Daily Chidush: Shluach haKen The Mitzvah To Be Sad?

0:01Elohim yikarim, Shavua Tov, Shavua Mevorach. I had a fantastic question by a young man who sent me this question. I figured that the question is so good I must make a chiddush for it. And he asked me the question about last week's parasha, Parashat Ki Teitzei, a parasha that's full of mitzvot that we learned last week, Baruch Hashem. But he said that one of the mitzvot doesn't make sense to him. He says that In chapter 22, verses 6 and 7, there's a mitzvah of shiluach haken, which is sending the mother bird away from its nest in order for you to take the eggs or the young birds away from the mother, but not while she's there. And not only is it a mitzvah that Hashem is asking you to do, or commanding us to do, but on top of that, He's saying that if you actually do this, it will be good for you, and you will prolong your days, you'll get a longer life. This isn't the same level of a reward in this world as respecting your parents.

1:19I mean, on one hand, the mitzvah already doesn't make logical sense to a human being to begin with. You know, poor little bird has these little eggs, you know, little chicklets over there waiting for their mommy, and you're saying, "Oh, send her away and take the little eggs." And she comes back, she has no eggs. She comes back and all her kids are gone. That already doesn't make sense to us. It sounds like, like the young man said, rightly so, it sounds like tza'ar ba'alei chayim. ...a major sin in Judaism. It's Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim. Also, there are a lot of halachot, which we're not going to get into, about animals that people need to know. One very simple one that everyone could follow is if you already have a dog, you have to make sure that if you're going to sit down to eat, you have to make sure that you've already fed the dog first. The dog comes before you. Why? Because he doesn't have the ability to just go and grab food; you do. You have to make sure that they have food. So that's, again... one very simple one that everyone could follow is if you already have a dog, you have to make sure that if you're going to sit down to eat, you have already fed the dog first. The dog comes before you. Why? Because he doesn't have the ability to just go and grab food; you do. You have to make sure that they have food. So that's, again,

2:41shows us that the Torah is very compassionate towards animals. Hashem created them and obviously cares for them. Obviously, it's not a human being, but nonetheless, He cares for them. So, on one hand, He says to us that we have to feed the animals first, to make sure that we never harm them and we never hurt them. But on the other hand, He's telling us that, hey, this chicken, this bird you see in a tree, if you happen to walk in the neighborhood and you see that there is a nest, and you see there's a bird over there, take the eggs after you shoo the bird away, but make sure that the bird has flown away and is not there. to make sure that we never harm them and we never hurt them. But on the other hand, he's telling us that, hey, this chicken, this bird you see in a tree—if you happen to walk in the neighborhood and you see that there is a nest and you see there's a bird over there, take the eggs after you shoo the bird away. But make sure that the bird has flown away and is not there so... This doesn't make logical sense to us, and let's explain the chidush. First and foremost, everyone that reads even the first chapter of the Torah understands that the world was created for man. It wasn't created for animals; it was created for man. So even though animals are wonderful beings, they're here to serve man.

3:48We're not here to serve the animals even though, unfortunately, many of us have spent countless hours picking up after our dogs and cats and all types of animals. The reality is that we are supposed to be served by the animals and not necessarily serve them. So that's the first thing we have to understand from the beginning of the Torah. At the same time, we also have to make sure we treat them fairly. So why is Hashem really giving us this mitzvah? This mitzvah is to remind us that, number one, the most important thing we have to understand is that Hashem has a will that's not necessarily logical to us human beings at all times because we only see one version of it. We only see the wall that's in front of us. We don't see what's behind it. We don't see the right side. We don't see the left side. What we see is just what's in front of us. Hashem sees the entire picture. So just like someone, for example, thinks that Hashem is punishing him by giving him a flat tire and he has an appointment, and the appointment is with this big client and this big client is supposed to sign a deal with him for a million dollars, and this million dollars is going to change his life. He's going to be able to buy his wife the brand new house that he always promised her. He's going to be able to take the kids to yeshivah and he's going to be able to donate money.

5:04And he's going to be able to do all these wonderful things. But now he has this flat tire, and he's going to miss the appointment. And since this client is a very difficult person, he's going to lose the contract. So the man that doesn't see the full picture is saying, "Hashem, You disappoint me. Hashem, You're punishing me for no reason. Look how much good I can do." What he doesn't see is that at the speed that he's going right now, even if it's at the speed limit or slower or faster, Hashem sees the full picture. At the speed that he's going right now, he's heading at an exact and precise speed to get into an accident, chas v'shalom, because another man who's drunk or not careful or text messaging while driving or doing something inappropriate is heading his way and is not going to see him. And if you're going to continue going, and not get the flat tire, you're gonna run into that car. And then you're not only not gonna make it to that appointment, you're not gonna make it home. So instead of actually a punishment, Hashem just saved your life. But what would you rather have? The cost of saving your life is this big appointment? Or would you rather have your life? Now, at the same token,

6:28You could also explain the second part. And again, these are human explanations that I could explain. No one knows the magnitude of Hashem's genius and perfection. But just to give you an understanding, if we give Hashem kaf zechut, we can clearly see the picture. Now you could say, okay, fine. I can understand why He gave me a flat tire and I missed an accident. Great. But why did I still lose the client? I still wanted to buy my wife the house. I still wanted to send my kids to a better school, and so on and so forth. Why didn't he still convince this client to stay there? Well, my dear friends, the reason is anyone that's spent enough time in business has also had trouble at some point or another. The more successful you are, the more likely you are to have problems. That's just the reality of life. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It doesn't mean you're a criminal. It's just the reality of business. People that don't have lawsuits and headaches from business are usually not successful. They're usually just standard employees. They're just regular blue-collar people, which is fine.

7:35But if you are a very successful person, the higher you go up, the more people are going to try to bring you down along the way. So you're going to want to sign this million-dollar contract. Well, Hashem says, well, you know what? That client that you think is such a wonderful client is a very litigious person. He likes to sue everyone. And if you sign a deal with him, yes, in the beginning, you're going to sign a million-dollar deal, and you're going to buy all these wonderful things. But then, six, eight, nine, or ten months later, he's going to sue you, and you're going to have to sell everything you just bought and go into bankruptcy. Because this is not a good client for you. Just be a little more patient. Understand that I am protecting you, and I'll give you a better client soon. So again, this is just another way of giving Hashem kaf zechut. The more kaf zechut we give Hashem, the better. Now, moving on to this bird. What can we possibly learn from this bird aside from the fact that not all mitzvot are logical? Hashem here is actually giving us a mitzvah to make us sad. Yes, that's what I said. It's a mitzvah to become sad.

8:48Why sad? Why does Hashem want us to become sad? Because anybody that still has a neshamah, still has a working heart, that thinks about this mitzvah, thinks about a mother leaving her children behind and going away to move on with her life, and you're taking these chickens, you're taking these eggs away from their mother, is immediately going to become sad, and that's exactly what Hashem wants you to do. He wants you to become sad because He wants you to think about what He thinks about every day, all day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He wants you to think about how He feels about all of His children that are not writing home anymore. all of His children that are not talking to Him anymore. They're not talking to Him, they're not saying Shema Yisrael, they're not laying tefillin, they're not dressing appropriately to show themselves as kosher Jews that love Him, as kosher Gentiles that love Him. They're not showing Him appreciation, they're not even saying thank you. They don't write, they don't read about Him, they don't care about Him, and some of them, chas v'shalom, don't even think He exists. He gives them the air that they breathe in their lungs,

10:02the eyes that see and capture all the beauties of the world that He created for them, the amazing sounds of music that give them joy in their hearts, the money they have in their pockets, and the success that they feel. And yet they use all of that against Him. And this makes Hashem sad. This makes Hashem so sad that if He were to cry just one tear, it would destroy the world instantly. but Hashem promised us that He won't. Because Hashem is not only compassionate, but He actually has patience. But He needs you to see and feel what He feels. Because it's up to you to help His kids come back home. Each one of us has a responsibility. Am Yisrael, the nation of Israel, The Chazal tells us it's like one body, one neshama. We are all responsible for each other. We cannot be these selfish people that only care about ourselves, only care about our own success, only care about our own learning and our own things, and be secluded little hermits in our houses while the neighborhoods around us are burning apart, desecrating Hashem's name at will.

11:20We have to start taking care of our brothers and sisters and get them back home. If you're already religious, start worrying about the people that are not religious. Start helping the ones that are not religious. Don't think that just because you're learning Torah every single day, and your kids are going to yeshiva, and your girls are obviously modest, and everything is fine, and yeah, you have your Olam Haba, but while your friend's family and everyone else is doomed because they have no idea who Hashem is. Start worrying about the people who are not religious. Start helping those who are not religious. Don't think that just because you're learning Torah every single day, and your kids are going to yeshiva, and your girls are obviously modest, everything is fine. Yes, you have your olam haba, but meanwhile, your friend's family and everyone else are doomed because they have no idea who Hashem is. You have to get up off your chair and do something about it. If you're not religious, then think about it. How can you be so ungrateful? How can you use your eyes but never look up to Hashem? How can you use your ears but never want to listen to a tefillah? Never want to listen to prayer with the beautiful words in the Torah that we have. Never want to listen to a shiur Torah.

12:22If you have money in your pocket and you have the strength to go to work, why are you using all of that money and all of that strength to go do bad things, to go do sins, to go against Hashem, to create problems in this world? How can you be so ungrateful? This is another mitzvah that we learned in last week's parashah, where Hashem told us there are two nations that I will never accept, even after 10 generations, I will never accept them as converts. You have the nation of the Moabites and the nation of Ammon. Hashem says, these two nations, I'll never accept them. that I will never accept, even after 10 generations, I will never accept them as converts. You have the nation of the Moabites and the nation of Ammon. Hashem says, these two nations, I'll never accept them. But the nations of Edom, from Esav, and the nations of Egypt, after three generations, I will accept them. They can become converts. They can come into Klal Yisrael. So Chazal ask, how could this be? I mean, if you look at the Moabites, they weren't exactly the greatest, but they came from Lot. You know, the nephew of Avraham Avinu. They have some, I guess, some type of credit,

13:40Amon, same thing, also came from Lot. Edom, that's Esav. Edom, that's the Romans, that's the Nazis. That's the people that have been destroying us for the last 2,000 years ruthlessly. That's like people like Martin Luther, the Rasha Merusha, who burned women alive just because he thought that they were witches. That's Edom. You're telling me that he's welcome to Am Yisrael? And what about the Egyptians? 210 years we were in Egypt, we made the money, we did all these things, and instead of saying thank you, they turned us into slaves, killed our babies. How could this make any sense? How could this make any sense? Where Hashem is telling you here about one of the most important character traits that a person can have. And the only character trait that if you don't have it, it's impossible for you to connect to Hashem. Impossible. He's telling you that the nation of Edom has a merit. You're not allowed to reject the Edomites because he's your brother. He's related to you. And even though the Edomites...

14:41And the only character trait that, if you don't have it, it's impossible for you to connect to Hashem. Impossible. He's telling you that the nation of Edom has a merit. You're not allowed to reject the Edomites because he's your brother. He's related to you. And even though the Edomites... going to sin later on. They haven't sinned yet. They're still connected to you. The nation of Egypt is even more so. Seeing with Egypt, despite the fact that you were slaves, despite the fact that they tortured you when you first got there, when Yaakov Avinu came there with 70 people, 70 souls, they welcomed you, they gave you food and You were a sojourner there. You were a stranger there. They let you live. They gave you Goshen. You lived. You have to be grateful. But the nation of the Ammonites and the Moabites, them you're not allowed to accept. Them, even if they convert to Judaism, they can never marry a Jewish woman. And the reason why is because the Ammonites or the Moabites went against us. The Ammonites refused when we came out of Egypt and we asked them for some food and water and were willing to buy it. The Ammonites said, "No, no, we're not willing to even sell it to you. Die." The Moabites, which sold us food and water...

16:10the Ammonites went against us. The Ammonites refused when we came out of Egypt and we asked them for some food and water and were willing to buy it. The Ammonites said, "No, no, we're not willing to even sell it to you." The Moabites, which sold us food and water, ended up sinning by hiring Bil'am later on to curse Am Yisrael and then later on send their prostitutes, their women, immodestly to make Am Yisrael sin and ended up killing 24,000 of the Jewish people. ended up sinning by hiring Bil'am later on to curse Am Yisrael and then later on sending their prostitutes, their women, immodestly to make Am Yisrael sin and ended up killing 24,000 of the Jewish people. So here Hashem is telling you three major things. First and foremost, if it's a relative, you can't forget him. If it's someone that ever did you a favor, even if it's a small favor, even if he just lent you five bucks to go buy yourself a coffee. Even if he gave you a ride that, you know, you could have gotten a cab. Even if he took you to the airport and even if he gave you a job that you didn't really need because you got a better job just a week later. If he gave you a phone call at a time of need, and if he even just said hello, you have to be grateful. You have to be grateful. Because even our enemies that did us good, we have to be grateful to them too. But on the other hand, the nation of Ammon and the nation of Moav that actually are only here because of Avraham Avinu, our forefather, that saved the life of Lot...

17:17if he gave you a phone call at a time of need, and if he even just said hello, you have to be grateful. You have to be grateful. Because even our enemies that did us good, we have to be grateful to them too. But on the other hand, the nation of Ammon and the nation of Moav that actually are only here because of Avraham Avinu, our forefather, that saved the life of Lot, they were ungrateful. Instead of selling us food, they didn't want to sell us food. The Ammonites and the Moabites, yes, they sold us food; they made some money off us. But on top of that, instead of showing continuous gratitude and understanding that it's not purely business, they ended up hiring somebody to kill us, resulting in the deaths of 24,000 of us. Hashem says these two are ungrateful. They're ungrateful for everything you've done for them, your forefathers have done for them, and Hashem Yitbarach has done for them. And someone who's ungrateful, I hate them. It says in the Gemara, there are several types of people that Hashem hates, and one of the ones that's being highlighted as someone that Hashem hates, not dislikes, but actually hates, is an ungrateful person. And they use Parashat Ki Teitzei...

18:40And the issue of the Amorites and the Moabites as an example of someone that Hashem hates. We cannot be ungrateful. The same goes with the mitzvah of Shiluach HaKen. We cannot be ungrateful with all of the wonderful things that Hashem gives us on a day-to-day basis. And let Hashem continue being sad and continue crying over Am Yisrael while Am Yisrael does not keep Shabbat, does not keep kosher, does not keep anything and does not even pray. We have Rosh Hashanah coming up in a couple of weeks. It's Judgment Day. Each one of us is going to have to report why we believe that Hashem should give us another year to live, another year full of success, health, and happiness. And the one main thing we also have to do is say, "I'm sorry." So, the two things that we can do and add to our prayers are, number one, say, "I'm sorry" for the people that you didn't save over the last year. Because it was your responsibility. That's why they're in your life. And number two, promise Hashem that this year, Be'ezrat Hashem, you'll do much better. Because you feel His pain.

20:05Because you now understand what He wanted you to learn from seeing the bird losing its kids. Hashem doesn't want to lose His kids. Help Him. And, b'ezrat Hashem, you'll help yourself. Thank you for learning with me. And may Hashem continue to bless you.