YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 1 of 7

In This Issue Shoftim September 9, 2016 Pre-Rosh Hashana Shiurim for Alumni at YNA

Shana Bet Returns...New Picture Gallery!

Quote of the Week

HaRav Nebenzahl on the Parsha -Shoftim

Staff Dvar Torah by Rav Dedications Ben Leybovich Parnas Hayom Plus on 5 Elul, was dedicated by Dr. Hesh The Story Of The Jewish Herschman L'ilui his wife, Aviva Rina bat Harav People by Rav Shai Gerson - Sefer Shoftim Yoel, mother of Simcha Herschman (5773). Dr Herschman and his son made a siyum on Shas Mishnayot at the Tehillim List l'ilui Nishmata. Links yna.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YNA .com

Ask Rav Nebenzahl

Suggestion Box

Alumni Update Form Those who are interested in reserving seats for the tefillot on Rosh Contact Us Hashana and Yom Kippur should please contact the office at [email protected] . RavBeinishGinsburg.com Alumni who plan to stay at the Yeshiva throughout the High SephardiParty.com Holiday and Yom Tov season should likewise contact us at [email protected] . ShabbosYeshiva .com

Reb Zev's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Parsha Riddle

Who am I? Am I a man, to emaciate? Learn from me, to never waste! ~~~ Last week's answer: You should never guess, or just estimate me; I will make you rich, that's a guarantee! Maaser The New Year is Here! YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 2 of 7

Shana Bet is here - see the picture gallery below. Shana Alef will be arriving September 12. The Yeshiva will be learning Mesechet Pesachim

Visitors - Life Events

Visitors

Moshe Gershuni (5761-63) Romy Leibler (5740-41)

Mazal Tov

Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh would like to wish a mazal tov to:

Rav Eli and Iris Zadok (Staff) on the wedding of their son. Rav Dani (Staff) and Naama Bader on the birth of a baby boy. Nate Pava (5772-73) on his engagement to Allison Tawil. Rav Roie and Chaya Tamir on the birth of a baby boy.

Send Us Your Announcements Please, if you have any smachot or chas v'shalom, less happy occasions, let our office know so we can keep everybody updated.

Pre-Rosh Hashana Shiurim for Alumni at YNA

Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh will be holding a evening of Torah, in preparation for the New Year, for Alumni. The event will be on Thursday night September 22 (19 Elul) starting at 8:30 PM. Shiurim will be given by Rav Yitzchok Korn and Rav Amos Luban. There will also be words of inspiration HaRav Bina. Shana Bet Returns New Picture Gallery! YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 3 of 7

Quote of the Week

Today is the third day of Ellul - the yahrzeit of Harav Kook zt"l. I speak of Harav Kook because one of the most beautiful things that he taught us was to emphasize ahavas Yisrael - love for our fellow Jew. The Briskers are known not to fast on any fast days outside of Tisha B'av and Yom Kippur, not because they take a lenient approach to the fasts but because they are machmir on pikuach nefesh. By the same token we should all merit being extra machmir on veahavta lereacha kamocha "you shall love your fellow as yourself". The Sephardim begin their davening every morning with accepting upon themselves to fulfill the positive commandment of ve'ahavta lereacha kamocha.

I pray that we feel the love for every one of our students, as Chazal teach us that a student should be like one's child - whoever does not feel this is not a true Rebbe and the young men are not his talmidim. May Hakadosh Baruch Hu grant S'yata D'Shmaya to our wonderful devoted staff of Rabbanim that they succeed in their sacred task. In this week's parsha we read of the mitzvah of the king holding on to a Sefer Torah, I will not delve on the mitzvah itself - whether he literally held a Sefer Torah or a few psukim - I would like to say that in today's secular, crazy world, with all the technology which create both a positive and negative impact, there is no question that we must keep a reminder in our hand, certainly in our brain and our heart. With this we can truly merit "My words that I have placed in your mouth shall not be withdrawn from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring, from this moment and forever' (Yeshayahu 59:20, said daily in Uva LeZion).

I would like to wish all of you a Shana Tova and a special blessing and I ask all of you to pray for the Yeshiva, the Rabbanim, and the students. Shana Tova. HaRav Nebenzahl on Shoftim

PARSHAT SHOFTIM 5776 THOUGHTS FOR ROSH HASHANA

The parsha opens with the commandment: "judges and officers shall you appoint in all your gates" (Devarim 16:18). Although this mitzvah is given to the nation as a whole and not on the individual level, some have found in this mitzvah an allusion which applies to each of us. We must place protective measures around our own gates - around whatever comes into our beings - that is to protect our eyes, our ears, even our mouth. We must be very careful of what our eyes see, what our ears hear, and regarding our mouth not only what comes into our mouth - the food we eat - but even what comes out from our mouth. It is imperative that we guard our speech to insure that only proper words emanate from our mouths.

We all search for merits so that we can emerge with a positive judgment on Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgment, one area that certainly will put us in good standing is to increase our Torah learning. Chazal teach us that there is nothing as dear as Torah, not even Heavenly objects. The Chafetz Chaim calculated that for every minute of Torah learning, one has the opportunity to fulfill two hundred mitzvoth. We use our mouths all the time perhaps it is time to refrain at certain times from using our mouths for anything other than Torah. Speaking after all plays a major role in Torah.

We find in Chazal (Avot D'R' Natan 3:6) that it is better to attain something with a bit of pain than one hundred times the amount with ease. Perhaps Chazal were referring to learning Torah - better to learn Torah in-depth with all the struggle to understand the Torah on a deeper level rather than to understand only on a superficial level, the reward is that much greater. YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 4 of 7

Twice daily in Kriat Shema we accept upon ourselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, yet there is one day each year which is explicitly devoted to this purpose - Rosh Hashana. This can be compared to the mitzvah of remembering the exodus from Egypt - it is a mitzvah which applies throughout the year, yet there is one night a year when we are commanded to focus our energies on this idea.

In fact, the halacha states that a concluding portion of a bracha may not be comprised of two subjects - for example we conclude the opening bracha of Shmone Esrei with Magen Avraham and not Magen Avraham umoshia. If so, the concluding bracha sanctifying the day of Rosh Hashana both in Kiddush and in the tefillot does not appear to follow this rule - Melech al kol haaretz mekadesh Yisrael veYom haZikaron. Hashem is King over the world and He sanctifies the Jewish nation and the day of Rosh Hashana. How are we able to mention that He is King over the world in the same concluding portion of the bracha as mention his sanctification of the day? The explanation is that we are not speaking here of two subjects - Hashem's Kingship is the essence of the sanctification of the day, thus both parts are in fact speaking of the same subject. This is clear from certain changes we make to brachot of the Shmone Esrei - HaMelech Hakadosh where one who says the usual HaKel Hakadosh must repeat the Shmone Esrei (regarding haMelech Hamishpat in place of Melech ohev tzdaka umishpat, there is a dispute among the authorities whether it is essential given that in either case the idea of Melech is mentioned). Thus we see that the mentioning of Hashem as King is an integral and essential part of the day. On this day we must repeat to ourselves and internalize that He is the Judge over the world, He gives reward and punishment, and there is nothing int his world outside of His will.

Many have the custom on Rosh Hashana to eat food referred to as simanim. We find in some sefarim the idea of "reading" simanim and in some "eating". Why is the idea of eating honey and wishing ourselves a good and sweet year not a violation of the prohibition of sorcery? The Ar"I explains that the idea of the simanim serves to remind us that even when we eat we must never forget that today is the Day of Judgment and that we beseech Him for a "good and sweet year", that we should have more merits, etc.

I would like to suggest that this idea also plays a role in our crowning Hashem as King - we are declaring that He determines whether we will merit a good and sweet year, whether our enemies will cease to exist, and whether we will have more merits. Clearly the idea is not that in the merit of my eathing honey I should have a sweet year, it is a reminder that Hashem is King and He determines our fate.

Rosh Hashana is the first of the ten days of Teshuva, yet interestingly not only is no viduy recited but there is no mention of sin at all. Some omit the opening line of Avinu Malkenu (chatanu lefanecha - we have sinned before You) and even those who do say offer an explanation that it is not a confession rather "even though we have sinned, still is no King other than You which is the following line).

Why on Rosh Hashana do we make no mention of sin while on Yom Kippur we go into great detail? It is said that sin is the wall which separates us from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. How does one break down a wall? One way is to take a sledge hammer and break it brick by brick until there is no wall left, another way is to uproot the foundation below the ground causing it to topple. Rosh Hashana is the latter - on Rosh Hashana we try to uproot the foundation of sin which was a lack of realization that Hashem is King and watches over us and will reward us or punish us. We declare His Kingship and His Uniqueness as a beginning of the teshuva process.

Although it is a Day of Judgment, it is not a day of fasting, on the contrary the pasuk states regarding Rosh Hashana: "go, eat rich foods and drink sweet beverages, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, for today is sacred to our L-rd, do not be sad, the enjoyment of Hashem is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). There are authorities who permit fasting on Rosh Hashana but that does not appear to be the prevalent custom. Our feast is because Hashem is crowned as King, just as a feast is made when a human king assumes the throne: "long live the king". We must rejoice in the crowning of our King to show that we love Him and relate to Him with love.

The letters of the month of Ellul are said to stand for "ani leDodi veDodi li" "I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me." The closer we come to Him, the closer we feel Him to us. The ten days of YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 5 of 7

teshuva are a tremendous chesed He gave us, He is there waiting for us to seek Him out.

We find in the Gemara in the name of Rav Safra that the apostates asked Rav Safra that if Hashem loves you how can it be "You alone did I know from among all the families of the earth, therefore I will hold you to account for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2). Rav Safra answered as follows: if one owes money to two people - one his friend and one his enemy - the friend will allow him to pay off the debt slowly while the enemy will insist on immediate payment (Avoda Zara 4a). Hashem provided us not only with ten days of teshuva but the entire year and our entire lives to return to Him, until a person leaves this world at which point: "there is no authority over the day of death" (Kohelet 8:8). The other nations as well are judged on this day and they too are given time to repent until their last day.

With regards to other Yomim Tovim and times of joy, it is customary to recite Hallel - however regarding Rosh Hashana Chazal state: "the books of life and death are open before Him and you wish to recite song!?" What is the meaning behind "the books of life and death are open"? The simple explanation is , as we say in "unetane tokef" - every year Hashem determines "who shall live and who shall die". Another explanation is that this refers to those who have already left this world. While it is true that once a person leaves this world he no longer has an opportunity to do mitzvoth or sin for that matter, however their books are reopened each year to see if their offspring follow in the ways of Hashem. During the first year it is customary to recite Kaddish, learn Mishnayot, and even serve as Shaliach Tzibbur in their merit, however even after that a person's mitzvoth provide merit to his parents and ancestors. For every mitzvah we keep, we are providing merit to Moshe Rabenu who taught us the Torah. One who leaves behind offspring who are talmidei chachamim, or G-d forbid the opposite, their actions revert back to the previous generations. Thus in this sense their "books are opened" and their situation is reviewed each year. Our actions therefore do have an effect on the judgment of our ancestors.

May all of Klal Yisrael merit a ketiva vachatima tova and may this be a year of salvation for the entire Jewish nation. Amen.

Staff Dvar Torah by Rav Ben Leyovich

Seeds of Hatred

In Masseches Maakos which we learned at the end of last year, the Gemara cites a pasuk found in this week's parsha: "if there will be a man who hates his fellow, and ambushes him and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally and he dies" (Devarim 19:11) - referring to one who did not intend to kill the person, yet he died, thus the perpetrator must flee to a city of refuge.

Rashi notes the seemingly superfluous nature of the pasuk - could the Torah not simply have outlined for us the laws regarding one who murders unintentionally? Why the need for the introduction "if there will be a man who hates his fellow"? Based on this question, Rashi explains, that it was because he violated the prohibition of hating his fellow Jew, in the end it lead to murder. From here we derive, adds Rashi, that one who violates a minor commandment in the end will violate a more severe commandment.

Rav Yerucham, using his deep understanding of human nature, questions this major leap from hating a person to killing him, can it be that simple hatred may lead to murder? Rav Yerucham explains that human nature is built on momentum - small things can easily and inevitably flourish into something bigger and greater, far beyond what a person began with. Thus one who so easily violates "lo tisna", who has such dislike for other people, a part of him will almost inevitably veer towards murder.

During this month of Ellul we must be cognizant of this, we must realize that the roots we plant within ourselves will bear fruit in the immediate as well as the distant future. Now is the time to examine our ways, our actions, or thoughts and do our utmost to uproot these negative seeds that YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 6 of 7

we have planted within ourselves during this past year and rid ourselves of them before they become so deep-rooted that we may pay a heavier toll in the future.

The Story Of The Jewish People by Rav Shai Gerson

The story of the Jewish people as told by Tanach through the eyes of Chazal.

SHOFTIM - CHAPTER XII Part 4

The judge who succeeded Eilon the Zevulonite was Avdon. As was the case with his predessor, there is no mention of Avdon's action but simply his lineage. We are taught: "he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, riding on seventy colts" (Shoftim 12:14). Metzudos points out that this is a sign of prominence, Radak writes that through his great success he was appointed a judge. This is close to what we have suggested above. He was buried in Har Ephraim as we surmised above that this became a sort of center of authority within .

Regarding our discussion above, it appears that Beit Lechemrefers to the one in the portion of Zevulun. Perhaps we can add that if we review the book of Shoftim we will discover that outside of Ehud in Binyamin, most of the events took place in the northern portion of Eretz Yisrael until Shimshon . Kushan Rishataim came from Aram, however the leader who chased him out was Otniel ben Knaz from Yehudah. Eglon fought with Binyamin and Ephraim. Yavin with the tribes of Zevulun and Naftali (the reason for the battle is not clear). It seems that Yehudah is not mentioned at all in the song of analysis, this is unclear why.

Gideon was in the area of Menashe and the other side of the Jordan. The events of Avimenlech were in Shechem, Tolah was from Yissachar and he was located in Har Ephraim. Yair Hagiladei was from Gilead. The people of Ammon and the Plishtim are the first happening in which Yehudah is mentioned, perhaps they were not oppressed and enslave during the period of Kusha Rishatayim. This makes geographic sense because the land of Plishtim is precisely parallel to the region of Yehudah and at one point borders it. Yehudah and Binyamin suddenly are at the center of the battle with the Plishtim even though the first judge who battles the Plishtim is from the tribe of Dan (Shimshon - the next judge we are about to discuss). His failure may be understood according to the Malbim from the fact that Dan never inherited what is known today as Gush Dan - the block of Dan, thus the first struggle against the Plishtim from the side of Dan was unsuccessful. When they turned eastward to Binyamin, Yehudah ceased to be involved with the strife - all this requires further analysis.

Tehillim List

The following members of our extended YNA family need our tefilot:

Chana bat Bina Tzipporah bat Tzirel Fayge bat Baila Eliyahu Haim ben Chana Raizel Alter Mordechai Tzvi ben Eka Bryna Esther Miriam bat Chana Raitza Chana bat Rochel Leah Ora Leah bat Haya Rachel Rivka bat Esther Yitzchak ben Hinda Mazal bat Hanna David Zev ben Perl Yerachmiel Dovid ben Leah Rivka bat Leah Yisroel Aron ben Zisel Avital Yentel bat Reizel Shmuel ben Rachel Chaim Eliezer ben Shira Tzivia Yaakov Eliezer ben Yocheved Leebah Nechama bat Leah Tova Channah bat Baila Rivka Yehoshua Reuven ben Elisheva Keren YNA Newsletter Parshat Shoftim 7 of 7

Yitzchak ben Victoria Moshe ben Miriam Sara Malka bat Chana Leah Chaim Avishalom ben Blanka (the Chalban) Shimon Ben Miriam Hendal Dovid Tzvi ben Feigy Frimit Chaim Dovid ben Deena Shaindel Sarah bat Gittel Ayala Leah bat Rina BatSheva Shifra Devorah bat Golda Yoheved Dov ben Dvorah Esther Adeena Chaya bat Aviva Odelya bat Leah Avraham Kadish ben Eta Leah Shoshanna bat Esther Avraham Gershon Refael ben Tzippa Bracha Avigail bat Rachel Gita Odelya bat Leah Yehuda Eliyahu Chaim ben Rachel Dina

Submit Names to the tehillim list.

Are you visiting Israel? - Let us know ! We'd love to host you for a Shabbat meal, davening, a shiur and would love for you to stop by.

Shabbat Shalom, Rav Bina, Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh