This Dvar Torah is dedicated in memory of R’ Eliezer Chaim ben Yaakov a”h. May his family find comfort among all the mourners of Tzion and may the zechus of this learning be a merit to his Holy Neshama!
For Food for Thought in Spanish: Haga clic aquí para leer en español. Please share this with your Jewish Spanish speaking family, friends, and associates.
In the Song of Moshe, by this week’s Torah portion of Haazinu, it writes, “Remember the days of the world, understand the years of generation after generation. Ask your father and he will relate it to you, your elders and they will tell you” (Devarim 32:7).
“זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך.”
Rav Hai Gaon in his Medrish Pisron Torah explains this pasuk to mean, in one of his interpretations:
“Remember the days of the world” “זכור ימות עלם” “Another interpretation, Hashem said to the Jews: ‘When I give upon you sufferings (יסורים), remember the reward I am guaranteeing you.’ (The Biur on this medrish says that “the days of the world” refer to The World To Come)
“Understand the years of generations after generations” “בינו שנות דור ודור” this is referring to the times of Moshiach as it’s written in Tehillim 72:5, “They will fear You as long as the sun [and the moon endure] etc.” (The Biur proves how this pasuk refers to the Kingdom of the House of David, i.e. the days of Moshiach, the intention being that you should remember the many good things Hashem will do in the times of Moshiach).
“Ask your father and he will relate it to you” “שאל אביך ויגדך” in the future the Jews will hear [Torah] directly from Hashem, as it says in Yeshayahu 30:20, “your Teacher will no longer be hidden etc.” (The Biur says “your father is referring to Hashem as it says in Shemos 4:22, “My son, My first born Israel)”
“Your elders and they will tell you” “זקניך ויאמרו לך” just as He showed the elders on the mountain, as it says in Shemos 24:1, “To Moshe he said etc.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Rav Hai Gaon is teaching us a formula, based on this pasuk, of how to react; what is the attitude that one should have towards any suffering which one has to deal with in his or her lifetime. In that way, it will help the person get through the troubles and tribulations they are facing.
The formula he prescribes is to look at the endgame for strength, and to look towards the past for practical examples of realizing and attaining this strength and comfort, in order to properly handle the suffering one is going through.
| That is, right before the end of time, Moshiach is coming, hopefully sooner than later, there will be Olam Haba, The World To Come. And we will be basking in the Light of Hashem, the ultimate pleasure, as the Mesilas Yesharim in the beginning of chapter 1 says. Torah learning in the Beis Medrish Shel Maala will be taught by Hashem, just as Moshe Rabbeinu was taught the Torah in Heaven by Hashem when he ascended Mount Sinai. Imagine not just hearing a class or shiur by a Rabbi or Rosh Yeshiva, but by The King Of All Kings, Master Of The Universe, The Almighty, Blessed Be He; nothing like that, incredible, unimaginable! The problem is that this is unimaginable! How can something so esoteric and so far from our physical comprehension be relatable and comforting? Especially to someone who is in so much distress! The person could be suffering from a debilitating illness, or under financial stress, or having family issues; any sort of suffering; how could they calm down and be comforted by just remembering the reward they will get in Olam Haba, the peace and bliss of the times of Moshiach, and the opportunity to learn “face to face” with Hashem, their present state is to overwhelming?! The answer Rav Hai Gaon gives is to make it relatable. Paint a picture in your mind of what it would be like. Use previous tutorials and examples that you can relate to; for example, past similarities, like Moshe Rabbeinu learning Torah with Hashem, to understand and make it resonate in oneself, that it is something possible and relatable. What we see from here is that the way to handle current stress and suffering is to look to the future for comfort, but use the past and others’ experiences to be able to relate to the future. The use of time and history helps a person comfort him or herself in times of distress and suffering, through painting a picture of hope and solace which calms the soul. Good Shabbos Shuva, Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder |