Parshas Ki Savo
Chodesh Elul
Shira Before the Yeshua/The Poor Man’s Basket/Whispering Vidui Maaser/What One Can Accomplish with Tzedakah/Avrohom Avinu Personally Did Hachnasas Orchim/The Avodah of Guarding One’s Words/Hashem is Glorified When People Guard Their Words/Tzadikim’s Joy/Emunah is Greater Than Seeing/Asking for Goodness to be Revealed/Eternal Serenity/Not Worrying About The Future/Thanking Hashem Every Day/Forgiving Hashem/It is Good Even if it is Shelo L’Shmah/Davening for Ruchnius is Always Accepted/Davening for Bitachon/Saved Through the Power of Tefillah/Extending Tefillos with Kavanah/One Avodah With Kavanah Uplifts All Avodos Without Kavanah/Connecting the Words to Equal One Tefillah/The Punishment for Undue Levity/The Punishment for Putting a Stop to Simcha Shel Mitzvah
Whose Heart Can Fail to Tremble/Nothing Stands in the way of Teshuva
וְ הָ יָה כִּ י תָ בוֹא אֶ ל הָ אָ רֶ ץ אֲ שֶׁ ר ה' אֱ לֹקֶ יךָ נֹ תֵ ן לְ ךָ נַחֲלָה וגו' (כו, א)
And it will be when you come to the land that Hashem your G-d gave you as a portion. (26:1)
Shira Before the Yeshua:
Sefer Yad Yechezkel (Modzhitz) writes that it is known that when one needs a yeshua, it is advisable to first say shira to Hashem. In the merit of this joy, the salvation will come. This is hinted to in this pasuk. It begins with the word “v’haya”, which always connotes joy (see Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh on this verse). This indicates that when is joyous and trusts in Hashem, and expresses this joy and trust by saying shira, he will then be able to “come to the land” and receive whatever he needs.
The Poor Man’s Basket:
It is stated in the Gemara (Bava Kama 92A): “What is the source of the expression: Poverty follows the poor? As we learned in a Mishnah (Bikkurim 3:8): Rich people would bring bikkurim in baskets of gold and of silver, and poor people would bring bikkurim in wicker baskets made of peeled willow, and they would give the baskets and the bikkurim to the kohanim. The rich would have their baskets returned to them, while the poor would not.” Thus, the poor people would have their poverty “follow them” because their poor man’s baskets were not returned to them.
Sefer Yalkut Meorei Ohr quotes Rav Dovid of Tolna zy”a as asking why this is so. Is it fair that the rich men got their baskets back and the poor men didn’t? He answered with a story: Rav Dovid once sent a message to a few of his chassidim, letting them know that he wanted to visit their city for a few days. One of these chasidim was a poor man. When he heard that the Rebbe was coming to his town, he was overjoyed. He was ecstatic to have the opportunity to be near the Rebbe. However, he was also distressed because he didn’t have a penny to give the Rebbe as a “pidyon nefesh”. When he told his wife about his problem, she told him not to worry. She would find a way to earn a few dollars before the Rebbe got there so that he could give a pidyon. Another one of the chasidim was a wealthy man. As soon as he heard that the Rebbe was coming, he became very upset. He knew that it would be expected that a rich man like him should give the Rebbe a nice donation. In the end, he did give a large pidyon, but he did so very reluctantly and with a heavy heart. Rav Dovid concluded, “I had no choice but to accept the wealthy man’s donation, but I had no enjoyment from it. However, I very much enjoyed accepting the small donation from the poor man that he gave me with so much delight.”
This is the explanation of the mitzvah of bikkurim. During the time of the Bais Hamikdosh, when a poor man would see that his crops were beginning to ripen, he would become overwhelmed with joy. He would be delighted to know that in a short time he would be able to go up to Yerushalaim to offer bikkurim to Hashem. However, he would then remember that he had no basket to put it in. This would cause him a lot of pain until his wife would console him by saying that she would weave a basket out of strips of wood. This basket would be made with much love for the mitzvah and for Hashem. When it would be used to carry the bikkurim, Hashem would love and desire the basket as well. On the other hand, when a rich man who owned many fields would see that his crops had begun to ripen and he would realize that he would soon have to bring bikkurim to Yerushalaim, he would sigh and complain that he had to make the journey once again. He would certainly also worry about the tzedakah collectors of Yerushalaim, who would ask him for tzedakah that he would have to give them to support the Torah scholars. However, knowing that he had no other choice, he would begin to plan for the trip and he would start to think about what type of basket he should use to carry his fruits. He would remember how another wealthy man had used a beautiful silver tray to carry his bikkurim and decide that he had to outdo him with an even fancier basket. He would bring his bikkurim in a golden basket, this likes of which had never been seen before. Rav Dovid declared: The beautiful gold and silver baskets brought by the wealthy were not brought l’sheim shomayim. They were brought to bring honor to the wealthy men. Therefore, they were returned to them because they had no place in the Bais Hamikdosh. But the simply baskets brought by the poor people were made completely for the mitzvah. They deserved to be in the Bais Hamikdosh and, therefore, were not returned.
Whispering Vidui Maaser:
Rashi says that “v’anisa” means to raise one’s voice. Rav Eliyahu Chaim Meisel zt”l, the Rov of Lodzh, once asked one of the wealthy residents of his town for a donation for a charitable cause. The rich man replied that he had nothing to give at the money. He said that business had been bad lately and he couldn’t give any charity right now. After some time passed, the wealthy man experienced much success in business and become much richer. When Rav Eliyahu Chaim met him in the street and asked him how he was doing, he quietly uttered just one word, “Azoi.” (It is what it is.) Rav Eliyahu Chaim then told him, “Thank you, you have just helped me understand a statement of Chazal.” He went on to quote the Gemara (Sotah 32B) that states: “Rav Shimon bar Yochai said: A person should praise himself in a quiet voice and disparage himself in a loud voice.” It learns that one should praise himself quietly from Vidui Maaser (in which one says in a low voice that he acted appropriately) and that one should degrade himself loudly from the Parshah of bikkurim (in which one speaks out loud about the hardships of Klal Yisroel). He said, “We see from this Gemara that Vidui Maaser is a form of praise, while bikkurim is a form of degradation. What is the meaning of this?” He answers that “praise” refers to times when a person is in a good situation and is very happy with where he is in life, to the point that his mouth is full of praises. On the other hand, “degradation” refers to times when a person is in a difficult situation that leaves him feeling degraded and sad. When a person brings bikkurim, he brings a small amount of crops in a simple basket. Everyone looks like a pauper at this time, which is why it is referred to as a time of degradation. At such a time, no one suspects that anyone would assume that he is rich and would, therefore, ask him for charity, which explains why declaration over bikkurim is said in a loud voice. When a person brings maaser, however, one can see who is wealthy. Everyone brings an amount in accordance with how much they have. Thus, a rich person shows his “praise” at this time. He therefore says Vidui Maaser in a low voice so that no one should hear him say how much he is and come over for a donation for charity.
What One Can Accomplish with Tzedakah:
Rav Yankele of Psherovsky zy”a (Yud Gimmel Oros, Chelek 2, page 340) relates that Rav Tzvi Hersh of Razla zy”a said about Rav Meir of Permishlan zy”a: “With the money and clothes Rav Meir gave to the poor, he reached loftier levels than we reach through our ‘yechudim’ (because one can reach extremely high levels by helping a fellow Jew in need).”
Avrohom Avinu Personally Did Hachnasas Orchim:
Hashem told Avrohom Avinu (Bereishis 12:2): “And I will make you into a great nation. And I will bless and I will make your name great.” Rashi states: “’And I will make you into a great nation.’ This is the basis of saying (in Shemonah Esrei) ‘the G-d of Avrohom.’ ‘And I will bless you.’ This is the basis of saying ‘the G-d of Yitzchok.’ ‘And I will make your name great.’ This is the basis of saying “the G-d of Yaakov.’ You might think that (the first bracha in Shemonah Esrei) should be concluded by mentioning them all. Therefore, the verse states: ‘And you shall be a blessing.’ With you they will conclude, and not with them.” Sefer Divrei Meir (Parshas Lech Lecha) quotes Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a as explaining that that since Avrohom Avinu enacted the prayer of Tefillas Shacharis, he davened right at the beginning of the day and was then free to welcome guests all day long and to spend his entire day caring for their needs. Through this, Hashem’s name became known in the world. Avrohom specifically wanted to wait on his guests on his own, rather than having someone else do it on his behalf, because one gets a bigger mitzvah when he does a good deed on his own. Yitzchok Avinu, one the other hand enacted the saying of Tefillas Minchah. Rav Meir of Premishlan understands this to mean that he davened all day until Minchah time. Therefore, he had an agent take care of his guests on his behalf until then. Yaakov Avinu enacted the saying of Tefillas Arvis, which means that he davened all day until Maariv time. Therefore, he also had to do hachansas orchim through an agent. For this reason, Hashem said that the bracha would end only with Avrohom. Since he would only do the mitzvah on his own, he personally glorified Hashem’s name in this world. In return, Hashem glorified his name by having the bracha conclude only with him.
The Avodah of Guarding One’s Words:
Sefer Arugas Habosem quotes Rav Osher of Ropshitz zy”a as stated the words “reishis pri ha’adamah” (the first fruits of the land) contain a hint to the importance of guarding one’s words. The first letters of the words “pri ha’adamah” spell the word “peh” (mouth). Thus, the words “reishis pri ha’adamah” can mean that the first (reishis) avodah that a person must master is to watch the words that come out of his mouth. This is in line with Chazal’s statement (Chulin 89A) that: “A person’s job in this world is to make himself like a mute (by being careful with his words).”
Hashem is Glorified When People Guard Their Words:
Sefer Imrei Kodesh relates that Rav Uri of Strelisk zy”a had a nusach hatefillah that included the words “hamehulal b’peh atzmo.” (He is glorified with his words themselves.) The meaning of this is that if a person guards his words to avoid speaking pointlessly or harmfully, he is already glorifying Hashem – and one certainly glorifies Him if he uses his mouth to praise and thank Him.
Tzadikim’s Joy:
The Bais Aharon of Karlin zy”a quotes a Medrash that states: “’And you shall rejoice with all the good (tov).’ This is as is stated (Yeshaya 3:10): ‘The tzadik praises for it is good (tov).’” The Bais Aharon explains that the word “tov” refers to a type of goodness that is hidden from the eyes of man, while the word “chesed” refers to a type of goodness that is visible to all. The Medrash is teaching us that tzadikim are able to rejoice even for goodness that they cannot see. Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that we should rejoice with all the ‘tov’, even if it is hidden and we cannot see it.
Emunah is Greater Than Seeing:
Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz zy”a used this same idea to explain the words Klal Yisroel said when they sang shira at the sea (Shemos 15:2): “This is my G-d and I will beautify Him, the G-d of my father and I will glorify Him.” He explains that if one sees open miracles with his own eyes – like Klal Yisroel did at the splitting of the sea – it is not so hard to believe and trust in Hashem. I, however, one serves Him even without seeing any open miracles, that is truly noteworthy. Accordingly, the nation said: “This is my G-d and I will beautify Him.” With these words, they were referring to the miracles they saw. As Rashi explains, they pointed with their fingers and said, “This is certainly beautiful.” However, a higher level than that is saying: “The G-d of my father and I will glorify Him.” With these words, they referred to the miracles that had been done for the Avos, which they had not seen, and glorified Him for that, which is a much higher level of avodah.
Asking for Goodness to be Revealed:
Chapter Four in Tehillim lists numerous forms of suffering Klal Yisroel endured, such as: “For we perish from Your wrath, and from Your anger we are dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, [the sins of] our youth before the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your anger; we have consumed our years as a murmur.” Still and all, Dovid Hamelech praises Hashem and declares (ibid:16): “May Your works appear to Your servants, and Your beauty to their sons.” Sefer Eretz Hachaim (Maareches 40, Ois 383) quotes Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz zy”a as explaining that despite all we go through, we believe that all our suffering is for our benefit. Even if this goodness is hidden from us, we believe it is there and ask Hashem to allow it to “appear to Your servants” so that we can see it and praise Him for revealed kindness.
Eternal Serenity:
One Shabbos, a large amount of guests came to spend Shabbos with the Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a, with each guest relating that he suffering from some sort of difficulty. Every one of them cried that he was in urgent need of a yeshua. At the end of the his tish that week, before beginning Birchas Hamazon, the Rebbe said, “In Birchas Hamazon, we recite: ‘Harachaman hu yanchileinu l’yom shekulo Shabbos umenucha l’chayei olamim.’ (May the Merciful One let us inherit that day which will be all Shabbos and rest for eternal life.) What does this mean? “In this world, Hashem has no rest, so to speak. Everyone is always complaining to Him about what He does to them. Everyone thinks their lives are unfair and they claim He should treat them differently than how He does. Therefore, everyone complains and gives Him no peace. Once the world is rectified, however, and everyone is able to see clearly, we will all understand how everything He does is for our benefit. Only then will the complaints stop and Hashem will have some peace and serenity. “Thus, we ask Him to give us the day which will be ‘all Shabbos’, the day when the world will be rectified, and then it will be ‘rest for eternal life’, as He will finally be able to be free of the complaints of man.”
Not Worrying About The Future:
The pasuk is Tehillim (16:4) states: “May the sorrows of those who hasten after another deity increase.” Sefer Eretz Hachaim quotes Rav Shmuel of Kaminka zy”a as explaining this to mean that that the reason sorrows increase is because people constantly hasten to worry. Even before a problem arises, people are worried, which leads them to be sad. It is, therefore, better not to worry about what the future may bring.
Thanking Hashem Every Day:
Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad zy”a related a moshol on this topic: A king wished to show gratitude to two of his loyal subjects, so he came up with an innovative way to reward them. He said that he would give each of them 365 gold coins over the course of a year – amounting to one coin for each day. One of the men asked to be given it all in a lump sum, whereas the other asked to be given one coin every day. The first man asked the second, “Why did you want to get your coins this way? Wouldn’t it be easier to get all at once, rather than having to come to the palace every day to get one coin?” The second man answered, “I won’t be coming just for the coin. The main thing I want is to see the king’s face in order to thank him for his kindness. If I can see him every day, of course I will do it. Especially because this means that I will get to further my relationship with him and get even closer to him.” In this vein, Dovid Hamelech said (Tehillim 23:6): “Only good and kindness will I pursue all the day of my life. And I will dwell in the house of Hashem for the length of my days.” He was asking to receive Hashem’s kindness every day so that he should be able to be in His home every day and to thereby connect to Him and have the ability to speak directly to Him.
Forgiving Hashem:
Rav Sinai of Zhemigrad zy”a (Sefer Chemdah Genuzah) related the following story in the name of the Melitzer Rebbe zy”a, who heard it from the Zhikover Rebbe zy”a: A simple man from the city of Tarnow once came to the Ropshitzer Rebbe zy”a and sadly told him that all his possessions had been burnt in a fire. The Rebbe saw that he was full of complaints against Hashem and he asked, “Why are you so upset?” The man answered, “How could such a thing happen to a good man like me? I give so much tzedakah and do so many good things. Why would Hashem do this to me?” The Rebbe told him, “Still and all, you should forgive Him.” The man said, “I wouldn’t be that upset about my loss if not for the fact that I had a siddur that had everything written in it that I needed to daven, and that was burnt too.” The Rebbe walked over to his bookshelf and took down a beautiful siddur. He told the man, “Take my siddur. It is very nice and it has all the tefillos in it. But please forgive Hashem.” The man took the siddur and gave the Rebbe a clap on the shoulder, as was customary amongst simple people, and he said, “Due to my love of the Rebbe, I will forgive Him.”
It is Good Even if it is Shelo L’Shmah:
Rashi states (Bereishis 18:77) says that every time the word “hashkafah” is used in a pasuk it has a bad connotation, with the exception of this pasuk. This is because helping the poor is so powerful that it transforms the middas hadin into middas harachamim, Rav Yisroel of Chortkov zy”a (Sefer Ginzei Yisroel on Purim) asks how it is possible to say that “hashkafos” of Hashem are bad when we know that everything He does is kind and merciful. He answers that if Hashem looks at our mitzvos, He sees that they are not good, as they are done with imperfect thoughts. Thus, Rashi’s intent is that Hashem’s look at our mitzvos is that they are not good. The one exception is this pasuk, which speaks about for the fact that I had a siddur that had everything written in it that I needed to daven, and that was burnt too.” The Rebbe walked over to his bookshelf and took down a beautiful siddur. He told the man, “Take my siddur. It is very nice and it has all the tefillos in it. But please forgive Hashem.” The man took the siddur and gave the Rebbe a clap on the shoulder, as was customary amongst simple people, and he said, “Due to my love of the Rebbe, I will forgive Him.”
