Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
KI SAVO 5774
“WITHSTANDING IT ALL”
One hot summer day in south Florida ,
a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his
house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door,
leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not
realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was
swimming toward the shore.
His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and
closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as
loudly as he could.
Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and quickly turned to
swim toward his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the
alligator reached him.
From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as
the alligator snatched his legs. A horrible tug-of-war ensued. The alligator
was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to
let go.
A farmer happened to drive by, heard the screams, raced from his truck,
took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His
legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack. In addition, on his arms
were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails had dug into his flesh in
his effort to hold on to his son.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked
if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. Then, with
obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great
scars on my arms, too. These marks are because my Dad wouldn’t let go.”
Shortly prior to his death, Moshe related to Klal Yisroel
the chilling and frightening prophecy of the tochacha, the harsh rebuke which would
befall them if they would not hearken to the Torah and its commandments. Prior
to the tochacha, the Torah states the multitudes of blessings that the nation would
be endowed with when they observe the Torah properly.
The blessings commence:
“It shall be that if you hearken to the voice of Hashem,
your G-d, to observe, to perform all of His commandments that I command you
this day, then Hashem, your G-d, will make you supreme over all the nations of
the earth. ובאו
עליך כל הברכות האלו והשיגוך – All of these blessings will come upon you and they will
overtake you.”[1]
What does the Torah mean that the blessings will ‘overtake
you’?
Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Pershischa zt’l explained that, at
times, people are blessed with goodness that they cannot, or do not,
appreciate. Either they do not realize the magnitude of the blessing or they
don’t appreciate what they have been granted. The promise of “והשיגוך” that “the blessings will overtake you” is that G-d will
ensure that one will have the ability to realize, appreciate, and enjoy the
great blessings bestowed upon him.
Rabbi Avrohom Schorr notes that the Torah utilizes the
same terminology in reference to the curses and punishments of the tochacha. "והיה אם לא תשמעו בקול ה' אלקיך.. ובאו עליך כל הקללות האלה
והשגוך". – But it will be that if you do not hearken to the voice
of Hashem, your G-d… then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you[2]. According to the explanation of Rabbi Simcha
Bunim how are we to understand the concept of והשגוך in reference
to the curses? How can a person be expected to appreciate curses that befall him?
The Skulener Rebbe, Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal zt’l
was a man of incredible compassion, concern, and love for his fellow Jew. When
he was a young man he did everything in his power to convince young Jewish men
not to enter the Romanian army, because of the deleterious effect such a post
would inevitably have on one’s spiritual state. Instead, he convinced them to
go to a yeshiva where they could learn Torah. When the Romanian authorities got
wind of his “sedition” they incarcerated him in a dank prison cell.
It was well known that when the Rebbe would pray he would
do so with incredible passion and concentration. With nothing else in the
squalidness of his cell he began to pray by heart, focusing and pondering every
word he said. When the Rebbe was reciting the “Baruch She’amar”[3],
he reached a phrase that troubled him. “Blessed is He Who uttered and the world
came into existence… ברוך גוזר ומקיים - blessed is He
Who decrees and fulfills.” These words just don’t seem to fit in. The whole
prayer is a song of praise to G-d for His blessings and goodness. Decrees on
the other hand, are generally harsh and unpleasant. Why mention them here?
Furthermore, why is it a great praise to say that G-d fulfills His decrees;
doesn’t any honest person keep his word?
After pondering the question for some time the Rebbe had
an epiphany. The word, “ומקיים (umikayem)”
does not only mean “and He fulfills” but it also means “and He sustains”. In
other words, G-d makes decrees that are often harsh and seemingly overbearing
but He also infuses the recipient of the decree with the strength to endure and
persevere despite the difficult conditions. “Blessed is He who decrees and
sustains”, i.e. He sustains the subject of the decree.
A few days later the Rebbe was released from his
imprisonment. Every year on the anniversary of his release he would recount
this thought and remind his followers that although we are often challenged
with tests and difficulties in life, we must remember that the same G-d who put
us in the predicament also grants us the strength and fortitude to bear it and
persevere.
The curses of the tochacha are severe and frightening.
Indeed, less than a century ago our people bore witness to their veracity. We
do not have explanations for any of those events and, in this finite world, we
never will. We cannot fathom why a million innocent holy children were brutally
murdered in the most savage manner, nor can we imagine why any child suffers,
or why three pre Yeshiva students are kidnapped and murdered in cold blood. It
is simply beyond us.
However, we take solace in the knowledge that G-d who
loves us in the most profound manner gives us the strength to endure it and
suffers along with us. The pain may not be mitigated, the nightmares may
persist, and the personal anguish may linger perpetually, but somehow one is
able to endure. One needs look no further than at how the Torah world has rebuilt
a scant 70 years after the horrors of World War II. It is undoubtedly the
greatest display of resilience in the history of the world. “Blessed is He who
decrees and sustains.”
The Torah states that if Klal Yisroel does not hearken to
the commandments of G-d, the curses will overtake them. As the Skulener Rebbe
explained, G-d grants us the strength to withstand our trials and tribulations
and somehow foster resilience to live on. That is the promise of the curses
“overtaking you”. Blessings are only meaningful if one has the ability to
appreciate them and reap their benefits. In a similar vein, tragedies and
challenges become invaluable growth experiences when we are able to grow
because of them.
The verse in Tehillim[4]
foreshadows the desperate prayer that Queen Esther beseeched of G-d[5]
as she was unlawfully perparing to enter the chamber of King Achashveirosh in
order to plead for the lives of her people, “קלי קלי למה עזבתני – My G-d! My
G-d! Why have you forsaken me?”
Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch zt’l comments that the word “למה (lamah)” should be read, “Limah – for
what”. It should be read as a question, “My G-d! My G-d! For what (purpose)
have you forsaken me?” In other words, in the face of tragedy and challenge one
should ponder what G-d expects of him at that time. How can he grow from the
experience and elevate himself because of it. What growth does G-d want to see
from him through this event?
The year after his death, a different
member of the congregation became the ba’al koreh. When it came time to read
the tochacha the ba’al koreh began to read it quickly and in a low tone,
as is customary. Not long after he began, Rabbi Dov Ber, the son and successor
of the Baal HaTanya, let out a sigh and promptly fainted. They quickly revived
him, but as soon as the ba’al koreh resumed reading the tochacha the
Rebbe fainted again. Needless to say it was a very painful experience.
Afterwards, the Chassidim asked Rabbi Dov Ber why he had been so shaken by the tochacha.
True they were frightening words but they were the same words that he had heard
his father read for so many decades. The Rebbe shook his head and responded,
“It’s not the way my father read it!”
What did Rav Dov Ber mean?
When we read the horrific account of the tochacha
one may think that, heaven forbid, G-d is punishing out of wrath, adopting
punitive measures and seeking retribution for the iniquitous. However this is
an egregious misunderstanding. Chazal explain that G-d suffers along with us,
as it were. “When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress,
I will deliver him and honor him.”[8]
It is the concept of shechinta b’galusa – that the Divine Presence
descended into exile with us and will remain with us until the final
redemption. Furthermore, whenever one is suffering G-d’s presence rests
alongside him/her and they weep together, as it were.
When the Ba’al haTanya read the tochacha,
his son was able to hear the pain G-d feels, as it were, behind the curses. He
detected the heartache of a loving father forced to chastise and discipline his
son in order to ensure his son’s maturation, in a manner which the child cannot
comprehend. Painful and horrible as it was, the feeling of love behind the
rebuke made it tolerable to hear. But when another person read the words, Rabbi
Dov Ber did not hear the love behind the rebuke. He only heard the chilling and
terrifying words and, therefore, he could not bear to listen to it.[9]
No one wants to be tested and surely no one
wants to suffer pain and anguish. But one must always remember that when, G-d
forbid, one does suffer, his Eternal Celestial Father suffers and cries along
with him. It is not a hyperbolic statement, but rather a truism. That knowledge
alone is the greatest source of consolation and inspiration.
The gemara[10]
states that the tochacha is read close to the conclusion of the year to symbolize
our hope that the year conclude with its curses so that the new year can begin
with its blessings, "תכלה שנה וקללותיה
תחל שנה וברכותיה". We not only
pray for a year of blessing but also for the insight and ability to appreciate
all of the blessings that we have, especially the blessing of being a Jew, who
possesses a special relationship with His Father in Heaven.
“My G-d! My G-d! For what have you forsaken me?”
“I am with him in
distress; I will deliver him and honor him”
[3]recited as the opening prayer of pesukei
d’zimrah, the ‘verses of praise’ recited at the brining of shachris
[5]
Foreshadows in the sense that Dovid Hamelech prophetically wrote these words
centuries before Esther uttered them
[6] The holy
Ba’al HaTanya
[7] the
reader of the Torah
[8] Tehillim
91
[10] Megilla
31b
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