Ki Teitzei

Carry on my wayward son. There will be truth when you are done.

1. This week’s Torah portion discuses the case of a Ben Sorerh umoreh (the rebellious son). The Gemarah points out that there never was a case of this “rebellious son” and there never will be a case. One reason for this is because the specific requirements are too detailed.

2. Why does the Torah discuss this case if it will never happen? Why does it deal with obscure hypothetical situations?

3. Albert Einstein was 16 when he was daydreaming about chasing down a beam of light. He wrote that this thought experiment is what lead him to the discovery of one of the most influential scientific theories of all time, special relativity.    

3. Not every question or case that we think about has to have a clear answer or an obvious practical application. The Gemarah and theoretical physics often discuss cases which are extreme or highly unlikely. These thought experiments are very fruitful in producing practical applications for the real world because of the obscurity of the case.

4. The Dubno maggid has a brilliant Mushel (parable) about thought experiments.  Once a rich man passed away at a young age and did not tell his son where his fortune was buried. Several months later the son sat desperate at his kitchen table with his last few coins stacked in front of him. In despair he pounded on the table not knowing what to do. One of the coins rolled on to the ground and through the floorboard. He had no money left and he needed that coin so he ripped a piece of the floorboard out looking for it only to discover a large chest full of gold. He continued looking for the single coin and discovered several more chests full of gold. He never found the first coin but he discovered a treasure infinitely more valuable.

Sometimes we never get answers to the big questions, the meaning of life, our purpose in this world...  but on our search for answers we discover something  far more valuable .

Bonus Question
What does the Rebellious son thought experiment  have to do with Rosh Hashanah?

Shoftim

 Seeing the Truth

1.A concept found in Torah study is the idea that every Pasuk (verse) is significant. It has meaning to everyone personally and at every time.  This is called    Omnisignificance. 

1. This week’s parshah (portion) gives advice to Judges “you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words.”

2. This is good advice for Judges however most of us are not judges, of what significance is this pasuk to us? 

3. One answer I heard from Rav Olbaum is that we should not let our physical desires “bribe” us and influence our choices and judgments in life. When we explore the nature of the existence of Hashem and the ethical standards of the Torah we need to analyze these questions without personal biases.

I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning; consequently assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do... For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom."  - Adlous Huxley

Parashat Re'eh

    Testing, Testing 1,2,3

1. The instance of a false prophet is mentioned in this week’s parshah. To paraphrase the verses.  ‘If a Jew from among you, tells you he will perform a miracle and the miracle comes true and then he tells you not to follow the Torah, then you must kill him.’ Why does Hashem allow this false prophet to deceive us?  The text answers this question by saying that Hashem is testing us.

2. One reason a test  is given is to asses knowledge or ability. For example the road test. However,  Hashem knows the future so why does he need to give the test if he knows we will pass it ?

3.A man was at the circus once and noticed a massive elephant tied down with a thin piece of string. He asked the trainer how this thin string was able to hold a huge elephant. The trainer replied that when the elephant was very young the string was tied to its leg and it was able to hold it. As it got older it never tested the string to see if it could get out. The Jews are the elephant and galus is the string.

3.Ramban answers that the test is not for Hashem it is for us.  Passing the test demonstrates to us what we are capable of achieving . When we see we are able to stand up to the challenge of the false prophet our faith in Hashem is demonstrated to ourselves and our community.

4. Moses Mendelssohn who was a premier philosopher in his time and was known as the German Socrates. At a young age he won  a philosophical essay competition. Immanuel Kant came in second place. He would have never entered the realm of Jewish philosophy if he was not challenged by his peers.  He was given an ultimatum to accept the tenets of Christianity or refute them. He was drawn into the world of Jewish philosophy to refute the claims of a false prophet.

4.The Ramban  also faced a similar challenge regarding the same false prophet. He was forced into a debate with an apostate Jew named Pablo Christiani regarding fundamental principles in Judaism which were illuminated because of the debate.

Everyone faces tests and challenges in life. In these experiences are our greatest opportunity for growth. 

Eikev

Hungry as a Horse
“And I will give grass in your field for your livestock, and you will eat and be sated.” Devarim 11:14   from this week’s Parshah Eikev

1. The Gemarah in Brachot learns out from this pasuk that because animals are mentioned first we must feed our animals in the morning before we eat.  Rabbi Pliskin states that this commandment engenders kindness.
2. What about Kavod (respect ,honor)? Man was made in the image of G-D. Perhaps it is not dignified to serve an animal before man.
3. The relationship between man and animal has many parallels to the relationship between man and G-D . Chasidus teaches us that man has both an animal soul and a G-D’ly soul. If a man who is hungry in the morning feeds an animal who cannot feed itself and the man fights his own physical desire to eat then through the man’s kindness he not only reveals his humanity but his divinity. 

Shabbat Shalom u'mivorach,

Dan

Va'etchanan

Don’t just sit there, do something!

1. This week’s parshah is deeply philosophical and discusses several core concepts in Judaism such as the Shemah.  Moshe reviews the giving of the Ten Commandments and explains its significance.

2. In the middle of Moshe’s discourse he stops to set up Aray Miklot (safe zones for accidental murderers). Why does Moshe  stop his speech to go set up cities that will not be used for several years?

3. Moshe’s message is clear. The most important lesson of Jewish philosophy is to know when to stop philosophizing.  If you see a chance for a mitzvah, to do Chesed (kindness to another fellow human) you should stop learning and take action. Although the cities would not be used for a long time Moshe led by example and illustrated that preparing for Chesed was more important then philosophy.

4. The Shemah is found in our Tefilin. First we put the Tefilin on the arm first then the head. This teaches us the actions of our hands come first before we have a philosophical understanding of the entire Torah. We must pursue kindness above our own philosophical understanding and spiritual growth.

* It was told that after the Rebbe says Slechiot (festive prayers) He ascends the seven gates of heaven and learns in the yeshivah Shel Malah (The academy of heaven)

One day the local kids gathered around to disuse the Rebbe’s trip. They nominated Moshe the five year old to hide under the bed and watch the Rebbe’s ascent to heaven.

Moshe hid under the bed that night and saw that after the Rebbe finished his private prayers he went out a back door and walked around town. The Rebbe helped one simple man with his field, unloading his horse and visited a sick old woman on the outskirts of town.

Moshe returned to the group the next day with the news. They asked “Does the Rebbe go to heaven after sleichot?” He said “ no, he goes a little bit higher.”


Bonus Question: What's the difference between the shema and an Aray Miklah?


Shabbat Shalom u'mivorach,


Dan