Parshat Shoftim 5772

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 4 Number 25 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Hilchot Teshuva Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Shimon Isaacson Parshat Shoftim begins with the verse, perfect? the Torah, the redemption, and the ultimate “Shoftim v’shotrim titen lecha bechol triumph of akeidat Yitzchak. On the other hand shearecha.” Appoint judges and officers within At the giving of the Torah, a marriage bond it commemorates the tears of Sisra’s mother. all your gates. The Gemara says that courts was created between Hashem and the Jewish The shofar is shaped in a bent and submissive had to be set up in every city in the land of people. The two tablets were the ring. The fashion. It’s meant to awaken us to Israel. Outside of the land, one court in every mountain was the wedding canopy. A relation- repentance. province sufficed. This raises a question. ship was formed that would never be severed. There were six cities of refuge. Three were Any deep connection is only as strong as the The prayers on Rosh Hashana reflect this located in Israel. The other three were outside weakest link. When we stray far from Hashem paradox too. The most intense part of the of the land where only two and a half tribes we create distance. When we come back to Mussaf tefilah is Unetane Tokef. Yet the mood lived. Crime was more common there, so Him the bond is revived. Then Hashem rises is soon transformed from fear to joy. more cities of refuge were needed. Why then up with us. did Hashem command that extra courts be set Rosh Hashana is not really a time of up in Israel? Shouldn’t more courts function Elul is a time of hitchadshut, renewal. Chadash repentance. It’s a day when we crown Hashem where more crime was committed? can mean two things, either something king. We don’t say vidui or selichot because absolutely new or the same physical context we cannot begin the process of teshuva before The land of Israel cannot contain sin. It is the with a fresh plan or vision. Perhaps one could affirming that Hashem is our master. It’s a holiest country in the world and demands a say that the idea of rebirth in Elul is that we frightening and awe inspiring day, but it’s also higher standard. Therefore, there was a need begin getting into the teshuva modality. Maybe a time when we recognize that Hashem loves for more judges and officers in order to we are not ready to destroy everything and and cares for us. maintain that heightened level. rebuild again but we can start step by step. The Navi tells us, “Ivdu et Hashem b’yirah Similarly, Chazal say about the period of Elul, Is Rosh Hashana a holiday of joy or awe? The v’gilu bir’ada.” Serve Hashem with fear and “Dirshu Hashem b’himatzo.” Seek Hashem Shulchan Aruch says one should eat, drink, rejoice in trembling. Rosh Hashana is when we when he is near. The forty days between and rejoice. Yet the Terumat Hadeshen says are meant to feel the pain of how far we’ve Rosh Chodesh Elul and Yom Kippur are a one can fast. The Shulchan Aruch says we can strayed. But at the same time if we can sense time when Hashem is especially close to us. say Tzidkatcha in davening because it’s not a that intimate connection we have to Hashem, There is an elevated level of sanctity and yom tov in the classic sense. The Rama then we feel true joy. therefore any breaches during this period are disagrees and says the custom is not to say it treated more seriously. because it is a yom tov. The Rambam says In Elul we repent from the outside in. On Rosh these are days of joy but not excessive joy. Hashana we repent from the inside out. Elul is We say on Rosh Hashana “Alah Elokim The Gemara says that Hallel is not recited knocking down the building brick by brick. b’teruah.” Hashem ascends with the shofar because the books of life and death are open Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is uprooting blast. The Tur and the Bach explain that before Hashem. the foundation. As we proclaim Hashem king, when Hashem hears the shofar we are we can reach into the depths of our souls and elevated, and it raises Hashem too. How can The shofar too has this dichotomy. On the one emerge transformed. we understand this? Isn’t the Almighty hand it reminds us of the joy of the giving of Insights of the Chassidic Masters: Connecting to the Source Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger Continued on Page 2 Hashem relates to the world in the form of Yisrael. Therefore every Jew must humble Reb Shneur Zalman M’Liadi compares knesset igulim – circles. He is soveiv kol almin. He himself before the point of greatness of his Yisrael to the structure of a person. Although surrounds all worlds and every Jews stands in brother. Even if he hasn’t found it yet he must the legs are at the end and the head is at the that circle equidistant from the center, which is believe that he is a vital part of the circle of highest point, in one respect the legs have an Hashem. Israel. advantage. They hold up the entire body including the head. The head must humble The root of the souls of all the Jewish people If someone loses a thumb or a pinky his whole itself before the feet. If the head leans down to are one. Its inner dimension which is revealed body is affected. Similarly the Jewish people the feet it can be receive from them. In the in the soul of Israel on Rosh Hashana is that are one body that make up knesset Yisrael. fetal position, the fetus makes itself into a every Jew is unique. Each one needs the Losing one Jew throws the entire nation off circle where the head and feet are bound other in order to be accept from him. We are balance. together. Dancing in a circle on Simchat Torah all pieces of the puzzle that make up knesset signifies this unification. Continued on Page 2

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Volume 4 Number 25 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Insights of the Chassidic Masters: Connecting to the Source Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger Continued from Page 1 The Baal Shem Tov taught that the higher the husband and wife humble themselves before The Middle Rebbe writes in his commentary tzaddik the more readily he will lean down to each other is the point where true love can on the siddur that one who doesn’t feel that his listen to the humblest of Jews. In the time of flourish. perfection is dependent on others is in the Mashiach those most elevated will connect to hands of the nefesh habahamit, the animal those who are lowest. Yichud Hashem is When we humble ourselves before others we soul. A person who nullifies himself is when everything becomes one. Just as the become part of the oneness of klal Yisrael and connected to his nefesh Elokit (Divine soul). head cannot be whole without the feet, a Jew Hashem. Then we can merit revelation. When on his own can never reach perfection. the Jews came to Sinai it says, “Vayichan Rosh Hashana is the day of “Vayehi beshurin There’s something missing within him that sham yisrael.” They encamped there. Rashi melech” the coronation of the king. It is then only a fellow Jew can fill. Hashem sets people says, “K’ish echad b’lev echad.” They were like that “behisasef rashei am yachad shivtei up together for this reason. The people you one man with one heart. Only after they were yisrael,” the entire Jewish people gather in a are closest too are the ones meant to help united did they merit to experience matan circle united as one. This is the deeper you fix your flaws. Torah and the revelation of Hashem’s meaning of teshuva on Rosh Hashana. oneness. Teshuva doesn’t just mean repenting for sins. In marriage we see this clearly. One must It’s also returning something to its rightful humble oneself before one’s spouse, not as a Someone who is arrogant slips into the world owner. If a person invests his mind and result of one’s flaws, but as an opportunity for of separation, which belongs to the sitra achra thoughts into something that is not Elokut he perfection. There’s friction in marriage. A (the other side). Anyone who thinks he doesn’t separates his divine soul from his divine spouse may challenge you. Arrogance will need others and imagines that he is perfect in existence. At the end of Yom Kippur at Neilah prevent you from bending. If both the husband his own right separates himself from Hashem we ask Hashem to help us return all that we and wife would recognize that Hashem and the Jewish people and cannot be have stolen. This refers to ourselves. Even custom designed their match to correct their connected to the side of holiness. By humbling while the soul is in the body we yearn to return flaws they would not clash. Rather they would oneself, a person can enter into that mysteri- it to its true source, Knesset Yisrael and be receive from one from the other. The Zohar ous existence of Ein od milvado (there’s none Hashem. says a couple are two halves of a soul. The other than Hashem) and merit hashraat Arizal taught that the moment when a haShechina (Divine Presence).

Self Mastery: Michtav M’Eliyahu – Battling the Yetzer Hara #2 Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen The Chovot Halevovot writes in Shar comfortable life even if that means taking tavlin.” The Torah is like a spice that changes Hayichud that the greatest challenge in life is advantage of others. It’s the voice in our head the texture and taste of food. Torah transforms the struggle with oneself. The evil inclination that says, “You have the right to live any life our perspective on life. The sages say, if the attempts to deceive us at every step of the you want without guilt.” The yetzer hara is so yetzer hara tries to entrap you drag him to the way. He tries to put doubts in our mind. His powerful that Iyov asked that no person should beit medrash. The masters of mussar explain lines are convincing. “Is it really necessary for ever be punished for his sins. Yet if we study that the beit medrash is a place where Torah you to do this mitzvah? The weather is cold. the tactics the evil inclinations uses, we can scholars gravitate. Talmidei chachamim are People won’t appreciate it. Do you think find ways to overcome it. our role models and can teachh us how to deal Hashem cares? Is it really important?” The with the yester hara. yetzer hara causes us to divert our minds and The yetzer hara doesn’t see anything good weakens our emunah. It always finds some about life. It works by getting a person to The Michtav M’Eliyahu tells us that we can new angle to make us stumble. It also makes negate everything Hashem does for him. We destroy the yetzer hara through deveikut us sink into routine and do mitzvot without must learn to cultivate hakarat hatov b’Hashem – attaching ourselves to Hashem. thought or feeling. (gratitude). We must recognize Hashem’s When we become so close to the Almighty it infinite kindness. If we’re happy with the small leaves no room for evil to endure. How can we guard ourselves? We must things, minor inconveniences won’t matter. We recognize that the yetzer hara is false. It must think positive and rejoice in what May the repentant filled weeks of Elul bring us compels us to chase after honor and recogni- Hashem has given us. closer to our true goal of vanquishing our inner tion. It convinces us to flaunt our talents, enemy. wealth and power. It tells us we deserve a Chazal say, “Barati yetzer hara barati Torah