Rabbi Frand on Parshas Mishpatim
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 227, Taking
Medicine on Shabbos. Good Shabbos!
Why Pick On The Ear?
At the end of six years of work, all Jewish servants go free from
their masters. (A Jew becomes a servant either by selling himself because he
is destitute or through being sold by Bais Din [the Court] as a punishment
for stealing and being unable to repay what he stole.) If a Jewish servant
does not want to leave his master at the end of the six years,
he is taken to the door post and his master bores a hole through his ear. He
then remains in servitude [Shmos 21: 5-6]. The Gemara [Kiddushin 22b] tells
us the significance of the fact that it is specifically his ear that is
pierced: "The ear that heard on Sinai 'you are to be slaves to Me' and
nevertheless chose to sell himself into slavery (acquiring a different
master for himself) and then chose to remain in servitude when he had the
opportunity to go free is deserving of punishment."
The Gerrer Rebbe (Sefas Emes) protests that it is not really the ear's
fault; it is the brain's fault! The ear is just a receptacle, a tool for
hearing sounds. In fact, it is his brain or perhaps his heart that is at
fault. That is the part of him that fails to realize to whom he is supposed
to be a slave. Why pick on the ear?
The Sefas Emes answers that it _is_ the ear's fault, because the message
remained only in the ear. The trouble with this person is that he heard --
externally; but he did not listen. He did not internalize the message "They
shall be slaves to Me; not slaves to other slaves". That was his sin. It
remained only in the ear. In one ear, out the other.
I once heard from Rav Michel Twerski, who is a practicing Rabbi and a
practicing psychologist, that he has noticed a very interesting phenomenon.
Patients who are receiving therapy can often discuss a problem and realize
what the solution to the problem is. However, very often, they just can't
implement the solution. They hear what needs to be done, but they don't
listen. They don't internalize it.
Rav Michel Twerski commented that we have become a spectator society.
People, unfortunately, it is sad to say, watch so much theater, so many
movies and so much television that their lives become soap operas. People
become 'just spectators' to their own lives. Therefore, they cannot act to
improve their lives and to change what is going on in their lives anymore
than they can act to change what is going on in the movies or the soap
operas.
Treatment of Widows And Orphans Determines One's Reward and Punishment
The parsha contains the Biblical prohibition against mistreating orphans and
widows. G-d threatens us "If you make an orphan or a widow feel bad, watch
out! I hear their cries and I will take revenge against you."
[Shmos 22: 21-23]
The Ramba"m writes in Hilchos De'os Chapter 6, "A person must take heed of
orphans and widows. Even though one does not get lashes for this offense
(because there is no specific action involved), it is (nonetheless) a severe
offense because its punishment is spelled out in the Torah. 'My anger will
lash out against you... by sword'. G-d made a special covenant with widows
and orphans that when ever they cry out as a result of oppression, their
cries will be answered."
There are a number of incidents documented from the life of the Chofetz
Chaim that seem out of character for him. When the Chofetz Chaim would see
that someone was not kind to an orphan or a widow, he would say, "Wait and
see -- this person will be punished!" This is surprising. The Chofetz Chaim
was not the vindictive type. We do not find that the Chofetz Chaim made
statements such as, "This fellow spoke Lashon Hara (gossip), watch it -- he
will be punished." He never said "This person desecrated the Sabbath --
watch it, he will get it." Such things are not our business. They are the
domain of G-d.
But regarding someone who did an injustice to an orphan or a widow, the
Chofetz Chaim would say, "Wait and see -- he is going to get it."
There was an unfortunate practice in Russia that children would be seized
and drafted into the Czarist army. Their enlistment was not for 4 years or
for 8 years, but for 30 years. Any children that wound up in the Russian
army, if they lived to tell the tale, invariably emerged as broken people.
This was a living death sentence.
Unfortunately, the practice was that when the Czar's officers would come
looking for children, people would arrange for other children to be taken to
fill the quota. Particularly, orphans were taken. There was no one to bribe
the authorities; the quota had to be met; so who was taken? the orphans.
There was a wealthy Jewish butcher whose son was supposed to be inducted
into the army. He bribed an officer to take an orphan rather than his son.
When the Chofetz Chaim heard this story, he said, "Wait and see. This man
will receive punishment and pay the price." Thirty years later that
butcher's son came down with cholera and died. The Chevra Kaddisha refused
to touch him because of the contagious disease. That same butcher had to dig
a grave and bury his son with his own hands.
Was the Chofetz Chaim being vindictive? No, the Chofetz Chaim was being a
believer. When G-d promises "I will hear his cry" then that becomes a part
of belief in Torah -- to believe that the oppressor will receive his
punishment.
I heard recently that Reb Chaim Ozer, the Rav in Vilna, said, "For years I
thought that my "ticket" to the World to Come will be the Achiezer (his
classic multi-volume collection of thousands of Responsa). However, I now
(towards the end of his life) believe that my "ticket" to the World to Come
will be that I was responsible for the sustenance of widows and orphans
throughout Europe." Hundreds of thousands if not millions of rubles passed
through his hands. He supported Yeshivos and the impoverished; widows and
orphans. That, he believed, was his crowning glory to take to the next
world, despite his monumental contribution to the annals of Torah
literature.
Sources and Personalities
Gerrer Rebbe -- Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter (1847-1905), the second Gerrer
Rebbe and a leader of Polish Jewry.
Rabbi Michel Twerski -- Rabbi Congregation Beth Judah; Milwaukee.
Chofetz Chaim -- (1838-1933) Rav Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin. Author of
basic works in Jewish Law and Jewish values (halacha,
hashkafa, and mussar).
Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski -- (1863-1940) Vilna, Lithuania; a leader of
Lithuanian Jewry.
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah portion.
The complete list of halachic topics covered in this series for Parshas
Mishpatim are provided below:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
