Parshat Ki Savo 5774

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi Volume 6 Number 31 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Tree of Life: The Centrality of Torah Study- True Dveykut Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller Torah is the force that gives us the ability to On the deepest level we know emunah, that up, to make him face many possible fight against the yetzer hara. Everything is an everything is connected. That should evoke a challenges and to say no to evil. Man is meant extension of Hashem’s will and contains a response within us that leads to making to strip away the layers of impurity and get at spark of divinity. If we dig deep enough inside changes. But it won’t happen without mitzvot. the tov. The Torah will help man do this, as it ourselves, we find goodness. But the only teaches us how to transform bad to good. The way to access it is through Torah. In the King David refers to chochma chitzonit negative mitzvot say, “Don’t do use this trait for creation narrative the Torah says, “Hashem (secular knowledge) as eitz hadaat tov v’ra, evil.” The positive mitzvot teach us how to use saw it was good.” Creation was meant to be the tree that gives us access to good and evil. it for good. We can attain perfection by taking unlocked by the Torah. The word tov is Chochma chitzonit by its nature tends to keep what’s bad in ourselves and turning it around. repeated six times in the first chapter of the one in the world of partial pictures. It’s the A jealous person can ask himself, “Am I Torah. If we multiply the gematria of tov by six observable little kernel of truth that is within jealous of what he owns or how he looks?” we get the same numerical value as emunah. one’s frame and range, with no sense of That’s going to fade. If I move inward I can This tells us that the essential good inherent source and purpose. It’s seeing everything say, “No, I’m jealous of who he is in essence. I in active creation opens our hearts to within one’s own limitations and defining want his key to being excellent and emunah. limitations as truths. This is the opposite of distinguished.” He could move even further emunah. Staying within the flat picture of and say, “I’m going to out- tzadik this tzadik There are three facets to emunah. The first is reality and not looking beyond makes for an and out-learn that learner – not in a way that’s recognizing that everything comes from easy life. There are no demands spiritually or hypocritical, phony or irrational, but in an Hashem. The second is believing that emotionally. But it’s as if one is dead while ambitious way. This is taking envy and moving everything was created with compassion. The alive. it to good. third is recognizing that everything leads us to tikun – self rectification and rectification of the The verse says, “Titen emet l’Yaakov.” Yaakov On the sixth day when Hashem created Adam, world. So when we say the Torah is emunah actualized the Torah. He chose holiness. He He said, “Tov me'od.” There was something we mean that it teaches us how to affirm took the Torah, the connective emunah, the beyond good there. When we learn Torah and these realities. When we celebrate the tzadik part of him, and developed the ability to access that spark of eternal light, there is no holidays or make a blessing on food, we see where it was all meant to go. The main limit to how far and how high we can reach. should realize that everything has one source. purpose of the yetzer hara is to lift a person Overcoming Adversity: Don’t Sell Yourself Short Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Hanoch Teller One early predawn morning Rav Lazer Yudel learn, we’ll make a yeshiva just for you.” This Finkel, rosh yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva, came meant constructing more buildings to house Rav Nosson Tzvi had this tremendous into the room where his young great nephew the ever expanding student body. Whenever compulsion to get the boys to learn as much slept. Rav Nosson Tzvi didn’t let on that he Rav Nosson Tzvi would finish another as possible. One program started by Rav was awake as he watched his great uncle go structure it would fill to capacity. And then he’d Lazer Yudel was to learn 12 hours a day over to the Shas on the bookshelf in his room start on the next project. He would be present uninterrupted. Rav Nosson Tzvi posted and kiss each volume. The profound love Rav when they would pour the cement and he’d sign-up sheets and said, “I want to see Lazer Yudel displayed for Torah made a deep beam with joy, he knew the building would be everyone’s name there.” But Dovi, who had impression on him. another citadel of Torah learning. This all never quite made it in yeshiva, didn’t sign his meant raising enormous amounts of capital. name. The rosh yeshiva grabbed his hand and When the mantle of leadership passed to Rav By nature he was a bashful person, not the held it firm and said, “I want to see your Nosson Tzvi, he felt unworthy of the position. type to ask people for tremendous sums of name.” So Dovi said ok with the greatest bli Not long after that he married off his son and money. With a budget of $23 million a year he neder. The chances of him learning 12 hours Rav Shlomo Wolbe came to the wedding. Rav raised the staggering figure of over a half uninterrupted was like a chicken sprouting Nosson Tzvi was taken aback. He was a very billion dollars in his tenure as rosh yeshiva. teeth. But he sat down and learned. And again young rosh yeshiva at that time and a famous the next day, until he managed to pull off a full mussar personality had come to grace his Rav Lazer Yudel’s philosophy was that week of uninterrupted learning. On the 8th day wedding. Rav Wolbe explained, “From yeshivos should be open for everyone. In fact he ran to the beit midrash and said, “Rosh responsibility you grow.” And that became he had the doors of the Mirrer yeshiva yeshiva! I want to tell my parents and high Rav Nosson Tzvi’s raison d’etre. He himself removed to show that anyone and everyone school rebbe but they won’t believe me. Last grew and he had no problem taking young was invited to learn there. Rav Teller recounts, night I dreamed about learning.” The rosh people and giving them responsibility so they “I distinctly remember coming in to the yeshiva drank a lechaim, took Dovi’s hand, would also grow. doorless yeshiva on a rainy day and encounter- and despite his severe medical condition did ing a shallow lake.” Years later the Knesset his best approximate of a crazy dance. Dovi The sages say, “A person will learn best when passed a law that for security reasons every went on to fulfill his commitment of learning 30 he learns a topic he likes.” Rav Nosson Tzvi building must have doors, and the yeshiva days uninterrupted. would tell his students, “Whatever you wish to doors were finally replaced. visit us online at: www.naaleh.com | for questions, suggestions, or dedication opportunities, email [email protected] 1 Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi Volume 6 Number 31 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Cancelled Agreements Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Dayan Shlomo Cohen A number of halachic questions related to should have made a condition that if the river he didn’t, he doesn’t get paid. If neither side agreements arose during the recent Israeli dries up the workers wouldn’t get paid. If he knew he would get ill, then the rebbe loses and security situation. The first question came didn’t do this he would have to pay them half would not get paid. from a storekeeper who was renting a shop in the normal wages. But if the workers knew, Ashkelon, a city that came under heavy fire. then they should have made a condition that In the case of the teacher whose student left He signed a contract at the beginning of the the boss would still pay them. If they didn’t, for the states, the teacher wouldn’t get paid year with the owner. But then because of the they wouldn’t be paid anything. If neither of since extraordinary circumstances caused the war situation, people were afraid to leave their them knew it would happen, the workers will boy to leave. In the case of the school tuition, homes to go shopping. He requested a lose because they cannot prove that they no one knew the war would break out so the reduction on his rent. deserve payment. If they were paid up front, school loses and would not be paid tuition. however, they would not have to return the However, a special halacha applies in the case The second question came from the parents money. When both the farmer and the workers of a national crisis. When a large amount of of a boy in Sderot. Because of the missile knew, the workers would not get paid.

Load more