The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Savo

This coming Wednesday, 20 Elul, is the 2^nd yahrtzeit of my uncle, Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin. The shtikle is dedicated le’iluy nishmaso, Yisrael ben Refael Ze’ev.

The bulk of this week's parsha is taken up by the tochacha, literally the rebuke, in which we are warned of the terrible consequences of not heeding HaShem's word. The tochacha is preceded by a shorter, yet significant list of blessings that are bestowed upon us when we do perform the will of HaShem. There is a phraseology that is expressed almost identically in both the blessings and the curses. With regards to the blessings, it is written (28:2), "uva'u alecha kol haberachos ha'eileh vehisigucha," and these blessings will come upon you and overtake you. Regarding the curses, it is written (28:45), "uva'u alecha kol hakelalos ha'eileh urdafucha vehisigucha," and these curses will come upon you and chase you, and overtake you.

Although these pesukim seem extremely similar, R' Chayim Kanievsky, in Ta'ama D'kra, notes that when speaking of the blessings, vehisigucha is written without a vuv. However, when speaking of the curses, it is written with a vuv. He offers a fascinating interpretation of this discrepancy.

In parshas Naso (Bemidbar 6:23) the kohanim are instructed as to how to bless the nation. The Torah commands "amor lahem," say unto them. Rashi points out that although the word "amor" could have been written without a vuv, aleph-mem-reish, here it is specifically written with a vuv. The midrash (Bemidbar Rabbah 11:4) learns from this that the kohanim must not bless the nation hurriedly but rather carefully, intently and wholeheartedly. R' Chayim extrapolates from here that in general, a word written in its shortened form denotes hurry, whereas if it is written completely, it denotes a lack thereof. The meaning in our case, therefore, is that the blessings will come swiftly and rapidly. The curses, however, if they must come, will come slowly and gradually. An example of this is the slow progression with which tzara'as inflicts a person, rather than inflicting his body, clothes and house all at once. The purpose of this is to give a person the opportunity to react early and repent before the punishments grow and overtake him.

As one reader pointed out, this idea is found even more explicitly in the tochacha of Bechukosai where there is a clearly delineated progression associated with the curses whereas the blessings come all at once.

This theme may also explain the appearance of the word urdafucha, and they shall chase you, regarding the curses but not regarding the blessings. This refers to the "chasing" period when the retribution is only starting out gradually. At this point, the person is being chased to repent. It is only when he does not answer this call that the curses will overtake him. The blessings, conversely, will not chase you but simply come full force immediately.

This theme is quite pertinent to the month of Elul, in which this parsha always falls out. We are always given a window of opportunity, even an encouraging push, to repent for our sins before being punished fully. The month of Elul is prescribed for repentance and mending of ways so that we may achieve a favourable judgment for the coming year.

Have a good Shabbos.

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Al Pi Cheshbon: Balancing the Shevatim 

Dikdukian: Tough Day at the Office

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 - Ki Seitzei

Early on in the parsha, we are taught of two different mitzvos between man and his neighbour which share a common warning.  We must expend great effort to return a lost object to its rightful owner, be it an inanimate object or an animal. Immediately following, we are told that we must help our fellow Jew who is having difficulty loading his animal. In both cases, we are warned against ignoring the situation. (22:1-4)

What is curious about these warnings is the specific words used by Targum Onkelos. You shall not see the lost object - vehis'alamta. You shall not see the struggling animal - vehis'alamta. In both cases, Onkelos renders vesiskeveish. This is in line with  Rashi who translates it as a closing of one's eye as if he does not see. But for the lost object, the pasuk repeats at the end - lo suchal lehis'aleim. The word seems to be the same but here Onkelos renders l'iskasa'ah. One might translate this to mean you cannot conceal yourself. Interestingly, this is the same word that Onkelos uses in last week's parsha in the introduction to the case of the zakein mamreh - 17:8 ki yipaleh mimecha davar - when a certain case is baffling. The targum is arei yitichsei, when the matter is concealed from you.

Unfortunately, I haven't come to a clear understanding as to why the translation changes in our case. However, I did reveal a significant clue. This root does appear many times in the Torah (see Concordance.) There appears to be a pattern as to how Onkelos translates the word. Any time it is used in a passive sense such as referring to something being forgotten, he uses kasah. When the pasuk refers to an active ignorance, such as our cases and the case of a nation refusing to prosecute the crime of giving one's child to the molech, (Vayikra 20:4), the word kavash is used. The Commentaries on Rashi make quite an issue of the fact that Rashi repeats the same commentary on the second instance. Perhaps, their understanding of Rashi sheds some light on how Onkelos understood these two phrases. 

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Shiluah Ha...

Dikdukian: Shva vs Kamatz by R' Ari Storch

 

        Shiluach HaKein Game

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 - Shofetim

This week's parsha discusses a wide range of topics. Among them are the unique laws of eidim zomemim, the false, plotting witnesses who are given the exact punishment they planned to cause to the defendant. The manner in which they are refuted must be very specific as well as the timing of their disproof. The mishnah (Makkos 1:6) teaches that the refutation must come after the defendant had been sentenced but before the sentence was carried out in order for these laws to take effect. This is the famous conundrum of eidim zomemim, that the false witnesses are punished accordingly only if they ultimately fail but not if they succeed. The mishnah learns this law in cases of capital punishment from the pasuk (19:19) "And you shall do to him as he plotted to do to his brother." The fact that the Torah refers to the defendant as his brother indicates that he is still alive. If he has already been given the death penalty, the punishment referred to in this pasuk does not apply.

Similarly, the gemara (Sanhedrin 10a) learns from the pasuk (25:3) "And your brother shall be flogged before your eyes" that the punishment of lashes must not result in death for after the lashes, he must remain your brother.

Many commentaries question this understanding of the word ach, brother. After all, the pasuk (Vayikra 21:2) teaches us that a regular kohein may become tamei for the purpose of the burial of an immediate family member. There, the word ach is clearly referring to someone who is no longer alive. How can the aforementioned sources assume ach to be a living person?

Rasha"sh on the gemara in Sanhedrin offers an interpretation. The Torah uses the word ach in two different contexts. Sometimes it used to refer to an actual brother with a familial relationship. In this case, the relationship is not broken by death and thus, he remains a brother even after passing on. However, when the Torah uses the word ach to refer to a fellow Jew, the rationale is that he is your brother in mitzvos. He shares the same obligations as you. When he dies, he is absolved of his obligation to perform mitzvos and this brotherly relationship is severed. Therefore, the gemara justifiably extrapolates from the usage of ach that we are referring to someone who is still alive.

Have a good Shabbos and chodesh tov.
 
Eliezer Bulka 
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com 
 
Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup: 

Weekly Shtikle: Additional Symbolism of the Shofar 

Dikdukian: Two of a Kind 

Dikdukian: Clean Blood 

  

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 - Re'eih

A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to my nephew, Tovia Yehuda Bulka of Yerushalayim on his bar mitzvah this shabbos.

In this week's parsha a word not used anywhere else in the Torah (although it is found 20 times in NA"CH) appears twice. The inhabitants of the ir hanidachas, the city that has been led astray, are referred to (13:14) as b'nei beliya'al. Later, when discussing the requirement to reach out to the needy and lend them money, we are warned (15:9) lest there be an inclination of beliya'al in your hearts not to lend to the needy since the shemitah year is approaching. This unique word is used to describe idolaters as well as those who refuse to lend money as shemitah approaches. The gemara (Kesubos 68a) draws a parallel between the two based on this one word and declares that one who averts his eyes from the mitzvah of tzedakah is as if he has engaged in idol worship. But what is the intrinsic connection?

I have purposely left beliya'al untranslated. It is difficult to attach an exact meaning to the word and we must therefore turn to the commentaries for the etymology of the word. Rashi writes that it is a contraction of b'li ol, without a yoke. It refers to someone who has thrown off the yoke of the service of HaShem. Clearly, one may only throw off a yoke if it was once upon him. This presents a difficulty regarding the reference to tzedakah as we are referring to someone who manages to completely escape the situation. Perhaps we may explain in the second case that it is referring to one who has thrown off the yoke of communal responsibility. The Torah is talking of someone who might very well appear to appreciate the importance of charity. But when push comes to shove and his loan is in danger of having to be forgiven, he is unwilling to fulfill his duty to society. He bears the yoke when it suits him, but is quick to unload it when it does not.

Another insightful rendering of the word is given by Rav Hirsch. He explains that it is a contraction of bli al, without one above, someone who acts as if there is no one above him. This may also be applied to the apprehensive lender. The shemitah year is one of the primary tests of faith. A farmer is required to put all his faith and belief in HaShem that despite the land being unworked for a full year, he will still pull through. The lender has to have a little faith as well. Someone who fears that the shemitah will interfere with his financial dealings fails to see HaShem's Hand and considers himself a master of his own destiny. It is this behaviour specifically that is labelled as beliya'al and is, by association, likened to avodah zarah.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: Oh Deer!

Dikdukian: Jewish Milk

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.