Transcript
Okay, good afternoon. Welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. First of all, thank you all for your flexibility. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, I was traveling for a שמחה simcha, for שמחות simchas, so I'm grateful that we're able to learn together this afternoon. I want to thank, as always, our generous sponsors of the series for the year, Becky and Avi Katz and family, in memory of David Grossman, לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מנוש l'iluy nishmas David ben Menachem Manush. We also have the privilege this afternoon of David Grossman, זכרונו לברכה zichrono l'vracha's son, Rabbi Seth Grossman, my dear friend, who is here live, in person, able to come this afternoon. Always great to see you and welcome, and honor that you are here for the shiur. Today's shiur is also sponsored by Aaron and Aviva Pressman in honor of the wedding of his daughter, רחלה Rachala, to לוי פורטנוי Levi Portnoy, בעזרת השם b'ezras Hashem, tonight in Passaic, New Jersey. מזל טוב Mazel tov. She have a lot of שמחה simcha and ברכה bracha and build a בית נאמן בישראל bayis ne'eman b'Yisrael. Also, today is the יארצייט yahrzeit of the mother of all ישיבות yeshivas, Jenny Miller Fagan, פעסא בת ר' ישראל Pesa bas Reb Yisrael. If you read the incredible article in Mishpacha Magazine, I think it was last year, פסח Pesach, that Dovi Safier uncovered about this incredible philanthropist, this woman, the mother of all yeshivas. So, her יארצייט yahrzeit, 55th יארצייט yahrzeit is today and our learning should be לעילוי נשמתה l'iluy nishmasa as well. So after a break, a well-deserved and earned break, I might add, it's good to be back. I mean for you, for you, not for me, I was ready to go, but for you, it's great to be back and to learn פרשת כי תבוא Parshas Ki Savo together. The Artscroll Chumash, page 1,068, 1068. והיה כי תבוא אל הארץ אשר ה' אלקיך נותן לך נחלה וירשתה וישבתה בה Vehaya ki savo el ha'aretz asher Hashem Elokecha nosein lecha nachala virishta v'yashavta bah. These פרשיות parshios are packed. There's so much to get into, so many lessons to extract and draw, so many perspectives for today. We'll see as far as we can get. But the parsha begins, כי תבוא אל הארץ Ki Savo el ha'aretz, when you enter the land that Hashem has given you to inherit and to settle, ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך אשר ה' אלקיך נותן לך ושמת בטנא ulakachta mereishis kol pri ha'adama asher tavi me'artzecha asher Hashem Elokecha nosein lach v'samta bateneh, והלכת אל המקום אשר יבחר ה' אלקיך לשכן שמו שם v'halachta el hamakom asher yivchar Hashem Elokecha l'shakein shmo sham. We have the מצוה mitzvah of ביכורים bikkurim. When you settle the land, work the land, there is no Publix, there is no Winn-Dixie, there is no kosher market, there is no Aroma, there is no Amazon to order and deliver to your doorstep. You'd have to farm. An agricultural society, when you come and you settle and you conquer the land, you set up an agricultural society. And the mitzvah that we're given upon entering the land is the mitzvah of ביכורים bikkurim. That first fruit, after investing and toiling and working, after watering and nourishing and harvesting, that first fruit, you tie a ribbon around it, you identify it, you set it aside. It's brought to Yerushalayim with incredible pomp and circumstance. And there's a party, there's an offering to Hashem, that ביכורים bikkurim, that first fruit is given to him. Where? Torah never tells us. It's kind of curious. We've discussed this in the past. Torah only identifies אל המקום אשר יבחר ה' אלקיך לשכן שמו שם al hamakom asher yivchar Hashem Elokecha l'shakein shmo sham. Throughout the Torah, it's an enigma. It's a mystery. This holy sacred place, this capital of spirituality, the place of divine dwelling, is a mystery. It's an enigma. It's never given to us the coordinates, the address, exactly where to go. We're meant to be מבקשים m'vakshim. You have to search and you have to yearn and you have to follow your spiritual antenna and intuition, and you have to go search and you have to go find. It's only identified as אל המקום el hamakom, the place that God has chosen. Where? It's up to you. Go figure out. Go begin that process. Go uncover. And what do you bring? You bring there the ביכורים bikkurim, that first fruit. ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם Uvasa el hakohen asher yiheyeh bayamim haheim. You bring it to the kohen of the time, and you say, הגדתי היום לה' אלקיך כי באתי אל הארץ higadti hayom laHashem Elokecha ki vasi el ha'aretz. I know I'm reading quickly, I'm always admonished, slow down. But we've got a lot to say. So, if you're here in person, you don't have the luxury. If you're listening later, you can make it half speed, quarter speed, listen whatever speed you want. If you're in person, you can't slow me down, sorry. So, bring it to the kohen in that time and tell him, כי באתי אל הארץ אשר נשבע ה' לאבותינו לתת לנו ki vasi el ha'aretz asher nishba Hashem la'avoseinu lases lanu. I've come to the land that God promised. ולקח הכהן הטנא מידך V'lakach hakohen hateneh miyadecha. The kohen receives this basket, this first fruit, and he puts it before the מזבח mizbeach. וענית ואמרת V'anisa v'amarta. And now there's a מקרא ביכורים mikra bikkurim. Now there is a ritual, a recitation. Now there's something that's said. What is it? Now we review Jewish history. ארמי אובד אבי Arami oved avi. We're all familiar with this passage, not only from our parsha Ki Savo. Where do you know it and where do you recite it? Of course, at the Seder, the הגדה Haggadah. And there, everyone comes with their fancy גימטריאות gematrias and דברי תורה divrei Torah and ווארטלך vartlach and הגדות haggadas. So, we know it well. ארמי אובד אבי Arami oved avi, my forefather was an Arami who wanted to destroy my forefather. וירד מצרימה Vayered Mitzraima, I went down to Mitzraim and I lived there, ושם לגוי גדול v'sham l'goy gadol. It's there that we proliferated, promulgated, there we became a great nation. וירעו אותנו המצרים Vayareiu osanu haMitzrim, the Mitzrim wanted, they treated us very poorly, very harshly. They wanted to eliminate, they wanted to exterminate us. ויתנו עלינו עבודה קשה Vayitnu aleinu avodah kashah, they gave us great work, but ונצעק אל ה' vanitzak el Hashem, we cried out to God and Hashem heard our cries and he took us out with an outstretched hand, and he brought us אל המקום הזה el hamakom hazeh, to this place. And he's promised us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, ארץ זבת חלב ודבש eretz zavas chalav u'dvash. And now, and now we finally get to the punchline. First I have to give all of history. Why? It's a process, a ritual. The farmer, not only when they first entered the land, but a halacha that continued to apply. The farmer brings the first fruit, the bikkurim, the reishis, the very beginning. And they do it again, pomp and circumstance and a whole ceremony. And the ceremony, you gotta review all of history. First I was born. First God created the world in six days. And then eventually got to me. And then, just say thank you for the little fruit. Get on. I gotta go home. There's a farm to tend to. There's a lot more to get done. Why do you have to review all of history? We'll talk about it, mirtzas Hashem, this Shabbos. But finally we get to the punchline. And what's the punchline? ראשית פרי האדמה אשר נתתה לי Reishis pri ha'adama asher nasata li, I'm giving you the first fruit that Hashem gave me. Why? What's going on over here? ושמחת בכל הטוב V'samachta b'chol hatov, be happy with all the good that God gave you, you, your house, the Levi, the גר אשר בקרבך ger asher b'kirbecha. So, I want to share with you this morning, this afternoon, several דברי תורה divrei Torah from a wonderful set of ספרים sfarim that I've been drawing from over the last several months, but particularly poignant because the author, the one who said over these שיחות sichos, these שיעורים shiurim, passed away recently. A very, very special, very holy Jew who lived in Boro Park, the רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe, who was originally from ירושלים Yerushalayim, who grew up in ירושלים Yerushalayim, and came to lead the branch of that חסידות chasidus here in New York. He was a son-in-law of the previous סקווירא רבי Skver Rebbe, a brother-in-law of the סקווירא רבי Skver Rebbe, brother-in-law of the וויזניץ רבי Vizhnitz Rebbe, and a very holy צדיק tzaddik, very understated, very modest, a very simple court that comes from Chernobyl. And the set of sfarim called אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. And in it he collects magnificent חסידישע דברי תורה chasidisha divrei Torah and his own original ideas. So I want to in his memory share with you some of the beautiful Toros from אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. And he says the following. He quotes from the ספר צוואת חיים sefer Tzavaas Chaim. What's the פסוק pasuk? ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה ulekachta mereishis kol pri ha'adama. Take from the first of all the fruit of the ground. דרך זה ולקחת רוצה לומר בכל דבר צריך האדם לקדש את הראשית Derech zeh ulekachta rotzeh lomar b'chol davar tzarich ha'adam l'kadeish es ha'reishis. This מצוה mitzvah of ביכורים bikkurim is not only teaching us a law that's applicable and relevant to the farmer, but really it's a lesson for life for all of us and that is one has to put an extra effort, extra mindfulness, extra intention when it comes to the ראשית reishis, the beginning, the start. אז יזכה לסיעתא דשמיא שכל מה שיעשה יעלה על דרך הטוב Az yizkeh l'siyata d'ishmaya shekol ma sheya'aseh ya'aleh al derech hatov. וה' יתברך לא יעזבנו ביד יצרו הרע V'Hashem yisborach lo ya'azveinu b'yad yitzro hara. כי על ידי שמקדש את הראשית נמשך הקדושה על כל דבר ki al yedei shem'kadeish es ha'reishis nimshach ha'kedusha al kol davar. If when you start something, a new organization, a new effort, a new shiur, a new project, a new goal, a new zman, a new year, a new grade of school, whatever it is, the beginning, the first, if you do it with intention of kedusha and tahara, you have a mindfulness and an intention, a presence for it to be sacred and holy, for to do it in the right way, you're not simply beginning mindlessly. You're not just getting started because that's what it says on the calendar. You're not just opening day and you didn't even pay attention. But you start out with kedusha and tahara, then everything follows the beginning. Everything that follows will be worthy, will merit siyatta d'shmaya from Hashem. וכן אם האדם זוכה שיהיו ימי ראש השנה אצלו בקדושה The pasuk of a Torah is a little bit more difficult than that. I'm going to try to get it right. That's why ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah is so meaningful, so significant because everything follows the beginning. The Baba Rebbe zatzal used to say, it's called ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, because everything follows the head. The head dictates to the rest of the body what to do. It's the brain, it's the head that determines, that dictates to the body how to follow. And everything about our year follows the beginning, follows the head of the year. It's the head. נמשך בזה קדושה על כל השנה V'zeh ha'kedusha al kol hashanah. V'im zocheh sheyehiyeh Rosh Chodesh b'kedusha, v'im zocheh sheyehiyeh Rosh Chodesh b'kedusha, that's why Rosh Chodesh is so significant. We start off the month on the right foot. We make הבדלה Havdalah and we start off the week on the right foot. And Rosh Hashanah, we start off the year on the right foot. כמו כן בכל יום ויום על ידי תפילת שחרית ממשיכים קדושה על כל היום K'mochein b'chol yom v'yom al yedei tefilas Shacharis mamshichim kedusha al kol hayom. Every day, שחרית Shacharis grounds us. It gives us a sense of intention, of purpose of what is my day. על ידי תפילת ערבית ממשיכים קדושה על כל הלילה Al yedei tefilas Arvis mamshichim kedusha al kol halailah. על כן תדע כי כאשר עומד האדם משנתו בכל בוקר יזהר לקדש ראשית מחשבותיו ויאמר Al kein teidach ki ka'asher omer ha'adam mishnaso b'chol boker yizaher l'kadeish reishis machshavoso v'yomar, מודה אני Modeh Ani. Everything starts from the beginning. So, how does a Jew wake up in the morning? What word? Grammatically, it would be more proper to say אני מודה Ani Modeh, I am grateful, but you can't start your day. The first word out of your mouth, the first thought can't be I, אני ani. Even though grammatically it's more correct, אני מודה Ani Modeh. Instead, what do we do? We invert it and we start our day with מודה אני Modeh Ani. What's the first word? What's the first thought? What's the first intention? How do we begin my day? Attitude of gratitude. מודה Modeh, grateful am I. ראשית כל פרי Reishis kol pri. Everything follows the ראשית reishis. Everything follows the beginning. והגופה בתר רישא גרירא V'hagufah basar reisha gerira. And then the body follows the head. What comes after follows how you began. Everything starts from the top. וזהו הרמז בנוסח תפילת מוסף של ראש חודש V'zehu haremez b'nusach tefilas Musaf shel Rosh Chodesh. And that's why in מוסף Musaf on ראש חודש Rosh Chodesh we say, ראשי חדשים לעמך נתת Rashei Chadashim l'amcha nasata. שנתת לישראל את הראשית בכל דבר שנחדש She'nasata l'Yisrael es ha'reishis b'chol davar shenischadeish. ראשי חדשים Rashei Chadashim, in each month you gave us the rashei, you gave us the ראש rosh. שהם יתחילו לקדשו ועל ידי זה יהיה זמן כפרה לכל תולדותם She'heim yas'chilu l'kadsho v'al yedei zeh yehiyeh zman kapparah l'chol toldosam. How do we make it a worthy time, a virtuous time, a meritorious time? How do we make it a time in which we achieve and accomplish our goals, our mission, our purpose? How is it a זמן כפרה לכל תולדותם zman kapparah l'chol toldosam? Because ראשי חדשים לעמך נתת Rashei Chadashim l'amcha nasata. You gave us new beginning, fresh start. You gave us the concept of ראש rosh. You gave us the head. You gave us the beginning. You gave us the start. And if we can realize it and fulfill it, make the most of it, if we can be present for it, then everything that follows. וזהו שאמר הכתוב ולקחת מראשית V'zehu she'amar hakosav ulekachta me'reishis. And that's why the Torah tells us not only with the mitzvah of bikkurim, not only for the farmer but for every one of us, על ידי שיתקדש את הראשית של כל דבר תוכל לקחת את כל פרי האדמה al yedei sheyiskadeish es ha'reishis shel kol davar tuchal likach es kol pri ha'adama. If you want to extract... What does it say? It says reishis. What is the pasuk? ולקחת מראשית ulekachta me'reishis, it should say you take from the reishis, the beginning of, פרי האדמה pri ha'adama. What's the word כל kol? Of all the fruit of the land. It should say reishis, the beginning of pri ha'adama, the fruit of the land. What is the word כל kol add? Why is the word כל kol there? So says the Rebbe, what does the word כל kol add? את כל פרי האדמה es kol pri ha'adama, את כל התולדות המאורע אחרי כן להמשיך גם עליהם קדושה es kol ha'toldos ham'oras acharei kach l'hamshich gam aleihem kedusha. If you start, if you start, if you begin ולקחת מראשית ulekachta me'reishis, לקחת lekachta, take for yourself the reishis. Be present at the beginning. Get off to a good start. Have the right intent when you begin. And then כל פרי האדמה kol pri ha'adama, all the peiros, everything that follows, everything that emerges, everything that comes from it will follow in suit. And what a message, not only for the farmer and for bikkurim, for every one of us. So many children down here in Florida, we already started school. I know up north not yet until after Labor Day. Some schools, Yeshiva started, Rebbe gave the kiss to every child already today on the opening day. Everything, if you start and your Rosh Yeshiva gives you a kiss on your kape, the first day of school, you're going to feel love and affection throughout that year. If the parents send off with a bracha and with love, if you drop off the first carpool and you welcome home the first day after school and you get the first homework started with love, with affection, with patience, with support, if in Yeshiva, if in seminary, if getting ready Elul, Rosh Hashanah, everything follows the beginning. So you can't just say, \"Ah, what's the difference? Beginning, middle, end, I'll catch up, I'll do later.\" Everything follows the beginning. Everything follows the reishis. ולקחת V'lakachta, so take advantage, take advantage of the reishis because you know what follows, only כל פרי האדמה kol pri ha'adama. All the peiros that will come out of it follow the way that we begin and follow that start. And that's the pasuk in Koheles, חכם עיניו בראשו chacham einav b'rosho. A wise person, חכם עיניו בראשו chacham einav b'rosho. Simple understanding of the pasuk, חכם עיניו בראשו chacham einav b'rosho, קהלת ב' י\"ד Koheles beis yud daled is, a chacham, a wise person looks to the future. Spoiler alert, our Shabbos Shuva drasha this year is, so far I have the title. The title is, \"Your Future Self.\" How do we live in the present with a relationship already with our future self? This is the whole mission our Rabbi say, חכם עיניו בראשו chacham einav b'rosho. Don't just live in the here and now. Don't just be in the present. Don't indulge your appetite because of what you crave right now. חכם Chacham, you want to be a chacham, you want to be wise, חכם עיניו בראשו chacham einav b'rosho, your eye should be in your head. See to the future, identify the future, have a relationship with your future self. But says the רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe, says the אמרות טהורות zatzal, you know what it means a chacham einav b'rosho? You want to be a chacham? Then you know where your eye is on? בראשו B'rosho, the ראש rosh, the beginning. Look at all the beginnings. Take advantage of all the beginnings. It's a חסידישע דבר תורה chasidisha dvartaira. It's a חסידישע ווארט chasidisha vort. חכם עיניו Chacham einav, a chacham einav, where are you looking? בראשו B'rosho. Look at all the ראש rosh. The new year, the new school, the new zman, the new week, the new month, the new, there's all these new opportunities, the new day. מודה אני Modeh Ani, it's a new day. It's a new day. Our אמונה Emunah, she produced little notebooks, you can get one next week at the Mitzvah Market. We'll have them available for sale. It says, \"Turn the page.\" It's a \"Living with אמונה Emunah.\" It says, what does it even say on it? \"Turn the page, new page.\" I forgot what it says. It's the idea that when you live with emunah, you realize every day is a new day. מודה אני Modeh Ani, turn the page, turn the page. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, what a bracha that we have the לקדש את ראשית היום l'kadeish es reishis hayom, ראשית השבוע reishis hashavua, ראשית החודש reishis hachodesh, ראשית השנה reishis hashanah. Our lives are filled with new beginnings and new opportunity and everything will follow if only we can invest and be present fully in that new. So, ולקחת מראשית v'lakachta me'reishis, take advantage of the reishis and then you'll get, you'll be able to enjoy כל פרי האדמה kol pri ha'adama. חכם Chacham, how are you chacham? Einav, keep an eye on בראשו b'rosho, look at the ראש rosh of everything. Look at the ראש rosh of everything and everything will follow. So one of the things the farmer says in the מקרא ביכורים mikra bikkurim, פרק כ\"ו פסוק ה' perek chaf vav pasuk hei is, וענית ואמרת v'anisa v'amarta, what do you say? ארמי אובד אבי Arami oved avi. Again, we're familiar. ויהי שם לגוי גדול עצום ורב Vayehi sham l'goy gadol atzum v'rav, and we became a great nation there. Says Rav Soloveitchik in the Rav Soloveitchik Chumash, ויהי שם לגוי גדול Vayehi sham l'goy gadol. We became a great nation. What does the word גדל gadol mean? Translate. Great. Big, great, large. Is גדל gadol quantity or quality? What is the word גדל gadol? Bonus דבר תורה dvar Torah for parshas Ki Savo and getting you ready for פסח Pesach, for the הגדה Haggadah. It's never too early. Right? Wrong. So, ויהי שם לגוי גדול Vayehi sham l'goy gadol, what does it mean? Says Rav Soloveitchik, we Jews became a people in Egypt. The זוהר Zohar emphasizes שם sham, you didn't see that coming, Rav Soloveitchik quoting the זוהר Zohar. The זוהר Zohar emphasizes שם sham, only there in Egypt could the Jews become a great people. Had they not been born in Egypt, they would not have been transformed into a גוי גדול goy gadol. The Jewish people became great in crisis. Sometimes it's hard to achieve greatness when your life is delivered to you in comfort and convenience and simplicity and prosperity. You know where we realize our potential? Do you know how we grow to become who we're meant to be? Often when overcoming adversity. When we have to express tenacity and resilience, when we have to dig deep and we have to discover the power and the strength that we didn't even necessarily know that we had. So the Ramban says the purpose of a נסיון nison, אלקים ניסה את אברהם Elokim nisa es Avraham, Avraham was tested no less than 10 times. The word נס neis means a test, it also means a flag. In שמונה עשרה Shemoneh Esrei, we're not up to yet in sidur snippets, when we ask Hashem to gather us from the four corners and wave, נס neis doesn't mean there a test, it means a flag. Because where we're tested, we can plant a flag, that's where a growth spurt occurs. That's where we discover who we're meant to be. A neis, through that test. The Ramban uses the language מן הכח אל הפועל min hakoach el hapoel. That's where we go from potential into reality. The Jewish people become great in crisis. כנסת ישראל Kneses Yisrael had to spend many years in slavery in order to attain nationhood and greatness. It had to see and experience evil, tyranny, ruthlessness, for one cannot hate שטן Satan unless one knows him well and has dealt with him. To hear stories about שטן Satan is not enough. Direct experience and involvement are indispensable. Yosef was sold to Potiphar, the chief executioner, in order to acquaint him with human cruelty. Had Yaakov remained in Canaan, his children and future generations would not have developed extra sensitivity vis-à-vis fairness and honesty. We would not have hated cruelty and ruthlessness with passion and zeal. Had we not been in Egypt, had we not felt the pain caused by the whip, we would not have understood the divine law of not oppressing the stranger or the law of loving one's neighbor. Had we not spent years in horror, we could not have grown and developed into a great nation. In pain and despair, we have gained greatness and nationhood. As the pasuk in שיר השירים Shir Hashirim says, \"As a rose among the thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters.\" Jews became there a nation. ויהי שם לגוי גדול עצום ורב Vayehi sham l'goy gadol atzum v'rav, because they were distinct. We stood at a separate entity in Egypt. The Goen pointed out the term גוי goy is derived from גויה gviah, a physiognomy, a countenance, a form. גוי Goy is rooted in the idea of individuality, the exclusiveness of the face when one stands out in a crowd, when a people is different. It is appropriate to speak of a גוי goy, an individuality, be it a single person or a group of people. The הגדה Haggadah says and there they became great. What is the what does the הגדה Haggadah learn? What happened there? We were מצוינים mitzuyanim. We were distinguished there, like מצוין mitzuyan. I didn't get a lot when I was a kid. Rabbi Grossman, you got מצוין mitzuyan on your test? You probably did. מצוין Mitzuyan, excellent, excellent. The Israelites stood out as a distinct group and this distinctness made them a גוי goy, a nation. In light of the above, we can understand the saying because of four things, because of בזכות ד' דברים b'zchus dalet dvarim, in the merit of four things, the Jewish people merited to be redeemed from Mitzraim. We didn't change our names, language, we didn't מוסר moser, we didn't inform on anyone, and there was no one among them who was licentious. It was a Midrash Vayikra Rabbah, Shir Hashirim Rabbah. They were distinct, an individualistic community. So the Rav understands what does it mean vayehi sham l'goy gadol? Goy gadol does not mean great in number. We've never been great in number. In fact, four-fifths of us stayed behind in Mitzraim. We did not emerge great in number. We are not great in number today. Throughout history, the נבואה navua, the prophecy that we would always remain few has come true. We were not great in number, quantitatively, but we're great qualitatively. I don't need to review with you the disproportionate contributions Jews have made, Nobel Prize winners, science, technology, medicine in the world. גוי גדול Goy gadol, our greatness does not come from our number, quantity, it comes from quality. And what led to and brought about that quality? Overcoming adversity. So while we look back and wish much of it didn't happen, and certainly we don't long for or want it to happen again, it's in reflecting on the adversity, on the Mitzraim, the כור הברזל kur habarzel. It was in that furnace of Mitzraim. What happens when you stick a metal, an element into the fiery furnace, the glass? It's what hardens it. It's what shapes it. It's what molds it. It's what allows it to take shape and to serve its ultimate purpose. And that's where we took shape and we serve our ultimate purpose. That is the meaning of the goy gadol that the farmer references in the mikra bikkurim, and that of course we invoke at the Seder at the Seder table. One of the things the farmer says, the next pasuk vav, what did we do after we suffered down there in Egypt? We suffered terribly. So what did we do as a result? ונצעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו וישמע ה' את קולנו וירא את ענינו ואת עמלנו ואת לחצנו Vanitzak el Hashem Elokei avoseinu vayishma Hashem es koleinu vayar es onyeinu v'es amaleinu v'es lachatzeinu. We cried out, we called out to God, the God of our forefathers. We didn't really know him personally. We had tradition that our forefathers had a God, and so we cried out to him and we begged him for relief, and he heard our cries and he saw our suffering, he saw the לחצנו lachatzeinu, the incredible pressure we were under. Says the אור החיים הקדוש Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh. ואומר ונצעק אל ה' כאן רמז שצריך האדם לספוד לה' בכל יום שיצילהו מיצרו הרע V'omer vanitzak el Hashem, kan remez shetzarich ha'adam lispod laHashem b'chol yom sheyatzileihu mei'yitzro hara. Thank you to my friend Rabbi Mirzo for sharing this Ohr HaChaim with me. This pasuk teaches says the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh, it's an allusion that a person has to cry out to Hashem every day that he spare us from the corrupting influence, the contaminating impact of the יצר הרע yetzer hara. That's what it means. ונצעק אל ה' וישמע ה' את קולנו Vanitzak el Hashem vayishma Hashem es koleinu. הגם שה' הוא שברא יצר הרע לבחון האדם בעבודת בוראו אף על פי כן כשצועק אליו שומע קולם מטעמם שראה את רישעם שהוא ענין עניינו ועמלנו ולחצנו Hag'am she'Hashem hu shebara yetzer hara livchon ha'adam b'avodas boro, af al pi chein k'shetzo'ek eilav shomei'a kolam mita'am she'raah es rish'am shehu inyan onyeinu v'amaleinu v'lachatzeinu. העוני הוא אפיסת כוח הלוחם שאין כוח בו להספיק להילחם בו ולגרשו ממנו Ha'oni hu afisas koach halochim she'ein koach b'no l'haspik l'hilachem bo ul'gor'sho mimenu. Hashem created the yetzer hara. He put us in that circumstance of testing us, of challenging us that we'll need to dig deep and find strength and resilience to overcome. He created it, but he's also the solution and the answer to it. And when we tell him and we cry out to him, help unburden us, help give us relief, help give us the tools to navigate this pressure and this oppression and this temptation. הלחץ הוא הדחק שדוחק היצר את האדם לחטוא על כרחו Halachatz hu ha'dchak she'docheik ha'yetzar es ha'adam l'cheto al korcho. ולהגיד מוסרם שומע ה' את קולנו עוד ירצה ענינו שהוא העניות שנתברך ללומדי תורה V'lohigid mosivam shomei'a Hashem es koleinu od yartza'anu she'hu ha'oniyus shanisbacheim l'lamdei Torah. And the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh goes on. But Rav Soloveitchik has a different interpretation. Back to the the rav. ונצעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו Vanitzak el Hashem Elokei avoseinu. The animal is exposed to pain, so is the slave. When the slave meets with pain, he reacts like an animal, uttering a sharp, shrill sound. But the howl of the beast like the shriek of the slave lasts but a moment in the darkness and the hush of the night. In a split second, all is silent again. The slave is hopeless and helpless and screams because instinctively, when a person hurts themselves or experiences pain, they scream. But the slave feels invisible and inconsequential and nobody cares and they don't matter and no one will intervene and nobody is to the rescue. The slave like the animal has no consciousness that anyone is going to come and rescue them. There is no aftermath to the pain sensation of the animal of the slave. There follows no complaint, no request, no protest, no question of why and what. The slave does not know suffering, lacking as he does the very existential need awareness which generates suffering. Moshe, by defending the helpless Jew, restored sensitivity to the dull slaves. Suddenly, they realized that all that pain, anguish, humiliation, and cruelty is evil. This realization brought in its wake not only sharp pain, but a sense of suffering. And with suffering comes protest and cry. And that's what it means. The dead silence of nonexistence was gone. The voice of human existence was now heard. It is in this second stage which the awakening of the need awareness that תפילה tefillah makes its entry. This level of prayer is not yet תפילה tefillah but צעקה tza'akah, a human cry. There is not yet a clear understanding of what one is crying for. צעקה Tza'akah is a primordial prayer, the voice restored, the world, the word still lacking. Even before we have a vocabulary, even before we can articulate, the baby who's hungry who needs a diaper changed, the baby in the newborn in the middle of the night just cries out. Doesn't have the consciousness and the maturity or the cognitive development, doesn't have the vocabulary, can't articulate what it needs, but just knows there's pain, there's suffering, there's struggle and cries. And that's what the Jewish people were given. Only when we came to believe we were worthy or there was a solution or there was one someone hearing our cries, ונצעק אל ה' vanitzak el Hashem, we cried out to Hashem. We cried out to to Hashem. Then this mikra bikkurim will end this section. The farmer, ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol hatov. The farmer should be happy with all the good. ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך ה' אלקיך V'samachta b'chol hatov asher nasan l'cha Hashem Elokecha. Be happy with all the good that God has given you. ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Adonai Elokeinu Melech ha'olam shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro. What is ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol hatov? So the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros quotes from the תפארת שלמה Tiferes Shlomo. על הפסוק ושמחת בכל הטוב Al ha'pasuk v'samachta b'chol hatov. כזה לברר כי כל מצוה יש לה סגולה מיוחדת לבוא על ידה לעבודת הבורא K'zeh l'vor ki kol mitzvah yesh la segula m'yuchedes l'havo al yadeha l'avodas ha'Borei. Every מצוה mitzvah has an energy to it that that mitzvah is trying to draw us close to Hashem in that way. So for example, what's the goal of ציצית tzitzis? So you'll say what? ציצית Tzitzis is just a mitzvah. What do you mean? You're wearing a four-cornered garment, you gotta put ציצית tzitzis on the corners. It's one of the Taryag, it's a mitzvah. The Torah itself tells us the energy or the goal, so to say, of the mitzvah of ציצית tzitzis, namely, ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם v'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem. When you look at those strings, they help keep us grounded. They're an anchor to avoid following the distraction of our heart and our eye. תפילין Tefillin. What's the purpose, the energy of תפילין tefillin? למען תהיה תורת ה' בפיך L'maan tihiyeh Toras Hashem b'ficha. When one wears תפילין tefillin, the Torah of Hashem should be what fills our mouth. And all מצוות mitzvos. סגולת מצות ביכורים Segulas mitzvas bikkurim. So what is the goal, purpose, the endgame of the mitzvah of bikkurim? How should one feel transformed? What do they walk away working on? What is the עבודה avodah of the מצוה mitzvah of ביכורים bikkurim? לבוא על ידה לידי הסתפקות במועט L'havo al yadeha l'yedei histapkus b'muat. For the farmer to feel I'm satisfied with what I have. I'm satisfied with what's been given me. I don't compete, I don't compare, I don't try to match up. I have drive, I have ambition, but ultimately, what I harvest, what my harvest yields, this first fruit, whatever it is, I'm grateful for. להיות אדם שמח בחלקו בכל דבר שלא לחפוץ יותר ממה שיש לו L'hiyos adam sameach b'chelko b'chol davar shelo lachpos yoser mi'mah she'yeish lo. To not live looking at what's missing, but to be satisfied and happy with what I have, with what is. And that's the pasuk ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol hatov, כי מי שיש לו שדות הרבה הרי מביא ביכורים הרבה ומי שאין לו אלא שדה אחת מביא רק מעט ki mi she'yeish lo sados harbeh harei meivi bikkurim harbeh u'mi she'ein lo ela sadeh achas meivi rak me'at. If you have many fields, you bring the first fruit of each field. If you have one field, you bring the first fruit of that field. ואמרה התורה לשניהם בשווה V'amrah haTorah lishneihem b'shaveh. So picture it, says the תפארת שלמה Tiferes Shlomo. Two farmers are standing next to each other in the Beis Hamikdash. Each have arrived with their first fruit. The wealthy landowner has many first fruit or has an enormous first fruit. And the simple landowner, who only has one portion, has one measly, little, small, struggling, pathetic first fruit. And they both recite the same מקרא ביכורים mikra bikkurim, and the Torah tells both of them, ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta, each of you can and should be happy with all the good that Hashem has given you. שלא יקנא בחבירו Shelo yikanei b'chaveiro, don't be jealous, don't be envious, don't compete, don't compare, ולא ירצה כלל יותר ממה שיש לו v'lo yirtzeh klal yoser mi'mah she'yeish lo. כמו כן הוא גם בעניני רוחניות K'mo kein hu gam b'inyanei ruchnius. Not only in the physical material world do we have to be happy with what we have, but in the spiritual world too. So the other person davens with more כוונה kavanah, practices more humility, exhibits greater patience, gives more צדקה tzadakah, has greater זיצפלייש zitzfleish to sit and study Torah. Don't be jealous, don't be envious, and don't compare. Don't compete. Don't try to measure yourself against them. לא יחפוץ אדם מעלת חבירו הנמצא במדריגה גבוהה ממנו ולא יקנא בו מדבר אחד מדרגותיו שאינו בהשג ידו Lo yachpos adam ma'alas chaveiro hanimtza b'madreigah go'oh mimenu v'lo yikanei bo midvar echad mi'madregosav she'eino b'haseg yado. Rather, רק יעבוד את ה' יתברך כפי מדרגתו rak ya'avod es Hashem yisborach k'fi madregaso. Serve Hashem according to you, with what you have. ושמחת בכל הטוב V'samachta b'chol hatov. The principle, says the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros, says the רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe, the principle is the notion איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו Eizehu ashir ha'sameach b'chelko does not only apply to גשמיות gashmius, but applies to רוחניות ruchnius as well. Have drive, have ambition. We want to be as good and as great as you can, but don't compare yourself to others. בכל יום B'chol yom, שלא עשני גוי שלא עשני עבד shelo assani goy shelo assani aved, ויודה לה' על זה שיש לו את היכולת לעבוד את ה' יתברך בזה האופן v'yodeh la'Shem al zeh sheyesh lo es ha'yicholes la'avod es Hashem yisborach b'zeh ha'ofen, in that way, in that way. And the תפארת שלמה Tiferes Shlomo then continues. על דרך משל Al derech mashal, לאדם המקבל מתנה מאת המלך l'adam ha'mekabel matanah me'eis ha'melech, a person who gets a gift from the king, הנה ודאי ערך חשיבות המתנה מצד עצמה hinei vadai erech chashivus hamatanah mitzad atzmah. In addition to the fact that you got a gift from the king, not only do you have the gift itself, what'd you walk away with? A check, a Rolex, a meal, a gift certificate. Whatever the gift itself is, what else did you get? יש לה עוד יותר חשיבות וערך נעלה מצד מה שקבלה מאת המלך Yesh la od yoser chashivus v'erech na'aleh mitzad ma shekiblah me'eis ha'melech. You know what else you got? That you can tell everyone you got a gift from the king. That expression of affection, that generosity, the graciousness, the gift from the king is itself a gift. Says the תפארת שלמה Tiferes Shlomo, ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol hatov, תהיה שמח בכל מה שיש לך tiyeh sameach b'chol ma she'yeish l'cha. Be happy with what you have, a lot or a little, you know why? אשר נתן לך ה' אלקיך Asher nasan l'cha Hashem Elokecha. When you realize where does it come from, who granted it, who gave it to you, the King of kings. It's from Hashem. The king handed you something. Oh, wow. You know where I got this? It's from Hashem. Ah, it's small, it's pathetic. It's from the king. What are you talking about? This is what the king gave me. That's why the pasuk says, ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol hatov, how can you be happy with all the good? Because אשר נתן לך ה' אלקיך asher nasan l'cha Hashem Elokecha, that good was given to you from the king. It all comes from, it all comes from him. Quotes as well, in the back, the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros, in the next section, quotes on אור החיים Or HaChaim. What is בכל הטוב b'chol ha'tov? The אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh says, what does it mean בשמחת בכל הטוב b'simchta b'chol ha'tov? The Torah, the פרשה כי תבוא parsha Ki Savo, in two places invokes this obligation of שמחה simcha. Right now, בשמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol ha'tov, and we'll get to it, the תוכחה tochacha. Why will we be visited by the cruel and harsh and graphically violent תוכחה tochacha? Why are we accountable? תחת אשר לא עבדת את השם אלוקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב Tachas asher lo avadeta es Hashem Elokecha b'simcha u'v'tuv leivav, because we didn't serve Hashem out of שמחה simcha. So you see that there is an obligation. There's no סימן siman and סעיף se'if in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch that says you have to be happy and you have to smile, but you know what else there's not a סימן siman in סעיף se'if in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch that says? That you have to breathe. But you have to breathe to be alive. And you have to be happy to be alive. שמחה Simcha is the source of life. And Hashem says, if you're not happy and you're not living, and you're not grateful for what you have, you always have an eye to what you want, and what you wish, and what you don't have. If your happiness is determined by what's missing, you'll never be happy because there's always more you could have. But if your happiness is determined by what you have, you can always be happy because you always have something. So the Torah says, smile, be happy, be mindful, be present. Happiness is not an emotion, it is a decision. Make the decision to be happy. תחת אשר Tachas asher, you didn't make that decision to live a life of happiness, you're held accountable. And ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol ha'tov, be happy. Now, what is the source of that שמחה simcha? says the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh, אין טוב אלא תורה ein tov ela Torah. גמרא ברכות דף ה עמוד א Gemara Brachos daf hei amud aleph. אין טוב אלא תורה ושמחת בכל הטוב שצריכים לשוש ולשמוח בזה שיש לו יכולת ללמוד תורה Ein tov ela Torah v'samachta b'chol ha'tov she'tzrichim lasus v'lismoach b'zeh she'yesh lo yecholes lilmod Torah. You know why you should be happy? We are gifted and granted the incredible privilege and opportunity to learn Torah.We're living in a time, I've said this many times recently, you'll excuse me if I say it again. We are living in the most prosperous, convenient, and comfortable time in history, and we are living in the most unhappy, depressed, anxious time in history. Our life is more comfortable, more convenient than ever before. We're living in the most prosperous time ever and people are more unhappy than they've ever been. And relationships are dissolving and falling apart, marriages and family and parenting and personal happiness, personal self-esteem and sense of security and mental health. Where is שמחה simcha? חברה Chevra, we've been given this gift called Torah. The rest of the world is trying to figure it out and make sense of this prosperity and technology and AI. How do you integrate it? How do you navigate it? How do you live in this world? And we were given the blueprint. We were given the manual. We were given the instructions. It's called Torah. Open it up and learn it every single day. ושמחת V'samachta, you know why you should be happy? בכל הטוב B'chol ha'tov. אין טוב אלא תורה Ein tov ela Torah. Because everyone else is trying to make sense of it and figure it out. Here, here's the instruction manual. Here's the blueprint. Here it is. Read it, go to work. Now that doesn't mean if you learn Torah, you don't have challenges. People learn Torah also are diagnosed with illness and struggle with loneliness and have infertility and all kinds of other problems. But we're given the strength and the faith and the resilience to learn how to navigate it. אין טוב אלא תורה Ein tov ela Torah. So where does our שמחה simcha come from? ושמחת V'samachta in what? בכל הטוב B'chol ha'tov. בכל הטוב B'chol ha'tov. And listen to the words of the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh, שהיו בני אדם מרגישים במתיקות ובעריבות הטוב, התורה she'im hayu bnei adam margishim b'mesikus u'v'arevus ha'tov, ha'Torah. If a יחיד yid of a Jew would taste and feel the sweetness and the beauty of Torah, היו משתגעים ומתלהטים אחריה hayu mishtag'im u'mislahtim achareha. You'd be going crazy running after it. You couldn't get enough of it. ולא יחשב בעיניהם מלא עולם כסף וזהב למאומה V'lo yachshov b'eineihem melo olam kesef v'zahav l'me'uma. You'd give up all of the, all of the wealth in the world for it. כי התורה כוללת כל הטוב שבעולם Ki ha'Torah koleles kol ha'tov she'ba'olam. Because Torah includes in it all the good, all the pleasure, all the sweetness in the world is in Torah. ושמחת בכל הטוב, אין טוב אלא תורה V'samachta b'chol ha'tov, ein tov ela Torah. Now it doesn't say ושמחת בכל טוב v'samachta b'chol tov. It says ושמחת בכל הטוב v'samachta b'chol ha'tov. And the דגל Degel quotes the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh and says, the אור החיים Or HaChaim's insight, אין טוב אלא תורה ein tov ela Torah, that's what the פסוק pasuk is talking about. That's the source of our שמחה simcha is alluded to. Why does it say הטוב ha'tov, not טוב tov? ה Hei is how much? Five. The five books of Torah. חומש Chumash. ושמחת בכל הטוב V'samachta b'chol ha'tov. The הטוב ha'tov is the ה hei, אותיות osiyos, ה חמשה חומשי תורה hei, chamisha chumshei Torah. If you realize that it is our blueprint, it's our instruction manual, כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו ki hem chayeinu v'orech yameinu, it is the sweetness of the Torah that we live and learn, then you'll find the שמחה simcha that we all yearn for and that we all crave. Okay, moving on from מיקרא ביכורים mikra bikurim and the farmer. We got a lot more to cover. פרק כ\"ו פסוק י\"ז Perek kaf-vav pasuk yud-zayin. Turn the page, 1070. Next we move over. וידוי מעשר Vidui maaser. The וידוי vidui, the farmer then comes and the farmer says a very unusual confession. We've spoken about this previous years, you can listen to previous years. I'll just set up the question, you've got to go there to find the answer. Farmer stands up and he says a very peculiar confession. I do not recommend you try it at home. When you get home, do not tell your spouse, I have a confession to make. Your spouse is gonna say, excuse me? Say, sit down. This is important, please give me your attention, put your phone down. I have a really big confession to make. And your spouse is going to turn white. Big confession. Uh-oh. What do you have to say? And what's the confession you have to make? I have a confession. My confession is, I'm perfect. I've done everything right. I've done nothing wrong. I have to confess. I have no choice. I have to confess, I'm perfect. I'm perfect. בערתי הקדש מן הבית וגם נתתיו ללוי לגר ליתום ולאלמנה, לא שכחתי, לא עברתי מצוותיך Biarti ha'kodesh min ha'bayis v'gam nesasiv la'levi la'ger la'yasom v'la'almana, lo shachachti, lo avarti mitzvosecha. I didn't violate anything, I didn't forget anything, I took out the garbage, I remembered our anniversary, I pay attention, I know your love language, I gave the bath, I put the kids to bed. I'm sorry, I must confess, I'm perfect.We call that a lot of things. Confession is not one of them. Confession is when you admit something you did wrong. Confession is not a statement of how perfect you are and everything you did right. So why do we call that a confession? Why do we call that a confession? וידוי מעשר Vidui maaser. The משנה Mishna already calls that וידוי מעשר vidui maaser. משנה Mishna in סוטה Sotah, חז\"ל Chazal in the מדרש Midrash, וידוי מעשר vidui maaser. It's the, it's the confession of מעשר maaser. It's a very important question because the answer gives a new definition to the word וידוי vidui, which is very instructive to what we're going to be doing starting very soon. ספרדים Sefardim have already begun, we're going to join them soon with סליחות Slichos and all the וידוי vidui we're gonna say over this time of year. Why is that called וידוי vidui when there's no actual admission as part of that confession? That's what the farmer does. Then we move on, that כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael and and Hashem are inseparable, this relationship that we have, this connection that we have. And that's where we pick up. היום הזה השם אלוקיך מצוך לעשות את כל החוקים האלה Hayom hazeh Hashem Elokecha metzavecha la'asos es kol ha'chukim ha'eileh. This day Hashem commands you to perform these decrees and these statutes. ושמרת ועשית אותם בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך V'shamarta v'asisa osam b'chol levavcha u'v'chol nafshecha. Observe and do them, perform them with all of your heart and with all of your soul. היום הזה Hayom hazeh, today, on this day, Hashem commands you. And back to the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. Back to the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. What does it mean on this day? היום הזה השם אלקיך Hayom hazeh Hashem Elokecha. רצה לומר Rotzeh lomar says the רחמי יוסף גריבה Rachmei Yosef Griba, אף עכשיו af achshav, ביום הזה b'yom hazeh, טרם בואכם לארץ ישראל terem boachem l'Eretz Yisrael. Today. This is a very funny מצוה mitzvah, because this מצוה mitzvah is telling us what? הנכם מצוים לקיים כל המצוות, גם אלה התלויות בארץ Hinechem metzuvim l'kayem kol ha'mitzvos, gam eileh ha'tluyos ba'aretz. We're talking about מצוות mitzvos that depend on the land. What's the problem? We haven't yet entered the land. How can we be bound by, how can we be accountable for מצוות mitzvos that we don't even have the option of yet performing? ואם תאמרו הרי זה דבר בלתי אפשרי V'im tomru harei zeh davar bilti efshari. It's impossible. We're not yet in the land. How could we be accountable for מצוות mitzvos that we can't yet fulfill? Listen to this פשט pshat. הנה העצה, ושמרת Hinei ha'eitzah, v'shamarta. היום הזה השם אליך מצוך לעשות את החוקים Hayom hazeh Hashem Elokecha metzavecha la'asos es ha'chukim. And then what does the Torah say? ושמרת ועשית אותם V'shamarta v'asisa osam. ושמרת V'shamarta. What does the word ושמרת v'shamarta mean? Safeguard and do them. How can I safeguard and do them? I'm not yet in the land. Because you don't understand what the word ושמרת v'shamarta means. The word ושמרת v'shamarta means מלשון ואביו שמר את הדבר mi'lashon v'aviv shamar es ha'davar. Who said that? What's that פסוק pasuk referring to? ואביו שמר את הדבר V'aviv shamar es ha'davar. יעקב Yaakov and יוסף Yosef. ואביו שמר את הדבר V'aviv shamar es ha'davar. שמר Shamar means to yearn for, to long for, to await, to count down. שתהיו משתוקקים ומצפים מתי יגיע הזמן שתוכלו כבר לקיים מצוות אלו She'tihiyu mishtokekim u'metzapim masai yagia ha'zman she'tuchlu kvar l'kayem mitzvos eilu. ובזה יעלה לכם כאילו קיימתם כל אותם המצוות בפועל ממש U'v'zeh ya'aleh lachem k'ilu kiyamtem kol osam ha'mitzvos b'foal mamash says the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. What does it mean? What does it mean how do you fulfill היום הזה hayom hazeh Hashem commands you? I'm not yet in the land. I can't yet do it. How could I be commanded? The answer is, even when you can't yet fulfill a מצוה mitzvah, ושמרת v'shamarta. Do you long? Do you await? Do you look forward? What's the relationship, what's the attitude we have towards Torah and מצוות mitzvos? פסוק י\"ח Pasuk yud-ches. והשם האמירך היום להיות לו לעם סגולה V'Hashem he'emircha hayom lihiyos lo l'am segulah. Hashem told you today to be an עם סגולה am segulah. What does it mean an עם סגולה am segulah? Doesn't mean to be a nation of people in red bendels. Doesn't mean to be a nation of people who follow silly superstitions and absurd סגולות segulos and דרכי האמורי darkei ha'emori, the path of the Amorites, idolatry. עם סגולה Am segulah means to be a treasured people who observe Torah and מצוות mitzvos. Hashem said, \"Be an עם סגולה am segulah.\" כאשר דבר לך ולשמור כל מצוותיו Ka'asher diber lach v'lishmor kol mitzvosav. Be an עם סגולה am segulah. השם האמירך היום להיות לו לעם סגולה Hashem he'emircha hayom lihiyos lo l'am segulah. Says the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros: כלומר, תכלית כל בריאת העולם שנברא בעשרה מאמרות הוא, להיות לו ישראל לעם סגולה מכל העמים, שיהיו מקושרים להשם יתברך בכל עת Klomer, tachlis kol brias ha'olam she'nivra b'asara ma'amaros hu, lihiyos lo Yisrael l'am segulah mi'kol ha'amim, she'yihyu mekusharim l'Hashem Yisborach b'chol eis. This is the purpose, the essence, the goal of creation. השם האמירך היום Hashem he'emircha hayom, Hashem told you today, each and every day, be my עם סגולה am segulah, be my treasured people. Let the rest of the world follow superstition and נאַרישקייט narishkeit and horoscopes, but you are to have a relationship with me. Torah and מצוות mitzvos are our mandate. The rest of the world is trying to figure it out. You have the manual, the blueprint, the instructions. Be a model to the world how to relate to time and food and pleasure and relationships, how to relate to prayer and faith and resilience. להיות לו לעם סגולה Lihiyos lo l'am segulah. Hashem told us that day and he tells us, it continues to reverberate, היום hayom, each and every day, that that is our mission, that is our purpose, to be an עם סגולה am segulah. Which brings us to the תוכחה tochacha. Why do we read the תוכחה tochacha? We're in the month of Elul, we're rapidly approaching ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. Says the תפארת שלמה Tiferes Shlomo. טעם שקורין תוכחה בסוף השנה Ta'am she'korin tochacha b'sof ha'shana, why do we read this תוכחה tochacha at the end of the year? על דרך ונשלמה פרים שפתינו Al derech u'neshalma parim sefaseinu. פסוק Pasuk in הושע Hoshea teaches us, even when you can't bring קרבנות karbanos, when we read them and we say them, it's as if we offered them. So similarly with the תוכחה tochacha. נגזר על אדם אחת מן הקללות האלה, הנה יצא ידי חובתו בקריאתה Nigzar al adam achas min ha'klalos ha'eileh, hinei yatza yedei chovaso b'kriasah. Because if we really are deserving to suffer one of these תוכחה tochacha, let us fulfill receiving it and suffering it by reading it. Just reading it. Let us not have to experience it. נמצא שעצם קריאת התוכחה, אף היא ברכה, שעל ידי זה נפטרים מן הקללות Nimtza she'etzem kriyas ha'tochacha, af hi bracha, she'al yedei zeh niftarim min ha'klalos. If by reading it, we can fulfill it's as if we experienced it, we can get it out of the way. Let's get it out of the way, the תוכחה tochacha that appears in our פרשה parsha. So in that, we have blessings and curses and then we have the תוכחה tochacha itself. And one of the ארורים arurim, פרק כ\"ז פסוק ט\"ו perek kaf-zayin pasuk tes-vav. Turn the page to page 1074. The list of the ארורים arurim, the things we're cursed. ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה תועבת השם מעשה ידי חרש ושם בסתר. וְעָנוּ כָל הָעָם וְאָמְרוּ אָמֵן Arur ha'ish asher ya'aseh pesel u'masecha to'avas Hashem ma'asei yedei charash v'sam b'saser. V'anu kol ha'am v'amru amen. Cursed is the person, the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to Hashem, a person's handywork, and in place it in secret. And the entire people hear this and they answer: אמן Amen. They answer: אמן Amen. So let's start with Rav Soloveitchik. Soloveitchik points out: ארור arur, look at the list of ארור arur. You have it there on page 1074. You see the list? ארור Arur. There's two unusual things about the use of the word ארור arur here. This ארור arur versus the other ones. Anyone see what they are? Anyone know what they are? ארור Arur. Let's go look. ארור מקלה אביו ואמו. ארור מסיג גבול רעהו. ארור משגה עור בדרך. ארור מטה משפט גר יתום ואלמנה. ארור שוכב. ארור שוכב. ארור שוכב. ארור מכה. ארור לוקח Arur makleh aviv v'imo. Arur masig gvul rei'eihu. Arur mashgeh iver ba'derech. Arur mateh mishpat ger yasom v'almanah. Arur shochev, arur shochev, arur shochev, arur makeh, arur lokach. How does this one begin? ארור האיש אשר יעשה Arur ha'ish asher ya'aseh. Why do we invoke ארור האיש arur ha'ish? שאר ארורים לא נאמר בהם איש Sha'ar arurim lo ne'emar bahem ish. ברך בזה נאמר ארור האיש B'rach b'zeh ne'emar arur ha'ish. This is the only one that says, \"Cursed is the person who does this.\" All the other ones we say cursed this behavior. This is cursed the person who performs the behavior. Why is this one unusual that it says cursed the person? You got to pay attention to the text when you read the Torah. Every vowel, every letter, every word, every טראָפּ trop, every crown is teaching us something. So you got to pick up on these subtleties. ארור האיש Arur ha'ish. האיש Ha'ish only appears in this ארור arur, not the rest. So before we get to the Rav, the אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. The רחמי יוסף גריבה Rachmei Yosef Griba, I think the last one for today. I think. יש לומר, so why say ארור איש arur ish? אפשר לומר כי איש הוא לשון חשיבות Efshar lomar ki ish hu lashon chashivus. איש Ish depicts, connotes significance, prominence. And the גמרא Gemara in סוטה דף ט\"ל Sotah daf tet-lamed says: כאילו עובד עבודה זרה k'ilu oved avodah zarah. לזה אמר הכתוב ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה L'zeh amar ha'kasuv arur ha'ish asher ya'aseh pesel u'masecha. Cursed is the person who worships an idol. How do you worship an idol? Not only by finding a stone, not only by bowing down to the sun or the moon, not only by bowing down to a little little idol. What is included in idolatry? ארור האיש Arur ha'ish. איש Ish. אני הגבר Ani ha'gever. I'm the man. The word איש ish connotes arrogance. When a person has an inflated ego, when a person swells with arrogance, when a person feels they're the man, when a person behaves איש ish, I'm the man. ארור האיש Arur ha'ish. This, that's why this is the only one that invokes איש ish because what is the יעשה פסל ומסכה ya'aseh pesel u'masecha? It doesn't just mean literally worships an idol idolatry, it means arrogance is a form of idolatry. Person who tries to compete with Hashem, person who practices or carries themselves with arrogance, דומֶה כמו שעושה פסל ומסכה domeh k'mo she'oseh pesel u'masecha. Such an individual is as if they are worshiping an idol. But there's a second difference and distinction between this ארור arur and the others. The first was the use of איש ish. The second is the פסוק pasuk says, you make an idol and where do you worship it? ושם בסתר v'sam ba'saser. And you place it where? In private. If you worship an idol in public, that's okay? Torah only curses the person who worships the idol in private. If you do it in public, that's good? You're good to go? The other ארורים arurim, the other behaviors for which we receive a curse, are also prohibited in both in public and private. So why is this one alone described as in private? So Rav Soloveitchik, why the Torah single out the specific sin is the one that were mentioned that and have. Ibn Ezra writes, the common thread between these curses is they involve sins that one does in private. To underscore this characteristic, the Torah repeatedly uses the word בסתר b'saser in this section. Thus, the Torah stresses the unacceptability of the גניבת דעת geneivas da'as of hypocrisy in regard to the law, to pretend to behave according to the law in public, but to violate it in private. You know what's abominable to Hashem? You know what's repulsive to Hashem? Duplicity, hypocrisy. שקר sheker, and you present yourself religious and you practice yourself like you're righteous and you hold yourself out like you're religiously superior. And in private, you're corrupt. In private, you're hollow. In private, you're egotistical. ישעיהו Yeshayahu admonishes המתקדשים והמטהרים אל הגנות אחר אחד בתווך אוכלי בשר החזיר והשקץ והעכבר ha'miskadshim v'hametahorim el ha'ganot achar echad b'tavech ochlei besar ha'chazir v'hasheketz v'ha'achbar. Those who in public places disguise themselves as pious and moral, but in private, eat swine and other detestable things. They're subjected to the curse יחדיו יסופו נאם השם yachdav yasufu ne'um Hashem. They shall be consumed together. The Rambam in מורה נבוכים Moreh Nevuchim cites this פסוק pasuk in ישעיהו Yishayahu as the source prohibiting hypocrisy. An additional prohibition extends beyond the sins that are being committed. In addition to what you did wrong, not only are we accountable for the mistake, but if we're doing it in a way that's hypocritical, if we're duplicitous, if we try to present ourselves to others as if we're righteous, but we think that when no one's looking privately, that's when we cut corners, that's when we're dishonest intellectually, that's where we look at or say or do the wrong thing. That's where in business we're unethical, when we think no one sees and no one notices that hypocrisy, that is an abomination to Hashem. He is especially, exceedingly repulsed by such hypocrisy and duplicity. And that's why the Torah here in this section of ארור arur repeats over and over בסתר b'saser, in private. פרק כ\"ז פסוק כ\"ו Perek kaf-zayin pasuk kaf-vav. One of the list of ארור arur is: ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת Arur asher lo yakim es divrei haTorah ha'zos. Cursed is the person who does not uplift the Torah. לעשות אותם la'asos osam to perform them. ואמר כל העם אמן V'amar kol ha'am amen, and everybody answers, אמן amen. What does that mean? ארור Arur, cursed is the person who does not uplift the Torah? So the גמרא Gemara, the חז\"ל Chazal in מסכת סופרים פרק י\"ד Maseches Sofrim perek yud-daled understand, מיָד גולל ספר תורה עד שלשה דפים, מגביהו ומראה פני כתבו לעם העומדים מימינו ומשמאלו, ומחזירו לפניו ולאחריו miyad golel sefer Torah ad shlosha dapim, magbiho u'mar'eh pnei kesavo la'am ha'omdim mi'yimino u'mi'smolo, u'machziro l'fanav u'l'achorav. The person who does הגבה hagbah. This פסוק pasuk is talking about the one who does הגבה hagbah who lifts the Torah. You know, people like the speaking parts. Everyone wants to get an עליה aliyah. And עליה aliyah and עליה aliyah. One of the top complaints a rabbi gets in a שול shul. Rabbi, do you know how long it's been since I got an עליה aliyah? I I only come to שול shul during ויהי בן סע אהרן vayehi binso'a ha'aron. I hide in the back, and I face the other direction, and I wait for somebody to beg me to get an עליה aliyah. But do you know how long it's been since I got an עליה aliyah? I think I referenced it recently. My משגיח mashgiach in קרן ביבנה Keren B'Yavneh, Rav Rivlin used to point out, no one ever complains they didn't get an עליה aliyah on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. You know why? Because no one else got an עליה aliyah either. You're not so upset you didn't get an עליה aliyah because you get to say ברכת התורה birkas haTorah every morning in ברכת השחר birkas ha'shachar. With nobody watching, you can say ברכת התורה birkas haTorah then too. Why are people upset they didn't get an עליה aliyah? Not because I didn't get an עליה aliyah, but because Ya'anam got it. And they know exactly, by the way. He also got one on November 12th and on October 13th. He knows exactly, I know exactly when they got every עליה aliyah, I know the last time I got an עליה aliyah. I can't believe I never got an עליה aliyah, I don't get an עליה aliyah. The עליה aliyah has the speaking part. It's got the מי שברך mi shebeirach. Still in some שולס shuls they do that. It's got the יאמוד ya'amod. It's got all the speaking parts. But חז\"ל Chazal said, that's not, you want to get a כיבוד kibud? You know what the biggest כבוד kavod is? Not an עליה aliyah. הגבה Hagbah and גלילה gelila. הגולה כנגד כולם Ha'goleh k'neged kulam. That's actually opposite, all the עליות aliyos don't combine to the big סגולה schus for הגבה hagbah and גלילה gelila, because that's this פסוק pasuk. ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת Arur asher lo yakim es divrei haTorah ha'zos. You hold up in three columns, you turn so the people on the right can see and the people on the left can see, and then the people in front of you, the people behind. Nobody knows how to do הגבה hagbah correctly. There's an obscure article. You can find it online. There was a journal by a great uncle, Macy Nulman, עליו השלום alav ha'shalom, was the editor of the journal of Jewish music and liturgy. Not well known to his great chagrin. The, the journal of Jewish music and liturgy. I think they have all the copies on yutorah.org, they have all the volumes. The journal of Jewish music and liturgy. He was the founding head of the Bell School of Jewish Music at YU, prominent חזן chazan from a family of חזנים chazanim that clearly skipped me and my generation, my great uncle. But anyway, there was an article by Rav Mordechai of Rav Shechter. Um, I think the title of the article was something like \"Obscure הלכות Halachos of קריאת התורה Kriyas HaTorah.\" And in there he describes the proper way to do הגבה hagbah, which is really this מסכת סופרים Maseches Sofrim. No one gets it right. First you turn so the people on your right can see, then the people on the left, then you all the way around, and then you sit down, three columns open on the seam. That is the מצוה mitzvah. So that לראות ולומר l'ros v'lomar, they can all call out, וזאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל, תורת השם תמימה משיבת נפש v'zos haTorah asher sam Moshe lifnei bnei Yisrael, Toras Hashem temimah meshivas nafesh. Those are the two פסוקים psukim that are combined when the הגבה hagbah is being done according to the מסכת סופרים Maseches Sofrim. And the רמב\"ן Ramban says that's what this פסוק pasuk is talking about, הגבה hagbah being done correctly. When do you do הגבה hagbah? It's a מחלוקת machlokes between the מחבר Mechaber and the רמ\"א Rama, אשכנזים and ספרדים Ashkenazim and Sefardim. ספרדים Sefardim do הגבה hagbah before קריאת התורה Kriyas HaTorah. They lift the Torah, they turn around, they show the place it's going to be read from, then you set it down, and now you're ready to begin קריאת התורה Kriyas HaTorah. אשכנזים Ashkenazim, we only do it at the end. We do it at the, the end. There's a מנהג minhag of some חסידים Chasidim to also do it at the beginning. Where does that come from? And how do you do it? Right, חב\"ד Chabad lifts it, turns around, then you put it back on the בימה bima and roll it and do it, versus sitting down with it. All of these different מחלקות machlokes. Pointing your finger doesn't have a major source. Somebody brought to me some sources, but the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch when it records as you bow during וזאת התורה v'zos haTorah, you bow and you look for the, your lane, your name, whatever your name is, you should find that letter in the ספר תורה sefer Torah. That's brought down by the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah, the בן איש חי Ben Ish Chai and by, and by others. So that's the interpretation of ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת arur asher lo yakim es divrei haTorah ha'zos. The רמב\"ן Ramban has a second interpretation. It means אשר יקים asher yakim. Who is the person who could uplift the Torah? You. Each and every one of us. How? When you're on a line at Costco and the person beigels you, and they say, אוי וויי oy vey, when is ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah this year? Isn't it ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah soon? Because they want you to know they're Jewish and they're waiting for you to say, I got to introduce you to Rabbi Brody. Do you have a place yet for the High Holidays? We have a beginners service. Would you like to come for a meal? And if you just ignore their אוי וויי oy vey or their mentioning they know it's almost ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, and you ignore it, you are subject to this curse: ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת Arur asher lo yakim es divrei haTorah ha'zos. You had the opportunity, says the רמב\"ן Ramban, to uplift and to promote and to support and to spread Torah, and you ignored it? And you ignored it? And you bowed your head and you pretend not to notice? You are subject to this curse, to this ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת arur asher lo yakim es divrei haTorah ha'zos. You're going to pay. You're going to pay. עוד יתכן לפרש התורה על זה Od yitachen l'faresh ha'Torah al zeh. On this, we don't have time because I want to get in one or two more ideas. But he has, how is the Torah meant to sit in the ארון aron? We know every ארון קודש aron kodesh universally, how did the Torah sit? They don't sit. They're upright. Why can't you stack the Torah? Why can't you lie the Torah down? So he has a whole discussion. How do we know? How is the Torah meant to be placed? How do we know? Very interesting, you could see it inside. פרק כ\"ח פסוק ב' Perek kaf-ches pasuk beis. And then we move over. והיה אם שמוע תשמע בקול השם אלקיך לשמור לעשות את כל מצוותיו V'haya im shamoa tishma b'kol Hashem Elokecha lishmor la'asos es kol mitzvosav. If you will hear, if you will listen, if you will follow all of Hashem's Torah, Hashem will hand you over גויי הארץ goyei ha'aretz. ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגוך כי תשמע בקול השם אלקיך U'va'u alecha kol ha'brachos ha'eileh v'hisigucha ki tishma b'kol Hashem Elokecha. And all these blessings will be visited upon you. והשיגוך V'hisigucha and overtake you. כי תשמע בקול השם אלקיך ki tishma b'kol Hashem Elokecha because you hear and you heed and you pay attention to Hashem. Says Rav Druck in the זהב תמיד zeh tavmid, you'll notice, we have the word והשיגוך v'hisigucha both when it comes to the ברכות brachos, the blessings overtake you, and we also have this word when it comes to the קללות klalos, they will overtake you. But there is a difference how the word והשיגוך v'hisigucha is spelled. What is the difference? When it comes to the ברכה bracha, והשיגוך v'hisigucha is spelled without a ו vav. When it comes to the קללות klalos, the curse, והשיגוך v'hisigucha is spelled with a ו vav. Why the difference? Rav Druck quotes his Rebbe, Rav Chaim Kanievsky זצ\"ל zatzal, who answers based on the following: In ברכת כהנים birkas kohanim, פרשת נשא parshas Naso, כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם Koh sevorachu es bnei Yisrael amor lahem. How is the word אמור amor, אמור להם amor lahem spelled? אלף מם וו ריש Alef, mem, vav, reish. It's מלא malei. It includes the ו vav. אמור Amor can often is spelled without the ו vav. Why does it include the ו vav over there? Rashi says, אמור מלא, לא תברכם בחיפזון ובהילות, אלא בכוונה ובלב שלם Amor malei, lo tevarchem b'chipazon u've'hilus, ela b'kavanah u'v'lev shalem. We don't spell, it's spelled מלא malei. You know why? When you're giving the ברכה bracha, slow, savor it, take your time. You know, Friday night, you give your children ברכות brachos. You're starving, קידוש kiddush, you want to make המוציא ha'motzi, you run, you fly through it. No, you're giving these ברכות brachos, יברכך השם yevarechecha Hashem, take your time, each child, a special ברכה bracha, think of their needs, tell them how proud you were of them the week before. מלא Malei. אמור Amor with a ו vav, we stretch it out, go slowly, we add the letter ו vav, take your time, savor it. So what do you see from Rav Chaim? That when something is written with the ו vav, it means מתונס mesunus, slow. And absent of ו vav, it means quick, hurry, go. That's why when it comes to the ברכה bracha, והשיגוך v'hisigucha no ו vav, why? We want the ברכות brachos to overtake you quickly, speedily. When it comes to the קללות klalos, let it take time, delay, push it off, let it take some time until it, until it happens. Rav Druck himself gives another explanation. He says the following: With the ברכות brachos it says ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגוך כי תשמע בקול השם u'va'u alecha kol ha'brachos ha'eileh v'hisigucha ki tishma b'kol Hashem. כבר ביארנו ביסוד הדברים ברכה שאינה תלויה במצוות בעולם הזה Kvar bi'arnu b'yesod ha'devarim bracha she'einah tluyah b'mitzvos ba'olam ha'zeh. הרי לא יתכן כלל כי שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא Harei lo yitachen klal ki schar mitzvah b'hai alma leika. It can't be that the ברכות brachos are our reward in this world because we know there is no reward in this world. אין שכר שלם על מצוה שהוא שכר רוחני Ein schar mitzvah she'hu schar ruchani. There is no commensurate, no appropriate reward in this world, because מצוות mitzvos are eternal, they are immortal. So there's no reward that could properly match them. בעולם הזה שהוא כולו חומר וגשמיות Ba'olam ha'zeh she'kulo chomer v'gashmiyus. השכר היחידי Ha'schar ha'yichidi, the only reward Hashem can give us is the opportunity to do more מצוות mitzvos. שכר מצוה, מצוה Schar mitzvah, mitzvah. The reward for a מצוה mitzvah is I have more energy and more time and more focus and more good health and more resources to go do more מצוות mitzvos, to go fulfill my mission where we're in the world. וממילא u'mimela, now we understand איקר ברכה זה באים לפני שמקיימים עוד המצוה ikar bracha zeh ba'im lifnei she'mekaymim od ha'mitzvah. וישאר שהברכות האלה אצל הקיום המצוה V'yisha'er she'ha'brachos ha'eileh etzel ha'kiyum ha'mitzvah. So therefore כי תשמע בקול השם אלוקיך ki tishma b'kol Hashem Elokecha, תשמע לשון עתיד tishma lashon asid. When you will hear, then the ברכות brachos will come. מה שאין כן אצל הקללות Ma she'ein kein etzel ha'klalos, ובאו עליך כל הקללות והשיגוך u'va'u alecha kol ha'klalos v'hisigucha, התם שבואם הקללות מפורש בתורה בהמשך, כי לא שמעת בקול השם אלקיך ha'tam she'bo'am ha'klalos meforash ba'Torah ba'hemshech, ki lo shamata b'kol Hashem Elokecha. So, when it comes to ברכות brachos, Hashem gives us ברכות brachos why? So that we can do מצוות mitzvos. והשיגוך V'hisigucha with the ו vav. You know why? Hashem is empowering us, he's positioning us. This is also one of the ways, by the way. Say Hashem, what right do we have and in what position are we to demand good health and wealth and skills and talents? The answer is, if you want all of that for yourself, to advance your own personal needs and pleasure, then טאקע takeh, who are you to ask for it? We're not deserving. But if we say Hashem, I can't be your agent and your ambassador, I can't fulfill my שליחות shlichus, my mission for you, if I don't have the resources I need, if I don't have the health and the energy and the strength I need. So that's why it's לשון עתיד lashon asid when it comes to the ברכות brachos. Hashem give us the ברכות brachos, and with the ברכות brachos we're in a position then to go run and to fulfill, as opposed to the קללות klalos, which only come as a reaction, if we do the wrong thing, they come after the, they come after the fact. Reb Zelman Epstein, the great Reb Zelman Epstein, משגיח mashgiach in תורה אור Torah Or, also has an insight. ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגוך U'va'u alecha kol ha'brachos ha'eileh v'hisigucha. והשיגוך V'hisigucha. What does this word והשיגוך v'hisigucha mean? Why do I need the ברכות brachos to overtake me? If they're ברכות brachos, I should be happy, even without them overtaking me. What does it mean the ברכה bracha should overtake me? Simple understanding by the way, simple understanding, he says here. ספורנו והשיגוך, אף בלא שתשתדל אתה להשיגם, כך היא באבן עזרא Sforno v'hisigucha, af b'lo she'tishtadel atah l'hasigam, kach hi b'Ibn Ezra. The Sforno and the Ibn Ezra say, even without having to go and to capture these ברכות brachos, they should just overtake me. I shouldn't have to go on the Peloton to be in good shape. I shouldn't have to go work hard to have a lot of money. והשיגוך V'hisigucha, they should overtake me even without the effort. That's what the Sforno and the Ibn Ezra seem to suggest, he quotes. However he says, sometimes, פעם אדם שהקדוש ברוך הוא מביא לאדם מצה ועדיין אינו מרגיש שזה טובה שלו pamim she'ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu meivi l'adam matzav v'adayin eino margish she'zeh tovah shelo. Sometimes a person goes through something and a person struggles to feel this is for my best. We go through a hard time, a door that closes in our life, we go through a hard time, a door that closes and we think, Hashem doesn't love me, why do I have to suffer, why go through this difficulty. לבאר בסופו הוא מבין כמה שזה היה לטובתו b'sofo hu mevin kama shezeh haya l'tovaso. The girl said no. We didn't even go out on a date, or the שידוך shidduch fell apart. I applied for the job. I made it through three layers of interviews, ultimately I didn't get it. And it feels like this is a קללה klala, it's a curse. והשיגוך v'hisigucha is, even when it didn't feel like a ברכה bracha, let the ברכות brachos overtake me. Let me see everything in my life that I was meant to wait an hour and 40 minutes on the line at Budget rental car two days ago, that that was somehow a ברכה bracha. It felt like a whole world of קללה klala, I can tell you. But everything we go through, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, that was a minor, minor, inconsequential, insignificant, nothing, גורנישט gurnisht of a קללה klala, felt like a קללה klala. But whatever we go through in life, והיא let the ברכה bracha of it והשיגוך v'hisigucha. It's a געוואלדיק'ע פשט gevaldige pshat, no? Says Zaydel Epshtein. Whatever we go through in life, even when it feels difficult or painful, let us acquire, let us see, let us have clarity, let it overtake us, how there was a ברכה bracha in that, in the delay, in the canceled flight, in the long line, in the door that closed in שידוכים shidduchim or for a job. והשיגוך v'hisigucha, let it overtake us, even the ברכה bracha that is inside, that is inside that difficult and challenging moment.Last פשט pshat I'll tell you in it is from, I think it's from Rav Sorotzkin, who says, you know what והשיגוך v'hisigucha means? How many ברכות brachos do we have in our life that we don't even notice? You woke up this morning, your feet are working, your ears, your eyes, your faculties, roof over your head, you have a car, you're able to eat, and you're able to digest, and you're able to eliminate. והשיגוך v'hisigucha, wake up! Let it overtake us. Let us be aware and cognizant. Let us list and be mindful of the ברכות brachos that we have. There are so many ברכות brachos that we have. והשיגוך v'hisigucha. Have a השגה hasaga. The ראב\"ד Raavad is משיג masig on the רמב\"ם Rambam. Let us take note, let us register, let us have a השגה hasaga. Let us have an insight into the many ברכות brachos that we already have. We see the ברכות brachos that we want. How about stop for a moment and savor the ברכות brachos that we have? How about be grateful for what's already there?So we didn't get to the תוכחה כי אהבך השם tochacha ki ahavcha Hashem. We didn't get, I promise you, תחת אשר לא עבדת tachat asher lo avadeta, we're accountable that we didn't serve Hashem בשמחה ובטוב לבב b'simcha u'vetuv levav. So much we didn't get to. So basically this year will be no different than last year and every year. But anyway, thank you all for coming. Thank you for the time. Next week we're back at our regular schedule time, 9:30 on Tuesday morning בעזרת השם b'ezras Hashem. Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay holy.
