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ON KI SEITZEI - 5760
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Parashas Ki Seitzei
Excerpt from Darash Moshe, by RABBI MOSHE FEINSTEIN
Remember what Amalek did to you (25:17).
We must understand why there is still a mitzvah of remembering the act of Amalek today, even though in our present exile we would be forbidden to perform the mitzvah of eradicating him even if we knew for certain which peoples belong to Amalek.
In my humble opinion, the point of this mitzvah is to remind us now that it is possible for any creature of flesh and blood to become as wicked as Amalek, and like him to deny Hashem's role in the world even though he sees irrefutable evidence of it, as Amalek saw at the Splitting of the Sea and in the other miracles Hashem did for us in the Wilderness. The Sages (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Seitzei 9) compared Amalek to someone who, seeing a bath of boiling water which all others were afraid to touch, nonetheless leaped into it. Despite the fact that he himself was badly scalded, he cooled the bath water to a degree where others could then also take the plunge of bathing in it. Similarly, all the miracles Hashem had done for the Jews did not deter Amalek from attacking them and making it possible for others also to want to wage war against them.
The lesson we learn is that each of us, however great his spiritual accomplishments, must worry that he himself might be tricked into committing the most serious sins, even those that everyone considers to be most despicable. Just as Amalek fell so low, we must also be afraid that any of us can fall equally low. Not only must each of us distrust his ability to persist in the good practices he has established for himself, he must also be continually on his guard for even the most serious sins, such as theft, murder, adultery, and the like.
Thus, after all the fervent prayers and confessions we offer on Yom Kippur, the Sages still required us to entreat Hashem in the Ne'ilah prayer on Yom Kippur to help us withdraw our hands from oppression. From this we see that no one may consider himself immune from committing even the gravest of sins, and allow himself to concentrate only on strengthening his positive aspects. No! All of us are made of the same flesh and blood as Amalek and the wicked of all other generations, and when the Sages warned us (Avos 2:5), Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death, they had each and every one of us in mind, and were afraid that anyone, without exception, could stumble in any of the mitzvos of the Torah.
Excerpt from Darash Moshe, by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
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From:[SMTP:
PENINIM ON THE TORAH by RABBI A. LEIB SCHEINBAUM
Parshas Ki Seitze ...
If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son, who does listen to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. (21:17)
How can a Gdfearing, lawabiding Jew raise a rebellious son whose future is so bleak that the Torah orders his execution before our fears regarding this boy are actualized? Did the parents fail him in the manner in which they raised him, or was he just a "bad seed" whose evil nature doomed him? The idea of a son who does not listen to his father or mother is a tragedy of formidable proportions. It certainly does not just happen. What was the genesis of the ben sorer u'moreh's downfall?
The Munkaczer Rebbe, zl, feels that the answer lies in the words, "einenu shome'a b'kol aviv u'bkol imo," "who does not listen to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother." As a boy grows up, he should "hear" about his father's positive deeds, his acts of kindness, his virtue and observance of the Torah. He should "hear" that his father rises early in the morning to study Torah and daven. He "hears" his father recite Bircas ha'Torah with a loud voice filled with excitement and enthusiasm. He "hears" wherever he goes of his father's virtue and service to Hashem. He "hears" his mother recite the brachah before candlelighting, with tears streaming down her face, as she implores Hashem on behalf of her husband and children, that they should continue to excel in their Torah studies and mitzvah observance. He "hears" his mother's supplicating Hashem on behalf of her daughters that they should grow in the way of the Torah, being true bnos Yisrael with middos tovos, positive character traits. When a child grows up in a home in which he "hears" such wonderful sounds emanating from his father and mother, there is hope that he will follow suit and live up to their expectations. A child who grows up in a home where he does not listen to such voices from his father or mother, when what should be the hopes and aspirations of every Jewish parent is neither felt nor articulated, so that they are subsequently not heard, it is no wonder that a child will rebel. Begetting children is the hope and prayer of every Jewish parent; raising them in the Torah way is a parent's overriding responsibility. Parents must set the standard by their own behavior. Children must see, and they must hear. While for some parents this might be a bit difficult, the alternative is disastrous.
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. (22:10)
The Sefer HaChinuch explains the shoresh, source/root, of this mitzvah in the following manner: Tzaar baalei chaim, afflicting pain on creatures, is forbidden by the Torah. Various animals and fowl by their very nature have a difficult time living alongside creatures not of their owns species. To put two animals of various species together inflicts "mental" and physical pain upon each one. A wise person should derive from here that this idea certainly applies to human beings as well. To appoint two people from diverse backgrounds, personalities and perspectives to work together is incorrect. We should learn from the Torah's compassion for creatures and apply at least the same to our interpersonal relationship with humans.
In his sefer Min Ha'Meitzar, Horav Michoel Ber Weismandel, zl, relates a poignant story about a Hungarian Jew that demonstrates the true distinctiveness of the Jewish People. The Nazi warmachine invaded Hungary, and with meticulous precision the soldiers proceeded to round up the Jews from the villages and cities throughout the country. In one of the small towns in the lower Carpathian Mountains, the train was being "loaded" with the hapless Jews of the town. Its destination was by now well known the Nazi death camps. The gentile supporters of the Nazi murderers made good use of this tragic moment to exhibit their ageold hatred of the Jewish People. As families were being torn apart, as Jews were being dragged to the death transport, the antiSemites would stand in a crowd jeering and laughing, adding their insult to the tragedy. As the train began to pull out of the station, the murderers and their accomplices began to clap and shout in joy.
On the other side of the tracks, a small group of Jews upon whom the death sentence had not fallen, stood. They watched silently with tears streaming down their faces, attempting to give some support to their frightened brethren. Suddenly, one of the Jews opened the window of the train and yelled to one of his friends on the street, "Chaim! I forgot to feed my chickens. Please go to my house and feed them."
How vast is the chasm that divides the Jew from the gentile. On one side, a group of Nazi collaborators stands, clapping and laughing as the Jews are being sent off to their death. On the other side, a Jew on his way to the gas chamber calls out, "Please feed my chickens." This is the definition of rachamanim bnei rachamanim, compassionate ones/sons of compassionate ones. This is the way a Jew understands the concept of tzaar baalei chaim. His compassion for Hashem's creatures transcends even his worries about his own predicament.
.... Sponsored In honor of the marriage of our grandaughter Becky to Yaacov Mayer Briskman "May we all share in continued simchos from them and all of our other grandchildren." Izsak & Eva Keller
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From: RABBI YISSOCHER FRAND [SMTP:
"RavFrand" List Rabbi Frand on Parshas Ki Seitzei
Dedicated This Year Le'eluy Nishmas Chaya Bracha Bas R. Yissocher Dov In memory of Mrs. Adele Frand These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 339, The First Year of Marriage. Good Shabbos! send email to .
Three Lessons To Be Learned From the Chapter of the Wayward Son
This week's parsha contains a Mitzvah that is one of the most difficult commandments to understand the laws concerning the Wayward and Rebellious Son (Ben Sorer U'Moreh). This young boy does not listen to his parents. The Talmud [Sanhedrin 70a] describes the crimes involved. By today's standards, they do not sound like terrible crimes. The boy is somewhat gluttonous. He engages in small acts of thievery; he eats too much meat; he drinks too much wine.
The Torah tells us that the Ben Sorer U'Moreh [Wayward and Rebellious Son] is brought to Beis Din [Jewish Court]. If the evidence is upheld, he is put to death, based on the principle "better he should die innocent now, than have to be executed as a guilty party somewhere down the road."
The rules and circumstances for a Ben Sorer U'Moreh are so complex, specific and narrow that the Talmud in the eighth chapter of Sanhedrin says that there has never been and will never be a Ben Sorer U'Moreh. So then why, in fact, was the entire section written? The Talmud answers that the section was written in order that we might "expound it and receive reward". In other words, this section was written for the sake of the lessons inherent in it.
The lessons that the Torah wants us to derive from this section are lessons about raising children. The Torah wants to teach us how we should and should not raise a child. It is likely that some grievous mistakes were made in the raising of the Wayward and Rebellious son. The Torah is providing us with clues of what to do and what not to do when raising our sons and daughters.
The Reishis Chochma writes that it is easier to grow a grove of olive trees in the Galil [Galilee] (where the topography and climate were not conducive to olive growing) than it is to raise a single Jewish child properly even in the Land of Israel (which due to its holiness is very conducive to raising children). We all understand and realize what a very difficult job raising children is.
I would like to point out three lessons in child raising which we can learn from the section of the Ben Sorer u'Moreh.
The Torah writes that the parents must come to Beis Din and testify that "Our child is a rebellious child. He does not listen to us. He is gluttonous." [Devorim 21:18]
Rabbi Mordechai Gifter notes that the language used by the Torah for not listening is "Eynenu shome'ah l'KOLEINU". (He does not listen to our VOICE.) We would have normally expected the expression "Eynenu shome'ah l'DVAREINU". (He does not listen to our WORDS.) In Hebrew, there is a vast difference between the connotation of the word DIBUR [word] and the connotation of the word KOL [voice]. The former means intelligible speech, the latter simply means a voice or a sound.
Rav Gifter says that this is precisely the problem with the child. When he fails to see the logic behind something that his parents tell him, he interprets their (intelligible) "words" as merely "voices". "I don't know what they are talking about. They are from a different planet! They are from a different century!" Since the child does not understand what they are saying, he is determined not to listen to them. Rav Gifter explains that this is precisely the child's problem and this is a common problem in our generation.
The pedagogic lesson here is that we as parents have an obligation to try to make our children understand what we are telling them. But we also have an obligation to let them know that if they do not understand what we are saying they should still do as they are told anyway, because the parents are wiser, have lived longer, and know better. In spite of the fact that it sounds trite, it is nevertheless true: "One day you will understand" is still the truth. Parents must teach their children the idea that "I know you do not understand it, I know that to you it is only 'koleinu' [our unintelligible voices], but trust us, believe us!" This is what the concept of Mesorah [transmission of tradition] is all about. "Hear my son, the moral instruction of your father..." [Mishlei 1:8], even if you do not yet understand what it is all about.
A second lesson can be learned from another derivation in Sanhedrin. The Talmud derives, based on the same pasuk [verse] quoted earlier, that the voices of the husband and wife must be identical. The Talmud lists a requirement that the husband and wife be of the same height, the same appearance, and have voices that sound alike. Rabbi Zev Leff says, by way of homiletics, that the Talmud is not talking about the pitch or tenor of their vocal chords. The Gemara is teaching that parents must send a single, unified message to their offspring. Children do not deal well with 'mixed messages'. The 'voice' of the parents must be identical because if the child hears one message from his father and a different message from his mother, he will exploit that. Sometimes this requires that the parents work things out among themselves beforehand. They must come to an agreement regarding what is right, what is wrong, and how they will approach a given situation. Only then can they handle things with a 'single voice'.
The third lesson which can be learned from Ben Sorer U'Moreh comes from the Talmudic derivation of the word 'Zeh'. The Talmud learns from the fact that the parents specify "THIS son of ours" (beneinu ZEH), that the parents must be able to clearly see and point with their fingers to identify the child who has been giving them the trouble.
Why is it that the law of the Wayward Son does not apply to blind parents? Rabbi Leff suggests that if the parents are blind, they cannot see what their son really needs. They will not be able to customize the education and upbringing that they provide for him based on his unique and particular qualities. There is no one way to raise children. Raising children is the most specialized field in the world. That which is good for the first child is not necessarily good for the second child. If, unfortunately, the parents can not see the child, then, unfortunately, the education that they provide will not be based on first hand observations.
Such a child cannot be found guilty as a Wayward Son, since he is not fully responsible for his situation there were extenuating circumstances in his upbringing.
The Talmud [Shabbos 31a] relates several questions that are asked of us when we go before the Heavenly Court after 120 years. We are asked if we were honest in our business dealings, if we set aside fixed times for learning Torah, if we occupied ourselves with having children, if we looked forward expectantly for salvation, etc. The Zohar adds an additional question to the list. The Zohar adds that after 120 years the Heavenly Court will ask "Did you provide the proper education for your children?" The Zohar says that if a person can answer that question affirmatively, Gd closes the case and refuses to hear any other complaints about the individual. If one can answer this question positively, he is "home free." That is both very encouraging and very frightening!
Halavai [It should only be] that we can all answer that question affirmatively on the Great Day of Judgment.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Seattle, Washington Technical Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD This week's writeup is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes Tapes or a complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 211170511. Call (410) 3580416 or email or visit for further information. Project Genesis: Torah on the Information Superhighway 17 Warren Road, Suite 2B Baltimore, MD 21208
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From: Yated Neeman
Final Week of [P'eylim/Lev L'Achim] Enrollment Drive in Eretz Yisroel ......
by Menashe Waldo