Ki Seitzei
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha (Chapter 23, Pasuk 24), Motzah Sefasecha Tishmor V’Asisa. You shall keep that which comes out from your lips and fulfill them. The Gemarah in Rosh Hashanah 6A learns that this pasuk is teaching a negative and a positive command to fulfill one’s vows. In addition, we learn from the word V’Asisa that Beis Din should force someone, if necessary, to fulfill his vows.
The Sfas Emes teaches that there is a special concept that this pasuk is teaching. Motzah Sefasecha Tishmor implies that the words which come from your mouth require a special Shemirah. This is because the mouth is the most hidden of all the external organs of a person. It expresses the innermost feelings of the individual to those around him. Therefore, it requires a particular Shemirah. It is must be guarded carefully.
The mitzvah which is most connected to the mouth is Talmud Torah. This is the mitzvah of Torah She’bealpeh. Every mitzvah corresponds to a different part of the body. Since the mouth is such a sensitive area, only the mitzvah of Torah is sufficient to guard the mouth. And the mitzvah of Talmud Torah is Yomam V’Laylah. It must be done day and night, on a consistent basis, in order to constantly guard the mouth.
The Mishnah teaches Talmud Torah K’Neged Kulam. Torah is considered as being equal to all the mitzvoth of the Torah. And this is why the pasuk says Motzah Sefasecha Tishmor V’Asisa. When one guards his mouth carefully and uses it for the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, then we have a fulfillment of V’Asisa. It’s as if one has performed the mitzvoth of the Torah. Guarding one’s mouth and using it in the proper manner for the study of Torah equals V’Asisa. It expresses a proper fulfillment of the mitzvoth of the Torah.
As we mentioned above, the Gemarah derives from the word V’Asisa that Beis Din forces a person to accept his vow upon himself. As Chazal teach, Kofin Oso Ad Sheyomar Rotzeh Ani, They force him until he agrees. But the Sfas Emes teaches once again a connection between the first part of the pasuk and the word V’Asisa. The more a person guards his mouth properly and uses it for the proper mitzvoth, i.e. Torah and also Tefillah, then there is a fulfillment of the word V’Asisa. Not that Beis Din actually forces him, but that he himself is more naturally inclined to keep his vow and other mitzvoth. The mitzvah of Talmud Torah creates a willingness on his own to keep his obligations as a natural response. The more one learns Torah, the more he has within himself a second nature to automatically keep mitzvoth. This is the meaning of V’Asisa afterMotzah Sefasecha Tishmor.
The Ohr Gedalyahu teaches, based on the Medrash on our parsha, that this week’s parsha is full of mitzvoth which relate to the typical, mundane activities of a person’s life. When one builds a house, he puts up a Ma’akeh. When he wears clothes, he must not wear Shatnez. This is in order to infuse Kedushah into his daily life. When the most ordinary of life’s activities carry with them mitzvoth, then it raises these activities from being ordinary, physical activities devoid of any holiness, to spiritual activities that bring one closer to Hashem.
Perhaps our pasuk of Motzah Sefasecha Tishmor V’Asisa is therefore the paradigm of the theme of this week’s parsha. If this parsha is about staying connected during life’s mundane activities, then the best way to connect is through Talmud Torah. When one is guarding his mouth constantly with the mitzvah of the mouth, i.e. Talmud Torah, he automatically proceeds to V’Asisa. His level of connection to Hashem is so great, that he connects his own will to that of Gd. He naturally “forces” himself to keep his vows and all other mitzvoth as well. The fulfillment of the mouth results naturally to all of one’s physical activities.
Good Shabbos
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