Chazzan Michael Simons Sheet - Parasha Nitzavim-Vayelech 5780

23 Elul 5780

Issue No: 457

‫זכור ושמור בדבור אחד נאמרו‬

‫לקוטי מימיני מיכא'ל‬ [31:12]

‫וילך‬-‫פרשת נצבים‬ ‫ה׳תש׳׳פ‬

‫הַ ְקהֵ ל אֶ ת־הָ עָ ם הָ אֲ נ ִָשׁים וְהַ נּ ִָשׁים וְהַ טַּ ף‬

Assemble the populace, the men, women and children In discussing the mitzvah of Hakhel (the post-shmittah year public gathering for all in the Beis haMikdosh), the Kli Yokor notes that this is intended to bring sholom (tranquility) to Klal Yisroel as a prerequisite for teshuvoh (repentance).

Teshuvoh is always more readily accepted by Hashem when it emanates from a tzibbur (group) whose constituent members live in harmony and achdus (unity) with each other. The most auspicious time for this is at the confluence of the end of shmittah and the festival of Succos. The reason, explains the Kli Yokor, is that human nature is such that the uneven distribution of wealth generates a significant source of friction amongst people. During the shmittah year, this dynamic is greatly ameliorated as no one owns the land and both rich and poor together draw sustenance from the produce of the land, without any lines demarcating ownership. Everything is hefker (ownerless) during the year-long agricultural sabbatical. One then adds to this that on Succos the rich leave their luxurious abodes and together with the poor, every member of Klal Yisroel moves into a temporary hut, levelling the playing field in this otherwise all too competitive area of life. Succos is a time of true achdus - cohesion, complementing the equality engendered through the shmittah period, and is thus a perfect time for a dramatic call to teshuvoh and achdus by the King, the leader of the nation as described in the Hakhel ceremony.

[30:3]

‫ְשׁב ו ְִקבֶּ צְ ָך ִמכָּל־הָ עַ ִמּים‬ ָ ‫ו‬

He will return and He will gather you together from amongst all the nations In the Gemoro in Maseches Sanhedrin [98b], Rebbi Yochanan is quoted as saying, yeisei velo achminei – let Moshiach come but do not let me be alive to see him. Rebbi Yochanan appears to be expressing his willingness to forego the privilege of greeting Moshiach, in order to avoid the need to live through the terrible days of the ikvisa de'Meshicha (the footprints of Moshiach, being the preparatory period in advance of his arrival). This approach seems a little difficult to comprehend. If the ge’ulo (final redemption) would be so close at hand, why should the final phase before the arrival of Moshiach be so significantly worse that the rest of our golus (exile) that Rebbi Yochanan should wish to adopt such an apparently extreme stance? In answer to this conundrum, the Rebbe Reb Yehonoson Eibshitz explains, that when we are accompanied in … page 2 We hope that these Divrei Torah, which are designed especially for use during the seudos, will ‫ בע״ה‬enhance your Shabbos and may they hasten refuos and yeshuos to all in need.

The Levush writes that on Shabbos we can attain higher levels of wisdom as it is a day especially designated for this purpose. Therefore, we should seek ways to increase the amount of Torah that we discuss on this holy day. ‫ גוט שבת‬and ‫כתיבה וחתימה טובה‬ ms

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[29:28]

‫תּוֹרה‬ ָ ַ‫ָל־דּ ְב ֵרי ה‬ ִ ‫לַ עֲשׂוֹת אֶ ת־כּ‬ ‫הַ זּ ֹאת‬

That we must fulfil all the words of this Torah There are many classic explanations of this possuk. An interpretation with real ge'shmack (of particular quality) comes from the sefer P'nei Hador. Chazal, in the Medrash [Devorim Rabbo 6:2], tell us that the Torah reveals the reward for only two mitzvos, one of them major and one of them minor. The mitzvos are kibud ov vo'eim (honouring one's parents) and shiluach haken (sending away the mother bird from the nest before taking her eggs or hatchlings). For both mitzvos, the reward is described in terms of long life [exactly what this refers to is a matter of some debate that need not concern us for the purposes of this vort]. With this background in mind, we can now interpret the whole of possuk 28: "The hidden information the nature of the reward for any mitzvoh - is known only to Hashem, but the revealed ones - the two mitzvos for which reward is explicitly mentioned - are for us - to send away the mother bird - and for our children forever - to respect their parents. Given that the reward is described in comparable terms and the Medrash refers to the mitzvos being one major and one minor, we learn the valuable lesson that we should "fulfil all the words of this Torah" (for we cannot know what the reward is for any mitzvoh). On this last Shabbos of the year, let us take this message to heart in our resolve to seize every mitzvoh opportunity that Hashem graciously places before us.

‫השבת‬-‫ישראל את‬-‫ושמרו בני‬ ‫השבת‬-‫לעשות את‬ Whilst our minds are understandably (or ought to be) focussed on the fast approaching Yomtov of Rosh Hashono, we are in danger of overlooking the fact that there are yet many mitzvoh opportunities available to us this year. Shabbos itself offers a number that we will perform for the final time in 5780.

An eitsah (piece of good advice) once heard in the name of a wise man suggests that before performing each mitzvoh on this last Shabbos of the year, one should remind oneself of that mitzvoh’s special timerelated status in order to elevate one’s kavonoh (concentration) and enhance the overall performance of the mitzvoh. Such qualitatively better mitzvos will surely stand us in good stead when we face the Beis Din shel Ma’aloh (the Heavenly Court) in the coming days.

Mimini Michoel

Continued from page 1

… our exile by the Shechina (the manifestation of Hashem’s divine presence), then we benefit from its special protection. However, as our exile nears its end and the time for us all to return to Eretz Yisroel draws closer, the Shechina will need to leave golus and come to Eretz Yisroel in order to prepare for and facilitate our return. Reb Yehonoson continues that during the waning days of our golus, we will have to endure it on our own without the Shechina’s protective presence and, as a result, endless tragedies will befall us ‫ר''ל‬.

Only then will we appreciate how fortunate we were to have the Shechina by our side. Reb Yehonoson founds his premise about the Shechina being required to return to Eretz Yisroel before us on our possuk in this week’s parsha. Chazal tell us that the word ‫ְשׁב‬ ָ ‫ו‬, which means He will return, is proof that Hashem is with us in the golus. If it were not so, the Torah would have said ve’heishiv, meaning that He (Hashem) will return us. Rav Yehonoson deduces from here that ‫ְשׁב‬ ָ ‫ו‬, first Hashem will return to Eretz Yisroel. Only after the groundwork is laid, ‫ו ְִקבֶּ צְ ָך ִמכָּל־הָ עַ ִמּים‬, then will He gather us together in the Holy Land from amongst all of the nations. On reading this, one cannot avoid observing that we, the Jewish people, have yet again suffered very many tragedies in recent times. Let us galvanise ourselves over the coming Yomim Noro’im and Succos to hasten the end of ikvisa de’Meshicha and the heralding of yemos ha’Moshiach bimheiro be’yomeinu.