Parshat VaEschanan 5781
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in the end of this week’s parsha (Chapter 7, Pasuk 7), Lo Me’Rubchem Mikol Ha’Amim Chashak Hashem Bachem Vayivchar Bachem, Ki Atem Ha’Me’at Mikol Ha’Amim. Hashem hasn’t desired you and chosen you as a nation for your great size. In fact, you’re the smallest of nations. Many commentators ask, if Am Yisrael are among the smallest of nations, why does Moshe need to tell Am Yisrael that they weren’t chosen for their large size. How could we even consider such a possibility, that the Jews were chosen for their large size, when it’s simply not true.
Rashi on the pasuk brings the teaching of Chazal from the Gemara in Chulin 89A and the Medrash Tanchuma (Eikev 3) that the words you are the smallest of nations is meant to be understood as Atem Ha’Mema’atin Atzmachem; you make yourselves small. Moshe is telling Am Yisrael that Hashem chose them because when He brings them blessing they don’t say how great they are. Rather, they respond to Hashem’s goodness with humility and thanksgiving. This is the real meaning of Ki Atem Ha’Me’at Mikol Ha’Amim.
The Gemara in Kesuvos 66B teaches that Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai was leaving Yerushalayim on his donkey and his students were following behind. Suddenly, he came upon a young woman who was the daughter of Nakdimon Ben Gurion, one of the wealthiest men in Yerushalayim during the time of the Churban (see the Gemara in Gittin 56A). He noticed that she was so desperately poor, that she was looking for the remnants of barley in the excrement of the animals of the Arabs. Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai cried out and said, Ashreichem Yisrael; Fortunate are the people of Israel. When you do the will of Hashem, you rise up to great heights and no nation can rule over you. But when you don’t follow the will of Hashem, you sink to such depths, that even the lowest of nations rule over you; and not only them, but even their animals rule over you as well.
What Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai saw, a Jewish woman who was once wealthy but now in desperate straits, was a very depressing sight. And yet he responded Ashreichem Yisrael. Surely, he was emphasizing the fact that when we follow Hashem we are capable of great heights, but not how low we can sink.
The Maharsha on the Gemara teaches that this statement of Ashreichem Yisrael relates to both situations. This is because both extremes express the greatness of Am Yisrael. As opposed to the nations of the world, we have no Mazel, as the Gemara in Shabbos 156A teaches, Eiyn Mazal L’Yisrael. We only connect to Hashem. So when we follow in His ways, no one can touch us. But when we fall, we fall hard and we fall low, dependent on even the animals of the lowest nations. And this fact is to our praise; Ashreichem Yisrael! We don’t connect to any sign or any force in the world to protect us. All we have is Hashem; and when we don’t have Him we have nothing.
The Sfas Emes explains this concept on a deeper level and applies it to our pasuk. When the pasuk says Ki Atem Ha’Me’at Mikol Ha’Amim, it is referring to this idea expressed in the statement of Ashreichem Yisrael of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai. And not only does the Sfas Emes agree with the Maharsha that it applies to Bnei Yisrael in good time and in bad times, it is precisely the fact that it applies to us in bad times that expresses the praise of Bnei Yisrael. For when we do the will of Hashem and he bestows us with blessing, this expresses the greatness of Hashem and His desire to give us only good. But when we don’t do His will, our lowly state expresses the notion that we are not willing to connect to other forces in the world. We have only Hashem, and when we are far away, it is clear for all to see.
This is the meaning of the pasuk. Lo Me’Rubchem Mikol Ha’Amim, your greatness as a nation isn’t expressed when Hashem makes you great; that’s all His doing. Rather, Ki Atem Ha’Me’at Mikol Ha’Amim; your greatness is in the fact that you sink so low. It’s one thing to sin, but it’s another to abandon Hashem, and that we never do, which is why we sink when we sin.
This brilliant p’shat of the Sfas Emes is the exact opposite of what the nations of the world have been saying about us for centuries. Our lowly state during different stages of history has been distorted to being a sign of Hashem abandoning us, chas v’shalom. But rather, the opposite is true. We never abandon Hashem. When we experience difficult times, it’s a result of our intense connection and not being able to live up to our obligations. But on Shabbos Nachamu it’s important to remember that our galus is ultimately a sign of connection. And the more we work hard to reconnect, the sooner our salvation shall arrive.
Good Shabbos
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