D’var Torah by Kasriel Gewritzman
Vayikra, 26:42: And I will remember my Covenant with Yaakov, and even my
Covenant with Yitzchak, and even my Covenant with Avraham will I
remember, and the Land I will remember.
Towards the end of the section known as “the Tochacha” (chastisement),
the Torah tells us that despite the exile, HaShem will remember the merit of
the Avos, the forefathers. The Torah mentions the Avos in reverse order,
beginning with Yaakov and ending with Avraham.
Rav Meir Shapiro offers a unique insight to understanding why this verse
lists the forefathers in reverse order. Our sages teach us that each of the
three Avos epitomized a certain character trait: Avraham’s main attribute
was Chesed [kindness], Yitzchak personified the attribute of Avodah [Divine
Service] and Yaakov represented Torah.
Rav Shapiro noted that there was a time that Jews, despite the exile and its
distractions, were meticulous in all three of these areas. However, as
the exile persisted, Torah study became less of a factor in the lives of the
Jewish people. Fewer people were able to devote their lives to Torah
learning due to the burden of persecution and the necessity to devote most
of one’s time to eke out a living in order to survive. Children had to leave
school at an early age and go work to help the family make ends meet. Only
the select few continued on with devoting most of their time to Torah
learning.
Yet, even in such a period, where Torah was not widely learned, Rav
Shapiro asserts that Jews were strong in the second pillar – that of
prayer. Avodah persisted with much deeper roots than the intellectually
challenging dedication to Torah study. If the redemption were to take place
in such an era, then it would be credited to the merit of Yitzchak.
But then, the exile persisted such that even the power of our prayer
diminished. This perhaps manifests itself in two ways. Firstly, that due to
the burden of work, people were less careful in praying in
a minyan. Secondly, our kavannah – concentration in prayer seems to have
deteriorated.
However, there still remained an attribute amongst the Jewish people that
would stay with them forever — the characteristic of Avraham Avinu — the
attribute of Chesed. As Rav Yissachar Frand expresses it:
“We see there are Jews who have no connection to Torah or to Avodah. They
are never seen in the Beis Medrash [study hall] or even the Beis
Kenesses [synagogue]. But they do take leadership roles in establishing
hospitals, orphanages, and all kinds of social welfare organizations. This, Rav
Meir Shapiro says, is the interpretation of the verse. Hashem says, I hope to
redeem the Jewish people for the merit of their Torah study (the attribute
of Yaakov); if not that, then for the merit of their dedication to prayer (the
attribute of Yitzchak); but if not that, then at least I will redeem them for
their dedication to Chessed (the attribute of Avraham).
We are in a time when we are hopefully strengthening our study of Torah
and intensifying our prayers. But at the very least, may the merit of the
Chesed that so many people are extending at this difficult time, be the
catalyst for Hashem to bring the redemption.
Good Shabbos from the JET Team!
