”אמר ר’ בנימין הכל בחזקת סומים עד שהקב”ה מאיר את עיניהם“   

These words are associated by the midrash with Hagar seeing the well that was apparently near her which she had not seen before. There is a custom to say these words when one loses something in an effort to help them find the item. Literally R’ Binyamin who is the author of the above statement is telling us that we are all considered blind to certain objects or things that may be within our sight, until Hashem finds us worthy of being able to see them.

The Chidushei Harim explains that often in life what we are looking for or what it is that we need may be close to us, yet we are blind to it. Hagar needed water, it was in front of her, but she was unable to see it until the angel of Hashem revealed it to her.

There are times that we look for answers to our problems very far away while the way to solve them may be within our eyesight.  All we need is to ask and hope that Hashem will give us the vision to see.

 It is with a heavy heart, yet personal excitement that I write this message. I am always honored to stand in front of our shul and speak on multiple occasions each Shabbos.  I value so much the dedication of so many of you who attend my shiurim during the week as well.  I have been fortunate to speak and celebrate many smachot. I view myself as having been truly blessed by Hashem with the ability to speak, engage and hopefully inspire our shul members through my words. I have taken great pleasure in doing so since I arrived in this community, roughly close to 9 years ago. As life has it, however, times have changed, and it is with mixed feelings that I have contemplated the fact that I may need a change as well. This announcement may shock many people. I have not shared it with shul leadership.  I have recently been contacted by the representatives of Youtube who have been keeping tabs on the success of my weekly Webdvar. They have asked me to consider a contract giving Youtube the exclusive rights to anything that I say at any time. This is a very lucrative offer which I must consider seriously. This possibility would dramatically change the nature of my Rabbinic position as I would no longer be able to speak to any of you again offline. I would remain available to listen. However, Shabbos would be very different in our shul. I would no longer be giving a drasha. Depending on who you are, this news may bring you happiness or sadness. Over the next few days, I will be contemplating this offer. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me as I am sure that many of you will have strong feelings one way or the other.  Now,  I will truly know who bothers to read my message every week. Purim Sameach! and Shabbat Shalom!

-As we look forward to celebrating Purim, I would like to remind everyone that it is against the law to serve alcohol to minors under the age 21.  If one should see any of the children of our community drinking any alcoholic beverages, one is obligated to notify the parents of that child.  לא תעמוד על דם רעך

-Please join us for our shul Purim party immediately after the Megillah reading at night, and dont forget to make time to learn at Yeshivat Mordechai Hatzaddik, on Purim morning at 9:15am.

 The pasuk tells us that Yitzchak went out in the evening to daven in the field.  Based on this pasuk the gemara in Brachos explains that Yitzchak enacted the tefillah of mincha. There is great significance to the location of Yitzchak’s supplication. Rav Nachman MiBreslov explains that Yitzchak used all of the strength of the vegetation of the field in order to inspire his Teffilah.  What could this possibly mean? Perhaps Yitzchak was able to gain inspiration from his surroundings for his Tefillah. He connected with nature and used the power of the field to gain inspiration for his supplication. The place where we choose to daven can have a great impact on the quality of our davening.  As we continue to focus on Tefillah which is our theme for this year in the shul, let us remember that we all have the responsibility and opportunity to make the shul into the best possible environment for teffilah. This involves respecting the Tefillah itself by keeping proper decorum, as well as being sensitive to our neighbors who are trying to daven as well.  

Lech Lecha means go for yourself.  The Olelos Efraim explains that when a person goes to Eretz Yisrael, they are elevating themselves to become in touch with their true essence. The only place for a Jew to sincerely and completely connect to their soul is in the land of Hashem’s presence.  It is in this Parsha that Hashem promises Avraham avinu that the land of Israel will be the home of his children.  As the descendants of Avraham avinu, we must constantly be aware that our true home is Eretz Yisrael.  Our souls can not completely develop without breathing the air of the holy land.  As we sit thousands of miles away, and for whatever reason we cannot physically be in Eretz Yisrael at this time, we must always keep in our minds and in our hearts that we can never truly feel at home on a physical or a spiritual level outside of the land of Israel.  This is a message that we must convey to our children and grandchildren.  May we all merit to return home as soon as possible.

 After leaving the Tevah with the charge to repopulate the earth, Noach and his descendants realized that so much had changed since they had last walked on the earth’s soil. For one thing, they were now permitted to be carnivores as Hashem related to them that they were permitted to consume meat. The way in which Hashem conveys this change is noteworthy.  He tells Noach and his children that just as they were permitted to eat herbage, fruits, and vegetables until now, they are now permitted to eat meat.  Rav Moshe Mikubrin explains that the juxtaposition here speaks volumes. Hashem was essentially saying that in the same way that you ate before, you should eat now, albeit meat in addition to vegetables. Just as man ate his original food in a responsible and healthy fashion, so too should he eat now. To be a glutton is antithetical to being a Jew.  A Jew sees eating as a means to provide energy so that one can achieve and succeed in their service of Hashem on multiple levels. Essentially, the interpretation is that Hashem wants us to “eat to live” and not “live to eat”. While we all of course enjoy certain foods, we must make sure that our diet is a healthy one and that we treat our bodies as receptacles of our holy neshamos, souls. It is important to recognize the need for us to be aware of our health as being directly connected to our ability to live life as observant Jews. As Orthodox Jews, food has been an important part of our celebrations for the longest time. Our goal should be to adjust our attitude toward the importance of food and eating in our lives.

In his later years, as his health was failing, Rav Leib Chasman zt”l, the late mashgiach of the Chevron Yeshiva had one of his talmidim sleep in his home with him each night to aid him if he became in need. On each morning of Sukkot, Rabbi Chasman had the custom as many do to make the bracha on his lulav and etrog inside the sukkah. In order to get into his sukkah, he would slowly pass by his student who was sleeping nearby. One morning the student woke up as his Rebbi was passing by and quickly pretended to be asleep, not to make the Rav feel bad. The Rav refrained from going to the sukkah to make the bracha on his lulav from that day on. The lesson is an important one. We must be very cognizant of the feelings of others when we attempt to go above and beyond in our mitzvah observance. This is particularly important when it comes to celebrating the Chag of Sukkot. While we are instructed to enrich our Chag with simcha, we must be careful not to do so at the expense of someone else.

During the Aseret Ymai Teshuvah beginning with Rosh Hashana, the phrase “Zachreinu Lchayim” is added to our Shemonah Esrai. We beseech Hashem to “remember us for life for your sake”.  How are we to understand this request? Are we not asking Hashem to grant us life for our own sake?  Why do we say that it is for Hashem’s sake that he spare us?  The Lvush Mordechai explains that what we are really asking Hashem is to assist us in living a life that Hashem desires. This request is deeper than simply asking Hashem to sustain our physical health.  We are asking Hashem to give the ability to live lives that are according to the Torah, and are full of meaning. If our lives are led according to that which Hashem has taught us through the Torah, then surely Hashem will be proud, and satisfied that he sustained us.  As such “life” will have been granted for Hashem’s sake.  As we start a new year we have an opportunity to renew the goals of our lives on a spiritual level and live with a sense of purpose; to bring Hashem pride through our existence.  Gmar Chatima Tova!

 In Parshat Vayelech we are given the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah.  At the end of the pasuk Hashem instructs us that the Torah should be placed “into our mouths”.  The Avnei Ezel explains that the stress in this pasuk is that a Torah should not simply be written in order to sit in the Aron Kodesh of the shul.  Rather, the mitzvah is that the Torah be written so that it can be learned and observed.  Yet, even that alone is not sufficient.  The Torah must be placed “in our mouths”, it must be fed to us as children, and remain with us throughout our lives.  When we are children we are fed in order to sustain our lives and help us grow.  The same is true when it comes to our spiritual lives.  We need to be fed the Torah of Hashem so that it becomes as essential to our lives as food is in order to sustain our physical selves. This message highlights the importance of Yeshiva education.  We are always very cognizant of what we feed an infant.  Just as a child needs milk to develop, so does a child need a Yeshiva education to develop as a Jew.  We can never take our Yeshivot for granted, and must treat their long term viability as a personal and communal responsibility.  Shabbat Shalom!

-For those who would like to hear Harav Schachter’s shiur on tuition and tzedaka, a recording is available on the shul website.

-I hope to greet you this Motzei Shabbat at my Pre-Selichot lecture on marriage. Separate times are scheduled for men and women in order to accommodate parents of small children without the necessity of hiring babysitters.

-If your child is learning in Israel, please email me their contact info at ezwickler@gmail.com

-I am very excited to announce that the first Web based shiur in Shul history will be taking place on Wednesday October 5th.  I will be giving the shiur entitled, "Tzedaka: Its Not Only One Color".  Special thanks to IDT for helping set up the first of what I hope will be many shiurim given online in the future. Stay tuned for further details! 

One of the mitzvot described in our Parsha was the erecting of two stones on Har Eival, upon which the entire Torah was to be written. The Abarbanel explains that this mitzvah can be compared to the mitzvah of mezuzah. As the Bnai Yisrael entered the land of Israel for the first time they were instructed to erect their “mezuzot” in order to safeguard their performance of mitzvot and the inhabiting of the land.  The mezuzot of our homes also serve as protection for all that is inside of the home, most notably the people who dwell there. The halacha instructs us to check our mezuzot twice every seven years.  Elul is a great time to check your mezuzot. If you have not done so lately, Rabbi Shmuel Rosenfeld, a sofer from Yerushalayim, will be in the shul library this Sunday checking mezuzot.

Olives are harvested from olive trees by beating the branches of the olive tree with a stick.  As a result, the olives fall to the ground. The Torah states that when one does so, they should not collect all of the olives that fall off the tree. Rather, some of the olives should be left over for the orphan, widow and proselyte. The Torah described this process by using the word “Tefaer” which means beauty, implying that one should leave some of the beautiful product of the olive tree behind. Rabbeinu Bachyee suggests that this word “Tefaer” can also be teaching us something else. “Tefaer” may be referring to the individual harvester.  The individual who harvested the olives is commanded to do chesed, to be kind to others.  Rabbeinu Bachyee suggests that maybe the Torah is advising the harvester not to promote the fact that he has performed a kindness for others. The lesson is that when we perform Chesed for others, we should try to do so in a quiet fashion. True chesed is done with deep sincerity and no accolades. At the same time, a delicate balance is needed as others should be encouraged to do acts of chesed. During this important month of reengagement, let us reengage ourselves with this most important area of mitzvah observance.