The Weekly Shtikle - Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

On every other Yom Tov, the parsha next in line is not read. Rather, a section of the Torah which is connected to the Yom Tov is read. On Pesach we read about yetzias Mitzrayim. On Shavuos we read about matan Torah. Simchas Torah, however, seems at first glance not to follow suit. We read V'zos HaBerachah, the next and last parsha in line. Why is Simchas Torah (seemingly) different?

 

The answer is, of course, that Simchas Torah is not different. V'zos HaBerachah has its connections to Simchas Torah as well. In fact, we find in the gemara (Megilla 31a) that even when the Torah was read in a three-year cycle, V'zos HaBerachah was still read on the last day of Yom Tov. Abudarham writes that the reason why V'zos HaBerachah is read on Simchas Torah is because that was the time that Shelomoh HaMelech would bless the nation as seen in Melachim I (8:14). Therefore, we read V'zos HaBerachah which includes Moshe's blessing of the tribes before his passing. 

 

Meshech Chachmah offers a different answer. The time of Shmini Atzeres is a special time for B'nei Yisrael. Over Sukkos we bring 70 korbanos corresponding to the 70 nations. Sukkos holds some significance for the other nations. But Shemini Atzeres symbolizes HaShem's special love for B'nei Yisrael, asking them to stay behind for just one more day as it were (see Rashi Vayikra 23:36). So it is on this day that we read of HaShem's giving the Torah to B'nei Yisrael. The pesukim at the beginning of the parsha (33:2) vezorach mi'Seir lamo, hofia meihar Paran, according to Rashi, refer to HaShem's offering of the Torah to the other nations and their subsequent refusal. Just as Shemini Atzeres symbolizes our separation from all other nations, so too, the beginning of V'zos HaBerachah illustrates how we differ from all other nations.

 

A reader once pointed out that this idea may also explain the haftarah that is chosen on this day. We read of the start of the independent career of Yehoshua and, significantly for this story, the berachos that HaShem and then the tribes of Reuvein, Menasheh and Gad give to Yehoshua with which the haftarah concludes.  Typically, this haftarah should not be read.  The haftarah has to follow the theme of the maftir. The haftarah should have dealt with the theme of Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah. But just as the maftir, which details the day's special korban signifies the special bond we have with HaShem, so too the haftarah marks the special relationship of berachah that HaShem holds for His people.

Have a chag samei'ach and may it indeed be a year of berachah for us all.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: Come on, people!

Dikdukian: Do you sea what I sea

Dikdukian: And the Days Was

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - Sukkos

[Sent from the sukkah]

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

I couldn't ignore the irony when going through my Sukkos archives. The following Shtikle was first written in 2005 following tragic events of Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in Japan. I re-sent it once again 8 years later in 2013 after a year which began with Hurricane Sandy and ended with devastating floods in Colorado. Yet another 8 years on, after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on the East Coast, I felt it was once again most appropriate.

 

The mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 1:2) states that the world is judged on four matters at four different times of the year. On Pesach, we are judged on the grain crops. On Shavuos, we are judged on the fruit. On Rosh HaShanah, the whole world is judged as individuals. On Sukkos, we are judged on water.

 

P'nei Yehoshua raises an interesting question, based on a pasuk in parshas Eikev. Towards the end of the parsha, we are told (Devarim 11:10-12) that Eretz Yisrael is not like Mitzrayim where rain rarely falls and you need to bring the water from the river yourself. Rather, it is a land of mountains and valleys and is fed by rain water. The next pasuk asserts that it "The eyes of HaShem, your God, or on it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year." The pasuk uses the word shanah to refer to year and offers no further explanation as to the definition thereof. Whenever we refer to a year without defining it, states P'nei Yehoshua, it refers to the calendar year which begins on Rosh HaShanah. This pasuk therefore implies that the beginning of the "rain year" is in fact Rosh HaShanah. How then can it be that the year for rain begins on Sukkos as is stated in the mishnah?

 

A careful reading of the mishnah yields an interesting linguistic nuance. The introduction states that at four times the world is judged. On Pesach for crops, Shavuos for fruit, Rosh HaShanah we all pass in front of Him like sheep in a flock and on the chag we are judged on water. The word nidonim, judged, is repeated with respect to Sukkos. I have long wondered why this was and had resigned myself to accepting that there is nothing much to be made of it. However, it is well-known that although the judgement is sealed on Yom Kippur, the judgement still extends in some way until Hoshana Rabba. Perhaps we may understand that the mishnah's insertion of the word nidonim is meant to connect the judgement of Sukkos back to that of Rosh HaShanah. The world passes in front of HaShem in judgement and is subsequently judged on matters of water. Sukkos is not merely one of the four listed in the mishnah but is in fact connected directly to Rosh HaShanah.

 

This would answer P'nei Yehoshua's difficulty as well. Indeed, the judgement on rain begins, in some way, on Rosh HaShanah but extends all the way until Sukkos. There is no discrepancy between the mishnah and the pasuk.

 

Ra"n is bothered by a different aspect of the mishnah. One would assume that the judgement on Rosh HaShanah is complete, in that we are judged and inscribed in "the book" regarding all aspects, including water, fruit and grain. What then is the meaning of the other judgments at other times of the year? He answers that the world is judged at large on the other times of the year. The worldwide allotment of rain, fruit and grain are decreed at their respective times. One's own individual portion of that allotment is what is decreed on Rosh HaShanah.

 

It is common, in order to evoke a true feeling for the gravity of the judgement on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, to reflect on the tragedies of the year gone by. But how often is this done on Sukkos? It should be noted that the term chag in the mishnah clearly refers to all of Sukkos and not Shemini Atzeres when we pray for rain. It should also be noted that the mishnah does not state that we are judged on geshem, rain, but rather it is water which is the subject of the judgement on Sukkos. Keeping that and the Ra"n's understanding in mind, it is quite likely that water-related tragedies, are in fact decreed on Sukkos. Whether or not we were directly affected by these tragedies, this is certainly something to keep in mind as we focus and direct our tefillos on this Yom Tov.

Have a chag samie'ach and good Shabbos!

Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Harachaman hu yakim...

Al Pi Cheshbon: How many bakashos in Ya'aleh v'Yavo

Al Pi Cheshbon: The Search for Worthy ... Humans (Koheles)

 

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - Ha'azinu

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

The poetry that makes up most of this week's parsha begins with a call to the heavens and the earth to bear witness to the words of Moshe to follow. Immediately thereafter, Moshe proclaims, (32:2) "ya'arof kamatar likchi, tizal katal imrasi, kis'irim alei deshe, vechirvivim alei eisev." In short, this pasuk compares his words to the rain, the dew, and the wind. I wish to focus only on the last half of the pasuk. Rashi explains se'irim to be winds and revivim as rain drops. He further explains that deshe refers to a general covering of grass while the word eisev refers to individual blades.

It would seem to follow from Rashi that the pairing of se'irim with deshe and revivim with eisev is quite logical. Wind is a phenomenon consisting of a single unit and cannot be broken down into smaller parts as there are no "pieces" or "drops" of wind. Thus, it is applied to deshe which refers to the general covering of grass, viewed as a single unit as well. The revivim, which are individual raindrops, are applied to the eisev, the individual blades of grass.

I believe there is a symbolism behind these two metaphors. Rashi explains that just as the winds strengthen the grass, so too, the words of the Torah strengthen those who learn them and help them grow. This pasuk is conveying to us the nurturing powers of Torah. Therefore, we may explain that the pasuk is teaching us the far-reaching benefits of Torah for K'lal Yisrael on a collective level, as symbolized by se'irim and deshe, as well as the sustenance it provides for each and every one of us on an individual level, as symbolized by the revivim and eisev.

Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

 

Weekly Shtikle Blog Roundup:

Dikdukian: HAL

Daily Leaf:

.י"ד Word Play

:ט"ז Forgot Again

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - Nitzavim / Rosh HaShanah

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

One of the themes of this week's parsha is that of teshuvah, repentance, a perfect preparation for the days ahead. After the pesukim dealing with the harsh punishments of the man, woman, family or tribe who "goes his own way," we are told of all the good that is bestowed upon us when we return to HaShem.

 

Perek 30 begins, "And it shall be when these things come upon you, the blessings and the curses which I have put before you...And you shall return to HaShem, your God." It is common, especially at this time, to look back and reflect on recent tragedies - those that affect us personally or as a nation more directly, such as the passing of a loved one or the trials and tribulations endured by our brethren in Eretz Yisrael, and those that might seem to affect us less directly, such as various world events - and try to understand it as HaShem's call for us to do teshuvah. I confidently speak on my own behalf and on behalf of everyone else when I say that we have certainly had a fair share of these difficult times over the course of the past year. It is certainly not uncommon for such events to be invoked in a Rosh HaShanah or Shabbas Shuva drasha.

 

I am not coming to discount this practice. However, there is a small yet important nuance in the above passage that might easily be overlooked in this process. It is not merely the curses - the tragedies and misfortunes - that are meant to be catalysts to our repentance. The berachah, the blessings and the good fortune are meant to serve the same purpose. It is simply insufficient to look back at the tough times that befell us, either personally or nationally, and declare "God was telling us something." We must also reflect upon the wonderful blessings we have enjoyed, for He was telling us something then too. Appreciating the love and the Divine Providence with which our lives are governed, can and should lead us to teshuvah just the same. Many might find this idea significantly more difficult this year than in others. Nevertheless, it behooves us to rise to this challenge.

 

Have a good Shabbos and a kesivah vachasimah tovah.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Name of the parsha

Daily Leaf:ביצה - What is your name?

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.