The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 began the shiur by quoting the Gemara in Taanis 21a which discusses Nachum Ish Gam Zu, who was R' Akiva's teacher. He got his name because whenever something happened he said Gam Zu L'Tova - this also will be for good. They once sent him to the Caesar with a present on behalf of the Jews - a chest full of pearls and jewels. He stopped at an inn and overnight the inn keepers took the jewels from the chest and filled it with dirt. When he got to the Caesar he opened the chest and saw that it was full of dirt. His advisors said to him - the Jews are making fun of you! But then Eliyahu HaNavi appeared as a member of the court and said to the Caesar - maybe this is the dirt that Avraham used in battle and it turned to arrows. The Caesar had a particularly troublesome country that he could not conquer, and they used the dirt and it turned to arrows and spears and the country was captured.
The Caesar was so happy that he filled the chest with jewels and precious stones. He stopped in at the same inn on the way back and the inn keeper asked him what happened? He said that I gave the Caesar the chest and he was appreciative. The inn keeper and his family took more of their dirt to the Caesar and told him that it was the same magic dirt. When the dirt turned out to not possess the same powers, the Caesar killed the inn keeper and his family.
R' Frand then quoted R' Bukspan who had sent him a vort from the Ostrovsker Rebbi. He asked, why did Hashem decide that the dirt should become arrows and spears? He answered that this is Middah K'Neged Middah. People naturally attribute their successes to their own powers and talents. It is a test, as people are essentially dirt- its what we are made of and where everyone will go one day. People are constantly tested that they should not think that their successes are their own - when it all comes from Hashem. Since Avraham realized that all successes are because of Hashem and he believed and practiced it, Hashem used dirt to give him the success. He believed in Hashem and Hashem can turn dirt into a weapon.
The Rebbi said - this is why Nachum Ish Gam Zu got the same reward. A person who constantly says that this also good because its all from Hashem, recognizes that he has no independent powers and that it all comes from Hashem.
R' Frand then connected this with another gemara - Chullin 7b. The gemara says Ein Od Milvado - without Hashem we are powerless, we can't even take a breath. The gemara quoted R' Chanina who says that even Kishafim - black magic, cannot overcome Hashem. The gemara then told a story about a woman who wanted dirt from under his steps so that she could use it for black magic against him. He told her - go ahead! Ein Od Milvado, there is no power beyond Hashem.
The gemara then asked - R' Yochanan says that the reason its called Kishafim is because it has power and makes C'Vyachol the Heavenly Court weak. But the gemara responds, it is powerless against R' Chanina.
R' Frand quoted the Nefesh HaChaim which states that Hashem gave power to Kishafim in earlier times. But that power does not supersede Hashem's. When the gemara says that the Kishafim was powerless against R' Chanina, it was not because he was a great lamdan and knew so much Torah. Its because he fervently believed with all his being that there is no greater power than Hashem.
R' Frand also quoted a gemara in Berachos which discussed a city with a dangerous snake which killed many people. They told R' Chanina about it and he asked he see where the den was. He then went to the entrance to the snake's lair and put his foot over it and when the snake tried to get out and bit R' Chanina, the snake died. Because when a person has such strong belief in Hashem, the snake could not hurt him. (R. Frand then cautioned - don't try this at home!).
R' Frand told a story about the Brisker Rav who was escaping from Europe with his sons and they came to a checkpoint with a Nazi solider who was checking papers. He told his sons - just concentrate on Ein Od Milvado and nothing can happen and they made it through.
R' Frand mentioned a story he heard on the radio about a Yale professor who had written a book on the permanent changes which he believes will result from the COVID times. One observation he made is that people have become more religious, which R' Frand tied to the expression - there are no atheists in a foxhole. Will this be permanent? Probably not, but even if the secular world is increasing their belief in Hashem because of what is going on, we should as well. Because even the doctors don't have answers about COVID and this is Hashem's way of telling us that He is in control.
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