Parshas Haazinu
Menachem Tzion on "Binu Shnos Dor V'Dor"
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion: Tape # 67, The Mitzvah of Writing a Sefer Torah.
Good Shabbos!
The pasuk in Parshas Ha'azinu says, "Remember bygone days; understand the
years of each generation; ask your father and he will tell you, your
grandfather and he will say it over to you" [32:7]. Even on a very simple
and basic level, this pasuk [verse] is teaching the importance of having
an appreciation for history.
It is very important for us to have an appreciation for history. If a
person has an appreciation of what was, of tradition, of what transpired
over the years, then he is capable of dealing with the present. A person
has an obligation to remember and understand and to try to see the Hand of
G-d (Hashgocha) in history.
When Willaim Shirer wrote his book "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"
(1959), he used as an epigraph, a quote from U.S. philosopher George
Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat
it." This is a truth. We must remember history (Zechor Yemos Olam).
On a simple level, the next words in the pasuk, which say, "Binu Shnos Dor
V'Dor" [Understand each and every generation], seem redundant. It appears
to be nothing more than a poetic restatement of the beginning of the
pasuk. On a homiletic level however, the Menachem Zion offers a very nice
interpretation of this expression.
Yes, we must understand history and learn the lessons of history and apply
them to our generation, but in addition to that, "Binu 'Shnos' dor v'dor".
The Menachem Zion explains homiletically that the word 'Shnos' is not
derived from the word 'Shana' [year] but from the word 'Shoneh' [different].
The meaning is that you must understand the changes from one
generation to the next.
We can not blindly apply the same rules that worked in the past to present
situations. If you try, you will fall short. Each generation is different.
We can not glibly say "That's the way it was; therefore that's the way it
has to be". Binu Shnos Dor V'dor -- learn the lesson of history, but bear
in mind the changes from generation to generation. Times change, people
change, and circumstances change. There are times when we must alter and
redirect and not merely go with what was.
If someone today were to send a half million troops to the beaches of
Normandy, he would rightly be called a "meshuganer" [crazy one]. While 60+
years ago there was indeed a need to fight a battle on the beaches of
Normandy, that battle is now over; that battle has already been fought;
and that battle has already been won. We cannot always continually fight
the same battles again and again.
Understand the changes ('shnos') in each generation. Understand that each
generation has its own set of problems and own set of rules and own set of
circumstances. We must remember the days gone by, but couple that
remembrance with an understanding of the changes that take place in each
generation.
In the past, I have quoted the 'Chassideshe vort' of Reb Levi Yitzchak
regarding why Eliyahu HaNavi (rather than Moshe Rabbenu or anyone else)
was the one designated to resolve all of the Talmud's "Teykus" [acronym
used by the Talmud to indicate a question remains unresolved until Tishbi
(Elijah) will provide the resolution].
The reason, the Berditchever says, is because Eliyahu never died -- he has
been around in all generations. We need someone who has an understanding
of each generation to pasken the shaylos [issue Rabbinic rulings on
Halachic questions] for that generation. Therefore, only Eliyahu, who was
present during all generations, is qualified to resolve the "Teykus".
Glossary
Chassideshe vort -- homiletic interpretation, popular in the teachings of
Chassidic Rebbes, that teach a moral lesson from a Scriptural verse by
deviating from the simple or literal interpretation
Personalities & Sources:
Rav Yitzchak Herzog -- (1888-1959) Chief Rabbi of Ireland and later
Palestine - Israel.
Menachem Tzion -- Rabbi Menachem Ben-Zion Zachs.
Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev -- (1740-1810) famous Hassidic Rebbe,
disciple of Dov Baer of Mezhirech.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion. The halachic topics dealt with in the portion of Haazinu in the
Commuter Chavrusah Series are the following:
Tape # 067 - The Mitzvah of Writing a Sefer Torah
Tape # 296 - Does Eating Mezonos Require a Succah?
Tape # 518 - Esrog Hamurkov
Tape # 694 - Personal Tefilos on Rosh Hashana
Tapes or a complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute,
PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail
tapes@yadyechiel.org or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further
information.
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