The Weekly Sedra – Ki Tavo

This week’s section always falls in the month of Elul, the month of mercy.

Even the initials of this month show how good G-d is: Alef Lamed Vav Lamed stands for “I am to my beloved (G-d) and my beloved is to me (Song of Songs 6:3). G-d loves us!

Not only that but in this week’s section ‘Joy’ is stressed not once but twice – once in the beginning ”You should rejoice with all the good that G-d has given (26:11) and later in the middle “Serve G-d with Joy and a good heart from great abundance” (28:47).

This is the preparation month for the days of ‘Repentance and Awe’ Rosh HaShanna and Yom Kippur’; namely when we see and feel how much G-d loves us and wants to forgive us. It encourages to return to Him.

But surprisingly, here we also find a preview of, of all things, the holocaust! Namely, horrifying 98 curses waiting for any Jew that transgresses the Torah… that seem to send the opposite message; G-d is distant and severe!

Hardly a fitting message for the Month of Mercy’. How can we be happy with these curses hanging over our heads?

To understand this, here are two stories.

The first is a Holocaust story. I usually avoid such stories because no human mind can grasp, no less explain what happened. True G-d said in this week’s Torah portion that such a thing was possible. But a father simply does not allow such things happen to his children… especially when the father is the King of the Universe!

Nevertheless here is the story. It was told to me by someone who heard it from an old Vishnitz Chassid who survived the war:

“The Nazis, may their name be blotted out, spent much needed manpower and time searching for Jews of all ages in basements, attics, forests and everywhere possible. And most of those caught were sent to ‘concentration’ camps, where the Nazis could concentrate on torturing and exterminating them in the most ‘progressive, cultured and intellectual’ ways.

”In the camp where we were, were a lot of religious Jews and a lot of other Chassidim that they had rounded up near the end of the war.

“I had heard that the Germans were unusually cruel around the Jewish holidays and it wasn’t long before I saw how true it was.

”On Rosh HaShanna, they made us work all day non-stop, then on Yom Kippur they forced us to eat, and finally on Succot they decreased our meager rations by half. But when Simchat Torah came around they really went berserk.

“They rounded up fifty of us, all young Vishnetzer Chassidim, and announced that we would be taken to the gas chambers in a matter of minutes.

”Everyone began to weep uncontrollably as we were led off to our deaths. Escape or resistance was impossible; we were so weak and they were armed to the teeth and besides there was no where to run to. Barbed wire was everywhere and the guards had ferocious dogs.

“Then one of our group said, ”Listen friends, tonight is Simchat Torah… we are Jews! Right?! These perverted animals can’t take that from us. We have to be happy!“ He began a song and at the first note everyone joined in. We sang, louder and louder moving our feet to the tune.

”Suddenly we were in control! We were free!! The Nazis could rule our bodies but our souls were free! Free!! We sang and even danced as much as possible.

“Abruptly the German commander shouted ‘Halt’! And the soldiers stopped the procession.

We fell silent as he swaggered before us in his high, shining black boots and perfectly fit black uniform and then said with a satanic sneer on his lips.

”So you want to rejoice on your stupid holiday ehh? Well, we also want to rejoice. Why are you so selfish?“ He smirked, looked around contently, and continued.

”Tomorrow morning at five a.m. we will awaken the entire camp and you happy bunch will be publicly and slowly tortured to death, one at a time. Let us see how you Jews rejoice then!!“

”He barked an order and we were led back to a sort of prison room with a thick iron door that slammed ominously behind us.

“But HaShem had different plans.

”It seems that in the middle of the night there came urgent orders from on high that our camp had to supply one thousand workers to another location. A special unit was even sent to pick out and gather the workers. But after a few hours of searching they could only come up with nine hundred and fifty able bodied men. Then someone remarked that he remembered seeing the fifty of us being led into the ‘prison’.

“At five in the morning the camp commander got a big disappointment; he got his executioners ready, awakened all the Jews and gathered them all outside for the ‘show’ but when he got to our prison he found it…empty!! There was no one to kill.

”Not all of us survived the work camp but one thing for sure; if it wasn’t for our joy that night I certainly wouldn’t be here to tell this story; we all would have been murdered.“

Here is a second happier story that happened less than ten years ago. It was told by Rabbi Y. Ritzes who heard it from Rabbi Rabbi Gurkof of Montreal who was personally involved (Bait Moshiach vol. 596 pg. 16)

Some thirty years ago Mr. J. (made up name) was a businessman. True he wasn’t a big businessman but he wanted to be.

And his chance came.

It required a big investment on his part. He would have to liquidate most of his assets and borrow huge sums of money… but it was a chance to really make it big. But, on the other hand, if it didn’t work it could make him a pauper for the rest of his life.

He asked friends and associates for advice and one of them suggested that he write to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He told him a few stories of the Rebbe’s uncanny ability to give advice and, although Mr. J never held much respect for the advice of Rabbis, especially in matters of business, he made a big exception and wrote.

But a week passed and then another and he received no letter.

Unable to wait any longer he took the chance, borrowed the money, made the investment and it succeeded. Within a few months huge profits began rolling in and he was elevated to a higher level in the business world.

Then, several months later, when he was already well on his way to becoming a millionaire, the Rebbe’s letter arrived.

”Disgusting!“ he said to himself. ”When I needed this Rebbe’s advice he wasn’t there, but now, after he sees that I succeeded, he probably wants to ask for a donation! Who needs him!“

He didn’t even bother reading the letter, but for some reason he didn’t throw it away either. He just tossed it into a drawer with a lot of other papers and forgot about it.

The years passed and his success increased until a strange tragedy struck.

Shortly after he became rich his wife gave birth to a daughter. She turned out to be beautiful, intelligent and charming but when she reached marriageable age for some reason none of the fellows she met found favor in her eyes,

Until she met a fine, intelligent, handsome, successful fellow of Sphardic descent. (Jews born in Arabic, non-European countries are called Sphardic while European Jews are called Ashkenazic)

She didn’t give it much importance, in fact she enjoyed his warm personality but when her father heard it he reacted very negatively; in fact… he exploded! Sephardic?!! His family came from a long line of Ashkenazic Jews! They had always married Ashkenazic Jews! And his daughter would not be an exception!! She would marry an Ashkenazi Jew and that was FINAL!!

But she had as strong a will as her father. She announced that, although she loved her father and wanted to honor him… but she loved her fiancé as well. This was her life, she was a grown woman and, she had the right to marry without parental permission and, if necessary she would exercise her right!

This infuriated her father even more. He would show her!! He gave an ultimatum: if she did so… if she married this fellow…. he would totally disown her! He would never support her in any way! And he would not even attend the wedding!!

Whereupon she calmly replied that although that would pain her very much to lose her father she could not live her life under such intimidation. She wanted to marry and if he wanted to disown her for such a ridiculous ‘crime’ it was up to him.

Poor Mr. J. was in big trouble. His pride and principles would not allow him to give in but on the other hand he was losing his daughter! He began to worry, loose sleep, not eat properly and talk to himself; his life became gray and meaningless and to make matters worse his wife was beginning to side with …. them. He was losing everything!

Then one day as he was aimlessly going through one of his desk drawers, he noticed the unopened letter that he had received twenty one years earlier from the Rebbe!

He opened it with trembling hands; sensing that somehow it contained his answer and it read (approximately) as follows:

”Dear Mr. J.

Shalom and Blessings

May you have much blessing and success in you financial endeavors and may you use the riches in a proper way for charity, learning Torah and supporting those who learn. Wishing you much Nachat from your family and self and May you increase in Judaism from strength to strength.

P.S. It is known that there is no reason to give much attention to family background regarding marriage if the couple are both G-d fearing people. There have already been many marriages between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews which, thank G-d, have succeeded in building an eternal home based on Torah and its commandments.

Mr. J. took the Rebbe’s advice, made peace with his daughter and her fiancé and the joy of the wedding was above all limits.

This answers our questions.

The natural state of man… especially the Jews….is Joy.

Joy is when we feel we are worthwhile and the more worthwhile we feel the more the Joy.

The ultimate joy is when we feel the truth; that G-d is creating each of us constantly and putting us where we are for a purpose.

We are ALL worthwhile. Infinitely worthwhile!!

This is the message of Elul and especially of Rosh Hashanna; the anniversary of the creation of ‘man’. (Man was created on the sixth day of creation which fell out on the first of Tishre…Rosh HaShanna!)

But when we have doubts and confusion we can’t be happy. [The letters of ‘Amelek’ the opposite and enemy of Judaism (often equated with the Nazis) is the numerical value of ‘Doubt’ ‘Suffek’]

So that is what the Torah is telling us here.

G-d loves us, He creates each of us every instant, and He gives us the opportunity to serve him in all our deeds… in Joy.

But when we have doubts, when we make troubles for ourselves, G-d forces us to rise above it all as both of our stories showed.

But the Lubavitcher Rebbe promised that there will be no more holocausts as in the first story!

Today we are all like Mr. J. in the second story: the way to solve our problems is through the writings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Go to your local Chabad representative and ask to learn one of the Rebbe’s many volumes of wisdom. Whether it is “Sichot” or even deeper teachings called “Maamarim” or perhaps one of his letters called “Igrot”.

The message is waiting there for you to open it.

This is the surest way to feel the love and Joy of the Creator and bring…

Moshiach NOW!!!