Chazon and Nachamu – Two Concepts of Comfort?

Traditionally the Haphtorahs of the three Shabbosim before Tisha B’av are called the three Haphtorahs of Rebuke while the seven Haphtorahs of the Shabbosim after Tisha B’av are called the seven Haphtorahs of Comfort. The Shabbos immediately before Tisha B’av is always parshas Devorim and is called Shabbos Chazon after the beginning word of the Haphtorah Chazon Yeshayahu. The Shabbos after Tisha B’av is called Shabbos Nachamu after the beginning words Nachamu Nachamu Ami. It would seem at first thought that each Shabbos of  Rebuke or Comfort should be named after its Haphtorah. Why only these two Haphtorahs? The simple answer is that these two are the most prominent being in such close proximity to Tisha B’av. But nothing is quite simple when it comes to naming a parsha, there are always underlying rationales. We would like to posit that the underlying rationale is the actual similarity of these two Haphtorahs, one of extreme Rebuke and the other of extreme Comfort,  and the rationale is the heading of this essay, that Chazon and Nachamu, epitomes of Rebuke and Comfort, both have elements of Nechama, Comfort, in them. Open your intellectual eyes and let’s look at this.

Obviously there is no need to discuss the concepts of Comforting Klal Yisroel inherent in the Haphtorah of Nachamu Ami, whose every word shouts the ideas of solace after all the rebuke and remembrance of punishment that Klal Yisroel just went through. But Chazon Yeshayahu with its strong language of rebuke and dire warnings of impending disasters? Where do we see comfort and solace? Again, open your eyes, those eyes of intellectual thought instead of the flesh and blood that you think you have.

Listen to the prophet: “Lomo li rov zivcheichem yomar Hashem”. Why do I need this overabundance of sacrifices says Hashem. I am over sated with your fattened animals and the blood of your offerings I don’t care for. When you come to see my face (to offer sacrifices), who asked you for these offerings, you who trample my grounds (come to the Beis Hamikdosh). Stop bringing your false Mincha offerings, your incense offerings are abominable to me. Your Chodesh and Yom Tov observances have become hateful to me. They have become to me as an overbearance (of my patience).

I read this every year and tears come to my eyes. Hashem is telling us very clearly, I dont want you in my house, I dont need your sacrifices and prayers, stay away from me. Sounds terrible doesn’t it? G-d telling us He has no need nor patience to our sacrifices and at this point, to our prayers. But read into these words. As we said earlier, there must be similarities between these two Haphtorahs of Chazon and Nachamu. Nachamu is definitely comfort. But where’s the comfort in these words of Rebuke? Yeshayahu's worrds are words of prophecy. Prophecy can only come through the prophet’s ultimate Simcha, joy. What is Yeshayahu joyful of?

G-d is telling us that He has no patience to the prayers and sacrifices of people who think that they can live their lives counter to the teachings of the Torah and then pray to G-d to provide them with their daily needs. G-d has no comfort with people who say they are "Good Jews" because they give sacrifices of money to charity. That’s the prima facie meaning of this prophecy. But we would like to posit that there’s a deeper meaning to these words, a Comfort within the Rebuke, a silver lining to the clouds that hide G-d’s face from us. G-d is saying to us, who needs all this from you? Please stop bringing sacrificial offerings. Please stop your prayers. The emphasis is on “please”. Because if we insist on opening our hearts and praying, Hashem has no choice but to listen to our prayers and to answer them.

But isn’t that the epitome of audacity? Hashem is saying stay away from me because I can’t take your false prayers? And yet we continue to pray and hope that our prayers will be answered. From where do we get this nerve? Let’s look at a piece from a short essay of Rabbeinu Tzadok HaCohen from his sefer Tzidkas Hatzadik, essay number 46. The piece starts off with the posuk, "L'Rosho omar Elokim mah lecho lesapeir chuki." Hashem says to the sinner: who are you to relate my laws. This means who gives you the right to learn my Torah and to daven to me. The people are bereft of true Torah meaning in their lives Towards the end of his essay he says that Chazal tell us that before the advent of Moshiach, the generations will be full of chutzpah, audacity. And he brings down a verse that provides us with a rationale for this audacity. And hence the words of comfort. After the Jewish Spies came back and discouraged the nation from entering Canaan, and they were told that they would all die out over the next 40 years, they tried to force an entry. The verse states “and they were presumptuous in their rising to enter the land”. Moshe Rabbeinu said to them, don’t go. This act won’t have success. “This act”, this audacity at this point in time won’t work. But says Rabbeinu Tzodok Zechuso togein oleinu, there will come a time when the audacity of the Jews to face Hashem, without any right to pray because they don’t deserve it, will succeed.

This is what Yeshayahu is prophesizing to us. Hashem says I don’t need your prayers, I have no patience to your offerings. But we can see behind Hashem’s words, that He is really saying, please be audacious, please pray to me, and I'll have no choice but to listen. Yes I am over sated with your prayers but at this time your audacity will work. My ears are constantly open to the prayers of Klal Yisroel. At the end of the Haphtorah the prophet says: Let your eyes look upwards to Hashem and see Who created all this. Look at this world with your intellectual eyes and see behind the words of Rebuke and see the Words of Comfort.

And if we do continue to have the audacity of the Messianic generations and we continue to pray to Hashem, He will answer us. If we continue to study Torah and observe mitzvos and a Torah lifestyle, G-d will answer our prayers and bring us Comfort. And we will succeed, as Moshe Rabbeinu promised us, the audacity back then didn’t succeed, not then, but in the future, at this point, this audacity will succeed. And we will see the next week’s Haphtorah, Nachamu Nachamu Ami, be comforted my people. I will double your comfort.

Let us cry over the destruction but let us also remember Rabbi Akiva’s comfort. Just as we now see the destructive prophecies so shall we soon see the prophecies of comfort.

The Yetzer Hora's Ropes

A well-known medrash says that at the onset of the Olam Haboh period, Hashem will kill the Yetzer Hora, basically by “killing” the Evil Angel. This angel has many names and seemingly many functions, all somehow connected with the concept of evil. The primordial Snake, Satan, Angel of Death, Yetzer Hora, Amalek, Eisov, et al. The medrash then makes an interesting observation. The Yetzer Hora will appear to tzadikim, righteous people, as a mountain. The same Yetzer Hora will appear to reshoim, sinners, as a hair. So what’s the “real” Yetzer Hora about?

The Yetzer Hora and sinning is really about saying Yes or No. And the sin itself can be the often very thin lined difference between mutar and issur, in other words, k’chut hasaaroh, thin as a human hair. The Yetzer Hora never comes to a person with a straight out temptation to do an egregious transgression. Rather it starts off with some little sin which at first glance doesn’t seem so bad or it tries to convince you that it isn’t “so” bad. In Pirkei Avos we learn that “ovar v’shonoh naaseh k’heter”, if someone transgresses and does a sinful act and then does it again, it will seem mutar to him. Really? This person sinned, not accidentally but knowing full well that it was a sin, and after the second time he decides that it’s perfectly okay now? Doesn’t sound right.

We can possibly understand this better using a gemoro in Megilla. The gemora says, the sages stated, we read the Megilla at night and then “shonoh boh” in the morning, meaning that we reread it in the morning. The gemora then states that the junior students thought this meant to “learn” it in the morning, the word “shono” also meaning to learn. The sages then cleared this up by saying it meant to reread the Megilla. We see though from this that “shono” can mean to learn about a concept.

This is what the Mishna in Pirkei Avos means. If someone did an aveiro, a sin knowingly, and he “rationalized” it, he “learned” into his act, it will become mutar to him through that rationalization. Another statement of the sages is that it’s better for a person to be a “shoitoh”, stupid, all his life than to sin against G-d. We know that people only sin because a “ruach shtus”, an inane thought came to them. If you sin because you did something stupid, sinning in general is stupid, then G-d can forgive you. If you rationalized the sin, you’re a real sinner and G-d won’t forgive that.

The Yetzer Hora comes to a person with small stuff and rationalizes it. My father told me when I was about 16; many times in the future you won’t have a person in authority and with knowledge and experience near you to guide you. If your only rationalization to do something is – What’s wrong with it – that’s a statement made by the Yetzer Hora and don’t do it. Often the act might look not so bad and that’s why you can’t really decide and that’s when the Yetzer Hora pounces, DO IT!!, What’s wrong with it, nothing, go ahead. Hairline difference between permissible and taboo. And that’s your Yes or No.

A No to the Yetzer Hora and it stops. And you are left with a hair sitting there. And then it comes again with another act or the same act and you say NO. And another hair sits there. And you keep saying No because you are a tzadik, or wannabe but trying hard to be. So after a lifetime of your Nos to your Yetzer Hora, you have a mountain of hairs. When G-d kill your Yetzer Hora it appears to you for what it was, one no after another, one hair after another.

If you say Yes, then that hair becomes your hair. And another Yes and that same hair is still there. And another Yes. The hair hasn’t changed, you keep saying Yes to the Yetzer Hora. He’s got you. What does the Yetzer Hora do with all your hairs? After all they’re all his hairs now. The Yetzer Hora takes the hairs and spins them into threads and then twists the threads into yarn and then finally produces ropes. And the Yetzer Hora uses your ropes to tie you up to him. But when you see the dead Yetzer Hora it will look like that initial hair that you said Yes to.

This is what we pray to Hashem each day, that Hashem is a “matir assurim”, an Unbinder of Ropes. The ropes that tie you to sinful actions because the Yetzer Hora used your Yes answers and your hairs to make ropes to tie you up.

At the end of the Hallel prayers we say, “isru chag b’avosim”, tie the chag, holiday, with ropes. Many Chasidic commentators discuss this as a concept of tying the holiness and lessons of a YomTov to our souls so that the effects will remain with us long after the holiday has passed. Which ropes? During the month of Elul we constantly pray that we be given the strength and understanding to do teshuva. Over the next 10 days of Rosh Hashanah and culminating with Yom Kippur we actually do teshuva. But what kind of teshuva is this? Atoning through the fear of G-d. And during each tefilah service we say “matir assurim” untie our bindings. Then the holiday of Succos arrives, a holiday filled with joy because we are certain that Hashem forgave our sins. Our teshuva now turns into the good type, teshuva of Love for Hashem and Joy in doing mitzvos, the joy of esrog and lulav, the Joy of Succoth and the overall Joy of the Yomtov itself.

This is what is meant by tying ourselves to the Yomtov of Succos with ropes. These ropes that the Yetzer Hora spun out of our sins, our hairline transgressions, and used the ropes to bind us to further sinning. We know that teshuva with Ahavas Hashem turns even egregious sins into mitzvos. Now these erstwhile sinful ropes have become mitzvah ropes, ready to be used to tie us up to further mitzvos through the lessons of Succos and the holiness that we received throughout the month of Tishrei.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

One of the central aspects of many of the world’s religions is the concept of an Original Sin and how it impacts on humanity. The question arises, since the Torah does relate Adam’s sin and punishment, why does future humanity suffer from Adam’s sin if the sin of each person is repaid individually? And if we look to Rashi for commentary he says that the Earth too was punished because it didn’t heed G-d’s command to bring forth trees whose fruit and wood would taste the same. Why was the Earth only punished after Adam had sinned? And how can the Earth with no intellect or free will be punished at all?

The Maharal posits a seminal commentary and explanation for this. First though we must remember and understand that G-d and His thoughts and actions are so completely different from those of humanity. “Lo machshevosei kemachshevoseichem”. My thoughts are not like your thoughts. There is nothing about G-d that we with our corporeal minds can fathom in the slightest. Therefore when G-d decides to do something we often can’t understand the process or reasons behind it nor can we question them.

The Maharal explains the commentary of Rashi on the verse that G-d commanded the Earth to bring forth “fruit trees bearing fruit” and the verse then says that the Earth made “trees bearing fruit”, that the Earth disobeyed G-d’s command and changed what was commanded and made plain wood trees that bear fruit instead of trees that are themselves fruity, bearing fruit. Maharal says that Rashi doesn’t really mean that the Earth “disobeyed” G-d’s command. The Earth has no yetzer hora or free will to make it consciously disobey a command. Rather the Maharal explains that G-d created the corporeal Universe with an innate flaw. The other half of creation, the spiritual universe, was created spiritually perfect. And therefore when G-d commanded the Earth to bring forth fruit trees, in its innate flaw it actually could not completely heed G-d’s command. Why then was it punished?

G-d created the universe with Mashpiim and Mekablim, effectors and effected, movers and the moved. What we can also call “cause and effect”. Hashem created the hierarchy of the “Heavens” or spirituality as being the causers or Mashpia factor, and Earth (universe) or corporeality as being affected or Mekablim “acceptors”. Hashem also created these two diametrically opposed but paradoxically intimately connected entities so that Heaven or spirituality is perfect and Earth or corporeal existence is flawed. As an example, the earth is not perfectly round. Interesting isn’t it?

Earth, due to its innately flawed nature could not produce fruit trees that would actually be in themselves fruit, even though this was G-d’s command. Did G-d know this would happen? Of course. Stick around. The tree is the causer and the fruit is the effect. Hence the flawed Earth being an acceptor of spiritual influence from the perfect Heavens could not make a perfect tree but could only produce the fruit.

Man was created from the essence of the Earth and therefore also has this flawed nature in him. So when Adam was commanded by G-d not to eat the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge it was because an imperfect man was not supposed to eat the fruit of a perfect tree. Seemingly Adam being flawed had no choice but to disobey G-d’s command. But here we come to the beauty of the Maharal’s explanation. True the universe is flawed. True that man as having a corporeal nature is also flawed. But man has a spiritual part, man has a divine soul.

Let’s go back to the Earth’s flaws. We know that Nature abhors a vacuum. Nature when confronted with a vacuum endeavors to fill that vacuum with whatever is nearby. When man is confronted by a flawed Nature, flawed with the prospect of a vacuum of spirituality in his life, man must act to fill that vacuum of spirituality with kedushoh, holiness. If not, Satan steps in and fills it with uncleanliness, tumoh, sins etc. The Torah states “l’pesach chatos roveitz”. At the door or opening or vacuum, sin sits ready to leap in. Good deeds, mitzvos, must be acted upon by man. And so Earth's "punishment" was to remain flawed. Earth was punished because it's most important creation, man, did not act to change Earth's flaw.

Adam, the original Man created from the Earth, ate the Causal Fruit. Man is a corporeal creature, a creature of Effect, and had no right to eat a Fruit which came from a Causal Tree whose fruit was also Causal. Had Adam not eaten the fruit, and therefore filled the vacuum and mitigated the Earth’s flaw, he actually would have risen to the level of a Causer in Creation.

And so we are "punished" as we remain oxymoron creatures, part corporeal animal and part spiritual soul, always on the alert for vacuums of kedushoh that must be filled. And that’s why Hashem gave us mitzvos which must become part of our innate nature so that every vacuum will be filled automatically by us through our daily lives filled with Torah and mitzvos.

Joy and Fear, Mutually Exclusive or Complementary

The Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh is Shabbos Mevorchim, the Blessing of a New Month. The Blessing service between the Torah reading and the Mussaf prayer consists of 3 parts. The first part is actually a personal prayer composed and recited daily by the famous Amora, Rav. The prayer uses the word Chaim, Life, 11 times in asking G-d for a Life of 11 different aspects. For example, a Life of Torah, a Life of earning a livelihood, etc. These correspond to the 11 times that we make the New Month Blessing since we don’t make the Blessing for the month of Tishrei. The Chaim aspect corresponding to the current New Month of Iyar is Chaim Sh’Yesh Bohem Yiraas Shomayim V’Yiraas Cheit, a Life that is filled with the Fear of Heaven and the Fear of Sinning.

Several questions beg for an answer. First what’s the connection to the month of Iyar of Fear of Heaven and Fear of Sinning? Second how do we understand the concepts of Fear of Heaven and of Sinning? And third, what connection does the idea of living a life have with being in fear of anything? At first glance it seems that the idea of Life would connote joy and happiness, not fear.

What are Yiraas Shomayim and Yiraas Cheit? How do these two integral concepts of Yiddishkeit fit in with the idea of serving Hashem with Simcha, joy? Our Sages tell us that Dovid Hamelech would often say that he served Hashem “Yirosi mitoch simchosi v’simchosi mitoch yirosi”. His service to Hashem was such that his fear of G-d came through his joy in serving G-d and that his joy in serving G-d came through his fear of G-d.

A person is deathly ill and the doctor prescribes a strong medicine and the doctor warns the person not to drink any alcoholic beverages. The person may likely not take that warning seriously. However if the doctor says that drinking alcoholic beverages may ruin your liver or lead to kidney failure and you’ll die, the person will take that warning quite seriously and not drink anything alcoholic. When the person recovers and realizes that the fear that the doctor put in him of alcohol actually was good for him, he’ll be happy that he obeyed. The fear of G-d and the fear of sinning are there for our good, in order that we serve Hashem correctly. We should be happy that this fear exists because it prevents us from doing anything wrong. Our joy in serving G-d comes from our fear of G-d.

A child generally has an innate sense of love for a parent. As the child grows older he/she will understand that the parents’ rules and requests are for the child’s own good. Along with a growing sense of love for their parents the child will have a growing appreciation and respect for them. This respect is in a sense an outgrowth of the initial love a child may have for their parents. The child’s fear and respect come from the joy of loving their parents. Serving Hashem with fear and respect comes from the initial love of Hashem and being joyful in one’s service of Hashem.

What are we looking for in life? What would we like to accomplish in life? Well most people would answer the pursuit of happiness. We all want to be happy. Being fearful all day that something will happen to us does seem counter-intuitive to happiness and joy in life. But if our fear of doing something wrong against G-d’s instructions on how to live a life filled with Torah and mitzvos and walking in the path of Yiddishkeit eventually results in Olam Haboh and in corporeal rewards, then this fear actually will make us happy. Asking Hashem to please let us live a life filled with fear of Heaven and sinning will ultimately lead to a life lived with joy and happiness.

So now when you think of the advice to serve Hashem with joy and with fear, you’ll realize that these two seemingly opposite aspects of service to Hashem are not mutually exclusive. Joy and fear in our everyday life actually complement each other and serve to enhance our life of Torah and Yiddishkeit.

What connection does all this have with the month of Iyar? In the seminal chasidic work Bnei Yissoschor, the author posits that each month is governed by a different variation in the 4 letter Holy Name of Hashem, HaVaYaH. The variation for the month of Iyar is Yud; Heh; Heh; Vov. Notice that this variation is the first two letters in normal order and the last two letters backwards, or the four letters introverted. I would say that if we consider the Name of HaVaYaH as connoting Hashem’s guidance of creation with Rachamim or Mercy, and we look inside ourselves, introvert your view of Hashem and His guiding Hand in your life and see how He guides your life with Mercy, you’ll find true joy and happiness resulting from your Torah life and your service of Hashem.

Slow down, you move to fast - Vayakhel

In Parshas Vayakhel the Torah reiterates all the various materials that the Bnei Yisroel donated for the building of the Mishkan and all its components and all the various vessels and holy objects required to do the daily service to Hashem. In the middle of the parsha the Torah relates that the people who were in charge of collecting the materials came to Moshe Rabbeinu and said, “The people exceeded in bringing, more than the labor of the work that Hashem has commanded to perform”. And Moshe then commanded the people to stop bringing any more materials. The Torah adds that the people had brought material that was sufficient to do all the work required, and a surplus. If it was sufficient, how could there be a surplus. We’ll soon see.

The Sfas Emes Ztzl on the Torah in 5641 says that the chachomim, wise men, in charge of the work came to Moshe and said that they see that the people have an extra surge of hisnadvus, free-willed urge to donate. They were worried that this extra hisnadvus would cause them to lose track of what they were doing. The Mishkan had to be constructed with material that was given with a pure desire for service to Hashem and with a sense of Kedusha, holiness. The chachomim recognized that this Kedusha and free-willed urge to give might be lost after the initial zeal, that the extra surge wouldn’t be with the purity and holiness required.

Sfas Emes says further that in everything that a person does in Avodas Hashem there should be a concept of Retzo V’Shov, running to do it and returning. What does this mean? He quotes the Baal Shem Tov that every aspect and deed of Avodas Hashem should bring to a person a sense of Yiraas Shomayim and Busho, humility. While performing a service to Hashem a person should realize and understand the Greatness of Hashem and in doing so come to Yiraas Shomayim and humility. And the Sfas Emes explains the concept of Retzo V’Shov with this idea of yiroh and busho. Generally when a person does an avoda such as davening or learning or a mitzvo and it really works out well, that person might have a smug feeling of accomplishment. Look how good I davened, look at how many blatt gemorah I learned. It can bring Pride, Gavoh. Then the Yetzer Hora can change this feeling into one of thinking, look how much better am I than my friend. Or look how I'm fooling others into thinking that I'm great. And then from this come to an opposite feeling; that hey I know myself, who am I fooling and actually stop doing the mitzvos and davening properly.

Another thing that can go wrong is that the initial feeling of free-will charity may become tainted. The person originally wanted to give $100 but then heard others giving more so he changes his donation to $200. The extra $100 isn't as pure as the original.  It comes from that extra urge but not the pure free-will urge that he originally had.

But if the person as he runs along doing his Avodas Hashem stops for a moment and starts to think, what am I doing, to Whom am I doing this, why am I doing all this. Stop and go back and look at what you’re doing. Then his davening and learning and mitzvos will bring Yiraas Shomayim and humility as he realizes to Whom he is davening, what he is doing, and what he is learning. The idea of going forward and stopping and looking back will cause all his work to stay on track, to bring yiroh and anivus.

Moshe Rabbeinu and the chachomim saw that the Bnei Yisroel were bringing their donations to the Mishkon with an extra hisnadvus and hislahavus. They were afraid that this would cause them to not only lose track but lose the purity that was required. So they were told to stop. Retzo V’Shov, back away and think about what you’re doing. And that will bring an added zeal and Kedusha to your actions.

The Orech Chaim Hakodosh explains the concept of the material donations and work being sufficient and yet a surplus like this. The chachomim saw that the tremendous hisnadvus and hislahavus to bring material for the Mishkon resulted in the fact that the surplus also had the attributes necessary to be considered as part of the Mishkon, the holiness and purity, even though it wasn’t a part of the actual Mishkan. The surplus too had the necessary Kedusha and purity of thought that the Mishkon required. Hashem then rewarded them for their zeal and Kedusha by actually making the surplus miraculously become part of the Mishkon.

Often when we go too fast in trying to grow in Avodas Hashem we can trip up and lose track of what we’re doing and actually fall behind and lose our way altogether. This is what the Yetzer Hora tries to accomplish; trip us up, cool us off. However if during our particular service we stop along the way, we don’t rush headlong thinking look how great I am doing all this, but rather think about Who we are serving and how, then that extra zeal will remain holy and actually become part of what we’re trying to accomplish. If you started out with the idea of learning one chapter of Chumash or one blatt gemorah and you actually learned two, step back and think of how lucky you are that Hashem gave you the resources to accomplish this. The extra zeal will then become part of what you did and will become a permanent part of your inner self, allowing you to grow that extra amount that you worked for.

Mishpotim

The Parsha of Mishpotim begins with the word Vo’Eileh, And These. Rashi comments that when the first word of a parsha begins with the letter Vov "And", this connotes that the parsha in some way connects to the previous parsha. In this parsha too, Rashi says that the vov connotes that just as the words of the last parsha, Yisro, when we received the Torah, were from Sinai, so too the words of parshas Mishpotim are from Sinai. What can we learn from this for our personal lives?

In an earlier blog we explained the three types of mitzvos: eidus or mitzvos, chukim, and mishpotim. Eidus are laws which testify to our appreciation of miracles and events that Hashem did for us, such as Pesach and Succos. Chukim are laws that essentially have no overt reason but are observed purely as a way of showing that we are totally subservient to G-d’s will. Mishpotim are civil laws that any human society would institute such as robbery, murder, civil damages and torts, and contracts. Go to the blog on V’Hoyo Eikev and see the discussion on this.

In last week’s parsha where we are told how we received the Torah, we see an intermingling of spiritual and corporeal experiences. The whole experience was essentially spiritual in nature yet the spirituality was so real that we actually felt it on a material level. This week’s parsha seems totally corporeal, civil laws. Yet Rashi says that the vov at the beginning connects the two parshios. What we can learn from this is that our spiritual actions and experiences should connect us so completely with Hashem such that they actually feel real, gashmiyusdik or material. And that conversely our materialistic endeavors and experiences should be done on such a level so that we feel and acknowledge that G-d directs us and supports us. Our materialistic lives should also connect us with Hashem.

Krias Shema Twice Each Day

We all know that the Torah mandates reciting Krias Shema twice each day, once at night and once in the morning. VeDibarto bom beshivtecho beveisecho uve’lechtecho baderech uve’shochbecho uve’kumecho. And you shall recite these words while at home and while you walk in the street and when you go to bed at night and when you awake in the morning. The verse just prior to this verse commands putting on Tefilin each day. We know that the practical obligation of Tefilin is only to wear them during the Shachris or morning services, not at any other time during the day. Since the chapters comprising the Shema are also in Tefilin, why then the obligation of reciting Krias Shema twice daily but putting on Tefilin only once daily?

The first halacho discussed in the Mishna of the first tractate, Berochos, is that of the obligation to recite Krias Shema twice daily. We would think that the Mishna would state that the obligation to recite Krias Shema would follow the language of the Torah. Me’eimosei korin es ha’Shema, from what time do we recite the Shema? We recite Shema twice daily, at night after sunset and in the morning after sunrise. However, Rabbi Yehuda Hanosi, Rabbeinu Hakodosh who compiled the Mishanayos, uses a very interesting analogy to another halocho in setting the mandated time for the Shema; when the Cohanim enter the Bais Hamikdosh to eat teruma or other holy foods. This was after sunset, at nightfall. A cohein who became unclean for any reason and subsequently underwent a ritual cleansing process completed the process by dipping his whole body into a kosher ritual bath, the mikva. This was done immediately in the morning after his unclean period ended. However, the cohein could still not eat holy foods such as sacrifices or teruma until after nightfall. He was called a “tvul yom”, a person who had undergone the mikva process but still had to wait for herev shemesh or sunset, actual nightfall to be perfectly ritually clean.

Interesting analogy but the question begs itself, why? Why did Rabbeinu Hakodosh use this particular halocho as the analogy instead of just stating we recite Shema after nightfall? In the Foreword to his sefer Eglei Tal, by the famous Avnei Nezer Rabbi Avrohom Bornstein, there is a very interesting explanation by his father, the author of Agudas Eizov. He states this question and then proceeds to posit a very seminal concept of what Krias Shema accomplishes. Well known is that Krias Shema is the acceptance of ohl malchus shomayim and ohl mitzvos, the acceptance of Hashem as the Ruler of all creation and the acceptance of all the mitzvos in the Torah, including Rabbinical commandments and decrees. This acceptance is supposed to encompass all our actions and thoughts constantly. Since during most of the day we concern ourselves with our daily routines of working, eating, etc., how can we still keep this acceptance in our minds on a constant basis?

In answering this question, the Agudas Eizov first explains the concept of herev shemesh. Why isn’t an unclean person ritually clean as soon as he or she undergoes a mikva cleansing? Why the requirement to wait until after herev shemesh? He states that since the unclean person was as yet unclean during a part of the day, prior to the cleansing in a mikva, an unclean “spiritual impression” remains for the entire day until the onset of a new day, herev shemesh, nightfall. With a new day in which the person is now clean, the unclean impression disappears. And just as such a concept exists for unclean situations, so does this exist for Kedusha, holiness. When a person accepts upon themselves Malchus Shomayim, the Reign of Hashem, during the morning recital of Krias Shema, even though the person goes about their daily routine, often forgetting the Krias Shema recital and their acceptance of Hashem’s rule over creation, the initial impression of the holiness of their acceptance remains attached to their soul throughout the whole day. At night with the advent of a new time period, we have to recite a renewal of our acceptance. And then again the next morning with the advent of a new day. This explanation may also explain why we don’t recite Krias Shema during the afternoon mincha services. There is no need since it is still the same day.

Emes V'Yatziv

Our Holy Sages, members of the Sanhedrin after the return of the Jewish nation to the Land of Israel after 70 years of the Babylonian Exile, were called the Anshei Knesses Hagedoloh. They compiled and instituted a set order of prayers for daily, Shabbos, and YomTov services. The Sages mandated three prayer services, Shachris in the morning, Mincha in the afternoon, and Maariv in the evening. Following the commandment in the Torah to recite Krias Shema, which is the verses of V’ohavto and of V’hoyo im shemoa twice daily, the Sages included these two sets of verses along with the chapter on Tzitzis to be recited during the Shachris service and the Maariv service. As part of the Krias Shema set of prayers they compiled two blessings before and one after the Krias Shema for Shachris and two blessings before and two after for the Maariv. This essay will discuss the one blessing after the Shema in the morning, Emes V’Yatziv.

The Talmud in the Tractate Brochos says, Raba states that one should recite Emes V’Yatziv in the morning and Emes V’Emuna in the evening. His basis for this is the verse from Tehilim, L’Hagid baboker chasdecho v’emunoscho baleilos. We should profess G-d’s loving kindness in the morning and our faith in G-d at night. Raba says that the word Yatziv used in the morning connotes a strong avowal and acknowledgement of G-d’s action as we see them as clear as the day is bright. However in the evening we rely on our faith in G-d since the evening is dark and we don’t see the Hand of G-d as clearly as during the day.

I would like to posit a seminal concept of faith based on this verse. We know that pure faith in
G-d’s existence and His personal supervision of each human is central to Judaism. The verse tells us that G-d often does miracles, small or large, many seemingly normal daily occurrences, which show us as clear as day that He exists and His Hand is active in our daily life. This is L’hagid baboker chasdecho, we will strongly profess His loving kindness as during the day, when each action is as clear as day. Why? In order that at night, during times when G-d’s daily supervision is veiled by the travails of our daily life, we will still have faith in Him. V’emunoscho baleilos, we will have faith during the nights when we don’t see G-d’s hand as clearly as during the day.

As stated earlier, the morning recital of the Krias Shema verse and the three sets of verses, You shall Love G-d, You shall pay heed to G-d, and the mitzvo of Tzitzis, is followed by the prayer of V’yatziv. The first 15 words begin with the letter Vov, which means “and”. The custom is to start the prayer of V’yatziv with the last word of the Krias Shema trilogy – Emes, Truth. This is to acknowledge that the following 15 attributes of the Krias Shema are absolute Truth. Abudrahem, who explains the compilation of each prayer and its meaning, says that these 15 attributes are symbolic of the 15 chapters in Tehilim that begin with Shir Hamalos, a Song of Elevations. These chapters are in turn symbolic of the 15 steps leading up to the Bais Hamikdosh. I think that internalizing these words and concepts, both of Krias Shema and Emes V'Yatziv, will in turn elevate our daily thoughts and actions and allow us to live our daily lives in accordance with the vicarious Kedusha or Holiness of actually being in the Bais Hamikdosh.

Daas Zekeinim Mibaalei Hatosfos in their commentary on Chumash on parshas Pikudei have a novel interpretation of the silver vovim or connections for the Mishkan’s amudim or columns. Moshe Rabbeinu gave an accounting of all the silver collected for the building of the Mishkan. He inadvertently forgot about the15 extra silver connectors for the amudim. When he recalled this he gave 15 acknowledgements to Hashem for helping him remember. They learn this from the verse in parshas Vayakheil chapter 36 that says that the people brought material for the Mishkan until there was so much that there was V’Hoseir, leftover. There are 90 letters in this verse connoting the 15 times Vov or 6 for the 15 extra vovim of the amudim. In the merit of Moshe’s 15 prayers of praise the Sages instituted 15 words of praise in the daily morning Yishtabach prayer. In addition, 15 words of Blessing in the daily morning Boruch She’omar prayer. And finally 15 words in V’Yatziv that begin with the letter Vov connoting the vovim of the amudim.

Rabbi Chaim Yosef of Baghdad, the author of Ben Ish Chai, in his discourse on parshas Shemos states that the 15 words beginning with Vov should be recited together and also be said with the word Hadovor which follows, which are the Words of the total Krias Shema prayer. Hadovor begins with a Heh. He gives no reason but merely states that this is Sod, Secret, and the way one should recite this prayer. I think we can explain this as follows, albeit on a mystical or Kabbalistic level. The letter Heh according to the Zohar connotes the creation of the universe, or what we know as “corporeal reality”. The words of Krias Shema acknowledge our belief in G-d’s supervision and spiritual support of our corporeal existence. G-d’s supervision and support is accomplished through the seven spiritual Sefiros or Attributes. The sixth Attribute is Yesod which means Foundation. The Sages compiled and instituted in our daily prayer service an acknowledgement that these 15 concepts are the foundation for our belief and faith in the supervision and support that G-d gives to Creation on a daily and constant basis.

I will now discuss and explain each word and concept. The V’Yatziv prayer basically avows that Hadovor, these words of Krias Shema, are all True and etc. Keep in mind that we are stating that each concept is True. As if the word Emes – Truth – comes before each word beginning with the Vov – And.

V’Yatziv – and Certain. Yatziv also connotes the idea of being solid and straight. We begin our avowal of the words in Krias Shema by stating that they are certain and solidly established in creation.

V’Nochon – and Correct. Each word and concept is correct and perfect.

V’Kayom – and Enduring. The words and concepts in Krias Shema were True when they were initially stated and have endured and remained true throughout the millennia.

V’Yoshor – and Straight. These words are straightforward and right in their basic idea of our love and respect for G-d and his actions.

V’Neemon – and Faithful. The words of Krias Shema have remained faithful to the Jewish people at all times and through all our tribulations.

V’Ohuv – and Beloved. Connoting the love that we profess in the first part of Krias Shema for
G-d.

V’Choviv – and Cherished. We have cherished these concepts and will continue to cherish them forever. We acknowledge that we too are cherished by G-d.

V’Nechmod – and Desirable. Connoting that the words of Krias Shema are more desirable to us than gold and precious gems.

V’Noim – and Pleasant. Each word gives us a spiritual pleasure when we think of them and internalize the concepts they symbolize.

V’Norah – and Awesome. We become awed by the words of Krias Shema and in turn respectful and loving of G-d for what He does for us.

V’Adir – and Mighty. Krias Shema connotes the greatness and might of G-d through His actions in the world.

U’Mesukan – and Proper. Each concept is correct and proper and should be our basis in all that we do.

U’Mekubal – and Acceptable. We whole heartedly accept all the words of G-d with all our entire devotion and are ready to give all our resources to serving
G-d in any way.

V’Tov – and Good. We accept through our daily avowal of the ideals of Krias Shema that everything that happens is the Hand of G-d and is eternally good.

V’Yofeh – and Beautiful. Every idea, every word, and every concept in the three parts of Krias Shema have a spiritual beauty that should encompass all our actions and make our service to
G-d beautiful in all its ways.

And finally these 15 concepts connect to the word Hadovor which connotes all the words of Krias Shema. As stated earlier that the Ben Ish Chai says that we should say all 15 words together and connect them to the word “Hadovor” to show that all 15 words and their underlying concepts are the basis for the words and concepts of Krias Shema. Hadovor, the words of Krias Shema are Emes True V’Yatziv etc.

Note: These explanations are based on the Abudrahem on Krias Shema and its prayers. I strongly suggest learning the whole piece of Abudrahem. Your Krias Shema will never again be the same.