Parshas Netzovim Vayelech
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בס"ד warmest mazal tov wishes to OnegShabbosRabbi Mashiach Kelaty שליט"א and Family on the occasion of North West London’s Weekly Yonatan Moshe's Bar Mitzvah Torah & Opinion Sheets A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone פרשת נצבים-וילך כ"ה אלול תשע"ז 16TH SEPTEMBER 2017 KRIAS HATORAH NITZAVIM: DEVARIM 29:9-30:20 VAYELECH 31:1-30 Shabbos Times LONDON MANCHESTER GATESHEAD For questions on Divrei Torah please contact the Editor in Chief, :PM 7:09 PM 7:08 PM Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn 6:59 הדלקת נרות [email protected] PM 8:15 PM 8:15 PM To receive this via email 8:03 מוצש’’ק please email: [email protected] לעילוי נשמת הש"ץ שלמה בן אברהם משה ז"ל לעילוי נשמת חנה בת אלעזר ע"ה KINDLY SPONSORED Rabbi To Sponsor a Week please email Chaim Parnas Parshas [email protected] The Jerusalem Kolel Nitzavim Cost per week: £500 - which covers production costs לרפואת אריאל יהודה בן יהודית נ"י חיה רוחמה בת אטא תחי' Rav Shalom’s secret A young boy once approached Rav Shalom character flaws and mend all his ways? Furthermore, Shwadron, zt’’l the legendary Maggid of do we not all know from previous experience that Yerushalayim. It was a couple of days before Teshuva is our yearly project that is doomed to failure? Rosh Hashana. The boy looked very nervous, If we had really fulfilled the mitzvah of Teshuvah the and was clearly in distress. “Rebbe”, he asked year before, then how is it that we commit the same Rav Shalom, “How can I possibly fulfill the sins year in and year out? Teshuvah feels like that mitzvah of Teshuvah?, ‘Every year I try my colossal mountain that only the few elite tzaddikim best to fulfill this mitzvah, but by the time manage to conquer. What was Rav Shalom’s secret, Sukkos arrives, I find myself at precisely the and where did he discover it? same spiritual state as I was the year before. Obviously, the first source we should explore in I feel like a complete failure!” At this point, our quest to unravelling Rav Shalom’s secret is in the boy burst into tears. Rav Shalom, who this week’s parsha, which is the only place where was one of the greatest baalei hamussar of the Torah actively commands us to do Teshuvah. the previous generation, looked penetratingly “For this mitzvah that I command you today, is not into the boy’s eyes, and asked “Do you really hidden from you, and it is not far away. It is not in want to fulfill the mitzvah of Teshuvah in the the heavens- that you should have to say- ‘Who will best possible way?”, “Yes!” the boy exclaimed ascend the heavens to bring it down to us and teach without hesitation. “Then I would like you to it to us’’ the Torah continues “And it is not across the think of the smallest kabbalah (resolution) ocean- that you should have to say- ‘Who will cross that you can come up with”, Rabbi Shalom the ocean for us, bring it back to us and teach it to instructed. The boy thought for a minute and us.’’ Incredible! The Torah is not only addressing our nodded, indicating he had thought of such a problem, but at the same time acknowledging our kabbalah. “Now”, continued Rav Shalom, “I reaction. Hashem is telling us ‘Yes, Teshuvah looks want you to cut your kabbalah in half!” The hard- yet it is simple. It feels as if it is in the heavens- boy looked puzzled, but nodded again. “This but no, it is not’. The Torah makes sure to stress this will be your kabbalah for the upcoming year”, to us four times! Rav Shalom assertively concluded, leaving no The Torah goes on to explain how accessible place for doubt. “Ksivah vechasima tovah”. Teshuvah really is and concludes, “For this When I first heard this story, my initial reaction commandment is very close to you, it is with was surprise. ‘Is Teshuvah really that simple? Does your mouth and with your heart that you fulfill Teshuva not mean complete repentance, which would it!” This is unbelievable! The Torah itself when mean that in order to fulfill this commandment, one commanding us to fulfil the mitzvah of Teshuvah, has to gain atonement for all his sins, correct all his cont on page 5 Yerushalayim, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Baltimore, Beit- Shemesh, Birmingham, Borehamwood, Budapest, Cancun, Detroit, Edgware, Elstree, Gateshead, Gibraltar, NOW IN THE Glasgow, Hale, Henderson, Hong Kong, Ilford, Johannesburg, Lakewood, Larnaca, Las Vegas, Leeds, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, FOLLOWING PLACES New York, Oslo, Paris, Petach Tikva, Philadelphia, Pressburg, Radlett, Ruislip, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Southend, Tallinn, Tarzana, Toronto, Uman, Vienna, Zurich Dr Avi Lerner 2 Infertility and Bioethics Researcher, Imperial College London; Scientific Advisor to Rabbonim Parshas Nitzavim SEDRA Ethics of a Nation: SUMMARY Unity and a Shared Thank you to Chabad.org Responsibility he Parshah of Nitzavim includes some of the most fundamental Klal Yisroel is on the brink of a fundamental transformation of Tprinciples of the Jewish faith: The unity of Israel: “You stand today, all identity. Moshe Rabbeinu is almost at the end of his life. The of you, before the L-rd your G-d: your heads, your tribes, your elders, your people are about to cross the Jordan under the new leadership officers, and every Israelite man; your of Yehoshua and enter the Eretz Yisroel for the first time. young ones, your wives, the stranger in your gate; from your wood-hewer to your In one of his final acts, Moshe Rabbeinu wishes became binding on the nation as they entered water-drawer.” to renew the covenant of the people with Hashem Eretz Yisroel. Hashem tells Yehoshua that “Israel The future redemption: Moses warns of before they leave the wilderness. Speaking at the has sinned” (Yehoshua 7:11) not that Achan the exile and desolationof the Land that start of Nitzavim he relates to Klal Yisroel “You are sinned! The entire nation was held responsible will result if Israel abandons G-d’s laws, but then he prophesies that in the end, standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your for the sin of one individual. It was this sin that “You will return to the L-rd your G-d . If G-d, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and caused Klal Yisroel to forfeit the special protection your outcasts shall be at the ends of the your officers, every man of Israel.” (Devarim 29:9). usually provided by Hashem and resulted in their heavens, from there will the L-rd your G-d The commentaries are curious to what exactly defeat at Ai. Furthermore, Achan himself eludes to gather you . and bring you into the Land this newly found shared responsibility. During his which your fathers have possessed.” is the meaning of this Posuk. Interestingly, both confession, he claims to have sinned “and thus Rabbeinu Bechaye in his commentary on the The practicality of Torah: “For the mitzvah and thus” (Yehoshua 7:20). Rashi explains that which I command you this day, it is not Torah and Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain in his Achan had previously pillaged spoils in the time beyond you, nor is it remote from you. It is classical work Shem Mishmuel bring the story of Moshe but it was only now, with the crossing not in heaven . It is not across the sea of the sin of Achan (Sefer Yehoshua) to elucidate . Rather, it is very close to you, in your of the Jordan and entry into Eretz Yisroel that the this Posuk and use it to illustrate different aspects mouth, in your heart, that you may do it.” nation shared culpability. of the transformation of a nation. Freedom of choice: “I have set before you The Shem Mishmuel likewise uses the story life and goodness, and death and evil: Following the miraculous and remarkable of Achan to provide a further perspective on the in that I command you this day to love victory that occurred at Yericho, Yehoshua sent transformation of Klal Yisroel. The initial defeat G-d, to walk in His ways and to keep His men to spy on the town of Ai. The men reported commandments . Life and death I have at Ai was due to the sin of Achan. Once, however, back to Yehoshua saying “… let about two or three set before you, blessing and curse. And Achan was punished, and the consecrated spoils thousand men go up and attack Ai; do not trouble you shall choose life.” destroyed why not attack Ai with the same three all the people, for they are but few.” (Yehoshua thousand men? What fundamental change had he Parshah of Vayelech (“and 7:3). A small force was accordingly sent to occurred to require the entire nation to enter into he went”) recounts the events of conquer the town of Ai and was surprisingly Moses’ last day of earthly life. “I battle against such a small town? The Shem T and overwhelmingly defeated with the loss of am one hundred and twenty years old Mishmuel explains that a central prerequisite for today,” he says to the people, “and I thirty-six men. This defeat was attributed to the military success was the fact that Klal Yisroel can no longer go forth and come in.” He sin of Achan who had pillaged an ingot of gold, fought as an entire unified nation.