Yom Kippur 5778 - Under Scrutiny

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Yom Kippur 5778 - תשע״ח

Under Scrutiny

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of
ר׳ אלחנן יעקב ז״ל בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס

If you are interested in sponsoring a D’var Torah in honor or in memory of someone, or for any occasion, please email: ParshaParagraphs@gmail.com

There is a famous and powerful Gemara in Rosh Hashana (17a):

כל המעביר על מידותיו מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו

One who overlooks wrong done to them, G-d overlooks their transgressions

Rashi explains what it means to be מעביר על מידותיו:

שאינו מדקדק למדוד מדה למצערים אותו ומניח מדותיו והולך לו כמו אין מעבירין על המצות אין מעבירין על האוכלין מניחן והולך לו

[He] Who is not meticulous in scrutinizing those who cause pain to him.

The Gemara tells us that when we act with this non-critical eye towards those that are causing us pain, G-d too will pass over our sins.

However, we find in the Gemara (Bava Kama 50a):

אמר ר' חנינא כל האומר הקב"ה ותרן הוא יותרו חייו

Anyone who says that G-d is a וותרן on transgressions, his life should be relinquished
(ie. He should die)

When a person is מעביר על מידותיו and G-d acts in kind, isn’t this an aspect of וותרנות? And if so, how can we say that G-d is not a וותרן while at the same time, He is מעביר על מידותיו for one who acts in this way? How can we better understand these two statements of Chazal?

It’s interesting to note that the Gemara uses the word המעביר, from the lashon עובר (pass over). As Rashi points out (in connection to the concept of מעבירין על המצות above), this person is מניחים והולך לו – he “passes over” it, he “leaves” it. This language connotes that while something (i.e. the wrongdoing) is still present, it is being overlooked by the person.

With this understanding in mind, I believe that Chazal is communicating an important principle for us. The true strength of someone who is מעביר is not one who acts as if the עוולה (the offense) didn’t happen, or that he lets others step all over him without even taking notice. Rather it is someone who recognizes the wrong committed against him and yet chooses to look past it. The ability to look over the injustice takes a tremendous amount of fortitude – to notice and to feel, and yet to move on.

This is why it is abhorrent to say that G-d is מוותר, as וותרנות means that the wrongdoing ceases to exist without consequence. G-d is just, and though He acts with patience for the sinner, He surely notices the sin and will mete out the necessary judgment. Therefore one is not allowed to say that G-d completely disregards the offense. And yet, at the same time, He is מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו – G-d will overlook our bad behavior and act with us in a way of mercy and love despite the fact that we have sinned.

This is appropo for Yom Kippur, because on this day, we bow our heads in penitence and beseech His unending mercy. We entreat G-d to look upon us kindly even in light of our past infractions. And we ask that He will act with us מידה כנגד מידה – when we actively choose to look past  injustices done to us, we hope that G-d will do the same regarding the sins we have committed.

Western culture and modern psychology value assertiveness, constantly telling us that “nice guys finish last” and not to be “walked all over.” And while someone should not be too meek in a situation that calls for bold behavior, the Torah teaches a higher virtue – to maintain our dignity, to act like a mentch despite the wrong being done to us. Not by denying the reality, but rather by acting from a place of strength.

There is an idea within Novardok mussar called הטבה במקום הקפדה  (loosely translated as “kindness in place of sternness.”) That even though one has a valid, legitimate reason to act with sternness towards someone who wronged him, it was taught to instead – against one’s nature – do acts of kindness to that very person. All with the intention of uprooting the feelings of bitterness from the heart. The idea being, that although this person wronged us, we shouldn’t let that fact rob us of our agency ie. our own ability to make independent decisions and act, instead of react. To make the conscious choice to rise above our surroundings and not to feel forced or influenced towards a particular response.

Thus, when one chooses to be מעביר על מידותיו, he is showing G-d that he is taking a proactive role in his life; he is deciding not to be swept up by his יצר הרע or his base instincts. He demonstrates that he is willing to start anew, to make decisions from a place of strength and courage rather than from thoughtless reaction. When G-d sees this, it is no surprise that G-d acts with him in kind.

G-d is not controlled or limited by our behavior. He can and does make choices independent of anyone or anything else. While western culture may teach us that overlooking misdeeds is a point of weakness, it is truly of a powerful, G-dly status.

As we approach Yom Kippur, the day we are like angels before G-d, may we all be able to rise above our natural tendencies to a level that is heavenly and supreme.

Shabbat Shalom and G’mar V’Chatima Tova

Parshat Nitzavim - Vayelech: Appreciating The Climb

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Nitzavim - Vayelech

Appreciating the Climb

The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of ר׳ אלחנן יעקב זצ״ל בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס

If you are interested in sponsoring a D’var Torah in honor or in memory of a loved one, or for any occasion, please email: ParshaParagraphs@gmail.com

This week’s parsha comes on the heels of the previous portion where the Nation heard all the stern curses that will befall them if they fail to heed G-d’s word.

Moshe says: “You are standing today, before Hashem your G-d: the heads of your tribes, your elders and your officers – all the men of Israel.” (Devarim 29:9)

Rashi (ibid. 12), quoting the Midrash Tanchuma, says that after the people heard the curses they “turned green” ie. they became queasy from fear. They exclaimed “Who can withstand these curses!?” Moshe, noticing their consternation, tries to pacify them saying: “Look you are standing today – אתם נצבים היום!”

Rav Yechezkel Weinfeld שליט״א asks: why is Moshe effectively discrediting the curses? For by saying אתם נצבים היום, isn’t he is telling them not to take the warnings so seriously? Surely the curses are a serious matter, and seemingly the nation is to be praised for responding so intensely.

Rav Weinfeld explains that by the nation becoming sick at the thought of the curses, Moshe saw that now that the Jewish people had clearly reached a high spiritual level – one on which the mere thought of the curses brought them to fear. Once Moshe recognized this, he knew that now was just the right moment to allay their fear. The very fact that they were scared was the reason to let-up. Now was the time to remind them that they were indeed worthy.

This idea can be a path towards a very deep lesson for us. So often we find ourselves feeling down about our spiritual level, our failings, our deeply ingrained deficiencies. But we don't take a minute to realize that the very fact that we feel so down about our spirituality is in itself a reason to rejoice; to take pride in the fact that spirituality is so central to our lives that it even gets us down!

There are billions of people who inhabit this earth, going about their lives – work, eat, sleep and eventually die –  all without giving a second thought to G-d and spiritual matters, let alone allow those thoughts to affect their temperament. The fact that these lofty matters even bother us is a testament to our core value system. It shows that we actively care about the will of G-d in this world, and that we want to see it carried out. Why would we belittle ourselves for that? Surely G-d Himself does not!

I once had an eye-opening experience when I was tutoring at the Yeshiva Aish Hatorah. I was reading a Gemara together with one of the students, when in the middle he blurted out, “It's so frustrating, I'm never going to learn to read a Gemara as well as you! I'll never be as fluid as you.” When I heard this, I laughed out loud. This student arrived to the yeshiva just less than a year-and-a-half ago, barely knowing the Alef-Bet. And now he was sitting in the yeshiva program studying some of the hardest talmudical texts in the Jewish corpus. If anything, I was jealous of him! To grow such leaps and bounds in such a short time is a feat to be lauded. Moreover, he was frustrated with himself that he wasn't reading as well as he would like to, without giving it a moment’s thought that in order to even read non-fluidly, one must know how to read (let alone understand it)! When I pointed this out, it was like an epiphany for him, as if he never thought about it this way, and he gained a deeper recognition of his hard-won skills as well as an appreciation for himself.

This taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes we just need to slow down and take an “outsider perspective” of ourselves, to truly value our accomplishments. We are so quickly jumping to the next rung on the ladder that we do not allow ourselves to savor how much we have achieved. And furthermore, we don't appreciate that feeling “down” about our placement actually means we are moving up. Our values are clearly in the right place and we can certainly grow from there.

There is a famous letter of Rav Yitzchak Hutner זצ״ל responding to a student struggling with his spirituality. Rav Hutner offers support and attempts to remind the student that he really has grown, despite the students attitude, and that he shouldn't give up. The Rosh Yeshiva quoting the verse in Mishlei (24:16) ״כי שבע יפול צדיק וקם״ expounds:

"Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up.” The fools think that they explain this is in a grand manner: that even though righteous fall seven times, he rises. But the wise know well that the true meaning is that the essence of the tzaddik's rising up is in his "seven falls".

Rav Hutner is telling us a guiding principle, that the falls, the failings, and the defeats are part and parcel of the ultimate victory. Not in spite of the fall, but because of it. In order for one to have fallen, he must have been upright to begin with!

This is was what Moshe saw. He beheld a nation with a value system so in tune with the will of G-d, and after seeing their fear of the curses, he knew now was the time to remind them of their newly gained status. The mission had been accomplished. Now, when they felt low, was the time to lift the nation's spirit, and remind them that they are beloved to Hashem, specifically for the fact that they felt so low!

This message should give us solace whenever we are feeling down about our spiritual failings. When we realize our weaknesses, that is only a proof to how strong we are, and it is the very first step in a process of change that will make us even stronger.

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Ki Tavo: A Priceless Gift

Parsha Paragraphs

Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

Parshat Ki Tavo

A Priceless Gift

The D’var Torah for this week has been dedicated by מורי וחמי R’ Shmuel Pinchos Zomber
in memory of the kedoshim, his brothers and sisters:

אלחנן יעקב בן דוד אליעזר, יצחק מרדכי בן דוד אליעזר, חנה בת דוד אליעזר,
פריווה בת דוד אליעזר זצוק"ל, אשר נספו בשואה וה׳ ינקום דמם

If you are interested in sponsoring a D’var Torah in honor or in memory of a loved one, or for any occasion,
please email: ParshaParagraphs@gmail.com

In this week's parsha we read about the mitzvah of ביכורים. The Torah instructs us to bring our first fruits of the season to the Beit Hamikdash, and offer them to the Kohanim. We also learn that the people would bring the fruits in baskets.

The Sifri (300) tells us that there was a practice for the wealthy to bring their first-fruits in baskets overlaid with gold or silver, while the poor would use woven baskets. This would ostensibly show their love for the mitzvah.

The Malbim asks a question regarding this practice: We often find that the Rabbis – out of concern for the honor of every Jew – would assert their authority to regulate mitzvah standards in cases which would highlight the distinction between wealthy and poor. Such a distinction could cause embarrassment to the poor.

For example, the Gemara in Moed Katan* (27a-b) tells us that the original custom of the wealthy when burying their dead was to bury them in fancy and expensive caskets, however this caused the poor to be embarrassed. In deference to the poor, Chazal enacted that everyone must be buried in simple shrouds and caskets.

Seemingly, the practice of the rich bringing gold and silver laden baskets would also embarrass the poor. If so, why didn't Chazal regulate this custom in the same way?

Perhaps the answer lies in understanding the mitzvah of Bikkurim. The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 606) writes regarding the declaration recited when the farmer bring the fruits: “It is appropriate to stir his heart with speech and ponder that everything he has received is from the Master of the Universe…”  The underlying message of Bikkurim is that everything we own, everything we create, is only through the benevolence and help of G-d.

The mitzvah of Bikkurim is the perfect tool of expression for this message, as the mitzvah only applies to the first fruits of the harvest. Offering these particularly special fruits presents a challenge to the farmer. The investment needed to create the proper environment for growth is a painstaking process. The farmer must spend many days and months just preparing the land. Only after the land is properly fertilized can one even begin to plant. Then the farmer must keep guard to water the crops sufficiently; too much and they will be overwatered, too little and the crop will wither.

Specifically because of the immense personal investment, the mitzvah of Bikkurim forces the farmer to confront the unavoidable truth: that G-d is really the One controlling everything. The farmer is challenged to hand over the produce in which he invested his very being; in doing so, he shows that although he put in the work, in reality it was G-d who enabled it to grow.** This serves for him as a testament to his beliefs.

It is quite common for store owners to display their “first dollar earned” in a framed plaque behind the counter. For to the store owner, that dollar represents all the effort, care, and worry put into that business – and the success he achieved. The dollar, in a sense, ceases to be a mere dollar with a measurable worth; instead it is transformed into a representation of that person’s essence, and the many long hours spent toiling for success. A priceless symbol.

So too, these Bikkurim are more than crops to the farmer; they are his source of pride, an extension of himself. And in giving them over, they become a manifestation of his value system. They are elevated from their physical limitations into a supernal sacrifice to G-d. For instead of keeping it for himself, the farmer makes the ultimate personal submission, showing that G-d is the true enabler.

With this approach, we can answer our question. At the very moment the farmer feels this intense feeling of accomplishment, Bikkurim forces him to confront the challenge of personal pride. In doing so, he realizes that not only does G-d enable him to create, but all that he has and receives is decreed by G-d; therefore, whatever he has is exactly what he needs, no more and no less. This perspective helps one reach the state of שמח בחלקו  –  complete satisfaction with his portion. Thus, there is no need to regulate the standards of this mitzvah, as the poor man is not embarrassed of his lot, and the rich man is humbled by the blessing bestowed upon him. In this way, Bikkurim is different than other mitzvot. It does not need to be regulated because through the sacrifice that it demands, we come to recognize all the blessings in our lives, and to thank G-d for giving them to us.

Herein also lies a deeper understanding of striving to become שמח בחלקו. For not only is it a contentment with one’s financial status; it is also an overall acceptance of one’s role in life. It carries with it the implicit understanding that we all have a special task in life, and we are given specific tools to fulfill that job. The poor man has been given those tools no less than the rich man, to fulfill his unique mission. The sooner we accept this reality, the sooner happiness can follow.

This is a fitting message for Rosh Hashana, the time where we turn to the Master of the Universe הכל יכול, for all of our needs and requests, in hopes that we will be judged favorably. While we wish and pray for our specific desires, we understand that whatever we are given is in line with the unique mission. He has in mind for us, and we submit ourselves to Him to accomplish that mission.

Shabbat Shalom

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*See the Gemara there for several examples of enactments Chazal based on reasons of possible embarrassment to the poor.

**According this we can answer a different question regarding the blessing we say on bread: המוציא לחם מן הארץ – “[Blessed is G-d] who brings forth bread from the land.” Seemingly the description of the blessing skips quite a few steps: Bread does not “come forth from the land” ready-made. First is the harvesting of the grain, breaking of the kernels, kneading of the dough, baking it in the oven, and then finally bread. Perhaps the message of this blessing is that although man is involved in the many stages, it is really Hashem who actually brings it forth to us. Specifically because there is so much human involvement in each stage, there is more of a need to remind ourselves who really made it.