Author: Aish Haolam

The Chasam Sofer was once asked how he could pasken very complicated shaylos so quickly. He responded that when he learned a Gemara, he first crystallized the principles that emerged from his learning, and then he tried to imagine all the different circumstances to which those principles might apply. Thus when a case involving those principles later arose before the Chasam Sofer, he found that he had usually thought about just such situation previously and how the principles would apply. Unfortunately, few of us learn like the Chasam Sofer in this respect.

אדם  מועד  לעולם

Adam Mu’ad Le’olam

(Bava Kama 26a)

“A man is always forewarned”
מועד = 120

“Man’s time of 120 is Forever”

I often escorted Rav Avrohom to shiurim he gave Friday night. He usually spoke in different shuls. On the walk he would always ask my thoughts on a chakirah and that was always the chakirah he discussed in the shiur. However, one shiur, the Bein Hazmanim shiur he gave in Bnei Brak was a standard yearly event and was well known throughout Bnei Brak. He would often go to his son Yossi before he delivered the shiur. The first time I went I was a bit intimidated as the Beis Medrash held hundreds of people and extended far to the back. During the shiur questions would be asked from all four corners of the room and Rav Avrohom would answer them all. It was at one shiur, however, one year that I saw something memorable, something seen done by other Gedolim. Right after he entered the hall, I saw him run, almost sprint to the microphone in the front of the room. Suddenly he appeared to everyone in the front. There was no “few extra seconds of amazement”that the participants could have enjoyed to watch him walk to the stage. Instead, he ran and those present could only stand in amazement of his Torah thoughts but not his physical presence.

וַאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ בְּיִרְאָתֶךָ

But I, through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your house; I will prostrate myself toward Your Holy Sanctuary, in awe of You. In the previous verse it is said אִישׁ דָּמִים וּמִרְמָה יְתָעֵב יְ-ה-וָ-ה, HaShem abhors a bloodthirsty and deceitful man. The Baal HaTurim (Shemos 15:18) teaches us an important rule regarding the placement of HaShem’s Name in Scripture. It is said (Shemos 15:18) יְ-ה-וָֹ-ה יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד, HaShem shall reign for all eternity! In this verse the Name of HaShem precedes the word יִמְלֹךְ, He shall reign. However, in Tehillim (146:9-10) it is said הוָה שֹׁמֵר אֶת גֵּרִים יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה יְעוֹדֵד וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים יְעַוֵּת: {י} יִמְלֹךְ יְ-ה-וָ-ה לְעוֹלָם אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן לְדֹר וָדֹר הַלְלוּיָ-הּ, HaShem protects strangers, orphan and widows He encourages; but the way of the wicked He contorts. HaShem shall reign forever; your G-d, O Zion; from generation to generation. Halleluyah! In this verse the word יִמְלֹךְ, He shall reign, precedes the Name HaShem. The Baal HaTurim writes that given that Dovid HaMelech ended his praise with the words וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים יְעַוֵּת, but the way of the wicked He contorts, he did not wish to associate HaShem with evil. [This idea is found in the Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 3:6) that states that HaShem did not wish to associate His Name with evil, so He did not write in the Torah (Bereishis 1:5) וַיִּקְרָא אֱ-לֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחשֶׁךְ קָרָא אֱ-לֹהִים לַיְלָה, and HaShem called to the light: “Day,” and to the darkness HaShem called: “Night.” Rather, it is said :  וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה, and HaShem called to the light: “Day,” and to the darkness He called: “Night.”]

We can suggest reading the words as follows:יְ-ה-וָ-ה- וַאֲנִי, HaShem and I, implying that when one abhors a bloodthirsty and deceitful person, He attaches himself to HaShem, similar to the verse that states (Tehillim 118:25) אָנָּא יְ-ה-וָ-ה הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, and the Gemara (Sukkah 45a) interprets the words אָנָּא יְ-ה-וָ-ה to read אני והו, literally translated as He and I. He can then enter the house of HaShem and prostrate himself toward HaShem’s Holy Sanctuary in awe.

On Motzei Shabbos, I along with someone else stayed in Rav Avrohom’s apartment to watch it as the Rav and Rebbetzin went out. Upon their return, I made plans with Rav Avrohom to visit someone. We went over the instructions including the correct taxi needed to take. I and the person I was with went on the route and didn’t exactly get to the destination without hassles and delays. Nonetheless, we made it back to the apartment later that night. Rav Avrohom asked how it went. We didn’t want to go into all the details, but we did sort of hint that we encountered some complications in getting there. He responded – “So you arrived, and you made it back – Baruch Hashem.'” With confidence he stated the main point – that Hashem took care of the journey and we made it there and back.

I once called Rav Avrohom before Pesach and asked if he could share a d’var Torah. He told me that if you take the words hamez and mazzah as they are spelled in the Torah, they practically share the same letters except that the hey of mazzah and chet of hamez have a slight difference. The hey (ה) doesn’t quite connect to the top whereas the chet (ח) fully connects. Therefore the difference between hamez and mazzah is a miniscule protrusion of space. He said that in life the difference between living a life of hamez or mazzah is comparable to the minuscule opening that exists between the letters; teaching that through miniscule action one can transform his existence.

Rav Avrohom told me a drash in relation to Pesach that I believe has relevance to Rosh Hashana and all holidays. He said regarding the words in the Haggadah, Rebbi Yehudah haya nossen bo simanim, desach adash ba-achav. He said that the word desach comes from the words desa u’rena; merriness, adash, refers to the lentil bean that Esau sold his birthright for and ba-achav, if broken into two words would mean ba chov, the debt will be repaid. The explanation of the drash is that one who engages in worldly happiness and merriment similar to the type that Esau did will have to repay the debt for such conduct (perhaps it may be said all debts may be released year to year on Rosh Hashanah).

http://www.amazon.com/Seder-Night-Commentary-Teachings-Soloveitchik/dp/1602801185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460946828&sr=8-1&keywords=an+exalted+evening

The Kotzker Rebbe had a famous thought when discussing Teshuvah. Often our eyes look at the wrong things. How then do we avoid looking around at our environment and become ensnared in seeing the wrong things? The Kotzker says to be involved in Torah “Beiyun.” Learning Torah in great depth,using all the faculties of the mind, prevents the eyes from roaming as the mind is so preoccupied and it brings real Teshuvah. (How appropriate at a time such as Pesach where we are trying to eliminate all the Chametz from our being). Rabbi Orlowek recommends to write the main points you learned in a sugya on an index card before you finish. This way you can take it with you and continually review it in the “street.”

Isra”el” and Ishma”el”both embody G-d’s name (“el”). This is a frightening proposition! If Yishmael contains Hashem’s name within it, how are we supposed to beat them? The answer must that we can’t only match them in their strengths, but we must surpass them. What are the strenghts of Yishmael? The first is tefillah. Hagar prayed to G-d and an angel assured her of safety and a future generation. It’s no coincidence that Yitzchak who was the first prototype to battle Yishael came from the exact place that Hagar davened when he went to beseech G-d with prayer. Secondly, Yishmael has the natural inclination of Mesirath Nefesh. Throughout history, they wiped out Jews with barbaric tactics. Today it manifests itself in the form of suicide bombers. How can we counteract this? What is our Mesirath Nefesh that is necessary? Well Nefesh doesn’t only mean “body” – it also means “ratzon” desire. We must place G-d’s wishes before our desires. It must be “He” before “Me.” To win, we need prayer and the placing of G-d’s will before our own.