Divrei Torah Parshas Ki Setzei
Torah Table of Contents
Have a Heart... and a Long Life, by The Imrei Shaul The Keepers [of Torah] will be Finders, The Divrei Yisrael Hostage Returns, The Imrei Aish
based on a ma'amar by the Imrei Shaul in sefer Ashei Yisrael, Parshas Ki Seitzei
"If you come across a bird's nest before you on the way, on any tree or on the ground, and it contains baby birds or eggs; then, if the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with her young. You must first send away the mother, and then you may take the young. [If you do this] you will have it good, and live long." [Devarim, 22:6-7]
The Midrash Tanchuma [Ki Seitzei, 2] associates these verses with the verse [Mishlei, 4:23], "Of all things to guard, guard your heart, for from it are the issues of life." The Imrei Shaul [Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar] asks, what does guarding one's heart have to do with the mitzva of Shiluach HaKein - sending away the mother bird?
The end of the second verse cited above says that this mitzva has the reward of long life. A similar reward is stated for the mitzva of Kibud Av v'Em - honoring one's parents. The Gemara [Kiddushin 39b] questions this, in light of the following incident. A man was bidden by his father to go up and bring down some chicks from a tree. Doing so, he sent away the mother bird, then took the young ones for his father. Upon descending, however, he slipped, fell down and died. The Gemara then asks the obvious question - what happened to the Torah's promise of long life [for both mitzvos - Shiluach HaKein and Kibud Av]? The Gemara replies that it was possible that the son was having idolatrous thoughts, which could have made him liable to death in spite of the mitzvos he was performing. It quotes the verse [Yechezkel, 14:5], "that I may catch the Jewish people in their heart, for they are all estranged from me through their idols."
We can now understand the Midrash Tanchuma. Even when doing the mitzvos of Shiluach HaKein and Kibud Av, one must still "guard his heart" from thoughts of idolatry. This is also hinted at, in that the gematria [numerical value] of "mishmar - guard" is exactly equal to "avodas kochavim - idol [lit., star] worship" - they both equal 580. "From it are the issues of life" - the fulfillment of the Torah's promise of length of days.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
based on a ma'amar by the Divrei Yisrael in Ashei Yisrael, Parshas Ki Seitzeh
"Do not oppress the hired worker...pay him his wage on his day, before the sun sets...Devarim, 24:14-15]
An earlier verse [Vayikra, 19:13] says, "Do not oppress your fellow man, nor steal from him; do not leave [the payment for] his work with you overnight, until the morning." The Gemara [Bava Metzia, 110b] explains that the verse in Vayikra refers to a day worker, who may collect his wage throughout the night [he has to be paid by daybreak], while our verse refers to a night worker, who has to be paid by sunset of the following day. Rashi in Vayikra explains that "the Torah gives the employer one onah [an onah is a 'time-period' of either daytime or nighttime] to come up with the money [to pay the wages]."
The Divrei Yisrael has many problems with this. Firstly, just because we give the employer a few extra hours to come up with the money, does that mean he will succeed in finding it? We ourselves know of countless of individuals who needed money and didn't come up with it, certainly not in a short time span. A similar question was asked by Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir on the statement of our Sages, regarding the expenses for Shabbos, that Hashem says, "Borrow on My account, and I'll pay it back." How will this guarantee help if there is no one who wishes to lend the money? Similarly in our case, even if he's given a bit of time to come up with the money, if he doesn't succeed, he'll be in violation of a Torah prohibition!
Furthermore, we may be able to understand the case of the night worker, whose boss may not have any money at night, but could possibly come up with it the next day. But for the day worker, if the boss didn't have any money to pay him at the end of the day, what good will it do to give him the following night to find the money? How will he find money in the darkness of the night, when everyone's asleep? And if he doesn't pay up first thing in the morning, he, too, will be in violation of a Torah prohibition!
Finally, he asks, what does Rashi mean by "the Torah gives him an onah"? It should simply say that he is given the extra bit of time to find the money. It seems like the Torah itself is giving him a "gift" of an onah to find the money.
In truth, answers the Divrei Yisrael, our days and nights are not our own - they belong to the Torah. For doesn't it say, "The book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall engage in it day and night" [Yehoshua, 1:8]. Similarly it says [Yirmiyahu, 33:25], "If not for my covenant [the Torah] day and night, I would not have established the laws of Heaven and Earth." However, not everyone is capable of maintaining such a regimen, as the Gemara [Brachos, 35b] informs us that many tried to do like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai [learning Torah as a full-time occupation] and did not succeed. Those who followed the ways of Rabbi Yishmael, who called for adjoining working for a livelihood to their Torah studies, were successful. This is also stressed by our Sages in Pirkei Avos, "Torah is beautiful when accompanied by earning of a livelihood," and "If there is no flour, there is no Torah" [Chapters 2 and 3].
Therefore, when the Torah "sees" that man needs parnasa [livelihood] and wealth in order to fulfill the Torah and its mitzvos, it goes "beyond the letter of the Law" and donates one of its time periods [onah] so that man may engage in a livelihood. Since the Torah has given its "permission", the person who engages in his livelihood with such an intention [to fulfill the Torah and its mitzvos], will certainly be successful in finding it - even in the dark of night. Similarly, the question about "Borrowing on My account" is also not a problem. Since it's Hashem and His Torah that bids the man to borrow, certainly he will obtain the loan.
We find in Birkas HaMazon, the grace after meals, that we say a blessing, mentioning the Divine Name, "He prepares food for all of His creatures." This means, that without a doubt, everyone's livelihood is prepared for him. The whole difficulty with our earning a livelihood is that we don't always find the place where our livelihood, which is prepared for us, is. This is because we are don't always take the straight path: "The crookedness of man perverts his way, and his heart is angry with Hashem" [Mishlei, 19:3]. His livelihood may be in one place, but he seeks in it another, because he is not straight.
But one who goes out to engage in his livelihood with the "permission" of the Torah, to fulfill it and
its mitzvos, as our Sages say [Nedarim 62], "Take care of matters for the sake of
Heaven," the Torah will guide him directly to where he can find his livelihood. This is also found in
Mishlei [6:22], "It will guide you in your going." Therefore, since the Torah gives the person
an onah of its own to find the money, he surely will succeed.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
Based on the Imrei Aish on Parshas Ki Setzei
"Ki Setzei lamilchama al oivecha, un'sono Hashem Elokecha b'yadecha, v'shavisa shivyo" - "When you go out to battle your enemy, and Hashem Delivers him into your hands, and you capture hostages..." (D'varim 21:10)
The Imrei Aish, as do many Chassidic commentaries, is drawn to the terminology used in the pasuk here - "v'shavisa shivyo". The root for the word hostage in Hebrew (shavui) is very close to the word for returning, or repentance (teshuva). Also, why is it used in the double form "v'shavisa shivyo", and not once?
The Imrei Aishe's sees a unique answer, based on the famous pasuk in Tehillim, "Shir Hama'alos B'shuv Hashem es Shivas Tzion, ...". He quotes his great-grandfather, Reb Yechezkel of Kuzmir, who said that due to the crushing weight and term of our Exile, the Jewish people simply don't have the strength left to do Teshuva properly. (We have become so weakened, that we are unable to fully appreciate the scope and depth of our iniquity, and thus don't fully repent. - the translator)
Therefore, we beseech Hashem to guide and assist us in doing Teshuva, to return us to our rightful position, so
that we can finish the process of fully returning to Hashem. He should go so far as to grant us Forgiveness
for our sins, so that we can fully return.
Translated by Reb Eliezer Weger of Rechovot, a Modzitzer Chasid
