Answers to this Weeks Riddles

(For riddles see back page)

1. The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 9:1) explains that although a person who performs the mitzvos will receive the blessings that are promised by the Torah, these are not considered his full and primary reward, which he will only receive in the World to Come. When Hashem sees that a person is utilizing all his energy and talents to study Torah and do mitzvos, He removes from that person all the obstacles to his service of Hashem, such as sickness, war, and hunger, and He bestows upon him blessings, such as wealth, peace, and health, that will enable him to spend all his time performing mitzvos. In other words, Hashem promises good fortune not as the reward for a person's mitzvos, but as a means to free the righteous from mundane distractions and obligations so that they can continue to do even more mitzvos in the future. (R’ Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)
2. The sefer Pirchei Kehunah answers, that we are talking about someone who has a wife and children, and they need him to go to work so that he has enough money to support them. A time has come when he is no longer able to sit and learn. In Pirkei Avos we are taught: ‘Any Torah that isn’t accompanied with work, will in the end stop and cause one to sin’. Although physically this person can learn and be omel b’Torah, he should be working and supporting his family, if one doesn’t, Hashem cries.
   
   The sefer Apiryon Shlomah (hakdomah), the Yalkut HaGershuni and R’ Ovadia Yosef in his sefer Me’or Yisroel (on Chagigah 5b) answer, that we are talking about someone who doesn’t know how to learn and understand things properly, and he goes into halachah and starts paskening practical questions. When a person who can’t learn properly starts paskening halachic questions, Hashem cries.
   
   The Taz (Orach Chaim 47:1) explains that in birchos haTorah when we say, la’asok b’Divrei Torah, it means that we are supposed to learn Torah in depth. However, this only applies if one has lots of time on his hands and he is able to do so. If one doesn’t have lots of time, then it’s better for him to use his time to learn things which are practical and halachah lema’aseh. R’ Akiva Sofer (cited in the Introduction of Zichron Dovid of R’ Shlomah Sofer) explains: If one doesn’t have time to learn in the depth, and he goes ahead and learns in depth anyway and doesn’t learn things which are halachah lema’aseh, Hashem cries.
   
   Finally, the Madanay Asher answers: The poskim tell us that it’s forbidden to learn during chazoras hashatz (R’ Chaim Kanievsky goes as far as to say, that one doesn’t fulfill his obligation of shnayim mikra if he does it during chazoras hashatz). Perhaps, the Gemara is referring to one who learns during chazoras hashatz, if one learns at such a time - when he shouldn’t be learning, Hashem cries.
3. R’ Aharon Leib Steinman (Ayalas HaShachar) addresses this question. He answers, that what we have to say is, Klal Yisroel themselves won’t be busy with gathering the produce, rather, Klal Yisroel will sit and learn and they will have slaves doing it for them, and the pasuk: ועמדו זרים ורעו צאֽנכם – ‘strangers will arise and graze the sheep’, will be fulfilled.
   
   However, this leaves us with another question: Where will Klal Yisroel get so many slaves from?
   
   Before we answer this question, it’s worth mentioning the Ramban (on pasuk 6) who writes that all the berachos mentioned in this parsha, will take place in the future when Moshiach comes.
   
   The Gemara in Shabbos (32b) teaches: ‘Reish Lokish said: Anyone who is careful with the mitzvah of tzitzis will merit to have 2,800 slaves serving him’.
   
   Rashi explains: ‘For each corner of the tzitzis one will have ten slaves of each language - which totals 700 for the 70 languages, the tzitzis have four corners, 4 x 700 = 2,800’.
   
   In the future we will all have at least 2,800 slaves. In every house there are a few males who keep the mitzvah of tzitzis, so in each and every house alone there will be a few thousand slaves! These slaves will work in the fields and gather together all the produce.
   
   However, this once again leaves us with another question: Why did they need so many slaves? Surely 30 or 40 per household would be enough?
   
   R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt’’l in Derech Sicha (Vol. 2, Shlach) addresses a similar question and he says, that there is a mitzvah of shevisas avdo, letting a slave rest. And for each slave there is a separate mitzvah. Consequently, the more slaves one has, the more mitzvos of shevisas avdo he gets, therefore, it was worth having lots of slaves.
   
   Along the same lines, perhaps we can add: Each Jew owned thousands of slaves in order that he could fulfill the constant mitzvah of לעולם בהם תעבודו – ‘you shall always work them’, as many times as possible.
   
   Perhaps we can offer another answer to explain why people would need so many slaves. The Gemara in Shabbos (30b) says: ‘R’ Gamliel taught, in the future (days of Moshiach) women will give birth to a child every day’. One of the talmidim present laughed, R’ Gamliel said, ‘It’s not so surprising, go look at chickens, chickens give birth every day’. It’s clear from Rashi that the Gemara is to be understood literally, that in the days of Moshiach, women will give birth every day.
   
   If this happens, a woman will give birth to 365 children a year, and after 10 years she will have a family of 3650. Understandably, a family with over 3000 children under the age of 10 could do with lots of extra hands to help out.
   
   However, this once again leaves us with another question: If the slaves are looking after the children and taking care of all the business, are we not worried about them stealing, and even more importantly, what will be with the chinuch [education] of the children?
   
   To answer a similar question, the Satmar Rebbe (Divrei Yoel) explains, that in the future there will be nothing to worry about. There will be such peace between the Jews and the non-Jews, the non-Jews will be desperate to help out and do the best they can to help out the Jews and to be associated with them. Like it says in Avodah Zorah (3b): In the future, the non-Jews on their own accord will want to become Jewish. Since they will be desperate to help the Jews, we don’t need to worry about them stealing and doing anything wrong, and on the contrary, they will do their best to make sure that the Jewish children grow up as good Jewish children. (Pikudechah Dorashti)
4. Rav Moshe Shternbuch (Taam V’Daas) notes that the parsha repeatedly (e.g., 26:21) emphasizes that the punishments are intended for those who behave casually with Hashem, meaning that they assume that everything that occurs to them is arbitrary. Because they ascribe their suffering to bad luck, they feel no reason to take normal precautions to protect themselves and have no qualms about carrying their dead out of Yerusholayim for burial even while it is under siege.
   
   Rav Zev Leff (Outlooks and Insights) cites Rashi (26:14), who explains that these punishments are due to a lack of toil in Torah study, meaning that they do still learn, but only superficially. As a result, they come to incorrect conclusions about relative values and priorities, falsely believing that one must risk his life for the sanctity of Yerusholayim.