Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 12:47:00 +0300 (IDT)
B"H

                             "Path Markers"
                                  Reih:
                          By: Yaacov Silverstein
                       e@mail: hm16@popeye.cc.biu.ac.il
                  HomePage: http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~hm16/
                                Year:  5759
This Weeks Dvar - Torah was prepared in the memory and merit of:
 My grandfather:  Rav Yitzchak Zev Ben Yisroel Mordechai Hakohen Solomon Z"L 

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Note: The next few weeks will have a shorther Dvar Torah and less Halacha
Bytes than the regular weeks.  I will try my best Bl"Nd to keep the Divrei
Torah coming to you each week without interruption.
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Reih:
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Pasuk (13:5):

"Hashem, your God, shall you follow and Him shall you fear..."

The Chofetz Chaim asks, why does the Torah use the word "Acharei" - after.
In Pasuk (11:30), Rashi explains that the word "Acharei" signifies a
"distancing".  Why is this term used when the Torah is telling us to
follow Hashem?

The Chofetz Chaim explains that a person who recognizes his humble stature
in contrast to the greatness of Hashem, would make sure to establish a
distance between him and Hashem.  It is in such a case, where a person is
humble and not haughty, where Hashem brings the person close to him.  This
distancing, is what actually brings one close to Hashem. (Rav David
Goldwasser)

I once heard from my Mashgiach of Kerem Beyavneh, Rav Rivlin Shlita, the
following parable:

There was a person who passed away after 120 years.  He went up to heaven
and he was then shown the history of his life down on earth.  He was taken
through his life's history.  As he went along through his life down on
earth, he was shown two sets of foot prints going through his life. In
each spot he was showed, that in every situation that he was placed in
during his life, and how Hashem was with him in every step of his life.
However, there was a spot, towards the middle of his life, where he sees
the second set of foot prints disappears and only his was there.  He
couldn't understand how it was specifically then, during the toughest time
in his life, Hashem's footprints were gone, as if he was left alone, by
himself.  Hashem answered him, specifically then, I held you on my
shoulders, thus you only see one set of foot prints.

When we have difficult times in life, we may ask where is Hashem?  Why is
it so hard on us.  Specifically then is when Hashem himself is carrying us
through that difficult time, it is then when we should try to come even
closer to Hashem, and then we will merit to see the "Hashgacha Pratit".  

As we see from the above, what we actually perceive, may not be the actual
reality.  We may think that Hashem, who is the King of kings, would want
to be close to only the highest of the people, the richest, the
smartest...  This is not so, rather Hashem is close with the most humble
of people and is distant from those who are haughty.

The same is true when we have difficult times in our lives, we think
Hashem has distanced His presence from us, where the opposite is the case.

Finally, Rav Eliyahu Dessler writes in his Sefer "Michtav Me'Eliyahu",
that in this weeks Parsha we are also commanded about rejoicing during the
festival of Succot.  A person has troubles in his life, in order to arouse
him to turn to Hashem, for if everything is always going good for him, he
may forget that all is from Hashem, and may even begin to deny that there
is a G-d.  

Sukkos is a festival which occurs during the harvest time, since this is a
time where one may feel secure and safe about his livelihood for the year,
there comes the danger of one distancing himself from Hashem, thus we are
commanded to dwell in the Succah, to remind us that our safety only comes
from being close to Hashem, and not from our physical wealth. 

One is to use the physical joy of the gathering of his yearly harvest, as
a springboard to reach spiritual joy. (Rabbi Aryeh Carmell)

 

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I would like to thank my mother (S.M.F) for helping me out by
looking over the first draft.

(The above Halacha is not Psak, it is there to try to help to increase
ones Torah awareness, for final Psak, please consult your : Local Reliable
Orthodox Rabbi.)


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