Chayei Sarah - Greed Built into the DNA

During the discussion between Avraham and Ephron over the purchase of the burial plot for Sarah, there is an interesting issue one of the verses.

 וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָהָם אֶל עֶפְרוֹן וַיִּשְׁקֹל אַבְרָהָם לְעֶפְרֹן אֶת הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּאָזְנֵי בְנֵי חֵת אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר
בראשית כג:טז

Here, unlike all the other mentions of Ephron, in one instance the name Ephron appears without one letter, the letter Vav.

Says the Baal HaTurim, this instance of the name Ephron appears with out the letter 'Vav' (אפרן). This word has the Gematria (numerical equivalent) of the word "רע עין" - at a value of 400 (Reish is 200, Eyin 70x2, Yud 10, Nun 50), which means stinginess or greedy. And so the 400 [of  his greediness] comes in counter to the 400 silver pieces that Avraham paid Ephron in order purchase to the Maharat HaMachpelah (Cave of the Double), the seminal resting place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

Was Ephron a slippery character?
Is the missing Vav hinting at deeper, more profound flaws?
Why Vav? What is the significance of the absence of this letter?

A Fair Price?
Rashi notes on this verse that the name Ephron "is spelled without a “vav,” because he promised much but did not do even a little [i.e., he promised the cave as a gift but took a great deal of money for it]" This is illustrated in the pasuk that appears earlier.

"No, my lord, listen to me. I have given you the field, and the cave that is in it, I have given it to you. Before the eyes of the sons of my people, I have given it to you; bury your dead."

Breisheit 23:11

In one verse, Ephron emphasizes the gift that he is offering Avraham, with 3 consecutive mentions of giving. Yet, the attractive offer goes from a gift to a high price in just a few verses.

And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him, "My lord, listen to me; a [piece of] land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is it between me and you? Bury your dead."

Breisheit 23:14-15

The 'gift' quickly appreciates and becomes a mere 400 sheckels of silver. Like a smooth salesman, Ephron tries to get his client to take possession of the product, belittling the money issues, and pushing them off to be dealt with later.

Says the Ramban, that it appears that Ephron tried to exact a value for this property that was far inflated from the market price. And the Ramban brings the Gemarah:

...the wicked promise much and do not perform even little. Whence do we know? — From Ephron. At first it is written, "The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver;" but subsequently, "And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant"; indicating that he refused to accept anything but centenaria, (Centenarius = 100 manehs; a maneh = 100 zuz = 25 shekels.) for there is a place where shekels are called centenaria. (Hence he gave him 400 centenaria, instead of ordinary shekels as he demanded at first: this is deduced from the phrase ‘current money with the merchant’, implying that it was recognised everywhere as a shekel)

Baba Metzia 87A (Soncino Translation)

At this exchange rate, the 400 centenaria comes to 10,000 sheckels.
Rav Aryeh Kaplan in The Living Torah further expands on the underhanded nature of  this deal.

Considering land values at the time this was highly excessive. Thus, for example, King Omri paid only 6000 sheckels for the entire territory of Samaria. (Kings I 16:25)

The Power of the Letter Vav
Says the Kli Yakar, expanding on the words of the Baal HaTurim, the Talmud in Baba Batra addresses the significance of the absence of the letter Vav.

R. Isaac also said: He who gives a small coin to a poor man obtains six blessings, and he who addresses to him words of comfort obtains eleven blessings.

Baba Batra 9B (Soncino Translation)

Continuing on this foundation, the Kli Yakar naturally concludes that anyone, then, that does not give even a 'prutah' to the poor is not deserving of the six blessings. Hence Ephron's name is missing the letter Vav, which has the value of six. This is indicative of his true nature, one who is stingy, penny-pinching, and greedy.

The Kli Yakar shows us that we also learn about the fate of those entrenched in miserly characteristics.

R. Joshua b. Levi also said: We give the cup of blessing for the recital of the Grace after meals only to one who is of a generous disposition, as it is said: He who has a generous eye [a good eye] will be blessed, for he gave of his bread to the poor (Mishle 22:9), read not ‘will be blessed’ but rather 'shall say the Blessing'.

Sotah 38B

That is to say, the person who was not generous, and did not give to the poor is of a Bad Eye, or as the Baal HaTurim described an "רע עין".  Where do we see the six blessings in this discussion in Sotah?

We must look at the verse quoted in its source to understand the point here.

טוֹב-עַיִן, הוּא יְבֹרָךְ:    כִּי-נָתַן מִלַּחְמוֹ לַדָּלמשלי כב ט

The word  'will be blessed' is written as "יְבֹרָךְ" - without a Vav. The Talmud explains to pronounce this as if it as has a Vav, as "יְבֹורָךְ". Says the Kli Yakar, both the written and pronounced approach fit together, since one who is generous to others is ultimately blessed himself. Likewise the opposite holds true.

4 Bad Events Connected to 400
The Kli Yakar finds further basis to connect more bad events to the amount of 400 - the amount paid for burial cave, and numerical value of bad eye  "רע עין" , miserliness.

1. The episode with Ephron
2. The sale of Joseph down to Egypt, set in motion the eventual enslavement of the Jewish people - a circumstance that was destined to last for ... 400 years (Breisheit 15:13).
3. Yaacov returns to Canaan and faces his brother Esau in what he fears could be the final confrontation. Yaacov's messengers scout out Esau's group and report that Esau approaches with ... 400 men (Breisheit 32:7)
4. Naval, the wealthy man living in the Carmel, that the Tanach describes as "the man was hard, and of evil deeds; and he was a Calebite." (Shmuel A 25:5) And David approached him with ... 400 men.

Learning the Traits of Generosity
So we see sources and examples validating the power of 6, and the importance of its absence. The 'six' or the Vav plays a major role here and provides great insight into one's true nature.  From this one unassuming, slim letter we learn that our lives should go down a path of showing generosity to others.

We also learn the contra to this. That should we lack the Vav in our lives, not only do we not merit the six special blessings but we bring upon ourselves the power of the Bad Eye - the power of 400.

Vaera - Powerful Medicine

Says the Kedushat Levi, Rav Levi Yitzhok from Berditchev, that Hashem puts the treatment before the pain. How do we see this? The discussion in Mesechet Megillah explores this issue.

"After these things." (Megilat Ester 3:1) After what? — Raba said: After G-d had created a healing for the blow [which was about to fall]. For Resh Lakish has said: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not smite Israel unless He has created for them a healing beforehand, as it says . "When I have healed Israel, then is the iniquity of Ephraim uncovered."(Hosea  8:1)  Not so, however, with the other nations: He smites them first, and then creates for them a healing, as it says: "The Lord will smite Egypt, smiting and healing." (Isaiah 19:22)

Mesechet Megilah 13B (from Soncino Translation)

We learn from this piece that G-d puts a global perspective upon events, and early on provides the 'cure' or soothing treatment, to alleviate the pain of oncoming suffering.

Healing For the Blow
So how does this figure in Parshah Vaera?
Says the Kedushat Levi, we see this manifest in this Parshah as well. Yitzhak is a pre-eminent figure strongly associated with the concept of exile. How so? The 400 years ordained for the people of Israel to be in exile  in servitude are counted from the birth of Yitzhak.

That has the original exile. But we still persist in exile today, even with the growth of a physical community in Eretz Yisrael. We continue to languish in a spiritual exile. So what is the treatment, the healing, that can cure the condition of the exile?
The Moshiach!
Which even if he is slow, we wait each day with enthusiasm.

How do we see this in Parsha Vaera? The birth of the nation of Moav provides a nascent symbol for the coming of the Moshiach. Since Ruth will arise from this nation and Kind David is descended from Ruth. The Moshiach defined as a descendent of King David.

So this is how G-d put the healing before the blow, and that we should merit to see soon in our days the arrival of the Moshiach and to be taken out of physical and spiritual exile.

Lech Lecha - On the Path to Destruction

And there was a quarrel between the shepherds of Abram's cattle and between the shepherds of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.

Breisheit 13:7

What Quarrel?
The verse describes a quarrel, a dispute that arose between the shepherds of Avram and the shepherds of Lot. With Lot being the nephew of Avram, this could be considered a family feud.

What were they fighting about?
Rashi describes the details of the confrontation.

Since Lot’s shepherds were wicked, and they pastured their animals in fields belonging to others, Abram’s shepherds rebuked them for committing robbery, but they [Lot’s herdsmen] responded, “The land was given to Abram, who has no heir; so Lot will inherit him, and therefore this is not robbery.” But Scripture states: “And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land,” and Abram had not yet been awarded its possession. [from Gen. Rabbah 41:5]

There was no fight over land, since the shepherds of Avram had no interest to graze the lands that the shepherd of Lot had moved onto, grazing on private property. So essentially this tension was based on a matter of honor. Lot's shepherds did not deny grazing on this land, or even that this was obviously under private ownership. They based their integrity on a controverted interpretation of the law, whereby they concluded that the land was bound to be theirs, so in a sense it was theirs now. Rashi emphasizes that verse mentions the presence of Canaanites and Perizzites to undermine the claim by Lot's shepherds, showing that this promise had yet to come about.

Yet Rashi's explanation opens several questions.
The shepherd's of Avram did not know otherwise that Avram, already at an advanced age, would eventually have his own heir. So why contest this claim by Lot's shepherds?
Rashi explains that the verse includes the seemingly extra text “And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land,” in order to show that the lack of validity to the claim by Lot's shepherds, that the promise to Avram had not yet been fulfilled. Yet why mention both nations, the Canaanites and the Perizzites?  After all in the earlier verse, it referred only to the Canaanites being in the land.

And Abram passed through the land, until the place of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh, and the Canaanites were then in the land

Breisheit 12:6

Peace in the Land
The Kli Yakar raises these issues and addresses them in his commentary. The Kli Yakar says "some say that the verse wants to say that these were the two great nations - the Cannanites and the Perizzites - and they dwelt in the land [of Canaan] without dispute, [while] these two groups of shepherds couldn't settle the land together."

The great family of Avram, the proto-Jewish family, lived in strife and fought. To mirror this condition, the verse shows how our enemies, the nations destined to be vanquished by the tribes of Israel - the Cannanites and Perizzites - live amongst each other in harmony. It is both a lesson and a criticism of our behavior as a Jewish nation, that we fight between ourselves while our enemies live in comfort.

The Great Surrender
Following the dispute between the shepherds, Avram makes Lot a generous offer

Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left.

Breisheit 13:9

The Kli Yakar explains also the appearance of both these nations in our verse explains Avrams motives to dealing with Lot. Says the Kli Yakar "Here the shepherds of Avram did their part and rebuked the shepherd's of Lot for stealing and if they did not accept the rebuke then they were saving their own lives"

What does this mean "saving their lives?"

Continues the Kli Yakar, "the shepherd's of Avram rebuked them for stealing and the shepherd's of Lot contended that all of the land belonged to Avram (etc.). and Avram considered that if the inhabitants of the land saw that he was taking hold of the land and assuming ownership, while his group was small in numbers then obviously they would gather their forces and attack. That is why this verse also includes the Perizzites, for they were brave people living in fortified cities"

The verse later, based on the report of the spies, supports this contention.

the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified

Bamidar 13:28  

Shows the Kli Yakar further, he brings the episode of Shimon and Levi and the slaughter of Shechem, to show further the reputation of the Cannanites and Perizzites.

Thereupon, Jacob said to Shimon and to Levi, "You have troubled me, to discredit me among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and among the Perizzites, and I am few in number, and they will gather against me, and I and my household will be destroyed."

Breisheit 34:30

Tranquil Dwelling
The verse is also particular to not only mention the names of these other nations that could be aroused to confrontation, but also says that the 'dwelled' in the land.

and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.

Breisheit 13:7

Says the Kli Yakar, "the verse says that they dwelled to say that until now they are dwelling in tranquility. By seeing that shepherds are in their fields establishing ownership, then there will be senseless war. There [Avram says]  "Please part from me."


This further displays Avram's cautious decisions, putting full faith in Hashem's promise to give him the land, without entering into useless wars, and not showing unnecessary hubris to the inhabitants.

Time to Make Choices
Despite the initial contentions of Lot's shepherd's that in fact they were doing nothing wrong, that in fact the fields were theirs de facto, they never denied sending their flocks to graze in these fields.

Says the Kli Yakar, "thus Lot went to dwell with the people of Sodom, who were not particular about stealing."

Avram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents until Sodom.  And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord.

Breisheit 13:12-13

Says the Kli Yakar, the verse "And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord" is placed adjacent to this to show that since they sin with money and were not particular of stealing, thus Lot goes to settle by them."

The Path to Destruction
Lot's choices at the beginning of this episode were motivated by greed but blurred by his own legal acrobatics to justify his party's behavior. Ultimately the path he set down lead him to Sodom, a doomed city.

As we note in mishna:

Ben Azzai said: Be eager to fulfill the smallest duty and flee from transgression; for one mitzvah induces another and one transgression induces another transgression. The reward of a duty is a duty, the reward of one transgression is another transgression.

Pirkei Avot 4:2

 Lot took step after step, transgression after transgression, which lead him down a path which he was locked into, sealing his destiny. In our lives, we are constantly confronted with decisions for how to behave. Sometimes it feels like a little lie is easiest, or to slightly bend a rule won't be noticed, or worse to deny any wrongdoing through sophisticated justification. These may start out as small, minor infractions, but once we allow ourselves to behave in this manner, then we are quickly sliding down towards a destiny that will be difficult to extricate ourselves from, without conscious and dedicated effort to correct our behavior.

Noach - What Makes a Tzaddick

Following the flood, the survivors, Noach and his family,  are redeemed and in the midst of recovering from this trauma, their fears are put to rest. G-d makes clear that this will not occur again.

And the L-rd smelled the pleasant aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, "I will no longer curse the earth because of man, for the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will no longer destroy all living things as I have done.

וַיָּרַח ה' אֶת רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל לִבּוֹ לֹא אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת כָּל חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי 

Breisheit 8:21

The commentators have a lot to say around this verse verse.
What does it mean that man's heart is evil? Does that mean that man is beyond redemption?
Why make this declaration now, after the flood, doesn't this undermine the significance of having carried out the flood?

Rashi says about "from his youth":

This is written: מִנְעֻרָיו [without a“vav”] [implying that] from the time that he [the embryo] shakes himself [נִנְעָר] to emerge from his mother’s womb, the evil inclination is placed in him. — [from Breisheit Rabbah 34:10] 

Rashi says this shows the very essence of human nature. Rashi is saying that our eternal enemy, the Yetzer Hara, hounds us from birth. This seems to mean that we are at a disadvantage in life, starting out with a heart of evil.

Divine Regret?
Says the Slonimer Rebbe in the Netivot Shalom that this leaves us to conclude that the cause of the flood is the essential evil in man's heart, as shown earlier, when Hashem initially declares his intentions to destroy mankind in a flood:

And the L-rd saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time.

וַיַּרְא ה' כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וְכָל יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל הַיּוֹם 

Breisheit 6:5

This is the verse set in motion the events of the flood, seeming to show that the flood was the result of  the evil in man's heart. Yet as we just saw, this is the very reason given for why Hashem promised not to flood the world again.

The Slonimer Rebbe reconciles these two verses by taking Rashi's explanation, saying that man is not evil to the core. Rather, from birth man has an evil inclination embedded within, which gives man the capacity for evil. In contrast, the inclination for good is a quality that needs to be developed and nurtured.

The Slonimer Rebbe emphasizes the subtle and fundamental differences between man before and after the flood.

• Before the flood: every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time
• After the flood: the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth

Man in the post-flood world is more mature, and only has the capacity for evil, rather than the man of the pre-flood time, whose every move, all the time, was dedicated to evil.

Youth Is Not Bad
 Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch is very disturbed by this position. He finds this so difficult to take in, that he practically restructures the verse, for the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth:

"for the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth," has been completely erroneously taken to be the cause of this new determination of destiny… The words, "for the inclination, etc.," are in parenthesis, and should be read as: [if] the inclination of man's heart should be evil [again], [even] in his youth, so that the only way of saving him would be to destroy the generation, [nevertheless] I will no longer destroy all living things as I have done. 

Youth are neither righteous nor evil. Woe unto them that take the average child or adolescent nature to be evil! Whoever has really observed children say: No, it is not true that youth are bad, the inclination of man's heart is not evil from his youth. It is not in youth that man sets evil as his ideal. Rather, on average, one finds more adults than adolescents whose hearts and minds are directed to evil.

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, commentary to Bereishit 8:21

The Prayers of Hershele
I recently heard on the radio a tape of Reb Shlomo Carlebach telling a story. He told the story in the 1970's after the Yom Kippur war, and Israeli Prisoners of War returned from Egypt, to describe the holiness that these individuals had achieved. So tells Reb Shlomo...

Once there was a  village in Russia and they were confronted with a terrible decree. The villages in the area must all close down a relocate to the larger city centers, which could be hundreds of kilometers away. The villagers did not just worry about the move, but that this relocation could mean the death of hundreds of Jews forced to make this terrible journey. So they went to their beloved rabbi for help.

They begged their holy rabbi, Rav Dovid, to pray and influence the heavens to turn this terrible decree. But their rabbi sadly responded, that he didn't have the power to counteract a decree this strong. They would have to turn to a person far more holier than him.
"Who?" the people asked, "who should we go and see?"
"A holy yid that lives far from here, Reb Herschel. You need to find Reb Hershel. Only Reb Hershel is filled with enough holiness that his prayers can have this much influence."

The people of the village traveled far to the town their rabbi had spoke of. When they reached the town they looked around and asked people: where do we find the holy Reb Hershel?
However the locals shook their heads. "There is no Reb Hershel."
"What?" they replied, "but our rabbi sent us here to get a blessing from Reb Hershel."
"There's no Reb Hershel here. The only Hershel here, is Hershel the drunk."
"Hershel the drunk?"
"Yes and he is where is always is, lying down on the street."
The tired village people trusted their rabbi and sought at Hershel the drunk. Just as they were told, there was Hershel the drunk, a disheveled figure sitting on the street with his back up against the wall.
"Are you Hershel?"
"Yeah I'm Hershel," he yelled back.
"We have come from a far away village. Our rabbi sent us here to find you. We have a terrible situation. A horrible decree has been issued forcing the entire village to be abandoned and everyone move to the large cities. He needs a blessing to overturn this decree."
"So what do ya want from me?" asked Hershel, somewhat inebriated.
"Our rabbi said that you could pray for us."
With this, Hershel began to laugh. "Me?!" he said, "you want me to pray for you?" He laughed some more.
They didn't know what to think. This was who their rabbi sent them so far to see? Their rabbi wouldn't play a joke on them, especially under the circumstances. They turned back to Hershel.
"Please, we've come so far and as unusual as it may sound, our holy rabbi said that only your tefila is strong enough to break this decree. Please pray for us."
Hershel stopped laughing. He turned his head towards the heavens, and said, "Nu? Creator of the Universe! You gonna help them already!" Hershel lifted up a nearby bottle, and took a swig.
The village people thanked him, and bid him farewell, still confused and not really absorbing what went on through this encounter, and to what value all this was for.

When they returned to their village, they went to their rabbi.
He asked, quite matter-of-fact, if they had seen Reb Hershel.
They responded that they did.
The rabbi asked, if Reb Hershel had prayed on their behalf.
They responded that he did.
Yet now they were more confused than ever. "Rebbe!" they cried, "we have the utmost respect for you, and trust your every word. But we don't understand. Why send us so far to someone like Hershel. He wasn't the holy man that we were expecting."
The rabbi closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes, I will explain."

"Hershel has come to a bad situation, but he wasn't always like this. Once many years ago, Hershel heard about the big city. Someone told him that if he works and saves his money, then he can go to St. Petersburg and stay in the nicest hotel, have the best food, and be waited on like a king. Hershel was determined to make this happen. He worked and saved, scrimping together every last ounce of savings. For ten years he labored, never squandering, always saving. Then after 10 years, he had the funds he needed for his experience in the big city. He had saved 500 rubles.
He used part of his funds to get a train ticket, and he traveled to St. Petersburg. As he got off the train, he came to the main square. Then he was confronted with a shocking scene. One man was beating an older man. The older man was being beaten terribly, while his attacker yelled, "I'll kill you!"
"Stop," yelled Hershel, intervening, "what's going on, why are you attacking this man?"
"He owes me money, and I'm going to get it."
"Money?" said Hershel, "how much money does he owe you?"
"500 rubles."
Without even thinking, Reb Hershel reached into his pocket and took at the money he had been saving for 10 years, and handed it to the beater. He took the money and went away.
"You saved me," said the older man that was being beaten.
Then with no money left, and just the return ticket for the train, Hershel left the city and went back to his town.
The rabbi turned to his followers. "You see I strive for one kind of holiness - kind treatment, fear of heavens, fulfilling the mitzvot. But Hershel achieved another. Without even thinking, and for a complete stranger that he would never see again, he gave up all the money he had earned over 10 years. He threw out his dreams of the big city. He even overturned his whole life, ending up as the town drunk.

"This powerful sense of sacrifice, willing to rise to the occasion of helping his fellow man without coercion or pressure, this was a level far beyond me. And that, that is why I sent you to Reb Hershel. His tefillah, the blessings of Reb Hershel are much more powerful than mine, and can break through the outer shells of heaven and arouse heavenly mercy."

Jewish Guilt
Says the Slonimer Rebbe,  Hashem gave a gift to Jews to have a heavy conscious (or as some would say Jewish Guilt). This powerful feeling plagues us when we are lax in our behavior. Even when transgressing, in every Jew there is always a little bit of good that can save him. This doesn't mean that we are fundamentally evil, but rather our Yetzer overpowers us. The challenge is that even when we do fail to not let that moment overcome us. How? Our connection with Hashem. Says the Slonimer Rebbe quoting the Gemarrah in Shabbat, anyone that keeps Shabbat even an idol worshiper from the generation of Enosh will be forgiven.

This means that Shabbat is a readily available opportunity to connect with Hashem. Shabbat serves as a regularly occurring sign that we still have a connection with the holy, and evil has not consumed us.

Breisheit - To Work and Protect

Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.

Breisheit 2:15

The Or HaChaim Hakodosh  notes an interesting language in the verse, that it says "to work it and to guard it." This commentator raises several questions.

• Why would the Garden of Eden needed to be guarded, after all there were no thieves?
• What is this 'work' that the Garden of Eden needs? If it needed to be worked, then who worked the Garden of Eden all these years since the banishment from there?

Vayelech/Nitzavim - Life or Goodness, Which Takes Precedence?

The Siege of Leningrad
I heard a report recently on the BBC. A researcher was writing a report on the Siege of Leningrad in World War 2. The siege was romanticized by the Russians as a time of triumph and bravery shown by the Russian people. The siege of Leningrad was the most lethal siege in world history, resulting in the deaths of up to 1,500,000 soldiers and civilians. The Red Army established a route for bringing a constant flow of supplies into Leningrad. This lifeline did bring military and food supplies in and took civilians and wounded soldiers out, allowing the city to continue resisting the enemy. Civilians in the city suffered from extreme starvation, where at one point the only food available to a citizen was 125 grams of bread, of which 50–60% consisted of sawdust and other inedible admixtures.

Reports of cannibalism appeared in the winter of 1941–1942, after all birds, rats and pets had been eaten by survivors. Hungry gangs attacked and ate defenceless people.

Against these circumstances, the researcher discovered an interesting fact. Early on in the siege, amongst the flow of supplies, there was an apportionment to the zoo animals. This was reported in the UK's Daily Mail "Only the zoo preserved its star attractions, like ‘Beauty’ the hippopotamus, with special rations of hay."

The researcher was shocked by this action. How could the Russians, in the face of such devastating horrors still apportion food to zoo animals? The researcher turned to her Russian translating assistant and said.

"They should have slaughtered the zoo animals immediately and fed them to the starving women and children!"
The Russian assistant turned to her and said, "What? And if they were cold should they have burned the violins?"

Life and Good
There is an interesting verse in the middle of Parshat Netzavim

Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,

Dvarim 30:15

Why does the verse put 'life' before 'good'? isn't 'good' referring to Torah and Mitzvot? Shouldn't 'good' be put as the higher value, preceding the reference to 'life'?

The Kli Yakar raises this question and provides an insightful response for the structure of this verse. The Kli Yakar first proposes that "if life is what you request, then look to goodness, and do good in the eyes of Hashem."

Doing Good
Based on this desire, the Kli Yakar suggests this verse comes to address this request, saying "that you shouldn't do good in the eyes of Hashem in order to gain life, rather you should live in order to do good."  Had the verse presented been presented as "set before you good and life" then you may have been lead to believe that doing good is the path to gaining life, making doing good only a 'means' with the 'end' to gain life.

So, the Kli Yakar continues, the phrasing of this verse can be seen as a warning. It is warning to not look for ways to extract demands from Hashem, that you shouldn't look at doing good as the giving you a way to expect to be rewarded.  Rather you should live, in order to do good.

Material Life
You should not look at material life as your main focus in this world. The Kli Yakar explains that you shouldn't request material life from Hashem since if you request life. Though if you do request material life, then it should be to dedicate more time to the service of Hashem, as noted in Tehilim "Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see goodness?".

Living Life for Hashem
The Kli Yakar concludes, based on the quoted verse in Tehilim, that we should love the days of our life so that we can see in them the goodness of Hashem. What is goodness? Torah and Mitzvot.

It is like it says next to "to love Hashem your G-d and stick to Him, since He is your life." This means that this is the purpose of your life. Since there is no other reason that G-d gives you life except for this reason.

Using Our Time to the Fullest
As we see here, there is no formula to extend life, only at the mercy of G-d. No one knows how long they have, but we all do know that we are all limited to 24 hours in a day. It is up to each of us to use that time to the fullest to enhance our connection to Hashem.

I was shocked and impressed by the BBC report, where material items were the focus and highly valued while lives were considered to be secondary. It made me think and contemplate how dear life is.

We are all just as limited with the time remaining to us before the onset of Yom Kippur. We should merit to use this time to better ourselves, and continue to strive to grow spiritually and become close to Hashem.

Ki Tavo - Mitzvah Brings On More Mitzvot

The Parshah ends with a profound conclusion and promise.

If you observe the words of this covenant and keep them,  you will be successful in all that you do.

Dvarim 29:8

There is a seeming repetition in this wording. Why does the verse need to state "observe" and "keep" the covenant?

Isn't observing the covenant actually keeping the covenant? When one is observing mitzvot, he is doing them, isn't he?

The Kli Yakar addresses this question with a novel approach.

A Mitzvah Causes A Mitzvah
The Kli Yakar brings the famous Mishnah in Pirkeh Avot.

Ben Azzai said: Be eager to fulfill the smallest duty and flee from transgression; for one mitzvah induces another and one transgression induces another transgression. The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah, the reward of one transgression is another transgression.

Avot 4:2

How does this Mishnah clarify the verse?

The Kli Yakar applies the teaching of this Mishnah directly to the words of the verse, saying "One mitzvah causes that 'you will be successful in all that you do.'"

This line of thought comes out of the Mishnah itself, "for one mitzvah induces another" - where each mitzvah brings on the possibility to do another mitzvah in turn. 

How does the Mishnah Reveal Success?

The verse in Dvarim promises that keeping mitzvot will ensure success in life. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot offers that "the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah". How does this provide success? Isn't success a new home? a promotion at work? a new car?

These are the elements, are measures, that we take to rate worldly success, or in other words 'this-worldly' success. But the mitzvot are the unique spiritual opportunities in our lives for binding and enhancing our relationship Hashem, making another mitzvah a true reward and paving the way for our spiritual success.

Repetitive Wording?

What about the seeming repetitive wording? The phrase "If you observe the words of this covenant and keep them" serves to mirror the wording of the Mishnah. The Kli Yakar explains that "observing will bring you to keeping [mitzvot], and the reward is keeping [mitzvot]. "   

The Kli Yakar concludes his explanation by elucidating the final words of the verse, by saying: "you will be successful (to bring more) in all that you do." Where your doing the mitzvot creates a seemingly perpetual success, producing more mitzvot - and therefore more success.