The Philosophical Man of Faith
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בס“ד Parshat Yitro 20 Shevat, 5780/February 15, 2020 Vol. 11 Num. 22 (#443) This issue is dedicated by Esther and Craig Guttmann and Family ב ד ב “ for the yahrtzeit of Clara Berglas This issue is dedicated by Helen & David Wm. Brown & Family, and Golda Brown & Harry Krakowsky & Family, ד ב “ for the yahrtzeit of David and Golda’s father, Al G. Brown The Philosophical Man of Faith Rabbi Baruch Weintraub At the beginning of our parshah, Yitro Rabbi Moshe Lichtenstein wrote in his Thus, his offspring could identify gives Moshe practical advice: instead book Moses: Envoy of G-d, Envoy of His themselves as believers in Hashem and of singlehandedly judging the people, People’ (p. 20), “Yitro is an ardent seeker be on good terms with the Israelites, but Moshe should appoint additional of metaphysical truth who totally still live among the Amalekites. judges, who will bear with him the isolates himself from action or weight of the people. Failing to do so, involvement within the world of We can now have a better appreciation Yitro warns, would cause both Moshe history.” He disengaged from life among of Yitro’s advice to Moshe. While Moshe and his newly freed nation to collapse. his peers, preferring to focus on and saw the nation reaching out to him for delve into the spiritual side of human judgment as a “demand for G-d,” and Many of our commentators have been life. judging as an exercise in hearing the puzzled as to why such a simple and word of G-d through His laws and self-evident move was not made by Our Sages drove this point home by commandments (Shemot 18:15-16), Moshe himself. [See especially Akeidat casting Yitro as one of the three Yitro saw it as a futile attempt to convey Yitzchak and Don Isaac Abarbanel, in advisors whom Pharaoh consulted when a too-delicate spiritual message to the whose footsteps we follow here.] he chose to enslave the Jews: Bilaam vulgar masses – an attempt that must Certainly, the system Moshe saw in his supported, Iyov remained silent and end with the withering of both Moshe youth in Pharaoh’s palace included Yitro ran off to the desert. Yitro’s flight and the people. (ibid. 18:18). Instead, judges and overseers! No less difficult “stems from an inability or Yitro believed that Moshe should is the fact that while from our parshah unwillingness to take a stand and face dedicate himself to the spiritual it seems that Moshe implemented up to evil… It is not that he doesn’t care endeavor, and let others judge the Yitro’s advice, in Devarim 1:9-17 the – but simply that he has given mundane events of life according to story of the judges’ appointment is up.” (ibid.) secular, practical wisdom. retold by Moshe without any reference to his father-in-law. Was the system of Yitro, then, believes in the separation of Moshe accepted Yitro’s suggestion, but judges not Yitro’s brainchild? spirituality – or religion – from politics. with one important caveat: the judges Spirituality is best served in the desert, were appointed only after the Torah was In order to better understand Yitro’s where one can be completely dedicated given, as described in Devarim 1. That advice, we should first explore his to seeking the one, true G-d. Further, way, they were able to judge according background. The Torah’s description of since man could never come to any to the lofty ideals brought down from Yitro as “Midian’s preist” (Shemot 2:16) ultimate and definitive conclusions in Sinai by Moshe, and so to fulfil the may lead us to believe that he served a this unending spiritual journey, it vision which Yitro could not particular deity. However, our Sages would be utterly dangerous to impose accommodate: a whole national polity have explained Yitro’s declaration, “For one’s beliefs and moral predispositions led by the Divine. Hashem is greater than all in the political realm. Commentators gods” (Shemot 18:11), to mean that he debate whether Yitro fully converted; [email protected] “did not leave a single idol in the world see Or Hachaim to Bamidbar 10:30. that he did not worship.” (Mechilta ad Some wonder how, if he did indeed loc.) A second midrash takes another convert, his descendants could have step in this direction, explaining the lived among Israel’s worst enemies – the harassment of Yitro’s daughters by the Amalekites. (Shemuel I 15:6) But the shepherds as a response to Yitro’s answer seems to flow from what we saw betrayal of his ancestral faith. (Shemot here: Yitro may had had a philosophical Rabbah 1:32) As my rabbi and teacher, conversion, but not a national one. OUR BEIT MIDRASH ROSH BEIT MIDRASH RABBI MORDECHAI TORCZYNER SGAN ROSH BEIT MIDRASH RABBI SAMMY BERGMAN AVREICHIM EZER DIENA, RABBI ALEX HECHT, NETANEL KLEIN SEDER BOKER DIRECTOR RABBI MOSHE YERES ISRAELI CORRESPONDENTS RABBI ADAM FRIEDMANN, RABBI BARUCH An affiliate of Torah MiTzion and YU WEINTRAUB, RABBI JONATHAN ZIRING ∞ CHAVEROT ORLY AZIZA, MINDY CHAPMAN, SOFIA FREUDENSTEIN, ATARA GASNER, Find our upcoming classes on-line at TEHILA HELFENBAUM, AILEEN MORRIS, HADAS MOYAL, TIFERET NICKERSON www.torontotorah.com CHAVERIM NADAV GASNER, ARI KARON, YEHUDA LEVI, COBY LYONS, MORDECHAI ROTH, We are grateful to ILAN SHIELDS, NATAN SNOWBELL, DANIEL SUTTNER, URIEL WEISZ, ELI WELTMAN Continental Press 905-660-0311 Journey Through Tanach: Shemuel I, Chapter 15 Ezer Diena This chapter opens with Shemuel Shaul then attempts some form of Shemuel rebuked Shaul, it was for reminding Shaul to be careful to listen repentance, which Shemuel rejects. As using the spoils (15:19) and for bringing to Hashem. As noted by Rashi (15:1), Shemuel turns to leave, one of them sacrifices from them (15:22). Shemuel this is because Shaul previously failed rips the other’s garment. [See Rashi to did not tell Shaul that he had failed to by not waiting for the correct time to 15:27.] Shemuel explains that just as defeat Amalek; indeed, even after the bring his pre-war sacrifices. (Chapter the garment has been ripped, so too, first rebuke, Shaul responded that he 13) Hashem has ripped away the kingdom had destroyed Amalek as commanded. from Shaul for what he has done. (15:20) Shemuel commands Shaul to wipe out Shaul eventually returns to worship Amalek entirely. Shaul wages war Hashem, seemingly with Shemuel. Why, then, did Shemuel need to kill against Amalek, defeating them However, we are later told that Agag? Before killing Agag, Shemuel told soundly, and capturing King Agag of the Shemuel did not see Shaul again until him that just as his sword had made Amalekites alive. However, Shaul and the day of his death, and that G-d did women childless, so shall his mother be the nation pity Agag, as well as the not accept Shaul’s repentance. made childless. This, explains Rabbi sheep, lambs, and “all that was good”, Shurkin, was the reason for killing and do not destroy them. Shemuel then kills Agag in Gilgal. Agag – not as part of destroying Amalek, but as punishment for being a Following this, G-d sends Shemuel to Insight murderer. Shaul to inform him that he has failed In a shiur at Yeshivat Torat Moshe, in his mission, and that G-d is going to Rabbi Michel Shurkin questioned [email protected] remove him from his throne. The Shaul’s response to Shemuel. If we ensuing discussion consists of Shaul had just failed in our mission towards repeatedly insisting that he has fulfilled G-d, would we also continually insist G-d’s command, and that the nation that we had fulfilled Hashem’s had only spared some animals to be directive? brought as sacrifices, whereas Shemuel responds that G-d is not interested in Rabbi Shurkin suggested that in fact, such sacrifices. G-d had commanded G-d’s command here had two parts: (1) that the entire nation of Amalek, and all To defeat Amalek, and (2) To destroy the spoils of battle, be destroyed. the spoils from the battle. Shaul Shemuel continues by telling Shaul that fulfilled the first part, and failed only G-d has “rejected you from being king.” in the second part. Therefore, when Holy Land Halachah: Purim in Ramot Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Minchat Shlomo 2:57, include remote populations which never interact, and Halichot Shlomo Purim 20 should not be viewed as one community. Also, Ramot maintains its own eruv, in addition to being part of the Question: The Sanhedria neighbourhood sits at the larger, Jerusalem eruv; wouldn’t their local eruv remove northwest edge of Jerusalem. Ramot Alon and Ramot Bet are them from consideration as part of Jerusalem’s domain? just a couple of kilometers away, across the junction of [See Yabia Omer 7:Orach Chaim 58:5 for more.] Highway 50 and Highway 1. Should these areas be considered part of Jerusalem, to celebrate Purim on the 15th Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach also noted a third of Adar? approach: a “city” includes areas with a shared identity, such as where their municipal services are under one Esther 9:19 informs us that “open” cities celebrate Purim on administration. Thus Ramot, which pays taxes as part of the 14th of Adar. The Talmud (Megilah 2b-3b) explains that Jerusalem and receives city services with it, would be part cities which were walled in the time when the Jews entered of Jerusalem. Therefore, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Israel under Yehoshua celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar, ruled that Ramot should celebrate Purim on the 15th of even if the wall is no longer present.