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Parshas
Netzavim-VayeileichFighting Back |
| Rabbi
Moshe Wilner He is very smart. He knows what you are trying to do and
knows exactly how to block your efforts. Here we are again. Elul is coming to
a close, and before we know it Rosh Hashana will be here.
The Jew feels it is time to take inventory. How many mitzvos,
how many aveiros. and then "He" enters, "You know this
is not your first Rosh Hashana. Who are you kidding? You are the way you are and that's it!" Or
he will tell you "After all the terrible despicable behavior
you've shown Hashem up until now, do you really think He's
interested in your teshuvah? You're long gone, so give it up!"
The Yetzer Hara has us up against the
ropes, and we are almost ready to give in. T.K.O. Then
Hashem sends us Parshas Nitzavim. The parsha speaks so
strongly about the power of teshuva, and how it can reach
the throne of the A-mighty. Even in Golus, Hashem waits
for our teshuva. The
posuk states, "Ki Hamitzva Hozos..Ki Korov Eilecha Hadovor
Meod Beficha Ubilvavcha Lasoso." This mitzvah, which the
Ramban explains to be referring to teshuva, is not far
away from you, but rather very close - in your mouth and
heart to do so. The Torah is telling us not to give in
to the Yetzer Hara. It is in your hands to return no matter
what you have done, or how much you must change. You can
do it.
Interestingly, the Torah does not refer
to teshuva outright here, but only alludes to it by calling
it "Hamitzva," or "the mitzvah". (In fact, Rashi argues
that the posuk is talking about all mitzvos.) Perhaps the
message is that teshuva is just like any other mitzvah.
We do not ask questions. We accept that if Hashem commands
us to do it, then we have the ability to do it, and we
can successfully carry it out.
The Kochvei
Ohr points out that it's known that when the Satan
hears the Kol Shofar on Rosh Hashana he gets shaken up
and thinks the time of Moshiach has come. Even though so many years have gone by
with the blowing of the Shofar, and still Moshiach has
not come, the Satan still thinks "Maybe now the
time has come." The Jew, caught in the chains of despair
(yeush), thinking he has gone through so many Rosh Hashanas
and still has not done complete teshuva and is thus hopeless,
is actually being worse than the Satan himself! At least "he" thinks
we can do a complete turnaround.
This strategy of the Yetzer Hara, of
trying to "psyche us out" is found, according to some,
in Parshas Shelach, by the Meraglim. The Meraglim/spies,
come back from their trip through Eretz Yisroel and tell
the nation, "This land isn't for us, we can never make
it there. There is much kedusha holiness there, but look
how hard it is to maintain! The side of tumah is just as
strong.people were always being buried while we were there,
because they couldn't keep up with the kedusha. Even the
Giants there who were really Angels sent down to this world,
turned into Reshaim. Forget it, the tumah is too strong!"
Yet Kalev fired back with an answer.
We must ingrain in our hearts " V'Yomar Aloh Nalleh Verashnu
Osah Ki Yochal Nuchal Lah" "We shall surely ascend and
conquer it for we can surely do it!" The answer is clear.
We cannot fear the yetzer's disheartening words, for if
Hashem is giving us an opportunity for kedusha, then we
must have the ability to absorb and live it.
It is interesting to note that the word
used in parshas Shelach for spying is translated by Unkelos
as "lealila", very similar to the name of the month of
Elul. R'S.Z.
Auerbach zt"l explains the connection as follows. Elul is all about spying on ourselves
and giving ourselves a thorough check-up. Let us not make
the same mistake as the meraglim, who only focused on the
daunting challenges of Eretz Yisroel. True, we must focus on our shortcomings,
but only after we see ourselves in a positive light, after
we realize our strengths. Yes, "he" is very
smart. But
B'E'H, we can outsmart him!
Rabbi Moshe Wilner is the newest full-time member of the Chicago Community Kollel. Halacha EncountersDavening on Rosh HaShana that Coincides
With Shabbos Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein With Elul already upon us and Rosh HaShana
around the corner, this is a time of year that many of
us place an extra focus and emphasis on our tefillos. It
is a time of year that we try to focus on what is truly
important to us and lay our supplications before Hashem
and trust in His goodness to answer our tefillos for
the best. For
many of us, our Elul davening reaches its climax on Rosh
HaShana when we spend hours in shul, pouring our hearts
out to Hashem. This
year, the first day of Rosh HaShana falls on a Shabbos. In this week's Halacha Encounters we
will examine some of the issues that this coinciding
of days can bring.
Personal
Requests in our Shabbos Tefillah
While Shabbos is a day for spending more
time than usual on our tefillos
[1]
- even at the expense of time that could be devoted to learning
Torah
[2]
- we are told that Shabbos is not a day to make personal
requests of Hashem in our Tefillos.
[3]
It is for this reason the normal weekday
Shmoneh Esrei is not said on Sabbos.
[4]
So too on Yom Tov, we refrain from making
personal requests.
[5]
There are several reasons given for this
halacha, some halachic and some more philosophical in nature.
[6]
Exceptions
to the Rule
There are certain circumstances where
one is permitted to make personal requests, however. In
thought - HaGaon
Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach zt"l ruled
that it is only forbidden to verbalize personal requests
on Shabbos. One may, however, think his or her requests to Hashem.
[7]
Therefore, if, for example, one would
like to daven for a particular choleh (ill
person) in their Shmoneh Esrei, they
may think their prayers to Hashem while they say the words "rofei cholim" in the second brocho of the tefillah.
[8]
If
one accidentally began reciting the weekday Shmoneh
Esrei - If following the brocho of "Ha-el
HaKadosh," one accidentally began the brocho of "Atoh chonein l'adam da'as," he should
complete the brocho (all
the way to "chonein hada'as").
[9]
This halacha pertains to any brocho that
one began accidentally. If, for
example, one completed Chonein Hada'as and
began the following brocho of Hashiveinu, he should then complete that brocho as
well before resuming the normal Shabbos Shmoneh
Esrei, and so on. There are
two exceptions to this rule, however: 1 - If at Maariv or Mincha one began
the brocho of Atoh Chonein but only said the word "atoh," he should not continue with the word "chonein." He should rather continue with the regular
Shabbos Shmoneh
Esrei, as the first word of the middle brocho is "Atoh" in those tefillos as well. Even though he thought he was saying
a weekday Shmoneh
Esrei, he may "use" that "atoh" for
his Shabbos tefillah. 2 - During Mussaf, no matter what portion of the weekday Shmoneh Esrei he began to say, he should stop wherever he is
[10]
and begin the middle brocho with "Tikantoh Shabbos." In all other cases, he should complete
the brocho he
began.
[11]
He should do this even though he would
be, in effect, making requests in his Shmoneh
Esrei on Shabbos. Davening
for spiritual needs - As one can see from the Shabbos Shmoneh Esrei,
[12]
there is no doubt that asking for growth and assistance
in spiritual needs is permissible.
[13]
Personal
Requests on Rosh HaShana One must strive to strike a balance in
their Rosh HaShana tefillos - on
the one hand, it is a day dedicated to recognizing and
accepting Hashem's malchus, sovereignty, in the world. On the other hand, however, it is a day
if intense closeness with Hashem - a unique opportunity
to have our tefillos heard. It is therefore permissible to make personal
requests on this Yom Tov.
[14]
However, it is certainly stressed that
one should not devote their tefillos strictly
to their personal needs. They
should not lose focus of what the day is all about.
[15]
This being said, the poskim rule that even when Rosh HaShana
falls out on Shabbos, as it does this year, it is permissible
to make personal requests in our tefillos.
[16]
May we all be zocheh to find favor in Hashem's eyes and have our tefillos for a kesiva vichasima tovah for ourselves and
all of Klal Yisroel be
answered.
Rabbi Rosenstein learns full time in the Kollel and is a frequent
contributor to Halacha Encounters.
[1] Vayikra 25:14 [2] Teshuvos Rema, Siman 10 [3] Shor Harziyon 648-76, See also Ahavas Chesed 5-6 [4] Teshuvos Rema, Siman 10 [5] Ahavas Chesed 5-7 [6] R' Fuerst Shlita Quoting Dayan Fisher zt"l and yb"lch Hagaon R' Elyashav Shlita, R' Dovid Cohen Shlita [7] Ahavas Chesed 5, Footnote 12 [8] Baba Metzia 71a [9] Ahavas Chesed 5-6 [10] Baba Metzia 71a [11] See Journal Kol Torah Choveres 42, page 301 [12] Choshen Mishpat, Teshuva 31 [13] Journal Kol Torah ibid [14] ibid [15] Hilchos Matnas Aniyim 10-
Now Available Online! The Five Minute Hilchos Tefillah Shiur is available in Real Audio format on the Chicago Community Kollel website at: http://www.cckollel.org/halachashiur-fs.html Come and hear over 60 5-minute shiurim on the laws, customs and deeper meanings of our daily Tefillos. Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future edition of Halacha Encounters? Please email shiur@cckollel.org with your questions or suggestions.
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