Returning to the Shemen Rosh, he presents a wonderful idea. In last week's Parsha, the Torah says:
וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָךָ
You will eat and be full, and you will bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you.
And in this week's Parsha, it is then stated:
כִּי יַרְחִיב ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ אֶת גְּבֻלְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ אֹכְלָה בָשָׂר כִּי תְאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ לֶאֱכֹל בָשָׂר בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ תֹּאכַל בָשָׂר: כִּי יִרְחַק מִמְּךָ הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ לָשׂוּם שְׁמוֹ שָׁם וְזָבַחְתָּ מִבְּקָרְךָ וּמִצֹּאנְךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן ה' לְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּכֹל אַוַּת נַפְשֶׁךָ: אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל אֶת הַצְּבִי וְאֶת הָאַיָּל כֵּן תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ הַטָּמֵא וְהַטָּהוֹר יַחְדָּו יֹאכֲלֶנּוּ׃
When Hashem, your G-d, expands your border as He promised you, and you say, ‘‘I would like to eat meat’’ because you have an appetite to eat meat; to the full extent of your appetite eat meat. When the place is distant from you that Hashem, your G-d, chooses to set His Presence there, you may slaughter some of your cattle or your flocks that Hashem gave you, as I have commanded you; and you will eat in your cities with all your appetite. Only, as the deer and the gazelle may be eaten, so may you eat it; the ritually unclean and the clean together may eat it.
Rabbotai, why is the gazelle mentioned here in this context? The Shemen Rosh provides an explanation. The Pasuk says:
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה בְּתֵת ה' לָכֶם בָּעֶרֶב בָּשָׂר לֶאֱכֹל וְלֶחֶם בַּבֹּקֶר לִשְׂבֹּעַ – Moshe said, “When Hashem gives you meat to eat in the evening, and a filling meal of bread in the morning." From this, Rashi learns that meat is to eat (לֶאֱכֹל), but not to be satiated (לִשְׂבֹּעַ); reflecting the way of the world that one does not eat meat until reaching fullness (Yoma 75b). Furthermore, the Gemara in Gittin (70a) states that Eliyahu told Rabbi Natan: "Eat a third, drink a third, and leave a third [of your stomach empty], so that when you become angry, you will be at your full capacity [whereas if your stomach is full of food and drink, when you become angry, it will burst]." Thus, one cannot fill their stomach with meat until reaching satiation.
However, the manna was לֶחֶם אַבִּירִים, which Chazal interpret not to mean the bread of the mighty, but the bread of the limbs; meaning, bread that is absorbed into the 248 limbs. Therefore, one could eat manna to satiation, since the stomach does not fill from it; but with the quail meat, which required shechita (slaughter), one could only eat a third. Hence, it says, "When Hashem gives you to eat, not to be satiated, and bread in the morning to be satiated," because from the manna, one could eat until full, but meat, which is not absorbed into the limbs, is only for eating, not for satiation.
The Gemara (Nedarim 22b) tells the following story: When Ulla was ascending to Eretz Yisrael, two men from Chozai (Jews from Babylonia) accompanied him. One of them stood up and murdered the other. Rabbi Yochanan was shocked and quoted the Pasuk: וְנָתַן ה׳ לְךָ שָׁם לֵב רַגָז – Hashem will give you there [in exile] a trembling heart, meaning, such rage belongs in Bavel. Why, then, did this man become so angry that he killed his companion, especially since they were already in Eretz Yisrael? Ulla responded: “At that moment, we had not yet crossed the Jordan River,” meaning, they were not yet within the sanctified boundaries of Eretz Yisrael proper. Sefer Siach Yitzchak (Makkot 9b) further explains this point. He notes that in the region beyond the Jordan, there were three cities of refuge – Arei Miklat – designated for the inheritance of the two and a half tribes. Abaye remarked that in Gilad, located beyond the Jordan, “murderers are common.” This, he explains, is because that region did not receive the same sanctity as the land of Cna’an proper. Therefore, a "trembling heart" – i.e., emotional instability and unchecked rage — still existed there. Based on this, the instruction “Eat a third, drink a third, and leave a third, so that if you become angry you remain in control” applies specifically in Bavel, where people have a לֵב רַגָז. But it does not apply in Eretz Yisrael, where such inner agitation is absent. Therefore, regarding Eretz Yisrael, the Torah says: וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ – meaning, one may eat until fully satiated, and this is followed by: וּבֵרַכְתָּ – And you shall bless Hashem for the good land that He has given you” – i.e., a land without a trembling heart, where emotional calm allows for full satisfaction without fear of losing control.
After the wonderful words of the Shemen Rosh, we can return to our topic. We are in the days of preparation for the upcoming month of Elul, and Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira tells us that the name אלול is hinted at in the Pasuk from Shir HaShirim: דּוֹמֶה דוֹדִי לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים – My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. In the days from the beginning of Elul until after the Yemei HaDin – 50 days – Hakadosh Baruch Hu is like a gazelle. Why specifically a gazelle? Because during these days, He is not angry! And this is what Bilaam the wicked tried to curse Bnei Israel during these days, eventually conceding: מָה אֶקֹּב לֹא קַבֹּה אֵ-ל וּמָה אֶזְעֹם לֹא זָעַם ה' – How can I curse whom G-d has not cursed, and how can I be angry when Hashem is not angry?! Not only is Hakadosh Baruch Hu not angry during these days, as He shifts from the Kiseh Din to the Kiseh Rachamim, but even when we do not fulfill His will, He is like a gazelle – although He distances Himself from us, He does not abandon us. He always keeps a watchful eye on us. And with what kind of eye? An eye of mercy!
Rabbotai, why is there no anger in Hakadosh Baruch Hu specifically during these days? It's very simple – this is the month in which our Teshuva is accepted! There are people who come with small baggies of sins, while some others come with large grocery bags, and some with boxes and containers! We step forth and say: "Please, I did all this, but please just press ENTER and delete it all!" Are you serious? Maybe for the one with a few crumbs in the small baggie, but for the one who needs a transportation company? Really?!
The sefer Ne’imot Yomeiru (Yamim Noraim, p.86) presents that Shlomo HaMelech expresses the special love that Knesset Yisrael has for the Boreh Olan, and the Boreh Olam for us, in the aspect of a husband and a wife: פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחֹתִי רַעְיָתִי – Knesset Yisrael is called the beloved (רַעְיָתִי), the wife of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, but we never find Hakadosh Baruch Hu being called 'my husband' or 'my man' or even 'my master.' Throughout Shir HaShirim, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is only called דּוֹדִי. Why is this? Why, even though the connection between Knesset Yisrael and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is like the connection of husband and wife, did Shlomo HaMelech choose to express it in a lopsided manner, with the term ‘uncle’ and not 'husband' for Hakadosh Baruch Hu? On Yom Kippur, we’ll all sing together כִּי אָֽנוּ עַמֶּֽךָ וְאַתָּה אֱ-לֹהֵֽינוּ, which contains the line וְאַתָּה דוֹדֵֽנוּ אָֽנוּ רַעְיָתֶֽךָ. We’re the bride, and You, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, are the uncle. Why is this?
The author of Divrei Moed presents a very beautiful idea: When a person is born, they automatically receive relatives; they do not need to do anything for them to be theirs. They cannot oppose their closeness, nor can they disconnect from them. They are their relatives until the day of death. The siblings are theirs; the uncles are theirs – this is the father's brother, and this is the mother's brother. From the moment they come into the world, they become an inseparable part of their life, and this is the closeness of דּוֹד – uncle. In contrast, the relationship of husband and wife is not automatic. Efforts must be made until the marriage bond is formed. The husband must seek out his wife, and it is up to choice. Furthermore, unlike in the case of uncle, a husband can separate from his wife, and a wife can separate from her husband. If, chas v’shalom, they divorce – from then on, there is no connection between them. A Bar Mitzvah boy or Bat Mitzvah girl are referred to as בר or בת, whereas one who commits a sin is called a Ba’al Aveira – בעל. Why the difference? Why not Bar Aveira? It is because the former never lose that designation or Bar/Bat Mitzvah once achieved. It is theirs for eternity! But the Ba’al Aveira can dismiss his title, through Teshuva.
If Shlomo HaMelech had praised the connection between Knesset Yisrael and the Creator as being like husband and wife, it would imply that separation is possible. When one does not find favor in the other's eyes, a divorce can be given; separation is possible. Therefore, he says that although the relationship between Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Knesset Yisrael is like that of husband and wife, he refers to Hakadosh Baruch Hu with the title uncle.
When the month of Elul arrives, a person begins to examine their deeds and deal with their sins, and upon doing so they might fall in spirit and give up: "Is it possible that because of my many transgressions, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will abandon me like a man who leaves his wife if she, G-d forbid, sinned?" To this, Shlomo HaMelech tells us: No! Despite everything, the closeness remains the closeness of a beloved, and despite all that a person does, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will never disconnect from them. Because although the love is the love of husband and wife, the closeness is eternal. It is the closeness of beloved! This is a closeness that from the moment a Jew is born, they become part of it without choice and without the ability to separate. Chazal tell us, with the דּוֹד, the beloved, there is an eternal bond – you can't escape! And this is the month of Elul, where אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי – I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine! Don't be afraid to come to the דּוֹד and ask for forgiveness for your sins!
