Friday, September 6, 2024

What happened to the צדיק?

This week in Parshas Shoftim it says ומי האיש הירא ורך הלבב

Chazal Darshan he is fearful of the עבירות in his hand.

Even for minor עבירות, one gets sent home.

The ones who go to war don't have any עבירות. Only

true צדיקים can go out to the battlefield.

So how is it possible for this same צדיק to come home a

week later (Parsha כי תצא) with a יפת תואר?

Reb Sholom Schwadron zt"l answered this question with

a one-liner "כאן קודם צבא, כאן אחר צבא"

It's dangerous

Parshas Hashavua
שופטים

לא תשחית את עצה- כי ממנו תאכל
ואתו לא תכרת דברים כ: י"ט

The ט"ז (Y.D.116:6) writes,
שאסרו חז"ל מפני הסכנה שלא לקוץ"
אילן העושה פירות"
"Chazal forbade because of סכנה
to cut down fruit trees"

Isn't it the Torah who forbade
cutting down fruit trees?

Perhaps, if we change just one letter the סמך to a מם and instead
of שאסרו" חז"ל מפני הסכנה" we change it to שאמרו" חז"ל שלא לקוץ אילן
מפני הסכנה", would solve the קושיא on the ט"ז.

It is the Torah that forbade us from cutting off the fruit tree.
It is Chazal who said* that it is a סכנה* to cut off the fruit tree.
אמבצי

*As far as I know, this is the only Mitzvah in the Torah
where Chazal teaches us that it is dangerous to be עובר the עבירה

** Most Poskim including the ט"ז allow cutting off the tree
when the benefit outweighs the value of the tree. They are not
concerned in such cases for סכנה.
R.Y. Hachasid writes even in such cases one should not cut
off the tree because of סכנה.

Who said you're not allowed?

Parshas Hashavua
שופטים

לא תשחית את עצה- כי ממנו תאכל
ואתו לא תכרת דברים כ: י"ט

The ט"ז (Y.D.116:6) writes,

שאסרו חז"ל מפני הסכנה שלא לקוץ"
אילן העושה פירות"

"Chazal forbade because of סכנה
to cut down fruit trees"

Isn't it the Torah who forbade
cutting down fruit trees?

Frum Yidden trust in Hashem

Parshas Hashavua
שופטים

תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך

Those who don't have trust in Hashem
should practice this Segulah

The Sefer שלחן העזר quotes the ספר המטעמים*
"חתן & כלה before walking down to
the חופה untie all the knots they are wearing.

The reason for doing so is to prevent
כשפים (witchcraft) which might put a spell on
the couple and prevent them from having relations."
(Based on a תרגום המיוחס ליונתן)

The above is not a Minhag but a Segula people
adopted to prevent witchcraft from harming them.

The יראים & תמימים (who fear & trust Hashem) rely
on תמים תהי' עם ה' אלוקך & שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע
(Don't bother unknotting)"

*Probably, the first written source of this Minhag/Segulah