A ROSH HASHANA READER 5772/2011

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1 A ROSH HASHANA READER 5772/2011

2 In Loving Memory,nab hukhgk hukv hcm cegh,c vtk ksbhhre Mrs. Carol Rosen Langsam kguukguu van,c khyg Mrs. Ethel Rosen by Larry and Aviva Rosen and family

3 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader Tipping the Scales By R Avi Haber/Yeshiva Gedola ת" "ר הדן חבירו לכף זכות דנין אותו לזכות " states The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos 1 one who judges his friend favorably, they [beis din shel maalah 2 ] judge him favorably. This middah of being dan lekaf zechus -judging favorably - is more commonly הוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות taught: known from the Mishnah in Avos 3, where we are judge every person favorably. Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuvah 4 states that judging people favorably is actually a Mitzvas Asei, a positive commandment that is derived from the pasuk 5 of בצדך תשפוט עמיתך judge your fellow righteously, and several Rishonim likewise concur that there is an obligation to be dan lekaf zechus. Some questions can be raised here: 1) we know Hakadosh Baruch Hu responds to our behavior middah keneged middah 6, measure for measure, and indeed the Gemara quoted above implies that this applies equally to the concept of dan lekaf zechus. The Ben Yehoyada 7 asks: it is understandable that a human being can be dan lekaf zechus another person, because if it is unclear whether an action was truly good or truly bad, we have an obligation to assume he acted positively. From Hakadosh Baruch Hu s perspective however, there is no room for doubt, for Hashem s knowledge of our actions is perfect. How then is it possible for the Gemara to use the wording of they judge him favorably? Either it was a righteous act or it was not - how is judgment applicable here? 2) The implication of being judged favorably by Hakadosh Baruch Hu is that even if a person isn t the biggest tzaddik, so long as he judges others favorably, he will be judged favorably. How could such a thing be? How can the performance of this one mitzvah tilt the scales more than any other mitzva? Furthermore, this is not a specific reward, like financial or personal success as we find by other mitzvos, it is an entire life encompassing benefit. 1 Shabbos 127b 2 i.e. the heavenly court 3 Avos 1:6 4 Gate 3 5 Vayikra 19:15 6 Mishnah Sotah 1:7 7 Ben Yehoyada on Shabbos 127b 1

4 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader To be able to answer these questions we must first understand what is included in the mitzvah of dan lekaf zechus. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz in Sichos Mussar 8 explains that aside from the obligation to assume a friend s action is positive, there is an obligation to judge each positive action positively. In other words, every action, even though it might be good in general, may have in it some negative components, either in terms of the action itself, or its doer s intentions. One is obligated to focus on the main part of his friend s action, and not the less desirable residue. For example, one observes his friend trying to fulfill the mitzvah of bikur cholim, visiting the sick, but it is clear that the sick person is really not up for the visit and only ends up feeling worse. In such a case one must judge his friend s action from the perspective of his positive intentions. Another example: a person hosting a mitzvah event in his home may well have in mind to show off his house, earning other peoples notice and acclaim, or the like. One is obligated to focus on the positive intentions his friend has in the mitzvah, even if other motivations are present. R Chaim writes that in this regard, the mitzvah of being dan lekaf zechus can be כי אדם אין צדיק says applied to everyone, even tzaddikim. The verse in Koheles 9 there is no righteous man on earth who does good, בארץ אשר יעשה טוב ולא יחטא and does not sin. He explains that the verse doesn t mean to say that a tzaddik sins, rather it s focusing on our point, that when the tzaddik does a mitzvah, he can t achieve completely pure intentions or a perfect unadulterated act. There will always be some negative element in his performance of the mitzvah, even if very minute. With this understanding we can answer our first question; this type of dan lekaf zechus is certainly relevant in regards to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Hakadosh Baruch Hu can consider our actions based on our positive intentions, even if they re lacking as a whole. We now can understand how the idea of Hakadosh Baruch Hu working middah keneged middah can be applied to the concept of dan lekaf zechus. Presumably, being judged favorably as a reward for judging favorably should only be applied to beinonim, the intermediate group 10, whose judgment whether to be sealed for zechus or chovah 11 is in limbo between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In contrast, a rasha who has been judged for death, his sentence cannot be 8 Maamer Koheles 7:20 10 See Rosh Hashanah 16b 11 i.e., innocence or guilt 2

5 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader tilted as it has already been sealed. However, according to what we have explained, maybe this benefit can be applied to at least some reshaim as well. If one doesn t judge others favorably, he ll be left with more sins than merits. If however he can succeed in the mitzvah of judging others favorably, not just on each action, but within each action as discussed, then Hakadosh Baruch Hu will judge him based on the positive element of his actions as well. That being the case, those sins which gave him the status as rasha previously, will no longer be calculated into the equation and will be erased completely. 12 This would be a new way to achieve the level of נעשו לו זכויות,זדונות i.e., sins turning into merits. Through the mitzvah of dan lekaf zechus, Hakadosh Baruch Hu judges us based on our primary intentions and not on the elements of sin involved. With this we can now answer our second question. We asked: how could a person, who is not so righteous, nonetheless earn a favorable judgment simply because he fulfilled his obligation of dan lekaf zechus? Since it is an obligation and you didn t go out of your way to accomplish anything extra, why should this mitzvah tilt the scales, literally, more than any other mitzvah? According to what we have said, the question doesn t get off the ground; being judged favorably by Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not a special reward for judging others favorably, rather by definition you ll be judged favorably. Since through middah keneged middah you will be judged based on your main intent, naturally you are left with more merits then sins. In other words, being judged favorably is a direct extension of your act of judging favorably, not a reward. When you judge others favorably in this manner, you ll be left with more merits because Hakadosh Baruch Hu now won t factor into the equation the elements of sin in your actions, only your main intentions. The Aseres Yemei Teshuva is an appropriate time to work on this mitzvah, as the דרשו ה' בהמצאו אלו עשרה ימים בין ראש השנה ליום - states Gemara in Rosh Hashanah 13 Seek Hashem when He is to be found; these are [referring to] the ten days כפורים between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A way for us to find Hakadosh Baruch Hu during these days is to judge others favorably and with that He will judge us favorably. The gematria of the roshei teivos 14 of dan lekaf zechus is 41. In the 41 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until motzei Yom Kippur, a time for us to work harder than usual on our maasim tovim, we should be zocheh to be dan lekaf zechus in every sense of the meaning. Be ezras Hashem, through this, Hakadosh.כיה "ר favorably, Baruch Hu will judge us 12 See Yoma 86b 13 Rosh Hashanah 18a. ד, ל,ז 14 i.e., the first letters of each word. Here 3

6 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader Reality and Reward: Judgment on Rosh HaShana Transcribed from a shiur by Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky Shlit a, Rosh Yeshiva Chaza l (RH 16b) tell us that three books are opened before Hashem on Rosh HaShana those of the tzadikim, the completely righteous; the resha im, those who are completely wicked; and the beinonim, the vast majority of humanity who are in the middle. Those who are righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life; the reshaim are sentenced to die; and the beinonim s judgment is left pending, as they must repent in order to be granted life. The earliest commentators raised the obvious issue presented by this statement: we see that wicked people often live long lives of prosperity, while the righteous suffer. What did Chaza l actually mean? One approach taken is that of Tosafos (ad loc) who says that in reality the judgment referred to is a judgment as to who will enter Olam HaBa, the World to Come, and who will be sentenced to Gehinnom. The righteous are thus judged and granted Olama HaBa on Rosh HaShana. This approach itself raises even more questions. After all, entering Olam HaBa is something that happens after a person dies why should there be a need to judge their worthiness long before death? Why would this need to happen every year? And why on Rosh HaShana? The Gr a (the Gaon of Vilna) answers that in fact on Rosh HaShana two judgments take place; one is the judgment of Olam HaBa, and the other is a judgment of Olam HaZeh, what will transpire in the physical world in the coming year. We will attempt to explain what this means. Chaza l state that one who says that Hashem is easy-going (a vatran, someone who is willing to overlook faults and misdeeds), deserves a terrible punishment ( yevatrun ma-ohi ). What s wrong with saying that Hashem is willing to overlook our misdeeds? Don t we see being easy-going as a laudable quality? The Nefesh HaChaim explains that Olam Haba is not a reward, or benefit, for good things we have done. For example, if a person studies hard and graduates with a high GPA, they ll be granted a scholarship. If a person however wants to become a statistician, and takes the requisite math courses that are needed, the courses that he 4

7 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader takes do not result in the reward of becoming a statistician, but rather are the steps he needs to do to become a statistician. Our very simple view that Hashem has rules, and if you follow them (daaven, observe kashrus, etc.) then you will be rewarded with Olam HaBa is incorrect, and in fact illogical. Why would Hashem put us through some sort of obstacle course for the sake of achieving the true objective afterwards why not grant the objective in this world? I once met a cab driver in Israel who was a Muslim a nice fellow, who described to me what, in his understanding, are the rewards granted after life to the Muslim faithful, which are not actually repeatable. I asked him, if these things are so good, why wouldn t G-d grant them here? But the answer is that Olam HaBa is a sort of lifestyle, a discipline, a calling. Suppose there is a person who is by nature very intellectual, or very athletic, but very lazy. In order for the person to grasp his potential, to understand the talent that is latent within him, a teacher, a coach, has to train him. He has to be out through exercises of the mind or of the body and gradually it dawns on him that he has talent, that there is a way of life that he will be successful at, that he can realize in its fullest potential. In this physical world, there are various rules that govern reality. There is gravity, heat, cold, light, darkness. Olam Haba is a place where the reality is ruchnius, is spiritual, and the theorems and constants are ruchnius theorems and constants. Mitzvos are the training methods by which a person can be awakened to the Olam Ruchani, the spiritual world that is Olam HaBa. The steps that an athlete takes to become an athlete are not things that will get him a reward they are the steps by which he creates himself as an athlete. The mitzvos that we perform throughout our lives are steps that we are taking to making ourselves B nei Olam HaBa we transform ourselves as we accomplish each mitzvah. So on Rosh HaShana, when Hashem takes stock of each of us, and tries to determine the best course of action, the first thing that needs to be done is to determine who we are. Hashem needs to know what our spiritual reality is, what our essence truly is. There is a term that is used often to describe a person who is very close to a certain family, a certain household he is called a ben bayis, a member of the household. It means that this household is his natural habitat, and even when he is not there, he is still connected, is still a member. Similarly, a ben Olam HaBa is a person whose feet are rooted in Olam Haba he doesn t have to be actually present there, but his self, his identification, is that of an Olam HaBa person. Likewise, a ben Torah remains so even when at work or wherever he finds himself. 5

8 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Rosh HaShana Reader When Chaza l frequently say things like Who is a member of the world to come? and give answers like someone who recites Ashrei three times a day, they mean that a person for whom Ashrei is central, a person to whom Olam HaBa values are central, these people are b nei Olam HaBa right now, in the here and now. When Eliyahu HaNavi identifies badchanim, jesters, whose goal is to enliven downtrodden spirits, as b nei Olam Haba, this doesn t mean that they can do all kinds of bad things and still get to Olam HaBa. Eliyahu HaNavi identifies these people as people whose core is ruchnius, who exist for the sake of comforting and consoling others, and if that is their essence, then they are indeed bnei Olam HaBa. The first step that is taken by Hashem on Rosh HaShana is to determine who we are. Once that has been done, then everything else flows from that judgment. Some of us are tzadikim completely righteous, and so do not need the same treatment and training as beinonim. Hashem has created us to become b nei Olam HaBa, and allocates resources to us in order to help us realize that goal. A rasha is a person who sadly has self-identified as being so far off the mark that training methods are useless. In such a case a person might chalila be written off he is no longer part of the system, and so the opulence and luxury of his life is actually a tragic sign of his being rejected by Hashem, exiled from anything meaningful, and left to rot in the decay of material things. We now understand what Tosafos meant when he said that we are judged for Olam Haba every year, for every year a snapshot is taken, and then based on that picture Hashem judges us as to what will occur in this physical world what training will be necessary? Will obstacles need to be set up to realize our potential will we need coddling from time to time will Hashem seemingly absent Himself from our lives as a way to jar us out of complacency? May we all merit a judgement in the Sefer HaChaim the Book of Life living as b nei Olam HaBa. 6

9 In Loving Memory,nab hukhgk David Michael Jakobi by Yitzchak Jakobi

10 ,nab hukhgk k"z ohhj iurvt r"c ehzhht ejmh wr dedicated by the Meth Family in memory of Sheldon s Father Mr. Irving Meth Z L

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11 Boy s Campus 1216 Arcola Avenue Silver Spring, MD Girl s Campus 2010 Linden Lane Silver Spring, MD The Yeshiva of Greater Washington works with each student to bring out his or her very best. To us, success is a graduate who is an exceptional citizen of the Jewish Community - whose priority and guidepost in all his or her endeavors is Torah. Graduates of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington contribute, lead, and inspire! The Yeshiva serves as a center of Torah study in the Greater Washington area through its Community Bais Medrash Program, Daf Yomi group, and its Bais Medrash and large Judaic research library that are open for Torah study throughout the year. Programs at the Yeshiva to Honor or Remember Family and Friends Parnos HaYom Dedicate a Day of Learning at the Yeshiva to honor someone, wish a speedy recovery from illness, or remember a loved one. Kaddish Memorial Recitation is said daily, on the Yahrtzeit, and at Yizkor in perpetuity. Please contact Rabbi Binyamin Sanders, Director of Development, for further information at , ext

A ROSH HASHANA READER 5773/2012

A ROSH HASHANA READER 5773/2012 ,nab hukhgk k"z ohhj iurvt r"c ehzhht ejmh wr dedicated by the Meth Family in memory of Sheldon s Father Mr. Irving Meth Z L Get Real! By Rabbi Yitzchak Scher/Yeshiva of