Parshas Aikev
By: Rabbi Price
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this Shiur Parshas Aikev
This week on Monday, July 26,- “Tu B’Ov” is the Yahrzeit of my Grandmother | LIBA YITTA BAS YACCOV YEHUDA. I’m writing this for her merit.
In this week’s Parsha is the verse that teaches us to Bentch-say Grace After Meals. It says in Devorim 8:10, “ …åàëìú åùáòú åáøëú àú ä' –You will eat and you will be satisfied and you will bless Hashem…”
I have spoken many times about not underestimating our potential and realizing the value of even one small word or action. The impact to us as well as to others that can result from it is amazing.
I will now relate a most inspiring story, about Grace After Meals, which will show how even just two words could have a tremendous impact and make a complete upheaval in someone's life.
I saw this story in a few places. The last place (and the one that I am using as a reference) is the sefer in Hebrew by Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstien "Tuvicho Yabiu, Vol II, Parshas Aikev p.266-267. He tells of a young Torah Scholar who needed a certain rare book that was not commonly found in most synagogues. Consequently, he went to a library in
The young man, who was used to saying this version from when he was a little child, looked through all the prayer books that he could find in the library. None of them had his version. However, he promised the librarian that he would send her a copy from a siddur or other sefer that had the relevant version. After many hours of searching in different synagogues, he finally found an old siddur where, in the Haggadah of Pesach, it said this version. He immediately copied that page and highlighted the relevant words in red. He also encircled the words with red arrows so that she wouldn't miss it. He sent it to the library, but since he didn't know the woman's name, he requested the library to give it over to the librarian who was working in this certain room on this particular day and time. After he accomplished his mission, he forgot about the whole episode, and put it out of his mind.
After many months, he receives a beautiful wedding invitation, but to his astonishment he realizes that he doesn't know the groom or the bride.
As Hashgacha-Divine Supervision would have it, on the night of the wedding, he happened to pass by the wedding hall where this wedding was taking place. He decided that he may as well pop in and see maybe he does know somebody there. His astonishment was reconfirmed as he didn't recognize anybody there. He assumed it was a mistake and he was on his way out.
At that very moment, someone asked him his name. When he identified himself, he was told that the bride was interested in having a few words with him. Now he was really puzzled. What connection did he have with the bride?
"Don't you recognize me?" said the bride to the baffled young man, who responded in the negative.
"Well, I'm none other than that librarian who had the discussion with you about the Grace After Meals," she said with great feeling. "You should know," she said with great emotion, "that you are the most important guest at this wedding. It's only in your merit and the letter that you sent me that I repented and married a repentant Jew who learns Torah all day." She then went on to describe the amazing chain of events that brought about such an upheaval in her life.
"Unfortunately, at the time when you came to the library, I was going out with a Gentile. We were thinking of marriage, but, despite the fact that I wasn't religious, I was still wary about marrying out of Faith. He finally sent me a letter with an ultimatum. If I did not give a final response by a certain day and hour, then there would be nothing more to talk about.
When that day came, I was going insane with my dilemma, not knowing what to do. I arrived at the library in a daze and entered my room, and saw your letter on the table. I found out later, that by chance, the letter had traveled around from room to room for many weeks and didn't reach its destination until that fateful day.
I open it up and see two words surrounded by red arrows highlighted in red.
'Velo Nicoshel-we shall not stumble.'
I started to scream in a voice not my own, 'How were you ready to almost stumble in such a severe sin?! You are a Jewish Girl.!'
At that very moment, all my doubts were resolved once and for all. I knew that it was forbidden for me to stumble.
I notified the Gentile of my severing the relationship.
One mitzvah leads to another and, not too long afterward, I repented completely and am marrying a repentant Jew, and we will build a true Jewish home together."
How powerful even just two words can be! If only we can be inspired even a little from all the words that come our way.
I want to conclude with a few important points about Bentching-Grace Afer Meals.
Rabbi Chazkel Levenstien points out, “Our very surroundings influence us to believe only in our actions, because the whole world does not live with the foundations that everything comes from Hashem. Even we ourselves grow up within a society that preaches “it is the power and might of my hands. So how can we acquire belief in the power and Hashgacha-Divine Supervision of Hashem if we don’t put all of our might into strengthening within ourselves these foundations?”
Rav Levenstein answers, “Hashem did give us many ideas to plant the roots of Hashgocho-Divine Supervision deep within us, but we don’t take advantage of these ideas.
All the Birchos Hanehenin-Blessings that we make on food and other pleasures were given solely for this goal.
‘Shehakol nihiyeh bidivaro,-Everything came to be through His word,’ to believe in simplicity that all was made only through His word.
The ‘Grace after Meals,’ is totally a strengthening of belief in Hashem and Hashgocho, but we, who say it by habit, fail to pay attention to its lessons. Let us think about the simple meaning of the words and be inspired.
‘…Who nourishes the entire world with His goodness, with favor, with kindness, and with mercy. He provides food for all flesh…and prepares nourishment for all His creatures which He has created.’ ”
In fact, it dawned upon me, that we try very hard to get berachos-blessings from great righteous people for our sustenance. This is definitely very important. But imagine if we could actually receive a berocho from the saintly Chofetz Chaim,ztl. How quickly we would run for such an opportunity! Well, the Chofetz Chaim in his halachic sefer “Mishna Berurah” by the Halachos of Grace After Meals 185:1 quotes the Sefer HaChinuch that says, “All who are careful with Grace After Meals, his sustenance will be found all of his days in an honorable manner.”
The Chofetz Chaim also gives us another “berocho” for our sustenance, and another way of internalizing that everything is from Hashem.
In “Mishna Berurah,” 1:13 he talks about the importance of reciting “Parshas HaMon-the Chapter in Shemos-Exodus 16:4-36 that deals with the manna.
He explains, “…it is in order to believe that all his sustenance comes through Divine Providence, as it says, [ibid. verse 18] “…he who collected more did not gain and he who collected less did not lack…,” [no matter how much one collected, when he arrived home he found exactly the amount of portions that was allotted to his family- an omer (1/10 of an eiphah) per each person in the family.
This shows us that increasing our hishtadlus-efforts will not help at all [to increase our sustenance].”
He also quotes the Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachos that says, "One who says Parshas HaMon, is guaranteed that he will not be lacking in his sustenance.”
May we internalize these lessons and then we will live a happier life in this world and the next.
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Parshat Shavua (Eikev) |
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