Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English and Hebrew: Parshas Chukas – 9 Tamuz 5785
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Chukas – 9 Tamuz 5785
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
Secretariat Email: bosto...@gmail.com
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Klal Yisroel defeats the giants Sichon and Og, conquering their territories on the Eastern bank of the Jordan River. These military victories confirmed the optimistic forecasts of Yehoshua and Kalev back in Parshas Shlach that we would easily overpower the kings and nations of the region with the help of Hashem.
Weekly, we recite Tehillim 135 and 136 – one after the other – as part of the special section of P’sukei D’Zimra for Shabbos and Yom Tov. The Sfas Emes points out that each of these chapters contains the following concepts: "L’Sichon Melech HaEmori U’L’Og Melech HaBashan…V’Noson Artzam Nachala, Nachala LeYisroel Amo/Avdo" (135:11-12; 136:19-22) [To Sichon, the King of Emori; and to Og, the King of Bashan…and He gave them their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel, His nation/servant”
The Sfas Emes quotes his grandfather, the Chidushei HaRim, explaining that these two brothers: Sichon and Og; represent the two types of Tefillin: Tefillin Shel Yad [arm] and the Tefillin Shel Rosh [head].
In the Torah, Sichon was also referred to as the King of ‘Cheshbon’ (Bamidbar 21:25-28), the capital city of Emori. Homiletically, Sichon could be referred to as the ‘King of Reckoning’, which aptly represents the Tefillin Shel Rosh that we wear on the ‘soft spot’ of our head. The battle with Og takes place in the a city called Adreh’ee (21:33). This Aramaic word translates into the Hebrew word Ziro’ah [forearm], which represents the power of the ‘outstretched arm’ and correlates to the Tefillin Shel Yad.
Thus, the conquering of Sichon and Og symbolically represents Klal Yisroel’s ability ‘to master’ their thoughts and their actions. By wearing Tefillin each day, we demonstrate that we wish to sanctify our thoughts and our actions to the service of Hashem.
Once the Jewish Nation sanctified themselves spiritually through these battles, Hashem was able to bequeath the Land that had been promised to their forefathers – ‘V’Noson Artzam Nachla’. This refers to the Land of Eretz Yisroel proper, as opposed to the ‘other land’ on the East Bank of the Jordan River that they had just conquered. The term Nachalos refers to inheritance of property by suitable heirs. Although the Land of Israel proper needed to be ‘conquered’ as well, it is not categorized as ‘territory annexed through war’, but as an inheritance received by Klal Yisroel by their ancestors – as it was ‘acquired’ by Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov.
The opening Mishnah of third chapter of the Tractate Baba Basra, known as ‘Chezkas HaBatim’ discusses how one may acquire real estate. One method known as Chazakah requires possession of the land for a period of three years to be able assert one’s ownership without a written contract. Both Rebbe Yishmael and Rebbe Akiva do not require three full years of thirty-six months. Rather, even a fraction of the first year, followed by a full twelve months of the second year, and a fraction of the third year would constitute a valid Chazakah.
Accordingly, Avraham had moved to Eretz Yisroel from Charan when he was 75 years old (Beraishis 12:4), and after returning from Mitzrayim after a famine, he lived in Eretz Yisroel continuously until his death. Yitzchak lived his entire life in Eretz Yisroel, while his son Yaakov lived there from birth until age 77 (Megillah 16b-17a), when he left to Charan to find a wife. Yaakov also lived the last 17 years of his life in Mitzrayim.
It is most appropriate that we repeatedly recite these concepts in our davening on Shabbos and Yom Tov, when we are not able to wear our Tefillin, in order to remind us of the messages inscribed in these Mitzvah ‘tools’ that protect us and our Land.
Each pair of Tefillin contains: Shema Yisroel (Devarim 6:4-9), which is our acceptance of the yoke of Heaven upon ourselves and our commitment to love Hashem; V’Ha’yah Eem Shamoah (Devarim 11:13-24), which testifies about our commitment to Mitzvos, describing the consequences of performance and non-performance, and concludes with the message, “In order to prolong your days and the days of your children upon the Land that Hashem has sworn to your ancestors to give them…”; and the last two paragraphs of Parshas Bo (Shemos 13:1-16), which recall the Exodus from Egypt, and the Mitzvos that correlate to this vital event in our history.
The most difficult fights are not waged on the battlefields against the Sichons and Ogs of the world, but within ourselves. Let our Tefillin and their messages provide us strength to continue the perpetual war against our true adversary – the Yetzer Hara – whose victories over us physically manifest themselves into the enemy organizations that wish us harm. In the merit of our Torah learning and Mitzvos, may Hashem continue to save us, protect us, and permit us to dwell in our Land of Eretz Yisroel in peace and tranquility.