Rabbi's Blog

This Dvar Torah is in memory of L’Ilui Nishmas Pesha Bas Binyamin Dov: Mrs. Pauline Green A”H.

One never knows how near or far our teaching can reach. A few weeks ago I received a phone call early Sunday morning from a Rov in Baltimore whose sister passed away here in San Diego. I didn’t know this rabbi and I’d never met his sister, so  I asked how they got to me. The Rabbi’s niece, the daughter of the nifteres (deceased), explained to me that her mother told her that if her brother (the Rabbi in Baltimore) could not come to officiate at her funeral she wanted me to perform the levaya service. Somehow, the daughter received my weekly message (what you are reading right now!) printed it out every Friday and shared and read it with her mother every Shabbos.  I had never met anyone in this family beforehand, and I was touched beyond belief.

One of the challenges for someone working in the spiritual field requires patience in order to see the fruits of his labor. In the ‘kiruv’ world  professionals must accept the fact that they may never see results or growth from their efforts. We can only try to sow the seeds and hope that people will be nurtured and eventually produce the fruits that we can see. Unfortunately, there is never a guarantee the person will develop the seeds planted within  them, yet even if those seeds don’t take root for many years, they may eventually blossom, but we may never know about it. For most teachers, rabbeim, pulpit rabbis and other kiruv professionals, we will never see the fruits of our labor because in some cases the effect is direct, one-on-one with each student, but at other times it might be the child or grandchild who might reap the benefit of the learning.

We are all taught and trained from the time of our youth that the reward for mitzvos and good deeds are reserved for the world to come. It is with blind faith that we continue to persevere and fulfill the Torah with the conviction that we do not want the reward in this world but would rather wait to receive it in the next world.

From the end of last week’s parsha with Miriam speaking lashon hora against her brother Moshe to next week’s parsha, where Korach’s wife riles up her husband, objecting to Moshe’s nepotism, we have a few other instances of how speech and communication impact the receivers beyond our understanding. In this week’s parsha a fierce battle rages between a teacher and student. In Parshas Shelach, Bamidbar chapter 14, the Jewish people cry and complain to Moshe after listening to the report of ten of the twelve men returning from Eretz Canaan. God is fed up with His people (similar to the story of the Eigel HaZahav) and tells Moshe He will wipe out His people and build a bigger and better nation from him. Moshe replies to Hashem in 14:17 “V’Ata Yigdal Nah Koach Ado-nai, KaAsher Dibarta Laymore”. “And now Oh God is the time for You to exercise even more restraint, as You once declared  that You are slow to anger, great in love, and forgiving of sin and rebellion”. Three pesukim later 14:20 the Torah states: “VaYomer Hashem Salachti Kidvarecha”: “God said I will grant forgiveness as you have requested”.

There are three lessons that we learn from Hashem and Moshe’s discourse. The first lesson is that in times of complete frustration and anger with someone else, we must overcome and forego the deserved anger against the individual or group who, according to all opinions, was guilty  - and forgive them. Second, is the part whereby a teacher can listen and take the advice of the student, just as Hashem listened to Moshe and forgave  the Jews. Last, is the focusing in on the words that Hashem Himself ‘said’ that He is a forgiving God. A word can have so much influence on a person and a situation. The wording that Moshe crafted in defending the Jewish people from being wiped out is the same language we use during the time we need forgiveness - particularly during the Rosh Hashana/ Yom Kippur season. The impact of the words that Hashem used to describe Himself continues to be the source of strength and the well the Jewish people always fetch from in times of distress. 

The Midrash Rabba in Devarim 3:15,  recounting the story of the spies and Hashem ultimately forgiving the Jews, compares Moshe’s argument with Avraham’s defense of Sedom. When God said to Moshe He is going to destroy the Jews after the sin of the spies, Moshe says to Hashem “consider them, the Jews, like the same situation as Sedom”. Hashem said to Avraham (Bereishis 18:26) “If you will find fifty righteous men in Sedom, I will not destroy them”.  Moshe then says I will provide eighty tzadikim to protect the Jews from being annihilated. So Hashem said, similarly to what He said to Avraham, go ahead and show me. Moshe immediately replied, “Master of the Universe we have the seventy elders whom we just gathered: Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Esamar, Pinchas, Kalev….Hashem responds that is only seventy-seven. You need another three! Moshe then says “Do it in the merit of the three forefathers, and behold you have eighty! As soon as Moshe said “Z’chor L’Avraham L’Yitzchak U’L’Yisrael Avadecha” Shmos 32:13, mentioning the merits of the forefathers, Hashem immediately declared, “I will forgive them as you have requested.”

We can not underestimate the words we use and to how they can be used later. A word, all speech is very powerful regarding Mitzvos and how and what we say. The notion when someone is being read his rights of “anything you say can or will be used against you in a court of law” is taken seriously in the world court where Hashem is the judge. This is a lesson not to be forgotten: not only how our bad words can be used against us later, but also how kind and good words will also be there for us later  as well. The words of Torah leave an everlasting impact on everyone who learns and shares the beauty of the Torah.     

Who knew when Hashem said “I am a forgiving God” that those words would be remembered and have the impact and continue to make the difference for the Jewish people to continue on and still be the Am HaNivchar: the Chosen People.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky