Artscroll-Shabbos-Newsletter Haazinu-Spreads.Pdf

A PROJECT OF THE פרשת האזינו שבת שובה י׳ תשרי תשפ״א At the 5781 SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 ISSUE #10 ShabbosTable RABBI YITZCHOK WEEKLY INSPIRATION AND INSIGHT ADAPTED FROM CLASSIC ARTSCROLL TITLES HISIGER, EDITOR DESIGN & LAYOUT: AVIVA KOHN

Shabbos SHORT PERIODS OF TIME Shuvah A Vort from Rav Pam by Rabbi Sholom Smith ׁשּובָה ִ י ׂשְ רָ אֵ ל עַ ד ה´ אֱֹלהֶיָך ּכִ י ׁשַכָ לְ ּתָ עֲּבַ ו נֶ ָך. Return, Yisrael, to Hashem, your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity (Hoshea 14:2). The Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom be wasted. Many people do Kippur is called Shabbos Shuvah because of the not know how to properly uti- lize 10 or 15 minutes (or even ׁש ּו בָ ה special haftarah beginning with the words Return, Yisrael, the navi Hoshea’s ringing longer). People come to shul a , ִ י ׂשְ רָ אֵ ל call to his people to do teshuvah and return to short while before the beginning of davening and Hashem. merely pass the time until the tefillah begins. The This haftarah is unique in that, according to same can occur when there is a short break between Minchah and Maariv. People think to themselves: What can be accomplished in a few minutes? This is an unfortunate error, because little pockets of time, besides being significant in themselves, eventually add up to large periods of time. ONE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO SEE HOW MUCH TIME GETS WASTED ON A DAILY BASIS WAITING FOR

Rav Nesanel Quinn Rav Avrohom Pam SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. most Ashkenazic traditions, it is composed of read- Rav Nesanel Quinn zt”l, the beloved menahel ings from three different prophets, Hoshea, Yoel, of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath for half a century and and Michah, all of which are part of Trei Asar, the lifelong friend and colleague of Rav Pam, would Twelve Prophets. Trei Asar, as its name implies, is often recount an incident from his younger years. a collection of prophecies of 12 great nevi’im whose He had a chavrusah (study partner) who, due to lives, dedicated to chastising the Jewish nation, train schedules, would come 15 to 20 minutes late spanned a period of about three-and-a-half centu- every day to the yeshiva. The young Nesanel start- ries. Most of these prophecies were relatively brief; ed and eventually completed the entire Maseches Ovadiah has one chapter, Chaggai has two, and Na- Beitzah over the school year while waiting for his chum, Chabakuk, Tzephaniah and Malachi each have chavrusah to arrive. Those 15 minutes a day added three. The Gemara (Bava Basra 14b) says that the up to almost 40 blatt Gemara! sages decided to combine all 12 of them into one While not everybody is able to do this, one can book “so that they not be lost due to their brevity.” train himself to use small pockets of time. Even if One can extrapolate a practical lesson from this all he has at hand is a siddur, a person with a few Gemara which is especially relevant during the pe- minutes available can easily do one or more of the riod of Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. Small things tend to following: Recite chapters of Tehillim, learn a few ARTSCROLL MESORAH ARTSCROLL get lost and small periods of available time tend to Mishnayos of Pirkei Avos, continued on page 3 PUBLICATIONS 1 NOT YOTZEH TZU ZEIN Inspiration Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz by Rabbi Yisroel Besser

The Kopyzcynitzer Rebbe, Rav headquarters to be tortured by the rebbe circulat- Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel, lived Nazis, yemach shemam. The rebbe ed among the on the Lower East Side, but as more accepted the will of Heaven, and workers at the and more young families were painful as it was, he was serene and matzah bakery, choosing to settle in Boro Park, the at peace, since this was the Ribbo- thanking each rebbe’s son, Rav Moshe Mordechai, no Shel Olam’s decree. But then, the one for their had opened a shtiebel there as well, rebbe continued, he heard the cries devoted work. The rebbe noticed a on 55th Street between 14th Avenue of other Jews who were being beat- chassidishe young man who worked and 15th Avenue. At his son’s urging, en, and that was too much to bear as a kneader. The rebbe handed him the rebbe would come to Boro Park — so much harder than having en- several bills, a tip in honor of the for Shabbos and lead the shtiebel. approaching Yom Tov. The worker The rebbe had only one condition gratefully accepted the money. A as to who could daven in the shtieb- few days later, the rebbe announced el: he wouldn’t accept any member who was already a steady mispallel "THE PAIN WAS in another shul. That rule resulted MUCH MORE in the shul attracting a young crowd, INTENSE — BECAUSE newcomers to the neighborhood — among them Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz IT WAS THE PAIN OF zt”l, founder of ArtScroll. Kopyzcynitz The Kapytshnitzer Rebbe, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel ANOTHER!” took some getting used to for Reb Meir, who had grown up in his fa- dured a beating of his own. that he was going back to the matzah ther’s shul, which reflected the glory “When the decree was on Avra- bakery to bake “Erev Pesach matzos” of Lita and its yeshivos. A chassidishe ham Avinu,” said the rebbe, “of in accordance with his custom, and shtiebel was a new experience for him, course he rose up to the situation they joined him once again. but at the same time, he felt an instant and accepted the will of Heaven. At After they finished baking, the bond with the rebbe. The fact that the the Akeidah, however, he was asked rebbe again sought out the young rebbe had a close relationship with to give over his son Yitzchak for kneader and approached him with Reb Meir’s rebbi, Rav Moshe Fein- slaughter, and then the pain was a wad of bills. “Here, l’kavod Yom stein, made Reb Meir feel at home. much more intense — because it Tov,” the rebbe said. The Kopyzcynitzer Rebbe didn’t was the pain of another!” This time, the gentleman pro- often speak formally, but there was a There were many memorable tested. “Der Rebbe hut shoin yotzeh vort he shared on Rosh Hashanah that moments in the presence of the geven, the rebbe has already ful- the young mispallelim saw as a mission Kopyzcynitzer Rebbe, but one re- filled his obligation,” he said. statement. The rebbe discussed the mark made by the rebbe would il- The Kopyzcynitzer Rebbe looked day’s Torah reading — the parashah luminate Rabbi Zlotowitz’s own at him. “Ich bin nisht gekummen oif of Akeidas Yitzchak — and the merits path and life’s work. The rebbe in- di velt, I didn’t come down to this accrued by Avraham Avinu for this troduced this group of young Amer- world,” the rebbe said, “yotzeh tzu zein, act of supreme self-sacrifice. ican yeshivah graduates to the joy just to fulfill my obligations.” “Wouldn’t any intelligent hu- in the performance of mitzvos, the The rebbe was niftar in 1967, just man being heed a command that experience of shaking daled minim a few short years after establish- they hear directly from the Master or blowing the shofar. They would ing his little shul, but his words of the Universe?” the rebbe won- join him each year as he went to and message would reverberate dered. “How come the zechus of the bake matzos, each of them assuming throughout the years, the families Akeidah gives us such merit that we a specific task as part of the rebbe’s he inspired going forward, each in still rely on it after all these years?” chaburah and observing his sublime their own way, to live lives of gen- The rebbe shared a memory. delight in the mitzvah. One year, af- uine accomplishment — never just He recalled being led to Gestapo ter they finished baking matzos, the “yotzeh tzu zein.” 2 OUT OF LOVE Haftarah Zera Shimshon 2 by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

הׁשּובָ יִׂשְרָ אֵל עַ ד ה אֱֹלהֶיָך ּכִי´ כָׁשַ לְּתָ ּבַעֲ ונֶָך. קְחּו עִּמָכֶם ּדְבָרִ ים וְ ׁשּובּו אֶ ל ה´. אִמְרּואֵ לָיו ּכָל אּתִּׂשָ עָ וןוְקַ ח טֹוב ּונְׁשַ ּלְמָהפָרִ ים ׂשְ פָתֵ ינּו. Return, Yisrael, to Hashem, your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with you and return to Hashem. Say to Him, “May you forgive all iniquity and accept good [intentions] and let our lips substitute for bulls” (Hoshea 14:2-3). We read these pesukim in the haftarah of Haazinu, question that he would do his best to help others repent the parashah that is usually read around Yom Kippur, as well. The reason for this is because if he’s repenting when we are focused on teshuvah and atonement of out of love, he’s doing it all for Hashem, and there is no our sins. Why do these pesukim begin with the word question that Hashem wants as many people as possible shuvah, “return,” in the singular form, yet continue to repent. The pasuk therefore states, “Return Yisrael, to with the words kechu imachem devarim, “take words Hashem, your G-d,” in the singular and using the word Since you are only a single individual, and you are . עַ ד ?with you,” which are written in plural form Also, what are these “words” that Klal Yisrael has repenting out of fear, your repentance will only reach to take with them, and how exactly are they meant to “until” Hashem, but not as far as it could have gone. Even take them? if this is the case and you are repenting out of fear, you should still repent, because your intentional sins will be ,עַ דה´ אֱ ֹלהֶ יָך Furthermore, why does the Torah say -but goes on transformed into sins that were committed unintention , עַ ד to Hashem, your G-d,” with the word“ to Hashem”? WE ARE ALWAYS ally. However, if you“ ,אֶ ל ה´ to use the words means “up to and includ- repent out of love עַ ד Sometimes the word ing.” At other times, it is used to mean “until but not THINKING ABOUT and cause others including” (see Berachos 26b). GROWING AND to come along with Furthermore, the Gemara tells us that someone you, “take with you who repents out of fear is not as meritorious as some- BECOMING words.” You will take one who repents out of love. When a person repents BETTER PEOPLE. them along on your out of fear, his intentional sins are turned into unin- journey through tentional sins, but the sins of one who repents out of words of mussar, and then you will return to Hashem love are turned into merits (Yoma 86b). completely because all of your sins will be transformed Let’s apply these ideas to the pasuk from Hoshea. into merits, which will cause you to reach “el Hashem”— The beginning of the pasuk is speaking to the individ- all the way to Hashem. ual who is returning to Hashem on his own. When a So much of a Jew’s life revolves around the idea of bet- person repents by himself and is unconcerned about tering himself. This is certainly a major focus come Rosh whether the people around him are repenting, it’s a Hashanah and Yom Kippur time, but even during the rest sign that he is doing teshuvah out of fear, which is why of the year, we are always thinking about growing and it is enough for him if he saves himself. becoming better people. Simply speaking, doing teshuvah If, however, he were repenting out of love, there is no is a hallmark of being a Jew.

SHORT PERIODS OF TIME see how much time gets wasted on a While this idea is relevant all continued from page 1 daily basis waiting for something or year round, it is especially pertinent which is printed in every siddur after someone. By training oneself to use during Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, as Jews the Shabbos Minchah, or get a head even short periods of time, a person search for extra zechuyos in prepa- start on reviewing the parashah with will feel a sense of accomplishment, ration for Yom Kippur, the final day the weekday laining (included in all as well as earn himself much merit of judgment. May we all be blessed siddurim). One would be surprised to for the World to Come. with a g’mar chasimah tovah. 3 PROTECTING THE BOUNDARIES Perspective Positive Word Power The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation

Hey, Dovid! I hear you’re look- bouncing their ideas, goals and perceives ing to switch yeshivos after Sukkos! problems off of others. On the oth- as an intru- Where are you planning to go?” er hand, some people feel intrud- sion. There- Dovid bristled. The last thing in ed upon when others try to open fore, there is the world he wanted was for his long- a window into their personal lives. no need to thought-out decision to leave his old Each person has his boundary strike back in an angry manner. yeshivah to become the latest subject line, however, and it is a line that If a person knows himself to be of the rumor mill. Inevitably, that should be respected. However, protective of his privacy, he should would lead to even more gratuitous one does not have to wage a verbal preemptively think of a few firm questions, opinions and suggestions. but pleasant responses to unwant- It would cause him to have to con- ed questions so that he will not stantly be explaining himself to peo- PEOPLE’S stumble into ona’as devarim. He ple who were little more than casual could try humor: “Sorry, it’s top acquaintances. SENSE OF secret.” Or he could be simple and These things drove Dovid crazy. direct: “That’s something I’d just He had his reasons to keep his busi- PRIVACY rather keep to myself,” or what- ness private, but he also had trouble ever type of comment fits his per- doing so without appearing rude or VARIES sonality and suits the occasion. unfriendly. To the person who feels his pri- “It’s not up for public discussion,” GREATLY. vacy is being invaded, it may be he coldly replied to his questioner, a difficult to perceive that in some boy named Yaakov. assault to protect his boundaries. cases the questions stem from “Well, okay, okay. I’m just ask- In most cases, the unwanted sincere care and interest. If a per- ing,” Yaakov said defensively. question is just curiosity or a con- son gives others the benefit of the “So don’t ask, okay?” Dovid retort- versation-filler. The questioner is doubt on this count, he can actual- ed as he turned to walk away. not usually in a position to force ly come to feel a sense of warmth “Whoa!” Yaakov muttered to him- the other person to disclose any- toward the other person. He cares self. “What did I do, anyway?” thing he does not wish to disclose. about my life, a person can tell him- People’s sense of privacy varies There is no harm done to the un- self. With that thought in mind, he greatly. Some are open with much willing recipient of the question; can deliver a response that is free of their personal life and enjoy he is simply annoyed at what he of thorns.

Watch an interview with Rabbi David Ashear bestselling author of the LIVING EMUNAH series at artscroll.com/insideartscroll Also available: Interviews with Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz/Rabbi Yisroel Besser, Rabbi Meyer Yedid, Rabbi David Sutton, Rabbi Yaakov Feitman, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, and Rabbi Binyomin Pruzansky