‫ב”ה‬

‫פרשת חוקת תשס”ז‬ ‫שיחות רב עוזר‬

Insights into Torah and Halacha from Rav Ozer Glickman ‫שליט”א‬
‫ר”מ בישיבת רבנו יצחק אלחנן‬
At the very end of ‫הלכות תענית‬, the ‫ מגן אברהם‬describes the practice of ‫( יחידים‬extraordinary individuals)
to fast on the Friday of the week of ‫פרשת חוקת‬. The fast is in commemoration of 24 wagonloads of ‫ספרים‬
ordered burned in 1242 by King Louis IX of France at the instigation of the Catholic Church. This is an
unusual ‫ מנהג‬in that it is tied to ‫ פרשת השבוע‬rather than its date on the Hebrew calendar. In the ‫ סעיף‬on
which the ‫ מגן אברהם‬comments, there is a list of other fasts commemorating historical calamities. Every
one is observed on a particular calendar date. Linking this fast to the ‫ פרשה‬required confirmation by
Heaven through ‫שאילת חלום‬, i.e., by the unconscious intuition of Torah scholars. As cited by the ‫מג”א‬, the
answer was ‫יום הפרשה גורם גזירת התורה‬.
This rabbinic intuition is grounded in the ‫’פרשה‬s opening words: ‫זאת חוקת התורה‬, translated by ‫ אונקלוס‬as
‫דא גזירת אורייתא‬. This makes the opening of ‫ פרשת חוקת‬an allusion to the decree passed upon the Torah
itself. Its tragic fate on the Friday of the week those words were read and studied by ‫ עם ישראל‬is forever
linked to the Torah context in which those events happened. All this may be found in the ‫מגן אברהם‬, as I
interpret his words ‫לפי עניות דעתי‬.
It is natural that we observe our holidays according to their place in the seasonal calendar of our people.
Indeed, the Torah itself asserts the connection of our most important ‫ חגים‬to particular seasons of the
year. As human beings, we certainly live within nature and physical time. The Hebrew calendar like
other calendars is structured around natural events, the waxing and waning of the moon and the solar
seasons.
But our lives are informed by Torah. If the days of the week are numbered by their proximity to ‫שבת‬, then
the weeks themselves are numbered by the portion of the Torah studied and read by Jews everywhere.
A ‫ בן תורה‬instinctively realizes the connection to the ‫ פרשה‬in which he finds himself. ‫יום הפרשה גורם‬. The
Torah provides the framework through which we structure our lives.
In his introduction to ‫העמק דבר‬, the ‫נצי”ב‬, ‫זצ”ל‬, cautions ‫ בני תורה‬not to neglect study of the simple meaning
of Scripture. Doing so would be like approaching advanced scientific study of nature without fundamental
knowledge of our world. The ‫ נצי”ב‬studied ‫ פרשת השבוע‬every day with his ‫ תלמידים‬in Volozhin.
It is distressing that many dedicated ‫ בני תורה‬neglect ‫ שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום‬in favor of spending more
time on ‫ חקירות‬and ‫שיטות‬. Substituting ‫ ידיעות התורה‬for ‫ידיעת התורה‬, ‫לא זו הדרך‬. For the Torah to become
our internal logic, we must suffuse ourselves with its own holy words. In our lives, we should strive for
an existence in which ‫יום הפרשה גורם‬. This can only happen when one measures out one’s days through
‫פרשיות התורה‬.
We can draw comfort on ‫ יום הששי פרשת חוקת‬from the fact that there is no dearth of Torah books in
our day. The 24 wagonloads of ‫ ספרים‬have been replaced many times over. In our day, there may be
more ‫ בני תורה‬learning seriously than at any other time in our history. In my own life, however, I mourn
many missed opportunities for Torah learning. ‫זאת חוקת התורה‬- ‫דא גזירת אורייתא‬. As we enter the summer
months with its relaxed schedule and its many temptations, I resolve to elevate myself to a higher level
of dedication to Torah study, to atone for the ‫ קרונות הספרים‬that could be filled with Torah that was within
my reach and that I neglected.
May we approach Torah study with dedication and sincerity now and forevermore.

‫שבת שלום ומבורך‬