B"H
Thursday, Menachem Av 7, 5778 / July 19, 2018
The Torah reading for this Shabbat is Parshat Devarim. With this reading we begin the fifth book of the Torah, Devarim - Deuteronomy.
The first verse of this Parsha begins, “These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel, on the other side of the Jordan, concerning the Arava, opposite the Sea of Reeds, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan, and Chatzeirot, and Di Zahav…”
As mentioned yesterday, the contents of this last Book of the Torah is what Moshe told the Jewish people during the last few weeks of his life.
In this Parsha, Moshe begins with reprimanding the people for many of their past mistakes and rebellions against G-d. He reminds them of these past sins, although many of them were committed by the parents of the people he is speaking to. When they enter the Promised Land, they should remember to adhere to the observance of the Torah and mitzvot and not have to suffer the consequences which their parents suffered.
The above verse is also words of reprimand. Although later Moshe goes into the details of the past sins, yet, in the very beginning of the Parsha, he only hints to the past wrongdoings. He mentions only the places in which the sins were performed, but doesn’t mention the sins themselves.
Q.Why does Moshe here conceal the sins, only mentioning the places where they were performed?
A.It is a mitzva, when seeing someone committing a sin, to make them aware that they committed a sin in order to guide them on the correct path. In fact, we are all responsible for each other’s actions.
Yet, one has to be very careful how they accomplish this. One has to be very cautious not to embarrass the other person when doing so. One is not allowed to reprimand someone in public as it will cause shame and embarrassment to the other person.
The Talmud tells that the destruction of the Second Temple was caused as a result of one Jew embarrassing another Jew in public.
This Parsha is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, the day in which the Holy Temples were destroyed. As mentioned, the Second Temple was destroyed due to the sin of strife and hatred amongst the people of Israel and the embarrassment of one another.
Our rabbis find an important lesson, related to Tisha B’Av, in the fact that Moshe reprimands the Jewish people here not openly, only by mentioning the places where they committed these sins. This teaches us how careful one must be even when rebuking someone for their mistakes. It must be done in the most respectful and discreet way.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY