the last minute still counts

“Ad m’macharas hashabbos hashevi’is tisperu chamishim yom…” – Until after the seventh week, count for yourself fifty days (23:16). The meaning of the pasuk is to count fifty days until seven complete weeks have been counted, but translated literally the pasuk implies that we have until a full seven weeks have passed to count fifty days, i.e. 50 days can counted any time during this seven week period ends, even on the very last day! The Rebbe of Tchotekov derives a beautiful lesson from here.

Each day for fifty days during the sefirah period we take another small step in the process of perfecting our character traits, making a stronger commitment to avodas Hashem, and growing in our anticipation for kabbalas haTorah on Shavuos. What if a few days or even minutes before Shavuos a person suddenly realizes that he has not utilized this time period appropriately? What if, rather than feeling the joy of Yom Tov approaching, a person looks back with regret at the weeks of wasted moments and wasted opportunities that have passed. Is all lost?

“Until seven weeks have passed” – until the very last second before Yom Tov arrives – “count for yourself fifty days” – one can still accomplish all of the necessary growth that should have been accomplished in the count of the past 50 days. There is no need to surrender to regret and remorse as so much can be accomplished in even seconds.

BaMidbar: being in two places at once

Why does Parshas BaMidbaris stress the location -- “b’midbar Sinai b’Ohel Moed” -- at which Hashem spoke to Moshe? The Noam Elimelech suggests that the physical location is a hint to psychological paradox. The midbar, the wild barren desert, suggests feeling bereft and hopeless, without an anchor or guidance. The word “moed” in Ohel Moed is the same word we use to describe the festivals – moadim – which bring to mind feelings of joy and happiness. Life challenges us to be in these two locations at once. A person may be forced to wander through a midbar of hostile challenges, but rather than succumb to depression and defeat, a person has the power to internally maintain an “ohel moed” of joy that gives strength and solace.

Bechukosai: the chance for redemption

The parsha of tochacha is immediatly followed by the parsha of archin that deals with the halachos of a person who pledges his value to the mikdash. Why are these two topics juxtoposed? When a person reads the tochacha he/she is liable to become despondant and give up hope, thinking that the punishments are so severe and the demands so difficult. R' Moshe Shternbruch (Ta'am v'Da'as) writes that we learn from the parsha of archin that if a person makes a pledge and does not have enough money to pay the price set by the Torah, instead of paying the full amount the person can pay whatever he/she is able to contribute, heseg yad. The Torah wishes to stress that achieving the impossible is not what the Torah demands; a person simply must achieve the best that he or she can.

The Ishbitzer further explains that the parsha of archin introduces the concept of pidyon, redemption. Not only can a person redeem his own pledge, but even a relative or neighbor can offer redemption on another's behalf. It is this possibility of redemption, whether through one's own efforts or through the help of another, that the Torah wishes to highlight after the tochacha to underscore that no person is every lost or beyond hope.

Parshas Bechukosai: comfort amidst tochacha

The "tochacha" in Parshas Bechukosai contains a long description of the severe punishments the Jewish people will receive for disobeying Hashem's commandments. This parsha ends by telling us that the Jewish people ultimately will repent and return to Hashem -- "v'hisvadu es avonam v'es avon avosam" (26:40). G-d responds: "Af ani eileich emam b'keri v'hei'veisi osam b'eretz oyveihem" -- I too shall act walk unreliably with them and bring them into the land of their enemies... What an alarming response! The Jewish people have finally repented from wrongdoing, yet G-d promises to visit still more punishment. How are we to make sense of this?

R' Sar Shalom of Belz explains that this pasuk is indeed a comfort. Transgression may require punishment and even suffering as part of the process of repentance, but during that rehabilitative process G-d promises that we are not abandoned and alone. "Eileich emam...”- I will walk with you, V'hei'veisi osam...", I will bring you… G-d walks beside us even as we suffer; when we must be banished to foreign lands, He personally brings us there and assures our survival and eventual return.

Even when we must deal with sorrow and crisis, G-d is with us every step of the way.

Welcome!

The title bar of this blog says it all: There are so many problems that so many of us are struggling with: financial difficulties, job loss (one that I am grappling with), tuition crisis, illness, shidduch crisis, etc. This blog is dedicated to words of chizuk that can help get us through these situations.

I am interested in getting collaborators for this project. If you would like to share some divrei torah, please e-mail me: weeklychizuk-at-gmail.com