The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #13
The Power of a Pure Heart
Parshas V'eschanan
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This issue is dedicated to two of my dear friends Myron Lieberman and Gil Levin of Los Angeles
In this week's Torah portion we find Moshe nearing the end of his extraordinary life. For over four decades he dedicated himself with indescribable strength and devotion to the salvation and redemption of the Jewish nation. The Torah immortalizes his parting words, his final testimony. "I prayed to Hashem at that time… I prayed to enter the land of Israel. But Hashem got angry with me because of you and He did not accept my prayers. Hashem told me that I should not continue to speak to him on this issue. Hashem became angry with me because of your matters. He swore that I would not be allowed to pass the Jordan River to enter the good land that Hashem your G-d gives to you. I will die in the land (east of the Jordan) you will pass through and inherit the good land." (Devarim 3:23-26, 4:21-22) What is Moshe's message; is he bitter and upset with his people, blaming them for the fact that he was not allowed to join them in the land of Israel?
Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk explains that Moshe was teaching an invaluable lesson. The Jewish people were going through a historical transition. The old generation, the ones that grew up under Moshe's leadership and knew him from his pre – Exodus days, was dying off and only the new generation would enter the land of Israel; without Moshe and without their ancestors. There was a significant difference in their outlooks on Moshe and his role in their redemption. The older generation knew Moshe from his days in Egypt as a great human being and a great Jew. There was never a notion that Moshe, as holy and righteous as he was, was anything more than a mortal human being. Yes, he was able to perform great miracles; the ten plagues, splitting the sea, bring water and bread in the desert, etc. Nonetheless, he was a mortal. He was their peer. In fact many of Moshe's contemporaries felt that they were spiritual equals to Moshe. That is why we find these people continuingly challenging Moshe's leadership during the course of the entire forty years. Moshe was great, but so were they. Moshe was chosen by Hashem to be the leader but many of them were equally qualified for the job as clearly stated by the infamous rebel Korach "all of the community is holy". Moshe's contemporaries realized that his miraculous accomplishments were not his own doing; rather Hashem employed Moshe as an instrument to deliver His miracles for the sake of the Jewish people. If not for Moshe there were plenty of others from whom Hashem could pick a worthy leader. The focus of their spiritual energy was upon Hashem not Moshe.
The younger generation had a totally different perspective on Moshe. They were born in the desert into a miraculous environment. They did not have the opportunity to see and experience Moshe as a regular human being. In their eyes Moshe was a wondrous performer of miracles, someone who they had difficulty relating to as a mortal human being. The new generation knew only a 'bigger than life' Moshe, one who was supernatural and perhaps even immortal. This was a very perilous attitude, one that could eventually bring to the deification of Moshe. There was only one way to uproot this dangerous view. Moshe had to die. Nothing other than death could drive home the point better that Moshe was only human.
Through his death Moshe would teach them that the greatest of powers, the most mighty physical and spiritual forces, as powerful as they may be are tools in the hands of the Creator. In light of this we can better understand why Moshe prefaced his proclamation that he would not enter the land with several verses (4:15-21) of warnings against every possible form of idol worship. Moshe then told them he was going to die and only the new generation would have the great merit to enter and inherit the Promised Land. The new generation needed to have the opportunity to grow and develop their own deep and meaningful relationship with Hashem. Moshe's awesome capabilities could stifle the spiritual growth of the younger generation. As long as Moshe was alive they would continue to relate to him as the holy one, the force through which all good comes into the world… idol worship. Moshe needed to move aside and allow the new generation to develop their emunah in Hashem and actualize their own immense spiritual potential. "I will die and you will inherit the good land"; (4:22) meaning you are sufficiently worthy, with or without me. Yes, to a certain extent Korach got it right "all of the community is holy and Hashem dwells within them."
Moshe was not bitter nor was he complaining. He was doing what he had always done in his long and remarkable life, putting the needs of Am Yisrael before his own. Moshe believed that if his life in any way made it difficult for the people to elevate themselves and reach higher levels of emunah and connection to Hashem then he must move on and make room for others. What a poignant message this is for our time that is so bereft of genuine leadership.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen makes a similar insight. The parsha begins with Moshe recounting to the Jewish people how he reacted upon hearing that Hashem would not allow him to enter the land. He prayed – v'eschanan. He prayed so much that Hashem finally had to silence him: "speak to me no more about this matter!" (3:26) Rav Tzadok explains that Hashem had to silence Moshe because if he would have continued to pray Hashem would have been "forced" to allow him to enter the land despite the heavenly decree that he would not to be allowed to do so.
Rav Tzadok directs our attention to the Talmud tractate Bava Metzia 85b that tells a fascinating story. The great prophet Eliyahu was a regular participant in the Torah study that took place in the yeshiva of Rebbi Yehuda Hanasi. One day Eliyahu arrived late. Rebbi Yehuda asked the reason for his lateness. Eliyahu explained that he just returned from the Cave of Machpelah where our forefathers are buried. Here is how the exchange between Eliyahu and Rebbi Yehuda went. "I had to wake up the forefathers. First I had to wake up Abraham, wash his hands and wait until he finished his prayers. Then I had to put him back to sleep. Subsequently I had to do the same for Isaac and finally the same for Jacob." Rebbi Yehuda responded: "Why didn't you wake all of them up at the same time" Eliyahu answered "If I would have done so they would have joined together in prayer and their prayer would have been so prevailing that they would have brought the Moshiach prematurely." Rebbi Yehuda aked Eliyahu "is there anyone in our generation who has such a commanding power of prayer?" Eliyahu responded "Rebbi Chiyah and his sons do"
Rav Tzadok explains that Moshe also possessed an awesome ability to evoke Divine mercy with his tefilah – prayer even when the gates of heavenly blessing were shut sealed. Hashem asked Moshe to refrain from employing this remarkable faculty. But why; why did Hashem insist that Moshe stop? The answer, explains Rav Tzadok, is because Hashem wanted Moshe to die along with his contemporaries, who did not merit to enter the land along with the younger generation, so that in the future when Hashem resurrects the dead Moshe will be able to lead his own generation back to the land. They too must not be abandoned. They would need Moshe to be their leader. No one else would ever be able to satisfy the high spiritual standards of these remarkable people, only Moshe. Once again we see how Moshe puts all self interest aside for the sake of his people.
There are a few important lessons we can learn from this. The first is about the extraordinary power of tefilah. Tefilah can "force" the hand of Hashem to shower us with blessing even when we fall short of His expectations and are less than deserving. However, there is one condition. We must be selfless. Only a tefilah that pours forth from an absolutely humble and altruistic heart, like Moshe's, can open up the gates of blessing even when they are locked tight. Second, is how important it is to develop our own personal relationship with Hashem. Although we all need mentors and spiritual leaders, we need to utilize them wisely. If our entire religious experience is centered only around them we are in danger of serving something other than Hashem. But what is even more worrisome is that we may deprive ourselves of the greatest blessings that Hashem has in store for us.
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This issue is dedicated to two of my dear friends Myron Lieberman and Gil Levin of Los Angeles
In this week's Torah portion we find Moshe nearing the end of his extraordinary life. For over four decades he dedicated himself with indescribable strength and devotion to the salvation and redemption of the Jewish nation. The Torah immortalizes his parting words, his final testimony. "I prayed to Hashem at that time… I prayed to enter the land of Israel. But Hashem got angry with me because of you and He did not accept my prayers. Hashem told me that I should not continue to speak to him on this issue. Hashem became angry with me because of your matters. He swore that I would not be allowed to pass the Jordan River to enter the good land that Hashem your G-d gives to you. I will die in the land (east of the Jordan) you will pass through and inherit the good land." (Devarim 3:23-26, 4:21-22) What is Moshe's message; is he bitter and upset with his people, blaming them for the fact that he was not allowed to join them in the land of Israel?
Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk explains that Moshe was teaching an invaluable lesson. The Jewish people were going through a historical transition. The old generation, the ones that grew up under Moshe's leadership and knew him from his pre – Exodus days, was dying off and only the new generation would enter the land of Israel; without Moshe and without their ancestors. There was a significant difference in their outlooks on Moshe and his role in their redemption. The older generation knew Moshe from his days in Egypt as a great human being and a great Jew. There was never a notion that Moshe, as holy and righteous as he was, was anything more than a mortal human being. Yes, he was able to perform great miracles; the ten plagues, splitting the sea, bring water and bread in the desert, etc. Nonetheless, he was a mortal. He was their peer. In fact many of Moshe's contemporaries felt that they were spiritual equals to Moshe. That is why we find these people continuingly challenging Moshe's leadership during the course of the entire forty years. Moshe was great, but so were they. Moshe was chosen by Hashem to be the leader but many of them were equally qualified for the job as clearly stated by the infamous rebel Korach "all of the community is holy". Moshe's contemporaries realized that his miraculous accomplishments were not his own doing; rather Hashem employed Moshe as an instrument to deliver His miracles for the sake of the Jewish people. If not for Moshe there were plenty of others from whom Hashem could pick a worthy leader. The focus of their spiritual energy was upon Hashem not Moshe.
The younger generation had a totally different perspective on Moshe. They were born in the desert into a miraculous environment. They did not have the opportunity to see and experience Moshe as a regular human being. In their eyes Moshe was a wondrous performer of miracles, someone who they had difficulty relating to as a mortal human being. The new generation knew only a 'bigger than life' Moshe, one who was supernatural and perhaps even immortal. This was a very perilous attitude, one that could eventually bring to the deification of Moshe. There was only one way to uproot this dangerous view. Moshe had to die. Nothing other than death could drive home the point better that Moshe was only human.
Through his death Moshe would teach them that the greatest of powers, the most mighty physical and spiritual forces, as powerful as they may be are tools in the hands of the Creator. In light of this we can better understand why Moshe prefaced his proclamation that he would not enter the land with several verses (4:15-21) of warnings against every possible form of idol worship. Moshe then told them he was going to die and only the new generation would have the great merit to enter and inherit the Promised Land. The new generation needed to have the opportunity to grow and develop their own deep and meaningful relationship with Hashem. Moshe's awesome capabilities could stifle the spiritual growth of the younger generation. As long as Moshe was alive they would continue to relate to him as the holy one, the force through which all good comes into the world… idol worship. Moshe needed to move aside and allow the new generation to develop their emunah in Hashem and actualize their own immense spiritual potential. "I will die and you will inherit the good land"; (4:22) meaning you are sufficiently worthy, with or without me. Yes, to a certain extent Korach got it right "all of the community is holy and Hashem dwells within them."
Moshe was not bitter nor was he complaining. He was doing what he had always done in his long and remarkable life, putting the needs of Am Yisrael before his own. Moshe believed that if his life in any way made it difficult for the people to elevate themselves and reach higher levels of emunah and connection to Hashem then he must move on and make room for others. What a poignant message this is for our time that is so bereft of genuine leadership.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen makes a similar insight. The parsha begins with Moshe recounting to the Jewish people how he reacted upon hearing that Hashem would not allow him to enter the land. He prayed – v'eschanan. He prayed so much that Hashem finally had to silence him: "speak to me no more about this matter!" (3:26) Rav Tzadok explains that Hashem had to silence Moshe because if he would have continued to pray Hashem would have been "forced" to allow him to enter the land despite the heavenly decree that he would not to be allowed to do so.
Rav Tzadok directs our attention to the Talmud tractate Bava Metzia 85b that tells a fascinating story. The great prophet Eliyahu was a regular participant in the Torah study that took place in the yeshiva of Rebbi Yehuda Hanasi. One day Eliyahu arrived late. Rebbi Yehuda asked the reason for his lateness. Eliyahu explained that he just returned from the Cave of Machpelah where our forefathers are buried. Here is how the exchange between Eliyahu and Rebbi Yehuda went. "I had to wake up the forefathers. First I had to wake up Abraham, wash his hands and wait until he finished his prayers. Then I had to put him back to sleep. Subsequently I had to do the same for Isaac and finally the same for Jacob." Rebbi Yehuda responded: "Why didn't you wake all of them up at the same time" Eliyahu answered "If I would have done so they would have joined together in prayer and their prayer would have been so prevailing that they would have brought the Moshiach prematurely." Rebbi Yehuda aked Eliyahu "is there anyone in our generation who has such a commanding power of prayer?" Eliyahu responded "Rebbi Chiyah and his sons do"
Rav Tzadok explains that Moshe also possessed an awesome ability to evoke Divine mercy with his tefilah – prayer even when the gates of heavenly blessing were shut sealed. Hashem asked Moshe to refrain from employing this remarkable faculty. But why; why did Hashem insist that Moshe stop? The answer, explains Rav Tzadok, is because Hashem wanted Moshe to die along with his contemporaries, who did not merit to enter the land along with the younger generation, so that in the future when Hashem resurrects the dead Moshe will be able to lead his own generation back to the land. They too must not be abandoned. They would need Moshe to be their leader. No one else would ever be able to satisfy the high spiritual standards of these remarkable people, only Moshe. Once again we see how Moshe puts all self interest aside for the sake of his people.
There are a few important lessons we can learn from this. The first is about the extraordinary power of tefilah. Tefilah can "force" the hand of Hashem to shower us with blessing even when we fall short of His expectations and are less than deserving. However, there is one condition. We must be selfless. Only a tefilah that pours forth from an absolutely humble and altruistic heart, like Moshe's, can open up the gates of blessing even when they are locked tight. Second, is how important it is to develop our own personal relationship with Hashem. Although we all need mentors and spiritual leaders, we need to utilize them wisely. If our entire religious experience is centered only around them we are in danger of serving something other than Hashem. But what is even more worrisome is that we may deprive ourselves of the greatest blessings that Hashem has in store for us.
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.