Parshas Devarim the Rest of the Story

CANDLELIGHTING: 8:41 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 15 ו' אב תשע"ג SHABBOS ENDS: AFTER 9:44 72 MIN 10:11 JULY 31, 2013 PARSHAS DEVARIM THE REST OF THE By R’ Adam Teitelbaum STORY: For the endless good that Moshe contributed to Bnei Yirsael, it is a wonder that he was denied entry into the Promised Land for the By R’ Yosef Dovid Rothbart ויאמר ה'?passuk אלי theאל תירא אותו behind )דברים ג:ב(seemingly small error of striking the rock instead of speaking to it. R’ What’s Shlomi Schwartz has developed a unique approach to the problem Moshe relates the terror he had when he saw Og. Hashem had to which reverberates with relevance to this week’s parsha. encourage him not to be scared. Why was Moshe more concerned The theme of Miriam’s role is as a sister – in relation to her brothers – about fighting Og than any other nation? The Medrash tell us that and as a master of the word – be it in the context of convincing her Sichon and Og were brothers. They were both sons of Shamchazai, father to continue having children, persuading Pharoah’s daughter to one of the angels who descended to the earth and had children from accept a Hebrew nursemaid, organizing the women in song at the Sea of mortal women. Why was Moshe not afraid of Sichon but afraid of Reeds, or being judged strictly in the case of Loshan Hara. Miriam gets Og? things done with the power of her own words in stark contrast to her There was no one as mighty as Og. When the Jewish army came to brother Moshe, who described himself as not being a man of words. Edre’i and Og came out to fight against them, the sun was beginning Interestingly then, the first thing Hashem tells Moshe to do after her to set. Moshe told the army not to attack. Rather, they were to spend death is to “speak to the rock.” Additionally, recall that Miriam’s merit the night encamped and the next morning they would attack. brought the well of water and now Moshe is being told to use Miriam’s The next morning before daybreak, the Jewish army prepared to strength to bring the water back! Moshe is put into a situation where he attack. The sun had not yet risen and it was still dark. Moshe looked must acutely sense the lack of her presence noting the importance of her verbal strength, perhaps as a way to instruct him as to the value of using up and saw Og sitting on the wall surrounding the city, with his legs one’s voice. It appears that although Moshe has spoken the word of touching the ground. Moshe thought at first that the inhabitants of the Hashem to the best of human ability, his own voice still needs to be city had added to the wall at night. However, Hashem told him, developed. “What you are seeing is not an extension to the wall, rather it is Og, Moshe not finding his voice at the rock has numerous ramifications. king of Bashan. One clear outcome is that as a direct result of the decree not to enter the Og’s feet were 38 Amos (about 64 feet) long. When Moshe saw this Promised Land, Moshe exercises his voice, composing 515 prayers to giant sitting on the wall awaiting the Jewish army, Moshe began to rescind the decree. Intermingled with the loss of going into Eretz feel frightened. Hashem had to comfort Moshe telling him, “Do not Yisrael is the loss of his sister and her example of having a strong inner fear Og. I have already given him into your hands.” voice. When Moshe approached Og, the giant began uprooting mountains The metaphor at the rock is striking. In a way Hashem is telling Moshe and throwing them at the Jewish army. Moshe took egg yolk and and perhaps all generations that, in the end, it is one’s own voice that wrote upon it the Ineffable Name. This prevented the mountains, will quench the thirst of Bnei Yisrael. It is one’s own voice that will which were thrown at the Jewish people, from reaching them. keep Torah alive both in times of settlement and throughout the years of However, this did not discourage Og. Realizing that his plan to use exile. It is the human voice, walking humbly with Hashem, that will mountains as missiles was ineffective, he tried a new strategy. He give them the hope they need to seek Me. uprooted a mountain in Seir that was large enough to crush the Jewish Perhaps only after Moshe is forced to practise his voice, and only after encampment. But this plan also failed. As Og held the mountain over having taken to heart so intimately the importance of using his own his head, ants dug holes in it, until it split and fell on his neck. He words is he ready and able to compose the final book of the Torah. Almost the entire Sefer Dvarim, one fifth of the Chumash, is tried to lift the mountain off his neck, but his teeth grew making it composed of Moshe’s own words, spoken from his own depths first, impossible to remove it. While he was in this vulnerable state, Moshe and only later given the imprimatur of Hashem Himself. This is the was able to take his staff and hit Og, killing him. highest form of G-dliness that Man has ever reached. Indeed it is (Based on Yalkut Shimoni and Rabbeinu Bachya) Moshe’s voice. corresponds ”את גיד הנשה“ Each of the 365 negative commandments corresponds to a specific day of the year. The Mitzvah not to eat (Zohar) .תשעה באב The letters correspond to the first letters of .את to the day of Tisha B’Av. This is hinted to in the word HALACHA REFLECTIONS Hilchos Av BY R’ MEIR HILLEL GREEN Waiting for Moshiach Who is eligible to join aSubtitle Siyum and thus eat meat and drink Chazal tell us that after a person dies, he will have to give an wine during the Nine Days? accounting of his entire life. One of the questions he will be ?Did you hope and yearn for the Yeshuah -צפית לישועה“ ,The restriction against eating meat and drinking wine is lifted asked is when a Seudas Mitzvah takes place. This includes a Siyum, a Did you, every day, look forward to the coming of Moshiach?” Bris or a Pidyon HaBen. The Yad Efrayim (551:31) adds a Bar However, the Gemara also tells us that “Ben Dovid (Moshiach) Mitzvah dinner which takes place on the day the boy becomes will not come until the Jewish people have given up hope for the Bar Mitzvah. Geulah - the redemption”. How can we understand this Gemara The Nitei Gavriel (18:7), quoting Harav M. Feinstein and Harav in light of the previous Gemara mentioned? If we are not S.Z. Auerbach, says that one may invite to the Seudas Mitzvah supposed to give up hope for the coming of Moshiach, how can any man or woman who would normally be invited at any other it be that Moshiach will only come after everyone has given up time of the year. This would include any friends or relatives. hope? Even campers and staff of a summer camp, both men and women, Rav Yosef Leib Bloch, the Rav and Rosh HaYeshiva of Telshe, may join in a public Siyum because of this explains that these two Gemaras are reason. However, the Mishnah Berurah not contradictory at all. Giving up (551:77) writes that, during the week in When the Jewish people hope for the Geulah means that the which Tishah B'Av occurs, only a Minyan Jews will give up hope of bringing of people plus close relatives may partake were in Egypt, they did not the Geulah by themselves. From the of meat and wine at a Seudas Mitzvah. period of Bar Kochva until the time The Mishnah Berurah (470:10) writes that dream that their Moshiach of Shabsai Tzvi, there were constant L'chatchilah, all the participants should attempts to bring Moshiach through listen to and understand the Siyum of the was living in the palace of all kinds of Kabbalistic text as it is being read. B'diavad, some Paraoh. manipulations. When the Jewish poskim permit even those who were not nation will give up hope and realize present at the Siyum to eat meat and drink wine at the Siyum that Moshiach cannot be brought through their own means, then meal. The Teshuvos V'Hanhagos 1:300, quoting Harav Yaakov he will suddenly come. Yisroel Kanievsky, writes that it is customary to be lenient in this The Gemara says there are three things that happen matter, provided that the participant is sincerely "happy" with the unexpectedly. The first thing is the finding of a lost object. A Siyum taking place. person cannot plan to find 100 dollars. Rather, it is an unplanned The Mishnah Berurah (551:73) writes that one should not make a event. He walks down the street and unexpectedly he comes Siyum specifically in order to partake of meat and wine. across a pile of money. The second thing that comes without However, others argue (cf. Aruch ha-Shulchan 551:28 and Kaf one’s planning is a scorpion. When a person is stung by a ha-Chayim 551:161). While it is preferable to be stringent, one scorpion, it is because he did not realize that the path he was should follow the custom and the directives of his rabbi.

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