The Way of Emunah Collected Thoughts on the Weekly Parshah From Rabbi Meir Isamar Rosenbaum shlita Devarim Rabbi Rosenbaum’s weekly shiurim in Yiddish can be heard over the telephone by calling The Way of Emunah Hotline In The U.S.: 718-298-3717 ext. 1 In Israel: 072-278-6444 ext. 1 In England: 0203-874-6800 ext. 1 To receive this pamphlet every week by email Please send an email to [email protected] And write your name and the email address you would like to the pamphlet to be sent to For comments and questions, please call one of the above phone numbers and leave a message on ext. 9. 2 Parshas Devarim Parshas Devarim Everyone Was Spoken to On Their Own Level Moshe Was Able to Speak to Bnei Yisroel Because He Did Not Speak Egyptian Sefer Devarim Represents Tefillin Shel Yad Moshe Praised The People For Accepting His Rebuke Don’t Criticize Others When You Should Improve Yourself Don’t Publicize The Sins of Others The Importance of Learning Mussar Moshe Appeased The People After Chastising Them Blessings Are Hinted To in The Curses The Sins That Turned Into Merits On Shabbos, We Receive 1,000 Lights One Should Fear Them Like He Would a King One Who Recognizes Hashem With Live With Joy Bais Hametzarim Sinas Chinam Delays The Redemption/Ahavas Yisroel/Love Every Jew Like Yourself/Loving One’s Fellow Jew Leads to Loving Hashem/Many Mitzvos Are Dependent on Loving One’s Fellow Jew/One Can Fulfill This Mitzvah at All Tomes/ What Does Hashem Ask of Us?/The Reason The Yeitzer Hara Fights So Hard Against This Mitzvah/Giving a Poor Man One’s Cow/Do It Yourself, Rather Than Through a Messenger/One Who Fulfills It Will Avoid All Punishment/He is Called Holy/Loving One’s Fellow Jew Brings All Blessings/The Power of Ahavas Yisroel/ Moshe Rabenu Merited All His Greatness Through Ahavas Yisroel Shabbos Chazon To Rejoice on This Shabbos The Yahrzeit of The Chozeh of Lublin Zy”a – 9 Av The Merit of Seeing His Face/The World Crowned Him as The Rebbe/How to Merit Hashem’s Salvation/ One Who Is Shamed And Does Not Response Is Rewarded in Both Worlds/The First Time in the Magid’s Presence/Davening With Trembling/Davening for Gashmius/Not to Rely on Ruach Hakodesh/Hashem Saves When we Are Blessed/Shevet Hamussar From Shomayim/Ein K’Elokeinu/ Send Out Men/He Lowers The Mighty and Raises The Downtrodden/The Terrible Sin of Haughtiness/Unity Helps Our Prayers/Unity Leads to Serenity/His Table Reaches The City of Lelov/The Recital of “Vehu Rachum” The Way of Emunah 3 Parshas Devarim ֵא ֶּלה ַהְּד ָבִרים ֲאשׁ ֶ ר ִּד ֶּבר משׁ ֶ ה ֶאל ָּכל ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ְּב ֵע ֶבר ַהַּיְר ֵּדן ַּב ִּמְד ָּבר וגו’ מוֹ ל ּסוף ֵּבין ָּפ ָארן ּו ֵבין ּת ֶֹפל ְו ָל ָבן ַו ֲח ֵצרֹת ְו ִדי ָז ָהב )א, א(. These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Yisroel on the opposite side of the Yarden in the desert, in the plain opposite the Yam Suf, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Chatzeros and Di Zahav. Everyone Was Spoken to On Rav Velvel answered him, Their Own Level: “It is stated: ‘These are the words that Moshe said to all Sefer Kisvei Rama”m of Yisroel.’ This means that relates that Rav Velvel of Moshe Rabenu said Torah Zbaraz zy”a (son of the Magid that was relevant to ‘all of of Zlotchov zy”a) once spent Yisroel’ – to each individual Shabbos Parshas Devarim on his own level. Only one in the court of the Apta Rav who can speak in this manner zy”a. is permitted to say words of The Apta Rov asked him Torah in public.” to relate words of Torah on Friday night, and he replied, Moshe Was Able to Speak to Bnei Yisroel Because He Did “You should say.” The Not Speak Egyptian same thing occurred both on Shabbos morning and at shalosh seudos. Finally, the The Medrash (Tanchuma 2) Apta Rov asked Rav Velvel, states: Previously Moshe said “Why do you keep saying, (Shemos 4:10): “I am not a ‘You should say”? man of words.” But now it 4 Parshas Devarim says: “These are the words Hashem then told him, “I that Moshe spoke to all of will be in your mouth.” Yisroel.” The Chasam Sofer The Chasam Sofer (in Sefer concludes by saying that this Toras Moshe) notes that this is an important lesson. If one seems to be a contradiction. cannot speak the language Was Moshe Rabenu capable of the gentiles well, he is of speaking or not? fitting to speak to all of Klal He answers by quoting the Yisroel. If a situation should verse (Shemos 6:12) where it arise where he needs to speak is related that when Hashem to non-Jewish ministers or told Moshe to speak to kings, Hashem will be with Pharaoh, Moshe says about him and will help him find the himself that he has “closed right words. But if someone is lips”. The commentators a “man of words” – a person explain this to mean that who is fluent in the gentile’s he was hesitant to speak to language and knows how to Pharaoh because he did not converse with high-ranking speak Egyptian well enough to officers – he is not fitting to converse with a king. He had speak to all of Klal Yisroel fled from Egypt as a young and teach them Torah. child (in Shemos Rabbah 5:2 Moshe was not “a man of it says that he was 12 years words”, and did not speak old when he left Egypt), and the non-Jewish language it had been 70 years since he fluently. He only spoke had spoken Egyptian. Lashon Hakodesh on a regular The Way of Emunah 5 basis. Therefore, he was able Bereishis, Shemos, Vayikroh to speak to all of Klal Yisroel and Bamidbor. and teach them Hashem’s He would add that Sefer Torah. Devarim is called by this name because it contains Sefer Devarim Represents many words of rebuke, which Tefillin Shel Yad are meant to enter our hearts and tie us in a bond with the The Sefas Emes of Ger zy”a Torah and with Hashem. would often say that Sefer This is another reason it is Devarim represents the represented by the Tefillin Tefillin that are placed on the Shel Yad, which we tie tightly hand. near our heart. He explained that in the Tefillin Shel Yad, all four Moshe Praised The People for Accepting His Rebuke: parshios are placed together in one compartment. This is comparable to Devarim, The Kli Yakar asks the where all the parts of the following two questions: Torah are to be found. In the Why is it necessary to stress Tefillin Shel Rosh, the four that Moshe spoke to “all of parshios are placed in four Yisroel”? separate compartments. Rashi explains that the For this reason, it is posuk is listing all the places representative of the first where Klal Yisroel angered four books of the Torah – Hashem. Why would this 6 Parshas Devarim book of the Torah start off by L’Itim (Chelek 2, Drush 1) hinting to all of the people’s explains the posuk in Tehillin: sins? “Hashem, against you are all Sefer Tiferes Shmuel my desires. My sigh is not answers that the posuk is hidden from You.” We tell actually saying a great praise Hashem that it is true that for Klal Yisroel. It is relating we have animalistic urges how Moshe spoke harshly to that are against Him, but the people and listed their our “sighs are not hidden” sins, but everyone accepted – meaning that even when his words. No one rejected the we give in to our urges to act criticism or became angry. against Him, we immediately Instead, they all accepted the sigh in regret and are pained rebuke with love. by what we did. This acceptance of the For this reason, Hashem mussar, proved that everyone told Moshe that because the regretted their sins. They had people accepted his rebuke, only done aveiros because he now must bless them. they were led astray by their This is as Chazal say (Tamid urges, but their true desire 28A): “Whenever there is was always to serve Hashem. rebuke in the world, there is This is a defining trait of peacefulness and blessing Klal Yisroel. Even when they in the world.” Moshe then fall to sin, their true essence is immediately blessed them the desire to follow Hashem’s and said, “Hashem should ways. In this way, Sefer Bina increase you.” The Way of Emunah 7 This is why it says that bima and delivered a fiery Moshe spoke to “all of speech, harshly castigating Yisroel.” He was praising the people of the town for the nation for the fact that their sins. He described in not even one person was detail how the yeitzer hara unwilling to accept the was overpowering them and criticism. Therefore, they all leading them to a bitter end. deserved to be blessed. The Baal Shem tov asked him, “How did you become Don’t Criticize Other When such an expert on the tactics You Should Improve Yourself: of the yeitzer hara? After all, you have never done any Having said this, it is aveiros!” important to add that one The Magid asked, “How do should not accustom himself you know that I have never to delivering a lot of mussar done any aveiros?” and criticism to others before The Baal Shem tov replied, he has perfected himself.