Shoftim 2

0:00Welcome to Torati Machanachiyomi with the OU Women's Initiative. My name is Kanalei, I have a board and today we will be learning Safer Shoften Parach Base, chapter 2. This parach, like the parach before, is an introduction to the whole Safer, to the whole book. It gives us background and introduction to what's going to come next. Because they did not work hard enough to get rid of the Kna'anim as we spoke about yesterday, a Malach, a messenger comes to berate them. This Malach is Pinchas and he says in Pasek Bay's in verse 2, you did not get rid of them. Valaishamatembekoli. You didn't listen to my voice. Maazaysa-sisem. What have you done? And because you didn't do your work in Pasek Himal verse 3, Vagamamati, laya-garaysa-sa mufnechem. You're not actively working to get rid of them. I'm not going to do that work for you. Vaha-yulachem-lit-sidem, they're going to be for you as thorns. And when the Jews heard this, they cried because they were genuinely good people and they

1:09recognized their mistakes. And as they do time after time after time throughout the sefer, they repented and they called this place buchim crying for the tears they had shed. When we go through a bit of history, how in Pasek Zayin, verse 7, they have duha-am-esasham kol yume-yoshua, the kol yume-escanem. They served Hashem throughout the days of Yashua and also throughout the days of the scanem asher harikh yameem akhari Yashua. The elders that were with them, with Yashua, during the time of Yashua and also outlived Yashua, during all those times, the Jews did serve Hashem, but then in Pasek Zayin, verse 8, Yashua dies at the age of 110 and he's buried in a place called Timnash Kharis, which is in har-afraim in the mountain of affraim, mitsafon-laharga-ash, north of har-ga-ash. Har-ga-ash literally means a volcano. And this raises an interesting question because there is no volcano geographically at this

2:14place. So, Rashi says, the har-ga-ash, what does it mean, har-ga-ash, a volcano? Malame to teach us, Shahr-ash-al-ayem, ha-har-lahargaam. The whole mountain started to shake and was going to kill them. Why? Le-fi-shalayhi-spiduhu-karat-uay. They didn't give him a proper warning. We don't see any public warning for him, like we saw for Moshev, our own brother leaders. Where was the morning? Where were the tears? And it says that, yes, the Skyrim lived more days, because you may have Skyrim and all the days of the Skyrim that lived a few days after Yeshua. They lived days longer, but not years, because they too were punished for not mourning him properly. And this begs the question, so why didn't they mourn him properly? Didn't he do enough for it? For them, for the Jewish nation, and the answer that gives us so disturbing and so resonant if we're listening. They were busy with their material pursuits, setting up their properties.

3:15They didn't have the headspace, or the recognition, or the proper depth of mourning, to give him the proper mourning that he deserved. And then we get a summary of the cycle which will repeat itself and say, for Shoftim, a general summary. First, in Pasad-Girala, verse 11, the Jews start doing bad in the eyes of Hashem. And then they start to serve the idols, and then, they leave Hashem, the God of their fathers, will heal some air, and they start to serve the idols, the gods, the gods that the nations that are around them serve, and they bow down to them, and they want to heal some of Hashem, and they make Hashem angry. And when we read this, we might think that this was widespread sinning, and no one was

4:15doing what Hashem wanted. The reality, as we will see, is somewhat different. It wasn't everyone, and it wasn't always. However, the expectations were so great. Here is a generation, and everything is done for you. They get their land, basically without having to do anything. Hashem is fighting for them, and they should have been perfect when they weren't. Even if it wasn't all of them, even if it was some of them, even if it was a few of them, even if it was only for a small amount of time, it was a great persecution against them. How could you? And the way down is gradual. They leave the God of their fathers, but they still serve Him somewhat, and then they go after other gods also, and then they bow down to them, and then they end up really angering Hashem. And so, to the reaction, in Pasad G'dalat and 14, Bayehar of Hashem, Bayehir of Hashem, Bayehir of Hashem gets angry, Bayehir to name Bayehir to Hashem, Bayehir to Shusush,

5:19Bayehir to Shusush, and He gives them in the hands of their enemies, and the enemies destroy them. Bayehim Karebiad, Aevehemi Saviv, first the enemies come, and then Hashem sells them in the hands of their enemies, the laikhlu aydlam waidlafnehemi, and we can't stand before our enemies. And then in Pasad G'dalat, Tessav, and verse 15, it gets even worse, Bukhalka, Asher, Yatsu, Yat Hashem, Haisab, Amlirah. What it feels like to them is whatever we try and do, Hashem is actively working against us. Hashem could have left them to their own devices, but the ton of Devehiliah, who says, he didn't want to leave them to their own devices, he wanted to treat them like his children, punishing them for their own good in order to bring them back. It says, but O Sascha, at that time Amar Hashem, Akutashbhah, who says, Bani Sarvanimhaim,

6:20my children, they're refusers, literally it means, they're rebels, Lakhalaisan, Eofshar, I can't destroy them, they're my children. Lakhsir on the matra'im, Eofshar, should I take them back to Egypt? No. Lakhlifah, Baumah, Akharis, Eniyahal, to switch them with a different nation, I can't. Alama'ah, Salaam, so what should I do to them? Iranian Mi'assarim, Bi'assurim, I'm going to be Mi'assarim, I'm going to make them struggle with Yisurim with terrible difficulties. Umidsarvanimhaim, I'm going to cleanse them, Bi're'avain, with a hunger. Bi'me'ah sh-fight Hashem in the time when the judges ruled, and therefore it says, and the Paschic is a quote from Megilas Rus, which happens during the time of the Shifteh. The story, the famous story of Rus, the Megilas of Rus is placed during this time period,

7:22and the first Paschic of Megilas Rus is, Bi'hibi may sh-fight Hashem at the time that the judges were ruling, Bi'hira of Barat, and therefore there's a hunger in the land. And this is just one example of the many, many difficulties that we have, because we abandoned Hashem, and he wanted to bring us back, and the point is to get them to wake up. The Dharha-Midbar saw Hashem, and they saw him in front of them, and therefore it was real, and it would be everlasting. Something that goes in only through the intellect, doesn't have lasting power. Hashem needed them to know it, but also to feel it. By understanding that something isn't making sense here, we are a nation that is led by Akadashbahu, how come we're losing these wars, how come the enemies are coming, and by actually feeling the pain of the wars, it should stimulate something inside them that would make them understand and come back.

8:22The time of the Shifteh is a classic example of Tachhas-e-Sharle-e-Vad-e-Tah-e-S Hashem-e-Le-Kech-e-Besumkhah, because we didn't serve Hashem with joy, why, may rife call, because we had so much. This is a pusset in the final message of Misha Rabaynur to his nation before he leaves them, and he says, be very careful. When things are really good, there's a danger that you're going to forget who the good comes from. The Jews had a tremendous amount of wealth amassed from their wars. They are spread out amongst the land. Their transportation wasn't so easy. The only thing they had with their Huma-shem, their Tyras, right, there wasn't anything else that they were learning from, and probably not too many of those. The first generation, they got plowed fields and built up homes, the ones that inherited that from the Kananim, but the next generation already has to work, they have to work and they have to build and they have to do, and they weren't used to doing all that and learning

9:26Torah at the same time. Everything in Israel and within were many nations all against the idea of Hashem, of one God, and they were idol worshipers. And of course, we're talking about a young nation. Not too long ago, the Jews are also idol worshipers in Mithrayim. The non-Jews go and make parties and celebrations, and the Jews were watching, and they were subtly influenced by them. There were many, many different enemies that are going to come and we'll see most nations do not come back for a second try, and those who did did to only after hundreds of years. The enemies were Aram and Moam and Kananim, the Kananim that were in the land and the Medianim and the Ammonim and the Pleshtim, and what we're going to be doing for the next few weeks is going through all the different wars. And that's the cycle of falling. We leave Hashem, Hashem comes and sends the enemies, the enemies fight us, and we lose

10:28the wars. And then we wake up, and we cry out, and Hashem hears us and sends us someone to help. By Yachem Hashem shoft him, and Hashem sets up the judges, the leaders, by Yoshiy Umayat Shusayem, and saves them from their enemies. But pretty soon after I'm positive with Zayn, in verse 17, began al-Shayf Teyem Leshamu. But even to these judges we didn't always listen, Qizanu Akhira Lehim Akhiraim, Bishachabu Leham, because we went after the idols and we bowed to them, Saru Maher Min Adara Khashar al-Khua Baisam. We left the path of our fathers, and we left it so quickly. And because the cycle keeps on repeating itself, we see that the Chuvu was never totally complete. However, again important to note, as we said yesterday, the situation was on the whole peaceful. Even when there was fighting, it was far more peaceful than in other places, however, it

11:29could have been 100% peaceful. The purpose, as we'll see in the positive phase, is to test them, Lema An-Nasay-Sbam as Israel, in order to test, by them through them the Jewish nation, Hashem Rehameem Asdar Hashem, Lala Khashbam, Qashay-Sbamu Abaisam, Imlai. Are these people going to follow the path of Hashem? To go on it, like their fathers did, or not. And the purpose of this test, which is called Anisayon, is the same word as Nase. Anase is a miracle, but Anase is also a flag, a flag of honor. When a person is tested and withstands, they come through much stronger, holding a flag. Who are you? Are you people who follow Hashem? There are many different times, types, trials, different ways that we're going to have to prove ourselves. They will be serving their idols in our land.

12:31There will be such a lack of clarity, and at times, it will seem that Hashem is fighting against us, how it feels like nothing has changed. We have to remember that this nation, the Jewish nation at the time of the Shostom, has been used to living a life of May Al-Dar-Hateva, Hashem did everything for them, the moon, the clouds, now they will have to look hard to recognize Hashem, and his hand, as we do. Will they do it? Can they do it? This is the story of Safer Shostom. The parake ends by stating that this is why the nations were left behind to act as a test to help us grow. This is a perspective that we should have, that when we sometimes feel like things are so difficult, complicated, confusing, why is Hashem doing this to me? And we can reframe and say, not why is he doing this to me, but why is he doing this for me? How can I use this challenge to stretch and to grow? Thank you for learning together with me in memory of our dear grandmother's Maryam

13:33Shankar, Rahul Friedman, Theresa Schreiber, and Bella Openheimer, Alayem Mashallah, Nishot Chael, who lived with the utmost commitment to Torah, Avodang-Bilis-Rassadin. Despite the physical and spiritual challenges they face living in the United States, as well as their Europe, may their example continue to inspire our families and families of Khayyisra, Nina and Khayyem Shankar.