Reply To: Short & Sweet

Ki Seitzei: Build Back Better

כי תבנה בית חדש, ועשית מעקה לגגך, ולא תשים דמים בביתך כי יפול הנופל ממנו –
“When you build a new house, make a guardrail for your roof, so that there will not be bloodshed when the person who falls will fall from it.”

The Chida sees an allusion in this passuk how to properly do Teshuva. כי תבנה בית חדש alludes to when we set out to rebuild ourselves anew after we’ve fallen, to reestablish our innermost self.

The passuk hints to us that when rebuilding, there is an important addition we must make. ועשית מעקה לגגך, we must put up our own סייג לתורה specifically in the area that we have previously fallen in.

If we’ve succumbed once, we need to be extra careful in that area going forward. The best way of going about that is to establish Gedarim for ourselves to keep us from reaching the place that previously caused us to fall. Otherwise, יפול הנופל ממנו – he who has fallen is in danger of falling again.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום