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Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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229<br />

There is a sandwiching of concepts here.<br />

בלה תובשחמ<br />

The idea of people being cast out of לארשי ץרא<br />

for worshipping idols is followed by the idea of responsibility, which then leads<br />

into the concept of the return of these people to God and to the land. The public<br />

will suffer the fate illustrated in the first segment, if they fail to ensure that public<br />

individual acts are not brought to justice. Even if they do suffer this fate, Hashem<br />

in His infinite mercy allows the community and the individual to reconnect and<br />

return to the land.<br />

However, our responsibility does not end with punishing those who openly<br />

transgress commandments. The pasuk that describes our return to Hashem states,<br />

“ךיקלא ’ה-דע תבשו, you shall return to Hashem your God” (30:2). The pasuk uses<br />

the word דע (until) rather than לא (to), and Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch explains<br />

that this particular wording means that it is not enough to come close to fulfilling<br />

our potential of connection with God. Rather we have a responsibility to strive to<br />

actually reach our fullest potential, so that we may connect to Hashem, and show<br />

His light in the world.<br />

Hinting to Elul, 30:6 states: “Hashem your God will circumcise your heart and<br />

the heart of your offspring, to love Hashem your God. The initials of תאו ךבבל תא<br />

בבל spell out לולא. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l explains that in the current month,<br />

לארשי ללכ has an obligation to return to God and also to ensure that our children<br />

are also spiritually prepared to better themselves and to repent.<br />

Perhaps as an extension of this, all of לארשי ללכ has a responsibility to reach<br />

their highest possible level of connection to Hashem and to a lso reach out to<br />

any other member of our community who has not yet reached his or her fullest<br />

potential. Furthermore, the responsibility to nurture a connection with Hashem<br />

is forever. If a Jew has an obligation to be הרותל בורק, and by not being in this<br />

state he is openly not fulfilling the covenant, then it is within the obligation of the<br />

community of לארשי ללכ to ensure that a person who has strayed returns to serve<br />

God. It is our duty to justice and balance to bring in those who are openly distant<br />

from Hashem. Any Jew that is not pushing to reach their highest potential is not<br />

serving justice, and it is the obligation of the community to aid any individual<br />

who is not הרותל בורק and connected to Hashem.

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