YW Moderator-72

ames, thank you.

L’Illuy Nishmas my father R’Shlomo Wolf bn. Yehuda Leib haLevi

Ki Savo

The last posuk in the parsha states: You Shall observe the words of this covenant, so that you will succeed in all that you do

The following is a thought that I had on this posuk (note: usually I share my thoughts with a few people before I put them to the test of wide distribution, however, this time, I did not have time to do so… feel free to tell me if this does not seem like emes):

After the listing of all the curses a person can become despondent and wonder how they ever have a chance. The Yetzer HaRa comes along and tells a person, listen, you messed up already, look at all the curses that are heading in your direction, there is no hope anymore. The Y’H has many tools, but one of the most powerful tools is depression. Once a person falls into depression and despairs of having a chance at succeeding, they give up.

This can happen in all areas in life: spiritual and physical health, marriage, children, livelihood, etc. A person meets with resistance in these areas and essentially the Y’H sees an opening and jumps in attempting to wreak havoc on the emotional health of the intended victim. As soon as the person feels a sense of utter hopelessness they start losing their connection (closeness) to HaShem, which is the ultimate goal of the Yetzer HaRa.

Immediately before the posuk the Torah tells us a little history: We were in Egypt, we saw great signs and wonders, we wandered for 40 years, we had clothing and food requirements taken care of, we even won battles against fierce enemies. Look at all that HaShem has done for us even when things seemed to be impossible! He was/is with us, he looked/looks out for us and he helped/helps us in every step and aspect of our life.

If things are not going the way we think they should be going or if one falls short a person may begin to feel despondent and perhaps even forget that HaShem continues to guide and provide for us and most regrettably a person might think that HaShem has given up on them.

So first we have several posukim about what HaShem did for us, and then, once we can see and understand and appreciate that we are not in this alone, we are told the secret to success: observe the words of the covenant. The person who has fallen short in one area or another, may think: yes, but I fell short so this success doesn’t apply to me. To that person we can respond that the same eternal covenant that the posuk refers to, HaShem in His mercy, included the opportunity to repent and move forward, so there is no need to despair.

Every Elul as we prepare for judgment, we read this posuk that comes to tell us the path to success. Follow this covenant, the eternal Torah, know that HaShem is with you every step and you are never too far to return and you will succeed and being as the covenant is eternal, so too the success be eternal.

The lesson that I take out of this is:

HaShem in his abundant love for us is always with us, no matter where we are spiritually, physically and equally as important emotionally. If we have fallen in any of these areas, We can always call out in heartfelt prayer to help us with the cure. We are never to far removed to seek HaShem. Even if we are confined in the prison known as depression with the Y’H as the warden, we still are not to far away to cry to HaShem to release us.

K’Siva v’Chasima Tova

I almost forgot…

*************Jax’s Tuesday D’Var Torah – Parshas Ki Savo***************

“Hashem has not given you a heart to recognize, and eyes to see, and ears to hear until this day.” (Deut.29:3)

Moshe gave a special sefer Torah to the Sheivet of Levi. The other shevatim complained, “If you give the sefer Torah to Levi, their descendants will claim that the Torah was only given to them and not to all the shevatim. This could lead to the Torah being lost from Klal Yisroel.”

Moshe had a very unexpected reaction to this complaint – he rejoiced! “I was never sure if your devotion to Hashem was complete. Now that I see your concern, I realize your devotion is whole hearted (Rashi).

This nation had such a strong devotion to Hashem, that they kept their beliefs throughout the long, bitter, back breaking slavery in Mitzraim. They plunged into the Yom Suf on the faith that their beloved Hashem would surely save them [by parting the waters]. Out of unconditional love and trust in Hashem, they committed themselves to obeying the laws of the Torah sight unseen. Yet despite their powerful displays of devotion, Moshe was not convinced until today. It was only what he witnessed today that assured him of their commitment – their concern for the perpetuation of Torah in the future generations. This is the supreme litmus test of faith and closeness to Hashem. Personal piety is essential, but it is not enough; one can not say he truly values Torah if he does not appreciate the need to safeguard it for future generations.

When Hashem commanded Avraham to perform the bris milah on himself, Avraham went to consult the sage Mamre concerning the bris. Avraham was not concerned about the painful operation he was about to undergo; rather, he was very concerned that others in his household would not want to perform this physically difficult mitzvah for themselves. He sought Mamre’s advice on how to assure that others would do this mitzvah. We see from here that Avraham was not satisfied to simply do the mitzvah himself and increase his own personal piety, he also wanted to spread the mitzvah to others. This made the mitzvah more complete. Mamre advised him, “First do the mitzvah for yourself, then others they will follow.”

There was an older man who lived in Brooklyn, New York. Every morning he attended Shul and every morning, after leaving shul he would stand on a certain busy Brooklyn street corner, peering at the intersection for qround an hour, till he would finally walk home. The Rabbi asked him why he did this. He replied, “Rabbi, I went through the concentration camps and experienced the nazi’s demonic devastation. After the war, things looked very bleak and depressing for the Jewish people and there were those who wondered if Judaism would simply peter out. I once figured out that if I stand at this street corner in the mornings, I can see 30 different school buses taking children to various Yeshivos. When I see this, I realize that Hitler did not succeed. Torah still flourishes and the Jewish people thrive. Until I count all 30 buses, I just cannot start my day. This is why I stand here.”

Personal piety is essential, but it is not enough: one can not say he truley values Torah if he does not appeciate the neet to safeguard it for future generation!