Contact Katherine Gita Weiner at izgnanie@yahoo.com
9) Barbara Silverman (02) 623-2548 and attorney Jan Sokolsky (02)566-6388 are raising funds for new winter coats for evacuees in Jerusalem (so far they have purchased 275), plus more winter clothing, winter shoes and prayer books for the upcoming Jewish holidays. They also need volunteers to take groups of children away from confining hotel rooms and to parks.
10) Sarah Alpert is working together with Anita Tucker to provide financial help for the families of Netzer Chazani in the Golan and elsewhere, for the purchase of winter clothing, travel expenses and other practical needs. She can be contacted at salpert@jfsisrael.org
11) Seeking used (but working) laptops, preferably with word, excel and wireless ability to assist community leaders in their administrative work and enable the physically scattered evacuees to reconnect and coordinate with one another through virtual communities. Please contact wisemon@actcom.net.il
12) In the US, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Director of the National Council of Young Israel has agreed to assist in this effort and made a recent trip to Israel in order to see the situation for himself. Checks can be make out to YOUNG ISRAEL CHARITY FUND. Gush Katif Fund, NCYI, 3 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.
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