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שבת שלום - פרשת נצבים \ וילך |
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Yosef Kaminetsky
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News and Notes
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The yeshiva has just
completed its first full
week of the zman, and
so far we are thrilled
with our students' dedication
and excitement. Along
with their Gemara b'iyun
shiurim in the third
perek of Baba Kama, the
students began learning
Masechet Berachot in
their bekiut shiruim
with Rav Krohn and Rav
Arnold, Nach with Rav
Greenberg, Jewish Philosophy
and Munachim with Rav
Simkovich, Torah Research
Skills with Rav Wolicki,
and our new Ulpan Torani/Chumash
shiurim with Rav Arram,
Rav Lichtman, and Rav
Simkovich. Additionally,
the yeshiva has offered
numerous special shiurim
every night during night
seder, so that students
have the option of learning
on their own or with
a chavruta, or of going
to specific shiurim in
topics in which they
are interested.
Last
night at mishmar, Rav
Wolicki gave the sicha
on the topic of, "Rosh
Hashanah: Creating the
Perfect Day". Because
this Shabbat is the first
out-Shabbat of the year,
Rav Kahn gave his annual
talk on "Being a Ben
Torah and a Mensch when
you are a Guest" immediately
after maariv. Following
the delicious Thursday
night cholent, Rav Kahn
spoke about, "The Deeper
Meaning of Midnight",
Rav Wolicki gave his
popular talk on "The
End of Days", and Rav
Arram continued his ongoing
series in the thought
of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
This Motzaei Shabbat
is the first night of
Selichot. Rav Krohn
will be offering Divrei
Hitorrerut (words of
inspiration) at 12:25
AM, immediately follwed
by Selichot. If you
are in the Beit Shemesh
area, please feel free
to join us!
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Dear Friends,
Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, now entering its seventh year, is renowned for helping students become strong and independently skillful bnei Torah, who are eminently capable of becoming the future leaders of the Jewish People.
We are proud of never having turned away a qualified student because of an inability to pay tuition, and hope to continue to do so in the future. We cannot make this commitment, however, without your help.
Accordingly, Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah is excited to announce that we are now selling tickets for the first ever Yesodei HaTorah Raffle, with a grand prize of two round-trip tickets to Israel, as well as other valuable first and second prizes, with proceeds going to support the Yesodei HaTorah Scholarship Fund.
The ticket prices are
$36 - 1 ticket
$60 - 2 tickets
$80 - 3 tickets
$100 - 5 tickets
Every ticket beyond five costs an additional $15.
The drawing will be held on Chanuka.
To buy tickets, please click here to connect to our Paypal site.
Please indicate in the comments section how many tickets you are purchasing.
Please contact our office at yeshiva@yesodei.org
to purchase tickets by any other means.
With your help, we will continue to offer the finest yeshiva education to every student who stands to benefit from it.
Thank you for your continued assistance, and good luck!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Scott Kahn
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
Roshei Yeshiva
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Earning Forgiveness
By Rabbi Scott Kahn
One of the most enigmatic passages in the Torah is given an equally enigmatic twist by Rabbi Yochanan in Masechet Rosh Hashanah 17b:
"God passed by his face and recited [the thirteen attributes of mercy]." Rabbi Yochanan said: If it had not been written in the verses, it would have been impossible to say. But this teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped himself up like a prayer leader, and showed Moses the order of prayer [of the thirteen attributes]. He said to him: whenever Israel sins, do ["ya'asu"] this prayer order before Me, and I will pardon them.
This passage is the primary source for our regular recitation of selichot, which commences this Motzaei Shabbat. The centerpiece of selichot is the repeated recital of the thirteen attributes of mercy; the chazan's wearing a talit, despite the fact that selichot take place at night - when a talit is not normally worn - is also based on the above teaching. According to Rav Soloveitchik ZT"L, Rabbi Yochanan understands the phrase "his face" as referring not to Moses, but to G-d; accordingly, "passed by His face" is a reference to G-d's figuratively wrapping Himself with a talit. Both the Beit Yosef and the Bach explain that the practice of covering one's head with the talit signifies humility. Why does it matter that G-d, so to speak, wrapped Himself in a talit? What does it mean that G-d stated the thirteen attributes while He was demonstrating humility?
Masechet Megillah 31a - again in the name of Rabbi Yochanan - explains the meaning of G-d's humility:
Rabbi Yochanan said: Every place you find the might ["Gevurato"] of the Holy One, Blessed be He, there you also find His humility. It is written in the Torah, "For Hashem, your G-d, is the G-d of all powers and the Lord of all lords," and it is written afterwards, "He acts with justice toward the orphan and the widow."
The proper explanation of Rabbi Yochanan's insight is not merely that G-d demonstrates His humility at the same time that He shows his power; rather, Rabbi Yochanan is telling us that G-d's might is manifest in His humility. G-d's humility itself is an illustration of His power! Hashem is infinite, and should be utterly unattentive to that which is powerless, to that which is small. But G-d demonstrates His unending power by overcoming the logical impediments associated with infinity, and showing real and authentic concern with even the smallest of His creations. In this sense, G-d's humility is the ultimate manifestation of Divine might.
When G-d recited the thirteen attributes of mercy, He was explaining to Moses His unending ability to forgive. But forgiveness is predicated upon the recognition that an individual did something unacceptable - which, ironically, indicates that the individual who transgressed matters to G-d. If a person were irrelevant to the Divine scheme, then G-d would not care whether that individual listened to His word or not. The fact that G-d does care, and is willing to judge and forgive man, is evidence of man's intrinsic worth.
G-d's wearing a talit - His demonstration of humility - means that He forgives man because He cares about man. G-d shows His power by caring about finite, limited, flawed humanity; once He acknowledges that man matters, G-d tells Moses that He has an unending capacity to forgive.
When each congregation recites selichot, it is imitating the original selichot that Hashem recited at Mount Sinai. But the passage that teaches us about selichot does not say to merely "recite" the words, but rather to "do" this prayer service. Clearly, it is not enough to simply repeat the prayers without internalizing the message of forgiveness that G-d was teaching Moses: that forgiveness must be preceded by an acknowledgement of the other person's worth. True forgiveness - G-d-like forgiveness - is predicated upon the recognition that the person who wronged us is still a precious, important part of G-d's ultimate plan. When we show our own humility, as we recognize that even people we dislike are not discounted by G-d, we are shifting the focus away from our own benevolence, and toward the other person's intrinsic worth. We are now forgiving not because we are superior, but because our antagonist, created in the image of G-d, deserves forgiveness.
And when we begin to believe that our antagonists deserve forgiveness, G-d promises that He will forgive us, because we deserve it too. May we all merit to earn a favorable judgment this Rosh Hashanah - a judgment in which we earn G-d's goodness, because we decide to give that same goodness to all people, as well.
Shabbat shalom, and ketiva v'chatima tova!
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