Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Netzavim

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 Ba'al Haturim who writes that four pesukim in Tanach begin with the word אַתֶּ֨ם. The first is in Shemos where the Jews are told by Pharaoh in Shemos 5:11 אַתֶּ֗ם לְכ֨וּ קְח֤וּ לָכֶם֙ תֶּ֔בֶן. The second is in Yisro when Hashem tells the Jewish people in Shemos 19:4אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם. The third is the beginning of this week's parsha and the last is in Nach ' "Atem Eydai Neum Hashem."

What is the connection between the four pesukim? R' Frand quoted the Reisha Rav in the Sefer HaDrash V'HaIyun who explains that the use of this word is to demonstrate the travel of the Jews throughout history. We hit rock bottom in Egypt where we were slaves and then were told - find your own straw to make the bricks and still hit the same quota. But the Jews survived and they saw Hashem rescue them. The third pasuk from this week's Parsha - Moshe tells the Jews in a prophetic state - even with all that the Jews have been through - they are still around. R' Frand quoted the Ya'avetz who asks - what is the biggest miracle of the Jews? Its not Krias Yam Suf. Its that with all that the Jews have been through from the destruction of the Batei Mikdash and Galus, to the Inquisition, to the Pogroms and Holocaust and October 7, 2023 - you are still around. Why? Because at the end of days you are the Edus - the proof that Hashem is in control of the world and we are his people.

R' Frand said a second vort related to a Magen Avraham in Hilchos Shofar. He writes that one year the Ba'al Tokeya could not make any sounds from the Shofar. So he turned the Shofar around and said into the wide part the pasuk of Viyhi Noam and then he could blow.

R' Frand quoted the Tolner Rebbi who asks why is the Magen Avraham telling us this? He is an explanation of the Shulchan Aruch and he is generally cryptic. This was partly because he was poor and did not have money for paper and wrote his perush on the walls of his house. Additionally - why this pasuk? And lastly, why did he say it into the wide part of the Shofar?

He answers that the pasuk of Viyhi Noam was said by Moshe when he was trying to lift the Mishkan. He said to Hashem - we have done all we can do. You took a group of slaves and had them do artistic work. But we could not raise the Mishkan. So Hashem made a miracle and did it for the Jews - demonstrating the end of the pasuk וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֖דֵינוּ כּֽוֹנְנָ֣ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּמַֽ֘עֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֜דֵ֗ינוּ כּֽוֹנְנֵֽהוּ, We have done all we can do and Hashem finished the job for us.

And why did he say it into the wide part of the Shofar? Because מִן־הַ֖מֵּצַֽר קָרָ֣אתִי - we cry out to Hashem from the narrow straits and its not working for us, so Hashem help us עָ֜נָ֗נִי בַּמֶּרְחָ֣ב - from the wider part.

R' Frand said that perhaps this is mentioned here because we have been here many times and we have promised or tried to change and we haven't. Is this an exercise in futility? The Magen Avraham is telling us - try your best and maybe Hashem will help you with something you could not do. Maybe this is your year.

R' Frand closed with a story from R' Avraham Ozbant (sp) who is the Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe in Riverdale, NY.  He said that when the yeshiva first opened, the Rav would pay his rebbeim twice a month and often had issues making payroll. Baruch Hashem he had a group of donors who would lend the yeshiva money when needed to make payroll.

But one week all of the donors had legitimate excuses and could not help the yeshiva. The Rabbi was torturing himself and did not have a settled mind in order to learn. The night before the payroll was to be paid, he put his arms up in the air and said to Hashem --this is not my yeshiva, its Yours. I have done all I can to raise the funds to make payroll, now I need Your help.

He returned to the Beis Medrash with a clear mind and began to daven Maariv, knowing that he had done all that he could. After Ma'ariv that night he was approached by a stranger who asked if the Rabbi could speak with him. The man asked to make a donation and wrote a big check.

This is the message - when we have done everything we can do we say to Hashem - we leave it up to you and Hashem comes through.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Ki Savo

As Rabbi Frand had a family wedding he did not give a live Parsha shiur. However, R' Frand did post a pre-recorded Parsha vort on OU Torah. This week's vort can be found at https://outorah.org/p/234820, but I have attempted to reproduce the vort to the best of my ability in this post. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the maggid shiur.

R' Frand noted that at the beginning of the Parsha there is a discussion of the mitzva of Bikkurim, where a person brings his first fruits from the seven special fruits of the land of Israel. After bringing the fruits, the farmer recites the Mikra Bikkurim which we are familiar with as it is dissected in the Maggid portion of Leil HaSeder.

R' Frand quoted the Alshich who observed that the bringing of the Bikkurim was not simply a sacrifice. People would bring their fruits in a parade and they would be greeted by people along the way as they brought up...a basket full of grapes. But why is there such a fancy progression with music and instruments? Why did the elders of each city that was passed through, come out to meet these people?

The Alshich answers by quoting the Medrash which states that Bereishis is called this because Hashem created the world because of: (1) the Jews who are called Reishis; (2) the Torah which is called Reishis and (3) the Bikkurim which are called Reishis. But why specifically Bikkurim? Because Hashem wants us to recognize the good that Hashem has done for us.

R' Frand said that he was recently interviewed about Ner Israel and the Rosh Yeshiva and his impact on R' Frand. R' Frand said that he learned a great deal from the Rosh Yeshiva, but he also learned to be Makir Tov. He said that if you look at Gedolim you will always find a common thread - that they excelled in being Makir Tov.

R' Frand told a story about a bochur who was learning in Torah V'Daas when R' Kaminetsky was the Rosh Yeshiva. This boy would not come to minyan, even when threatened. They approached R' Kaminetsky and asked if they could expel the boy as besides not coming to minyan he was a bad influence. R' Kaminestsky said yes - but before you expel him, send him to me. They told the boy that he was being expelled - but he needed to see R' Kaminetsky.

When the boy came to R' Kaminetsky he was shaking. R' Kaminetsky asked the boy where he was going to sleep. The boy said that he did not know. R' Kaminetsky said "you can sleep in my house." [R' Frand quipped "talk about an upgrade -not going from economy to business, going from the dormitory to the Rosh Yeshiva's house"].

R' Kaminetsky explained that when he was younger he learned in the Kovno Kollel. He told the boy, your grandfather contributed to the Kollel. Now I feel like I am paying him back.

R' Frand told another story about how R' Moshe Feinstein ZTL came to a wedding and gave a check as a wedding gift. When the Chosson opened the envelope he saw that it was a check for $500, which was quite a sum in the 1950s-1960. The Chosson was astounded and went to ask his father if there was a mistake. The father, Chosson and Kallah went to R' Feinstein and asked - was this a mistake? R' Feinstein said - I wish I could have given $5,000. When I was younger I learned by your grandfather R' Pesach Prushkin. I felt such gratitude that I wanted to give a great present, but unfortunately I could not afford more. 

This is HaKaras HaTov, said R' Frand.

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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 began the parsha vort by making reference to the Aishes Yifas Toar ("AFT"). He noted that its hard to comprehend how this was permitted, but noted that Rashi explains that the Torah addressed a person's Yetzer Harah in permitting this.

R' Frand quoted R' Eliyahu Schlesinger in the Sefer Aleh HaDevarim who adds another level of complexity to the question. He notes that the people who went to war were those without sin as we saw in Parshas Shoftim that people who were afraid due to their sins - even if the sin was just speaking between putting on the Tefillin Shel Yad and Tefillin Shel Rosh was enough a reason for a person to be kept back from war. 

R' Frand digressed to mention that the Maskilim in Europe had put on a play about those who qualified to go to war and as a parody suggested that only the Chofetz Chaim and R' Boruch Ber would have been able to go.

But with all this, how does this soldier wind up wanting an AFT?

R' Frand explained that it was due to the environment as war is unlike any other environment. The soldier is a Tzaddik because he grew up in a sheltered environment where everything was holy. He is thrust into war and he cannot cope with what he is exposed to. The Torah recognizes that he may not be prepared for this and takes it into account.

R' Frand said that this can be viewed in today's world as well. A boy begins by going to elementary school and then high school and Yeshiva and he is in an environment that is entirely Torah. But when he goes to war he can wind up in "Corporate America" and an environment which is antithetical to Torah. R' Frand said that when he was growing up people needed to go to college and then to the Olam Shel Sheker and people could not cope with it. But now there are frum businesses and ways to make a Parnassah without being in that environment. Because we see every week that in Corporate America, every week there is a CEO who loses his job because of an improper relationship.

Of course this is not always feasible as becoming a lawyer or a doctor requires schooling and beyond. But R' Frand advises that a person should work in a place with others like him so that they can remind him when he is doing something wrong.

R' Frand also referenced to the Mitzvos in Devarim 23:19 of "לֹֽא־תָבִיא֩ אֶתְנַ֨ן זוֹנָ֜ה וּמְחִ֣יר כֶּ֗לֶב בֵּ֛ית יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ." He quoted the Ramban who explains that it was not uncommon that a זוֹנָ֜ה would want to bring a sacrifice from the ill gotten gains and say - I am bringing this even though I did something wrong. The Ramban says that accepting this sacrifice would encourage her to continue to act this way and relieve her guilt.

R' Frand observed that the worst thing a person can have today is guilt, but guilt is a wonderful emotion. We don't eat until we burst, because Hashem wired us to feel full and stop eating. Hashem also created guilt so that a person feels bad about what was done wrong, as the guilt allows for Charata which is the first step of Teshuva. Meanwhile the זוֹנָ֜ה is trying to avoid feeling guilty and to continue her actions. R' Frand closed the vort by comparing this to people who make a lot of money in illegal ways and they feel bad about it and want to donate to charity. Its wonderful to donate, but if its done to alleviate the guilt and encourage more bad practices, it does not make Hashem happy. This is the lesson to us from a Mitzva which would seem to be applicable in our generation.

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