Am Ha'aretz – Shoftim
תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ (דברים יח, יג).
Parshat Shoftim always coincides with the beginning of the month of Elul. If you examine the first passuk in all the parshiyot of sefer Devarim, you will discover that Shoftim is in fact part of a progression. Devarim is about the "mouth" (אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה), as is Va'etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה').
Eikev is about the "ears" (וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן). Re'ei is about the "eyes" (רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם). Shoftim is about placing "policemen" and "judges" over our "שְׁעָרִים", which the Shlah HaKadosh (שופטים, דרך חיים א') says means - watching over the "gates", the openings in our head (mouth, ears, eyes, etc.).
Elul is the month of teshuva, the month in which הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה, when HKB"H is in closer proximity to us than any other time of the year. It is therefore not surprising that much of the content of parshat Shoftim is directly connected with teshuva.
Every year I discover new variations of rashei teivot for the word אֱלוּל. It has become a kind of a "national past time" to find new twists on this word, like אֲנִי לְאוֹמָן וְאִשְׁתִּי לַחֲמוֹתִי. Joking aside, it is well known that the Mefarshim (אבודרהם, סדר תפלת ר״ה ופירושה פ״א; שער הפסוקים להאריז״ל עה״פ; וכו') say the derivation of the word אֱלוּל is from the passuk אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים (שיר השירים ו, ג).
The relationship between HKB"H and Am Yisrael is likened to the relationship between a husband and a wife, HKB"H is the "husband" kivyachol and Am Yisrael is the "wife". The reason that that Shlomo HaMelech chose to use the word דוֹדִי instead of אִישִׁי or בַּעֲלִי, is that it is possible for a husband to "divorce" his wife, to sever the family tie, but that is not possible for an uncle. Your uncle will always remain your uncle, regardless.
While the above passuk אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי is undoubtedly the epitome of the mutual devotion between us and HKB"H, the choice of wording "I am for You and You are for me" raises a pertinent question.
The Mishna (Avot 5, 1) lists אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם –
· שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלְּךָ – this is called a מִדָּה בֵּינוֹנִית, some say the mida of Sdom.
· שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי – someone who believes this, is called an עַם הָאָרֶץ.
· שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלְּךָ – this is the mida of a Chassid.
· שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי – this is the mida of a rasha.
The 2nd mida: שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, "what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine", can be summarized in one word – Communism. No person is entitled to have anything different to their fellow man, it is all one collective, equality (or as the "woke" meshugoyim like to call it – "equity"). The Mishna says that this is the philosophy of an עַם הָאָרֶץ.
What does it mean to be an עַם הָאָרֶץ? It is a machloket in the Gemara (Brachot 37b).
· R' Meir says it is someone who eats Chulim when they are impure (normally, purity is required only for eating Kodshim in the Beit HaMikdash, but according to R' Meir one should always strive to be in a state of purity, even regarding Chulim).
· The Chachamim say that it is someone who doesn't take ma'aser from his produce properly.
· R' Eliezer says it is someone who does not say Kri'at Shema in Shacharit and Arvit.
· R' Yehoshua says it is someone who does not put on Tefillin.
· Ben Azai says it is someone who does not wear Tzitzit.
· R' Natan says it is someone who does not have a Mezuza on his door.
· R' Natan bar Yosef says it is someone who does not raise their sons to learn Torah.
· "Acheirim" (an anonymous Tanna) says it is someone, that even though they are learned, do not hearken to the words of the Talmidei Chachamim.
R' Huna says – the halacha is according to "Acheirim".
Without examining each individual opinion, the common denominator between all the above is that a person who is called an עַם הָאָרֶץ is someone who is not well versed in Halacha and דִּינִים, what we would call today – an "ignoramus".
If this is the case, then someone who says אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי, I am Yours and You are mine – is in fact saying שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, and is in fact – an עַם הָאָרֶץ, an ignoramus?? How are we to understand this?
In this shiur we will explore a principle that has profound ramifications to our work in the month of Elul and indeed to our relationship with HKB"H.
To begin to understand this, we need to go back, way back … as we often do, to Gan Eden and the sin of Adam and Chava with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
I can hear you sighing "Not again! It is always the עֵץ הַדַּעַת with him. Doesn't he have anything else to talk about?" It is true, I am slightly obsessed with the saga of Adam and Chava and the עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
This topic is אֲרֻכָּה מֵאֶרֶץ מִדָּהּ וּרְחָבָה מִנִּי יָם, it is so vast that it is impossible to fully encompass. In my "defense", however, I try to examine the subject each time from a different angle and fill in blanks, not repeat the same things over and over again.
The truth is that teshuva is a process that enables us to atone for a sin. If we do not understand the essence of sin, we can never understand teshuva and the "prototype" sin, the forerunner of all sins, was the sin of Adam and Chava with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
It doesn't matter which shita you follow, whether the עֵץ הַדַּעַת was a grape vine, a wheat tree etc. (Brachot 40a), the essence of the sin remains the same. Instead of simply doing as they were told, the "players" (the tree, Chava, Adam, the נָחָשׁ) tried to "second guess" G-d.
The עֵץ הַדַּעַת, instead of doing as it was told, manifested differently to the way HKB"H intended (see shiur on Beha'alotcha 2023). Adam, instead of immediately performing the mitzvot HKB"H gave him, decided to delay (see shiur on Eikev 2024). Chava, duped by the נָחָשׁ, tried to bypass the intended birth process (see shiur on Emor 2021).
The נָחָשׁ, instead of deferring to and accepting HKB"H's will to create man, tried to trip Adam up (see shiur on Bo 2023).
What does it mean to "second guess" HKB"H? It means that the party involved believes that only they know what is best for them, and that nobody else (including HKB"H), knows better. It is a kind of an "arrogance" that their intellect/knowledge is superior to everyone else's. This was the essence of the sin with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
This is the inherent danger with knowledge, when we acquire it, the more we acquire - we tend to develop a sense of “propriety” over it and this often results in arrogance. This is the inherent danger with any type of knowledge, Torah knowledge, scientific knowledge, etc.
Undoubtedly the scientific method is a proven systematic method to arrive at the truth, but when it is accompanied by arrogance, when one thinks they have the entire truth, that can be a dangerous thing. Science is only a valid methodology if accompanied by humility.
The first person in history to not “second guess” HKB”H was Avraham Avinu. Avraham was something of a child prodigy. At age three (Nedarim 32b), Avraham, using the powers of his own intellect, understood that there was a higher power in the world. Despite his high IQ, Avraham never questioned G-d’s wisdom.
It was not that Avraham Avinu had no tough questions. HKB”H told him to leave Charan and go to a land that “He would show him”, where he would become rich and give forth uncountable offspring. As Avraham arrived, the land experienced a famine – the first ever in its history. Avraham could have asked HKB”H “What about the promise?” Avraham and Sarah went down to Egypt and as they arrived, Pharaoh kidnapped Sarah. Avraham could have asked “”You promised me offspring – how can I have children with Sarah now that Pharaoh abducted her?”
Throughout his life he only asked HKB”H two questions. Not because Avraham thought that he knew better, but in an attempt to invoke midat harachamim. When he tried to defend the inhabitants of Sdom (Perhaps there are 50, 45, etc. tzaddikim?) and when he asked בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה, asking HKB”H how his descendants, Am Yisrael, would continue to merit the land even though they would sin.
Even Moshe Rabbeinu, the receiver of the Torah never reached this level. After Moshe first visited Pharaoh and he worsened the conditions for Am Yisrael, Moshe questioned HKB”H לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָה לָעָם הַזֶּה and HKB”H replied “How I miss the Avot, they never questioned me” (Shmot Rabba 6, 4).
The absence of questions was not because Avraham lacked knowledge and understanding. Chazal say that the Avot observed the entire Torah (Mishna, Kiddushin, 4, 14). Avraham was an unfathomable talmid chacham and certainly had freedom of thought and opinions of his own, but he never questioned – even when HKB”H told him to sacrifice his son, contrary to everything he stood for.
We certainly are not of the level of Moshe Rabbeinu nor Avraham Avinu. What causes us to ask questions? To question the “wisdom” or the “justice” of HKB”H? There are many reasons.
The first is crisis. When someone experiences a crisis in life, they immediately ask “Why is HKB”H doing this to me?” This is a natural and an essential response. If we did not respond like that, it would reflect a dulling of our neshama, that we lack the emunah that things happen for a reason and are not random. The next step should be introspection, to examine what may have led to such a crisis, if we had any part ourselves in it.
The Gemara (Brachot 5b) tells of R' Huna, whose parnasa was from making and selling wine. One time, all four hundred of his barrels of wine went sour. When he sadly told his friends, the chachamim, of the catastrophe, they advised him "check your מַעֲשִׂים ", to see if you did anything wrong. R' Huna was surprised "Why, do you suspect me of something?"
They responded "Do you suspect HKB"H, שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה דִּין בְּלֹא דִּין? HKB"H never does anything 'stam', there is always a reason". R' Huna could see that they were trying to tell him something, that he himself could not see "If you know the reason then please tell me!", he said.
The chachamim replied "We heard that you were not giving your vineyard worker his share in the grapes (from the 'zmorot' - pruned branches of the vine)". R' Huna retorted "Give him his share? That thief? He does not deserve any share - he steals from me left right and center! The portion I owe him is vastly overshadowed by the amount he steals from me".
The Chachamim said to R' Huna "Do not interfere in HKB"H's plan. He commanded us to give a portion to the worker, so you have to give it regardless. If the worker is stealing from you, sue him in a Bet Din". R' Huna accepted what they said and started giving the worker his dues.
The Gemara goes on to say that as soon as he did this, the sour vinegar miraculously became sweet wine again, or according to another opinion, the market price of vinegar that year matched the price of wine and R' Huna did not incur any loss.
What was R' Huna's mistake? Undoubtedly when the wine soured R' Huna immediately began to check himself to see if he had done something wrong to deserve this and he came to the conclusion that he was squeaky clean.
He knew he had to give the worker his dues, but he did a calculation of how much he owed the worker and how much the worker stole from him and he came out in the black.
Logically, R' Huna did not deserve this nisayon, but HKB"H gave it to him all the same, to teach him our lesson above – do not try to "second guess" HKB"H using your own intellect. If HKB"H tells you to do something, you do it, you don't make calculations of your own. If the worker is stealing, HKB"H tells you what to do with a thief, take them to Bet Din and let them decide what the thief has to repay, not you.
The second reason we question is because of the yetzer hara. Our yetzer hara is always looking for ways to test us, by trying to trip us up. It sounds trivial, but it is actually a HUGE deal. The yetzer hara appeals to the 99% of our DNA that is animalistic, that craves gratification.
This is not some ethereal entity somewhere up in the air, but part of our body chemistry, in our endocrine system and in our brains. The yetzer hara tests us davka with things that make us feel good – eating what we shouldn't, sleeping later than we should, seeing, hearing or smelling things that we shouldn't, etc. All these stimulate pleasure centers in the brain and develop dependencies which are tremendously difficult to reverse.
On the one hand, HKB"H says to you "Don't do that!", but on the other hand, your body is telling you "This feels so good!" Your mind then starts doing calculations "OK, so would it be so terrible if I sleep an extra 10 minutes this morning? Instead, I'll stay an extra ten minutes after Mincha and say Tehillim or study Mishnayot!"
It is perfectly logical. It seems to balance out. But the lesson of R' Huna above teaches us otherwise. Do what HKB"H told you. HKB"H told you to daven Kri'at Shema before a certain time. If you get up 10 minutes later, you will miss that time. If you want to stay 10 minutes extra after Mincha, then that is a separate issue, do not try "second guess" HKB"H and interfere with His plan.
The third reason that people question is because of trauma. When someone experiences severe trauma, not a transient crisis like with R' Huna above, but something on the scale of say – Churban Bayit, the Holocaust, etc., it damages the neshama and causes one to question. When a concentration camp inmate is looking out of his barracks window at the endless line of victims marching to the gas chamber, when the last piece of stale bread he ate was over a week ago and his mind is playing tricks with his eyes – this can cause someone to go insane וְהָיִיתָ מְשֻׁגָּע מִמַּרְאֵה עֵינֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה (דברים כח, לד).
It can cause someone to question HKB"H, לָמָה ה' תִּזְנַח נַפְשִׁי תַּסְתִּיר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי (תהילים פח, יז). It can inflict such severe damage on the neshama that it can cause one to question if HKB"H even exists!
After that introduction, we can begin the shiur.
The essence of sin is thinking we are "smarter" than HKB"H, that our logic and knowledge takes precedence over what HKB"H tells us. This is what gives rise to scientists instigating technological/ecological disasters, like nuclear reactor meltdowns.
This is what gives rise to the medical and pharmaceutical professions instigating medical disasters, like Thalidomide. This is what gives rise to economists instigating financial disasters, like the stock market crash. This is what gives rise to five-star generals instigating military disasters, like the one we are currently experiencing (so far) in Israel.
גֵּיהִנּוֹם is filled with predominantly "smart" people, there are very few ignoramuses in גֵּיהִנּוֹם.
HKB"H wants us to be smart, He wants us to study Torah - as much as possible and acquire as much Torah knowledge as possible. However, as great as we may be, whether we are a Moshe Rabbeinu, or even an Adam HaRishon (the greatest human ever created), when we set the sum total of all our knowledge and intelligence against the sum total of HKB"H's infinite knowledge and wisdom, we are infinitesimally insignificant ignoramuses in comparison, like an עַם הָאָרֶץ.
This is the essence of chodesh Elul - אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי, the equivalent of שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי. It is us admitting that, compared to HKB"H, we are an עַם הָאָרֶץ, that we have no right to question or "second guess" HKB"H, תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ.
This is the turning point in the teshuva process, but it is not nearly the end. We have a long road ahead trying to reverse all the dependencies we have developed as a result of our arrogance, yetzer hara and trauma.
It is impossible to address them all at the same time and in the same year. Someone who attempts that will fail. This is what happened with Am Yisrael when they left Egypt and resulted in the sin of the egel.
It is a lifelong battle, a daily battle. Chazal say וְשׁוּב יוֹם אֶחָד לִפְנֵי מִיתָתְךָ (אבות ב, י), but how do we know which day we are going to die? The answer is – we don't, so we must do teshuva every day! This is what the Maggid of Mezerich (a student of the Ba'al Shem Tov) answered when someone asked him what his profession was – "I am a ba'al teshuva!"
Yes, we are all accountants, doctors, lawyers, bakers … but that is not our profession, that is just the way we make our parnasa. Our one and only true profession is being ba'alei teshuva, doing tikkun for our neshamot and fulfilling our purpose that G-d gave us in this life.
So how do we go about it? The answer is baby steps. This Elul, accept on ourselves just one kabbalah. I'm not talking about mysticism and sifrei Kabbalah, but - rather taking on ourselves to do something better/extra in the new year. It doesn't have to be a big/major thing, it can even be a small thing, the ikar is that it be something realistic, that we have a good chance of adhering to.
Accepting upon ourselves another mitzva that we currently do not perform, or endeavor to improve on performing a certain mitzva, etc. Everyone according to their own inclination and reality. And then try our best to fulfil that kabbalah in the upcoming year and for the rest of our lives.
It will not be easy, but the dynamics of performing a mitzva, or improving upon performing a mitzva are such that they make it easier as time goes on שֶׁמִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה (אבות ד, ב).
Perhaps the most important thing for everyone to work on this Elul is toning down the arrogance a notch, becoming a little humbler towards our fellow Jew and becoming extremely humbler before HKB"H. To stop questioning HKB"H, to stop "second guessing" Him and rather simply do what He tells us – in the Torah. Keep Shabbat. Don't speak lashon hara. Love our neighbor as ourselves. Honor our parents… and the rest of the 613 mitzvot.
That is what it means תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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