100 Years Later, This Torah Lesson Feels Written for Today - Rabbi Shlomo Horwitz

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Hidabroot - Torah & Judaism’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

[music] >> You would not believe what I learned about Parshas Ki Seitzei. This week marks a very special milestone. It's the 100th Yahrzeit of one of the great Torah giants of the last century, Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk, the Meshech Chochmah, who passed away on the fourth day of Elul 1926. So, I thought, what would be more appropriate than to share with you a beautiful and relevant Meshech Chochmah on this week's parsha? And I think when you hear it, you will get why 100 years later his voice speaks to us so powerfully. The Torah tells us about the mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah, returning a lost object. Lo sisa es shor achicha o es seyonim achim. If you see the ox or sheep of your brother wandering away, you cannot just ignore it. You have to return it. But listen to this. It says your brother's ox, but in Mishpatim it says ki sisa chamor sonecha, you see the donkey of your enemy. So, which is it? Is it your enemy or is it your brother? The Gemara in Pesachim asks even a more basic question. We're talking about Jews with Jews. How are you allowed to hate another Jew in the first place? Doesn't the Torah say you cannot hate your brother, lo sisa achicha bilvavecha? So, the Gemara in Pesachim answers that it's talking about a case where you

Jump to a moment

1. 0:09[music] >> You would not believe what I learned about Parshas Ki Seitzei. This week marks…
2. 0:40get why 100 years later his voice speaks to us so powerfully. The Torah tells us…
3. 1:10sonecha, you see the donkey of your enemy. So, which is it? Is it your enemy…
4. 1:40personally witnessed this other Jew doing an aveirah, a sin. So, the first case in Mishpatim…
5. 2:11vegoy kadosh, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. On that level, if you saw…
6. 2:41before I criticize him, I have to look at myself. Yefash peish b'ma'asav, take a good…
7. 3:11How can I hate him? How can I define him by his faults? The Meshech Chochmah…
8. 3:43telling us, take a good look at yourself first. If he has faults, don't I? They…
9. 4:14Jew. Achicha, we are brothers. Have a great Shabbos.…

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