Chassidut on the Torah

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The week of Parshas Netzavim, 5761 Overview Netzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20) opens with G-d making a covenant with the Jews, establishing them as His nation. He tells them that if they stray from the Torah, evil will befall them, but that when they return they will be rewarded with blessings, and will be returned to their land. G-d sets before them the choice between good and evil, but warns them to stay away from evil. Insights All of us at Ascent are deeply saddened by tragic events of this week. There is no proper response or easy answers to thousands of people being murdered. The Rebbe spoke during times of his own mourning about how, 'the survivor must take to heart': to draw personal lessons from the loss. How much more so is such behavior required by each of us now. It is Chassidic tradition to 'live with the times', to find answers to our questions in the weekly parsha. The Shlah comments on Tractate Taanis that words are meant to buoy our spirits. Evil precedes but is a sign of the coming good. We see in everyday life that the shell covers the fruit; night precedes day. It is from within darkness that light emerges. If the Almighty had not created this 'shell' concealing the good within, our entire reality would have been different. Every thing good would have been tinged with bad. Every fruit would have been a mixture of sweetness and waste, wine mixed with sediment. Ultimately, the Holy One Blessed Be He wished us to have the wine that is m'shumar-protected-free of the sediment that caused the first sin (according to the opinion that the first fruit that Adam ate was the juice of a squeezed grape). That archetypal event changed the world, causing everything to become clouded and dark. This darkness is the foundation for the great light that will follow. This is the secret of the word "v'yavdel" And He separated' (Breishis 1:4) hinting to how G-d extracted the pure light from within the darkness. Consequently, this is the formula of our reality that we are able and must constantly extract good from within the negative. Secondly, we see that our continued exile, the trials we have been forced to face throughout the generations in fact cleanse us, saving us from much more difficult punishments. Difficulties push us to do t'shuvah-to return to proper Jewish living because we are forced to examine our own lives. The Shlah continues that this is the reason that the first verse of our Torah portion, "Atem nitzavim"-'You are standing'-follows the curses at the end of last week's Torah portion, and ultimately concludes later with "And this is the blessing" (33/1). The curses are really blessings, and albeit from a very deep level of concealment, actually for our good. In fact, as we wrote above, they are the source for personal change. Just as when we realize that our own negative deeds are our destruction, and we use this revelation as a springboard to turn to positive deeds, the negatives actually save us and become positive. May the angel of evil say AMEN. Rebbe Michael of Zlotshuv gives more words of encouragement. On a verse later in our parsha it says, 'and you choose life in order that you and your children will live.' What is going on here? This is Judaism-we fulfill its commandments to receive a prize? Absolutely not, we do the commandments for G-d's sake, not for any benefit! R' Michael explains that when we do a mitzvah in the best way, for the sake of G-d because He commanded us, selflessly, with love, awe, and true intention, then we give that action a spiritual power, a life force that moves to higher and higher levels. Becoming something akin to a shining light, it spreads its effluence of blessings, mercy and life to all beings in the world. This is the inner meaning of the verse that we are commanded to choose life. This is the Jewish message the week before Rosh Hashanah. Redouble our efforts to do good. Do not let the darkness hold us back. When the Jewish people do the commandments in the best way, we bring a flow of blessings to the world and all its inhabitants. Let us all pray for the arrival of Moshiach Shabbat Shalom, Shaul Shalom and blessings to all the Jewish people for the New year 5762! G-d should protect all the people of the world and unite us in real peace with Moshiach in the land of Israel and everywhere! We are now in a very difficult and trying time. We have to ask the King to show His Kingship in an open and revealed way in the world, that all creation reveal its true goodness and kindness for all mankind, Amen. Rosh Hashana is the head of the year, and as we know, the head energizes and directs the whole body. So too, on Rosh Hashana we receive the physical and spiritual blessings for all the year matters of 'children,,health & livelihood'-and there is NO LIMIT to G-d's kindness and blessing. We and the Ascent staff bless you and your family to be signed and sealed for a good and sweet year with only blessings and good news for all, world peace, the immediate arrival of the final and complete redemption. SHANA TOVA, SHAUL LEITER AND MORDECHAI SIEV FAMILIES Weekly Law of Shabbat: It is best that the person making kiddush should be the one to drink a cheekful (rivi'is-86g). This is because we are commanded "remember to sanctify the Shabbat day" (Shmot 20/8), and the Sages taught that we should 'remember it on wine' to honor the day. Therefore the one making kiddush-who mentions this remembering-should be the one to drink the wine. If one of the other people at the table drank a 'cheekful' instead of the person who recited kiddush, everyone fulfills his or her obligation. However, it is not permissible for two people to divide the 'cheekful' amount between them, because less than this amount is not considered enjoyment of a 'cup of blessing'.

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