פרשת וילך -שבת שובה
In this week’s Parsha, the verse says, “And I will hide My face from you (the Jewish people)”. It is interesting to note that the verse repeats the word “to hide” twice. Chazal learn out from this apparent redundancy, that when the Jewish people stray from the path of the Torah, and pretend that they do not see Hashem in the world, he too will respond in kind and make Himself so hidden from the Jewish people, that they will not see His ways in the world at all, and this response of Hashem will cause the Jews to stray even further in a vicious cycle. If one contemplates the severity of this punishment, one will realize that there is no greater recompense that not being able to see God’s presence in the world affairs. However, R’ Aharon Kotler explains that the salvation from this pitiful state is not far off. There is a Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 10b) which quotes the verse slightly later on in the Parsha which says, “And now, write for you these words (the Torah), and teach it to the sons of Israel, in order that it should not be forgotten from their offspring”. R’ Aharon explains that in this verse, lies the key to our deliverance from our disgraceful situation in which we are separated from God. By properly studying and keeping the Torah, we will be able regain our ability to see Hashem’s involvement in our daily live.
R’ Aharon goes on to explain that this works in two ways. Firstly, the Torah contains within it the understanding of all past, current, and future issues which will arise for the Jewish people. It allows us to take what happens in the world in context by bestowing upon anyone who studies it carefully an exact understanding of the cause and effect relationship of our actions. With this invaluable understanding of Hashem’s ways, all the trials and tribulations that we are forced to go through, may not seem so hidden in the final analysis, because we know who is behind them and why.
But secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, is the Torah’s unique ability to confer upon those who have mastered it a deep understanding of the Creator Himself. There is a verse in Psalms (19) which says, “The Heavens speak the Glory of God, and the sky tells over His great acts”. From this verse it is clear that one who studies nature carefully will be made keenly aware of the truth of the existence of a creator. But the next verse says, “God’s Torah is perfect, and restores the soul”. If one looks in the commentary of the R”N and in the Ibn Ezra on Tehillim, they both explain that although one can clearly see God’s hand in the complexity and beauty of the creation, an even better way to accomplish this is by studying the Torah. Onkelos says that the incredible noise that was made at Har Sinai never stopped, and is accessible to all those who study the Torah sincerely, even today. This noise is referring to the fact that Hashem gave the Torah to each and every Jew throughout each and every generation, and is still available to anyone who wishes to feel that God is personally handing the Torah over to him. This truth is obvious to anyone who has ever studied Torah properly, and seen how every detail fit together. Indeed, our Rosh Yeshiva has said many times that the most effective kiruv tool is to sit down and study Gemorah with a student. The endless ability to peel off every layer of the Gemorah and the Rishonim, and still have it remain with complete integrity is the greatest proof of the Torahs’s divinity.
These inspiring words of R’ Aharon, that the Torah is the most effective way to see the creator, are particularly poignant during the times which we find ourselves. The Sefarim bring down that one cannot reach a true state of Teshuva without first strengthening his Torah study. The Men of the Great Assembly alluded this point to us in the Amidah when they first had us say, “God, please returns us to your Torah”, and only after that did they have us say, “And bring us close to your service”. Similarly, this week’s Haftarah says, “Return to your God, oh Israel, and bring ‘words’ with you”. Chazal explain that these words are referring to Torah study.
Why is it that Torah study is so essential to a proper repentance? Many of us are perfectionists and feel bad that we “messed up” and sinned. Others are perhaps afraid of punishment. But these reasons are not the ideal motivations that one should have when one comes to repent in front of God. The highest level of repentance can only be achieved when one feels devastated about the fact that his sins have distanced himself from his creator. This knowledge should completely demolish any Jewish heart. However, the best way to restore that relationship is by studying the Torah. We know that God, and His knowledge are one. By definition, Hashem’s wisdom is the physical expression of Himself in this world. By us studying that wisdom, we are essentially making God a part of us and coming closer to Him. If sin is a way of distancing oneself from his creator, than Torah study is a way of closing that distance and bringing oneself closer to his creator, so to speak and this knowledge of Hashem will generate in a person’s heart such a burning love and desire to come close, that he will inevitably repent completely for all that he has done wrong.
The verse says, “And you shall love Hashem your God with all your heart and all your soul”. The Sifri asks, what is love? They answer that one need only to look at the next verse – “And these words (of the Torah) will be upon your heart”. When a person begins to get to know Hashem, by studying his Torah, he will inescapably begin to love Him. Perhaps this is where the adage comes from, “To know Him is to love Him”. Through this knowledge, a person can achieve repentance which comes out of love.
This week’s Haftarah is where the name “Shabbos Shuva” comes from. When one examines the verses in this Haftarah, it is clear that the central theme is to repent for our misdeeds out of love of Hashem. The Haftarah opens with the verse which we quoted before, “Come repent sinners, and bring with you words (of Torah)”. Later on it says, “Uplift your sin, and replace it with goodness”. This means to say that if a person repents properly, (out of love), he can actually transform his iniquities into good deeds! From these verses, and many others, it is clear that Hashem wants us to return to him out of love, by studying Torah and fostering a better understanding of Him, and by doing this, we will merit to return to the state where we are “Walking with Hashem all the days of our lives”!
May we all merit to return to Hashem out of true love!