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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Va'etchanan
In the 10 Commandments, we find strict rules that entail physical activity, such as keeping Shabbat, avoiding idol worship, telling the truth, etc, as well as emotional activity, such as believing in Hashem, showing honor (to
parents) & refraining from impure thoughts (Lo Tachmod).
The Shema also has its own physical laws - such as putting on Tefilin, or placing a Mezuza on our homes – as well as the emotional component of loving G-d & taking the Mitzvot seriously, "to heart" (V’hayu ha’d’varim….al
l’vavecha).
Famously, the Shema instructs us to pursue a full & comprehensive love of the Almighty, one that encompasses the willingness to give all of ourself, including our material possessions ("kal m’odecha") or even our very
lives, if necessary ("b’chal naf’shecha").
The pasuk says we should love G-d "b’chal l’vavecha" – with all our hearts – in the plural – as opposed to all our heart – which would have been written "b’chal lib’cha." Rashi, noting the unusual word, says it means we should
love Hashem "with both our inclinations;" the Yetzer Ha-Tov as well as the Yetzer Ha-ra, the good & the bad.
What, exactly, does this mean? I thought that we were supposed to be working continuously at eradicating, or at least, suppressing our Yetzer Ha-ra?!
The fact is, all the many midot which Hashem places within us have both positive & negative applications & aspects. Mercy, for example, is generally a wonderful trait, but not when it is shown to a terrorist. Courage is exemplary, but it can also lead to dangerous risk-taking. Even love, that most beautiful of virtues, can be destructive if it is overused to spoil a child, or to smother a spouse.
At the same time, traits which appear to be in the "bad" category can be turned around: Stinginess, for example, is praiseworthy when we are protecting the assets of a friend; jealousy can motivate us to fulfill our potential;
even hate can be constructive, when we direct it against injustice, corruption or evil – all too handy targets.
In short, the Shema says: "Listen, people, I, G-d, have given each of you a complex, advanced ‘skill-set.’ Use it to the fullest, every bit of it, the "good" and the "bad." Do it – and I will love you!"
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
