Geulah through a Closed Mouth

Great tips on how current events should inspire us to teshuva from yesterday's Hakhel email:

Special Note Two: As Arab Governments (Yishmael) remarkably weaken and falter before our very eyes--only a few short years after the Western World (Esav) began tottering from both security and financial perspectives, we recall the words in last week’s Parsha in which Hashem advised Moshe Rabbeinu--”Ve’Roisa Ess Achorai U’Fanai Lo Yeira’u--You will see my ‘back’, but not my ‘face’--you will understand events after they happen but will not be able to understand them prior to then. We all know that something is happening--we simply don’t know what it is--and we are not supposed to, for if we did we would have Nevi’im . So what is left? Of course, it cannot be said enough--it is Teshuva--the desire, the longing, the movement, the actual strides to put your life and the lives of those close to you in the right direction.--in that very same direction as those20% who left Egypt, and not the 80% who tragically remained forever behind. The first steps in Teshuva are identifying the foibles and the shortcomings, the failures and the faults. The next step is feeling true remorse over them and realistically resolving how to not fall to them so easily again. Every day, we recite the words “Selach Lanu Avinu Ki Chatanu--Hashem, please forgive us for having sinned”. Without proper charata--remorse over a misdeed, what worth is the thrice daily lip movement? Is there any redeeming value to saying something to Hashem which you don’t mean now--even if you do intend to mean it five or six months from now when Elul gets closer? The key is valuing each day here and now, and not letting it pass without a new step in the direction of shleimus--making oneself whole as a person. Just as with the body--when we bang our foot, we begin to walk funny, so too it is with the soul--if our tongues are a bit too loose with a little loshon hora, or with coarse, hurtful, or non-complimentary words (even if they are simply only words that you wouldn’t say in front of your Rav, your Rebbe...or your shadchan)--then our Tefillos are also hurt and wounded, and our words of Torah are far from pristine. Not letting the indiscretion, the carelessness, the instinct-over-intellect, happen again, and doing this consciously and consistently, day after day, will provide daily elevation--not only in Shemiras Halashon, but in one’s precious words of Torah and Tefillah as well.

There is something even more powerful. As we have noted in the past, the Chasam Sofer explains that the month of Adar, according to his reckoning, is representative of Shevet Binyamin. He explains that the stone on the Choshen for Binyomin is Yospheh--which can be split into two words--Yesh Peh--he has a mouth. This, the Chasam Sofer explains, is what allowed Mordechai from Shevet Binyomin to be victorious over the Lishna Bisha--the evil words of Haman which were set to literally destroy K’lal Yisroel. Mordechai was a descendant of Binyomin who had a mouth--but kept it closed and did not tell his father Yaakov what his brothers had done to Yoseph; Binyomin’s descendent, Shaul Hamelech also had a mouth, but once again kept it closed until the time came to be declared King; Esther HaMalka as well did not reveal ‘moladata’, where she was from, despite the immense pressure from the king for her to do so--and as a result all of K’lal Yisroel was saved. Succinctly stated, the closed mouth of Binyomin--the Yoshpheh-- literally brought salvation to us all. By following in the Yoshpheh tradition (you may even very well be from Shevet Binyomin!), you are not only saving your own mouth from contamination, you are not only immensely approving your words of Torah and your words of Tefillah--but you are bringing us all one step closer to the Bais Hamikdash and Geulah--as Hashem’s House is especially nestled... in the nachala of Shevet Binyomin!

Asara beTevet, Teshuva, 8 Tevet, 9 Tevet etc.

From today's Hakhel email:

Special Note Three: Today is the eighth day of Teves, the tragic day upon which the Torah was translated into Greek, the Septuagint, which is marked as a Ta’anis Tzadikim (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 580:2). For further detail on the tragedy of the Septuagint, we refer you to the Sefer HaToda’ah, translated into English as The Book of Our Heritage (Feldheim), by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, Z’tl.

Tomorrow, the ninth day of Teves is actually also a Ta’anis Tzadikim, for it is the Yahrtzeit of Ezra HaSofer (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim ibid., Mishna Berurah seif katan 13). As a zechus for Ezra Hasofer, one can review the Takanos that Ezra instituted, as described in Bava Kamma 82A.

These two days are then followed by a third Ta’anis, Asara B’Teves, which is observed by all.

The Chasam Sofer in a Drasha that he gave on the eighth day of Teves (approximately 200 years ago) suggests that after the 70-day period of mourning in Egypt ended for Yaakov Avinu, the Bnei Yisroel traveled to Eretz Canaan and eventually buried Yaakov Avinu--on Asara B’Teves. The date of Eisav’s death is then--yes, Asara B’Teves, as well.

There is much to learn from the Chasam Sofer’s conclusion in our observance of Asara B’Teves. After all, Ma'aseh Avos Siman L’Bonim--that which occurred to our forefathers is a sign for future generations. Firstly, Chazal teach us that “Yaakov Avinu Lo Mais.” That is, even though it may appear to us that Yaakov passed away, in fact, he lives on--most certainly so in spirit. We, too, having experienced the devastating blow of the events of Asara B’Teves more than 2,500 years ago have not rolled over and died as scores of other nations have in the meantime. Moreover, what ultimately happened on Asara B’Teves was the death of Eisav. This, the Chasam Sofer writes, is symbolic of Asara B’Teves in the end being turned from a date of sadness to a day of “Sasson V’Simcha”--joy and happiness.

The missing link to bring us to what Asara B’Teves is supposed to be is Teshuva. We all know that this is the shortest fast of the year, so it should be the easiest. That is a gift in and of itself. However long or short the fast is, in order to be meaningful, it must be accompanied by Teshuva. We must do something. We must make a move to revitalize Yaakov, and to once and for all, put Eisav away.

One suggestion may be to take out your Vidui booklet, or other Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur reminder. We especially note that Asara B’Teves is “Asiri Lakodesh”--the next tenth day in a series of ten day periods since Yom Kippur--an especially auspicious day for personal improvement!

One final, but important comment: Rashi explains that when Yosef and Binyamin fell on each other’s necks in last week’s Parsha (Bereishis 45:14), it was to symbolize the destruction of the two Batei Mikdashos, and the Mishkan of Shilo, which were located in their respective territories in Eretz Yisroel. The Avnei Nezer explains that the “necks” symbolize the Bais HaMikdash and the Mishkan, because just as the neck connects the head (which is the resting place of the soul) to the rest of the body, so, too, does the Bais HaMikdash (and the Mishkan) fully and finally connect our physical lives to our spiritual existence. When we yearn for the Bais HaMikdash, we are yearning to connect our corporeal life to the highest spiritual plane it can achieve. By endeavoring to make a brocha (the spiritual) over food (the physical) properly, we demonstrate that we are sincerely preparing for--and awaiting--the day when we truly can connect our bodies to our souls in the most absolute and outstanding way that we can!