One of the featured speakers at the recent Flatbush Labor Day Hakhel Event was Rabbi Avrohom Schorr, Mora D’Asra of Beis Medrash Nezer Gedalyah who noted that eight days of Elul have passed already. He noted that we can utilize the days that are left in Elul to prepare ourselves for the spiritual avodah (service) the Rosh Hashanah.
Parsha Ki Seitzei begins with the laws dealing with the Ben Sorer U’Moreh and it concludes with the story of Amalek (the ultimate enemy of the Jewish nation.) Rabbi Schorr explained that there is no such thing as a derech (pathway) for the goyim (non-Jews). If there is only one way for a Jew to go, you can’t say derechim (plural).
What way does the rasha (wicked Jew) have to go on? He doesn’t realize that he can do teshuvah (return spiritually to Hashem and abandon his sinful behavior). The Jew who refuses to do teshuvah is like a beaver. A beaver is known to always return on the same path it came. So, the hunter places a trap with food inside on the path that the beaver will return on.
The beaver intrinsically knows that it is a trap (the wicked path of life that he embarking on.) He cries. But he refuses to go either left or right of the trap because of the temptation to go inside the trap for the immediacy of the food within the trap. Such is the behavior of the rasha who refuses to listen to the call of teshuvah that is the spirit of Elul and return to the one and only proper derech (pathway) for a Jew.
The Refusal to Listen to the Rebukes of One’s Parents
A person who can’t or refuses to listen can’t do teshuvah and this is the downfall of the rebellious son who refuses to listen to the rebukes of his parents and do teshuvah.
Amalek is the one who tells us not to listen to Hashem and observe the commandments of the Torah. This attitude in life prevents a Jew from doing teshuvah [and spiritually redeeming oneself].
The biggest hisoran (challenge) to one’s Emunah is Amalek’s fallacy that to believe in something you have to see it. This prevents one from listening to the words [of Torah] and being properly guided in life.
The avoda, service of Elul is to remember that everything that happens (mikra) comes from Hashem. Everything that occurs in your life is from the Abishter. The shofar is blown in Chodesh Elul. What is the purpose of the shofar blast? To remember that Hakodesh Baruch Hu is the source of the world.
Our job, Rabbi Schorr said in conclusion is to hear that shofar blast and realize that the Abishter is running the world and that we should thus be inspired to do teshuvah and thus be zoche (merit) to a chasima v’chasiva tova (to be written and sealed in a good year.)
Reprinted from the September 22, 2022 edition of The Flatbush Jewish Journal.
