Rabbi Reisman – Parshas Re’eh 5781
1 – Topic – A Thought about Eretz Yisrael
As we prepare for Shabbos Parshas Re’eh and Boruch Hashem I have the Zechus to be speaking to you from the Ir Hakodesh from Yerushalayim, really from the center of the world, the center of the universe. The place where we are Mishtokeik, where we have a tremendous desire to be at all times and we need not to forget that. This is where we should be.
I will speak to you about Parshas Re’eh but first a thought on Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh. On the Yom of the second day, we talk about Yerushalayim. Many people don’t realize it. I have mentioned it in the past that really the concept of (יְפֵה נוֹף, מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל-הָאָרֶץ) which is what the Yom (the Perek of Tehillim # 48) is about, (יְפֵה נוֹף) the beautiful city, (מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל-הָאָרֶץ) which brings joy to the entire world. (הַר-צִיּוֹן) The Mount Tzion where the Bais Hamikdash is built (יַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן) and that which is to the north of it which is of course the Bais Hamidash, we talk about this on Yom Sheini. (יְפֵה נוֹף, מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל-הָאָרֶץ).
The Gemara in Rosh Hashana on 26a (3 lines from the bottom) says (יְפֵה נוֹף) that (נוֹף) also means Kallah so that it is a bride. Yerushalayim is the Kallah of Klal Yisrael. How is that so? What does it mean the bride of Klal Yisrael? I would like to try to explain it in a very practical and real way.
We find that Shabbos is considered a Kallah to Klal Yisrael. Shabbos Kodesh is considered a Kallah. How is Shabbos a Kallah to Klal Yisrael? So there, we do find in Chazal that Shabbos complained that every day of the week has a pair, has a second day which is its mate so to speak and me Shabbos is the odd man out as I am number seven and I have no match. HKB”H said Klal Yisrael is going to be your Zivug, is going to be your match. What does that mean that the days of the week are a Zivug or a match, a bride or groom to each other?
I believe that I explained the idea of Shabbos sometime in the past and I would like to apply it today to Eretz Yisrael as well. Regarding Shabbos, Rav Shimshon Pincus brings I believe in the name of the GR”A the following. He says what are the pairs of days, it is not Sunday and Monday as a pair, Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. No. He says it goes as follows. Sunday Hashem separated the heaven from the earth. On Monday HKB”H separated the water, the Mayim Tachtonim and the Mayim Elyonim and created the oceans and the seas and the rivers. On the third day HKB”H created the vegetation, the trees, everything that grows.
Now those three days each created a certain potential. There is a heaven, there is an earth. So what if there is a heaven and there is an earth? What does that do? On Wednesday, the fourth day, Hashem created the Zivug for Sunday. So that Sunday Hashem created the heavens which is a certain potential and on Wednesday Hashem created the heavenly body, the sun, the moon, the stars, all of which serve as a purpose for mankind, for human beings. On the second day Hashem created the ocean. There is a lot of potential in the body of ocean. The Zug for day 2 is day 5, on the 5th day Hashem created the fish, all the creatures that live in the water, and the birds which we understand are created from a combination of Aretz and Mayim. Which the Baalei Machshava explain that on the third day Hashem created the habitable land, the vegetation, the trees and the Zug to that is the 6th day. So that, the first goes with the fourth, the second day with the fifth, the third day with the sixth. Human beings and animals were created on the sixth day who benefit from the vegetation and the growth of that which is created on the third day. So each of the first three days is potential and it has a Zivug, it has a match.
Now the words of Chazal make a lot of sense. When Chazal tell us that Shabbos complained I have no Zivug, what does Shabbos need a Shidduch, why does Shabbos need Shidduchim? This is because Shabbos is Malei potential, it is full of potential. So Shabbos said who is going to make use of my potential? So Hashem said your Kallah is the Jewish people. The Jewish people are going to make the most of Shabbos. That is the Zivug. Ad Kan are the words of the GR”A as quoted in the Sefer Shabbos Malkasa.
We take that concept and we apply it to Eretz Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael is Malei potential. It has a closeness to heaven. It has a sense of Kedusha. Somebody comes here and wants, the Davening is a different Davening, the learning is a different kind of learning. The walking in the streets, a person who walks the streets of Yerushalayim and takes a moment to look around to see and appreciate where he is walking, it brings him closer to Shamayim, it brings him closer to heaven. Eretz Yisrael is in space what Shabbos is in time.
Eretz Yisrael is the place where a person can be connected to Shamayim. It is our challenge. Just like Shabbos is the day to connect to HKB”H, we spend more time in Shul, we spend more time learning, we spend more time doing Mitzvos. So too, visiting or living in Eretz Yisrael is in space what Shabbos is in time. It is the potential. It is the ability to come here and to connect to the Ribbono Shel Olam, to feel the Kedusha, to walk in the streets and look at the Lichtige faces of Yidden in Eretz Yisrael. Millions of Yidden Boruch Hashem in Eretz Yisrael. All types of Yidden in Eretz Yisrael. They are certainly tremendous Mevakshei Hashem in the neighborhoods where I am Zoche to stay. Tremendous Mevakshei Hashem. You come here, you have to make use of it.
Look at the lockdown. Circumstances are such that it is becoming very difficult to visit Eretz Yisrael. But Yerushalayim is open for the Talmidim, for the seminaries and the Bochurim who come to learn. For that Eretz Yisrael is open. For someone who wants to come for Avodas Hashem you can find a way to be able to be here. It is a tremendous Zechus to be here. You are coming to Eretz Yisrael to learn, you will get in and your visit will be worthwhile. If you are coming here for vacation, then it is not the same Siyata Dish’maya. Don’t come here for a vacation. If you come here during your vacation from work, you are not here for vacation, you are here to be Nis’aleh, to grow, to use Shabbos Kodesh. To use Eretz Yisrael.
That sense of the Kedusha and when it is Shabbos and in Eretz Yisrael wow, how could you go to sleep, you go to the Beis Medrash and spend your day in the Batei Medrashim here. It is not like in America where you come for an hour for Daf Yomi or an hour for the Rav’s Shiur. No. There are people learning all day in the Batei Medrashim here. It is beautiful. Chap a’ Rein.
2 – Topic – A Really Wonderful Dvar Torah on the Parsha
We have the Mitzvah of giving Tzedaka as is found in 15:10 (נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן לוֹ). It says (וְלֹא-יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ). Don’t feel bad and don’t act sad when you give Tzedaka. (וְלֹא-יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ: כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, יְבָרֶכְךָ יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ). Because when you give Tzedaka you get blessing. (בְּכָל-מַעֲשֶׂךָ, וּבְכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ). You get blessing from giving Tzedaka.
The Hafla’a is quoted by the Tchebiner Rav as having said the following. The Hafla’a said that all of the Berochos of Schar of wealth that come from giving Tzedaka only come if you give B’saveir Panim Yafos, if you give together with a Chizuk to the person taking the Tzedaka, a smile to the person. So the Posuk says (וְלֹא-יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ). Don’t give in a sad way. Why? (כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה). (הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה). The Sifri says and it is quoted here in the Hameik Davar on the Posuk. The Sifri says (הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה) is Hadibur Hazeh. (כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה), the way you talk when you give Tzedaka. (יְבָרֶכְךָ יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ, בְּכָל-מַעֲשֶׂךָ). Then you get the blessings. (יְבָרֶכְךָ). The Sifri as a matter of fact says even if you don’t give the Ani any money, just (הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה) you speak to him and you give him Chizuk (יְבָרֶכְךָ יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ). So the Yesod is that all of the Schar for Tzedaka that is promised is when a person gives it B’saiveir Panim Yafos, in a happy way. In a way that he feels privileged to give it.
With this, the Hafla’a answers a Kasha of the Rishonim in Bava Basra 8. The Halacha is Kofin Alav Tzedaka. Batei Dinim used to compel (force) people to give Tzedaka. Tosafos asks we have a rule that any Mitzvah that the Torah spells out Schar it is a Mitzvah that we are not Kof’e, we do not force people to do. By Tzedaka the Torah spells out the Schar for giving Tzedaka. So Freigt Tosafos why do we compel, why do we force, why are we Kofin Alav Tzedaka?
Enfert the Hafla’a, beautiful. He says the Schar is for someone who gives happily, someone who gives happily we don’t force him, he is giving happily. This fellow who needs to be forced to give Tzedaka, for him there is no Mattan Sechara B’tzida. It doesn’t say the Schar that a person is going to get. For him we are Kof’e him, we force him.
I saw from Rav Shternbuch that he adds. The Gemara says in Rosh Hashana 4a (8 lines from the top) that if someone gives Tzedaka Al Menas She’yich’ye B’ni, Harei Zeh Tzaddik Gamur (האומר סלע זו לצדקה בשביל שיחיו בני ובשביל שאזכה בה לחיי העולם הבא הרי זה צדיק גמור). He gives Tzedaka and in the Zechus of the Tzedaka he should have a Refuah for a child or long life for a child, Harei Zeh Tzaddik Gamur. Why Tzaddik Gamur? If you give not Al Menas She’yich’ye B’ni it is also Tzaddik Gamur.
Zagt Rav Shternbuch according to the Hafla’a it is beautiful. When you go to an Ani and you give him Tzedaka he feels bad that he has to take. But if you tell him I need this Zechus, I want that in the Zechus of the fact that I am helping you that Al Menas She’yich’ye B’ni, I need that my child should have a Refuah Sh’leimah. So if you tell the Ani and the Ani feels that he is helping you and you tell the Ani Daven for me. If you give to an Ani from Eretz Yisrael, tell him you are lucky to be in Eretz Yisrael please Daven for my child. In that way you are giving it B’saiveir Panim Yafos, in a happy way.
People here from Eretz Yisrael Shlepp to America to raise money. It is not easy. It is difficult. Some of these men are 60, 70 or even older. It is hard for them, it is very difficult. It is sad that they have to do it. Really we should be traveling to Eretz Yisrael looking for the Aniyim. But when they come to your door, be Mekabeil them B’saiver Panim Yafos. And when they are sad that you can’t give them a large amount of money say what I say to them. I always tell them Oy I wish I had a spare million dollars to give you, and they smile. Then I give them a drink and they go on their way. B’saiveir Panim Yafos.
I should remember to do it all of the time. When they come in and I am relaxed it is easy. When they come in and I am in middle of something it is not so easy. We have to remember that (כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, יְבָרֶכְךָ יְרוָר אֱלֹריךָ). And so, speaking to you from Artzeinu Hakedosha, the Ir Hakodesh, the Yeshiva Kedosha Ohr Sameiach. So many Kedushos I am Zoche to be standing in. HKB”H should help that I should absorb some of the Kedusha. It should give me an Aliyah and you too should be Zoche to come and have an Aliyah B’karov Mamash. A Gutten Shabbos to one and all!