Shaaallloooom sweeeetest frienddsssss!!!
A huuuuge mazel tov to my most beloved friend and chavrusa R' Shmuel Simcha Kollander and his special rebbetzin on the birth of AVIGAIL TOVA!!!! May she [together with her adorable big sister] be the source of ENDLESS nachas to her parents and family for MANY healthy happy years to come!!
This dvar Torah is l'zchus my two most beloved brothers R' Avraham Yitzchak ben Esther and R' Yosef Ezra ben Esther. May Hashem bestow upon them everything good FOREVER!!!
And lirfuas HaRav Zave Chaim ben Chaya Aidel, R' Yehoshua Meir ben Rochel Sarah and Sara Leah bas Rivka bi-toch she-ar cholei yisrael !!!
In this weeks parsha we read of the boring of a hole - called רציעה - in the ear of the slave who wants to remain a slave even when it is his time to go free. He had to sell himself into slavery because he stole and needed to pay it back. Now, even though he served his term of duty he still wants to continue. The gemara famously explains that an ear that heard at Sinai "don't steal" and then goes ahead and steals must be taught a lesson and have רציעה done.
Everyone and their Aunt Bertha asks - Why is the רציעה done now only after declaring his wish to remain a slave. Let us do it when he actually stole? And why not bore a hole in his ear for EVERY sin, for we learned all the sins at Sinai [where, incidentally, I sawyouat. At least according to the website]?
Here is a HUUUUUUGEEEE [Donald likes that word] lesson. It is one thing to sin. To err is human. We all make mistakes. That's fine. BUT DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR MISTAKESSSSS!!!!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
OK - he stole. He had to be sold into slavery. But don't PERPETUATE the sin by saying אהבתי את אדוני ואת אשתי ואת בני - I love my master, wife and children and want to remain a slave. We are subordinate to Hashem only. The situation of having a human master is foriegn to our world view. [They say that the wife is the "boss" and the husband is the "baal-haboss" but besides his wife there should be no other masters...]. If you have the opportunity to go free it must be utilized.
In life, we all make mistakes. Many people construct elaborate edifices of justification which just enable them to compound their original sin by constructing a whole philosophy behind it. That is the WORST. Make your mistakes but then clean up the mess first chance you get. Don't "fall in love" with your indiscretions.
Adar is a time of extra simcha. People who are constantly having to justify themselves lack the requisite מנוחת הנפש. Life is a constant struggle to prove to everyone [including themselves] how right they were.
Let go.
Say "I goofed". "My bad". "I'm sorry, I made a mistake". "Scratch that from the record". "Incomplete pass, 2nd and ten". It's OK. You hurt someone's feelings? Say "I am SOOOO sorry I caused you pain. I hope you will forgive me. It won't happen again. How can I make it up to you?" How often do we hear those types of words???
May we all have the greatest Shabbos of our lives followed by the greatest Adar of our lives!!! And since this is Shabbos Shekalim - may we all be blessed with an ABUNDANCE OF SHEKALIM [or dollars. Or Euro...] and the wisdom to know what to do with them.
Bi-ahava,
Me
[Based in part on the Mei Marom]
[Based in part on the Mei Marom]
