Divrei Torah Parshas Shoftim
Torah Table of Contents
How to Sit on the Throne, Imrei Shaul in Alei Deshe Purity of Mind and Soul, Yisa Bracha
based on the Imrei Shaul in Alei Deshe, Parshas Shoftim
And it shall be as he [the King] seats himself upon his throne [Devarim, 17:18]
The Imrei Shaul has two comments about this verse. Firstly, as a king ascends and sits on his throne for the first time - at the beginning of his reign - he is ready to give of himself with all his heart for the good of his nation and his country. But after a while, his own personal needs, biases and desires get involved in his [decisions and outlook, as part of his] process of ruling. Therefore, the Torah uses the expression "as he seats himself", as if he has just started his reign.
[The translator adds: In other words, a king will be more idealistic when he starts his reign. If he constantly feels as if he is just starting his reign, he will not lose his idealism. This lesson can be applied to our day-to-day life as well. If you feel that you are just starting a task, you will attack it with much more gusto than once you're in the middle of it.]
Another lesson we can learn from this pasuk: the Gemara [Yoma 86b] informs us that the power of teshuva (repentance) is so great that it reaches up to the Divine Throne. Based on this, the verse can be translated [homiletically] as follows: And it will be when a person repents [teshuva (repentance) and sitting have the same root in Hebrew], he will rise up to the throne of His [G-d's] kingdom.
Translated by Reb Yehuda Nathan of Brooklyn, a Modzitzer Chassid
based on a ma'amar in sefer Yisa Bracha, Parshas Shoftim
"You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d" [Devarim, 18:13]
Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar asks, shouldn't it have said, "You shall be wholehearted towards Hashem, your G-d"? He answers that if a person is aware that he [his soul] is part of G-d Above, he will become complete and wholehearted in Hashem's Eyes, as indicated by the words of Rashi, "...you shall be with Him and part of Him."
Our Sages tell us [Shabbos, 31a] that da'as [knowledge] corresponds to the part of the Talmud known as Seder Taharos, dealing with spiritual purity. By guarding our thoughts and mind, we can maintain the purity of the soul. As mentioned, our soul is part of Hashem: "Hashem is my Portion, says my soul" [Eicha, 3:24]. Da'as also signifies connectivity, and through da'as the part [the soul] can connect with its Source [Hashem], as the Rambam says in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah [2:10], "He [Hashem] and his da'as are One." Furthermore, whatever adjoins a pure object is itself pure [Keilim, Ch. 12], as it says, "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d are all alive today [Devarim, 4:4].
Returning to our verse, since our soul is part of G-d Above, by adjoining to the Source of Life, via our da'as, we can become tamim - wholehearted with Hashem. This is alluded to by the gematria of "tamim tihiyeh" [you shall be wholehearted] which is numerically equal to that of " nefesh v'da'as" [soul and mind] - both equal 910.
The end of Parshas Kedoshim [Vayikra, 20:26] has a verse, "And I will distinguish you from the [other] nations, to be Mine." Distinguishing requires da'as, as the Gemara [Yerushalmi Brachos, 5:2] relates. This is followed almost immediately by the verse in the beginning of Parshas Emor [Vayikra, 21:1], "You shall not become impure to a soul," to indicate what was mentioned - that by attaching ourselves to Hashem with our da'as, our souls can remain pure.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
