The Song Of Torah

  ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

The Rambam Laws of Talmud Torah (3:13) says אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּצְוָה לִלְמֹד בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה אֵין אָדָם לָמֵד רֹב חָכְמָתוֹ אֶלָּא בַּלַּיְלָה. לְפִיכָךְ מִי שֶׁרָצָה לִזְכּוֹת בְּכֶתֶר הַתּוֹרָה יִזָּהֵר בְּכָל לֵילוֹתָיו וְלֹא יְאַבֵּד אֲפִלּוּ אֶחָד מֵהֶן בְּשֵׁנָה וַאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְשִׂיחָה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן אֶלָּא בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה וְדִבְרֵי חָכְמָה. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵין רִנָּה שֶׁל תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא בַּלַּיְלָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (.איכה ב יט) "קוּמִי רֹנִּי בַלַּיְלָה" וכו  Why does the Rambam put such emphasis on learning Torah at night?
The Gemorah in Megillah (3a) says the malach told Yehoshua that God was angry at him for not offering the evening tammid and not learning at night.  Yehoshua asked which was worst and the malach told him עתה באתי which the Gemorah understands is a hint to Torah.  How is it a hint to Torah?  Tosfos explains that the word עתה is linked to the word עתה in this possuk,   ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת.  Why is this possuk the one that the malachuses to  tells Yehoshua the hint to Torah when its not the possuk of the obligation ot learning Torah?  The Ponovitcher Rav explains that thecontext of the possuk was in the time of war of conquering Eretz Yisroel.  There were plenty of things that Yehoshua had to take care of and make sure were right to ensure safety and success in the war.  His excuse for missing night seder would have been one of the best in history.  The possuk of the obligation for learning Torah wouldn't have been reason to chastise Yehoshua.  However, if Torah is a shirah, its the joy of your life, then you make time for it.  Despite the myriad of things Yehoshua had to get done, as a shirah, there are no excuses (printed in back of Zichron Shmuel sicha 14.)   
Rav Yeruchem Olshin says that is the peshat in the Rambam.  The time of day is when people tend to the work that they have to do.  One's learning at that time may be because that is his job.  It is at night when one people generally relax and unwind.  In one learns during that time, that proves that his learning isn't something he "does", but rather that is the person's joy in life, that proves it is a shirah.
The Rambam cites the possuk of קוּמִי רֹנִּי בַלַּיְלָה.  A רנה is a song that burst forth from a person (see Even Ezra there,) it is the song of Torah that illuminates the darkness of the night.  It is the "voluntary" Torah that is the song of the soul.  

Thanks For The Curse

The Sforno (27:7) says ושמחת לפני ה׳ אלהיך – על שתכנס אז עמו לברית בהר גרזים ובהר עיבל. We see from the Sforno that one had to be thankful for the curses of הר עיבל as well.  Why should we be thankful for the curses?  It is interesting that Klal Yisroel offered a korban not on Har Grizim, where the berachos were given, but on Har Avel, the place of the curses (27:4-5.) Wouldn't it make more sense to offer a korban on the mountain of the brachos (see Rav Hirsch and Rav Moshe)?

The point is that the klallos of the Torah aren't a negative, they are another form of beracha.  On a simple level the klallos are necessary to bring a person to repent and therefore are imperative to direct a person in the proper direction.  It is worthy of thanks for the klallos just as much as the berachosi.  Indeed, it may be more apropos to offer a korban on the place of the curses in order to recognize the beracha in it.  On a deeper level, the klallos aren't inherintly evil.. It is a blast a spiritual energy that ends up in a curse in the recipient isn't ready for it.  It damages as a bright light will blind a person, the deficiency is in the person's eyes.  In this vein, the berachot themselves may be a beracho. As it says in this week's Yom Yom for 17 Elul, רבינו הזקן הי-ה בעצמו הקורא בתורה. פעם אחת לא הי-ה בליאזנא ש"פ [שבת פרשת] תבא, ושמע אדמו"ר [אדוננו מורנו ורבנו] האמצעי - והוא עודנו נער קודם הבר מצוה - הקריאה מאחר. העגמת נפש מהקללות שבתוכחה הביאתו לכאב לב, עד שביוהכ"פ [שביום הכפורים] נסתפק רבינו הזקן אם יוכל להתענות. כששאלו את אדמו"ר [אדוננו מורנו ורבנו] האמצעי הרי בכל שנה קורים פרשה זו, ענה: כשאבא קורא "הערט זיך ניט קיין קללות".

Wake Up

In the tochacha of this week's parsha it says (28:28)  יַכְּכָ֣ה י״י֔ בְּשִׁגָּע֖וֹן וּבְעִוָּר֑וֹן וּבְתִמְה֖וֹן לֵבָֽב.  Rashi explains תמהון לבב – אטום הלב, אישטורדישון.  Simple peshat would mean that the person's heart is clogged.  The translation of the laaz word renders it to mean a state of sleep.  The person has no feeling like one that is asleep oblivious to their surroundings. is no feeling .  However, Rav Wolbe (volume 2 יראה) points out that Rashi in the second possuk of Chumash uses the same word to describe what is בהו.  Rashi says תהו – אשטורדישון בלעז.  Was the world asleep?  The עולם is a great העלמה. The world conceals the existence of G-d behind all of it.  That is what תהו  is.  As Rav Wolbe puts it the world received a tranquilizer to hide the impression of G-d in it.  That is what the תמהון לבב is.  It is to be absorbed and lulled into the falsity that the world is G-dless. That is the meaning of the final על חטא that we recite on Yom Kipput; שחטאנו לפניך בתמהון לבב.  The final על חטא, the kicker of all of them is to be under the influence of the העלמה of the world. 
The Rambam (Teshuva 3:4) says אע"פ שתקיעת שופר בראש השנה גזירת הכתוב, רמז יש בו, כלומר עורו ישינים משנתכם ונרדמים הקיצו מתרדמתכם וחפשו במעשיכם וחזרו בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם. אלו השוכחים את האמת בהבלי הזמן, ושוגים כל שנתם בהבל וריק אשר לא יועיל ולא יציל, הביטו לנפשותיכם והטיבו דרכיכם ומעלליכם. ויעזוב כל אחד מכם דרכו הרעה, ומחשבתו אשר לא טובה. לפיכך צריך כל אדם שיראה עצמו כל השנה כולה כאילו חציו זכאי וחציו חייב. וכן כל העולם חציו זכאי וחציו חייב.  What is the לפיכך?  It is only after the shofar awakens one from the slumber of the תמהון לבב that one can even have the capacity to have such a recognition.

What Vidduy

The meforshim ask why is vidduy maaser called a vidduy, the person does the opposite of vidduy, he declares that he fulfilled all the mitzvot and obligations?  The Malbim in Vayikra (5:5) explains the word vidduy means גדר הוידוי הוא הפך הכפירה וההכחשה, והוא שמפרסם בפירוש דבר שטבע בני אדם להעלימהו.  
The Rambam Sefer Mitzvot #131 says להתוודות וידוי מעשר, שנאמר: "ואמרת לפני ה' אלוהיך ביערתי הקודש" (דברים כו,יג).  He doesn't mention the act of biur masser as the mitzvah, only the vidduy.  He repeats this understanding in in the Laws of Maaser Sheni Ch. 11  מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לְהִתְוַדּוֹת לִפְני ה' אַחַר שֶׁמּוֹצִיאִין כָּל הַמַּתָּנוֹת שֶׁבְּזֶרַע הָאָרֶץ וְזֶהוּ הַנִּקְרָא וִדּוּי מַעֲשֵׂר:  Similarly in the beginning of the Laws of Teshuva the Rambam calls the mitzvah of teshuva the vidduy.  Why?  Because it is the vidduy that demonstrates the action is done with complete intent.  By pronouncing out loud the vidduy of biur masser and one's regret of sins that proves that the biur masser and the teshuva is done properly (see Binyan Av volume 2 #47.)

Selichot, Prayer And Tachnun

It is a machlokes among the poskim of the previous generation (cited in Dirshu Mishna Berura siman 602,) if a bris falls out on one of the days of selichot if the tachnun of the selichot is omitted as well or not.  [There are some technichal details if the selichot is done before nets when it is not the optimal time to do the bris, then there is more room to say one should recite the tachnun, but assuming a case where the selichot is being recited after netz, that is where the debate begins.]  The Shevet Halevi (volume 4 #54) brings proof from the halacha of erev Rosh Hashana where we don't say tachnun in shachris, yet we still say tachnun as part of selichot.  We see that the tachnun is part of the selichot, distinct from tefillah.  [However, this law  of erev Rosh Hashana is not agreed by all either, some hold in fact the tachnun should be omitted.]
I was wondering if this debate may hings upon the chakirah of Rav Yehuda Deri (Avnei Azer volume 5 siman 6) if selichot is a form of teshuva or a form of prayer.  He brings a proof from the Rambam Law of Teshuva (2:6) אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה וְהַצְּעָקָה יָפָה לָעוֹלָם. בַּעֲשָׂרָה הַיָּמִים שֶׁבֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים הִיא יָפָה בְּיוֹתֵר וּמִתְקַבֶּלֶת הִיא מִיָּד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נה ו) "דִּרְשׁוּ ה' בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ".  The Rambam starts with two things, תשובה וצעקה and ends with one, היא יפה and his proof is only for צעקה not for teshuva, so how do we know that teshuva is more readily accepted during the days of repentance?  We see that the צעקה, the selichot of the days of repentance are a way of expressing teshuva, so if the צעקה is accepted that means teshuva is accepted.  However, he leans to say that the selichot recited by Sephardim during the month of Elul are a form of prayer.  (He discusses if this way impact if women should recite selichot.) If we assume like his difference we can suggest that if there is a bris during the month of Elul that the Sephardim should skip the tachnun of the selichot.  One can't bring a proof from Erev Rosh Hashana because over that is a selichot of teshuva as opposed to the selichot of Elul which is a form of prayer.
Halacha l'maaseh someone I know that is Sephardi is getting married during Elul and was wondering about the tachnun in the sheva berachot.  Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli told him that the selichot is a different din and the tachnun shouldn't be omitted.

Get Directions

Everyone knows that Elul is a special month to attempt to do good deeds and fortify one's relationship with Hashem.  But what is the focus of the month, if it is to do teshuva, then Chazal should use the expression of the מ' ימי תשובה, not the י' ימי תשובה?  If it is a time to adapt stringincies, that is also only expressed in the poskim during the 10 days of repentance? Rav Chayim Kamil says the 10 days of repentance is the time of embarking on the journey to become closer to Hashem.  However, before embarking on a journey you have to know where you are going!  That is the time of Elul.  Elul is the time to look at the map, see where you are, where the x marking the treasure is and determine the best path to get there.  He says אלול means to observe, to look into, as the Targum in Shelach (14:6) translates התרים as אללי.  It is time for a person to look into their souls and determine the best road to coming close to Hashem.

3 Paths To Hell

The Gemorah in Eiruvin (19a) says וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה (בַּר) אֶלְעָזָר: שְׁלֹשָׁה פְּתָחִים יֵשׁ לַגֵּיהִנָּם, אֶחָד בַּמִּדְבָּר וְאֶחָד בַּיָּם וְאֶחָד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם.  What is the meaning that there are three entrances, in the sea, desert and Yerushalim, and why in these three places?  I think that they represent three pathways that lead to hell.  One path is that of the midbar, the desert is empty and dry, that represents those  have no thirst for spirituality, for Judaism and they go down the entrance to hell because they never to any interest in anything important.  Another path is that of the sea, the sea has strong waves that drown and pull a person down.  That represents those that get drowned in the puruit of life, liberty and happiness and get drowned running after their desires.  They enter the entrance of the sea.  The third category, are people that fall into hell through good intentions.  They are the people that are מקנה למען האמת, they think they are going to Yerushalim, to great holiness.  The only problem is that their אמת is שקר and therefore, there is a special place in Yerushalim designated for them so that they to can end up in their rightful place, in hell.  There are such people that will print in newspapers clearly antisemitic pictures not of people in their own community, that they could have found plenty of examples for, but of hassidim specifically, because they are worried about a ספק ספק ספיקא and going לפנים משורת הדין in their quest for purporting their distorted view of the אמת.  [Of course they would only show the 'ultra-orthodox because it is great for all Jews further to the 'left' of them to look for every opportunity to make fun of them, to excuse their own lack of emulating the hassidim's good traits and adherence to the Jewish religion that they refuse to achieve.]  These same people would never think of having weekly classes on the lack of actual dinim in Shulchna Aruch, never mind hiddurim prevalent in their community on a constant base, but for the one thing that he advocates for, he must have weekly propaganda sessions about it. Many people are worried about antisemitism these days, but I don't care if a gentile hates me, but it is quite troubling to see a newspaper with the word Jewish on the cover that would print something so anti-semitic and no less in the name of a Rabbi.  At least he has his his own path to hell.