We are approaching the end of the year. What’s coming in a couple of days is the day of mishpat, of judgment. If a person would take into account the mishpat that he got last year and think about what kind of maasim he is presenting to the Ribbono Shel Olam, he might become afraid.
Our parshah begins with the following words “You stand this day, all of you, before Hashem – your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel.” A few pesukim later, Rashi brings a Midrash Tanchuma which explains the connection between Parshas Nitzavim and KiSavo, which had the curses. What is the connection between the curses…and the statement of “You stand this day”?
Our discussion today is about the obligation of hakaras hatov. In the hierarchy of all mitzvos, where does hakaras hatov stand? How important is it? What would you say?
Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, the mashgiach of Mir Yeshiva, once came into the beis medrash of Mir and went over to two bochurim who were learning and asked them what day in Elul it was. They didn’t know right away, so they started to make a cheshbon, trying to remember when Rosh Chodesh Elul was. One of them turned to the other and asked, “Nu, what day of Elul is it?” His chavrusa said, “It’s either the 9th or 10th of Elul.” When Rav Chatzkel heard this, he gave a shrei and said, “Bochurim! You don’t know what day it is in Elul?!
Now, this principle of Creation and Control is such an important principle because everything about life for every individual, Jew, and non-Jew, is built upon these two things. It refers to the fact that I’m created and the fact that somebody exerts control over the world and over my life.
I hope all of you had a wonderful summer and you’re ready now to take on the climb of Chodesh Elul; to gain from it, and not to allow it to pass by in a blur. You have to realize that the shpitz, the end of the journey that begins in Chodesh Elul ends with the conclusion of Yom Hakippurim and hopefully we’ll be zocheh to selichah and mechilah along this journey.
Welcome everybody to this evening shiur. We want to express our thanks to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for enabling us to teach about His wonderful Torah, about His wonderful ways to His children, and we hope to raise the level of our relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, our commitment to Him, and our appreciation of who we are, what we are, and where we are heading.
Tonight, we are going to begin a series on a subject that is very intriguing to most people, a subject that really has much more relevance than most people wish to acknowledge. It’s the subject called gilgul neshamos. In English, the word is reincarnation.
n parshas Chukas, a famous episode took place where Klal Yisrael began to complain to Hashem and complain to Moshe. They were saying all kinds of nasty things. “Why did you take us out of Mitzrayim? What kind of food are you giving us?” And Hashem got upset and sent them a “present.” It wasn’t the kind of present that we’re looking forward to.
“These are the journeys of the Israelites…” Rashi cites Chazal, who ask why the Torah lists all their travels, and he answers that it was in order to make Klal Yisroel aware of the chessed of Hashem that they stopped and rested from one station to the next.
