Im sorry if its too long guys i hope its good.
Have a great shabbos pluatonians.
Last week’s parsha, Ki Savoh as well as this week’s parshiyos, Nitzavim and Vayeilech contain a tremendous focus on the klal, the general group of bnei yisrael. Firstly in Pasrshas Ki Savoh all of bnei yisrael join together on two mountains to hear the brachos and klalos that we will receive if we keep the torah or heaven forbid stray from the torah path. Rav Saadia Gaon explains that we can learn the mitvah of “Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze Laze” from this event. We learn the halachic principle that we are individually responsible if one of our friends is not performing the mitzvos properly. If my friend is not wearing tzitzis or missing davening, I am responsible for his actions as well.
Following the same concept, in Parshas Nitzavim, the torah tells us that even though we are not culpable for the sins that a Jew does in private or in his hidden thoughts, we are however responsible for the sins and aveiros that he does in public. This is an incredible idea which we have to internalize that we have to start caring not just about ourselves but about our friends as well.
This idea of areivim ze laze and being responsible for one another is especially significant during this time period right before Rosh Hoshana. I saw the Arizal quoted that the reason why Rosh Hashana is a two day yuntif even in Israel, even for alex and yoni, is because the first day is necessary for judgment on our own individual actions. There is a second day also that’s necessary for judgment on our relationship with the general klal, tzibur. The entire second day of Rosh Hashana is devoted to judging whether we actually cared for our friends and made sure they were doing the right things or if we just ignored them and worried only about ourselves.
I think this whole pluaton email dvar torah exchange is really awesome for the very reason that I mentioned above. It’s a great way of keeping the guys together and a way of making sure that we all are staying on the right path.
I don’t know if the guys realize but myself and alex yudin are second cousins and we shared the same bubbe, great grandmother, who just passed away two nights ago. It was a bit eerie for me because that night was the shloshim, thirty days since my other great grandfather on my father’s side (not related to alex, but actually related to corey who is my third cousin) just passed away. Baruch Hashem they both lived very long, full lives of torah and mitzvos (one 93 and one 99!), but I thought that it wasn’t just a coincidence being right before Rosha Hoshana. Then I remembered that the gemara in brachos says that if is a person is sinning and is having trouble doing teshuva he should remind himself of yom hamissah and the mortality of a human. Hashem is trying to tell us, or me at least that its time for sincere teshuva.
I wish all you guys the best Shabbos. I hope Akiva’s grandmother has a refua shleima, keep davening for her.
Through each of our merits as a group, as a pluaton, as bnei yisrael as a whole I wish everyone a Kesiva Vechasim Tovah and we all should daven to make it back to Eretz Yisrael, the Eretz Hakdosha very soon.
- lands
No comments:
Post a Comment