This week's parashah discusses the halachos of the ישראל מלך, the king of the Jewish nations. It states that the melech, king of Bnei Yisrael, must own his own sefer Torah, which he studies from every day of his life. The Torah writes why it is important for him to have this mitzvah (17:18-20) אֶת לוֹ וְכָתַב לְמַעַן חַיָּיו יְמֵי כָּל בוֹ וְקָרָא עִמּוֹ וְה ָיְתָה...הַזֹּאת הַת ּוֹרָה מִשְׁנֵה ...הַזֹּאת הַת ּוֹרָה דִּבְרֵי כָּל אֶת לִש ְׁמֹר א ֱלֹק ָיו 'ה אֶת לְיִרְאָה יִלְמַד וּש ְׂמֹאול יָמ ִין הַמ ִּצְוָה מִן סוּר וּלְבִלְתִּי ,מֵאֶחָיו וֹ לְב ָב רוּם לְבִלְתִּי, "He shall write for himself two copies of this Torah... it shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear Hashem, his G-d, to observe all the words of this Torah and these decrees... so that his heart does not become haughty over his brethren and not turn from the commandment right or left..."
The Ramban writes that this pasuk states the prohibition of gaavah, for all people, and not solely for kings. The Ramban writes, "The Torah is hinting here to the sin of gaavah. The pasuk says that a king can't have gaavah. Certainly, others, who have no reason to feel proud, must be cautious. The Torah prevents even those who deserve to feel haughty, telling them that they must have a humble heart... This is because gaavah is a repulsive attribute, and it is disgusting to Hashem. This is even when it is gaavah for a king. This is because greatness and exaltedness are solely for Hashem, alone. Only He deserves praise. A person's pride should solely be in Hashem's pride. As Shlomo HaMelech says (Mishlei 16:5) כל 'ה תועבת לב גבה , 'The abomination of Hashem is every haughty heart.' And it states (Yirimayahu 9:23) כי אותי וידוע השכל המתהלל יתהלל בזאת אם , 'For only with this, may one glorify himself – contemplating and knowing Me...'"
Reb Y. D. Shlesinger Shlita tells that when he had first arrived to study in yeshivas Tchebin, he heard the public phone ringing, but no one was picking it up. The rosh yeshiva, Reb Avraham Ginichovsky zt'l, came by, and he answered the phone. The person on the phone asked some question, and Reb Avraham Ginichovsky replied that he didn’t know the answer, but he would check and find out. He came back a few moments later, took the phone, and told the person the outcome of the elections. The man wanted to know who won the elections, and Reb Avraham Ginichovsky found out for him and told him.
All this occurred before the astonished eyes of Reb Y. D. Shlesinger. When Reb Avraham Ginichovsky put down the phone, he said to Reb Y. D. Shlesinger (who was a new bachur in yeshiva), "Today I have already fulfilled the pasuk תלך לפניו צדק (which refers to giving tzedakah and to performing other acts of kindness). This story is a lesson in chinuch, and it is also a good example of the humility of the Jewish nation."
One Shavuos morning, someone saw the Beis Yisrael of Gur zt'l pacing back and forth, while saying the pasuk from Megilas Rus (1:21) 'ה השיבני וריקם הלכתי מלאה אני, "I was full when I went away, but Hashem has brought me back empty."
The chasid who saw this figured that the Rebbe was reminding himself of the war years, when all of his family was killed hy'd. The Beis Yisrael recognized that a chasid was watching him, so he turned to him and told him his intention. When a person walks around with his nose in the air (feeling gaavah in his heart) and he feels הלכתי מלאה אני, that he has everything, then 'ה השיבני וריקם, Hashem has him return empty, and he learns that he has nothing.
This means that when a person is arrogant, Hakadosh Baruch Hu takes his hashgachah pratis away from him, r'l, and then he will certainly have a downfall. Because there is a rule: When a person feels that he can take care of himself, and he doesn't need Hashem's help, Hashem says, "O.K. So, you think you can manage on your own? Let's see what you can do without My help." Obviously, this will result in problems and tzaros. When that occurs, he will become humble. He will raise his eyes to heaven to save him. When he does so, he will now be worthy of Hashem's hashgachah pratis and salvations.
The Arizal says that when one says עוזר דלים , "Hashem helps the poor", before Shemoneh Esrei, he should consider himself to be poor, and in this state of mind, he stands to daven Shemonah Esrei (quoted by the Chida, Machzik Brachah 98:2).
It states (Eichah 2:19) 'ה פ ְּנֵי נֹכַח לִ בֵּ ךְ כַמ ַּיִם שִׁפ ְכִי, "Pour out your heart like water in the presence of Hashem."
Tefillah is compared to pouring water (and not wine or any other liquid) because water is compared to humility, as Chazal (Taanis 7a) say, "Just like water leaves a high place and goes to low places..." This means that one should daven with humility.
The Beis Aharon (Chanukah p.44) writes, "When a person davens amidst yesurim and poverty, and he knows in his heart that he doesn’t have any merits, and he asks from Hashem a חנם מתנת, which means he requests that his tefillos be answered even if he doesn't deserve it, as Dovid HaMelech said (Tehillim 25:16), אָנִי וְע ָנִי יָח ִיד כִּי, 'for I am alone and afflicted,' then Hashem will answer him, every time we turn to Him."
The Imrei Yosef zt'l (Va'eschanan) writes that when a person requests from Hashem, and he wants to be answered due to his merits, his deeds will be checked, and he might be found unworthy. But when one asks for a חנם מתנת, to be granted help, even when he doesn't deserve it, his tefillos will be answered. The person didn't ask to be answered because of his good deeds, so even if he doesn't have good deeds, it won't prevent his tefillos from being answered.
The Navi tells us that Eli HaKohen saw Chanah davening, and didn’t hear her voice, so he figured that she was drunk, as it states (Shmuel 1, 1:13) נָּעוֹת שְׂפָת ֶיהָ רַק ּלִבָּה עַל מְד ַבֶּרֶת הִיא וְח ַנָּה לְשִׁכֹּרָה ע ֵלִי ָוַיַּחְשְׁבֶה ַיִשָּׁמֵע לֹא ּוְקוֹלָה , "Chanah was speaking to her heart – only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard – so Eli thought she was drunk."
Chanah explained to him that she was davening and that she was brokenhearted. Eli replied (ibid. pasuk 17) לְש ָׁלוֹם לְכִי וַיֹּאמֶר ע ֵלִי וַיַּעַן מֵעִמּוֹ ְּשָׁא ַלְת ֶׁראֲש שֵׁלָתֵ ךְ אֶת יִתֵּן יִשְׂרָאֵל וֵאלֹקֵי , "Eli then answered and said, 'Go in peace. The G-d of Yisrael will grant the request you have made of Him." The Imrei Emes asked his father, the Sfas Emes, how Eli changed his mind so quickly. At first, he thought that she was drunk and that she wasn't davening at all, and afterwards, he was certain that her tefillos were answered!
The Sfas Emes zt'l told him that the students of the Rebbe Reb Bunim of Pshischa zy'a asked this question. They explained that Eli was able to see what was happening in heaven, and he didn't see her tefillos. This surprised him, because a krechtz of a Yid goes straight up before Hashem's throne. He concluded that she wasn't davening sincerely. He thought that she was pretending to pray, but it wasn't so. This was the reason Eli suspected that she was drunk. After Chanah explained that she was brokenhearted, he understood that she was praying sincerely.
