בס”ד
This D’var Torah should be a Zechus L’Ilui Nishmas my sister, Kayla Rus Bas Bunim Tuvia A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my paternal grandfather Moshe Ben Yosef A”H, my paternal grandmother Channah Freidel Bas Avraham A”H, my uncle Reuven Nachum Ben Moshe & my great aunt Rivkah Sorah Bas Zev Yehuda HaKohein,
It should also be in Zechus L’Refuah Shileimah for:
-My father Bunim Tuvia Ben Channa Freidel
-My grandmother Shulamis Bas Etta
-MY BROTHER: MENACHEM MENDEL SHLOMO BEN CHAYA ROCHEL
-HaRav Shlomo Ben Shayna Zelda
-Mordechai Shlomo Ben Sarah Tili
-Noam Shmuel Ben Simcha
_R’ Simcha Yitzchak Ben Mirela Yudka
-Chaya Rochel Ettel Bas Shulamis
-And all of the Cholei Yisrael, especially those suffering from COVID-19 and the Meiron tragedy.
-It should also be a Z’chus for an Aliyah of the holy Neshamos of HaRav HaGa’on V’Sar HaTorah Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Ben HaRav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky A”H, Dovid Avraham Ben Chiya Kehas—R’ Dovid Winiarz ZT”L, Miriam Liba Bas Aharon—Rebbetzin Weiss A”H, as well as the Neshamos of those whose lives were taken by terrorists (Hashem Yikom Damam), COVID-19, and the Meiron tragedy.
-It should also be a Z’chus for success for Tzaha”l as well as the rest of Am Yisrael, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Galus.
This year, I will be sharing the Divrei Torah which I have written up for my 3rd grade students. They are short, sweet, and perfect for the Shabbos table (yes, the students, but the Divrei Torah as well).
פרשת בראשית: Answering Hashem’s Questions
פַּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית tells the stories of Adam and Chavah who disobeyed ה׳ by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the story of their son Kayin who killed his brother Hevel because he was jealous of him.
Before punishing Adam and Chavah for eating from the tree, ה׳ first asked them questions; “Where are you?” “Have you eaten from the tree that I told you not to eat from?” And before punishing Kayin for killing his brother, Hashem first asked him what happened; “Where is your brother Hevel?”
Question: Why did ה׳ have to ask any questions? Did He not know the answers? Obviously, ה׳ knows everything! So, why did He even ask?
Answer: The תּוֹרָה is teaching a lesson about taking אַחֲרָיוּת, which means “responsibility.” Adam and Chavah sinned, but that was NOT why they were punished. Kayin killed Hevel, but that was NOT why he was punished. Why were they punished? The secret is in the questions that ה׳ asked.
Why did ה׳ ask them questions if He knew the answers already? ה׳ was giving them a chance to take responsibility for their mistakes. They could have said, “I did the wrong thing. I’m sorry.” But EVEN AFTER they sinned, they wouldn’t admit it. Adam just blamed Chavah. Chavah just blamed the snake. And Kayin pretended that he was not responsible for what happened to his brother.
Even though Yom Kippur is behind us, these stories teach us that it is never too late to do תְּשׁוּבָה. EVEN AFTER we sin, we can ALWAYS take responsibility for our actions and admit if we made a mistake. And if we admit that we made a mistake, it shows that we are ready for a second chance.
We should be blessed with the courage to take responsibility for our actions and Hashem should reward us with love, patience, and second chances. Have a wonderful שַׁבָּת!
Rabbi Eisenberg