Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech

~Thoughts on The Parsha~

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech

Following the Leader

By: Daniel Listhaus

אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל: טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ:

“You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your G-d; Your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers – all the men of Israel; your small children, your women, and your convert who is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water.”

-Nitzavim 29:9-10

            Rashi[1] writes that on the day of his death, Moshe rabbeinu gathered all of B’nei Yisroel before Hashem in order to enter them into the bris (covenant) between them and Hashem. Every single member of K’lal Yisroel was present and Moshe addressed them as a nation. Indeed the Torah itself records Moshe’s speech to B’nei Yisroel. However, the question which begs to be asked is why the Torah felt it necessary to record Moshe’s opening line. In his opening sentence, Moshe seems to start the same way that a speaker would start at a graduation. “You are standing here today: Heads of tribes, elders, officers, and everyone of K’lal Yisroel…” sounds quite similar to, “Esteemed teachers, parents, families, friends, and my fellow graduates…” Why is it that Moshe felt it necessary to single out specific ranks and professions within B’nei Yisroel as opposed to just saying, “Thank you everyone for coming, we are gathered here today…”? And if the reason he did so was just some sort of formality as a way of opening his speech then why does the Torah feel it necessary to record it?

            The Gemara[2] states that one who has the ability to stop an aveirah in his house but does not do so bears responsibility for not doing so and will be punished. Similarly, one who has the ability to protest against the actions of a city but fails to do so is culpable for the actions of the city. And one with the ability to effectively speak out against the world’s behavior but refrains from doing so is liable for the consequences he could have prevented. Based on this Gemara, the Ohr Ha’Chaim[3] suggests that this was the deeper message that Moshe rabbeinu was conveying in his opening statement – that the leaders of K’lal Yisroel are responsible for the entire K’lal, the heads of tribes are responsible for their tribes, that the elders are responsible as heads of their generations of family, while each member of B’nei Yisroel is responsible held accountable for what goes on in their respective homes and circles of influence.

            This lesson is not one to be taken lightly. Sometimes when we think of leaders we think of outstanding or outspoken individuals set to make a difference in the world or community. However, the term leader is much broader than that. As a matter of fact, although there may be important qualifications for one to be a good leader,[4]  there is really only one requirement to be a leader and that is to simply have a follower.  Many people have others who they openly look up to – whether public influencers, close friends, or teachers – and across many different categories, from culture and behavior to spirituality and life structure. Many of us, though, have mentors who we secretly admire as well. Perhaps a peer or sibling who does a particular thing in a way you look up to, or perhaps a random person you met once in a park or walking down the street with a particular middah you liked and decided to adopt even though you will never see him again. However we must keep in mind that just as we have people who we openly and secretly respect, others do as well; and for all you know it may be you who someone looks up to and respects. If we are expected to protest and speak out against our spheres of influence, then we are certainly expected to speak out and protest and to think for ourselves before doing things because even if we don’t think that others look up to us, the truth is that there are people who do and besides for the responsibility we have for ourselves we are responsible for those we have influence over as well.

           

            The Gemara[5] relates that Hashem commands us to recite Malchiyos on Rosh Hashanah in order that we should crown Hashem as King over us. Just as it was Adom Ha’rishon who first proclaimed Hashem as King, so too we affirm this year after year on Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world and mankind. The interesting paradox of leaders and followers is that although a follower is someone who follows a leader, it is the follower himself who validates the leader as such. So, in a way, a follower is really a leader in his own right. When Hashem created the world He was a Creator, Controller, and Owner, but was not a King until Adom Ha’rishon proclaimed him as such. This is something we allude to in Adon Olam, “Adon Olam asher malach b’terem kol y’tzir nivra. L’eis na’asah b’cheftzo kol, azai melech shemo nikra…” “Master of the Universe Who reigned before any form was created. At the time when His will created all things, then as “King” His name was proclaimed…” A King needs subjects, a leader needs followers. It is the validation of the King by His subjects that He becomes a King and it is the follower’s validation of the leader which allows him to obtain that title.

            We must always keep these ideas in mind. One, that each of us is a leader whether we like it or not and whether we are aware of it or not. Just as we secretly look up to people and will imitate the good behaviors of some or perhaps rationalize our bad behaviors because of peer pressure or what we see our influencers doing, so too others look at us – some picking out a good middah we have and learning from it and others rationalizing their behaviors based on what they see us do. Therefore extreme care must be taken to be cognizant of the fact that we have followers and that we are responsible for the way we portray ourselves and the influence we have over them.

            Second, we must recognize that even if we lived in a complete bubble and were absolutely certain that we did not have followers, still by choosing to follow a certain leader or starting to do a certain thing validates it and gives it the strength to be a leader or influencer; and we are responsible for that as well. If someone is doing something inappropriate and we follow suit then we may bear the responsibility of validating his actions and if by extension others are influenced, we will have to answer for those consequences.

            This is the scary but vital lesson that Moshe opened with when entering K’lal Yisroel into a bris with Hashem. Whether it be speaking out against someone doing something improper, or us controlling ourselves in order to guide our followers and make sure not to validate bad leaders, we are accountable for our spheres of influence. We bear the responsibility of consequences that we could have been prevented.

            May Hashem help us always be cognizant of acting in His ways so that we could be proper mentors and leaders for our followers, as well as proper followers who validate the right leaders. In this zechus (merit) may He turn to us with favorable k’siva v’chasima tovah as we stand before Him on Rosh Hashanah and declare Him as King and we His servants.

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[1] Devarim 29:9

[2] Shabbos 54b

[3] Devarim 29:9

[4] For more on the subject see my d’var Torah: Parshas Pinchas – Core Credentials

[5] Rosh Hashanah 16a

Parshas Ki Savo - The Secret Life of Avatar City

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Ki Savo

The Secret Life of Avatar City

By: Daniel Listhaus

אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה תּוֹעֲבַת ה' מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי חָרָשׁ וְשָׂם בַּסָּתֶר וְעָנוּ כָל הָעָם וְאָמְרוּ אָמֵן

“‘Accursed is the man who will make a graven or molten image, an abomination of Hashem, a craftsman’s handiwork, and emplace it in secret.’ And the entire people shall speak up and say, ‘Amen’.”

 -Ki Savo 27:15

בַּבֹּקֶר תֹּאמַר מִי יִתֵּן עֶרֶב וּבָעֶרֶב תֹּאמַר מִי יִתֵּן בֹּקֶר מִפַּחַד לְבָבְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּפְחָד וּמִמַּרְאֵה עֵינֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה

“In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it would be morning!’ – for the fright of your heart that you will fear and the sight of your eyes that you will see’.”

-Ki Savo 28:67

            The Torah[1] describes that half of B’nei Yisroel, divided by shevatim (tribes) went up on Har Gerizim and the other half went up on Har Eival. The Kohanim and Levi’im stood in the valley in between and the Levi’im called out each beracha (blessing) while facing Har Gerizim and the entire B’nei Yisroel answered “amen”. Then the Levi’im turned toward Har Eival with the corresponding k’lalah (curse) and all of B’nei Yisroel answered “amen” to each of those as well.[2]

The Rashbam[3] comments that the twelve curses listed are all referring to aveiros (sins) which one does privately. Regarding two of the twelve curses – avodah zarrah (idol worship) and one who hits one’s friend – the Torah specifically writes that it refers to one who does so “b’sa’ser” (in private) because since it is just as common for one to do those things publicly as privately, the Torah specifies that here by the curses it refers specifically to one who does so privately.[4]

            The Kli Yakar[5] observes that indeed it is possible for a person to be living a double life. On the outside one may give off the impression that he or she is living a life of Torah and mitzvos while the reality could be exactly the opposite. As a matter of fact, this was actually the case by the second Beis Ha’makdish. When the second Beis Ha’mikdash was being destroyed there was mass confusion. After all, there were no specific aveiros (sins) to point to that were being done that would have caused such a catastrophe. Not only that, but everyone seemed to be learning and keeping the Torah. Even the malachim (angels) could not figure out why the Beis Ha’mikdash was destroyed until the question was asked to Hashem Himself Who explained that the beautiful learning on the outside was a façade and that the reality was that people were learning for ulterior motives. One could live a double life and fool everyone – the chochomim, nevi’im, malachim, and if one gets in too deep one could even begin to fool oneself, but one cannot fool Hashem.

            The words of the Kli Yakar, although said regarding the warnings in the Torah of living a dual life through faking keeping Torah and mitzvos, scream loud and clear and are certainly true in our generation with the numerous emotional conflicts people go through and the double lives that they  lead. Nowadays, despite the tremendous liberties and technologies, abundances and luxuries, so many people live high stress lives. Even people who on the outside look happy and content are sometimes dealing with extreme struggles – whether from external sources or from within themselves. 

            With the release of video games with missions for players to create life simulations, researchers have found a very strong correlation between the lives that the players actually led in real life and that which they chose to set in such games. Correlations often existed throughout many categories from “personality” to “home settings”. For example, introverted people often created introverted characters, and people from divorced homes often set or caused that setting for their characters. The same was found true when people create gaming avatars – cartoon characters or icons chosen by a player to use during a game. People tend to choose characters that they feel portray themselves. Interestingly, however, there were sometimes complete negative correlations. A kid who is quiet and well-behaved at school may come home at night and make his characters commit horrible crimes. Sometimes kids experiencing complete disaster and abuse at home worked hard at making the perfect world for their characters. Research concluded an interesting two observations from these discoveries. First, that although some players project their current selves into their made up worlds, others project what they want their future selves to be into their made up worlds. Second, that sometimes a person’s present self as everyone perceives him or her, is not necessarily an accurate assessment of the gears turning in one’s mind or the emotions that drive him. After all, a bomb on a timer could also seem calm with a metronomic ticking until it explodes. It turns out that creating avatars and controlling life simulations contain identity cues. Individuals who live a certain unwanted lifestyle in the real world may view virtual worlds, and the avatars within them, as an opportunity to express their true selves.

            This idea of so many people having a dual identity is one far from unimaginable. Everyone has secrets. Everyone has motives. It is virtually impossible to find someone who is 100% genuine with absolutely nothing different on the outside from what is on the inside. If even the great generation of pious, learned individuals during the time of the Beis Ha’mikdash were not who they portrayed themselves as being, than certainly now-a-days with the all the craziness that exists and the unprecedented stress within the complex lives we live and the multi-tiered web of relationships we maintain, there is certainly the potential for a single individual to have more simultaneous identities than a chameleon that falls into a bag of M&M’s.

            Earlier in the parsha[6] the Torah commands, “Perform these statutes and the laws, and you shall observe and perform them with all your heart and with all your soul”. The Rosh[7] explains that one must not be a person who says one thing but does another. One’s mouth – what he says and portrays himself to be on the outside – should perfectly reflect what one is truly thinking and feeling on the inside. In the midst of the tochacha, while describing the horrors that will come to us if we do not follow the Torah, the passuk[8] says, “In the morning you will say, ‘If only it would be evening!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it would be morning!’….” Whether this means that the person wishes he was still living in the past[9] or that he wishes that time just fast-forward to the next stage,[10] one thing is clear: that the person will be unhappy in his present state. Indeed, besides for on one level referring specifically to a person in the midst of harsh punishments, on another level it is also a direct consequence of one who has internal struggles and self contradictions. A person who displays himself as one way on the outside but is another on the inside will find oneself unhappy and wishing for things to go back the way they were or for the next stage to just come.

            The Rema writes in Shulchan Aruch[11] that the minhag (custom) for B’nei Ashkenaz (Ashkenazi Jews) is to start saying selichos the Sunday (motzaei shabbos) prior to Rosh Hashanah unless Rosh Hashanah falls out on a Monday or Tuesday in which case we start reciting selichos on the motzaei shabbos a week before the one immediately before Rosh Hashanah. The Mishna Berura[12] explains that we always want to have a minimum of four days of selichos before Rosh Hashanah.  The reason for this is because regarding Rosh Hashanah the passuk says, “va’aseesem olah” (you should make an olah) as opposed to the usual wording of “v’hekravtem olah” (you should bring an olah). We learn from here that on Rosh Hashanah we must make ourselves as if we are the offering. Therefore, just as we find by karbanos that the animals required four days worth of checking for blemishes before being ready to bring as an offering, so too we require a minimum of four days worth of checking ourselves extra carefully before entering Rosh Hashanah. Those of us who generally finds ourselves saying in the morning that we wish it would be evening, and in the evening that we wish it were morning should recognize this red-flag and specifically check for inner struggles or self contradictions. Are we forcing ourselves to act a certain way on the outside because of social pressures when inside we are really different? Are we committed to doing things but feel uncomfortable with the reasons behind them? Are we caught in a circular routine with no exit? Do our proverbial avatar cities parallel our real ones? And even if they do, is that the way they are supposed to look? These are the questions that we must ask while we check ourselves during these days leading up to Rosh Hashanah. Our words must be an accurate reflection of what we are feeling within, which means that time must be spent thinking about what we are in fact feeling inside. Introspection and self intellectual honesty are absolutely necessary for us to understand what our strengths and weaknesses are as well as where we are at and which direction we should be heading.

            So many people are living dangerous secret lives; some purposely, some accidentally. On the surface a person could justify it as walking on egg shells and keeping his personal desires entertained while simultaneously satisfying the expectations of one’s family, rabbeim, and friends. However this state of self contradiction takes a toll on the body and soul as the worst lack of shalom (peace) and the closest to home. If a person has a fake shalom in himself than the genuineness of any shalom that comes from him could be questioned as well – a virtual dayo lavo min ha’din l’heiyos k’nidon. Whether a person is frum but not a yarei shamayim, a friend with ulterior motives for the friendship, or any of the horrendous contradictions that people live with in-between and beyond, one must take the time to stop and reflect where he or she is at and what needs to be done to recalibrate.

            May Hashem help us discover the conflicts between our mouths and hearts so that we could begin working on fixing them and prepare ourselves as true servants in order to not only properly declare Hashem as our King on Rosh Hashanah – but to mean it.

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[1] Devarim 27:11-14

[2] See Rashi Devarim 27:12

[3] Devarim 27:15. See also Chizkuni

[4] See also Malbim who goes through these aveiros and explains what each one is and stresses each time the fact that dealing with aveiros done privately.

[5] Devarim 27:12

[6] Devarim 26:16

[7] Ibid.

[8] Devarim 28:67

[9] This is how Rashi (28:67) explains based on Gemara Sotah 49a – that in the morning the person will wish it was still the night before, and at night he will wish that it was the previous morning.

[10] See Rashbam 28:67 that according to the simple reading of passuk it would seem that the person is hoping for the future just as one who is sick longs for the end to come.

[11] Shulchan Aruch: Orach Chaim 581:1

[12] Shulchan Aruch: Orach Chaim 581:1:6 (in his second explanation) 

Parshas Ki Seitzei - Partners in Crime

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Ki Seitzei

Partners in Crime

By: Daniel Listhaus

לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה: לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה: אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ אֵיפָה שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכוּ יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה' אֱלֹקיךָ כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה כֹּל עֹשֵׂה עָוֶל

“You shall not have in your pouch a stone and a stone – a large one and a small one. You shall not have in your house a measure and a measure – a large one and a small one. A complete [perfect] and honest stone shall you have, a complete [perfect] and honest measure shall you have, so that your days shall be lengthened on the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you. For an abomination of Hashem, your G-d, are all who do this, all who act fraudulently.”

-Ki Seitzei 25:13-16

            As is true of most of Sefer Devarim^[1], this mitzva is a reiteration of what was commanded earlier in the Torah.^[2] The requirement for a person to make sure that one's scales are accurate is a mitzva which is fundamental in the Torah because it represents the necessary honesty and truth which must be exhibited at all times.

            The Kli Yakar^[3] is bothered that if one takes a closer look at these passukim (verses), one will notice a technical difficulty. The Torah makes mention of “a large stone” and “a small stone”? Our first thought may be to think that they represent measures which would result in giving too much or too little merchandise. The Torah would then be describing a dishonest person who, when taking things for himself uses the large stone, yet when measuring for others uses the small one. However, this cannot be the correct explanation because it does not fit well with the verbiage and structure of the passuk. When the Torah writes the inverse and describes what one should utilize instead of two different sized stones, it says, “A complete [perfect] and honest stone shall you have...”.^[4] The passuk seems to only be contrasting the the small stone by stating that one must have a full one, but does not seem to directly address the over-sized measurement by advising to instead get a smaller one of normal size. Why is this so?

            Based on this question, it must be that there is a slightly different explanation and perhaps a deeper message being taught here in the Torah. The Kli Yakar explains as follows. Although when the Torah writes here “a small stone” it does indeed refer to one which measures less than it should, the “large stone” which is mentioned does not parallel this same idea to refer to a measure more than it is supposed to be. Instead, when the Torah describes the “large stone” it means a perfectly accurate stone. The Torah only used the adjective “large” in order to compare and contrast it to the fraudulent small one.

            The obvious problem with this is, as the Kli Yakar himself points out, why does the Torah command that such a stone should not be found in one's possession? The Torah should instead have said, “You should not have in your pouch a small stone, rather you should only have a large one.” Furthermore, after stating this negative commandment, the Torah^[5] strengthens it by saying that this is considered an abomination to Hashem. Why should Hashem despise those who carry accurate measures?

            The Kli Yakar answers these questions in the following way. Shlomo HaMelech writes in Mishlei^[6], “A stone and a stone, a measure and a measure, also both of them are abominations to Hashem”. The word “also” (“gam”) seems to be extra. Why not just write “both of them...”? Based on this the Kli Yakar explains that the two stones/measures that Shlomo refers to are not both fraudulent. Rather, one is small and the other is accurate, and yet Shlomo teaches that even the one which is the right measure is an abomination. Having the properly weighted stone on hand creates a situation which allows one to be deceitful by accrediting the small one. After all, imagine if this store owner would only have his small measure. He could take his chances, but every time he dares to cheat someone, he risks being caught and found guilty by Beis Din (Jewish court). However, with an accurate measure in his pocket as well, which he could use for some of his customers, a fail-proof scheme is formed. Even if a cheated customer would check the weight of the merchandise on his own scales at home, realizes he was cheated, and takes the store owner to court, the owner would be able to confidently go to Beis Din and call in other customers with merchandise measured correctly to swear in his defense. Beis Din would assume that the person claiming to have been cheated is indeed the real cheater and that his own weights at home are the ones which are imprecise.

            Immediately after this commandment not to have inaccurate measures, the Torah charges us to never forget what Amalek did to us when we came out of Mtzrayim. They attacked us when we were vulnerable and we cannot forgive them of this. Rashi^[7] comments that the juxtaposition between these two seemingly unconnected topics is coming to communicate the following message. If we are untruthful about our measures and weights, then we should begin worrying about getting attacked by our enemies.

            The Kli Yakar is very bothered by this Rashi. First, what does being dishonest have to do with our enemies attacking us? We know that Hashem punishes middah k'neged middah (measure for measure), but what makes war a fit punishment for cheating customers? Furthermore, when Amalek attacked us we were in the midbar fresh out of Mitzrayim; there were no cases of B’nei Yisroel dealing with fraudulent measures in the desert, so how does this Rashi accurately explain the battle of Amalek in this week’s parsha?

            The Kli Yakar continues and says that with the aforementioned idea we developed, we could now have a better appreciation for this juxtaposition that Rashi is coming to address. One who has the accurate measuring stone together with the under-sized one is trying to secretly deceive his customers. His actions scream lack of yiras shamayim (fear of Heaven), for he does not consider the fact that Hashem is omniscient but rather, he thinks that Hashem will be tricked with his scheme along with the Beis Din. A person with such a mentality deserves to be attacked by Amalek – who attack publicly at times when we are lax in our yiras shamayim.^[8]

            The yesod (foundation, main point) of this Kli Yakar is one which is an important one to internalize. Even though the accurate stone is nothing more than a passive player in a plot to harm others, it is still considered as much an abomination as the stone specifically designed to cheat. Keeping quiet while a friend is doing something wrong, or being a silent partner in a crime, still makes one a responsible party in what occurred. We must be careful ourselves not just to make sure that we are not the dishonest stone, but to even make sure that we do not place ourselves as the accurate measure in an environment which, with its presence, sheker could be enhanced.

            The opposite is also true. Earlier in this week's parsha, the Torah relates our relationship with certain nations and restrictions the Torah imposes on them regarding converting to Judaism.^[9] Among these passukim, the Torah^[10] says, “You shall not hate an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian for you were a sojourner in his land. Children who are born to them in the third generation may enter the congregation of Hashem.” At face value, this passuk is difficult to understand. We are commanded to not show hatred toward Egyptians nor prevent them from converting to Judaism because we are forever indebted to them; after all, we stayed in their land. What exactly do we owe them for? The price we paid for staying in Mitzrayim was not worth the value we received. We were forced into hard, purposeless labor, they tried to kill our children by drowning them in the Nile, and even after we finally left Mitzrayim they chased after us! Yet, despite all this, we are expected to allow them to convert to Judaism after three generations? For what do we owe this favor? Rashi^[11] on this passuk comments that although all these facts are true and we were indeed treated miserably by the Egyptians, nevertheless because they were a source of help during our time of need when there was a famine in Eretz Yisroel and the shevatim came to Mitzrayim for food, we are indebted to them.

            This Rashi does not make the passuk any easier to understand. No time in history did the ancient Egyptians intend to do anything nice for the Jews. Hashem had a plan to get B'nei Yisroel down to Mitzrayim. Therefore, Hashem created a famine everywhere except for Egypt which had seven plentiful years and had stored silos of food. The Egyptian government's full intention was to become fabulously wealthy using the advice that Yosef HaTzadik gave them. Yet, even though they were nothing more than a proverbial pawn in Hashem's master plan, still, because we benefited from dwelling there, we must hold back our hatred and allow them to convert to Judaism if they wish.^[12]

            We see here a very similar concept as we saw in the Kli Yakar. It does not matter how passive a part one may play in an overall plan. If one involves oneself in bringing goodness, no matter how indirect, it will be attributed back to him. The same, however, is true in the opposite scenario. Even someone as complete and perfect as the accurate stone, but who is lacking in yiras shamayim and plays even the smallest role in contributing to bring aveiros into the world, is responsible for those ramifications.

            As difficult as it may be for a person to become a “perfect stone” in the first place, that still cannot be our ultimate goal. The Orchos Tzadikkim^[13] offers the following moshol. A person may work hard to fill his barrel with wine, but as long as there is a hole in the barrel, it will all leak out. The same is true when it comes to people. One may even be on the level to realize that gashmiyus (materialism) is not what is important, and such a person may fill his barrel with Torah and chesed. However, as long as there is a lack in yiras shamayim, there are holes in the barrel and it will all leak out.

            The trickster in our parsha has a perfect stone. However, because it just sits silently as a deceitful scheme evolves around it, it too is an abomination in Hashem's eyes. As mentioned, though, the opposite holds true as well. One who is the cause of chesed, even if it be indirectly, is owed a sense of gratitude for being there in a time of need. Imagine if we actually make an effort to encourage people or actively help others to achieve, how much more so will we be rewarded!

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[1]    This is in fact why Sefer Devarim is also called Mishna Torah – because it is a repeat of many of the Torah.

[2]    Vayikra 19:35

[3]    Devarim 25:13

[4]    Devarim 25:14

[5]    Devarim 25:16

[6]    Mishlei 20:10

[7]    Devarim 25:17

[8]    See Rashi on Shemos 17:8

[9]    Devarim 23:4

[10]  Devarim 23:8-9

[11]  Devarim 23:8

[12]  See Sifri Devarim 252 (23:8-9)

[13]  In the Hakdama (Introduction) to the sefer.