We say in Mussaf Rosh Chodesh that Rosh Chodesh is a “zman kapara l’chol toldosam”. We all know that “zman kapara” is a time of atonement. But what does “l’chol toldosam” mean?
The Daas Z’keinim Baal HaTosfos explains that “toldosam” means “your children”, meaning that Rosh Chodesh has a special power of atonement that children shouldn’t get sick. If someone wants to have a special zechus that his children should be healthy, he should daven rosh chodesh mussaf with kavana.
Rav Shalom Shwadron gives a different explanation to these words, an explanation that occurred to him after witnessing the following tragic story.
Together with Rav Brizel, Rav Shalom would go around every Erev Shabbos in the Machane Yehuda Shuk, encouraging store owners to close their stores on time for Shabbos. The main problem they encountered was when they went to the section of barbers, as people come at the last minute to get a haircut in honor of Shabbos.
There was one particular barber who did not want to listen to the Rabbanim as he wasn’t a Shomer Shabbos and kept his shop open late into the night. One Erev Shabbos the Rabbanim made their regular rounds and noticed that this particular barber shop was closed. They found out that this barber suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. They decided to visit him in the hospital and be Mevaker Choleh. The barber was surprised and so very touched that these Choshuva Rabbanim had come just to visit him! They gave him a berachah for a refuah shelaima and were just about to leave when the barber made a startling announcement. He promised the Rabbanim that he would close his store 2 hours before Shabbos even though he himself was not a Shomer Shabbos. He recuperated and sure enough he kept his promise. One Friday afternoon the Rabbanim came around and noticed that this barber shop was now opened on Shabbos. Apparently, this barber had changed his mind about his commitment. But why? They asked him what happened and the barber explained. “Let me tell you, I don’t go to shul. I only go twice a year – on Yom Kippur and on my father’s yahrtzeit. This week I was in shul and was very disturbed by something I witnessed. I saw two Yidden with long white beards counting their money and talking to each other in middle of chazaras hashatz. It bothered me so much that I went over to them and pointed to the sign that said “Assur L’daber B’shas Hatefillah”. They looked at me and said “It’s not your business”. When I saw that a Yid with a long white beard has no respect for the Tefillah in shul, then I don’t have to keep my store closed on Shabbos.
Says Rav Shalom: “After witnessing this story firsthand, I thought of a new explanation to the words we say each Rosh Chodesh “zman kapara l’chol toldosam”. It means that when a person does an aveira, many times the aveira doesn’t end right there. Often, unfortunately, because of what he did, others got influenced to do bad as well. So that one aveira ripples on, creating a chain of more aveiros that are all being credited to his account. Here there was a Yid who was talking during chazaras hashatz and because of him a different Yid kept his store open on Shabbos! That’s the “toldos”- the outcome - of his action. It sometimes has a ripple effect. So when Rosh Chodesh comes, it’s not only a “zman kapara” for your sinful action, but also a “zman kapara” for the “toldos” which you caused.
Imagine, when this Yid will come up to Shomayim they will demand of him “Why did you keep your store open on Shabbos?” He will say, “What?? I never even had a store!” But in Shamayim they will tell him, yes, you didn’t realize it, but because you were talking in shul one day, someone else kept his store open on Shabbos and it’s all your fault. Therefore, the aveira is yours.” How frightening!
The pasuk in this week’s parsha says “Bnei Korach lo maisu” – the sons of Korach did not die. Rashi asks: What happened to them? The truth is they all started out going against Moshe Rabeinu. But at the last minute they had thoughts of doing teshuva, and because of this Hashem raised up their place in gehinom so they shouldn’t be submerged in gehinom. But if they did teshuva, why would they need to be in gehinom altogether? Also, what does it mean that they had thoughts of teshuvah, that they were “meharher b’teshuvah”? It means that they wanted to do teshuva; it was a thought in their mind. Why doesn’t the pasuk say that they actually did teshuva?
Says the Kesav Sofer: When a person does an aveira and causes other people to sin, it’s not enough that he does teshuva himself because his sin is not only about himself; it’s about others as well. So, his teshuva isn’t complete until he ensures that all the other people who sinned because of him also do teshuva and that’s not in his hand. Yes, the Bnei Korach wanted to do teshuva. However, they had caused other people to follow them in the machlokes and go against Moshe Rabeinu. Therefore, their teshuva wasn’t fully accepted, and Hashem didn’t give them a full atonement. That’s why they had to be partially in gehinom. This is peshat in Rashi, which says that they did not merit to be totally released from gehinom because their teshuva wasn’t fully accepted. This is also the reason why it says that Bnei Korach were “meharher beteshuva” – they had thoughts of teshuva - and not that they did teshuva. Because doing teshuva would mean that they somehow arranged that everyone who sinned because of them also did teshuva. In their minds they wanted to do teshuva but they couldn’t actually do it because people were still sinning due to their influence.
How careful must we be with every action we do! We always have to be on guard because whatever we do can have a ripple effect and influence others. Then, we will be responsible for so much more than the action itself. We don’t want anyone else’s sins on our shoulders, and there’s no way of knowing just how far the ripples of our actions will reach. (R’ Moshe Oelbaum shlita)
