top of page
Torah Tavlin

Parshas Re'eh 5781

וישבתם בארץ אשר ה' אלקיכם מנחיל אתכם והניח לכם מכל איביכם מסביב וישבתם בטח (יב-י)

     The foundation of Yiddishkeit is belief in Hashem. The Rambam composed the thirteen “Ani Maamins” that are recited every day to attest to this fact. We teach our children from the day they are born to say the words “Shema Yisroel ....” before going to sleep and “Modeh Ani...” upon awakening. Our entire education is based on the belief that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is the One - and Only One - Who created and is in control of everything. We trust that all He does is good - and for this we thank Him. As we walk outside on a sunny day holding our child’s hand, we often remark to him or her, “Look at the sky - see how blue it is? Do you know Who made it so beautiful?” And of course the child knows to answer: Hashem.

R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l asks a question. When Hashem created the world - the Heaven and the Earth - the first thing He made was light, as it says, "ויאמר אלקים יהי אור ויהי אור" - “And Hashem created the light and there was light.” Later, on the fourth day of Creation, Hashem created the sun. Why did Hashem need the sun if there already was light in the world? What did the sun add to the light that was already there?

The answer is quite illuminating! We say every day in Shacharis, "המאיר לארץ ולדרים עליה" - “(Hashem) is the One who lights up the earth and all those who live upon it.” The sun doesn’t light up the world; it is merely Hashem’s way of making His light seem natural! Hashem created light and lit up the world on the first day of Creation, but on the fourth day, He hid Himself in the form of the sun. All of nature is meant to hide Hashem. And all of us are meant to seek Him out and find Him.

The Master Creator of the World is mechanech us to seek Him out and find yeshuah and hatzlacha even when they are hidden from view. So, too, must we be educate ourselves and our children to find Hashem in the sun and the sky and in every seemingly natural occurrence.

 
bottom of page