|
שבת שלום - פרשת נצבים \ וילך
|
|
Video Shiur
|
Click play to watch the video shiur by
Rabbi Scott Kahn about ברכת החמה |
|
News and Notes
|
The first full week
of yeshiva has come to
a close, and we are all
extremely impressed with
the diligence, intelligence,
and motivation of our
shana alef and shana
bet students. The students
are enjoying their shiurim
tremendously, while their
rabbeim are relishing
the opportunity to get
to know this high-powered
group of talmidim.
On
Thursday evening, Rav
Wolicki gave the sicha
ruchanit on the topic
of "Building a Torah
Identity", which was
followed by our weekly
late-night mishmar shiurim,
accompanied by a steaming
pot of cholent and other
delicious snacks.
This
Motzaei Shabbat, the
yeshiva will be davening
Selichot at 12:30 AM
in the Beit Midrash.
This will be preceded
by divrei hit'orrerut
by Rav Adi Krohn. If
you are in the Beit Shemesh
area, feel free to join
us.
Finally,
our shana bet student,
Dovi Muchnick, began
the year as he ended
it last year with a siyum,
this time on Seder Zeraim.
Dovi encouraged all
the shana alef students
to make siyumim of their
own, and we eagerly anticipate
Dovi's own continued
progress as a lamdan.
Last year he finished
Shas Mishnayot twice,
and we look forward to
more impressive achievements
from him this year.
|
To Bless and to be Blessed
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
The Midrash Rabbah parashat Netzavim states:
"A Jew who arises to read from the Torah, how shall he bless? The Sages taught as follows: One must make a beracha before and after reading the Torah. From where do we know that Torah requires a blessing before and after? It is written 'Blessed are You Hashem, You teach me Your statutes' (Tehilim 119) this refers to the beracha before. As for the beracha after - Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan, as it states and the end of the Torah 'Vezot Haberacha' - 'And this is the blessing...' (Devarim 31:1) Since Moshe taught them the Torah and then blessed, this refers to the beracha after." (Dvarim Rabbah 5:2)
This Midrash teaches that Torah requires a beracha before and after. The Midrash then offers sources for the two berachot.
The source for the beracha before is the verse in from Psalm 119 'Blessed are You Hashem, You teach me Your statutes'. Since the verse first states "Blessed are you Hashem," and then states "teach me Your statutes", the Midrash derives that blessing Hashem must precede Torah.
The source for the beracha after Torah seems more problematic. The verse "And this is the blessing..." which begins the final parashah in the Torah does not refer to blessing Hashem. The full text of the verse is "And this is the blessing that Moshe, mand of G-d, blessed Bnei Yisrael before his death." The beracha referred to in this verse is a blessing of the Jewish people, not a blessing of G-d. How can this refer to the obligation to make a beracha after reading Torah?
I would like to suggest that beyond the overt reference to the berachot that we make when reading from the Torah as part of the davening, the Midrash is pointing to a deeper spiritual idea.
A blessing before performance of a mitzvah serves an important purpose. It is a statement of intent and awareness that what one is fulfilling Hashem's command.
There are many reasons that one could think of to study Torah. Many people believe that the only purpose of Torah study is to know what to do and how to follow G-d's commands. While it is true that one must study Torah in order to know what to do and how to do it, this is not the primary purpose of Torah. If it were, there would be no reason to make a beracha before studying. Study of Torah would have the status of hechsher mitzvah - preparation for a mitzvah, similar to the building of a sukkah or the baking of matzah. So too, if the purpose of Torah study is to prepare me to do mitzvoth, there should be no need for a beracha.
There are others who study Torah to learn history, or as an academic text as they would study any other ancient literature. Still others view Torah as an elaborate system of self-help.
In response, the Midrash states that Torah study is itself a Mitzvah worthy of a beracha. One must precede Torah with a beracha, i.e. a statement of intent that what is about to be done constitutes service of Hashem, plain and simple.
The beracha after Torah is obviously not a statement of intent. Rather, it must be seen as a statement of recognition or acknowledgement of the results of the action. Seen this way, the Midrash is telling us that if we enter into Torah study with the proper intent - if we make the beracha "Blessed are You Hashem..." before we learn - we will merit to make the beracha after Torah as well - ""And this is the blessing that Moshe, mand of G-d, blessed Bnei Yisrael..."
In other words, as a result of blessing Hashem before Torah - of serving Hashem through study of Torah for His sake - , we merit a beracha ourselves.
As we begin again a new year of Torah for Torah's sake in the yeshiva, may we merit the blessings "... that Moshe blessed Bnei Yisrael."
|
