Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English and Hebrew: Parshas Ki Taytzay – 13 Elul 5785
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Ki Taytzay – 13 Elul 5785
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
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The Beis Yisroel would relate that his father, the Imrei Emes of Gur, would learn the Meshech Chachma on the Parsha all week long. When the Beis Yisroel was in his 50s he visited Rebbe Aharon of Belz and he tried to show him a Torah thought of the Mesech Chachma. The Belzer Rebbe asked him if the Meshech Chachma was ‘a Chassidishe Sefer’. The Beis Yisroel answered that it was not ‘a Chassidishe Sefer’, but nevertheless, it was a good Sefer.
Once before Kiddush on Friday night, the Beis Yisroel mentioned that he too would often peruse the Meshech Chachma on the Parsha and that there were three items that the Beis Yisroel disagreed with the Meshech Chachma. One was regarding the laws of Ben Sorer U’Moreh, the wayward son, found in Parshas Ki Taytzay. The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 8:2) states that if a young man eats the meat of Maaser Sheini in Yerushalyaim he is exempt from the punishment worthy of a Ben Sorer U’Moreh. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 70b) explains that he is exempt since he is eating it in the way it should be eaten (Rashi adds: in the way the Mitzvah is supposed to be performed). The Yad Ramah explains that since he is careful to use the Maaser Sheini money he stole from his father to buy meat and eat it in Yerushalayim, it indicates that even while he is acting improperly by stealing from his father and eating meat like a glutton, he continues to be careful about keeping the Mitzvos of Maaser Sheini, and we do not presume he will continue this behavior and deteriorate further.
The Meshech Chachma suggests that a Ben Sorer U’Moreh will always be exempt in Yerushalayim, since it is a place where all the inhabitants naturally eat a lot of meat due to the large number of Korbanos brought and need to be eaten within a short period of time to avoid the transgression of Notar. Thus, the young man can not be judged objectively, since he grew up in a place where the subjective norm is to eat meat and drink wine in excess. The Beis Yisroel disagreed with the Meshech Chachama and suggested that one who eats from the Korbanos properly could not come to transgress, since the eating of sanctified Kodshim foods causes a person to be filled with the fear of Heaven. As the Pasuk says, “And you shall eat before Hashem Elokecha…in order that you shall learn to fear Hashem Elokecha all of your days” (Devarim 14:23). The Chidushei HaRim also mentions that eating Maaser Sheini in Yerushalayim also brings one to fear of Heaven.
There is a disagreement among the Tanaim (Yoma 12a) was to hether Yerushalayim was ever distributed to the individual tribes. According to the opinion that Yerushalayim was never apportioned to the individual tribes, we can suggest that the reason why a case of Ben Sorer U’Moreh cannot occur in Yerushalayim is due to the requirement that the parents of the young man should take their son to the Sanhedrin of their tribe, as per the Pasuk, “take him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place” (Devarim 21:19). Since Yerushalaim is not connected to any particular tribe, it would not be possible to prosecute and Ben Sorer. (Note: the Gemara (Makkos 10b) suggests that the requirement of ‘elders of his city’ is not an absolute requirement but just the optimal procedure L’Chatchilah. The Rambam in Hilchos Mamrim 7:7 also does not mention this requirement as being absolute)
The Imrei Emes also mentions this idea, that eating and drinking L’Shem Shamayim leads to fear of Heaven, at the end of Parshas Ki Tavo in connection to the Pasuk, “Bread you did not eat and wine you did not drink so that you would know that I am Hashem” (Devarim 29:5). By eating from the Maan and drinking from the Be’er Miriam the people gained fear of Hashem by eating and drinking from these holy sources. Moshe Rabbeinu was indicating that one does not need supernatural assistance to come to fear of Heaven, but simply eating and drinking with proper intentions can bring one to higher levels of Kedusha and spirituality.
Perhaps we can now better understand the words of the Ariz”l who writes that obligation to have an additional Seudah Shlishis on Shabbos, is not only to honor the Shabbos, but also to bring a person to fear of Heaven, since unlike the other two Shabbos meals, one is no longer hungry for the third meal and it is solely for the purpose of fulfilling a Mitzvah.
We can also suggest that during the forty years while Bnei Yisroel traveled in the Midbar, there could not be any possibility of a Ben Sorer U’Moreh since the nation was only permitted to slaughter and eat meat from the Korbanos they offered.
May it be His will that we will soon merit to eat from Kodshim with the coming of the Go’el Tzedek, speedily in our days.