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 30:11 the Torah writes that "Ki Hamitzvah Hazos" - this commandment that I give you today is not hidden nor distant from you. Rashi explains that the mitzva referred to in the pasuk is the Torah which is not in the heavens, it is on Earth and accessible.
R' Frand quoted the Medrash Rabbah on Netzavim which states that if perhaps someone should think that the Torah was given "L'ra'schem", instead I have given it for you as a good thing. As a proof, look to the angels who wanted the Torah, but I kept it hidden from them and gave it to you.
R' Frand asked two questions on this Medrash. The first question was - why would someone think that the Torah was given as something bad and therefore needed to be told that it was not? The second questions was - why is the fact that the angels wanted it and did not get it, a proof that it was for the good?
R' Frand answered these questions by quoting R' Elya Finkel who in turn quoted the Da'as Zekeinim M'Ba'alei Tosafos, which stated (in usual cryptic form) that the first letters of Mi Ya'aleh Lanu Hashamimah spell out the word Milah. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that people could ask why do we need a Bris Milah and not be born perfect. The answer to the inquiry is that Hashem wants us to know that we can improve ourselves and make ourselves better. The same way that a person is not born perfect in form, so too he can improve himself in other ways.
R' Frand further explained that Milah is like the Torah - the same way that the Milah improves the person, so too does the Torah improve a person and help rid him of negative traits such as jealous, haughtiness, anger and the like.
But a person could have an impression that the only reason that the Torah was given was to eliminate negative traits and therefore given to counteract our evil side - to be L'ra'aschem. The Medrash teaches that the Torah was not only given for this purpose, it was given so that we could improve and grow positively.
This is the proof from the angels. The angels cannot improve, they are what they are. Although they wanted the Torah, it is for our purposes because we can improve and become closer to Hashem.
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1 comment:
Shana tova.
Shlomo Zalman Jessel
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