Parshas Noach

In this week's parsha, the Torah tells us the story of how Noach built the teivah, and brought all of the animals inside - seven each of the kosher species, and two each of the non-kosher ones. Several times the Torah mentions how Noach was to bring livestock as well as birds. However, sometimes we see that the Torah mentions the birds before the livestock, and sometimes the livestock before the birds. Why the difference in order?

There is an interesting vort that is said which can be used to explain this phenomenon, as well as teach us a valuable lesson. If we analyze the pesukim in question, we will see that the pesukim where the birds are mentioned first occur while the future inhabitants of the the teivah have not yet entered it, whereas any mention of livestock being first refers to inside the teivah. That is because birds, with their ability to fly above all the other animals, are considered more choshuv than other kinds of animals. However, once inside the teivah, the birds lose the advantage that flight gives them, and are then considered lowlier than the rest of the animals. That is why the birds are then mentioned last.

The Jewish nation is compared to a bird, and the Torah is our wings. If we choose to confine ourselves into the "teivah" of the modern world with the "common animals" (the other nations of the world) and live by their degenerate standards, then we can lose our chashivus, our advantage over them, Heaven forbid. But if we break free of the barriers imposed upon us by the decadent society surrounding us, then we can be truly free, first and foremost above the other nations of the world. If we allow the Torah to be our wings and guide our flight, then nothing can prevent us from soaring higher and higher.

Parshas Ha'azinu - Yom Kippur

The Gemara (Bava Kama 50a) states that one who says that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is a "vatran" (that He dismisses wrongdoings), has forfeited his life. As a source for that statement, the Gemara quotes this week's parsha: "Hatzur tamim pa'alo, ki kol drachav mishpat". The D'var Avraham asks, how can the Gemara say that Hashem does not forgive wrongdoings? Don't we spend the entire Yom Kippur begging and pleading with Hashem to do just that - to forgive and forget our sins?

The answer is that there is a difference between vitur (disregarding a wrongdoing) and selicha (forgiveness). To ask of someone to be mevater on something means to ask that it be disregarded because you feel that what you did is not important enough to bother the offended party. Therefore, if someone says that Hashem is a vatran, he has forfeited his life since by definition, he has stated that he (and his actions) are not of any importance to anyone, so technically there is no reason for him to live. On the other hand, to ask for selicha, forgiveness, means to acknowledge that you have indeed committed a terrible offense, yet you are nevertheless asking the offended party to be kind and forgive your indiscretion. That, says the D'var Avraham, is the focus of Yom Kippur. Not to marginalize ourselves or our sins, but rather to confess them in great detail, and beg of Hashem that He forgive us for what we have done.

As we approach Yom Kippur, we should keep this valuable lesson in mind. We must realize our significance, and the importance of our actions. We must not attempt to downplay what we have done; rather we must truly regret all of the golden opportunities we have squandered, and promise to do better in the future. And in that merit, may we be zoche to a gmar chasima tovah, and a year full of bracha and hatzlacha.

Parshas Vayeilech - Rosh Hashana

We stand now just before one of the most awesome times of the year, the yom tov of Rosh Hashanah. As we all prepare for the awesome day of judgement, we hope and we pray that we will merit a good year, a year of both spiritual and physical enrichment.

One of the names given to Rosh Hashanah is "Yom Teruah" a day of blowing, since the blowing of the shofar plays such a central part in the seder hayom. Among the many reasons given for blowing the shofar is that it is me'orer middas harachamim, it awakens the divine attribute of mercy. How does the shofar do that? What is it about the simple blowing of a horn that can bring about a merciful judgement?

Perhaps it is because of what the shofar represents. The shofar represents a person's ability to change for the better, to improve oneself. The pasuk tells us "kol hashofar hoileich v'chazeik me'od" - the sound of the shofar gets continually stronger. Just as the sound of the shofar starts out small, but gets stronger and stronger, so too a person who starts out small has the ability to change for the better, and get stronger and stronger in his avodas Hashem.

Likewise, this lesson is evident from the construction of the shofar itself: the mouthpiece is just a small, narrow opening, while on the other end is a large opening many times its size. The kol hashofar starts out by passing through a small opening, and then through an ever-widening chamber, until it emerges full force from the other end. So too, a person may start out small, but has the capacity to grow from his experiences until he emerges a much better person, strengthened by his challenges.

And that is how the shofar is me'orer middas harachamim. The sound of the shofar implores Hashem to judge us favorably, with rachmanus, in the merit of the fact that we can - and will - change for the better. That, we hope, is why will be deserving of the middas harachamim.

May Hashem grant us all a meaningful year of growth, and may we be zoche to achieve new heights in avodas Hashem, and in return may Hashem judge us favorably and bestow upon us a year of health and prosperity.