Welcome to Ohr HaTorah. I hope all of you enjoy this week's issue and I hope it will increase the amount of Torah learned. Any Questions or comments please E-Mail them to me at JJ1995. If any one is interested in a sponsorship, E-Mail me and we can talk. The $ would go to Tzedakah of your choice. If anyone wants to order Back Issues of Ohr HaTorah Weekly, E-Mail me and I'll send them to you. Below are important Zmanim for the week. Unless otherwise specified, Zmanim are at New York City. ____________________________________________________________________
In Perek 25, Posuk 20, it says : V'Chi Somiru, Mah Nochal B'Shana HaShviis ?... (If you will say : What will we eat in the Seventh Year ?...)
Rashi quotes Chazal (The Sages) that Golus Bavel lasted for a total of 70 years in punishment for the 70 years of Shmitta that the Bnei Yisroel failed to keep while they were on their own land. The Posuk later on explains that in the sixth year
there will be plentiful crops which will last for three years. On this we have a
Kashya, If this is so, (that the sixth year will give off great produce) why would any farmers want to plant during the Shmitta year. With all of this food,
the farmers should definitely want to take a one year vacation to sit and learn Torah ? We answer that even though the sixth year gives off enough food, yet it still takes a lot of Emunah (Faith) to keep the prohibitions of Shmitta. It is easy for a farmer to say that since the sixth year was such a great year maybe the seventh year will also be great and he'll be tempted to plant again in the seventh year and maybe become very wealthy. Therefore, the temptation to plant in the seventh year is a great test for those with little Emunah. And , it took much greater Emunah to believe that in the long run going against Hashem's decree will not pay off. However, as good as the short-term gains look, these temporary profits can disappear as quickly as they came, but the reward for keeping Hashem's commandment even though it it looks slow coming, lasts forever. (From The Kol Dodi on the Torah) : Also Based On Sforno
The Beis Yitzchok says on this Posuk, that from the Lashon of the Psukim (Verses) it is Mashma(Derived) that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will only bless the land with lots of produce in the sixth year if they ask the question of Mah Nochal (What will we eat ?) Because it says in the next Posuk, "THEN I will Bentch (Bless) the land with great produce in the sixth year." The Kashya asked is why is the Bracha of the sixth year dependent on Klal Yisroel asking Hashem the question of Mah Nochal ? Shouldn't Hashem give the Bracha even if Klal Yisroel did not ask the question of Mah Nochal ? In order to answer this, we must look at Rashi later on in Posuk 25:19 which says, "You will eat until you are satisfied." Rashi says on this that even though they ate very little, there was a Nes (Miracle) and it made them feel full. This is the Bracha they would get if they do not ask the question of Mah Nochal (that there would be very little food, but enough to satisfy their needs). The meaning of Mah Nochal was that they wished to eat food that was pleasing to the eye and that could be enjoyed fully, rather than counting on a small amount of food which just would satiate them. Therefore, in response to their question of Mah Nochal, Hashem guaranteed them that he would give his Bracha in the sixth year so that the land would give off enough food for three years and that that they would be able to enjoy the food to its fullest. (From Mishkenosecha Yisroel)
Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch (In his sefer Ta'am Voda'as) explains- based on Rashi in Posuk 2 the concept of Emunah like this-
The concept of Shabbos is to show that a person's needs can be filled in 6 days and he will benefit nothing by working on Shabbos, Why ? To show that our livelihood is not in our hands but it is a gift from Hashem.
Similarly, a farmer must believe that he can only get the land to produce what Hashem decrees and working the land in the seventh year will not give off greater crops. He must believe that the sixth year will carry him.
In a similar way, the Kli Yakar explains the issur (Prohibition) of charging a friend interest on a loan (Perek 25, Posuk 36). He says charging interest is a lack of Bitachon (Confidence) in Hashem because the person is trying to guarantee and lock in his return and is not willing to chance a profit or a loss. That's why the section dealing with interest follows soon after the portion of Shmitta. ____________________________________________________________________
R'Masya Ben Charash taught : You should be the first to greet every person.
Please daven for a Refuah Shleima for Boruch Yochanan HaCohen Ben Rochel Rus, Nota Shlomo Ben Miriam Rivka, Rav Moshe Ben Basya Bluma and Yeshaya Meir HaCohen Ben Esther Nechama
