By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

l’zeicher nishmas Rav Yaakov Ben R. Yisroel Meir Hirsch zt”l on his yahrtzeit

The Michtav m’Eliyahu points out that many of us grow from role models in Torah.  However, we can also grow from seeing bad role models and staying far far away from them.  He explains that Rivka Imeinu grew enormously from seeing role models as to what to stay away from – Besuel and Laval.

With this in mind, let’s examine recent events.

On Monday evening, US President Joe Biden called Fox News journalist, Peter Doocy a “stupid ___” on the sidelines of a White House photo op according to an AFP report.  It was caught on a live microphone as journalists were leaving the room. Peter Doocy had asked the president whether the inflation the country is experiencing would be a political liability for him in the upcoming election.

The president sarcastically responded, “It’s a great asset. More inflation,” and then muttered somewhat silently, “What a stupid ___.”

The term that the president had used was definitely a pejorative one, and one that, in its current usage, is uniquely American.  Although it did have its origins in England.  Shakespeare had used it in Act II Scene II of King Lear, “One that art nothing but the composition of a Knave, Begger, Coward, Pandar, and the Sonne and Heire of a ____.”

It seems, somehow that the use of the expression began in England, continued somewhat in that country, hopped over the pond to the United States, and then died down back in England but ensconced itself on these shores.

However, what concerns us is the halacha of what was done at the point of the name-calling and what the president did or did not do in the aftermath.

THE GEMORAH IN BAVA METZIAH

The Gemara in Bava Metzia (58b) states that all the people who descend to Gehinnom arise from there with the exception of three kinds: adulterers; those who affix a pejorative name to another; and one who embarrasses his friend in public. These three never arise. This halachah is stated in Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 228:5) and is nogaya – practically applicable.

The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:14) lists these as one of the 24 categories of people that have no share in the World to Come.

It is clear that the president did a no-no, and a very serious one at that.

DID HE MAKE UP FOR THE NAME-CALLING?

Did the president make up for his name-calling?  That’s a good question.  He did call the reporter within the hour after he insulted and used the pejorative term against him.  But, it seems, that he did not own up to what he did.

What do our great Gedolei HaMusar have to say about not owning up to something?

There is a fascinating observation that was made by Rav Leib Nenedick hy”d, the last Mashgiach Ruchni of the Yeshiva of Kletzk, Rav Aharon Kotler’s Yeshiva in Europe.

We known that After Adam HaRishon ate from the aitz hadaas, Hashem asks him, have you eaten from the aitz hadaas?  He answered, “HaIsha asher nasata imadi – hi nasna li min haAitz vaOchai.. The woman that YOU GAVE ME.. she gave me to eat from the aitz hadaas and I ate..”

The midrash tells us Adam was, in fact, innocent of the underlying problem.  He was forced to eat of it by Chava.  If so, where was his error?  Where was his fault?

The Alter of Slabodka explains that the error was in how he had expressed himself..  It was an expression of a subtle lack in hakaras HaTov.  He blamed the error on a gift that Hashem had given him.  A lack of hakaras hatov – of being a kafui tov.  So, the first piece of advice in marriage is always, always, always express hakaras hatov instead of kafui tov.

Rav Leib Nenedik, zatzal, the mashgiach of Rav Aharon Kotler’s yeshiva in Kletz, presented a different understanding of Adam HaRishon’s mistake.

It is found in a rare sefer called Mussarei Kletzk.   Rav Nenedik says that Adam did not own up to things, right away.  After Hashem asked of him whether he had eaten from the aitz hadaas he should have said, “yes, I did and I admit error, it was a mistake.”  Instead, he defended himself and only did teshuvah later.

And, lehavdil, neither did the president.

WHY DID HE DO IT?

It seems that the president may have a gut-reaction negative response to any reporter that comes from the other side of the aisle.  In last week’s parsha, we read vayichan sham Yisroel neged hahar – and Israel encamped next to the mountain.

Rashi explains that they encamped, k’ish echad b’laiv echad – like one person, with one heart.  The word vayichan comes from the word ch’ain – love.  An adam gadol once said that the reason why Klal Yisroel was zocheh to Matan Torah was on account of this ch’ain that they had for all other members of Klal Yisroel – this remarkable sense of Achdus that they had for each other.

This week, we learn of the Mitzvah of Shmittah.  There is a famous expression that is asked, “What does Shmittah have to do with Har Sinai – that it was juxtaposed so closely with it?”  At a yahrtzeit Seudah for my father-in-law, Rabbi Yaakov Hirsch zt”l, last night, I suggested that perhaps the Torah is giving us a practical means in which we can accomplish this sense of achdus – of loving every Jew no matter where he or she is at, and no matter what their political affiliation is.  Shmittah is a concrete practical maaseh – action.  It is also the only Mitzvah in the Torah where you are obligated to give to absolutely everyone.  Ahavah comes from the word Hav – giving.  So just like we had that incredible sense of achdus at har Sinai – we should allow SHmittah where we give to everyone to help us develop that k’ish echad b’laiv echad now as well.

Purim is fast approaching.  Rav Shmuel Brudny zt”l, a Rosh Yeshiva in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn, once explained an essential difference between Chanukah and Purim.  He asked why it was that Purim achieved a higher status in terms of spirituality than Chanukah did?  Rav Brudny answered, “On Purim, upon which it is stated, “Lech knos es kol haYehudim – go and gather all the Jews..” – we demonstrated achdus.  Esther gave back a message to Mordechai that all the Jews should gather and daven and fast – to assist in nullifying the horrible decree.  Klal Yisroel demonstrated achdus.  On Chanukah, however, there were many misyavanim – and we were missing this crucial component – we had no achdus.”

It is interesting to note that it was on Purim where we were zocheh to accept Torah sh’b’al peh along with Torah shebichsav.

The term “Gadlus HaAdam – the Greatness of Man” means that spiritually, we are on a higher plane, than the angels themselves.  When the Slabodka Yeshiva first opened its doors in the Yeshiva in Hevron – the Alter of Slabodka said as follows:  “With our feet, we have already entered the Aron haKodesh.. the palace of the King.  Our task now, however, is to remove our minds and hearts from the garbage bin in which they are now situated and to bring them as well into the Aron Kodesh.”

If this was true in 1924, it is certainly true now, almost a century later.

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