SEPTEMBER 18, 1998 VOL 1, ISSUE 44 27 ELUL 5758
Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills, 409 Foothill Road . Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rabbi Yosef Shusterman 310/271-9063
PARSHAT NITZAVIM
"To love G-d.. and to listen to His voice.. for this is your life and the length of your days.." (30:20) The Torah gives man pure life in this world and an exalted reward in the World to Come. In fact, the Torah is the very being of man. This may be compared to the following: man's life-force is equally present throughout the body, in the toes no less than in the head. Some higher soul-powers like intellect, vision, hearing etc. are indeed in the head, but they are only specific soul-powers. The life-force itself, that which makes us living beings, is equal throughout the body, in the heels of the legs no less than in the brain of the head.
So, too, with the Torah: every aspect of a Jew's life draws its vitality from the Torah. The Torah permeates and penetrates everything in the life of the Jew, from the most sublime in his soul to the smallest details of his physical existence and reality. This is evident from the reward promised for the observance of Torah: it is not restricted to a spiritual bonus in Heaven, which befits spiritual engagement in Torah-study and so forth. On the contrary, we are told: "If you walk in my statutes.... I shall give your rains in their seasons and the land shall yield its produce.." (Bechukotay 26:1-2)
The fact of physical and material rewards thus indicates that the Torah relates to the total being of the Jew, to his physical reality no less than to his spiritual reality. This explains the promise of wondrous physical benefits in the Messianic era, such as "The Land of Israel is destined to bring forth cakes and silken garments" (Shabbat 30b). Why would there be such extraordinary physical benefits in an era marked by the increase of knowledge and wisdom, when the Jewish people will be totally immersed in pursuing the "knowledge of G-d"? In context of the above, however, it is clear: precisely that phenomenon will demonstrate how all of creation is literally and completely bound up with the Torah and with G-d who is the 'Giver of the Torah.' When those wonders shall be revealed and become manifest in the physical and material life and reality, all will know and realize that the Torah is literally "your life and the length of your days" - in all physical matters as well.
(From: Insights to Geula, Chabad Gopher site)"But with whoever is here, standing with us today...and with whoever is not here with us today." (29:14) QUESTION: Since it says "asher yeshno poh" -- "whoever is here" -- the word "imanu" -- "with us" -- seems to be redundant? ANSWER: When the fellow arrived in Shul one morning, his Rebbe greeted him warmly. When the minyan had reached Ashrei, his Rebbe approached him and shook his head with a welcoming nod. This repeated itself again when the people were reciting "Ahavat Olam." After davening he asked his Rebbe, "You greeted me when I came into Shul; why did you greet me twice more during davening?" The Rebbe replied, "I did not see you since you left Shul last night after Maariv; therefore, when I saw you in the morning I greeted you. Before Ashrei, and also before Shema, I noticed that your mind had wandered elsewhere. Consequently, when I recognized that you, together with your thoughts, were back in Shul, I greeted you each time welcoming you back."
Moshe in parting with Klal Yisrael, is telling the people that he is addressing both those who are "yeshno poh" -- "present here" -- i.e. together with us in body and spirit, as well as those who are "imanu omeid hayom" -- physically standing with us -- although their minds have wandered off in distraction.
"And you shall return unto G-d your G-d." (30:2) QUESTION: What is the essence of teshuvah? ANSWER: Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneerson, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch, explained that the word teshuvah comprises five Hebrew letters, each letter a path and a method in the avodah -- service -- of teshuvah.
Tav is for "Be sincere with the Eternal your G-d" (Devarim 18:13). This
represents the service of teshuvah that comes through sincerity and wholeness of heart -- "earnestness."
Shin is for "I have set G-d before me always" (Psalms 16:8). This form of teshuvah results from one's constant awareness that the world and all that is in it, is constantly brought into being by Hashem.
Vav is for "Love your fellow as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18). Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidut, taught that this love is a means to "Love G-d your G-d" (Devarim 6:5). This service of teshuvah stems from goodness of heart.
Beis is for "In all your ways, know Him" (Proverbs 3:6). This form of the service of teshuvah comes from one's perceiving that all that happens to him and around him is hashgacha peratit -- individual Divine Providence.
Heh is for "Walk discreetly with your G-d" (Micah 6:8). One must take care not to be conspicuous or ostentatious in the slightest. It is said, "Man should always be artful in piety" (Berachot 17a). The artfulness lies in seeing that his piety not be noticed at all.
"If your dispersed will be at the ends of the heaven, from there G-d, your G-d, will gather you in and from there He will take you." (30:4) QUESTION: People do not live in heaven; it should have stated "If your dispersed will be at the ends of the earth"? ANSWER: Shamayim -- heaven -- denotes spiritual matters, while aretz -- earth -- refers to the mundane and material. The term "biketzeih" -- "at the ends" -- comes from the word "ketzat" - - "a little bit." Since every Jew has definitely done at least a little good and has some merits in heaven, Moshe told the Jewish people: "Im yiheyeh nidachacha -- In the event that some of you may be dispersed -- you need not worry because as long as you are holding onto ketzeih hashamayim -- a little bit of spirituality -- this will serve as the string through which Hashem will take hold of you and bring you back to Him and the Jewish people."
Many have wondered about and questioned the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's inexhaustible mitzvah campaigns: "Why bother putting tefillin on a mechalel Shabbat -- Shabbat desecrator -- why go through the effort of putting a mezuzah on a home where kashrut is not observed?" Possibly, the Rebbe, who has unlimited love for Klal Yisrael, wants every Jew to perform at least one mitzvah through which Hashem will take hold of him and bring him back into the fold of Judaism. (From: VeDibarta Bam by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky)
ROSH HASHANA
Inscribe Us in the Book of Life. Once, when Rosh Hashanah fell on a Shabbat, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev declared, "Master of the Universe, You forbid us to write on Shabbat except in order to save a life. So write us down in the Book of Life, since otherwise even You may not write on Shabbat." (Sefer Hachasidut, From: The Essence of the Holy Days by Avraham Yaakov Finkel)
"Return Us to You in Perfect Penitence" On Rosh HaShanah we pray, "Our Father, our King, return us to You in perfect penitence." What is perfect penitence? The prayer continues, "Send a complete recovery to the sick of Your people." Disease generally signifies that the entire organism is unhealthy. Hence, treatment focused on the external symptoms will necessarily be partial and ineffective. The patient will regain perfect health only if the physician seeks the root of the disease and treats its entirety. Likewise, we do not desire a partial penitence restricted to a specific sin. Rather, we ask G-d to return us to Him in perfect penitence, a penitence that encompasses the origins of sin and its roots, and thereby restores man to his perfection.
(Rav Kook, From:Celebration of the Soul by Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neriyah)
When a Jew has a good thought and undertakes a good resolution, G-d provides him with the opportunity to translate it into deed. -The Rebbe
"G-d's blessing brings wealth." This is so in general, but especially to whoever gives of his time to occupy himself with community's needs in matters of charity and strengthening Judaism; as the saying goes, "G-d does not remain in debt". For every good thing a person does, he is recompensed grandly by G-d, with children, health and livelihood, in abundance.
(From Rebbe's Hayom Yom, elul 28).