Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast

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AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information):

The central question of the shiur explores the meaning of the Gemaraโ€™s teaching (Rosh Hashanah 16b) that a year which is "poor" at its beginning becomes "rich" at its end. This concept, derived from the unusual spelling of the word meireishit in Parashat Eikev, emphasizes the necessity of tefillah performed with extreme humility, where one approaches God not with demands but as a pauper relying entirely on Divine mercy. The shiur concludes that this mindset requires acknowledging that nothing can be taken for granted from year to year, yet it also offers the profound hope that because each year begins a new account, even long-standing difficulties can be completely overturned in the year to come.

1. Orthographic lesson โ€” The missing alef in the word meireishit (ืžืจืืฉื™ืช) in Parashat Eikev hints at the word rash (ืจืฉ), meaning a poor person.
2. Prayer with humility โ€” One must approach Rosh Hashanah like a pauper at the door, relying on mercy rather than making demands based on merit.
3. Taking nothing for granted โ€” A "poor person's" davening means recognizing that even things we already possess require new prayers to continue in the coming year.
4. The new account โ€” Every year brings a fresh cheshbon (account), meaning that past successes do not guarantee the future, but past suffering does not dictate it either.
5. Fresh starts โ€” The story of the Netivot Shalom illustrates that a decree of illness from a previous year can completely expire once the new year begins.
6. Sincere intention โ€” Proper kavanah (intention) and humility are the keys to earning a shanah tovah umetukah (a good and sweet year).

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ืฉืœื•ื from Thornby Ave.

The ืคืกื•ืงื™ื at the end of ืคืจืฉืช ืขืงื‘,

where they sing the praises of ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ,

the ืชื•ืจื” compares and contrasts ืืจืฅ ืžืฆืจื™ื and ืืจืฅ ื›ื ืขืŸ.

And the ืชื•ืจื” tells us about ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ,

ืืจืฅ ืืฉืจ ืขื™ื ื™ ื”ืณ

ืืœืงื™ืš ื‘ื” ืžืจืืฉื™ืช ื”ืฉื ื” ื•ืขื“ ืื—ืจื™ืช ืฉื ื”.

The ื’ืžืจื in ืจืืฉ ื”ืฉื ื”,

ื“ืฃ ื˜ืดื– ืขืžื•ื“ ื‘ืณ,

points out that the word ืžืจืืฉื™ืช is spelled in an unusual fashion.

ืจืืฉื™ืช,

of course,

is normally spelled:

ืจื™ืดืฉ,

ืืœืดืฃ,

ืฉื™ืดืŸ,

ื™ื•ืดื“,

ืชืดื•.

However,

over here,

the spelling is ืจื™ืดืฉ,

ืฉื™ืดืŸ,

ื™ื•ืดื“,

ืชืดื•.

The ื’ืžืจื discerns that this is a ืจืžื– to the word ืจืฉ,

poor.

And the ืคืกื•ืง is telling us,

is giving us a message about how we're meant to pray on ืจืืฉ ื”ืฉื ื”.

The ื’ืžืจื says,

ื›ืœ ืฉื ื” ืฉืจืฉื” ื‘ืชื—ืœืชื” ืžืชืขืฉืจืช ื‘ืกื•ืคื”.

Any year that's impoverished in the beginning,

initially,

becomes rich,

wealthy,

in the continuation,

at the end.

What does this mean?

ืจืฉืดื™ explains that this is telling us about how we're meant to ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ.

When we come on ืจืืฉ ื”ืฉื ื”,

and we ask ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื for health,

we ask ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื for ื”ืฆืœื—ื”,

for ืกื™ืขืชื ื“ืฉืžื™ื,

we're not meant to do it with a demand that You owe us.

ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื doesn't owe us anything.

Rather,

our approach should be like a poor person.

Like a poor person who comes to the door,

he doesn't come with a list of demands.

He asks,

he hopes,

he relies on the mercy of the ื‘ืขืœ ื”ื‘ื™ืช.

That should be our attitude in ื“ืื•ื•ืขื ืขืŸ as well.

The ืฉื•ืœื—ืŸ ืขืจื•ืš points out at the end of ืกื™ืžืŸ ืฆืดื— that one is

not meant to approach ื“ืื•ื•ืขื ืขืŸ with the attitude that,

"Oh,

I'm such a wonderful person,

I ื“ืื•ื•ืขื ื˜ with such great ื›ื•ื•ื ื”,

God needs to answer me." So,

ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ like a poor person.

But it's been pointed out that there's another aspect to ื“ืื•ื•ืขื ืขืŸ like a poor

person.

Perhaps ื—ื–ืดืœ are telling us not only how to ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ,

but also what to ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ for.

Let me explain.

Often our approach on ืจืืฉ ื”ืฉื ื” is that things are basically going okay,

going well.

We have a job,

ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ืณ

we have family,

we have health,

and it would be nice a little tweak over here,

maybe an increase in salary,

maybe perhaps if our children would behave in a more respectful fashion,

perhaps some improvement in ืฉืœื•ื ื‘ื™ืช,

but basically,

basically we're doing okay.

That is not called ื“ืื•ื•ืขื ืขืŸ like a poor person.

A poor person that doesn't have anything,

that's the proper approach.

Because after all,

we cannot take anything for granted.

The fact that we had something in ืชืฉืคืดื• is no guarantee that we'll have

it in ืชืฉืคืดื–.

The fact that we had something in any given year doesn't mean that we'll

necessarily have it in the coming year.

We need to ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ for everything.

We need to ื“ืื•ื•ืขืŸ not only for that we don't have,

but also those things which we do have.

We need to pray to God that those should continue,

that those should persist.

We need to ask ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื to give us good health also in

the next year,

to sustain our families,

our jobs,

also in the coming year.

Now,

that's somewhat of a sobering thought.

But,

as a son of mine pointed out,

there's another side to the coin.

If you understand that every year is a new account,

a new ื—ืฉื‘ื•ืŸ,

then we should keep in mind that even if there's something that we didn't

have in the previous year,

even if something that we've been missing for many,

for a lengthy period,

there's no reason to assume that we won't and won't be able to have

it in the new year.

After all,

every year is a new ื—ืฉื‘ื•ืŸ.

So,

true,

in the last year,

perhaps we had health issues to deal with.

True,

in the previous year there were all sorts of problems,

all sorts of ืฆืจื•ืช,

but quite possibly in the new year that will be very different.

The ืื“ืžื•ืดืจ ืžืกืœื•ื ื™ื,

the ื ืชื™ื‘ื•ืช ืฉืœื•ื,

that passed away about twenty-third years ago,

he once was somewhat ill and was meant to have some operation.

He pushed the doctors to allow him to have the operation after ื™ื•ื ื›ื™ืคื•ืจ.

And when they checked him after ื™ื•ื ื›ื™ืคื•ืจ to see how to operate,

whether they saw,

hey,

whatever illness he had was gone.

And he explained,

well,

apparently that illness was something that was ื ื’ื–ืจ the year before,

and was ื ื’ื–ืจ only for that year,

but the new year,

the new year,

there was no illness that was decreed upon him.

So,

every year,

a new ื—ืฉื‘ื•ืŸ.

ื‘ืขื–ืจืช ื”ืฉื,

if we have the proper attitude of davening with humility,

with an understanding that we can't come with demands,

with an understanding that nothing can be taken for granted,

and we have that proper approach to ืชืคื™ืœื”,

with proper ื›ื•ื•ื ื”,

then with God with God's help,

we have good reason to assume that ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื will grant to us,

as well as the rest of the Jewish people,

a ืฉื ื” ื˜ื•ื‘ื” ื•ืžืชื•ืงื”.

ื›ืชื™ื‘ื” ื•ื—ืชื™ืžื” ื˜ื•ื‘ื” to all the Jewish people.

Have a wonderful ืฉื‘ืช,

and a ืฉื ื” ื˜ื•ื‘ื”.