A Thought on Parshas Ki Taetzae

NOTE: It was drawn to my attention that I typed as a translation for "egla arufa" last week "red heifer." The only thing red was my face because the egla, while a calf or heifer, was not red. The para aduma was a red heifer. May we soon merit the latter, but never the former. "...Ki HaShem Elokecha mis'halech b'kerev machanecha..." "...for HaShem your Lord walks among your army..." (23:15) The Jewish nation at times rallied for war. They defended our homeland and pursued our enemies. Many laws and rules governed the soldiers, and there were ethics of warfare which the Torah prescribed. These were enforced and insisted upon by our leaders. The Torah here, in our verse, encourages us with the declaration that our troops can rely on the Divine Presence. HaShem travels with our soldiers. The Bechor Shor explores this: The word "mis'halech" is a difficult one. It means, literally, to walk along with, or in context, to walk among. Beyond the clear anthropomorphism depicting the Divine as if walking or traveling were an apt image, in what way does or did HaShem seem associated with our army? The Bechor Shor notes that in earlier times, the Holy Ark was carried into battle. In a sense, the Divine Presence, associated with the Torah enclosed within the kelei kodesh, could be described as "traveling" with us symbolically since we clung to His Torah. The trumpets also went into battle with our soldiers, and were used to alert them to remain righteous, focused on the Divinity of their mission and the piety of the conduct demanded of them at all times. In that sense, there was a conscious sense of the Divine during battle also. But the real meaning of "HaShem walks among you", explains the Bechor Shor, is much simpler. Notice that our verse employs the word "machane" - camp - rather than one of the more common synonyms for army or soldiers. We are the camp. We are the Jewish Nation, the Camp of Israel. Whether or not we take the Sacred Vessels, the Holy Ark or other instruments with us, HaShem rests His Divine Presence among our camp. Even when we are not doing battle, we are His camp. Our verse means that wherever we go, HaShem stays in our midst. If we conduct ourselves like members of Machane Yisroel, we are also Machane HaShem. Good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas Shoftim

"...kaper l'amcha..." "...atone for Your people..." (21:8) A whole lot of people turn out for the rare ritual of Egla Arufa. A corpse has been found on the highway. It cannot be identified. A murder has occurred, horribly, and the community gets involved. The kohanim show up. The elders and justices show up. Surveyors and land experts arrive. Cattle farmers gather. Townsfolk congregate and the ritual is enacted. The leaders proclaim their anguish over the tragic death, and a plea to the Divine is made, each person declaring their innocence and wish that they might have prevented that crime. The next verse tells us that this is the way to rid the community of the taint of spilt innocent blood, by doing ha'yashar -only the right thing - namely, implementing the above rite. The Bechor Shor sees in the Egla Arufa event a practical, as well as a moral, instruction: such an event gets people talking. Word circulates: someone was murdered. Surrounding towns are devastated upon hearing this news. Moreover, members of Sanhedrin come to the area, and a red heifer is killed and buried. This is strange! People talk some more, and it occurs to some of those people as they return to their homes that they should check in at the homes of other persons who had a family member vanish, or leave and not return. Perhaps there is an aguna, a forlorn woman whose husband deserted her, or seemed to. Perhaps there are children whose parent abandoned them, or seemed to. Perhaps there has even been a suspicious character in the region, who gives off vibrations of danger which scare people. As people begin to wonder and inquire as to the identity of the dead person, hope arises. Perhaps that aguna can inspect the remains, and might discover that it was her lost husband. While hardly a comfort, she now knows that she is free of the chains of lifelong doubt and limitation. Those children, while not cheered to learn of the fate of their parent, may now be helped with halachic access to their inheritance and feel provided for and taken care of. And perhaps that mysterious stranger was the murderer, and an investigation can be undertaken. What is yashar and just, according to the Bechor Shor, is that - especially in times of crisis - the Jewish community pulls together. We network. And that is what atones for our wayward straying and our misdeeds. May Chodesh Elul bring us together without crisis. Wishing us all a good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas Re'eh

"...l'ma'an tilmad l'yira es HaShem Elokecha..." "...in order that you will learn to fear your Lord G-d..." (14:23) The Torah instructs us to ascend to Jerusalem with our ma'aser sheni tithe, and to enjoy eating in the Holy City. Our verse then closes with the proviso or addition that this will enable us to learn to fear HaShem. How so? How does a festive repast in Jerusalem teach us this essential spiritual principle? The Bechor Shor creates an enticing image for us. He writes: "when you ascend during the festival to eat your tithes and when you will see the Kohanim in their services and the Levites in their singing and their music and the Sanhedrin in session judging with integrity and ruling instructively - for it is from their place that Torah instruction goes forth to all of Yisrael - you will learn to fear HaShem" A visit to Jerusalem, including a festive one, involves more than food and celebration. One can hardly enter that Holy City without being touched by the numinous aura which reaches far beyond the material delights which it offers. The beauty of the city is known even to us, who have not yet merited to experience it in it's longed-for splendor as it will soon be rebuilt! We love its ancient stones, its walls and archways, its pathways and its aesthetics. We find inspiration there, which we try to channel towards better conduct in our dealings with Above as well as in our dealings with other people. But how does one learn to go beyond this, and to learn yiras HaShem? The Bechor Shor spells this out for us. Fear and reverence for the Above is more than inspiration. It is more than the spiritual high of being enveloped by the material Yerushalayim shel Matta. Fear of HaShem is learned through seeing people who fear HaShem! This involves more than a sensory excitation. It involves an understanding that there are people who fully devote themselves to serving Him. This is real and it is doable. Thus, observing the Temple ritual and the droves of Kohaim engaged in each facet of dedicated service teaches us something real. Hearing the Leviim chant with orchestrated accompaniment makes it real and vivid. Watching the precision with which Torah is taught and applied by the learned elders of the Sanhedrin takes us well beyond the senses and the theoretical, as we witness Torah coming alive in the form of implemented halachic rulings. When I ascend to Jerusalem, I drink in the kedusha of the places - the places of sacred prayer and the shrines of Torah immersion. But for me, the real edification comes from being part of the Batei Din - as close as one can feel to the Holy Sanhedrin atop the Temple Mount of yore, watching Torah take viable form in order to lead and guide those who seek the word of HaShem. Ki mi'Tzion taetzae Torah u'dvar HaShem mi'Yerushalayim Good Shabbos. Chodesh Elul Tov. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas Eikev

"...ki shi'cheis amcha..." "...for your nation has deviated..." (9:12) "...la'asos l'Amo..." "...to do for His people..." (9:18) In the exchange between HaShem and Moshe Rabbeinu, there seems to be a recurring debate about whether the Jews were Moshe's people, or HaShem's people. HaShem here declares that the wayward nation is "Moshe's people" whereas Moshe responds that the Jews are the "the people of HaShem." What is going on in this argument about whether the Jews were His or his? We know that Rashi cites Chazal who state that the deviating mass were actually the eruv rav, the "mixed multitude" of individuals who tagged along with the Jews during their victorious run from Egypt. This opinion holds that it was Moshe who permitted them to join our ranks, and thus he was chastised by HaShem who said, in effect, "this group is your group, not My chosen ones." The Bechor Shor offers a different angle. Our first verse has HaShem describing the people as "your people whom you brought from Egypt." Note that HaShem does not say "My people whom I brought out of Egypt." Since HaShem does not "take ownership" of either the people nor of the miraculous exodus, HaShem is alluding to an earlier verse (Sh'mos 32:1) which depicts the reaction of the people when Moshe failed to return from Har Sinai. That verse says that they were troubled that "this man Moshe" has not come back. They seemed less focused on HaShem at that awesome moment and more concerned about Moshe. Thus, HaShem now says to Moshe, "this is clearly your people; they consider you, not Me, their leader." So, when Moshe initiated his plea on behalf of the Jews, he says (32:26) "do not destroy Your people." They are not allegiant to me, they are truly Yours. When HaShem says "but you brought them out", Moshe replied (same verse) "You saved them withYour greatness", not me. Later (32:14), the Torah declares that "HaShem refrained from the consequences which He had said would befall His people." The debate was won. Moshe had prevailed on behalf of the Jewish people. In our own parsha, he seals this with finality (9:29) by "reminding" HaShem (and ourselves) "v'heim Am'cha v'Nachal'osecha" - they are Your people and Your heritage. In whom do we truly place our trust? Whose people are we, anyway? Good Shabbos. D Fox