B"H

Friday, Menachem Av 22, 5776 / August 26, 2016 - Hakhel year

 

This week's Parsha, Eikev, begins, "And it shall be because you will listen to the commandments of G-d and you will keep and do them that G-d your G-d will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land...  And G-d will take away from you all sickness; and all the evil diseases of Egypt He will not put upon you."

 

Moshe explains to the people that even the hardships and tests that G-d put them through during their forty years in the desert, were for their benefit. "And you shall consider in your heart that just as a man reproaches his son so your G-d chastises you. And you shall keep the commandments of the L-rd your G-d to walk in His ways and to fear him."

 

Q.  What is the meaning of, "Just as a man reproaches his son so your G-d chastises you"?

 

A.   Rabbi Dov Ber, known as the Magid of Mezritch, explains with the following parable, why righteous people may at times experience suffering and the wicked may prosper:

 

A father, who wants to teach his son to walk, will start out by walking together with the child and holding his hand. Then he will let go of the child’s hand, leaving the child on his own. The child may fall and the father will pick him up. The father will then move away from his child and the child will then take a step toward his father and the father will retreat a bit further so that the child will take a few more steps on his own. The father will repeat this process in order to get the child to walk greater and greater distances on his own.

 

To the child it may seem that the father is moving away from him and ignoring him, yet the father does this out of love and care, for he knows that the child's growth and development depends on this.

 

The same is with G-d. At times it may seem that G-d is ignoring us, yet, in truth He is not ignoring us but rather moves away from us so that we will continuously move closer to Him. Through this process, we ascend higher and higher spiritually towards Him.

 

This is what the Torah means with, "just as a man reproaches his son so your G-d chastises you.” The reason and purpose a father chastises his child is out of love for the child for the sake of setting him in the right path and for his spiritual growth.

 

So too, the tests which G-d puts us through, should be taken as proof that He considers us His children. He cares for us, just as a parent cares for their children. He wants us to grow on our own.

 

Shabbat we bless the new month, Elul. Rosh Chodesh will be the following Shabbat and Sunday.

 

SHABBAT SHALOM

 

Montrealcandle lighting time: 7:24 / Shabbat ends: 8:27