Rabbi's Blog

We humans tend to be very opinionated! We have something to say to everyone and everyone has something to say to us.  This applies to me and to all relationships that include communication which we feel we know better than those we’re speaking to, while the other side firmly believe they know better. This concept manifests itself between a husband and wife, parent to child, child to parents, friend to friend, and even an adversary to another foe. Looking back at my life, I can honestly say that most of the time an older person will be right - not because you or I may think they’re a ‘know-it-all’, but because wisdom really does come through aging and the experience of living.   Children, especially through their teens, tend to always think they know more than their parents, yet parents have attained more wisdom through time. As children age and have their own children, they, too, build upon their life experiences. And so, the concept of ‘knowing-it-all somehow transforms into true wisdom. We take our advice and counsel from the Torah which contains true depth of wisdom which sheds light to those who think they know-it-all. We are blessed to have many magnificent s’forim, written by our sages throughout the ages, which help illuminate the wisdom of our Torah.

Over the years I have amassed a precious collection of s'forim/Jewish books which are on the level of a mini-Beis Medrash. Not only do I take pride in my s'forim (which is dwarfed by many others that I know,) but the variety of topics, authors and hashkafa/philosophy they guide and help me to personally grow is a source of continuous learning and joy.  One of the treasures in my library are some antique s'forim that may not have any monetary value but are nevertheless “priceless”. I view these s'forim as a precious source of wisdom and timeless messages, enlightening and deepening my understanding, my wisdom. Some of these s'forim are no longer available today. It may be my duty to bring back to life the words of Torah delivered by great Torah sages and giants of yesteryear to those who read my messages to increase their knowledge. Perhaps I am doing this so that, in the spirit of Choni HaM’agel, the Jewish ‘Rip Van Winkle’, my books will resurface one day long after my time.

One such sefer is titled “Yalkut HaDrush”, which means a collection of expositions on the Torah. It was printed in 1920 and published by two Rabbanim; Rabbi Eliezer Lipa Weisblum z”l and Rabbi Shalom Yitzchok Levitan z”l. I will share an important and positive, powerful message that can be learned from a piece of Torah discussed in this sefer.

In this week’s Parsha Yisro the Torah states in Shmos 19:17: "ויוצא משה את העם לקראת האלוקים מן המחנה, ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר"   “ Moshe led the people out of the camp toward the Divine Presence. They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain.” Rashi, regarding the words “at the nether part of the mountain”, quotes a midrashic interpretation in the Gemara Shabbos 88, explains that the mount was uprooted from its place, and it was arched over them like a cask.  The Torah describes a scene of intense emotion of the giving and receiving of the Torah. The Jewish people are literally standing underneath the mountain and are given an ultimatum. Hashem said to the the ואמר ליה אם תקבלו התורה מוטב, ואם לאו שם תהיה קבורתכם : If you receive the Torah life will be wonderful, and if not, there will be your burial place. The phraseology  שם תהיה קבורתכם – “there will be your burial place” must be understood. Shouldn’t it have said פה meaning here should be your burial place? The Yalkut HaDrush quotes a Gadol, Rav Mordechai Meltzer, who asks why was it that Chazal teach that the reason the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed was due to the Jews not reciting the Birkas HaTorah before learning? Second, it mentions Tosfos, the question that the Jews had already committed to the acceptance of the Torah by saying : -נעשה ונשמע  We will do and listen? He responds, “The words “We will do and obey” are only going on the acceptance of the commandments and fulfilling them, but the hovering of the mountain overhead was to commit them to the learning of Torah -  not just doing but learning. Therefore, the Jews were punished and the Beis HaMikdash destroyed, as they needed to accept the learning of the Torah. Furthermore, even though they may have “learned it”, it came across not as a Chiyuv/obligation but more so as knowledge. This is understood by the omission of the blessing of the Torah which makes it into a commandment to learn and not just to learn about a Mitzva. In fact, the learning during that time did not serve them well enough; they sinned despite learning, lacking commitment through the agency of the bracha.  There was a disconnect between learning and the mitzvos.

After our exile, we continue to be living in galus. We, together and individually, must find a clear answer to our survival. The Jewish people will only survive through the proper course of learning about Mitzvos in Eretz Yisrael, in addition to the mitzvos we fulfill outside of Israel. Living in Chuta Laaretz has the downside of not being able to fulfill and perform the mitzvos that are dependent upon the land of Israel. Nevertheless, by thoroughly learning the mitzvos that only pertain to the land of Israel, it is as if we fulfill those mitzvos just as we literally did them. The Rabbis teach that whoever learns about the Olah, the sacrifice, is credited as if he brought the sacrifice in today. This applies to all mitzvos. But if one does not take it upon himself to learn, how will it be possible to exist and live for thousands of years in the exile? If we don’t learn we will be lacking those mitzvos that are only done in Israel. Therefore, the verse is now understood that if we do not take upon ourselves the mitzvos “there” in the galus /in exile, then our burial places will be there. This is why during the story of Purim the Jewish people re-accepted the Torah SheB’al Peh, the oral law, to ensure the learning of all the mitzvos as if we did them.

The imagery the midrash describing the mountain as a threat is not a threat at all. It is not about “I know what is right and therefore accept it now!” Rather the Torah is displaying wisdom through this analogy of taking heed to the words of wisdom throughout our lives.  When someone with wisdom offers advice, it might sound critical and could be misinterpreted as haughtiness or self-conceit (know-it-all).  Take a moment to stop and think about what they are saying. Most likely, they are concerned about you, not only now but for something that if not addressed now could be harmful in the future. Hearing and accepting a little wisdom from someone older with experience may make your experience much better.