Torah Thoughts For Your Shabbos Table (please print before Shabbos for Shabbos because #NoInternetOnShabbos) “Be strengthened… for HaShem your G-d, it is He Who walks with you, He will not loosen [His hold] on you or abandon you.” (Deut. 31:6) As Moshe sought to calm the Jewish People about his impending death, he assured them that HaShem would continue to watch over them and protect them. They should not fear their enemies because HaShem would keep a strong bond with the Jews not only in times of war, but afterwards as well, when His Divine protection might not be so noticeable. The language here seems redundant. If HaShem would not loosen His hold, of course He would not entirely abandon us. Of what purpose is the second phrase? Rashi comments: “HaShem will not give you a “loosening,” which would cause you to be abandoned by Him.” It seems that the word is not limited to HaShem loosening His hold on us, but rather it is a circumstance that could occur on our end. The term ‘rifyon,’ or loosening, often connotes a laxity in Torah study. Refidim, where the Jews were attacked by Amalek in the desert, is a shorthand reference to ‘rafu yedaihem b’divrei Torah,’ their hands were loosened in Torah study. Because we weren’t diligent, we became prey for our enemies. Clearly, the bonds of the relationship between us and G-d can be loosened by either party. How then does HaShem promise to never loosen His grip or abandon us? Rashi’s use of the words is key to our understanding. He says that HaShem would not allow us a “loosening,” and that includes from our side too. But is this the case? We do find that sometimes HaShem allows us to go off on our own and not stay close to Him. In fact, the Chovos HaLevavos says that when one relies on his own strength, intellect, or wealth, HaShem backs away and lets the man pursue his goals without G-d’s involvement. He “abandons” the fellow to his own devices, as it were. The explanation is that though this is true, that HaShem will allow us to loosen the bonds of our relationship, He will never let us get so far that there is no way back and He will abandon us. When the Jews failed to study Torah during wartime under Yehoshua’s leadership, HaShem sent an angel to warn them. In other words, G-d would not allow them to loosen their bonds on Torah and G-d, so He would not abandon them. There are no atheists in foxholes, says the axiom. When things befall us, we might wonder why they do. When things get very difficult, even the most-hardened of cynics will turn to HaShem for mercy. That’s when the bonds of the relationship are strengthened. It may very well be that these tribulations are actually the acts of a loving G-d, keeping His promise to not let us destroy ourselves. In that view, for example, we see the attack of Amalek as a kindness, intended to make us return to G-d. If we return to Him now, at the time when it is especially desirable to HaShem, we can tighten the bonds of His love for us and ours for Him, and negate the need for more problems. Then the old year with its curses can end, and a new year of blessing can begin.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:00:00 +0000
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