Thursday, September 10, 2020

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshios Nitzavim-Vayelech

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parshios 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 his first vort by quoting the Sefer HaDerash V'HaIyun written by the grandfather of Nat Lewin. He focused on a Ba'al HaTurim which observes that there a four pesukim in Tanach which begin with the word אַתֶּ֨ם. The first is in Shemos 5:11, where Pharaoh says to the Jews - אַתֶּ֗ם לְכ֨וּ קְח֤וּ לָכֶם֙ תֶּ֔בֶן מֵֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר תִּמְצָ֑אוּ כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין נִגְרָ֛ע מֵֽעֲבֹֽדַתְכֶ֖ם דָּבָֽר . The Jews are told to go find their own straw to make bricks. 

The second is found in Shemos 19:4 where Hashem tells the Jews at Har Sinai - אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָֽאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָֽאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי - you saw what I did to Egypt.

The third pasuk is the first pasuk of this week's (first) parsha and the fourth is found in Hoshea where Hashem says to the Jews - Atem Eidai - you are My witnesses.

The HaDerash V'HaIyun theorizes that the Jews saw open miracles for a time and then miracles seemed less open. The miracles of Egypt were certainly open, but over time it appeared that miracles were more hidden. However, these four pesukim demonstrate that the miracles remained open. The first two miracles referred were the Egypt miracles. However with the reference to Atem in this week's parsha, Hashem tells the Jews - don't think that the open miracles have ended. The fact that you are still here, the fact that there are still Jews in 2020 is because I have continued to save you when enemies have come against you in each generation. Therefore, you are My witnesses that I continue to do open miracles in this world.

R' Frand quoted R' Chatzkel Levenstein who was the Mashgiach in the Mirrer Yeshiva, who said that the Yeshiva making it to Shanghai was an open miracle, greater than the miracle of Purim. R' Frand told a story about how the students need to travel by boat from Kobe, Japan to Shanghai and that the boat was hardly seaworthy. Yet the boat managed to make many trips to get all the boys over to Shanghai...and then sunk on the way back. 

R' Frand also quoted R' Ya'akov Emden in his introduction to the Siddur, in which he writes that the fact that the Jews have continued until his day was a greater miracle than Yitziat Mitzraim. In every generation there is an enemy that attacks us, yet we are still here.

R' Frand closed the vort by underscoring the Atem Nitzavim - that we are still here, makes us witnesses, or proof to His great miracles.

R' Frand also said a second vort on Rosh Hashanah which I hope to summarize on Motzei Shabbos.

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