Kedoshim
Dvar Torah
The Pasuk tells us,"You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow..." (19:17)
The juxtaposition of these two statements suggests a powerful lesson. Many times we see people doing things that are blatantly wrong, things that drive us to give them Mussar. If we aren't chastising our fellow Jews for only the purest of reasons, and we haven't fulfilled the first part of the Pasuk - we have ulteriour motives to put others down and put us up, then the Mussar won't be accepted. The only way that mussar can be effective is if it is given with love and if the motive is only to help people serve H-Shem better and make the world a better place. There are times that someone may need a slap. But the slap has to be immediately followed by a kiss.
-Adapted from a vort by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser
Story:
The Rebbe of the Chasam Sofer, Rav Nosson Adler, once looked out his window and saw a thief leaving his storage shack with a bundle of wood. He immediately ran outside and proclaimed "How lucky you are that I happened to see you!! Now i will be able to declare the wood owner-less and you will not violate "You shall not steal"!" (Kedoshim, 19:11) Stunned with the shock of being caught and bewildered by his confusion by what Rav Nosson was saying, the thief dropped the bundle of wood and found himself frozen, rooted to the spot in fear. "Unbelievable!" cried Rav Adler, "Now I will be able to fulfill the mitzva of "Hakeim Takeim Imo!!" (Devarim, 22:4) With that he lifted the bundle, placed it on the thief's shoulder, and sent him on his way.
Dvar Torah
The Pasuk tells us,"You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow..." (19:17)
The juxtaposition of these two statements suggests a powerful lesson. Many times we see people doing things that are blatantly wrong, things that drive us to give them Mussar. If we aren't chastising our fellow Jews for only the purest of reasons, and we haven't fulfilled the first part of the Pasuk - we have ulteriour motives to put others down and put us up, then the Mussar won't be accepted. The only way that mussar can be effective is if it is given with love and if the motive is only to help people serve H-Shem better and make the world a better place. There are times that someone may need a slap. But the slap has to be immediately followed by a kiss.
-Adapted from a vort by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser
Story:
The Rebbe of the Chasam Sofer, Rav Nosson Adler, once looked out his window and saw a thief leaving his storage shack with a bundle of wood. He immediately ran outside and proclaimed "How lucky you are that I happened to see you!! Now i will be able to declare the wood owner-less and you will not violate "You shall not steal"!" (Kedoshim, 19:11) Stunned with the shock of being caught and bewildered by his confusion by what Rav Nosson was saying, the thief dropped the bundle of wood and found himself frozen, rooted to the spot in fear. "Unbelievable!" cried Rav Adler, "Now I will be able to fulfill the mitzva of "Hakeim Takeim Imo!!" (Devarim, 22:4) With that he lifted the bundle, placed it on the thief's shoulder, and sent him on his way.