Parshat Haazinu 5771 - Listen and Hear; Heaven and Earth

Parshat Haazinu 5771

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Listen and Hear; Heaven and Earth

In Parshat Hazinu, Moshe speaks in song, in what may simply sound like a poetic turn of phrase Moshe turns to heaven and earth:

דברים פרק לב פסוק א

הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי:

Listen heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Devarim 32:1

Rashi understands that Moshe has called upon heaven and earth to bear witness to his words; he recognizes that he will soon be dead, and therefore he calls upon something that is permanent to be eternal witnesses.[1] However when Moshe address both the heavens and Earth, he uses a different word for each. He invites the heavens to listen while he asks the earth to “hear”. These opening words may reveal much about the author – Moshe;

The Targum (Pseudo) Yonatan adds an interesting title to Moshe’s name, one which is in fact obvious, but nonetheless seldom used, he writes:

תרגום יונתן דברים פרק לב פסוק א

 וַהֲוָה דִי מָטָא קִיצֵיהּ דְמשֶׁה נְבִיָא לְמִתְכַּנְשָׁא מִגוֹ עַלְמָא…

כתר יונתן דברים פרק לב פסוק א

והיה כאשר הגיע קִצו של משה נביא להאסף מִתוך העולם

When the time came for Moshe the prophet to be gathered from the world. Targum Pseudo Yonatan Devarim 32:1

Here Moshe is labeled a prophet, which is obvious; Moshe was the greatest prophet who ever lived. Nonetheless rarely are Moshe’s words introduced by calling him a prophet. Perhaps this is something about this section which is prophetic – or something about Moshe’s prophecy[2]  which can be discerned.

The Sifri compares Moshe’s words with those of another prophet Yishayahu, he too spoke of heaven and earth:

ישעיהו פרק א פסוק ב

שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמַיִם וְהַאֲזִינִי אֶרֶץ כִּי ה’ דִּבֵּר בָּנִים גִּדַּלְתִּי וְרוֹמַמְתִּי וְהֵם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי:

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD hath spoken: Children I have reared, and brought up, and they have rebelled against Me. Yishayahu 1:2

ספרי דברים פרשת האזינו פיסקא שו

האזינו השמים לפי שהיה משה קרוב לשמים לפיכך אמר האזינו השמים ולפי שהיה רחוק מן הארץ אמר ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי, בא ישעיה וסמך לדבר +ישעיה א ב+ שמעו שמים שהיה רחוק מן השמים והאזיני ארץ שהיה קרוב לארץ.

Listen heavens, since Moshe was close to heaven he said “listen heavens” and since he was distant from earth he said “let the earth hear the words of my mouth” Yishayahu came and spoke “hear o heavens” for he was distant from heaven, “listen earth” for he was close to earth”. Sifri Dvarim Parshat Haazinu section 306

While one may be tempted to explain that the time spent on Sinai rendered Moshe “closer” to heaven, the Sifri is most likely not referring to physical proximity, rather to spiritual proximity. Moshe was closer to heaven than Yishayahu.[3]

Rav Yosef Soloveitchik[4] explained that there are prophets who are more concerned with the honor of heaven and others who are more concerned with the honor of Israel.

מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה א

נמצאת אתה אומר שלשה בנים הם אחד תבע כבוד האב וכבוד הבן. ואחד תבע כבוד האב ולא כבוד הבן. ואחד תבע כבוד הבן ולא בכבוד האב.

You find that there are three sons; one is concerned with the honor of both the father and the son. One is concerned with honor of his father, and not the honor of the son. The third is concerned with the honor of the son, but not the honor of the father. Mechilta Parshat Bo Mesechta Dpischa chapter one

The three sons in the Mechilta are Yirmiyahu, Eliyahu and Yona. Yirmiyahu according to the Mechilta honored both father and son, Eliyahu honored the father but not the son, while Yona honored the son but not the father.[5] Yona who is best known for the eponymous book, where he runs from his prophetic mission, did in fact fulfill another prophetic mission he was charged with:

מלכים ב פרק יד

(כג) בִּשְׁנַת חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַאֲמַצְיָהוּ בֶן יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ יָרָבְעָם בֶּן יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה:(כד) וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה’ לֹא סָר מִכָּל חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל:(כה) הוּא הֵשִׁיב אֶת גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִלְּבוֹא חֲמָת עַד יָם הָעֲרָבָה כִּדְבַר ה’ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד עַבְדּוֹ יוֹנָה בֶן אֲמִתַּי הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר מִגַּת הַחֵפֶר:

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin.  He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. Kings book 2 chapter 14:25

The prophecy that asked for the boarders of Israel to be expanded, Yona fulfilled, but to cajole heathen sinners who desecrate God’s name with their sinful behavior, was a prophecy he was unwilling to fulfill. Yona was a reluctant prophet, his reluctance emanated from his concern for the Jewish people, he was more concerned with honor of the “son”, he was closer to earth and relatively estranged from heaven.

Eliyahu was closer to heaven as he attests:

מלכים א פרק יט

(יד) וַיֹּאמֶר קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת כִּי עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ וְאֶת נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרְגוּ בֶחָרֶב וָאִוָּתֵר אֲנִי לְבַדִּי וַיְבַקְשׁוּ אֶת נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ: ס

 And he said: 'I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.' Kings Book 2 Chapter 19:14

Eliyahu feels God’s “pain” as it were, he is jealous and vengeance seeking for God. He Honors the “Father” but not the “son”, God though has a different thought and responds that Eliyahu is “fired”

מלכים א פרק יט

 (טו) וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֵלָיו לֵךְ שׁוּב לְדַרְכְּךָ מִדְבַּרָה דַמָּשֶׂק וּבָאתָ וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֶת חֲזָאֵל לְמֶלֶךְ עַל אֲרָם:(טז) וְאֵת יֵהוּא בֶן נִמְשִׁי תִּמְשַׁח לְמֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן שָׁפָט מֵאָבֵל מְחוֹלָה תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ:

 And the LORD said unto him: 'Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Aram;  and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in your place. Kings Book 2 Chapter 19:15,16

The Mechilta stresses that Eliyahu was “dismissed” for this attitude.

מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה א

...אלא שאי איפשי בנבואתך

…I do not want you as a prophet. Mechilta Parshat Bo Mesechta Dpischa chapter one

Eliyahu who was so close to heaven he ended up being taken directly to heaven on a chariot.[6] Yona who was so close to earth – was plunged into the depths of the sea,[7] until he was willing to honor heaven as well.

The third type of prophet is someone who has concerns of both heaven and earth. According to the Mechilta the one who excelled at this task was Yirmiyahu. Rabbi Soloveitchik suggested that Both Moshe and Yishayahu knew of this required balance, between being a prophet of God and a leader of the Jewish people, being concerned with the honor of the “Father” and the honor of “son”. They were both concerned with heaven and earth, nonetheless, Moshe felt closer to heaven while Yishayahu feels closer to earth.

When the Jews sin in the sin of the Golden Calf, the argument the Moshe puts forth is concerned with honor of heaven and earth:

שמות פרק לב

(יא) וַיְחַל מֹשֶׁה אֶת פְּנֵי ה’ אֱלֹהָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָה ה’ יֶחֱרֶה אַפְּךָ בְּעַמֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֹל וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה: (יב) לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר בְּרָעָה הוֹצִיאָם לַהֲרֹג אֹתָם בֶּהָרִים וּלְכַלֹּתָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה שׁוּב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפֶּךָ וְהִנָּחֵם עַל הָרָעָה לְעַמֶּךָ:(יג) זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָהֶם בָּךְ וַתְּדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֲכֶם כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם וְכָל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֶתֵּן לְזַרְעֲכֶם וְנָחֲלוּ לְעֹלָם:(יד) וַיִּנָּחֶם ה’ עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ: פ

And Moshe besought the LORD his God, and said: 'LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.'  And the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people. Shmot 32:11:14

When the people sin with the Golden Calf Moshe begins his prayer with concerns of the honor of heaven, only then does he introduce the honor of the patriarchs – the Jewish people. Moshe is concerned with both, he is just a little closer with heaven.

Moshe who visited heaven and had the secrets of heaven revealed to him, felt close with heaven and it would be understandable if he was only concerned with the honor of the “father”. But Moshe always knew that he was an emissary of God, yet at the same time an emissary of the people of Israel, as he delivers his penultimate speech, Moshe reveals a bit of his inner world, the proximity that he felt toward heaven, but this did not cause him to lose his concern for those below on earth.

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[1] Rashi Devarim 32:1

רש"י דברים פרק לב פסוק א

האזינו השמים - שאני מתרה בהם בישראל ותהיו אתם עדים בדבר (לעיל ל, יט) שכך אמרתי להם שאתם תהיו עדים, וכן ותשמע הארץ. ולמה העיד בהם שמים וארץ, אמר משה אני בשר ודם למחר אני מת, אם יאמרו ישראל לא קבלנו עלינו הברית מי בא ומכחישם, לפיכך העיד בהם שמים וארץ, עדים שהן קיימים לעולם. ועוד, שאם יזכו, יבואו העדים ויתנו שכרם, הגפן תתן פריה, והארץ תתן יבולה, והשמים יתנו טלם. ואם יתחייבו, תהיה בהם יד העדים תחלה (לעיל יא, יז), ועצר את השמים ולא יהיה מטר והאדמה לא תתן את יבולה, ואחר כך ואבדתם מהרה על ידי האומות:

[2] The term Moshe the Prophet is used by the Targum Pseudo Yonatan a number of times in the commentary especially in the section of Vzot Habracha, when Moshe gives his prophetic blessings.

[3] See the Chizkuni who considers Moshe’s physical proximity to heaven, only to reject it as a current factor, he then explains the words listen and hear in two contradictory ways.

חזקוני דברים פרק לב פסוק א

משה רבינו היה באותו פרק רחוק מן השמים ועומד בארץ לפיכך נתן האזנה לשמים שכן מנהג הוא שאומר לאותו העומד רחוק לשון האזנה שיטה אזנו לשמוע ע"י שהוא רחוק ונתן שמיעה לארץ שאין לומר לקרוב בלשון האזנה אלא בלשון שמיעה. אבל ישעיה שהיה מדבר בשמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא נתן שמיעה לשמים והאזנה לארץ. וי"מ למפרע האזנה שייכא במקום שהוא קרוב ושמיעה שהוא מקום רחוק משה שרגילותו היא בשמים אמר האזינו השמים, ותשמע הארץ שהיתה רחוקה ממנו בא ישעיה ואמר סמך לדבר שמעו שמים שהיה רחוק מהם והאזיני ארץ שהיה קרוב לה.

[4] Bshem Omram edited and compiled Dr Zvi Harris Guedalia and Rabbi Efraim Hadad, based on the notes of Rabbi Nathan Goldstein of the lectures of Rabbi Yosef Dov Solovietchik, Keren Gimmel 2000.

[5] This analysis is based on a teaching in the Mechilta Parshat Bo Mesechta Dpischa chapter one, which describes “three sons”, Yirmiyahu, Eliyahu, and Yona.

מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה א

נמצאת אתה אומר שלשה בנים הם אחד תבע כבוד האב וכבוד הבן. ואחד תבע כבוד האב ולא כבוד הבן. ואחד תבע כבוד הבן ולא בכבוד האב. ירמיה תבע כבוד האב וכבוד הבן שנאמר נחנו פשענו ומרינו אתה לא סלחת (איכה ג מב) לכך נכפלה נבואתו שנאמר ועוד נוסף עליהם דברים (ירמיה לו לב) אליהו תבע כבוד האב ולא כבוד הבן שנאמר קנא קנאתי ליי' אלהי צבאות וגו' (מלכים א' יט י) ומה נאמר שם ויאמר ה' אליו לך שוב לדרכך מדברה דמשק וגומר ואת יהוא בן נמשי תמשח למלך על ישראל ואת אלישע בן שפט תמשח לנביא תחתיך שאין תלמוד לומר לנביא תחתיך אלא שאי איפשי בנבואתך. יונה תבע כבוד הבן ולא כבוד האב [שנאמר ויקם יונה לברוח וגו' מה כתיב] ויהי דבר יי' אל יונה שנית לאמר (יונה ג א) שנית נדבר עמו לא שלישית.

[6] See 2 Kings chapter 2:11

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both assunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

מלכים ב פרק ב:יא

יא  וַיְהִי, הֵמָּה הֹלְכִים הָלוֹךְ וְדַבֵּר, וְהִנֵּה רֶכֶב-אֵשׁ וְסוּסֵי אֵשׁ, וַיַּפְרִדוּ בֵּין שְׁנֵיהֶם; וַיַּעַל, אֵלִיָּהוּ, בַּסְעָרָה, הַשָּׁמָיִם.

[7] Yona 1:15

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.

יונה פרק א:טו

וַיִּשְׂאוּ, אֶת-יוֹנָה, וַיְטִלֻהוּ, אֶל-הַיָּם; וַיַּעֲמֹד הַיָּם, מִזַּעְפּוֹ.

Parshiyot Netzavim and Vayelekh 5770 - Gather the People

Parshiyot Netzavim and Vayelekh 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Gather the People

As Moshe’s speech draws to an end, he addresses some of the practical, pragmatic issues at hand; one such item is the issue of succession:

דברים לא: ז-ח

וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ כִּי אַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע ה' לַאֲבֹתָם לָתֵת לָהֶם וְאַתָּה תַּנְחִילֶנָּה אוֹתָם: וַה' הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ לֹא תִירָא וְלֹא תֵחָת:

And Moshe called Yehoshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land that God has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. And it God Himself goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you or forsake you. Have no fearor trepidation.' (Devarim 31:7-8)

Moshe will no longer lead the people; Yehoshua will take over the mantle of leadership. This message is echoed several verses later, when God speaks for the first time in the book:[1]

דברים לא: יד-טו

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה הֵן קָרְבוּ יָמֶיךָ לָמוּת קְרָא אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְהִתְיַצְּבוּ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַאֲצַוֶּנּוּ וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד: וַיֵּרָא ה' בָּאֹהֶל בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן וַיַּעֲמֹד עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן עַל פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל:

And God said to Moshe: 'Behold, the day of your death is approaching; call Yehoshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may charge him.' And Moshe and Yehoshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.  And God appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. (Devarim 31:14-15)

The narrative seems natural, logical: Moshe's life, and his mission, are coming to an end, and God is about to fulfill Moshe's own request that a successor be appointed so that the nation will not be "like a flock with no shepherd." But then, the narrative is interrupted and a new law is transmitted: a law called hakhel.

To be sure, the Book of Devarim is no stranger to law. Various laws are taught here for the first times, though the book largely repeats laws transmitted in earlier sections of the Torah[2] - hence the moniker Deuteronomy[3] –Mishneh Torah, the repetition of the Torah[4]. In addition to the new laws and the repeated laws, there is a third category: a number of laws that had been taught previously are re-stated, with additional elements that had not been taught earlier. Such is the case regarding the law of hakhel. As we have noted, the narrative that precedes or leads up to this law is concerned with Moshe's final days. It is specifically because his life is almost at an end that he takes up the task of writing the Torah, which had until that point been transmitted orally, and giving it to the kohanim and the elders, who from that day forward are entrusted with the task of educating the nation. The very next verse, the legal verse that "interrupts" the narrative, tells us about an aspect of shmitah with which we are unfamiliar: Although the laws of shmitah were taught in great detail in the Book of Vayikra (at the foot of Mount Sinai[5]), here, in Moshe's parting speech 38 years later, a new element of shmitah observance is introduced; the new aspect is called hakhel:

דברים לא: ט-יג

וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת וַיִּתְּנָהּ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי הַנֹּשְׂאִים אֶת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה' וְאֶל כָּל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: וַיְצַו מֹשֶׁה אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים בְּמֹעֵד שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה בְּחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת: בְּבוֹא כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחָר תִּקְרָא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם: הַקְהֵל אֶת הָעָם הָאֲנָשִׁים וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַטַּף וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ לְמַעַן יִשְׁמְעוּ וּלְמַעַן יִלְמְדוּ וְיָרְאוּ אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְשָׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת: וּבְנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ יִשְׁמְעוּ וְלָמְדוּ לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כָּל הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם חַיִּים עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ:

And Moshe wrote this law, and gave it to the kohanim, the sons of Levi who bore the Ark of the Covenant of God, and to all the elders of Israel.  And Moshe commanded them, saying: 'At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the shmitah (sabbatical) year, during the festival Sukkot (Tabernacles),  when all Israel is come to appear before the Almighty your God in the place which He shall choose, you  shall read this law before all Israel so that they will hear.  Assemble the people, the men and the women and the children, and the stranger that lives among you, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Almighty your God, and take care to observe and fulfill all the words of this Torah; and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the Almighty your God, as long as you live in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to possess inherit.' (Devarim 31:9-13)

The law of hakhel states that at the end[6] of the sabbatical year the nation should be gathered and the Torah read to them by the king. It is not difficult to imagine other, perhaps more natural contexts in which this law could have been taught previously: either within the sections dealing with the laws of the sabbatical year, or in the laws dealing with kings. Why "interrupt" the narrative concerning the succession of Yehoshua with the law of hakhel?

Let us search for some underlying logic by examining this law in a general sense. Shmitah may be the quintessential "law of the Land of Israel;" it concerns the agricultural society that will be established when the Jews arrive in the Promised Land, and is applicable only within the borders of the Land of Israel. Certainly, it may be argued, it is logical that this law be taught to those who will soon enter the Holy Land, especially since their continued presence in the Land is contingent upon this law.[7] If this is so, perhaps all of the laws of shmitah should have been taught at this juncture[8]; if, though, shmitah was given to the Jews as a means of restoring their belief that would eventually inherit the Land of Israel even after their severe punishment for their own sins, why was the aspect of hakhel "left out" until Moshe's final speech?

The mitzvah itself does not seem to hold the key to solving this problem; therefore, let us consider the narrative, the story of the succession of Moshe by Yehoshua. As leader of the people, Moshe wore many hats: He was the diplomat who negotiated with Paroh, but he was also a freedom fighter[9]who aroused the Jewish People to seek their own spiritual and physical liberation. At one and the same time, he was the liberator, and the giver and enforcer of the law. Moshe was an unparalleled spiritual leader; it was he who climbed Sinai and procured the Tablets of Testimony and brought them down to earth. Moshe taught the law, judged wrongdoers and exacted punishment, but it was Moshe who protected the people from God's anger when they transgressed. Replacing Moshe in any one of these roles left the other roles vacant: replacing 'Moshe the political leader' with someone who would take them into the Promised Land and secure the nation's inheritance was very different from replacing 'Moshe the prophet' whose clarity of vision and unparalleled relationship with God could not be reproduced.[10]

Yehoshua might be capable of leading the nation in battle;[11] this was a task he had already performed. Perhaps he could lead them to the Promised Land, as a guide – with the assistance of God as a forward scout. However, in the task of spiritual leader, Yehoshua would necessarily, inescapably, fall short, for no one was like Moshe. In fact, at the end of the narrative, when Moshe dies and Yehoshua takes over, the Torah stresses this vacuum:

דברים לד: ח-יב

וַיִּבְכּוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מֹשֶׁה בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם וַיִּתְּמוּ יְמֵי בְכִי אֵבֶל מֹשֶׁה: וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מָלֵא רוּחַ חָכְמָה כִּי סָמַךְ מֹשֶׁה אֶת יָדָיו עָלָיו וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֵלָיו בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה: וְלֹא קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר יְדָעוֹ ה' פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים: לְכָל הָאֹתוֹת וְהַמּוֹפְתִים אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל עֲבָדָיו וּלְכָל אַרְצוֹ: וּלְכֹל הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה וּלְכֹל הַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל:

And the Children of Israel wept for Moshe in the plains of Moav thirty days; so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moshe were ended. And Yehoshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moshe had laid his hands upon him; and the Children of Israel obeyed him, and did as God commanded Moshe. And there has never since arisen a prophet in Israel like Moshe, whom God knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders which God sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Paroh and to all his servants, and to all his land; and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moshe wrought in the sight of all Israel. (Devraim 34:8-12)

The solution to our problem, then, lies neither in the narrative nor in the laws of shmitah, but in the underlying significance of hakhel. The Rambam explains that the essence of hakhel is experiential: When the entire nation gathers together and hears the Torah read by their leader, the experience is reminiscent of the Revelation at Sinai.[12] The new generation that will be led by Yehoshua, and all subsequent generations who will not have Moshe as their leader, will feel disadvantaged, empty and distant from those great events that their fathers experienced and that forged them into a nation. They, too, will feel the need for a revelation, or at least a quasi-revelation. This is precisely the function of hakhel: the gathering of the entire nation to hear the Word of God will be the "revelation experience" for each subsequent generation. Moshe makes this clear in an earlier section of his parting speech when he uses very particular words to describe the Revelation at Sinai:

דברים י: ד

וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלֻּחֹת כַּמִּכְתָּב הָרִאשׁוֹן אֵת עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֲלֵיכֶם בָּהָר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ בְּיוֹם הַקָּהָל וַיִּתְּנֵם ה' אֵלָי:

And He wrote on the Tablets as He did in the first writing, the Ten Utterances which God spoke to you at the Mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and God gave them to me. (Devarim 10:4)

With Moshe gone, the greatest spiritual leader the Jewish People would ever know would no longer available. The people may have felt spiritually orphaned. Moshe foresaw the crisis, and took action on two fronts to stave it off before it began: First, he gave a copy of the Torah to the people, entrusting them with the very Word of God and insuring that Torah study could continue after his passing. Then, he taught them the law of hakhel, which would allow the spiritual feeling of revelation to be replicated. Surely, this would be no more than a shadow of the Revelation at Sinai; the king would lead them and teach them, and not Moshe, with his unique prophetic abilities. They would receive a second-hand report of the Word of God rather than hearing the voice from on high speaking directly to them. Nonetheless, the power of the mass gathering of the entire people, men women and children, to hear the Torah read before them, would recreate the unity of history and purpose felt at Sinai, and to a certain extent, the spirituality of that earlier revelation. Therefore, as Yehoshua is empowered to take up the reigns, the people are given tools that would avert the crisis that Moshe’s demise would surely bring about. These are the tolls that would enable them, after the period of mourning, to arise and continue their great march toward destiny, with Yehoshua at the helm.

---

[1] While most of Devarim are the words of Moshe, there are some sections which a “narrator” speaks, including the first few verses of the book. The status of the book of Devarim as a full-fledged member of the Five Books of the Torah, as the Word of God, as part of the Written, as opposed to the Oral Torah, is achieved when God instructs Moshe to write these words down. For more on this issue, see Explorations, Parshat Devarim.

[2] See Introduction of the Ramban to Devarim, and the Introduction of the Netziv in the Ha'amek Davar.

רמב"ן, דברים: הקדמה

הספר הזה ענינו ידוע שהוא משנה תורה יבאר בו משה רבינו לדור הנכנס בארץ רוב מצות התורה הצריכות לישראל ולא יזכיר בו דבר בתורת כהנים ולא במעשה הקרבנות ולא בטהרת כהנים ובמעשיה' שכבר ביאר אות' להם והכהנים זריזים הם לא יצטרכו לאזהרה אחר אזהרה אבל בישראל יחזיר המצות הנוהגות בהם פעם להוסיף בהם ביאור ופעם שלא יחזיר אות' רק להזהיר את ישראל ברוב אזהרות כמו שיבאו בס' הזה בעניני עבודת גלולי' אזהרות מרובות זו אחר זו בתוכחות וקול פחדים אשר יפחיד אותם בכל ענשי העבירות ועוד יוסיף בספר הזה כמה מצות שלא נזכרו כלל כגון היבום ודין המוציא שם רע והגרושין באשה ועדים זוממין וזולתו וכבר נאמרו לו כולן בסיני או באוהל מועד בשנ' הראשונ' קודם המרגלי' כי בערבות מואב לא נתחדשו לו אלא דברי הברית כאשר נתפרש בו וע"כ לא נאמר בספר הזה וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר צו את בני ישראל או דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אליה' מצוה פלונית אבל לא נכתבו המצות בספרי' הראשוני' שידבר עם יוצאי מצרים כי אולי לא נהגו באותן המצות רק בארץ אף על פי שהן חובת הגוף כאשר בא בענין הנסכים או מפני שאינן תדירות לא הזכיר רק בבנים נוחלי הארץ וטרם שיתחיל בביאור התור' התחיל להוכיחם ולהזכיר להם עונותיה' כמה ימרוהו במדבר וכמה שהתנהג עמהם הקדוש ברוך הוא במדת רחמי' וזה להודיע חסדיו עמה' ועוד שיוכחו בדבריו שלא יחזירו לקלקולם פן יספו בכל חטאתם ולחזק לבם בהודיעו אותם כי במדת רחמי' יתנהג עמה' לעולם שלא יאמר אדם לא נוכל לרשת את הארץ כי אין אדם אשר לא יחטא ומיד תהיה מדת הדין מתוחה כנגדנו ונאבד ולכן הודיעם משה רבינו כי הקדוש ברוך הוא רחמן מלא רחמים כי הסליחה והמחילה ממנו ית' סיוע ועזר לבני אדם בעבודתו וכענין שאמר הכתוב כי עמך הסליחה למען תורא:

העמק דבר על דברים: הקדמה

 זה הספר נקרא משנה תורה. וכתבו התוס' ריש מס' גיטין דמשנה תורה אינו אלא חוזר ושונה מה שלמעלה.וזה הטעם שומה בפי הרמב"ן ז"ל. עד שהרמב"ן כשמגיע למצות שבפ' שופטים תצא מבאר בכמה מצות שמצוה זו מעין וחלק אותה מצוה הכתובה כבר. עד שחושב מצות שלוח הקן. חלק ממצות אותו ואת בנו. ובעיני הוא פלא. כי שתי מצות אלו רחוקות זמ"ז מן הקצה אל הקצה, וגם כפילות המצות נמצא בס' שמות מן תחלת פרשת שמר לך עד בחלב אמו, בפ' תשא. היא כפולה וכבר נאמרה בפ' משפטים. אלא שמ,מ אינו מיותר ח"ו כמבואר שם בס"ד. וכך בס' דברים לא נמצא הרבה מצות שנשנה. ומה שנשנה אינו מיותר ח"ו. אלא נראה טעם לזה השם. מבואר בת"א פתשגן אורייתא. כמבואר להלן י"ח ומשמעו פירוש ובאור עד שמעמיד על דקדוק לשון התורה. ומשם דכלל זה הספר ועיקרו בא להזהיר על עמל תורה לפרש דקדוקי המקרא וזהו תלמוד. וכל המסור ורבוי דברים שהי' משה רבינו מוכיחם הכל בא לזה התכלית שיקבלו ע"ע לשון שינון של תורה. ואם נרצה לפרש משנה מלשון כפול כהבנת הגמ' סנהדרין דכ"א ב'. תהיה הכונה לפי הפשט ביחוד ע"ז הספר. משום דבזה הספר יש הרבה מקראות שא"א לפרש לפי הפשט ההכרחי שאין המקרא יוצא ממנו אלא בשתי כוונות. כאשר יבואר כ"פ בפ' שופטים תצא תבוא וכן בפרשיות הקודמות דכתיב כ"פ שמירה ועשיה למצות חקים ומשפטים. ומשמעות שמירה ועשיה דמצות אינו דומה לחקים ומשפטים. דבמצות משמעו מעשה המצות. ובחקים ומשפטים משמעו תקון הלכה. כמש"כ בס' ויקרא י"ח ה'. מש"ה מכונה זה הספר משנה תורה:

[3] See Tosfot, Gittin 2a: Hamevi Get:

תוספות מסכת גיטין דף ב עמוד א

…משום דכתיב ספר כריתות כשיעור י"ב שיטין המפסיקין בין ארבעה חומשי ספר תורה כדאמר בבבא בתרא (דף יג:) שצריך להניח ארבעה שיטין בין כל ספר וספר והפסק שבין וידבר למשנה תורה לא חשיב שאינו אלא חוזר ושונה מה שלמעלה.

[4] See Talmud Bavli, Avoda Zara 25a.

[5] See Rashi Vayikra 25:1

רש"י ויקרא פרק כה פסוק א

(א) בהר סיני - מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני, והלא כל המצות נאמרו מסיני, אלא מה שמיטה נאמרו כללותיה ופרטותיה ודקדוקיה מסיני, אף כולן נאמרו כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן מסיני, כך שנויה בתורת כהנים. ונראה לי שכך פירושה לפי שלא מצינו שמיטת קרקעות שנשנית בערבות מואב במשנה תורה, למדנו שכללותיה ופרטותיה כולן נאמרו מסיני, ובא הכתוב ולמד כאן על כל דבור שנדבר למשה שמסיני היו כולם כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן, וחזרו ונשנו בערבות מואב:

[6] The Ibn Ezra (Devarim 31:10) disagrees with the normative rabbinic understanding and opines that this law is to be fulfilled in the beginning of the Sabbatical year. The word in the Torah is miketz which could indicate beginning or end.

אבן עזרא דברים פרק לא פסוק י

מקץ שבע שנים - תחלת השנה:

[7] As is stressed in the rebuke in parshat Bchukotai, see Vayikra 26:34,35.

ויקרא פרק כו

(לד) אָז תִּרְצֶה הָאָרֶץ אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ כֹּל יְמֵי הֳשַׁמָּה וְאַתֶּם בְּאֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶם אָז תִּשְׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ וְהִרְצָת אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ:

(לה) כָּל יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה תִּשְׁבֹּת אֵת אֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׁבְתָה בְּשַׁבְּתֹתֵיכֶם בְּשִׁבְתְּכֶם עָלֶיהָ:

[8]

[9]  Shmot 2:11,12

[10] See Bamidbar 12:7-8.

במדבר יב: ז-ח

לֹא כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא: פֶּה אֶל פֶּה אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה וְלֹא בְחִידֹת וּתְמֻנַת יְקֹוָק יַבִּיט וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא יְרֵאתֶם לְדַבֵּר בְּעַבְדִּי בְמֹשֶׁה:

[11] See Shmot 17:9-10.

שמות יז: ט-י

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה וּמַטֵּה הָאֱלֹהִים בְּיָדִי:

וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה לְהִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק וּמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עָלוּ רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה:

[12] See Rambam Mishne Torah Laws of Chagigah chapter 3 law 6. There is some intrigue regarding where the law should begin, and the proper place for the first three words of the law found in our printed text. For more on this and on Hakhel in general see Rabbi Ari D. Kahn; The Commandment of Hakhel,  Council of Young Israel Rabbi annual journal volume 2 1988, pp74ff.

רמב"ם הלכות חגיגה פרק ג הלכה ו

וגרים שאינן מכירין חייבין להכין לבם ולהקשיב אזנם לשמוע באימה ויראה וגילה ברעדה כיום שניתנה בו בסיני, אפילו חכמים גדולים שיודעים כל התורה כולה חייבין לשמוע בכוונה גדולה יתרה, ומי שאינו יכול לשמוע מכוין לבו לקריאה זו שלא קבעה הכתוב אלא לחזק דת האמת ויראה עצמו כאילו עתה נצטוה בה ומפי הגבורה שומעה, שהמלך שליח הוא להשמיע דברי האל.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

By Rabbi Ari Kahn

He looks like many religious men: not too old, not too young, his speech peppered with Torah verses and Talmudic expressions; he eagerly performs good deeds, and his spare time, whenever he isn’t working, is spent studying. Many friends and acquaintances know him to be a "ben Torah," someone who spent many years in yeshiva, immersed in the study of hallowed texts. What very few know is that the first yeshiva he attended was not as child, or even as a teenager; he did not attend one of the prominent, well-known yeshivot that produce great rabbis. He studied in a very exclusive institution; acceptance there required the "approval" of a judge: the first yeshiva he attended was in prison. We will call him Shalom – which means peace; this is not his real name, but given his soft-spoken nature and the work that he does, this name is appropriate. This is his story; various biographical details are clouded to protect his identity, and his family – who other than his wife do not know the full story of how Shalom became the man he is today.

The first yeshiva Shalom attended was the brainchild of Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek and founder and president of Migdal Ohr Institutions. After the Six Day War Rabbi Grossman came to Migdal HaEmek hoping to do a few "good deeds." He envisioned a short stint in what we might call the "peace corps”: he went for what he thought would be a short period of time – a stint which is now in its fifth decade. When he arrived in Migdal HaEmek, he sought out the young people, and found them in discos and bars. He soon learned that many had either been to prison themselves or had close relatives in prison. Rabbi Grossman began to visit the prisons and was shocked to find so many young people – who he saw as fundamentally good yet misguided, whose poor judgment combined with unfortunate life circumstances and led them to the fringes of society and finally to incarceration. Rabbi Grossman was determined to do something for this lost segment of society, and soon received permission to make these prison visits part of his normal weekly schedule. He found the prisoners thirsty for spiritual instruction. Convinced that this instruction could help their rehabilitation and fight recidivism, he petitioned the authorities to open a religious wing in the prison, where the prisoners could work on their spiritual growth, and hopefully, their rehabilitation.

As a teenager, Shalom had dallied in petty crime, but as he approached adulthood he learned a trade, and things were looking up. One evening, he took his girlfriend and his brother to a bar for a few drinks. At the other side of the bar his eyes met with those of a stranger; the other fellow, who probably also had consumed a fair share of alcohol, made a hand motion – as if to say, "What are you looking at?" Shalom responded with a hand motion of his own, trying to communicate "nothing". Nonetheless, in seconds the stranger was is his face – encouraging Shalom to come outside and "discuss" the issue. Despite the pleas of his girlfriend and brother – who had seen this guy around town and knew that he was trouble – Shalom went outside. Before he knew it, he was attacked - "sucker punched." Reeling, Shalom pulled out the knife he carried in his pocket, and when his assailant came at him, Shalom stabbed him in the neck. Just then he heard sirens – the police had been alerted and were fast approaching. Shalom fled, with the police in pursuit, as the assailant lay in a quickly-forming pool of blood.

Shalom escaped. He remained a fugitive for the next month, alone and scared. He prayed to God that the man he had stabbed would live. A few days after the incident, he read in the newspaper that the man had died; Shalom was wanted for murder. Despite his attempts to remain free, he was soon apprehended. Yet of all the horrors that would befall him, nothing was as harrowing as the moment he learned that he had taken a life.

The murder charge was reduced to manslaughter; Shalom pleaded "self defense," but the court found him guilty and sent him to prison for 14 years. It seemed like a lifetime, an eternity. In prison he began to question his values, his decisions, his life, and it was at that point that he met a rabbi, a member of Rabbi Grossman’s staff, who encouraged him to pray. He began to study Jewish texts, and found them fascinating, life altering; he began to find answers to his questions. He was now a Yeshiva student, in a most unique yeshiva. The warden, though himself not a religious man, understood the power of belief, and made it known that anything these prisoners needed to pursue this new path would be considered,  and if possible supplied. Soon Shalom was joined by another prisoner, a “career prisoner” serving his third ten-year term for robbery who enjoyed a certain reputation amongst the prisoners. He, too, had begun to turn toward a life of Torah, and whenever Shalom would softly suggest that they needed a few more men for a minyan, this new-found compatriot would boisterously demand - and receive – immediate cooperation from any and all inmates within earshot.

The first bit of direction Shalom received from his prison rabbi was to say Psalms, to read Tehilim at midnight, with conviction. The rabbi said, “Don’t be afraid to ask God for help – just go ahead and ask.” So, late at night, Shalom lit candles (which were prohibited in prison), and read the holy book. The prison guards who saw what he was doing, recognized Shalom as a model prisoner and looked the other way. Night after night he would read, pray, and ask God for the impossible. He prayed for the arrival of the Messiah and an end to all the suffering in the world; he prayed for his fellow prisoners, and he prayed for the soul of the man he had killed - and he prayed to be released from prison. He began to learn Mishna - and eventually completed all six volumes – in an attempt to elevate the soul of the man who had attacked him, the man he had killed.

His lawyer filed a petition, and Shalom was brought before a judge who spoke with him, and reviewed the file. In one stroke of the pen, nine years were taken off his sentence; fourteen years were reduced to five. He was certain that the power of his prayers had produced this miracle.

As if that was not enough of a miracle, Shalom was soon summoned to a meeting, one that he had not anticipated. The room was full of police, social workers and rabbis. He was asked if he would like to join a special program – outside of the prison, where he could learn in a yeshiva full-time, a yeshiva created by Rabbi Grossman. The remaining years that he "owed" until he was eligible for parole would be spent doing what he now loved more than anything else: studying Torah – as a free man. Rabbi Grossman would be his warden and take responsibility that Shalom remained steadfast in his ways.

Shalom was a changed man. Over the next few years in yeshiva, he continued to grow, and continued to be the beneficiary of Rabbi Grossman’s visionary program. At the wedding of one of Shalom’s fellow yeshiva students, he was introduced to the maid of honor, whom he married shortly thereafter. Rabbi Grossman helped them financially to set up their home, and Shalom and his wife have built a lovely home and a beautiful family.

Many years have passed and today Shalom is an upstanding member of society. He spends much of his time and energy speaking to young people - teenagers and young adults, warning them about the pitfalls that lie in their path, about the dangers of getting into the wrong crowd, of acting without thinking. None of them know how he garnered so much wisdom, or where he gained his experiences.

One day not long ago Shalom received a phone call; Rabbi Grossman wanted to see him. A very important guest was coming to Migdal Ohr – a Justice on Israel’s Supreme Court. This same woman had been a member of the court that had sentenced Shalom to 14 years in prison. When they were introduced, the judge was shocked to learn Shalom's identity. They revisited the details of his case; Shalom explained that he had acted in self defense. The judge said that it had not been an easy case, but she was comfortable with her ruling; in fact, she admitted that upon learning that his sentence had been reduced she was quite cross with the judge who had presided over that hearing.

Shalom spoke to the judge quietly, in even tones. And with the full weight of the years that had passed and the wisdom he had gained, he said, “The problem was that you never believed me or in me – or in the possibility that I could be rehabilitated. Rabbi Grossman did believe in me, and thanks to him I - and many others - were rehabilitated. I can only thank you for arranging my meeting Rabbi Grossman and his emissaries; I cannot imagine my life had that meeting never happened. Thank You.”

In this month of Elul, the Month of Mercy and Forgiveness, as we approach Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we need to know that each and every one of us can be rehabilitated.  Most of us do not carry the baggage that Shalom does, but each of us faces unique challenges. We must never lose faith in ourselves and in our ability to change.

Postscript: Shalom today works in his privately owned business in the service industry.

Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman was awarded the Israel prize, the most prestigious prize given to citizens of Israel, for his lifetime of work with the underprivileged and impoverished; and the institution he founded - Migdal Ohr (http://www.migdalohrusa.org/).