Rabbi Rael Blumenthal

Aside from being the first Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was also the Ba’al Kriyah of his shul, reading the Torah every Shabbos.

Naturally, whenever he would travel, there was a big tumult who should Lein in his place. And it so happened that one year, the Rebbe was away for Parshas Ki Savo in which the terrible curses are read.

The leining began without a hitch. The Chosid chosen to read was clearly an expert; not only in the grammar and tunes, but his reading and inflections displayed a profundity of understanding of the words he was reading.

But in the middle of the Kriyas HaTorah, there was a sudden commotion: the Alter Rebbe’s son, Rabbi Dov Ber, had fainted.

When he was revived, he was asked what had affected him so much. “I could not bear to hear such curses,” he said.

“But surely this is not the first time you’ve heard them?!” the chassidim asked. “You hear them every year!”

“It’s true that we read these curses each and every year, but the Zohar tells us that hidden in the curses are the greatest blessings. When I hear them from my father, I don’t just hear the words of the curse, I hear the blessings as well.”

In a small way, each one of us has experienced a moment of hindsight induced clarity. We have all experienced the blessings in our hardships.

We can all relate to stories of the job offer that tragically fell through, which enabled us to get the much better job later on. We all know stories of the house, or business deal or shidduch that didn’t work out, only to lead to much better opportunities just when we thought it was impossible.

Countless stories abound of missed trains and planes which ended up saving lives. Or painful invasive surgeries that unwittingly and miraculously revealed hidden diseases.

There are times when we are fortunate to see the blessings in the curses. But oftentimes we cannot.

We cannot see the brachos hidden in the tragedies of October 7th. From our perspective, there is nothing good about the deaths of hundreds of young chayalim; thousands more injured. I am not the Alter Rebbe; I can’t see the goodness hidden in these horrors.

Reb Shlomo of Krasna explains that perhaps it is for this reason that we read the Tochacha, the curses, softly. Because the ability to hear the Brachos in the horror and tragedy is a secret. And secrets must be whispered.

For most of us, however, these curses will not provide any mystical revelations of blessings. They will not even be whispered as deep secrets. Instead, they will be rattled off quickly and quietly in order to ensure that we are fulfilling the obligation of reading the Torah. After all, we’re up Parshas Ki Savo and we’ve got to get through the Torah.

What exactly are we supposed to gain from these harsh and traumatic pesukim?

It seems that there’s a piece missing from our understanding.

Even if we weren’t reading Ki Savo this Shabbos, Ezra instituted that we read these curses before Rosh Hashana every year (מגילה לא ב), and this institution predates our custom of completing the Torah on Simchas Torah every year.

תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: עֶזְרָא תִּיקֵּן לָהֶן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיְּהוּ קוֹרִין קְלָלוֹת ...שֶׁבְּמִשְׁנֵה תוֹרָה קוֹדֶם רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי וְאִיתֵּימָא רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכְלֶה הַשָּׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ.

It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Ezra instituted that the Jewish people should read the portion of the curses that are recorded in Sefer Devarim before Rosh HaShana. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for this? Abaye said, and some say that it was Reish Lakish who said: In order that the year may conclude together with its curses.

Somehow, the reading of the curses in our Parsha is supposed to help us conclude the curses of this year. But how?

To understand this we need to consider why the Torah contains these curses in the first place, and to this end, the Talmud instructs us in peculiar Halacha: The Baal Kriyah is not allowed to stop in the middle of the curses in the Tochecha.

The Avnei Nezer (שם משמואל ראה) explains: The whole purpose of this Tochecha is to encourage a person to see that our actions have consequences. The Tochecha is a long Mussar Schmooze, where the Torah tells us to take responsibility for our actions and our inactions, and realize that we are here for a purpose.

The Torah demands from us that we live up to our God given potential. But also requires that we do not live isolated ascetic lives. We are commanded הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך – you should surely rebuke your friend. Each and every one of us has an obligation to use our influence on other Jews to bring them closer to Hashem. Sometimes, that means we need to have uncomfortable conversations. Sometimes, we need to point out weaknesses that we’re rather overlook. Of course, we are only obligated to give mussar if we believe it will work. There’s no mitzvah to make another Jew upset with no positive outcome.

Most often, we probably err on the side of avoiding our own discomfort. But if we truly care about each other, and we truly care about Hashem, then we wouldn’t only worry about our own Ruchniyus. We’d care about each other as well. That’s the mitzvah of Tochacha.

R’ Yaakov Yosef writes (בן פורת יוסף, דרשות שבת תשובה א׳), however, that the obligation to give Mussar to each other does not apply on Rosh Hashana. In fact, the opposite is true:

מבואר בכתבי האר”י זלה”ה שלא להזכיר שום חטא בראש השנה, שלא יהיה פתחון פה למקטרג וכו'. ואם הוא עצמו אינו רשאי לפרש חטאו, אשר בזה אמרו (משלי כח, יג) ומודה ועוזב ירוחם, מכל שכן שאין המוכיח רשאי לפרש חטא הדור

The Arizal writes that we do not mention any of our sins on Rosh Hashana. And if one is forbidden from mentioning their own sins, how much more so that we are forbidden to mention the sins of our generation.

Rosh Hashana is the day we approach the King of Kings on the day of His Coronation. Pointing out the faults of any His subjects is not just bad form; it’s frighteningly dangerous for you and them!

In the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, our love of the Jewish people demands that we take the time to help each other correct our actions. That way, when the new year enters, we will see no flaws in each other.

Chas V’shalom that anyone of us should mention or point out anything negative about any Jew on Rosh Hashana. We have plenty enemies who are trying to exploit any weakness we might have, and we dare not join them on the day when Hashem is judging us.

All of this is to say, that when Ezra told us to read the Tochecha this Shabbos, he was telling us: “Take a moment now to hear what you’re doing wrong. Accept the Mussar now, because we don’t want to call you out on Rosh Hashana.”

In the deepest way, “the year and its curses will end”, because this year, we will finally stop cursing each other.

Our goal is to arrive at the Yom HaDin with a united front. We will stand before the Melech Malchei HaMelachim with unity and dedication, advocating for each other. We will present our case that the year and its curses must finally end.

Hashem should give us the strength to become the greatest people we can be, and when Rosh Hashana comes, to see only that greatness in each other.