By Daniel Keren
From left to right: Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Rabbi Elya Brudny, Rabbi Meyer Yedid and Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff
Many men and women took advantage of the Labor Day legal holiday to participate in the Flatbush Hakehl Yarchei Kallah Event held in the Agudath Israel of Madison shul. Hakhel is an organization dedicated to promoting a greater awareness of Torah-true values in our community. The inspiring program was sponsored by both the Mandel and Pomerantz families in memory of Liba bas Reuven, a”h, R; Chaim Uri ben Menachem, a”h, Rishka bas Mendel, a”h, and Meir Yakov ben Yehoshua, a”h.
The program began with a lecture delivered by Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, mora d’asra of the host shul who spoke on the topic of “Hoshea Wrote the Shuva Haftorah,” part on an ongoing series of shiurim on Sefer Hoshea (Hosea), one of the books included in the Trei Asar, the Tanach book of the Minor Prophets.
Rabbi Reisman began by pointing out concerning the upcoming Yomim Noraim (the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur,) the special Haftorah that we read on Shabbos Shuva, the Shabbos before Yom Kippur from the Perek Yud Daled (Chapter 14) begins with the words:
“Return, O ’Israel to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with yourselves and return to the L-rd. Say ‘You shall forgive all iniquity and teach us [the] good [way] and let us render [for] bulls [the offering of] our lips.” (14:2-3)
The Uniqueness of Hoshea’s Prophecies
This call to do teshuva (return to G-d in penitence), Rabbi Reisman declared is somewhat unique. Other naviim (prophets) gave calls to the Jewish people to do teshuvah and return to Hashem and the Jews they spoke to; their descendants are still around.
Hoshea, however was a navi whose prophecies were unique in that they were directed solely to the Jews of the Aseres Shevatim, the Ten Tribes that broke away the kingdom of Yehuda (the House of David) and this breakaway nation was unfortunately exiled and lost to history, with only a small segment of each tribe that joined the Kingdom of Yehuda and was thereby saved from spiritual destruction.
The Navi Hoshea call upon the Jews to do teshuva Yisroel. The Vilna Gaon interprets the second pasuk (verse) the Chapter Yud Daled that the Jews should abandon their sins.
Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) say about this Haftorah that Hashem declared to Reuven that you were the first to do teshuvah [regarding his sin of disturbing his father’s bed by moving it out of the tent of Bilha to the tent of his mother Leah.] But, Rabbi Reisman said, we know that Reuven really wasn’t the first to do teshuvah. We know that both Adam Harishon and Kayin did teshuvah.
An Important Message from Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuva
So, what was the uniqueness of Reuven’s teshuvah and the type of teshuvah that Hoshea was calling for the Jews to do. In Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuva there is, Rabbi Reisman explained a very important message. There are two types of teshuvah that are in a person’s mind. The first is that of an intellectual teshuva and the second is that of an emotional teshuvah. The important thing is however to bring one’s desire to do teshuvah and come closer to G-d into a maisah, a concrete action.
We read in the Sefer Iyuv (the Book of Job) that Hakodesh Baruch Hu asks the Satan if he has ever seen anyone as righteous as “my Iyuv.” The Satan responds if Hashem has actually ever challenged Iyuv to see if his life became difficult would he continue to still be righteous and have a strong connection and love of Hashem.
From this, Rabbi Reisman said, we understand that even Hakodesh Baruch Hu’s testimony about the righteousness of Iyuv is not the same as the Olam Hamasai (the World of Action) and is not as important as a person like Iyuv actually doing the action of demonstrating his loyalty to Hashem.
The Weakness of the Teshuvah of Ninevah
Furthermore, Rabbi Reisman pointed out that we learn that in Sefer Yonah (the Book of Jonah) the teshuvah carried out by the inhabitants of Ninevah was that of an intellectual type of repentance, which was good enough to cause Hashem to temporarily rescind His decree to overturn the large city. However, since it was not a teshuvah done in the manner of b’maisa (a deed of action,) it was not long-lasting and eventually the inhabitants of Ninevah were destroyed.
Returning back to the teshuvah of Adam Harishon, it too was only of an intellectual manner and he never merited to return to Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden.) Reuven’s teshuvah on the other hand was in the nature of b’maisah. There was a rivalry between the offspring of Leah and the offspring of Rochel. Reuven was because of his sin [in moving his father’s bed to the tent of his mother] stripped by his father of the privileges that were to go to the first-born son.
Even though Reuven knew that Yosef, the son of Rochel was going to supplant as the first-born in the family, he took his teshuva to the higher realm of maisah by actively saving Yosef’s life by telling the other brothers to abandon their plan to kill Yosef. And that is why Chazal say Reuven was the first person to do teshuva [in the realm of action.]
Rabbi Reisman emphasized that Yiddishkeit is about actions, about doing positive acts that are sustainable. When a person does some good action, it has a beneficial effect on the doer and causes him to change into becoming a better person. The teshuva that Hoshea called upon the Jews to do is the same teshuvah of Reuven, that results in the commitment to follow through with a positive action – a teshuvah b’ maisah.
Concrete Positive Action is an Extraordinary Challenge
The thought of putting all the inspiration of these coming 40 days [from Rosh Chodesh Elul till Yom Kippur] into some concrete positive action is an extraordinary challenge. Hashem give us occasional moments of letting us know that He is aware of us. In those unique opportunities, it is for us to take the inspiration to the next level in carrying out our desire to come closer to Him and to do a proper teshuva b’maisah.
Rabbi Reisman concluded by challenging the audience to the timeless message of Hoshea, a tough navi whose prophecies are harsh rebukes. Don’t fail to take the inspiration of Elul [and Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, the special Ten Days of Teshuva] and bring them into maisah, positive deeds of action.
The second speaker at the Flatbush Labor Day Hakhel Yarchei Kallah Event was Rabbi Elya Brudny, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir Brooklyn who in his lecture focused on the topic of “Essential Lessons for this Elul.”
He began with Gemora in Rosh Hashana that expresses that all of the inhabitants of the universe pass by Hashem on this day like sheep. While this is happening, there is a global awakening amongst the billions of people.
Recognizing the Severity of the Day of Yom Hadin
The more a person is able to get into the mood of recognizing the severity of the day of Yom Hadin, the more this will benefit that individual. One should on this day rejoice because of his love for the Ribbono shel Olam and because we know that Hashem loves us.
This is a seeming contradiction, Rabbi Brudny pointed out. We have a fer of this day of judgement and yet simultaneously feel confident that we will be judged by Hakodesh Baruch Hu favorably [for life in the coming year.]
There is a Midrash in Parshas Emor that discusses a dispute between two parties that is brought before a court of justice. When they come out of the court, the person who was victorious communicates that fact by holding up high a lulav, a palm branch.
This is similar to the dispute on every Rosh Hashana. The Jews plead before Hakodesh Baruch Hu that we are being unfairly persecuted by the nations of the world. The non-Jews for their part argue before Hashem that He is being unfair by being partial to the Jew. Why this favoritism when most Jews in the world don’t even observe Hashem’s Torah mitzvahs? Yet, each and every Rosh Hashana, Hakodesh Baruch Hu still judges in favor of the Jews.
What is the avoda, service of Rosh Hashana, the first day of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva (the Ten Days of Teshuva that conclude with Yom Kippur.)? Rabbi Brudny answered that our service on this day is to really be zocheh (worthy) of achieving teshuvah.
