Parshas V’eschanan

Are You Protected? I am!

“אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי ד’ הוּא הָֽאֱלֹקִים אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ:”
“You have come to know that Hashem is the L-rd, there is no other besides Him” (Devarim 4:35)

During WWll, Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, travelled from Warsaw to Vilna to escape from the advancing Nazis. The roads were full of German soldiers and travel was very dangerous. Keeping the words of Rav Chaim Volozhin in mind, Rav Soloveitchik concentrated on the idea that everything that happens is from Hashem. No human can harm a person unless Hashem wills it. That concentration enabled Rav Soloveitchik to pass by many Nazis, without being harmed. Once, he lost his concentration and was stopped by a German soldier who wanted to kill him. After returning to his thoughts that “there is no other besides Hashem”, the German soldier left abruptly, without harming him. (Sefer Talelei Oros)

One day, a Jewish merchant ran into the home of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. The Russian police were searching the stores in the area for black market goods. Anyone who was caught would be sent to Siberia. This merchant was terrified because his store was full of such goods. As soon as Rabbi Soloveitchik heard about the danger, he took the sefer Nefesh HaChaim from his shelf and started learning it with the merchant. They reviewed Rabbi Chaim Volozhin’s wonderous segulah to protect one from harm. After learning the sefer for two hours, the merchant’s wife ran into the room, screaming that they were saved. The police had skipped their store. What had happened? The soldiers were about to take a lunch break when they approached the store. They put a mark on the store to remember which store they were up to. After lunch, the soldiers had a quarrel among themselves. Some said that that their mark meant they had not yet checked this store. Others said that it meant that this was the last store that they had already checked. They decided that they had already checked the store. The merchant was spared because of the powerful protection that was taught by Rav Chaim Volozhin!

Rav Chaim Volozhin zt”l wrote in his sefer, Nefesh haChaim, having the awareness that everything comes from Hashem, is a wonderous segulah; It is a very powerful force which can protect us from harm.  The recognition that Hashem is the only power in the world, that no one else can harm us, can help us overcome all of life’s trials and tribulations. Problems that had seemed insurmountable, can disappear.

HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein  zt”l writes that this idea that “there is no other besides Hashem” is a foundation of our emunah, our belief in Hashem. He says that the goal of our tefillah and brachos is to reinforce this idea.

Rev Henach Leibowitz zt”l explains that the Jewish People had various challenges while traveling in the desert, after leaving Egypt. They did not camp in one place. Sometimes their resting place was not comfortable. Sometimes they were there for such a short time that they had no time to settle in, making it difficult to feel relaxed. Despite that, their experience WAS restful because they had total emunah, faith in Hashem.

The Alter of Slobodka zt”l says that Avraham arose early in the morning, on the day that he went to sacrifice his son. That infers that he slept peacefully the night before. How was he able to sleep at all, knowing he would soon be sacrificing his beloved son? The answer is, since he had total faith in Hashem, he was able to feel totally calm, despite the magnitude of his “test”.

Apparently, Hashem gave the power for some forces to harm us. When we concentrate on the fact that Hashem is the only power, that can protect us from these outside forces.

We cannot rely on our money, our political connections, or our health-care system. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto zt”l says, that all the events that occur in the world are to help us come to this understanding that Hashem can do everything and that there is no other power other than Hashem. 

Parshas Devarim

Small is Really Huge!

“I charged your judges at that time as follows, “Hear out your fellow men, and decide justly …You shall not be partial in judgment….” (Devarim 1:16-17)

Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells a story of a woman who was afraid that she would lose her job. By chance, her employer found out who her grandfather was. Her employer said that his own father had died when he was young, leaving him and his mother poverty stricken and alone. This woman’s grandfather had stepped in to provide food and money for them. As a result of the kindness of this woman’s grandfather, her employer said, “You will always have a job with me!”.

The employer showed hakaras hatov, appreciation for a kindness done to him many years earlier. He understood the extent one must show to appreciate a favor. Even though the woman herself did not do anything to earn this hakaras hatov, she benefitted from it.

Moshe had cautioned the Jewish judges to judge righteously and not show any favoritism to one of the two arguing parties. The Ibn Ezra explains that the judge was told, if one of the parties was his friend, he should not favor him. Previously, the Torah (Shmos 23:8) cautioned judges not to take bribes.  Even the smallest bribe had the potential to affect and influence the judge’s thinking, causing him to favor one party over the other.

From the Talmud (Kesubos 105B) we see that bribes are not necessarily monetary gifts. Even seemingly minor favors that were done for the judge, could sway his judgement. The amora (one of the rabbis of the Talmud), Shmuel, recused (removed) himself from a case when he saw that one of the parties was the one who had helped him cross a rickety bridge. Another amora, Ameimar, recused himself when he found out that one of the litigants was the one who had removed a feather that had fallen on Ameimar’s head. The Talmud says that even giving the judge a compliment could be considered a form of “bribery” that could cloud the judge’s judgement.

How could it be that such learned people could be swayed by seemingly “minor” favors? How could this cause them to mishandle and misjudge a case?

Harav Henach Leibowitz zt”l would have said that we see from here the complexities of a person. Yes, receiving a small bribe or minor favor can influence, even a great person, on a subconscious level. The judge may not even realize that he was influenced. The Talmud brings a case of an amora, who was a bystander, in a court case. One of the parties had done him a small favor. As he was listening to the court proceedings, he realized that he kept thinking of strategies and claims that his “benefactor” could have used to win the case. The amora realized that his thinking HAD become biased because of the small favor that he had received.

HaRav Avraham Pam zt”l (quoted in Rabbi Frand on the Parasha 3) had a different understanding of the Talmud. The favors that the judges received were not considered minor or insignificant. The judges had a total understanding of hakaras hatov, appreciating the favors that others do. There was no such thing as a “minor” favor. Every favor “demanded” a high level of appreciation. It is that high-level of appreciation and good feelings that could influence a judge’s thinking.

Harav Henach Leibowitz zt”l quoted a Midrash Tanchuma (Siman 8 on Vayikra 19:23) who says, when the Jewish People entered the Land of Israel, there were numerous trees that had already been planted. The Jews had no need to plant any more. Even if they were to plant trees, the trees would take years to grow into maturity and they might not even benefit from the fruit of those trees. Yet, Hashem commanded them to plant trees. Why? It was a situation of hakaras hatov. They had personally benefitted from trees that had been planted by others. In a similar vein, they should also plant to benefit others, to “give forward” andshow their appreciation for what they had received.

Rav Pam zt”l pointed out, if we would better appreciate the level of hakaros hatov that we are obligated to show then our interpersonal relationships would be stronger and better. Husbands and wives should appreciate all the favors and “small” chores that their spouses do for them. They should not take those favors for granted, feeling that it was their spouse’s job to do it. If they would appreciate those favors as seriously as the amoraim did, then they would have happier marriages. Similarly in employer-employee relations or in any relationships between two people.

By not taking favors for granted, but by truly appreciating them,

we will feel closer bonds and will be able to get along much better with others.

Parshas Ha’azinu

I Did Not Realize Until Now!

“Return O Israel to Hashem your G-D for you have fallen because of your sin”. Haftorah for Shabbos Shuva (from Parshas Vayelech) (Hoshea 14:2)

Rav Saadia Gaon zt”l was the pre-eminent Jewish leader in the 900’s. Once he was a guest at the home of a fellow Jew who did not recognize him. The Jew welcomed his guest warmly and treated him with the utmost respect. He treated him in a fine fashion, the same way he would treat any fellow Jew. The next day, when the host found out that his guest was none other than the great Rav Saadia Gaon, he felt terrible. He quickly ran to find the great sage. When he found Rav Saadia Gaon, the host begged his forgiveness. He apologized saying, had he known who his guest was, he would have treated him with more respect. Rav Saadia Gaon was surprised. He responded that the host welcomed him with open arms and did treat him very respectfully. The host responded that it was true that he treated Rav Saadia Gaon with respect. However, had he known who he was, he would have treated him with even more respect.

Rav Saadia Gaon learned a lifelong lesson from the words of his host. His host had felt the need to apologize for not having given him the proper respect the day before, based on his new knowledge today, of who his guest was. Rav Saadia Gaon felt that he should feel the same way, regarding his relationship with Hashem. He felt that he currently had more of an appreciation of Hashem than he did the day before. Taking the lead from his host, he felt that he had to apologize to Hashem for not have shown Hashem greater respect the day before, based on his his new-found understanding of Hashem. From that day forward, Rav Saadia Gaon repented every single day for not having shown Hashem the proper respect the day before. (based on a dvar Torah quoted by Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Beyfuss in his sefer Yalkut Lekach Tov)

Based on Rav Saadia Gaon’s actions, we can understand the answer to a glaring question. On Yom Kippur, we spend an entire day, close to Hashem. We abstain from physical pleasures such as eating, drinking, washing ourselves, …. We are almost like angels who have no physical needs. We spend almost the entire time praying to Hashem enumerating our many sins and begging Hashem for forgiveness. If we are sincere in our pleading, at the conclusion of Yom Kippur we feel a sense of accomplishment. We feel that we exerted all our efforts to cleanse ourselves from our sins.  Immediately following the Yom Kippur prayers, we pray the weekday evening prayer. In the Shmone Esray we say to Hashem, “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned”.  If we just spent our entire day cleansing ourselves of our sins, why are we asking for forgiveness for our sins? What sins do we have now? Based on Rav Saadia Gaon’s actions, we can understand the answer to our question. We spent an entire day begging Hashem for forgiveness and enumerating our many sins. We declared Hashem’s greatness and loving kindness. We felt ourselves coming ever closer to Hashem. Now we realize just how terrible our past sins really were. Based on this new understanding, now we plead to Hashem, please forgive us for our prior sins.

The closer we get to Hashem, the more we realize how much we owe Him.

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech

I Hit ‘Rock Bottom’ Now What?

“If your dispersed will be at the ends of heaven, from there Hashem, your G-D, will gather you in and from there he will take you.” (Devarim 30:4)

Soon after conceiving the idea for Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling began writing but was pulled away from her work by the devastating death of her mother, which caused her to sink into a deep, grieving depression.  Soon after, she ended up with a failed marriage and a baby daughter she now had to raise alone. She had no job, no finished product and two mouths to feed. She had hit rock bottom. As she struggled with depression, raising a child on her own and living off meager unemployment benefits, she resumed work on her book in cafes while her daughter was asleep. She finally finished her book and sent it to numerous publishers who all rejected it. Finally, one accepted it and published it. Now, J.K. Rowlings is a famous author and a billionare! J.K. Rowlings had hit rock bottom. She persevered through a very difficult time in her life and succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. (from Failure. Rejection. Success: The J. K. Rowling Story)

Rabbi Shimshon Chaim Nachmani zt”l, in his sefer Zera Shimshon (as quoted by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer) asks an insightful question on our pasuk. It appears as if the pasuk includes unnecessary words. The Torah would have the same message had it left out the words “from there” as well as the words “and from there He will take you”.  The message of the pasuk would then be, “If your dispersed will be at the end of the heavens, Hashem, your G-D, will take you”.

The Talmud (Megillah 16A) quotes Rabbi Yehuda son of Ilai who says that the Jewish People are compared to the dust on the ground and the stars in the heavens. When the Jewish People fall, they fall all the way down to the dust on the ground. In his commentary the Maharsha, Rav Shmuel Eidels zt”l explains that everyone steps on dust.  Similarly, when the Jews fall, they may fall so low that everyone, even slaves, will have dominion over them. However, when the Jewish People rise, they rise as high as the stars.

 Rabbi Isaac Alfasi zt”l, in his commentary the Rif, says that when the Jews fall down so low, to the dust of the ground, that is a sign that they will rise as high as the heavens! Chanoch Zundel ben Yosef zt”l, in his commentary Eitz Yosef (on the Talmud in Brachos 4B), adds that if the Jewish People fall as low as the dust of the earth, Hashem will not help them to rise up. However, that is only if the Jews can raise themselves up on their own. If the Jews fall so low that they can not raise themselves up then Hashem will perform a miracle, going against nature, and raise them up.

Clearly, when the Jews sink so low, that is an indication that the ascent is about to begin.  The Jewish People will once again rise to greatness, like the stars of the sky.

Rabbi Shimshon Chaim Nachmani zt”l explains that this is what the seemingly extra words of the pasuk are alluding to.  If the Jews have fallen so low that it does not seem that they can fall any more, then “from there Hashem will gather you in” and turn you around.      “From there Hashem will take you” and you will begin to ascend to the greatest heights.         

When Hashem approached Moshe to redeem the Jewish People from Egypt, Moshe told Hashem, “Behold, they will not believe me and not listen to me” (Shmos 4:1). Moshe knew that the Jewish People had sunk so low. Moshe felt certain that they were hopelessly entrenched in the quagmire of Egypt and would ignore him. Hashem showed Moshe that he was wrong. Yes, the Jews had fallen to the 49^th level (out of 50) of impurity in Egypt. Yet they could rise, and they did rise to the highest levels when they perceived Hashem’s Presence at the splitting of the Red Sea and again when they received the Torah.

We should never give up on ourselves or on others. No matter how difficult things are or no matter how low a Jew has sunk, things change, and people can rise to the greatest heights! As Rosh Hashana approaches, we should realize our inherent greatness and holiness. We can become great again! If it is too hard for us to do so on our own, then Hashem, Himself, will help us become great again!

Parshas Ki Savo

You Can Dig A Little Deeper!

“Hashem did not give you a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear until this day”. (Devarim 29:3)

I vaguely recall reading a very fascinating story. Baruch had a desperate need. He approached his rabbi who asked him if he had davened to Hashem. Baruch said that he had. The rabbi then asked Baruch if he had davened with intensity. Baruch said that he had.  The rabbi drove Baruch to a lonely spot in the desert, in the dark of night, and without a cell phone.  The rabbi said he would be back in a few minutes and meanwhile Baruch should daven to Hashem to answer his prayers. The rabbi left Baruch and returned a few minutes later. The rabbi looked at him and said he was going to leave him for a lengthier period. When the rabbi returned and looked at Baruch again, the rabbi shook his head, no. He said that he was going to leave for an even lengthier period. At this point in time, in the dark of night, with the sound of animals in the background, Baruch truly felt that he was alone. No human could help him, and he could only rely on Hashem.  With tears streaming down his face, he davened to Hashem from the depths of his heart. This time, when the rabbi returned, he noticed that Baruch had tear-stained eyes and looked weary as if he had just run a marathon. The rabbi understood that Baruch finally davened to Hashem from the inner depths of his heart. The rabbi felt that these were powerful prayers and took Baruch home, confident that Baruch had done his best. 

Moshe Rabbeinu knew Hashem had decreed that he would not enter Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel). As the Jews were approaching Eretz Yisroel, Moshe defeated the two powerful giants, Sichon & Og in battle. Since the Jews were about to enter the land, Moshe wondered, if perhaps that meant the decree against him had been lifted. He prayed to Hashem. Hashem responded that the decree still stood, and Moshe was not permitted to lead the Jews into the land. Moshe prayed many times, but Hashem did not remove the decree against him (Devarim Perek 3). The Midrash Rabbah (Devarim 7:10) says that Hashem had made two decrees. One was that the Jewish men would die because they had sinned with the golden calf. (This punishment excluded the women who had neither participated in the sin nor were responsible for stopping it).  The second decree was that Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisroel because of a “sin” that he had done. Hashem had told Moshe to speak to a specific rock, which would then miraculously provide water for the millions of Jews and their animals. Moshe did so. However, instead of speaking to the rock, Moshe hit it. [There is a discussion among the commentators as to what Moshe’s actual sin was.]

After the Jews had sinned with the golden calf [only a tiny percentage of people were actively involved in the sin] Hashem told Moshe that He wanted to destroy the Jewish People and start the nation anew from Moshe. The Maharzu (Devarim 7:10) explains when Hashem said that He would make Moshe into a great nation it meant that Moshe would enter Eretz Yisroel and inherit it for eternity.  The Midrash continues, Moshe prayed for the Jews and Hashem spared them and removed the decree against them. “I have forgiven them, according to your words” (Bamidbar 14). Now, as the Jews were close to entering Eretz Yisroel, Moshe asked Hashem to remove the second decree, that barred him from entering the land. Hashem told Moshe that he could not have it both ways. If Hashem would remove the decree and allow Moshe to enter Eretz Yisroel, then Hashem would have to reinstate the decree which called for the death of the Jews for their sin with the golden calf. The Maharzu explains, Hashem had told Moshe that He wanted to destroy the Jewish People for their sin. Moshe would enter Eretz Yisroel and the Jewish nation would begin anew from Moshe. Hashem forgave the Jews “according to your [Moshe’s] words”. The Jews would be forgiven, and Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisroel in their place. If Moshe would enter the land now, the decree against the Jews would be reinstated.  The Midrash says, Moshe heard that he had the choice. Either the Jews would be forgiven, and he would not be allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel or he would enter Eretz Yisroel and the Jews would be destroyed for their sin. Moshe, showing his love for the Jewish people, immediately said, “Moshe should die and not one fingernail of one Jew be harmed”.

Despite this, Moshe criticized the Jewish People before his death. He said to them, “One person could redeem six hundred thousand but six hundred thousand couldn’t redeem one person?” Moshe’s prayers saved the lives of the Jewish People. Yet, the six hundred thousand Jews (males between 20 and 60) could not save Moshe’s life. Moshe had a complaint, why the Jews did not daven and beg Hashem for mercy to allow him to enter Eretz Yisroel. It would been a great benefit for them. Had Moshe led the Jews into Eretz Yisroel, the Beis HaMikdash would have been built immediately and permanently. It would never had been destroyed and the Jewish People would never have had to go into exile.

Moshe had hinted to the Jews a few times that he would not be leading them into Eretz Yisroel. (Matnos Kehuna & Maharzu in 3:11). Apparently, they did not take the hint. The Maharzu (3:11) says, had they truly and totally loved Moshe then their deep feelings for him would have prompted them to daven for him. Since they did not do it on their own, even after Moshe’s hint, then their prayers would not have sufficed even had Moshe told them explicitly to daven for him.

HaRav Henach Leibowitz zt”l  explains that prayer comes from the heart. There are many different levels of feeling. A prayer is more effective if it comes from the depths of ones’ heart and soul. If it comes from every fiber of our being then it is a more powerful prayer. HaRav Henach Leibowitz says that the Jewish People did love Moshe very much and did pray for him. However, the decree against Moshe was so strong that it required a prayer from greatest depths of their hearts. And that was lacking.

Hashem cherishes and listens to every prayer that we say. Even a prayer that is not said with intensity is valuable. At times, our prayers are more intense and come from the depths of our heart.  Those prayers are more powerful and are more capable of overcoming strong decrees against us. May we take advantage of our “secret weapon”, davening to Hashem with all our heart and all our soul.

Parshas Ki Tetzei

I Accept All Challenges!

“And you will see amongst the captives a woman who is of beautiful form and you will desire her, you may take her to yourself as a wife” (Devarim 21:11)

I recently heard a Holocaust story. A young Jewish boy was put to work in the kitchen in the concentration camp. He was able to scrounge some food for himself. So, he did not starve. One day a German officer entered the kitchen and noticed the Jewish boy working. The German officer went into a rage, wondering why the boy had “such an easy job”. He gave the boy a hammer and told him to go outside and dig a ditch 6 feet by 6 feet. He told the boy that he would be shot if it was not completed in three hours. The boy went outside with just the hammer and no true digging tool. The ground was frozen solid. There was no way that the boy would be able to dig the required hole. This was an impossible challenge!

The Torah says, if a Jewish soldier desires a non-Jewish woman who was captured during war, he is permitted to take her as a wife. Before marrying her, the Jewish soldier had to bring her into his house where she had to mourn the separation from her parents for thirty days. He also had to cut off her hair and give her ugly clothes to wear. The purpose of that was to try to dissuade the soldier from marrying her. However, if he still wanted to marry her, then it was permitted.

Why does the Torah permit a Jew to marry a non-Jewish woman in this circumstance? [Obviously, she would first have to convert to Judaism. However, this was not the typical marriage of a Jew marrying a precious convert.] The Talmud (Kiddushin 21B) explains that the Torah understands the powerful yetzer hara, especially in time of war. The Torah gives special permission to marry this captive in a permissible way, to prevent the Jewish solder from sinning, and acting in an improper way.

When you stop to think about this special dispensation, it is truly astounding. Earlier (Devarim 20:8) the Torah tells us what type of person the Jewish soldier was. The pasuk says that if the soldier was “fearful”, he did not have to serve on the front lines. According to one explanation (quoted in Rashi), that means if the soldier was afraid that his own sins would cause him to be unsuccessful in battle, then he would not have to fight on the front lines. The Talmud (Menachos 36A) gives an example of the type of sin that the Torah is referring to. Even if the soldier had spoken between putting on his tefillin shel yad and his tefillin shel rosh, that would be considered enough of a sin to hold this soldier back from combat.

Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l says we see from this that the Jewish soldiers were truly righteous individuals. Would such a person be interested in marrying a gentile woman? Why does the Torah have to give this special dispensation for such a righteous individual? Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank points out that even totally righteous individuals can be tempted to sin, especially during a war.

Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky zt”l learns an important life lesson from here. There are times that mitzvos can be very challenging for us. In the 1930’s it was exceedingly challenging to observe Shabbos in America. Many Jews were told that they had to work on Shabbos or lose their jobs. Without jobs, they would not have money to buy food for their family. Yet, the Torah does NOT give a special dispensation allowing one to work on Shabbos even if one would have to go hungry for a while.

Berel left his family behind, in the Ukraine, and boarded a boat to America. Upon his arrival in New York, he got a job pressing shirts. A few months passed. Berel realized that he would now need to leave work earlier on Friday afternoon, since sundown was getting earlier. On Friday, Berel told his boss that he would need to leave early. The boss threw Berel’s ironing board into the street and told him never to come back. Berel hurried into the street and retrieved his board. It was almost Shabbat. He had no time to take his ironing board to his boarding house before the onset of Shabbat. “I stood there in middle of the street staring at my only possible means to support my family, and wondered what I would do with it,” he would later tell. In desperation, he dashed into the nearest store and asked if he could please leave his ironing board there. When Shabbat ended, Berel retrieved his ironing board. As he was walking home, a man noticed him holding his ironing board and offered him a job, pressing clothing. The job paid more money than Berel’s old job and did not require him to work on Shabbat. Apparently, his old boss had been taking advantage of him by paying him less than the going rate.

“At that moment it struck me,” he would later tell his children. “If I would have kept my old job and worked on Shabbat, I would have lost not only my share in the World to Come, but my rightful portion of this world as well!” Berel passed his challenge and now his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren keep Shabbat. (Based on the story Saved by Shabbat by Menachem Posner)

Rabbi Abramsky said that the only dispensation that the Torah gives is when a Jewish soldier sees a gentile woman during war. Clearly, the Torah acknowledges that this is the only time that it may be too difficult to withstand the temptation of the yetzer hara. However, any other challenge we can handle successfully. We CAN overcome the challenge to do any other mitzvah, no matter how difficult it may be!

(based on a dvar Torah by Rabbi Yissocher Frand in Rabbi Frand on the Parsha 2)

Sometimes we feel that a mitzvah is too challenging for us to do. That is 100% false!
While it may be difficult or challenging, it is not too difficult!
Hashem does NOT present us with a situation that is impossible for us!
Hashem only gives us challenges that we are able to pass.
We must strengthen ourselves and work hard, knowing that WE CAN DO IT!

Parshas Shoftim

Don’t Even Think about Doing That Again!

“Only he [the Jewish king] shall not keep many horses and not cause the people to return to Egypt to get many horses….” (Devarim 17:16)

There is a famous story about a wealthy Jewish rug merchant. He was enjoying his Shabbos meal with his family when he heard loud and persistent knocking at his door. It was the Sultan’s messengers. The Sultan was having a party and needed some expensive rugs, immediately. The merchant apologized that he could not do business on Shabbos. The messengers left, saying that the Sultan would not be happy. Sometime later, the messengers returned with a message from the Sultan. If the Sultan would not receive the rugs immediately, he would stop doing business with the merchant and would also encourage others to stop doing business with him. The merchant apologetically refused. The merchant’s wife and children were worried that the Sultan might harm him because of this refusal. The merchant said that it was Shabbos and they should not worry about it now. After Shabbos, the Sultan’s guards came to the merchant’s house to take him away. When he was escorted into the Sultan’s chambers, the Sultan was smiling. The Sultan had made a bet with the prince of another country that a Jew would not desecrate the Shabbos, even for money. The merchant’s refusal to desecrate Shabbos even under the threat of a large financial loss, allowed the Sultan to win his bet. The Sultan told the merchant that he would purchase more from him and encourage others to do so as well. The merchant’s refusal to desecrate Shabbos facilitated his getting more money than before.

In this week’s parsha, Hashem exhorts the Jewish king not to acquire too many horses. Egypt was known as the premier seller of fine horses and Hashem did not want any Jew to return to Egypt to purchase horses. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l  (Biuri HaChofetz Chaim al HaTorah by Rabbi Yisroel Braunstein) questions the wording of the pasuk. First the pasuk uses the plural for horses, “susim”, saying that the Jewish king should not acquire too many horses. The end of the pasuk uses the singular form, “sus”, that the Jewish people should not return to Egypt to get many horses.

The Chofetz Chaim explains that the Torah is teaching us a very powerful lesson in human nature. Generally, a person will not sin for a minimal gain. However, if the potential gain is great, the temptation to sin will be greater. For example, a person who observes Shabbos will not desecrate Shabbos for the benefit of gaining a few pennies. However, the temptation to desecrate Shabbos will be much greater for the benefit of gaining thousands of dollars. A person might be tempted to rationalize to himself and desecrate Shabbos.

The Chofetz Chaim continues, if a person does desecrate Shabbos because of the temptation of gaining thousands of dollars then he weakens his resolve of keeping Shabbos. In his mind desecrating Shabbos is no longer as terrible as he once felt that it was. He will more easily come to desecrate Shabbos. Our rabbis tell us, once a person sins and repeats the sin, the action becomes permissible in his eyes, “na’ase lo ke’heter”. Little by little, the importance of keeping Shabbos will become less and less until he will be willing to desecrate Shabbos even for the gain of a few pennies!

This is the lesson that the pasuk is teaching us. The Jewish king certainly will not send a fellow Jew back to Egypt just to purchase one horse. However, if the Jewish king desires and acquires too many horses then it will break-down his barrier, and he will now be willing to send Jews down to Egypt to purchase even a solitary horse.

The Talmud (Kedushin 40A) explains Rav Huna’s teaching. When a person transgresses and repeats his transgression, then it becomes as if it were permitted to him. He becomes accustomed to this behavior and no longer senses that it is a sin.

For this reason, Rabbeinu Yona of Gerona says (Shaarei Teshuvah) that one who sins should repent his sin as soon as possible. If he delays, then he will more easily succumb when the yetzer hara presents the same sin to him at another time. At that point, teshuvah will be more difficult because the sin becomes permissible in his eyes and he will not feel the need to repent.

There was a famous rabbi who fainted in shul when the gabbai announced that the month of Elul was approaching. The Rabbi felt the nearness of Rosh Hashana, the day that Hashem judges us.

The month of Elul is here. It means that Rosh Hashana is approaching. If we have not already done so, it is time to reflect on our actions. What needs improvement? How can we come closer to Hashem? Which sins do we have to quickly correct before we view them as permissible actions? To whom do we have to ask for forgiveness? How can we improve our relations with others?

May Hashem give us the strength to do teshuvah and may we all merit a year of health, and success.