Other Deviants

Continuing with the subject of those who lose their share of Olam Haba, there are three others that the Rambam enumerates. They are: מגלה פנים בתורה, the מוסר, and מטילי אימה על הציבור.

The מגלה פנים בתורה refers to one who does עבירות with no shame. He reveals himself as having no reverence for the Torah. He is like King Yehoyakim who similarly did gross acts of disrespect towards Hashem and the Torah.

The מוסר is a traitor. There are two kinds of מוסר. One hands over a Jew to a non-Jewish court to stand trial. (It is not believed he will get a fair trial.) The second type of מוסר hands over Jewish property to non-Jews.

The third group that loses its share of Olam Haba, are the מטילי אימה על הציבור. These are people who misuse their position of authority. They needlessly put fear into the community and it is not לשם שמים. They are only interested in their own honor and glory. These are considered very severe for which תשובה is difficult.

We must constantly work on ourselves to avoid all negative personality traits.

Rodeif- Rape and Murder

There is a Pasuk in כי תצא that needs some interpretation as to what it means. While discussing the subject of rape, the wording is: כי כאשר יקום איש על רעהו ורצחו נפש כן הדבר הזה. The translation would be, "Just as in a case where one gets up and murders his friend, so it is the same in this matter."

This is a perfect example of a need for the Oral Law to make sense as to what it is saying.

The explanation of the Rabbis is that this Pasuk is referring to the דין רודף. When it says that it is the same in this matter, rape, as in the matter of murder, the Torah is telling us that we have the same permission to do anything possible to stop a rape as we are expected to do to stop a murder. That is, even if we have no choice but to kill the atracker in each case, we are allowed and even commanded to do so.

When carefully studying the Torah, we see many questions that our rabbis have dealt with and explained.

Truth

Another observation made by the של״ה הקודש in connection with the Parsha is the importance of telling the truth. He says that Hashem hates שקר and all types of falsehood.

There are laws related to proper weights and measures as an example of honesty. The returning of a lost article also involves the integrity to do the right thing. The same could be said regarding the taking of interest.

There are laws in the Parsha dealing with not lying about the integrity of one's new wife and bringing a bad name on her. And there are rules about fulfilling one's vows.

The Torah explicitly says מוצא שפתיך תשמור, that one must guard his lips.

It is fitting that the Parsha ends with עמלק who are the epitome of falsehood.

Shlomo Hamelech once said that he would rather forego all of his wealth than say a word of falsehood. And the Rambam says that a false oath, even though it does not carry with it כרת or a death penalty, is considered a severe violation.

In short, we must take great care to always be truthful.

Shatnez

Shavua Tov. Among the numerous laws mentioned in today's Parsha, is the law of Shatnez, forbidding a mixture of wool and linen.

This Mitzva is known as a חוק, one that we are not meant to understand its reason. &&Some say that separating wool and linen is learned from Cain and Abel. Cain, representing the linen as he was a farmer, and Abel, the wool, as he handled the sheep. This is an answer but not really that clear.

The של״ה הקודש gives an interesting answer by scrambling the letters of the word, שעטנז. He says that the same five letters of the word שעטנז, spells, "שטן עז", which means that Satan is strong when one wears Shatnez.

So be careful to check your suits for this forbidden mixture. For although we don't truly understand its reasons, its ramifications could be serious.

And, our group has a licensed Shatnez checker among its members. How convenient!

כי תצא

This week's Parsha, כי תצא, has more laws than any Parsha in the Torah. The של״ה הקודש says that of these seventy three laws, they all fall into two basic categories. One is the holiness of the body and the other has to do with handling money.

The של״ה הקודש notes that the word מטבע can have two meanings. One meaning is that we come "from nature." And the other is "coin" or "money". Man's nature is to pursue money in order to earn a livelihood. However, he direct this desire to act in a lofty way.

We are not allowed to take interest in our business transactions. We must be careful with proper weights and measures. We must not oppress our borrowers by taking away their livelihood as a pledge. We allow workers and beasts to eat on the job. Our need for money must not come with hurting others.

The holiness of the body is learned when our Parsha not only tells us about marriage, but it also tells us that a husband must be close and not leave his wife during the first year of marriage. This holiness forbids an עמוני and מואבי convert from marrying a Jewish girl. Prostitution is frowned upon as it brings forces of impurity into the world. Even during war, the camp must be kept holy by having a special area for the soldiers to relieve themselves. We protect the body by building a fence on our roofs so that nobody will get hurt.

There are more examples of handling money in a holy manner and protecting the holiness of the body. This Parsha is focused on the two in order to teach us valuable lessons. Shabbat Shalom

Other Losers

The Rambam continues to speak of others that lose their share of עולם הבא. They are known as מומר, מחטיאי הרבים, and פורש מדרכי צבור.

The מומר is one who violates either the entire Torah or one particular Mitzva with no shame. He does this in a brazen way and does this with the intention of making a mockery and angering those around him.

The מחטיאי הרבים, are those that cause others to sin. They incite people to violate the Torah by trying to convince them of the irrelevance of its laws. This applies even if we were speaking of a more trivial law like Shatnez, or a more serious violation such as idol worship. Either way, he is dangerous.

One who is פורש מדרכי ציבור is one who separates himself from the community. He may not even violate the Torah but does not observe the commandments together with them. If a public fast is declared, for example, he will not fast together with the rest of the community. This is considered serious enough to cause such a person to lose his share of the next world.

אפיקורס, מין, כופר

On a more optimistic note, the Rambam mentions that even רשעים who have more sins than Mitzvot, still have a share in the world to come. He also says that חסידי אומות העולם, righteous Gentiles, have a share in עולם הבא.

However, says the Rambam in chapter three of הלכות תשובה, that there are certain individuals who will not have a share of the next world, because their level of evil is absolutely intolerable.

He lists about twelve categories of such despicable human beings. I will describe them in the coming days.

The top three are מינים, אפיקורסים, and כופרים.

The מינים are deniers in the existence of G-d. Or they believe that G-d does not supervise the world or that there is more than one G-d. Or, he may believe that G-d has a physical form, or he may worship the stars as an intermediary. All of these are מין.

The אפיקורס does not believe that Hashem communicates with man, and does not believe in prophecy. He does not accept the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu. And he does not believe that Hashem knows the thoughts and actions of man. This is an אפיקורס.

The כופרים are deniers. The כופר בתורה does not accept that the Torah is from Hashem. Even if he denies one word of the Torah is not from Hashem, he is a כופר. If he says that Moshe made things up and they were not from Hashem, he is also a כופר.

We begin to see why these individuals have a different status than everyone else. More tomorrow, G-d willing.

Always Room for Teshuva

The Rambam in Hilchot Teshuva talks about what a true Baal Teshuva is. He describes this as someone who stumbles by sinning, and he sincerely regrets his indiscretion. He becomes a true Baal Teshuva when confronted with the same sin, but this time refrains.

The Rambam also refers to a strange Gemara in מסכת שבת that talks about different physical signs of aging that ultimately ends with a person's death. There are signs of such aging in one's forehead and in his eyes. It also can be seen in one's jaw that all show deterioration.

While all of this is painfully morbid, the Rambam does this in order to make a point. As long as there is still a breath of life in an individual, as long as he acknowledges Hashem as the Creator, and he shows genuine remorse for his sins, he will be saved and granted a share in the next world.

We must never despair. There is always room for Teshuva!

Elul

Now that the month of Elul has begun and we blow the Shofar each morning, and add the prayer, לדוד ה׳ אורי, it is time to begin reflecting on the task ahead. We are to feel grateful to Hashem that He gives us the opportunity to start over again by doing Teshuva.

Sometimes it seems redundant that time passes so quickly and the Chagim are already upon us. Nevertheless, the seriousness and intensity of what lies ahead, should not be taken lightly.

The real issue is that we must never take anything for granted and that all that we have is because of Hashem's kindness. His חשבונות and calculations are far beyond our comprehension. The more we rely on Hashem, the more we feel His closeness and protection.

If Rosh Hashana is called the יום הדין, it's because every creation is being judged and his fate is being decided at this time of year. I thought it worthwhile that we begin to have the mindset necessary for this coming season. May we all be written and inscribed for a healthy and happy new year as we do sincere Teshuva.

Follow the Rabbis

Shavua Tov. An important theme of today's Parsha is the role of the Rabbis in each generation. We have the words, על פי התורה אשר יורוך, according to the Torah that they will teach you, is the Torah source that we must follow the teachings of the Rabbis.

We also learn that the Rabbis have permission to protect the laws of the Torah by creating safeguards and decrees as they see is necessary.

It is also important to see how Semicha, or rabbinic ordination, played an important role over the generations. When a Torah scholar was given Semicha, he was charged with spreading Torah and making sure that the general community would not stray from the path of Torah. Each place where Jews were exiled, created different challenges. The ordained rabbis had to know how to apply it to his community.

There is a wealth of information found in Jewish Responsa, as it gives us a glimpse into what those challenges were, and the wisdom of rabbinic

leaders in coping with those challenges.

While it's true that sometimes rabbis can get too extreme or lenient in how they carry out their task. But we are commanded to respect and listen to our rabbis and seek their guidance. The source is from today's Parsha.

The Jewish King

This week's Parsha, Shoftim, discusses the laws related to a king. The king must not have too many horses or wives, and he must have a Seifer Torah with him at all times.

The של״ה הקודש asks why Shmuel was so upset with the people of his generation for asking for a king. The Torah gives us the laws relating to a king. And the Rambam says that we are obligated to destroy Amalek, build the Beit Hamikdash, and appoint a king when we enter Eretz Yisrael.

The answer was in the manner how they asked for a king. The people asked, שימה עלינו מלך, place a king over us. The key word being עלינו, "on us." In reality, Hashem is supposed to be עלינו, and the king is certainly not meant to upstage Hashem.

The commandment regarding judges and policemen, uses the words, תתן לך בכל שעריך, you shall place them in your gates. It does not say עלינו here. The של״ה הקודש says that the עלינו meant that they would use the king as a means to worship Avoda Zara. This is why Shmuel was angry with the king request. They wanted the king for the wrong reason.

Every request we make of Hashem should be one designed to bring us closer and not more distant from Him. Shabbat Shalom

True Justice

We often minimize the importance of having a סנהדרין that was also known as בית דין הגדול, or the great court. The Rambam wrote that when the בית דין הגדול was in operation, there was no מחלוקת, or controversy in Israel.

If a lower court in one of the cities had a dispute and the judges were unable to come up with a decisive answer, they would contact the high court in Jerusalem. Since this court consisted of the most righteous judges, they would always give a satisfactory answer that settled the argument.

The knowledge that there was true justice in the world, gave the general population great peace of mind.

When the Sanhedrin disbanded in the year 358, מחלוקת became rampant among the Jewish people. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes and there was no peace and harmony.

We see from this how essential it is to have judges and courts that execute true justice.

When we pray in שמונה עשרה, the words, השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה, return our judges as of old, we should say these words with greater Kavanah.

Honesty

A complaint that I often hear is that it is difficult to comprehend how Jews can be so unethical when it comes to money matters. It is particularly painful when the dishonest Jew in question is supposedly religious.

It's a horrible feeling to be cheated when the cheater seems to have no conscious when it comes to keeping his word or being honest. We shake our heads in disbelief and wonder how it is possible for another Jew to act in such a deplorable manner.

I have always felt that everything comes down to a lack of יראת שמים, fear of Heaven. If one truly fears G-d and understands that he is accountable for his  actions, he would not dare harm another person in any way at all. This is the real test of one's level of religiosity. Does he have Yirat Shamayim or not?

The Talmud in Brachot 6b, speaks of the merits of the G-d fearing Jew. One who has fear of G-d will have his words heard by his peers. Rabbi Elazar said that the whole world was created for the G-d fearing Jew.

Maybe the Gemara is telling us that the world can only retain its sense of sanity and goodness without the G-d fearing. Without them, the world would be left with dishonest thieves.

First Born Animal

The idea of בכור regarding animals, still applies today. The Torah tells us that ALL first borns are sanctified to Hashem-including animals. This means that one who raises cattle is supposed to be aware of when the females give birth to their first offspring.

If this offspring is a male, it has immediate Kedusha. The Torah forbids us to work that animal or to use it's shearing for any purpose as it is tampering with Hekdesh.

The sanctity of this first born animal ends when the animal gets a blemish. After this, the animal loses its sanctity and can be used for any purpose and can be eaten.

Israeli farmers are aware of this law and have come up with two solutions. One, is to take the animal to pasture and wait for it to develop a  מום, blemish. The second solution is to sell the fetus to a non-Jew, usually a Druze. The Druze technically owns the animal and after birth the animal is bought back by the Jew. This is similar to selling Chametz on Pesach.

It is very interesting to see these ancient laws come back in our time, as Jews return to their ancestral homeland.

The Meisit

Yesterday's Parsha discusses the subject of the מסית. He is one incites people to worship idols or to turn away from observing the Mitzvot.

The Meisit is a very dangerous individual and we are to come down very hard on him. We are not to cover up for him and we are to find the toughest and meanest judges. Judges who fit this description are either grumpy old men or childless judges. If found guilty of such incitement, they are put to death by the court.

On a radio program this past Friday, the rabbi spoke of the מסיתים of today. He said that so much care must be taken to put our children in the best possible environment. Otherwise, the numerous מסיתים that are in the world today, might incite innocent souls and take them away from Torah. Unfortunately, there are numerous choices that young people have that appear to be more exciting than Torah Judaism. Again, the Torah which is for all ages, gives us fair warning about giving proper guidance to our children.

Eating Meat

Shavua Tov. Until now, I thought that there was something admirable about refraining from eating meat. This sentiment was felt because of the wording of the Torah, כי תאוה נפשך לאכול בשר, when your heart desires to eat meat.

Meat that was not eaten as part of a sacrifice was referred to as בשר תאוה, which could also be translated as "meat of lust." This implied that the Torah was allowing us to meat if we have a "desire" to eat meat, that could be interpreted to mean that those who do not desire meat are on a high level.

Then I came across the commentary of the של״ה הקודש. Clearly, putting non-Kosher meat or food into our holy bodies is מטמטם את הלב, confuses the heart. However, when one meticulously observes the laws of שחיטה, ritual slaughter, is raising the level of the animal soul to its own high level of purity.

This implies that eating meat according to Halacha with the intention of strengthening our bodies to better serve Hashem, becomes an act of Kedusha that allows Hashem to dwell among us.

There is merit in being a vegetarian, but meat lovers need not feel inferior if they eat their meat with the right Kavana.

Charity

The Mitzva of giving Tzedaka is learned from פרשת ראה. It comes from the words פתוח תפתח, that we shall surely open our hands to the poor.

The של״ה הקודש says that if we did not help the poor, they would have no choice but to resort to stealing. The idea of forgiving debts in the Sabbatical year is also a form of charity and is also mentioned in the Parsha. It is also derived from the wording of the Torah that really everything belongs to Hashem, and by giving charity we are giving back what is His.

The Rabbis say that צדקה תציל ממות, that charity saves from death. Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל used to say that if Tzedaka saves a person from death, it also saves him from the IRS and from jail, and certainly from sickness.

Hashem wants to see generosity on our part. The number of times that we open our hands to the poor, so will Hashem open His hand to us. We must never minimize the importance of this Mitzva. Shabbat Shalom

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.