טומאת העמים

This week's Parsha, ראה , has fifty four laws in it. These laws helped shape Jewish life when they were to enter Eretz Yisrael.

A strong point that is made in the Parsha is that the land is not able to tolerate idol worship. There is a commandment to destroy all forms of עבודה זרה in order to purify the land. However, we are to be careful not to destroy any of our holy places where the name of G-d is upon it. This includes the prohibition to destroy a synagogue.

The של״ה הקודש quotes the Talmud in Chullin 13 that says that Gentiles outside of Israel are not considered idol worshippers. This is because the rest of the world is ruled by negative forces. Chutz L'aretz is defined as טומאת העמים, the impurity of the nations. The Rabbis assigned Chutz L'aretz a degree of טומאה that one needed to purify himself for whenever one left Israel. Because of all of this, idol worship outside of Israel was not such a contradiction.

This also helps us understand why the Rambam felt that it was preferable for a non-Jew to practice Christianity or the Islamic religion, than no religion at all. He no doubt was speaking of חוץ לארץ where the negative forces are present. It was better that they believe in something rather than believe in nothing. And as long as it was חוץ לארץ, it wasn't really עבודה זרה.

All of this kind of makes one wonder why a Jew would choose to live anywhere but Israel.

Few in Number

There are two explanations to Moshe's reminder that we were not chosen for our special role among the nations because of our great numbers. On the contrary, we are very small in numbers.

The של״ה הקודש explains that our low numbers emphasizes the importance of humility. In other words, Hashem does not love us because of our numbers, but because of our humility.

Leaders of the Gentiles like Nimrod, Pharoah, and Nebuchadnezzar, displayed great arrogance.

Our leaders displayed humility. Avraham Avinu said that he was dust and ashes. Moshe and Aharon said, אנחנו מה, what are we? And King David said that he was a worm and not a man.

The second explanation of our small numbers is to teach us that we must remain separate from the other nations. When we maintain our unique character and way of life, we will experience greater blessings than the other nations.

Specialness of Eretz Yisrael

An important point made in last week's Parsha, is the specialness of Eretz Yisrael. The beginning of the Parsha speaks about how Hashem is bringing us to a good land that is lacking nothing. It is the land of the Seven Species where we do not need to eat bread in poverty.

The end of the Parsha also speaks about Israel and says that it is not like Egypt. Rashi says that it is a better land than Egypt. The eyes of Hashem are upon this land from the start of the year to the end of the year.

The intention of Judaism was that we become a nation not a religion. As a nation, we are meant to all live together in our land. The three parts of Judaism are עם ישראל, תורת ישראל, ארץ ישראל, the Torah, the people, and the land.

It is simply not natural for a Jew to be living outside of our land. Rashi even points out that the observance of Mitzvot outside of Israel are for practice, so that we will know what to do when we come home.

We must never minimize the important role that Israel plays for every Jew. And especially today, when every Jew is free to come, the gift of Eretz Yisrael should not be taken for granted.

Fear G-d

The של״ה הקודש makes a connection between Shlomo Hamelech and yesterday's Parsha. At the end of Kohelet, we have the famous Pasuk: סוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלוקים ירא ואת מצוותיו תשמור כי זה כל האדם. That when looking at all of the endeavors and pursuits of man, when all is said and done, we are to fear G-d and keep His commandments. This is all there is to man.

This was Shlomo's conclusion after pondering and trying for himself that which occupies man. In the end, all is vanity and this world is full of injustices. The only thing that is worthwhile is to fear G-d and keep His commandments, for this is all there is to man.

Similarly, in the Parsha, Moshe asks, "What does Hashem want from you, but to fear Him and keep His commandments and walk in His ways.

And for good measure, King David also uses the phrase, ראשית חכמה יראת ה׳, the beginning of wisdom is to fear Hashem.

We learn from Moshe, David, and Shlomo that what grounds us and keeps us focused is that we always remember to fear Hashem as the basis of our lives.

The Enemy from Within

This Shabbat's Haftarah was the second of seven Haftarot of comfort following Tisha B'Av. There is a very strong Pasuk in today's text that is worth remembering.

The Prophet Isaiah tells us מהרסיך ומחריביך ממך יצאו, that the destroyers and damagers of Klal Yisrael will come from within. In other words, historically, our troubles always begin from Jewish traitors who turn us over to the enemy, and help fan the flames of hatred against us.

The של״ה הקודש says that this enemy from within is the Eirav Rav or mixed multitude. He blames Moshe Rabbeinu for accepting these questionable converts during the exodus from Egypt. Hashem was not in favor of letting them in but deferred to Moshe.

The strong lesson here is that it becomes very dangerous when people believe that they are more compassionate than the Torah. Hashem is perfection as are His laws. We need to learn these lessons that have had very serious consequences for us. Shavua Tov

יסורים של אהבה

In this week's Parsha, we have a reference to יסורים, generally translated to mean, "suffering or rebuke. The Torah tells us that just as a father מייסר, rebukes his son, so does Hashem rebuke the Jewish people.

The subject of יסורים is difficult to understand. On the one hand, the Talmud in Brachot says that one who is עוסק בתורה, busies himself with the study of Torah, will not be visited by יסורים. And one who could be involved in Torah study, and chooses not to, will suffer יסורים.

But on the other hand, the Talmud goes on to say that if one examined his actions and cannot see where he sinned, and yet he goes through יסורים, should take on a different perspective. He should recognize that Hashem sends יסורים only on someone He truly loves. It says in Mishlei, כי את אשר יאהב ה׳ יוכיח, that Hashem rebukes the one He loves.

Whatever the case may be, we should view the difficulties that we are presented with as יסורים של אהבה, a rebuking of love." We should try to learn from these difficulties, and trust that Hashem is sending them our way to shape us and bring us closer to Him. Shabbat Shalom

A Little Perspective

Parshat עקב is probably the strongest Parsha in the Torah in terms of outright Mussar, guiding us how to live. There are numerous ideas mentioned that are designed to give us the proper perspective on life.

We must never forget how fragile man really is. All is temporary and we are constantly placed at Hashem's mercy. We must never get carried away with whatever it is that we achieved in our lives because it is Hashem that is נותן חיל, which means that He allowed for the successes to happen. Without Hashem's influence and guidance, we would not be able to accomplish anything.

We are also reminded that we must never feel a sense of entitlement, or in Hebrew we say, מגיע לי. Moshe makes a point that the nation has been rebellious from the day he met them. Whatever we have is only because of Hashem's kindness, and not because we deserve it.

Our holy Rabbis have a saying, אין אדם מורד לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא אלא מתוך שביעה, that man only rebels against G-d when he is filled up. When he feels he has it all, he doesn't need G-d. It is a challenge to always cleave to Hashem in good times as well as bad. But studying the message of עקב helps give us a little perspective.

Truth of Judaism

The Kuzari and its author, Rav Yehuda Halevi do some comparative religion. He brings a Pasuk from last week's Parsha to prove his point.

Moshe Rabbeinu actually tells the people the following: "Has G-d ever attempted to take one nation from the midst of another nation with signs and wonders, as He did in Egypt?"

The Kuzari is saying to look at the origin of each religion and how it began. Judaism began with the witnessing of supernatural miracles as well as the revelation from Hashem Himself. Every Jew of all ages heard G-d speak!

Can any other religion make such a claim of the masses witnessing beyond any doubt, the existence of G-d and His connection to His people. And even more impressive is that the other major religions acknowledge that these events actually occurred.

Moshe is strengthening the people before his death so that they pass this along to every generation. There must be no doubt to the truth and authenticity of the Jewish religion.

Three Precious Gifts

The של״ה הקודש points out that the three gifts that are acquired with יסורים, suffering, are alluded to in פרשת ואתחנן. They are the acquisition of Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam Haba.

The study of Torah is emphasized by the commandment to learn Torah. This is derived by the words, ושננתם לבניך, and teach your children, taken from the Shema. How are we able to teach our children if we don't study ourselves?

Eretz Yisrael is mentioned by the commandment to destroy the seven nations. These seven nations represent the ultimate in impurity. Israel is meant to be a holy land which requires us to remove that which is not holy.

The concept of Olam Haba is hinted at whenever the word "טוב" is used. The real "good" that awaits the righteous is in the next world. This is why the Rabbis mention that one moment in Olam Haba is equal to all of the bliss one might have in his entire life.

These three precious gifts of Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam Haba only come to us by way of hard work and diligence.

Her Son, Not Your Son

It is well known in Jewish law that a child is Jewish if his mother is Jewish. This is known as "matrilineal descent." I will try to explain the basis for this law.

There are two places in the Torah that deal with the subject of matrilineal descent. The first relates to the subject of the Hebrew slave. A Jew can be sold into slavery if he was a thief and was unable to pay for the item he stole. As a form of rehabilitation, the court will assign him a Jewish family to live with and work for over a period of six years.

During those six years, his master may give him a non-Jewish slave to sire children with her. The Torah is very specific in telling us that at the end of six years, when the Hebrew slave goes free, "His (non-Jewish) wife and children belong to the master, and he goes free."

The children are considered her children and not his, and they also have the status of Canaanite slaves. This case is our first proof that the offspring of a Jewish man and non-Jewish woman, follow the mother.

The second proof comes from today's Parsha that discusses the prohibition of intermarriage in Chapter seven of Deuteronomy. This is explained in the Talmud in Tractate Kiddushin 68b.

The Torah is very specific by telling us, "You shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son." The next verse begins with the words, "When your son shall be removed from before Me and he shall worship other gods."

The Talmud explains that this verse is only referring to the case of your daughter marrying a non-Jewish man but not the case of your son marrying a non-Jewish woman. The reason being that the son that comes from such a union is "her son" but not your son.

The belief based on the Talmud is that this tradition taught my Moses himself was that the offspring of the union of a Jewish man with a non-Jewish woman is "her son" and not your son. Hence, that child is not considered Jewish according to Jewish law.

Hopefully, this gives a little better understanding of the origin of matrilineal descent. We must remember that the Jewish people managed to survive through a very harsh exile, due to their strict adherence to the Torah and traditions handed down from generation to generation.

The Tenth Commandment

The Ten Commandments are repeated in this week's Parsha, ואתחנן. There are several differences between the text in פרשת יתרו and in ואתחנן. One such difference concerns the final commandment.

In יתרו, the last commandment ends with the words, לא תחמוד, which we translate to mean, "Thou shall not covet." But in ואתחנן it says, לא תתאוה, which has more of a connotation of lusting after that which our neighbor possesses.

The מכילתא explains this difference in words to teach that לא תתאוה is the first stage of coveting, and it leads to לא תחמוד, where one acts on this high level jealousy.

The לא תחמוד represents obsessing over the other person and actively wishing bad on him. This is also described as a serious רוח רעה, bad spirit that overtakes a person. It could even lead to committing crimes against that person, such as stealing or slandering.

Of all the negative personality traits that one can have, it is probably jealousy. It takes away the possibility of being happy with one's lot and prevents a person from being happy, in general.

We must work on our Midot and remove all jealousy that we possess and learn to truly be happy for other people's success. Shabbat Shalom

Mashiach

The Rambam in Hilchot Melachim discusses the coming of the Mashiach. He is emphatic that nobody really knows for sure what will happen when he comes. We are certain that there is Olam Haba and תחית המתים, the resurrection of the dead.

Some say that all three, Mashiach, Olam Haba, and תחית המתים will all come at the same time. Others, like the Rambam, say that it is a long process that will begin with no שעבוד מלכיות, servitude to other nations. The rest will come over a long period of time.

The Rambam advises that we should support the individual who claims to be the Mashiach. This depends on this person having wonderful character traits and being a great Torah scholar. If he seems that he might have these qualities and he's not a Kohein or Levi, the Rambam tells us to root for him that he is Mashiach.

If he successfully constructs the third Temple, then he is definitely the Mashiach. He will be crowned King of Israel and there will be ingathering of our people. Whatever opinion you follow, know that Mashiach's coming is a great thing for the Jewish people and the world. May he come speedily in our day.

Tisha B'Av

Five things are forbidden on Tisha B'Av: Eating and drinking, washing, anointments, wearing of leather shoes, and marital relations.

Five tragedies occurred on this day: It was decreed that the generation of the desert would not enter Israel and would die in the wilderness. First and second Temples were destroyed. Beitar was captured. Jerusalem was plowed through after the Destruction.

The expulsion of Jews from Spain also took place on the Ninth of Av.

Nevertheless, this day is called, "Moed" and no Tachanun is said. This day will one day become a day of celebration.

We put on Tefillin at Mincha and recite the prayer נחם in שמונה עשרה. We begin to anticipate and prepare ourselves for the Redemption from after midday. We also begin the שבעה דנחמתא, the Seven Weeks of Comfort between Tisha B'Av and Rosh Hashana.

Torah and Tisha B'Av

It is interesting to note that being that Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning, it is forbidden to study Torah on that day. The study of Torah truly gladdens the heart and does bring a person great joy.

For many, they do not totally relate to this idea and the joy of Torah. As it is with anything of value in this world, something of real value is only attained through hard work. The same is true of Torah study. One needs to persevere for years with great diligence, to unlock the specialness and beauty of Torah. When this is accomplished, one understands how learning Torah brings tremendous joy and satisfaction to an individual.

The Mashiach is supposed to be born on Tisha B'Av. The Rabbis describe Messianic times as those where the Tzadikim will wear crowns on their heads and will be absorbed in Torah study. This is the ultimate bliss of this world and the next.

One can now understand why the only Torah study allowed on Tisha B'Av is that which pertains to the sadness of the destruction of our two holy Temples. May the third Temple be built speedily in our day when Tisha B'Av will become a Yom Tov and day of celebration.

The Expulsion from Spain

The sin of the spies took place on Tisha B'Av when the entire nation cried all night after hearing the evil report concerning Eretz Yisrael. Hashem said that because they cried for nothing, בכיה של חינם, this day of Tisha B'Av will be a day of crying for generations, בכיה לדורות.

One such example of a tragic event on this date was the expulsion from Spain in 1492. There was a Jewish presence in Spain for over 1400 years from the time of the destruction of the second Temple. Most are familiar with the term, " the golden age of Spain." However, of the 1400 years the Jews lived in Spain, only 200 years of their stay was really pleasant.

This occurred when the Muslims had overthrown the Christian influence. They were kind to the Jews who helped the Muslims establish their rule. When the Christians again regained power, they were extremely oppressive to the Jews. Those who did not actually convert to Christianity, had to pretend to be Christian, while practicing Judaism in secret.

When the situation became unbearable, 300,000 Jews were expelled on Tisha B'Av, 1492.

Perhaps one of the lessons of this period of the "nine days" is that wherever Jews lived outside of Israel, it always ended in assimilation, expulsion, or extermination. We must never stop giving thanks that we have returned home to Israel.

שבוע שחל בו

Shavua Tov. We have now begun what is known as שבוע שחל בו, the week that Tisha B'Av falls in it. According to the Gemara and according to both Ashkenazi and Sephardic customs, these three days until after the fast (and until midday on Wednesday on a lesser level), we are in the heaviest mourning for the destruction of our two Temples.

We should not be involved in activities where there is היסח הדעת, where we lose our focus on the severity of this period. We need to pray that we get past these last few days without incident.

Some call the month Av until Tisha B'Av and only after the fast they call it מנחם אב, the Av of comfort. We are not to do anything dangerous or risky as it is a very unlucky time.

We certainly should not listen to music or do laundry (except for small children). We do not buy new clothes even if we intend to wear them later (unless we miss out on a great bargain).

In short, these coming days should be focused on contemplation of the great loss we suffered by losing our Temples and going into exile. The Rabbis repeatedly mention that those who mourn for the destruction of the Temple, will merit to see its glory once again.

שבת חזון

This Shabbat is called שבת חזון because the Haftarah begins with the words, חזון ישעיהו, the vision of Yeshayahu. It is read with the sad tune of Eicha and speaks of the rebelliousness of the Jewish people. Even the animal knows its master, but Israel did not know Hashem.

This is the time on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av that we are to reflect on the reasons why both of our Temples were destroyed. The first Temple was destroyed because of the three cardinal sins of idol worship, immorality, and murder. The second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred among Jews.

These first two reasons are well known. But there is a third lesser known reason. The Rabbis say that the main offense of עם ישראל was that עמדו דיניהם על דין ולא לפנים משורת הדין. This means that they acted according to the strict letter of the law and not beyond. As Jews, we are meant to be people of Chessed. We are supposed to be giving far beyond what is expected.

When everyone is a stickler to only do the minimum expectation, such a society cannot exist. These are the lessons of Shabbat Chazon. Shabbat Shalom.

Soul, Body, Property

The של״ה הקודש notes that the three Parshiot of Matot, Masei, and Devarim, always fall during the three weeks. Any period of mourning is meant to be one of introspection. Each of these Parshiot have its own special message.

All of the commandments are meant to help us perfect our souls, our bodies, and our property. This is what we mean when we say in Shema, בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאודך, that refers to loving Hashem with our souls, bodies, and possessions.

Parshat Matot discusses vows as a means of getting closer to G-d spiritually. Masei discusses murder and cities of refuge that imply caring for the physical body. And Devarim discusses caring for one's property by appointing judges who will enforce the laws regarding property disputes.

All of this is a reminder of the עבודת נפש, the soul work that we are each required to work on. We can improve in spiritual matters, physical matters, and how we deal with our possessions.

Aliya and Driving Out Our Enemies

The Mitzva of making Aliya is alluded to at the end of Parshat מסעי and again in Parshat דברים. In מסעי it's written, והורשתם את הארץ, "And you shall inherit the land." And in דברים it's written, עלה רש, "Go up and inherit it.״ The Ramban says that it is a positive commandment to settle in Israel.

The section in מסעי comes with a warning. In במדבר 33:55, it is written,"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those of whom you leave, shall be as pins in your eyes and as thorn-hedges at your sides. And they will harass you upon the land in which you dwell."

Obviously, we cannot say that the Torah is racist, G-d forbid. Nevertheless, the purity of the land must be maintained. Ultimately, only those who achieve גר תושב status by observing the Noachide laws, are permitted to be here. Those who do not will not be allowed to remain. We must remember that the Torah is the epitome of righteousness and perfection. Removing the impurities that defile our land, is the most merciful act one can do.

Defeat the Yeitzer

The Messilat Yesharim makes an interesting analogy between a doctor and the medicine he prescribes and the Yeitzer Hara and its antidote.

If a doctor knows that there is only one medication that can cure his patient, the patient must listen to his doctor. If the patient thinks that he knows better and he takes a different medication, he will certainly hurt himself and might even die.

The same is true of the Yeitzer Hara. Hashem created it in order to test an individual's faith. The Yeitzer is very powerful and is capable of destroying an individual. Hashem created only one antidote to the Yeitzer, and that is the study of Torah. The Talmud tells us  that if we are tempted by the Yeitzer, we are to drag it into the Beit Midrash. Only Torah is capable of neutralizing it. If someone believes that he can choose another means of weakening the Yeitzer by anything other than Torah, he will fail. The New Morality or Liberalism will not succeed in this battle. The only cure is designating definite time periods for the study of Torah. Good advice from the Messilat Yesharim.