Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Netzavim - Vayelech

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand began the vort by quoting the Gemara in Chaggigah 5a which states that when R' Yochanan got to the pasuk in Devarim 31:21 וְהָיָ֠ה כִּֽי־תִמְצֶ֨אןָ אֹת֜וֹ רָע֣וֹת רַבּוֹת֘ וְצָרוֹת֒ he would cry out and say - a slave whose master brings this upon him, can he be saved? He is lost!

R' Meir Shapiro in his sefer Imrei Da'as asked - why is that R' Yochanan cried here, but not when he read the Tochacha? 

To answer the question he cited a Gemara in Berachos wherein R' Yochanan says that Yisurin create an atonement for a person. He learns this from the rule of Shen V'Ever - if a master knocks out a tooth or breaks a limb, the servant goes free, how much more so when a person is afflicted on their entire body! But Reish Lakish disagrees, stating that we learn the beneficial effect of Yisurin from salt - just like it has a positive effect on meat, so does Yisurin on the body.

R' Meir Shapiro then noted that when a master knocks out a tooth or breaks a limb, the servant knows where it is coming from. But what bothered R' Yochanan is that וְהָיָ֠ה כִּֽי־תִמְצֶ֨אןָ - the Yisurin appear to the person as something which just "happened." If a person realizes that the Yisurin come from Hashem, then they can create an atonement. But if the event is viewed as happenstance, there is no way that it can create an atonement for him and he is suffering for nothing. 

R' Frand observed that when good things happen, people will say that they saw the Yad Hashem. But people don't have that reaction when negative things occur. 

R' Frand also told a story from R' Tzvi Hersh Meislish which was written in the introduction to the Sefer Shu't Mikadshei Hashem. He writes that he was in the concentration camp on Rosh Hashanah. There were 1400 bochurim who were in a cell block who knew that they were headed to the gas chamber. They asked R' Meislish to blow Shofar for them as they knew that he had a Shofar. And R' Meislish was on the fence about whether he should blow the Shofar as they might catch him and throw him in the gas chambers as well CV'S. When his son heard about the request he begged his father not to blow Shofar, but R' Meislish decided he would blow anyway, even though Halacha would say that a person does not need to put his life in danger for Shofar.

R' Meislish went into the block and he began the introductory Tefillah before blowing Shofar but the Bochurim begged him for a Shmooze. He quoted the pasuk from Tehillim 81:4 תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֜כֶּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ. He explained it as by saying that we don't know why Hashem is doing this to us, it is hidden why this is happening, but we need to continue.

The Bochurim did not want to hear 9 Kolos - they wanted 100 Kolos and he did blow Shofar in full. After he finished, a Bochut got up and said - we can hope for the best, but we need to prepare for the worst - lets not forget to say Shema Yisrael and then they all said it loud and with fervor. And then each Bochur came to him to wish the best for the new year and that he should survive.

R' Frand closed the vort saying that it was a very difficult year and that he still cannot get his head around why this needed to happen on Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah. But we need to know that it is all from Hashem and we need to continue.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Savo

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

Rabbi Frand noted that the Torah tells us in Devarim 28:47 that the curses will come תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עָבַ֨דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל. But why is the lack of Simcha the reason that the curses come? After all, they did keep all the Mitzvos!

Rabbi Frand quoted the Sefer L'Romem which refers to the story of the Egel in Parshas Ki Sissa. The Seforno teaches that although Moshe had been advised by Hashem that the Jews had created and worshipped the Egel, he did not break the Luchos until Shemos 32:19 -  וַיַּ֥רְא אֶת־הָעֵ֖גֶל וּמְחֹלֹ֑ת. The Seforno explains that Moshe only broke the Luchos because he saw that they were dancing and rejoicing. Because its one thing to sin and another to do one with gusto. The Seforno similar teaches on the words in Shemos 32:30  וַיֹּ֤אמֶר משֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אַתֶּ֥ם חֲטָאתֶ֖ם חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֑ה - the great sin was that they made this into a Yom Tov.

R' Frand said if you want to see how committed a person is to religion - look to see if he does the Mitzvos with simcha or if he is just going through the motions.

R' Frand quoted the Arizal who had remarked to his student R' Chaim Vital that the reason he was Zoche was because he did the Mitzvos with Hislahavos - with great enthusiasm.

R' Frand also quoted a story from the Sefer about R' Ya'akov Kaminetsky ZTL who was once at a wedding where he was seated next to a Russian Jew who was not wearing a Kippah. They began speaking and R' Ya'akov asked him about his background. The man said that his father was raised in Russia during the communist era and that he knew nothing about Judaism. The only thing he knew was the pasuk תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עָבַ֨דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל which he recited with a Yiddish accent. How did he know this? Because he was in Bergen Belsen and when he went to chop wood he went with a Jew who refused to shave his beard and who with every chop would repeat the pasuk.

The bearded Jew was no less than the Klausenberger Rebbi who said to himself with each chop that these events were occurring because he did not serve Hashem with simcha. This is the same Klausenberger Rebbi who lost his wife and 11 children in the Holocaust and who afterwards rebuilt his Chassidus and brought back countless Jews, besides rebuilding his own family.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Seitzei

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand noted that the inyan of Ben Tzorer U' Moreh ("BTUM") follows immediately after the Torah's discussion in Devarim 21:16-17 of the rules of inheritance in that the first born takes a double portion of the estate. But is the reason for the juxtaposition of the two topics?

R' Frand quoted the Shem M'Shmuel which states that the first born takes a double portion because he sets the tone for the rest of the children who come afterwards. The way that he acts and behaves influences the rest of the family. R' Frand noted that the wife of the Rosh Yeshiva (R' Ruderman) was the first in her family to get married and before she got married, her father told her - you need to marry a Talmid Chacham, because who you choose will set the standard for the rest of the family. As a result, all the other daughters in her family followed her lead to marry Talmidei Chachamim. 

The lesson is that beginnings are very important - the first born child sets the standard for the family and the beginning of the BTUM's life is indicative of how he will behave, which is why the punishment applies when he shows that he is going down that path.

R' Frand also noted that we behave differently during Aseres Yimei Teshuva, whether or not it will continue throughout the year. R' Frand said that this is why people are makpid to eat Pas Yisrael in Aseres Yimei Teshuva. This is not to trick Hashem, CVS. But it is meant to show that beginnings are important and that we want to start the year on the right foot by being Machmir for Pas Yisrael.

R' Frand then noted that the Gemara in Sanhedrin states that there never was a BTUM and that it is taught so that we can receive reward for learning the subject. But immediately thereafter, R' Yochanan states that he saw a BTUM and and sat on his grave. How is this to be understood?

R' Frand quoted the Chasam Sofer who explains that the Gemara is saying that Beis Din never executed a BTUM, but they did exist. R' Yochanan did see a BTUM who himself was killed when he attempted to rob someone in order to feed his desires. And R' Yochanan said - I saw someone who was like a BTUM and like the Gemara predicted, he was killed when he tried to rob someone.

But what is the meaning of the statement that it was taught so that one can receive reward? Learn from the story what can happen if a kid is corrupted at an early stage because its not going to end well. So if you see this occurring, act accordingly.

R' Frand also said a vort on the mitzva of Shiluach HaKen which has a promise of a dual reward of a good life and a long life. R' Frand noted that mitzva of honoring parents has the same dual reward but in the reverse order. But why?

R' Frand quoted the Shemen HaTov who explains that Shiluach HaKen can apply equally to people of any age. But a kid in his 20s being told that he will have a long life won't be that meaningful as he does not see his own mortality. But being told that he will have a good life does.

Meanwhile the mitzva of Kibbud Av does not really become a major issue until the parents are older. When a person is young, he stands up for a parent and speaks nicely to a parent and respects the parent. But when the parent is older and the child is now older as well, it becomes much more difficult. And at that age when the parent is older, the child also is older and now the promise of long life is much more appealing. At this stage, the child is told, you will receive a long life for honoring your parent and the child anticipates that his children will take care of him as a result.

R' Frand closed his remarks by talking about his father who came to the US in 1939 and then brought his wife, son and his own mother over a year later. R' Frand said that his grandmother lived with them until the late 1950s at which point she needed to go to a nursing home following a stroke. And even though the home was a half hour drive from their house and his grandmother did not recognize her son, R' Frand's father drove every night to see her (other than leil Shabbos).

R' Frand said that he wanted to do the same for his mother, even though she lived in Seattle and she had Parkinson's and could not communicate. R' Frand said that every time that he had a speaking engagement on the West Coast he would go to see her. And even though she could not communicate, he would go to see her and to the best of his ability, he would tell her about his life. R' Frand said that one of the last times that he saw her they sat and watched the US Open, even though his mother thought that golf was stupid and she hated it. Still, they sat and he held his mother's hand and they watched it together to spend some time together, to fulfill his father's legacy.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Shoftim

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Devarim 17:18 the Torah provides the law that a king must write a Sefer Torah, stating וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה. R' Frand quoted the Ibn Ezra who explains that the timing of the writing of the Sefer Torah is when the king first takes his position. 

R' Frand next quoted the Medrash Rabbah on Esther which compares a Jewish king and a gentile king. By Achasveros the Megillah states K'Shivto - because he will not have a legacy. But by a Jewish king it states in Sefer Shoftim - B'Shivto - because he will have an enduring legacy.

But then how does one explain the B'Shivto in our parsha?

R' Frand quoted the Chidushei HaRim who notes that the mitzva of writing the Sefer Torah is at the moment that the king ascends the throne - at a time that he has enthusiasm for becoming king. The king should use this Torah as a resource throughout his reign and constantly learn it and remember the feeling when he became king.

R' Frand said that this message is appropriate at this time of year. There are many weddings and much Torah said about how a Chassan is compared to a king. The Chassanim should remember as they continue through marriage the feeling that they had at the time of marriage and the promises they made to consider their spouse's view and be M'Vater.

R' Frand said that similarly as this is the beginning of the Zman and the students are enthusiastic about the start of learning on the first day - they should carry that forward and remember the energy throughout the year.

R' Frand said a second vort on the concept of Ir Miklat. He noted that Ir Miklat is connected to Elul Chazal use the Roshei Teivos of the pasuk in Mishpatim (Shemos 21:13) - אִנָּ֣ה לְיָד֑וֹ וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י לְךָ֙ as a hint to Elul. But what is the connection between Ir Milat and Elul? And why does someone who kills accidentally get sent to an Ir Miklat?

R' Frand answered the second question first by observing that the killer is sent to an Ir Milat because he was not careful about human life and did not consider what a life would be worth.

R' Frand then quoted the Gemara in Avodah Zara about R' Chanina Ben Tradion and his executioner who asked that if he hastened R' Chanina's death would he go to Olam Haba. After receiving confirmation, the executioner did his act and then jumped in the fire with R' Chanina, following which a Bas Kol said - there are those who achieve Olam Haba in one hour.

The Gemara says after that Rebbi cried when he heard this. But why? Did he feel that he wasted his life in that he could have taken one action and earned Olam Haba? Of course not. Rather he cried because he saw what could be accomplished with even one hour of time.

R' Frand said that this is the lesson for the killer - he is sent to an Ir Miklat and live among the Levi'im - people who devote themselves to honoring and serving Hashem. The killer will see what a proper life is and how it can be lived in the utmost spirituality.

R' Frand also tied this to the concept of Ma'aser Sheni from Parshas Re'eh where the Torah states in Devarim 14:23 - לְמַ֣עַן תִּלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָ֛ה - that the mitzva of going up to Yerushalaim to eat Ma'aser Sheni is so that one cane learn to fear Hashem.

But how does a purely physical mitzva of eating the food that you grew, teach fear of Hashem?

Tosafos in Bava Basra 22 quotes the Sifri which explains that by going to Yerushalaim and staying there until the food is consumed, the person lives among the Kohanim and Levi'im and observes and learns from their sprituality.

R' Frand remarked that certain cities have famous attributes - Detroit is the Motor City. Los Angeles is the entertainment capitol. L'Havdil, Yerushalaim is the spiritual capitol and by staying there, a person will come to have Yiras Shamayim.

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Maggid M'Kelem who told a Mashal about an angel coming to the cemetery and telling the dead they could arise for 1/2 hour. Each person went to do an important Mitzva - to learn Torah or visit the sick or take care of a parent. But no one went to the office. Why? Because having seen the reward in Olam Haba, they knew what was important was doing more mitzvos.

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