Opportunity Knocks

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

A man by the name of Vagshal, who lived in Bnei Brak, had the idea of building a hotel with a wedding hall on its bottom floor. He approached the Chazon Ish in his humble apartment and asked for advice in advancing his project. The Chazon Ish told him to look at his home, an impoverished hovel in desperate need of repair and renovation with minimal furniture. He told the ambitious prospective hotel owner that he was not able to provide him with architectural advice. 

Mr. Vagshal responded that he wanted to ensure that his building was properly constructed and needed the input of the Chazon Ish.

“If that’s the case,” responded the Chazon Ish, “then I will tell you what to do. Whatever the contractor tells you he needs in the construction of the foundation, tell him that you want double. If he says he needs ten beams, tell him you want twenty. Whatever amount of concrete he says is required, tell him to use double.”

The man was incredulous.

“Rebbe,” he said, “I came here for a brocha and ideas to help me get this project going with my limited funding, but what you said will just cost me money and I don’t understand the purpose of doubling my initial expenses.”

The Chazon Ish looked at him lovingly and said, “Reb Yid, der ikkar iz der yesoid. The most important thing is to have a solid foundation. If you have a good foundation, you will have a good building and it will stand for a long time.”

That building, encompassing Ulamei Vagshal and Malon Vagshal, still stands proudly decades later in Bnei Brak.

Having a good foundation is a good rule for everything in life, not only buildings. Now, as the summer draws to a close and we are in the month of Elul, we have an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the coming year. Elul is a period gifted to us to solidify and strengthen ourselves in advance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 

We stand at the foot of a ladder that reaches to the heavens. If we climb to the top, we can ascend to a realm of blessing. But in order to reach those levels, we must first have our feet planted firmly on a solid foundation.

This week’s parsha begins with the words, “Ki seitzei lamilchomah al oyevecha - When you go to war against your enemy.” While the Torah is speaking of a time when the Jewish people will go to combat against a physical enemy, many understand the posuk to be referring allegorically to our never-ending battle against the yeitzer hora. In fact, the Chovos Halevavos writes [Shaar Yichud Hamaaseh, Perek 5] that the most dangerous enemy man has is the yeitzer hora. We can never rest in battling him or we will be defeated by him.

Elul is meaningful, for it is during this month that we determine anew that we must and can defeat him.

Rashi states at the beginning of Parshas Bereishis that Hakadosh Boruch Hu planned to create the world with the strict middah of din. When He perceived that the world could not exist that way, He combined rachamim, mercy with din, judgment, and everything that He did was through the combination of those two middos. When the world is judged on Rosh Hashanah, it is through that combination (see Ramban, Vayikra 23:24).

The Vilna Gaon teaches that throughout the entire year, the world is run according to those two middos, but during the month of Elul, Hashem operates only through middas harachamim.

Although we refer to Hashem as the Av Harachaman, a merciful father, and appeal to Him each day and say, “Avinu Av Harachaman hameracheim racheim aleinu – Our merciful Father, please have mercy upon us,” and we have faith that He will indeed have mercy, that rachmanus is accompanied by din. During Elul, there is no din, only rachamim.

We do teshuvah during Elul not only because we want to be cleansed for the din of Rosh Hashanah, but because this month is the best time to clean up our act and be accepted back into Hashem’s embrace.

However, since it is the most auspicious period of the year to improve ourselves, we can expect the yeitzer hora to endeavor to prevent us from doing teshuvah. He uses different methods to keep us bogged down in cheit and remain unworthy of rachamim. Therefore, last week’s parsha of Shoftim, the first to be read during Elul, warns us to appoint for ourselves shoftim and shotrim.

The admonition to appoint shoftim, judges, and shotrim, police, is understood to mean that we should utilize the attributes of these agents of the law to guard ourselves from not acting properly. Following that, the Torah warns “Velo sikach shochad,” do not accept bribes for they distort the thought process even of smart people.

Since we are understanding these pesukim allegorically as advising us how to conduct ourselves during Elul and all year, we can understand this posuk that way as well. Our enemy, the yeitzer hora, portrays the forces of evil and darkness as glitzy and glamorous, appealing to our senses and enticing us to be smitten by them. They have the good public relations and the media promotes them incessantly, but the Torah warns us not to let ourselves be swayed by the seductive allure, but rather to fearlessly follow Hashem.

This idea is also found in Rashi, Parshas Shoftim [20: 3]. There, the posuk, in discussing doing battle against enemies, warns not to fear them. We would think that the reason to fear our enemy is because they are more plentiful and stronger than us, plus they are armed with more powerful weapons. But Rashi says that the fear is caused by the enemy armies making a lot of noise, to impress us that they are large and powerful. Says the Torah, don’t be impressed by the grandstanding and don’t fall for the pageantry. Have faith in Hashem and you will defeat them.

It is Elul, and as we seek to detach ourselves from the things that tempt us to stray from learning Torah and properly observing halacha, the yeitzer hora plants must-see information on the internet so that we can’t peel ourselves away from. He creates good “hock” of different machlokesin going out and little battles we must know about to keep us from being areingeton in learning. Just as we are preparing to get to bed, a new kernel of nonsense is thrown our way to keep us awake and typing back and forth with our friends, so that we aren’t able to wake up on time for davening in the morning and we are too tired to learn properly the next day.

We have to be smarter than that. We must follow our middos of shoftim and shotrim and not allow the appealing shochad of the yeitzer hora to destroy us as we seek to take advantage of the month of rachamim to make sure that we won’t have a year like we have been experiencing in Tof Shin Pey.

There was a master realtor who would assemble remarkable deals. He would propose them to wealthy people, and if they had faith in him, they would buy in and greatly profit. But he had a condition with his investors: He wouldn’t explain his deals or answer questions. He laid everything out in a nice prospectus and the rest was a matter of faith.

One of his investors was Warren Buffet, who would regularly invest $100 million in every deal the realtor proposed. One day, the broker approached Buffet with a deal that required a $1 billion investment. Buffet was in a serious quandary and didn’t know what to do. Even for him, a billion dollars was a lot, and he was leery of investing that much money in a deal that he didn’t know much about.

Additionally, this realtor was his go-to guy with whom he would consult before he did big deals, because he was the only person he knew he could completely depend on and trust. Here he was, being presented with what could be either an amazing opportunity or a blistering disaster. He didn’t know what to do. In the end, he decided that he had to trust the expert with the amazing track record whom he knew he could trust implicitly. 

This moshol describes our relationship with the Ribono Shel Olam. Things happen throughout the year that we don’t understand. But we know that everything that happens is from Hashem, who gives us life and everything that we have. So, when things happen that we don’t understand, we have no choice but to believe that He knows what He’s doing and we work on getting past the pain we may be experiencing.

It would be folly for us to listen to the yeitzer hora and his arguments and tricks that are devised to separate us from Hashem. We do ourselves well to stick to what has worked for our parents and grandparents, stretching all the way back through the ages to Avrohom Avinu. Those who allowed the shochad of the yeitzer hora to influence their actions and fell prey to his evil designs and allures were drawn away from the chain of our people and relinquished any hope of eternity and a meaningful, blissful life.

Imagine for a moment that you were able to persuade the gabboim at 23 Rechov Rashbam to allow you a full hour with Rav Chaim Kanievsky, with the promise that he would answer all your questions, provide guidance for life, and brachos for you and your family. The Yated would have a photographer there and your picture would end up in the centerfold. Everyone would know of your good fortune.

Then, instead of showing up at the appointed time, you were late because you had to taste the best cholent in Bnei Brak. Your friend heard that you were in Bnei Brak and WhatsApped you that you must – must! - go to Misadat Muchan Umezuman right next to the Itzkovitz shtieblach for cholent and kugel. You were so enamored by the cholent that you took a few extra portions and lost track of time. You showed up late and missed your appointment. Imagine how upset you would be.

Those of us who had corona, and those who fear getting it, have new insight into how important the chodesh harachamim of Elul is. This is the time when we can get our things in order and work on ensuring that we will be granted another year of life and good health, along with nachas and parnossah and everything else that we need and want.

Let us ensure we do not miss the opportunity.

Excellence & Perfection

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

The man I respected and loved for as long as I can remember was known to me as Uncle Chaim. He was niftar Monday morning after a lingering illness. His wife was my mother’s older sister. They were both niftar way too early.

When I was young, I knew him as a tall, impressive man who was always nice to us kids and always had something encouraging and witty to say to us. As I became older, I came to know him as a leading rosh yeshiva who dedicated his life to learning and teaching Torah, a prime champion of Torah hashkofah.

Rav Chaim Dov Keller was very sick for the past few months, but his will to live was so strong that it kept him alive well past when doctors had given up on him. His drive and determination were leading factors in his success all through life.

He rose from being a public school kid in Queens to a leading rosh yeshiva. As a teenager, he would fearlessly fight for what was right. If he saw that something was wrong, he would point it out and see that it be corrected. Combined with his thirst for knowledge, this trait led his rebbi, Rav Yeruchom Gorelick, to arrange for him to learn under Rav Eliyohu Meir Bloch in Telz.

Rav Avrohom Chaim Levin, who was the talmid muvhak of Rav Elya Meir Bloch and Telz, Cleveland, suggested Rav Chaim Dov for his sister, and later brought him to Chicago to serve alongside him in Telz Yeshiva there.

Rav Elya Meir Bloch was his rebbi, but Rav Keller would say that Rav Dovid Lifshitz taught him how to learn a Rashba. He would study Rishonim slowly and methodically, taking the care to patiently analyze their words and make sure he comprehended exactly what they were saying. When he would deliver a shiur, he would forget the constraints of time and carefully show his talmidim how to learn a Rishon.

He would bring into shiur several volumes of the Rambam and show a stirah between what he says in different places. Then, through a focused analysis of the Rambam’s language, he would explain the inconsistencies. He never sought the easy route, always putting in the extra concentration and effort to make sure that everything was clear and understood.

In Telz, they refer to mussar shmuessen as shiurei daas, lessons in knowledge, and that was what Rav Keller did. He saw it as his responsibility to teach bochurim not only mussar, but also how to think and view the world and current events. He would expend great effort to offer clarity in a world that didn’t care much for truth and facts.

A master of the English language, he would spend hours upon hours formulating his arguments and setting them to paper. He weighed every sentence and every word in it. Everything he wrote was perfect and cogent. He prepared diligently for his public addresses, seeing himself as a standard bearer for daas Torah. Fearlessly, he would lay out his arguments and back them up, and when he was done, there was no doubt that he was correct.

He would deliver special vaadim for doctors, lawyers and intellectuals, and had a tremendous effect on them. Many of them became bnei Torah and sent their children to yeshiva. Years ago, he would speak at an annual weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, opening the eyes of people who were distant from Torah to the degree that they would set out from there on a path of teshuvah.

He was not satisfied with the chinuch habanos in Chicago and, together with his wife, invested much effort into raising his daughters. Indeed, each one is very special. His second wife, Rebbetzin Shulamis Prager Keller, was a well-known mechaneches before moving to Chicago. Rav Chaim Dov opened a Bais Yaakov, which was headed by his wife and daughter, Rebbetzin Kraindel Mannes. The school has had a tremendous impact on the city and is a model of excellence.

In the early days of the State of Israel, the Arab countries made the lives of their Jewish citizens miserable and evicted them from lands they had lived in for centuries. They were brought to Israel and housed in squalor conditions in maabarot, tent shanties, where they were indoctrinated against religion.

Yeshiva bochurim and askonim at the time infiltrated the maabarot in an attempt to save souls. When caught, they were severely beaten by Zionist guards. The idea was developed that if American yeshiva bochurim would become involved, their American passports would afford them protection. The gambit didn’t work and they were also beaten, but that did not deter them from doing what they could to stymie the Zionist plan to rid the new olim of their fidelity to Yahadus. Rav Chaim Dov Keller was a leader of that group, which became known as P’eylim, forerunner of Lev L’Achim. For the rest of his life, he looked back at that period with great pride.

When Lev L’Achim was founded, he stood by its side with a sense of responsibility, as they continued the work that he and several other bnei Torah began decades before.

Together with Rav Levin, he would attend the annual Lev L’Achim event in Chicago religiously. Last year, he was weak and unable to go. He phoned the Telzer mashgiach, who was heavily involved in that campaign, and asked why nobody came to his home to solicit him for the event. Rav Keller pledged a large amount of money and asked that the mashgiach come to his house to pick up the check.

Rav Keller would often call me when he thought I did a good job and when he thought I could have done better. He also would call to offer chizuk when things were tough. His comments were always said with love, but firmness. He wouldn’t tolerate excuses or accept anything less than perfection.

Uncle Chaim was a shining example that with determination and effort, there is no limit to what a person can achieve. Once he discovered the world of Torah, there was no going back and no backing down. He gave every fiber of his being to achieve excellence and perfection in all he did.

May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration.

Ready for the Journey

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Like many who had known the late Sadigura Rebbe, I was heartbroken last week when learning of his passing. He was a regal, worthy heir to the crown of Rizhiner chassidus. I came to know him through my involvement in the Rubashkin saga. Let me share with you, dear readers, a story that has not yet been told.

The rebbe had gone to visit someone in the satellite camp at the jail in Otisville, NY, during the month of Elul several years back. He delivered messages of chizuk and wishes for the coming year to the men incarcerated there. While in the camp, permission was granted for him to visit the jail where Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin was housed. The rebbe did not know him and was only vaguely familiar with the case. Much is made of the relative comforts of being held in the “camp” as opposed to a traditional jail, but the rebbe found men hungry for inspiration and support.

As he went through the series of gates and fences to approach the “real” jail, the rebbe imagined that this Rubashkin person he was going to visit would be in a melancholy, sad state. How surprised he was to be welcomed at the door by a man wearing a gartel over his orange khakis, singing and dancing with a huge smile on his face. It took a while for the rebbe to realize that the man who was facing a virtual life sentence in prison was not crazy, but a legitimate oheiv Hashem with ironclad emunah and bitachon, which generally only exists in storybooks. They spoke in learning and chassidus for a while, and after a rekidah, the rebbe bade Sholom Mordechai farewell.

Most people would have returned home and gone back to regular life, but the rebbe wasn’t a regular person. Upon his return, he contacted his sister’s brother-in-law, Reb Yitzchok Shapira, an extremely well connected and accomplished individual. The rebbe told him about the man he had met in the Otisville jail and how impressed he was with him. He told Mr. Shapira that he must do something to help right the wrong and get this man the freedom he deserved.

Mr. Shapira contacted me upon his next visit to New York on a Friday morning. I drove to meet him the same day and he told me the story. At that time, having a high-profile lawyer to advance the case legally and politically was a pressing concern. I suggested that we hire Attorney Alan Dershowitz. His name had come up before, but we couldn’t afford his price. Energized by the rebbe with the mission of helping save Rubashkin, Mr. Shapira immediately agreed to the proposal. He called Mr. Dershowitz and arranged for us to meet him Sunday morning. We met him in his Upper East Side apartment and a deal was struck. Mr. Shapira would pay the bill. Dershowitz went on to have a leading impact on the case.

After Sholom Mordechai’s sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump, we went to meet the rebbe in Boro Park and thank him for his involvement and share in the rescue. We later visited him in Bnei Brak. He could not have been more effusive and kind. When speaking to him, it was evident that we were conversing with a great man. It was also like finding a long-lost friend. Little did we know that he would be gone so soon.

Back during that Elul, the rebbe met a person he did not previously know, and because of his deep sense of responsibility, he devoted time and effort, becoming involved in an undertaking that would be an eternal zechus for himself. He didn’t do it for publicity and very few people knew of the rebbe’s involvement. He did it because he was a good Yid who cared about Yidden. He saw a good person in a place where he didn’t belong and marshalled his kochos to do what he could so that man would get to see the light of day.

UPRIGHT AND JUST

Elul is a time when we seek opportunities for nitzchiyus. We ponder our actions, words and deeds as we become aware of the approaching yom hadin and seek for ourselves sources of merit.

This week’s parsha of Shoftim opens with the commandment to appoint shoftim, judges, and shotrim, enforcers. For centuries, darshonim have been thundering with the onset of Elul that the posuk refers to us.

The posuk is telling us that we have to be able to judge each act and properly determine whether it should be done or not. Even when it is difficult for us to act on the judgment, we must be able to force ourselves to do what is proper. We shouldn’t be doing anything that a proper judgment would determine to have no beneficial value.

The pesukim continue with the injunction to judge properly, not to twist a judgment and not to accept bribes even when reaching the right decision, for doing so will lead to corruption and improper understanding. The Torah refers to judges who are ruling on legal cases, but the application to our own actions is there as well. We must not let ourselves be led astray and become affected by things that subvert our equilibrium. “Tzedek tzedek tirdof.” We must always pursue what is right and just, as a people, as a community, and as individuals.

Take a look around us and see what happens when justice is perverted, when prosecutors are corrupt, when policemen are afraid to police, and when judges twist the law. See what happens when police are handcuffed and prosecutors don’t press charges. Look at what has happened to New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, where stores are failing, businesses are closing, and people are escaping from once-great cities now overrun with crime, homeless vagrants and blight, as liberal mayors gloat.

People who fail to judge and police themselves face the same outcome. That’s why Elul is here. It is here for us to proclaim to ourselves, “Tzedek tzedek tirdof.” We must straighten ourselves, act properly, be good, and do good.

For the past couple of months, we have turned down the flame a bit. The calm, warmth and light of summer replaced the tension, cold and darkness of a dreadful spring when we feared for our lives and livelihoods.

And now, as summer winds down, bungalow colonies empty out, camps close, and schools prepare to open, we enter the month of seriousness and introspection as it plays a vital role in leading us to life and joy.

Since the Jews repented for the sin of the Eigel, Elul has been a month of self-improvement, empowered with affording us the ability to become closer to Hashem. When Hashem responded positively to the pleas of Moshe Rabbeinu, Elul became for all-time a period during which our attempts to return are more readily accepted.

Aveiros create a separation between us and the Creator. Teshuvah removes the stain of sin and enables us to return to Hashem’s embrace.

The carefree days end with the approach of Elul, as we embark upon a period of increased foresight and thought.

SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTED

The Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra (78b) asks about the definition of the posuk (Bamidbor 21:27) which states, “Al kein yomru hamoshlim bo’u cheshbon,” explaining that it means that those who rule over themselves say, “Let us make the proper calculation,” before undertaking any action.

Those who rule over their yeitzer don’t allow themselves to be guided by impulse and fleeting temptation. Rather, they consider the reward of doing a mitzvah, as opposed to the loss incurred by sinning. A person who lives his life in that way will not fall prey to contemptuous actions, and will lead a life of value and success.

This explains the statement by the Alter of Kelm in his sefer (vol. 1:121) that at the root of mussar is cheshbon. It is also the basis for the teaching of the Maharal (Droshas Shabbos Shuvah) that a person who is considerate about his actions will not sin.

How do we approach Elul, and from where do we learn how to make the required calculations?

As with all halachos, to gain an understanding of the halacha, the best and first place to go is the Rambam’s sefer Mishneh Torah. By studying the halachos of teshuvah as clearly laid out and explained by the Rambam, it is possible to arrive at a deep understanding of the process, thus making it easier to repent.

Through studying the succinct, direct and information-laden words of the Rambam, we gain an appreciation of the weight of a mitzvah and the destruction caused by an aveirah, as well as the cheshbonos involved with each. It is impossible to undertake even a cursory study of his words and not be emotionally affected and spiritually uplifted.

The Rambam’s captivating words touch your soul and leave you ready to quietly undertake heroic acts to mend your ways and live a holier life. Aspirations for professional success, as well as for fame and fortune, fall by the wayside as you become swept up by the beauty of his words and clarity of his arguments of living a richer, fuller and better life.

The spirit of the mitzvah envelopes the student, and as he learns one halacha after the next, a holy spirit overtakes him and he finds himself going from being petty, uncharitable and rigid to selfless, patient and honest.

If, before we act, we would think about what we are doing, and whether good or bad will come from it, and for what purpose we are doing it, we would become better. If we would think before speaking, we could save ourselves lots of anguish.

We can do something that may bring momentary happiness, but when we look back at the time, energy and money we wasted pursuing a fleeting passion, we realize that had we thought about whether we were accomplishing anything, we would have spent our time in a beneficial way.

Life is a test of wills, and to the degree that we follow the urge to do good, we are good. But if we let go and fall prey to the urges that ignore the good in favor of the temporal, then we lose out every time.

The Gemara in Brachos (61b) quotes Rav Yosi Haglili, who says that the righteous are guided by their yeitzer tov, the wicked are ruled by their yeitzer hora, and beinonim are ruled by both.

Everybody is led by a yeitzer. If he is a good person, he follows his yeitzer tov, and if he is an evil person, then he is led by his yeitzer hora. Beinonim vary. Sometimes they follow the yeitzer tov and other times the yeitzer hora. Nothing that we do is just pareve. Our actions are either good or not good. Our task is to ensure that we don’t permit faulty considerations to mislead us into following the yeitzer hora and do things that are silly, wasteful and wrong.

FIGHTING FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T

This week’s parsha concludes with the halachos of the eglah arufah. If a person is found dead outside of a town, the elders and judges of the town, along with the kohanim and levi’im, proclaim that they had no hand in the death of the person. They didn’t see the dead man walking in their town and not offer him food and seek to care for him. They vow that they had no remote role in his death.

This week, as we read and study the parsha, let us contemplate people who have been wronged or misjudged, people who don’t get a break and are abused and mistreated, and let us vow to do what is right and proper. Let us stand up for the ones who have no one to stand up for them. Let us fight for what is right.

Let us do what we can so that every child has a place in a school where they belong, and every child, rich or poor, smart or not-so-smart, healthy or not, receives a proper environment in which they can grow and excel.

Let no person feel that nobody cares about them, that they aren’t worth caring about. Let no one feel that they are just strangers passing through. Let us be among those who work to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry and sad.

Let us learn from the lesson of the Sadigura Rebbe and do what we can to help other people, even those we don’t know, to feel their pain and do what we can to heal wounds and restore damaged souls.

The story is told of a man who approached a shadchan. “My daughter is getting older and has not yet found her mate,” he said. “We are willing to compromise and will accept someone who is less than perfect, as long as he is not a fool.”

The shadchan went through his many résumés and found someone. He called the father.

“I have someone for your daughter. He is a fine, intelligent boy. But he’s not perfect, as he has a speech impediment. Is that something you can deal with?”

The father repeated that he knew they had to compromise, and since the boy is fine and not a fool, they would go ahead with the shidduch.

The date was set and the boy came to the house to pick up the girl and meet her parents. The father answered the door with a smile and a hearty shalom aleichem. The boy was flummoxed. He just stood there. He couldn’t get any words out of his mouth. It took him two minutes to respond, “Aleichem shalom.”

The father was irate. He called up the shadchan as soon as the couple left the house. “What did you do to me? I told you that I’d compromise on other things, but you sent me a dope.”

The shadchan responded that he had told the man that the boy had a speech impediment.

“Apparently, he was overcome by the moment and it took him a while to gather his wits. But that doesn’t mean he’s a fool.”

“That is exactly the problem,” said the father. “He knew he was coming here. He knew he would knock on the door and I would answer. Had he prepared and rehearsed for that moment, he would not have become flustered.”

We are now entering Elul, a month designated for preparation for the yemei hadin of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Let us use the time wisely so that we don’t end up looking like fools on the day of judgment.

Lament or Smile?

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

Everyone waits for summer and here it is, one of the happiest times of the year. During normal times, things slow down and life takes on a more casual tone, as people set out for new horizons to explore and places to enjoy. This year, under the cloud of corona, everything has become more difficult, including the escape from daily pressures and a change of scenery. We seek a reduction of stress levels and the constant reminders of an unseen enemy threatening us.

We may not be able to find consolation in the current conversations and events, but in the words of the Torah there are comfort and solace.

Before Tisha B’Av last week, a dear friend of mine sent me an email. He asked, “How are you approaching Tisha B’Av this year? Are you lamenting like the novi Yirmiyohu or are you smiling like Rabi Akiva?”

His question really got me thinking. What a rough year this has been so far. What a frightening situation Klal Yisroel is in. What an awful situation Eretz Yisroel is in. What an awful situation this country and much of the world are in. On Tisha B’Av, we mourn the churban, the source of all of our troubles. Of course I would be lamenting on the day that is the repository of all of Klal Yisroel’s sadness. But I also thought about Rabi Akiva and his powerful message.

Last Shabbos, we heard the comforting call of “Nachamu nachamu ami,” as we began the seven weeks of consolation, the Shivah D’nechemta.

Many wonder why the prophet Yeshayahu repeated his prophecy, saying nachamu twice. Why the repetition?

SEEING BEYOND THE SURFACE

The Maharsha explains that the double language is found in Maseches Makkos (24a). Chazal quote the Tannaim who viewed the makom haMikdosh following the churban together with Rabi Akiva. The others became upset after seeing what had become of the holiest site. After Rabi Akiva comforted them, they thanked him and said to him, “Akiva, nichamtanu, Akiva, nichamtanu. Akiva, you have comforted us, Akiva, you have comforted us.”

The double consolation is a reflection of Rabi Akiva empowering them to be able to see what is behind the surface. They had all seen foxes at the site of the Bais Hamikdosh. They saw the desolation of the present. Rabi Akiva saw the past and the future. Remembering the words of the prophet who had foretold the destruction, he saw consolation in the sorrowful sight. Just as the words of the prophet came true regarding the destruction, so would his prophecy about the rebuilding come to fruition.

Rabi Akiva was unfamiliar with Torah study until he reached the age of forty. He became drawn to Torah because he wasn’t locked into the present. He had the ability to see beyond what his eyes were witnessing. He saw a stone and water dripping on it and observed over time how drops of water were able to penetrate the tough substance of the rock. He watched, contemplated, and then understood. If water can break through rock, then Torah can impact a person as well, despite age and background. There was hope for him. If he would study Torah, it would penetrate. He did not have to remain a simpleton for the rest of his life.

He went on to appreciate the Torah with all its splendor and lessons, first applying it to himself and then to others, impacting us until this very day.

Whatever the answer to my friend’s question is, now, in the Shiva D’nechemta, we need to feel comforted. After mourning the churban, we need to follow the example of Rabi Akiva, viewing what is transpiring in the world and applying lessons of strength and consolation to ourselves.

IT IS ALL HASHEM

In Parshas Eikev, Moshe Rabbeinu continues his admonition of the Jewish people. He warns them not to fool themselves as to why Hashem has been kind to them and why they have experienced success. He reminds them that all Hashem desires in return is that they have yiras Shomayim.

Without obvious Divine intervention, our people would have been wiped out a long time ago. Yet, we become comfortable and conceited, convincing ourselves that our success is thanks to our superior intellect and strength. It takes a pandemic for us to realize how weak and dependent on Hashem we really are.

When we read the pesukim of Parshas Eikev, we can visualize Moshe pleading with the Jewish people. He reminds them of all they have been through, and of all the miracles Hashem performed in order to bring them to where they are. He begs them to remember who has fed, clothed and cared for them, even as they remain ungrateful. He reminds them how stubborn and spiteful they were, and how he repeatedly interceded on their behalf.

Read the pesukim of this week’s parsha (8:11 and on): “Be careful lest you shall forget Hashem… Lest you eat and become full and build nice, good, fancy homes and become settled… Lest you have much gold and silver and become haughty and forget Hashem, your G-d, who took you out of Mitzrayim and led you through the midbar, where he quenched your thirst and fed you. Yet you say in your heart, ‘I did this all myself with my own strength.’ Remember, it is Hashem who gives you strength to wage war… If you will forget Hashem and go after strange gods and you will serve them and bow to them, I warn you that you will be destroyed…”

These pesukim are not just written to the people who have obviously gone astray. They are written to us as well, and should serve as a reminder that we should never let our gaavah get the better of us and fool us into thinking that we are self-sufficient, that we are smart and strong enough to take care of ourselves. We must always remember where we come from and where we are headed. We must be constantly aware that it is Hashem who provides us with the know-how and stamina we require to earn our livings and get ahead in this world, and to survive life’s many challenges and pitfalls.

Let us not fall prey to self-aggrandizement. Let us ensure that we don’t become blinded by our ego and evil inclination, and that we remain loyal to the One who sustains us.

As the parsha ends (11:22), “If you will observe the mitzvos, love Hashem and follow in His path…then Hashem will let you inherit nations that are larger and stronger than yours… Wherever you will set your foot down will be blessed… No one will be able to stand in your way.”

The yeitzer hora causes us to concentrate on the wrong things in order to dull our thinking and lead us down the wrong path. When we don’t think straight, we easily become sidetracked, and silly things deter us from focusing on what is important.

When the trivial becomes important, the important becomes trivial.

PERSPECTIVE AMIDST THE CHAOS

We live in an age when, all too often, people concentrate on the insignificant, silly, superficial, glitzy stuff and don’t bother with anything that has depth or requires even minimal intelligence. People get caught up with perception and confuse it with reality. Often, nowadays, those skilled at creating clever perceptions win, while those who bother lifting the heavy load lose. Just look around in our world and you will see that being played out all the time.

Look at the world around us and see how an inept man with a dangerous agenda has a real shot at the presidency of the United States, because a perception has taken hold about the current president. A president who has carried out his promises and is doing exactly what he said he would do. People without a sense of history or responsibility buy into the narrative and support turning the country over to those who would steer it toward socialism and worse.

We have to be able to maintain the proper perspective no matter what storm is swirling about and regardless of how things are skewed. We need to remain calm and intelligent, examining current events and life in general with a broad perspective predicated on Torah values and leadership.

Summer is a season with a different format and pace, but despite that, we have to remain focused on getting to the same destination. In the splashing of pools, the lapping of waves, the heat and sometimes heavy rain, we need to hear the message that our tasks are never-ending.

This week’s parsha is called Eikev, which Rashi explains as a reference to the mitzvos that are easily trampled “with the heel.” There is significance to the heel for another reason as well. Chazal teach us that Adam Harishon’s heel shone with a powerful light, illuminating all of creation.

The heel, says Rav Chaim Volozhiner, is the most physical, tough, unrefined part of the body. It can withstand pain and irritation. It isn’t sensitive. Adam Harishon was so holy that even his heel shone brilliantly and enlightened the world. The kedushah touched him there as well. Every part of him, even the lowly heel, was holy.

The goal of man in this world is to bring kedushah back to the “heels,” the eikev. Like a heel in the body, there are places and times that seem devoid of holiness, and it’s our mission and mandate to invest them with meaning.

The avodah of these weeks, with their relaxed pace and change of venue, is to “fill the heel with light.” Fill the slow pace with light. Fill the simple things with light and always remember that our goal is to fill the entire world with light.

In this week’s parsha, we are told, “Hishomer lecha pen tishkach es Hashem Elokecha” (8:11). We are commanded never to forget about Hashem.

Summer, with its fond perspectives, settings and vistas, presents many ways to remind us who created the world and our role in protecting it and causing it to shine.

THE CHARM AND FRESHNESS

On Rosh Chodesh Elul - yes, it’s around the corner - we will begin reciting the words, “Shivti bevais Hashem kol yemei chayai lachazos beno’am Hashem ulevaker beheichalo” (Tehillim 27).

Dovid Hamelech’s request, to sit in the house of Hashem for his entire life and behold the splendor of His palace, is recited twice daily during Elul. Why does Dovid ask “levaker,” to visit, Hashem’s palace? Would Dovid have been content just to visit?

Home, wherever it is that you live, seems mundane and kind of boring. The place where you spend your vacations has charm and a special place in your heart. You go somewhere and you think it’s the greatest place in the world. You wish you could leave all your troubles behind and move there and live there full-time. Your vacation site seems idyllic, stress-free and blissful.

Throughout the year, that place comes alive in your memory, and just thinking of it and flipping through the pictures you took puts you in a good mood. You were relaxed and in a positive frame of mind there; you really appreciated the experience. You weren’t working or stressed, so you had time to visit the sites and attractions and really enjoy.

There was a time, before smartphones changed the world, when Disneyworld distributed free cameras to families visiting there. They reasoned that in the coming months, the people would view the pictures they would inevitably take with those cameras and would be reminded of the good time they had. They would then yearn to return.

Rav Elya Lopian says that this is what Dovid Hamelech asked for: “Let me experience that feeling in the house of Hashem. Give it the chein of vacation, the magic and charm of a reprieve from ordinary life, even as I sit there every day.”

Let us see the world through pure eyes, taking in the beauty and splendor of what we witness, viewing each facet and feature, and adapting those lessons to improve our lives as ovdei Hashem.

The grandiosity and majesty of creation center around man. We are the epicenter of everything, for all was created for us. When we behold beauty, we appreciate what we are, what we represent, and the potential that lies in our actions.

During the summer, we tend to experience vibrant scenes and fresh horizons. We become charmed by the sights and sounds around us, by the customs and habits in the place we happen to be visiting, because we are finally relaxed, in a positive frame of mind, and thus invigorated.

We ask that when we are in the presence of holiness, when we seek out Hashem and Torah in the bais medrash, we should be there in a state of “levaker beheichalo,” with the eagerness of a visitor, wide-eyed, positive and easily impressionable.

We drive five hours to some forsaken small town with pine trees, a few small shops and little else. If we are in a bungalow in the country, despite it being in disrepair, we find it charming, and everything around is majestic. The streets are peaceful, the people and simple sights endearing.

In reality, we could see the same chein in our own homes, shuls and shops, and find majesty and beauty ever-present in our everyday lives.

Some see the “eikev” of the parsha referring to the period in which we live, ikvesa deMeshicha, the heel of Moshiach. While that brings a rush of joy that we are finally approaching the days we have long been awaiting, it brings with it trials and tribulations, pandemics, depressions, recessions, lost and wayward people, and a general apathy and indifference to things important.

Over these next couple of weeks of peace of mind and calm, let us focus and contemplate about the bigger picture, as Rabi Akiva did, and explore ways to fill our lives and the world with goodness and light so that we may merit seeing not only the heel of Moshiach, but his entire body, as he arrives to tell us that our time in golus is up. May he come very soon.