שליחי תורה מציון
שליחי תורה מציוןחזקי עזרא

Dedicated in memory of Yaakov ben Avraham and Sarah Aharonov z"l


Rabbi Yehuda Mann, Sgan Rosh Kollel Toronto

During the recent visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel, the issue most talked about locally was around his handshakes - with whom he shook hands, with whom he did not shake hands, when he shook hands in the air and when he reached out to someone and that someone did not reach back…

Needless to say, the last event stirred much attention in the local Israeli media (unlike the international media). Without going into the halakhic aspects of this question, I wish to explore why this act made people angry.

The answer I received is that not shaking the hand of the President of the USA is a great disgrace, because when the President of the USA - the leader of the free world - extends his hand to another, expressing a desire to appreciate the person in front of him, and the person does not respond to the handshake - it is a real insult.

The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 16b) says:
אָמַר רַבִּי כְּרוּסְפָּדַאי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: שְׁלֹשָׁה סְפָרִים נִפְתָּחִין בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, אֶחָד שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים גְּמוּרִין, וְאֶחָד שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִין, וְאֶחָד שֶׁל בֵּינוֹנִיִּים. צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִין — נִכְתָּבִין וְנֶחְתָּמִין לְאַלְתַּר לְחַיִּים, רְשָׁעִים גְּמוּרִין — נִכְתָּבִין וְנֶחְתָּמִין לְאַלְתַּר לְמִיתָה, בֵּינוֹנִיִּים — תְּלוּיִין וְעוֹמְדִין מֵרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, זָכוּ — נִכְתָּבִין לְחַיִּים, לֹא זָכוּ — נִכְתָּבִין לְמִיתָה.

Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah: One of wholly wicked, and one of wholly righteous, and one of Beinoni people whose good and bad deeds are equally balanced. Wholly righteous people are immediately written and sealed for life; wholly wicked people are immediately written and sealed for death; and Beinoni are left with their judgment suspended from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, their fate remaining undecided. If they merit, through the good deeds and mitzvot that they perform during this period, they are written for life; if they do not so merit, they are written for death.

The Gemara refers to those who are half mitzvot and half aveirot ,the Beinoni. They have the opportunity to add mitzvot during the ten days of teshuva in order to win the sealing of the law on Yom Kippur.
However, when the Rambam presents this idea, he does not bring up the possibility of adding mitzvot during the ten days of teshuva in order to tip the balance, but brings one option only - to repent.

"… The sins of every inhabitant of the world together with his merits are weighed on the festival of Rosh Hashanah. If one is found righteous, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If one is found wicked, his [verdict] is sealed for death. A Beinoni's verdict remains tentative until Yom Kippur. If he repents, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If not, his [verdict] is sealed for death.

Rabbi Itzale Blazer, in his book "Kochvei Or" – asks why the Rambam changes the language of the Gemara, which stated the possibility of adding mitzvot and thereby turning ones status from beinoni to righteous, and instead presents one option only – total repentance?

Rabbi Itzale answers - The ten days of repentance are special days, days that G-d tells us explicitly in the words of the Rambam –"Even though repentance and calling out [to G-d] are desirable at all times, during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they are even more desirable and he will be accepted immediately".

These are the days that G-d tells us in the clearest way – I want you to return and be close to me. I am giving you the opportunity to repent. Despite the great distance between us created by the sins – I want you by my side and you will be able to return immediately!

However, says Rabbi Itzale, if the person does not repent after all, this is the greatest disgrace and the greatest offense. Because he shows that he is not interested in being close to Hashem once again. Hashem is sending his hand and the person is not taking it…

Says Reb Itzale, if a person does not repent - no matter how many mitzvot he performs - it is not enough to tip the scale...

Let's reach out and embrace "the outstretched hand" during these days, when G-d is close to us and extends his hand expressing his desire to reconcile and connect with us, may we merit complete repentance and be signed in the book of the righteous.

Dvar Torah by Rabbi Yehuda Mann, Sgan Rosh Kollel Toronto, ymann@torontotorah.com

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