Refers to Hakadosh Baruch Hu directly, and this is the meaning of the Mishna: אֵ יזֶהוּ עָ שׁ ִ יר הַ שּׂ ָ מֵ חַ בְּ חֶ לְ קוֹ – Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot (Avot 4:1). What possession are we happy about? It is not our serene country home, our condo on the water, or our luxury car. We rejoice in the fact that חֶ לְ קוֹ – a portion of Him, Hakadosh Baruch Hu – resides within us! אַ שׁ ְ רֵ ינוּ מַ ה טּ וֹב חֶ לְ קֵ נוּ – A rich man is one who rejoices in having a portion of Hakadosh Baruch Hu in him!
A final explanation on these daily words is then offered by the Etz Yosef. מַ ה טּ וֹב חֶ לְ קֵ נוּ – how pleasant is the land we received in Eretz Yisrael through the lots. וֹרָ לֵנוּ – this refers to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, to Whom we landed on through some sort of lottery. We’ll return to this lottery in a moment.
The commentary Iyun Tefilla, also found in Otzar HaTefillot, explains the verses slightly differently. מַ ה טּ וֹב חֶ לְ קֵ נוּ – this is the covenant formed with our ancestors, which continues to be our destiny: וֹרָ לֵנוּ. And ָפָה יְרֻ שָּׁתֵנוּ refers to the eternal right we inherited from our ancestors, one that will never be forgotten and will never cease.
א ַ שׁ ְ רֵ י נ ו ּ כ ּ ְ שׁ ֶ א ָ נ ו ּ מ ַ שׁ ְ כ ּ ִ י מִ י ם – We are fortunate to rise and stay late in the shuls and houses of study, and we are happy and thrilled to be chosen from all the nations to call out the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu and spread His word throughout the world.
This is the section at the start of our morning Tefillah, and we will now jump to Aleinu at the end. First and foremost, it is important to reiterate the significance of its opening line: ָה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵ אשִׁית – Why does this Tefillah, composed by Yehoshua Bin Nun at the fallen walls of a conquered Yericho, refer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu as יוֹצֵר בְּרֵ אשִׁית? Why is Creation being brought into the picture? It is because of what we learn each year in the first Pasuk of the Torah. Beginning the Torah with ב ּ ְ רֵ א שׁ ִ י ת emphasizes, to us, that if (when) the nations of the world come and accuse us of stealing the land of Eretz Yisrael from them – לִ סְ טִ ים אַ תּ ֶ ם – our response lies in those very first words. As Rashi famously notes: All the earth belongs to Hakadosh Baruch Hu; He created it and gave it to whom He pleased. When He willed, He gave it to them, and when He willed, He took it from them and gave it to us. Yericho was initially given to them, but now taken by Hakadosh Baruch Hu and given to Yehoshua and Bnei Yisrael.
ֺא עָשָׂ נוּ כְּ גוֹיֵי הָ אֲרָ צוֹת – The numerical value of the first letters in this next phrase totals 395. Etz Yosef says, this is the same gematria as נ ְ שׁ ָ מ ָ ה. We were not made like the rest of the nations in that they do not possess a Neshama – a Heavenly spirit within them. They have a נ ֶ פ ֶ שׁ – soul, but not a נ ְ שׁ ָ מ ָ ה that is לוֹ הּ ַ מִ מּ ַ עַ ל-חֵ לֶק אֱ – a part of G-d above.
וְ ל ֺא שָׂ מָ נוּ כְּ מִ שׁ ְ פּ ְ חוֹ ת הָ אֲ דָ מָ ה – The word שָׂ מָ נוּ is one related to laws and justice: ו ְ שׁ ָ ם נ ִ ס ּ ָ ה ו ּ ל ו ֹ ח ֹ ק ו ּ מִ שׁ ְ פּ ָ ט שָׂ םשׁ ָ ם. Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not give us the laws of the other nations, but rather the Torah, our portion in the world: חֶ לְ קֵ נוּ.
ֺא שָׂם חֶלְקֵנוּ כָּהֶם – He did not give us our portion around the globe. They have the world, and we inherited Eretz Yisrael.
וְגוֹרָלֵנוּ כְּכָל הֲמוֹנָם – This is in reference to the lottery, through which we fell upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
The Lottery in Aleinu and Its Deeper Meaning
Let’s now zoom in on this lottery just mentioned in the Tefillah of Aleinu. Doing so will allow us to understand the concept of וֹ רָ לֵ in its entirety, along with why Hakadosh Baruch Hu is our lot: וְאַתָּה גוֹרָלֵֽנוּ אָֽנוּ נַחֲלָתֶֽך. It will also bring us to our answer.
In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (24:9), it says that when the people of Dor Haflagah (Generation of Division), built up their sky-scraping tower to reach and rebel against G-d, a forty-eight-year-old Avraham Avinu passed by and inquired what was going on. Upon hearing their plans, he pleaded to Hakadosh Baruch Hu to disrupt them by breaking their unity and lines of communication. הָבָה נֵרְ דָה וְנָבְלָה שׁ ָם שְׂפָתָם – Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded by descending with seventy ministering angels and dividing the people up into seventy different nations and languages. Lots were cast among the ministering angels to determine which angel received which nation and language, in a manner similar to the allocation of Eretz Yisrael. Two drums were filled with lots, one with the names of the angels and one with the names of nations and languages. America, India, Argentina, Romania, Hungary, and China were all distributed by lottery that day, each to a ministering angel who then accompanied them back to their boundaries where they each spoke in their new exclusive language. Hakadosh Baruch Hu drew a lot as well, and the lot of Bnei Yisrael fell upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu, who exclaimed: “חֲבָלִים נָפְלוּ־לִי בַּנְּעִמִים אַף־נַחֲלָת שׁ ָפְרָ ה עָלָי – Delightful country has fallen to My lot; lovely indeed is My estate.” Through this lottery, Hakadosh Baruch Hu received two great things – both Eretz Yisrael and Bnei Yisrael. Where is this learned from? The Pasuk in Parshat Ha’azinu:
ְבֻלֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי ֵּב ג ּוֹיִם בְּהַפְרִ ידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם יַצ ּבְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן ג יִ שְׂ רָ אֵ ל ׃ כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּ וֹ יַעֲקֹב חֶ בֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ׃
When the Exalted One bequeathed nations, when He set apart the sons of man; He established the boundaries of peoples according to the number of Bnei Yisrael. Because of Hashem’s portion, His people, Yaacov the lot of his inheritance.
The Midrash says (Otzar Midrashim, 1:12), praiseworthy is Hakadosh Baruch Hu who created seven reki’im, seven lands, and seven seas, and positioned them solely for the Torah and for Bnei Yisrael. Furthermore, the nations of the world each have their ministering angel, whereas one nation has a direct tie to Hakadosh Baruch Hu: וֹי אֶ חָ ד בָּ אָ רֶ ץ. When the angels saw Yisrael, they began to fight over them, each wanting the nation in their lot. Look what happened next:
וכשראה הקב״ה כך, אמר להם על עמי ישראל הפילו גורלות, תראה בשל מי יגיע הגורל, ובשל מי שיגיע הגורל יהיו שלו. וכך עשו, הפילו גורלות ונפל גורל של הקב״ה על ישראל וישימם לפניו שנאמר חבלים נפלו לי בנעימים אף נחלת שפרה עלי, ובחר בהם הקב״ה וקראם סגולה, שנאמר והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים כי לי כל הארץ.
And when Hakadosh Baruch Hu saw this, He said to them, "Cast lots for My people Israel. See upon whom the lot will fall, and to whom the lot falls will they be." And so they did, they cast lots, and the lot of Hakadosh Baruch Hu fell upon Israel, and He placed them before Him, as it is said, "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me." And Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose them and called them His treasured possession, as it is said, "You shall be to Me a treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine."
Bnei Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael fell to Hakadosh Baruch Hu through a lottery. In addressing how land falls, the Midrash in our Parsha (Bamidbar Rabbah 23:6) explains: When the spies came and disseminated slander about the land, Moshe Rabbeinu was angry at them. Bnei Yisrael said to him: “Had there been two or three spies, by order of the Torah, we must believe them. And here there are ten! Where are we ascending? Our brethren have melted our heart, saying a people greater and taller awaits us there!” What did Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He took the angel of the land, bound him, and cast him down before them (הִ פּ ִ ילוֹ). He cast down its angel (הִ פּ ִ יל) and said to the people: “Ascend, take possession... do not fear, and do not be frightened. Not from the giants and not from the eirev rav.” To subdue the nations of the world, Hakadosh Baruch Hu grabs onto and casts down their ministering angel. The Midrash continues, quoting Sefer Yechezel (45:1), the land was divided among twelve tribes, and they are called pleasant (נְ עִ מִ ים) due to the merit of the Torah. There is a person who is fair, but his garment is ugly, and another who is ugly, but his garment is fair. Bnei Yisrael, however, are fitting for the land and the land is fitting for them.
Rabbotai, the first lottery that took place in the world was in the year 1996 after Creation, when the Tower of Bavel was being built, and with that lottery the seventy nations of the world were allotted to the ministering angels. Yisrael – both Bnei Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael – was allotted to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The land of Eretz Yisrael is one which the eyes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu are always fixed upon: בָּ הּ ל ֹהֶ יך-אֱ 'עֵינֵי ה, and the numerical value of these four words is 239, the same as וֹ רָ ל. In the merit of this lottery, which saw Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael fall to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, His eyes are always focused on them from the start of the year to its end. His eyes are directly upon them, with no intermediary angel in between.
For this reason, there are some who don’t recite the paragraph found in Selichot: מַ כְ נִיסֵ י רַ חֲ מִ ים הַ כְ נִיסוּ רַ חֲ מֵ ינוּ – Angels of mercy, bring our plea for compassion before the G-d of mercy. We don’t daven to or via angels. We speak directly with Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
For this we recite praise every morning, using the words just learned: ָפָה יְרֻ שָּׁתֵנוּ וֹרָ לֵנוּ וּמַה יּ אַשׁ ְ רֵ ינוּ מַה טּ וֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וּמַה נָּעִים ג. We merited being the lot of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We merited having a part of Hakadosh Baruch Hu within us. And for this, we offer praise: עָלֵינוּ לְשׁ ַ בֵּחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַ כֹּל. We give praise for the matter of their וֹ רָ ל landing with seventy different ministering angels, but ours being different. Our lot is with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Therefore, if Hakadosh Baruch Hu received Bnei Yisrael through a וֹ רָ ל, and received Eretz Yisrael through a וֹ רָ ל, he said, “Just as I benefitted from receiving you through a lottery, I want you to now benefit from receiving Eretz Yisrael through a lottery.” As a result, the allocation of Eretz Yisrael took place through a lottery. זֹאת הָאָרֶ ץ אֲשׁ ֶר תִּ פֹּל לָכֶם בְּנַחֲלָה – Land does not fall, and the falling mentioned in our Parsha is in reference to חֲבָלִים נָפְ לוּ־לִי, namely, the land and nation of Yisrael falling upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu through a lottery.
The Urim v’Tumim was not enough for the allocation of Eretz Yisrael to Bnei Yisrael. While it would result in each tribe knowing its place and having no argument with the fairness of results, it would not align with the manner in which Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself received His nation – through a lottery. And it was not enough for the lottery to simply display the names and boundaries for all to see and record. The lottery needed to call out the pairing, just as we call out our pairing each morning. We call out, in praise, our lot being with Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Current Events and the Power of Torah and Tefillah
With this, I would like to focus for a moment on the current situation in Eretz Yisrael. First of all, we need to offer thanks to Hakadosh Baruch Hu – לְ חַ י עוֹ לָ מִ ים הַ שׁ ִּ יר וְ הַ שׁ ּ ֶֽ בַ ח. Baruch Hashem, two snakes were just eliminated; snakes with much blood on their hands. The head of one of their armies, and the president of one of the other groups – it does not really matter what titles they give themselves; they and the rest in line should be exterminated one after the next. Those of them still hiding deep inside bunkers should not worry; they will be reached too, B’ezrat Hashem.
We brought up on more than one occasion that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has no problem whatsoever swatting away all our enemies with one swift movement. In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (48), Rabbi Yishmael describes the five “fingers” on G-d’s right hand as all being involved in a process of redemption at some point: ָה ְאֻל ָן לְיִחוּד הַג חֲמִשָּׁה אֶצְבָּעוֹת שׁ ֶל יְמִינוֹ שׁ ֶל הקב"ה כֻּל. (This idea connects to all instances where the word הַ זֶּה appears as Hakadosh Baruch Hu is showing something.) His smallest finger was used when showing Noach how to construct the ark that would save him and his family. His next finger was used in Egypt, where the sorcerers recognized the source of the plagues was Him. His middle finger was used when inscribing the Aseret HaDibrot on the luchot. His fourth finger was used when showing Moshe Rabbeinu the new moon. His thumb was used when showing Moshe the half-shekel coin. Finally, says the Midrash, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will use His entire hand in the future, when He will wipe out all the descendants of Yishmael and Edom, as prophesied by the prophet Micha: יִכָּרֵ תוּ וְכָל־אֹיְבֶיך עַל־צָרֶ יך תָּ רֹם יָדְ ך. He will take care of the kingdoms of Yishmael and Edom – including Iran, Iraq, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and all others – in one swoop: ֵה שֵׂעִיר וְחוֹתְ נוֹ כַּל. It doesn’t require time for Hakadosh Baruch Hu to perform this, and it will happen כּ ְ הֶ רֶ ף עַ יִ ן, in the blink of an eye, speedily in our day.
But Rabbotai, we need to know one important thing. We are in Eretz Yisrael and each day we recite the paragraph of ָפָה יְרֻ שָּׁתֵנוּ וֹרָ לֵנוּ וּמַה יּ אַשׁ ְ רֵ ינוּ מַה טּ וֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וּמַה נָּעִים ג. We call out: “Ribbono Shel Olam, how pleasant is our lot that we fell upon You! That our lot resulted in us being directly under You and not under a ministering angel! That we have the heritage and destiny of the Torah! That we have the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael!” We call out in praise how we did not wind up like the rest of nations, but rather, that we have a unique lot! We offer thanks that the eyes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu are always focused on us and our land! That is when we walk in the ways of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. However, when we experience such troubles as we are enduring now, the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu appears hidden and concealed from us. But this is incorrect. The eyes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu are always on us.
We have two months to go until reaching Rosh Hashanah, and Sefer Chasidim writes there are two chapters of Tehillim next to each other which deliver a profound message. Chapter 19 contains תְּמִימָה מְשִׁיבַת נָפֶשׁ 'תּ וֹ רַ ת ה, and chapter 20 says בְּ י וֹ ם צָ רָ ה ' ה יַעַנְך. Why do these two verses, reflecting Torah and troubles, juxtapose one another? The reason is, one who knows that Torah is central in our lives, and central in protecting us, does not need to fear! Immediately following the description of Torah’s purity, David HaMelech tells us it will keep us safe. Why? Because ְ לָא נָא וּמַ צ מַ ג תּ וֹ רָ ה – Torah protects and saves. בְּ עִ ידָּ נָא דְּ לָא עָסֵ יק בָּהּ בֵּין בְּ עִ ידָּ נָא דְּ עָסֵ יק בָּהּ וּבֵין – both at the time when one is engaged in it and at the time when one is not engaged in it (Sotah 21a).
On the Pasuk וְחֻבַּל עֹל מִפְּנֵי־שׁ ָמֶן – The yoke shall be destroyed because of fatness (Yeshayahu 10:27), the Gemara (Sanhedrin 94b) says: The yoke of Sancheriv was destroyed due to the oil of Chizkiya that would burn in the synagogues and study halls when the Jewish people were engaged in Torah study at night. What did Hezekiah do to ensure this nightly Torah study? He placed a sword at the entrance of the study hall and said: “Anyone who does not engage in Torah study shall be stabbed with this sword.” Is that true? Is that what happens to one who doesn’t learn Torah? Hakadosh Baruch Hu wished for Chizkiya to be Melech HaMashiach, and Sancheriv to be Gog and Magog! Sancheriv arrived with 185,000 army officers and millions of soldiers to place a siege on Yerushalayim, and Chizkiya placed a sword at the door in case someone wanted to leave; in case someone wasn’t in the mood to learn that night. What kind of reaction and response is that?
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach explains what really took place. When someone drops Torah, they diminish Am Yisrael’s ability to defeat Sancheriv. By walking out, they are in essence turning around and fighting their own brethren. Our strength to achieve victory lies in our שׁ ָ מ ֶ ן, through our engagement in Torah in the Beit Midrash. Sancheriv’s officers arrived and saw no resistance. All they saw were groups of people huddled indoors, with books open next to candles. They asked themselves why millions of troops were needed for such a powerless adversary and decided to instead take the night off and catch a good night’s sleep. They figured they could wake up in the morning and quickly take care of business.
What happened next? Chizkiya said to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “I will go to sleep on my bed, and You will perform for me a miracle.” He didn’t throw any drones or missiles at the enemy outside the walls. He recited Shema, went to sleep, and awaited the miracle. When he arose in the morning, what did he find? Every last member of Sancheriv’s army lying on the ground dead. Millions of them, aside from Sancheriv himself and a few others who were spared so they could return home and spread word of the miracle. How did it happen? Hakadosh Baruch Hu sounded for them the songs of the angels. None of us have ever heard that tune, as we are here and alive today. Rav Auerbach says, anyone leaving the Beit Midrash would be stabbed by the sword because they’d be hampering the war effort of the nation when they were mevatel Torah.
As we read in our Parsha: אֶלֶף לַמַּטֶּה אֶלֶף לַמַּטֶּה – one group davens and learn, and another group fights; but without the Tefillah there is no war. There is no success in war without it. The Gemara (Berachot 54a) says that one who sees the rock upon which Moshe Rabbeinu sat when Yehoshua waged war against Amalek, recites שׁ ֶ עָשָׂ ה נִסִּ ים לַאֲבוֹתֵ ינוּ בַּמָּ קוֹם הַ זֶּה. What miracle happened at the place where Moshe sat? The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 29a) famously asks, do the hands of Moshe Rabbeinu make wars? Is the miracle not in the battlefield where Yehoshua defeated Amalek by sword? The Maharsha answers, victory was not in the battlefield, it was at the rock upon which Moshe Rabbeinu sat. Why? Because when he raised his hands skyward, the people turned their eyes upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven. When they do so – they prevailed. When they did not – they fell. Where they davened and beseeched Hakadosh Baruch Hu for salvation and victory, that is where the miracle and victory took place.
The power of Knesset Yisrael is from our mouths, and we must recognize that during a time of war, such as right now, our mouths must lead. If so, we must strengthen our Torah and Tefillah right now! We must make our voices heard in Heaven! They may choose to all attack us together, with all sorts of elaborate plans, and we have nobody to rely upon other than א ָ ב ִ י נ ו ּ שׁ ֶ ב ּ ַ שׁ ּ ָ מ ַ י ִ ם – our Father in Heaven. Right now, Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to hear our Torah and our Tefillah: הַשְׁמִיעִינִי אֶת־קוֹלֵך – Let me hear your voice.
The Importance of Mourning for Yerushalayim
Rabbotai, we bless the month of Av on this Shabbat. Let’s together learn one small item that can help strengthen our Tefillah during these troubling days in a month of sorrows. The Midrash (Shochar Tov / Tehillim 17) says, so many soldiers fell during the days of David HaMelech, and they fell because they did not desire the building of the Beit Hamikdash. The Midrash continues: And are these matters not all the more severe? If those who did not have the Beit Hamikdash built in their days and it was not destroyed in their days – i.e., the soldiers of David – will be punished, how much more so will be done to us who have seen its destruction in our days and do not mourn and do not seek mercy for it? Therefore, Chazal established that Israel should pray three times a day, reciting: וֹן וְסֵדֶ ר עֲבוֹדָ ה לִירוּשׁ ָלַיִם אֲנָא הָשׁ ֵב שׁ ְ כִינָתְ ך – Please, bring back Your Presence to Zion and establish the order of worship in Jerusalem. And Chazal also instituted the Bracha בּוֹנֶה יְרוּשׁ ָ לַיִם – Who builds Jerusalem, separately in the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon.
Rabbotai, we ask for Yerushalayim to be rebuilt in our Tefillot but are they real requests? Do we really mean them? Are our hearts in these Tefillot like they are when we daven for someone in our family who is ill? Or are we just reciting words by rote and moving on. The Ya’avetz, Rav Yaacov Emden, powerfully writes in his siddur (Beit Yaacov, Tisha B’Av 6:16):
ָא עָווֹן זֶה וְכָאן מָקוֹם שׁ ֶרָאוּי לְהַרְ חִיב בּוֹ הַדִּ בּוּר. אִלְמָלֵא לֹא הָיָה אֶל עֲלוּתֵנוּ. וְהִ יא גְבְּיָדֵ ינוּ, שׁ ֶאֵין מִ תְ אַבְּלִים עַל יְרוּשׁ ָלַיִם כָּרָ אוּי, דַּ י לְהַאֲרִ יך וּיָה עֲצוּמָה וַחֲזָקוֹתֵר גְּעֵינַי הַסִּבָּה קְ רוֹבָה, הַיקָה, לְכָל הַהַשְׁמָדוֹת הַמֻּפְלָגוֹת הַגְדוֹלוֹת הַנּוֹרָ אוֹת הַמַּבְהִ ילוֹת הָרַ עֲיוֹנִים אֲשׁ ֶר מָצָאנוּ בְּגָלוּת בְּכָל מְ קוֹמוֹת פְּזוּרֵ ינוּ, עַל צַוָּארֵ נוּ נִרְ דַּ פְנוּ לֹא הֻנַּח לָנוּ לְהַרְ גִיעַ וֹיִים עִם שִׁפְלוּתֵנוּ עִנְיָנוֹ מֵרוֹדֵנוּ - ִבֵּנוּ ָצָא הָאֵבֶל הַזֶּה מִלְּפִי שׁ ֶי זוֹכֵר וְאֵין פּוֹקֵד וְאֵין דּוֹבֵר מֵהֵנָּה, אֲפִלוּ בְּמַחֲשׁ ָבָה לֹא בָּא זִכְרוֹנוּ מִקְ רֶ ה הוּא הָיָה לָנוּ, עַל כֵּן שׁ ֶבָּנוּ לְחַטָּאת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לִלְמֹד דַּרְ כֵי הָעֲכוּם שׁ ֶמִּמֶּנָּה נִמְשְׁכוּ כָּל הָרָעוֹת בִּכְלָל.
In his words: And here is a place where it is appropriate to expand upon the discussion. If we only had this one sin, that we do not mourn for Yerushalayim as we should, it would be enough to prolong our exile. And in my eyes, this is the most obvious, powerful, and significant reason for all the devastating, dreadful, and horrific destructions and calamities that we have encountered in exile in all the places of our dispersion. We have been pursued by our enemies, not allowed to rest among the nations, with our degradation and afflictions constantly increasing, because this mourning has left our hearts as we have become complacent in a land that is not ours. We have forgotten Yerushalayim, and it has not entered our hearts. And as experience shows, on the bitter...
