Heartspeak

Parshas Netzavim

Posted on September 23, 2024 (5784) By Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky | Series: Drasha| Level: Beginner

Teshuva. It is the word of the hour, and there is no better time for the Torah to talk about it than the week before Rosh Hashanah. It means repentance. It means not only taking heart but even changing heart! And this week the Torah tells us that the requirements are not as difficult as one would perceive. “It is not in heaven or across the sea. Rather it is very near to you – in your mouth and in your heart – to perform” (Deuteronomy 30:12-15).

 

The Ibn Ezra comments on the three aspects of commitment that the Torah alludes to — the mouth, the heart and the performance. In practical terms, there are commandments of the heart, there are those that entail speech, and there are those that require action.

 

But on a simple level, the Torah seems to discuss a process that involves commitment before action. It takes the heart and the mouth to make the commitment before the action is performed. Thus the Torah tells us, “it is very near to you – in your mouth and in your heart – to perform.” The sequence of events, however, seems reversed. The Torah puts the mouth before the heart. Shouldn’t the Torah have written, ” It is very near to you – in your heart and in your mouth- to perform”? Doesn’t one have to have wholehearted feeling before making verbal pledges? Why would the Torah tell us that it is close to your mouth and your heart?

 

In the years before the establishment of the State of Israel, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, the Tzadik of Jerusalem, would visit the inmates of the British-controlled Jerusalem prison on every Shabbos. Though most of the Jewish prisoners were not observant, they would quickly don kippot before the revered Rabbi would greet them. Then they would join in the Shabbos morning prayer service that Reb Aryeh organized and they would read along with the rabbi, as if they were observant Jews.

 

The entire scene agitated one particularly nasty fellow named Yaakov. He would try in every way to irritate the gentle Rabbi. Each Shabbos, he would purposely light up a cigarette in Reb Aryeh’s face in order to disturb him. Reb Aryeh was never fazed. One Shabbos, Yaakov stormed into the makeshift synagogue and snapped at the aged Rabbi.

 

“Why do you waste your time with these liars and fakes? They are no more observant than I am. They only put the kippah on their heads when you come here. Furthermore, they only pray and open their lips to G-d when you are here. Otherwise they have no feeling in their hearts!”

 

Reb Aryeh turned to Yaakov and rebuked him with a firm but gentle voice. “Why do you slander these souls. They come to pray every single week. I do not look at their heads but rather in their hearts. And when I hear the prayers coming from their lips, I know that their hearts are following as well.”

 

It was not long before Yaakov became a steady member of the prayer group.

 

The Torah may be hinting at a powerful message. It may be telling us that even though our hearts have not arrived as yet, it is still important to use our lips to communicate the commitments and pray the prayers of the Jewish People. The Torah is not far away. It is close and easy for your mouth. The books are available. The siddur is understandable and translated.

 

 It is very near to your lips. All you have to do is talk the talk – sincerely. Soon enough, you will walk the walk with the same sincerity as well.

 

Dedicated in memory of our beloved father and grandfather Fishel Yitzchok Ben Shmuel Zisblatt, from his family

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky

 

Goals for Growing

Parshas Vayeilech

Posted on October 3, 2019 (5780) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

The Torah reading of this week describes our great teacher and leader Moshe as ‘going,’ though the Torah does not indicate to what destination. This is an indication of the personality and life achievements of Moshe – a person who is constantly growing. He aspires to greatness and pursues this goal. Though he initially attempts to escape from the burden of leading the Jewish people and even tells G-d, so to speak, to find someone else for the mission, once he actually accepts his role and embarks on his destiny, he is constantly focused on enhancing his own personal spiritual and mental acumen. He is focused on raising the Jewish people to the heights of becoming a special and holy nation.

 

As such, we constantly view Moshe as someone who never rests, who makes a point of often reminding the Jewish people that when he was present in heaven in order to receive the Torah, he did not eat, drink or rest during that period of time. The Jewish viewpoint of life is that time is very precious and wasting time is to be avoided at almost all costs. We often hear the phrase that ‘enough is enough,’ but truly, enough is never enough and there is always a goal that can yet be achieved, a good deed that can still be accomplished, and an inspirational thought that can be absorbed into our personalities.

 

When King David created the signal with Jonathan as to what their future course would be, when it became apparent that King Saul in his paranoid illness intended to persecute David, Jonathan chose as the message to warn David of the impending danger that “ the arrows are still ahead of you.” That is also a good lesson for life generally. Our goals and achievements, the arrows that we hope will reach their target successfully, are always still around us and must be pursued and refined.

 

There are all sorts of artificial and external influences and advice that is meant to give us extended and renewed energy. However, I believe that we are all aware that the true source and driving force of energy in our lifetime lies within our own selves. Ultimately, we are the ones that decide what we will accomplish and what goals that could have been achieved will somehow be neglected and even forgotten.

 

The greatness of our teacher Moshe lies in the fact that until the last day of his life he was actively pursuing his goals. The Torah records for us that Moshe’s vision was not dimmed. He was never tempted to say that ‘enough is enough.’ He prayed for Heaven to allow him to deal with the new challenge of entering the land of Israel. He remains the inspiration for Jewish life till our very day.

 

Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein