I was to be in Baltimore for Rabbi Jonathan Gross’s daughter’s Bas Mitzvah Shabbos, however on Thursday we received a call from Shoshana to go down to Florida and spend a week with them.  Hashem rewarded me with the following Torah after the picture.

September 18, 2022 at the Bagel Store in Boca Raton.  Serka and I with Shoshana and the grandkids.

Torah from Shabbos:Devarim 26:14 and 15:לֹא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי בְאֹנִ֜י מִמֶּ֗נּוּ וְלֹא־בִעַ֤רְתִּי מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ בְּטָמֵ֔א וְלֹא־נָתַ֥תִּי מִמֶּ֖נּוּ לְמֵ֑ת שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃ *. I have not eaten it while in mourning, I have not cleared out any of it while I was impure, and I have not deposited any of it with the dead. I have obeyed my God יהוה; I have done just as You commanded me.Rashi quotes the Sefrei 303:18:עשיתי ככל אשר צויתני. שָׂמַחְתִּי וְשִׂמַּחְתִּי בוֹ (ספרי303:18) ; (מעש”ש פ”ה 12) : — I have myself rejoiced and made others rejoice by itVerse 26:15הַשְׁקִ֩יפָה֩ מִמְּע֨וֹן קׇדְשְׁךָ֜ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבָרֵ֤ךְ אֶֽת־עַמְּךָ֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֵת֙ הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תָּה לָ֑נוּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּ֙עְתָּ֙ לַאֲבֹתֵ֔ינוּ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ {ס} Look down from Your holy abode, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.” Rashi on this verse also quotes the Sefrei and adds two verses from בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י: Verses 26:3 and 264:השקיפה ממעון קדשך. עָשִׂינוּ מַה שֶּׁגָּזַרְתָּ עָלֵינוּ, עֲשֵׂה אַתָּה מַה שֶּׁעָלֶיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת (ספרי), שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ (ויקרא כ”ו) “אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ … וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם”: “We have done what You have laid upon us, do Thou now what has upon Thee to do, because Thou hast said, (Leviticus 26:3, 4) If you walk in My ordinances … Then I will give you rain in its season etcBoth Rashi’s on Verses 14 and 15 are from the Sefrei, while in Verse 15 Rashi adds שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ (ויקרא כ”ו) “אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ … וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם”: The Sefrie on Verse 14 of I rejoiced and nade other rejoice by it seems not to be in accordance with the plain meaning of the verse. Rashi’s explanation from the Sefrei in Verse 14 that the words שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃ not in the normal sense of obeying God’s commandments, but it means that when I observed God’s commandments I rejoiced and others rejoiced with me. In the next Pasuk Rashi explains that now Hashem has to reciprocate. for us because of our joy. Rashi also bring down the Pasuk in Vechoksasi אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ … וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם”: Why does Rashi bring down this Pasuk? We understand naturally what a Bracha means for us. Is Rashi telling us that it is the same Bracha as expressed in VaYikra verse 26:4 – 10? It seems more than that. Rashi is saying that there is a parallel in Bechukosei. It we keep the statues, which Rashi translates as ( שֶׁתִּהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה (ספרא, and the commandments then Hashem will give us a Bracha which starts from verse 4 and goes through Verse 10; God will give us rain in its proper time and all the other Brachos listed in Bechukosai. Interesting that both the Rashi her and the Rashi in BHechukosia are Sefreis.Rashi is drawing a parallel between Dvorim 26 Verses 14 and 15 and Bechukosai 26 Verse 3 – 10? What is the parallel?My answer is that this supports the Torah I said on אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ. I combined Rashi on VaYikra 26:3, which says that “if we are עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה – diligent in Torah study” with the Ibn Ezra’s one word on Verse 6 on וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ. The Ibn Ezra says “ ונתתי שלום בארץ. ביניכם” . What is this internal peace? How is this done? Only through all the Jewish people learning and having עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה , will there be internal peace. Everyone’s diligent study of Torah Is true. If I have an answer for the Gadol hador of a Pesht in the Gemara, I am correct if what I said fits into the Pshat. Once we are עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה can we have internal peace. Talking about politics, theology, Halacha, Zionism, Kippa Seruga yes or no, all leads to fighting that is divisive. We all have different viewpoints. Fighting בּמלחמתה של תורה where we are fighting to ascertain the truth of God’s Torah will bring internal peace. We can have a connection between all the various groups. This is what Rashi is saying here in our Pasuk. Just like doing God’s commandments with joy and a joy that permeates and gives others joy brings peace among people in their physical and emotional needs, so to the thoughts expressed in Behukosai in terms of spiritual needs. If the entire nation are עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה in the מלחמתה של תורה there will be internal peace. Story of the Chiddushei Harim and the Lssa Riv – the Nessivos. When I was in Brisk Yeshiva in Chicago as a student in the 1970s, I was told that after Purim the learning in Israel gets weak because everyone is thinking about Pesach, going home, etc. I told my study partner, wouldn’t it be great if every Rosh Yeshiva gave Shiur in a Yshevia different from his own Yeshiva. Reb Aaron Lichtenstein would give Shiur in Ponovitch, the Ponovitcher Rosh Yeshiva would give Shiur in bar Elon University, the Rosh Yeshivas of the Hesder Yeshivas in Chevron, Mir etc., we would have a different Israel today.