Parashat Re’eh: How Can We Learn from the Animals to Praise Hashem?

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Parashat Re’eh
How Can We Learn from the Animals to Praise Hashem?  

Is it Halachically Permitted to Visit the Zoo? 

Every year during the latter part of August you’ll see middle-aged and older couples pushing baby carriages and tightly holding the hands of bouncy toddlers while crossing the street. They will be hanging out at various parks and playgrounds struggling to handle girls with piggy tails in matching dresses, and boys of varying heights. You will meet them in the children’s museums, at amusement parks, the aquarium, and the Zoo. That’s where you could have met us last week with our feisty four-year-old granddaughter in tow. In Israel, nursery and elementary school go to the end of June, when working parents can find various summer camps that last until mid-August. During the last two weeks of August, until school starts in September, parents often turn to their parents for help taking care of their children. We, the grandparents, treasure this opportunity to spend meaningful time with our grandchildren while helping relieve our busy children. When I suggested visiting The Biblical Zoo, my husband was immediately on board. This will afford us the opportunity to recite the special lesser-known bracha, praising Hashem for creating strange and different creatures twice, once for the monkeys and once for the elephants.  While there may be a slight controversy about going to a zoo, most Halachic authorities approve. The reason that a few Rabbis oppose visiting the zoo is that capturing and confining an animal can be considered a form of prohibited tza’ar ba’alei chayim, (causing pain to animals), especially to undomesticated animals that resist captivity. Yet most halachic authorities permit going to the zoo. They cite several well-known Rabbis who visited the Zoo to recite the appropriate bracha.  Even according to the view that it is prohibited to build a zoo, once a zoo exists, it may be permitted to visit it (Rabbi Simon Jacobson). Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt”l rules that one may visit a zoo to see Hashem’s wonderous creations and recite the appropriate blessings upon them. It is said that the Terumat Ha’Deshen went to the zoo because he had never seen a lion. The Chida writes about his visits to several Zoos where he saw various interesting, confined animals, among them a beautiful one-hundred-year-old eagle (Midbar Kedemot, Letter Bet, and Ma’agal Tov). The Gaon of Muncasz writes: “I visited the zoo where I saw elephants, monkeys, snakes, alligators, and all sorts of astounding creatures. How great are Hashem’s creations! I recited the ‘Baruch Meshane Ha’Briyot’ blessing. 

Praising Hashem for Creating Creatures that are Different

Rabbi Avraham Lipshitz asks, was it not permitted to go to the zoo, how would we ever recite the blessing Meshaneh Ha’Briyot? He clarifies we aren’t obligated to go to the zoo to recite this blessing. Nevertheless, it is definitely a mitzvah to praise Hashem for His multifaceted creations. Thus, we trotted around in the zoo, trying to get our granddaughter to follow us – a challenge that would have been quite difficult if not for the help of our younger son and his wife who accompanied us. We noticed that most of the other zoo visitors were visibly Torah observant. When we finally arrived at the monkeys, we excitedly recited the bracha:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מְשַנֶּה הַבְּרִיּוֹת:

Baruch Atah Hashem, E-lo-h-einu Melech ha’olam meshane ha’briyot.

Blessed are you Hashem our G-d who makes creatures different. 

There are various Rabbinic opinions on whether we are permitted to say this blessing both on the monkey and the elephant, we followed the ruling of Rav Melamed who writes: “A person who sees a monkey and an elephant together, recites one blessing over both. However, when they are in different locations, as is common in zoos, we recite a separate blessing over each one.” So, we had more praise for Hashem in store when we finally arrived at the elephants.  There are also various views on whether the ‘Meshane Ha’Briyot’ blessing may only be said once in a lifetime or if we may recite this blessing every time, we see elephants and monkeys Rav Ovadia Yosef rules that we should only recite this blessing once a lifetime. The next time we see an elephant or monkey, we should only recite this blessing in our minds because of the doubt involved. Another option given is to recite the Bracha without Shem UMalchut if 30 days have passed. According to Rav Melamed, if thirty days have passed since we last praised Hashem for the monkey or elephant, we do recite the blessing again because when visiting a zoo, there is definitely a sense of amazement – the fact that people go there specifically to see the animals demonstrates their wonder at seeing them. Yet, if we have already visited the zoo within the last month, we do not recite the blessing over animals as when thirty days have not passed, our amazement at seeing them is diminished (P’ninei Halakha, Brachot 15:15). 

What’s Different About Monkeys and Elephants? 

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף נח/ב  תנו רבנן הרואה פיל קוף וקפוף אומר ברוך משנה את הבריות… 

“One who sees an elephant, a monkey, or a Kipof recites ‘Meshane Ha’Briyot’ (He Who makes creatures different)” (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 58b; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 225:8).

Since there are many species around the world with stark distinctions and unique features, why did the Sages specifically enact to recite blessings upon seeing these animals only? Our Sages decided to recite a blessing specifically on monkeys and elephants because their appearance arouses particular astonishment. More than any other creature, they possess a certain resemblance to humans. A monkey is similar to man in the shape of its body and the use of its hands. An elephant is unique among animals in that its skin is smooth and hairless, and it uses its trunk like a hand (Meiri, Berachot 58b). Rav Ovadia Yosef testifies that he heard from the great and pious kabbalist, Rabbi Meshulam, that Hashem punished the people of the Generation of the Dispersion by turning some of them into elephants and monkeys. Thus, since primates have some human features and elephants understand human language somewhat, we recite this blessing” (Based on the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 109a).

How does the Owl Differ from the Rest of the 24 non-Kosher Birds?

As we proceeded inside a dark zoo tunnel several pairs of big round eyes met ours.  I’ve always been a bird lover, but my husband didn’t tell us to recite the special blessing on the קפוף/kipof  –‘owl,’ (the third animal mentioned in Berachot 58b). The Shulchan Aruch didn’t rule to recite the blessing over owls, thus no other Rabbi mentioned it. I assume this is because it wasn’t 100% clear exactly which animal the קפוף/kipof refers to. Although according to Tosafot, Chullin 63a, Kipof refers to three different kinds of owls. Perhaps not everyone agreed with him. Owls are special and different, unlike regular birds, the eyes of these nocturnal birds face forward like people’s (Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 23a). 

ספר דברים פרק יד פסוק יא כָּל צִפּוֹר טְהֹרָה תֹּאכֵלוּ: (יב) וְזֶה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מֵהֶם הַנֶּשֶׁר וְהַפֶּרֶס וְהָעָזְנִיָּה:

(יג) וְהָרָאָה וְאֶת הָאַיָּה וְהַדַּיָּה לְמִינָהּ: (יד) וְאֵת כָּל עֹרֵב לְמִינוֹ: (טו) וְאֵת בַּת הַיַּעֲנָה וְאֶת הַתַּחְמָס וְאֶת הַשָּׁחַף וְאֶת הַנֵּץ לְמִינֵהוּ: (טז) אֶת הַכּוֹס וְאֶת הַיַּנְשׁוּף וְהַתִּנְשָׁמֶת…

“You may eat every clean bird. But these are those from which you shall not eat: The eagle [or the griffin vulture], the ossifrage, the osprey; and the white vulture, and the black vulture, and the kite after its species; And every raven after its species; And the ostrich, and the owl, and the gull, and the hawk after its species; The falcon, and the ibis, and the bat…” (Devarim 14:11-16). 

The owl is one of the 24 prohibited species of birds mentioned in Parashat Re’eh. I once heard that the Torah’s mentioning of the names of all the 24 non-kosher birds proves that the Torah is Divine. It is known that the signs of kosher birds are that they lay eggs that are round like a ball on one side and elongated like an oval on the other, and the egg white surrounds the yolk. Which human being would ever be able to know with absolute certainty the exact list of 24 birds that don’t share this identifying trait of kosher birds?

Praising Hashem for Beautiful Creatures

We saw many amazingly colorful beautiful birds, canaries, and parrots in the zoo, but none of them exchanged a word with us. Nevertheless, if the beauty of any of them evokes a feeling of admiration, another special lesser-known blessing may be recited. This is the blessing for seeing intensely beautiful trees, people, or animals:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁכָּכָה לוֹ בְּעוֹלָמוֹ:

Baruch Atah Hashem, E-lo-h-einu Melech ha’olam shekacha lo b’olamo.

Blessed are you Hashem our G-d so this is how it is in His world! 

Although Ra’avad holds that the blessing over beautiful animals is recited only once in a lifetime, and his opinion was codified by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 225:9), this specifically relates to an animal whose second sighting doesn’t evoke a special sense of amazement. Most Rabbis agree that this blessing can be recited when thirty days or more have passed since the last sighting of a particularly beautiful creature. A visitor to the zoo should recite the blessing ‘shekacha lo b’olamo’ over the first beautiful species he sees and have kavana (intention) to exempt all the other beautiful species with his blessing. This pertains to most people, who are not particularly impressed by all the gorgeous species. But someone greatly moved by seeing them, recites a blessing on each one individually. The blessing ‘so this is how it is in His world!’ conveys that true beauty is the most general expression of creation. It is how harmony and balance of the whole are expressed in a single feature. The appreciation of the totality of creation and its relation to the specific is manifested in beauty where it is not the detail that takes our breath away, but rather the insight into the transcendence of the whole. A sunset, the reflection of light in the waves of water, the graceful leaves in a tree can transport us beyond…. Creation as a whole intrudes on our consciousness, and we are overwhelmed: “So this is how it is in His world!” Beauty implies potential, the expression that lies within all creation (Based on Rabbi Matis Weinberg). Our four-year-old granddaughter was specifically impressed by a shiny turquoise parrot with red breast feathers, and a green back topped off by a shiny orange beak. Her trip to the zoo was certainly both entertaining and educational. 

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Re’eh –

Some Tips on How to Appreciate Hashem’s Creatures

Perek Shirah, (A Chapter of Song), is an ancient text at least a thousand years old; some commentaries even attribute its authorship to King David! It teaches us that everything in the natural world praises Hashem with one of the verses of the Torah, many of which are Tehillim. If we pay close attention to the sky, the earth, various animals, birds, insects, and plants, we may be able to catch a glimpse of their way of glorifying the Divine and join them in singing Hashem’s praises. Let us learn from Nature to appreciate Hashem’s creation and strengthen our connection with Him! 

• Pay Close Attention to Hashem’s Creations Around You – Each one has its own way of praising Hashem and teaching us a lesson. “Rabbi Yocḥanan said: Even if the Torah had not been given, we would nonetheless have learned modesty from the cat, [which covers its excrement], and that stealing is objectionable from the ant, [which does not take grain from another ant], and forbidden relations from the dove, which is faithful to its partner, and proper relations from the rooster, which first appeases the hen and then mates with it" (Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 100b).

• Study Nature’s Song with Commentaries – Learn about all the deep lessons Hashem in His greatness has imbued within nature. Appreciate the signs he sends us through the phenomenon of nature. If you are feeling drowsy or lazy, go out and pay attention to the ants, and get inspired by how hard and diligently they work. What’s more, they can get incredible jobs done by working together in total unity as a team. Have you ever seen a group of ants moving an object bigger and heavier than hundreds of ants? Only by their dedicated teamwork do they succeed in carrying away a stick needed for their anthill or a yummy cookie for their pantry. 

• Go to the Zoo and Contemplate the Lessons of Various Animals – What Can We Learn from the Elephant? – The elephant is saying: “How great are your works, G-d, Your thoughts are tremendously deep” (Tehillim 92:6). A little girl in the zoo refused to leave the elephants, “Come let’s go already” pleaded her mother “Haven’t you seen elephants lots of times on TV?”  “Yes” replied the girl “but these are so big!”  The elephant weighs up to seven tons and stands twelve feet tall. For such an enormous creature, elephants are astonishingly agile, capable of balancing on one foot alone.  The elephant is the mightiest beast, and the most intelligent of the large animals, too. Despite all this, it is trainable to be submissive to human beings. The awesome elephant and its submission to human beings, causes us to direct our praise to G-d for creating such amazing creatures “How great are your works, G-d, Your thoughts are tremendously deep!” (Based on Nosson Slifkin, Nature’s Song pp.)

Parashat Ekev: How Can We Transform our Pitfall of Pride Into Prayer?

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Parashat Ekev
How Can We Transform our Pitfall of Pride Into Prayer?

In the Good Old Days Having Less Made People Appreciate More
In the olden days when specialties were scarce, people appreciated the little things so much more. I recall reading a novel about life in the Shtetel in East Europe. There was a poor family with many children and one day they got a specialty item for all the kids to share. It was one orange! It really touched me how much excitement just one orange segment elicited in each family member. When I worked on translating my father’s memoirs into English, I was also amazed at how few commodities and toys children grew up with when he was a boy. This was not in a Shtetel, it was rather in the Western World less than a hundred years ago. Here is one of my father’s testimonies – taking place in the late nineteen thirties and early forties. You can learn from it how having less made the kids appreciate more and become more inventive:

“There were a lot of innovative games that could interest both boys and girls. For example, puzzles and rebuses, building kits and paper dolls with various outfits, and much more. I still remember a brainteaser. Out of eight matches you had to form two squares and four triangles… “Some boys were technically inventive and built ‘crystal devices.’ These were primitive listening devices, which we boys had great pleasure in. Occasionally, we also wanted to play football. This took place on ‘The Meadow,’ about a 15-minute walk from our home. where some of us also had a school garden. It was a magnificent open space with large green areas, and playgrounds, though mainly designated for the younger children… The girls played with marbles, swapped glossy pictures, skipped and played hopscotch and of course, they also played with dolls. When we played with the girls it was mostly hide and seek. There were plenty of hiding places, and this game often lasted many hours. Where I live now in Holte, (a suburb of Copenhagen) there are roughly 500 apartments with playgrounds for the little ones in several places, but children are rarely seen there. One hardly ever sees older children playing together the way we did when I was a child. A change must have occurred in the children’s recreational patterns”  (Dr. Salomon Vainer, My Memoir: The Story of a Danish Jew who Fled the Nazis p 52-54).

My father also described the life of his mother who came from a poor Russian family. She was

only 11 years old when she arrived in Denmark. She did not attend school and was given no education. Yet she had worked in a matzo bakery as a bakery assistant in Russia. Her first meager wage was ‘invested’ in purchasing a silver cup. Her grandmother wanted her to buy something that would last. The cup is still in the family’s possession. It is a very beautiful cup, quite valuable today (ibid. p 31). My father’s testimonies show how the children worked hard from a young age and valued their meager possessions which they used in innovative ways, this is such a far call from the overflow of stuff average kids have today, which they hardly play with as they spend most of their time glued to their phones, with little time left for creativity and play.   

Is it ‘My power, the Strength of my Own Hand That Brought Me This Great Wealth’?
The Torah foretold the times of material overflow we are living through today, with one of our main problems being how to get rid of all the extra clutter. Since the industrial revolution, we have learned so many clever ways of productivity, which tempt us to forget that Hashem is the only One who gives us the strength to succeed in anything we accomplish.

ספר דברים פרק ח פסוק י 

וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָךְ:(יא) הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ… (יב) פֶּן תֹּאכַל וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבָתִּים טֹבִים תִּבְנֶה וְיָשָׁבְתָּ: (יג) וּבְקָרְךָ וְצֹאנְךָ יִרְבְּיֻן וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב יִרְבֶּה לָּךְ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְךָ יִרְבֶּה: (יד) וְרָם לְבָבֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַמּוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים… (יז) וְאָמַרְתָּ בִּלְבָבֶךָ כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה: (יח) וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל לְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה:

“When you eat and are satisfied, you shall bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you. Beware that you do not forget Hashem, your G-d…lest you eat and be sated, and build fine houses and live in them, when your herds and your flocks grow abundant, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have increases, your heart might become haughty, forgetting Hashem, your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, of the house of slavery… You might be tempted to tell yourself, ‘My power, the strength of my own hand, has brought me this great wealth.’ But you must remember Hashem your G-d, for He is the One who empowers you to do great things, upholding the covenant that He swore to your ancestors...” (Devarim 8:10-11, 13-18). 

The Only Way to Victory in War for Israel is Enlisting the Help of the Almighty                              Since Israel ranks among the ten most powerful countries in the annual list; and the fourth strongest military in the world (Roundup for 2022 published by US News & World Report), it is tempting to think that our victories are due to our sophisticated war techniques. Ralbag explains that the Almighty was concerned that it would seem to Israel that their own power enabled them to win their wars. To remove this false notion from their hearts, Israel must perpetually recall in our hearts how Hashem took us out of Egypt when Israel was weak without any war experience, yet nevertheless, we won. This could only be because Hashem helps us. The Exodus thus teaches us that it is not through our own military power but only due to the help of heaven that Israel wins the wars. During the current prolonged war, although Israel has gained victories in Gaza, things are intensified to the degree that even the fiercest, most confident general must realize that we need to turn to Hashem for help in order to overcome all of the enemies that surround us, all of whom have one unified agenda to “wipe Israel off the map.” These enemies include Iran, and its Shi’ite theocracy in the East, Syria, and Lebanon with its Hezbollah in the North, Gaza and its Hamas in the South, and the European Union in the West. It is no secret that the main objective of all Arab terror organizations – Fatah, Hamas, and Hezbollah – is the annihilation of Israel. The growing instability in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, the looming threat from Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the Hamas/Fatah reconciliation, and the increased pressure from the U.N. and the E.U have created the greatest threat to Israel’s continued existence we have faced since the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Jonathan Bernis, Identifying Israel's Enemies. As all nations turn against our tiny nation it is now more than ever becoming clear to even the staunchest unbeliever that the only way to victory is to turn to Hashem with all our hearts and souls.  

Bound to Turn to Hashem When Being Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Hashem is squishing us hard these days so that we will understand how our ability to be successful is totally dependent on G-d, as it states in Song of Songs:

ספר שיר השירים פרק ב פסוק יד יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַרְאִינִי אֶת מַרְאַיִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי אֶת קוֹלֵךְ...

“My dove in the crevice of the cliff, in the secret step, show me your countenance and let Me hear your voice…” (Song of Songs 2:14).

According to Rashi, this verse alludes to when Israel was squished between a rock and a hard place during the Exodus. While the Egyptians approached them from behind ready to attack, the Reed Sea loomed before them threatening to drown them all. According to nature, there would have been no way for them to get out of this situation alive. Only by turning to Hashem in prayer could they be saved, that’s the meaning of “let me hear your voice…”. Hashem brings us to these places of no way out, to squeeze our souls into the deepest prayer. I hope it won’t take too much more squeezing before our hearts become sufficiently resuscitated to truly pray! Katav Sofer explains that in the desert Israel didn’t need any weapons as it states, “Hashem will battle for you, and you hold your peace!  (Shemot 14:14). Yet after making the Golden Calf, the Israelites’ emunah took a gradual downward dip, spiraling into deterioration. First they became arrogant, forgot about Hashem, and then they imagined that it was their own strength that caused their success. Had they kept their steadfast emunah of “…we will do and we will hear” (Shemot 24:7), they would not have needed either spear or sword for Hashem would have conquered the Land of Israel for them. Now, after they had lost their prior level of trust in Hashem, they needed weapons of war. Although they no longer deserved it, Hashem empowered them to conquer the land, “for the sake of upholding the covenant that He swore to their ancestors…” (Devarim 8:18). This is why the Almighty had to remind Israel, “But you must remember Hashem your G-d, for He is the One who empowers you to do great things…” (Ibid.) Although at the conquest of the Land of Canaan, Hashem was no longer battling their wars by Himself like in Egypt, the Israelites still had to understand and remember that as they employed their best war strategies, it was still Hashem who empowered them to be victorious (Ketav Sofer, Devarim 8:17). This message from Parashat Ekev applies more than ever to Israel’s current war. When we truly understand and remember that just as Hashem helped us overcome our enemies during Yehoshua’s time, so will He continue to empower us with complete victory from our current war. All we need to do is to turn to G-d in prayer!                

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Ekev –
Some Tips for Preventing Arrogance and Forgetting About Hashem

Arrogance is one of the worst character traits that turns away the Divine Presence. Therefore, our sages directed: “Hold yourself very, very lowly” (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 4, Mishna 4). They also declared that whoever allows his heart to be arrogant, has denied the basic principle of the Torah, as it states, “Your heart be haughty, and you will forget Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 8:14). Furthermore, they said, “Whoever is arrogant should be placed under a ban of ostracism. This applies even if he is only somewhat arrogant;” (Rambam, Hilchot Deot, Chapter 2, Halacha 3). Whoever passes (מֵּפִיק/mefik) a shield over himself at a time of arrogance, (whoever suppresses his yetzer hara as though it were covered with a shield when he is arrogant, troubles will be closed and sealed from him, as it is stated: “The channels (אֲפִיקֵי/afikei) of his strong shields of pride are closed with a narrow seal. (Iyuv 41:7); (Babylonian Talmud, Iruvin 65a). This implies that by subduing our yetzer hara at a time of arrogance our troubles will be closed and sealed before us. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Being confident isn’t the problem, the problem arises when confidence turns into self-sufficient arrogance, which makes us forget the Almighty without Whom we would be completely helpless. When we are confident that Hashem is on our side, we can be secure enough that we won’t need to go out of our way to show how amazing we are.

·            Remember Where You Came from and Where You are Going – We are all mortal beings totally dependent on Hashem’s blessing to accomplish anything in life. When you feel pride creeping into your heart, recall how we all came from a putrid drop of semen, and how our end is that our flesh will be consumed by worms. Meditating on our short-lived time in this world, and how the body eventually decomposes will remind us that Hashem imbued us with life so that we serve Him. Only by recalling our Divine purpose in the world will our souls gain eternal life.

 ·       Attribute All Your Successes to Hashem – When you worked really hard on something and applied all your abilities to finally succeed, there is a great temptation to feel that “it was my own hand, that brought me this great accomplishment.” When that happens, it is important to turn inward and recall that every one of your own doings would be naught if it wasn’t for Hashem, Who imbues you with your talents and abilities to work hard.   

 ·       When Someone Compliments You for Your Great Abilities and Successes – remind yourself that Hashem is using you as his messenger. My spiritual healing teacher taught me to recite                          (תהילים פרק צג פסוק א)  הָשֵׁם מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ לָבֵשׁ/Hashem Malach Ge’ut Lavesh – “Hashem is King He is robed in grandeur” (Tehillim 93:1). Always testifying that all our achievements emanate from Hashem’s greatness.

 ·       Pray to Hashem for Continued Success and War Victory – Remembering how Hashem took us out of Egypt is one of The Six Remembrances that we must remind ourselves of daily. This is to imbue us with the strong emunah that just as we were weak and helpless then, but Hashem saved us from all our enemies, so will Hashem continue to save us even now whether we are physically strong or weak!

 ·       We are Used to Thanking Hashem for Everything He Does for Us – I suggest, to also thank Him for everything we do. Whenever you feel pride in yourself – you may want to thank Hashem in the following way: “Thank You Hashem for everything I do!” Affirming in this way that all our successes are Hashem’s working through us. 

Parashat Va’etchanan: What is so Special About Living in Israel Even During These Times of War?

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Parashat Va’etchanan
What is so Special About Living in Israel Even During These Times of War?

Divine Promise and Increased Aliyah Rates
I am always moved to tears whenever we get up to Parashat Va’etchanan where Moshe expresses his deepest love and yearning for the land of Israel, and the pain that he won’t be able to live here. This Parasha is also permeated with words of the overflowing goodness awaiting those of us who merit to make Aliyah to the Promised Land. If you feel afraid of Iran, Chamas, and Hezbollah, the end of Parashat Va’etchanan brings strength and encouragement: “When Hashem, your G-d, brings you into the land to which you are coming to possess it, He will cast away many nations from before you… nations more numerous and powerful than you. But Hashem, your G-d, will deliver them to you, and you shall smite them. You shall utterly destroy them; neither shall you make a covenant with them, nor be gracious to them” (Devarim 7:1-2). Rashi explains, וְלֹא תְחָנֵּם NOR BE GRACIOUS TO THEM - Do not grant them a settlement (חֲניָּה) in the land (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 20a). How pertinent is this divine message to the present political conflict! Even during the current long-winded war, I’m so grateful to be one of the 7,427,000 Jewish residents of Israel! I feel so privileged to be living under Hashem’s direct supervision and much safer than anywhere else in the world, as international antisemitism is on the rise. Although sadly European Jews are canceling their flights to Israel these days, it turns out that the current war is not deterring Jews from the USA, Canada, and Mexico from making Aliyah to Israel, rather, interest has only increased. After years of a consistent Aliyah decline from these countries, since October 7, we have seen an Aliyah surge from North America. These are numbers we haven’t seen in decades. Compared to last year’s 7.2 million Jewish inhabitants in Israel over two hundred thousand more Jews live here today! I find it especially touching that several parents of fallen lone soldiers decided to make Aliyah to honor the memory of their sons. Many of the women who attended my annual lectures in North America over the years are now either building homes here or streaming into Israel with their families as it is becoming clearer than crystal that Israel is the only place for every Jew. I look forward to welcoming such a new family to Bat Ayin next month B”H (With Hashem’s help)!

Waking Up to Sing Hashem’s Praises With the Birds of Our Homeland! 
Moshe’s personal repetition of the Torah is sprinkled with words of encouragement describing the goodness to be enjoyed in the Holy Land and his yearning for it: “Pray let me cross over and see the good land that is on the other side of the Jordan, this good mountain and Levanon” (Devarim 3:25). “For I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan, but you will pass over, and you will possess this good land” (Devarim 4:22). With words like these Moshe instills in us the gratitude for being able to enter the Land of Israel and even more so to conquer it and to live permanently within it. He also admonishes us that the privilege of living in Israel comes with strings attached to keeping the laws of Hashem’s holy Torah. This too, is a great advantage for us as “what great nation is there that has G-d so near to it, as Hashem our G-d is at all times that we call upon Him? Which great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances, as this entire Torah, that I set before you this day? (Devarim 4:7-8). When I think back to all the pogroms, exploitation, and poverty my ancestors have lived through on foreign soil, how can I not wake up singing Hashem’s praises with birds of my homeland, enthusiastically jumping into the mitzvot of being involved in Torah and tending the Land of Israel?  How can I not keep my windows clean and let all the light of the holy land shine through? How can I not continue to thank Hashem all day long for taking me under His wings and bringing me close to Him? We must strengthen our emunah that every single day, Hashem performs miracles for His Chosen People, even if it isn’t written in the daily news. Learning about some of the recent miracles teaches us to extrapolate and believe that G-d, the Almighty does many more hidden miracles to protect his people. Even if we don’t deserve it – if we don’t all keep his mitzvot or don’t keep them well enough – we do deserve Hashem’s love and protection! This is due to all the suffering we have been through during the last century and all the brave soldiers and pioneers who have sacrificed their lives so that we can live relatively safely in our homeland. We must stop having guilty consciousness – let us stop being afraid, negative, and fearful. Our attitude of hope, prayer, and faith will attract deliverance and bring about the final redemption!

Ensuring Perpetual Goodness for the Jewish People
In Parashat Va’etchanan, Moshe’s Repetition of the Ten Commandments includes several changes. There are two views in the Talmud regarding these changes. According to Rabbi Tanchum bar Chanilai the Ten Commandments mentioned in Shemot were written on the first set of tablets. Whereas the repetition in Devarim represents what was written on the second tablets. According to the other approach, the Ten Commandments as recorded in Shemot is the exact quotation of G-d’s words, while in Devarim they are Moshe’s personal paraphrasing (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kama 54b-55a). One of the changes that strikes me is that in Devarim during the fifth commandment to honor your parents the phrase “that it be good for you” is added:

ספר שמות פרק כ פסוק יב כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ:

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days be lengthened on the land that Hashem, your 

G-d, is giving you” (Shemot 20:12).

ספר דברים פרק ה פסוק טז 

כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכֻן יָמֶיךָ וּלְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ:

“Honor your father and your mother as Hashem your G-d commanded you, so that your days be lengthened, and that it may go well with you on the land that Hashem, your G-d, is giving you” (Devarim 5:16).

It does not mention the word good in the first tablets, since they were ultimately destined to be broken… If this term had been mentioned in the first tablets, all good would have, G-d forbid, ceased from Israel once they broke (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kama 54b-55a).  Therefore, only the second version, written after the breaking of the tablets, contains the word ‘good,’ so that there would always be good for the Jewish people. Moshe adds to the individual reward for honoring parents – longevity – the general reward for fulfilling all the mitzvot. Thus, the mitzvah to honor parents becomes a model for all the mitzvot and its reward similarly is the model of the reward for fulfilling them all as it states, “In all the way which Hashem, your G-d, has commanded you, you shall go, so that you may live and that it may be well with you, and so that you may prolong your days in the land you will possess” (Devarim 5:30). 

Only in the Land of Israel is it Surely Good for the Jews
As is well known, the mitzvah of honoring parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments whose reward is explicitly stated both in er Shemot and in Devarim: “So that your days be lengthened.” This reward for honoring parents makes sense: When we honor our parents, who gave us life, we too will merit life – i.e. to live a long life. Yet, it strikes me that both Torah verses mention an additional aspect of the reward for honoring parents, which is often overseen. The reward of a long life is promised specifically “on the land that Hashem, your G-d, is giving you.” Not only is the reward for honoring parents to live a long life, the reward also includes the privilege of living in the promised land. This second lesser-known reward for honoring parents is surely no less valuable than the first. But what is the connection between honoring parents and being fortunate to live in the land of Israel? Perhaps we can explain that living in the land of Israel is the greatest honor. Rather than bowing our heads with a hunched over back through the effect of millennia of exile antisemitism, here in Israel we live to see the fulfillment of the prayer, “May the Merciful One break the yoke of exile from our neck, and may He lead us upright to our land” (Grace after Meals). As a reward for honoring our parents, we become honored to live an upright life in our homeland also called our Motherland and Fatherland. In a certain sense, the land of Israel is our parent, as all human souls are created at the Temple Mount. The Temple below is connected to the Temple above. From this place, the souls descend and ascend on the ladder (Kli Yakar, Bereishit 12:1). Since the land of Israel is linked to goodness in several Torah verses such as “For Hashem your G-d is bringing you to a good land…” (Devarim 8:7); it may also be that Moshe added the phrase “that it be good for you” in the book of Devarim because now that the Israelites are on the verge of entering the Holy Land, only now will it surely be good!

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Va’etchanan – 

Some Tips for Appreciating the Land of Israel Even During Times of War

Friends from abroad often ask, “Are you ok? Is your life in danger?” “What’s it like to live in Israel now in times of war?” Especially during wars or trying times, people question, “Isn’t it scary to live in Israel?” Of course, there are challenges, as with all good things in life. Indeed, our rabbis teach that the Land of Israel is acquired through tribulation (Babylonian Talmud, Brachot 5a). There are many strong positives about living in Israel. The strongest is very much a sense of belonging – of a shared destiny. Even with people you don’t know or don’t agree with there is a strong sense that we are all in it together. People are also truly friendly in Israel. I am not talking about the American friendliness of smiling and saying, “have a nice day!”
The population is both diverse and similar at the same time. I have never come across such a sense of community in any other place. Imagine, on Yom Kippur, most Jews (both religious and secular) fast for an entire day and stay away from any electronics. In almost all of Israel, everything shuts down, stores, businesses, cars, and more.  The whole country stops, and there is no traffic in the Jewish areas whatsoever. When you believe that Israel is the destiny of the Jewish people, living here you have a sense of history, and being part of it.

Tips for Loving the Land

• Israel is One of the World’s Safest Countries – The media is continually reporting that Israel is at war, that there are explosions, terrorist assaults, rockets, and so on. This is quite rare. The benefit of Israel is that the country is always prepared for a military emergency; the Iron Dome system shields us from the sky, and soldiers are stationed on the borders, ready to defend. Simultaneously, homes in Israel are outfitted with bomb shelters, and in new homes, there is a security room located in the apartments, so inhabitants do not have to run far to find cover. All of the people of our small country are united by war. It is a fantastic sensation when everyone becomes more tolerant and considerate of one another.

• There Simply isn’t Another Country for Jews – If Russians, Germans, British, Americans, Swedes, and other nations may live anywhere in the globe without encountering hostility, the tendency to reject Jews and occasional outbreaks of violence against us is concerning. In this aspect, “we have no other country. As a result, we cleave to this small piece of land, we love it so much, we raise families here, and we wish each other to live to the age of 120. Without Israel, where would we be?  There simply would be no place for us, G-d forbid.

• Israel Gives Me the Feeling of Being at Home – What does it feel like when you land at Ben-Gurion International Airport, and everyone claps? The clear Tel Aviv sky stretches before you; the warm air of Israel surrounds you like a cocoon. The palm trees wave in the breeze as if greeting your arrival. To me and so many others, it feels like home. In Israel, wherever you go and whatever you do is a Jewish experience. From shopping to using public transportation, you are bound to mingle with fellow Jews and learn something special about them in the process. A person on the bus sitting next to you, may ask you to listen to her blessing over her drink and to answer, “Amen.” I am grateful that our children grew up in an atmosphere where being Jewish is the most natural thing in the world, where we can feel at home among fellow Jews.

• You Really Experience Jewish Holidays in Israel – When winter approaches we are surrounded by Chanukah menorahs and decorations that bring the festive atmosphere to highways and malls. Even the radio stations air familiar Chanukah songs. Around Pesach, the soda bottles have an attractive new design and bear the words, “Chag Sameach!” (Happy Holiday). On Lag B’Omer, traditional bonfires illuminate almost every park and lot throughout the country. Yom Kippur is particularly heartwarming. The roads are car-free, as the sanctity of the day pervades all of Israel. White-clad Jews of every religious denomination mingle in the streets, wishing each other a happy and blessed year.

• Miracles Are the Norm – In Israel, G‑d’s Divine Providence is apparent. The numbers don’t always seem like they will work out on paper; but somehow, things miraculously fall into place. We experienced this personally after we made aliyah. I recall making a budget and writing all our expenses on one side of the paper and our meager income on the other. The numbers didn’t match up. In the end, I just tossed the paper and somehow we never lacked the essentials even though we both learned full-time and none of us worked consistently. We tasted G‑d’s blessing to the Land of Israel: “Forever are the eyes of Hashem your G‑d upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12).

• Experiencing Jewish Unity – One of the best things about living in Israel is witnessing the kindness and unity of our people. This is especially evident at the holy sites in Eretz Yisrael. At King David’s and Rachel’s Tombs, drinks and pastries are distributed in abundance. Children offer books of Tehillim as gifts to passersby. At the Kotel (Western Wall), young girls may share packages of homemade challah and treats, soothing crying youngsters and warming the hearts of all those present. Wherever we go in Israel, while the styles of dress and religious backgrounds are different, the look of excitement and belonging in every pair of eyes is alike. These experiences strengthen our love and passion for being here. We pray for the time when G‑d will gather all Jews from around the world and return us as a nation to our beloved homeland! (Inspired by Nechama Dina Hendel, Three Reasons I Love Living in Israel).