Parshas Ki Sisa Messages 5779

בּ“ה

Parshas Ki Sisa

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‘When you take a reckoning of the Bnei Yisroel according to their countings, and [each] man shall give (ונתנו) a redemption of his Soul to Hashem. . .’ (Shemos 30:12)

ונתנו (‘and they shall give’), notes the Baal HaTurim, would spell the same word if you read it backwards.

This tells us, he explains wonderfully, that what a person gives to charity will return to them [and perhaps more!] -- and they won’t lose anything because of it.

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‘When you take a reckoning of the Bnei Yisroel according to their countings, and [each] man shall give a redemption of his Soul to Hashem. . . This they shall give, all who pass through the counting: Half a shekel in the holy shekel’ (Shemos 30:12-13)

Rashi zt”l quotes from Midrash Tanchuma: Hashem showed Moshe Rabbeinu a sort of coin of fire, and its weight was half a shekel, and He said to him: “Like this they shall give.”

The Noam Elimelech {Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l} draws from this comparison a very great lesson: We need to remember that a coin is like fire: Just like fire is able to burn and cause destruction, but it can also be used to warm things and for benefit, so too a coin: If it is used for good purposes, such as Tzedakah, etc., then it brings much benefit. But if it is used improperly, it is liable to cause damage.

(Maayanah Shel Torah)

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‘And the Bnei Yisroel shall keep the Shabbos, to make the Shabbos for their generations as an eternal Covenant. Between Me and between the Bnei Yisroel, it is a Sign forever. . .’ (Shemos 31:16-17)

Says the Chofetz Chaim {HaRav Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan zt”l}, on the Shabbos being a ‘sign’: To what can the matter be compared? To a businessman who puts on the outside of his house a sign so that people will know the nature of his work. And the entire time that the sign is on his house, everyone knows that this businessman lives here -- even if sometimes he travels somewhere for a few days, people still see that he hasn’t completely left that house.

However, if he would take away the sign and move it to some other place, then that would show that this businessman has already moved from this house and isn’t to be found there.

So too with the matter of Shabbos, says the Chofetz Chaim: It is the sign that testifies that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh -- Shabbos. It is also the sign upon a Jewish person who ‘carries this splendorous banner upon themselves,’ i.e. one who keeps the Shabbos, that they believe that Hashem created the world, and thus that He is the Master of all, and we are obligated to do His Will with all our Soul and all our might. Even if, Chas V’Shalom, it happens that they do something wrong, this sign -- Shabbos -- testifies that they are still strongly a frum Jew. . .

(Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah)

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Tells us HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l: And it’s a covenant forever and ever. ביני ובין בני ישראל אות היא לעולם. This is a tremendous declaration: “Shabbos is a sign between Me and you -- and it will be everlasting.” Forever! “As long as there will be a world.” Hashem is telling us, “Shabbos is our commitment to each other. You keep Shabbos by reminding yourself that I have chosen you to be Mine, and I will keep you as Mine forever.” That’s a tremendous statement!

Now, what does this Covenant mean? Hashem says that we are together forever. A ברית עולם. “Just like I am forever,” says Hashem, “You’re also going to be forever.”. . .

You should think about that on Shabbos: Shabbos is the time to utilize this great lesson. To think about who you are, the great Nation that you are a part of. You’re a גוי קדוש, a holy nation chosen by Hashem. You’re sitting at the table and everybody is happy and eating and talking. It’s wonderful! But you’re utilizing your time wisely. You’re utilizing every minute thinking these great thoughts. Nobody knows what you’re thinking. But you’re looking at your children, your wife, your guests, and you’re looking at Hashem’s holy People. You’re thinking about the words that Hashem told the Bnei Yisroel in this week’s Parsha: כי אות היא ביני וביניכם לדורותיכם לדעת כי אני השם מקדשכם -- ‘I set this day as a special sign between Me and you, as well as your descendents forever and ever, so that you should know that I, Hashem, make you holy.’

(Toras Avigdor al HaParsha)

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‘And Moshe turned and he descended from the Mountain, and the two Tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. . . And the Tablets, they are the work of G-d, and the writing is the Writing of G-d, engraved upon the Tablets.’ (Shemos 32:15-16)

Asks the HaRav Dov Weinberger shlit”a: Why does the Torah talk about the greatness of the Luchos and the writing on them here when Moshe Rabbeinu was descending the mountain with them, right before he smashed them because the Jews sinned with the golden calf? Why not at the time that they were given?

And he suggests: Perhaps we can say that the emphasis on the greatness of the Luchos only now is to teach a person human nature; that only when they stand to lose what is precious to them, specifically then do they suddenly feel the importance of it.

(Shemen HaTov)

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Adds HaRav Yissachar Frand shlit”a: Our inability to appreciate what we have before it is too late is one of the saddest aspects of human nature. . .

When the boys are in Yeshiva, they feel like their Yeshiva days will last forever. No matter how much I lecture my talmidim on this subject, they usually do not take it to heart. Years later I meet former talmidim, and then I hear the regret in their voices as they nostalgically remember their days in Yeshiva. They fill me in on their lives, and they invariably say, “I enjoy my life, but I miss the days back in Yeshiva. Rebbe, you were right; I should have appreciated my days in Yeshiva while they lasted.” If only they would have seen the forest rather than get tangled up among the trees. . .

The same applies to raising children. When our children are young and living with us, we have a hard time paying attention to the transience of their existence in our homes. . . We are so caught up in the difficulty of raising our children that we often fail to realize how lucky we are to be spending time with them.

Years later, when our nests empty out, we suddenly look back and wish we could hear the laughter of a two-year-old, the sound of little bare feet tapping on the floor, and yes, the sound of toys being poured out in a room that we just cleaned. . .

What does the average American look forward to? Retirement. People spend the most productive years of their lives, from the age of 20 to 65, considering what they will do when they retire. What a shame! By the time people reach 65, they often no longer have the energy or drive to appreciate their newfound freedom from obligation [with making a living, etc.], and they spend the rest of their lives morbidly wishing that they enjoyed their strength while it lasted.

Perhaps the most painful application of this concept is the relationship most have with their parents. . . As long as a person’s parents are alive, they seem to pose a great difficulty. There are times that they offer unsolicited advice, or mix into our Chinuch decisions, and we become frustrated. When parents pass away, children suddenly realize what they have lost. They realize that they should have welcomed the friendly advice; they should have appreciated the warmth, caring, and love that was the basis for their unappreciated suggestions.

By reserving the description of the Luchos until they were about to be destroyed, concludes Rav Frand shlit”a beautifully, the Torah warns us to appreciate our gifts in life -- our children, our strength, our parents, and the myriad other gifts that Hashem grants us -- before it is too late.

(Rabbi Frand on the Parashah 2)

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|~Maaseh~| Reb Eizel’e Charif {HaRav Yehoshua Izyk Shapiro zt”l} had a daughter of marriageable age, and he needed to find a good Shidduch for her. So he went to the great Yeshiva of Volozhin, and posed a very difficult question. Whichever bachur could answer it he would pick. But none of them could answer it.

Reb Eizel’e left after some time, and was just pulling away in his horse and carriage, when suddenly, one of the Bachurim came running out of the Yeshiva.

“Forget the Shidduch.” He said to Reb Eizel’e. “But how can you leave Volozhin without giving an answer?”

This young man may not have known the answer, but he desired very much to. He sought it greatly. And it was this young man whom Reb Eizel’e zt”l chose as his son-in-law (and who also would later become a Rav).

(Heard from my Rebbe, HaRav Chaim Eisenstein shlit”a)

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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!

Torah, Mussar, Chassidus, Stories, and More! - בּ"ה

Thursday, February 21, 2019